Things that are different are not the same....

I recently read a poem by Shel Silverstein, I would like to share it with you here:

No Difference

Small a a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We're all the same size
When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We're worth all the same
When we turn off the light,

Red, black or orange,
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.

So, maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!

I don't consider myself one to the devil in the details, but . . . There are a few problems with this poem.

1. God is light, he is in the business of illuminating. He and his word show is how bad we are: "all our righteousness is as filthy rags..." But God and his word also show us how much we are worth: "For God so loved the world..." "I know the thoughts I think toward you saith The Lord, thoughts of peace..to give you an expected end..." "Are you not worth much more than many sparrows...." (I think I paraphrased that last one really badly!) to ask God to do something completely against who he is is ridiculous. God is light and then you ask Him to turn off the light so you can feel better about yourself. What's also really wrong with this is, these poems are what most of our children are learning and memorizing in government schools!

2. The next thing wrong with this poem is that things that are different are not the same. Just because you turn off the light doesn't make them the same. People want to go around blinding themselves to the truth. They walk around thinking if they ignore he problem it will somehow get better or go away. This very rarely happens.  If you are poor, not able to pay the bills, turning off the light is not going to make you the money you need. If we turn off the light it won't change if you are ugly, (although a good set of Mary Kay makeup might help!) turning off the light won't change your skin color, it won't make everything right, actually it might make things worse. Darkness is scary. Darkness brings with it all kinds of creepy sounds. Darkness makes you internalize and not be able to process things as well. Darkness makes the scarier more scary. Also the bible says men love darkness rather than light because their works are evil. Food, Christian, activities don't usually happen after night. People don't build houses in the dark, we don't do charitable acts after dark, typically. The bible also tells of the strange woman who comes out at tight light, as it was getting dark. Turning off the lights makes things bad.

As I read this poem I was sad for our young people. They are in government schools learning this and now you see grown people have problems so they walk in their houses, turn off the lights, curl up in bed and go into depression, they turn off the lights and hope everything will just go awa, but it doesn't. We need to deal with our problems. Actually God says, we need to cast, fling, chuck, our cares upon God. God wants to help us fix our problems and ourself. He wants to be there for us. He doesn't want us to turn off the lights, he wants us to go to his illuminating word and seek his face, trust his word and his way and our life will be so much better than we could ever imagine!

Disciplining 101

So I grew up in a family where honestly my mom was the disciplinarian. Dad did discipline us, but more than likely it was Mom who was gonna give it to us! One time I had smarted off to my Mom and she was too angry to spank me. She told my dad to, "take that child back in the room and spank her!"  I knew it was coming but I have a secret weapon, Big Brown Eyes. These beauties started in the minute we got in the room. They welled up with tears and blinked widely as just the right heart tugging moments. I expressed my sorrow at having smarted off to my dear sweet mother. My father bought it, but he also knew my mom would be irate if he didn't spank me. So he told me to cry loudly and he would spank the bed. I walked out of the room holding my daddy's hand my mother in her rage looked from sniffling child to man and back again and asked, "You didn't sank her?!" It was really more of a statement than a question and my dad just kinda grunted. We both knew we had been caught. To which I responded to my mom, "HA!"  We had a rule in the house that even though my mom might have been the disciplinarian, mom never went against him, at least not in front of the children. But my mom looked me dead in the eye and said, "Young lady, next time you need a spanking, I will never ask your dad again!"

Now I'm a parent. My husband also grew up in a home where corporal punishment was instated. But that's not why we spank our children. We spank them because the bible tells us that if we don't we literally hate our children. I am always amazed that after I get done spanking, the joy that returns to my children. Just now, I told my children to go clean their rooms. They were fighting and it was time. So we went into the room and took care of business. For the sake of some who might now know how to discipline I would like to share with you our most recent experience.

1. We talked about the offense. The child (which shall remain unnamed) was asked if what he/she had done was wrong. They admitted their guilt. They don't always admit their guilt at that point as their parent and as a picture of Christ to my child I have to tell them that whether they choose to see it as wrong or not it is still wrong.

2. Then the punishment is set, usually according to age, i.e. six years old gets six swats. They are controlled, even swats. If the child kicks, squirms, screams, etc, the spanking is stopped and we start over. At this point it really is up to the child how many swats they will receive.

3. After we get through the spanking the child is sat up and we ask them what they are supposed to say. We have trained them to say they are sorry, and not just sorry but what exactly they are sorry for, i.e. I'm sorry I hit my brother. Then they say to the one offended, if it was other than the parent I am sorry.

4. If there is a hint of a bad attitude they get another spanking, usually only three swats. Then they are up again and asked if they are going to change their attitude. If the answer is no, and sometimes it has been that, or the answer is I don't know, they get three more swats. We do this because there are three parts to obedience: right away, all the way and with. A good attitude! If even one part is missing, it was not obedience.

NOTE: the swats actually have to hurt, this little light pat thing doesn't cut it and doesn't change attitudes.

After this I am always amazed at the sweet spirit that permeates from the child. I am amazed and humbled when they willingly run up to me and hug or kiss me and for no reason at all and say I love you mom. It makes me think, when a God spanks me, do I make him keep going? Do I have a sweet spirit afterwards that brings such peace and joy? I hope I can be more like my children in this. I sometimes will put off dealing with my children becaus ei think, oh this is going to take forever. Just now, it took a little less than 5 minutes for two and there is sweet tones and joy returning as they sweetly clean their rooms.

Another thing I have noticed is that if I do put it off I end up yelling. I have to apologize afterwards because the look on my children's face when I yell at them is one of horror and then hate for me. It breaks me up inside. When we calmly spank, it is a world of difference. Honestly I wouldn't have set it up this way if I wrote the bible. I would have set up time out or something of a penance program, but God reminds us that Hos ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. I may not fully understand it, and maybe Even a little part of me disagrees with it (if I were to be truly honest), but this one thing I know, it works. When done right, with love from the parent to the child. I hate spanking my children, this why I will try other things first but that never ends the way I desire and doesn't being peace to our home. I will sometimes, with a tear in my eye look at my children and say, I love you, and I love God. I have to obey God and he tells me I have to spank you.

Good music vs. Godly music

We have started the Patch the Pirate club at our church. God gave me a passion for this and I didn't really know why because honestly I was trying to faze myself out of the children's ministry and more into the ladies' ministry. We had several wonderful people step up to the plate and pay the $30 for each child. I was amazed and then scared. Now it's real. Now I have a responsibility. I am captain and pianist. I'd really like to have a consistent co-captain and am praying God provides one. There were some bumps in the road, there was a little opposition to the price per child, but after last night, it was all worth it! I was praying for 15 children, God gave us 16!

I have been wondering if this program is the best, quite honestly it's not as fun as other programs. It has two main objectives, getting kids reading their bible every day and learning to minister to their church once a month through song and skits and memory verses. When my kids came home after church Wednesday and asked if we could read the bible to them I knew we had made the right choice. As the leader I have been singing the songs a lot. I knew that if we can get these kids singing in their homes that I might never know how great the results are this side of heaven! The kids were excited! For which I am thankful!

