'Twas the Night of Jesus' Birth Story and More

Tony at Ministry-To-Children has generously shared a few free resources that families may find helpful, or at least fun, this Christmas.

Here he has re-written 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to be 'Twas the Night of Jesus' birth. It's a free download and might be a fun read for the family on Christmas Eve!

Here he has posted a "Jesus brings peace" coloring page.

Note: the King James translation of Isaiah 9:6-7 is as follows:
⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
 ⁷Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Below, he has provided some Angels and Shepherds coloring pages, also for free!

Book Review Tool for Tweens and Teens

I just happened across a wonderful tool offered by Thriving Family Magazine (have you subscribed yet?) which allows you to critically evaluate whether or not a book is a good choice for your teen or tween. It provides a description of the story, then outlines the following topics as they are described in the book: Beliefs, Messages, Sex, Violence, Language, God's name taken in vain, and Other Negative Behavior. You can browse books using their alphabet index to determine which books would be interesting for your child and supportive of your family's values. Parents can use the online tool or check out the printed magazine, which reviews new books with each issue. (The last issue (October/November, 2011) reviewed The Witch of Blackbird Pond, The Sweetest Thing, and Shine.)

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