Interfaith Spirit Quest

The Life of Jesus - a Video Story

Awesome video story about the life of Jesus - all in pictures, no words.  There is a long explanation in the 'more info' section on the right hand side of the YouTube video page.  We hope you will watch this video and read the words that go along with the video often, it is very inspiring and comforting to say the least!  

"Truth cannot be defined with words, only by living. Truth is always more than knowledge. Knowledge pertains to things observed, but truth transcends such purely material levels in that it consorts with wisdom and embraces such imponderables as human experience, even spiritual and living realities. Knowledge originates in science; wisdom, in true philosophy; truth, in the religious experience of spiritual living. Knowledge deals with facts; wisdom, with relationships; truth, with reality values...." (see rest of story on YouTube here )

The Life of Jesus - Video Story (no words, only pictures)

Passion, Sage, Roses and Time

Time to begin anew.  It's a brand new day.  The possibilities are seemingly endless and limitless.  Should I do more or should I do less, we think. 

What or where is your Passion?  Are you pursuing your passion with all your passion? 

Who is your Sage?  Who inspires and motivates you lately?  Are you acting on this inspiration, or are you just letting is float through your consciousness? 

Who is the person you think of when you think of giving Roses and Love?  Who deserves a flower and a bit of your love today?  Is not everyone worthy? 

How do you spend your Time?  Frittering away the hours in self-pity, in front of the tube or the PC, or out there somewhere looking for love in all the wrong places? 

PASSION is what makes an Olympian speed down a luge at 95 miles an hour, despite the risks.  PASSION is what takes you to the next level.  Passion is what God used to create your universe!  Be passionate about something good, something great!

SAGE - like a spice, Sages inspire us and motivate us to use our passion for good.  Good Sages love everyone - Jesus was a good Sage, a Divine Sage.  There are regular, normal, everyday people that are good Sages too, they use their time to bring out the passion in you to help you make your life a little bit better. 

ROSES are the world's symbol for love in material form.  Give someone a Rose or Flower - be it someone you love or someone who needs love.  God gave us a bounty of Roses - just look at this place, this Earth! Love is the universal language we all long to speak and hear. 

TIME is yours to use and to give.  Use your time wisely, set your sights on your passion and give it some of your precious time.  God gave us time, spend some time seeking the One who gave you this time.  Spend some time listening to the inspirational Sages of our time and times of old.  Use this time to show someone a little love, give someone a Rose today, or better yet - some of your time. 

Passion, Sage, Roses and Time.

Rev. Sheila Hansen

Interfaith Spirit Quest 2010

Body, Mind, Spirit & Service – Love, Fear & Attention

Interfaith Spirit Quest – Topics for discussion: Body, Mind, Spirit & Service – Love, Fear & Attention

Prayer for Spiritual Community: God of all creation, First Source, Force and Center of all things and beings; we yield our hearts and minds to you and we seek unity with the Divine Spirit within that is You, O God. May we feel your love, presence and guidance more fully today and every day, evermore. While we are here in human flesh, may we seek to do your will, may we seek to love others as you have demonstrated your love toward us. Thank you for this day, for keeping us safe and warm, and for providing for our sustenance. We ask for your blessing upon this meal and upon our fellowship here today. At this time, if there are any special prayer requests, aloud or in silent prayer, please mention them now for inclusion in this unbroken, connected chain of prayer….

Your prayers…______________________________________________________________________________________

…_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for hearing our prayer. In thanksgiving and in remembrance of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

~*~

Body & Spirit: Love & Fear: (The following section on Love & Fear is from an article written last year called 'What is Love' written by Rev. Sheila Hansen for Interfaith Spirit Quest – it's an excellent conversation starter!)

What is Love? If you could create love in your life simply by choosing right actions, would you? If you knew that your negative actions and reactions were the cause of your pain and misery, would you stop?

You can learn to recognize thoughts that lead to desirable consequences simply by choosing positive, love centered actions over fear or negative actions and reactions, which only create destructive consequences. In addition to creating love in your life, you will also deepen your relationship with God, because God is Love. If you fully understand who is walking beside you in your earth journey, fear would not be possible. You have extraordinary power, power to choose how you will think or act in any given circumstance. Your thoughts and your actions create your world.