Godly music. That is something that is lacking in our homes. We listen to the oldies, boy bands, and often so much worse. I hope it goes without saying that country music and any kind of rock n roll is wrong, sinful, and very harmful to us but unfortunately I know it doesn'tgo without saying, so let me say it! Country music is sinful, there is nothing, pure, of good report, lovely, just, or honest in country music. We live in a world where we are bombarded with sadness and problems, tv used to be about making people laugh, now it's about drama and death and despair! Music used to be about happiness and love and good things, now it is about anger and broken hearts and lust. Country music falls in that category. Then there's rock, rap, pop, etc. that is its own huge demon. Rock n roll is about sex, plain and simple and anyone who says otherwise is deceiving their self. Why then would we take the world's music and try to put godly words to it? That's like saying there are Christian prostitutes,or Christian drugs (oh wait, there is, it's called pharmaceuticals!). It is ridiculous to take something so ungodly and try to wash it up and make it godly! While I'm on this, it's the same for country, why do we try to take country music and put pathetic godly second rate words to it? Isn't God worth more than that? Isn't God more holy than that? Why do we try to bring Him down to our level? Sure it's hard to sometimes want to be like Christ, and living the Holy Spirit filled life sometimes makes us do things we wouldn't normally do or really be comfortable doing, but it is worth it!

I'm excited about the Patch club because I am excited to raise up a generation of children who value good, godly, high quality Christian music. I'm excited to see our children fall in love with God's songs and learn to despise the world's songs. My prayer is that the parents of these dear children will get on board and really support godly Christian music, not just good music and certainly not bad music! I pray their lives will be enriched as they hear these songs from their children. I'm excited to see children in just a few short years growing up to be teenagers that love God, love His music, are involved in church, and telling others about Christ. I'm excited for the future of our great church, Jackson Park Baptist Church!

Week three - why I'm still homeschooling!

I'm about to get real honest here. Do you see the title of this blog, Pondering of a Preachers wife. I almost started another blog called confessions of a reluctant homeschooler but I LOVE being a preachers wife. I love helping ladies spiritually, emotionally, physically. I love being there when there are problems and trying to fix things. I love planning events. I LOVE discipleship. I love seeing baby Christians grow and become more like Christ. I love teaching. I like playing the piano (although someone if someone who is talented with a good Christlike attitude would join our church I would give that up in a heart beat!) my heart is in being a pastors wife. I love it. I love my children as well, but I was looking forward to sending them off to school and being that much more involved in the ministry. But God had other plans for our family. God led my husband down this homeschooling path. Now the work I would have spent in families in our church is being spent in my family. The time I would be teaching ladies is spent in teaching my dear sweet children. The time I would be preparing yummy things to serve to ladies is spent in throwing together a lunch for my cute little ones. And I hate it. I thought my want-to would have been here by this third week but it couldn't be farther away. I despise the extra work. I feel unprepared. I am always behind. (I need a printer here at my house!) my house seems worse than ever. But one thing keeps playing in my mind, my relationship with my children has never been this good. But then I squash that little ray of hope and give ten things that are going wrong instead. I have been very negative lately, (Hey, I told you I was fessing)! I have not really liked myself. Several times I go to my piano to play something to remind myself I'm still good at something and I see three pieces if music I am struggling to learn for church and walk away even more frustrated, stressed, and crunched for my lack of time! It all finally came pouring out of me this past Monday. It was like throwing up poison. It hurt, it stank, it was gross, and my poor husband had to bear it all. I told him I homeschool for only one reason, Love of God and that love spurs me to love and obey my husband. I may not want to homeschool but God has led my husband this direction and if I have learned one thing from counseling ladies it is to Not go against your husband when God is leading. For the past few weeks I have put on this happy exterior and I'm dying inside. I decided I could no longer love this way. I have 37 1/2 weeks to go, this is not a good place to be this early in the game. I started an assignment I've given to several ladies and seen great success with them. I think it is called the Stroke Method. Every day three times a day, you take a 3x5 card. On one side you write something you are thankful for in general, on the other you write something you are thankful for about the situation or person you are unhappy about, i.e. it could be about your job you hate, your spouse or child you don't get along with, etc. I got my 3x5 cards, I think God knew I was gonna need a little help because he provided a clearance gold sparkly one spiral bound set of 3x5 cards. I was really nervous and honestly not really looking forward to writing my first one. But I finally gave in and wrote my general thank you. And my specific about homeschooling thankful. When I get to a hundred I might share them on here. You know, something changed yesterday. It was a glimmer of hope that it might be ok. I finished school, took a nap, pulled out fall/winter clothes and fall decorations, made a wonderful dinner, made chocolate chip cookies, and was calmer than I have been in awhile.

When I broke my foot this past summer I immediately started praising God for breaking my foot. Days when the pain would be great, or my house seemed to fall apart, I was ok because I had spent so much time praising God for the very thing that was bad. I could see God working in my life and knew He had a plan for me. But with the homeschooling I started off asking God why, I had a bad attitude, I was critical, I was angry. I kept hearing my husband pleading with me to not let this get me bitter, and I kept hearing an old college professor, James Zinker asking me if this was what is finally going to be what it takes to make me stop loving and serving God. As I consciously spent time thanking God yesterday, I opened my heart to the possibility that God may have something great through this thing of homeschooling He has asked me to do and I felt peace, calm, and even hope. I had a great relaxing day. I even had time for a lady in our church who is sick. I had time to look at Patch stuff for the start tonight! I watched a Dick van Dyke show and even went out for ice cream! Isn't god so good to be so patient with us? Seriously, I mean he could have struck me dead for my bad attitude and as holy and righteous as He is no one would have thought Him bad for doing it, yet instead, He lovingly, and gently kept working with me. he gently kept calling me to himself reminding me despite my protests that indeed His burden was light and His yoke is easy. He reminded me that He has a plan and if I will only trust Him He is going to do great things in and through me. I don't deserve such a great God and I don't deserve to have a personal relationship with Him, but, boy am I thankful I do! You know, I think that just might be what I put on my thankful card today!

Confessions of a Reluctant Homeschooling Mom Post #1

Most people who find themselves homeschooling their children have a passion for it. They have high ideals. They have weird quirky mannerisms that get them dubbed as "homeschoolERS" as apposed to those who homeschool their children. Yes there is a difference, and there is a very educational video on youtube supporting this idea. I might post it on here one day. But not today. I'm too tired to post it today.

First I want to start off with a few of my credentials (as I LITERALLY tried three times to spell that word right and finally resorted to looking it up!). My CREDENTIALS are as follows. I went to college for 4 years, 4 different colleges, all consecutive years. I eventually got my teaching certificate in early ed (meaning I have been told I know how to teach through k-5, the only problem is I have a 1st grader!) I have taught children in various aspects for years, ever since I was old enough to. I was helping in a class when I was 12 and was very upset when our church started a youth group because that pulled me out of being a helper with children. I know how to tie balloon animals. ( I don't know why that is so impressive, but the people at my church seemed to be slightly impressed at my hidden talent, so I thought I'd list it here.) I have successfully potty trained two children! I take full credit for that (the first only took OVER a year and a trip to Hawaii and the second too about 6 failed attempts, a promise of a new bike, and a little talk about how I really didn't know what I was doing and when he was ready to get potty trained he knew where the bathroom was, but that I was done!) So maybe I don't get very much credit for those. The point is, I am comfortable around children and have been for awhile. I took the spiritual gifts test and scored highest in Administration and then scored a few points below with the same score in both encouragement and teaching. God has given me the gift of teaching. But and if I could make the font bigger it would be a great big BUT, I did NOT want to teach my own children. I did not want to homeschool.

