The Bible

There's a new television series coming to the History channel next March called The Bible, appropriately named since it features stories from Creation to Revelation.  I'm not sure if it will be completely accurate (tho theologians and "experts" are consulted throughout) or worth watching all ten hours of it, but I'm pretty excited whenever I see someone tackling a project like this.  It's much too rare finding the opportunity to visually see the Bible played out, and in an age of visual entertainment, it's nice to offer my children a chance to learn more about the classic Bible stories in a different way.

During the Christmas season, it's always a good reminder for me when I watch Christmas movies, see a clip about the nativity story or watch an inspirational music video during the holidays because it's what I need more of during this time of shopping, baking, making lists, wrapping and decorating.  It injects the reality and purpose back into the days around Christmas, and I need that desperately.  Watch this video and see what I mean. And yes, I cried through the whole thing. (But I ask you, what mother can stand to listen to "Mary, Did You Know?" without crying?)

"Awake, my glory!"

I'm about to run into the shower so I can be ready for our weekly Kajiji Girl gathering, however I could not let this article go by without immediately posting.  If you are the mother of a boy or simply the wife of a man (or consider yourself to be part of the species classified as homo sapiens), you really must read this!  As the mother of four boys (ahhhh!), this topic weighs on me constantly.  Knowing how lust is shoved in our children's faces every day in every imaginable way makes our job as protectors of their heart and trainer of their mind so incredibly difficult.  I just keep reminding myself of my new favorite verse as a homeschooler:

All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace.  ~Isaiah 54:13

Just this morning I was reading about David in the book of  I Chronicles, and it mentioned the Hebrew word for GLORY which is chabod.  Jon Courson defines it as "weighty, heavy".  Here the author notes it as kavod meaning "courage, honor".  Those two meanings are a wonderful way to think of God's glory upon and within us.

Hear No Evil See No Evil Speak No Evil Fine Art Print - William Meemken

How NOT to Help Your Son with Lust
by Cliff Graham

In my days as a youth pastor, the most frequent question I was asked about by mothers of boys was, "How do I help my son deal with lust?"

This question was frequently asked by the moms who were single. Dad had bailed on the family, so I can't really imagine how difficult and awkward it would have been for those moms to breach the subject with their sons.  If you are that mom, my heart goes out to you.  Truly.

Even if you live in a happy marriage and you have a husband who can help you navigate those seas, there is something I  must plead with you to understand about my gender.  Lust will always be a struggle for us.

Like any sin of the flesh, lust is a symptom of a larger problem.  That problem is when we have tried to replace the satisfaction of God with the satisfaction of something temporary.  In this life, that never goes away, regardless of the symptom.  

Continue reading here...

War

Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating if I post someone else's blog post here.  After all, shouldn't I try to come up with my own thoughts, words and lessons learned throughout my day/week?  Well, with the stage of parenting I'm in, sometimes I consider it a true miracle that I can even make sense of another's thoughts and lessons.  So without further ado, here is a phenomenal article about the spiritual battle we - and our children especially - face.

“We carry an insidious prosperity gospel around in our dark, little, entitled hearts.”  ~Matt Chandler- The Explicit Gospel (Crossway, 2012)

The Lord has brought this quote often to mind recently.  Perhaps it’s because I am still surprised and disappointed when things don’t come easy.  I want to believe that the “good” that God is working in my life is all about having happy times on this earth, rather than sanctification for the life to come.

My heart is, indeed, dark and entitled.

I see this tendency in my children, as well.  Truth be told, they learned many of their sinful ways from me.

It is tempting to raise my children in the type of fantasyland bubble that I crave for myself, in which their greatest trials involve choosing between vanilla or chocolate ice cream for dessert.  I would shield them from a bedrock truth about this life: that we are at war. 

Continue here to read the rest...

Ten Ways Not to Look at Children

There is an amazing post by R.C. Sproul, Jr. called "Ten Ways Not to Look at Children".  I suppose some of it could be quite controversial by some, but there are some serious words of truth in this article.  Please  read and let me know what you think...

Ten Ways Not to Look at Children

by RC Sproul Jr.

Wisdom is a narrow path. Folly, on the other hand, is a wide, gaping desert. Our conversations in the church about children tend to be contentious and emotional. Few things touch closer to home. Which is why we need all the more to develop a careful, thoughtful and sober understanding of the Bible’s wisdom on this issue. Below are ten common ways we err in our thinking. May He give us grace to fill our quivers with blessings, and our hearts with wisdom.

10. Children are a hassle to be avoided. What has become conventional wisdom in the world is now conventional wisdom in the church.  We quip about longing for school to start, about dreading when they outgrow children’s church. We make the same stupid jokes- Do you know what causes that?, flaunting our folly.  We are so biblically illiterate in the church we have no idea we are calling God a liar, who tells us children are a blessing from His hand (Psalm 127).  We are so historically illiterate we don’t know that every denomination in Christendom condemned practices designed to avoid blessings from the beginning of the church until little more than fifty years ago.

