Mentoring Monday-- Joy is a choice!

Many years ago, when Joel, (my wonderful composer son), was a little boy, he played legos for hours a day. He would design elaborate cars, towns, houses, roadways, playgrounds--whatever he could imagine. We all admired his skill. When he was 9 years old, he worked for months and months on a town that became an elaborate creation, around 5 feet wide. On top of this he placed some of his best car designs. We all marveled at each stage of development of his wonderful creation. One day we hosted a new family for lunch. When Joel took the boy his age back to his room to play, the little boy rushed into the room and began hitting and destroying the whole of Joel's creation before we could pull him away. The devastation was complete and broke the hearts of our whole family. The little boy's mama said, "Oh well, boys will be boys!"

Joel was heart broken and seemed to have a cloud around him for several days. As a child I used to think Joel was a whiner, but time had taught me that he had a very strong sense of justice.  I learned that if I sat down with him, eye to eye, and talked to him about how he was feeling, he would open his heart, reveal what was bothering him, and then he would not whine any more. Sympathy was what he desired.

On this particular week, I went into his room with him and sat down on the carpet floor. We looked at the demolished legos, and I held one in my hand. "Joel, I can't even imagine how bad this made you feel. I would be so hurt. What bothered you the most?"

"It was the injustice of it all. He had no right to be so destructive. I had never done anything to him. It took me almost a year to build all of these pieces. I just thought it was so unfair,"Joel ended with a sigh.

"I so understand and want you to know how very, very sorry I am. It was unkind and unjust."

Then I prayed with him and blessed him.

That night, he said, "Mama, I think I can be strong now and build a whole new city. I just wanted someone to listen to me and to understand. Thanks, Mama."

And off he went outdoors to play with the other kids.

Way 18 We choose to be joyful even when we feel like complaining.

Life is a constant challenge, every day, all the time. Things quit working, someone makes a mess, life just isn't fair. But what can make it worse is children and adults who whine and complain all the time. The habit of whining and complaining turns quickly into nagging and an attitude of self-absorption--which destroys hope, light and beauty. God is so clear about how he felt about the complaining of the Israelites. It led them to disbelief. They wandered in the desert for 40 years because of their complaining hearts and disbelief. This story is a great warning to our children as we are teaching the this way.

It is not wrong to be sad or depressed because of a tragedy, because God is the one who supplied our ability to have emotions. We need and long for people who will sympathize with us, we need to have comfort for pain, brokenness, injustices in life. God wants to comfort us and we heal more quickly if we have someone who will help bear our burdens. For my sweet boy, this was a tragedy.

But as moms, we have the opportunity to work with our children in the hard or unfair situations, to help them to learn to be strong--to mount up over their difficulties. This is what character training is all about--helping our children to become stronger one day at a time.

Will-training is something I have written about many times. It is our will that chooses to have faith in God, that learns how to persevere under trial, that chooses to love the unlovely, that shows generosity to the needy. The will is what makes heroes, strong marriages, legacies of faithfulness.

As we gently enter in to the recesses of our children's hearts and understand their feelings, we can then teach them to learn to be strong inside, but practicing a grateful heart, with an understanding that our heart's attitudes are the place where real strength and spirituality take place. Gentleness and patience leads our children to embrace these attitudes.

"You are becoming so strong inside--just like a hero who saves people in a scary battle. Just like Florence Nightingale saved lives by taking care of the wounded in a terrible war. I believe that God will use you to help many because you are growing so strong inside. "

Memory Verse: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near." Phillippians 4:4-5

This week, look at your own heart. Is it joyful? Are you modeling to your children an uncomplaining spirit? We are the picture of what our children will really learn as we train them.

You can listen to Joel's beautiful music here. He composes for film scores, creates chorale composition and albums just for the pleasure of listening.

