Down But Not Out

What a week. Make that two weeks. Last week, my Mac hard drive burned out taking all my family photos for the last eight years with it. This was bad. Then I'm checking my daughter's math grade and she has a 100 average! This was good. This week, a trusted friend hurt my heart. This was bad. Then I got to speak at a women's event and the Lord showed up in a beautiful way. This was good.

Life is rather funny this way, isn't it? You just never know what might hit next - good or bad. The trick is to not let it drive you crazy (some of us have a shorter way to go than others). How can we maintain peace in the midst of life's radical ups and downs???

Mary Magdeline was a woman in the Bible who's life was filled with extreme ups and downs. First, Jesus delivers her from demonic bondage. This was good. She becomes Jesus' devoted follower. Her life was absolutely transformed. Then, her Lord was arrested and brutally murdered. Remember the moody crowd? At the beginning of the week they were shouting "Hosanna" but by week's end they were shouting "Crucify him"! This was bad.

Then, as if she hadn't been through enough, this poor woman goes to the tomb to care for Jesus' body and finds the tomb empty. She begins to weep, assuming someone had stolen her precious Jesus. An angel asks the question, "Why are you weeping"? (I always thought this angel must be a man!) But then she is told Jesus was alive! Talk about your ups and downs. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

We can't count on smooth travel through this crazy thing called life. The Christian walk is unpredictable. Jesus said, "I've told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have overcome the world." (Jn. 16:33) Do you hear the Rocky music? That empty cave is our rallying cry. It promises that nothing, not even death itself can defeat God's purpose!

Yes, life is full of ups and downs; highs and lows; victory and defeat. We must keep our eyes on the empty tomb if we are to make it through. The empty tomb is our hope and our happily ever after. It's the exclamation mark at the end of life's sentence. The next time I lose my photos (heaven forbid!), get locked out of my blog or get hurt by someone I trust, I won't stand weeping at an empty tomb. I'll look up to my risen Savior and I'll say, "This is good."

A Faith of Their Own

Chris and I get so tickled observing our own characteristics in our chilren. Chris swears that Mary Cate is a "little Lisa" and I know Jack is just like is father! I'm not sure who Ellie is. She's one of kind!

It's great to raise our children in the pattern of our likeness to some extent. Chris and I carefully teach our kids to Love God, Love Texas and Love Texas Tech - ha! However, we need to be careful as we train them in the ways of the Lord, to make sure they are establishing their own unique relationship with Christ as well.

I was raised in a great Christian home. My parents modeled Christianity for me. I had an amazing youth minister. I had Bible knowledge and knew how to pray the "right" way. The problem came when I moved away from home. I realized I had been living on my parents and youth minister's faith. I didn't have a very strong relationship with Christ on my own. When I moved out from under my parents umbrella of faith, I stumbled when tempted.

Now that I'm a parent, my prayer is that as I am living out my faith in front of my kids that they will begin to establish their own relationship with Christ. I pray their personal faith would be so strong that their relationship with God supersedes all else in their life - even my influence! I pray their relationship with the Lord would truly be their own and not an extension of mine or anyone else's.

When my time on this earth is through, may my children's faith be strong enough to keep them "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord", 1 Corinthians 15:58.

So teach your kids how to make grandma's banana pudding; brain wash them to cheer only for your alma mater; share your own personal faith stories but then may we encourage them to pray on their own, search the scriptures for themselves and trust God to speak to them in an individual and unique way that is just for them.

Rescued!

Not to make a bad joke, but you'd have to be living underground not to have heard about the Chilean miners who've been trapped 2300 feet below the earth's surface for more than two months. Their rescue is nothing short of a miracle. We've all watched the news with baited breath as each one is slowly brought up and we've all cried watching them reunite with their families. Have you not imagined yourself or your husband trapped, away from you for 70 days with little hope of ever seeing them again? What a celebration to see them alive!

The miners have experienced a physical entrapment yet we are hearing stories of God's Spirit keeping them spiritually free. While stuck in that pit, at least some of the men, experienced God in supernatural ways. The Spirit of the Lord encouraged them and lifted them to new heights. Our loving Father set their spiritual feet on solid ground.

This story is classic God. While I've never been in a physical pit, I have certainly been in a spiritual one. Before God rescued me, I was helpless in my sin. My old ways of thinking, my selfishness, pride and dysfunction had me buried. Try as I might, I could not get out of that pit on my own. I could get a new attitude. I could try to bring other people down in the pit with me. I could deny the existence of the pit, but at the end of the day - I was still stuck.

In Psalm 40, the writer shares a story we can all relate to: "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Is anyone else out there shouting "HALLELUJAH"?! Girl, you can't get out of that pit by yourself. Your best friend can't get you out, money can't get you out, self-determination can't get you out! ONLY God!

What do you think these miners are saying when they set their feet above ground for the first time? What do you think is the state of their heart when they breath in that fresh air? Again, Psalm 40 says, "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord."

I'll bet those men are singing a new song all right. I know when God rescues me I can't help but sing praises to my God. This 'salvation' experience of the miners is causing many to see and fear the Lord. You cannot deny the power of God when you see someone who once was lost but now is found.

God has saved me from a pit more than once and I imagine He'll be saving me from a few more before my life on earth is done. Every time He saves me, I know Him better. I trust Him more and I sing a little louder. We praise Him as we watch Him pull these miners out of the pit and we must look to our own lives and recognize what God has done for us as well.

Today, my friends, look and see what our God has done. If you're in a pit, wait patiently for the Lord. Keep crying to Him. He will lift you up and put a new song in your mouth. He's the ultimate search and rescue!

It's All Good!

I have a dear friend who uses this term when things aren't exactly 'going in her direction'. It's her way of smiling in the face of adversity. She doesn't want to complain or burden anyone. She puts on a good face and tells herself, "It's all good"!

It's the kind of phrase that can really stick with you. We, women, carry a lot of weight on our ever-crowded shoulders. We honor our husbands, care for our children, hold down jobs and support our staff. We volunteer, try to exercise, return calls, respond to emails, drive carpools, and fold laundry into the night! Yet when things get a little crazy (when are things not crazy?), we don't want to let anyone down so we force a smile and say, "It's all good".

Is it all good for you right now? What's on your plate that you wish you could scrape into the garbage disposal? What's that one extra responsibility you would love to unload? What do you do when it gets to be too much? Where do you turn to get reassured and regain your strength? God's got a word for you...

1 Corinthians 2:9, "...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." Dig that! God has prepared something for you that is greater than anything you could dream possible. In this day and age where I feel like I've seen it all and heard it a thousand times, here comes God, once again reminding me that He's Bigger & Better than anything this world can dream up.

God is prepared to bless your socks off! The only requirement is to love Him. It's easy to lose focus of what is True. The trials of this life do not have to break our hearts. The responsibilities we each carry can be used by God to make us stronger not weaker. I believe if we love God first and keep Him as the center of all we are then anything is possible.

God has made you a promise, girlfriends. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can conceive what God has in store for you. The Man's got plans! Entrust yourself to the ultimate Life Coach. Hand over those hopes & dreams; those doubts & disappointments. Give the Divine Visionary full reign and soon you'll know on a supernatural level - "It's All Good!"

Say Yes to the Dress

Do you know that tv show on TLC? My daughter, Mary Catherine, and I love to watch 'Say Yes to the Dress'. It's a show about an upscale bridal store in New York and their clients who are in search of the perfect wedding gown. It's so fun to see all the dresses! I think I could get married six times over just to get to wear a different dress each time! (To Chris, of course!)

Yes, it's fun to have an occassion to get all dolled up in your finest. We all want to look our best for the man of our dreams, don't we? The most romantic story to me is the one about the helpless maiden who is swept off her feet by Prince Charming. She has nothing to offer him but her whole heart and pure devotion. They become engaged and the wealthy groom wants to buy the bride the most beautiful gown ever designed, no expense spared.

Yes, there's no story quite like it. Did you know that's your story? Jesus loved you so much that he took you, helpless in your sin, and chose you to be His own. What could we, the impoverished bride, possibly offer our groom? Isaiah 64:6 says, "All our righteous acts are like filthy rags." This truth will either frustrate you or set you free.

The point is, even the most devoted servant is nothing without Christ! We, who are 'career christians', would do well to remember: Jesus paid it all and all to Him I owe. I can't serve His church, feed the poor, or give my tithe in an effort to redeem myself or make myself more attractive to God. I could never earn His love. I serve and give only in response to His love for me.

Get this - Isaiah 61:10, "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." Are you listening? He clothed me. I didn't clothe myself.