Now, before you think I'm some horrible person or before you go away, hear me out, the name of this blog is Ponderings of a Preacher's Wife. My husband is a pastor. I am . . . . da, Da, da, DA, a PASTOR'S wife! I love being a pastor's wife. I am currently discipling 6 ladies, I run the ladies' ministry at our church, I am blessed to have the best Ladies' Bible Class IN THE WORLD! I HELP, yes only HELP with various children's ministries, but that is not where my passion is anymore. I love helping ladies and their families and I love helping ladies to help their families. I had a goal, this year, both kids were going off to school. Then that school took a turn we didn't quite agree with and whereas it is "OK" this year, it won't be if they continue down the road. The other school was too expensive and here's the real reason, my kids are pastor's kids. Pastor's kids, don't get a break. Saturday and Sunday are their mom and dad's BIGGEST days, (although contrary to popular belief the preacher AND his wife do work A LOT during the week. Wednesday is another BIG day, late night, like 11 pm or later. You know, I can send my kids to school, and then come home and take a nap . . . but they don't have that luxury if they are exhausted after a Wednesday. Throw in the mix we only have one vehicle so if 1 goes usually all 4 go for the entire time! This year I envisioned both children going to school, Me having ladies over for bible studies and serving muffins and coffee in the morning, me starting lots of other ministries, working at the church a couple days a week to do paper work and other things, I did not envision having a desk in our back room made school room surrounded by letters and numbers and art projects. You know, quite honestly it's hard when you have a dream and it gets KILLED, murdered, popped, destroyed.

My husband came to me and to be quite honest pulled the Command Man out and ordered me to homeschool and to like it and to not get bitter. That's a fine thing for him, he doesn't do much cleaning around the house, because he's a command man and I'm ok with that (most of the time). I told you, I'm really fessing here. Now I'm faced with homeschooling about 25 to 30 hours a week, housecleaning about 15 to 20. WOW! Wait on the LOW end we are already up to 40 hours a week, I quit! Then you throw church ministries into it. I play the piano, I teach piano, I have disciples I disciple and I . . .  and you have read some of the rest. I'm a busy pastor's wife. Please don't think I'm tooting my own horn, it's just the truth and I LOVE IT! Church ministries realistically add another 20 to 25 hours a week. Then there's cooking, I like to cook, that's a minimum of 3 hours a day, so because we do eat out once or twice a week, because of our crazy schedule we will say 20 hours a week. On the low end I am not up to 80 hours a week, more like 90 to 95 and when am I supposed to sleep? Actually if you want to know the real truth, I was asking myself "When am I supposed to have time for myself?"

I sat in our backyard about a month ago, give or take a week and I sat with a couple and she wanted to homeschool and he didn't. Here I am trying to advocate for homeschooling, not really wanting to do it myself. I believe homeschooling is a VERY good thing and I believe in CHRISTIAN education. He said No and I finally had to look at her and tell her that she HAD to give in to her husband. She did and he surprisingly said yes to Christian school! Praise the Lord! As I'm telling her this, I was thinking, Yeah and I have to give in to. I have bucked, I have squawked, I have pleaded, I have tried to work out another way and TODAY, I found myself doing what I was dreading. And you know what?! I had a great day. YES, there were struggles and there were tears of frustration but am I glad I did this? I don't know I have another 139 days to go, ask me on my 140th day.

I want to share with you some things we did for school today:

I wrote this message as an afterthought yesterday. 

This is my bulletin board. We will put projects to display up here. 

Pictures of the tops of their desks. 

Of course, Abby has already girlied hers up! 

My desk, typical me, how much can I put on one little desk. 

I am quite pleased with how these turned out. 

Our numbers and their chalk board. 

This car sits on my desk to remind me to not go on empty spiritually, but to fill up at God's pump every day . . . else I WON'T make it through this year! AKA a daily walk with God! 

He was so thrilled to be starting school today, he bounced around and was a general ham, which if you know him, is not usually him, He is generally a quiet serious kind of kid! 

She was thrilled when she found out she could wear flip-flops! 

Bad pic, sorry, the sun. 

She was tired of pictures by this time and wanted to get started! 

Remember my credentials, I was a preschool teacher for years. The fun of doing hands on, large motor activities has never quite left me. We learned the letter I and i today so of course we had to make a track for our cars to race around! He loved it. Of course, in the mood he was in I think I could have done just about anything and as long as I called it school he would have loved it! 

This was "reading group"

Drew was so funny. His was more about quantity than quality. As many papers as he could get done as quickly as he could. He did not care what color the elephant should be and he did not care how it looked, he accomplished it not what could he learn next. 

These next set of pictures were probably my favorite part of the day. Partly because I felt that true, fun learning happened today. We are reading about history and how can we know history, from historians, people who read documents, but what about people who didn't know how to write? We can learn from them by archeology. I painted stones with different things and hid them in the sand. Then the children used paint brushes to gently brush away the stuff so they could see and find the "artifacts" carefully. Then they took their "story stones" and told a story about what might have been with those stories. As I write this blog tonight, they are STILL in here playing with those stones, covering them up, uncovering them and telling a different story using the story stones they have uncovered. 

Being archeologist. 

Drew's discovery. A boy, a tree, a cat, a well (he begged to call a spider), a teepee (it was late when I was making these), a mountain, a chick, a basket. He told a story about a boy who liked to pet his cat, squash spiders, climb trees, and put his chick in a basket because he had to move because his village didn't have enough rain. 

Abby's "discovery". A girl, a horse and cart, rain, sunshine, night sky, rainbow (which she asked if it could be dishes), a pig, and a butterfly. Her story was about a girl, who had a "borrowed brother" from Drew, who liked to wash rainbow dishes. She liked to catch butterflies. She had to take care of the pig with her brother's help. The sun was shining really hard and everything was dying. They ordered the rain to come but it didn't. They went to sleep and the next day the rain still didn't come and they had to move away. 

So school was fun! We are all of us looking forward to tomorrow! I "interviewed" my children today as part of "their history". They both said the same thing they wanted to learn, About God. We have purpose statement for our school: To develop the mind of Christ, in the life of product and well educated students. I have this in the front my Lesson Plan book as a daily reminder of why I am doing what I am doing! 

