Book Review: 52 Creative Family Time Experiences (Smith/Randall House)

Written By: Kimberly - Nov• 03•12

Do you ever hear the term “Family Worship” and think how in the world am I as a parent supposed to do this? I ask myself this as I have a newborn - only 6 weeks old. For me, right now, it looks like praying with him while I’m feeding him or talking to him about patience when he is screaming for food or for his diaper to be changed. But, I know as he gets older, my husband and I have the primary responsibility to lead this little treasure to Christ and to help him grow to be a man of God and to have a heart for God.

Timothy Smith’s new book, 52 Creative Family Time Experiences, helps parents succeed in their role as their child’s primary Christian influence. This book is a great jumping off point for parents who really need help and direction with leading Family Worship.

Here are some great points about this new tool you can use:

1. It is adaptable. If you have kids of varying ages, you can use this book with all of them. It gives you ideas to make the lesson more applicable to older children and younger ones alike!

2. It is organized. Everything from the opening activity to the closing prayer, this book gives you 52 weeks of creative ways to teach the Bible to your children.

3. The main point is there. Smith definitely gets that it is the parent’s role to be their child’s main discipler. It is not the church’s. I’m thankful that he gets it! I wish every writer writing for families and for youth/children would get that main point. That is clearly what the Bible teaches.

4. It is varied. Smith understands that all children (and adults) do not learn the same way. He has examples and activities that hit in every learning style: auditory, smell, vision, touch, doing, etc. This helps when all of your children learn different ways.

My only hesitation for this book is that it is not gospel-centered enough for me. I would want to teach the explicit Gospel of Jesus in every lesson. Take just one lesson - the one for Thanksgiving. It says we need to thank God because He is good and blesses us. We need to be thankful. It doesn’t mention that we need to be thankful for the cross of Christ because it is the only way our sins are forgiven. There are some that teach that and have it written in the lesson, but not all of them.

All in all, this is a “get book” - especially for parents who are striving to teach their children about the Bible and have no clue where to start!

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2012 Arkansas Cornbread Festival

Written By: Kimberly - Nov• 03•12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know you are still in the South when on a Saturday in November you head out to a cornbread festival. It was my first outing in Little Rock.

There was a diverse crowd there and almost as many ways people cook cornbread.

Scattered on Main Street were individuals and professionals (like the Capitol Hotel and Boulevard Bread) who had entered their authentic recipe for cornbread to be chosen the winner of this year’s festival. But, along with the cornbread there was live music, arts and crafts, and even someone’s pet pig.

One of the vendors I stopped at was BVann Originals - bags, gifts, and pretty things that all had a touch of uniqueness. B.Vann and his other workers at his table were very nice to talk with and let me take their picture.

I tasted two good ones today - most were rather dry and served with good sides (meaning the sides were better than the star of the show, the cornbread). They served authentic southern sides as chili, red beans, chicken and dumplings, and of course a variety of greens. The best savory one I thought was more of a spoon bread sitting on top of some well-seasoned collards. delicious. Hint of jalapeno and sweetness. Perfect combination. The other one was sweet - like desssert sweet. Pumpkin Spice Cornbread, topped with homemade local coffee ice cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. Definitely a winner - and definitely non-traditional.

My only disappointment was there was no cornbread you could buy to take home - and no “secret” recipes to be given out.

I look forward to exploring more of the new state we live in.

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James Day 2: Our Completion in Christ

Written By: Kimberly - Nov• 02•12

Based on James 1:2-4

Here is where the Gospel comes in to this section on trials: God has already made us complete. We live in a world of the already but not yet. Let me explain. If we are IN Christ, then we are ALREADY made perfect because of the completed work of Christ on the cross. Now, even though are already perfect, we still live in this world where sin abounds. We live in the NOT YET. His plan is making us ready for the day that He will bring everything under subjection to Himself and we be completely sanctified (Colossians 1:19-23). God is for us in that He has already provided our Sanctification – He has already made us perfect. Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross for us has already declared us righteous (perfect) before God the Father. That is why it was Jesus who had to die. He was the only God-Man who was perfect in everything. He was the only one who could pay the debt and make us perfect. The imputation of Christ’s righteousness means that through Christ’s death on the cross, sinners who believe by grace through faith are given Christ’s righteousness, His perfection. We stand before God the Father as though we had never sinned.

