Have I ever told you about my kids' obsession with rocks? Recently its shifted to sea glass, or just tiny bits of broken glass. But it started with the rock collections. On our porch railing there is a collection. In a bucket in the garage, and another bucket in the back yard. And in their pockets. Especially Shelly's. Given E's tendency to throw everything, the rocks inside the house seem like a major threat now. He picks up a rock, I fear for the tv screen. And my own safety. Sometimes I find a lone rock in the bottom of the washing machine. Thankfully never in the dryer (yet).
Do you ever wonder at what point the collection becomes a burden? I've found Shelly's winter coat stuffed full of rocks in every pocket. She loves to collect these pretty little things, but what about the weight? Doesn't it pull her downward? Of course they're added just one small rock at a time, so perhaps she doesn't notice. The thing about the rocks is that the kids will (maybe) outgrow them. But we, generally, all of us people, don't outgrow collecting, do we? We all have them, the collections. Furniture, books, shoes... Pictures. Pictures printed, pictures stored in some forgotten folder in the back corner of the computer memory. But isn't it just more stuff to carry around?
I sometimes wonder what it would look like to really just keep the most important things. And give away the rest. Not keep the "I might use this someday" stuff, or the, "I KNOW I'll need that in five years" or "this doesn't fit me anymore but maybe it will again someday." Or what if, instead of thinking that even my pictures are so precious that I'm willing to spend hours organizing and lots of money saving them, I just left them alone. Or gave away the shoes I NEVER wear, or quit trying to talk myself into thinking that dress will fit me again someday.
Sometimes the things that fill our house cease to feel like they're part of our roots of a firm foundation, and start to feel like vines creeping and entangling us into this world. All of these things. Are they choking back the freedom we have to really follow Jesus?
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
~ 1 Timothy 6:6-11
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
Choosing Joy
I've been working my way through the book of James forever. I have a study book and its been amazing, the insights, the thought provoking questions. But I keep coming back to the beginning. 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." This is such a tough one, joy in the face of trials. The study book took me through it, it doesn't say "feel." It says "consider." Think it through. Choosing anything but joy leads us in a direction that God doesn't desire for us. The other choices - anger, fear, giving up - they don't lead us closer to God. Choose JOY and let God lead us through, teach us perseverance, bring us closer to Him.
This morning the kids and I talked about this verse. I told them its like choosing cookies - the nice soft cookie, still warm, chocolate chips melty... Or the other cookie, a few weeks old, dried out and hard, maybe some flies living on it or something. "EWW!" they cried. I told them that God wants the very best for us, but if we decide to eat that old cookie, well He'll let us. But why would we choose that? So all day we've been reminding each other, "choose the good cookie!" and "choose joy!" Its worked out alright.
Until this afternoon. There as a task that had to be completed. There was someone who could not bring themself to do it. And there was two hours of crying, screaming, throwing things. This person was NOT choosing the good cookie and finally after a long long time screamed that insult back at me, to top it all off, "I don't CARE if I have the BAD COOKIE!" Eventually the task was completed, the tears and anger stopped and now all is back to normal.
Anyway, I'm not writing about this to remember the trial... I'm writing about this to remember the work that God is doing in our hearts. I realized, that in reminding the kids all day about choosing joy (even though your brother just stole your toy or hit you or WHATEVER), in reminding THEM to do it, I was reminding myself. And God worked in my heart today, and not once did I feel angry (sad, yes, definitely), and not once did I yell back or whatever. I prayed, I prayed with the kid, I thanked God for them in our family and asked for help for all of us in choosing joy.
And it turns out, when you ask, God answers with peace and joy. Thank you so much, Lord. What a relief that its over, but more so, what a relief that you helped us through it and helped me to choose joy. Thank you!!
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
~ Matthew 7:7-8
This morning the kids and I talked about this verse. I told them its like choosing cookies - the nice soft cookie, still warm, chocolate chips melty... Or the other cookie, a few weeks old, dried out and hard, maybe some flies living on it or something. "EWW!" they cried. I told them that God wants the very best for us, but if we decide to eat that old cookie, well He'll let us. But why would we choose that? So all day we've been reminding each other, "choose the good cookie!" and "choose joy!" Its worked out alright.
Until this afternoon. There as a task that had to be completed. There was someone who could not bring themself to do it. And there was two hours of crying, screaming, throwing things. This person was NOT choosing the good cookie and finally after a long long time screamed that insult back at me, to top it all off, "I don't CARE if I have the BAD COOKIE!" Eventually the task was completed, the tears and anger stopped and now all is back to normal.