The Most Important Work in the World C.S.Lewis

“A challenging career suddenly seemed more productive to me because I could measure the results of my work. These precious little ones had endless needs. They were busy little sinful creatures who demanded all of my body, time, life, emotions, and attention! As much as I loved my children, I often felt like a failure. Surely someone else could do a better job with these precious ones than I. And what exactly was I supposed to be accomplishing anyway? Was I wasting my time?” -The Mission of Motherhood

Being a mother doesn't come free of struggle, difficulty, and hardship. Many moments in my life were filled with imperfect moments that overwhelmed me with stress. It is easy for us to sometimes imagine what else we could be doing. A more glamorous job, something overseas, something with meaning.

In the midst of the mundane tasks of laundry, cleaning, cooking meals, and bathing children, we often forget how incredibly important the task of motherhood truly is. God has entrusted us with lives to steward. We are responsible for the growth and education of these little lives that have the ability to flourish into world changers. Our children are the future of our culture. This generation will face many battles, and God has given us the job of preparing them for combat.

No meal, clean house, or blog article is more important than mothering your precious children. Psalm 127:3 says:

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."

I am fully aware that in the midst of children fighting, a cluttered home, and extremely loud noises, you may not be viewing your children as a reward. Your patience, grace, love, and understanding in those moments of stress are what will cultivate your children into healthy, flourishing adults.

Never forget that God has a plan and a purpose for your life as a mother. He must think highly of you, as has trusted you with the most important job.

**used blog 8/18/2021 Everyone fails often, but only those who live in grace survive.

Mary Cassatt

"Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation." --Willard Beecher

"For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." Romans 12:3

Pounding down our long winding stairs, anger was mounting with each step. I could hear my boys fussing. Sarah and Joy were nowhere to be seen and still the dishes were piled high  and I knew that none of the chores I meted out had been accomplished. As I reached the bottom stairs, I began blasting. I was yelling from the bottom of my toes.

Sarah and Joy came out of their rooms and peered over the railing to the main floor to see what all of the ruckus was about.

And it wasn't just for this day. Seemed I had been storing up my anger for quite a while. All the children stared at me somewhat in fear and partially with humor twittering at their lips--which made me all the more angry. I did not appreciate being a source of humor to this crowd.

Of course, as soon as I quit, I was appalled at myself. What mother yells like I did? What damage had I done?

Sarah, the typical oldest child, responsible, compassionate, taking responsibility,  brought me a cup of tea, and sheepishly began smiling.

'Mama, you know how much we all love you. I think you should consider when you feel anger and frustration building up and try to manage it--decide not to blow-- just before you feel like you are going to, because it always makes you feel worse than we do."

Does anyone else ever feel this shameful regret? After all, I am a fairly mature believer, I write about motherhood, I love my children---what comes over me at these times? Maybe I should quit writing and speaking until I have integrity, the voices whisper to me in my failure.

Sometimes I punish myself when I blow it, as though I am above sinning. I hate to hurt the feelings of my children. Just hate to do something like this.

All of us blow it most every day. We are selfish at heart, limited in virtue and all in need of forgiveness--but mostly we need the grace of living beyond our guilt.

Each of us is tempted at times to the kind of pride that pretends we are better than others. However, Jesus was so very clear about our nature and propensity to fall short in every ideal possible.

John says, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves."

I am so very glad Jesus chose Peter to be the rock. Peter, falible, wrongly self-assured, and the one who abandoned Jesus. Couldn't Jesus see His flawed character. And yet, instead of judging him by his works, Jesus judged him by his heart. Peter, the rock, who greatly failed was Jesus' choice to be the rock of the early church. He accepted his role, after he found the gracious forgiveness of His Lord, to guide and shepherd the early church in Jerusalem--not perfectly, but with a whole heart. He gave his life for the cause of His dear friend and savior.

And so, Jesus does not judge me by my fleshly fallacies, but by my heart of love for Him, my utter dependence on His grace, my heart of gratitude for His enduring patience.

If you have blown it, and feel like a failure, walk in His wonderful grace today, even in the midst of your shortcomings. Remember, you are defined by His strength and provision, not your own limitations. It is why you need a savior.  He forgets our sin, but we remember his grace and humbly walk each day with Him.

