18 Oct 2017

Lavish Hospitality 17

by | posted in: 31days, Books, lavish hospitality, mothering | 0

As a mom of two preschoolers, two things I think about the most of anything is my children’s safety and their eternal life.  One I can do something about and one I can only point them in the right direction.

Its funny, this week my 4 year old had 5 shots and 1 toe prick to draw some blood.  All routine for a 4 yo check up.  As I was holding his arms across his chest as they were sticking the needles in his thighs, I watched him scream over and over again.  I didn’t feel like I was providing much safety for him.  And after the pricks were over, he was calling for Daddy – all he wanted to do was go see Daddy.  To have Daddy hold him.

Now, if something happens when Daddy is around, then he calls out for me.  So the kid can’t make up his mind.

And now thinking back, I think of me, holding his arms down, covering his face to he couldn’t see the needles being put into his legs, closing my eyes in tears as he screamed, wondering if he would ever trust me again.

Isn’t that often how God is.  We are safely in his arms.  Being held in the palms of his hands, nothing can take us out of his grip.  But, how often does his face cover our screams?  How often do you think that God cries and longs for our hearts when we are hurting?

On this earth, I think we are to be “little Christs”.  So, we are to be Jesus with skin on.  Being hospitable to people may be holding them in their pain, letting them cry, catching their tears.  My husband often does this.  And I think of the safety I feel in his arms.  And it makes me long for the Savior – who will never hurt me but was hurt for me.  So that I may rest secure in Him.

Quote taken from a new book by Lavon Gray (thanks New Hope Publishers) Tuning Your Heart to Worship

7 Oct 2017

Lavish Hospitality 6

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One aspect of mothering is that it is life-giving.  And as women, I think we are naturally life-givers.  Maybe not all of us have biological children, but we are all made in the image of God, and being image bearers as females, I think we are life-givers.

You can be life-givers as a wife, mom, foster mom, adoptive mom, friend, neighbor, church member, business woman, daughter, granddaughter, caregiver, single, married, widowed, divorced.

Hospitality is life-giving as well.  We can be life-giving in our homes, our cars, our work, our church, our communities.  This may look like bringing a small gift to a neighbor who has just moved in or one who is going through a rough time (a gift card or something fresh from the oven or grocery store).  This may look like welcoming your kids’ friends over to your house every Friday night – or any night of the week – just so they have a loving place to hang out.  This may look like talking to the older women sitting around you in church, the ones you don’t know, the ones who look lonely.

Whatever hospitality looks like for you – bring life to someone else.

Book quote from Missional Motherhood by Gloria Furman

6 Oct 2017

Big and Little Coloring Devotional

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When we set up our new home in late this summer, I knew I wanted to have a creative area for my boys.  A place where they could have coloring books, playdough, markers, colored pencils, etc – just waiting to sit and get all their creative juices out!

Well, we set up a little Goodwill table that I found before we moved, and put some bins of creative tools around it – and they sit their every day.  I love it.  I love having pieces of paper all around the house with scribbles and drawings on them.

Another great tool I’ve found for my boys is the Big and Little Coloring Devotional.  I found out about this devo coloring book from my friend Sarah on her podcast with the author Rachel Swanson.  Then I got to be a part of the launch team.  So much fun!

It is a top flip coloring book, made for two people to be coloring at once.  So, I’ve been sitting across from my older, him coloring, me coloring.  And the neat thing about this particular coloring book is that it is based on Scripture.  So, one side will have a (younger age) coloring page with God’s truth on it, the other page will have a more detailed coloring page with a short devotional on it.  These devotionals are perfect for you to read, be encouraged, and it may be a jumping off point for you to share these truths with your child – AS. YOU. COLOR!

Such a great activity for you and your child to do together.  And Christmas is coming – its a perfect gift for any mom of littles you know – I would say even up to 10yo or so – girl or boy.  So, grab some colored pencils, crayons, or markers, and get coloring – and shepherding your soul – and your child’s!

3 Oct 2017

Lavish Hospitality: 2

by | posted in: 31days, Uncategorized | 0

 

“I gradually began to understand more fully that he was not a problem to be addressed, not the sum of his behavioral performance.  His worth to God was not about his ability to fulfill other people’s expectations or act according to accepted norms.  Instead he was a beloved child of the Father with a specific role to play in God’s ongoing story of redemption.”

Sally Clarkson – Different

 

The Fall is a special time for our family.  We celebrate two birthdays and a wedding anniversary within 3 weeks time.