How God Uses Mistakes

Today, I was reminded about how God uses us and all our mistakes if we allow Him to!  I ordered the last of the books to start homeschool, September 3rd and the card would not work. I was frustrated, upset, aggravated and just plain tired. Honestly, I'm scared of the time I don't have and now I'm using that "time" to ensure my children's education. The credit card wouldn't go through. I checked the error, AVS error, I had used the wrong billing address, I guess it has never been changed. What I didn't realize was I used the wrong card. It went through, though no money was in that account. Thankfully it was one of those fake debit holds that doesn't debit the account until they actually ship the stuff, so no fees for this bozo! But when we checked that account it said we had almost $1,500 that was being spent . . . HUH? No, we don't have that much and no I did not order that much. I kept thinking the AVS error was me putting in the wrong card number. Oops. It was me putting in the wrong billing address, so I kept retyping in the card number . . . 15 times! So I quick called the company, scared and nervous. As I was calling them, in my nervous state, my true heart was revealed. It was not pretty. I said, "This is why we shouldn't be homeschooling I'm too dumb to do this!" No one was around, so I felt pretty good about saying it audibly. A thought crossed my head. A thing a professor asked me in college once that has NEVER left me, "What is it gonna take to stop you from doing God's will?" My husband wants us to homeschool, that is God's will for our lives right now. Was I really gonna let this little thing stop me? Wow! I stopped and asked God to help me and to forgive me. Thankfully I was put on hold during this time. Then a man came on the phone and assured me that everything was going to be ok. Their system debits accounts and takes the money out when it ships but that I only had 1 order shipping, not 15. I figured since I had him on the phone I would ask some questions. I asked him if I had ordered the right stuff because instead of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. they name their stuff Primer, Alpha, Beta. I thought Primer was preschool and Beta was 1st, turns out Beta is 2nd. I had ordered the wrong stuff! He was able to quick change that for me. Now see, If I hadn't made the mistake, I would have gotten the wrong stuff, thought my child was stupid because I was trying to make her do stuff that was beyond her, and I would have really been in a mess, but God had other plans. When going through life and a mess comes up, look to see how God is going to use it for Him and for our good!

What do you do when things don't go as planned?

Wednesday I was excited to be going to the doctor. I was going to getting my final cast off and getting to go home and shave my hairy beast of a leg. I didn't take my shower and wore pants so I wouldn't have to see the hairy beast or have it accidently rub against my other leg. I was going to enjoy my shower and scrub and scrub and shave and shave. Took off the old cast. Took the X-rays. Everything is going as planned when the doctor comes in and says, "It's not healed." WHAT?!

"It's not healed," he repeated. I was sad.  I told him so. I was immediately was faced with a choice I have been faced with several times in the last month and a half. Am I going to praise God and thank Him for it not being healed? You know, that's a really hard thing to do. Because honestly what if it doesn't work out for good? What if I don't get healed? What if I have to have surgery? What if, what if, what if? All these thoughts and more flitted through my head and probably across my face as I sat there digesting the words, "It's not healed."

I then choose to remain calm, and praise The Lord in my heart. The doctor was examining my X-rays during this time and he said turned around and felt the leg promptly making my toes go numb and causing my foot to go paralyzed. He said, "Yeah, it's not healed. Another two weeks in a cast." I sat there trying to muster the words of praise to our gracious Heavenly Father. The doctor left the room for something and I quick called my husband so he could be for-warned when I came out with another cast. I didn't cry, I didn't over-spiritualize. I just told him the facts. That's sometimes hard too, because I am an emotional woman and it is easier to cry than to be factual.

The doctor came back in and had all the cast stuff. I was glad I was wearing pants because of the awkward position you end up being in as he is putting on the cast. I start asking him questions and being happy and just making the most of it. We talked about Charming Charlies and how he would be the coolest dad if he went there with his daughters. We talked about his other practice. We then got on the subject of having babies and how me and my husband were done. We talked about how I loved being involved in the ministry. No, I didn't get paid but I wouldn't trade it for the world! We talked about how my favorite part is discipleship. He had never heard of that so I had the opportunity to share the gospel with him and explain that discipleship is teaching new christians how to live the christian life and how that is not confined to a book. We use a curriculum but we also help that person with their target areas, i.e. teaching a wife to not spend her husband's entire paycheck in one weekend at Walmart and Meijer. He asked me if I was speaking from personal experience and did I spend my husband's entire paycheck like that. I told him I did not. I didn't tell him my husband would make me take everything back if that were the case. I told him that one thing that helped me was when Paul wrote in the New Testament that whether he abounded or whether he was abased, he had learned to be content. I told him if that meant we get pbj 7 times that week or we could afford spaghetti, steak, chicken and all the nice stuff I was going to content and happy.

At this point he stopped what he was doing and reached for my chart and jotted something down. I don't have insurance so all of this has been coming out of pocket. It was originally supposed to be $100 for the office visit, $50 for the x-rays, and $$$$ for the actual work done (fiberglass cast). The first visit as we were talking he found out my husband was a pastor and he said he was not going to charge us for the cast. That visit cost $100 because I didn't have to have x-rays. The last visit was supposed to be $150 but he told the receptionist that it was only $100. This week when I went to go check out, the price was only $50. That was so God because we had about $30 for groceries that week and honestly I had been praying for daily bread and God sent us our doctor to give us the extra we needed!

The doctor also told me that most of the time this break does not heal and requires surgery. He told me that the healing, although slow, was a miracle! I am so thankful I chose to praise the Lord before I knew all the good God was doing. When I got home I could tell my kids were really disappointed. This has been a long journey for them. I sat them down and told them Romans 8:28. I asked them how breaking your foot could be good. I went on to verse 29 and told them that if it made us just a little bit more like Jesus than it was a VERY good thing!

So what do you do when things don't go as planned? Do you pout, do you make things miserable for everyone else? Do you hole up in your room and pretend life doesn't exist? Or do you praise and thank God for the "trouble" He brought into your life? Do you determine with God's help you are going to have a good attitude? Do you decide to serve God and love Him not matter the outcome?

Daily in the Word Discipleship Program

I have had the honor and privilege of doing discipleship with eleven ladies this past year. Two have completed the program and of those two, one is starting discipleship with another! I am currently discipling eight ladies, three of which I  had the joy of leading to the Lord! I love this discipleship program. We are commanded to reach our generation for Christ. My life verse is Psalm 71:17, 18. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. How are we going to tell everyone that is currently living about Christ? DISCIPLESHIP! In college I was told by a professor that if the current population were to stop dying and being born, and I was given one hour with ever single person to give them the gospel it would take me well over 6,000 years, and that is without sleeping, eating, etc. Only telling people. BUT, if I take just ONE person this year and lead them to the Lord and disciple them and that is ALL I do, I don't play the piano for church, I don't help in Children's Church, I don't plan ladies' activities I ONLY disciple that one person. Then next year, that person and I each lead another person to the Lord and disciple them for an entire year. The next year, us four lead four more to the Lord and disciple them, etc. etc. etc. It would only take us 35 years to reach the ENTIRE world for Christ! HMMMMMM . . . . sounds like a lifetime to me! Sounds like I could possibly reach my world for Christ! I am loving discipleship. I love having a church that loves and helps baby christians and follows the pastor in this! I have created some verse sheets to go along with Striving Together's Daily in the Word discipleship program. The link to their discipleship book is: HERE, Daily in the Word from Striving Together. We got the books, and they gave us an answer sheet. I filled in my blanks and plunged in! I made a lot of mistakes, but God is bigger than my mistakes and it is so exciting to see another lady starting discipleship and helping start this exponential growth process of soulwinning and discipleship!!!! I have created these verse sheets and 8 steps of discipleship sheets to help with the program. These are verse that are given to the disciple to learn. I print these verses on cardstock and cut them out. When it is time to learn the next verse we start on it! I also print out the steps of discipleship to give to them every time we learn a new step! I hope you can find use for them as well.  Click here: DITW verses and steps of discipleship to download the verses and steps of discipleship. I like when the book said that every person ought to have at least one disciple in their life time! Think about it. who comes to your church because of you? And not a family member! If you don't have a name or you only have a few names, what are you going to do about that? Soulwinning and discipleship can help with that! This book can help as well!

A Soul Winning Question . . .