Ponder these verses:

Peter reminds us, "Love covers a multitude of sin." Repent and ask for forgiveness to your children and kiss them, hug them, love them and give them words of grace. You are modeling to them what they can do when they fail.

"There is therefore, now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

"It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore, keep standing firm so that you may not be subject to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

"Nothing can separate us from the love of God," Romans 8

May you find today, the rest and peace that comes from living into His gracious, gentle and compassionate heart.

Soooo, Sarah said,....,

So, tonight I had a launching meeting for our Mom Heart group this year--so fun. When it was over at 10:00, Sarah and I laid on the couch and ate some hot lemon-blueberry cake with warm vanilla sauce over it,  while watching Daniel Deronda.

I told her I  still needed to put up a blog for tomorrow and she said,

"Just put up a random cute picture and say, "Blah!"

And so I did!

Have a lovely day!

My Little Bird Story and some great sales!

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He cares for me.....

When I was first pregnant with Sarah, my oldest child, I was on pins and needles wondering if she would be ok. Having had one miscarriage to begin with, I spotted and bled up to Sarah's 5th month. Clay and I were on staff at the International Chapel in Vienna and my doctors spoke German to me, which I did not always understand. One day when we were on a trip to show Clay's mom the Austrian Alps, I started bleeding once again. Clay took his mom out to look at the little village where we were staying so that I could just get bed-rest.

I remember looking out a tiny window that was next to me and pouring my heart out to God. "Please, God, let this baby stay and be healthy," as tears poured out.

Just at that moment, a little bird hopped up on the window sill where I was looking out and praying. It came within 6 inches of me and just stayed there. All of a sudden, as though the Lord was speaking to me,

"Yet not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. The very hairs of your head are all numbered. Never be afraid, then—you are far more valuable than sparrows."

At that moment, I knew that He saw me and cared for me. My heart was filled with peace--and Sarah is here today as a picture of His faithfulness.

So, when I saw the mug above, at Dayspring, I got one for Joy and Sarah and me,  and told them the story. I wanted it to remind them that God would be faithful to them!

I introduced some of you to Dayspring last month. It is the Christian arm of Hallmark and I love finding meaningful gifts for my family and my friends.  Faith inspired gifts and home decor is lovely and has provided our family with some lovely pieces in our home.  I am happy to be able to tell you about them.  Here are some fun things on sale this month.

 These lovely dishes, called Ever Grateful, are on sale now for 50% off.

This delicate necklace, based on Psalm 139:14, is a daily reminder of how God feels about you.

Click here to see Dayspring's collection of 2014 calendars and planners.  Though not on sale, they are reasonably priced with many beautiful choices.

There is a one day sale today for this magnetic calendar for 70% off--from 26 to 7.99!

This calendar of words would inspire me each day. As you all know, I love words! :)

Many of Dayspring's boxed cards are on sale during August as well.  You can stock up for loved ones and birthdays throughout the year.  You can even pre-address the envelopes to save yourself that step later! I keep boxes of cards in my desk and in my suitcase when I travel so I can always leave someone some words of grace.

Enjoy!

Building internal values that Lead to Adult Responsibility--Way # 16 Mentoring Monday

The table had been prepared for my homecoming.

Way # 16 We take personal responsibility to keep our home neat and clean at all times.

Time changes from so much travel had left me so exhausted, I thought I would fall asleep standing up. An unusual 7 weeks of traveling, (2 family weddings) and a visit to Joy and 3 speaking engagements, had found me coming and going constantly to the airport to different sides of the country. Walking out to our meeting place at the airport, Joel whisked my bags from me, placed them in the car and then drove me the hour home from the airport.

"We packed you some cherries, Mom, cause we didn't know if you would be hungry," Joel informed me.

Home sweet home called my name as we drove into the driveway. As I walked in the door, candles were lit, music was wafting softly and the table was set with a warm bowl of soup and crusty herb bread. Fresh flowers and a welcome home sign greeted me in the sweep of entering the front door.

"Welcome home, mama. I bet you are ready to sleep in your own bed for a long while," Sarah commented as she put the last bowl of soup on the table.

