Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Let it Go!
Over the past couple months, I must admit, God and I have had a few more heart to hearts than usual. I find myself in the middle of the night, waking to speak with him. And the hardest part about talking with Him, is most of the time I have to wait a day, a week, a month, a year or 2 to get an answer. He tells me to wait, alot more than I like(Psalm 33:20). There have been times in my life when I have cried out and he has answered me quicker than normal either in a voice from inside, a dream, His AWESOME WORD. I know He understands, I know he loves me and he gives me the privilege to pour into others lives because I have walked in their shoes in some way or another. But it is still hard. Standing in the battle gear on the front lines is hard and you must truly know that you are only there because God chose you and will equip you(Ephesians 6:13-17). You must stay there in the midst of your fear(2 Timothy 1:7) or doubt, knowing that He will give you the strength to do the job. You must realize that this is not a game, this is a real battle of love versus hate. I KNOW HE ordained mine. I KNOW because he promises that all the pain that we endure is not for nothing, it is to be used to help another(Romans 8:28). I KNOW because HE is FAITHFUL, and he has always been there to see me through. When I begin to worry or doubt, I can always claim ALL the many times He has been there. And so many times, He was just waiting for me to humble(James 4:10) myself and surrender, to let it go, give it to him. I hold onto it and it wracks my brain. I cry out only to Him, and finally hand it over. What do you need to surrender? What are you holding onto? Remember you are not your own, you were bought with a price(1 Corinthians 6:20). If you keep it, whatever it is, ask yourself, will it be worthy enough to place at the feet of the King? OR by giving it to Him, can he create something worthy of His Kingdom, covered in His love to place back into your life! Let it Go! Trust(John 14:1) that He knows what is best for you and me!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Only one King, per kingdom
Starting out always seems to be the hardest place. God has been nudging me to pass on the truths I have learned as a parent. Part of me feels that I should wait til my children are totally raised and married before I share. But I do talk and meet with lots of parents who are dealing with issues I have survived. So I am going to make a 2008 commitment to at least once a month try and share an "empowering parent" thought or lesson. And please understand, I do not have all the answers, I have just survived the "teenage" years with my 1 of my own, still living through it with another and get to send the other teenagers I do life with home to their parents each week. This lesson below I observed and learned when my son was between the ages of 14 and 17. I call it "Only one King, per kingdom":
When my son was between the ages of 14-17, the testerone levels in my home were very high. For some reason, teenage boys feel the need to challenge the kingdom at this age. What they tend to forget is that in the home if there is a father present, he is the king. They will never have the throne in that kingdom. That is why they must go out and venture into the world and set up there own kingdom. There were many times that my son and husband would meet each other with puffed out chests each demanding the role of king. What my son got to learn early on was that his father would always win and remain king. Corey had this unrealistic strength (and immature stupidity) that made him feel like he had a right and ability to challenge the king. My husband on the other hand could not understand why his once loving, sensitive son would feel the need to even attempt to take on his dad. I usually felt like the referee. I saw both of them become people they really did not want to emulate. It brought the worse out in both. I would take Corey to the side and let him know that he may not always agree with his dad and I, but God asks him to honor us. He could one day go out and set up his own kingdom with his own set of rules, but that would never happen here. And no matter how big or how old he got, his father would always be his father. My lesson in all this: Support my husband as the authority in the home, be the reasonable voice to both dad and son, pray for both, and help my son understand that yes he was becoming a MAN, but he was not the Man of this house.
I know there are many homes that do have a father present and this means a whole different set of obstacles. I feel that is why boys tend to try and prove their independence and
masculinity in social environments. Sports are a good way of release, going to the gym, having them find something they are good at, getting a job, a place to call their own. Something they can be proud they have accomplished. Knowing they have a Heavenly Father who is proud of them. I think they evaluate their manhood against the role model of thier dad and really all they are trying to say is, Dad, are you proud of the man that I am becoming? We need as parents to work real hard to give positive reinforcement to our teenagers, especially from dads!
Note: Since Corey has left and gone into the real world, his relationship with his father is moving from dad as authority to dad as friend. Corey has to now realize God is his ultimate authority. I think as parents that is one of our main jobs, leading them from our arms into God's arms!
