QUESTION: Isn't it amazing that God does what He promises?Some people used to believe that there were many gods and that they were somewhat like humans with super powers. They did as they pleased, made mistakes, experienced jealousy, did bad things, etc. But God isn't like that.

QUESTION: Why did God choose Abram (Abraham)? We don't know exactly why God chose Abraham rather than anyone else. Abram wasn't perfect. He didn't have super powers. The Bible doesn't say that He was incredibly smart or good looking.

QUESTION: Did you know God never stops loving you, no matter what you do? Yes, we have already discussed this question, but it's worth repeating. Nothing separates us from the love of God.

QUESTION: Do you often choose to disobey? What's an example of a situation when you recently chose to argue and fight rather than to obey and be kind? Maybe you wouldn't do what Cain did, but every day each of us has the freedom to choose. We choose whether to have a good attitude or a bad attitude.

QUESTION: Do you ever blame others when you do something wrong? Why do we do this? We all do this. Just like Adam and Eve we blame others for our bad decision. The blame may be true.

QUESTION: Why would God say not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? And why would He put this tree in the garden in the first place? This is a crazy complicated question with no straightforward answer. Did He want to test his children? Did He want to give them an opportunity?

QUESTION: What does it mean that God made humans in His image? Genesis actually says "Let us make man in OUR image" (Genesis 1:26). "Our" meaning the entire Trinity!

What's your favorite thing about creation? Have you stopped and thought about this? If you haven't, maybe step outside together as a family bundled up in blankets or coats. What strikes you as beautiful today?

QUESTION: What do you think it was like to have light for the first time? This moment had to have been magnificent.

To assist you in your advent readings, consider reading these questions aloud and discussing them with your children, staying open to where the discussion may lead. The accompanying thoughts are simply that - my thoughts on the day's readings. They aren't necessarily intended for children, but are reflections on the readings for the day.

When I become a mom, I wanted to carry on this tradition of making the season leading up to Christmas meaningful. Like my mother, it wasn’t just about the magic and fun of Christmas, it was about actually building in my children a sense of excitement and anticipation for the enormous miracle that Christmas represents - the God of the universe coming down to set things right between himself and his children!

Four years ago I started down a little path. My dear husband had an idea — to take one of my favorite childhood family traditions and remake it in order to share the gift with others. And that fall the Thankful Box was born. 

I grew up in a household that I know was far from perfect. But, one of the things that made it wonderful was my parents’ relentless pursuit of making moments special. It didn’t matter how many resources they had or how little time, somehow they could always carve out a way to make something meaningful.

Once upon a time a young man and young woman got married at a very young age. Like most who marry quite young, their income was meagre at best. If they were comic strip characters, a fly might emerge when one of them opened a wallet.