Learn to act and react in loving ways by recognizing the emotions and physical sensations you are experiencing. For example, if you feel anger welling up inside you – react with tenderness. Are your relationships cold and distant? Warm them up by being warm and affectionate. Do you have a tendency to react negatively to almost everything that comes along? Try looking for the positive, bright side of things instead. It really works!

Actions and reactions based on love make you feel warm and beautiful inside. Try it, you'll like it! This is easier said than done, mostly because our previous ways of acting and reacting have turned into habits, and habits are hard to break. This is where you must realize the extraordinary power that is yours, this is the time to be selfish and use this power to make yourself a happier, more loving person. Trust me, the rest of the world will love your for it!

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Following is a list of words about Love and Fear. In the Love column are things we are and do because we are acting out of love. In the Fear column are things we do because we are frightened or feel threatened in some way. Learn how to use these emotions and/or actions to create a more loving life.

Love

(Consequences of love and loving)

 

Happy

Peaceful

Affectionate

Warm

Patient

Kind

Caring

Positive

Spiritual

Beautiful (inside)

Handsome (inside)

Giving

Faithful

Friendly

Truthful

Passion

Joyful

Romantic

Persevering

Pleasant

Tender

Protective

Grateful

Masterful

Creative

Free

~*~

 

Fear

(What we do when frightened or threatened)

 

Depressed

Restless

Distant

Cold

Impatient

Mean

Unsympathetic

Negative

Questioning

Ugly (inside)

Self-absorbed (inside)

Selfish

Cheat

Rude

Liar

Lazy

Vengeful

Jealous

Give up

Hateful

Angry

Obsessive

Sense of entitlement

Addictive

Exploitative

Enslaved

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Discussion: Mind

The quality of one's life depends on the quality of attention. Whatever you pay attention to will grow more important in your life.

— Deepak Chopra in Ageless Body, Timeless Mind

Mind - Attention: The following tips are gleaned from the following sources.

• Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - by John Medina.
• Spirituality & Practice: Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy — practices that are common in the world's religions.

Brain Rule #4 - Attention: We don't pay attention to boring things, but sometimes we give our attention to things that are non-productive. Multi-tasking is a myth. While we think we can do several things simultaneously, we are really working sequentially – doing one thing at a time. If you really want to get a lot done – eliminate as many interruptions as possible. Turn off the TV, Radio, Email, Cellphones, etc. for a predetermined period of time so you can focus on the most important task of the day.

Everyone has A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder). Generally, we can really only focus intensely for about 10 minutes at a time. So to enhance our focus ability, we need to give ourselves a break – every 10 minutes. Or at least vary your tasks every 10 minutes, even if ever so slightly. Are you preparing a speech? Break it down into 10 minute segments to maintain the attention of your audience.

Our attention is influenced by our memory, what we already know or have learned. We react to new situations from our learned perspective. We can control some of our reactions by getting more information from other sources – other sources besides our own memory. So, in situations where you have a little time to think something through, it pays to give new information some of your attention. We also tend to give our attention to things that we are emotionally connected to, so if you want to improve your memory, create an emotional connection to the things you most want to remember.

Spirituality & Practice: Attention is also known as mindfulness, awareness, concentration, recollection. It is a primary practice, and not just alphabetically. We must stay alert or we risk missing critical elements of the spiritual life — moments of grace, opportunities for gratitude, evidence of our connections to others, signs of the presence of Spirit. The good news is that attention can be practiced anywhere, anytime, in the daily rounds of our lives.

