TRADITIONS 2: Ideas to help you get started

This is TRADITIONS part TWO: In case you didn't see part one I will repeat the beginning.

If you are working on starting some new traditions, let me tell you traditions don't have to cost a fortune. They are memory makers. I would suggest you not start a new tradition that is going to be so complicated and stressful. You may be excited this year but think about how much work it is taking and can you keep this up as your children get older. I'd also suggest new traditions that involve the whole family. If you are going to start having family come over for a dinner or party let everyone bring something. You have fun decorating and making your one or two favorite foods. And let others bring their favorites.

TRADITIONS 1 blog had a few ideas: New Year's, Valentines' Day and Easter. 

PICNICS: When was the last time you went on a picnic? When I was growing up my parents would take us on picnics. I can remember my daddy saying, "Nellie is dinner travelable." That was usually on a Sunday. Dinner was in the middle of the day. I grew up with breakfast, dinner and supper. Mom would pack the pots with potatoes, beans and meat in boxes, and plates and silverware in the trunk of the car and we would go to a park. Sometimes we would pick my grandma up about 5:00 in the morning if it was a Saturday. We would be asleep in the back seat. Grandma would bring country ham biscuits and mama had fried chicken for dinner. We could smell the biscuits and chicken all the way to the mountains. We loved going on Skyline drive in the mountains. We would eat, talk, and stop at the overlooks. Good memories. (Cost of gas and food. But we would have a blast!)

When Arielle was three to six years old we lived in Onancock, VA. I couldn't find a job so while being a stay at home mom I decided to make some good memories. Arielle, our dog, Naomi and I walked around the block most everyday. Now we lived on an incredible block. We would walk out the door and go to the left to the intersection, down the block to the bakery. We couldn't afford to buy something everyday but we still went by to say Hi! to the bakery ladies and to the men who were usually there getting breakfast. Then we would go to church to see her daddy for a few minutes. We left him and walked thru town to the wharf. Once at the wharf, we would see who could find the first crab. I would sometimes make us a sandwich and pack something to drink and we would have a picnic before heading home. All we needed was a couple of sandwiches, napkins, a drink and a piece of grass.


HALLOWEEN: When Arielle was growing up the churches we were apart of would sometimes have "Halloween Happenings" Everyone but children dressed liked hobos. Some years Kev, Arielle and I dressed like clowns. Our church now does Trunk or Treat to give families a safe place to take their children.  A couple of years ago Rev Kev, our dog Sandy and I dressed like the Stick Family. (Black sweat suits with white duck tape. After Halloween we took off the tape and wore the sweats. The faces are white foam core boards cut into circles with a black mesh type fabric taped on the back. We could see through it but at night others couldn't see us.)

The Stick Family (Like on the back window of car)

THANKSGIVING: Parades! Family time! Hunters! Football! We like to start the day with the Macy's Day parade. We still do. Now we text or call when something we think was amazing happens, or of course the cheerleaders are about to come on. Our family and Kev's sister's family took turns hosting the Thanksgiving dinner when the kids were growing up. Now that our daughter has gotten married and we have a grandchild we are in the redesign phase.

CHRISTMAS: First and foremost _ JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON! That should be taught at all times. Jesus is real and is a part of our lives everyday and in everyway!


Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year. Probably because it is a time that my family has always gotten together. I have several previous blogs on Christmas so I won't reinvent that wheel. If you would like to read my Christmas blogs you can follow these links.
www.danettemoen.blogspot.com/Our New CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
www.danettemoen.blogspot.com/Mama D's Childhood CHRISTMAS
www.danettemoen.blogspot.com/Rev Kev's Childhood CHRISTMAS

People remember moments in time, so make your traditions moments that will be happy memories.

Have a Blessed Day,
Mama D

Joel 1:3 NIV
Tell it to your children, and let your children tell to their children, and their children to the next generation.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

I LOVE Vacation Bible School (VBS)! Always have and I pray I always will! Kev calls it my soapbox.
I remember as a child going to the one at our church and my parent's home church. I remember, the pledges, singing Fairest Lord Jesus, VBS cookies (you may know what I mean. The little shortbread cookies with the hole. We put them on our fingers.), and crafts, (One in particular was plates, cups etc made into a candle holder glued and painted a solid color. My first DIY project).

