Author Archives: M2P

1.1.23

Your January Resources Are Here!

A new year offers new beginnings, new opportunities, and new perspectives. As you navigate through your faith journey and seek to lead the children and families in your span of care, there are some new tools that you can use as a children’s ministry leader. As we take our first steps into 2023, we want to encourage you, your volunteers, and the parents you lead to consider walking away from the often-ineffective practice of setting new year’s resolutions. We all know that resolutions focus not on formation but on behavior, and they often don’t stick for very long. What if there was a tool you, your volunteers, and the parents in your church could use that would help to truly change the focus of the new year? What if there was a lens you could look through that would shape you in a powerful way? We believe the practice of picking a word for the year can be just the tool to propel you forward in your faith. The resources we’ve created this month revolve around the book My One Word (www.myoneword.org), and we would encourage you to lean into this concept, pick a word yourself, and share the idea with the volunteers on your team and parents in your church. One word really can change your life.

For more on this topic, don’t forget to check out the blog articles, coaching video, online parenting class video, toolbox item, and the latest episode of the M2P Podcast. Remember that we are here to serve you and to help you serve parents, so let us know if there is ever anything we can do for you or your ministry.

Happy New Year!

The M2P Team

WHAT IS IT?

This “My One Word Worksheet” helps anyone (you, volunteers, parents, and even kids) go through a simple process of picking one word for 2023. This will be a word that will help shape your faith and how you see the world. Picking a word helps us focus on formation and development rather than behavior modification.

HOW TO USE IT

Download the “My One Word Worksheet” and post it on your website.
Email volunteers and parents a copy of the resource or a link to it and encourage them to set aside some time to work through it and even lead their kids through the process.
Print copies of the document for parents to grab at church.
Use the worksheet to pick a word for yourself.

To download, click HERE for youth, HERE , and HERE for you as a ministry leader or volunteer leader.

We are launching the new year with a focus on how we, as children’s ministry leaders, can step into 2023 in a bit of a different way. Instead of making more New Year’s resolutions that we rarely keep, we can simply pick one word to frame our year. In our coaching video, we’ve invited pastor, author, and creator of My One Word, Mike Ashcraft, to walk us through why this is a better way to grow in our faith and how we can do this ourselves.

To view, click HERE for youth and HERE for kids.

As we step into a new year, give the parents within your children’s ministry influence the gift of a way to lose that long list of resolutions—all their sweeping promises to change—and do something about one thing this year instead of nothing about everything. We’ve invited the pastor, author, and creator of My One Word, Mike Ashcraft, to share this unique tool he’s created with parents and teach them how to use it for themselves and utilize it within their kids. When we just pick New Year’s resolutions, they often focus on changing our behaviors instead of molding our character. Picking a word for the year can help parents and kids consistently evaluate how they are being formed and changed as they navigate different circumstances in life. Mike will share how this powerful tool can impact parents and children alike as they determine who they want to be moving into this new year.

To view, click HERE for youth and HERE for kids.

New blog posts coming this month:

Starting Anew With Just One Word by Karin Sasser
Trading Resolutions For One Word by Amy Diller
Focusing On Formation by Karin Sasser
One Word To Change Your Year by Amy Diller

To view, click HERE.

Leading Through Picking One Word

A new year always brings new possibilities. As children’s ministry leaders, we have the opportunity to grow in our own faith as we lead the volunteers, parents, kids, and families in our church to grow in theirs. It’s always great to find new tools to help us all move along our faith journey, and this month we have a new tool for you. It’s called My One Word. Pastor and author Mike Ashcraft came up with this concept over fifteen years ago and has been leading people worldwide through the process. My One Word can help you–along with the volunteers, parents, kids, and families you lead–land on a real focus for the new year. This one word focus can help provide you with the staying power you need to go beyond a new year’s resolution and instead lead to real transformation. To learn more and step into the My One Word process, check out this month’s coaching video.

Click the image above to watch the video or click HERE!

