Where the voices get to come out of my head and ramble elsewhere...
Monday, November 23, 2009
Point of Grace Concert!
My favorite band on the planet is Point of Grace! And last night, Jamie took me to my first ever POG concert! Seriously such an amazing night~ Mark Shultz was also there, and his half of the concert was more like praise and worship. It was their last night on the road together after three months... Very very cool. A-maze-ing! SO cool. Did I mention how cool it was?!?! Look at how close we were!!!!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Train up a child in the way he should go....
Okay, So I'm sorry but, no wait, I'm not sorry! BUT, for now, I'm just going to copy and paste another Proverbs 31 ministry devotional for you to read. If you haven't yet done so, GO TO THEIR WEBSITE and sign up for these.
This morning, I got to see my oldest preform in his first ever SCHOOL PROGRAM!!! I loved it. Loved it. Even in the last song when he RAN to the teacher, telling her she was singing the song wrong. Yup. Great. I have that kid... And then I came home, and read this...
19 Nov 2009
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
I don't want to raise successful children. That's a shocking thing to read, and a shocking thing for a mother to type. So, let me clarify.
I used to define success according to my child's report card. Good grades and academic achievement would surely equal a good child with great potential in this world. But then several of my children wound up being average students with average grades. Though we carted them off to tutors and spent many a late night at the kitchen table helping them, they remained average. And I remained concerned and frustrated.
One report card day I found myself facedown in the fibers of my carpet crying and wonderi ng, "Where have I gone wrong as a mom?"
I dug into Scriptures. I begged God for wisdom and discernment. I prayed for God's perspective with each of my kids. Finally, one day it dawned on me - what if I simply chose to embrace the natural bent of each of my kids as God's way to protect them and keep them on the path toward His best plans for their lives?
What if my A student needs academic success to prepare her for God's plans while my average to below-average student needs to be steered away from a more academic future? What if my sports star kid needs that athletic excellence for his future assignments by God, but my benchwarmer kid is being protected from getting off course by her lack in this area?
And that's when it finally dawned on me. My job isn't to push success for my kids. My job as a parent is to recognize the unique way God created each child and point them to Jesus at every turn along their journey toward adulthood. Yes, I wan t my kids to learn and thrive and grow up educated, but it's not a flaw in me or them if they don't have straight A report cards and trophy cases full of sports medals.
Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (NIV).
I am challenged to ponder these words, "… in the way he should go." Are we training our kids that the "way he should go" is to chase worldly achievement or to chase God? Whatever they learn to chase as a child, they will chase as adults. Therefore, we must be challenged to honestly assess the way we are pointing them to go.
My daughter, Hope, is one of my average students. She has also warmed many a bench in the sports she's tried, and can always be found hiding on the back row of the stage during school concerts. Using the world's benchmarks for achievement, Hope wouldn't be seen as a child positioned for success. But God…
This past January, my 15 year old Hope, shocked me when she announced she wanted to go to Ethiopia with some missionary friends of ours and live in the remote African bush for the summer. Yes, she may not have trophies and straight A report cards but she does have a heart of gold. And because she's not entrenched in sports and academic pursuits that could have created obligations for her summer, she was free to go to Africa. Free to chase God in a really big way.
One of the first e-mails she sent me from Ethiopia read, "Mom, I've fallen in love with the AIDS orphanage children. They rushed at me when I held my arms out and I tried with all my might to hold all 30 of them at once. I love it here."
Now, don't get me wrong. I do expect Hope to return to her studies this fall, give 100% effort, and finish her high school career having done her very best. She will most likely then go to college. But she probably won't be delivering the valedictorian address or wearing the honors cords and medals. She'll be the on e with a vision of a dying AIDS orphan pressing against her heart ready to chase God's plans to the ends of the earth.
So back to my original statement, I don't want to raise successful children. It's true, I don't. Though Hope's sister coming behind her is an A student and can always be found on the front row of school performances - we don't chase after success for her either. I trust God that she needs those things in her life for the plans He's unfolding in her life. We train with that bent in mind. But, we don't chase it. Just like Hope, we point her in the direction of God at every turn and pray like crazy.