I love to tell people about Jesus. I will admit that I get nervous but for the most part the change God has made in my life is so great. The peace I feel, the joy He gives, the strength I have, the stability God brings into my life, the knowledge that when I die I get to go to the most beautiful place ever created and live with my Savior forever is just amazing! I love it so much I want to tell as many people as I can. I am constantly looking for ways and times to tell people about Jesus. With my cast I get talked to a lot about it and I always try to say how good God has been and if possible bring the conversation over to salvation. This past week has been our Vacation Bible School. We had a young man who used to ride the buses of our church, Jackson Park Baptist. He brought his girlfriend with him. She was not saved. She was from the Seventh Day Adventist church. I prayed for her all last week to get saved. On friday God burdened me with her and I prayed all day and enlisted several others to help me pray for her. I told my husband I was going to talk to her. I was scared.
The night before on Thursday we had gone with another pastor and his family for icecream. We were talking about soul winning and how Bro. Gomaz told him to stop asking, "If you were to die today do you know where you would spend eternity?" and stop asking, "Do you know for sure you are saved?" These questions lead to debates. He told this young preacher to ask, "Has anyone ever shown you from the bible how to be saved?" "Has anyone ever shown you what the Bible says about salvation?" When I heard those words, I knew God had given me what I was to say to her.
I asked her and she said no. I asked her if I could show her and she said yes . . . and she got saved! I was also able to use this for the lady at the check out at Wal-mart! I used it for another lady who came to VBS. This is a powerful question! Think about it, Catholics have never had someone sit down with them and show them from God's words what God's word says about salvation! Most religions don't have that. They teach from a corporate level, not the one on one. And if they do have the one on one it probably isn't specifically about salvation, it might be to help them with a life lesson, or indoctrinate them about their belief system but not what the Bible says about salvation.
When I approached salvation like this it took the hurriedness out of the equation. At that point we were going to search the scriptures and not give a formula. We took our time, she read, I read and then I explained the scripture. I would even ask her after she read a verse out loud what the verse might mean. It was powerful, natural, and the best way I've ever led someone to the Lord! She had questions and we were already agreeing around the bible so I was able to show her what the bible said about her questions. She had concerns and I was able to refer back to the bible.
I want to challenge you to try this. Go and ask someone you know is not saved and ask them, "Has anyone ever shown you from God's word what it says about salvation?" If they say no, ask them if you can show them. If they say yes, ask them about that experience. Either way, you are going to have a chance to witness to them!

Time to Blog . . .

So I have time to blog now! That's just hilarious. Because a couple of weeks ago I had said, even though I wasn't blogging I was still going to keep this blog just because I love the name so much and one day when the "holey room" at church gets fixed and becomes my office (It might just keep the name holey room but drop an e!) I was going to continue to blog once a week or possibly more, depending on how many days a week I was in the office! Now, I have time! I just have to keep my computer charged!

Today I want to write about my awesome church family! The GREAT Jackson Park Baptist Church! I'm telling you what, we have a GREAT church family! When ever a person or a church goes through a trial what is really on the inside comes out. I have tried to my best, but honestly it has been God helping me to go through this foot breaking time right. One thing that motivates me to have the right attitude (at least for today) is that it is already going to be hard enough and I really don't need to complicate it with a bad attitude! The other thing that constrains me is the love of God for me and I realize that people are watching and because of that I have the chance to point others to Christ and I don't want to misuse that great opportunity I have been given! Our church has rallied around us and showered us with their love of God!

They are sending people to help clean. They are sending meals every day, even though I only asked for 2 days a week! They are organizing and helping. They have taken my name off of everything I am supposed to be doing and putting their name in its place! I have an amazing church family! I am still overwhelmed with the love of God in their life and their willingness to show it! They are a wonderful people! If you live in the Muncie/Anderson area you should seriously consider coming to Jackson Park Baptist Church located at 3611 S. Post Rd. Muncie, IN 47302!!!! I am so thankful for what God is doing! If it took breaking a foot to see the depth of character in the lives of these dear people, then it is worth it!

Enjoying the ride?

Yes, I did steal that title from a dear lady, Alicia Reagan. She was paralyzed several years ago. God has not only taught her so much, but He has also used her so much. She is my inspiration for this title. On friday I woke up like any other morning. My family was here and I had been running non stop. I had been so busy the whole time and actually had been less busy the week they were here than the week before. Too busy, now that I look back. I was also finding purpose in my busyness for Christ. But we will get to that. SO I took my daughter to school, practiced with her class, called my brother and came home. I made breakfast with my brother. I was so exhausted after the last three weeks that I went and laid down at 11 am for a nap. At one I woke up refreshed and ready to paint some nails but I didn't have a white or black polish with the long skinny brush that can make a the designs and my sister told me I could get some at Dollar Tree so a trip it was. My cute little dog, Katie was in my arms but we were using a rental car and I didn't want to disobey any rules and lose my brother's deposit so I took her back in. As I came down my steps I found unsure ground in a rock and I fell. I heard a loud pop. I just lay there hoping the pain would subside but it didn't. I then stood and was determined to get nail polish. The whole time I was thinking, I know I just broke my foot, but then a second thought, entered my head. If I have to wear a cast I REALLY have to go get the polish first because I don't want ugly toes poking out of my cast. (Yes, I realize how ridiculous that is, but if you are a woman reading this, you have probably had moments like that and if you are a man reading this, well, . . . I don't know what to tell you. My husband is fond of saying the Bible tells you to dwell with us according to all knowledge but even God didn't know what that knowledge was!) So on the way the pain became unbearable, and I've even had two babies without so much as a tylenol!!! Got to the Med Express. They rushed me in, it probably had something to do with the crying. They x-rayed the foot. The doctor came into my room with cast stuff and God helped me to hold back tears. I asked her if it was possible surgery. She said probably but it was up to orthopedic. I don't have insurance so that scares me. The whole while we were talking I noticed her accent and asked her where she was from. She was from Krakow, Poland and actually grew up on the same street my husband lived! When he came in they were able to talk in Polish. I was supposed to play for my daughter's graduation and I asked if I could still play but could she tell him I couldn't wash dishes! She laughed and said sure. When she told him that in Polish, he understood everything else except that! Lol! Needless to say, I didn't play, but I also haven't washed dishes! As I was checking out, I fell. The cast they put on was dripping wet and I slipped. Yes, Only me! They re x-rayed me. God gave me a wonderful opportunity. By this time I was getting used to the pain. He opened up the door for me to witness to the x-ray technician! She is already a christian but out of church! I was able to get her e-mail and am hoping to e-mail her this coming week. She knows she needs to be in church and was willing to come and visit us! How cool is that! You know, if that is the ONLY thing God lets happen as a result of this that's good! But I know that's not all that I'm going to learn and all I'm going to be able to see happen. I have already noticed that going in a wheelchair through stores people stare at you and then because they stare at you, they smile sheepishly when they notice you staring. I smile back and I am hoping to use this as an opportunity to witness! I am going to be meeting several doctors and nurses along the way and I am hoping to witness to them as well! I know God is going to provide. I have already seen Him do it! While at the urgent care my brother took out his card and paid for the doctor visit. I will have to pay for the cast - $200 bucks for a bit of foam and ace bandage! But I know that God is in control and has already provided a solution and I am excited to see how He is going to work! Until then I'll be enjoying my "short" ride!