My One Word

(This content is adapted from the book My One Word by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen)

This My One Word process is designed to channel your attention and effort with laser-like focus over an extended period of time. This is key to lasting change and will build your character at a deep, sustainable level. All that you, your family members, or your kids have to do is pick a word, but there’s more to that process than anyone might imagine. So, grab a sheet of paper or a journal, and we’ll walk you through the process. This process should be done over a few sessions and several days.

Take some time to ask yourself some questions and answer them honestly. Here are some questions to consider:

#1 Describe The Type Of Person You Want To Become Through The Next Twelve Months.

More specifically:

–As a parent/adult, do you want to get along better with your spouse, your coworkers, your neighbors, or your kids?

–As a kid, do you want to get along better with your peers at school, your teammates, your teachers, your siblings, or your parents?

What kind of person would get along with them? What characteristics would that person display?

–As a parent/adult, do you want to be more disciplined about how you live your life physically, spiritually, or financially?

–As a kid, do you want to be more disciplined in your approach and dedication to your studies, talents, passions, friendships, or walk with Jesus?

What kind of person would live a disciplined life in these things? Describe that person. What drives them?

–As a parent/adult or a kid, do you want to interact differently with your family?

What are some ways you would like to see your relationships with your family grow?

You get the idea. Think about some other questions* to ask yourself, dig deeper, and record your answers.

*Parents, you will want to help your child think through some questions.

Describe The Type Of Person You Want To Be In The Box Below

#2 As You Look At What You Have Written, What Are Some Words That Rise To The Top As You Think About Who You Want To Become?

Give this question some in-depth thought.

Don’t rush the process.

Don’t settle on the first word that comes to mind.

Make a list of 15-20 words that come to mind. Once you’ve completed the listing process, pray, look over your list, and begin marking off all but ten or so of the words. Remove the ones that resonate least with you.

Create Your Word List In The Box Below

#3 Once You Have A Short List, Write A Brief Description Of What Each Of The Words Means To You.

Look them up in the dictionary and note their definitions.

Look at their synonyms.

Look them up in the Bible.

Define Your Words In The Box Below

#4 Pray And Ask God For Guidance As You Narrow Your List.

Spend a few days thinking about your list and weighing the implications of each word.

#5 After A Few Days Of Reflection And Prayer, Pick A Word.

Don’t let this part stress you out. If you went through the process, any of the words on your list could be right for you.

List Your Word, Definition, And What It Means To You In The Box Below

#6 Choose A Bible Verse To Go Along With Your Word.

Memorize this Scripture.

This will provide a foundational truth that will ground you throughout the year.

For more info and a deeper look into the process, visit www.myoneword.org or order the book My One Word from Amazon.

Write Your Word And Scripture(s) In The Box Below

LINKS:

HERE’S A PREVIEW OF THE RESOURCE:

Learning To Lose The Long List Of Resolutions By Embracing Profound, Lasting Change With My One Word

EMAIL 1

Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.

Subject Line: Just a Word

Dear Parents,

I think we all know that words are powerful. They set direction, chart courses, and lead us in so many ways. But, as you and your kids head into the new year, what if you didn’t struggle with failed resolutions and unchanged behavior? What if you decided to focus more on formation than behavior modification–for your kids and for yourself? This month we introduce you to a book and idea called My One Word. This process helps you and your kids determine the type of person you want to be as you move along your faith journey. In this month’s Online Parenting Class video, pastor and author Mike Ashcraft shares more about this My One Word concept and how you can utilize it in this new year with your family.

To watch the brief video, click the link below.

[ INSERT LINK TO ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]

Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year!

Praying with you and for you as you lead at home.

[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]

EMAIL 2

Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.

Subject Line: My One Word

Dear Parents,

How would you like to move into this new year with your family having a tool and a process that can truly help everyone in your home grow in their faith? We’re not talking about picking resolutions that focus on behavior modification and rarely work. Instead, we’re talking about a way to look at your life that will frame your entire year and allow God to work in you and your kids even when a failure occurs. Instead of thinking about ways to modify behavior, you could simply pick one word. In this month’s blog article, you’ll be inspired and equipped in some ways to do just that through My One Word. Take a few minutes to check it out. You’ll be glad you started the new year with this quick read.