-Effort is its own reward-

Ben Hei Hei – in Wisdom of the Jewish Sages by Rabbi Rami M Shapiro

 

We are here to do,

and through doing to learn;

and through learning to know;

and through knowing to experience wonder;

and through wonder to attain wisdom;

and through wisdom to find simplicity;

and through simplicity to givn attention;

and through attention

to see what needs to be done…

Body, Mind, Spirit: Healthy Dinner Ideas – Rewiring the Brain

A Prayer for Spiritual Community: Creator and Sustainer, in this spiritual community, in this time and place, may we feel your presence ever stronger, ever deeper. As we gather in a spirit of fellowship, may your love, strength and Spirit of Truth bless us all in every way. Thank you for our daily sustenance, food and strength, we ask for your blessings upon this meal. May each one present here tonight receive a special blessing of insight, may we go on to encourage, love and support each other as you would have us do. At this time, if there are any special prayer requests, aloud or in silent prayer, please mention them now for inclusion in this unbroken, connected chain of prayer….

Your prayers…______________________________________________________________________________________

…_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for hearing our prayer. In thanksgiving and in remembrance of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Body – Healthy Dinner/Supper Foods: Some of you may prefer a light dinner (supper) and heavier lunch, others may prefer to have their bigger meal in the evening – either way – we just need to pay attention to our bodies and do whatever works best. Parts 1 and 2 of this 3 part series may be found online at www.InterfaithSpiritQuest.com.

Healthy Dinner/Supper Ideas – Control your own portions and remember - everything in moderation.

• Soup or Chili, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita, Pickles/Olives/Veggies
• Big Salad Bowl, Loaded with Veggies, Light on Meat/Cheese/Egg/Beans, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita
• Grilled/Baked/Roasted/Boiled Lean Meat, Side of Stir-Fried or Fresh Veggies, Tossed Salad, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita
• Baked/Boiled/Grilled/Roasted Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes/Veggies, Fruit Salad/Fresh Fruit, Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita, Pickles/Olives/
• Stir Fry Veggie Bowl, Lean Meat/Fish or Beans/Tofu, Brown Rice, Sliced Oranges or Fruit Salad
• Baked Fish, Boiled Cabbage/Carrots/Potatoes, Rye Bread

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Mind & Spirit - Brain Rule #3- Wiring: Every brain is wired differently. See Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - by John Medina.

Every brain is wired differently and each brain can be re-wired to think differently – at will! Do you believe this?

In the book Brain Rules by John Medina, it talks about a Michael Jordan quitting Basketball to focus on a new challenge – Baseball. Michael Jordan failed miserably at Baseball, not even rising to the level of a minor league farm team! But this is Wisconsin and we love football, so today, we're going to talk about Brett Favre – our favorite NFL Quarterback and his 2009/10 NFL Football season with the Minnesota Vikings! J As you all know by now, the Vikings lost the NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints on January 23, 2010. Had they won, Favre would be playing in his third Super Bowl this year, his first two being with his beloved Green Bay Packers way back in the last century. J Favre threw an interception near the end of regulation time in the 4^th quarter, which sent the game into overtime, never to regain possession of the ball in overtime themselves, the Vikings promptly lost. The Saints make it to the Super Bowl. Go Indianapolis Colts! While I do not blame the loss on Favre, many people have picked up on the fact that Favre has been in this situation on two other occasions as a Green Bay Packer; once against the Philadelphia Eagles and once against the New York Giants. In both of those games, Favre also threw and interception that ended their hopes of heading to another Super Bowl.

So, what does this have to do with re-wiring the brain? What I'm trying to show here is that Favre actually had his best year ever as a Quarterback in the NFL! All of his stats were way up, his interception ratio was at the lowest number ever, throwing only 7 interceptions all year versus his previous average of 13 at minimum. Many years were much higher; Favre threw 20 interceptions during several years. Anyway, moving on….getting to the point now….

The question is: 1) How did he do it? How did Brett Favre, a 40 year old Quarterback, have his best year ever? How did he get his interception rate down to 7 from his previous average of 13? …and question 2) How or why did he throw that final, crushing interception?

The answer to question #1 is that he effectively re-wired his brain; he managed to eliminate all obstacles to his success by focusing on his biggest problem – interceptions. He changed the way he does business. He proved that he could do it through controlling his mind, thus controlling his actions.

