Parish and I want to share the specifications for making a manger, whether for any gatherings you may have or for spending time with children and grandchildren.

When our children were young, Parish was involved with Noble Warriors, an organization that hosted workshops for dads and their kids to create mangers. This experience was truly special, and we still have that manger today! When we decided to bring all the Women of Worth families together, we remembered this experience and thought it would be fun to surprise the families with this holiday craft. It was a heartwarming occasion, and watching the children work alongside their dads to create the manger brought us so much joy. Even if the kids ran off to swing for a bit, they always returned for that final nail to hammer or to place the baby in the manger.

Since the activity was both affordable (less than @$8.00 per manger) and enjoyable, we wanted to share it with others.

Materials

(1)  1” x 4” x 8’ furring strip

(1)  1” x 2” x 8’ common board 

(1)  1” x 8” x 6’ common board 

(25)  1-¼” flat head nails (flat head trim nails work well)

Directions

Cut the 1” x 4” furring strips and 1” x 2” board into 18” pieces. You will have a couple feet left over. The 1” x 4”’s will be the sides, and the 1” x 2”’ will be the legs of your manger.

Measure 8” along one edge of the 1” x 8”, and draw a line perpendicular to the length of the board. This will create an 8” square. Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner, creating two triangles. Cut the triangles out from the board. These will be the ends of your manger.

Stand one of the triangles up, with the wide edge facing down. Nail the end of a 1” x 4” to the exposed edge of the triangle, closest to the surface you are working on. 

Add another board above, and then nail the other end of the 1” x 4”’s to another triangle.

Add two 1” x 4” boards to the other side to complete the “trough”.

Nail the 1” x 2” legs on. We chose to put the legs on one side of the manger on the outer edge, and the legs on the other side closer in.

Flip it over, fill it with hay, and enjoy your manger that you just built yourself!

God’s Word is living and active, and we can share It through fellowship and activities that bring It to life. A Jewish word  “L’chaim,” which means “to life!” A flourishing. An abundance. A buoyancy. (Jesus and Women, McLelland, p. 37)

Recognizing that God is living and active in my life, I notice His presence in even the smallest details. During a recent conference, I took some time to swim in the hotel pool. The pool featured a graduated floor that felt warmer in the shallow end, gradually sloping down to the deeper end, where swimming became possible. I’m not sure why this transition from shallow to deep felt invigorating, but it stayed in my mind until I attended my Bible study the following morning.

“Scripture is like a river…broad and deep; shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.” –Gregory The Great

I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the water from the day before. She asked, “When it comes to your relationship with the Bible, do you feel more like a lamb or an elephant? Why?”

I couldn’t help but answer with the simple word “Both.” I hope that will never change; there will always be times of wading, as I will never stop learning. Yet, I also have a deeper understanding from years of loving Him. When I visited Animal Kingdom in Florida, I smiled at the beauty of the animals I saw—the elephants and the lambs, both so precious.

She then asked whether I believe that God’s Word and ways bring me abundant life. Do I believe it intellectually and in the way I live?The entire section is entitled “Abundant Life.” 

The tiny infant lying in the humble manger, Jesus, arrived in our world as both fully God and fully man. He came to gift us not only with abundant life but also with the promise of eternal life, bringing a profound hope that can illuminate our path regardless of the challenges we encounter.

I pray that you can navigate life with the gentle grace of a lamb, yet dive with the powerful depth of an elephant. Take a moment to recognize the vibrant and dynamic presence of His spirit in your life, and may you spread His boundless love to everyone around you.