Wednesday, January 30, 2013

My Siah



There are plenty of days when things go just plain south.

But then there are days that remind me why we have chosen to do what we do around here.

This morning my little Cowboy lost it when I asked him to come down and start his math work at the desk in my room. I CANNOT stand it when my SON cries for such reasons as this. I want to offer grace, and kindness, but if I'm honest, I just bubble up inside because I have something in me that says my seven-year-old boy shouldn't be wailing like a dying animal. We are at a cross-roads in his growing up where I'm thinking now is the time to practice a little self control over his emotions and learn to handle things without a puddle of tears. It's this weird balance where I want to love on him when he needs tender care, but I want him to learn to buck up when there is genuinely no good reason to be carrying on.

So as he sat at his desk and wailed, I tried with ALL my might to not lose it on him.

I asked him why he was crying.

He told me.

I chatted with him a bit as to why that was not a good reason to be crying.

He cried harder.

I wanted to yell.

I didn't.

Instead I felt prompted in my heart to set him in my lap and just hug him.

My pride fought back with a resounding, "that's ridiculous."

My thoughts then went to, "Why on earth not?"

So I did. I sat down in his chair and I hugged him.

Then again I felt prompted to ask him if he wanted me to pray for him.

Again, something in me felt terribly resistant.

How awkward.

I was annoyed.

I hate praying when I'm annoyed because it feels soo awkward.

But again, I managed to get the words out,

"Buddy, would you like me to pray with you?"

Then the strangest thing happened. My son's entire body softened in my lap and he stopped crying, and he took a deep breath, and I began to pray,

"Lord, I don't know how to encourage my Siah in these moments. I need your help. I know that sometimes the things I ask him to do aren't his favorite things, but I pray that you would help to push through even the tasks that aren't his favorite. I pray that you would give me patience and a listening ear. Help me not to jump to anger, but to soften my heart always towards you and towards my Siah. Help us both to know that we really can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Amen."

I opened my eyes and he was staring right at me.

"I can do this Mom. I'm sorry I fell apart."

I smiled. He smiled.

I hugged him. He hugged me.

He got to work.

*************************************

There have been so many days as we've walked through home schooling, where I've convinced myself that someone else would surely have more patience than I do. And the truth is, it's probably true. There have been so many days when I question whether I am "fun enough," whether I am able to wear both hats of "Mom" and "Teacher" well. There are so many days where I simply question and wonder about almost everything.

But then there are days like today.

Days when I remember that outside our home, no one else can take my son's heart issues to Jesus the way we can in our home. This space provides an environment to be continuously growing towards the One and only One, who can truly strengthen us to do all things.

I am not the most patient person on the planet. But I can say that this job I've been given in being Mama and Teacher, has over several years, developed more patience in me than I had when I first started. If I had believed the lie that I was not patient enough for this job, I would have missed out on days like today. When I became a mother, the Lord did not say that I must have already mastered all the qualities that a mother must have. Rather, He teaches and enables me along the way. As I need, only then do I develop and grow.

Today, a tender touch, and a heartfelt prayer, and my Siah and I were both ready to try again. And the best part is... it's not because this Mama is so spiritually great and on top of things. More often than not, I have to battle my thoughts to make the right choices and get my kids and myself to let down our pride so that we can see the daily power of Jesus in our home. I did not want to pray. I wanted to yell. How ironic?

This time together under this rickety tin roof, grants us ample opportunity for praise, not perfection. And on the days when I'm expecting perfection, it's often because I have forgotten the One who is worthy of all my praise.

So thankful for the GREAT days. There are many!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Recess Today: The Joy Of Here






There were a few weeks there where the temperatures here on the farm were, plain and simple, UNBEARABLE!

The air outside was frigid.

And this Mama, was a grouchy mess, longing for nothing less than her old beach condo and some sunshine that would actually put off some heat.

So when the temperatures rose and the relief came, we all ran out of this farm house as fast as we could and we soaked up the sun and we spent the afternoon on the go-cart.

Yep, even the Mama stood in line by the old, half-built stable and waited patiently for her turn.

And the girls? Well they had a lovely little tea party with the cats as their special guests, out in the sunshine, right there next to the the old wood pile and a few left over stacks of hay.








I love recess.

I love warm days.

And I love doing life with these amazing little people here on the farm. :)

The Crazy-Beautiful Privilege




Why we're home schooling, really isn't about home-school at all.