[ INSERT LINK TO M2P ONLINE PARENTING BLOG ARTICLE ]

And don’t forget to watch this month’s Online Parenting Class video, where pastor, author, and creator of My One Word, Mike Ashcraft, walks you through the process.

[ INSERT LINK TO ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]

Thank you for the honor and privilege you give our ministry in allowing us to walk alongside you and your family in this new year.

In this alongside you,

[INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE]

Video Script

Hi parents, Chris Sasser here, and I am excited for the way we’re going to step into the new year at Ministry to Parents. You know, most years, we might pick resolutions, and we know that those never really work. Well, this year, we’re going to encourage you to step into the new year in a new way. Maybe instead of picking some resolutions, you can just pick one word to frame your entire year, and today you’re going to hear from my friend and pastor Mike Ashcraft.

Hey parents. One of the things that happens early on in our children’s lives is they begin to answer “do” questions with “be” answers. From the moment they arrive in kindergarten, they start asking, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” and we begin to answer those questions with, “I want to be a doctor” or “I want to be a teacher” or “I want to be an architect,” and very quickly we begin to sort of make synonymous our vocation with our identity. And this isn’t super harmful because it’s sort of the normal ways that things are kind of progress, but I think we have an opportunity to do something different, something that profoundly shapes not only we interact with our kids in their elementary school years, but really sets a foundation for them to consider how their vocation is going to become an expression of their identity rather than the way to define it. And what kids need, and I think the opportunity for us, years ago we began this process where we stopped picking New Year’s resolutions, we stopped making promises about the kind of changes we were going to make in our lives, and instead we begin to pick a word. We just asked a simple question, “What kind of person you want to become?” You can lead your kids through this right, “What kind of person would you like to become?” “What kind of traits would you like to see in your life and become more readily available, more seeable in your life over the course of a year?” Have them make a list of those things, is it kindness, is it goodness, do they want to become more outgoing? Whatever it might be, just help them make that list. Have those conversations with them, then narrow that list down, and then have them simply pick one word. This is a great exercise, not only kind of envisioning but actually selecting and eliminating because you’re going to have four or five words that you want. You’re going to make them, or force them, or help them pick just one because this is what focus is ultimately about. Then that word will serve as a lens through which you will see your entire life over that year, and what you will see your kid’s life and kind of watch and help them watch what’s happening in them so every time they do something right that that moves in a direction away from the kind of person they want to become, instead of it being a scolding and a, “You got to promise to do better” it becomes, “Hey, what if we realigned our vision with the kind of person that you want to become, that we want to be and experience together?” You use this process with your kids, and over time what they begin to learn and realize is that who they are becoming is far more important than what it is they’re going to do. Your kids are going to grow up with so much pressure to do things, to do more to get into the right schools, to do all the right things, and the reality is God has designed us such that those good and beautiful things come out of the good and beautiful character that He longs to form in our lives. And what we want to do is to provide a way for our kids to see that and to stay focused on that, and to experience God’s promise as he says that “he who began a good work in them is faithful to bring it to completion.” And as parents, we get to help reshape and reframe and just realign our kids to the vision of who it is that they want to become and the kind of work that God wants to do in them.

Well, parents, I know that was incredibly helpful, and I also know that as a parent over the last number of years, taking my kids through this has really given us a lot of things to talk about at home and some ways for me to encourage my kids to step into who they are becoming. So, two things I would encourage you with is, number one, go through the my one word process yourself as a parent because as you continue you to lead your kids, you need to be growing in your own faith, and I promise you this is a tool that will help you do that for the new year. And then, secondly, figure out ways to talk to your kids about this and maybe lead your kids through the My One Word process because, as they step into a new year, they need a different lens on who it is that they can become. For more information, go to myoneword.org. You’ll be glad you did.

My One Word (Ministry Leader & Volunteer Leader Version)

(This content is adapted from the book My One Word by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen)

This My One Word process is designed to channel your attention and effort with laser-like focus over an extended period of time. This is key to lasting change and will build your character at a deep, sustainable level. All that you and/or your volunteer team members have to do is pick a word, but there’s more to that process than anyone might imagine. So, grab a sheet of paper or a journal, and we’ll walk you through the process. This process should be done over a few sessions and several days.

