Designated Sacred Time

You've seen the pictures, surely. You know of the bride on one side of a door and the groom on the other as they hold hands and pray together before their wedding ceremony, yet not wanting to see each other before that walk down the aisle. Or maybe you've seen the picture of groomsmen all in a huddle praying for the groom before he walks out to see his bride. These are precious moments, but more importantly, they are holy moments.

I think when folks are all caught up in the pageantry of a wedding, sometimes they forget this is a worship service, a joining and vow-taking before the Creator of the world. So to remember to worship at His feet during this sacred time is an important and fulfilling moment. That is our hope for our children as these wedding days approach ... that you cover every moment of preparation with prayer. All things come from the Father, so take the time to thank Him and give Him glory in it. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." And Colossians 4:2 says, "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving." When you are putting the final touches into place the day of, take moments throughout the day to find your quiet place or join hands with friends and family to praise the One True God. Invite Him to have the most important place in your day. It was His to begin with anyways and He is who brought you both together for His glory. So start off the day, the moments and your marriage righteously, in honor of the One who loves you most of all.

Discussion: Do you have plans to pray together before your wedding? What are specific times you want to take time to offer thanks for during the wedding day? Are there individuals you would like to pray with you the day of the wedding?

Prayer: Lord, Paul told us to pray without ceasing, and I pray your Holy Spirit reminds us to cover everything with prayer on those wedding days. All thanks and glory to you in the name of your Son Jesus, Amen.

Holiday Celebrations

Growing up, our family did holidays big. Birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween ... we had fun. The relatives got together and we would giggle with our cousins till the dreaded "Kids it's time to go," would be shouted by the parents. The memories I have of those celebrations are wonderful. Birthday cakes decorated by my mother. Bountiful feasts for the holidays. Decorations everywhere. They were happy times. When I met Brad, his family celebrated holidays a little differently. Since his immediate family lived away from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, the celebrations weren't nearly as big, unless they made the trip to Wisconsin to be with them.

Consequently when Brad and I married, we were joining two very different ways of celebrating together. Like Brad's family, we lived far from our extended families, so unless we traveled to Iowa or Pennsylvania (or they traveled here), our holidays became personal affairs, oftentimes including church families in celebrations. We celebrated many Thanksgivings and Easters at parties described as "for families without families." Our Christmas Caroling Campfire has included anyone and everyone (neighbors, church friends, co-workers, co-volunteers) who wanted to celebrate the newborn Christ. We never took our costumed kids to trick-or-treat at their grandparents on Halloween because they didn't live near by. July 4th was always with friends usually swimming in someone's pool then off to the fireworks. Brad and I never forgot to celebrate our anniversary and Valentine's Day in a special and romantic way. And birthdays are a big deal ... all about the person celebrating. With our kids we had birthday parties every single year as they were growing up (lake parties, quinceanera, sweet sixteen, scavenger hunts, water slides, pinatas, princess parties, sports themes). I wanted our family celebrations to be as big and wonderful as I remembered mine as a child. And I think, with our church families and friends, we accomplished that.

I am a big proponent of making memories ... every day if possible (Brad says I need it on a T-shirt: "Make A Memory"). So getting together with family and friends to celebrate is a big part of that. Each holiday only comes around once each year, so I believe in really enjoying each one. Brad wasn't as crazy about big celebrations except on Thanksgiving (let's face it - feast and football, what's not to love?), but, bless him, he not only put up with my big shebangs, but even planned a few (15th Anniversary Surprise Wedding Vow Renewal, anyone? Or 49th birthday Beach Surprise with the kids?).

You couples are coming from different background and traditions with how you celebrate. You may have different foods you eat, ways you open gifts, ways of decorating, specific things you participate in, special days of doing things and meshing those together can sometimes be tricky. But they can be unique to you and so much fun. We encourage you to do two things:

1. Remember it is about you both and your family first. What works for you as a couple and for your future children is what you need to focus on.
2. Respect one another's memories. Find ways to combine things you both love about your family memories. For example, Daddy's family opened Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve. My family did Christmas morning. The compromise ... Christmas Eve our children opened one gift (typically Christmas jammies) and the rest on Christmas morn.

Have fun on the holidays you have ahead. Celebrate with joy. Truly understand the meaning behind the faith holidays in celebrating. You will have days ahead filled with jobs, challenges, responsibilities and the like, so making sure to find ways to observe yearly festivities will give you things to look forward to and memories to last your lifetime.

Discussion: Share how your family celebrated each holiday and birthdays? What are similar about your celebrations? What are different? What would you like to incorporate from each way of celebrating?