Instead, it has everything to do with life... with hearts. It has to do with wisdom and how the Word of God says that true wisdom only comes from one place... The fear of The Lord. And if I am honest with myself, it has to do with me, and the many ways that I still need to do a lot of growing up when it comes to my Jesus.

It's not about math or writing. It's about the privilege of raising souls for the glory of the One True God.

It's about walking with the wise and thus becoming wise.  ("He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." Proverbs 13:20

It's about loving His law and thinking upon it all day long. ( O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditationPsalms 119:97-104)

The Cowboy and I have one chance, a few short years to exemplify the things that will truly bring our children the abundant life (Psalm 19).

And so we soak up our time.

We learn right along side them.

And we thank our Jesus that He has given  us such a gift in training up souls, in such a time as this. :)

So here we go... ten scriptures that admonish us as Mama and Papa to pour all that we are into this crazy-beautiful privilege... the gift of our treasures.

1. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.” {Genesis 18:19} (It's in our daily living that our children should see the Lord. By having them home with me, there is ample opportunity for us all to see Him together. I love that!)

2. Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.  Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”  {Deuteronomy 4:9-10}

3. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your childrenTalk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the roadwhen you lie down and when you get up Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. {Deuteronomy 6:6-9} (ALL_DAY_LONG we are privileged to know our sweet Jesus, more and more. :) LOVE THAT!)

4. All your children will be taught by the Lordand great will be their peace. {Isaiah 54:13}

5. Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked 
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 
but whose delight is in the law of the Lordand who meditates on his law day and night. {Psalm 1:1-2}

6. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mindThen you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. {Romans 12:2}
(In these growing up years, how will they transformed by the renewing of their minds if they do not know daily the full glory of His Word? I love Paul's admonishment here. And I'm so thankful for these early years of my kiddos lives and the opportunity he has given in our little farmhouse to fall in love and train our very thoughts towards the One who loves us most. :)

7. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. {Proverbs 1:8-9}

8. Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. {Proverbs 22:6 }

9. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things{Philippians 4:7-9} (The sad reality is that the world we live in no longer spends their days thinking upon these very things. All the more reason to know His Word so that we can continually think upon these things. Man, just reading these verses inspires me in my daily calling as a Mama of many small children. :)

10. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. {2 Timothy 3:16-17}

Under this roof, and only by His endless gift of grace, may they grow up in love... in love with the very One who calls Himself LOVE. 

May they be a blessing and a gift to their community and their country. 

May they serve Him because His very Spirit has convinced them that sticking close to Jesus is the absolute best way to live. 

May their faith be their own, and NOT just their Mama and Papa's. 

May the Cowboy and I exemplify with our lives, but in the end, may our children, through the continual study of His Word and a daily living out of forgiveness, kindness, grace and love, decide for themselves that He is worthy of our everything. 

May the Cowboy and I be brave enough to trust in YOU and not in ourselves. May we never forget that these children are not ours, but in fact Yours. You know their days and the number of every hair on their heads. 

May I never forget the privilege of this season with little feet running about, opportunity for character training around every corner, and a cozy little farm house FULL of love and laughter!! :) 

The most important fact about the subject of education is that there is no such thing. Education is not a subject, and it does not deal in subjects. It is instead the transfer of a way of life. -G.K. Chesterton

I'm feeling much joy these days in my crazy-beautiful privilege. :)

A link to a wonderful admonition to parents... love the challenge she gives!
http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2012/06/the-problem-with-education-we-dont-know-what-it-means-but-the-government-does.html




Saturday, January 19, 2013

Gaining

Lately my eyes have seen something that they've never seen before.

I have been enthralled with His Word lately. (It's not always this way)

I have been enthralled with Him lately. (It's not always this way)

It's mainly because He is absolutely nothing, I mean nothing, like this world.

He came to GIVE UP his life that I might live, and live fully in His glorious joy.

How do I get this joy? By doing what He did.

By giving it all up.

By losing.

By going lower.

By serving joyfully, humbly, willingly, and intimately.

And this is not a martyrdom mentality. It's the most powerful perspective to have in a world saturated with the message of self.

That a culture can convince a nation that motherhood is not the absolute MOST valuable job, career, ministry tool, purposeful choice for a life, is, may I dare to say it, heart-wrenching.

I'm about to get brutally honest here.

The past few years have been challenging and difficult for me in my mothering. I have questioned over and over again whether or not, me being home with my kids is enough. On the days where I lack kind words I have convinced myself that someone else would be way better at raising my kids than I am. I've said on numerous occasions out loud to the Cowboy that I am positive that the Lord messed up in giving me all these children because I clearly don't have the patience for this job. I've left the house on hard days to go shopping, drink tea at Starbucks, to just sit in the car and try regroup so that I could gain a little perspective.