Take some time to ask yourself some questions and answer them honestly. Here are some questions to consider:

#1 Describe The Type Of Person You Want To Become Through The Next Twelve Months.

More specifically:

–As an adult and/or parent, do you want to get along better with your spouse, your coworkers, your neighbors, or your own kids?

–As a ministry leader, do you want to get along better with your fellow staff members, volunteers, the parents you serve, or your senior leadership?

–As a ministry volunteer leader, do you want to get along better with the youth leader, other leaders in the ministry, others in church leadership, kids/teens you serve, or parents of the kids/teens you serve?

What kind of person would get along with them? What characteristics would that person display?

— As an adult and/or parent, do you want to be more disciplined about how you live your life physically, spiritually, or financially?

–As a ministry leader, do you want to be more disciplined in your approach and dedication to preaching/teaching, planning, budgeting, recruiting/training volunteers, discipling kids/teens under your care, personal friendships, work/life balance, or your own personal walk with Jesus?

–As a ministry volunteer leader, do you want to be more disciplined in your approach and dedication to planning, spending time with kids/teens outside of assigned times, building relationships with the parents of your kids/teens, and serving the Lord with joy?

What kind of person would live a disciplined life in these things? Describe that person. What drives them?

–As an adult and/or parent, ministry leader, or volunteer leader, do you want to want to grow and develop as a follower of Jesus and lead others to do the same?

What are some ways you would like to see your relationships with Jesus Christ grow?

You get the idea. Think about some other questions to ask yourself, dig deeper, and record your answers.

Describe The Type Of Person You Want To Be In The Box Below

#2 As You Look At What You Have Written, What Are Some Words That Rise To The Top As You Think About Who You Want To Become?

Give this question some in-depth thought.

Don’t rush the process.

Don’t settle on the first word that comes to mind.

Create Your Word List In The Box Below

#3 Once You Have A Short List, Write A Brief Description Of What Each Of The Words Means To You.

Look them up in the dictionary and note their definitions.

Look at their synonyms.

Look them up in the Bible.

Define Your Words In The Box Below

#4 Pray And Ask God For Guidance As You Narrow Your List.

Spend a few days thinking about your list and weighing the implications of each word.

#5 After A Few Days Of Reflection And Prayer, Pick A Word.

Don’t let this part stress you out. If you went through the process, any of the words on your list could be right for you.

List Your Word, Definition, And What It Means To You In The Box Below

#6 Choose A Bible Verse To Go Along With Your Word.

Memorize this Scripture.

This will provide a foundational truth that will ground you throughout the year.

For more info and a deeper look into the process, visit www.myoneword.org or order the book My One Word from Amazon.

Write Your Word And Scripture(s) In The Box Below

LINKS:

HERE’S A PREVIEW OF THE RESOURCE:

12.1.22

Your December Resources Are Here!

The month of December can often be full of lots of activity both at church and at home. The chaos of the holidays can push us and the families we serve to live at a pace that will drain us if we’re not careful. We all know that we need rest, and we need a rest that focuses on God and the peace that only He can give. This month M2P is providing you with tools and resources that will help you encourage parents to lead the way in experiencing and modeling rest in their families. We are challenging you as a children’s ministry leader to take some time to step into a real rest yourself. This year let’s make the holidays about more than just decorations, events, festivities, and busyness. Let’s be intentional about slowing down, catching our breath, and carving out the time to experience Emmanuel, God with us. Let’s learn how to rest in Him.

Merry Christmas!

The M2P Team

WHAT IS IT?

This “A Personal Retreat” is designed to help the parents serve (and you…yes, children’s ministry leader, you need this toolbox item also) take an intentional step into rest by carving out some specific time to look back at the year, evaluate how God has worked in you, and look ahead to what God may want to do in you this next year. This retreat can be done in one session over a few hours or in smaller chunks over a few days. The week after Christmas is a great time to do this personal retreat in order to set yourself up for a great launch into 2023.

