I've been called lots of things in my life. Trust me... being a middle school teacher... lots. of. things. But I experienced a first yesterday. It happened in our little Sunday School room. I was intensely enjoying my coffee and my blueberry doughnut, listening to various volunteers read scripture from Amos... feeling very proud of myself that we managed not only to get our little family of five to church, but that we arrived on time with one extra friend! So here we were, sitting around, talking about Amos and how he served as a propet to Israel, how God used him to pronounce judgement upon Israel.
Someone read scripture from Amos 5....
1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!"
2 The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks.
When I first glanced at this scripture, I didn't give it much thought. Bt something cauht my attention. "Bring us some drinks!" Why would asking my husband to bring me a drink be bad?? I tried to concentrate on the lesson, but as God would have it, he kept nudging.... dig deeper. So as the rest of the class went on, reading the story of Amos and discussing... I was stuck on "bring us some drinks!"
Bashan was known for cattle that were fattened up from the fertile fields they grazed. (Bashan was just to the east of the Sea of Galilee.) As it turns out, Amos was refering to the wives of court officials, land owners, or merchant wives... the wealthy women of Bashan. He was calling these women fat cows because of the lavish and extravagent lifestyle they were leading. Now, I realize that Bashan was known for these cows, and that it was a good thing that they were fat.... But I think I can speak with certainty when I say I don't think any woman in history has ever appreciated being called a fat cow!
But here's why Amos did it. The women of Bashan would pressure their husbands to make more and more money to support their lavish and luxurious lifestyles. The husbands would then, in an attempt to please thier wives, turn around and exploit the poor because they had the power to do so.
My head was swirling. Am I a fat cow to God??
Here is the challenge... what ways have I oppressed the poor. In what ways do I pressure my husband to maintain a lifestyle that God has not called me to live? Here are some questions I would like to ask myself, to ask of God. I would hope he will open up any area of my life that is not pleasing to him for radical change.
1. In what ways do I support my husband? How am I showing him that I love and cherish him? Do I tell him that I am proud of who he is?
2. In what ways am I praying for my husband?
3. What conversations are we, as a married couple, having about our finances?
4. In what ways am I honoring my husband with my money? In what ways am I honoring God with my money? In what ways are WE honoring God with our money?
5. In what ways is my family helping others?
The last thing I want is to be a fat cow in God's eyes, or my husband's eyes for that matter. Please join me in prayer that God will open the eyes of our hearts to the ways we are causing oppresion of any kind.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24
This past Sunday night, I watched as my children swarmed around the house preparing for the week ahead. The girls were busy picking out clothes and cleaning out backpacks and lunch-boxes. My son was shifting back and forth from the computer to the table finishing up a biology project that wasn't even due until Tuesday.
This incredible overabundance of gratitude and pride emerged. They're doing what I've taught them and asked them so many times do!!!!! And I didn't even have to ask them to do it!!!! Just as I was about to break out into full on momma-happy-dance... God handed me a magnifying glass. I walked over to his project, and upon further inspection, I noticed that it was really lacking in detail - detail that my little teacher heart knew he could add to get the "A" I knew he was capable of. And there may have been a little... okay, a lot of teacher coming out when I stumbled over the right way to tell him that he was capable of doing better.
Before I knew it, I was fully engaged in confrontation with my teenager. What stopped me in my tracks were these words from his mouth - words that were said with such conviction, that it just broke my teacher heart: "I don't know why you're so upset??? It's passing, and that's good enough!!"
I began to wonder where I had gone wrong. When did "That's the best I can do" get exchanged with "I'm okay doing the bare minimum?" I felt a tinge of disappointment in myself as a mother. And as I stepped back from this confrontation, God pointed the magnifying glass at me. When did I stop giving God my best? When did I become okay with just barely passing for Jesus?
I needed alone time with God to rekindle the desire to do my best for him. He brought me to our scripture for today's post, and reminded me that as long as I seek Him, he will bridge the gap of where I fall short as a mom. He reminded me that when I focus on Him, give Him my very best of everything - that He will pour out his very best on me.
I don't want to be lacking in his eyes. Next time, I'm giving it all. I'm starting by looking for opportunitites to bless others. I'm recording the blessings I see around me everyday. Are you with me?