Anyway, I'm not writing about this to remember the trial... I'm writing about this to remember the work that God is doing in our hearts. I realized, that in reminding the kids all day about choosing joy (even though your brother just stole your toy or hit you or WHATEVER), in reminding THEM to do it, I was reminding myself. And God worked in my heart today, and not once did I feel angry (sad, yes, definitely), and not once did I yell back or whatever. I prayed, I prayed with the kid, I thanked God for them in our family and asked for help for all of us in choosing joy.
And it turns out, when you ask, God answers with peace and joy. Thank you so much, Lord. What a relief that its over, but more so, what a relief that you helped us through it and helped me to choose joy. Thank you!!
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
~ Matthew 7:7-8
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Perfect Timing
Time, patience, waiting for the exact right moment.
Here's the thing. Adam and Eve sinned pretty much right way, they didn't wait too long to get the first sin out of the way. God created a beautiful garden, perfect for them to live in, and they didn't take very long to go out and ruin it. Ok, they were like kids in their innocence and we know how kids are, they don't believe their parents when they say "you're going to get hurt..." I'm not trying to make light of it, but it seems to me that's pretty much what happened. So, they sin. God has a plan to fix all that, to undo it, but does he send Jesus the next day? No.
God waited. He had the plan from the very beginning but He waited. Through thousands of years of people faithfully following him and even more people defiantly turning away from Him, ignoring Him, on and on. Thousands of years.
From Matthew 1:This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah...
Abraham was the father of Isaac...
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David,
fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon,
and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
That's 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus. Plus all the years before that. That's a lot of waiting for the right time. And THEN, did Jesus come as a man, ready to preach and then give Himself up for us? No. There were the nine months of waiting for that baby to be born, the 30 or so years waiting for Him to grow up...
As a mother, I know the torment and joy of waiting to conceive a child. The torment and joy of those nine months while I can't think of anything else but seeing that precious face and holding that beautiful baby in my arms. And yet I waited, there was no other option but to wait for God's timing, His perfect timing to bring forth those beautiful lives into this world.
I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and he heard my cry.
~ Psalm 40:1
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Confidence
I've been thinking about this lately, self confidence. Of course I want my kids to be confident, be willing to go out into the world and talk to new friends, try new things, work hard and do their best. And be confident that they'll be ok, no matter how well (or not well) they do. But the whole thing is too tied up in something. Self.
Do you think our culture, our entire world, is too tied up in SELF? Perhaps? Probably. Definitely. Self. Take care of yourSELF. Look out for yourSELF. And of course, be confident in YOURSELF.
What about God? What about confidence in Christ, the one who saved us from ourselves?
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
~Philippians 4:12-13
I let myself down way too often to have much confidence in my very own self and my ability to do anything. Christ is really the one I should be relying upon. Through Him, I can do all things. Through Him, my children should be learning to do all things. And in Him, they should be living each and every day. When they're challenged, I want them to say, "The Lord brought me to this situation, He will bring me through it." Or "I got myself into this mess, but the Lord will lead me out." I know from my own experience that I get myself into too many messes that I can't necessarily solve on my own. And so I lean on Jesus. And I want them to know that too. Confidence in Him. Not in themselves.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
~Joshua 1:9
Do you think our culture, our entire world, is too tied up in SELF? Perhaps? Probably. Definitely. Self. Take care of yourSELF. Look out for yourSELF. And of course, be confident in YOURSELF.
What about God? What about confidence in Christ, the one who saved us from ourselves?
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
~Philippians 4:12-13
I let myself down way too often to have much confidence in my very own self and my ability to do anything. Christ is really the one I should be relying upon. Through Him, I can do all things. Through Him, my children should be learning to do all things. And in Him, they should be living each and every day. When they're challenged, I want them to say, "The Lord brought me to this situation, He will bring me through it." Or "I got myself into this mess, but the Lord will lead me out." I know from my own experience that I get myself into too many messes that I can't necessarily solve on my own. And so I lean on Jesus. And I want them to know that too. Confidence in Him. Not in themselves.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
~Joshua 1:9
Monday, August 13, 2012
Jonah. Pride. Compassion. To Be Continued...