My heart just checks out.

Because checking out is easier than pressing in.

And I forget that that my children's vices aren't there to irritate me and cause me to be angry; they are offenses that are meant to sober me and call me to the tireless and tender action of praying for, teaching and tending the garden of their souls

I run to self, when where I really need to go is into the truth of His Word. I try to make myself feel better about my sin and my life and my family with a beverage or a new shirt. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I also have a very strong feeling that I'm not alone.

And if I'm even more honest I think that maybe I didn't go to Him on those days because maybe I didn't want to really know what He was going to say.

Because the truth is, if I want to live like Christ, He's going to ask me to die to myself. He says that's the ONLY way I'm truly going to gain anything worth gaining in this life. But it's a nearly impossible thought for me because in this world, and sadly, even in the church, I hear more often than not, you need "find yourself." "the more you do for yourself, the better you'll feel about your life"

But then I read this about the way HE defines life,

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." (And this charge is mentioned in every last gospel... Mathew 10:39, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, John 12:25)

"Just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." Mathew 20:28

"...but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." Mark 4:19

"Stand firm and you will win life!" Luke 21:19

"In Him was life and that life was the light to all mankind." John 1:4

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but has eternal life." John 3:16

"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you_ they are full of the Spirit and life." John 6:63

"The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

"I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep." John 10:11

"The reason that the Father loves me is that I lay down my life..." John 10:17

"Then Jesus answered (Peter), "Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."" John 13:38

And my heart shatters in the absolute best way, and He graciously opens my eyes, for the first time in a long time, and I remember that in fact he has not lessened my life by giving me these kids and this Cowboy. But in fact He has had much favor on me. He has graciously given me a lifetime to pour His precious Name over these four little people. He has given me ample opportunity to be a crown of joy to that man that I absolutely love with my whole heart. He has asked me to lay it all down, not so that I can live a lowly, sad life, rather the very opposite...


'Greater love has no one than this than to lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13


"You have made known to me the paths of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence." Acts 2:28

Family is not a burden.

Children are not an inconvenience. They are not to be seen merely as an expense. They are not another thing to check off our to do list each day. They are not a stumbling block preventing me from my true calling somewhere else outside my home.

They are the most rare of precious gems and they are a crucial-beautiful part of our sanctification. If we really want to know Christ and be like Him, then we will let Him mold us into His likeness as we learn to love and serve the little ones that He has put before us.

Does that mean that I will always feel super in love with my children?

No.

But it does mean that I will joyfully, and sacrificially press in when everything in me feels like running away.

Jesus was a discipler of souls. They pulled Him, tugged Him, pressed in around Him and took Him at every turn. But He never lost sight of how precious they were, and how important His job of pointing to the Father, for the sake of their souls, was. He stole away to His quiet place, not to "find Himself," but to be renewed so He could go back and pour Himself out again.

The family is vital.

The family is the place children are to be taught, nourished and grounded in the principles of God's Word.

The Lord call parents, (not school teachers, not the church, not youth group), but mothers and fathers, to teach their children diligently, daily, in the ways of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 6)

I love that He uses the word diligently. It is not a family devotion here and there that is going to lead our children into the intimate presence of their Jesus. It has to be their very way of life. It's what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears as they walk through their days that's going to determine their steps. And what better privilege do we have on this earth than to exemplify HIM by sacrificially learning to love together as we walk through our days together as a family?

How could I want anything less than Him calling my children "oaks of righteousness"... that my children might be "a planting of the Lord for the display of HIS splendor?" (Isaiah 61)

And if I am honest with myself, how can I be diligent if I am not there? How can I talk about my Jesus when we are sitting at home, or walking along the road, or lying down or getting up, if I am always leaving?

I could easily leave it up to someone else to train up my children. It would lighten my days. I would be more comfortable and have more luxuries. It would allow me more time for myself.

But there is no one on this earth who knows my treasures like I do. God intended it to be that way.

And after a lifetime of living with "me", I am 100% convinced that the last thing I need is more of myself. I need more of Christ. And I'm going to find more of Him as I soak up the gifts He's given me in my children, in my home, and in my High, High calling of motherhood.

Do I think it's wrong to grab a cup of coffee with friends, to steal a weekend away with my man, to spend an afternoon in the city every once in awhile.

