Technology Dehumanizes Minds and Hearts--Part 1

Discipleship, mentoring, loving, influencing, cultivating excellence of soul, stimulating to excellent thinking--these are some of the intentional goals that fill my soul when I make time to share a meal or have a cup of tea with my children. Even as we observe God pursuing His beloved children--from the Garden of Eden to the last supper with His beloved disciples, we see the heart of God straining to teach, encourage, inspire and to train His beloved chosen ones.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked Sarah to join me for breakfast early as I continue my "discipleship" meals with my children on a regular basis. One of my favorite places of peace in our city is the lovely 5 star hotel, the Broadmoor. We shared a small breakfast and coffee and had heart-connecting conversations which I had planned.

Fresh flowers, artistically shaped into masterpieces bedecked each table. Evidence of skill and cultivation of beauty, art pieces, landscape design confronted us at every juncture. Deciding to take a walk around the small lake to continue pouring into this long planned friendship, we began to slowly walk, seeking to see and appreciate the stolen moments of a beautiful day.

The colors of late summer flowers fairly sang to us as we walked.

But at every point of our walk, we ran into people glued to their i-pads, cell phones, computers--everywhere we went. On our stroll, people did not look at our eyes as we passed, greeting us as used to be the habit. Instead, they hurried, talking into this little mechanical box, missing the glory of the day.

Coming into one of the splendid lobbies to sit for a minute, a mother was dragging her little boy by the scruff of his collar. "I just want you to be quiet so I can have my own time with my friends," she shrieked, scowling each step of the way. "Here, just look at this and entertain yourself and don't bother me." She handed him a game device and he sat there glued for the next half hour not even looking up.

More people, more apparatuses!

The flowers, clouds, swans swimming on the lake were screaming of God, but no one was listening.

The blind  and deaf people hastily walked their merry way, scrambling after vanity, hoping for some life-validation through a screen, not even hearing the whisper of God's reality through the colors telling of His glory. Not intentionally noticing a single face to offer a smile or even  nod of recognition of another on the trail.

Sarah and I were disgusted with the robotic parade of people who were totally disconnected from the present reality of people, beauty, and relationships to be shared with real live people. Over 20 people on our walk passed us with technology in hand in one of the finest, most beautiful displays of floral architecture in the United States, but totally unaware and preoccupied as they went.

As we rounded the last turn of the lake, we walked into a private lobby on the way to our car and a surprise awaited us.

Lilting, soul-soothing melodies washed over us as we stepped into the light of the lobby. The beauty of the melody was breath-taking. As we rounded the corner, there sat our elfish source of melody--

a be-hatted, older but real man, playing on real piano keys and bringing delight to a gathering crowd.

At the end of his playing, a small, spontaneous crowd had gathered round and gave him applause.

"Tell us about your life," we asked as we lingered to talk with him.

"I have been playing piano my whole life. I am a professor at a college and I love passing on this beauty of skill to as many people who will devote themselves to bringing real music into the worlds of others to bless them. I just passed by this great piano and wanted to validate it's capacity to encourage others here in this wonderful place."

A real man, with a real skill, playing real songs to real people and breathing life, beauty and inspiration into our souls before we left to face the rest of our day.

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Tonight, be sure to join us for a live webinar! (sign up Here!)If you miss the talk when we give it, you can listen to it at any time when you download the conference. We shall have fun being together. Thanks for all who have helped us get the word out.

Mentoring Monday Graciousness comes from Heart Training Way 20

Rhymes for Kindly Children

“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot...” ― Robert A. Heinlein,

Recently, I was standing in line quietly at Walmart to pick up some medicine. A surly young woman, looked up and glared at me, and said, "Hey lady move back to that fire extinguisher. We don't want you hanging round here so close. It bothers us. Just wait for your turn back behind the fire extinguisher! Go on now!"

Inside, I immediately felt offended by her manner of speaking condescendingly to me and the outright demand she made out-loud with no sense of graciousness. Her words and attitude accosted my heart. It took me by surprise to react so quickly to someone I had never met.This happens to all of us far too often.