I heard that our church was going to start a series on the book of Jonah, so we started reading together as a family. First of all, this little book is the shortest in the Old Testament. I'm sort of wondering how many Sundays our pastor will be preaching on it. But it IS packed full of things to talk about.
The kids and I have taken a few days on it. Shelly and Archer know the basic story, of course, and they know all the right answers. "Jonah didn't obey. He ran away from God. That was bad." But I often find myself stopping after just a sentence or two to discuss the meanings of words, and how someone might have felt, or what something looked like. Sometimes things get quite animated. He was inside a FISH! What do you think that smelled like? "EWWW!!" they cry and hide their faces.
We ended our first day of discussion with Jonah's prayer. Jonah praises God for bringing him up from certain death. We talked about praising God, even when circumstances seem like they couldn't get any worse. Jonah was in the belly of a fish. But he praised God.
Today at lunch we finished the story, and this is what the kids haven't heard as often. That God had compassion on the city of Ninevah and gave those people another chance. They repented, "he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened." But this is where the story turns south, not a happy ending with Ninevah loving God. A disappointing ending with Jonah angry at God for his compassion. So angry that he proclaimed he is "angry enough to die." WHOA! This kind of anger, I think I've seen it on display in my own home. Just last night, in fact, over something really trivial. Human emotions can be so strong, and unpredictable. But Jonah, I think he believed he was justified in his anger.Did that city REALLY deserve forgiveness? I tried to explain to the kids the final words of the book, "Should I not be concerned about that great city?" as God asked Jonah an unanswered question. We don't hear Jonah's answer. Maybe he stomped off to his room and slamed the door and sulked for a few hours, or days. We don't know. But we do see God's compassion.
Before bedtime tonight, we went back to 4:2 and read. "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." I asked the kids to think about what that verse taught us about God. They told me their favorite parts. Shelly, "abounding in love." Archer, "relents from sending calamity." And me, "slow to anger." I need that reminder, to be slow to anger. And the kids' answers didn't surprise me either. Shelly is always proclaiming love, drawing hearts and writing love notes to us. Archer talked to me as I tucked him in about a recent tragedy that's happened in a city nearby, and he asked me if God had relented from sending a calamity, by sending in help to prevent a worse tragedy. I agreed with him, the Lord had saved that community from worse.
Sometimes I wonder if they're really getting it, all this vague talk about praising God even in hard times, when they haven't been faced with truly hard times. Discussions about pride and compassion in the abstract. But then, out of the blue, they ask a little question, or make a comment, and I'm surprised at the connections they have made. While we've been discussing the news headlines, Archer's connected it with the destruction the Lord could send. Or prevent. And I can see that the truth is making its way into his heart, and I am thrilled and intimidated at the same time. And that story, of our family leaning into God's truth and word, is to be continued.
The kids and I have taken a few days on it. Shelly and Archer know the basic story, of course, and they know all the right answers. "Jonah didn't obey. He ran away from God. That was bad." But I often find myself stopping after just a sentence or two to discuss the meanings of words, and how someone might have felt, or what something looked like. Sometimes things get quite animated. He was inside a FISH! What do you think that smelled like? "EWWW!!" they cry and hide their faces.
We ended our first day of discussion with Jonah's prayer. Jonah praises God for bringing him up from certain death. We talked about praising God, even when circumstances seem like they couldn't get any worse. Jonah was in the belly of a fish. But he praised God.
Today at lunch we finished the story, and this is what the kids haven't heard as often. That God had compassion on the city of Ninevah and gave those people another chance. They repented, "he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened." But this is where the story turns south, not a happy ending with Ninevah loving God. A disappointing ending with Jonah angry at God for his compassion. So angry that he proclaimed he is "angry enough to die." WHOA! This kind of anger, I think I've seen it on display in my own home. Just last night, in fact, over something really trivial. Human emotions can be so strong, and unpredictable. But Jonah, I think he believed he was justified in his anger.Did that city REALLY deserve forgiveness? I tried to explain to the kids the final words of the book, "Should I not be concerned about that great city?" as God asked Jonah an unanswered question. We don't hear Jonah's answer. Maybe he stomped off to his room and slamed the door and sulked for a few hours, or days. We don't know. But we do see God's compassion.