The answer to question #2: So why did he thrown that last interception? First off, nobody is perfect, I believe that Favre did everything he could to lead the Vikings to victory but could have used a little help from the defense that day. Then of course there's the Referees stating publicly, after the game of course, that they messed up on a couple of calls that went against the Vikings. Anyway, so the answer is – perhaps re-wiring the brain is an extremely difficult thing to do and it requires intense, continuous desire and focus without let-up on the part of the individual to change. But Brett Favre did in fact prove that it could be done. He is to be forgiven for his momentary lapses, and this will only lead him to improve his performance should he choose to come back for another year – which I think he will do.

Every time you learn a new task, you are wiring your brain. To solve and old problem, we need to turn it into a new task. Do not think of things as problems, think of things as goals or targets. Do not think of problems, think of ways to reach your destination. Focus only on what will work, not on obstacles. While the author of Brain Rules, John Medina, talks a lot about the physical reasons for the wiring of our brains, and we certainly cannot do everything we think we can, the really cool thing that I have discovered is that our spirit personality is unquestionably capable of willing the physical body and mind to do the impossible!

Interfaith Spirit Quest

Interfaith Spirit Quest - Tips to help you re-wire your brain:

• Pray, meditate, contemplate – focus on your task/goal/target
• Be a reminder to yourself – leave notes, journal, repeat motions toward task/goal/target
• Exercise, eat healthy, sleep well, get some sunshine
• Evaluate your life – do you need to work on your love life, family life, play life and work life?
• Be honest with yourself, seek to understand why you don't make the right choices or changes
• Align your habits with your task/goal/target – that means create new habits and destroy bad habits
• Choose your life, map out your destiny; but accept who you are and soar where you know you can
• Have the experience. A few wise sayings:
  • "What you hear you forget, what you see you remember, what you do, you understand",
  • "Practice makes perfect".
  • "Just do it!"
• The Creator & Sustainer of the Universe wants you to enjoy an abundant, successful and fruitful life!
• Celebrate your abundance and enjoy the fruits of your success!

Interfaith Spirit Quest Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think it's possible for you, or Favre for next year, to be completely successful re-wiring the brain? _________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is keeping or preventing you from changing something about yourself that concerns you? _________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How can we support each other? How can we help and support ourselves? _________________________________________________________________________________________

Brett Favre began his career as an Atlanta Falcon in 1991 throwing 4 passes as a Falcon, 2 of them interceptions, 2 of them incomplete.

He was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 1992 and played there for 16 seasons. His interception ratio averaged 13-20 per season. He led the Packers to 2 Super Bowls, winning one and losing one.

 

 

 

In 2008 he asked to be traded to the Vikings, but Packers Management refused and traded him instead to the New York Jets where he had 22 interceptions and an all around bad year.

 

 

 

Ah, finally, the Favre's wish to become a Minnesota Viking is fulfilled. He takes the Vikings on a whirlwind romance and almost makes it to the Super Bowl. His interception rate during the regular season is pared down to 7. Brain effectively re-wired. There's always next year – one can only imagine what the Favre will do next.

Body, Mind & Spirit: Healthy Lunch Ideas – Survival Skills – Happiness

Prayer for the New Year: To the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, the One who makes all things new again; thank you for this new year, for new beginnings and new hope. As we come and go, may we be enlightened and enriched by your Spirit of Truth, may we find new ways toward peace and understanding, love and joy, giving and happiness. Thank you for our daily bread, may it nourish and strengthen us, thank you for providing all that we need. Hear our prayer, in thanksgiving and remembrance of Jesus. Amen.

The following information is provided for members of Interfaith Spirit Quest and is intended to be an outline for our local discussions. Feel free to use this format for your discussions, wherever you may be.

Interfaith Spirit Quest - Body  

Body – Healthy Lunch Foods: Some of you may prefer a big lunch and a light dinner (supper), others may prefer to have their bigger meal in the evening – either way – we just need to pay attention to our bodies and do whatever works best. Those who have a very physical job tend to require more food, whereas the rest of us can easily subsist on smaller meals. In addition to the ideas below, please feel free to share some of your healthy lunch ideas in the comments section.

(See previous and future posts for Breakfast & Supper/Dinner Ideas – this is an ongoing discussion.)

