Resolution

I was very excited last week when I found out that I had won a signed copy of the new book The Resolution for Men.  This book was written as a companion to the new movie, Courageous.  We got the book last night, and it is meant for men, but I couldn't resist taking a peak (I did win it, after all!).  I have not read the whole thing yet, but my initial reaction is that I wish every man that is important to me would read this book.  I think it would encourage them and give them a renewed sense of purpose.  The introduction describes the book as "an unapologetic call for men to live courageously for their faith and for their families."  What I love about what I've read so far is that it emphasizes the importance of fathers.  Our culture has been de-emphasizing that importance for a long time.  Have you watched a kids' TV show lately?  All of the fathers are morons.  I think men will be encouraged to see that, guess what...you are vitally important to the health and well-being of your children.  Even children that grow up with strong, godly mothers, will suffer if there is not a strong presence of their father.  That is not to take away from the importance of mothers, it just shows that maybe God knew what he was doing when he designed the family to have a mother AND a father.  According to the book, kids that grow up without their fathers are 20 times more likely to go to prison!  Girls that grow up without their dad are less secure and more likely to be sexually active as a teenager...often having more babies that don't have dads.  It's a vicious cycle.  Can you imagine the potential revolution in our culture if dads would step back up and take on the roles that were always meant to be theirs in the first place??  There is so much good stuff in this book, I could never detail it all here.  But, what I love is that is encouraging and challenging, with lots of practical things dads can do to take back their leadership role.  It is not a beat down to read, it doesn't leave you feeling discouraged or overwhelmed.

What has me more excited is there is also a Resolution for Women.  It is written by Priscilla Shirer (which is who I won the book from).  She is starting a book study on her blog at the end of this week.  I will be grabbing a copy as soon as I can so I can participate.  Her blog is linked on mine if you want to check it out.  I am excited to read the book.

And, if you need further proof of my rampant, uncontrollable ADD, the reason I was going to post today was to share this verse (which I read in the Resolution book last night):

 If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.  Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight.  (2 Samuel 10:11-12).


I just loved this verse.  It wasn't a very familiar one to me.  I love the sense of teamwork and the call to be strong and courageous.  There is so much at stake these days, Christians need to work together and be courageous...for our communities and for our families.  Anyway, it spoke to me, and I thought it might speak to you too.

Have a great week...and let me know if you check out either of the books I mentioned...I would love to hear your take on them.

The Fear of the Lord

If my children learn one thing from me, I hope they learn to fear the Lord.  I don't want them to be afraid of Him, but to revere Him...to realize his great and awesome power, to know He holds their very lives in His hands, to be in awe of His goodness.  And this is why:

The fear of the Lord:

is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7)

adds length to life (Proverbs 10:27)

is a fountain of life and turns a man from the snares of death (Proverbs 14:27)

teaches a man wisdom (proverbs 15:33)

leads to life...a contented life, untouched by trouble (Proverbs 19:23)

brings wealth and honor and life (proverbs 22:4)

is a sure foundation for your times
    a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge (Isaiah 33:6)

a help and a shield (Psalm 115:11)



People who fear the Lord:

are delivered by the angel of the Lord (Psalm 34:7)

lack nothing (Psalm 34:9)

have the eyes of the Lord upon them, are delivered from death and kept alive in famine (Psalm 33:18-19)

are the confidants of the Lord (Psalm 25:14)

are guarded, lifted up, protected, never alone in trouble, delivered and honored by God, blessed with long life and salvation (Psalm 91:11-16)

have the Lord's love and righteousness with them and with their children's children (Psalm 103:17)

are blessed (Psalm 112:1)

have no fear of bad news and a secure heart, will triumph over their foes (Psalm 112:7 & 8)

have their desires fulfilled and are saved (Psalm 145:19)

are delighted in by the Lord (Psalm 147:11)



What beautiful promises the Lord has for those that fear him!  I pray my children are counted among those that fear the Lord.

I Hope:

Dear Aidan, Ella and New Lovely Baby that is yet to be named,

I hope that you grow up to be very happy...and not the "I have a great career/family/clothes/toys/house" kind of happy that you see on TV.  But the kind of happy that is not dependent on circumstances, and certainly not dependent on material things.  I hope you have that deep, peaceful joy that you sense in some people...a quiet spirit that draws people to you and to Christ.  I hope you have the kind of happiness that comes from knowing, without doubt, that no matter what hand life deals, you are resting in the arms of your creator.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  Philippians 4:12-13


I hope that you love people.  Really, really love people.  Nothing would make me more proud of you than to see you devote your lives to loving each other, and to loving other people.  It is why we are here.  As you get older you will see that people spend their lives searching for happiness and fulfillment.  They are constantly running to and fro trying to make themselves feel good.  It is all in vain.  I will tell you a secret, my sweet babies, you will never, ever feel as fulfilled as you will when you are showing love to others.