Before bedtime tonight, we went back to 4:2 and read. "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." I asked the kids to think about what that verse taught us about God. They told me their favorite parts. Shelly, "abounding in love." Archer, "relents from sending calamity." And me, "slow to anger." I need that reminder, to be slow to anger. And the kids' answers didn't surprise me either. Shelly is always proclaiming love, drawing hearts and writing love notes to us. Archer talked to me as I tucked him in about a recent tragedy that's happened in a city nearby, and he asked me if God had relented from sending a calamity, by sending in help to prevent a worse tragedy. I agreed with him, the Lord had saved that community from worse.
Sometimes I wonder if they're really getting it, all this vague talk about praising God even in hard times, when they haven't been faced with truly hard times. Discussions about pride and compassion in the abstract. But then, out of the blue, they ask a little question, or make a comment, and I'm surprised at the connections they have made. While we've been discussing the news headlines, Archer's connected it with the destruction the Lord could send. Or prevent. And I can see that the truth is making its way into his heart, and I am thrilled and intimidated at the same time. And that story, of our family leaning into God's truth and word, is to be continued.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Soooo HOT!
It's soooo hottttt out there, and the weather people keep telling us it will be hotter tomorrow. We can look forward to more heat, no rain.... it's so hot!
At Mom and Dad's today we started telling each other how hot it will be tomorrow.
"Can we come back to the pool tomorrow? It's going to be a hundred degrees."
"Sure, it'll be a hundred and twenty in the shade."
"I think its going to be two hundred and fourty, a good day to go swimming..."
There's much discussion of what needs to be watered, where we should try to beat the heat, and I'm wondering if Shelly got what she wished for. On Monday she said, "When is it going to be real summer weather?" With the lake breeze, it actually felt a little cool outside and I even believed (for a moment) that it might be too cold to swim. It was much warmer in HC, inland from the lake, and the kids enjoyed the pool. And now we seek out the pool, or the sprinkler, or a picnic table in the shade to beat the heat. There's always inside, but I can't stand the idea of hiding in the house when the sun is shining and there's so much to explore and enjoy in God's beautiful creation.
God's beautiful, glorious creation. I'm hungry for it. I seek out new places to explore with the kids. I'm not an outdoors person usually, but I find wonder and rest in the places we visit, quiet, away from toys and electricity and just enjoying each other's company.
Shout for JOY to the Lord, ALL THE EARTH,
burst into jubilant song with music...
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
LET THE RIVERS CLAP THEIR HANDS,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
~ Psalm 98
At Mom and Dad's today we started telling each other how hot it will be tomorrow.
"Can we come back to the pool tomorrow? It's going to be a hundred degrees."
"Sure, it'll be a hundred and twenty in the shade."
"I think its going to be two hundred and fourty, a good day to go swimming..."
There's much discussion of what needs to be watered, where we should try to beat the heat, and I'm wondering if Shelly got what she wished for. On Monday she said, "When is it going to be real summer weather?" With the lake breeze, it actually felt a little cool outside and I even believed (for a moment) that it might be too cold to swim. It was much warmer in HC, inland from the lake, and the kids enjoyed the pool. And now we seek out the pool, or the sprinkler, or a picnic table in the shade to beat the heat. There's always inside, but I can't stand the idea of hiding in the house when the sun is shining and there's so much to explore and enjoy in God's beautiful creation.
God's beautiful, glorious creation. I'm hungry for it. I seek out new places to explore with the kids. I'm not an outdoors person usually, but I find wonder and rest in the places we visit, quiet, away from toys and electricity and just enjoying each other's company.
Shout for JOY to the Lord, ALL THE EARTH,
burst into jubilant song with music...
Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
LET THE RIVERS CLAP THEIR HANDS,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
~ Psalm 98
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
God's Marvelous Creation
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care...
Every day this week we've been at VBS all morning long, filling the time with songs of praise and lessons on God's promises. Every afternoon we've been outside enjoying the sunshine, water, fresh air and nature all around us. God is so, SO good to us!!
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Crowds
"A great crowd of people followed him..." Because what would YOU do if you heard about a guy going around healing sick people? Wouldn't you want to see for yourself? Is it really true, all the hype about this carpenter that's performing miracles? I wonder what he'll do next!
We talked about the disciples' hearts, that they were thinking with an earthly mindset when Jesus asked them, "Where should we buy bread..." Perhaps Philip couldn't believe Jesus thought they should try to feed this great crowd.