Preparing for Revival

R. A. Torrey wrote "A Prescription for Revival".  I cut this article out several years ago and with all of our moves it has always managed to move with us and pop up right before a major meeting we were about to attend. This time it popped up on my husband's work bench. Last time it was in the laundry room and for a long time it hung out on my fridge.

A Prescription for Revival 

 I can give you a prescription that will bring a revival to any church or community or any city. Here is the prescription as follows:

First, let a few Chrsitians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential! If this is not done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing. 

Second, let them bind themselves together to pray for revival until God opens the heavens and comes down.

Third, let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ.

That is all! 

This is a sure way to bring revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; it cannot fail! 

~ R. A. Torrey

How to Practically Prepare for Revival Services :

Habakkuk 3:1-3 shows us the need for revival. We all need revival. Revival is a personal thing that starts with . . . ME.  When Isaiah saw God high and lifted up in chapter 6 he then saw himself for the worm that he was.  At this point God was able to work in Isaiah's life. 

God wants revival for each of us and there are some things as women that we can practically do to prepare for revival:

1. Spend extra time in the bible and prayer. 

Pray and ask God to prepare you. Set aside a specific time every day before revival services and during revival services to talk to God and let Him talk to you. 

Pray for visitors to come and for God to give you the boldness to invite them. 

Pray for the preacher and his wife. Pray for his children. Satan is going to attack your preacher's life this week.

Pray for the guest speaker. Pray for his family. Pray for his protection and guidance. Pray that he will be Spirit filled. 

Pray for the people who will be sitting in the pews. Pray they will be spirit filled and will move at His every impulse, responding as He speaks to them. 

Pray God will speak to you. 

2. Ask God to search your heart (Psalm 139:23, 24) 

Ask God to make you moldable. Ask God to reveal areas of sin and areas of pride and areas of character flaws and areas of strife between you and other christians. Confess those sins and character flaws and get it right with your brother/sister in Christ. 

3. Say Yes to God! BEFORE he speaks to you! Say yes no matter when He speaks to you, whether it be at home, at the service, at work, at the store, etc. Say Yes. 

Determine now that whatever God speaks to you you are going to respond with a great big YES! and act on that YES! 

4. Obey God: RIGHT AWAY! All the way! and with a good attitude! This is the only way you have true obedience, is if all three of these things are present. 

5. Plan to attend every service (Hebrews 10:25) 

The service you miss will be the service God had something special for you! Cancel anything that would hinder you from coming. Don't let anything get in the way. 

It's only a week. If the dishes don't get done this week out of the whole year it's gonna be ok. 

Don't plan doctor's or other kinds of appointments on this week. 

Make revival services a priority. 

Take your tired kids, who knows if God doesn't want to call them into full time christian service and you missed it because they were tired and whiney. Use the nursery for your little ones. It will give them a break and you a break. 

6. Get to church early and stay late. Some of the best times have been at midnight after a great service just sitting and talking with people. Yes I was exhausted. Yes I could have slept but I am so glad I didn't. Those are times when lasting friendships are forged. 

7. Greet people. 

Don't just come in and sit down. Go around and socialize. Ask people how they are doing. Ask about specifics in their life, their family, their pets, their health, etc. 

8. Stay for the times of fellowship, whether it be a meal or a snack.

Sure they may not cook how you do but stay for the fellowship. Enjoy breaking bread with other believers. While you are eating tell the person how God has specifically spoken to you and what you plan on doing about it. Then ask that person how God has spoken to them. When they tell you, kindly ask them what steps they are going to take to accomplish what God has given them. Offer to keep each other accountable. Too much time, effort, and money has gone into a week of revival services to waste it on not doing anything for God because of the services. 

9. Plan to be weary (Galatians 6:7-9)

God can use that weariness. When we are emotionally and physically tired we don't have the strength to fight God spiritually. Don't miss because you are tired. That will be the best time to hear from God and respond! 

10. Prepare before revival services

Know what you and each person of your family is going to wear every day of the services. Lay the clothes out. Have all your laundry done, folded, and put away. Have the clothes for revival put in a special easily accessible spot. Wear your "church clothes" all day. When people ask you why you are so dressed up tell them you're going to revival services and invite them. Wear your church clothes. We are going to CHURCH. So dress up. 

Plan your meals for the week. Plan easy quick meals. Have convenience food available. It is only one week. It won't kill you! 

Purchase disposable plates, cups, and silverware. 

11. Remember the most important part of the service is the preparation and the follow-up.

Come into the service calm. Don't rush in. Get there early and talk with people. Don't rust out. Stay for the fellowship. Walk slowly through the crowds. Take time to notice people and talk with them.

After God speaks to you follow-up on it and make a decision and carry that decision out. Decide what you are going to do to accomplish what God has spoken to you about. 

12. Guard your "Gates". 

Ear Gate: Don't listen to rock n roll, country music, or even christian rock. Listen to godly Christ honoring music! Choose to let God minister to you through godly music.

Eye Gate: Don't look at things you shouldn't. Don't read books that dishonor God. Don't watch things on tv that is wicked and grieves the Holy Spirit that lives in your heart. If you could not turn it on if Jesus were sitting there remember that Jesus is with you, so don't turn it on! 

13. Consider a technology fast from tv, social networking, internet, etc.

14. Come to encourage others not to be encouraged. 

Look for ways to be a blessing. 

Volunteer to work in the nursery. Volunteer to make a meal for the preacher and his family and the evangelist. 

Have a willing spirit to do whatever needs to be done. 

Volunteer to clean up during the day. 

15. Invite people to the services.

Nothing makes a service more exciting that anticipating someone coming that you invited. You then have a vested interest in the service. You want it to go well, so they will come back so you pray more for the service. Invite your co-workes, friends, family, neighbors, the cash register lady, etc. 

If you have ever done any kind of party like Pampered Chef you know that they give you a big page with 40 to 50 blanks to fill in with names of people to invite because they realize that if if you ask 50 you might get 5. Do the same. Make a list of 50 names. Call them, write them a letter, facebook or email them and then follow-up the day before the services start and get commitments out of the people. If they come bring them a home baked good the next day and tell them how happy you are that they came and that you hope they come back the next night! 

What you put into a service is what you will get out of it! Give everything you have and you will see eternal rewards for years to come! 

Planted . . . Not Propped Up

My husband is going to be doing a sermon one day with this title. . . yes I did just steal it! It goes along with what I want to talk about! I'm sure he will do a much better job than I could with my little ponderings but here goes:

Today was I was reading and studying Psalm 1. This is a great little Psalm. Verse 2 tells us that we are to delight, long for, desire, God's word and we are to meditate, thinking about, muse, utter God's word day (during the day) and night (during the night season and times of gloom). So often we jump ship when hardship happens instead of turning to the one thing that will help us.

Interestingly in verse 3 of Psalm 1 we see that we will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. We all crave stability, sustenance, and success. This verse gives us a promise of all three, but on one condition, that we are daily in God's word, especially during hard times, and that we are longing for and meditating on God's word!

We have a lot of propped up christians that fall over whenever the first little bit of wind comes by, what we need is some planted Christians who are daily in God's word, thinking about it, reading it, uttering his word, longing for his word. If we will go to God's word for this life giving sustenance the next storm we come to, we might just weather a lot better! We need to go to God's word and find the Stability we need only offered and promised in His word! We need to read and meditate on God's word to get the sustenance that is only assured through God and his word! We must long for, and delight in God's word if we are to ever find the true success we all long for!