Have you taken this all in? Does it stir your heart that He gave you beauty for ashes; strength for fear; gladness for mourning? (Is. 61:3) Do you see yourself as the chosen bride of Christ? Have you received this lavish love for yourself or are you still trying to earn it on your own? There is a groom, Jesus, who is preparing His bride, the Church, for the wedding of the century.

Will you 'Say Yes to the Dress'?

He's Kind of a Big Deal

In Matthew 6, we find Jesus teaching the disciples how to pray. This is really cool because it's like having Paula Deen teach you how to make fried chicken. Nobody makes fried chicken like Paula and nobody prays like Jesus. We've got the expert! If ever you wanted to improve your prayer life, now's your chance. Court is in session and the King is in Court so listen up!

Jesus tells us to start out our prayers with, "Hallowed be Your Name". Really? I always thought I was supposed to start my prayers with, "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" At least that's how I've always done it. Hmmm...maybe there's more to this prayer thing than I originally thought.

All kidding aside, I think Jesus makes a point that's worth our attention. We need to pause and realize who we're talking to. When we enter into the Presence of the Almighty we should remove any part of ourselves that would be prideful or assuming. The Creator of the Universe is worthy of our worship.

I am a HUGE U2 fan. One of the greatest dreams of my life would be to meet Bono in person. A couple of years ago, my brother-in-law, Jim, called to tell me of a pastor's conference he attended in which Bill Hybels showed a video of himself interviewing Bono. As my brother-in-law went on with his story I stopped listening and my face glazed over. Jim stopped and asked what was wrong. I said, "Jim, you know Bill Hybels, right?" to which Jim replied, "Yes". Then I said, "Jim, if you know Bill Hybels and Bill Hybels knows Bono then that means I'm only three degrees from Bono"!

This got me to thinking. If and when I meet Bono, do you imagine I will barge into his home demanding back stage passes and memorabilia? Of course not! I will fall all over myself trying to tell him how great I think his music is. Yet, too often when I come before my King and Redeemer, the only thing I'm tripping over is my list of demands.

Oh how great is my Heavenly Father. I want to be mindful of who He is each time I enter His Presence. May we never lose sight of who we're talking to. As we enter the Holy of Holies let us embrace His love with humility and grateful hearts!

Thank you, Jesus, for reminding us that our God is "kind of a big deal". And in case you were wondering...I'm still waiting for Jim to make that introduction.

Consuming Fire

Not many people know this about me but I'm a Johnny Cash fan. When the movie, Walk the Line, came out I became enthralled with the soundtrack. Who knew this 80's pop chick could love Cash's dark country style? My favorite song is "Ring of Fire" because of the passion in the lyrics. It was written by the love of his life, June Carter. It vocalizes the consuming passion that takes over us when we meet our one true love.

We all long to love passionately but don't always get the chance. Maybe the one we love is already taken. Maybe they don't share our feelings. Maybe something or someone is standing between us. Did you know that God has passionate feelings too? While God's love for you is not romantic in nature, it is just as passionate in force.

Look at Deuteronomy 4:24, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Stop and read that again. This is a show-stopping verse!

God is only satisfied when His love totally consumes us. We think of jealousy as something negative and selfish but God's jealousy is precious! He created us which gives Him the right to be jealous when anything tries to take us away from Him. Our relationship with God should supercede all other relationships. When God commands us to serve no other gods it is because we were not meant for another love.

How comforting to know that someone loves us with such great affection. That God would go to such lengths to protect me is amazing. He wants to consume me with His love. Have you ever felt rejected? Have you felt passed over? You're not! You are loved with the same passion that created the heavens. That same love that drove God to sacrifice His only Son.

Whatever you are facing today, know this: Your God is a consuming fire. He loves you with a love that will outlast time. He is worthy of all your attention, your energy, your time, your resources, your worship, your focus, your interest, your passions.

Are you ready to fall into God's "burning ring of fire"? Move out of my way friends, cause I'm goin' in!

So Long, Worry!

Worry. Worry. Worry. Yes, worry has been my close friend these many years. We don't hang out every day but when we do get back together it's like we've never been apart. We know each other well. Worry knows my weak spots - my husband, my kids, my friends, my health. He knows just where to aim his attentions.

I haven't been worried in a while but this week provided just the right opportunity for worry to re-enter my life. I am navigating through a really, really, really stressful week. Too many commitments, too many chores, too many responsibilities and too little time or energy! Can anyone relate?

Just when my plate was overflowing, one phone call made the whole thing go toppling over. This was it. My back was against a wall. I found myself in a situation over which I had no control. So what's a girl to do???

I went to the Lord. I cried out for His help, His mercy and His power. I need God's strong arms to carry me through this. I need His wisdom to guide me. I got up this morning to seek Him and He led me right to Matthew 6:11, "Give us this day, our daily bread." With these words the Lord reminded me that He's got my back. He loves me. He knows my needs before I do. He'll provide.

This imagery of daily bread comes from the Israelites years in the wilderness. God provided manna each day. When the Jews tried to save the manna for tomorrow, it spoiled. It was impossible to stockpile God's provision because God wanted them to trust Him - not monthly, not weekly, but DAILY.

Trusting God daily does not make me a poor planner, unprepared for what is to come. Rather, it keeps my relationship with the Lord in the proper perspective. Only God knows what tomorrow will bring and He has already made provision for us. Henry Blackaby says, "If we walk with Him closely today, we will be in the center of His will tomorrow."

So, goodbye Worry! This is where we go our separate ways. I am choosing today to hang with Jesus and enjoy the fellowship of my Provider.

Back to School Stress Relief

Another summer, come and gone and we find ourselves gearing up for the craziness of another school year. I feel like I'm watching a disaster movie that I've already seen five times...I know the trouble that's coming!

How can I prepare myself for all the homework, practices, try-outs, games, tests, alarm clock buzzers, friend drama, teacher drama, demands, demands, demands?! What's more, as a mom, I want to prepare my kids for the craziness too. How I long for this year to be their best yet of learning, making new friends, strengthening their skills (music, athletics, etc.), and most of all growing in their faith. Somehow when school starts my goals and dreams for them can get pushed to the side as we quickly slide into survival mode of schedules that are too jam packed.

Here are some tips to help us not only survive, but perhaps, even enjoy going back to school:
1. FAMILY DINNER: Studies show that families who eat dinner together actually have lower stress levels. Eating together as a family provides a sense of stability for your kids. It helps parents to touch base with the kids and find out what could be bothering them or what's going really well. I know how challenging it can be to get everyone around the table but as Tim Gunn (Project Runway) says, "Make it work"!

2. BEDTIME ROUTINE: Kids need routine and bedtime is a great time to practice. Set a bed time for each of your kids that reflects their needs and STICK TO IT. About thirty minutes prior to bed time bring the lights and noise level down (turn off tv/videos) to help your kids get relaxed. If you're out late with practices or games, talk to your child on the way home about their day (no music or videos in the car). Try to help them download what's on their mind so that when they hit the hay they are able to let go of the day and slip easily into restful sleep.

3. ORGANIZATION: No one wants to send their kids off to school frazzled. So, make sure their clothes are laid out the night before. In our family, we pick out our clothes for the week on Sunday and put them in a closet organizer (I bought ours at Target) so that each day has it's own compartment. This has been a HUGE help as we are no longer struggling over what to wear every morning! Also, make sure you have one spot in the house where the kids keep all their gear - backpacks, homework, etc. This will help eleviate lost items and the last minute scramble to find the overdue library book as you are rushing out the door!

4. CUT BACK: I don't know what it is about our society today but we all seem to be on a race to see whose child can have the most activities and how crammed we can get our schedules. Studies show that children today are much more stressed out than their parents generation. We are pushing our kids schedules to the brink and expecting them to act like a river and go with the flow. Be a rebel and DON'T overdo your child's schedule. Kids need down time each day to just hang out and decompress.

5. TALK TO GOD: One of the best things parents can do is teach their children how to talk to God on their own. There's a book by Stormie Omartian, What Happens When I Talk to God, that is great for helping kids understand that talking to God is just like talking to mom. The great thing about talking to God is you can do it at school before a test, on the playground when you make a new friend, anywhere! Help your child know that God is always with them and always loves them.

These are just a few tips and I know you have plenty of great ideas that work for your family. Please share them with me. Have a great last week of summer and remember, even in the disaster movies, the main characters make it out alive!

The Heart of the Matter

Last night our family had the privilege of participating in a unique worship experience at our church. It was an intimate worship service directed solely at God, and led by children. My son, Jack, served as a prayer leader. My eldest daughter, Mary Catherine, served as a worship leader. This experience was absolutely remarkable to me as I got to witness, first hand, my children being led by the Holy Spirit and serving the Lord with such purity of heart.

