At The End of a Season, ‘Look Up’

Having happened in April and posted in July, this moment is perfectly in season for me. This week I'm reminded to choose hope; to believe; to live expectantly.

Beneath wind-shivered maples, I wander slump-shouldered across brown grass. All that remains of the day, the week, is the occasional mumbling of half-sentences. Stopping near the ditch, downcast eyes glimpse the oasis. Edged by a thin line of green, dark water reflects grey clouds. I gaze into the liquid mirror while recounting the day; the week …the year.

Illness and divorce in the family, financial strain and church family upheaval…  And, finally, our children are once again growing into another stage. It’s time to step up my parenting, though I have no clue how. I pull the sweater tight as April air chills. The snow disappeared weeks ago, leaving behind flat brown blades, vacant branches. All seems… grey. I’m old and spent and don’t know how parent my kids anymore. Maybe I’ve used up all my abilities. Perhaps my brain has finally disintegrated in the abyss of no-no’s and diapers and naps. Eyes fixed on the murky mirror, a sigh escapes. “God, help me! I don’t even know what to pray right now!”

And there, beneath bare limbs, it comes; the voiceless words. “Look up”

I raise my eyes, perhaps for the first time today, and there at eye level a bright green bulb peeks from its branch, promising to emerge soon. A smile broadens. I am not abandoned, to be forever surrounded by stark branches and the monochrome of in-between. Spring always follows winter.

I leave the oasis refreshed. By still water, the words of my Father have restored my soul. The end of a season is here, but a new one is birthing – one of vibrant colors, brimming with new life. 

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Love In Action

"... let's not merely say that we love each other; 

let us show the truth by our actions."

1 John 3:18

As I teach my kids to be thankful for all God provides, it naturally comes up that others do not have the same things we do. Clean water ... food every day ... a warm bed to sleep in... not everyone has that, and we are thankful we do.

But it doesn't stop there. 

One day, as I explained that we can help others, one of my kids (who is particularly sensitive to spiritual matters) said, "I want to help now"  He pushed  me to discover how we can work to help NOW. 

I love that kid... 

So, our 'love in action' looks like this: 

1: We sell our baking to friends and family

2: With those funds, we buy groceries to give to the local food bank

My son inspects their creation

Ideally, we would then be able to help in that food bank. Looks so far like that won't be a possibility, but we can tour the facility - maybe even on a distribution day - so these young ones can get a better understanding of how they can make a difference and how we can help each other. 


... so if you are close friend or family reading this, you may get a visit with our order form in the next week or two ... (and if we miss you but you'd like to contribute, let me know!) 


I'm excited to share more with you as we bake like crazy, and live love.

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4 Ways to Feed Kids Faith

Munching on peanut butter toast, my five year old watches me read my Bible. He brushes away a milk mustache and asks, “Mom, can you read the real story about Daniel and the lions’ den?” I briefly weigh which is more important – my own study or his – and flip to the story of Daniel.

As a mom who wrestles with how to feed my kids faith, I want to know how I can lead them into their own faith without ‘forcing it down their throat’. How can I pour God’s word into them without it turning into resentment later? 

As I continue to look for ways to pour God’s word and love into our kids, I find a need to stop and consider what we are already doing.

1.     Pray

It’s important to me that our prayers do not become mantras, but are real-time and applicable; about things the kids care about too. ‘Thank you Jesus, for food every day and warm beds to sleep in. Thank you that we could swing from the chandelier today – that was really fun!”

At bedtime, I pray with each child, then for them. I thank God for making them special, that he has a plan for them, and then list specific things I’m thankful about. Ie) ‘Thank you, Lord, for making our son so handsome, strong, helpful, kind, funny….’ My son smiles as he overhears me talking to God about him. Love it.

2.     Read Bible stories

They may have been introduced to these stories through Sunday School or Veggie Tales. Wherever it was, my kids now love to hear about Daniel and the Lions’ Den, Samson, Jonah and the Big Fish, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego. Sometimes we read from kids’ books, usually right out of the Bible. (Usually during my own Bible study time -they always want to do what we’re doing, eh?)

3.     Church Stuff

Attending and serving in Sunday school, church, Mom’s groups and Bible studies provide a sense of community. It shows our kids what it means to be part of a faith family.

4.     Live It 

They see and hear me living my faith. As they watch me struggle, celebrate, sing, dance, cry, pray, help, serve ... it becomes real life for them too. They see my passion for Jesus and become interested.

I let them hear me pray, talk with others about God and faith, and they hear how I speak to and about others… and them.

Their choice between faith or resentment will likely be made based on how real my own faith is. 

  

I have no long term results to point to, but so far this 3 and 4 year old have a history of requesting Bible stories, initiating conversations about how great God is. They’re excited about Sunday school, and are familiar with God’s presence in our family. One morning my son crawled into bed with me and said, “Mom, do you know that God is powerful? He is so mighty.” 

I can’t give my children faith – that is between them and God. But I can pour God’s word into them and deliberately model my faith for them. And I can pray – that they’ll be receptive, strong in faith, and love Jesus with all their hearts. The rest is in God’s capable hands.

