Parenting and Religion

Check out this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20187093?GT1=10252
We will be letting the kids stay up late to watch part of this spectacular show.
Late night=popcorn (I leaned that from my dad!!)

Friday, always a busy day here. Now we are home from Kingdom Bound and life becomes routine and normal once again. Sometimes normalcy is nice, but it was great to break away for a few days and enjoy being in the midst of thousands of other believers.
This year at Kingdom Bound, was by far easier than any other year for me. It was the first time we didn’t need to bring any baby supplies….stroller, diapers, toys, diaper bag, porta-crib.
Dan and I were actually able to make our youngest kids go on the rides we wanted to go on, and we had a blast.
It was the first time we could both go at the same time. One of us always had to wait with the baby or toddler, but now we don’t have a child that young, and it was so much more fun.
Camping in itself is fun, but to be camping and wake up to Worship Music being played… awesome!
The kids were great. We had a campfire every night but one- because it rained.
We roasted hot dogs on sticks, and made smores. We met some great guys who do a ministry called “Enemy Opposition”. They are BMX bikers, and extreme skateboarders. They all came for our fire one night, and we had a lot of fun with them.
The man who started the ministry, Jake, shared with us some of the things he and his wife are going through, and we prayed with him. They just found out that their little girl (Rebecca, 3), has something called “Wilson’s Disease”. It is a liver disease that prevents copper from being eliminated from the body. Rebecca only weighs about 25 pounds, and has to follow a special diet. She needs prayer…for a miracle.
There is talk of a possible liver transplant for her, but only if her liver is that damaged.
I would like prayer for her, that she not need a transplant, and be healed of this horrible disease. Also for her parents- Jake and Betsy- that they be made stronger in their relationship to eachother, and God, and that they be given the peace that passes all of our understanding as they go through all this.
Kingdom Bound was about more than having a good time. It was about being quick to say “Let’s Pray”, and following through on praying, when we say we will.
It was about drawing closer to God, and seeking Him. Knowing HE is the one who deserves our praise, and our attnetion. If we truly acknowledge Him, our lives will be made straight.

Kingdom Bound, Enemy Opposition, family fun, rides, prayer, worship, camping

Rides. I used to love them, but now… in my middle age- enough said.
I am writing this the day before we go to Kingdom Bound, and posting it ahead of time. Kingdom Bound is held at Darien Lake Theme Park.
I will behounded to go onmany rides…and I may come away being sorry I gave in.
Rollercoasters are fun, but I have fluid in my eardrum, and lose my balance often anyhow….all I need is a rollercoaster turning me upside down and every which way.
I am looking forward to Shipwreck Falls, and the Big Wheel.
My favorite thing about Kingdom Bound is being in the presence of other believers for 4 days, and hearing the constant worship music, and seeing all the kids and teens excited about God.
Now, to get packing, and I am sure tomorrow, the day after you read this, I will write about how much fun we had.

My husband brought something up to me today that made me think a little. He told me that he wants to start saying “yes” more.
So often when kids ask “Will you play a game with me?”, or “Will youtake me for a walk?”, we are so busy or have just gotten in the door from shopping, or work- that our first response is “Not right now”, or just plain “no”.
Dan was telling me that Andy (4) asked him to play Monopoly Jr. last night, and he said no.
He felt bad this morning, because he realizes that kids grow so fast, the time will come when the asking will stop.
He decided that he is going to try to say “yes” more often, even if it means suggesting an alternative to what they want to do. (Dan doesn’t like monopoly)
I decided to join him on this saying “yes” to things such as games more often.
Why should being busy or tired run our lives?
Building relationships with our kids is the important thing here, and this can be done by making ourselves available to them.

Check this out, and please be active in your prayers and take a step to help.
I am appalled at the implications of this, and the horrible thing is that it is not new.
When I open up my local Penny Saver, I see similar ads, and it will only get worse.
We need to be equipped to fight for our families, and stop being passive in our safegaurding our most precious gifts- marriage and children.

http://www.familylife.com/html_enews/070731_family_challenge.html?DCMP=EMC-DON+Jul07+Challenge+1&ATT=Trouble

Please open and read- then pray about your part.

As Christian Parents, it is our goal to not only raise our kids to be responsible adults, but that they love the Lord, and know the gifts and calling He has blessed them with.
I struggle with allowing my 16 year old to minister the way he believes he should. Not because I think he isn’t called to, but because I am his mom and I want him safe, and sound at home.
One calling Shawn believes he has, is evangelism. Dan and I see it too, but we want it controlled- by us. This is so wrong!
Shawn has a way of relating to people, and helping them open up. He makes friends easily and puts people at ease.
We recently had a HUGE challenge with this gift. He called at 10 the other night, and said “Mom, I am out for a walk and ran into a couple of drunk guys I am helping walk home.”
Not exactly what a mom wants to hear to 10pm.
I asked where he was, and said “I will come get you!”
He told me “No, I know what I am doing, I’llbe home soon.”
I talked to Dan, and we both let it go….until 10:45.
Then we decided that this was NOT a good thing, and we went looking for him. When he finally got home- at 11:30, we were not very happy with him.
He calmly told us he was ministering to these guys, and had to walk them to the house of the girl they were with. He heard the 2 boys (17 years old) saying how they were going to have sex with her, and what they were going to do when they got her home. Shawn wanted to make sure that didn’t happen.
Then he walked the guys down to town, and showed them where our local Subway is. He had opportunity to tell them about Jesus, and was very excited that he used his gift.
All I could say was “I want you to use your gifts, but be smart using them!”
This morning when I got up, I felt like the Lord was telling me that trusting Shawn is optional, but trusting Him was mandatory.
He gives gifts differing to all of us, and one of my big pet peeves with parents is that they (we) sometimes ignore the gifts our kids have, to the expense of their growth, and our letting them grow up in the Lord.
We must use discernement with our letting our kids go, the timing, the places we let them go, how fast we let them move. That doesn’t mean we should take it into our own hands though.
We need to be praying unceasingly, and trusting God to speak to us and give us the peace we need to not only let them go and grow, but to be the ones who encourage them to step out and grow.