Healthy Lunch Ideas – Control your own portions and remember - everything in moderation.

• Soup or Chili with Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita, Pickles/Olives/Veggies
• Salad with Veggies & Cheese, add Meat or Egg or Beans (or Veggies/Fruit/Nuts), with Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita  
• Baked Potato or Sweet Potato with Butter and a side of Stir-Fried or Fresh Veggies
• Sub Sandwich on Hearty Bread or Pita with Grilled Chicken or Turkey or Tuna or Egg Salad with Veggies & Cheese
• Omelet with Veggies & Cheese, Toast & Butter
• Grilled/Baked/Broiled/Boiled Fish/Chicken/Lean Meat  with a Small Potato or Sweet Potato and Steamed/Grilled Veggies

Interfaith Spirit Quest - Mind

Mind - Brain Rule #2- Survival: The following tips are from the book:

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - by John Medina.

We typically acquire knowledge through improvisation; we then build upon this acquired knowledge in a variety of ways. We could go way back to caveman days to explain how our brain developed, but we won't; we'll just stick to the present moment. Suffice it to say that this acquired knowledge through improvisation is how we learn to survive. Given that the rules have changed since caveman days, we are now free to unlearn some of the conditioned responses we are currently using to survive – such as symbolic reasoning and manipulative methods.

What are some ways we might unlearn some of these behaviors? Our emotions play a large role in our learning process. If we can begin to consider the desired outcome that includes a result that does no harm to others, yet is beneficial to you and others, we will have placed ourselves on the right path to learning new and helpful methods toward living a happy life.

Interfaith Spirit Quest - Spirit

Spirit: 

Contribute to other people's happiness & you will find the true goal, the true meaning in life.

—the Dalai Lama

Happiness: In the same vein of eating healthier for our own good health and with the spiritual realization that our bodies are the temple of God – that manifests itself as a force of energy, as a vast storehouse of Godly wisdom awaiting our inquiry, and in the same vein of changing the way we use our minds to produce more fruitful survival instincts and habits; we come now to the Spiritual Module portion of our discussion, which will center around the idea of Happiness.

While our old survival instincts push us to seek and hoard, our new survival instincts will guide us to seek and find. Find what? Happiness, joy, love fulfillment, inspiration, meaning, strength, wisdom, understanding, peace, zeal for life, generosity, service and giving. Teach yourself to overcome pain, guilt, conflict, fear and moods by changing your attitude, your mind, and your heart – by changing the obstacles that keep you from enjoying life fully.

All these things can be ours, if we only seek them with the right motives. The right motives must include sharing, giving, service or assistance to others – people within and outside of your immediate circle. You must give away that which you wish to receive. Our motives must come from our higher self, we must shift the consciousness of our own minds, and we must be the force that moves mountains – if God lives within, can He not do this?

Interfaith Spirit Quest Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think is keeping you from having more happiness, joy, love, fulfillment….etc? _________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Does being successful scare you or do you believe you're unworthy of success? Why? _________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Does the person with the most toys win? Why or why not? _________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How can we tap into our higher self?

   _________________________________________________________________________________________

The Prayer - Josh Groban & Sissel Kyrkjebö - with Lyrics

Listen to this beautiful rendition of The Prayer by Josh Groban and Sissel Kyrkjebö - see the lyrics below the video. 

The Prayer - Lyrics

I pray you'll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe
La luce che to dai

I pray we'll find your light
Nel cuore restero
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarchi che
When stars go out each night
L'eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c'e
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe.
Sognamo un mondo senza piu violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace e di fraternita

La forza che ci dai
We ask that life be kind
E'il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amore
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a se
Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child

Needs to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe
E la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera

I Can Do Bad All By Myself - Tyler Perry Movie

Spiritual Movie Recommendation:   You'll sympathize, you'll empathize, you'll laugh and cry, and you will be moved.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself

When Madea (Tyler Perry) catches sixteen-year-old Jennifer and her two younger brothers looting her home, she decides to take matters into her own hands and delivers the young delinquents to the only relative they have: their aunt April. A heavy-drinking nightclub singer who lives off of Raymond, her married boyfriend, April wants nothing to do with the kids. But her attitude begins to change when Sandino, a handsome Mexican immigrant looking for work, moves into April's basement room. Making amends for his own troubled past, Sandino challenges April to open her heart. And April soon realizes she must make the biggest choice of her life: between her old ways with Raymond and the new possibilities of family, faith ... and even true love.

