He Used His Words Carefully

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

We are currently in one of the worst droughts Texas has ever seen.  My grandparent's generation talks about being young the last time we experienced a drought this bad.  Some counties are starting water rations, yards everywhere are brown and dry, and it doesn't look like there is rain anywhere in sight.  Almost every county in Texas has a burn ban in place.  While on vacation, my children had a hard time understanding why we couldn't have a campfire to make smores.  I had to explain that during extremely dry conditions, burn bans are issued because the majority of fires are started by the carelessness of humans.  All it takes in one little spark from a campfire blowing in the wind to ignite a blaze that can destroy hundreds or thousands of acres of forest. 

Our words can often be like one little spark.  They seem small and harmless on their own, but the end result could be acres of shattered lives.  When used carelessly, our tongues utter words that stand in contrast to God's love.  Who among us has not ever wished we could take back something we said?  Our words can greatly benefit others, but they can also damage them.  This is an area that can be often overlooked, because we don't see how damaging our words can be. 

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.  Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

It is easy for us to talk about how our world is falling apart...  politically, socially, morally.  But do we think about the damage our words can cause in the lives of those that are closest to us?  Why is it so hard to tame our tongues?  Sometimes, it is hard to believe that there are aspects of our lives that are directly affected by hell itself, but James is very clear that our tonges are set on fire by hell itself.  Satan knows where we are weak and he will use those areas against us!

Our words are like a river.  They can mold and shape our children.

This is an area where are children learn from us the most.  Because they are listening and watching, even when we think it does not matter.  Of all the struggles life presents to us, there is perhaps no greater struggle than our battle with our tongue.  We may try to tame this smallest part of our body, but if we are not careful, it can wreak havoc on ourselves and our family when it goes unchecked.  Without God's help, the fires of hell will spew out of our mouth and start fires that we can't put out. 

So how can we teach our children the power of their words? 
1.  PRAY:
When you hear your children saying something harsh, rude, or unkind...  stop and pray with them right then and there.  Take stock of our own words, and ask God to bring to light any of our own words that we might need to apologize for.  In our quiet times, pray that God will help to tame our tongues and ask God to use our tongues to bring life.

2.  GET INVOLVED:
Get your children to do this simple and fun activity with you.  You will need a tube of toothpaste, a plate, and a spoon for each child.  Start by telling them that you want them to squeeze out the entire tube of toothpaste onto the plate.  They will ask why, but tell them that they will find out shortly.  When the tubes are empty, now tell them that you have changed your mind, that you now want them to put the toothpast back into the tube.  Again, don't tell them why, but notice their comments.  Talk with them about how hard it is to put the toothpaste back in, how impossible.  When they are done trying, explain to them that our words are like the toothpaste, once they come out, you can apologize, and you can say "I take it back", but once they are out, there is no going back in. 

Father God, I pray about my words.  I pray that you guide my tongue.  I pray that you give me self control and patience in hard situations when my children are watching and listening to how I react.  I pray that you give me words that are kind and loving and supportive and respectful, not words that criticize and destroy.  I want my words to bring life and love to others, not spew fires that I can't put out.  I pray that my children would learn from you, not from friends or television or songs they listen to, but help me to realize that they are only going to learn from you by watching me.  In Christ, amen.

He Didn't See the Bling

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

All of us have blind spots. Jesus pointed to this when He said that we were experts in seeing a speck in someone else's eye while completely missing the giant log in our own. This statement reminds us that showing partiality to people based on wealth, social status, appearance, age, race, or anything else is not the kind of faith that Jesus wants us to have. Like Rebecca Bloom in the clip above, even trying to keep up with those who have wealth or a higher social status can get us into trouble. Sure, it may be easy to stand back and watch that clip (and even though it is completely fiction)and say "Wow... she sure has a problem with shopping. Why can't she stop spending money?" But can we the giant log in our own eye? Are people looking at us and saying "Wow... she sure has a problem with blogging, or facebook, or twitter, or .... Why can't she get off the computer?" Are we so busy trying to keep up with the popular websites, the blogs that have tens of thousands of readers. Are we so blinded by our own log that we can't see the problems that we are creating for ourselves???

When Jesus looks at us, he doesn't see us for what we are wearing. He doesn't judge us based on what kind of house we have, or what kind of furniture we have in it. Jesus doesn't comb through our closets before we are admitted to heaven, or tell us we are not allowed in because we aren't dressed appropriately. He doesn't turn his nose up because we don't have enough facebook fans. He won't refuse an invitation because we don't live in the right part of town. He won't talk about us behind our backs because we don't belong to the country club. He won't mock us because we don't have a flatscreen TV. He won't stare at us with a look of horror when our children knock over a display shelf at the grocery store.

Think about the kind of example Jesus set for us. What kinds of people did He associate with? The religious leaders of His day mocked Him for hanging out with sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors. He looked past the "bling" of the religious leaders and saw them for what they were. So how can we teach our children (and ourselves) to do the same thing? Here are a few suggestions...

