Pure Sweetness

The other day my 2, almost three year old was fighting nap time.  She was crying and crying and after a while I went in thinking she wasn't taking a nap that day.  I entered a room and she pointed at the floor and said, "Bu-ble!"  I looked and saw a small New Testament Bible on the floor.  "You mean Bible?" I said.  I handed it to her, she tucked it under her arm and went to sleep!

She loves that little Bible.  She takes it every where and won't let it go.  I watch her sit and pretend to read it.  After 7 children I'm quite amazed at her obvious attachment to this little book with no pictures.  There are many verses in the Bible that talk about children and their unique relationship with God.  Here is my current favorite:

Psalm 8:2, "You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, (Greek version reads to give you praise.) silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. " NLT

Silence your enemies....now that means power against evil....given to infants!  What I take from this verse is that teaching our children the Word is very important.  Teaching them to Praise is too!  

It blesses my heart to see her embracing a relationship with God and His Word at such a young age.  It makes me excited to be a part of her spiritual upbringing as she grows up in the Lord.  

There is a familiar spot in Scripture when Jesus blesses the children brought to him:

"People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:15-18

This has always brought me joy to know the value God places on children.  He shows us through the littlest child that we are born to have a relationship with Him.  Jesus teaches us that heaven is full of these precious souls who haven't been deceived by the world and know exactly who He is.  Verses like this bring much peace to me and others who have lost a child.  That they are citizens in heaven and we will see our babies again someday.

Remember the verse above, Psalm 8:2, "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger." NKJ

This is also a Scripture of prophesy.  It was fulfilled during Jesus' Passion week.  He had triumphantly entered Jerusalem, cleared the temple on the Feast of Unleavened Bread and was healing the sick.  

"The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them.  The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.”

But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

“Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’ Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight."  matthew 21:14-17 

We need faith like a child, they don't fight the Truth.  They don't doubt who Jesus is, they receive it and proclaim it!  

How to Shine like a STAR....

Homeschooling provides us with so many teachable moments.  I think that is what I love most about it.  I often ask God what virtue, trait or concept I should focus on or teach the children.  I try to stay sensitive to what is going on in our home and I diligently look for opportunities to reinforce important truths to them. God has never failed to amaze me.   Today we are learning about how to stay pure and shine for the Lord. 

I found a great free website for printing out handwriting pages:  http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/flash/printdots/paragraph/ .  You can put in your text and it will print out a custom handwriting sheet. This made it possible for my youngest writer to be able to write out the Bible verse we were focusing on with ease. 

We studied Philippians 2:14-15, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe."  

I had each of them write out the Bible verse and as they did I explained to them just what exactly that means. 

- We talked about how it is important to do EVERYTHING without complaining!  Boy is that a lesson we can all take to heart.  I think it is more accurate to say we do everything WITH complaining lately!!!

- Without arguing!!!!  The kids were challenged with this one as soon as they climbed out of bed and their feet hit the floor.  I think this is a biggy, especially for those of us who are together 24/7!

-We talked about the importance of not complaining or arguing and how that helps us to lead blameless and pure lives. 

-Then we discussed how there are people in the world that do not believe, acknowledge or live their lives according to God's laws.  They are crooked and depraved.  I explained to them how we can stray or get lost if we are crooked and that God desires for us to keep our eyes on Him to stay on the straight path.

-I printed out this picture for them and had them color it in.  (http://www.thecoloringbarn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/star-1.jpg) .  When they were finished we talked about things that make us shine like stars....praying, sharing, helping, serving, forgiving, etc., and as we said each thing we added some glitter glue to the main star.  I told them that everyone has the ability to shine and we added some glitter glue to the top stars representing others in the world. 

-Then we talked about sin and how it gets us dirty.  I had a small cup of potting soil ready and we talked about things that would get us 'dirty' or cause us to not be pure and blameless.  Much to their horror I sprinkled a little bit of dirt on to one of the sections of the wet glitter glue on their star.  They were pretty upset that their picture now had a little dirt on it.  Shelby even tried to cover her dirt up with more glitter, but you could still see it.  This gave me the opportunity to share with them that we can try to cover up our sin, but it is still visible to God.

-Next we talked about what Jesus came to do.  I had them each bring me a baby wipe and we wiped off the dirt just as Jesus wipes away our sin when we ask Him for forgiveness.  It was a powerful moment.  Then we added more glitter glue in that spot so that it could be restored and shine again for the Lord!