I stand by what I said and I'll say it again, I don't want to raise successful children. Because--- raising God-honoring adults who will set the world on fire for Christ is just so much more rewarding.
Dear Lord, being a mom is a really tough job. Please help me, teach me and show me how to define success for my kids. In J esus' Name, Amen.
This morning, I got to see my oldest preform in his first ever SCHOOL PROGRAM!!! I loved it. Loved it. Even in the last song when he RAN to the teacher, telling her she was singing the song wrong. Yup. Great. I have that kid... And then I came home, and read this...
I Don't Want to Raise Successful Children
19 Nov 2009
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)I don't want to raise successful children. That's a shocking thing to read, and a shocking thing for a mother to type. So, let me clarify.
I used to define success according to my child's report card. Good grades and academic achievement would surely equal a good child with great potential in this world. But then several of my children wound up being average students with average grades. Though we carted them off to tutors and spent many a late night at the kitchen table helping them, they remained average. And I remained concerned and frustrated.
One report card day I found myself facedown in the fibers of my carpet crying and wonderi ng, "Where have I gone wrong as a mom?"
I dug into Scriptures. I begged God for wisdom and discernment. I prayed for God's perspective with each of my kids. Finally, one day it dawned on me - what if I simply chose to embrace the natural bent of each of my kids as God's way to protect them and keep them on the path toward His best plans for their lives?
What if my A student needs academic success to prepare her for God's plans while my average to below-average student needs to be steered away from a more academic future? What if my sports star kid needs that athletic excellence for his future assignments by God, but my benchwarmer kid is being protected from getting off course by her lack in this area?
And that's when it finally dawned on me. My job isn't to push success for my kids. My job as a parent is to recognize the unique way God created each child and point them to Jesus at every turn along their journey toward adulthood. Yes, I wan t my kids to learn and thrive and grow up educated, but it's not a flaw in me or them if they don't have straight A report cards and trophy cases full of sports medals.
Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (NIV).
I am challenged to ponder these words, "… in the way he should go." Are we training our kids that the "way he should go" is to chase worldly achievement or to chase God? Whatever they learn to chase as a child, they will chase as adults. Therefore, we must be challenged to honestly assess the way we are pointing them to go.
My daughter, Hope, is one of my average students. She has also warmed many a bench in the sports she's tried, and can always be found hiding on the back row of the stage during school concerts. Using the world's benchmarks for achievement, Hope wouldn't be seen as a child positioned for success. But God…
This past January, my 15 year old Hope, shocked me when she announced she wanted to go to Ethiopia with some missionary friends of ours and live in the remote African bush for the summer. Yes, she may not have trophies and straight A report cards but she does have a heart of gold. And because she's not entrenched in sports and academic pursuits that could have created obligations for her summer, she was free to go to Africa. Free to chase God in a really big way.
One of the first e-mails she sent me from Ethiopia read, "Mom, I've fallen in love with the AIDS orphanage children. They rushed at me when I held my arms out and I tried with all my might to hold all 30 of them at once. I love it here."
Now, don't get me wrong. I do expect Hope to return to her studies this fall, give 100% effort, and finish her high school career having done her very best. She will most likely then go to college. But she probably won't be delivering the valedictorian address or wearing the honors cords and medals. She'll be the on e with a vision of a dying AIDS orphan pressing against her heart ready to chase God's plans to the ends of the earth.
So back to my original statement, I don't want to raise successful children. It's true, I don't. Though Hope's sister coming behind her is an A student and can always be found on the front row of school performances - we don't chase after success for her either. I trust God that she needs those things in her life for the plans He's unfolding in her life. We train with that bent in mind. But, we don't chase it. Just like Hope, we point her in the direction of God at every turn and pray like crazy.
I stand by what I said and I'll say it again, I don't want to raise successful children. Because--- raising God-honoring adults who will set the world on fire for Christ is just so much more rewarding.
