God is the Solution

Last week something terrible happened in our nation.  Innocent lives were lost.  Young lives were lost.  Lives that had barely begun.

 

I was in my car on the way to get my kids when I first heard the news of the Sandy Hook shooting on the radio, and I can't begin to express the sadness I felt.  At first the news was awful to hear but seemed somewhat distant.  Then I heard the number of children lost and exactly how young they were and I was overwhelmed with grief for all those affected by that horrifying incident.

 

I couldn't wait to pick up my sweet babies and hug them long and hard.  Their Daddy called me right before I walked in the door and told me to do the same for him.  I can't begin to imagine how it must feel to lose a child of any age, but losing a young child must feel so unfair, especially in this manner.

 

Then the media started chiming in and running stories asking "Where was God in all of this?"  I can assure you God was there, waiting for those children with open arms.  I can also assure you that God wanted to be there in a bigger way, but our nation has pushed Him out.

 

During my Sunday School class a couple mornings ago someone said, "What do you expect when God is pushed out of the schools?"  Another person said they'd seen a comment about how Bibles were banned in school but pushed in prisons.  Now that seems a little backwards, doesn't it?

 

I came across this speech delivered by Darrell Scott after his daughter's life was lost in the Columbine shooting.  Unfortunately, this speech wasn't widely circulated as it was found offensive by the listening parties.  Scott's words are so powerful and honest, and more than anything, they're true.  I think they need to be shared:

 

 

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers."

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart."

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent."

"I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy, it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best."

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts."

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"

- Darrell Scott
 

 

 

 

Amen.

 

Please say a prayer for those affected by this tragedy, pray that our nation can begin to see the need for God in our society and recognize Him as the solution, and hold your loved ones a little tighter today.

 



Mommy Moment Monday: Happy Birthday to my Sweet Girl

Today my baby girl turns 2.

 

I know every Mommy gets sentimental on her kid's birthday, and we all say the same things, like "they're getting so big!" and "they grow up so fast!" and "I remember when they were this big!" (as we hold our hands about 20 inches apart).

 

Well, I don't care if every other Mommy says the same things.  I'm going to say them too!

 

My little girl is getting so big!  And over the last few months, I can't believe how much she's changed.  And I do remember the day she was born like it was yesterday.  Such a precious moment!  I was so proud of her then, and I'm so proud of everything the she is today!

 

Okay, sentimental Mommy gush over.

 

 

 

We had our daughter's birthday party over the weekend and I wanted to share some photos with you.

 

Here's my favorite picture of the night:

 

The Birthday girl in her Minnie ears!

 

As you can tell, the theme was Minnie Mouse! 

 

Here some other pictures:

 

The centerpiece.

 

Birthday treats.

 

The gift table.

 

Minnie door hanger.

 

Opening presents.

 

Showing off her pretty necklace!

 

                          Not so sure about us singing to her...                       Blowing out the candles!

 Tastes good!

 

Now it's time for a Minnie Mouse lollipop!

 

 

She had a lot of fun at her party, and I did too!  It was a great time spent with family celebrating my daughter.

 

Happy birthday baby girl!

 

 



Mommy Moment Monday: My Kids and Christmas

I don't know if I'm having writer's block or what, but I have totally been slacking on this blog!

 

I guess with both my daughter's birthday party and Christmas fast approaching, my mind is consumed with recipes, favors, decorations, presents, Advent activities, and a million other things besides blogging.  It's unfortunate, because blogging has been such a great release and just a great experience for me so far.  Hopefully I'll get more consistent again as all the birthday and Christmas details come together.

 

Despite the holiday busyness, my sanity has been ensured by the attention my kids and I have given to keeping Jesus' birth at the top of the importance list this Christmas season.  I cannot say enough how amazing the Good Morning Girls' Avent Bible Study has been in keeping my heart focused on Jesus.  I have been so blessed by the daily readings and family activities!

 

This week's family activities deals with the Nativity scene.  Each day I'm supposed to wrap a character from the Nativity scene (I'm using a felt sticker set from Hobby Lobby), then have my kids unwrap it and discuss it with them.  Today they unwrapped the three wisemen.  It makes learning fun for them and my son has been excited all day for tomorrow's "present."  On Friday we'll take all the characters we unwrapped throughout the week and put the whole scene together.

 

Last week was about loving others, and loving others at Christmastime usually means giving.  I helped the kids write thank you notes to give to a few people, we made it a point to do something nice for someone else each day, and our big activity was visiting the bell-ringers at Walmart.  The kids loved it!  The bell-ringers that night happened to be a couple ladies from our church who let the kids ring the bells and took pictures of them putting money in the bucket.  It was such a fun experience for them!  And me too!  ...Even if my daughter then proceeded to throw a fit, scream, and yell while I picked up a few things inside...Life with a toddler!