If there is ANYONE on this planet who feels more unequipped to lead a bunch of teenage girls.... let me just be the first to tell you.... IT IS ME!! I teach 7th grade reading, and with that being said, you are correct in assuming that I feel comfortable around those strange creatures known as pre-teens... tweens if you will. But being comfortable around a mixed group of 11-13 year olds in a classroom, where I am required to talk about things like theme, and setting, and summary, or main idea, or why Katniss volunteered for tribute is easy. Leading teenagers to Christ? My knees start to buckle.
So, back in August, I was approached at the beginning of the year by a precious sweet girl. She came in with a flock of friends and asked if The Pure Heart Girls could meet in my classroom after school a few times a month. Before I could even think.... I heard the word "SURE!" come out of my mouth. I then immediately thought..... what have I gotten myself into???? So I tried to find something age appropriate for our first meeting.
How do you minister to tween girls... in a public school??? I wasn't sure of my boundaries. I didn't have any good devotionals or studies we could follow so I turned to an unequipped girls best friend.... google.... um, after praying, of course.
This is one of the first things I found. I must have watched it 5 times before I saved the link to show the girls. It is such a powerful message.
We watched this video the very first meeting that we had. If you have daughters, I would encourage you to watch it. I beg you to watch it... "more than the price tag on their clothes ... or the followers they have on twitter ... regardless of who they think they are ... whether they are on the hot list or the not list ... the reality is that they are powerful, and strong, and capable." When I'm having a really bad hair day, I need to remember to come back and watch this again!
I also had remembered reading about a young group of girls who met at someone's house, and I could not for the LIFE of me remember the website or what they called the girls. And just as I sat down to start searching appropriate devotions... to the glory of God wouldn't you know it... the name just popped in my head. The Balcony Girls! Isn't that awesome how God works like that! It was just another reminder that I had made the right decision to be a part of these sweet young ladies' lives. And I am really so deeply humbled and honored that God chose me to whisper His truth into their hearts. So I used a lot of what The Balcony Girls do to talk about virtues, and girl-type relationship issues for our first few meetings, and it has proven to be a huge hit! I will more than likely buy their e-books... and I will keep blogging about our meetings!
There's always lots of giggling and laughter and games and red punch and oreos and chips and dip and fellowship and it is ALWAYS amazing. They are UUUUUhhhhhh-mazing. We meet for about an hour and talk about what it means to be "A Pure Heart Girl"... saving yourself for your husband, for marriage and I muddle my way through the awkward conversations and gently remind them for the REALLY tough questions that they should probably ask their parents.
We watched the video above, and they sat mesmorized. The next meeting, as the girls came in, they all wrote down questions that they had about God, about The Bible... and for a solid hour, we talked about salvation, people in the bible, families, and hard situations, and before leaving we joined hands in a circle and prayed. Yall. It moved me tears to listen to these girls pray for each other, and our school, and our teachers, and future relationships, and for healing, and a whole array of social issues that flowed out of their hearts to the cross of Jesus.
Just a few of The Pure Heart Girls who collected toiletries for a local women's shelter.
So I really want to do something special for these girls. When I look over all of my regrets in my life, I think that the times that I veered off course is partly due to not having God's word tucked away in my heart. I really want to have The Full Armor of God so that I can take a stand... but more than anything, I want to teach them the importance of knowing God's word. I want for them to be so overwhelmed by God's love for them, that they will know in their darkest hours that he is light. I want them know that when they are stressed out and unsure and pressured, that they can lean on Christ. I never want them to doubt that whatever happens, they can draw from the well of mercy and grace.
Starting this spring semester, The Pure Heart Girls will be creating journals. Not just ordinary journals, but journals where they will hopefully find the beauty of God's word (thank you Ann Voskamp for the mighty inspiration). A journal to keep memory scriptures, and favorite verses, and maybe a few notes from The Balcony Girls Books. I picked out ten scriptures that we are going to memorize. Each week when we meet, we will paste God's word into our journal and have a small devotion about it! I want God's word to be beautiful to these girls... and me. I want them to believe God's word... "What is beautiful in our lives is what actually becomes the most useful in our lives. We are drawn to beauty and Jesus is the Most Beautiful — so hang up His words as art." Ann Voskamp
So by the end of the school year, we will have {hopefully} memorized ten of the most beautiful scriptures in God's Words. Would you like to join us? I'm including the ten verses below as we are using them.