I realized how, living in a whole culture that was surly, inconsiderate or dishonoring to people, could cultivate hostility. If indeed this incident had taken me by surprise and created a reaction---and I am a believer trying to be loving in my responses--then surely on a larger scale, it would cultivate an atmosphere of casual  disrespect and inconsiderate behaviors of others-which leads to broken relationships on the whole.

Old fashioned manners, honor and respect were drilled into me daily when I was young, and so I drilled my own children. "You need to honor those older than you. You need to give all people respect, it makes them feel dignified. "

Over and over again we repeated our 24 ways, our desires, correction and modeling graciousness until it became a part of my children's pathways of thinking in each situation.

Jesus bowed his knee to serve every person who came his way--women, prostitutes, children, lepers, tax collectors,  so that His actions gave each person He met worth. There is great dignity in relationships when people learn the ways of graciousness.

However, I fear it is too quickly becoming a lost value. The more we devalue God's values--and dishonor the value of children, the great value of elders and wise older women, and embrace euthanasia,  the more we feel free to criticize everyone in office with no  sense of reverence or culpability towards God, the more we demean the value Jesus gave all human beings. Lace of graciousness is a downward spiral toward the degeneration of all relationships.

When honor is gone, there is no basis for strength or integrity in relationship.

Our sense of graciousness to others, will build our own humility and desire to see God's great worth and holiness. If a child is not taught that some relationships are holy in nature, worthy of respect an graciousness, then they will have no place in their minds to understand the holy nature of God, and our need to honor and give Him worth through all the ways we behave in life.

Way # 20 "We choose to be gracious even when we do not feel like it."

Memory Verse "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13: 1-2

How do we train our children to be gracious?

*We give them verses to memorize: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31 Then we constantly train and instruct. "Is that the way you would like to be treated? What makes you feel important in the eyes of others? (Stop what you are doing and look someone right in the eyes. That tells them they have great value to you.)

*Teach your children to speak graciously to others. "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (one of my favorite training verses.) And then we say, "How could you have said that more graciously? Did you consider how to respond to everyone so that they would be encouraged?

*Before you have guests to your home, (or before you go to someone else's home for a meal), you train, train, train. "Greet each person who comes to our home in a way that will tell them we are happy to have them. Learn to ask at least one question to everyone who comes so they will know you care.  Please tell the mama who cooked the meal, "thank you for having us," because she will know you appreciate her.

*Give little immediate instructions. "Open the door for people before they walk through when you can." Give up your chair to others older and and others more in need of a chair than yourself." "If you see someone who is being left out of a game, try to find a way to include them."

Graciousness is a constant mindset that says, "I am the mercy of Christ to those in need. I am the respect of Christ to others who need to know their worth. I am the loving words of Jesus to those who need to hear life-giving words."

When a child grows up developing this kind of graciousness as they go, they will have it as a treasure the rest of their lives. And of course, it goes without saying, that graciousness begins with the way you treat your children--remember, we choose to be gracious to our children even when we do not feel like it!"

We had many conferences, meetings, dinners where our children had to learn to wait on us and to be gracious with good attitudes in their waiting. But training them over and over and over again, gave them a self-image that they were called to become ambassadors for Christ in their worlds, and that is started with honor and gracious giving of themselves to others.

Training in graciousness has opened jobs for my children, scholarships, opportunities of all sorts. Having a value to honor and attend to others has caused others to want to work with them.

How have you trained your children to become a picture of the graciousness of God to others?

Remember, our webinar begins tomorrow night. Be sure to get registered today!

Register HERE

The Mystery of Discipline: Looking at it from God's eyes

Albert Anker

Discipline--that mysterious area of life where people are so passionate. To spank or not to spank, that is the question. But is it really? Seems to me that the discipline of a person is a whole life process. God has used so many different approaches in my life to discipline me.

Natural consequences--It you do something foolish, you will reap foolish consequences--speeding and getting a ticket--not God, my stupidity.

