From My Mother

by | Dec 14, 2020 | Mom Blog, Christmas, Posts

We celebrated my mother’s 91st birthday this month! She loves the Lord and is a wonderful blessing in my life, in the lives of our family and in the lives of others.

When asked if she would be willing to answer a few questions relating to Christmas with the intent of sharing her answers with you on the Mom Blog, she kindly agreed. I hope you enjoy reading her responses.

What is one of the many Christmas carols you enjoy singing?

Silent Night.

What makes the carol Silent Night special to you?

This carol is special to me because it is a song that I have sung since childhood. We would sing Silent Night at church and with relatives at my grandparent’s house.

What Bible verse are you meditating on this December?

Luke 2:7 “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” 

What comes to mind as you think about what Luke 2:7 says?

Jesus comes to mind! This Bible verse tells me about Jesus and His birth.

How does the true meaning of Christmas effect your life today?

The true meaning of Christmas causes me to give Jesus praise and thanksgiving for saving me as a sinner. He saved my soul.

The true meaning of Christmas also influences what I put in my house at Christmas time. One of my Christmas decorations this year is a centerpiece on my table. Around a poinsettia plant I have placed the names of Jesus. This centerpiece reminds me of Him. (See picture below.)

As Christmas approaches, what is something you would like to share with us as mothers?

Go to the Scriptures and read Luke 2:7-14 to your children over and over again. Christmas is about Jesus coming as a baby. Christmas treats, decorations and presents are all things we can enjoy at this time of year, but the most important thing is to remember Jesus and what He has done for us.

Thank-you Mom. You are a blessing!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Marian Thomsen

Marian Thomsen

Wife, Mother, Mentor

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10

Christmas Table Talk

by | Dec 12, 2020 | Mom Blog, Christmas, Posts

Have you considered how you would like to stimulate and encourage meaningful conversations while enjoying your Christmas meal together?

A recently created selection of twelve Table Talk questions may be just what you are looking for! We plan to use these questions in our home and welcome you to do the same!

May your table conversation be full of hope and joy this Christmas!

Table Talk

(PDF is created for two-sided printing)

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Marian Thomsen

Marian Thomsen

Wife, Mother, Mentor

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10

Jesus’ Birthday Gift

by | Dec 11, 2020 | Mom Blog, Christmas, Posts

When our daughters were small, we introduced the idea of our family giving Jesus a birthday gift. We recognized that we gave each other gifts on our birthdays and that we could give Jesus a gift on His birthday too!

The first year I can remember doing this, we put little colorful cardboard boxes under our Christmas tree. There was a box for each daughter. These boxes were used to collect the money they wanted to give towards buying Jesus’ gift. As our daughters put their coins into their boxes they knew that Jesus’ gift money was going to be used to purchase Bibles for others. Kristen remembers that Kirk’s and my enthusiastic responses as our daughters gave spurred them on to give even more coins. It was a joyful and exciting experience! And in time, as our daughters got older, we started to give individual birthday gifts to Jesus.

I carefully share this, not to point to our family, but to offer an idea that other families may also enjoy, all for God’s honor and glory. And there are so many ways to give! We can give of our time, our energy and our resources.

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son,
and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths,
and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7

What is a way your family enjoys giving to Jesus during the Christmas season? Share in the comments. Your ideas may inspire someone else!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Marian Thomsen

Marian Thomsen

Wife, Mother, Mentor

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10

Jesus’ Birthday Cake

by | Dec 11, 2020 | Mom Blog, Christmas, Posts

One of my childhood Christmas memories is of my mother baking an angel food cake to celebrate Jesus’ birthday! The whiteness of the cake a reminder of the holiness and purity of Jesus. The red of a little round candle placed on the top of the cake a reminder of Jesus’ blood that was shed for us.

Our family would gather around to watch the candle being lit and then we would join together in singing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus. Someone would be given the honor to blow out the candle and then the candle would be saved for the next year. Amazingly, after over 50 years, my mother still has that candle and continues to use it!