.... I will keep adding these as I make them! Feel free to share them, print them, hang them wherever you need a reminder of the beauty of God's word!
**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.
**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.
**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.
**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.
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.
**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.**
Have you ever been dumped? Have you ever been the last kid picked for the team? Not received an invitation to a party? Have you ever interviewed for a job and didn't get it? A promotion that you deserved given to someone else? A contest or game we didn't win? How do we handle it? Do we take it personally and desire revenge?
As Christians, we face rejections of a different kind. When someone rejects us because of our relationship with Christ. When someone rejects Christ? Rejection by our friends is bad enough, but how much worse when our family rejects us? Or when God rejects a prayer because He has something else in mind?
Everyone has experienced rejection in some shape or form at some point in their life no matter age or geographic location. Rejection and life go together like peanut butter and jelly. It is unavoidable. So how do we deal with it?
Do we turn into the Grinch? Or like Christ, do we continue to seek God? Chances are, when we face rejection, we feel like a damaged apple left on the stand at the grocery store. We try and we try as much as possible to shine ourselves up, to hide the scars, to cover the blemishes, and we put ourselves out there, and we are crushed when we are rejected, because we compare our scars and blemishes and sin to the spotless.
The good news for the Christian is that God does not work that way. He does not look at us like apples on the shelf, rejecting us because we are tarnished or bruised from life choices. Jesus gives us unconditional love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes in all things, endures all things.
Imagine the rejection that Christ felt in the garden when kissed on the cheek by Judas. When sold out by Peter. When hanging on the cross when he asked God to forgive those who put him there because they did not know what they were doing? But there was one other rejection that Jesus suffered which is greater than any of us can ever understan... one we don't have to know. As he hung on the cross, God turned his back on Jesus because he became sin and God cannot look on sin. The cry from the cross, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" is beyond our ability to understand.
So how can we teach our children to handle rejection in the same way Christ did? Here are a few suggestions...
1. PRAY:
When rejection happens, pray with and for your child and like Christ, pray for the rejector.
2. BAKE:
Show your children that they can still be used even if they are rejected by baking some banana bread. Follow any recipe for making banana bread, but while you are going through the steps, explain that the ripe bananas that are usually bruised and brown make better bread. Explain that they are stripped and smashed, and the perfect green bananas are usually too hard to make into a good paste. Take whole pecans and explain that they have to be broken and crushed (like Christ) to be used. When adding the sugar, allow your children to taste the batter before adding the sugar. Allow your children to taste the plain sugar and explain to them that when we accept Christ, we are adding a sweetness to our lives that will forever change us. Explain to them that no matter what rejections we face, no matter how crushed and damaged we may feel, that God will conform us to his likeness, and when we add Christ to our lives, we become equipped to deal with our pain and heartache and disappointment and rejection with sweetness.
3. READ:
Find and read the following stories in the bible that deal with rejection:
The story of Joseph and his brothers:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+37&version=NIV
http://biblestudy.pppst.com/genesis/joseph.html
Jesus is rejected by his hometown:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204:14-28&version=NIV
Verses that explain why God won't reject us:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%204:7-21&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2015:5-8&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2026:9-13&version=NIV
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%204&version=NIV
Father God, I pray that when my children face rejection of any kind that you use me to teach them how to handle it. I know from my own life experiences that facing rejection is not fun or easy, but it has helped shaped me into who I am today. Father I thank you that Christ faced the ultimate rejection so I would not have to be rejected from You. I pray that you teach my children through the rejections that they will face that they are still loved and can still be used by you! In Jesus name, amen.
**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.**
How often have we found ourselves driving on the freeway only to be passed by someone going so much faster than the speed limit allows. Dangerously fast. Cutting in and out of traffic. I don't know about you, but my initial thought is usually "I hope there is a police officer up there so they get caught!!"
But what if the car that passed you was racing to take their young child to the hospital in order to save their life? If you only knew that, what would your initial thought be then? I know I would pull over and get out of the way! I would probably even pray that they made it safely and that the child would be ok.
