Manage It (Victorious in Christ) Monday: How Do You Celebrate Your Birthday?

How do you celebrate your birthday? Do birthday cake and presents come to mind? Maybe "doing nothing" sounds good to you?  Or maybe doing something special--very special, because, well, "it's my birthday!"

Thinking Of Others On Your Birthday

For the last few years, my daughter, Kelsey, has added to the list above.  She has used this special time in her life as an excuse to get together with some of her friends and encourage them in some facet of their Christian walk.  She invites a group of friends to come for some food, talk, laughter, yes, but also, to watch a challenging DVD by a motivating Christian speaker.  The year that the theme was witnessing, they watched a great talk (or two) by Mark Cahill.  Then they spent some time in prayer and sharing.  She may have props, or questions to spark thought and discussion.

Friends

Tonight, 6 young women (ages 21-31) joined Kelsey at our house to have a fun evening and be challenged in the area of Prayer. Lots of laughter, lots of fun.  All knew each other, except one gal, who only knew Kelsey and one other, so it was important for her to have a little time to get to know the others.

Food

Kelsey served them a light meal:  Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Croissants, three kinds of chips, and fresh veggies with two kinds of dip. After a relaxing supper and lots of light-hearted chatter, they headed downstairs to watch a video.  This time the theme was on Prayer and the video was presented by a powerful and passionate speaker, Doug Small.

True Fellowship

Following the video, they spent time sharing and praying--praying about "pretty much everything," according to one participant...which was really good.  Everything from their own personal problems and issues, to others' situations, to people around the world.  She put up a map of the world with information about persecuted people in regions on the map (available from Voice of the Martyrs).

Photos

When they were all finished, she came up and asked me if I'd be willing to come down and take some pictures.  After the photo session, we all went upstairs and ate the delicious dessert (Apple/Gingerbread Cobbler with ice cream), before the gals had to leave.

Starting at 4:00 in the afternoon on a Sunday was the perfect time. They were able to eat at 5:00 and spend time from 6:00-8:30 watching the video and praying, and finish up by about 9:00, including the pictures.  The goodbyes and thank-yous were long and heartfelt.  No one wanted to leave and all said they would love it if she "did this again"!  They left with a gift: a book from Kelsey which had really impacted her:  Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy. Great evening and everyone was encouraged in their faith in Jesus Christ and made more passionate about prayer! Have you ever done anything similar, or for others, on your birthday?