As we talked through the story and discovered how many lessons were there, I realized that the bible can be studied by experts for a lifetime. These experts can write volumes of commentary and explanation and historical context. But the five of us, our little crowd sitting on the couch in the evening, we can get something from it too. We don't have to be experts. We just have to be willing to open it up and take a look, and get ready to listen to God speaking His word into our lives.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
What We Say
I didn't think ahead of time of the phrases I'd say over and over, the "life lessons" I'd try to instill by constant repetition. They snuck up on me, these things I say.
"In our family, we don't give up."
"We help each other. Everyone does their part."
"We take care of each other, if someone gets hurt go help them."
Sometimes I'm not even sure who came up with it originally. David? Me? Who knows. It sounded good at the time so we just kept saying it. Its funny how we didn't plan it out, "What are our values? What do we want to pass on to our kids?" It just sort of happens. Along with the other stuff, the stuff we say to manage the family.
"Read two stories, brush your teeth, go to bed. Don't complain about it."
"No candy, no toys, no crying."
"If you fight over it/don't put it away/throw it, it will disappear forever."
"You can turn it around now. Take a deep breath, let's get it together."
What do I say to intentionally teach my children? I'm realizing there's more in the bible for this whole parenting thing than I had realized before. I tell my children, "don't tattle on each other." But Jesus tells us what to do about your brother that's causing trouble. (Matthew 18:15-17) And then there's the whole thing about keeping track of how much stuff she got, compared to what I got. (Remember the lesson about the workers in the vineyard?) What else is there? What else is God going to reveal to me? I can not WAIT to find out!
"In our family, we don't give up."
"We help each other. Everyone does their part."
"We take care of each other, if someone gets hurt go help them."
Sometimes I'm not even sure who came up with it originally. David? Me? Who knows. It sounded good at the time so we just kept saying it. Its funny how we didn't plan it out, "What are our values? What do we want to pass on to our kids?" It just sort of happens. Along with the other stuff, the stuff we say to manage the family.
"Read two stories, brush your teeth, go to bed. Don't complain about it."
"No candy, no toys, no crying."
"If you fight over it/don't put it away/throw it, it will disappear forever."
"You can turn it around now. Take a deep breath, let's get it together."
What do I say to intentionally teach my children? I'm realizing there's more in the bible for this whole parenting thing than I had realized before. I tell my children, "don't tattle on each other." But Jesus tells us what to do about your brother that's causing trouble. (Matthew 18:15-17) And then there's the whole thing about keeping track of how much stuff she got, compared to what I got. (Remember the lesson about the workers in the vineyard?) What else is there? What else is God going to reveal to me? I can not WAIT to find out!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Perseverance
I love how every time we open up the Bible it has something relevant for THIS moment. I asked Archer if he wanted to hear Old Testament or New Testament. He picked new, so we read from 2 Peter...
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
~ 2 Peter 1:5-7
We talked about each of those characteristics. What is knowledge? How do we gain knowledge? (Shelly asked, what does "gain" mean?)
We used Elijah as an example to talk about self-control - he has none. When Mom and Dad impose rules its to help you learn to control yourselves, not so we can control you. What if everyone acted like Elijah?
We spent a lot of time on perseverance. As we talked, I realized this was not just for the kids. It was for me too. Perseverance. Let's finish strong, no matter how hard the job. We talked about homework and eight months of homework... And one month left. "What are we going to do, Archer?" Persevere! Finish strong! Archer grumbles about homework a LOT. But I realize I've been grumbling about homework a LOT too, just not within earshot of Archer. I'm sick of homework. But we're going to finish strong. Persevere. And pray for a change of heart, that we would remember who we're really working for.
Whatever you do, work at it ith all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
~ Colossians 3:23-24
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
~ 2 Peter 1:5-7
We talked about each of those characteristics. What is knowledge? How do we gain knowledge? (Shelly asked, what does "gain" mean?)
We used Elijah as an example to talk about self-control - he has none. When Mom and Dad impose rules its to help you learn to control yourselves, not so we can control you. What if everyone acted like Elijah?
We spent a lot of time on perseverance. As we talked, I realized this was not just for the kids. It was for me too. Perseverance. Let's finish strong, no matter how hard the job. We talked about homework and eight months of homework... And one month left. "What are we going to do, Archer?" Persevere! Finish strong! Archer grumbles about homework a LOT. But I realize I've been grumbling about homework a LOT too, just not within earshot of Archer. I'm sick of homework. But we're going to finish strong. Persevere. And pray for a change of heart, that we would remember who we're really working for.