1. PRAY
We can start by praying to God to reveal to us what logs we have in our own vision. What about ourselves can't we see. A while back, my son had a math project that was assigned on Monday and due by Friday. I watched as he procrastinated and tried to avoid the work all week. By Thursday night, I was very frustrated that he had not started the project yet and really fussed at him for not getting it done sooner. After he got off to bed, I received a phone call from someone and upon hanging up realized that I too had been procrastinating and complaining all week. The apple doesn't fall far my friends.

2. MEET
We can make sure that we know all of our children's friends. Make sure that we are involved in discussions WITH their friends about other kids... kids in the neighborhood, at school, at church. Pay careful attention to judging language like "he's weird" or "she's snobby" and discuss with our children at those points that Jesus never treated anyone differently based on exterior appearances or attitudes.

3. HONOR
We can claim that we don't play favorites, but just because we aren't OVERTLY acting disrespectfully towards those that are less fortunate than us doesn't mean we are satisfying the intent of God's word. In order to honor others, we have to treat all others respectfully at all times.

Here are some really great examples of not seeing the log in our own eyes...



Father God, help me to see correctly. Help me remove the log from my own eye so that I can grow closer to you. Help me to avoid hypocritical, judgemental behavior. Help me to treat others equally and to develop actions that follow my words. In Jesus name, amen.

He Made Serving Others a Priority

Talk about "me" time!

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

Think about our world today.  About what our children are watching on television.  We have slowly and steadily been fed a diet of slogans that beg us to examine our activities and adjust them to make sure we get the most out of life.  We are told if something hurts, don't do it.  If it costs too much, go into debt to get it to get it NOW.

Fast food restaurants have found their way into our grocery store freezers to help busy moms make more time for themselves.  Almost every aspect of our lives has been invaded by a "I need it now and if I can't have it now I won't be happy attitude". 

Unfortunately for many people - for many families - they look at Christianity, at GOD, in the same light.    We want our prayers answered NOW.  We fill our lives with practices, games, activities, trips, shopping, television, facebook, blogging..... we have wound ourselves up so tight with schedules and shuffling kids from one event to the other that we get stressed out that we don't have any extra time.  We say that God is a priority, but on Sunday morning are we are too exhausted from the week's worth of events to worship him with all of our hearts and minds?  Jesus was the ultimate servant.  He was the ultimate time manager.  Despite distractions from his own disciples, he stayed the course on what he came to earth to do.  Jesus taught the disciples that the true meaning of greatness is humilty and service.  How did he treat those he came into contact with? 


Does this mean that we need to bend over backwards to serve others?  To cram more service projects into our already busy schedules?  Certainly not.  Think about the attitude of Jesus.  Start by reading Chapter 5 of the book of Mark.  Jesus had been teaching and traveling for many days.  No doubt he was a little weary and eager to have a little time to himself.  In fact, he was tired enough to sleep through a pretty big storm... and had to be woken up by the diciples who were afraid for their lives!  He gets to the shore and is bombarded with a demon possed man, a man wanting Jesus to heal his daughter, a sick woman, and a father whose daughter had died.  And not once does he tell anyone that he can not come because he is too busy.  He does not sigh or roll his eyes and ask his disciples to pencil it in or put it on his schedule of things to do.  He goes. 



Serving others doesn't always mean literally. 
We can start by developing a
servant's heart towards
those we love most...  our family.



As followers of Jesus, we find ourselves in a daily battle to uphold the faith in our lives, our families, our children and it can certainly get tiring.  As followers of Jesus, we can be certain that we will face constant battles from our secular culture that we must be prepared to engage in if we are to win our families to Christ (much less others!).  Jesus never promised life as a disicple would be easy, nor the moment to moment choices we must make that we encounter.  So how can we teach our children to make serving God and serving others a priority?  Here are a few questions we can ask ourselves to make sure our priorities stay in check...



1.  How can we arange our lives to allow for commitment to God to be our highest allegiance? 

2.  How willing are we to arrange our calendars and checkbooks in ways that demonstrate God as our first priority?

3.  In what ways do we struggle to love others as much as we say we love God?

4.  Is our live in order to the degree that we can confront hypocrites with a clean conscience?

5.  Do we genuinely seek to live out our faith?  Do our actions support our words?

Father God, before I can teach my children about making you the right priority, I need to do battle for Christ inside of me.  I must place proper priority on You.  I need to ensure that I am more than the words that I say.  I want to take time Lord to take a personal inventory of where I spend my time, where I spend my money, and for whom I compassion.  I want my life to be aligned with Your priorities in every way so that my children will learn Your ways from me.  I want to reflect Your heart, Your love, Your attitude when serving others and to not feel like it is one  more thing on a giant list of things to do.  In your name, amen.



The King of Casseroles: The King Ranch Chicken

Oh the casserole.  We Texans, probably more than any other American, love our casseroles.  Much more, we love our casseroles cheesy and with a little kick in 'em.  Without a doubt, The King Ranch Chicken casserole is the most popular Texan casserole.  With its cheesy mixture of tomatoes and peppers, corn tortillas, and cream...  it goes down easy and is the ultimate southern comfort food. 