Scripture--conviction by the Holy Spirit

Training--learning all sorts of lessons through jobs, circumstances, missions, watching others and having the training of my parents or boss or friends in the midst of life

So much of life is a process and so is child training. Children at 2 are just less mature than children at 7 or 9 or 11. Parents of older children know that children will grow out of phases. Gentle instruction, training, "You may not speak  this way, what is a better way to say this?" and following through. "You may not hit another child when you are frustrated, ever?" And then you isolate the child from the others and work with the child until they can apologize and ask for forgiveness." It is the patterns day in day out of correcting. loving, training, instructing, putting to bed, holding, and asking God to show us, by faith what each situation and each child needs at the moment.

Training and discipline, though, should not be foolish or  irresponsible. One of my friends thought she was following Clay's philosophy in his book Heartfelt Discipline by being exceedingly lenient, and foolish,  which is different from faith based parenting. "My three year old refuses to respond to my husband and always runs to me and spits on him and kicks him and I tell my husband that it is just a phase."

I was shocked. No child of ours is ever allowed to treat anyone that way, let alone a parent. We were on top of our children training, training, disciplining all the time. It was the way of life to model and instruct them in maturity.

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For more, join us at our Discipleship and Discipline e-course! I am getting excited about all the concepts God is bringing to my mind! Looking so forward to sharing with you!

**used blog 9/7/2021 Give your children the Gift of a Happy Mama

Nathan teasing me!

A joyful heart is good medicine!

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

-Audrey Hepburn

The grid through which you see life will determine how you behave in life. Children want a happy mama--that makes them feel acceptable, as though they belong, and filled up in their own little hearts because mamas  are the compass that lead children to joy in life.

Happiness is a choice that comes from a heart that desires to please God. Happiness is an attitude that, in the will, says, "This is the day the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it.

How to develop this attitude little by little is another thing all together. These are some things I have done to cultivate happiness in my home. The more you practice and choose these heart expressions of happiness, the more happy your home will become.

Cultivating Happiness In Your Home

Before you even step out of bed, put your eyes on Jesus and talk to Him.

"Jesus, this is your day. I can only have enough strength for all that I carry if you carry it for me, and if you give your spirit's life into the moment of my days. Please help me to worship you today by choosing to be thankful for the gifts of my children. This is your day, Lord and I want it to be a day when you are present every moment. I love you, Jesus and am thankful for you being with me."

When you first see your children or husband, greet them with a blessing.

Kiss your husband in front of your children---this makes them feel happy and secure. Choose to take time to tell him goodbye and kiss him before he goes to work.

"I am the most blessed mama in the world to have you as my little boy."

"Good morning sunshine. I am happy to see you this morning. Did you have any dreams.'

"Mama needs a kiss from you today because you are so very special to me."

"I am so happy to be your mama! God must have loved me to give me you."

When a child grows up with a blessing most every morning when he awakens, he feels wanted and affirmed deep inside.

Put on music at different points all day.

Put in on when you do the dishes or chores with your children (upbeat for this for me.)

At the dinner table, (instrumental so everyone can talk.)

Put it on when you are in the car, and when you have a sick child, and when you are alive, and....

Certain music, scientists have said, lower blood pressure, soothes the nerves, gives people a sense of contentment, helps some children do math better, and takes the focus off the work.

Place fun things in your day that you will enjoy--as well as your family.

I light candles a lot just because it makes me feel civilized.

I instituted afternoon tea times because I wanted a civilized moment and it made me happy. (a cuppa an small treat like a piece of dark chocolate.

I love to walk, sing, dance, have fun, live well and with beauty and harmony, so I place things every day in my life that give me happiness or a sense of fun. (flowers, walks at sunset, back rubs, sitting out on the deck and watching the pines blow, etc.

The more you cultivate happiness for yourself, the more happy you will be--and the happier your children will be!

Practice being thankful every day--take time to look at the antics, and into the eyes  of your children and thank God that they are with you now.