I'm sure VBS is one of the many places where my knowledge of the Bible grew. Being from the country, VBS was one of the highlights of the summer. I want children today to enjoy their time learning about Jesus and His wonderful love for them as I did as a child. I want VBS to be one of their highlights too.

Our lives are so busy. I'm sure my parents' lives seemed busy too with 5 children. But today just seems so different. We weren't part of Little League, Boy or Girl Scouts, a community pool, etc. We stayed at home for the most part. We had a park across the street. Mom and dad would let us go for an hour or two but we didn't spend all day. We truly looked forward to VBS. We went to a small country church. One of my favorite memories was the year that anyone present at VBS every night got to go to Hardees in a white jeep painted with red pocka dots. Number one, we very rarely went out to eat. Number two, there were no seat belt laws and I can't remember how many kids rode in the jeep but I'm sure it wouldn't happen today.

I heard many years ago that, "Parents use VBS as a baby sitting service. They just drop their kids off and leave."and "All the churches in this area should do VBS the same week. That way we just get our kids."

My response is, "YES, use us as a baby sitting service! Let the children have two or three hours a night for a week learning about Jesus, playing with others, singing new songs with motions, and being creative doing crafts." Instead of sitting in front of a TV, video game or even using a cell phone.

VBS crafts

VBS Song

And as far as all churches doing VBS on the same week. Oh NO! Think about this. If all churches did VBS the same week, the area children would have one week of fun with friends. And would hear the word of God for 4 or 5 days, according to how long the program lasts. Now let's look at if several churches were to do their program on different weeks. The children could have several opportunities to learn songs, motions and Bible stories. By the end of the summer they will have a better chance of having lasting memories and maybe just maybe understand the love of Jesus more than they did at the beginning of the summer. And if the churches did the same program, the children would have different teachers teaching the same lessons and songs. Children and adults learn from repetition.

For example, one year a neighboring church was doing the same program as our church. After their week was up they gave us some of their decorations. We heard of two other churches doing the program. One was doing it the week after us but their first day was our last day so there wasn't time to share decorations with them but the second church was several weeks later so we were able to share with them. We were very appreciative of the decorations and so was the other church. And I believe the people that made the decorations were so happy other children were going to be able to enjoy them.

Vacation Bible School to me is a mission field. I believe God lets us be missionaries right in our own backyard. We don't have to go to a foreign land. God brings the children to us.

Blessings on you,
Mama D

Matthew 19:14 NIV
Jesus said," Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

From BRAT TO BOSS_2

I'm so excited to announce:

From Brat to Boss is done!!!!! YAY!!!!

Danette H. Moen
with From Brat to Boss

        I went to Arielle and Jaron's to help get my future grandchild's nursery ready for the baby. (That's another blog.) When I got home from that trip Kevin met me at the back door with two small boxes. I noticed that both boxes were from my publisher. I hurriedly opened them. It was a feeling like Christmas when I was a child.
       I opened a hardback and a paperback. I had seen the pictures of the book while I was going through the approval stage of publishing.  I guess, I had thought it would be like opening any package of items or books that we have ordered in the past. I mean, I've been working with the publisher for months on the book and I've seen the pictures of the cover. But something about holding a several year dream in my hands was more exciting than I had thought it would be. WOW!

      Now I'm in the next stage, marketing. Ahhh, yet another learning curve. July 8 - 11, 2018 my book will be displayed with a huge variety of items for retail bookstores in Nashville, TN at the 2018 International Convention for Christian retail. It is called Unite 2018. How do I get people I don't know to find and buy my book? I mean really, I'm a regular person not a movie star, a famous entertainer, or TV star . I'm the pastors wife of a loving, friendly church but not a mega church.

     So I'd like to ask you to join me in prayer. That's the only way I know to start anything. Yes, this book has been prayed over many times while writing it, as well as during the publishing phase. So it is only right that this step should be prayed over. I learned as a small child to pray about everything. Then as I grew up and started reading the Bible myself I found out that wasn't just something my parents believed and taught us. It's in the Bible! Philippians 4:6 (NIV) says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present you requests to God."