HOW TO USE IT

Download “A Personal Retreat” and post it on your website.
Email parents a copy of the resource or a link to it and encourage them to set aside some time to go through the questions and journal their thoughts.
Print copies of the document for parents to grab at church.
Do the personal retreat yourself. Trust us; you need it, and you deserve it!

To download, click HERE for youth and HERE for kids.

In this month’s coaching video, we focus on Psalm 46:10, where we are encouraged to go in a direction we don’t often go. “He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.'” The God of the universe is directing us to stop and acknowledge Him for who He is. If we’re honest, stopping and resting are hard for children’s workers. We have so much to do and so many kids, families, and volunteers to tend to that we often miss the very essence of what God wants us to do. He simply wants us to learn how to be in His presence and lead from that place. Take a few minutes this month to watch the video and honestly reflect on whether you have learned how to live from a place of rest.

To view, click HERE for youth and HERE for kids.

Talk to a parent about their life, and they will almost always say some version of, “We’re really busy.” They are busy with work, busy with their kids’ activities, and busy with their own social life. Heck, we can often pile on and give them things to be busy with at church. Rarely do they take quality time to slow down and truly rest in God. This month’s Online Parenting Class video challenges parents to take some time to evaluate their pace of life and take some time this holiday season to just rest. How can they slow down a bit and enjoy the gift and presence of God in their lives? Then we encourage them to make resting in God a normal and natural part of life so they can lead their kids and families towards experiencing this same rest.

To view, click HERE for youth and HERE for kids.

New blog posts coming this month:

Rested or Rushed? by Karin Sasser
Holiday Reset by Amy Diller
Living in Sabbath Rest by Karin Sasser
The Three Rs of Christmas by Amy Diller

To view, click HERE.

Leading from a Place of Rest

So, how are you feeling? More and more, it seems that people are responding to that question with “I’m tired.” Parents are saying it. Kids are saying it. And children’s workers are certainly responding in that way. Well, we want to encourage and challenge you this month to take some time to rest. More specifically, we want to encourage and challenge you to be intentional about resting IN God as you celebrate the birth of the Lord into the world. As a children’s worker, you need a consistent rhythm of rest in order to be the best leader you can be. In this month’s coaching video, we give you a few easy, specific ideas for how you can develop a pattern of rest, and we give you a chance to do it. So, take a few moments to check out the video and think through how you can better incorporate real, restorative rest into your life. Trust us; you need it, and you deserve it!

Click the image above to watch the video or click HERE!

A Personal Retreat

During the month of December, we’ve been encouraging you to focus on living life a little differently and leaning into developing a mindset and a lifestyle of rest. Psalm 46:10 (NIV): “He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’” God tells us to take time to stop and reflect on who He is. In our reflection, we have the opportunity to not only focus on who He is but on who we are becoming as we seek to follow Him.

The concept of an end-of-the-year personal retreat is rooted in the idea that before we step into the new year and a new season of life, we should take some intentional time to look back at the last year and evaluate where we are. Only then can we really look forward to where we want to go. Find a place and take some time to settle your heart and mind as you think about your life. It is a place where you can work out your faith – serving as a break from the noise, busyness, and demands around you. As we do this, we loosen the grip of control and of carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. We come to God not so much for relief from our circumstances as for refuge in His presence. We rest because we trust. When we pursue God’s heart in reflection and prayer, He transforms our own.

This retreat will have four sections, each with prayer, scripture, and reflection questions. Schedule some uninterrupted time and find a quiet place where you can be alone. Grab a Bible, journal, and pen. Write down both the questions and your answers, and have the courage to be honest with yourself. Even though this is a PERSONAL retreat, we encourage you to invite a friend or family member to do it along with you and discuss the insight they received later on together.

We’re excited to hear how God uses this experience to encourage, challenge, and inspire you to a deeper sense of His presence and greater steps of faith.

Part 1 – Thanksgiving and Reflection

Before you begin, pray these words:

Lord, thank you. Thank you for who you are, for how you work in the world, for how You love me, and thank you for this opportunity to grow closer to You. Help my mind to settle, for my thoughts to be clear, for my heart to be pure, and for this time to be honoring to you. Please lead and guide me as I go through this exercise and teach me what you want me to learn.