Thank God when you see flowers, stars, color, sunsets, all the things He made every day for us to enjoy. Almost every morning without fail, when I open my eyes, I see a pink, coral or purple colors reflecting on the clouds outside my window. I thank God for pinks and blues almost daily.

May your days be happy and bright......!

P.S. For those of you who missed it, Sarah Mae and I talked to the people running our seminar and asked them to please lower the price to something lots of mamas could afford. They said yes, and we are so very grateful. So, now you can come to the seminar for $17.99! The group we are experimenting with usually does business conferences for 4 hours for $195 a person. So we got them down to $69 and today we got them to agree to $17.99 so more mamas could participate. It is a great way to start the year. Tell friends about it and have an end of the seminar party to discuss what you learned and encourage one another. Hope you can come!

Register HERE.

For All The Sweet Moms Who Can't Afford The e-Course - PRICE CHANGE!

Hi everyone, Sarah Mae here!

I'm writing to let you all know that we talked to the company who is helping us put on the e-Course and we explained that so many of you sweet moms would love to be a part of it but just can't swing the finances. Well, we don't want finances to be an issue! We want to encourage you! So, the company has agreed to lower the price of the course to $17.99!

I know it's still a cost, but friends, It really is worth it. Sally has blessed my life so richly, and she will pour into you all through her teachings in this e-Course. And you'll have me as a little extra. ;)

To sign up, just go HERE.

Also, another sweet mom would like to offer payment of the course to two moms. If you can't afford the course, would you please email me with why you need the course? We'll pick the winners of the scholarship tomorrow night.

Hope you're enjoying this lovely day!

Love, Sarah Mae

P.S. Everyone who has paid for the course will be refunded the difference. :)

P.P.S. You will be able to watch the course on-demand after the live Webinar, so if you can't make one of the nights, not a problem! You can watch later!

**Used blog 9/3/2021 Before Beginning Reading (Setting Your Children Up For Success!)

Let's start at the very beginning...

"Mama, p l e a s e don't stop. I want to hear more!"

When a child breathes in the beauty, fun, inspiration of a great story, he becomes addicted to the pleasure of reading great books.

Establishing appetites for books, stories and reading creates a hunger in your child's life for more books. From the moment my children could sit still for a few moments in my lap, I was reading to them. We had a large Richard Scary book that had lots of items labled in German and English. I made a game out of this book when Sarah was a wee toddler, and she learned all the words of both languages.

Where are the things that start with "b"? Name all of the things on this page you can eat. (Or I would say, where is an apple? Can you find something that starts with "Buh" (b sound)?

Asking questions makes for interest in new books. Who was your favorite person in the story. Would you have acted that way?

Read using your most dramatic voices--a squeak for a mouse, a booming voice for a ferocious bear and different voices for children in the story.

Reading is a mysterious process. Although various schools and experts defend their respective theories and methodologies of how to teach a child to read, no one fully understands how a child actually does learn to read.

Through our many years of home schooling, we have come to find that raising children who are well equipped readers, and have a true love of reading, has helped them blossom. My children developed different habits about how often they read, what kind of books they preferred, and how early they could concentrate. Yet because we gave them delight to cuddle up on the couch to enjoy a rousing story together every day, it became a part of the oxygen of life they breathed.

Now all children, in spite of differing personalities and different academic skills, love reading and love remembering all the great stories we read together. Before your children even begin reading on their own, there are very simple, practical ways that you can introduce them to the concept. Give these tips a try these week with your little one!

Before Beginning Reading: -Read aloud favorite illustrated storybooks every day with your child. -Read alphabet books that contain pictures of a variety of objects for each letter. -Play with alphabet blocks and magnetic letters to familiarize your child with the alphabet. -Label important things in your child's life and read them out loud every day. -Teach your child the letters of their name, especially the beginning letters. -Make reading books aloud  a wonderful, pleasurable time for your child. -Create a library shelf in your child's room to encourage ownership of books.

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Remember, start  your year off with an e-conference to inspire you to loving and training your children to excellence.

