Mandy's Lesson 3 - "Uptown Problems"

      I can't remember exactly what I was worrying or complaining about today when my husband tried to bring me back to reality by telling me that I was having an "uptown problem". He then had to explain to me that an "uptown problem" is referring to something that is really not a very big deal, but is viewed as a problem by someone whose perspective is out of wack.  For example, if you were really upset that your seat warmer in your new Lexus did not warm your bum to just the right temperature - that would be an "uptown problem." What I have been learning this past week with my sister, Mandy, being in ICU, is that most of things that upset me daily are "uptown problems", and that I need to seek Christ to give me an eternal perspective for daily life.
      "Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to stop being so self-centered and focused on small daily issues that I miss the lives of those around me that need to be shown your love and your light right now in this dark world."
        Do you have any "uptown problems" that you want to confess? What helps you keep your eternal perspective?

Mandy's lesson 2 - Enjoy the Daily Grind!



Mandy and family (minus 1 month old Moriah)

       My sister, Mandy, continues to teach me things even when she is in a coma.  She had a rough weekend and so did we.  Her brain became so swollen after her brain tumor removal on Thursday, that they had to go back in and remove her skull cap and put her in an induced coma for 48 hours.  Normally, on Mondays, I feel a little down because my husband has to return to work, and I have to return to the "daily grind". This is not a good attitude, but one that I have to combat with the power of Scripture and positive perspective every week.  Life as a stay-at-home mom is very busy, very important, and can be very fun, but most people would not describe it as exciting. Hopefully, the next time I am craving more excitement in my life, I will remember this time in my life when I am just praying that Mandy and the rest of our family will be able return to the "daily grind."
      What are the things in your "daily grind" that may bother you when facing them daily, but you would really miss if you never got to experience them again? For example - my friend Elaine has a son who used to spill his milk everyday:).

Pillar Sister, live like there is no tomorrow!

         Today I just want to thank God for my oldest sister Mandy who honestly is one of the best and most amazing moms that I know. I like to think of her as my "Pillar Sister". Psalm 144: 12 says, "May our daughters be like corner pillars cut from the structure of a palace"- strong and beautiful. She is my inspiration, because on days when I think I don't know how I am going to be able to do everything, I look at her and know it is possible. Just yesterday a surgeon successfully removed a tumor from behind her left eye. Praise God! Through this whole ordeal, she continued to be the pillar of strength that she always is because of her constant reliance on Christ. Calmly and methodically she made arrangements for her 7 children - 5 of which she homeschools, and her one-month old baby girl whom she continues to nurse during her hospital stay in ICU! Let her life encourage you that you can be a "Pillar Sister". God can help you through anything big or small and help you love your husband and children like there is no tomorrow- everyday!

         Do you have a "Pillar Sister" (in the faith or in the actual family)? We would all love to hear about her.       

Where did all the Bibles go? - Thoughtful Thursdays

     On Tuesday of this week, we talked about the importance of using the actual Scriptures instead of just biblical principles to guide and direct our children.  It has never been easier to do this, since now we have wonderful technology that provides us with the ability to fit the entire Bible - complete with numerous translations and a concordance - in a device that fits in the palm of our hands. However, with amazing technology comes responsibility.  I don't want my children to forget (or never learn) what a real Bible looks like, or confuse the truth of the Bible with all the other information that you can find on my phone. If you are not continually a student of the Bible, someone could easily trick you or your children simply by saying, "The Bible says....".  Do you know which of these things are really in the Bible?
 1. "God helps those who help themselves.
 2. The Book of Hezekiah
 3. "Cleanliness is Next to Godliness"
 4. Angels married people on earth.
 5. A Bohemoth that some say might be describing a dinosaur or even the Lock Ness Monster."God helps those who help themselves."
        You can use your handheld devices to search for these, but don't do this in church while pretending to follow along while the pastor reads from God's word.
    

Time is Running Out! -Wise Wednesdays



(Shop Amazon.com for this great book.)

      Sometimes we are tempted to simply distract and entertain our very young children, thinking that we are simply supposed to love on them and help them survive until they can understand deeper concepts and really start learning. A Mother's Heart: A Look at Values, Vision, and Character for Christian Mothers by Jean Fleming not only reminds me that training in the early years are crucial to the developement of our child's worldview, but also gives insight and info about ways we can impress important biblical qualities in our little bundles of wet cement.
"A mother's presence throughout infancy and the entire preschool stage is important because more learning takes place in the child's first five years than in any comparable period of life. Experts agree that as much as eighty-five percent of a child's character is developed by age five, and the way a child is raised in the early years accounts for at least twenty points of his IQ." - Jean Fleming

I almost hyperventilated when I read this statement for the first time. Thank goodness Christ is here to give us strength and guidance in this tremendous task of training children. Time is running out to train your child while their cement is still wet. Seize every moment. I would love to hear any input you have about ways to seize every moment, or about how critical the "little years" are.

Free Tool for Teaching Scripture - Teaching Tuesday

            Yesterday, I promised you some kind of incentive for being faithful in your Scripture reading and teaching, so I am giving away a DVD/CD set of my favorite Steve Green album - "Hide 'em in Your Heart".  This amazing set is simple Scripture set to wonderful music.  One of the easiest ways to teach Scripture is through music.  All you have to do to enter to win is logon and leave a comment on this blog before the end of January. I would love to hear your great ideas about ways you teach your children Scripture. 

How are you doing on your resolutions? - Mom Mondays

    Almost every year, I resolve to read my Bible through this year.  Well, I am only a few days behind right now, but only because I did quite a bit of catch-up reading this morning. This is the beginning of a couple of weeks where I am going to focus my blogging on the importance of being faithful in reading and teaching the Bible in our homes.  I became convicted of this while reading Teach Them Diligently, How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training by Lou Priolo.  I realized that I often teach my children Biblical principles, but I rarely teach them directly from Scriptures. In order to teach them the Bible, I need to be a better student of them myself.  I usually work better with incentives, so tomorrow, I am going to tell you about a little incentive that I am going to offer for faithful Bible reading and teaching.
P.S. Shop Amazon.com to buy Teach them Diligently