Well we made it through the Holiday season and hopefully we all made it through in one piece. Thinking back on Christmas and the time spent with family, I am filled with many memories.  One that everyone can relate to is Christmas morning and the along awaited opening of the presents. Everyone is gathered around the tree. Children’s faces lighting up with excitement and joy as they open their presents. Their excitement increases with every new “just what I wanted” gift.  Not only are the children filled with joy, but so are the parents. They delight in watching their children enjoying the gifts they gave them. As much as the children love receiving the gifts so do the parents who give them.
     Thinking about that picture makes me think about our Heavenly Father and the gifts we receive from him.  Just like our earthly parents our Heavenly Father delights when we, His children, are filled with excitement and joy from the blessings and gifts we receive from Him.  What I love about the Lord is that He doesn’t need a reason like a holiday or a birthday to give. Once again just like our earthly parents, He gives because He loves us. So as we receive these gifts and blessings from our Lord in the upcoming year, I challenge everyone to look past whatever it is they are receiving and allow yourself to see His everlasting love through it all.  

Jessica Dillon
Central Kidz-Preschool Team

5 Christmas Eve services already completed.  1 left to go.  I am sitting in my office, for a quick 15 minute break, just long enough to share with you several thoughts from my heart.  There is a great website that Kim (my wife) stumbled upon several years ago.  This website actually (wink wink) tracks Santa’s flight path across the world.  It has been something fun our family to look at throughout the day on Christmas Eve.  Check it out: www.noradsanta.com.  Even though tracking Santa is fun, the story behind it is quite amazing.  Take 5 minutes and read this.

Why We Track Santa

For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s Christmas Eve flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born. To listen to Colonel Shoup talk about the experience, click here.

In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD. NORAD inherited the tradition of tracking Santa.

Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa’s whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa website.

Finally, media from all over the world rely on NORAD as a trusted source to provide Christmas Eve updates on Santa’s journey.

One huge mistake, turned into an amazing opportunity.  Your kids make mistakes every day.  You . . .make mistakes everyday.  As parents, we need to mine for learning opportunities with our kids.  One mistake, could make such a significant impact in their lives.

A desire to grow is evident!

The last few months I have been approached from several students wanting to know more of the word and this faith they have owned. These students hunger for wisdom, not to mention a refreshing note for life, has leaded me to a greater hunger in my faith. The multiple times that students have approached me with questions have been the highlights of my time here! These teaching moments not only share the deep beauty that their faith holds, but it reminds me of the great glory and love of the Lord that I have discovered in my life! For every moment I sit and learn of my faith, it’s exciting to anticipate the joy and the “light bulb” moments that the students receive from the teaching moments!

Joy and Peace,

Naomi Koenig

Resonate Team

I tell this story a lot… about last year when I was unpacking my nativity scene to set my “perfect” table for my “perfect” dinner only to realize that baby Jesus was at the bottom of the box. I had to seek him out.. I had to find him at the bottom of the box. My reminder in that moment is that I need to seek Him out on a constant basis.

Every year, as a parent, I am trying to remind my children that Christmas is not about the gifts, it’s not about what you get, it’s about the birth of Christ. Then, I head out into the crowded street, push my way through the jam-packed stores just to obtain some treasured item that either I or my family wants. In these moments, I am most likely angry at the traffic, frustrated with slow cashiers and acting the complete opposite to what I am trying to teach my children.

Mike Foster, when he was here, talked about wrap-rage. (The rage you feel trying to open the doll packaging.) When he says wrap-rage, though, I think of the frenzy we get into when we’re trying to balance the line between the truth of Christ’s birth and the commercialism of Christmas. Give me some ideas on how to minimize the “wrap-rage”!

What do you do to keep your feet grounded on the true meaning of Christmas?

Melissa Millwee
Central Kidz - Preschool Team

I love all things Christmas. Getting Christmas cards and letters in the mail from friends and family. The excitement my kids get from Christmas lights. The Christmas music and movies (some of which scream cheesy cheer). Getting my first Starbucks Christmas cup of the season. However, Christmas does have a dark side; black Friday, overly packed calendars, crowds, stress… the list could go on.

A few weeks ago, my six year old son randomly appeared in my room with this exciting news, “Mom, you do know what Christmas is about, right? We’re celebrating Jesus’ birthday. God gave him to us as a gift. Christmas is not about presents and toys.”

I was brought back to reality of celebration. Of course, we know the reason we celebrate Christmas, but I think all of us have those moments of the Christmas crazies and I love that my six year old was there to rope me back into reality.

Andrea Kessler

Director of Preschool Ministry

Being a part of Element the past year and a half has brought many blessings.  And sharing Christmas with my Central family is the most treasured.  There’s something extra special about being in a room full of believers celebrating the birth of Christ with homemade dishes and that famous white elephant gift exchange.  And the laughter and joy that fills the room last all year long as we serve alongside each other in Element.  I challenge each of you to find your God appointed ministry to serve in during Christmas at Central.  Whether its with holding babies, greeting members or directing traffic you too will have “Christmas with the Central Family”. 