What is the ultimate purpose of any law? To maintain order, right? In Mark 2:23-28, the Pharisees take issue with Christ picking grain on the Sabbath. They were questioning His non-conformance to THEIR religious standards concerning the Sabbath. Christ reminded them that even King David ate when he was hungry, even if it meant that they had to work to get the food they needed in order to survive. The Pharisees were revered because of their religious nature.
However, Jesus could see them for what they were. "....You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
It doesn't matter how many times we pray. Because even the Pharisees prayed. It doesn't matter how many times we go to church. Because the Pharisees were ALWAYS in church. It doesn't matter how many Sunday School classes we teach, or if we are in the choir, or how many mission trips we've been on, or how many service projects we've done.
When we have a judgemental nature, we become like the Pharisees.
So how do we teach our children about hypocrisy? How do we teach them to avoid having pious, judgemental, critical, or prideful attitudes? First, we need to examine our own lives and compare them to those that Christ considered the most hypocritical. We can do that by asking ourselves these tough questions....
1. Do I ask my children to pray, when they do not see me pray?
2. Do I ask our children to respect their father (or mother), when they see me being disrespectful?
3. Do I ask my children to do their chores with a good attitude, when they see me complaining?
4. Do I tell my children that they may not watch a certain show based on bad ethics, only to watch what I want later?
5. Do I tell my children not to gossip, but what do they hear me talking about on the phone?
6. Do our actions follow our words? Do we tell our children that they shouldn't play video games all day when we are blogging, facebooking, or on our Iphone all day?
7. Do your children hear you talking about setting priorities and putting God first, but see you sleeping in instead of having quiet time or reading a magazine instead of the Bible?
Father God, I pray that you align my priorities! I pray that my actions and my words and my heart are one for You. I pray that You help me teach my children to recognize when they are becoming hypocritical in their relationship with you and more importantly, that you help me recognize when I am becoming hypocritical so that I can stop and turn myself around to become closer to YOU! In Jesus name, amen!
**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.**
Jesus was and is the son of God. He is the Christ, the Messiah. He fulfilled prophecies that pointed to no one but Him. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He overcame temptation. He took authority over sin and radically changed lives. He hung out and recruited sinners and pointed them in a new direction. He was uniquely perfect and he calls us to live uniquely for Him. But when we answer that call - to whom do we think we are answering?
The first people to hear the message of Christ were the opressed, the poor, the hopeless. And if you really think about it - that's what we are without Jesus. And yes, he changed lives, but he never promised that following him would be fun or easy....
Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily & follow me.24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”Luke 9:23-27 (NIV)
So how do we explain to our children that they are to look to Jesus as the ultimate example of how to live if we are not taking up our crosses? Every day we come into contact with different types of people. We all have some sort of sphere of influence, starting with our immediate family. Inside of this sphere, we may have run into people who flat out reject us when we begin to talk about Christ. Jesus Christ most certainly faced rejection, but He did not let it move Him from what He came to do. He did not decide to change who He was because He was not getting his point across.
In Matthew 19:23-30, Jesus tells the man to go and sell everything he own to follow him. 3-30. When the man walks away sorrowful, we don't read anything else. We don't read about how the man might have changed his mind days later, or how Jesus turned back 30 minutes later and said... oh ok, nevermind... come follow me anyway and heck... bring all your stuff. Christ gives us free will to choose him or to not choose him. period.
So how do we go about teaching our children to have the same character. To not waiver in the face of confrontation. To stand strong in what they believe to be right. To live passionately and uniquely for Christ?
Here are a few tangible suggestions...
1. Pray with your children. Pray outloud and in front of them that they will develop the character of Christ.
2. Talk with them about the difficulties of being a Christian. Make sure that they know that it is not always blessings and roses and that not everyone that they come in contact with will share the same belief (like reading the story from Matthew 19 above), and that it is not our job or theirs to be that person's Holy Spirit. We can only simply introduce them to Christ and tell them or show them the difference Christ has made in our own lives.
3. If your church has an outreach ministry (our church has something called FAITH teams, where people go door to door to witness to others), take your child on an outing so he or she can see other to people about Christ. The more your children see you discuss and explain your faith in Christ with others, the more your child will understand who you are asking him to believe in.
