Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Most Beautiful Place in the Country.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Recent Door Posts Newsletter
“…to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:14, ESV).
It’s easy to become focused on what our children are doing wrong.
When the toddler spews the food he doesn’t like across the room, we have to clean it up. And we have to train him to behave differently.
When angry boys resort to punching each other, we have to evaluate their stories. We have to discipline them and train them in patience and love.
When the garbage isn’t emptied again, we have to track down the guilty party, see that he does his job, and train him toward greater responsibility.
But when the garbage is emptied, we just put more garbage in the can. When no one is arguing, we manage to get more of our to-do list done. When things are going well, it’s easy to coast. We can forget to give thanks and commend those who are doing well.
We can unintentionally discourage our children when we remember to discipline, but forget to encourage. Like the leaders that Peter says are sent by God “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:14), we are called to discipline wrongdoers, but also to praise and encourage those who do good.
Doug Wilson likens this to withdrawals and deposits in a checking account. If we just write checks and never make deposits, the checks we write will bounce. In the same way, if we just correct our children but never encourage them, our discipline efforts will fail. Focus on making deposits!
Personally, I know I tend to “overdraw”. I spot the wrongdoer much quicker than I do the “right-doer.” God woke me up to this fact when our second-born was just a little guy. Discipline was just not getting through to his mischievous little brain. We would discipline, send him on his way, and then discipline him for the exact same offense just a few minutes later. And he really didn’t seem to care.
He started to change when I changed. I started to look for what he was doing right. Instead of focusing all my attention on his wrongdoing, I started looking for opportunities to bless him when he was doing something good. That’s when things started to change.
That’s how God treats me. He doesn’t overlook my sin. He keeps His promises and disciplines me (often after much undeserved mercy and long-suffering on His part). But He also blesses me when, by His grace, I obey Him. His Word is filled with promises of blessing for those who choose to obey Him. Those promises are part of what gives me hope as I persevere in following Him!
I’m sure many of you are very good at encouraging your children when they do well. For those of you, like me, who could use some help in this area, I challenge you to spend the next few days catching your children in the act of doing good.
Put on a new pair of “glasses”. Use them to help you see evidences of God’s work in their lives. Notice when everyone is getting along, when they make their beds without reminding, when they refrain from clobbering their brother, when they clear the table without being asked. Pay attention, and grab every opportunity to encourage and bless. Watch your children play, think about all the chores they do around the house, appreciate their humor, notice their strong points. Take notes, if you need to, and start blessing your children with your encouragement!
Some ideas to get you started:
Words of praise and encouragement: “I love you.” “Look at how much better you are doing in this area!” “Remember how difficult this use to be for you? Praise God for His work in your life!” “I am so thankful for the work God is doing in your life. You are doing so much better in _____.” “You are such a blessing to me!” “Your cheerful attitude is such an encouragement to me.” “You’ve grown so much in this area!” “Thank you for faithfully ________ every day.” “It is so nice to know I can depend on you to _________.” “I’ve noticed that you and ___ are getting along much better lately. God is helping you be more patient, isn’t he?” “Yay! I saw that! Good work!”
Physical gestures: A high-five, thumbs up, a wink across the room, big smile, big hug, pat on the back, squeeze around the waist, applause!
Gifts and special events: Sometimes real progress in an area of serious struggle might warrant a special blessing – a special home-baked treat, a favorite dinner, a stop at the donut shop while out doing errands, a piece of jewelry, a softball mitt, tickets to a game together, a backyard campout – along with words of encouragement and love, and always pointing to the gracious God who has strengthened and enabled them to grow.
It’s easy to become focused on what our children are doing wrong.
When the toddler spews the food he doesn’t like across the room, we have to clean it up. And we have to train him to behave differently.
When angry boys resort to punching each other, we have to evaluate their stories. We have to discipline them and train them in patience and love.
When the garbage isn’t emptied again, we have to track down the guilty party, see that he does his job, and train him toward greater responsibility.
But when the garbage is emptied, we just put more garbage in the can. When no one is arguing, we manage to get more of our to-do list done. When things are going well, it’s easy to coast. We can forget to give thanks and commend those who are doing well.
We can unintentionally discourage our children when we remember to discipline, but forget to encourage. Like the leaders that Peter says are sent by God “to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:14), we are called to discipline wrongdoers, but also to praise and encourage those who do good.
Doug Wilson likens this to withdrawals and deposits in a checking account. If we just write checks and never make deposits, the checks we write will bounce. In the same way, if we just correct our children but never encourage them, our discipline efforts will fail. Focus on making deposits!
Personally, I know I tend to “overdraw”. I spot the wrongdoer much quicker than I do the “right-doer.” God woke me up to this fact when our second-born was just a little guy. Discipline was just not getting through to his mischievous little brain. We would discipline, send him on his way, and then discipline him for the exact same offense just a few minutes later. And he really didn’t seem to care.
He started to change when I changed. I started to look for what he was doing right. Instead of focusing all my attention on his wrongdoing, I started looking for opportunities to bless him when he was doing something good. That’s when things started to change.