9. Children are more precious than rubies and must be attained at any cost. On the other side of the above spectrum are those who see having children as the only blessing, and their purpose on the planet to conceive as many babies as humanly possible. The truth is that wisdom is more precious than rubies.... 

To continue reading, please click here (and don't forget to read the comments below the post!).

"I Wish My House Was Bigger"

I came across a poem today that I felt I could completely relate to (at least, the first part so far). :)  It helps give me a big picture view of things.  As far as the latter part of the poem, I don't think I want to relate to it (and I have some friends who can relate to this right now!), but know someday I will.  Right now, we definitely wish our house was bigger! lol

I Wish My House Was Bigger

Oh, I wish my house was bigger
There’s always too much noise
from my cat and dog and daughter,
but mostly from three young boys …

Oh, I wish my house was bigger
For a parent, work never ends
There’s crumpled clothes and dirty dishes,
and younger brothers to defend …

From the day that they all got here
They’ve really changed my life
No longer is there time for me to just enjoy my wife
These little ones are so much work
There’s no shortage of new chores.
They laugh and cry and shout and pout
and beg for “just once more …”

The times I used to hunt or fish
are replaced by “Hey dad, know what I wish???”
Some nights I think what life would be, if I was on my own;
no shattered windows, no broken bikes, just enjoying life alone

Yes, I wish my house was bigger
There is still way too much noise
from two cats, a dog and daughter
but mostly from three growing boys.

The bills keep getting higher
as the price of toys goes up
We no longer shop for Legos;
now, it’s cars, and expensive stuff
And, their friends show up on weekends
loud as they can be
Oh, I wish my house bigger
and there was much more room for me …

You know a strange thing happened
just the other day
My last child left for college
and there was still much left to say
Now, my house is clean and spotless
But it’s quiet as a tomb
And I strain to hear their laughter
as I wander room to room.

Now, I wish my house was smaller
and all my kids were near
I’d gladly trade the mess they made
for the joy they once brought here

Sure, now I’ve time for fishing
but it’s really not the same
There’s no hooks to bait, no chocolate milk
and no long drive, guessing games …

Lord, I wish my house was smaller
and I could somehow, some way feel
the closeness of my children
and my heart could somehow heal

Brian D. Molitor
Sept. 2006

A Child's Heart

Dear Lord,
When I stumbled upon this blog and read the post on child sponsorship and how it can not only benefit the sponsor but also the whole family, You put a desire in me to introduce the subject to my own children. After talking it over with Michael and seeing how he felt about it, he sat down with the kids a few days later to talk to them about it.  This, of course, led to some uncomfortable details regarding the plight of the majority of Your world's children - how they live and how they die, how some may know You and how most don't, what is AIDS and why can't it be cured, how we live and live in abundance.

My oldest son (the one You promised me like you promised Abraham and Sarah hence his middle name being Isaac) was so troubled, he could not keep the tears from spilling over and his heart from breaking.  It was if he didn't even know what to do with the overflow of these helpless emotions.  With counsel from his father, he decided to pray to You about it and see who You wanted him to sponsor.  We thought maybe You would talk to him in a dream or place a country or name in his mind so I know he really listened for You to answer.  He wanted to know which country was the poorest so it could help narrow things down for him.  He found his father has always had a soft spot in his heart for the country of Ethiopia so when he saw that this country was also among the poorest in the world, he thought maybe You were leading him in that direction.  But we told him to continue to pray, continue to listen for the Spirit's prompting.

It's amazing how the longer he waited, the longer he was in torture about it.  It is as if You answered by not giving a country or giving a name but instead by giving an intense impatience, a void that needed to be filled immediately.  Every day, he reminded us of this need of his, this need to help someone.  Whenever he was reminded about it, You saw how he became somber and his heart broke a little more.  His urgency was the answer You gave.  His need for action was the answer the world needs.

When we finally sat down this morning to choose a boy who almost shares his same birthday and clicked the "submit" button, You could hear the sigh of relief he made, couldn't You?  He explained it as a sort of tension inside him that kept building day after day until he felt ready to burst.  After we committed to our monthly support, he exclaimed how much better he felt, how a burden was lifted, a void fulfilled by acting.  You should have seen his smile. But You did, didn't you?  And I know it made You smile too.

Lord, thank you for my son's tender heart.  Thank you that, unlike the rest of the world, his only needs right now are spiritual ones, and thank You for meeting every single need of ours.  God, please give me the tender heart willing to break over the world as he has.  Give me the same sense of urgency to act and fill those needs as he has.  Give me the same Spirit of compassion that You have instilled in my son.  Give me that same feeling, the feeling that if I wasn't able to do anything about the needs of those around me, I too would feel like I was dying.  Give me the heart of a child.  Give me Your heart!

In Jesus' name.



P.S.  We decided to give through Compassion International and give monthly support to a boy in Ethiopia.  My son looks forward to receiving his packet of info and "meeting" Ebrahim and can't wait to exchange letters back and forth with him.  