New DVD release:

Buy it now:

Christ has no body but yours

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Part 2 - The Miracles of Christmas - 58 Ideas

- Meaningful ways to celebrate Christmas and other Holidays

Part 2 - 58 Miracles of Christmas ideas to get you started

You are reading Part 2 of a 3 part post - with Part 3 coming after the 2009 Christmas holiday.  Please check back to hear our personal story after the holidays.

The Miracles of Christmas is a new way to celebrate a more meaningful Christmas or other Holiday.  The idea is to allow one Christmas/Holiday wish per person and then to give that person the undivided attention and participation of the whole family or group for an allotted time period, agreed upon by all.  If you have a large family, you may wish or need to spread this out over a couple days, and if you have a small family; you may choose to allow more time for each person.  You create the guidelines.

Thanksgiving morning, November 25, 2009, our family came up with a new and meaningful way to celebrate Christmas.  After bringing it up and discussing it with my spouse over Thanksgiving breakfast, we decided we should discuss the idea with the rest of the family - they loved the idea!  The fact we all agreed that it was at least a good idea in theory, is a miracle in and of itself.   The idea is about making dreams and wishes come true, it’s about The Miracles of Christmas, and it might even make a Scrooge look forward to Christmas again.  Perhaps this will be the Christmas or Holiday celebration of your future.  Of course this theme may be used at other holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, birthdays, you name it. 

58 Miracles of Christmas ideas:

1.    Visit an ice skating rink, sledding or ski hill
2.    Have a snowball fight
3.    Build a snowman or snow fort
4.    Make snow angels
5.    Make a live nativity scene using members of the family
6.    Go around the neighborhood singing Christmas Carols
7.    Visit someone in the hospital or a nursing home
8.    Do something for a neighbor or friend in need with the help of your family
9.    Make Christmas special for someone else or a family in need
10.    Take a walk in a nature preserve or state park
11.    Feed the birds
12.    Go for a bike ride
13.    Go horseback riding
14.    Go for a sleigh ride
15.    Make the holiday lunch
16.    Go out for the holiday lunch
17.    Take a Nap (smart adults will pick this one)
18.    Collect pine cones for your tree or decoration
19.    Decorate the Christmas Tree
20.    Hang Christmas lights
21.    Play board or card games
22.    Play Dress-Up
23.    Dance
24.    Sing
25.    Write new songs
26.    Re-write the lyrics to some old songs
27.    Tell Jokes
28.    Take pictures
29.    Create scrapbook photo albums
30.    Look at old photos or videos
31.    Tell old stories
32.    Cut out paper snowflakes
33.    Have family members write down what they're thankful for - save from year to year
34.    Keep a journal and write down thoughts at the end of the day
35.    Watch your favorite movie with your whole family
36.    Watch a Christmas cartoon while stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree
37.    Create a movie with your video camera
38.    Make something
39.    Create Prayer Jars (prayers go in jars - fun to read later in life and see how they were answered)
40.    Do something from another culture
41.    Spend your hour coloring pictures with your family
42.    Perform a magic show or play or puppet show for your family
43.    Show off your Pets
44.    Hang Mistletoe and kiss everybody
45.    Propose to your Sweetie
46.    Recreate a holiday tradition from your native land or your youth
47.    Make the holiday evening meal
48.    Go out for the holiday evening meal
49.    Make the holiday evening meal with full family participation
50.    Dress up as St. Nicholas (Santa Claus)
51.    Read the Christmas Story or talk about the true meaning of Jesus' birth
52.    Teach everyone a special craft, such as how to make a special dish like Pie Crust or Lefse or…
53.    Decorate the Christmas Cookies
54.    Build a Gingerbread House
55.    Take your family to a free (doesn't have to be free if you can afford it) concert or holiday event
56.    Light a whole bunch of candles or sit by the fireplace and enjoy the peacefulness of it
57.    Have some Hot Chocolate and take a driving tour to view the Christmas lights
58.    Enjoy the miracles and the blessings of the day.