Serving with Central,

Marlene Hughett

Element Team

I tend to hate that word and what it implies. Waking up on time to get ready and arrive at work or school on time and do the other countless activities that need to get done.  In Hebrews 12:11 it says: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”  I don’t understand how this all works my family has no discipline nor was I taught it or lessons like saving money, paying bills, and staying out of trouble. So now that I’m living on my own I’m shocked with the reality that discipline is not just a word the army and weight watchers use, it’s the word that implies responsibility.  I’m responsible!!! Ahhhhh!!!! With that said I am under going an experiment waking up and staying up not just turning off my alarm and going back to bed and sleeping in for 10 hours.  My next responsibility challenge is to live on a budget.  I know that these are activities that bring me peace in my life and push me to be responsible and God’s word says that it will bring about righteousness and peace.  Are there some responsibility challenges you may need to have?

Jeremy Benno -Summerlin Student Ministry

I am a football junkie. I can watch just about any game, even if it is between two teams no one has ever heard of before. A great day is being able to see 3 or 4 games. One of the things I really enjoy watching is how the game plans unfolds for the teams.

Coaches spend a whole week making plans for the game. At the beginning of games, most coaches have a script of about 20 plays they want to run early in the game. These are the best plays they have been able to design to work well against what the other team will do. They have put in the work and study and have their game plan for the week. Of course, the other team has done the same work over the week and they both hope to have the right game plan in place to stop each other. So all throughout the game there are series of adjustments made as each team works their plan. The goal is victory. It is great when it works out for your team! As a Giants fan I have gotten to experience how great it is recently.

Have you thought about the game plan for your family? What would you consider touchdowns and victories for your family? Have you studied parenting strategies? There are a lot of great resources available. You can find some in the bookstore at the 242. But not every strategy will work for your family. Have you attempted a strategy? Don’t let a failure stop you. Failure of one strategy is just a giant step forward to discover what plan will work for your family. Once you discover the best plan for your family keep working to improve it and implement it. We want to help you with your game plan for your family. As you walk along the plan with your family, know that the staff and volunteers at Central are here to help you. If you have some things you want us to help reinforce, please share them with your child’s small group leader or room leader and we will join with you. It will be a full game of adjustments and experiments and failures and with enough effort a victory. Just like the Super Bowl champion New York Giants!

Daniel Carnahan

Central Kidz – Summerlin

Thanksgiving in the Trethewey household is a time when we spend hours in the kitchen preparing for the feast that is devoured in what seems likes minutes.  As we cheer on our Cowboys, we are thankful for the “leftovers” as half-time rolls around. With full stomachs and gracious hearts, we start talking about the next day’s main event.  It is on that day that we will bundle up the girls, put them in the car, and head over to the spot…the place that leaves us feeling giddy and somewhat overwhelmed.  With our favorite Christmas music ringing throughout the car, we make our grand entrance. Our day-after-Thanksgiving-spot… our storage unit. Let the fun begin! We load up the car with the boxes full of Christmas items. I never thought a storage unit could be so exciting until I moved to the desert where there are no basements for Christmas boxes! Once home, we will pull out the singing Rudolph and the Grinch who stole Christmas.  They will be playing on a daily basis as our home becomes a festival of lights!

There is something about this time of year that makes me truly happy. Creating family memories, eggnog justification, and sharing in the birth of God’s amazing son gives me time to sit back and reflect on God’s constant blessings.

I’m thankful and at peace.  What are you looking forward to as the holiday season rolls around?  What are you doing to create moments of celebrations with your family this year?

Kim Trethewey

Central Kidz Team

It was Thanksgiving day and I was hanging out with some family and friends.  We were eating some great food, playing some fun games, and listening to Christmas music . . . I know, I thought the same thing . . . IT’S TOO EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS!  As much as I love Christmas and the music that comes along with the holiday, I just wanted to enjoy Thanksgiving for one more day!

It also got me thinking about all the things that come along with Christmas.  It’s not just the music, but it’s also the stress, the shopping, the $$$ (which none of us have right now), the family (good or bad), and oh yes . . . the FOOD!

For many people, they dread the holiday season for some of these reasons.  I totally get it!!  But one thing to always remember is that these times can help to shape you and your kids.  I know that I look back on Christmas and Thanksgiving with my family and can remember almost every single year.  These memories stick with you for the rest of your life!

Take the time to make them good memories!  Remember what the celelbration is all about . . . it’s about Jesus and celebrating him entering our world both physically and spiritually!  If we remember nothing else this Christmas, let’s remember that!  Have a merry merry Christmas season and make some GREAT memories!!

Josh Bollen

High School Worship Leader