 

Speaking of life with a todder, my toddler was boucing off the walls today!  I was looking at my to-do list for this week and feeling quite productive, and then I took my daughter to gymnastics.  She yelled in the car most of the way there.  She wasn't upset, she just wanted to yell for fun.  Then when we got there she decided to run around in circles rather than participate in her class.  I chased her around the entire 30 minutes and I don't think she's ever laughed harder.  She was hilarious!  But oh so exhausting.  On the way home she screamed "Lights!" every time she'd see Christmas lights.  It was cute, but a Momma can only take so much screaming!  My productivity kind of went away by the time we got home.  Anyway...

 

We've also been keeping up with our Jesse Tree.  Both the kids really like coloring the ornaments and putting them on the tree.  Today, however, my daughter had a major meltdown when I told her it wasn't her turn!  We started out strong in reading the scripture listed for each day (for about the first 2 days), then the kids started getting bored and I got frustrated, so now we compromise.  We talk about each picture and I read a little from the Bible, but instead of reading verbatim I try to put it in story form.  The kids respond much better to this!

 

We've all enjoyed our fun Christmas activities and have been able to include Daddy in some of them.  We do our Advent activities during the day while he's at work, but we try to do our fun activities with him in the evenings, like playing Merry Christmas Bingo, making Jelly Bean bracelets, and having a movie and popcorn night.  Next on the list is making cinnamon ornaments and maybe some fun fingerpainting projects!

 

So things may be a little crazy right now, but I am having the best Christmas season I think I've ever had and I'm confident my kids are learning about the importance of Jesus' birth.  I am so proud of my son and the things he's learning about Christmas.  He is so smart and I pray our activities are building the foundation for a Jesus-focused heart and life.  If nothing else, I hope my kids are learning to associate Jesus with Christmas, even if we're still a few years away from them truly understanding the significance.

 

I hope your Christmas season has been great so far and I hope you can embrace the busyness while remaining focused on Jesus.  It's possible and it's wonderful!  Merry Christmas!

 

 

 



Be the Church

Recently I came across this question someone had posted on Facebook:

 

"Do we (in the church) sometimes confuse relationship with the church and relationship with Christ?"

 

Good question, isn't it?!

 

Then I saw someone share this image in response to the question:

 

 

 

This really got me thinking, and it made me realize that I've been struggling with this for a while now.  I realized that I found so much of my identity in my church back in Illinois as well as the people in it.  All of our friends were from that church: mine, my husband's and our kids'.  We saw those people at church related activities 3 times a week and saw some of them more often than that.  Before we moved we were getting to know more fellow members and were trying to get more involved.  We had a great relationship with our church.  And I think I really did equate that with a relationship with God.



 

I do think a relationship with a church can be associated and somewhat telling of a relationship with God, but they are not equal nor interchangeable.

 

When we moved, I thought my life would make perfect sense again when we found a new church.  I knew we probably wouldn't find something as special as what we had before, but I thought we'd find something that felt right.

 

Well, it didn't happen right away.   And I'm not sure that it has, although we've been regularly attending a church for a handful of months now.  I even call it "our church" when I talk about it, but I don't feel any deep ties to it yet.

 

However, I do like it.  I want to be there Sunday mornings.  My kids like it.  And I have met a lot of wonderful people, many of whom I think will be lifelong friends.  But the church doesn't offer many of the things we'd like - many of the things we had before.

 

Over the last few months I've found myself thinking we'll always go to church, but we'll never have a church.  I've felt very discouraged and wondered if we'd ever find a place for our family - a place where we "belong".

 

Have you noticed yet how self-centered all of this sounds? 

 

"I thought." 

"Our church." 

"I want." 

"We'd like."

 

So again, "Do we (in the church) sometimes confuse relationship with the church and relationship with Christ?"  My answer to the question is "yes!"  Not everyone confuses them, but I have.  I've got it backwards.

 

Since the church we're attending doesn't offer all the same things we used to have, I've been trying to make up for it on my own a little bit.  I've started this blog, which requires me do some Bible study and some soul searching.  I've been following online Bible studies.  I've read a couple Christian books that were really great.  (Ask me if you want to know which ones!)  And I've actually learned a lot!

 

But I've been holding back.  I've been waiting to find the "right" church before I felt like everything was right with me and God.  Like my faith depended on finding the right church.  And that's just not true.

 

Jesus is the truth.  And he is the way and the life.  There is no other way to God and eternal life than through Jesus (John 14:6), no matter where I go to church.