-Finally we talked about how everyone has sin, everyone of us.  We added some dirt to the other stars to remember that.  They asked me how to help get those stars clean and I shared with them that they will need someone to tell them what Jesus did for them, too.  They each picked a star to 'tell' about Jesus and we then we wiped them clean and added more glitter to represent a new life choosing to shine for the Lord. 

It was such a powerful lesson.  I am so thankful to the God of Heaven who looks upon us and meets us right where we are to show us the way to shine like stars in the universe.  The kids got it.  They understood on a whole deeper level the power sin has to make us unclean and that only by the power of the blood of Jesus we can be pure again. 

Now, I would be lying if I said my children were perfect little angels the rest of the day!  I wish!  But, I will say that the only correction I have had to give today is, "Be careful and STAY CLEAN!!!!"

If it isn't IMMEDIATE....then, it isn't OBEDIENT!

Have you ever asked a child to do something, once, then twice, three times.....? Have you ever said, "How many times do I have to tell you to........?"  They say kids learn by repetition.  Okay, I get it.  We have to keep repeating the lesson of where your shoes go when you take them off and why you don't leave the sink running after you wash your hands.  But, how about when you ask them to do something and the flat out say, "NO!!!".  It happens. 

It has happened a lot in our house lately.  I fear the kids are testing the boundaries again.  I have noticed it isn't just my kids, but all kids.  Recently a friend come to pick up her child who refused to get into the car.  I experienced a blank stare last night with our oldest after her Daddy asked her to please go read a book to her sibling.  This morning one of the clan told me he would not help take laundry downstairs (unless I paid him in jellybeans!)  When I just pulled into the driveway a few minutes ago 2 of my darling children refused to put their seat belt back on for the last 200yds.   So.....I stopped the car and made them get up and walk to the house!  What in the world is going on??????? 

How can we explain to our children (without screaming or spanking them) that they should listen? Here is what I am focusing on today with mine, and I pray it helps you too!

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Ephesians 6:1

as defined in the original Greek:
to Obey: to listen, to harken to a command, be obedient to, submit to. 
Obedience means: compliance, submission; obedience rendered to any one's counsels, an obedience shown in observing the requirements of Christianity.

Romans 1:5, Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

Romans 5:19, For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

John 15:10, If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

How to abide or remain in Christ’s love: obedience. Obedience and love go hand in hand. Christ has provided us the perfect example of both. 

“If you love me, you will obey what I command. " John 14:15

So here are a few truths I am sharing with our children in teaching them the concepts of obedience:
1. When you don't respond the first time you are already in disobedience.
2. When you respond, "NO", you miss the opportunity to obey all together.
3. When you do obey you get the chance to show God that you love Him.
4. When you do obey you show the person you listen to that you respect them.
5. When you do not obey you are responsible for the negative consequences that follow. 
6. It is impossible to disobey your parents and obey God at the same time.
7. To stay walking in step with the Lord requires your obedience.

That precious bundle that told me NO this morning.....well, he sat on the couch until he was ready to listen.  It took 45 minutes.  Then he said, "Okay Mom, I will do it without the jellybeans!"  I explained to him that he missed the opportunity to obey, because now the laundry had all been taken downstairs by his sisters.  I told him that he missed a chance to listen to me and to show God that he loved Him.  He started to cry and told me he was really sorry.  I forgave him, gave him a hug, and told him there would be more opportunities to listen and love God today.  Hopefully next time he will not miss it, but jump at a chance to show his faith by acting the first time.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Mirrors tell us about ourselves.  We check them to see how we look and sometimes even feel.  My daddy used to put me in front of one when I was pouting and would show me how silly I looked!  It has been fun to watch the twins.  The mirror each other every day.  One of them will do something, like wave bye-bye and then the other will watch and seem to say, "Oh, we can do that?"  Then they will copy it on cue!  We learn so much about ourselves by our reflection. 

I am in the middle of a Biblical Counseling Training Course called Extrodinary Woman and it has reminded me again that our self concept, identity and sense of fulfillment is built over time by our mirrored reflections.  What our parents, peers, teachers, or others give us a sense of who we are.  By far the parent-child relationship is the most influencial influence on a child.  Even as an adult, many find themselves seeking their parents approval, desiring to hear that they are special, talented, smart or loved.  If you were blessed to have loving parents who took opportunities to tell you how fearfully and wonderfully you were made, you are probably pretty secure and confident in who you are and what your purpose is.  On the other hand, if you were not so fortunate and had unprepared, ungodly, unavailable or unloving parents your self concept was not based in the truth of who you were made to be.  It could be that your reflection mirrored back at you is a lot like looking into a fun house mirror that stretches, distorts or warps your perception of yourself.  I haven't even mentioned abuse which can further damage one's self image and leaves the abused feeling unvaluable or ruined beyond repair.

