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.