Month: December 2013
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Twelve
Today’s star is from Playmobil kit #4884 and can be viewed/ordered here. Although the timing of the appearance of the star isn’t entirely clear, we decided to put it up before the child is born. The kids are really getting excited about the arrival of the baby Jesus. Day 12 – Luke 1: 46-56 46 And Mary said:…
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Eleven
Today’s manger is from Playmobil kit #4884 and can be viewed/ordered here. It’s funny how “manger” sounds so much nicer than “feeding trough.” I like how this scene shows the animals using what will serve as Jesus’ first bed. I’ve heard of a variety of things serving as a first bed, whether it was specially designed…
-
John the Baptist and Nelson Mandela
This past Sunday we had a great performance by our church choir, and I took ten minutes at the end to draw some parallels between the lives and legacies of John the Baptist, who is featured in this year’s second Sunday of Advent scripture reading, and Nelson Mandela, who died just a few days before.
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Ten
Today’s boiling pot, stand and fire are from Playmobil kit #4884 and can be viewed/ordered here. In setting up today’s scene, my daughter wanted to put Mary by the pot, but I insisted that Joseph would be more useful at the pot boiling water than she would be. Having been a part of a temporarily unassisted…
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Nine
Today’s bucket of fresh hay and bag of oats are from Playmobil kit #4884 and can be viewed/ordered here. Day 9 – Genesis 3: 8-15 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from…
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Eight
Today’s stump, wood pile, axe and mouse are from Playmobil kit #4884 and can be viewed/ordered here. This passage has lots of fun utopian imagery and symbolism that kids don’t get, but the idea of a family tree that gets cut down seemed to connect. We have reason to believe that Mary and Joseph would have…
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Seven
In seeking to establish a family Christmas tradition, this year my wife and I purchased a few Christmas and Nativity scene kits from Playmobil. Every day from now until Christmas Eve we will reveal more pieces and characters for our scene, tell a little bit more of the Christmas story, read a short passage of…
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Six
In seeking to establish a family Christmas tradition, this year my wife and I purchased a few Christmas and Nativity scene kits from Playmobil. Every day from now until Christmas Eve we will reveal more pieces and characters for our scene, tell a little bit more of the Christmas story, read a short passage of…
-
Playmobil Advent – Day Five
In seeking to establish a family Christmas tradition, this year my wife and I purchased a few Christmas and Nativity scene kits from Playmobil. Every day from now until Christmas Eve we will reveal more pieces and characters for our scene, tell a little bit more of the Christmas story, read a short passage of…
-
Witness 2: The Reawakening
The relationship between Mennonites and the entertainment industry hasn’t always been a good one. On the one hand, “we” (and I use that term loosely) haven’t always been happy with the morality of what appears on our screens. On the other hand, we are often used as characters in their storylines that misrepresent us. Today’s…