I waited many years to know if all of my training and providing had gone into their hearts and minds, but now, the values they carried out each day in their own lives told me the lessons were all going to the core of their being, claiming them as their own.

Memory Verse: The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor. 

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"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

May I be the first one to say how glad I am to be in this place. Finally, finally the fruit of my labor has come to fruition. My children have "caught" it.

They take initiative, when they are home, to make our own home inviting, a prepared sanctuary, a solace to my soul, a place that says welcome when I get home from necessary trips.  Now, the values that I had in mind when I prepared my home in this way, year after year, month after month, day after day, have become their own standard of what a home should "speak" to people when they come here. And they do it without being told, because of all of the years of me training them and making them help me daily, straightening up, lighting candles, putting on music, making a meal, setting the table, over and over again.. Training takes lots and lots of practice and patience.

A mama has to be a servant leader to provide a wonderful sanctuary for her own children, so that they will want to be a part of continuing to make it sanctuary. What they "feel" and love will cause them to want to duplicate. And sometimes, the laboratory of life is a mess and you can't quite see what is being accomplished except just existing. Those days of ear infections, new babies, a broken washer, holidays, and life! But building the ideals into the warp and woof of life as the children grow with you, creates habits in their lives.

As a mom, you have to practice with your children, what you want them to possess as their own.  A good piano teacher instructs her students in how to do the scales and then shows her student scales again and again, and then listens to her students do the scales, in order for her pupil to learn the basics to become a skilled pianist. Similarly,  a mom has to instruct, show how to do something, watch her children learn to do it and then do the process all over again.

Whatever you want your children to learn to take initiative in (manners, hospitality, serving others, cleaning, working diligently), requires you to define what your goals and ideals are, and then putting into the daily schedule of your life, modeling, patiently instructing, encouraging and training.

Often, moms have said to me, "Your children were just naturally strong or smart,....," But each habit and value of excellence came at the expense of lots of hard work and investment on my behalf-sprinkled heavily with the grace of God. No one becomes excellent of character automatically from lectures. Wisdom and skill require time, instruction and practice.--modeling combined with gentle and patient instruction.

And so, one of the most important ways of training into our children is, "This is not just my house, it is your house. We take care of it by keeping it a place of life and beauty. How do you want others to see your home? What do we do to make it a place of refreshment for all who come here?" And then, you, the mom, make the standards every day, and you show them how to do all the tasks, and you give them responsibility.

I am not a detailed person, so working at this ordering of my home was learned as I trained my children, little by little.

Then when they are young adults, they all live the same ways in their own apartments and homes. All come home to say, "I love how we took care of our home and had beauty and order and feasts and fun." And so they do what they were taught to do all of their lives--they take initiative to keep it a place of beauty when they are home because it is the oxygen they breathed in and out each day of living here.

Don't be discouraged if it doesn't seem like your children are paying attention. They are and they will, in time, come to think of your standards as their own, as they participate in the rhythms you establish day after day. I promise, in time, when they are old, they will not depart from it. Stay faithful!

**used blog 8/11/2021 Be a candle-lighter for your family's dark places

photo (18)

"Mama, one of the things that most distinguishes you is that you are always a hopeful person. No matter what would happen, you always pointed us to hope."

How surprised I was to hear this, as I have often felt that I was a struggler through the many challenges that threatened to overcome us in our lives.

Many years ago, I realized that children long to have a happy mother. Our children are growing up in a time when media spreads the gloom and doom of catastrophes, fears and threats. When the mama spreads light and thankfulness--and hope in the darkness, then children feel secure and safe. But when a mama lives darkly, the children harbor fear, insecurity and blame themselves for parent's being angry or sad. Hope is not natural--it is supernatural. Hope comes welling up from deep inside because of a belief that God is good. That He will win in the end. That there is always hope when God is present.

Women who choose hope and who choose to trust God are those who, instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle. But it is a choice of the will. Hope is not a feeling, it is a commitment to hold fast to what scripture reminds us is true about God.