I would like for you to pray with me that the right people will see my book. And that God's will for it will be done. Also pray for the young people that read and study "From BRAT to BOSS".


Blessings on you,
Mama D

Luke 18:1 (NIrV)
Jesus told his disciples a story. He wanted to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Would you like to purchase "From Brat to Boss"? If so, I would appreciate it if you would purchase it on June 4, 2018 from amazon.com. If my family and friends will purchase it on the same day, I may be able to sell enough to get Amazon's Best Seller for the day. I've been told this could get me a sticker on my book showing it as an Amazon Best Seller and that could possibly help people that don't know me find my book.

https://www.amazon.com/Brat-Boss-Life-Lessons-Joseph/dp/1973621584

Concord Baptist Church celebrates 175 years

Last year the plans were coming together for the 175th Anniversary of Concord Baptist Church. The date of the anniversary was July 10, 2016.

Ms Danette and Rev Kev

The women talked about plans to make or get a period costume. The men talked about growing their beards out. And one young lady made plans to create a cake that looked like the old church building.

It's a Real cake! And it tasted real good!

The research began. Sewing machines were invented in 1846. Mr. Butterick created the first pattern for his wife in 1865, for their son's clothes. He started a business of creating grades patterns and in 1866 he started manufacturing women's clothes patterns.

I will admit that I used a sewing machine to put them together. I also admit that I used patterns to cut out the period clothing. Unlike my grandmother who drew clothes on fabric from pictures in the Sears and Roebuck catalog!
Just as sewing has a rich history, so does CONCORD BAPTIST CHURCH! It is a shame to spend as much time on the costumes without much public use. It was suggested to enter them in the State Fair of Virginia's annual contest for handmade items. I didn't know there was a category for period costumes! And with help from Ms English, my costumes are going to the State Fair.

So if you are at the State Fair of VA, September 23 - October 2, check out the Adult Arts and Crafts section. And help us CELEBRATE 175 years of ministry at CONCORD BAPTIST CHURCH in the Frog Level community of Southern Caroline County.

Have a Blessed Day,
Mama D

(Ephesians 3:21) NIV
"In him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

I CAN'T!

  How many times have you said that?

When my daughter was a cheerleader one of her coaches made them do pushups anytime the phase "I can't" was used. 

The other day in my Sunday School class one of my students said, "I can't...." No, I didn't make her do push ups. I told her my favorite quote is by a man named Henry Ford. He said, "If you think you can or you think you can't, You're right."

Then I had everyone look at me. I told them each morning when they are getting dressed, I want them to look at themselves in the mirror and say this, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." And if during the day you come upon something that is hard, say it again, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." 

We practiced a few times then we started our lesson. It was the story of Daniel being faced with having to not only tell Nebuchadnezzar what his dream meant but also what the dream was.

God is amazing!

Now it's your turn. Repeat after me, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." If you are racking your brain trying to remember where it's found. It's Philippians 4:13.

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

    

Have A Blessed Day,

Mama D

The verse the Lord gave me this morning in my devotion was Romans 8:31. 

Romans 8:31 (NIV)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us who can be against us?

THE TRIUMPHANT ENTRY

Now that life is slowing down from the Easter season, I thought I would take time to share some of the God moments that I noticed.

The Triumphant Entry was portrayed by the children of Concord Baptist Church on Palm Sunday. The room was full of people waving palm leaves. The children came in the front door and waited for the right time to take their places. There were a couple of young boys that seemed to me to get very nervous. One told me when we were in the fellowship hall getting ready that he didn't think he wanted to do it. I told him that I would let him wear a costume and when we take our places he could stand beside his grandma. When Jesus passed he could join in and go on stage with his brother or sit quietly next to his grandma. I would be happy with whatever he decided to do. He decided after standing next to his grandma that he could do it. He joined the procession behind Jesus and went to the stage. (A God moment) The other child was younger. I noticed as we were standing behind the congregation that he was standing in the middle of taller children and beginning to get nervous. When I got to him he wanted his mom. I picked him up and he calmed down. (A God moment) I think it can be very stressful to be in the middle of a crowd and everyone is taller than you. I told him I would walk with him down the isle after everyone else and if he still wanted to go to his mom he could go to her then. After a few minutes the children took their places along both sides of the isle.