Children leading adults in worship to God! What a concept! Oddly, as I was worshipping and observing all of this I suddenly heard the words of Don Henley in my head, "I been tryin' to get down, to the heart of the matter." I guess God can speak through Don Henley as well as He can through anyone else. It was as though the Lord was reminding me that I need to be concerned with training my children's hearts and not just their behavior. When their hearts are in tune with God, it's such a beautiful thing!

1 Samuel 16:7, "For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." Much of the time, I have to admit, I am more concerned with the outward appearance of my children. Seems I frequently remind them to watch their words, mind their manners, straighten up and fly right. What I really mean is, 'Whatever you do don't embarrass me'! (ha!) However, God makes it clear in His Word that it's the heart condition that matters most to Him not the outward appearance.

What matters most, what really counts, is reaching the heart of our children and not just controlling behavior. Behavior is affected by what's in the heart. This is true in my own life. When my heart is connected to God in relationship with Him, it directly affects my decisions and my behavior.

Mark 7:21 states: " . . . from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly." Yikes, do you see that all of these aweful things begin in a persons heart before they make their way to the outward behavior?

What our children say and do is a reflection of what is in their hearts. Again, Luke 6:45 corroborates this point: "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

Outward behavior is the itch we're constantly wanting to scratch but we can't let it sidetrack us and stop there. When children argue over who sits where in the car, it's not about seating. It's about selfishness and pride. Our natural state is prideful and self-centered.

As family author, Ted Tripp says, "You must learn to work from the behavior you see back to the heart, exposing heart issues for your children. In short, you must learn to engage them, not just reprove them. Help them to see the ways that they are trying to quench their souls' thirst with that which cannot satisfy. You must help your kids gain a clear focus on the cross of Christ."

This topic may seem a little vague but I hope not. This is where we really get down to building up children in the true image of Christ! Of those who were seemingly "good" on the outside, Jesus saw right through, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Moms, let us raise a generation of children who truly honor God with their hearts as well as their lips!

The Mother's Union

Most people would agree that being a mother is the hardest job. If this is so, then shouldn't we form a union of some sort? Miners, airline pilots, and automobile workers have unions. Why don't we? We've got the toughest jobs around. We're on call 24/7. We could demand days off or at least get some special benefits, like monthly pedicures.

The problem is, what would we do if our demands were not met? I guess we could go on strike but the fallout would be catastrophic. Let's face it, the world can't function without mom.

The Bible puts a lot of importance on the role of mothers, particularly mothers raising sons. There are numerous examples in scripture of mothers inspiring their sons to follow after God. These men went on to do amazing feats that had eternal impact.

Yes, raising boys is tough. It's not for the faint of heart. To make great men takes boldness and courage. We live in a world where men are in crisis. They are abandoning their commitments to family and marriage. Men are abdicating their roles as leaders in their communities and even their country.

Proverbs 22:6 speaks to us, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." In this verse, "train up" is translated as "to dedicate". Sons need their moms to be dedicated to this most important of jobs. The world works hard to distract us from our primary calling. The world lures us into high levels of busyness and stress that would call us away from our dedication to our sons.

Of course, all of us would say we are dedicated. We feed their bellies. We clothe their backs. We drive them all over kingdom come to their various activities. Is this what Proverbs is talking about? I don't think so. The kind of dedication God calls us to goes far deeper than physical provisions.

The moment you deliver that sweet baby boy, you receive a charge from the Lord to raise that son according to God's ways. There is a crisis in America today because parents have misplaced their dedication. Too many are dedicated to raising sons in the ways of money, power, and self. What about a dedication to raising sons for true greatness? Servant leadership? What about responsibility, integrity, courage? This takes more dedication than the world would have you take on.

I love this quote from Rick Johnson, author of That's My Son, 'The power of a mother's influence is like a steady river carving canyons through the landscape of history. The legacy you leave as the teacher and nurturer of the next generation of men is valuable beyond description.'

Yes, our job is the toughest and the most meaningful. We tuck in the future of the world every night. The question I ask you is: are you ready to accept your divine calling and join a union of mothers dedicated to raising a great generation of strong men? There is a profound call on your life if you are raising a son. Let's form a union of mothers who are dedicated to raising our sons in the image of God and when they are grown they will not depart from it.

Then we can go get that pedicure!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

You know the song but is it a reality in your house?? Moms, we gotta teach our boys (and girls) "a little respect when they get home"! Boys need desperately to be taught to respect women - of all ages. This can be hard to do in a society where all too often women do not respect themselves and their dress code (or lack thereof) reflects that. You get my drift?

Boys need to open doors, carry in the groceries, take out the trash and watch their language. This is not because women are the 'weaker' sex but rather because women, according to GOD, deserve to be honored and cherished. Moms, even your own sons need to honor and cherish you. If they do not honor and cherish their own mothers how can we expect them to honor and cherish their teachers, professors, employers and most importantly, their wives and daughters?

Chris has done a great job of teaching our son, Jack, to honor women. Whenever we are together, Jack opens my car door (yes, at the young age of 10!). As we enter a store, he tells me, "Mom, don't touch that door." He accompanied me to the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. When we reached the car with our basket of groceries, he said, "Mom, you can go ahead and get in, I've got these."

When Jack does this I immediately say, "Jack, that's exactly how a man would act." We've got to put 'manhood' in a positive light. Too often, television/media put 'manhood' in a negative light. Have you heard the phrase, "That's just like a man!" We need to turn that around and show our sons that manhood is something to be proud of.

An unknown author said, "Every gentleman is a man, but not every man is a gentleman." How true. How true. Let's gently but firmly teach our boys to be proud of opening the door for us. Let's be the cheering section when they say, "Yes, ma'am." As courtesy and respect manifest themselves in areas of his life, we'll see them become lifelong habits and someday a young lady will greatly appreciate our investment.

For those of you who have daughters, I hope you are teaching them to only date men who first- love Jesus, and; secondly- have impeccable manners. You would never let your daughter go out with a boy who honks his car in front of your house beckoning her to come out! Never! Moms, our sons will be those boys someday unless we teach them better.

Boys need to not only be taught how to respect women but also how to love them. Talk to your son about what is important to women and what things cause them pain. Teach them to treasure women. Teach them that women are of great value and should be treated with gentleness and respect.

When it comes to the big R-E-S-P-E-C-T, my son knows just 'what it means to me'. He's learning how to 'sock it to me' with incredible manners and love. Let's rock it out together and raise a generation of men who master the lost art of dignity and respect!

Wake Up, Mom!

I'm going to be talking a lot on this blog about raising our sons to be godly men in a very ungodly world. Today I want to start with a wake up call. Mothers, it's time for us to wake up and realize the porn problem facing our boys. Boys at younger and younger ages are being exposed to pornography. We can no longer afford to stick our head in the sand and deny it could ever happen to our son.


Get This:
* In the course of a year, the average adolescent will see nearly 14,000 sexual images.
* Playboy magazine recently announced it will offer galleries of photographs that can be viewed on digital media players. It's to be called "Ibod".
* Porn is also on its way to cell phones. A Boston-based research firm said the mobile adult-services market would reach five billion dollars by 2010.
* 70% of teens get their information about sex from the media.
* When it comes to media access, teens log almost as many hours as the average adult in their full-time job.
* Teens spend over six hours a day engaged with some type of media and more than a quarter of that time they are using more than one media device, it's called "media multitasking".
* Kids' rooms have increasingly become multimedia centers, with 2/3 saying they have televisions in their rooms; half report having video game players; 54% have DVD players and 20% have a computer with internet access IN THEIR ROOMS!
* More than half the children said their families have no rules about watching TV.
* Another 46% say they have rules but 20% say the rules are only inforced "most" of the time.

I could share a lot more bad news but I'm afraid it would be too overwhelming. The truth is, unless we move to a commune in the middle of the wilderness, we cannot completely shield our sons from the world of porn/sexual imagery. I also hate to break it to those of you who homeschool or do Christian school, but your boys are not completely protected either.

What hope do we have? Plenty but we must remember we are still the parent! Here are some suggestions:
* Draw boundaries such as blocking access to MTV
* Do not allow your son to see a movie you have not prescreened. We check out movies on Screenit.com.
* Do not allow your son to watch shows that model worldly dating (even some of the Disney shows are starting to do this as their stars are growing up).
* Do explain to your son the "why" behind the rules.
* Do be purposeful in exposing the agenda of the media.
* Do point to the fallout and long-term consequences associated with it.
* DO NOT let your son get a hold of your Victoria's Secret catalogue or even buy him a Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders calendar. All of this is just soft porn and an introduction to harder things. Also, these things do not help your son to view women as people but rather as objects.
* DO NOT let your son have media in his room...EVER. Help your son by keeping the television and computer in an open and busy place in the house. Do not put the responsibility on him to choose what is right when he's not ready. Make sense?