A few days ago, I told my husband that sometimes I feel like I don’t measure up to dealing with some of the things I have to deal with, such as people who whine. I am not talking about my kids, I can tell them to knock it off, and they usually do.
I am talking about people (adults), who complain and whine about the same things over and over. People who call me to offer good Christian counsel, or who ask advice.
I told Dan that I wonder why God gave me, a straight forward tell it like it is person, the gift of drawing needy people who I have a hard time being patient with.
I asked Dan to pray for me, for the grace to be graceful and mercygiving.
Later, when I was asking God “why?”, I realized I had been missing one thing lately that makes all the difference in me being able to deal with these things.
I hadn’t been praying for myself daily.
I have the problem of thinking I am being selfish if I pray for myself, or do anything for myself for that matter.
I read the book “The Power of a Praying Wife”, by Stormie Omartian, a couple of years ago.
She says in the beginning of the book, that you can’t successfully pray for others until you have prayed for yourself. She makes the point that we need to be clean hearted, and on track with the Lord, before we can come to Him on behalf of anyone else and have our prayers be effective.
I started doing that, praying for myself- and WOW!
What a difference in what I can handle and have the grace to deal with.
Try it, pray for yourself first and see how your ability to pray for others changes and your grace to deal with things grows.

I was listening to the radio this morning, and heard a program called Thankful Thursday. I thought “What a wonderful idea!”
We are so bombarded with everyday life and the stress that comes from just being parents, how often do we remember to stop and count our blessings, and give Thanks to God?
Today I will list some things I am thankful for. I encourage you to leave me a comment about what you are thankful for (and get your name put in for the contest drawing).

1 Thessalonians 5:17-19 (New King James Version)

17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.

I am thankful for:

My health- it was challenged a couple of years ago, and I am fine.
My husband- he loves me and is my best friend
My kids- God’s blessing
My parents- I am blessed to be able to have true fellowship with them
My brothers and sister- I have learned more from them than they will ever know, and I am blessed to be one of them.
My gifts- this a hard one for me, because sometimes I see myself as not measuring up to what I should. I am thankful that God’s grace is bigger than my self doubt.
Jesus- for loving me enough to call me His own.

I will be leaving another Thankful list on my other site: Marital Talk

Time for another network wide comment contest for the public.

If I had $300 dollars I would buy________.

What would you buy with $300? Or even $200 or $100? Now is your chance to find out! Comment on any 451 Press site during the month of August and you could win! Three comments will be chosen at random to win a cash prize of $300, $200 or $100. The more you comment the more chances you have to win. So start reading and let those fingers fly.

As long as you are here, you might as well begin with mine.

I have been thinking of good practical jokes I have witnessed, or even heard about, ever since reading and watching some examples by Dave Parrack (http://www.webtvhub.com/top-5-phone-prank-video-clips-the-simpsons-fonejacker-steve-harvey-tom-green-jack-black/), blogger at http://www.popbuzzuk.com/ . The article itself is interesting, and some of the jokes are not ones I would recommend, but are funny. There is one that is full of swearing, and I think it is the last one, so if you listen…be warned.
The reason I say this, is because my family is full of jokers.
My dad used to tape record the phone jokes he would play on people, and some of them are hilarious.
One of the best I have seen lately, involves two of my kids.
One night, when Rachel (13), and Shawn (16) were both away overnight, Joe (21) happened to be home. Around 10:30 pm, the phone rang. I answered it, and a girl asked to talk to Joe- which is very common here…..(joe=chick magnet).
I asked who was calling, and she said “Amy”.
I took the phone to Joe, and he went out on the porch to talk. When he came in, he was all shook up. He said “That was the most scary, wierd phone call of my life!”
I said “Why? Who was it?”
He told me he didn’t know, but she was saying things like “You are so hot and good looking! I saw you last night, and I wanted to talk to you, but you are just so hot!”
I told him that one of his friends must have put someone up to it, playing a joke or something.
He called everyone he could think of, including some friends in PA.
Nobody knew what he was talking about. The poor guy was up almost all night, totally freaked out about this phone call.
The next morning, he got up, and started trying to figure it out again…obsessed!
Later that day, I went to get Rachel, and she started talking about how her and her friends made some prank calls. All 4 girls are around 13-15.
I said “You didn’t call me, you usually do.” She replied “We didn’t call you, but we did call our house…”
I was shocked…
my little girl had her friend call and pretend to know Joe…
She is a genius!!
When we got home, I asked Joe if he ever found out who it was that called, and he told me “I don’t want to talk about it!”
Rachel, very innocently, asked “What phone call?”
He told her, “Oh, some sicko girl who must be stalking me!”
She said “Who?…. Amy?”

If you could have seen his face… WOW!
He took it like he was almost proud of her, after the initial shock wore off.

I am so glad my kids can joke and have fun with eachother….
but I do keep my guard up. Who knows, one of these days the joke could be on me.