6 Oct 2016

Total Family Makeover (a review)

by | posted in: Books, parenting | 0

As my kids get older, I think I start to notice all of my expectations of parenting get washed away.  When I was growing up, we lived in a neighborhood with mostly family, went to a small church where we really only interacted with 1-2 families, and I went to a Christian school and really don’t remember doing things as families with anyone.  Of course we had friends, but it wasn’t essential in our upbringing to surround ourselves with community and family.

When I get to college that all changed for me.  I surrounded myself with families and loved them and learned so much, but it wasn’t until 20 years later that I had a family of my own.

I now want to do a couple of things in family/parenting life:

  1.  Make sure my mister and I are always on the same page especially in our calendar and parenting.  This is so crucial to success.
  2. Surround ourselves with those who are ahead of us, but also with us in our stage of parenting – and who share similar grace and parenting styles.  Community is so important.
  3. Pour grace into my husband and my children.  I think the main way I do this right now is through asking forgiveness each time I do something wrong (which is often).

In Total Family Makeover, Melissa Spoelstra, tackles some important topics on how you can work toward a more discipleship centered home – because isn’t this our most important task as parents – to raise those who will Lord-willing seek after God because of HIs grace?

If you normally don’t read book introductions, read this one.  She hit the nail on the head.  Sundays are usually the day I feel the worst as a parent.  My kids disobey walking into church, or don’t obey me in childcare, or always need discipline.  While seemingly most around me have perfect children and I feel are always looking at my with disdain or disapproval.  I know this isn’t the case, but I always feel like a failure.  She tackles this and is so encouraging.

The areas of discipleship she highlights in this practical book: praying together, Bible time, mentoring, church community, serving, rest, giving, and evangelism.  All of these are personally important, and definitely are important for your family.

My one suggestion = read this book.  Maybe read it with your husband, or just give him your takeaways.  Pray together and see which area you can tackle first.  Its like if your house is a mess and you try to clean the whole things at once, you’ll get discouraged.  I would start with one thing and then go on to the next.  You’ll see God reward your obedience in these areas with success and grace.  He wants our families to be more Christ-like!  He is for you in this endeavor!

This post is sponsored by Litfuse who gave me the book.  All opinions are my own.  And you can win a great prize pack for a fun family night (think free pizza and books and games!)  Enter here

10 Jun 2016

I Can Learn to Pray: Review and Giveaway

by | posted in: Books, parenting | 6

Praying is something that is vital to the Christian life.  And what better thing to teach our children but to pray to a God who made them and desires them to talk to Him.

The fact that we can talk to the very God who created us is an exciting thing.  He hears us!  He desires our words.  He hears our cries when no one else does.

At meals, especially when Daddy is home, our little prayers are short, but super sweet to watch.  Our younger who is almost 3, clasps his hands real tight and squeezes his eyes shut super tight.  Both of our boys say Amen in such a way that you totally know they are from the South.

Tommy Nelson gave me I Can Learn to Pray for me to read with our boys and share with you.  Continue reading to learn how to win a copy of your own for your family devotion times.

This book is designed for young school age kids.  There are 52 devotions, so you can use one a week and really concentrate on repetition so each of your children get it.  These devotions are great jumping off point for your family devotions, discussions, and any activities you might want to include.

If you do want to win this from Tommy Nelson, just leave a comment here or on a social media post  The book will be coming from social media, but I (kcreatives) want to include a moleskin prayer journal so you can keep track of prayer requests for your family.  So, what your comment needs to have is a verse that you would like written on the front of the moleskin.

Thanks for loving your kids well for the sake of the Gospel and teaching them how to pray!

27 Sep 2015

Teaching Your Child the Discipline and Joy of Reading the Bible

by | posted in: Bible, Books, illustrated faith, Kids r Readers 2, parenting, Shepherding Children | 2
Illustrated Faith 1-2-3
Illustrated Faith 1-2-3

 

When our children are small, we teach them many important things to do: tie their shoes, brush their teeth, look both ways before crossing the street.  We teach them how to go to the potty, drink from a cup, and use a fork.  We teach them how to do so many things that are crucial for life.

Sometimes we forget to teach them important spiritual disciplines to help them get to know the God who created them.  The most important one we can teach them by both example and instruction is reading the Bible.  And what a better way to teach them how to read – then to read the Bible.

Why do we need to teach our children to read the Bible?

  1. The Bible is God’s voice to us today.  He breathed the Bible into life.  He used common sinners to record what the Spirit breathed.  This was written down and kept for us for all of forever.  This is by far the main way he chooses to communicate with his children today.  It is how they will know what is right and wrong.  It is how they will know what God is like.  Psalm 119 tells us so much about the importance of knowing the Word of God.
  2. The Bible tells them how they were created.  Even from a young age, our children will be bombarded with many deceptions about who they are.  God created them in His Image and it is crucial they understand that.  They were created beautifully and wonderfully: no matter the skin color or chromosome count, or their family status.  Psalm 139 and Genesis 1 tells us that.
  3. The Bible tells them why they were created.  All of creation exists for one reason: to bring glory to God.  God created human beings in his image so we could reflect the grand glory of God to the world.  Isaiah 43 clearly illustrates that truth.
  4. The Bible helps us get to know God.  There is no person we need to know better than God.  And we can know God by reading His Word.  We can know his actions, his character, and his truth.  We can know His plan for salvation.  Psalm 19 and the Gospels illustrate this.