These stats were taken from Vicki Courtney's book, "Your Boy". I recommend this book as well as Stephen Arterburn's book, "Preparing Your Son for Every Man's Battle".

I know this blog today sounds preachy and very serious but there's no way around it. Too many parents are too lazy or too busy to properly protect their sons. It's having a powerful impact on our society. There is help and there is hope. God is on our side, moms! Let's do it!

Keep Calm and Carry On

It was one of those days. You've had days like this. The weight of the world was resting squarely on my weak, brittle shoulders. My anxiety was focused on this one issue over which I had no control. The more I tried to push it to the back of my mind or shake it off, the more this worry forced it's way into my stomach, churning and wrenching as it went.

Ironically, I was in my happy place - Target, when it struck. Target is my Mecca. It's where I go when I need a little lift. I walk through those red sliding doors, smell that familiar retail store scent, see the "Expect More. Pay Less." catchphrase and I feel... home.

Normally when I go to Target I'm there to get just one or two items. Nothing too sexy, just toilet paper or toothpaste. But what ends up happening every time? I walk out $200 later with that cute top, seasonal decor or those adorable new place mats for the kids. Today, however, was different. Completely determined to go in and get ONLY what I needed, I walked with particular determination.

I went right to the stationary aisle and picked up some thank you cards. I chose the least expensive that were still tasteful but I made the mistake of allowing myself to look around. My eyes glanced longingly at the new summer shorts & T's for my girls, the new 4th of July decorations that would be so cute for our family reunion. I cried out (in my mind, not out loud), "Lord, help!"

This weighty issue I had been trying to avoid, reared it's ugly head. I could hear the enemy's accusations in my ear, "What if God doesn't come through?" "What if He lets you down this time?" As if satan had his own slogan, "Expect NO More. Pray Less."

I could have wallowed in those lies but instead I chose to take them directly to God. Right there in Target I brought my concern to the King of Kings. I confessed to the Lord that I believed He is faithful in all circumstances. I asked Him to help me at this weak moment of worry. You know what happened then?

I was walking through the home decor section when I looked up and there it was. A brightly painted canvas wall hanging that read, "Keep Calm and Carry On." There was even a crown painted at the top as if it came on God's letterhead. I felt my worry melt into peace. As God's Spirit ministered to me in that moment, I sensed God saying, "You made the right choice." Instead of succumbing to the enemies lies, I took my concerns directly to the throne. I chose to confess my shaky faith in a strong and capable God.

Next time the weight of the world is bearing down on your shoulders, even if it's in Target, take it to the Throne of Grace and drop it off. You'll stand a little taller and perhaps you'll hear God say to you, as He did to me, "Keep Calm and Carry On."

Now, where to hang that canvas painting....

Boundary Lines

My son, Jack, has become obsessed with football in the past year. He loves to go in the front yard with my husband, Chris, and play quarterback. There are two things Jack always asks when getting ready to play a game. 1. Where's the football? 2. Where are the boundary lines? It's important to know the boundaries of the playing field so you'll know when you're about to step out of bounds. It's also important so you'll know when you've scored a touchdown.

Our sons crave boundaries. It may seem like they don't, but they do. Have you ever noticed your son and his friends making up new games and they spend half the time deciding what the rules are going to be? Proverbs 29:17 says, "Correct your son, and he will give you rest. Yes, he will be a delight to your soul." Aaaaah, that sounds good, doesn't it? Here's the question of the day: Is your son a delight to your soul? If not, it could be because he's longing for boundaries that you have yet to set or enforce.

When teaching our sons to be accountable, we need to make our expectations clear then establish concrete consequences for not following those expectations. Without clear boundaries and the enforcement of them, our sons can become unaccountable in their adult lives and find themselves in great distress.

Boys need to know they are accountable to parents, teachers, coaches, other adults and to God. Left to their own devices, boys will make up their own set of rules and has anyone read the book, "Lord of the Flies"? Scary! Boys must learn from an early age that mom won't bail them out when they have broken the boundary lines. They must see there are positive and negative consequences for their actions.

An unknown author said, "A child that is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone." I think deep down we, as mothers, know this is true. Yet we can sometimes struggle with rule enforcement when our precious little boys look up at us with those sweet eyes. Stand strong for the sake of your son!

If you want a son who is truly at peace, then show him clearly where the boundary lines are and blow the whistle when he steps out of those bounds. Soon he'll learn how to play within them and he'll be running straight toward the goal line instead.

Tamara Lowe at Christ Fellowship

A Model of Womanhood

Do you have dreams for your son? As mothers, we all have dreams of what our little boys will become. We imagine what their lives will look like as adults, who they may marry, what kind of fathers they will be. I dream of my son marrying the perfect woman. She will hang on his every word, laugh at all of his jokes, listen carefully when he shares his heart, comfort him when he is down. More than anything else, she will love God with all that she is. She will seek to serve her family in honor to her Savior. Not bad, huh?

As I was enjoying this daydream one morning, God woke me up with this truth: I, as Jack's mother, am the model of womanhood to my son. "WHAT?!", I said to God, "I'm just his mother". I'm here to tell him what to look for in a woman. I'm here to prepare him to be a good and father. How scary to think that I am his introduction to what women are all about!

When Jack is grown and starts to ponder marriage, he'll make a mental inventory of what he's looking for in a wife. I am that first woman against which womanhood is measured. Will he remember a mother who was tender and loving? A mom who made home a happy and peaceful place to be? Or will he, heaven forbid, have memories of a harsh woman who was too busy with her own life to make time for him?

My goal is not to get my son to marry someone just like me. The goal is to leave him with a favorable impression of women. God makes amazing, loving, courageous women in all shapes and sizes. We just want to be sure we place women in a positive light for our sons. We need to show our sons that we enjoy being women.

Boys need to see their moms as women who honor their husbands; nurture their children; and are at peace with themselves and God. I love being a wife and mother. I've got my hard days, no question, but overall I am very grateful for the privilege of these two titles. I want my son to value a woman who also loves family and all the craziness that goes with that.

So dream on, moms. But as you dream, make sure you are living in the reality of the important role you play. "Her children arise and call her blessed..." Proverbs 31:28.

Where Do I Begin?

So we have a son. He's bright, energetic and full of potential. Now what? How do I take this boy with all of life ahead and help him, in the words of the Marines, 'be all that he can be'?

Here's my supply list:I've got a wonderful husband who is an exceptional father - a necessity and yet a bonus in this day and age. We've got a roof over our heads, food on the table, the right sports training, piano teacher, good school, church involvement. What am I missing?

To start growing a good boy into a godly man I believe the first step is to plant our knees firmly in the carpet and pray. Too often, prayer is our last resort. You've heard people say, "Well, I guess all we can do now is pray." Yikes! Prayer should be the first priority of every mother.

We, as moms, are quite amazing, if I do say so myself. However, even in all our greatness, we cannot do it alone. We need supernatural help. All too often we don't take prayer seriously. It's something we do at church, funerals, and hospitals. It's not something we often think of doing in any and all circumstances. Yet, it's the most effective and powerful thing we can do for our children. Do you agree?

Jesus says, "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18). That means we have been given authority by God to affect change. Through God's power we can be vessels through which His power comes to bear on our children. Make sense?

We don't have to be pastors or perfect people to pray. We have authority as the parents of our children to call upon God on their behalf. As we draw closer to God we will draw God's presence closer to our children. "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

A tool that has helped me pray as a mom has been Stormie Omartian's The Power of a Praying Parent. In this book, she has taken scripture and turned them into powerful prayers. Some of the topics she covers include: protection & healing, honoring parents & authority, feeling loved and accepted, loving God with all their heart, establishing healthy friendships, future spouse, purity & freedom from addictions, exercising humility. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

I've had this book for six years. I write the date next to each prayer and I hope that when they're grown and I'm gone, my kids will find this book and see how earnestly I prayed for them. When they look back on their childhood they can say their parents provided food, clothing, a loving home and various educational/social opportunities.

More than any of these, I want it to be obvious by observing their lives that they had a mom who prayed. For our sons to become truly great men, we must bring them before the throne of God each and every day. We must entrust them to a loving Savior who can do "exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20). I am convinced that's the greatest thing a mother can do.

Do you believe in the power of prayer? Have you seen this in your own life? What has helped you in praying for your kids? Share with us!

Raising Good Boys into Godly Men

I have the extreme privelege of being mother to a son. My son amazes me. He makes me proud. He gives great hugs. He tells funny jokes. He also has the occassional ability of making me want to pull my hair out. Building a man out of a boy can be challenging (understatement!).