King Ranch chicken is basically an enchilada casserole, but it is cheesier and creamier and spicier than most.  It gets its name from the epic King Ranch (where my husband happens to work, actually).  It's not the prettiest dish to serve either.  But once you taste it, and once you make it, you will see why it has its place in Texas history.  According to a Texas Monthly article, no one really knows its history or where it came from and long time King Ranchers who tout their beef and game recipes won't claim it to have originated on the Ranch.  What is certain is its sudden appearnace since the invention of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken soups - two of the casseroles staples.  It is a clear mixture of authentic Mexican cuisine and a 50's era casserole.  Love it or hate it, it is a Texan staple.  Here is the recipe that I use:

King Ranch Chicken CasseroleIngredients:
1 cooked 2 1/2 pound fryer (cooked with cumin, onion, celery and garlic) and then shredded
10-15 corn tortillas
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese (plus more for sprinkling on top)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of chicken broth
1 can of Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 tsp. of chile powder

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine soups, broth, Ro-Tel tomatoes and chile powder; blend until smooth.
3. Mix in the Chicken and peppers and about 1/2 cup of cheese.

4. Tear or cut up the tortillas and make a layer on the bottom of a 9x13 pan with half.
5.  Cover with a layer of the soup and chicken mixture, cover with cheese.
6. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.
7. Bake uncovered for 30-45 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

He Overcame Fear

**This post is part of the current series "Who Was Jesus?  Practical Ways to Teach Our Children About Who Christ IS"  You can find the entire series linked up here when we are done.**

As parents, we probably have had more than a few times when we have had a night's sleep interupted by a toddler after something scary prompted them to come get us.  As adults, we don't really have the option to run to our parents when things get scary.  But just because we are adults doesn't mean that we don't face things that are scary.  If anything, there is more to fear in this day and age than ever before....  tough economic times make it hard to see past the fear of job loss, turbulent political policies make it hard to sail the ship of Christianity, and loose moraled television shows make it difficult to find entertainment.

Fear.  It can overcome us quickly and easily when unplanned circumstances come to fruition.  How many of us are forgetful to get on our knees in prayer during those times.  I know I am.  Why is it that during the most turbulent of situations of life do I not turn to God immediately?  Is it because I like to be in control of my situations and I think I can fix it better than God?  Is it that I am afraid to seek God's face during those times because I feel rejected and become even more afraid of the things He controls?  If we know that he will work all things for good and for His glory, then why are we afraid of the storms He controls?

In Mark 4: 35-41, the disciples experience a storm.  The waves were raging all around them, they were full of fear, AND JESUS WAS SLEEPING!  How many times in our lives are we experiencing something horrible, and we feel like God is asleep at the wheel? 




Obviously the disciples didn't feel very safe. Their boat was taking on water, the waves were getting bigger, and they were getting scared. They woke Jesus up and asked him "don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38). How many times have we experienced something we didn't like and we scream out to Christ... Don't you care about what is going on down here? How many times have we been too full of fear to obey Christ?

Jesus directly commanded the storm to be still. He then rebuked the disciples for not having faith. Jesus called them to focus on Him instead of the surrounding storm. No matter what kind of storm we are in, if Jesus is in our boat, we can't ever let our fear of the unknown interrupt our relationship with our Savior. So how do we teach this to our children in a practical way? How do we teach them that our God is in control of the things they fear? Here are a few suggestions...

1. PRAY:
When you see that they are scared, stop, drop, and pray.

2. READ:
The following bible stories are great to read when it comes to how to deal with fear -
Mark 4:35-41
Matthew 8:23-27
1 Samuel 17
The Book of Jonah
Mark 6: 45-52
Matthew 14: 22-33

3.  Play the game with your child where you ask them to fall backwards and you stand behind them to catch them.  Talk to them about how even though they can't see you, just like we can't see God, that they should have enough trust in us to fall back even though they might have a fear that they are going to fall.  That is the same kind of trust that they should have in God when they are fearful of something... that He will catch them and protect them.

4.  Similarly, talk to them about trust.  Show them (or ask them to show you) things we put our trust in.  For example, we put our trust in a chair or couch that it will hold us as we sit down.  When we trust that God will take care of us, even if difficult times, we do not need to fear.  Ask them to name times when they have been scared or nervous (in school, speaking in front of their class, talking to someone, at night, getting lost, etc.).  Remind them to pray in those times to God for security.

Father God I pray that you calm the storms in my life.  I pray that in times of fear, frustration, or hardship that I realize that you are not asleep, but in control.  I pray that I immediately look to you for peace.  I pray that my children would do the same thing.  I pray that they will remain strong in the faith that you will protect them in whatever it is that they are going through.  I pray that when they face storms of any kind in life and when they feel like they are falling or things are out of their control, that they don't struggle to regain control but that we thank you that YOU are allready in control.  In Jesus name.