Make This Summer Count!

Here I am again, 2 a.m. drinking coffee! :) I know it sounds miserable, but on the days (or nights rather) that the Lord wakes me up, wanting to spend time together, speaking things to my heart and giving me so many exciting ideas of ways to continue my quest for a godly home, raising kids who are passionate followers of Christ, and supporting and encouraging my  husband on his daily journey, I have no desire to stay in bed! I love these quiet, dark times just me and the Lord. It is more energizing than any sleep could ever be. I've said this before but I encourage you, if you are wide awake in the middle of the night, don't spend hours tossing and turning. Just say, "Ok, Lord. What have you got for me?" And wander off to a comfy spot with your Bible, and let the Lord pour into you. It is a neat, special time to sit and be with the God of the universe when all else is asleep around you.

So what is on my heart this time?? Well, it is no new topic for me, but I always find myself thinking more and more about intentional parenting as the summer begins. Our kids just finished up school this week (but don't be haters....we start back August 10th!), and the past few weeks I have spent some time coming up with some ways to best use our time over the next couple months. We only have our kids under our jurisdiction for so long, and it is a very high calling. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that if they are safe and happy all is well, while their souls starve and the window of time when their hearts are softest to the love of their Creator closes more with each swiftly passing year. This is your time to write the Word on their hearts! Help them build a firm foundation they can stand on through out the rest of the days ahead. You won't always be there with them so take time to help them form a strong, personal bond with the One Who will never leave them. Help them store up His Word in their hearts. As I've said before, fill their arsenal with the mighty weapons of the Word of truth and the Sword of the Spirit. Speak to them and over them the things that God says about them. Teach them all the incredible promises that are ours in the Bible! There is so much practical advice for our everyday lives in the pages of scripture which, if grasped at an early age, can have eternal impacts on not only the lives they live but also the lives they will touch.

So don't let the summer rush past you and miss the precious, uninterrupted moments it holds for you to impart incredible, life giving, live changing wisdom and power! On a very practical level here are a few things I'm "planning" to implement this summer. I have 3x5 note cards with different scripture verses on them. We'll pick a different one at the beginning of each week and keep it in a place we will see it often. We'll say it together at breakfast. I'll quiz them when we're driving down the road. We'll probably write it on the bathroom mirror. And now that Mikaela is such a great reader, she'll probably find it hidden around the house from time to time.

Teach them to pray...and I don't mean the same little words each time. Sorry, but that is not praying, that is reciting. Encourage them to say to God whatever is on their hearts. He cares about all of it. Thank Him for stuff. Tell Him stuff. And ask Him for stuff. The words don't matter like the heart does. If you find them repeating the same words each time, simply tell them you want them to come up with at least one different thing to add to their prayer each time.

I'm making a reading list for Mikaela of books I'm going to pay her to read! :) Why not? Make it fun. There are some great Christian living/devotional books for kids. Why not encourage your kiddos to begin now filling their hearts and minds with awesome, life-giving material? Everything from managing money to keeping a positive, God-focused attitude, to knowing how to live out and share their faith. Don't sit around and hope they learn this stuff! Go out there and give them the tools and sweeten the pot with some good old fashion bribery! :) (I'm making a little questionnaire for her to complete each time she finishes one of the books on the list to ensure she read it well and got something out of it. Then each book will be worth a specified amount of money, or ice cream! Whatever works! :) )

And also, to maintain a good work/life balance (or life/life balance as the case may be), I'm going to do my best to make my schedule and to-do lists obey me instead of the other way around. I've made a daily routine I'm going to do my best to hold to. Granted, everyday will not fit neatly into this plan, but I don't want to find myself saying, "Just one more thing..." over and over, only to look up in two months and realize school is back in, and I've missed the chance to make it fun and impactful and maybe even life changing because I was too busy with the things I felt were needed to get around to doing the things that were meaningful.

My "typical day" schedule looks like this...8-10: Mommy time (play, swim, explore a new park, whatever), 10-12: Mommy does some work while kids play (without screens!...I've made a Pintrest board of activity ideas for when they say they don't know what to do!), 12-1: lunch and maybe play a game all together, 1-3: quite time, and so on.....

You get the idea. Come up with a plan (which you have to hold loosely) that can help you put things in their place so all the little things don't crowd out the truly important stuff!

Sorry this was so long!! :) Hopefully it gives you some good motivation to jump into this summer with a plan for fun and fruitful times! 

Stay in Jerusalem!

Hi all! I hope all the mamas out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! I was sitting in church yesterday and the pastor read Acts 1:4. At this point in the sermon, I am sorry to say, I mentally derailed. Not really quite sure why he read the verse, but as I stared at it on the big screen I had one of those moments when something just jumped out at me. 

This verse comes from the days after Jesus had risen from the dead but before he ascended to heaven. It says, "While being together and eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Of which,” He said, “you have heard Me speak."

Stop and read that again. What? Stay in Jerusalem? Do you have any idea what Jerusalem was like for the disciples at that time? These men, big, strong, blue-collar guys, were hiding for their lives. Just a few days before they thought they had lost everything when the One for Whom they had laid everything down was crusified on a cross for all to see. Their faith was shaken to the core. Then three days later when He rose from the grave, as He had already told them He would, their faith was restored, but their lives were in more danger than ever. They were being hunted by all of the officials and all of the guards. The most feared officers in the known world wanted their heads. People were threatened by Christ just as they are today. When His body was gone the officials were willing to go to any extremes necessary to prove that the disciples were behind the disappearance. As the disciples most likely were making plans to get out of Dodge, Christ said, "Stay in Jerusalem. Stay in the midst of your trouble. Stay in the middle of the hardest time of your life. Stay though fear so grips you that death would be a welcome escape. Stay in Jerusalem," he said, "and wait for what God has promised, which you have already heard from me."

 Wow! What a powerful message for our lives. We've all had those times where maybe it would be easier to just run away. We're scared or frightened. We just want to get out of the situation. We frantically look around searching for a way of escape, but listen. Is Christ whispering to your heart, "Stay and wait to see what God has promised. The promises what you have already read in my Word. The promises I already told you about. Stay and wait and see."?

This reminds me of another of my very favorite verses found in Exodus 14:13-14, "Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest."

There are times when common sense tells you God has provided a way out of your tough situation, and you need to take it. But there are other times when God wants to show you just how awesome He is, and He says, "Stand still and watch. I will fight for you!"

Only personal, devoted, quiet time with the Lord will answer the question for you of which type of situation you're in. But rest assured, God will do what He has promised. The things you have already heard from His Word!