By the way, I offered my little outline to my husband for when he gets ready to preach on this subject! We shall see . . .

Still Singing . . .

This is what I imagine I look like when I'm singing . . . by now, my husband and former youth pastor Bro. Ben are rolling on the floor laughing and looking for the nearest psychiatric hospital to admit me to because this is probably more accurate to what I look like when I'm singing:

And this is what everyone is thinking when I'm singing: 

I love singing. I love to sing. (Shhhh . . . don't tell anyone but I'm pretty bad at it!) I love to sing in church. I love to be part of a large crowd that is singing their heart out so I can sing my heart out too and noone turns around to look at me strangely. I love being carried away with emotion as we sing praises to our Lord and as we learn about him through song. I love, Love, LOVE, listening to the children sing the hymns of the faith louder than everyone else! I love what they are learning as they sing. I love the Bible Truths that are becoming part of their life! I love to sing when I'm tired. It perks me up. I love to sing in my car with the cd player BLARING and making a joyful noise. Some of the greatest times of conviction I have ever had were a direct result of a hymn or spiritual song I was listening to. I LOVE practicing with people as they sing. I love playing the piano and finding the best chords to hit and listening as we learn the song together. Last night I had that privilege. There were 4 ladies in our church practicing the song, "What a Lovely Name". As they practiced, not one of those ladies hasn't been touched with some kind of sadness, weariness, or heartache this past few weeks. One lady was informed that her job is uncertain as they may be doing away with her job where she works, another one lost her job all together, one has a husband who is away on business for a week and is keeping down the fort while daddy's away, another has a child who has caused so much heartache and is currently causing heartache RIGHT NOW, this very moment as I write this and doesn't look to be an end in sight. Yet these ladies stood and practiced and sang, "What a lovely name the name of Jesus . . ." They chose to put their problems, very real problems aside and give time, energy and praise to our precious Lord and Savior. I'll tell you one thing, it did my heart good and it did my husband's heart good. The thing was, it was just a practice run before Sunday morning and already they were blessing hearts! So what's going on in your life right now? If everything is good are you still singing? If things are going exactly as you want, choose to continue to sing!

Shamed . . .

Have you ever had a moment like this one in the picture with your children? I have. Several times. Yesterday was the worst. I was in a discipleship class expounding the word of God and down comes my daughter, yelling screaming and carrying on like she was about to die! To say that I was shamed was an understatement. I honestly didn't know what had come over her. She isn't usually like this. And all of you reading this are saying, Yeah that's what all moms say! For the most part I have good kids. I understand they are kids. They do things wrong but they get punished for them. For the most part we are consistent parents. My husband is much better than me as I often forget but I have wonderful children who remind me that I forget! Seriously, Wednesday Drew came home from church and I'm busy getting dinner finished and he says, "Am I still in trouble? Do you still need to punish me, Mommy?" I don't know if my children are extremely honest, have a guilty conscious, or just think that by their reminding me maybe I'll feel like they understood and don't need to be punished . . . whatever the reason I thank them for reminding me and deal out whatever punishment I had forgotten about. This behavior of Abby was strange. She seemed out of her mind and actually kept saying that her mind was not with her. It was comical and she would shake her head side to side as she said it so I didn't think anything about it. The lady I was discipling was talking about how late her kids were up last night and how awful it had been for her kids getting up in the morning. My child comes down with yet another meltdown. Uncharacteristic. I try to love her, reason with her, get stern with her, resort to telling her the dire consequences that await should this behavior continue and all to no avail. I literally ONLY had ONE paragraph left to read  and we would be done but it was as if the whole world fell apart. This dear lady again talked about how tired her kids were this morning and it all came crashing together in my mind. All the piece exploded from their dormant places of memory and came rushing together to show me the big picture. The night before was Wednesday. Wednesdays are our late days, they just are, Thursdays are our tired days but we deal with it because we love our church and wouldn't have it any other way! Wednesday I got home, made dinner and we decided to do something fun with the kids and let them have a campout. My husband camped out with my son on the front room floor and I wimped out and camped out on my bed with my daughter. We turned on ONE netflix movie and proceeded to lay down. I was exhausted. I fell asleep almost immediately. My daughter took the ipad and started watching netflix after netflix after netflix. I have no clue when she finally fell asleep. She was sleeping on the ipad when I woke her up in the morning. Getting her out of bed was like pulling teeth. (At this point, I am not making the connection that she probably stayed up all night and most of the morning.) On the way to school she fell asleep. When we got to school she told her teacher that she had stayed up all night watching movies. (Still I'm not putting the pieces together. Call me blond, I deserve it!) I picked her up from school, brought her to church, and did some fun things with her. Tried to get her to sleep but she was strangely wired. Brought her to the first discipleship and she was good. The second one is where it all fell apart. By this time she had been up from 7:15 till 6 with no nap and very little sleep the night before. Thus the melt down. Last night is a classic example of my children being left alone. The fit she threw and did a great job of throwing was MY fault! I did not make sure she got the right amount of sleep! I had left her alone to find her own way, do her own thing and she did it with gusto it ending with a huge fit! 

Read that verse again: The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother shame. I always got a little offended that it didn't say it brings the mother AND the father shame. Why is the mom the only one getting picked on here? I think it's because we are to be keepers AT the home. We are to be the primary caregiver for our children. I know it's not a popular idea but ladies we are to be AT home raising our children. When we don't do our job they bring us shame. They do not arise up and call us blessed. Yesterday was a out of the normal example. My daughter usually gets the rest she needs. But what about the times I spend more time on the computer or watching tv than with my children. My children desperately desire my time. We have adopted the false thinking that "quality time" is somehow better than "quantity time". This thinking is FALSE. Our children need our time. They need us to play with them. Playing with them can teach them how to play with others! It can teach them how to clean up as they play. We can incorporate life lessons through acting out things as we play. Our children need us to read to them. Fun stories, yes, but Bible stories. Act out the Bible stories, make it FUN! Our children need us to include them. It is OUR job to make them feel like they are part of the family. I read a quote, People won't remember what you said or did, but they will remember how you made them feel. This is SO true of our children. They aren't going to remember all the things you say and do with and for them, but they will remember how you made them feel growing up. Just because you brought this little bundle of life into the world, doesn't mean they feel like they are part of your world. You children need this, include them in grocery shopping, let them pick out ONE snack or cereal. Include them in cooking, let them add the ingredients or use the mixer. Include them in cleanup, one of my children's favorite jobs is cleaning the toilet. Let them swish it around, or mop it up, or dust with you. Give them a sense of accomplishment at a job well done! Let them see the house cleaned up not just at your hand but with their too. Brag on them to their father when he comes home and to their grandparents over the phone. Let people know what they have done IN FRONT of your children. Make them feel good about themselves at home. 

Notice this verse says, Rod and Reproof. We all know to spank/discipline our children. We all know the importance of training our children but training doesn't just include the rod. Training isn't always the negative, it is the positive too. The reproof is just as necessary as the rod. The reproof aids the rod and helps the rod be understood. Reproof are times of just sitting and talking with your children about their day, their likes, their dislikes, how to handle situations that come up, etc. I read a quote the other day, If you don't listen to your children when they are young they won't want to talk to you when they are old because to them it was all important. That is so true. I can remember just going on and on to my mom about things that had been fun and exciting and relaying the whole story to her word for word, detail for detail and she would ALWAYS listen. To this day, I still call my mom and tell her things that happen to me, because she will listen! I want to do that for my children! I must spend time WITH my children, Quantity Time, not just Quality Time. I would challenge you as well. Are you spending time with your children or are you leaving them to themselves? If so, don't be surprised, shocked, or even angered when they bring you shame, because they will and you will have no one to blame but yourself! 