 

I will continue to make ties in church.  I will continue to be involved.  I will continue to worship with fellow believers.  And someday I hope to find a church to place our membership in again.  Maybe it'll be the church we're attending now.  I don't know.  But these things are important to me and I believe these are things I should do.

 

But now I understand that none of this necessarily means I have a good relationship with God.  It may be a good indicator, but it means absolutely nothing if I'm not right with God first.

 

Matthew 7: 21-23 says, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?'  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!'"

 

Does this scare you?  I does me!  I don't want to be a false disciple like in this passage.  And I definitely don't want to be turned away by Jesus.

 

So how do we ensure our priorities are right?  The answer's simple:  Love God.  Study His word.  Share His word.  Pray continually.  Live for Him.  Love others.

 

Then everything you do will be the Lord's will!  And you won't just go to church; you'll truly be His church!

 

 

Mommy Moment Monday: Let the Countdown Begin!

Twenty-two days.

 

That's it.

 

That's all there is, and then it's Christmas!

 

I'm sure many of you are sharing this sentiment, but where did the time go?!  I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner!

 

And I have this countdown chain (however cute it may be) hanging in our living room, relentlessly reminding me of the quickly approaching holiday!

 

We made this from construction paper and this cute printable from Confession of a Homeschooler.

 

It never fails that I spend days, weeks, and even months planning for Christmas, then one day I wake up in a panic that I'm about to run out of time!  You'd think with all that planning I'd be perfectly calm and prepared, but no.  It never works out that way.  Today was that day for me.  Maybe the fact that not only is Christmas quickly approaching, but my daughter's birthday party is in less than 2 weeks, aggravated the matter just a little.

 

But that's okay.  Everything always works out in the end.  And this year I'm trying hard to focus my attention as well as my kids' on Jesus rather than "stuff," so I have to keep reminding myself that all the "stuff" that goes along with preparing for Christmas and the "stuff" that end does and doesn't end up under the Christmas tree isn't really all that important.

 

However, it's really hard to keep the kids' focus on Jesus when we're lighting candles and reading Scripture one minute, and writing an "I want" letter to Santa the next. 

 

(Any tips on having fun with Santa while making sure your preschoolers know the importance of Jesus' birth would be very welcomed!)

 

I will say my husband and I seem to be more "in the spirit" than the last few years.  I think seeing our kids' excitement brings out the kid inside and make us a little more excited!  My husband took the kids out earlier tonight and had them "help" put up our icicle lights.  They had a lot of fun, and it was adorable hearing my 4 year old sing 'Christmas Lights' (his made-up song) to the tune of Jingle Bells.  And we went to a drive-through lights display last week and had so much fun we've decided we want to go every week until Christmas!



 

The most exciting thing about this year so far is that I've seen my son learn a lot about Jesus and his birth.  He's learned from Sunday school as well as our Jesse Tree and the Advent study I'm doing.  Half of the time I feel frustrated because he doesn't seem to be paying any attention, but then I ask him a question and he tells me everything I said.  I am so unbelievably proud of him!  Last year we made sure he knew Christmas was Jesus' birthday, but this year he's actually learning the details of the story.

 

So really, among all the hustle and bustle, I think we're counting down to what's going to be our best Christmas yet.  My hope is that each year gets better and better.  I pray that as my kids get older they can appreciate what Christmas is really about - that they can fully grasp what Jesus' birth meant so long ago, what it means for them now, and what it means for their future.

 

I know my kids are young and it'll still be a while before they reach that point, but until then, I hope we can make it a fun-filled, Jesus-centered holiday for them!

Advent Activities

Okay, so yesterday I briefly explained what Advent is and what it's already meant to me this year.

 

Now I want to share some ways you can participate in Advent!

 

First of all, I recommend the Advent study from Good Morning Girls.  The Scriptures are short, the activities are easy, and they've already put everything together for you.  You can do it on your own or include your family.  Personally, I've enjoyed the family activities and my kids have too.  Today we made peppermint bark and you should have seen my kiddos whacking those candy canes to bits - they didn't stand a chance!

 

If you don't want to follow an actual study, you could read Bible verses related to Jesus' birth each day in December leading up to Christmas.  Nothing brings you closer to Jesus than reading about Him in the Bible!  Here's a list of 25 Christmas related Scriptures.  And if you have kids, you can print this list out and make it into a Christmas countdown paper chain!

 

One of my favorite ideas is a Jesse Tree.  According to Christmas Your Way, a Jesse Tree is an Advent activity in which you place one ornament each day on a Christmas tree of your choice.  Each ornament has a picture which represents "a bit of lineage of Christ," beginning from creation and traveling through the Old and New Testaments to Jesus' birth.  The inspiration comes from Isaiah 11:1, which says, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."  Jesus is that Branch.