Please leave enter below if you'd like to be entered to win the course for FREE!

There will be two winners.The giveaway ends at 10:30am EST on Wednesday, 9/4!

To find more and to sign up for the course, go herea Rafflecopter giveaway

Surprise! Discipleship & Discipline e-Course (Plus Giveaway)!

Surprise!

Remember last week when I told you I would have a surprise for my blog? Sarah Mae and I have received so many letters and emails about our book, Desperate, that we thought we would try to put together a short e-course to inspire you as you kick off a new school year with your children. Because we are so very busy trying to center our own lives, we are working with a company that does everything for us! This is an experiment to see if there is any interest in this kind of a course.

And what about that wild child? The one who is unpredictable, who has trouble doing it "your" way, the one who wears you out? I shall speak to the realities of my own, who had me on my knees so often. And yet, God's wisdom met me where I needed to learn about different personalities, and how to trust him during the difficult days.

Amidst all of the busyness, mamas struggle with keeping centered on their priorities. Life can overwhelm so that purpose seems to become hidden. So, I will be speaking about how to establish foundations in your mind, to give you a grid for loving your children well and reaching their hearts. Then, in the spirit of Mentoring Mondays, I will be speaking about Childhood Discipline, how to think about it, and how to implement wise training and responses in the midst of your every day lives.

Sarah Mae will share her journey from desperate days to delightful days with her own children, and the principles that helped her to see change in her family. She identifies so much with all the young mamas who are barely swimming above the water, and yet she has learned to apply wisdom so that she enjoys each day with her little ones.

I am planning lots more for your encouragement in the months ahead, so stay tuned and let us know what you think. I have you in my heart. Your wonderful letters, comments, messages are so very precious to me. Since I cannot begin to answer them all, I hope this course will be of great encouragement to you!

For more information and to sign up for the course, click HERE.

Happy New School Year to each of you!

GIVEAWAY!

Please leave enter below if you'd like to be entered to win the course for FREE! There will be two winners.The giveaway ends at 10:30am EST on Wednesday, 9/4! We will also have two scholarships available and will give that information tomorrow! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Patience: Waiting for the reward. Mentoring Monday

Rembrandt, one of my favorite artists

Abraham sacrificing Isaac

 We choose to be patient, even when we feel like getting our own way.

Way 19

In a culture that has fast food, speed of lightening responses on computer, instant gratification, the value of patience has become lost. Yet, patience is a virtue that will cause us to grow spiritually like no other. Patience in having our prayers answered forces us to look to God, to humble ourselves before Him, to acknowledge our dependence on him. Yet, how often we hurry the process of His answers and diminish our own ability to grow.

Abraham did not wait on God long enough and his hasty actions to "help" God answer his promise resulted in Hagar, his wife's maid, having Ishmael. The line of Ishmael lived in conflict with the Jewish people through all of history. When we take things into our own hands, we create havoc of every sort.

We read in Isaiah, "Yet those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength, " Is. 40: 31

God has wisdom and He has plan. His ways are to build spiritual muscle slowly because His focus in on building character and the likeness of Christ in our lives. Holiness does not come from a quick fix.

The raging battle against righteousness is also an issue of why we must learn to be patient. Satan prowls the earth to see whom he may devour. The earth is in rebellion to God. If we are to resist evil and overcome it with good, we must learn the secret value of waiting patiently in the midst of life storms. Darkness is but for the night, but joy comes in the morning, we read in the psalms.

And so, all of life in a fallen world will require us to be patient, to rule over our impatient spirits, to rule our spirit. We do not walk by emotions, or desires, but we learn to walk in obedience to the path God has given. Then, His reward will be sure and generous.

Many times, as a mom, I felt that my mother-labor was in vain. The constancy of correcting, teaching, serving children who pushed against me, questioned me, seemed unconcerned. Yet, now, after all of these years, I am so grateful that God helped me to live for the ideals He had given me one day at a time. The heart satisfaction of seeing my children walk with God, pursue His kingdom purposes, is deep and peaceful. Yet, it was a long walk of faith, faithfulness and waiting.