One of the topics you'll frequently see me writing about is raising boys. Our world is lacking strong male leadership...godly leadership. Culture has turned against strong men in the past few decades and I believe many of them struggle with their role in today's society. Between a lack of positive male role models and an over abundance of sexually charged messages, what chance do our boys have of knowing what true manhood looks like?

I believe God has placed a passion in my heart to help moms & dads pick up the reigns of parenthood with confidence. We can't leave it up to chance or television or our kid's friends to direct our boys. Studies show that parents are the most influential voice in the decisions of their children. It's our responsibility before God to invest in the next generation of men.

Will you join me???

Some of the topics I'll be sharing include:
* Good communication with your son
* Get over it and talk to him about sex
* Letting go
* Disciplining boys
* Modeling womanhood so he'll know what to look for/stay away from
* When dad's not available
* Virtues of a real man
* For heaven's sake keep the TV and internet OUT of his room!
* Praying for your boy

So stay tuned cause I've got my soap box and I'm not afraid to use it! :-)

Coffee Toffee Ice Cream Tart

This is a summertime favorite! Make two if you're serving 10 or more people.

For crust & filling:
1 1/2 c. crushed chocolate wafers
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c. crushed Heath bars (toffee bits)
1 1/2 pints coffee ice cream

For topping:
1/3 c. whipping cream
1 T. unsalted butter
6 oz. quality white chocolate
1 t. vanilla extract

Crust & filling:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9" tart pan with removable bottom. Mix cookie crumbs and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of pan. Bake until crust is set - about 9 minutes. Cool completely. Sprinkle 2 T. toffee bits over cooled crust. Spread ice cream evenly in crust. Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Topping:
Combine cream and butter in medium saucepan. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Add white chocolate; let stand 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Mix in vanilla. Let topping stand until cool and slightly thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes. Pour topping over ice cream tart; freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Sprinkle remaining toffee over. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Cover tightly and keep frozen.)

Using small knife, carefully loosen crust from pan sides. Gently push up tart bottom to release tart and serve.

Quick to listen. Slow to speak.

Next time one of your kids says something that makes your head spin off your shoulders, you just might want to double check your hearing (or vision as the case may be). A couple of weeks ago, my first grader and her best friend were playing happily in our upstairs gameroom. About 45 minutes into this playdate, Ellie comes running down the stairs anxiously looking for her daddy. She hurridly pulled him by the arm up the stairs, hardly able to contain her excitement. "Daddy, come see what Malia and I did!", she said.

There at the top of the stairs glaring him in the face was the old white board Chris had given the kids to play with. He knew they always enjoyed writing or drawing on that old board. But now, what had been an innocent and cheap source of entertainment had instantly become a life lesson in the making. There in patriotic colors of red and blue were the unmistakable words, "Malia's & Ellie's Fart!!". And don't you love the TWO exclamation points at the end? It gives it just the right umph, don't you think?

Chris was speechless. He thought, "Really? This is what she was so excited to show me?" Once he regained his wits, he asked Ellie what this was about. As a parent, Chris could not laugh (very loud). He had to take this teachable moment and make the most of it. That was his job as a parent, right? He calmly, and in his most fatherly tone, expressed his surprise at Ellie's graffiti. She looked at him with a rather confused look and continued with her excitement over this great accomplishment. Chris infused a little deeper tone in his voice and once more said how surprised he was that she would write this word. After all, Archinals do not use potty words. She should erase this right away.

Upon hearing this stern reproach Ellie was deflated. Using her ability to cry on cue she allowed a single tear to roll down those little puffy cheeks. "But Daddy, we made a "fawt" (did I mention Ellie struggles with her "R's"?)." Chris was now just downright frustrated with this obstinate child. He was just about to turn angry when he looked up and saw that the gameroom had been transformed into an elaborate FORT!

He laughed so hard he had to catch the stair railing to keep from falling down the stairs backwards. He apologized to Ellie and taught her how to spell the word correctly. We all had a great laugh and realized this may be what God meant when He said, "Everyone should be quick to listen (or READ in this case), slow to speak and slow to become angry". Too often I don't give my kids the benefit of the doubt. How grateful I am that in my moments of quick assumptions, my heavenly Father is so completely patient with me. We can be slow on the uptake but God can handle it. And what a great sense of humor He has!

Can you believe this?!

It's time to do something. Last year my seminary professor told me about an organization called Love 146. Maybe you've heard about it. They help rescue children from sex trafficking around the world. I had no idea this kind of thing even existed in this day and age. Living in Katy, TX this kind of stuff just doesn't seem real. I was touched by what my teacher was telling me so I checked out their website. Can you believe that it's already the second largest criminal industry in the world -- just behind illegal drugs? And it's growing fast. Trafficking generates around $32 billion (that's BILLION!) annually. As you can imagine, sexual exploitation and abuse have grave consequences on any person's well being, especially a child's.

Two children are sold every minute. Imagine your children when you think about that stat. Over 1.2 million (that's MILLION) children are trafficked annually. This sexual exploitation includes prostitution, pornography, trafficking and sex tourism. There are more slaves today than there have ever been. Over 100,000 U.S. children (that's right here in the good ol' US of A) are forcefully engaged in prostitution or pornography each year.

Can you believe this?! BUT, we can do something about it. One tennis shoe at a time...this summer, from May 1 to June 30, the miles you run, walk or swim can count towards a better life for survivors of child sex slavery. Just find some people to sponsor you; do your miles ANYWHERE (elliptical, in the pool, in your 'hood); and wear a Tread on Trafficking T-shirt.

As Bob the Builder says, "Can we fix it? Yes, we can"! Let's do it...register here and please help put a stop to slavery.

http://love146.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=346822

Top Ten Tips for Busy Moms

Hey Moms! This is my top ten list. Let me know what your favorite tips are for staying sane during these busy child-rearing years!


10. Prioritize

· Make a list the night before of the top five things you want to accomplish tomorrow

· Set reasonable goals

· Live by priorities not pressure

· Learn to let things go


9. Get rid of “black holes” that steal your time

· Keep track for one week of things that steal your time… email, facebook, phone, searching for car keys, etc.

· Keep a notepad by your bed

· Let the machine get your calls


8. Designate Days

· Plan your meals two weeks or a month at a time (www.myrecipes.com)

· Set aside specific blocks of time for housework, paperwork, errands

· Use a timer for yourself to get certain chores done – quit when the timer goes off

· Make dinner in the morning to ease the ‘witching hour’


7. Finish a task

· Housework: start and finish one task (ex: cleaning just one bathroom) - www.flylady.com

· Completing a task with make you feel really good since a mother’s job is never done


6. Practice self-care

· Schedule time for yourself everyday even if it’s just 20 or 30 minutes – SIT DOWN

· Use the restroom when you need to!

· Communicate your feelings to your husband, girlfriends, journal – stay connected to your support group

· Stick to strict bedtimes

· Find a good babysitter and GO ON A DATE!


5. Just say ‘NO’

· Supermom is dead! Today’s society would have you doing too many things and for what?

· Decide what you are living for and don’t back down from it.


4. Teach your child

· Teach your child how to put their plate in the sink, dress themselves, throw their diaper/pull up in the trash

· This helps your child learn independence and gain a sense of self-confidence

· Our family is a team – it takes all of us working together


3. Schedule like the marines

· Kids love routine and it helps you feel a sense of accomplishment when you have a schedule

· Make an Excel spreadsheet of your days and post it on your fridge

· Be flexible as God may reorder your day


2. Discipline/Consistency

· Hold up the standard for behavior and expect the best from your children

· It’s unfair to your children to be inconsistent

· Discipline makes children feel loved

· Remember you are training their heart and not just outward behavior



1. Pray for your family

· Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5-6)

· Pray scripture over your children (Is. 55:11)

· Thank God for His provision and faithfulness (Is. 65:23)

· Rest in Him (Psalm 62:1-4)

Waterford Crystal or Toilet Brush?

Recently I had a soar throat and decided a cup of hot tea with honey was just what the doctor ordered. I am not a big tea drinker but I keep a little on hand for just such occasions. So I dug through my pantry and located a box of “Throat Coat” tea. Oh yeah, this was going to feel good. Then I started searching in my cabinets for something in which to boil the water. I do not own a tea kettle so I thought I would just boil some water in a glass measuring cup in the microwave.

The problem was, I didn’t have a large enough glass pitcher. Most of them were plastic. Wasting precious time, my impatience and the pain in my throat were growing rapidly. I finally grabbed a large glass bowl and filled it with water so I could have more than one cup of tea. I stuck it in the microwave, boiled the water and then tried, most unsuccessfully, to pour the water into a cup. Now I not only had a soar throat but a burned hand as the boiling water went everywhere.