That’s how God treats me. He doesn’t overlook my sin. He keeps His promises and disciplines me (often after much undeserved mercy and long-suffering on His part). But He also blesses me when, by His grace, I obey Him. His Word is filled with promises of blessing for those who choose to obey Him. Those promises are part of what gives me hope as I persevere in following Him!
I’m sure many of you are very good at encouraging your children when they do well. For those of you, like me, who could use some help in this area, I challenge you to spend the next few days catching your children in the act of doing good.
Put on a new pair of “glasses”. Use them to help you see evidences of God’s work in their lives. Notice when everyone is getting along, when they make their beds without reminding, when they refrain from clobbering their brother, when they clear the table without being asked. Pay attention, and grab every opportunity to encourage and bless. Watch your children play, think about all the chores they do around the house, appreciate their humor, notice their strong points. Take notes, if you need to, and start blessing your children with your encouragement!
Some ideas to get you started:
Words of praise and encouragement: “I love you.” “Look at how much better you are doing in this area!” “Remember how difficult this use to be for you? Praise God for His work in your life!” “I am so thankful for the work God is doing in your life. You are doing so much better in _____.” “You are such a blessing to me!” “Your cheerful attitude is such an encouragement to me.” “You’ve grown so much in this area!” “Thank you for faithfully ________ every day.” “It is so nice to know I can depend on you to _________.” “I’ve noticed that you and ___ are getting along much better lately. God is helping you be more patient, isn’t he?” “Yay! I saw that! Good work!”
Physical gestures: A high-five, thumbs up, a wink across the room, big smile, big hug, pat on the back, squeeze around the waist, applause!
Gifts and special events: Sometimes real progress in an area of serious struggle might warrant a special blessing – a special home-baked treat, a favorite dinner, a stop at the donut shop while out doing errands, a piece of jewelry, a softball mitt, tickets to a game together, a backyard campout – along with words of encouragement and love, and always pointing to the gracious God who has strengthened and enabled them to grow.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Last Sunday's Sermon
Last Sunday our family attended High Pointe Baptist Church in Pflugerville, TX. Pastor Juan shared a great message on 1 Peter 3:8-14:
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?
Do you suffer BECAUSE you are a Christian? Not simply suffering, but are you persecuted for your holy, set-apart living? Do you feel "push back" because of the choices you make?
I have to admit that I have rarely suffered for my belief in Jesus. Perhaps I don't really care what other people think. There's some truth in that. I don't consider criticism or snide comments to be suffering.
Perhaps, however, I am not quite as set apart as I like to believe.
I want to live a life of distinction as a temporary, resident alien on this earth. I am an ambassador for Christ. I represent another King and another Country. I want to live a holy life, and suffer for the name of Christ.
Pastor Juan's Sermon-July 31, 2011 can be found here. I encourage you to give a little time to listen. It blessed me!
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?
Do you suffer BECAUSE you are a Christian? Not simply suffering, but are you persecuted for your holy, set-apart living? Do you feel "push back" because of the choices you make?
I have to admit that I have rarely suffered for my belief in Jesus. Perhaps I don't really care what other people think. There's some truth in that. I don't consider criticism or snide comments to be suffering.
Perhaps, however, I am not quite as set apart as I like to believe.
I want to live a life of distinction as a temporary, resident alien on this earth. I am an ambassador for Christ. I represent another King and another Country. I want to live a holy life, and suffer for the name of Christ.
Pastor Juan's Sermon-July 31, 2011 can be found here. I encourage you to give a little time to listen. It blessed me!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Things Not to Say to a M.O.M.
M.O.M. is an insider's term for "Mom of Many." Just how many is many? Well, I guess that's subjective. With nine children, and eight living at home, I think we qualify. We're well over the national average of 1.25.
M.O.M.'s are just like other moms. We do the same activities, just super-sized. We cook a lot, clean a lot, wash a lot and fold a lot. We drive a lot, pick up a lot, and sleep a little.
So here's The List of Things Never to Say to a M.O.M.
1. "Are they all yours?" I really want to answer, "Who?" I think that would be rioutous.
2. "Do you now how that happens?" Of course we know and must be pretty good at it. We keep doing the same thing over and over again with the same results. I'm thinking about answering, "No, would you explain it to me?"
3. "Better you than me." That is just offensive. Please don't say things like that in front of children. It hurts their feelings.
4. "You've got your hands full." Believe me, I know exactly how full my hands are. I don't really need a sweet blue-haired lady at Sam's to remind me. I'm thinking about asking the next one if she's available to help me load the car.
5. "You're brave!" Firefighters are brave. Soldiers are brave. Policemen are brave. Are we really that afraid of children?
Try these comments instead.
1."What a beautiful family." That's so encouraging!
2. "You've got so many helpers." What a great comment to make children feel worthwhile.
3. "You are so blessed." Remember children are blessings. Life is about relationships, and there is nothing more precious that a parent-child bond.
4. "You must have so much fun." This is actually my FAVORITE comment. Childhood is FUN! It only lasts a few years, then onto maturity.