No, I do not.

It always comes back to the status of the heart.

Am I looking for the abundant life in a cup of coffee and a new dress? Or am I running into the arms of the One who gives life?

Jesus called us out on our temptation to look for life elsewhere...

"Yet you refuse to come to me to have life..." John 5:40

The truth is my identity is found in Christ and my will is to be always about His will. It is only as I become empty of myself that He is able to fill me up.

It is only when I willingly give all of myself, that I will gain all that I need in Him.


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Your Kindness

When you came in quietly and put the Rock Crawler that you got in the mail yesterday on the farm table, you were so calm. I never would have known that our Siah had dropped the controller on the ground and broken it.

It wasn't but ten minutes later that that same little boy came in the front door and announced that the water feeder for the chickens was broken and he needed your help down in the barn. You didn't even twinge. You didn't sport a dirty look or let out a frustrated sigh. You got up off the bench and you said it with such kindness, "Ok bud. let's go check it out."

HOW-DO-YOU-DO-THAT???

With four small treasures in our quaint little farm house, something is always breaking, someone is often crying about the breaking, and there is usually someone doing a good job of tattle-tailing about the breaking.

And me? This Mama doesn't not feel nearly as chill as you do about all the chaos and the crying and the breaking. This Mama snaps her words around like one of those horrible, sketchy, jerking rides at the county fair.

You make me smile, the way you love on these kids... the way you love on me.

And the thing that speaks to me the most, is the fact that you never say anything to me when I'm doing it all wrong. I know that you know, that I know, that the way my mouth is flapping in the moment is the very last thing that I want my mouth to be doing. And you smile and you wink and your face beams grace my way. And my heart softens, and my mouth asks our sweet treasures for forgiveness... and then ten minutes later there I am, floundering with my tone again... and there you are again, reminding me of grace.

I can't thank you enough for teaching me through your example... it speaks so much louder than your words.

And our kids, I can't tell you how blessed they are to have a Papa with such patience, such wisdom, such self control.

Thank you for that.

Thank you for being you.

How truly  privileged I am to be my Cowboy's wife. :)

Charmer Bootcamp





He calls The Dancing Girl "Howie," and I smile every time he says it. :)

He's calls that book we read nearly every day, "Good Night Jesus."

And while each page brings another opportunity to say good night to all the random objects in the room, The Charmer finds it a great opportunity to ask where Jesus might be hiding on each page. "Jesus Here?" "Jesus Moon?" "Jesus, cow, moon, mouse, old lady?" "Where Jesus?"

It's "Good Night Moon," I tell him. He looks into me and asks in a bit of curious confusion, "Jesus in moon?"

That little man, he's a hoot in every way.

He's in the "repeat every word in an extremely loud voice," phase... Mama loves that phase... or maybe not.

If you're wondering what he does while school's in session, well, he does what any two-year-old would do.

He cocks his gun and shoots bears in the living room.

He drives trains up and down his Mama's arms and legs, complete with sound effects, CHOOOOO, CHOOOOO!!!!

He chops everything in sight with the neighbor's Toy-Story sword that he borrowed nearly two months ago and we still haven't managed to return.

He loves to color... on everything except paper.

And his absolute favorite thing to do in the whole wide world... is to EAT! "Lunch Mom?" "Dinner Mom?" "Snack Mom?" "More Snack Mom?"

He's a giant helper in the kitchen these days, asking at least a dozen times while preparing every meal, "What we having Mom?"

And although he is seriously funny and extremely charming, he has also found his fits.

I know, I know, he's two, and I should probably expect nothing less than the dramatic attitude that I get daily from our little man. But I have to confess that no matter how old a child is, back talk, throwing yourself on the ground, and excessive crying because you were told "no", are just plain unattractive to this Mama.

He's two right? And he's got that stellar smile and those big blue eyes that shout, "let me act ridiculous and get my way, because I am so stinkin cute, you know you want laugh and not hold me accountable to anything."

And let me tell you that these past few weeks, I have been tired and nauseous and all I really want to do is sit on my couch and let the cute little kid run the roost.

It's tempting, I tell ya. Very, very tempting.









But I have learned from some previous children of mine, that when I give up the fight, the battle just gets worse. I am doing my little Charmer an extreme disservice by letting him run a muck and refusing to teach him that there is tremendous joy in obedience.

I knew it had to be done. I just had to muster up the strength to follow through.

CHARMER BOOT CAMP... our only hope for restoring order and joy back to the farm house.

