Lower your expectations.
It is easy to become swept up in what the media
portrays holidays should look like--warm family
gatherings, children happily giving and receiving, pre-
cious gifts exchanged as snowfall quiets the night. Fam-
ilies sick with the flu, kids fighting over toys, a dad who
isn't there, estranged relatives, a schedule way too full,
an unexpected emergency, and the lack of funds are
rarely pictured. To ward off the holiday blues, remind
yourself that what really matters is to express the great-
est commandments: to love God with your whole heart
and your neighbor as yourself. That is where you will
find real contentment.
Simplify your lifestyle.
Culture screams "The more the better!" This year,
instead of watching your calendar fill up, go
ahead now and block out personal time, couple time
and family time. Then when that really nice invitation
comes along, have the courage to say, "I'm so sorry we
have a conflict." It is far easier to set boundaries before
the commitments start to pile up.
Determine what you can postpone
.
Be courageous and eliminate one or two things
you usually do and instead declare a family night
at home alone. Use that night to reconnect with the
meaning of the holidays and with each other. Be coura-
geous and carve out time to
"Be still and know that I
am God" (Psalm 46:10) this season.
Mind
+
Body
+
Spirit
An
sw
ers
:
1. A
gourd (
Jonah 4:6)
2.Jacob (
Genesis 30:37
�39)
3.A broom tr
ee (1 Kings 19:4)
4.W
orm
wo
od
(P
ro
ve
rb
s
5:4; Amos 5:7)
5.Mustar
d (Matthe
w 13:31)
Ex
ce
rp
te
d f
ro
m Th
e C
omplete Book
of B
ib
le
T ri
via
by J.
Stephen Lang.
�1988 by
J. S
tephen Lang. Used
by
pe
rm
is
sio
n o
f Tyn
da
le
Ho
us
e
Publishers, Inc. All rights re
served.
2
The holiday season can be stressful. Here's
three things to help you recapture a sense of
the true spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
3
1
3
Ways to
Relieve
Stress
Before the Holidays Arrive
The Biblical Greenhouse
1. What plant sprang up miraculously to give shade to the prophet Jonah?
2. Who used rods of poplar, hazel, and chestnut tree to make genetic
changes in his cattle?
3. What kind of tree did the weary Elijah sit under?
4. What plant had such a bitter taste that it became a symbol
for sorrow and disaster?
5. What, according to the New Testament, produces the smallest
seed of any plant?
HEALTHY HOME COO
KING
Sausage & Cranberry S
tuffing
Instructions
Makes 8 servings. Preheat
oven to 325�F. In large
skillet, crumble and c
ook
sausage until browned.
Remove from pan. In same
skillet melt butter over
medium heat. Saut
e celery
and onions until soft
ened,
about 5 minutes. In a large
bowl, combine celery,
onions, sausage, stuffing
mix, cranberries and salt.
Add the broth and stir until
well combined. If desir
ed,
loosely stuff some of the
mixture into a turkey just
before roasting. Place the
rest of stuffing mix into a
casserole dish. Cover and
bake in a 325�F. oven for
1 hour or until hot.
Ingredients
1 lb sage sausage roll
� cup butter
6 celery stalks, finely diced
2 medium onions, finely dic
ed
1 (12 oz) pack herb flavor s
tuffing mix
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon salt
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken bro
th
B
I
B
L
E
T
R
I
V
I
A
WeGive Thanks
Our Father in Heaven,
We give thanks for the pleasure
of gathering together for this occasion.
We give thanks for this food prepared by loving hands.
We give thanks for life, The freedom to enjoy it all
and all other blessings. As we partake of this food,
we pray for health and strength to carry on
and try to live as You would have us.
This we ask in the name of Christ,
Our Heavenly Father.
PRAYER
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