The lesson learned is two-fold. First, get a tea kettle! A large glass bowl is not good for pouring boiling water into a cup. Secondly, don’t try to use something for any other purpose than that for which it was created. Do you ever use what God has given you for purposes outside of God’s plan? Read 2 Tim. 2:20-21.

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. 2 Tim. 2:20-21

These verses tell us to keep ourselves pure for God’s purposes. Our mouth and the rest of our body is created for God’s use and for His glory. When we use it for any reason that takes away from that purpose we are sinning against God and not using our lives in the fashion for which they were created.

When my children speak ugly to one another with name calling or when they use words that are simply inappropriate, I will often put their mouth in a talking time out. I tell them their mouth was created by God to give life, and not to criticize, tear down, or otherwise poison the environment. When they choose to use the mouth God gave them for life-giving purposes they are allowed to speak.

As an adult, I need to use the same discretion. God gave me a body that I need to fill with healthy food and use for healthy purposes. I need to bless my family and God in how I use my heart, my soul, my mind and my strength. If I am constantly run-down due to too many commitments, am I ready for God’s noble use? If I bad talk my neighbors or criticize my kid’s teachers, is that what God had in mind for my mouth?

Think of it this way, would you use a toilet scrubber to brush your teeth? Of course not! Why? Because our mouth wasn’t made for a toilet brush nor was a toilet brush made for the mouth. That’s not what the scrubber was made to do. It was made to clean toilets, not teeth. In the same way, would you fill a Waterford crystal pitcher with toilet water? Of course not! Why? Because a crystal pitcher was created to hold something worth drinking. In the same way, we need to keep ourselves pure and ready for God’s plans.

What are you putting into your vessel? What are you allowing to come out? Are you an instrument for noble purposes? How can you keep yourself pure and ready for God’s use? You need to know that God made you for a specific purpose. You are God’s treasure. Just as my Waterford crystal is a treasure to me. You are valuable and special to Him. He wants to use you for great things that bring Him glory.

Sometimes in life we make choices to do things that are not part of God’s purpose for us. When we do this we are no longer behaving like the fine crystal pitcher but the dirty toilet scrubber. This happens when we choose to say words that we know we shouldn’t, when we have a disrespectful attitude, when we demand our own way instead of being thoughtful of another persons feelings. We are allowing yucky, grimy sin to cheapen the purpose for which we were created.

In the immortal words of Hannah Montana, ‘everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days’. We will all at some point make a poor choice. When this happens we can choose to immediately confess and repent to God. The very moment we turn away from our sin and ask God to forgive us – he does it! God can make us new again. I encourage you to meditate on these precious verses, perhaps over a nice hot cup of tea, and ask God to use you for His noble purposes. After all, you are a noble treasure fit for service to the King.

I Declare!

Our family traveled to London last summer as part of a vacation/work trip. On the plane we were given forms to fill out in preparation for our entry to the United Kingdom. The form asked if I had anything to declare. I found this quite humorous in my weird way. I thought to myself, ‘Why yes, actually, I do have something to declare! I declare that European food is not as good as Texas food. I declare that you can get a lot more real estate for your money in Houston. Last but not least, I declare that airline seats are too small and too close together!’

These are great declarations, don’t you agree? Of course, this is not what the form meant so I just skipped that part and went on. However, it made me wonder… what am I declaring when I enter the presence of God? Just like London is a foreign city to me and Katy is my home city, God’s Presence is foreign to me compared to the world I live in every day. When you enter a foreign country you tread carefully at first because it is not home. It is good to show reverence for their culture, abide by their way of doing things, and be respectful of their customs.

When I desire to come into the presence of God do I just march in, plop on the couch and throw my feet up? Do I immediately rattle off my list of wants and needs? Do I declare to God what needs to be done and how best to do it? Of course, God is our Father and He wants us to come to Him with all of our hopes, dreams, and heartaches. He wants us to call Him, “Abba Father.” However, sometimes I am concerned that we have lost sight of the Holiness of God. I fear there have been times I have treated God with too much familiarity and not enough reverence.

Next time you want to enter the presence of God consider how Jesus said we are to approach the Father in Matthew 6:9, "This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,’” Jesus says when we come to God we should first pause and consider to whom we are speaking. Put yourself on the back burner for just a minute! Recognize who you’re talking to. When you start to understand the greatness of God, you begin to understand your place a little better too.
Think about the environment in which God dwells. The scriptures tell us God sits on His holy throne and day and night the angels are bowing before Him, praising Him and saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” Do you have something to declare as you enter this most holy of places? Yes! You should consider declaring God’s greatness.

Pastor Andy Stanley says praising God is not only appropriate but it gives us perspective. He is worthy, not me. He is great, not me. He is more powerful than my issues, my hang-ups, my problems, my abilities. This reminds us of the context in which we live. It takes discipline to pause and focus on someone else. We can rush right by it if we’re not careful. Try to remember we’ve been invited to come and worship Him.

Here is an example - anyone who knows me knows I am a huge fan of the band U2. I think that lead singer, Bono, is the greatest poet and song writer of our time. I have often dreamed of having the chance to meet him. Someday I hope to be invited to Bono’s home for tea so we can discuss his music. Imagine when that invitation comes and I make my way ‘across the pond’ to his home in Ireland. I walk up to his front door and he comes to greet me. Do you think when I meet Bono for the first time I will immediately ask him for his autograph? Would I, perhaps, ask him for some financial assistance? After all, he’s very wealthy. I have lots of friends who would love to get front row tickets to some of his concerts and all he has to do is make a call. My son, Jack, would really like an autographed guitar that’s been used by lead guitarist, The Edge. Would any of these be appropriate openings to our conversation? Of course not!

The first thing I would say to Bono would be something like, ‘Thank you for having me; it’s an honor to meet you; I’ve got all your music and I’ve read all your books; you’re terrific’! I would trip all over myself to declare to Bono just how great I think he is then if he chose to give me a parting gift upon my departure, I would be gracious and humbly receive it.

Do you see the comparison? How many times do we march into God’s throne room with our list of demands versus declaring how amazing and marvelous He is? Next time you sit down to approach God, consider how you enter and make an appropriate declaration to the Ruler of all kingdoms.

Courage

One of my favorite movies as a kid was The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, with Don Knotts. It’s about an ordinary even goofy guy who becomes a hero. He plays a typesetter at the small town newspaper who is looking for his big break to becoming a reporter. He takes a dare to spend the night in a spooky abandoned house and writes a thrilling story the next day about it being haunted. The whole town comes alive and labels him a hero for facing such danger even though he is the town’s most high-strung, fearful citizen.

I can relate to Mr. Chicken. I want to be brave. I want to think I’ll do the right thing at the right time. When people look at my life, what do they see? Do they see tales of heroism? Do they see someone who is bold in the face of adversity and courage under fire?

What makes a hero? Pastor Andy Stanley defines it as ‘someone who has clarity and the irresistible urge to act.’ I like this definition. Clarity meaning they can walk into any given situation and see clearly what needs to be done. It doesn’t mean they aren’t afraid but they did the courageous thing. They had an irresistible urge to act on what they clearly knew was right.

We as parents need courage. We can find God’s views on courage in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-2: “For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain, [why not?], but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.” Paul’s life in Thessalonica had not been in vain because he’d had boldness in God and courage to share the gospel. Boldness to do the right thing at the right time makes our lives count. It keeps us from coming to the end and saying, “Nothing happened. There was no significance.”

Have you been to a funeral? At a funeral stories are shared of the person’s life. What stories do you want told about your life? “Well, things got tough at home between the husband and the kids and all the responsibilities so she left.” That’s a story. Or a story might be, “Things got tough at home and she stuck it out and made a difference in her marriage. She fought for her family and had an amazing impact on her kids.” That’s a story. Courage makes our lives effective and significant.

Paul says in Thessalonians we get our courage from God. He had suffered terribly in Philippi. He had been publicly dragged into the market of the city and charged with sedition because he cast a demon out of a girl. And then he spent the night in jail. Now in Thessalonica the mob was even more enraged and Paul barely escaped by night to Berea. That was the setting for his ministry. And in that setting he spoke the gospel courageously because he had boldness in his God.

His life was given up to God. His life was hidden in God (Col. 3:3). He trusted God (2 Cor. 1:9). He hoped in God (Rom. 15:13). The glory of God was more attractive to Paul than any earthly comfort: "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us" (Rom. 8:18). Perhaps the greatest obstacles to courage are the love of human acceptance and praise (even that of your children), and the love of the comforts and securities that money can buy. What has to happen inside for these powers to be broken?

Paul had clearly been set free from these hindrances: 1 Thess. 2:4b: "we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts." Verse 6: "nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others." Verse 5 again: "We never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed-- God is witness."

