Operation Christmas Child

Collection Week is here! Already we have lots and lots of boxes! WOO HOO! Our goal is 2100 shoebox gifts this year. It won't be possible without you. New groups are getting involved and faithful groups are adding to their numbers. Thank you. For more information on this great project visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ or call The Lighthouse at 761-9658

The Great Christmas Bowl

In a novella destined to become a holiday classic, The Great Christmas Bowl will have you laughing one minute and swallowing the lump in your throat the next. Susan May Warren has done it again. This time she’s captured all the mania and magic that is Christmas in this charming tale about Marianne Wallace, a woman in a small Minnesota town who just adores the holidays.Usually. This year is a little different. While Marianne’s caught up in preparing for a family Christmas that has to be perfect in every detail, her son’s football team has a shot at the state championship. So far so good—until the team’s mascot goes missing. And the church’s Christmas Tea needs organizing. Who better than Marianne to step in and save the day? Things start to unravel as Marianne realizes she’s in over her head. Then, one by one, her children tell her they can’t come home for Christmas. As her sparkling white Christmas turns to blue, can Marianne get the magic back?“I hope you enjoy reading [this story] as much as I enjoyed writing it,” Susan says, “and that it brings to you some of the flavor and magic of your childhood . . . and perhaps the delightful memories of Christmases with your family.” Susan invites readers to share a favorite Christmas story or family recipe on her blog at TheGreatChristmasbowl.blogspot.comThe Great Christmas Bowl is the perfect Christmas gift for anyone on your list who loves a funny, heartwarming story—and that includes yourself! By this and other great books at The Lighthouse or www.lighthousebooksource.com (Taken from Tyndale's Fiction First Newsletter)

Experience the Bible as never before

Goodbye to Gideon? That was the question that titled the Newsweek article about Glo, the new interactive New International Bible by Zondervan. In Lisa Miller's article in Newsweek she says, "Two men arrived in my office to show me their new product, a digital Bible called GLO (pronounced "glow"). Unlike other digital Bibles—which look, well, like Bibles—this one is cool with a capital C. Designed for people who prefer to read while they're watching TV and texting and downloading music, GLO is to the Bible what SimCity is to the comic book: an interactive scriptural immersion experience. Go to Exodus 25, for example. There, you can read, in the New International Version translation, the description of the Tabernacle the Hebrews built in the desert, where they sacrificed animals on altars to the Lord and, more importantly, where they stored in an ark the stone tablets upon which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments. Then click on a computer-generated image of the Tabernacle itself and things get really interesting. See the Tabernacle from the height of an airplane—Look! There's Mount Sinai! There are the tents of Aaron and Moses!—and then swoop down into it, cruise around, navigate through walls to the inner sanctum where the Ark of the Covenant rests. Penetrate its golden lid and view tablets themselves, written in proto-Canaanite letters, the way they must have looked (if you believe in these things) before they finally disappeared, mysteriously, forever."

Glo is available here at The Lighthouse and on our website at http://www.lighthousebooksource.com/ You can also see and experiment with Glo on their website, http://www.bibleglo.com/ Come in and see for yourself all that Glo can do! We'll be reviewing more in the days to come; so check back often.

Beauty and True Love Come from the Heart

New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury weaves a heart-warming tale of inner beauty and devotion. The king stages a competition to see who is worthy of his daughter, and challenges the three knights to prove their courage, strength, kindness, and character. The final competition will decide the winner. Who will pass the test and above all prove his faith in God ... and the true meaning of love? A great gift with a great message every mom will want to share with her daughter. Look for The Princess and the Three Knights at The Lighthouse. Beautifully illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard.

Saint Nicholas

The newest VeggieTales, Saint Nicholas is something we are very excited about here at The Lighthouse! This VeggieTale features Operation Christmas Child and a new song by Matthew West and Amy Grant, "Give This Christmas Away!" Saint Nicholas will be available here at The Lighthouse on Saturday, October 3. Get your copy today and Give This Christmas Away! Just as a reminder shoe boxes are available NOW for you and/or your church to pick up.