I am hoping, (no pun intended!) to provide a short Bible study and some verses in a blog once a week with Biblical wisdom that will encourage. Knowing scripture, pondering and taking it into your soul, is what gives each of us food, fuel, to live the Christian life, as we listen to the Holy Spirit guide us through the wisdom we have learned. The only way to live well is to live in fellowship with God. Nothing else will satisfy.

We live in an imperfect world filled with disappointments, devastation, and difficulty. Without hope, our lives can feel absolutely purposeless sometimes. In my own life, I have struggled with hardships I never could have seen coming. My heart has been broken, my faith has been tested, and I have had to push myself in ways that I couldn't have imagined. Circumstances will come our way, and we will always have a choice to make. We can choose to give up, or we can choose hope.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." -Romans 15:13

Oh to allow the Holy Spirit to fill me to overflowing with hope.

Hope it not just wishful thinking. Hope is an assurance that our king has ultimately won the raging battle. Hope teaches us that this is the broken place where we have the honor of believing Him who is fighting on our behalf.

Hope anchors the soul and keeps us grounded.

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil." (Hebrews 6:19).

When we have nothing else to rely on, our hope in God is what connects us to what is true. As Romans 15:13, above,  tells us, when we put our trust in God, we can overflow with hope. This hope from the Holy Spirit is such a powerful entity, it can make us truly unstoppable.

But faith is a choice that requires us to relinquish our fears, doubts and worries into the hands of God--like a child who says, "I will trust my mama and daddy because I know they are good and reliable." So we say, I will give this into His hands because I know He is good and loving and reliable.

Hope gives us the strength to take on our future. Hope can cure the incurable. No circumstance, no problem, no issue, no devastation is too large or too difficult for God to take on. However, we have to choose this hope. We must receive it. Sometimes, life can beat us down and make us feel absolutely defeated. But when we choose to carry the hope God has given us, we are able to overcome anything.

Faith is the assurance of thingshopedfor,  (the conviction of things not seen.) Hebrews 11:1

My hope rests in God's character and ability to see me through. He who answers prayer. He who is always good. He who has overcome the world. He who has forgiven every sin. He who will never leave me or forsake me. I can leave my issues in the file drawer of heaven and know that He has the ability to work them out and to cause, "all things to work together for the good for them who love Him."

The God-given gift of hope is the best possible medicine for any hardship in life. My hope says that I am willing to wait on God's timing, God's way and God's will with a belief that I will look back and be amazed at the ways He showed his faithfulness. My hope is what carried me through health issues, struggles in my family, going five years without a salary, and so much more. Hope is the physician of each misery, and God has given us this gift to heal us from our pasts so that we may have a future that is full of joy and light.

Read all of these verses again.

What is the value of hope?

Where does it come from?

How does it guide us?

Do your children watch you in your tests of faith and see you walking in hope and trust as an example to them of how they will need to live their adult lives?

Prayer:

Precious Heavenly Father,

I humbly acknowledge that you are faithful and that you see me and know my battles. Lord, I want to choose to be a person of hope because of my faith in you. Please take my burdens into your own hands, and through the Holy Spirit, restore my heart to peace. Let my choice to praise you please you, because my spiritual service of worship is to hope in you each day. Thank you for your patience and love for me. I love you, too, sweet Lord.

I come to you in Jesus' name.

The Best Little Celebration in the history of birthdays! Create celebration to keep your history going

Birthday Breakfast--a long tradition!

I honestly do not deserve the sweet friends I have or the beloved children and husband I possess. So many of you wished me well, sent cards, left comments, facebook messages, lovely flowers and gifts and I feel so deeply grateful for each of you. But the story of my day is a sweet answer to the desires of my heart to not be alone but to have my sweet ones home to remember all that God has done in the last 60 years.

Don't neglect to celebrate!

A number of years ago, when I was far from my mom on mother's day, I called her to wish her happy  day. She said, "Your flowers are pretty, but I would much rather have you. I think Daddy and I should have communicated more to you kids about how much we want to be with you to celebrate special times. I am lonely for my children."

