Christmas Countdown Box Experiment--Day 1

Well, today's the day, the deadline to start the Christmas Countdown using the boxes I blogged about in my last post (scroll down to the bottom of the post to see what I'm talking about). I thought about this yesterday, but nothing really came to mind. I work best under pressure anyway.

I woke up with this thought in my head, which had lingered from our worship time yesterday at church. Mandy Miller shared Zephaniah 3:17 before we sang the song, "Mighty to Save":

The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

So, I created a little "open book quiz" using this verse and placed the box on the main floor between the sofa and the railing that leads to the basement. I then announced that there was a box hidden, and that whoever found it and answered the question correctly would win a prize.

They couldn't let it rest until this evening, so they started hunting. They looked for a LONG time--at least 10 min.--and couldn't find it. Bob said, "This reminds me of looking for my keys, and it isn't fun anymore!" Michael begged for clues, which I finally gave. Did they think I'd make this easy? Ha!

Michael found the box and together they found Zephaniah in the back of the Old Testament and filled in the blanks. The prize today? A peppermint mocha twist from Starbucks after school for the boy.

What I loved about this is that it was short, sweet, simple, and FUN! It also provided me with an opportunity to talk about it a little more with Michael as I drove him to school.

I like setting the tone for the day with something to think about, and I told him that there are those who are mighty, but do not share their strength. He wasn't making any listening noises, so I said, "Like those who could talk, but choose not to, like you!" He laughed and I continued by reminding him that our God is not like that. He is mighty and He does save! I also shared that I was excited about the part of the verse that says that God will rejoice over ME with singing! I can't wait to hear the song He has for me...it will have the coolest lyrics, be my style of music, and He will sing it in perfect pitch--ALL FOR ME! Talk about a gift!

I already have ideas for the days ahead, and Bob wants in on the writing too, so it'll be fun to see what he comes up with! We may even let Michael write one that we have to search for. This is off to a good start...yay! BTW, thanks to those who offered suggestions. L, too bad that book you recommended is in the UK! M, I like your suggestion as well. Look for it in the days ahead.

I need to design some more Christmas cards, so be on the lookout for those in coming posts.