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Breathe - Repost

On a cold, blustery day like this one, I like to remember the better days of winter...  

We nestle in white powder snow beneath grey afternoon clouds. I watch her scoop snow into her plastic shovel and dump it into a Tonka truck. My eyes grow heavy as I watch him push a yellow metal loader through snow piles. My shoulders sag beneath invisible weight. My little ones play, unaware it is nap time. I lay on the snow, close my eyes. Loader wheels squeak. Swish-a-swash Swish-a-swash. Snow pants rub as she walks. Snow sprays on my forehead as boots approach and she shovels snow onto my legs. "I'm covering you, mommy!" She laughs. 

The fresh air is cool and moves. It wafts towards my cheeks, then away. It tenderly floats across my nose. A smile crosses my face. Only now do I realize that out here, beneath clouds, I can feel air. In my house, our manufactured temperature lacks the fresh movement only God can create. He didn't just give us oxygen - he made it move. It touches me. It caresses my face, entices my nose with endless scents and, a strong wind even wraps its arms around me.

My son lays silent beside me, inches from my face. I open my eyes and we gaze at each other, smiling. His blue eyes dance with joy. This moment, God is here smiling with us. We're rich and blessed to share this - to lay on soft snow and breathe.

Crumbling My Resistance

My daughter is a walking mirror, reminding me of me. We share the same personality, characteristics and …(cough) …behavior.  Like yesterday for example…

‘Get your shoes on dear’ I tell my three year old girl.

‘Get my shoes on right nooooow?’ she asks.

‘Yes, get your shoes on right now please.” She scampers off, and pulls her shoes from the shelf, tossing them to the floor. She jams her toes into the shoe and grunts loud and long.

‘Uuuuuuh!!!!’ She yells to no one. I peek around the corner.

‘Just ask for help, honey’

‘UUUHHHHHH!!!!!’ She shakes her foot wildly, yelling. Her brow crunches together above angry eyes and she breaks into wailing. She crumples to the floor in a heap of tears and anger as I stand next to her in silence, waiting.

I laugh to myself at this precious child who makes things so hard for herself. I love her and wish she would just choose to reach out for help. I laugh to myself that I do the same thing. The tasks that lie ahead of me are too much for me.  The book tour (public speaking, planning, fundraising), we’re currently moving, and then there’s the financial squeeze…

I’ve spent the last few weeks saying ‘UUUuuuhhh!!!’ instead of asking God for help. He must be shaking his head at me, wondering why I don’t just ask Him for help.

“I want to please Jesus”

“I want to do this right”

“I don’t want to screw it up”

“I’m too proud, selfish, petty to walk this out”

“I don’t know what to say!!”

“I don’t know how!!”

“Uuuuuhhhh!!!!”  (can you hear my flailing my shoe wildly?)

You know the best part? While I was asking God ‘what should I DO?’ He was speaking to me ‘grace’ ‘you are loved’. I plugged my ears and kept on searching for what I should DO; how to get it right.  Then, this Sunday in church I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Grace and mercy seemed to flow from the worship songs. God broke down my resistance with His amazing love and mercy and grace. I came to my knees before the cross, humble at last before Jesus.  

Hours later, I noticed that the incessant lump of tension that had been eating me for weeks ..was gone. I had peace. Fantastic, wonderful peace.

I’m not permanently fixed. The stresses remain and I can feel that ‘tension ache’ in my body again today, but I can come humbly before the cross anytime and confess my inability before the One who is able. May I recognize daily how dependant I am on God.

He knows I can’t ‘do this right’. He knows I’ll fail. I’m human. But He will not fail.

Lord, forgive me for thinking I could do this on my own. I clearly can’t, yet you’ve asked me to walk here. My future mess-ups and sin are no surprise to you, yet you lead me here anyway. Jesus, thank you for calling me to things I can’t do without you. Please help me to walk completely dependant on you all the time. I see what I become when I try to walk on my own. Selfish. Proud. Sinful. Ugly. Weak. Broken. 

Lord, I can not please you without faith and obedience and I sure can’t please you by my performance. Thank you for humbling me with your grace, for crumbling my resistance with your love.

Please help me to cling to you instead of running off to do things – even your good works - on my own. Thank you for reminding me of how to fix my eyes on you Jesus.

It Pays to Work For Free

Surrounded by suits and perfectly coiffed heads of hair, the speaker beamed. “If you want to get rich, work for free!” He belted out, smirking. He must have known he sounded insane. ‘I work because I NEED money’. I argued in silence, ‘How can I afford to work for free?!’  He explained that, in order to build a business that will have lasting (passive) income production, we need to invest ourselves. We invest now, the entity we’re building pays out later. “That’s how wealth building works.”

 

It’s interesting that even pursuit of wealth works on God’s principles. Like gravity, we’re all subject to His order of things whether we agree with them or not.

Hmm…  where have I worked for free? ...Writing. Real Estate. Business building. Helping others. Parenting. Ooh...parenting - talk about investing in the future!