Somehow that stuck in the back of my mind because since my birthday is in August, the past few years, most of my children have been at school, conferences, summer programs--but not home.  It also happened that we have been out of town most Mother's Day weekends in the past few years speaking at conferences, and so there were times when I would feel the emptiness of not having my best friends, my children, be with me to celebrate.

As a child my father would mantra, "Please don't give me anything for (Christmas or birthday) but your love and respect!" And so gift-giving was underplayed at times. And it back-fired a bit for my mama.

As a mama, I have poured out my life daily with cooking, cleaning, training, educating, taking to lessons and so much more. So there are those little feelings inside  me that whispered, once in a while, I want my children with me and I would love most to celebrate the occasion of this 60th birthday with them and Clay--and get to "feel" their love face to face.

So, I planned my own happy celebration. I flew all of the kids home (my birthday present to myself)  and planned fun and sweet memories  and feasting every day they were home.

But the lovely surprise came to me when they all bent over backwards to create fun, blessing, thoughtfulness in extravagant ways that I wasn't expecting. And so, my plan to bring them home to have fun together ended up blessing me more than I could have imagined!

Saturday morning began with Joy saying, "Mama, we have some wonderful morning snacks and a steaming cup of tea waiting for you in your study where you can open all of the cards and gifts from your sweet friends. We are all working on breakfast and your first presents, so enjoy and be patient! " and she closed the doors so I couldn't peek!

My library study with tea and presents!

She made sure to take me to my favorite room and create a relaxing start to my birthday. All of the kids took time to come in alone  to sit and chat with me while I waited.  I felt like a little girl all awash with anticipation of mysteries to be revealed.  Breakfast  was one of my favorite: Polish eggs (scrambled eggs with onions, turkey bacon, hash-browns and lots of cheese and sour cream) and  with sides of , hash browns, decadent almond, cream cheese, and chocolate croissants from a favorite French bakery.  Joel even made me a cappuccino on my new birthday present I had always wanted--a cappuccino maker!

The traditional birthday picture with everyone gathering around before we sit to eat--leading the birthday person in to spy the table!

(Poor Clay is almost always taking pics and so is not in them!)

LIttle did I know, the kids and Clay had all sorts of fun surprises up their sleeves. They wanted to find a way to spoil me all day long, and make me feel truly special. "Mom, you will receive 5 cycles of gifts throughout the day to properly appreciate your real personality."

S: spiritual

C.S. Lewis books, a James Avery cross necklace, charms to keep in my pocket to remind me to take joy each minute, and Elizabeth Gouge trilogy of spiritual books A: artistic

An English movie, a music play list, the lovliest of prints to represent so much of what I love--books, mamas and blue!

L: loving

a beautiful journal and all sorts of goodies

L: long-suffering

more books, trinkets for the house Y: yowza, yay (AKA-fun gifts!)

totally little things I loved--a double pen for underlining and using on my ipad, a scarf, a travel bag and more

I was surprised each two hours with memories, earrings, a beautiful scarf, more books, a beautiful journal with a bird painting--one of my fav's, and a lovely memory book, filled with well wishes, notes and blessings from so many friends that sweet Rachael, my daughter-in-law to be, had collected.

Words can not describe how truly grateful I am for the children and husband that God has given me. I keep telling everyone that I wish I could turn 60 all over again! This wonderful day of incredible memories ended with dear friends and family gathering for delicious, decadent chocolate cake at my home. It would have been amazing simply to have loved ones with me, but each person took the time to pray for me and share one of their favorite memories with me.

My family put in so much effort to spend this day making me feel appreciated, loved, and cared for. This year has been especially busy, hectic, and full of transition. With Joy going back to Biola today, Nathan getting engaged and bringing lovely Rachael home before they film their movie, Joel moving to Los Angeles a few months ago and composing and working 35 hour weeks at Apple, and Sarah preparing to leave for Wheaton after being away all summer, it seems there is always something new arising in our family. After so many years of ministry and hard work, it meant so much to have a day of restoration--and to manage to have all of them at home.

I am so very grateful for each and every person who took the time to spoil me and make this birthday truly unforgettable.