They waved their palm leaves as Jesus rode the donkey past them. The children laid the palms on the floor before Jesus. As Jesus passed they fell in the line behind him and followed him to the front of the church. 

The children lined up on the platform. Jesus got off the donkey (his dad) and joined the others then they sang. They did just as they were asked. They didn't play or fidget, they sang with their hands down by their sides. (A God moment) I was so proud! During all the practices some wanted to sway, put their hands in the air like me and count with their fingers the times we repeated a phrase, or just look around. Basically be children.

As they began to sing their voices filled the sanctuary with the sweetest sound, singing Alleluia to the Prince of Peace. The finale was three of our teenage girls singing a song while the others sat on the front pew.

Palm Sunday "The Triumphant Entry"

A little background information that I saw as a God thing. You may believe in coincidences. For instance, the little boy playing Jesus at Easter, was a donkey at Christmas. His mom transformed a brown knit hat into donkey ears. She said she couldn't find a child's size in brown so she bought an adult one. Fast forward to our children's Easter Play. We needed a person to play the donkey. Of course, I had plenty of volunteers from other children. I wanted someone a little older and bigger. 

His dad is in charge of our audio visual ministry at Concord Baptist Church so I didn't ask him. Later he came to me and said he would do it. When we were talking about his costume, I was told about a foam head that had been used several years ago. I found the head and took it upstairs. I was concerned because the head was made for an adult. It was almost as big as the child playing Jesus. 

The boy's mom entered the room as I was looking at the head.  I told her, I like the head but I think it will get laughs because it's almost as big as her son. I don't want laughs as Jesus is entering. Unless it's because the children are just too cute.  She said she would take care of her husband's costume. After all she already had the ears because the ones that her son wore at Christmas could fit her husband. 

That is were I said, "I shouldn't be surprised. God knew then that we would need them to fit an adult now! (A God moment) GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!" 

The children and our donkey did a Great Job! I am so proud of them! I am proud and thankful for the lady playing the piano and teaching us the songs. And the parents that helped with the practices. I am also proud of the ladies that helped me with the costumes!

At Cinderella's Closet, (a ministry of our church that provides gowns for girls that need them for Prom) I mentioned I needed more bible costumes for the Triumphant Entry. The lady that works with the gowns and the girls to make sure each gown fits perfectly volunteered to make some. Two other young ladies volunteered to make some. I had asked for fabric from the Wednesday night bible study group and some had been brought the to me the Saturday of Cinderella's Closet. Perfect timing. (A God moment)

While we were working on the gowns someone mentioned several gowns had been thrown away because of stains, holes or just out of date. I went to the trash can and pulled out those gowns and then several other dresses were brought to us. Gowns are made with alot of fabric. Some of our children wore tunics and head wraps made from the gowns. A couple of costumes were made from pillow cases. The ladies cut a head hole and two arm holes from the closed end of a pillow case. Amazing! From Cinderella's Closet to the Triumphant Entry! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! 

It took alot of time, talent and volunteers to make this 10 minute children's production. You may ask if it was worth it. I believe so. God can use us all. Besides many parents and church members telling me how much they enjoyed seeing the children. The children were able to learn to step outside their comfort zones and use their talents and abilities. And then there's always the things God does that we didn't expect.

The next day our Minister of Music told me he knew who was going to play the donkey. He knew he was the dad of the child playing Jesus. He said what he didn't know is the impact watching the father carry the son through the waving palms and to the front of the church toward him would make on him. (A God moment)

We thought we were teaching children about Jesus coming into Jerusalem. And helping the church celebrate the beginning of Holy Week. 

God used a simple children's play to remind us Jesus is His Son! And he loved Him like our father loves his son! And God loves us so much that He gave His son for us!

WOW!