“And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters

or father or mother or children or property, for my sake,

will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life.”

Matthew 19:29

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full —pressed down,

shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.

The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. ”

Luke 6:38

What an awesome promise!! A guarantee from heaven that my efforts, when made for Jesus, are not fruitless. -Ever. Invest now, huge payout comes later.

I’m building heavenly rewards when I write, help others, or invest myself in my children for His glory. That kind of wealth building will never depreciate, require maintenance, or disappear due to market instability. And, as a bonus, I never have to pay taxes on it. Heh heh…

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 6:19-21

 Lord, please help me hide these scriptures in my heart. Help me to be thankful and excited to do anything you ask. You know I want the boldness that comes from you - to approach you and serve you boldly without any fear of what others think or what it costs. Thank you Lord, that you are just and that you are the giver of lasting rewards. Help me pour all I am into your Kingdom - the only eternal investment. Amen.

Happy investing!

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Cosby - Too True

Remember the Cosby Show from the 80s and early 90s? Even in his comedy act, he did this bit about telling his kids to go have a shower.  ... it wasn't just 'go have a shower' It was... 

'Go upstairs to the bathroom, turn the water on. 

Get undressed, step into the shower and stand under the water. 

Wash your whole body with soap. Rinse. Turn the water off ....' etc. 

At the time, I think I just concluded that he thought his children were particularly brainless. But, now a parent, I completely understand. 

This morning my son got his shoes on (good), but was barefoot in them (eew). 

"Oops. We don't wear shoes with bare feet" I said. "Please either put your sandals on, or put socks on." 

... seemed straight-forward to me...

Moments later, he walked into the room like this:

Thanks, son, for putting on your sock.  Good job. 

Make It Count

Little ones breathe deep beneath their blankets. The day is over. My feet didn’t stop running from morning until now, but I can’t point to one thing I did today! Laundry and dishes remain in piles, the ‘to-do’ list seems endless … what did I do today?!

I notice when I’m discouraged about parenting, it’s usually because I’m not counting what we do. For some inexplicable reason I have this bizarre expectation that a ‘good mom’ (whatever that is) will sit on the floor and play with her children most of each day. She speaks gently to them, smiling always. She entertains them and loves all children at all times. She basks in peace and joy every waking minute. Oh – and her house would be organized and spotless by the way.

Who can live up to that?!?! Like I said ...  unrealistic.

So, craziness aside, I’ve decided to count what I do as part of my being a ‘good mom’. (whatever that is). After all – there are no pay raises, no annual reviews, no grades or check marks. I have to decide what counts, and then count it.

So, I’ve decided that ‘it counts’ (as ‘good momming’) when …

• we’re  in the same room and occasionally interact in a peaceful and pleasant way. (if I’m folding laundry while they talk, it counts)
• I’m frustrated but speak gently
• I encourage, smile at, tickle, laugh with or chase my children.
• we run errands together 
• we stop to look at a flower
• I remember to connect an everyday event or fact to a truth of the Bible
• I pray with them
• they’re fed and dressed
• I can see the floor of their rooms
• they’re around during group Bible study
• they hear me encourage others, see me share or speak gently to others
• I share with my children – my room, my couch, my computer, my hat …
• I play toys and imaginary games with them, (and jumping on the trampoline …)
• I stop what I’m doing to listen to them
• I answer their questions patiently – bonus points for humorous answers… 

Suddenly the list seems endless! Wonderful! Hopefully the next time I’m discouraged about ‘bad momming’, I can remember that those little things count. Actually, they probably count way more than the bad times. I yell and lose my cool far less than I do all the things in that list, so I figure I’m okay. … which probably means they’ll be more-or-less okay.

Thanks for letting me ramble about that. Hopefully it helps you to remember that those ‘little’ things you do with your kids aren’t really little at all. They totally count!

Breathe

We nestle in white powder snow beneath grey afternoon clouds. I watch her scoop snow into her plastic shovel and dump it into a Tonka truck. My eyes grow heavy as I watch him push a yellow metal loader through snow piles. My shoulders sag beneath invisible weight. My little ones play, unaware it is nap time. I lay on the snow, close my eyes. Loader wheels squeak. Swish-a-swash Swish-a-swash. Snow pants rub as she walks. Snow sprays on my forehead as boots approach and she shovels snow onto my legs. "I'm covering you, mommy!" She laughs.

The fresh air is cool and moves. It wafts towards my cheeks, then away. It tenderly floats across my nose. A smile crosses my face. Only now do I realize that out here, beneath clouds, I can feel air. In my house, our manufactured temperature lacks the fresh movement only God can create. He didn't just give us oxygen - he made it move. It touches me. It caresses my face, entices my nose with endless scents and, a strong wind even wraps its arms around me.

My son lays silent beside me, inches from my face. I open my eyes and we gaze at each other, smiling. His blue eyes dance with joy. This moment, God is here smiling with us. We're rich and blessed to share this - to lay on soft snow and breathe.