Dear Lord, being a mom is a really tough job. Please help me, teach me and show me how to define success for my kids. In J esus' Name, Amen.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
drop everything?
Are you a "drop everything and run" type of person?
I've recently (and by recently I mean like last week) been reading a daily devotional that my BFF, Nic, encouraged me to sign up for... Surprisngly, I'll admit, I was a little groaning when I read the email she sent. 'Good for her' I thought (and she knows this) but I don't want to. I told her I didn't want another "something" coming every single day. Oy. I already delete about 4 - 10 emails each day without reading them from this book store or this website or that survey or oror... I didn't want another email coming day in and day out. however, I couldn't actually close the tab I'd opened. I felt guilty saying no to having God's WORD come to my in box. If I wanted to delete the other stuff, I still could. But was I really saying that I had not enough time to sit down and read ONE email I knew would be chalked full of stories and scripture?? Harmph. I still didn't want to, but dragging my feet, I decided to sign up. What could it hurt right? ...
That was Wed last week.
Thursday, this was the devotional:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
I wonder if the greatest witnessing tool available to us Christians is often pushed aside because of our busyness.
The other day I was focused on all the items on my seemingly never ending to do list. As I was sitting at a stoplight a friend called me and started lamenting that her son had forgotten his lunch and his belt required by the school's uniform policy. She was stressed and trying to get in touch with her husband who'd just dropped her son off at school. She was at home with a new baby feeling groggy from a sleepless night and overwhelmed by her situation.
Her son could probably get his friends to share their lunches with him. But, the belt would be a problem. The school would call her when they noticed the missing belt and require her to bring one. She lives over 20 minutes from the school.
As I sat at the stoplight listening to my friend, I looked to the store off to my right. That store has belts. That store has lunch food. I was faced with a decision. Could I help? Well, I could but my schedule would have to be rearranged a bit. Would I help? My friend wasn't asking but in that moment I knew it would be a tremendous blessing for her.
This day I wouldn't let my busyness take precedence over the blessing of divine interruptions and opportunities to love. So, I helped.
I don't know this for sure but I suspect my friend had been asking Jesus to please help her. It's hard being up half the night with a sleepless baby. It's hard to find a new normal when life gets a little off kilter by changes in the family dynamic. It's hard when you need help but feel like everyone is so busy you hate to bother them.
Now, I'll admit, I'm a task-oriented person so it doesn't come naturally for me to look for ways to be interrupted in the midst of my busyness. But sitting at that stoplight, I realized the power of pausing. Pausing just long enough for Jesus to tap on the edge of my heart and say, "Could you? Would you? Do this as if it's the most important part of your day and not an unwelcome interruption."
The Bible teaches one of the most important precepts is love. When we love others we are living the message of Jesus. And listen to what Psalm 19:8 says, "The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes."
Oh how many times have I missed the joy of pausing to live and love and light the world for Jesus?
Dear Lord, help me to pause today and remember my great witnessing tool is to simply be available to love others. Show me where I can love. Make me courageous enough to step aside my carefully planned to do list and look for ways to be an answer to the prayers someone has prayed today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Good huh? Really something to think about... can I allow myself to be interrupted when the time comes, if there is need? "Sure" I thought to myself. And went about my day, not giving it a second thought...
Even when the need arose, I didn't think ... I just acted... and man, did the need arise.
Thursday afternoon at 4pm, a dear friend of mine who'd recently moved... called and tried to talk to me. She wasn't making any sense and she was having trouble speaking, slurring her words together. This would be bad enough on it's own but she was on day 5, 6, 7? of major pounding migraines that wouldn't stop... All I could think about was getting to her. To make this long story very short... I got off the phone with her, made arrangements with my husband, for my children, found someone to ride with me and hit the road, driving 7 hours to be at her side with out a moment's hesitation. Nic asked me that night as I was driving, if I'd read the devotional... I paused while we talked and thought back to it. Yes, I had read it. I hadn't thought about it much ... but... it was like it was written to prepare me for the weekend to come. ... and I wasn't sure on Monday if I'd really needed a devotional to come every day to my inbox. HA! HOW RUDE OF ME!!!! to think I didn't need God's Word on a daily basis intermixed with all that junk mail....