Have a Blessed Day,

Mama D

John 3:16

For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that Whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The Visitor's Card

When Arielle was three we moved to the Eastern Shore. Kev had taken a position as Minister of Youth and Education. I tried to find a drafting job.

One man shook my hand after the interview and said, "When we need a woman draftsman, we will call you." At another interview the interviewer came in with his sleeves rolled up, a cigar in his mouth and cussed through the whole interview. He didn't call me back either.

There was a positive to not finding a job. Most everyday I would take Arielle for a walk around the town. We lived in Onancock. Our house was just a couple of roads from the Main Street  and the church. We would start by going to the bakery. We usually couldn't afford to buy anything. Before we moved to Onancock we both worked and I made more than Kev. Not, that that mattered. We are married. The scripture says the two become one. All our money goes into the family account. In Onancock we were learning to live on just one salary.

The ladies that worked at the bakery didn't mind us going to say Hi and look at the baked goods. You could smell the bakery from our house. It was like the pied piper calling. Most days if we were early enough  there would be a table full of men having their morning coffee and talking about the old days. They loved talking to Arielle too.

After we left the bakery we would go by the church and get a hug and kiss from daddy before heading to the wharf. We would walk down Main Street past Main Street Cafe and the Post Office. At the end of the street there was a red brick retaining wall. Arielle loved to walk on it. Then we would go across the street to the wharf.  We would see who could find the first crab. Some days I would make us a sandwich and we would have a picnic.

About a month after we got moved in, the Senior Pastor accepted a position in Georgia. Kev did everything he could to support the church during this time. In addition to his duties, he started going to all the meetings, visiting those that were in the hospital and nursing homes, etc. Being a Minister of Youth is a FULL TIME job. Most people think their pastors should be in the office 8 hours a day.  After all, they have to be in their offices. It is my opinion, it should be more important to people to have a pastor and/ or a youth pastor that are with the people. Youth pastors are at ball games, band performances, track, school plays, etc wherever the students are. Students don't just start out going to hang out at the church with the youth minister. A relationship has to be developed. During the months that the church was without a Senior Pastor, Kev was even busier than normal.

 The church built an awesome gym with class rooms around part of the perimeter, restrooms, offices, and a kitchen. On Wednesday nights, Kev and some other adults from the church would open the gym for the youth early to play basketball or hang out. At a given time Kev would have a devotion/ bible study. If the students stayed for that then they could play basketball or hangout for awhile afterwards. I thought it was pretty awesome.

After mine and Arielle's classes were over we would go to the new building to say goodnight to her daddy. I would walk Arielle over, she would start walking in the gym towards her dad. He would walk towards her while still teaching the youth. When they met he would pick her up kiss her and tell her goodnight. Then he would turn around and start back teaching. Arielle would come back to me and we headed home. We did stay to help with overnighters, special projects but the everyday schedule was we went home.

The day came when the new pastor arrived. One of the things he thought would help the church was to have a night of visitation. He decided Thursday night would be good because it was the night the Youth Minister was free.

I think it was three months, maybe not that long, of Kev not being home at night before Arielle went to bed that I decided something had to give. One Thursday night before he left to go to visitation I slipped a visitor's card into his pocket. (You knew I'd get around to it sooner or later, didn't you.) We kissed him goodnight. I told him a member of the church (which I was) wanted him to take this card to the meeting. He said when he got there, he took the card out of his pocket. The card read, "Danette and Arielle Moen would like a visit from the Minister of Youth and Education."

Kev came home a little while later. Better than that, the deacons brought it up at their next meeting. They decided, if they wanted their pastors to respect the time they had with their families then the church family needed to respect the pastors and their families. It was decided that all meetings would be held on Sunday night and one other night of the week. I'm not saying it didn't take some work. People had to make some hard choices if they were on a lot of committees.

We have to work in this life to pay the bills, eat, have a car and a house.  But we must remember our children are a gift from God. We should not take them for granted. I tell people with small children crying in stores, "Enjoy this time too. Soon they will be married and living 12 1/2 hours away." You laugh, but wait you will see how fast time flies if you have a little one or have family members or friends that have little ones.