I had a little chat with the Cowboy, just to make sure we were on the same page and we have pulled up our boot straps and hunkered down.

And it's mind-boggling how quickly a little bit of accountability can change a little charmer's heart.

Don't get me wrong... he is still a two-year-old. There are still melt downs, and "I-no-listen-you's" that come out of his sweet little mouth. But they are way less frequent and it usually only takes a kind, "No thank you Jed", or a quick reminder, "When do we obey Jed?" To which he responds, "First time."

In all honesty, it's been kind of a sweet season, as all the other kids and I have been able to teach him how to express a true "Clark Apologie."

Around here, when we've wronged each other in any way, we purpose to "make it right."

"Making it right",doesn't just mean saying a sarcastic, "sor-ry!"

"Making it right" involves three very important steps and it has been so AWESOME to hear my little two-year-old say such restoring words.

First, we must always give the respect of looking the person whom we've wronged in the eyes.

Second, we must not only say sorry, but specifically what we are sorry for. This allows the offender to make sure that they even know what they are apologizing for and it allows the offended to be confident that the offender is genuine in his/her apology.

And lastly, the offender must complete the "making it right" process by asking forgiveness. I love this step because it seems to be the kicker that softens both parties hearts. (The Charmer has not quite gotten this one down... When asking forgiveness he usually says, "I forgive you," when he should be saying, "do you forgive me?" We're working on the right verbiage, but for now, he's trying, and in his learning he always makes the older kids giggle.

We have worked with all the treasures over the years to learn to make things right in this way. And the crazy thing is, that it has become something that the Cowboy and I use in our marriage. I can't even explain what a difference it makes when I not only say I'm sorry, but I ask for forgiveness and wait for a response. Forgiveness seems so much more genuine that a mere, "I'm sorry." Even as adults we can misunderstand each other sometimes and when we clarify the specific ways that we have wronged someone, or have been wronged by someone, there seems to be a deeper healing that takes places.

It's small. But for us six folks living under the farmhouse roof, it has made all the difference.

I'm excited for the Charmer. I'm excited that he gets to grow up in a home where there is an abundance of grace, where we hold each other accountable to kindness, and where forgiveness abounds. Because in a little farm house where six sinners are learning to live life, there is a great need for all of these things, all day long, all year round.


Sunday, January 6, 2013

Because I Believe With My Whole Heart That Jesus Really Is The Most Important Thing

DISCLAIMER:
In real life, I'm an extremely soft spoken woman, an introvert of all introverts.
On normal occasions this is not a political blog or a controversial space.
But I have so much on my heart.
I am not good with speaking my heart but writing on this blog is a way that I can lay my heart bare. And if you've known me for any length of time you know that my heart is far from being malicious or condescending or judgmental. I am, in fact, a rather passive person. But Jesus is to important to me for me to be quiet right now. In fact, He's the only One on the planet that would compel me to be bold when all I really want to do is live my quiet little life here on the farm.
I am not a debater. I am simply a woman who loves Jesus and doesn't want our nation to forget how much we need Him.

READ ON WITH GRACE, Please...
*************************

There is so much going on with our country right now that not only breaks my heart, but quite frankly it scares me.

Hitler didn't take over by force. He was voted in. And he made things SEEM so good, when in fact his main tool was removing religion and replacing it with himself.

And before you roll your eyes and think I'm some kind of extremest, just hear me out.

I am not saying that Obama is Hitler.

What I am saying is that deception creeps in quietly in the night.

Satan, when he offered the apple to Eve, chose his words carefully, and now we're all in quite the pickle. After all, what harm could biting into an apple really cause?

When Satan was tempting Jesus in the desert, He took the very Word of God and twisted it right upside down.

That's Satan's greatest tool.

He takes counterfeit money and makes it look so much like the real thing, that before anyone discovers his dirty ploy, trillions of fake dollars have been spent all over the world.

Thus the point of this entire post... We must now, more than ever, be FIRM in our knowledge of the truth of the Word of God. Because the sad reality is that we can so easily mistake a good looking lie, for the truth.

 Over the past century we have slowly been handing our children over to the care and direction of people outside of our home. Less than 100 years ago, the majority of families, ate together, worked together, studied together, lived life__together. Opportunities to grow in knowledge are wonderful. But according to the Word of God, there is no knowledge worth knowing apart from Christ.

This is not a post about whether we should send our kids to public school, or whether we should home school.