After we arrived to friend's side ... and again super long story short, got her to the doctor, back home, to the hospital, picked up her mom from the airport the next day, worked with the doctors who worked with red cross who worked with the ARMY to get her husband back to her (as he was on base elsewhere)... we came back home to our families, 3 days later.
Whether you are willing to be interrupted for a morning, for a belt...
or for a weekend for an ill friend...
the question is ARE YOU WILLING?
If you had to, if you were asked to, if you were feeling a pull in your heart, to drop everything and run..... for a moment? for a morning? for a day? for a weekend? a month? a year? ...
Could you? Would you?
Shouldn't we?!
Please know that I'm NOT saying any of this to toot my own horn or anything of the like... I'm simply just a vessle that God was able to use this weekend when no one else could come... I'm honored to have a husband who understands me and allows me to drop everything when I'm called upon. I'm blessed to have my family as a close knit unit. ... And above all, I'm blessed to have a God who's already gone before me and is preparing me a place.... GOD IS SO AMAZING. He was willing to drop EVERYTHING for us... we should be willing to drop everything when we're called upon.
I'd also like to recommend the Proverbs 31 ministries daily devotional. Today's was also good... don't delay, sign up for the devotionals, get God's word coming to your inbox daily instead of the jokes or forwards, take the time to read this email every day. Who knows, in the devotional, He may be equipping YOU to drop everything...
I've recently (and by recently I mean like last week) been reading a daily devotional that my BFF, Nic, encouraged me to sign up for... Surprisngly, I'll admit, I was a little groaning when I read the email she sent. 'Good for her' I thought (and she knows this) but I don't want to. I told her I didn't want another "something" coming every single day. Oy. I already delete about 4 - 10 emails each day without reading them from this book store or this website or that survey or oror... I didn't want another email coming day in and day out. however, I couldn't actually close the tab I'd opened. I felt guilty saying no to having God's WORD come to my in box. If I wanted to delete the other stuff, I still could. But was I really saying that I had not enough time to sit down and read ONE email I knew would be chalked full of stories and scripture?? Harmph. I still didn't want to, but dragging my feet, I decided to sign up. What could it hurt right? ...
That was Wed last week.
Thursday, this was the devotional:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
I wonder if the greatest witnessing tool available to us Christians is often pushed aside because of our busyness.
The other day I was focused on all the items on my seemingly never ending to do list. As I was sitting at a stoplight a friend called me and started lamenting that her son had forgotten his lunch and his belt required by the school's uniform policy. She was stressed and trying to get in touch with her husband who'd just dropped her son off at school. She was at home with a new baby feeling groggy from a sleepless night and overwhelmed by her situation.
Her son could probably get his friends to share their lunches with him. But, the belt would be a problem. The school would call her when they noticed the missing belt and require her to bring one. She lives over 20 minutes from the school.
As I sat at the stoplight listening to my friend, I looked to the store off to my right. That store has belts. That store has lunch food. I was faced with a decision. Could I help? Well, I could but my schedule would have to be rearranged a bit. Would I help? My friend wasn't asking but in that moment I knew it would be a tremendous blessing for her.
This day I wouldn't let my busyness take precedence over the blessing of divine interruptions and opportunities to love. So, I helped.
I don't know this for sure but I suspect my friend had been asking Jesus to please help her. It's hard being up half the night with a sleepless baby. It's hard to find a new normal when life gets a little off kilter by changes in the family dynamic. It's hard when you need help but feel like everyone is so busy you hate to bother them.