4. Go on a mission trip with your children. Taking your children to impoverished countries will open their eyes at God's greatness.
5. If you have older children, consider going along on a prison ministry outreach - or helping to prepare for one. Your child can learn alot from talking to those who talk with prisoners about Christ on a weekly basis.
6. Sponsor a child from a program like Compassion.com. Help your child write letters to the sponsored child about the love of Christ.
Jesus calls us to come out of our comfort zone and experience fear with Him by our side. It can sometimes be a challenge to know Jesus because we might not want to go where He is. Jesus said "Those that are well don't need a doctor, but the sick that need one" (Mark 2:17). Go where Jesus is... with the poor, the orphans, the hurting, the opressed, the cripled, the lost. See how He will get to know YOU more in the process. Know Him by going to Him.
Father God I pray that my children will come to know you deeply. I pray that when they come face to face with others who question their faith that they will know you strongly enough to explain who you are. I pray that they stand strong and do not waiver. I pray that they do not change who they are to please other people, but that you would change them because they want to please YOU. In Jesus name, amen!
**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.**
My dad was famous for saying things like... "You are known by the company you keep" and "If you lie with dogs, you're gonna get fleas" or "You can't roost with the owls and fly with the eagles". He was MORE famous for throwing those little quips at me or one of my sisters, clanging a wooden spoon against a pot, and flicking the light on at about noon, when trying to get some "beauty" sleep after making some less than honorable choices in staying out late the night before.
During any political campaign, we can often see candidates attempting to disgrace their opponent by associating them with individuals deemed by some to be of questionable character. Guilt by association. As adults, there are probably a list of certain individuals that we can all think of that we would never be caught hanging out with for fear of what it might say about our morality.
Yet.... Christ's life was filled with different types of associations that were questioned by his disciples...
Mark 2:15-17
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
So what about the old saying? If a man is known by the company he keeps, then does that make Jesus a sinner? What we do know about Christ is that He had a heart for those who were deemed of questionable moral conduct by society. He sought out the sinner who was rejected by society. But no matter the company He kept, He always loved, He always accepted, and He always pointed to the Father. But He never sinned as a result of befriending the sinner.
So how do we teach our children, especially our older children to make the right choices in the midst of sin. How do we teach our children to model Christ in this way? How do we teach them to stand up to peer pressure at certain times in their lives, and to be willing to face rejection and ridicule for making the right choice?
Here are a few suggestions...
1. Pray for your child.
Outloud. In front of them. At dinner, at bedtime, whenever, wherever. There is something very powerful about your child hearing you pray for them.
2. Help build your child's self esteem and confidence through different activities.
Even if your child is not in sports or clubs, you can praise him or her for making the right choices. It's never too late to start!
3. Help your child understand unconditional love.
Tell them that you will ALWAYS love them - no matter what and constantly remind them that there is nothing that they can do that will make you stop loving them, but that when they make a bad choice, there will be consequences.
4. Get to know your child's friends and their parents.
There is a lot to be said about what kind of choices a child will make based on what kind of upbringing he has. You are not going to know, unless you make the move to meet the parents.
5. Ask them about children who they consider "of questionable character".
There are kids who they deem "wild" or "crazy" or "poor" just like the kids that are popular. And when talking to them about who hangs out with who - you can discuss how to handle situations that come up. Things like bullying, cheating, stealing, etc. There is also no reason why these children shouldn't be invited to birthday parties, outings, or to come over and hang out. Remember, Jesus always pointed to the Father.
6. Give them a plan on how to get out of a bad situation.
I can remember going over to a friend's house when I was in 8th grade. I had been friends with this person since elementary school and my parents knew and trusted her parents, so they dropped me off without any questions to spend the night. When I walked in, I discovered that not only were her parents not there, but there were high school kids there who were watching "bad" movies and making "bad" choices. But there were lots of (questionable) people there and I remember feeling trapped. I didn't want to risk looking "uncool" by calling my dad and ratting them out. But I also was not aware of the many risks associated with just being there. I was not prepared to handle a situation like this, and had no idea how to get out of it. As a parent, we need to make plans with our children on how to handle social situations. Had my parents talked to me about calling with some type of "code" I would have called in a heartbeat - but had I called my dad and said - Can you come get me, I forgot my pillow... he wouldn't have had a clue what I really meant.