The Bible tells us over and over that we were made in God's image. Genesis 1:27 says, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Ephesians 4:24 tells us, "and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

When we spend time with the Father it is like looking into that mirror to see who we are meant to be.   We can study His Word and learn even more about ourselves. 

We are told that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), are a reward (Psalm 127:3), loved (John 3:16), accepted (Romans 15:7), chosen (Ephesians 1:4), important and have confident access in Him (Ephesians 3:12), taken care of (Philippians 4:19), and complete (Colossians 2:10) just to name a few!!!

James 1:22-24 says, Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Beloved, do not forget who you are; you are valuable to God.  Value is determined by price, therefore you are worth the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.  Jesus paid the ultimate price for you determining your infinite worth to the Father!

I love this quote from a Study on "Who I am to God", by Kenneth Boa, "The more we embrace these truths from Scripture who we have become in Christ, the more stable, grateful, and fully assured we will be in this world." (http://bible.org/article/who-does-god-say-i-am)

I pray God will remind you who you are to Him today.  I pray, those of us with children will not take for granted the priviledge of telling our little blessings who they are created to be.  I pray that those of us struggling with our self concepts or images will look to Father for the truth about our identity. 

Unplug 2 Connect.......

 Recently our church held a Sacred Assembly.  It was a powerful day full of worship, reflection and prayer.  One of the events of the day was the reading of the Book of Mark.   As I heard the words spoken out loud something kept standing out to me......Jesus went alone....to a solitary place.....he withdrew.

During that day I had several different people come to me and ask for prayer to help them connect with God, find more time to be still, or just plain hear Him better.  I was thinking to myself  as I ended with "Amens" hopefully God understand that meant for me as well, because I need it just as much as the next person.  We all struggle with balancing the demands of life and our spiritual life.  If you don't then you are better than Jesus!  I mean that, seriously.  Let me prove it to you the best way I know how, with Scripture:

Mark 1:35, Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Mark 6:30-31,  The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.  Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Mark 6:46, After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

Matthew 5:1, Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.

Matthew 13:1-2, That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.

Matthew 14:13, When Jesus heard what had happened (beheading of John the Baptist), he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.

Matthew 14:22-23,  Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

Matthew 26:36, Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Luke 5:16,  But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 9:18, Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

I have to say that I am very blessed by these verses.  Especially Mark 6 where it says Jesus was in such demand they didn't even have time to eat!  The other day I was doing schoolwork with the children, cooking lunch, prepping dinner, cleaning the house, taking care of the babies and answering the other 5 kids demands.  The hours just flew by and before I knew it, it was time to load up in the car for hockey practice.  I ran out the door with my lunch in my hand that I had never had the time to sit down and eat.  I was so thankful I had a teenager to drive so I could eat my salad at 5:30pm in the car!!!!

I'd like to suggest based on these Scriptures that Jesus knew a thing or two about how to connect with the Father.  He withdrew, went off, alone, by himself, or left to pray.  Jesus didn't have the electronic revolution to deal with like we do now, but I know if he did his behavior would be the same, for he is the same yesterday, today and forever. (And it would still be exactly what we need!!!)  UNPLUG to connect, that is what he would demonstrate and say.  "Come with me to a quite place and find rest."

What this will look like for you will be as different as your circumstances, but the answer will still be UNPLUG to connect.  Whether you are a child growing in the ways of the Lord, UNPLUG to connect.  If you are a teenager in the throws of hormones and friendships, UNPLUG to connect.  If you are a young adult trying to find your way and callings, UNPLUG to connect.  Maybe you are a new mother trying to adjust to the needs of your bundle of joy or a seasoned mother managing the brood, UNPLUG to connect.  If you're days are coming and going as fast as the commuter train, UNPLUG to connect.  If you are an empty nester enjoying the freedom and enjoying the fruits of your labor, UNPLUG to connect.  No matter the season we are in, the answer is still the same....."Life comes with distractions and time fillers sooooooo.......UNPLUG to connect"!

God calls us to an intimate, undistracted time of personal relationship (however long you are able He will bless.)  His desire is just to BE with you and you with Him.  Jesus demonstrated it so we could learn the simple truth that when we UNPLUG we will connect.

Got Sleep?