Now, I'll admit, I'm a task-oriented person so it doesn't come naturally for me to look for ways to be interrupted in the midst of my busyness. But sitting at that stoplight, I realized the power of pausing. Pausing just long enough for Jesus to tap on the edge of my heart and say, "Could you? Would you? Do this as if it's the most important part of your day and not an unwelcome interruption."
The Bible teaches one of the most important precepts is love. When we love others we are living the message of Jesus. And listen to what Psalm 19:8 says, "The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes."
Oh how many times have I missed the joy of pausing to live and love and light the world for Jesus?
Dear Lord, help me to pause today and remember my great witnessing tool is to simply be available to love others. Show me where I can love. Make me courageous enough to step aside my carefully planned to do list and look for ways to be an answer to the prayers someone has prayed today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Good huh? Really something to think about... can I allow myself to be interrupted when the time comes, if there is need? "Sure" I thought to myself. And went about my day, not giving it a second thought...
Even when the need arose, I didn't think ... I just acted... and man, did the need arise.
Thursday afternoon at 4pm, a dear friend of mine who'd recently moved... called and tried to talk to me. She wasn't making any sense and she was having trouble speaking, slurring her words together. This would be bad enough on it's own but she was on day 5, 6, 7? of major pounding migraines that wouldn't stop... All I could think about was getting to her. To make this long story very short... I got off the phone with her, made arrangements with my husband, for my children, found someone to ride with me and hit the road, driving 7 hours to be at her side with out a moment's hesitation. Nic asked me that night as I was driving, if I'd read the devotional... I paused while we talked and thought back to it. Yes, I had read it. I hadn't thought about it much ... but... it was like it was written to prepare me for the weekend to come. ... and I wasn't sure on Monday if I'd really needed a devotional to come every day to my inbox. HA! HOW RUDE OF ME!!!! to think I didn't need God's Word on a daily basis intermixed with all that junk mail....
After we arrived to friend's side ... and again super long story short, got her to the doctor, back home, to the hospital, picked up her mom from the airport the next day, worked with the doctors who worked with red cross who worked with the ARMY to get her husband back to her (as he was on base elsewhere)... we came back home to our families, 3 days later.
Whether you are willing to be interrupted for a morning, for a belt...
or for a weekend for an ill friend...
the question is ARE YOU WILLING?
If you had to, if you were asked to, if you were feeling a pull in your heart, to drop everything and run..... for a moment? for a morning? for a day? for a weekend? a month? a year? ...
Could you? Would you?
Shouldn't we?!
Please know that I'm NOT saying any of this to toot my own horn or anything of the like... I'm simply just a vessle that God was able to use this weekend when no one else could come... I'm honored to have a husband who understands me and allows me to drop everything when I'm called upon. I'm blessed to have my family as a close knit unit. ... And above all, I'm blessed to have a God who's already gone before me and is preparing me a place.... GOD IS SO AMAZING. He was willing to drop EVERYTHING for us... we should be willing to drop everything when we're called upon.
I'd also like to recommend the Proverbs 31 ministries daily devotional. Today's was also good... don't delay, sign up for the devotionals, get God's word coming to your inbox daily instead of the jokes or forwards, take the time to read this email every day. Who knows, in the devotional, He may be equipping YOU to drop everything...
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Mike's Wedding Weekend
This past Thursday, Mom and Kris flew to town. Kris stayed the night and then traveled on south to share in the pre-wedding celebrations for Mike's wedding. (in case you don't know, Mike is Brian, her boyfriend's brother). Mom stayed the weekend and was our sitter so that Jamie and I could go to the wedding hands free. It gave her a great opportunity to have some quality time with her boys. Here is just a few from this weekend's fun.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Scrapbooking gals
A friend from church posted about this.... thought I'd join in! Would you like a FREE weekend away!?!??! Go enter and see if you win! I sure did! I'd love a weekend away to update my scrapbook FOR FREE?!!?
http://twelvefridaysweekend.blogspot.com/2009/11/one-more-giveaway-for-event.html
http://twelvefridaysweekend.blogspot.com/2009/11/one-more-giveaway-for-event.html
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