5. And how about, "You're children are so wonderful!" They are, you know.
So in the spirit of today's blog, I would like to remind you that all people started out as children, including you. Take a moment to reflect and maybe you can remember a bit of that. Be nice to kids. You used to be one.
M.O.M.'s are just like other moms. We do the same activities, just super-sized. We cook a lot, clean a lot, wash a lot and fold a lot. We drive a lot, pick up a lot, and sleep a little.
So here's The List of Things Never to Say to a M.O.M.
1. "Are they all yours?" I really want to answer, "Who?" I think that would be rioutous.
2. "Do you now how that happens?" Of course we know and must be pretty good at it. We keep doing the same thing over and over again with the same results. I'm thinking about answering, "No, would you explain it to me?"
3. "Better you than me." That is just offensive. Please don't say things like that in front of children. It hurts their feelings.
4. "You've got your hands full." Believe me, I know exactly how full my hands are. I don't really need a sweet blue-haired lady at Sam's to remind me. I'm thinking about asking the next one if she's available to help me load the car.
5. "You're brave!" Firefighters are brave. Soldiers are brave. Policemen are brave. Are we really that afraid of children?
Try these comments instead.
1."What a beautiful family." That's so encouraging!
2. "You've got so many helpers." What a great comment to make children feel worthwhile.
3. "You are so blessed." Remember children are blessings. Life is about relationships, and there is nothing more precious that a parent-child bond.
4. "You must have so much fun." This is actually my FAVORITE comment. Childhood is FUN! It only lasts a few years, then onto maturity.
5. And how about, "You're children are so wonderful!" They are, you know.
So in the spirit of today's blog, I would like to remind you that all people started out as children, including you. Take a moment to reflect and maybe you can remember a bit of that. Be nice to kids. You used to be one.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Easy Dinner for Guests
Tonight we're having a family over that we've never even met! How exciting! We're looking forward to getting to know them and fellowship with other believers. There are no strangers in the body of Christ!
I'm cooking Fast Fish Tacos along with some sliced avocados, chips and salsa, sweet corn, black beans and Meringue Key Lime Pie. We're having Lemon Limeade to finish of the citrusy flavor.
I'm cooking Fast Fish Tacos along with some sliced avocados, chips and salsa, sweet corn, black beans and Meringue Key Lime Pie. We're having Lemon Limeade to finish of the citrusy flavor.
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Great Quote from a Wise Woman...
People do dumb things. They say the wrong thing. They say things about us or to us that hurt us. The more I live the more I realize that life is not perfect! It doesn't go the way we want! So what do we do? We acknowledge that life is not perfect and rejoice anyway! We bless those who hurt us. Instead of getting upset, we laugh. We keep plodding on, trusting in the Lord, and smiling in the face of trials. NANCY
Nancy Campbell leads Above Rubies, a ministry focussed on encouraging women in the high calling of wifehood and motherhood. Check it out at Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell leads Above Rubies, a ministry focussed on encouraging women in the high calling of wifehood and motherhood. Check it out at Above Rubies.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Signs of summertime...babies and popsicles
August is here as of 21 minutes ago. And it's hot. Too hot for me. Katiedid sure enjoyed her yellow popsicle. I think most of it melted into the stroller. She doesn't like dirty hands, so we had to give a quick wash when we got home. Funny baby.
We have three birthdays this month, and several other family and friends celebrate. I'm racking my brain for creative and cHeAp ways to celebrate. I just got "the list" from the soon to be 11 year old. I told him to be happy to play his baseball with his new glove in his fancy pants. He wasn't pleased, but got the point.
Why does everything have to cost so much??? Seriously, it can be overwhelming. I try to buy local, natural foods, but am amazed at the prices. A chicken costs $12-$15. And it takes TWO to feed my family.
A few tips I like to use for keeping the grocery bill (somewhat) manageable:
1. Buy Bulk. I love Country Life Natural Foods but don't have the opportunity to shop there much anymore, being 1300 miles away and all.
2. Plan, plan, plan! When I make out a menu, we eat out less and eat more healthily.
3. Leftovers Lunches. The kids and I eat lots of leftovers for lunches, so I ususally don't alot grocery items for lunches.
4. Double Batches. I lOvE to do this! It's great for a quick meal, or for lunches as well. Sloppy Joes, Spaghetti Sauce, Soup, and Meatballs are some of my favorite items to freeze.
5. Pass up the Boxes. I really don't buy food in boxes. In fact, a few months ago I needed to buy cookies and COULDN"T find them in the grocery store. I felt kind of dumb, but was glad that no one seemed to remember where the oreo aisle was. With school starting soon comes the question of balancing prep time, money saved, and healthiness. I seem to never have the right answer here.
I'm planning to build my menus every month during the school year. I already have them printed out and begun. Breakfasts are going to be the same seven things every week, lunches will be easy things like sandwiches and leftovers, and dinners will follow a theme night. (Meatless Monday, Pasta Tuesday, Etc.) I'm hoping to cut my grocery bill a few hundred $$s and spend more money on fun stuff. I won't compromise and feed my babies Ramen noodles and poptarts, though.
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