I love babies and recently one of my very closest friends gave birth to a healthy baby boy.  I went up to the hospital to see her and she looked beautiful and glowing, but exhausted.  I remember those sleepless nights.  I especially remember them after we brought the twins home from the hospital just last year.  I remember how we had to feed them 1.5 oz. of milk at a time (OH SO SLOWLY....).  It took them 45 minutes to finish a bottle and by the time I finished with both of them I got to rest my eyes for 15 minutes before #1 was ready for the next feeding!!!   I see mommies at our twin support group come in with bloodshot eyes and desperate faces, wondering "Will I EVER get sleep again?"

It is draining being a new parent no matter how many babies you bring home.  One little blessing can turn a house upside down quicker than you can say "Cafe Latte, please!"  When it is your first child you can also expect to experience the loss of independence and freedom life held before you held your little one.  It is a difficult adjustment that continues until you are an empty nester!  It does get easier as time goes by, but being a parent will always mean you consider them with every major decision and most minor ones, too! 

I woke up this morning wondering what God says on the topic.  After all, He is the Perfect Parent, and He has more children than we could even dream of!!! 

So here are a few insights I found in Scripture to encourage all you out there who are pacing the halls in the wee hours of the night: 

God knows what it is like to never sleep!
Psalm 121:1-4, "I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

Children are a blessing from God.
Genesis 33:5, Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked. Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.”

God gave you your blessings and He will give you the strength to care for them!
Psalm 68:35, You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

This sleepless time is a season and when it is over it will be like water under the bridge!
Job 11:13-16, “Yet if you devote your heart to him and stretch out your hands to him,
if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear.
You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.

This verse in Job tells us that no matter what we are going through if we keep our heart pure and focused on the Lord we will get through it, our problem becomes smaller, and over time it will seem insignificant, even though right now it feels ENORMOUS!!! That gives me hope and I hope it encourages you as well!  I can testify that our season of sleeplessness with the twins does feel like water under the bridge.  Likewise with our son David, who is now 8, he didn't sleep from birth until he was 4, yet it feels like a distant memory and we even laugh and tease him about it now.  :)

So be encouraged, this season of sleeplessness is just a season.  Cherish your little one, because in a blink of an eye they won't be so little anymore and you will be sleepless for other reasons, like are they home yet??????

This is Gabe, he wanted his picture in my blog this morning and it was taken during one of our family devotional times when he fell asleep!  Precious!!!

A Cure for the Gimmies.....

It is that time of year again, time when the advertising giants succeed by turning our sweet contented kids into little greedy monsters with a bad case of the 'gimmies'.  Just hand your child a Toys R Us catalog and watch them say on every page, "I want that....I want that....I want that....Hey Mom, I want that!"  It causes parents everywhere to wonder if they are doing something wrong, some go crazy and provide as much as possible for a perfect holiday, and some just want to scream, "HELP!!!"  I found this object lesson that I think will be an easy way to curb the gimmies.  It is easy to do, understand, and makes a beautiful point.  All you need is a bowl, cereal, and some milk!  Here it goes:

1. Have some store adds or catalogs out on the table.  Let the kids 'dream' and make mental lists as to what they are hoping to receive for Christmas.  Do not censor them, let them make long want lists and get caught up in it.  (I told them to circle with a marker whatever they are hoping to recieve for me to look at later :)

2. Pass out the bowls and milk ( but DO NOT pass out spoons).  Someone will quickly say they need a spoon.  Ask them what would happen if they tried to eat the entire bowl with out a spoon.  Talk about how it will be messy, uncomfortable, to much to handle or hard to swallow. 

3. After a conversation about eating without a spoon say, "Well, good news!  I have a spoon for you!"  Give out spoons.  Ask them to listen to you explain an important thing about God and presents as they enjoy their cereal.

4. Explain to them that God is like the spoon.  He knows we can only handle small mouth fulls of blessings at a time.  To many gifts at one time are like our bowl of cereal without the spoon.  It is unhealthy for us to receive to much at once just like it would be difficult to handle our cereal without the spoon. 

Proverbs 30:8-9 says,

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.


Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

5. Share with your child how God's Word reminds us that if we receive to much at one time we will forget God and His goodness.  We would take for granted what He has done and provided for us.  We do not want that to happen!!! 

6. End the lesson by asking them how we can be careful not to get caught up in the Gimmies and be thankful for all God has given us.

I hope this blesses your family during the Holiday season and helps to keep us all focused on Jesus, not presents!  Merry Christmas!