“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;”
Isaiah 9:6a

What is one of your special Christmas memories? Share in the comments. I’d love to hear about it!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Marian Thomsen

Marian Thomsen

Wife, Mother, Mentor

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10

Christmas Tree Verses

by | Dec 5, 2020 | Mom Blog, Christmas, Posts, Study God's Word Free Download

Looking for a new way to decorate your Christmas tree this year? Decorate it with the truth of Scripture!

1. BIBLE VERSE CARDS

Find and read Bible verses together that relate to the Christmas story from both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Write the Bible verses on little cards. (Older children can write the verses on the cards, younger children can decorate the back of the cards.)

2. HANG ON YOUR TREE

Punch a hole at the top of each card, add a bow and a Christmas tree ornament hook or a loop of ribbon or string, and hang the cards on your Christmas tree!

The following download offers Bible verse suggestions. The pages are ready for you to print, and cut into small Scripture cards.

Bible Verse Cards

Idea!

When you gather to read, write and decorate the verse cards with your children, enjoy a cup of something warm to sip on and some quiet background Christmas music.

Idea!

After hanging the cards on your tree, take turns each day reading and talking about a few selected Bible verses found on your tree. Thank God for the truths found in the verses read.

Idea!

Looking for another way to enjoy these Scripture cards? They can also be displayed on your walls, windows, mirrors or doors.

Idea!

Date your completed cards. Laminate them. When Christmas is over, store the cards with your other Christmas decorations so you can continue to enjoy the verses next year!

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Marian Thomsen

Marian Thomsen

Wife, Mother, Mentor

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10

Scripture Picture Book – Luke 2:1-14

by | Dec 2, 2020 | Mom Blog, Christmas, Posts, Study God's Word, Study God's Word Free Download, Videos

Would you like a creative way to enjoy the Christmas story found in Luke 2:1-14 with your children this December?

If so, I highly recommend creating a Scripture Picture Book together!

A little family history will help to explain why. Years ago, our daughters, Melissa (3), Kristen (5) and Melanie (6), were on the floor having fun drawing and coloring pictures. Pictures to represent the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke chapter 2. These pictures were being drawn on a large and long piece of paper.

I soon realized that their artistry was precious and worth keeping, yet, the paper was large, and folding it up and trying to store it year after year was not very practical. So I decided to encourage them to draw pictures again, this time on individual pieces of 8 1/2” x 11” cardstock. Taping the completed pages together into a long strip made it easy to fold up the story book like an accordion and then read together.

What I did not realize was that this was the beginning of creating Scripture Picture Books in our home!! Scripture Picture Books that we would continue to make and enjoy for years to come.

We found these books to be a simple yet powerful way to think about, talk about, study and enjoy God’s Word together. We also found that as we read our Scripture Picture Books over and over again, often during Bible Time, our daughters began to memorize the Bible passages without even trying!

We now have a little library of precious and varied Scripture Picture Books that were created over a span of years. It is still fun to look at the books together, savor God’s Word and share memories the Scripture Picture Books bring to mind. And many Christmas’s in our home have included the reading of Luke 2:1-14 using at least one if not more, Scripture Picture Books created years ago. And this Christmas will be no exception!

It is a joy to share the idea of Scripture Picture Books with you! I hope you too will be blessed this Christmas and in the years to come by creating and using Scripture Picture Books with your children.

 

HOW TO MAKE A SCRIPTURE PICTURE BOOK

 

1. COLLECT

Collect your Bible, some crayons, markers or colored pencils.

2. PRINT

Print the download. (All the pages needed to complete a Luke 2:1-14 Scripture Picture Book are included in the download. And step by step instructions guide you and your children through five study steps. Scripture Picture Books are recommended for ages 3 to adult.)

3. GATHER

Gather your children and have fun creating the Scripture Picture Book together!

Scripture Picture Book - Luke 2:1-14

  ARCHIVES

Take a peek into the Thomsen Archives! You’ll see some pages from two of our Luke 2:1-14 Scripture Picture Books.

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Marian Thomsen

Marian Thomsen

Wife, Mother, Mentor

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 41:10

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