When my son was between the ages of 14-17, the testerone levels in my home were very high. For some reason, teenage boys feel the need to challenge the kingdom at this age. What they tend to forget is that in the home if there is a father present, he is the king. They will never have the throne in that kingdom. That is why they must go out and venture into the world and set up there own kingdom. There were many times that my son and husband would meet each other with puffed out chests each demanding the role of king. What my son got to learn early on was that his father would always win and remain king. Corey had this unrealistic strength (and immature stupidity) that made him feel like he had a right and ability to challenge the king. My husband on the other hand could not understand why his once loving, sensitive son would feel the need to even attempt to take on his dad. I usually felt like the referee. I saw both of them become people they really did not want to emulate. It brought the worse out in both. I would take Corey to the side and let him know that he may not always agree with his dad and I, but God asks him to honor us. He could one day go out and set up his own kingdom with his own set of rules, but that would never happen here. And no matter how big or how old he got, his father would always be his father. My lesson in all this: Support my husband as the authority in the home, be the reasonable voice to both dad and son, pray for both, and help my son understand that yes he was becoming a MAN, but he was not the Man of this house.
I know there are many homes that do have a father present and this means a whole different set of obstacles. I feel that is why boys tend to try and prove their independence and
masculinity in social environments. Sports are a good way of release, going to the gym, having them find something they are good at, getting a job, a place to call their own. Something they can be proud they have accomplished. Knowing they have a Heavenly Father who is proud of them. I think they evaluate their manhood against the role model of thier dad and really all they are trying to say is, Dad, are you proud of the man that I am becoming? We need as parents to work real hard to give positive reinforcement to our teenagers, especially from dads!
Note: Since Corey has left and gone into the real world, his relationship with his father is moving from dad as authority to dad as friend. Corey has to now realize God is his ultimate authority. I think as parents that is one of our main jobs, leading them from our arms into God's arms!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Starting out Organized!
Everyone works together to clean out the garage:
What we have to sell at the Garage Sale:
After cleaning and organizing the garage:
I have started out 2008 and already able to check off one of my goals for the new year! Thanks to our church having the World's Largest Garage Sale (Feb. 16). We have been wanting to clean out the garage and now we had purpose and a timeline to get it done. Tim lead the charge and made sure we did it while Corey was home to get some muscle from him and some of his guy friends. So during the Christmas break, he had us all working as a family cleaning out and re-organizing the garage. Who really likes cleaning out the garage? It takes time and it requires letting go of items that are not needed or haven't been used in a long time. And when the whole family does it together, everyone has their own agenda of what to keep and what to get rid of. Why is it that we hold onto stuff? Stuff we can't take with us in the end. Why is it that we feel that by accumulating a lot of stuff we are successful. Can't we have a little and still be successful? I am learning that less is better. I am learning that ALOT about life is letting go (and trusting). I am learning that the relationships that I invest in go with me way past the dash in my tombstone, can't say that about the stuff in my garage. So join me and my family, and get to cleaning and letting go...bring it to Flamingo Road Church on Feb 16 and help raise money for the American Cancer Society. And you can even join us beginning Jan 26 or 27 as the new teaching series, "Garage Sale" begins!
What we have to sell at the Garage Sale:
After cleaning and organizing the garage:
I have started out 2008 and already able to check off one of my goals for the new year! Thanks to our church having the World's Largest Garage Sale (Feb. 16). We have been wanting to clean out the garage and now we had purpose and a timeline to get it done. Tim lead the charge and made sure we did it while Corey was home to get some muscle from him and some of his guy friends. So during the Christmas break, he had us all working as a family cleaning out and re-organizing the garage. Who really likes cleaning out the garage? It takes time and it requires letting go of items that are not needed or haven't been used in a long time. And when the whole family does it together, everyone has their own agenda of what to keep and what to get rid of. Why is it that we hold onto stuff? Stuff we can't take with us in the end. Why is it that we feel that by accumulating a lot of stuff we are successful. Can't we have a little and still be successful? I am learning that less is better. I am learning that ALOT about life is letting go (and trusting). I am learning that the relationships that I invest in go with me way past the dash in my tombstone, can't say that about the stuff in my garage. So join me and my family, and get to cleaning and letting go...bring it to Flamingo Road Church on Feb 16 and help raise money for the American Cancer Society. And you can even join us beginning Jan 26 or 27 as the new teaching series, "Garage Sale" begins!
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