Read the verses below and let them rest on you. Reread it, sit with it in silence, meditate on its truths, and circle words or phrases that speak to you. Try to rewrite it in your own words.

Psalm 107:8-9: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

Take out your phone. Yes, we are allowing it for this first question, and then we’ll ask you to put it away for the rest of the retreat. Scroll through your Instagram profile or phone’s album and look through your photographs from the past year.

After you’ve done that, spend some time reflecting on the following questions:

What emotions, thoughts, and memories did this exercise produce? What stuck out to you about this past year?
What were the 3-4 most significant events that transpired in your life this past year? How did you respond to each situation and let it frame your perspective of yourself, others, and God?
Complete the following sentence: This past year was _________. What makes you describe the past year in this way?
Where do you need to let the past be the past? What would it look like for you to do so?
In what ways did you experience God’s faithfulness in this last year? In what places did you wrestle with believing that God works everything out for your good?

Part 2 – Recognition and Repentance

Before you begin, pray these words:

God, there are things of this past year that I wish I could take back – hurtful words, destructive patterns, along with careless thoughts and actions. Those hidden places inside my heart where pride and envy reign, anger simmers, and discontentment stifle, unfortunately, saw the light of day. Everything in me wants to banish them back into the darkness and pretend they never happened or existed. My hesitancy to hide lies in my tendency to get myself right until I feel worthy enough to enter Your presence. Fear keeps me hidden. But that timid act won’t lead to freedom; it only leaves me shackled to the past, unable to move forward – returning to lesser things repeatedly.

Neither will I be released from the past by compiling a list of my wrongs and rattling them off to You in a misguided attempt of penance. Instead, You invite me to examine my ways, not to punish me all over again or open up old wounds but to break the chains that hold me captive. Free me from the pressure of measuring Your grace by my guilt. Lead me through this time of confession without being impeded by fear, disgrace, and shame. May I stay the course and not let guilt derail my pursuit of You, nor dictate how I handle my sin and struggles.

It’s your tender grace and incomprehensible love that drives my confession. Today, I don’t want to merely nod my head in agreement, admitting my wrongdoings, but declare that anything that separates me from You chokes out the vibrant life You promise and hinders my soul’s freedom. By aligning my heart with Yours, I recognize that the light of Your love breathes worth into my soul. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.

Read the verses below and let them rest on you. Reread it, sit with it in silence, meditate on its truths, and circle words or phrases that speak to you. Try to rewrite it in your own words.

Psalm 32:3-7 (NIV)

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance”

Take a few moments to reflect and journal on the following questions:

If you had the opportunity to do this past year over again, what would you do differently and why?
How are fear and shame keeping you hidden? What areas of struggle can you give over to God and allow others access to come alongside you in your faith journey?
What are the destructive sin patterns you are bringing into the new year? How are they choking out the full life God promises and hindering your soul’s freedom?
Every struggle begins with a thought. What thought patterns enabled your struggles to flourish over the past year? How can you take these thoughts captive in this next year?

Part 3 – Obedience and Reconciliation

Before you begin, pray these words:

God, may I fight past regrets by being faithful in the present – not out of duty, drudgery, or obligation, but instead as an instinctive act of trust. Your ways are good, right, and true. Let this confession fuel my obedience and serve as an expression of my dependency. Because I am loved much, I desire to leave a legacy of love.

I want to know You in such a way that my life can’t help but look different. Yet, this depth and transformation remain out of reach if I spend my days in the shallow end of the status quo. I recognize that experiencing this intimacy happens not through observing but rather by following, trusting, and obeying. So, may I display the courage to step out of my comfort zone, knowing it is in this unknown place where You shape and mold me into the person You called me to be.

Remind me that giving myself away is the most powerful way to live. Open my eyes for the opportunities awaiting my obedience – let me see the gifts, talents, and resources I can bring to these moments to further Your Kingdom and make Your name known. And then, may I display the courage to respond to this nudging with curiosity, faith, and humility.