And so, as adults, we see the value of training and teaching our children to put off self-gratification. Gently helping them to choose patience, to will to be strong, to wait on God, is to prepare them to understand how to live their lives for God and not for themselves. Marriage requires patience. Work requires patience. All relationships require patience. And yet exercising patience builds strong internal spiritual muscle over time.

When seeds are planted, patience is required to see them grow and bloom to full fruition. Yet the fruit brings great reward.

"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."

Proverbs 16: 32

Ruling over ones spirit is such an amazing concept. To take charge, to subdue, to control one's spirit is the foundation for all sorts of spiritual prowess. When you help your child to learn to control his spirit and to rule over his emotions, you are giving him a gift that will serve him the rest of his life. Since I had never been trained, I had to learn it along with my little ones, yet now, it has served me better than I could have imagined.

Patience is wrought in our children little by little. Not by lecturing them only, but by guiding them in attitudes, in habits, to practice patience in order to become strong inside. Yet, patience brings great strength and great reward to those who submit to the wait. And the humility of not always getting ones own way immediately builds spiritual prowess like no other. When a child learns to wait on his mama and on circumstances, he is practicing learning to wait on God--and that is just the person God uses--the one who looks to God and waits expectantly on Him.

Just remember today, the Lord is with you and loves you and He will show you His ways as you patiently wait for Him.

Nurturing God-sized Dreams in the Hearts of your children Part 3

512px-Monet_-_Seine-Arm_bei_Giverny

Claude Monet

a pioneer of a new style of painting.

Part 3

So often, when I talk to women, they live as though they have no hope. Often, they have lost all vision of their purpose as moms--they have quit dreaming with their children. When we are limited in our hearts to the tasks of life, to the responsibilities and bills and duties we have, we can become very discouraged.

But when we realize that the Holy Spirit, Himself, dwells in us and wants to bring glory through our lives and create supernatural life and love right where we are, it gives us a whole different way to live. As a trainer of children who could learn to dream and take on the task of bringing God's kingdom to bear on this world, I always looked for ways to expand their faith, to listen to their talents and delights, to speak of how God might use them in this world.

I told them they had only a few years to bring about miracles of love in His name, to banish sadness and darkness and to bring about light and His life through all that they did. It gave us an excitement about every day, every lesson God was teaching, every story that we heard. The way it played out in my children's lives was different for each one. Sarah was an incredible reader from the time she was very small. I would read volumes of books to her, and enter her into every reading program, contest and give her lots of opportunity to write. She would fill dozens of journals with her writing. I encouraged her as a message maker who would bring light to many minds. I truly believe that she will become one of the great writers of our times. Her insight and creativity and wisdom for one her age has been blessed by God. She has had to work hard, but I believe her many years of input is beginning to pay off.

Joel, had the same input in soul, with the reading and devotionals, but I noticed that he sang in perfect tune from the time he was 15 months and could do perfect harmony by the time he was three--it came naturally to him. Consequently, we encouraged him to play guitar like his dad, exposed him to lots of different music, took him to concerts, and gave him all the software and instruments we could afford when he wanted to try to produce a small album. Now he is composing music and working in Los Angeles with a well-known composer, and has produced 3 albums.

Nathan, our very extroverted child, loved people, activity and performance. Clay took him to Christian magician conferences to stretch his own skills as a stage illusionist. Sending him to the New York Film academy when he was 19 was a faith risk, but just this week, he is producing his own movie that he wrote. We provided training in discipleship as he followed all of these areas in hopes of having a ministry to his generation through the arts.

Joy literally came out of the womb loving a stage. She has grown up at our conferences and never flinched when she stood up in front of hundreds of people--in plays, musicals, conferences or anywhere else. When Joy performs, I feel God's gift and pleasure in a marked way! We allowed her to have one semester of competitive speech and debate, because she is such a natural. (The other years, we had our conferences and could not do speech and debate.) Now, she is an RA working with new students, has a debate scholarship and is speaking at her college. We just pray for our children and support their efforts because we want to encourage them to live by faith and to invest their lives, and to own the gifts God gave to them.