What has been your favorite birthday?

Great books inspire Great Lives--2 Boy books that Girls should read!

Thomas Pollack Anshutz

"I am a part of everything that I have read."

Theodore Roosevelt

God made us people of words- Jesus calls himself "The Word." Words have power to give life, to inspire, to make wise, to teach, to transform and to redeem. How important it is that you become the conductor of godly influence in your children's lives by exposing them to the best people who have ever lived. Reading hundreds of biographies to my children established a foundation of understanding leadership and greatness because their souls were bathed in spiritual and character richness. I agree with Teddy Roosevelt, my children are indeed a part of everything that they read.

To have read them hundreds of books automatically meant I couldn't do other things--I used very little traditional "school" curriculum. It was a choice of faith. Everything I read about all studies of what created intelligence in children, what built vocabulary, what created great thinking, pointed to reading great books, insightful authors and capturing imaginations with  great literature.

Because I wanted to expose my children to the best writers, stories and thinkers, I built their education on these principles. If I was going to homeschool, I wanted to capture the imaginations and interests of my children. But I also wanted to seek to cultivate what was best spiritually, morally, and mentally for my children. And so I took a step of faith and used read books instead of age-graded books.

Of course each year, each child would accomplish one grade of math according to their age, but apart from that and hand-writing appropriate materials, and simple short grammar lessons, all of the rest of our formal schooling was accomplished through reading outloud, discussing and writing about great books. I looked for boy books and girl books that all of my children could read and become inspired by living with the words of these stories. Today, I know you will love hearing about 2 newish books that my friend recently shared with me.

Have you ever wished there was a book that could inspire your "young man"  with real live heroes?  Eric Metaxas's new book, Seven Men, and the Secret of Their Greatness,  is historical, inspiring and riveting.  The perfect book to read as a family, little by little, to discuss each man and his decisions, attributes and decisions that influenced the outcome of his life..  (Or to give to a graduate, or read to your young son.) In  this day and age, all of us  need to hear biographies of really great men who finished well.

 Young adults these days are facing a culture that is constantly changing it's moral compass and lacks models of integrity and courage.  Eric Metaxas, New York Times best selling Author of Bonhoeffer, has just come out with this incredible book our whole family loved and I wholeheartedly endorse.  7 Men and The Secret of their Greatness, will not disappoint you!

It is a collection of short biographies of George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II, and Charles Colson. You will find in it's pages seven  Godly men who followed God's destiny for their lives and how each man's choices impacted history.  I know you will enjoy it as much as we did. This is a book you'll want to add to your home library.

This Father's Day I gave my husband a book that has been long over due for Father's to share with their sons.  As a mom, one of my roles is to scout out helps for my busy husband to use as a jumping off point for conversations.

 I hit a gold mine when I came across a new book by best selling author Tommy Newberry and Curt Beavers, I Call Shotgun. This is a compilation of 64 letters written by 3 godly men to their sons. Just a few of the titles are... Value your time, Appreciate What You Have, Seek God First Everyday, Celebrate Other People's Success,

If you want to raise young men with godly character, intentionally influencing them is a must and this is a great way to start.  This is a fabulous book for teenage sons and Dad's. (I am even sending it to Nathan and Joel to read!) I love the biblical principles laid out in such a personal way.  It  shares a father 's caring heart to mentor his son without being preachy.  Moms, this is a great handbook for fathers who want to pass on wisdom to their sons and aren't sure how to go about it.

There are giants in the Land, and there will be more tomorrow.....

Guillaime Courtois

As long as I can remember, there have been giants in my life and in my land. Some are uglier and bigger than others, but all of them stand before me, threatening the stability and security of my life and seem greater than my ability to conquer them. A giant is a picture of those obstacles or issues that come into our lives that tempt us to live in fear, or that cause us to wonder where God has gone or that seem insurmountable. Those threatening issues that are gigantic to our heart, and  cause us to worry and lose heart.