"A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  Luke 13:34-35


I hope that you will be totally sold out for Christ.  I hope you follow hard after him.  What adventures you will have!  He is never boring!  When following Him, there is always a miracle, or a surprise just around the corner.  Everything else you work to obtain in this life will pass away.  It will wind up in a dump some day or a garage sale.  What you do for Christ will last for an eternity.  There is nothing sweeter than to know God and to be known by Him.  Sometimes, he will ask you to do hard things...things the world won't understand...things you won't understand.  Follow Him.  You will be so glad you did.  Don't live the way our culture tells you to live.  Choose the path less taken!  You won't be sorry.

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."  Philippians 3:7-9


I hope that you won't believe the lies the world tells you...the ones that say you have to look a certain way or be a certain way, or have certain things to be acceptable.  I pray that you live for an audience of one.  God is the only person you have to please...not your friends, not me, not your dad...only Him.  Be men and women after God's heart.  That is how I hope you measure your success.

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  1 Samuel 16:7


Finally, I hope that some day you will be listening to a sermon, or singing a worship song, or reading your Bible and you will come across a loving attribute of God that speaks to your heart.  And I hope that you will think to yourselves, "yeah, I get that.  I understand that kind of love because that is how my mom and dad loved us."  I hope we have been good examples to you of loving parents, so that you will always be able to grasp the character of God.  I know we haven't been perfect, like God, but I hope we've given you a good start into knowing your Heavenly Father who loves you.

And one last thought:

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you."  Philippians 4:4-9


Love,
Mommy

A Love Letter

I know I don't tell you this enough, but I truly love you.  In fact, I don't think I could exist without you.  My life would be miserable if I didn't get to be with you every day.  I love the way you keep your cool when things start to get heated.  I love that you work all day and all night and never complain.  Thank you for always being there for me.  I know times have been hard lately.  I know that many of your friends and colleagues have given up and quit on their families.  But not you.  No matter how bad things get, I can always count on you.  You make our home a place that we love to be.  I thank God for you every day.  You are the best air conditioner a girl could ask for.  Thanks for all you do.  Hang in there...fall is right around the corner!

Love,
Jessica

For Your Amusement

Do you ever read people's facebook posts or blogs and think, "wow, what a great mom."  Or, "they really have it all together."  Or, "where do they find the time?"  That will not be how you feel after you read this post.  Please feel free to laugh at me about what I'm going to tell you...I've been laughing about it since it happened!  This is real life from the trenches!  Ha!

Last week I offered to help Aidan's teacher put together some folders for her class.  She said she would leave all the materials for me in her rolling cart in the office.  So, Friday morning, I picked up the rolling cart from Aidan's school, brought it home and assembled all the folders.  That afternoon, I was ready to take the cart and the folders back to school, but the kids were exhausted, and were quietly watching a movie on the couch.  Plus, it was 150 degrees outside, roughly.  Since the school is at the end of our street and all I had to do was drop the cart off in the office, I told the kids they could stay here.  It was going to be less than 5 minutes.  So, I gave Aidan my cell phone number and cautioned him to not answer the phone or the door, NO MATTER WHAT.  So, I locked all the doors, rolled the cart out to the van and prepared to put it in the back.  Then, I realized I had left my keys inside.  Locked my keys inside.  So, I went to the door and started knocking.  No one answered.  I tried calling on my cell phone.  Again, no answer.  What obedient children I have!  I kept knocking, and was about to give up and go around to the back door so they could see me (if they weren't hiding!), when I hear this little voice say, "who is it?"  Aidan had looked out the window and realized our van was still in the driveway.  He was so scared when he opened the door.  He had tried to call me on my cell phone but couldn't get through, because I was trying to call him at the same time.  I felt really bad for him, and frustrated with myself.  But, it gets better.