A Parent's Guide to Family Devotions

: my faith

Quiet Time

Connect A Parent's Guide to Family Devotions

from mtl magazine

Keeping family devotions fresh and exciting is easier said than done. I believe most parents really desire to influence their children spiritually but simply do not know how. If given a realistic plan, families can establish personal spiritual habits that can serve as a foundation for family devotions.This process begins by helping every family member enhance his or her own personal walk with Christ. Talking about personal devotions when addressing family devotions may sound strange, but the two must be connected. Family devotions come alive when the parents and children can share how God is working in their lives individually.A dynamic tool that can be used for both personal and family devotions is the Word of Life Quiet Time devotionals for all ages. Each day when individual family members have a personal quiet time, they are preparing for family devotions. They will all read from the same Bible passage; however, the number of verses will vary according to age. The parent's Quiet Time has additional commentary to aid them in understanding and discussing the passage. Word of Life also publishes Quiet Time Connect, A Parent's Guide to Family Devotions, which provides parents with insights and ideas."Prayer is a strategic aspect of family devotions." Using the Quiet Time as a basis, here are some practical tips for family devotions: Choose the best time of day for your family, realizing that every family is different and has unique schedules. The ages of your children may determine if your devotions are in the morning or evening. The lengths of time spent in family devotions will depend upon the ages of your children. You might consider the following times if you are new to family devotions:Young Children — 5-10 minutes Teens — 10-20 minutes. Strive to make your time together fun. Begin by selecting two days a week for family devotions, and then add more days as you grow together. Variety in your family time is important. Prayer is a strategic aspect of family devotions. Creativity on the part of the parents will greatly increase the effectiveness of the family prayer time. I suggest that the parents do a little brainstorming for creative ideas relative to their family, but I have listed some ideas to get started: Establish a prayer focus for each night, such as a family member, your church, friends or missions. Pray for individual missionaries your family or church supports. Focus on a particular family member and a personal prayer request. Pray for the pastors and teachers in your church and schools. Pray for unsaved friends and family. Create a prayer bulletin board and post pictures of those for whom you are praying or handwritten requests from family members. (Make it portable for easy use.) Get out of the house and take a prayer walk with the family — take turns praying as you walk. If your children have cell phones, pray through the people in their phone contact list. Have you ever been with a group of people and did not know how to start a conversation? This has happened to most of us at one time or another. One parent told me that his greatest fear was how to begin their family devotions. He confessed that he just did not know what to say. To help alleviate that fear, let me share some discussion starters to consider: Use the two questions found in each day's Quiet Time: What is the writer saying in today's passage? How does this apply to my life? If you have devotions in the morning, how can you apply this today? If you have devotions in the evening, how did you apply this today? Ask about the characters in the passage (if applicable). Ask who is talking in the passage. Ask who the writer is addressing in the passage. Ask if the writer was happy or sad when he wrote this passage. Ask what the family learned about God from this passage. "With a little creativity, this can be an exciting time for families." The perception is that family devotions are boring. Perhaps this is often true, but it does not have to be the norm. With a little creativity, this can be an exciting time for families. Once again, using variety in family devotions can prevent them from becoming stale. For those parents who do not feel creative, here are a few ways to create enthusiasm: Draw a picture of the key thought in the passage (for younger children). Make a mosaic from different objects to illustrate the passage. Role-play the passage or key thought. Make up a song to illustrate the passage. Sing a song that goes with the passage. Use a "game show" format for discussion. Quiz each other about the passage. Print the verses on cards or poster paper, and put them on the wall. Write an encouraging card to someone, using a verse from the passage. Using a verse from the passage, send an encouraging text message to someone, and tell them the message is from your whole family. Watch a video together about the devotional topic. Take a family walk or hike and discuss the passage. Use props (such as homemade costumes). Have a missionary in your home to share their ministry. Put on a puppet show to illustrate the passage or truth. If you or a family member is involved in an online community or blog, share some observations from your family time. Getting our families into the Word of God and growing together spiritually should be one of our major goals. The Word of Life Quiet Time devotional for all ages provides the perfect materials for both individual and family worship. Available here at The Lighthouse.
http://mtlmagazine.com/mtlmagazine/departments/faith.php

Live Fast Die Young

"Live Fast Die Young" is the name of a DVD that will soon be here at The Lighthouse! This film is receiving rave reviews...'This film lives up to its title and leaves the viewer reflecting on the "point of life" and how faith fits in and provides perspective and hope.' - Pastor Roger Bosch, Lake Avenue Church. "It was a very moving film. Especially the ending. Better than 'Fireproof' (another Christian film)" says a viewer at Alive Music Fest. "Congratulations! It encourages me to know there are Christians in the vineyard with such high standards of quality." - Philip Yancy, Best-selling author

Story: At an exclusive Hollywood party on Christmas Eve, an A-list star dies of an apparent overdose. A detective holds a protesting core group of Hollywood insiders for questioning. The group, consisting of an A-list director, a top agent, a movie star, a media mogul, a writer, a wannabe actress, a studio head, and others, begin a deep and profound discussion on the meaning of life, including the existence of God.

As an added support to our local churches we have been able to provide you with "licensing rights" to show this publicly, simply by purchasing the DVD here at The Lighthouse! You can show it to your church, youth group, cell groups, Bible studies, etc. For more information visit http://www.livefreedieyoungmovie.com/