My giants are of different sizes and different threats:

Financial; fears of how a child will turn out or if my children will indeed end up loving the Lord;  marriage stresses and pressures or misunderstandings;  deep loneliness for me or another family member; medical problems that don't go away; relationship issues with family; sad and devastating circumstances in loved ones' lives; weariness; and often fear of the future.

There were also many instances of giants in scripture. In Numbers 13, we read the story of Moses sending out the heads of the families, twelve leaders, to spy out the land that God had promised to give to them. Even though these men indeed found the land to be a place of milk and honey as God had promised, these leaders of their families gave a bad report to their people and said, "The land was a land of milk and honey, but there were people who were very strong and very large. ,..., We were as grasshoppers in our own sight and so we became in their sight."their sight" (the sight of the giants). Consequently, because of the bad report, these men swayed the people to disbelieve in God's ability to provide for them, and so the result was 40 years wandering in the desert wilderness.

Grasshoppers, tiny insignificant bugs in comparison to the giants.

This is such a picture of me of what happens when we see giants and don't face them with God's strength. We become as grasshoppers in our hearts. We become small minded, fearful, ineffective. Then, God gives us over to our faithlessness and we end up "wandering in the wilderness." Faithlessness always leads to a wilderness of soul.

As I see it, in scripture, giants gave people a great opportunity to glorify God--to see His faithfulness, to believe in His goodness, to conquer. We really can't walk with God and have fear and disbelief at the same time. Our heart has only enough room for one of the other. I often think people say to me, "I feel like God is far off from me and doesn't even hear my prayers", when often, we have left His presence and companionship by disbelieving Him in the midst of our fears and being overwhelmed.

Caleb and Joshua had different eyes in their hearts--they saw the giants, but they saw God and His strength more clearly. They believed He could conquer and lead them in victory. Because of their faith, they were the only men who were allowed to go into the promised land after the 40 years of discipline were completed.

God's response to the disbelieving Israelites was this:

"Surely all the en who have seen my glory and y signs, which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not listened to my voice."

Yikes--how often have I seen God's faithfulness in my own life and then looked at the next giant with fear and faithlessness as though God had never worked in my life! Sometimes I just get tired of giants and want to coast in my life. Am I testing and grumbling against Him when the giants come, or resting and waiting patiently for His solutions because I see Him in His glory and faithfulness and lovingkindness?

Here God says that disbelief is evil! He is the one who also told us, "Now, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.,..., Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." Hebrews 11: 1, 6

We all know the story of David, too. Around 40, 000 soldiers, strong men, faced Goliath, the giant, and with their eyes, they saw someone who could not be defeated. Yet, David saw him and in the eyes of his heart, he immediately saw something different. His response to Goliath was, "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that He should taunt the armies of the living God?" ( I Samuel 17: 26; 45-46) He saw Goliath as an opportunity to show His faith in the one true God and in His strength. When he was killing Goliath, he said, "You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day, God will deliver you in my hands."

So that is how I am supposed to face my giants, see them as taunting God's realities in my life, but facing them in the name of the Lord of Hosts--the Lord who leads armies of angels, the strong and mighty God who is able to conquer all the giants in my life. 

I am learning that God is stronger than all of my giants. That it is a waste of time to live by fear. That when I give my giants into His hands I can find rest for my soul as Jesus found rest in the boat in the middle of the storm.

But where does this battle take place? In my heart.

When I am alone in my bedroom pondering my issues, feeling darkness, but knowing that God sees me and sees the battle--that He knows when I choose to say, "I will believe--even though I don't feel faith, I will choose today to praise you--to put one foot in front of the other, to be grateful, by faith, for your presence, for this child, this circumstance--you see my heart--you alone--today I will believe in the Lord of hosts working amongst my giants to slay them.

Old giants will be defeated. New ones will come. But, this life, these giants, are the best way I have to live a story of faith and to show God's glory--this is the way I will model faith in my home, so that my children can learn how to face their giants.

Today, I will look my giants in the face and see God's shadow towering over them, the Lord of Hosts fighting for me--see God's purposes in the midst, learn to grow stronger and see them conquered as He has conquered so many in the past.

What are your giants? How are you facing them?