There should be great hope in that. Even though we may never handle the trials of life perfectly, and we may sin every day and strive for perfection – we are already made perfect in Christ. Let that position, the indicative (what already is) determine how you live your life from the day to day. Our perfection in Christ should cause us to dwell more richly on His grace and strive for a lifestyle and a heart-style that will please our Father. We don’t have to keep striving to be complete? There is nothing in this word that will make us more complete than we are right now (not a husband, a better job, more money, a more influential ministry, not being skinnier, nothing).

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November: James 1 (Why Study Scripture - Grudem)

Written By: Kimberly - Nov• 01•12

This month I will be posting excerpts from the Bible study I’m writing. Hope you are blessed. Would love any thoughts that you have.

Why is there a need to study Scripture? There are many reasons. Dr. Wayne Grudem, a professor and theologian, has this to say about the necessity of Scripture, “the necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will.” (ST, pg 116)

So, let’s take those three and apply them to a study like this on the book of James:

1. We study it for a better knowledge of the gospel. In this study, I hope you will see that the book of James tells us that we are not perfect, cannot do all the demands that the Word gives us, yet there is one who has done everything perfectly. That is the essence of the Gospel. We are not perfect, but are loved by someone who is perfect.

2. We study the Word to maintain our spiritual life. How can a marriage survive if the couple never communicates or shares life together? How can a friendship thrive if there is no line of communication and time spent with each other? Just as there can be no harmony in a marriage or friendship without communication, there is little growth in The Lord without time spent reading His Word. It is His letter to His children. Why wouldn’t we want to read it?

3. We study the Word of God to know His will. Romans 12.1-2 tells us this - that we can know God’s good, perfect, and pleasing will. How do we know it? We can read, study, know, memorize, and reflect upon the Word He has given us. Then when we are faced with a decision to make, we often won’t have to worry about what to do. The Spirit will bring what we already know to remembrance (John 15-17). One of the Spirit’s roles is to be our Teacher. One of his primary ways of doing that is through the Word of God.

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31Days: New Service (and wrap-up) - (31)

Written By: Kimberly - Oct• 31•12

Want to write a quick note to the wives out there. Do you know what you do that pleases your husband - or what would please your husband?

Here is a simple thing:

My husband likes the bed made. Since he told me that that one act of service makes him smile for the day - I have tried to do it every day. There are a few days when E makes it, but that is a blessing to me. He knows that if he were gone for a week, I probably wouldn’t make the bed until the day he returned. That is why he knows it is a sacrifice for me - to do something that doesn’t matter at all to me - and does matter to him.

Here has been my thought lately - if I know of something I could do that would totally bless my husband (and is not sin), and I fail or choose not to do it - for me that is sin.

What is something you could do today that would bless your husband?

Wrap-up:

I’ve enjoyed being creative in thinking about the daily stuff to write these 31 posts. I’ve also had to cheat a few days and write two on one day. But, I learned that while writing is important to me, spending time with my family is more so.

As I begin the month of November to try to write a James Bible study for women, I hope I can remember grace in the midst of the goal.

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31Days: New Tiredness (30)

Written By: Kimberly - Oct• 30•12

I think this whole sleep deprivation thing is setting in. To both of us!

Sweet Buddy has been kind enough and sacrificial enough to take the morning shift - that oh dark thirty hour before anyone really should be awake. He usually gets up with little buddy about 5 and lets me sleep until he goes to work. So Kind!