Father God, I pray for my children as they face difficult peer situations. I pray for my children's friends that come into their lives. I pray that they will be unwavering in You. I pray that the only opinion they care about is Yours and that when they face peer pressure that they feel greater pressure from YOU. I pray that you carry them in Your hands always, but do not shelter them from the sick and the sinful. Teach them to be lights Lord, and lead them to make choices that glorify you....
I am planning on starting a monthly or weekly series here on Southern Grace. I have a heart for Jesus and I feel Him calling me to tell others about how much He loves them, and I hope and pray that this blog will be one of many ways that I can accomplish that. To start the series off, I will be doing a series called "Who Was Jesus?"
Not long ago, my middle daughter asked me about who God was. Where did God come from? What does God look like? Hard questions to answer, but great questions nonetheless. It is hard for our children to understand who Christ is unless they see it lived out through their parents, and through tangible examples. So I prayed about ways in which I could show my young children who God is. I started to search the bible and all kinds of bible studies and magazines and came up with list of ten attributes that I could use to describe God to my children....... hence the birth of this series - Who Was Jesus? It will be a guide to teach our kids about who Jesus was and who Jesus is. A guide with some tangible simple teachable ways to live out the words of Christ. Here is the list of posts that I'm planning. I'll hope you'll join me on this journey of bring our kids, our families closer together and closer to Christ.
1. HE KNEW WHO HE WAS: How to teach your children to stand firm when they are struggling with their identiy.
2. HE HUNG OUT WITH SINNERS: How to raise our teenagers to make the right choices in the midst of sin.
3. HE CONFRONTED THE RELIGIOUS: How to teach our kids about being hypocritical.
4. HE FACE REJECTION: How to teach our children about rejection.
5. HE OVERCAME FEAR: How to teach our children to stand up for themselves and deal with peer presure.
6. HE MADE SERVING A PRIORITY: How to teach our children about priorities.
7. HE DIDN'T SEE THE BLING: How to teach out teenagers about passing judgement on others.
8. HE USED HIS WORDS CAREFULLY: How to teach our children about the impact our words have on others.
9. HE SUFFERED FOR ME: How to teach our children about the dangers of revenge thinking.
10. HE IS THE ONLY PERFECT MAN: How to teach our children about rationalizing bad decisions.
And I doubt it ever will. It looks more like this after movie night....
Yep, those are my two girls crashed out. Oh, and then there's this...
And it's pretty much a mess on any given Sunday, and sure, I know it doesn't matter because life happens here, and because I stay at home and don't work, we have furniture from craigslist and we don't do many vacations. But I compare. And I whine. And some days feel hard and heavy. And I know that my home is lovely, but I forget. And I forget that I have seen things like this...
Orphanages in Kazakhstan
And this...
These were her only pair of shoes in the world. I don't
know about you, but the words
"I don't have shoes to
match" have come out of my mouth more than once.
Where life is hard and heavy. And I am reminded to look at my reality, my home, through the eyes of Christ.
And I see the blessing. I wonder how Christ sees me.
And as my children play 'family' and I cook, I get to see glimpses of me in the mirror. I get to see how they see our home.
How they see Christ through me.
How through every hug, every kiss, every word, and even as I stand and do the dishes, they see me.
I am not just making a home. I am not just a wife. I am who they see as an example of making a home. So even on days that are hard and heavy. I lift my eyes to Christ and am reminded, that these walls and this life and this home are temporary, and that it both matters and it doesn't matter, and that life is not about what matters, it's about Christ. That my real home is eternally more glorious than anything I could ever imagine. And that there probably won't be any laundry to do. And that gives me something to smile about while I fold....
Something I have learned from running..... if I am training for a race, training is something that has to happen every day. What I never realized before is that "training" includes EVERY aspect of my life. What I eat, what I drink, how I sleep, and how much I rest. Even when I have a day off... I don't have the day off from eating well and maintaining proper hydration. I can't spend five days running and working out really hard, eating healthy portions and super foods and then go and gorge up on fried chicken and soda on my day off. Because it makes me feel horid the next day.