You don’t need me to do big things for You, but rather invite me to reflect Your heart in those ordinary moments taking place around me. Lead me down the path of fullness and freedom. Direct my steps as Your presence goes before me. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.

Read the verses below and let them rest on you. Reread it, sit with it in silence, meditate on its truths, and circle words or phrases that speak to you. Try to rewrite it in your own words.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NIV)

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

Take a few moments to reflect and journal on the following questions:

Our hearts shrink or expand to the size of our most significant concern. How would you describe the current state of your heart? Where is it expanding, and what is causing it to grow? On the other hand, where is your concern focused if you feel your soul is shrinking?
Where has God granted you influence? What gifts, talents, and resources have God gifted you with that could be used to further God’s Kingdom? Would you say you are stewarding your influence and resources well? Why or why not?
What opportunities lie ahead of you that are awaiting your obedience?
How would you articulate your next step of faith, and what would it look like for you to take it?

Part 4 – Vision and Future

Before you begin, pray these words:

God, often what prohibits me from experiencing fresh faith is my fixation with the familiar. I’m fearful of trusting beyond what I already know. I fall for the allure of the misguided security it promises but rarely delivers. Instinctively, I view my circumstances through the lens of how things have always been. I write a story’s conclusion before it has even had a chance to begin.

May I replace the hesitation, cynicism, and predictability with a curiosity about how you could move through me if I simply make myself available. I need not be afraid of change but concerned with living a life resigned to remaining the same. Faith never stands still but always sets its gaze on what lies ahead. May I have eyes to see Your will and Your ways.

Over the past year, You’ve begun a “new thing” inside my heart. I commit to stopping long enough to sense Your presence, hear Your voice, and articulate Your direction. May I be an instrument for forgiveness, grace, and hope in this hurting and lost world. Give me a vision more significant than my ability and effort so I have no choice but to rely on Your faithfulness. Lead me outward and onward to a future defined by trust, faith, and dependency. Remind me that my past faith isn’t sufficient for the weight of the future.

I lay this next year and all my hopes, dreams, and plans at Your feet – not my will, but Yours be done. I might not know what this upcoming year holds, but I trust that the One who holds the entire universe in His hands has me. And I’m learning that is enough. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.

Read the verses below and let them rest on you. Reread it, sit with it in silence, meditate on its truths, and circle words or phrases that speak to you. Try to rewrite it in your own words

Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

As you near the end of today’s personal retreat, we want you to turn the corner towards the year ahead and the person you want to become in this next year. Change is possible, but focus is required since the pace of life won’t push you toward transformation and growth. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Without vision, you live unrestrained.”

Take a few moments to reflect and journal on the following questions:

What theme(s) is emerging so far from your time in reflection with God today?
How would you describe the “new thing” God is doing inside your heart? If you can’t sense a new thing occurring, why do you believe your faith remains in neutral?
How can you put into practice what you are learning? What are some steps you can take to ensure this “new thing” God is doing within you grows and continues to come to life?
List some key takeaways from your time with the Lord. What are some things you have learned about God, about yourself, and about how you want to step into the new year?

We hope this personal retreat was a rewarding experience for you and that God spoke to your heart today. Congratulations on finishing well so you can start this coming year off strong. Just like you, we are excited to see how God will move in your life over the next 365 days. Even though the future is unknown, you can trust in the consistency of God’s character and the fact that His love remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Want to take a next step in moving into this coming year? Go to https://myoneword.org and learn more.

LINKS:

HERE’S A PREVIEW OF THE RESOURCE:

Learning To Value Rest & Practice Sabbath

EMAIL 1

Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.

Subject Line: Learning To Valuing Rest

Dear Parents,

We all know that the holidays can be a bit crazy for all of us. This supposed season of joy can often spiral into a season of chaos with so much to do and so many places to be. We place value on a lot of things that, if we’re honest, might not really matter in the long run. This month we want to encourage you to take some time to value rest and maybe slow it down a little. What would it look like for both you and your family to learn how to rest in God and who He is and really celebrate “God with us” – Emmanuel? Check out this month’s Online Parenting Class video to take some steps in that direction.

To watch the brief video, click the link below.

[ INSERT LINK TO ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]

I hope you and your family have a great, restful holiday season this year!