Prayer: Father, we thank You that we have so many opportunities to celebrate! And we're especially thankful for the holidays that celebrate You! Lord we pray we can create new ways of celebrating with one another while keeping many of our traditions from our individual families. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

A Day of Thanksgiving & Praise

Thanksgiving 1991

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Football game. Roasted turkey, Daddy's Stove Top sausage stuffing, green beans, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie. Tryptophans. Afternoon nap on the couch. Toss the football. Watch another football game. Put the Thanksgiving decorations away. Pull the Christmas boxes out of the attic.

That has been Thanksgiving at the Zimanek house since the first day of our marriage. Oh, the location or circumstances may change ... A few Turkey Trot runs; Brad's coworkers the year the turkey didn't cook; Thanksgiving at the boss's house eating the best southern food you ever tasted where sweet potato casserole was introduced; the Comfort Food Thanksgiving at the Zimaneks with Poptarts and mac 'n cheese; with the extended family and in-laws in WI; a house filled with Lauritzens and Amorosos another. But typically the schedule is always the same. All the parts work together to make this a fun, friends-family-and-football feast.

Turkey Trot 1993

This is your first Thanksgiving together. You are celebrating with Erica and anyone who wants to join you. I heard about your meal plans - a precious combination of Erica's family Thanksgivings and your own: pre-thanksgiving appetizers and a dinner with all the fixins. You will be mixing your traditions from Thanksgivings past with new ideas from this day forward. While our family will miss you terribly this Thanksgiving, we are so very excited for this adventure ahead for you. We know that our chances of celebrating Thanksgiving with you will be pretty slim as the years go on between our schedule and your own, so we cherish any moments we can have together, but that will never diminish our thanking God for you both.

President Lincoln signed this proclamation on Oct. 3, 1863 about Thanksgiving. It said: "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." Psalm 100:4 says: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Have fun making and creating new memories, remembering to be in thanksgiving and praise of our Lord. We love and miss you.

Discussion: Do you have any plans for future Thanksgiving traditions? What is your favorite part about Thanksgiving?

Prayer: Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord, for everything. Thank you for this day set aside in praise of you. Thank you for our family and friends. Thank you for the food we eat. We ask for your blessings on the year ahead knowing next year at this time, Mr. and Mrs. Goggin will be feasting together for the first time as husband and wife. Glory to you, O, Lord. Amen.

God's Will For You

Every day in November, I try to remember to thank God for the blessings He has given me. Yes, we have a Thanksgiving holiday dedicated to that thanks to the Puritans and the Patuxet tribe that took pity on them, but it always seemed to me that one day was just not enough to thank God for all He's given. So I thank him every day, but make an extra effort the 30 days of November.

Living a life of thankfulness is not difficult. It's a selfless way of looking at all we've received from him. And we certainly have much to be thankful for.

I was once challenged to write down everything I was thankful to God for: all His provisions, the circumstances and people in my life, successes and challenges. I started writing it in my composition prayer journal. Thirteen pages, front and back later, my hand was hurting and I stopped. But I certainly was nowhere near done.

Knowing that all that we have is a gift from the Father is a wonderful reminder of how loving and caring He is. 1 Chronicles 16:34 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 9:1 says :"I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds." 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

In that last one, it can sometimes be difficult to thank the Father in the midst of hard times, but once through or beyond them, when the Lord has worked good in those circumstances, can certainly invoke thanks.

I once read a quip which said, "What if you received tomorrow from the Lord only that for which you've thanked Him today?" It's an intriguing thought to ponder. All it takes is one broken toe to thank God for the nine that are not. Have you thanked the Lord this day for your being, health, food, clothes, shelter, friends, family, recoveries, joy and the right to bow before His throne?

That first Thanksgiving, the Puritans were grateful to the Father for their bountiful harvest and new friends, the Native Americans, who helped them. But their troubles were not over. Their numbers increased with new arrivals to the colony, and that coupled with a long, harsh winter had many sustained on just five kernels of corn per day. After a second successful harvest, the Pilgrims had another Thanksgiving feast. And on each plate was five kernels of corn ... a reminder to impress upon them what they needed to be thankful for to their Father in Heaven.

May each day for you both be a reminder of all you've been blessed with and day of thanksgiving.

Discussion: Talk about a tough time you went through that you are now grateful to God for? What are some other blessings in your lives you are thankful for?

Prayer: Dear Lord God, we humbly thank you for everything you have blessed us with. How you love us! Lord we praise your name, and thank you for gentle reminders to thankful in the tough times and for even the tiny blessings in our lives. In Christ's name, for Whom we are most thankful, Amen.