Tag: kids

Soul Food and Kids

October 17, 2019 /

Ahhh, kids! We want them, or they drive us crazy, or make us laugh, or give us a new perspective on life. This week I thought I’d focus our soul food on kids. Jesus said they can teach us much!

What if you took a few minutes today, or when you Sabbath, to sit with the following passage and consider these questions?

  • Imagine yourself as a little kid in this story. How would you feel if He said, “Let ______ come to me.”?
  • Imagine crawling into his lap. How might Jesus look at you?
  • When you were little, what did you most want from your parents? What do you want from Jesus?
  • What do you think He might say to you?

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on themand pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

matthew 19:13-15

An article about the value of children:

The “Major Defect” in C.S. Lewis (and Me)

If you are struggling with infertility, there are no great answers, but check this out.

Maybe today you find yourself sitting in a pile of ashes, feeling desperate. While our hopes and desires and plans for our lives are finite, an infinite God Who loves us can take our messiest messes and make something beautiful.

Heather Avis

For those who want to better understand the emotions of infertility, check this out.

If you are a mom, Thriving Home is a great resource (think kid-friendly freezer meals)! They have Table Talk Cards and recently shared a series of questions from them. Try these questions tonight around your dinner table!

For pre-schoolers:

  • If you could make raindrops taste like anything, what flavor would they be?
  • Who is a good friend to you? Why?

For elementary school kids:

  • Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible?
  • Share one thing you like about each person at the table.

For tweens and teens:

  • What is your most vivid and happiest childhood memory?
  • What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of? Why?

A book I like to give to new mamas: Today and Always, this is True, God Loves You!

Some Instagram posts to make you smile.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4

If you are a mama, I’d like to close with this blessing for you.

At the end of today, may you rest in the assurance that you are enough, because God is enough.

You are beloved.

God, your perfect Parent delights in you. He sings over you with joy.

May He give you the grace to be gentle with yourself, and the grace and patience you need for your kids.

May He give you peace tonight, with the reassurance that He never sleeps. You are secure in His loving care.

What to do when School Starts

September 1, 2014 /

As I write this it’s almost Labor day, and I’ve been thinking a lot about you Moms with kids of every age starting back to school – thinking about transitions and All Of The Feelings.

It’s the end of August and I’m “up north”.  This is my view.

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Don’t hate me, but I can breathe deep and enjoy this lake air (and the mocha John just brought me, thank you very much) without being interrupted by an 8 year old who wants to play UNO. or a 12 year old who wants me to take them on a jet-ski, or a toddler who can’t find his Thomas the Tank pez dispenser (and all the drama that comes with).

I love this season of life and the freedom it gives me, don’t get me wrong.  But this – this time of transition from Summer to Fall is also a time of grieving for me.  I miss the back-to-school shopping and the exciting beginning of all of the THINGS for the new year.  I miss “bouquets of newly-sharpened pencils”, the season of hands-on parenting with all the family traditions and night time prayers and snuggled up in jammies story reading.  I miss our first day of school chicken pot pie dinner, and I miss the annual measuring of our girls.

photo-159

Moms I know you.  I’ve been you.  Most of you are a little schizophrenic at this point.  You tackled summer with gusto, doing the strawberry picking and the zoo visits and fishing pole baiting memory-making, but you’re just so over summer now.  You’re ready to take a break from your role as Camp Director of all the Fun Outings in the Universe. Continue reading

The Biggest Parenting Mistake You Can Make

April 30, 2012 /

This is my friend, Sherrie.  Not the bald one.  The beautiful one in the bed who still looks like she’s in her 20’s.  She and Rick have three delightful grown and almost-grown daughters. We raised our kids together with other Jesus-following parents who were all anxious about getting it “right”.

Last year around the time Sherrie’s eldest daughter was getting married she began to think she might be going through menopause.

Nope.

 Meet Jolie Layne Byron.  Born April 23, 2012.

I went to a shower for this new little one and we got to talking about our experiences with our “first round” of kids.  I started thinking…If I had it to do over again, what would I do differently?  What mistakes did I make?  What mistakes didn’t I make?!

There are the “little” things people might point to like the time I let Maggie wear her sandals to church.  It was 30 degrees, but I figure you gotta pick your battles.

Or, Katy might point out how in grade school she was scarred for life when she was home sick and I let her watch “Wait Until Dark” while I ran to the grocery store.

I could also throw John under the bus and mention the time he gave Maggie Ipecac in the middle of the night thinking it was cough syrup.

Times when I was too controlling and times when I was too permissive.  So many possibilities, so little time!!

I sent our daughters, 24 and 26, an email and asked them to weigh in.  I know they could give a list of things they wish we had done differently, but they were both feeling gracious I guess, because they only sent what they appreciated about our parenting.

It made me think of something that happened when the girls were in grade school and we were coming home from a vacation in Florida at a time we had had to pull them out of school.

They’re both really good students but keeping up with homework when there’s a beach beckoning is tough.  In spite of our reminders, Katy had not done the work she was supposed to do.  John, frustrated, said, “Katy!  Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t punish you!”

She didn’t miss a beat.  “Because you’re always telling us it’s all about Grace, Grace and more GRACE!!”

Maybe the biggest mistake we can make is to forget about grace.

I think of all the ways I’ve messed up and, I think of my heavenly parent.  I’m His reckless, well-meaning toddler, crashing into things and tripping over my toes.  I’m overwhelmed by a God who picks me up and dusts me off, and sets me back on my feet with the power to redeem my mistakes, turn me around and point me in the right direction.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9

Might you leave a comment today about what did your parents did right?  

Or a mistake you’ve made that you saw redeemed by God?

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