To say that I thrive in parenting would be far from the truth.  I have to tell myself everyday who I am in God’s sight, how He has equipped me to parent the exact boys I’ve been wonderfully given, and how I’m not like all the other moms out there.

When we compare our momselves to other moms – we are not lavishing hospitality – welcoming, grace – on ourselves or our children.  When we play the comparison game, get caught in its trap, we do such a disservice to our hearts.  And that in turn, doesn’t allow us to love our children well either.

To show lavish hospitality to our children is welcoming them just as they are.  Not only when they are obedient, or loving, or going to bed on time.  But, I’ve found for me, when I’m stressed about not being a good mom (because I’ve listened to other things besides the Word of God), I take out my unworthiness on my kids.

Let’s show lavish hospitality to ourselves and our children by staying out of the comparison trap!

 

 

 

27 Apr 2017

The Magic of Motherhood (a review)

by | posted in: Books, mothering, parenting, Women | 16

Ok – I’m not really a coffee fan.  My mister wishes I would be, so we could sit at places and have cheap drinks (regular black coffee) and talk for hours on end.  But, the drinks I like are 5$ so not quite as cheap.

But, I might go drink coffee after reading the Magic of Motherhood.  Let me explain.

When you go to coffee with a friend, a true friend, one who shares your worldview, who champions what you are doing, who rejoices with you in the good, who encourages you even on the hard days.  Or maybe its not coffee, but you have a margarita at their house, or enjoy some chips and guac together, or eat a bagel together, or a cupcake…friends you are comfortable with.  Yeah, those friends…

That’s how I felt when I was reading The Magic of Motherhood.  I felt I was chilling with some close friends, friends who were able to share whatever was on their heart, knowing that they shared the same biblical worldview as me (value of their children, value of being a mother, knowing that God loves them and has a great plan for their lives, knowing that we can’t do this thing called motherhood without the Gospel).

These friends knew they wouldn’t face judgment or shame for sharing what was on their hearts.  These friends knew I would encourage them with truth.

My favorite genre of books is memoir/biography.  I love the fact that the authors of memoirs feel the freedom to share what has gone on in their lives (the good, the bad, and the stuff you’d like to forget), and not feel that they would be punished for it.  They were sharing what was going on in their lives so that others might be encouraged or learn from their lives.  In biographies, we often learn that the people we look up to or admire don’t (or didn’t in some cases) have it all together.

In today’s Christian circles, we often feel like we have to put on a show to others like we have it all together.  Or, we have to couch everything in quoting Bible verses so people will think that our hearts are saturated with truth (which they hopefully are but sometimes we do this just so people will not see the hurt in our hearts and any doubts we might have).  When it comes to parenting, I’ve had experiences of shame and judgment when I’ve shared the struggles that I’ve had with motherhood.  And I’ve experienced shame because my kids don’t always act perfect in public.

The Magic of Motherhood was like just sitting, reading, knowing I wasn’t alone, knowing that God is in charge and brings good, and we do go through hard stuff as mothers.  And we won’t like every moment of it.  And not once did I hear “the days are long but the years are short” or “enjoy every moment of it”.  I read about real mamas who were sharing real struggles, real joys, real moments.  And they even talked about their jobs and their husbands – knowing that when we are mamas life still goes on outside of our children.

If you are needing some encouragement along the motherhood journey, this is a good quick encouraging, non-notetaking, read.  You can sit with a cup of coffee, in your yoga pants, and you don’t have to have a pen.

Thanks Tommy Nelson for this book.  And you can win one – just tell me something you find fun about motherhood.

12 Apr 2017

What Ranunculus Taught Me About Raising Children

by | posted in: parenting, Shepherding Children | 0

A few years back a sweet friend started displaying these gorgeous flowers in her social media feeds.  I had really never seen them before, or at least didn’t have a category for them.  These wild, round, ever going flowers with lettuce leaves just struck me as the perfect spring flower.

Ranunculus are wild.  They sprout and twig all over the place.  You can try to force it to go in the direction you want it to, but most likely it will just go right back to what it is doing and do its own thing. If you force it to much, it will break right off of its light green stem.

They can stand alone or be fine in a group.  I went to a brunch recently for a great ministry and one of the attendees has designed beautiful tablescapes just with ranunculus.  They were simple and elegant and fun and stunning.