People tell you to take naps when the baby does - but I generally can’t do that. If I took naps everytime he did we wouldn’t: have dinner EVER unless it was take out, never have clean laundry or dishes or a bathroom, etc. I would never get any writing done (because I like calmness to write - not a screaming 6 week old). I wouldn’t have any time with my Buddy - and my relationship with him comes first. We stay up watching a show or reading Scripture or just talking about our days.

Marriage is more important than naps!

And I’ll catch up on sleep - maybe I can ask that for a birthday present.

And, btw, I love watching my little boy sleep!

Posted in 31days, mothering, parenting | 1 Comment »

31Days: New Self-Realizations (29)

Written By: Kimberly - Oct• 29•12

So maybe these aren’t new, but they are on my mind this morning, and I can choose to do something about them!

1. I’m opinionated. Maybe its because I have a blog and think that people actually care what I think about stuff. Maybe who knows why. Its prideful and arrogant to think that I can offer my thoughts at random no matter who they hurt. And the ones I love should rather know that I’m their biggest fan and that they are loved more than they need to know my preference. Phil 2.4 - that is not love, along with 1 Cor 13. I’d rather live like Landis Barnes (in the live like Paul sorta way, because he lives like Jesus) then share my opinions.

2. I’m overweight. Ok - I know I just had a baby, but that doesn’t excuse my eating habits. And I can keep saying stuff about it and still keep eating poorly and being disappointed by the way I look and feel and the way none of my clothes fit - or I can do something about it. Food doesn’t taste that good!

Now, my note about self-realizations - they are not self-actualizations. Just because I am them - doesn’t mean I have to stay that way. Phil 1.6 and my continuing gospel sanctification (Hole in our Holiness) should let me know that the Spirit is going to keep working in my life. I’m thankful.

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31Days: New Prayer (28)

Written By: Kimberly - Oct• 28•12

I love early mornings when little buddy is asleep and I get time just to linger in bed and think and pray. This doesn’t happen often, probably not once since he’s been here (when I haven’t been so tired all I’ve done is slept).

My prayer and thought this morning is a quote I heard some time ago and again it came to mind:

“Unless sin is bitter, Christ will not be sweet.”

Pray that as we live out the Gospel in our marriage, parenting, church life, friendships - that we would not cherish sin because we cherish Christ more.

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31Days: New Mountains (27)

Written By: Kimberly - Oct• 28•12

Yesterday our little family took a nine hour road trip (round trip) up into the northern part of our new state through some backroads. We had been told that one little highway was a gorgeous scenic view in the fall.

We made little stops along the way and saw the beauty of the Ozarks. We passed through towns of Booger Hollow, Chigger Hollow, Pickles Gap, and more. We stopped at a little store called Nellie’s Crafts and Quilts. we left disappointed because though they indeed sold jams and jellies like their sign advertised, it wasn’t homemade like we had thought it might be.

Little buddy did great as he loves being in his carseat as long as we were moving. We hiked the Alum Springs Natural Bridge. We got a snack at Subway in Harrison right past the Buffalo River. And we ate at David’s Burgers (a small chain burger place) on the way out to Hwy 7.

So, while I can’t really say it was the Blue Ridge Parkway of AR - it was God’s beautiful creation and we got to hang out all day. And there is a little B&B that overlooks the entire valley that I hope we get to go back to some day.

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31Days: New Vocabulary (26)

Written By: Kimberly - Oct• 26•12

My vocabulary has definitely changed since having a baby. I used to always talk about blogs, networking, theology, family ministry, curriculum, marriage, etc.

Now, these are my latest phrases:

“I’m giving you some Mommy slobber” - when I’m going to kiss little e

“He pooped 4 times today” - talking to E about our day

“Hey sweet boy” - when I pick him up out of the rocker sleeper

“It’s time to change you…again?”

“Sssshhhhhhhhh…” - all the time when I’m trying to get him to sleep. I’ve even done this to my husband in my sleep!

 

Posted in 31days, mothering, parenting | 1 Comment »
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