So, I got my keys, and told the kids to REALLY not go to the door this time.  I was flustered and in a hurry, and I think it was now 175 degrees outside.  I quickly jumped in my car, trying not to fry my legs on the hot seat, threw it into reverse and backed up.  Then my heart fell into my stomach as I heard, "Bam!" followed by "Crunch."  I had left the rolling cart behind the van.  I had flattened the rolling cart...the rolling cart that belongs to Aidan's teacher!  It was completely flat in the driveway and one of the wheels was broken off.  Ugh.  I tried to fix it, but it was beyond repair.  All of my aspirations to be Room Mom of the Year died with that rolling cart.

So, my quick 5 minute trip to the school turned into quite the fiasco.  It seems to be a talent of mine!  Can anyone else relate?

Power Not Fear

School is back in session!  I miss my boys.  :(  I feel so blessed that our whole family gets to be together for the summer.  I know most families don't have that luxury.  It is such a great time for our family.  I especially love how Aidan and Ella get to bond more with their daddy, and how closely bonded they became over the summer.  They were thick as thieves, playing in their bedrooms every day.  Some days they were campers and hikers, some days they were orphans (living in a closet), some days Ella was the mommy and Aidan was the baby...they built a fort almost every day.  I love that they are making sweet memories that will bind them together throughout their lives.  I got really sad last week thinking about Aidan going back to school.  It just seems so odd for him to be somewhere else all day long.  He's my helper, and I miss him when he's not here.  Ella misses him too.  She cried when we dropped him off yesterday.  And for most of the day she kept saying, "I want him back."  Me too!  I know we'll get used to it, but it seems pretty awful to get used to someone not being here.  I'm missing Mark too.  I am so blessed to have the kind of husband that takes great care of me.  He kept things running smoothly at the house and helped me keep it "show ready" all summer...not an easy task when we're all here ALL day.  Mostly, I just miss having a grown up to talk to!

As I was processing all of these "going back to school" emotions last week, God laid something on my heart that has really changed the way I think about sending Aidan back to school.  I wanted to share it with you, maybe it will give you some insight too.  See, we had trouble with Aidan at the beginning of summer. He was getting a little bit of a smart mouth on him, and not always obeying the first time.  It was nothing terrible, but more than we were willing to accept from an 8 year old for sure!  But, as the summer progressed, he matured so much.  He turned back into the sweet, loving boy we adore.  He started helping out more without being asked.  He started treating his sister kindly and really having fun with her.  I feared that when school started again, we would lose all the progress we made over the summer.  I've also been discouraged lately about all the influences in the world that we have to protect him from...tv, movies, music...they all seem geared at making kids grow up too fast.  I was really struggling with this and fearful about it.  I was feeling overwhelmed.

Then God started speaking.  Isn't it funny how when God starts speaking all those feelings of being overwhelmed and afraid, just fade?  It started when I read a quote online somewhere (I will try to find who said it...but it escapes me at the moment).  It said, "I don't want my kids to just survive the world.  I want them to change it."  God whispered to my heart when I read that quote.  I spend a lot of time thinking about how to help my kids survive this world...watch out for this, don't do this, do this...and not nearly enough time teaching them how to change it.  And when I really started thinking about it, I realized that most Christians are not aware of the power we have available to us.  Why would we ever be worried about anything?  God really started dealing with me on this idea.  Protecting our kids and warning them about potential pitfalls is important.  After all, we have an enemy that prowls around like a lion, seeking someone to devour(1 Peter 5:8).  They need to realize that.  But we need to also teach them that this shouldn't make them feel afraid.  Because while the Bible does talk about what we need to watch out for, it spends a lot more time talking about what we should be doing...how we should be using God's power that lives inside us to change this world.  When I read my Bible, there are warnings there about what to be careful about, but there are also verses like this:

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  2 Cor. 10:3-5


and this one:
"Pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength."  Ephesians 1:18-19


and one of my favorites:
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7


I don't know a lot of Christians that live like they have a spirit of power.  I think the world has beat it out of us sometimes.  I want my kids to be different.  Because the other thing that God revealed to me was that if I teach them about that power...teach them how to tap into it...they'll be hooked.  And all that other stuff...the inappropriate music, the tv shows, the friends that try to lead them astray...they won't want anything to do with it.  Once you've felt just a little bit of that power...the power of really loving someone, the power of making a difference for someone, the power of overcoming fear and insecurity...you don't ever want to walk away from it.  I want my kids to be so busy doing what God has for them, that they have no time for anything this world may have to offer.  Then, they will be fulfilled.  Then, they will change the world.

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."  1 John 4:4

Do You Remember?

Do you remember this day?  It was exactly 6 months ago...it was 13 degrees...almost a full 100 degrees cooler than today!  What a difference 6 months can make!  Remember that.