The past few years I have gotten in the habit of going in to Trader Joes and waiting eagerly for them to arrive in the front of the store.  For their little round faces to be smiling at me, begging me to take them home to adorn my table or bathroom counter.  And every time I walk in the house I see them, and smile.  And think of my friend.  And think of my boys.

Now, what in the world do ranunculus have to do with raising children?  Something I ask my boys: “Who made ranunculus?”  God did they will respond.  And you know what, God did make them.  He made everything to be its perfectly designed self.  He made elephants to have long trunks.  He made giraffes to have long necks.  He made ants to be small and strong.  He made clouds to float along in the sky and carry buckets of rain and snow. He is a perfect Creator.

He made ranunculus to be their sprouty, wild, crazy, perfectly perfect selves.

And that is how he made both of my boys.  He made them perfect in his image.  He made them to each have a perfect path designed for them that will encounter many different things along the way.  They will be different in their perfect unique ways.  They will have their own journey and path to God.  They will learn differently.  They will respond to the world differently.  They have different paths but ones that I pray will end at Jesus.

I can’t force them to be who I want them to be. I can tell them to obey and expect obedience, but I can’t choose their path for them.  I can train them up in the way of the Lord, but ultimately their life with Jesus has been chosen by Jesus.

As I was designing some ranunculus pictures the other day, I was telling my boys about how God made them so unique and I was glad I get to have them for a little while.  They were exploring the different colors, its scent, and even kissing it.  I love having different ways of teaching my boys God’s truth and even good morals.

As they learn to explore more, watch shows that have good morals, I love to bring in the natural world and good wholesome shows like the ones I can find on PureFlix . As long as you are intentional about teaching your kids, the natural world, books, movies, television shows can all be great tools to teach your children about who they are and who God is.

24 Jul 2015

A Guide to 24 Hours

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A Guide to 24 Hours

24 hours seems like a lot sometimes to me, but other times I’m like – where did it go?

A sweet friend (and reader of this blog) asked me to share what my life is like on a daily basis – especially sharing tips for hanging out with toddlers.  I will just say that I love nap time!  Those precious moment are often my most productive of the day!

Every morning we head out (except when my mister is off).  There is so much to do in the ATL metro area.  We have doughnut day and do grocery shopping. Even though I could save money by going to some places, we choose to go to places that make it easy to shop with toddlers (like Publix and Trader Joes).  We have park days, we have passes to the Zoo and the Children’s Museum, we play with other friends, go to our local library time for toddlers, or run errands.

We usually grab a quick lunch at home or out (very cheap and quick) and then prepare for nap time.  My boys usually take fairly good naps – especially when we do something that expires a lot of energy and they aren’t teething (one of mine is teething right now so that makes for interested sleep schedules.

I’m very grateful for the pass we have to our local gym.  We go every afternoon (except Sunday when they don’t have child care).  My boys grow to love the workers there and enjoy time with friends and the Disney Channel.  I get two hours of exercise, sauna, and quiet time which is great for my body and my sanity.

My husband usually works late hours, so we come home and play in the back yard and eat dinner.  When Daddy is home they get baths and we read a story and put them to bed.  Usually that is it.  But, sometimes we struggle with one of ours with going to bed. He has so much energy!

During the times they are not awake is when I get other things done: quiet time, business, housecleaning.  One thing with housecleaning is I usually do a load of laundry a day so it doesn’t pile up on me.  I also wait until the end of the day to do the dishes. I just pile everything in the sink then it takes me less than 10 minutes to unload, load, and wash anything dishes that won’t go in the sink.  Ten minutes.

When do I work on my business?  Well, currently I work on it during nap time.  I edit photos, write blogs, work on marketing and social media, and also cook during that time (when the lighting is the best).

Being a mom and doing anything else is really tough.  Honestly there are some days, like today, that all I want to do is crawl back in bed (which sometimes is the best thing I can do).  Sometimes I watch a few episodes of whatever television drama I’m sucked in to).

And God knows exactly what you need to get done today – and that’s what you’ll get done.  You don’t have to be super-mom and you don’t have to be perfect at everything.  One question I usually ask at the beginning of the day, or at least a few times a week is to my mister: “what is one thing I can do today that will bless you.”  The answer may be different than you think.

So, here are some simple things to ponder when getting your schedule in order for the day:

1.  What are my priorities today (these may or may not change from day to day)?

2.  In order for my home and loved ones to be loved today – what do I need to do?

3.  How can I take care of myself today?

4.  What does God want to teach me today – to speak to me – to breathe life into me?