Whatever you do, work at it ith all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
~ Colossians 3:23-24
Monday, May 7, 2012
Blogs vs. Bible
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
I read other mom's blogs, people with advice, with systems for raising perfect kids, ways to motivate, train, encourage, discipline, teach kids to be what you want them to be. I catch myself thinking they have all the answers, if I read enough I'll get this motherhood thing figured out. Guess what? I'm sure they really don't have it all figured out, their kids can't be that different than mine, right? We each have our struggles. So I need to lay that down, put it all in its place (advice or encouragement, but that's it), and pick up God's word, the Father who wants to teach me how to get through motherhood, how to make it work, how to make it a wonderful and amazing journey for our family. Come on in, Lord, and show us how it's done! Please!
I read other mom's blogs, people with advice, with systems for raising perfect kids, ways to motivate, train, encourage, discipline, teach kids to be what you want them to be. I catch myself thinking they have all the answers, if I read enough I'll get this motherhood thing figured out. Guess what? I'm sure they really don't have it all figured out, their kids can't be that different than mine, right? We each have our struggles. So I need to lay that down, put it all in its place (advice or encouragement, but that's it), and pick up God's word, the Father who wants to teach me how to get through motherhood, how to make it work, how to make it a wonderful and amazing journey for our family. Come on in, Lord, and show us how it's done! Please!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Counting Other People's Blessings
What Am I Waiting For?
The perfect moment. The perfect schedule. The perfectly smiley cheerful day. That's when I'll read the bible to the kids. When we have time. When we're all in a good mood. When it fits into our schedule.
WHAT??? Bologna!!
We used to have regular bible time, every night before bed, we'd sit together and read from a children's bible. Then school started up, we got so busy and I got so overwhelmed that I cut out the easiest thing to cut. Unfortunately, the most IMPORTANT thing. That changes NOW. I finally realized (after almost a YEAR) that I CAN NOT do that to our family, allow our busy and chaotic days to push out the most important teaching we need. Last night I finally answered my own question, "What am I waiting for to start up with regular reading the bible?" The answer is, I'm waiting for the perfect kids' bible, or perfect time of day, or something that's not going to happen. So enough with the excuses. I'm not waiting. I opened up the bible to right where I'd left off reading to myself earlier, and we read about the transfiguration of Jesus. I'm no scholar, I don't fully understand what it means, or why Jesus only took three friends with him for this miraculous event. But that doesn't matter, God meets us where we are. We talked about it, and then I sent the kids off to bed. And I'm glad I'm back on track with bible time.
Today I felt something that I don't know if I've ever felt before. A THIRST for the bible, a hunger for his word. I've approached it wrongly in the past, as something I know I SHOULD do, but don't really feel like doing. "Ok God, I'll do my homework now," has been my attitude. Today, I really wanted to hear his word. I didn't want to read a book about someone's interpretation of the bible, or their reasons to me why I should want to read it. I craved the pure, straight from the mouth of God, words on the page of the bible.
Its funny what God will do, in small steps and huge leaps, if you just let him in.
WHAT??? Bologna!!
We used to have regular bible time, every night before bed, we'd sit together and read from a children's bible. Then school started up, we got so busy and I got so overwhelmed that I cut out the easiest thing to cut. Unfortunately, the most IMPORTANT thing. That changes NOW. I finally realized (after almost a YEAR) that I CAN NOT do that to our family, allow our busy and chaotic days to push out the most important teaching we need. Last night I finally answered my own question, "What am I waiting for to start up with regular reading the bible?" The answer is, I'm waiting for the perfect kids' bible, or perfect time of day, or something that's not going to happen. So enough with the excuses. I'm not waiting. I opened up the bible to right where I'd left off reading to myself earlier, and we read about the transfiguration of Jesus. I'm no scholar, I don't fully understand what it means, or why Jesus only took three friends with him for this miraculous event. But that doesn't matter, God meets us where we are. We talked about it, and then I sent the kids off to bed. And I'm glad I'm back on track with bible time.
Today I felt something that I don't know if I've ever felt before. A THIRST for the bible, a hunger for his word. I've approached it wrongly in the past, as something I know I SHOULD do, but don't really feel like doing. "Ok God, I'll do my homework now," has been my attitude. Today, I really wanted to hear his word. I didn't want to read a book about someone's interpretation of the bible, or their reasons to me why I should want to read it. I craved the pure, straight from the mouth of God, words on the page of the bible.
Its funny what God will do, in small steps and huge leaps, if you just let him in.
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