The way to courage is to get your acceptance from God and find your satisfaction in Him. There’s somebody in your life that is hoping you’ll be a hero for them; that you’ll have the courage to stand up and do the right thing. You won’t think you’re heroic but in their eyes you’ll be that person. Every child wants their parent to be the hero in the moment when it’s time for someone to do the right thing, to pay the price, to make the sacrifice. We want our kids to stand when it’s time to stand, to say ‘no’ to those temptations that come. Let’s show them what courage looks like and what God looks like through us when we gain our courage from Him.

(Resources for this article were taken from messages by Andy Stanley and John Piper.)

Leaving a Legacy

Legacy: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. Recently I celebrated the legacy of my grandmother’s life. She was born in 1908 and died at the very ripe age of 97 and one half years. We shared at the graveside various stories and memories of her life. She loved hymns, her family, cooking and playing the organ. She had a good sense of humor and a fear of storms. It was fun quoting “Nana-isms” as we called them.

As each person shared their piece of memory, her children and grandchildren smiled thinking of how her legacy was passed on to each of us in different ways. My mom learned how to make wonderful Thanksgiving dressing from her. My cousin learned the 23rd Psalm from her. I picked up a love of music from her and on it goes. The one thing we all learned from her was a love for family. Nana taught us through her words and actions that family always comes first and that love is unconditional.

It occurred to me that we all leave a legacy. I wondered what kind of legacy I would leave. How is a legacy made? It’s built moment by moment as we interact with the people placed in our lives. A legacy isn’t something we pass on at the last minute as though our dying words could be “Hmmm, I think I’ll leave a legacy of…” and pass on something we always meant be but never were.

It’s a daily, hourly, situation by situation process. We can leave all sorts of legacies. Some of us are building legacies of worry, doubt, or anger. Here’s the good news. Even if we’ve inherited unhealthy, life-draining habits we don’t have to pass those on. We can choose to pass on life generating habits by building a legacy of peace, faith, and forgiveness.

They say children of alcoholics are more likely to become alcoholics. They say children of smokers are more likely to smoke. But it works both ways. Children of Hope are more likely to be hopeful. Children of Love are more likely to be loving.

What are you building that will remain after you leave? What type of legacy are you constructing each day with your words and actions? What if each day we lived a life that was full of hope, love and joy? What if our words and actions were guided by grace? We have the power to leave a legacy that would surely be a blessing for years to come after we’ve gone.

Packing up Christmas

It's that time of year again. Time to pack up all those beautiful Christmas decorations. It's inevitable. It has to be done. Someone's got to do it and it's me. These are some of the thoughts that go through my head around January 1 each year. I am a Christmas freak. I decorate my house from head to toe. We celebrate with family traditions, parties, Christmas carols, and enough food to feed commuters on I-10!

But now it's over. Another wonderful Christmas has come and gone and I find myself with stacks of boxes waiting to be filled with my Christmas cheer and packed away for another year. It's a big job and I was feeling quite blue. I really dislike this time of year. The fun holidays are over. No more Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole on the radio, the Christmas movies aren't playing on TV, and the gatherings with friends have come to a screeching halt. Now is the time to stop spending money, stop eating sweets, get back to the gym and get better about that daily quiet time! I felt daunted by all the things I knew I needed to get back to and be better about. I was feeling sour about the month of January, I must say.

But as I wrapped the tissue paper over each festive decoration I was also thinking how grateful I was that my family got to be together for Christmas again this year. I was reflecting on Christmases gone by and how God has been so faithful to my family year after year after year. I felt my heart literally warming as I let my mind dwell on God's tangible love - the blessings of my children, the provision of my husband's job, the laughter of friends gathered around a meal together. I was so touched at God's mercy and thought about His presence with us day in and day out in 2008. My heart lightened as I was packing up Christmas.

When I got to my nativity, I thought about the very first Christmas. What was packed up after that first celebration? No, there were no ornaments or stockings to put away but Mary and Joseph had a lot to reflect on didn't they? Look at Luke 2 with me, "When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Mary had a lot to think about didn't she? What a whirlwind! We aren't sure how many shepherds saw the heavenly host and went to visit Jesus but we know that after they saw him they spread the word. Thank God they spread the word! When they got to Jesus they surely told Mary and Joseph about the angels. What was going through Mary's head? We can't be sure but we do know that she treasured much in her heart.

I encourage you (and me) this time of year, as you are packing up Christmas, to reflect on all God has shown you in 2008. What has He revealed to you? How has He ministered to you and through you? In what ways has He blessed your family? How do you love Him more this New Year? Take time to treasure all these things in your heart as you begin 2009 and look forward with great hope and expectation as to what God will do in the days ahead!

This Christmas...choose a gift that cannot be taken away.

On a typical day during the Christmas season, my thoughts go something like this..."address Christmas cards, get teacher gifts, finish shopping, make goodies for neighbors, do laundry, clean out Ellie's closet, drop off clothes at Katy Christian Ministries, wrap gifts, decide Christmas menu, blah, blah, blah..." My blood pressure is on the rise. My mind begins to spin. I am overwhelmed. Then, through no effort of my own, I will begin to hear another voice in my head interjecting thoughts like this..."be still...I can do all things through Christ...seek first the kingdom of God...cast all your cares upon Him..." In the hurriedness of life I sense the Holy Spirit drawing me back to what is true, to what matters most.

I could be a poster child for what I call the "Martha, Martha Syndrome". You know the story in John 10, about Jesus coming to Mary and Martha's house. Martha is taking care of all the preparations while Mary, selfishly, sits at Jesus' feet. Martha whines to Jesus to make Mary get up and help her. Jesus not only says her name once but twice! I would not want Jesus saying my name twice. He means business. He says a line that I will forever remember, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her." OUCH! Do you read this as personally as I do? It could easily read, "Lisa, Lisa".

Why would Jesus reprimand poor sweet Martha? She invited them in for a meal after all. These men have to eat, don't they? Is the food going to fix itself? Who will do it if she doesn't? How much can you ask of this selfless, giving woman? Here are some thoughts to ponder:

Could it be that Martha was more concerned about putting on a good party versus genuinely caring for her guests? Could it be that her busyness was driving her to distraction from engaging with Jesus? Was she possibly trying to earn Jesus' approval rather than just enjoying His presence? The scary, yet comforting thing about this story is that Jesus knows our hearts. He may be the only one who truly knows us. Jesus knew Martha's motives and loved her completely. If He corrected her then you can rest assured she needed correction. Jesus knew Martha her whole life even though He'd just met her face to face. He could see deeply into her soul, her thoughts, and her desires - and her needs.

He knew about Martha like he knows about me, that we need to work at what matters most or we'll miss the greatest gift of all. It's easy to stay busy. It's easy to flutter around doing good. (Sometimes, I think we are afraid of what might happen if we were to actually be still and fellowship with God. That is a topic for another time!) There are many good things that need doing. We, as Christians, are called to serve. This is all true. But Jesus brings us back in these verses to what matters most. If we are too busy to sit still in His presence then we are too busy and that is not what He had in mind when He called us to Christian service.

What about you? In a crazy season with so many responsibilitites, can you muster the self-discipline to sit still? I dare you (as I dare myself) to put at the top of your to do list: Be still in God's presence. Get alone somewhere in your home or car or bathroom stall at the mall! Talk to Him, listen to Him, praise Him.

At the end of the holiday there are lots of empty boxes, torn wrapping paper, more room in the fridge and less room in the stretchy pants. All of these things come and then go again. At the end of the day, will this be the full extent of your Christmas or will you have something more? Will you have chosen what is better and what cannot be taken away - a closer relationship with Jesus?

Control Freak

Jeremiah 29: 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

This is a really popular passage – particularly verse 11. We use it to give us encouragement that God is on our side. Rightfully so, we are fortunate to have a God that truly loves us. The problem I see is that we're getting off the train too soon.

We tend to stick with verse 11 – “good plans”. We love good plans, don’t we? I love a good plan. I’m a planner and I really want to know the plan. Actually, it’s not enough to know that the plans are good. I want to know what the plan IS. What is the plan God? Is Chris’ job going to hold out? Will we be able to pay for college? Will my marriage make it? Will my kids turn out all right? Will my dreams come true? What is the plan?

Often times I behave like I love the plan more than I love God. I want to know the plan more than I want to know God – the author of the plan. Notice God doesn’t say, “Here’s the good plan” and follows that up with a detailed outline of what he’s going to do or what is going to happen to us. He just says, “I know the plans”. He doesn’t promise to reveal the plans to us at a certain time. He doesn’t say he’ll run the plans past us to see if we approve. He simply says, “I know the plans and they’re good”.

