Our Kids See God Through Us

Did you know that children form their earliest impressions of God from the way they interact with their parents? Our children get to know God through knowing us... We are the lens through which they first "see" him. We need to have a close relationship with our Heavenly Father (Parent) and know God as well as possible, so we can accurately reflect to our children who God really is and what he is like.. This is a huge responsibility for us as parents...
We need to show our children the unconditional love that God has for us. The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: She opens her mouth in wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue...How we treat our spouses is a big way our kids see love.... If they see love is hard to offend and quick to forgive...they learn that love and forgiveness go hand in hand...
Studies show that children that come from broken homes tend to make their own broken homes in life.... Children who come from loving parents tend to be more loving towards their own children... Our children are a product of us... they live their lives the way they were taught in their home..
Psalms 145:4-5 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. It is our responsibility as parents to raise our children in the Lord. Proverbs 22 “Train up a child in the right way and when they are old, they will not stray.”
I know I have made many mistakes so far in my "parent training" but you know what? When I tell my kids, "I'm sorry" I think they respect me more.. and they learn that I'm not perfect and I will make mistakes too...and that I try to learn from my mistakes.. I think that is a valuable lesson to teach our kids.. We all are works in progress and it is such a gift to have God teaching us every day how to love and how to praise Him..

Dangerous Surrender

I recently finished a Book study in my woman's ministry group. The book was by Kay Warren called Dangerous Surrender. You have already read a little about my experience with this book. It's the kind of book that makes you look in the mirror and ask yourself am I doing enough? Am I putting myself out there to help people in need? Am I picking up the cross and serving others? Am I dying to self and living for Jesus? Not everyone is suppose to go over seas in the mission field.. There is a huge mission field right outside our front door. Look at our communities... There are homeless shelters, AIDS Clinics, newborn babies addicted to drugs, children in Foster care homes that want to belong to a family, and so much more...There are people that need us.. and I really think we need these people too.
Kay Warren wrote that we need to get disturbed about what is out there.. Disturbed enough to help cure the problems..disturbed enough to love our brothers and sisters...enough to surrender to God's purpose for our lives..
Mark 8:34-37 Then (Jesus) called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
In the verse where Jesus says "take up the cross" what that means is saying yes. "Yes, God, I will do whatever you ask of me - whatever, whenever." It's agreeing with God that His way is best in every situation and choosing to obey Him over every other authority, regardless of how you feel about it. This is "dying" to self-will and self-centeredness...
This is a really hard one for me. I do not like getting dirty, sweating, and I don't like being out of my "comfort zone". My idea of roughing it is sleeping in a 3 star hotel.. Okay that's a little exaggeration.. I do like to camp out... but only on my terms.. fresh water.. clean toilets...tent with a blow up mattress... So I am asking myself why am I seriously considering flying all the way to West Africa?? Oh and I absolutely hate flying... since I am a control freak.. trusting my life to an airplane pilot is really hard..... but you know.. I'm getting okay with that..Why am I thinking about getting so far out of my comfort zone it's scary..? What is God putting on my heart? and why? Will I go to West Africa? I don't really know. My husband, Dusty thinks I should wait until the girls are in college...at least that's what he thinks today...who knows if God will speak to him too... I never thought I would be where I am today...
Whether it's here or way over there..there are people that need us...People that are suffering and we can help... praying, giving your time, giving your money, and just giving yourself... Are you willing to be seriously disturbed?
*quotes taken from 'Dangerous Surrender'

Crack the Bible ....Find an Answer

Do you ever just open the Bible for answers... Questions on your heart? I don't do it often..but today I did.. I was asked to do something by a dear friend of mine. She wanted me to be a part of something big....In my mind and heart it felt like something huge.. something I am not qualified or smart enough to do.... she said think and pray about it... So I opened my Bible and this is what I read..
1 Timothy 4:6 "If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that is now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach. 12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit , in faith, in purity......15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, all your progress may be evident to all.. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you...."
I'm thinking.....maybe I should pray on it some more...

Pride and Forgiveness

I have learned many lessons in my Forty three years of life.. Most of them over the past few years... I have learned that My Pride has not permitted me to fully forgive someone. I was right, she was wrong.... she was right, I was wrong.. I'm sure you have heard many a story like that... When I think about the hurtful words said to me out of anger and confusion... I start to make myself angry all over again... I know that she and I have our own memories and truths... and I think no matter how many times we drive our versions into the ground neither one of us is going to budge.... I know that the words and memories I said to her were not words of kindness and love...they were meant to make her feel as bad as she made me feel... an eye for an eye. a thought for a thought.. a stab for a stab... she felt that she was the original victim and I thought I was...so around and around we go.
What is truly sad to me...is that she was my best friend for the past twenty years... we have known each other forever but became close after I got married. She and I have been to hell and back.. We had always been each others support system..and always a friendly voice at the other end of the phone...and with a few words of anger.. it's all gone...Never to be found again.. Once that kind of trust is broken there are too many scars left behind to go back to the way it was... Will we have a real relationship again? I don't know... Do I want a real relationship again..I don't know... My heart says yes....but my mind and my pride say I just don't know....I'm hurting... A very dear friend of mine gave me these words of wisdom. "You can forgive someone even though you are torn a part inside.. You can forgive through your tears... It does not mean that you go back to the way things were.. It does not mean that the pain will go away quickly...what it does mean is that we trust God enough to Forgive someone as he forgave us.... I don't know why my pride hasn't let me let it go completely....
As Christians, God tells us to forgive one another. Col 3:13-15 'bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another: even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all things put on love, which is the bond of perfection and let the peace of God rule in your hearts...'
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control." [Proverbs 15:1-2] In other words, in this case, fully and uncontrollably expressing oneself while angry is seen as being not prudent, a sign of foolishness as opposed to a sinful action. Thus, in the Bible, anger is qualified based upon its context and consequence.
I have been a very foolish woman... I know that... and I know that with God's help I will get right on this... I need to completely forgive..not just "half forgive". God has forgiven everything I have ever done so if I want to follow Jesus and carry that cross... I need to forgive too....