Please feel free to share your ideas by leaving a comment below - I would love to hear from you.

This is Part 2:  58 Miracles of Christmas - Ideas to get you started

See Part 1:  The Miracles of Christmas - The Plan

See Part 3:  After the Miracles of Christmas - Our personal story - how did it go (to be published after Christmas 2009)

Part 1: The Miracles of Christmas - The Plan

- Meaningful ways to celebrate Christmas and other Holidays

Part 1:  The Miracles of Christmas plan

Thanksgiving morning, November 25, 2009, our family came up with a new and meaningful way to celebrate Christmas.  After bringing it up and discussing it with my spouse over Thanksgiving breakfast, we decided we should discuss the idea with the rest of the family - they loved the idea!  The fact we all agreed that it was at least a good idea in theory, is a miracle in and of itself.   The idea is about making dreams and wishes come true, it’s about The Miracles of Christmas, and it might even make a Scrooge look forward to Christmas again.  Perhaps this will be your Christmas of the future.  Of course this theme may be used at other holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, birthdays, you name it. 

The Miracles of Christmas is a new way to celebrate a more meaningful Christmas or other Holiday.  The idea is to allow one Christmas/Holiday wish per person and then to give that person the undivided attention and participation of the whole family or group for an allotted time period, agreed upon by all.  If you have a large family, you may wish or need to spread this out over a couple days, and if you have a small family; you may choose to allow more time for each person.  You create the guidelines.

This is a 3 part post - with Part 3 coming after the 2009 Christmas holiday.  Please check back to hear our personal story after the holidays.

The Miracles of Christmas Plan:

•    This may be done as a family, as a group of friends, or as a ministry toward a select group of individuals.
•    Have family members, or your group of friends, think of something meaningful to them that they would like to do at Christmas.  Family/group members could take the attitude that they will move heaven and earth to make it happen – within reason of course.
•    Make a list and check it twice.
•    Pay no attention to who’s naughty or nice – it’s not about that – it’s about miracles.
•    Each person gets one hour, or an agreed upon period of time, to enjoy their Christmas Miracle with the assistance and undivided attention of all the others.
•    The time allotment will depend on how large the group is.
•    It's important that ideas are not rejected out of hand, or because they're impractical or too expensive.
•    At first everyone should brainstorm and then gradually narrow their ideas down to the ones that are reasonable and feasible. 
•    All should be reasonable in their requests and not be disappointed if an idea must be filed away for another time. 
•    No one gets to lord it over anyone else or ask someone to be their slave for an hour. 
•    People should be considerate and invite participation or simply allow family/group members to be spectators. 
•    It could happen that 2 or 3 decide to combine their Christmas wish and then 2-3 hours would be spent on that activity.
•    It does not need to involve much money.
•    It may be that someone finds buying a new toy is meaningful, so be it. 
•    Keep the miracle list for future reference – it may be used at birthdays or other special occasions.
•    Start this process on Thanksgiving Day or a couple weeks before the holiday to get it all decided and worked out before Christmas.  Or I suppose one could be thinking about it all year. 
•    You may wish to establish a rule that small children have to wait til they're 5 or 6 years old before they can choose their own event, parents or other family members would choose something for them, or they would just be a participant in everyone else's hour. 
•    Do whatever works, make adjustments to the plan as you see fit
•    Prior to the big day, plan out the Christmas Miracles in a coordinated way, wasting no time, planning for meals, naps, potty breaks, travel, forgetfulness, and other little issues that may pop up during the day. 

This is Part 1:  The Miracles of Christmas - The Plan

See Part 2:  58 Miracles of Christmas - Ideas to get you started

See Part 3:  After the Miracles of Christmas - Our personal story - how did it go (to be published after Christmas 2009)