Why does he insist on making me crazy like this?! Why doesn’t he just tell me the plan? He doesn’t tell me the plan because He's so smart. We weren’t made for plans. We were made for relationship with God.

He doesn’t tell us the plan because of verses 12 and 13, “Then you’ll come to me and pray to me. You’ll talk and I’ll listen. You’ll seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Our problem is sometimes we want to know the plan so badly that we seek the plan with all our heart instead of God. This puts us on that terrible hamster wheel where we’re chasing a plan and getting nowhere. It’s only when we chase God that we live life the way it was meant to be lived. Life was not meant to be lived in pursuit of a plan but in pursuit of God.

Notice He says, "me" five times in verses 12 and 13. He's saying, "Hey, it's ME you need to know." He never says he'll reveal the plan to us when we seek him with all of our heart. He says he'll reveal Himself. His beautiful, awesome, amazing self! That's what we really need! I'm such a control freak but this verse brings things back into focus. I can put down my blackberry, my day planner, my five year forcast and simply come. He's the holder of the plan but more than that, He's the holder of my heart.

Fishers of Men

The Lord gave me a vision today as I was worshipping at A1. We were singing about how God is God of the city, nation, world. I recalled Jesus saying he would make us fishers of men. Of course, I always thought of myself and other believers as being the fisherman. However, today, I saw the body of Christ as the net that catches the fish. God casts the church across the city and world to reach people for Christ. The trick is, the cords of the net must all be linked together to be effective. There can’t be any holes in it or the fish will slip through the net and be lost. The holes in the net of the church represent division, judgementalism, unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy and of course, pride. We must mend our nets. We must have a healthy body of Christ so that we can reach the world for Christ.

Heaviness vs. Heavenliness

Do you ever have one of those days where breathing in and out is about all you can manage? I’m having one of those days. Putting one foot in front of the other takes all my effort. Satan is sitting on my chest breathing hot humid smelly insults and accusations at me. My mind is reeling, like a car spinning out of control. I try to grab the wheel but it keeps slipping from my grasp. I must get control of my thoughts. I must focus on Truth.

The Truth has set me free. I am not under it’s control any more. The truth is, I am God’s daughter. I have an inheritance, a promise, a blessing from my father, the King. He has me safely in his hands. He is able, capable, competent, equipped. My God is King Daddy, Lord Almighty, Alpha and Omega, First and Last and everything in between. He is the Starter and the Finisher. He leaves nothing to chance. He’s the Author, the Planner, the Facilitator. His Word is sure, it’s good credit, it’s bankable, it’s 100%, guaranteed, insured, bonded and sealed.

THEREFORE, I will change my focus from heaviness to heavenliness. From darkness to light, from death to life, from sickness to health, from doubt to faith, from fear to facts – Jesus has got me. He’s got me and He’s never letting go. Satan knows God is about to deliver me. Satan is holding on with both claws but he’s losing his grip. He’s slipping up.

God has got me. My Father is healing me and dealing with me. I’m going to be free from fear. I’m going to run and soar and fly above the lies of this world. I’m being transformed, transplanted, redeemed, purchased, acquired, rescued, delivered. I belong to HIM. YHWH. Jesus saved me once and for all at the Cross. The beautiful, lovely, glorious, magnificent Cross. Jesus killed death. Nothing can happen to me in this life that can undo my eternity with Jesus.

Keep It Simple Silly

When Bill Clinton was running for President, his campaign crew had a catch phrase they used when strategizing, “Keep It Simple, Stupid” or KISS for short. The phrase implied that their campaign should stay basic in message to reach the most number of people. You start complicating the vision or muddying your speeches with too many messages and you’re going to lose voters.

As I was reading over my preschool bible study lesson for next week it was the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. It is written in the most simple message and it was like water to my dry bones. I was swept away by the simple thought that “Jesus can do anything” (the preschool theme for the month). How simply comforting, refreshing and empowering to know Jesus can do anything!

I see myself in that story. Jesus and the disciples are actually trying to get away in a boat and have some solitary time but people catch sight of them and chase after them like groupies around a rock star. It says in Mark 6:34, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching…”

It was getting late in the day, the disciples mind was on food and what was this large crowd going to do when there were no concessions? They suggested dispersing the multitude but Jesus had another one of his crazy ideas. He suggested the disciples feed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. Jesus really had to be out of his mind with this one, right? He had the crowds divide up into smaller groups (hmmm… the first small groups?). Looking to heaven, Jesus gave thanks and broke the loaves. Verse 42 says, “they were all satisfied”.

I’ve heard this story my whole life. I’ve related to the disciples and the crowd but never have I related to the loaves and fish! That’s what I am in this story. I’m the measly loaf of bread offering myself to the multitudes of my community. Pour me out, Jesus. Break me. Use me to satisfy the appetites of people hungry for You. Draw the crowds to yourself like you did that day at the lake. Don’t send them away but have them sit in community and partake of your goodness and compassion.

The crowds couldn’t help but chase after Jesus. They saw what they had been searching for. They left their shopping, working, arguing, everything for the one thing they knew would satisfy. I think Jesus is thankful for our willingness to be broken for his sake, just like he gave thanks that day by the lake. That we get to be part of the nourishing process is unbelievable. Only Jesus could take a loaf and satisfy the masses. If he can use me, Jesus really can do anything!

Beware of Bumper Stickers

There is a custom in this country of slathering your life story and beliefs on the back of your car in the form of bumper stickers. This visual pollution, as I see it, makes for a fascinating sociological study. Why do people feel the need to reveal their children’s names and sports to the general public? Do passersby care that your child is on the honor roll? Is it necessary for other drivers to know who you support for president or that you long for World Peace? I am afraid I am not compelled to share my life story with strangers on the freeway. There is a silver double T logo and a Baylor trailer hitch on the back of my car. Neither was put there by me. I am a passionate person but choose to express my convictions in other ways than on the back of my motor vehicle. (I know this sounds harsh, but read on)

Bumper stickers can not only be a visual nuisance, they can also get you into trouble. See if you can relate to this scenario. My friend had a prescription to fill on her way home from work. She pulls up to the drive-thru pharmacy to see a car in each of the two drive up windows. She patiently waits centered between the two lanes for the first available window. About ten minutes later a few cars pull in and fall in line. The car immediately behind my friend shortly starts honking for her to move up. My friend moves up a bit thinking perhaps someone in the back of the line is trying to get off the street and into the lot. However, the driver continues to honk impatiently. My friend inches up just enough for the driver to suddenly squeeze by her into one of the window lanes. As fate would have it that lane moved up and the rude driver was waited on before my friend who’d been there some time.

My friend, not suffering from a case of shyness, rolled down her window to politely explain to the woman why she had been straddling the two lanes and that now she would have to wait even longer. The woman driving the car was as brash to my friend as her horn had been and quickly closed her window as if hanging up on a telemarketer during dinner. It was at this time my friend couldn’t help but notice not one, not two, but THREE Christian bumper stickers on the back of the brash lady’s car. One for her church, one promoting prayer and of course the famous fish. My friend thought of several very clever quips she would like to share with the woman, but feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit, unlike the car next to her, kept the thoughts to herself.

How many of us can relate to both characters in this story? One day we’re the righteous victim being treated so unfairly, the next day we’re the ones with the Christian labels telling the rest of the world what they can do with it!

Oh sure, we all believe Philippians 4:4-5, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” As well as, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” Christians know to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”. Let’s not leave out, John 3:36, which says, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Ouch!

Of course we say we believe these things and we do but it’s nearly impossible to live this all the time. It’s hard to always live what we believe. Here’s the other problem, aren’t we just walking bumper stickers? Aren’t us Christians wearing His name? God took a chance leaving us here after we accepted Him as Lord. Why take the risk?

The bible says it’s because, of good ol’ Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. God prepared for us to do good works! That’s what we’re doing here, and Romans 1:6, “(For I am) confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” If you had been taken to heaven upon receiving Jesus, who would be here this Sunday to teach preschoolers or help in the parking lot or set up the stage for worship?

We’re all a work in progress. God planned to leave us here to be his ambassadors and to continually work on us. Our failures keep us on our knees in awe of his perfections. Our good works allow us to participate with him in the gospel. He’s got a good plan. We’re part of that plan in whatever stage of faith we may be.

My friend did the right thing that day, exercising her beliefs of being quick to listen (to the Spirit in this case) and slow to speak. Her sister in the Lord driving that car next to her didn’t exercise that day. I don’t know which role I’ll play later today when I get out in Houston traffic but I do know this, “I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Drive on brothers and sisters in the strength of the Lord but please, don’t ask your church to print any bumper stickers any time soon!

Pray today that all believers will be positive bumper stickers for His Name. Pray that his name and renown would be the desire of our hearts. Blessings to you!