Mothers & Their Daughters

Just as we discussed showing respect for our sons in our last post, this post will direct you to show that same respect to our daughters coupled with the love they so desire.  I love that this article mentions more than once how important it is to have one's daughter voice her thoughts and emotions, how to find her voice (points #4 & 7). Our thought life as women is rich and complex so let's make sure we learn how to keep every thought captive to Christ and teach our daughters to do the same. 

Respect for daughters has its roots in the same place respect for sons does: the image-bearing equality that both sexes reflect given at creation (Gen. 1:27). That said, respect just looks different in some ways for daughters who are growing into women than respect for sons who are growing into men.

Respect is a deep admiration for someone elicited by his or her abilities, qualities, or achievements. This honor is not shown because of gender or deservedness but because of love and grace, specifically, love and grace that find their origins and power in Jesus Christ. Treating daughters with respect trains them to be women who offer respect to others. It models for them that they have dignity, value, and worth because God created them. It urges them to grace others with respect because God loves and values his creation.

Read the rest of the article here.

Boys Will Be Men

I just finished reading an article from the Resurgence website which is about how mothers should treat their sons.  And it. is. fantastic!  I can always rate an article great when it encourages me, convicts me and inspires new ideas for me all in the short time it takes to read it.  This is specifically about how mothers need to show respect to their sons early on so these boys who will one day be men (sooner than you think, dear mom!) will recognize proper respect when shown to them and find a godly woman who knows how to give it.

Here's the beginning of the post:

It is never too early to start showing that you respect your sons. I know as a young mom I was so concerned about discipline—when, where, why and how to discipline. I wanted this bundle of boy contained into a well-behaved, manageable package. Is that offense punishable by swat? Is he disrespecting me? Why is he so loud and messy? While those are fine questions to ask, looking back, I would rather have spent more time asking myself if I was treating my boys with respect.

My sons thrive in our relationship when respect is generously given. If I want them to look for a wife who respects them one day, I better demonstrate what that looks like now.

Please click here to read on...

Fan or Follower?

Are you a Christian?  I don't mean do you have Christian values, abide by Christian morals or express a Christian spirit.  I mean are you a follower of Christ?  Do you day in and day out yearn to please your Savior?  Do you feel and see the Holy Spirit work in you?  Are you a changed person, more like Christ, than you were yesterday, last week, last month or even last year?  Forget everything you've believed about how one becomes a Christian. A simple, sweet prayer in the mouth of a child asking Jesus to come into their heart is beautiful and touching.  I believe it is something that makes God's heart sing.  But if the last time you spoke to Jesus was as a child, your efforts in being a Christian amount to nothing more than superstition.  You may as well avoid black cats and broken mirrors too and hope that helps you in eternity.

It is sobering to sit here and think about those in my life I've just always assumed were saved from eternal damnation because they once spoke or acted like a Christian.  But as I learn more about what it takes to be a follower of Christ, one who takes up their cross daily and gives their will over to His will moment by moment, I'm saddened by the realization that maybe those I always thought I'd see in heaven would not be there.  Even scarier is the thought that maybe they too think they are saved but will one day find out they are not counted among the saved.

Simply believing that Jesus is Lord, that he died on the cross for your sins and was raised up three days later does not separate you from the beliefs of the devil himself.  Satan knows these things too; he wholeheartedly believes them.  But if you are not giving yourself over to God every day, you spend that day walking a little further away from Him. There is no such thing as being in limbo when it comes to the Christian faith - you are either living and growing on the vine of Christ or you are dying and withering.  If it has been 20 years or even 2 years since you witnessed God at work in you, wake up, humble yourself and make yourself second.  Stop being a fan of Christ and become a follower.

Erin (our Kajiji Girl in France) recommends a great message by Paul Washer just on this topic. It is audio only and just over an hour, but please listen to it when you can.  It may sound harsh at times and uncomfortably true throughout, however the directive to examine oneself is imperative.  

31 Status

I just came across this video shared by a friend on facebook.  It features a new ministry titled 31 Status which in their own words are to "show girls around the world what a Proverbs 31 woman looks like in today's generation."  The video showcases a lovely and immensely talented woman who is known for her lyricist abilities, most notably at P4CM (Passion for Christ Movement) events.  She is known as Jeanette...ikz and you may have watched other videos with her before...like the one titled "I Will Wait for You."  The reason why I wanted to share this with you is not only the message which she shares but the amazing way in which she shares it.  And don't blame me if, while watching any of her performances, you end up rising to your feet, clapping your hands and hollerin' "Amen, Sistah!" while wishing you were in the midst of some African American brothers and sisters who know how to enthusiastically worship with soul!  ;-)

A Parent's Love

It's been awhile since I've last posted - that'll happen to you with an 8-month-old high needs baby who doesn't sleep through the night yet!  However I've stumbled across yet another awesome short film from Ellerslie called Depraved Indifference.  I actually heard Eric Ludy give a similar message at the homeschool conference I attended a couple years ago - it was amazing.  Please watch and pray.