My daddy told me once when Arielle was small, "Danette, if I knew my favorite time of life was going to be those days when you kids were young and life was crazy. I would have made myself slow down and enjoy it more."

Have a Blessed Day,
Mama D

Psalms 127:2-3 NLT
 2It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; 3Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

My first Baptist General Association of Virginia Annual Meeting

     Kevin and I spent the last few days at the BGAV (Baptist General Association of Virginia) Annual Meeting. It was held in Hampton, Virginia. This was my first time being able to go to the Minister's Conference with him. I usually have to work.
    The first night there was a Pastor's Conference. It was held at Freedom Life Church. Pastor Freddy Villarreal and Campus Pastor Cyon Edgerton were so gracious.  They and the volunteers from their congregation were a joy to be with. I was at the Reception table greeting the pastors. I loved meeting my husband's colleagues, some I've met before and some this was the very first time.
     Gary Nelson from Toronto, Canada was the speaker both for the Pastor's conference and the Associational Annual Meeting. I told Kevin that I liked him. He was real. He mixed scripture and personal stories together in a way that was both enjoyable and challenging.

Gary Nelson and Kevin Moen

  There were a couple of Break out sessions. My first one was on Children's Ministry. One of the ideas that the leader gave us was about a church that was discouraged that the children they picked up for VBS didn't come back to church until the next year's VBS. Because the parents didn't go to church they felt it wouldn't be good to pick up a lot of children and have no guidance for them. Can you image 20 unchurched children loose in your halls? That is stuff of nightmares, but so is 20 churched children loose in your halls.
      The church decided the solution wasn't to forget about them. But to pair each child with a "foster grandparent or parent". Each child had an adult assigned to them. That adult agreed to send the child a card every month and a gift on their birthday. They also watched over the child during the service. This wasn't said but I would be surprised if those "foster parent/grandparents" didn't pay for some outings or camps. Makes my heart leap just to think of it.
   
     My second Break Out session was on the use of Social Media. WOW! Let me just say I bought the book. #Going Social by Terrace Crawford. I have Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and this BLOG. I'm getting pretty good at FaceBook, but I'm no expert at any of it. And an hour breakout session just isn't enough time for me to learn everything I want to know about Going Social.
      I want to understand this new (to me) Social age and use it for Kingdom Growth. I'm a teacher for a children's Sunday School class(1st - 5th grades) and Children's Church (Kindergarden - 5th grade), I also help the Audio visual team when needed. Technology isn't new to me, I learned to use a computer for computer drafting in the early 80's. My first computer weighed 800 lbs. The floor had holes in the tiles for the air conditioning to come through. If I wanted to work on a project from the previous week I had to give the file name to a tech and he got the reel from the vault and reloaded it. Technology changes, and the changes are mind boggling.
     Just a few years later, my husband and I struggled with whether to buy our daughter a computer or the new Nintendo for Christmas. Remember our daughter is now grown and married. She wanted a Nintendo. But we couldn't afford both. The deciding factor was one weekend our daughter was visiting a friend that had a Nintendo or some electronic game. Arielle put her book down and didn't pick it back up until she left. Our daughter was an avid reader and always had a book. We bought the computer. She was upset at first but she got to where she was very good at the computer. Once when Arielle was in I think, the fifth grade, a teacher was having a meltdown because she thought she had lost all the grades she had just entered. Arielle found them.
     Parents need to be parents. Your children are sometimes going to be upset at you for making the choices you do. My daughter told me more than once she hated me. I told her that's okay. I'm the mama and it is my job to keep you safe until you are on your own. And if that means you hate me so be it but I love you!
     In this day and age it is not uncommon for children to have cell phones, iPads, etc. I can see the logic behind that in some cases like calling to let you know where they are, or that they need a ride. I think if Arielle was young now I would still be that over protective mom and would be monitoring it. I think it would be better to have Arielle mad at me. Instead of in trouble or even bullied by someone and struggling with that on her own.

    As my husband would say, I saw that rabbit and just ran with it.

 

Have a Great Day,
Mama D

Hebrews 11:8 (NIRV) Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn't know where he was going.
(This was the focal passage of the BGAV Annual Meeting Nov. 11 -12, 2014)