It's so much more important than that. The main question must be whether or not we are really training up our children to really know their need for Christ in ALL things, or are we allowing our society to saturate them in the belief that they can and will thrive in being their own God.

Society can boast of encouraging morality and service projects but we cannot forget that no matter how many character traits are taught, they are utterly pointless without a firm understanding of our need for God in all things. If we are not serving, loving, and living in the strength of, and for the glory of God, then we will spend a life time striving in vain for something that we can never obtain apart from Christ.

If kids aren't learning to serve others because Christ came not to be served, but to serve, then what good is service?(Mathew 20:28) Do they serve so that they might boast in themselves? (1 Corinthians 1:28-30) Hitler did many "good" things. He provided free healthcare, food, jobs. But he did it all with a poster of himself hanging at the front of every classroom in the nation and he did it at the fatal expense of an entire culture. Why we do things is just as important as What we do.

If kids learn to depend on themselves rather than Christ, where will their hope come from? How will they deal with tragedy and disappointment and all the realities of this broken world without the hope that comes from Jesus?

How can kids learn to to save and sacrifice, when their parents and their government are CONSTANTLY living outside of their means? And the saddest thing of all, is that all this "stuff" that we've accumulated over the past century has made us the absolute, most miserable generation in history. Do you want to know who the most content generation was?? Those poor folks who went through the Great Depression. And I'm thinking it was because they lived for others above themselves.


How can kids know that we are able to forgive, unless they know that while we were yet sinners, Christ forgave us. Forgiveness is nearly impossible unless you know in your bones the unexplainable joy that comes when you realize that the heinousness of your sin has been undeservedly washed away by the blood of Jesus.


We cannot save ourselves.

We have got to stop pointing fingers a the gun folks, and whoever else we feel like blaming, and we need to take responsibility as a generation of parents. It is not only a command, but a total privilege that we've been given to rise up and exemplify Christ to the next generation. Parenting is a gift beyond measure and what greater way to spend a lifetime than to pour truth into souls for the glory of God? 

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."( Deut. 6)

What our country needs is Christ.

What our children need is Christ.

Humanism (an idolizing of self and self-sufficiency) will not carry us.

It will destroy us from the inside out.

What we pour into our children matters. What we allow others to pour into our children matters.

It will effect generations to come.

And our choices will either bring a nation further into the glorious riches of their Savior or Our Savior will sadly hand us over to our own pride.

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator…Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.”( Ps. 1:25, 28)

God's Word must be more than idle words, it MUST be our very life. (Deut. 32:47)

I have been praying this simple poem over our nation, and over our homes, praying that we (starting with me) would remember that God is what we need...

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
 You've stripped away our heritage,
 You've outlawed simple prayer.
 Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
 And precious children die.
 You seek for answers everywhere,
 And ask the question "Why?"
 You regulate restrictive laws,
 Through legislative creed.
 And yet you fail to understand,
 That God is what we need! 

Change starts with families and the way we persevere in raising our treasures to live and thrive on the richness and powerful truth of The Word of God.

If we ignore the fact that Christ is rapidly disappearing from our nation, and choose our desire for comfort and convenience over Christ, we will fall.

Submission to the God who gave us His only Son so that we might have life, that my dear friends, is our only hope.

Him and Him alone. 

We can move in the right direction by loving God, speaking of God, and living our own lives for the glory of God in front of, and alongside our children. We can bathe them and ourselves in His sweet Word all day long, every day of our lives. (Joshua 1:8)

Our homes are a powerful witness to communities. 

May we as a nation, once again find fullness of joy in our Jesus and boldly live solely for Him for He is worthy of all our praise. (Psalm 16:11, Psalm 96:4 ) 

Here are several links to some challenging articles...
My heart is not to offend, it's to challenge myself and others who love Him that we can do nothing apart from Christ... We need Him so badly.

Columbine Student's Father, 12 Years Later- I am so thankful for this Dad. Just so thankful.

One Womans Experience In Nazi Austria... I am well aware of the controversy of this article. What I appreciate about this woman's testimony is that deception is nothing new under the sun. Satan deceived people then and he deceives people now. And the thing is, he makes it look sooo good.

Parents Have Such A Tremendous Privilege... Although this woman is very passionate about homeschooling, what challenged me in this article was the reminder that children are a privilege and parents have a tremendous opportunity to influence nations through the love and training that goes on in our homes.
"The generation we raise is only as healthy as the family that raises it." We are so richly blessed to have these amazing little people in our homes! Richly, richly blessed. :)