These are just the simple basics of why we need to teach children the Word of God.  We need a book on teaching Spiritual Disciplines to our children – anyone know of one.  I guess I could write it if someone is willing to publish it.  Any takers?

Tommy Nelson just released a 365 Read Me a Bible Story for young school age children and gave me a copy to giveaway.  What a great way to get them in the habit of reading the Bible and learning God’s truth.  It has fun pictures, a Bible passage for each day of the year, and a short recap of that story.  What I would like to see is some follow-up questions that will help parents engage with their children during family discipleship time.

The most important thing to remember is that children are going to learn by your example.  If they see you reading your Bible, living it out, memorizing it, quoting it, then they will hopefully desire to know the Word as well.  We can pray that God would give them a heart like his – that desires to know God intimately through his Word.

If you would like to win a copy of this Bible story book from Tommy Nelson – tell me which of the 4 reasons listed above is the most important to you – and why and maybe how you are teaching your children that.

9 Nov 2010

Female Theologians and the Church (Guest Post)

by | posted in: Books, Women | 0
There is a really sweet couple in my life who I have had the privilege to minister with, get to know, hang out with, serve with over the last 8 months. Brittany is a joy and a blessing to me. I am hoping her blog post will be a blessing to you:

A few weeks ago I was on a Q&A panel at SEBTS for prospective students and I was asked a really good question that sparked my thinking. Before I jump into the topic, let me give you a little background information.

Since marrying the Hubby, I’ve switched churches. When we first started dating, we were at two different churches and neither of us wanted to switch until our commitment was official. Once we were engaged, I slowly started letting go of responsibilities at my church and started “merging” over to Ben’s church. Now that we’re married, we’re fully at his church and I’m working on switching my membership over to his. During this process I’ve been searching for a solid older married woman (30+, but preferably 40+) to disciple me.

A few weeks ago, we heard one of our church’s pastors speaking and I turned to Ben and said, “I want to be discipled by him, but I’m a girl… and that would be awkward.” He quickly agreed. But this pastor is a phenomenal thinker and his knowledge of Scriptures consistently impresses me. I love how he is consistently reading a variety of books and how he relays pertinent information in such a way that everyone can understand. He is such a gifted teacher and I would love to sit under his teaching! Ben and I both agreed, me being discipled by an older man would not be the wisest of situations, but it brings me to my topic… Where are the brilliant female theologians in our churches?

While on the panel at SEBTS I was asked a question about being female at a Southern Baptist seminary. In summary the lady wanted to know whether or not women were treated as second class citizens. Were women viewed solely as future preacher’s wives? I’m not going to delve into that question here, but the short answer is no. But regardless, even if the opposite was true, should we allow an unbiblical idea stop us from becoming good theologians? There is a shortage of good female theologians in our churches and I’m wondering why.

Regardless of your stance on whether women should be “teaching” in the pulpit, in Sunday school rooms, deacons, etc., we can all agree that older women are called to disciple others, the Great Commission is not gender exclusive. So in light of this, I’m trying to process a few thoughts… Humor me and help me develop my thinking.

1. All Christians should be Christian Theologians. We should all be “studiers of God.” If we believe in the Gospel, shouldn’t we all be good learners of the Scripture and strive to think and live rightly in this world, both men and women alike?

If this is true, then…

2. The studying of Christian theology should NOT only take place in seminaries. It should NOT be only taught from the pulpits. It should not only be well understood by men. It needs to be taught in our homes, in our friendships, in our families. This practice must permeate every sphere of our lives. Shame on us if we push off our responsibility to “academia” or solely to men. The Bible is for the rich, the poor, the young, the old, the brilliant, the not-so-brilliant, and for male & female. Each of us have the responsibility to be good stewards of Scripture.

Therefore…

3. Christian women, you are called to study Scriptures and to disciple others. It’s not optional. The Great Commission was not for men alone. If you feel called to seminary and you let a few men who have an inappropriate view of complementarianism get in your way of learning, shame on you. Who cares what they think? You have a responsibility to learn Scriptures well.

Which leads me to point #4…

4. In regards to learning Scriptures well… Ladies, no offense to Beth Moore (and seriously, I mean no offense), but we are fully capable of reading the same books that our brothers in Christ are reading. Our understanding of the Gospel needs to be equally robust as theirs. Be well rounded in what you read.

And lastly, this final point is mainly for me…

5. For those of you who are working through women’s issues in a more conservative church than you’d prefer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but make sure your attitude is in the right place. Recognize that you, like every other member, have submitted yourself to the authority of the church. Ask good questions, learn from the leadership that you’ve placed yourself under, and try to develop a spirit of humility. Pride is a dangerous thing and it seems to show itself frequently in Christian debates. Be open to the Holy Spirit changing your heart just as you would pray that the Holy Spirit would change the hearts of your pastors and elders.

Alright yall, those are my thoughts… I’m still growing, learning, failing, and then starting the process again so feel free to reprimand my thinking if I’m off.