Isn't sin the same way?
Conscious as I am of my weaknesses and failures and my lack of self control, I fail. When I know that it counts, I fail. But God is not waiting for us to do better. He is not sitting around rolling his eyes when we mess up. He whispers get back up. Keep going. Learn. Your life still counts.
Every day counts. Our lives, our thoughts, our actions and reactions are the footprints we lay down fresh ... And time will race on and I will fail again at my training. And there will come a day when I return to the earth never to know the children of my children's children who will trace over my footprints leaving paths of their own. And as this stay at home mom ponders what I'm doing with my life, and where the mattering is, I am reminded that it is not in the grandeur of or the accomplishments, but in the moments where training meets grace.
Reactions to situations, to my children, to my husband, my family. Treatment of people in line at the grocery store - in front of us and behind us. Potty training. Hospitals. What I choose to watch, where I choose to go. What I say to the homeless man on the corner, the telemarketer who calls during dinner, facebook/twitter posts, blogs, in the car, in my home. It all matters. It is a constant stream of chances to radiate Christ's love.
Every Day I should open our eyes and thank God for the training that we are about to endure with the realization that how we handle it might help someone else finish the race. And if I fail, I fail because of my humannes and I win when I keep going because Christ has allready won.
What am I really doing with my one life, this one wondrous grace that moves like grass in the wind, this one brief blink of earthly existence that holds all our eternity and before it’s too late, on and gone? (source)
Every Day counts. What are you doing with the time that God has given you today?
It's been almost a year since I started running. In fact, I started my first "jog" (if you could call it that) on May 12, 2010. The ten year anniversary of my dad's death. I have never been a runner, I have never liked running per say. But it is one of a very few things that I have found that really gives me a good sweat. It helps relinquish my stresses, my worries, and frustrations. Not that this stay at home mom (SAHM for those of you who are into anagrams) has a huge amount of stress compared to some of you reading this, but let's just say that I have learned to strap on my tissues (as my three year old calls tennis-shoes) and some great devotional music and spend some one on one time with my Father. It has taken a good year for me to get up to feeling comfortable with running five miles in one run... which takes about an hour... which with three kids, that's really all I have time for right now.
I started out with a small goal of being able to run a mile. And I can remember the first time I set out to do so, it took me almost 45 minutes. yes, FORTY FIVE MINUTES. That's how out of shape I was. skinny, yes. but in shape I was not. Since last year, we have joined a gym, I've started working out regularly, and I feel so much better. I have way more energy and am way less emotional. The funny thing is, once I started getting into the groove of exercising, my desires for junk food diminished. I think the same thing could be said of our spiritual lives... Our Father wants us to crave Him. To spend time with Him. To get into HIS groove. And once that happens, our lives will start to look and feel better.
This Saturday, I have the privilege of running a relay marathon with my beautiful mom and my two beautiful sisters. My sisters and I got to talking the other day about how hard it has been to train for this race while balancing family and daily life and still finding the time and the "want to" to keep running. We shared how we all had our ups and downs of training and how our bodies had all at one point or another had screamed... "I WANT TO QUIT!" That's when I thought "Man! Life is so much like running a marathon!" Our glorious Father wants to see us to the finish line. But getting there can be tough. Life is so scary and short and unpredictable and unfair and (fill in the blank with whatever tough situations you are going through)....
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Imagine standing in a crowd of runners waiting for the start. You have trained, you are hydrated. You are ready. You've got the best pair of running shoes, you know the route, you know your limits. You are ready. You strap on your backpack full of rocks and wait for the starting gun. Wait, huh wha?? Backpack full of what? You think... wait a second... but I didn't sign up for this????
The verse above tells us to lay aside everything that holds us back. Holding onto things like unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, and sin is like trying to run a marathon with a backpack of rocks strapped to your back. Sure, you can do it. But it takes more work, more effort, and more than likely you won't win. In this marathon that we call life - let's resolve to take of our backpacks of rocks. Let's realize that Christ has allready carried our backpack for us... all the way to the cross. And when we focus on what he has allready done for us, then reaching our finish line seems to get a little easier.