Purposed . . .

The Bible places an emphasis on purposing how you will act before a situation arises. Daniel purposed in his heart to not defile himself with the portion of the kings meat . . . Paul purposed in his spirit to go see Rome . . . Old Testament and New Testament Saints purposed in their heart and that led them to make specific decisions that changed the course of life as we know it! In our modern day there are decisions we too must purpose to make. We must purpose to live for God . . . if not we will be as shifting sand coming and going with the tide of life! We must purpose to raise our families for God . . . if not the world will raise them for the Devil! Psalms 17:3 tells us that David purposed that his mouth would not transgress. In this day of communication we talk a lot. It is said that each of us with the words we speak each WEEK could fill 500 page book! That's a lot of words! With all those words floating around and the dire warning that one day we will give account for every idle word, we need to purpose to not transgress with our mouth. When someone starts gossiping to you, determine to not sin with your mouth. Determine to not gossip! When you are confronted with the opportunity to tell a harmless little lie, already have purposed to always tell the truth. There are a lot of things we need to purpose to do before we are ever presented with the opportunity to do them! Purpose to not only NOT sin with your mouth, but Purpose to use your mouth for God and His glory! Purpose to use your mouth the edify a believer. Purpose to use your words to encourage another person. Purpose to look for and even create opportunities to share the wonderful Good News of Jesus Christ and his payment for our sins EVERY chance you get! Purpose to not sin, but if you purpose to use your mouth/words for good, if your mouth is "filled with the praise of His glory" you won't have room in there for negativity, for gossip, for lies, for contention, for anger. Purpose to let God use your words! Every moment of Every Day!

Dreams . . .

Have you ever had a dream so real and vivid and horrible that you woke up and wanted to hug your family tight to you? You knew it was a dream but it felt so real, it took a while to convince yourself that it was truly a dream? I had that last night. I dreamed that my beautiful little daughter was stolen from us. I don't know quite how she was stolen but she was. This horrible person did all kinds of horrible things to her. I knew every detail of the horrible things that were done to her because it was as if I were in her subconscious experiencing these things as well. We finally found her in a seafood restaurant and unfortunately the faceless bad guy got away. We took our daughter home, cleaned her up, washed her hair, held her and rocked her. She was listless and closed up. She didn't say much, she didn't need to, I already knew what had happened to her. I just held her. After awhile I started teaching her my Sunday School lesson from yesterday. I've been teaching through Mrs. Terri Chappell's Books, The Choice is Yours (Click Here for the Link). It is a book about the choices we make and how they affect us. Yesterday's choice was, "Choose to Be Strong". IT was talking how trials and temptations God allows into our life. It is Father Filtered and because of this we need to trust that if He allowed it, or even sometimes originated it then He is going to use it for our good and we need to choose God's strength not our own. Yesterday it was easy to stand up and tell the ladies that. I care for and love each of them and it was easy to tell them to choose God's strength . . . in my dream as I held my daughter I broke down and actually woke up sweating. It was hard telling my daughter that. I felt deeply as I told her that. It made it extremely personal and because of that very dynamic. I know God doesn't speak to us through dreams anymore but I do know He allowed that in my life to teach me something. One thing is when I speak in class next Sunday I'll be looking at them and thinking of them as my daughters and I KNOW that's going to change my passion and the way I tell them, it won't be a Sunday School Lesson I share, it will be a message I want to impact and hopefully use to shape their life! And another thing is I hope that when the time comes and my daughter does experience some great trial, I hope that I will be able to tell her to stand strong in the Lord. To take her burdens to the Lord because HE knows and not just that, He cares!

Saturdays in Hotels

I know we as a married couple need dates and I love my husband, I really do. I was looking at him in the car last night and I should have said it, but I thought, "Goodness I'm lucky. He is handsome, strong, godly, wise, and wonderful!" He could have had any girl at college I know, my roommate liked him and wanted to date him with the intent of considering him a marraige candidate and she would have been perfect for him, but instead he chose me! I don't know why, (he may have been delirious or on crack :o) but he did and now he's stuck with me. :oP. Seriously, I love him and I don't deserve him, but I'm sure glad I've got him. These past few days I have laughed with him, I have been myself, I have not had to worry about getting onto children or their emotional needs, I have been a kid at college in love with my man and find myself married to him. This has been the best gift I received this Christmas season. Husbands, Wives, whoever reads this blog, go on a date with your husband. Do an overnight thing. Trust someone to take your kids and then just enjoy your spouse. Laugh with them. Flirt with them. Kiss them long and hard. Watch tv together and get annoyed at how stupid the world is becoming. Rant and rave against idiots who don't want guns. Eat chocolate in bed together and don't care about the crumbs! Go out to eat together and look longingly in each others eyes. Find out something new about your spouse. Act like you're dating but realize you're married. ;o) Enjoy each other! Take time away from your kids. Your kids WILL survive, they may even like it and your marriage to their mommy or daddy will be better for it thus giving a great gift to your child as well! I told my husband that since my in-laws were so close I think we ought to do a all nighter a couple times a year! It has been the best time! You don't have to spend a lot of money either! Just enjoy each other! You won't regret it!

Merry Christmas

This year we find ourselves in Muncie, Indiana. I plan on dying here, just so you know! Last year this time I had my brother with me. We didn't even know Muncie, Indiana existed. We were plugging along and enjoying family and friends. We were planning our Candlelight service and looking forward to church. Last year Christmas was on Sunday. We still had a service, a short morning service. The church people did something most special. I think it was the most thoughtful thing they did the entire time we were there! They brought in presents and covered the front two pews with them for us. It was very special. We took home our presents and opened and opened and opened! I honestly don't remember what I got, I just know how special they made me feel.
This year, we are at Jackson Park Baptist Church. I feel home. We planned and executed our Candlelight service. The kids sang, Grace Has a Face and another dear man in our church sang O Holy Night. (He really ought to make a single, I'm sure he make a million!) Another lady sang, What Child is This (without practice and you would never KNOW it! I am cease to be amazed about her willingness to serve God and with such a sweet spirit!) This Christmas I am realizing afresh and anew that the best presents don't come wrapped. They are times with family laughing over a movie as you watch your children react to something you grew up watching. They are eating pb fudge from a lady in the church who accused you of trying to poison her because she tried to eat the fake ornamental cupcake jar that looked real! It is going to church and knowing you are loved and accepted with all your faults. It is being around people that aren't constantly critical but just love the Lord as you do and are just trying to serve Him to the best of your ability. It is listening to your kindergartener read! It is sitting on the bed explaining to your son how to be saved and watching as he bows his head and prays and asks God to save him! It is having a family over from the church to finish elfing them so you can reveal all that the church people did for them! Elfing is just giving someone gifts for several days before Christmas! The church people OUTdid themselves! Christmas is very special for us and it is even better being here in Muncie, IN, the best place IN THE WORLD!!!!!