Praying with you and for you as you lead at home.

[ INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE ]

EMAIL 2

Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.

Subject Line: Embracing the Idea of Sabbath

Dear Parents,

In your life, do you embrace the idea of sabbath? Other than knowing that the church talks about Sunday being a sabbath, have you ever really thought about what sabbath means and how you can incorporate it into your normal rhythm of life? Instead of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted this holiday season, what if you decided to focus on doing less and on hitting pause (with a sabbath) so that you could spend more time savoring every moment with your family? In this month’s blog article, you’ll be encouraged and given some ways to do just that. Take a few minutes to check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

[ INSERT LINK TO M2P PARENTING BLOG ARTICLE ]

And don’t forget to watch this month’s Online Parenting Class video where we encourage you to learn a little more about what it means to embrace a normal sabbath in your life and learn how to live from a place of rest.

[ INSERT LINK TO M2P ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]

Thanks again for letting us speak into your life, and we pray that you and your family can embrace a life that flows from sabbath and rest.

In this alongside you,

[ INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE ]

Video Script

Well, welcome to the chaos! I mean we are in a time of life, the holiday season, where things get a little crazy. Your kids are ready to get to that long-awaited break from school and there’s a lot of stuff happening that lead up to Christmas. You may have family events and parties with friends, you have errands to run and services to attend and, oh yeah, presents to buy. But we all know that this season is supposed to be about something else … It’s supposed to be about Emmanuel, “God with us.” We get to celebrate the birth of Jesus and receive the spirit of God into our hearts and lives, and we get to lead our kids in that same direction.

Well, I have a question for you that might be good for you to ponder this time of year. How often do you take time to just rest? Yes, I said rest. I don’t just mean sleep rest. I don’t just mean Netflix binge rest or scroll on your phone rest. I don’t mean time off for vacation rest. I mean rest that is rooted in Psalm 46:10, which says: “He says (meaning God), He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’” How often do you step into the practice of being still? How often do you think about and allow your heart and mind to know that He, Jesus, is God? How often do you find a spot where you can put everything away, where you can focus your heart and your mind, and you can maybe live in what Paul in the new testament calls “a peace that transcends understanding” that only comes from God?

When it comes to this particular season, the holidays, I would encourage you to maybe do something that you might not normally do. I would hope that you could value REST in God. What if you could let go of the need for everything to get done, for everything to be perfect, and what if you could embrace a rest that focuses on God and His love for you? What would this season of your life look like if all the things that the world tells us are important just faded to the background and you didn’t run yourself and maybe your family ragged? What if “Emmanuel, God with us”, was enough? You can still have Christmas and buy presents and enjoy gatherings. But what if you took some of the time and emotional energy you normally put into the craziness of the holidays, and you just rested? And what if you led your kids to do the same?

Your kids are out of school and home. Slow down and enjoy it. Make the most of that time. Maybe focus on some simple traditions you can create for your family so your kids will experience the holidays in a different way. Maybe model for your kids a different way of living and show them that the most important thing we can do is love God and love others.

And then, when we head into a more “normal” time of life, whatever that looks like, step into some practices that will allow you to experience real rest. Do you value sabbath? Most of us, when we think about “sabbath” we think about Sunday as a Sabbath and that’s when we go to church and try to take the day off (but youth sports has ruined that). What if you embraced the biblical concept of Sabbath, a regular period of time in your life, say weekly, where you rest in God and who He is? Again, not just rest, but rest IN GOD? Sabbath is a way of remembering and expressing the truth that God is our creator and deliverer and sustainer. We are dependent on him for all we have in the world AND for the strength we need to lead in the way He has called us to lead our families. Make space for sabbath in your life and maybe lead your kids into a practice of sabbath. They need it. They need to learn the value of resting in God and the fact that He loves them. They need space to embrace who He has created them to be and experience the peace that comes with that.

Yes, the holidays can be crazy, and we can get worn out, but we all know that life in general can be crazy, and we can get worn out at any time of the year. If we’re going to be able to sustain any type of sanity and joy in life, we have to learn how to rest.