I see so many moms, whether in Classical school, homeschool, public school and private school, become bogged down with the work load and curricular demands. But I meet few, who have invested much time in Kingdom dreams with and for their children. David became king of the slingshot--was that according to His mother's hopes and dreams? He also came to court because of his great music. Gideon was a grape stomper. Esther was a pretty orphan. Peter was a working class man. Paul was an academic. But the thing they all have in common, is that they used who and what they were for God's glory--to make a difference in the world for His kingdom.

Proverbs tells us the from the heart flow the springs of life. Jesus wanted us to live from the wells of life springing up in and through our hearts from His Spirit. If we are to take the world by God's force and light, we must learn to be dreamers, empowered and inspired by God, to bring His light to the darkness. We do this by cultivating the dreams and passions of our children's hearts.

Often, dreams are costly--we went 5 years without a regular salary to start Whole Heart Ministries, but we believed there needed to be a ministry specifically focussed on giving the kinds of specific messages that God had place on our hearts to give to families in this generation. Bills and difficult tasks all had to be attended to, but prayer and scripture would always light the fire of our dreams. Faith in "things hoped for but not seen" was what energized each project. We rented our first hotel by faith when we believed moms needed refreshment, we sent out some emails, and the rest is history!

One of the reasons I wrote The Mom Walk was because I felt so many women were trying so hard to get the training of their children and the living of their lives right by following the right formula or doing the right things. I found that someone's box did not ever exactly fit our family or our lives. I saw much more over the years, that God intended me to walk by faith, to learn to listen to Him as he spoke to me through scripture and gave me ideas of how to obey Him and honor Him through my times of prayer.  I found that on my journey with Him, throughout motherhood, that learning to walk in freedom and peace with Him, and living by His design freed me up to watch Him work, to live by grace instead of someone else's expectations of me.

Your and your children and husband may all have unique purposes through a story for God's kingdom. You may not always understand it in the midst of God preparing your heart and character for the work He has for you to do, but He uses those whose eyes are turned toward eternity, toward Him, toward His glory and work.

A good question to ask is, "Am I living by what I can hope to accomplish by my hard work only?" or "Am I living in the realm of possibility of what God can accomplish, beyond my own skills and effort, because I am trusting Him to be accomplishing through me what He is able to do, even beyond my efforts, but according to His abilities?"

Am I speaking life-giving encouragement to my children in the midst of their ideas and dreams, or do I throw water on them by asking them to be "realistic"? There is so much to be said about the work side of dreams, the bills to be paid, but today is a day to focus on the dreaming part of our lives. My vision for raising my children must be bigger than grades, SAT's, getting a job. It must be a call to bow their knee before God and ask, what is your work for me? For my child? For our family? How can I bring you pleasure? How can I live in your power? May our sweet Father fuel our hearts with what is on His heart and use us and our children as He dreamed when He made us!

May you dream big for Him, and may all your dreams come true!

Encouraging Our Children with Dayspring

By this time of the year most of our children have returned to routines and sharpened pencils, lunch boxes and math books.  As they adjust to the newness, we can be extra thoughtful to pour on the encouragement.  The little ones need to hear of our confidence in them, our grace toward them, and how much dear Jesus adores them.  

Our friends at Dayspring have created some beautiful Vinyl Scripture Art that we can utilize to encourage those brave little hearts.

What child wouldn't love to wake up and see this singing away at them?

I also thought these smaller Vinyl Art Pieces would encourage the hearts of mothers and fathers as we all push through the daily work and suffering in order to draw those in our home closer to Jesus.

As the older children go off to school or work on their lessons at home, sometimes the youngest children can be engaged by bringing in a fun new item.  This coloring book of Bible Stories teaches while it provides "work" for a younger one to do alongside their older siblings.

May the Lord bless you as you launch your little ones into a new year of learning.