 

 Christmas Your Way has a super kid-friendly printable ornaments that your kids can color each day and place on your Jesse Tree.  The illustrations are blank and look like pictures from a coloring book.  (This is what we're going to use this year!  Now I just have to come up with a Jesse Tree by tomorrow...)

 

I found more printable ornaments from A Holy Experience which are already colored and look a little more grown up.  Or you can print them off in black and white to be colored by your kids.  (Or you.)  They even offer a downloadable Jesse Tree Advent ebook with short devotionals for each day.  You should check it out!

You could make an Advent wreath, or make/buy an Advent calendar.  The possibilities are endless with a calendar!  You could choose to buy one (believe me, there are a TON out there!), or you could make one.  I've seen a Nativity calendar on which you add a part of the scene each day, ending with Jesus on Christmas day, and I've seen one shaped like a Christmas tree on which you add an "ornament" each day.  I've even seen a handmade Santa calendar on which you place a cotton ball each day to complete Santa's beard by Christmas.  (Thank you Pinterest!)

 Some Advent calendars are made to hold something small for each day, like little gifts or candy.  My sweet friend over at More Sweet Tea Please? is filling hers with slips of paper containing random acts of kindness which she's planning on doing with her 3 year old.

 And if you don't have an official Advent calendar or countdown to use, you could always just come up with a list of 25 activities to do.  They could be acts of kindness, Christmas crafts, baking, or fun family activities.  Or a combination!  There's a lot of freedom here.  I've started a list for my family and tomorrow we'll be kicking things off by making a coundown paper chain.

So I've shared just a few ways to celebrate Advent.  I encourage you to find a way to celebrate by yourself or with your family!  Any Christian would benefit greatly by making it a point to focus on Jesus this season.  We all know how easy it is to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but celebrating Advent, however you choose, can prepare your heart to fully feel the hope and joy of the miracle of Jesus' birth, the love and grace we receive every day, and the promise of His return!


May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 15:13



What is Advent?

A few months ago I participated in an online Bible study through Good Morning Girls and I loved it! 

 

Then I saw they were doing an Advent study which they claimed would prepare my heart for Christmas.  And it included family activities!  I've never done anything special to prepare my heart for Christmas, and now I have kids who need to know the true meaning of Christmas, so I decided to sign up.

 

But what exactly was Advent?

 

I'd heard the word "Advent" before, and I knew it was some sort of Christmas tradition involving candles and a countdown calendar, but that's it.  I had no idea what it was about.

 

I still don't know everything about it, but I think understand the important parts a little better now.

 

The Advent study began this week, but before it started Good Morning Girls shared a post titled What is "Advent" Anyway...  Perfect!

 

It explained that the word advent means "the waiting on the arrival of something important."  At Christmastime that 'something important' is, of course, Jesus.

 

But Advent isn't just a time to celebrate Jesus' birth, it's also a time to prepare for Christ's return.

 

The post went on to say that it is a time to see God "in our past, our future and our present," and that "Advent is a deep daily focus on Jesus."

 

There were also two vidoes that explained Advent even more in depth which I found very helpful.  One of them said that Advent is "expectant waiting, hopeful anticipation, and cheerful preparation."  The other said Advent is a time to feel great joy that Jesus came and that He's coming again!

 

I'm only four days into the study, but I know I'm already more excited and focused on "The Reason for the Season" than I ever have been before.  I've always known what Christmas was truly about, but I have never been this deeply focused.

 

Yesterday I read the daily scripture which was Jeremiah 33:14-15 -

 

" 'The days are coming,' declared the Lord, 'when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

" 'In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

 

As I read I felt excited and hopeful about God's good promise!  About the righteous Branch!  About Jesus' impending arrival!

 

Then I laughed a little and thought, "Jesus already came!"

 

I felt like I was about to witness a miracle, but in reality I already have!  I'm already a part of that miracle - that good promise from God.  We all are!

 

I felt a little disappointed in myself for not having felt that excitement and hope before.  And not just at Christmastime, but every day of every year!

 

Because yes, our Savior did come, but there's still more to this story:  He's coming back.  Praise God!

 

I hope this makes you as excited as it makes me!

 

I encourage you to take part in Advent, whether you actually call it "Advent" or just "getting into the spirit of Christmas."  There are so many ways to observe Advent and to keep Jesus in the spotlight this Christmas.  And it's so easy to include your kids!

 

Tomorrow I'll share some ways to celebrate Advent, and most of them are kid-friendly, so check back soon!