Homeschool Diva

First a few disclaimers.  #1 none of these pictures have anything to do with money but I thought they were so RAD I went for it anyway, and #2 This is a subject every family has to come to on their own before the Lord. Hopefully a few of these words will inspire you to do what God leads you all to in your own family life:-) #3 I have to get a mountain of laundry done today, but that really doesn’t have anything to do with this either so we will just carry on.

The 2 BIGGEST enemies of the gospel of Jesus are consumerism and individuality. Well, I must say we have that in SPADES here in south Florida. I think money, and the topic of money really deceptively weaves those two enemies of the message of Jesus and the gospel right into it.  Save for you, you, you so you can spend, spend, spend and then play, play, play and where the heck did the whole gospel of “prosperity come into play in western culture”?  I say this politely when I say that that crap is from the PIT for sure.  I mean when God told his people He wanted to see them prosper, he didn’t mean with monetary wealth, he meant with his Presence so that they could be a blessing to a broken world so that ultimately HE would be glorified.  That whole thing has gone awry in our culture don’t ya think?  Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said the LOVE of money is the root of all evil.  Man, that junk will come in and mess you up on so many levels.  I will just hint at saying that even saving, 401k’s, college funds, etc. etc. could be a tiny bit out of balance in our hearts and minds as Christians. AND I only say that because I have fallen head long into that trap in my life.  Thankfully I am blissfully free of it, and have never been more content with much less stuff in my whole life. I love Burkett, and financial responsibility but ummmm, how do you “teach” that stuff to those in other cultures who are making do with day to day?  Just asking the question is all.   I think the message is the same across cultures and circumstances.  “Don’t worry about tomorrow, seek His kingdom and all of the other details work out”, or something like that. Sorry.  Am I being too simplistic?  I do that some times, anyway moving on.

I also think Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said “Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink, or your kids college or what you are going to do when you get old, just worry about today it has enough crap of its own to think about.”Okay that was my paraphrase, but you get what He was saying right?  So how do we responsibly teach our kids about money and saving and giving and so forth without letting those two enemies we talked about in the beginning creep in?  Good question…glad you asked.  Like I said yesterday, we don’t give our kids a weekly allowance for a few basic reasons.  #1 our budget. Even a small weekly allowance X 3 X 4 weeks a month adds up to a lot, and really how much money do little kids need to learn how to be responsible with it? #2 I think it devalues me as the Mom who does all this junk around here all the time, with no thanks and no money.  I mean what the heck?  Do you think these clothes just magically wash/fold themselves and put themselves away.  Okay, they don’t always get put away right on time, but lets not split hairs. Nope, we work as a team, and we get it done together.  I think it helps build character AND life skills all at once which are JUST as important as learning how to rightly manage money.

Here are a few practical things you can do for your kids to help them get prepared for God to move on their hearts in regard to money.  Because ultimately we sow the seed but God will make it grow right?!

• Open a bank account.  $5 bucks will get you going.  It was a big “Ahha” moment for our kids when the realized you don’t get money out of the bank without putting money into it. Plus if it is harder to get to, it will be harder to just get spent on Bubble gum if you get my drift.
• Ask some family members to give them a few dollars at Christmas and birthdays.  Think about it.  Say they get 10 bucks for Christmas and their Birthday, that is $20 a year for a 5, 6 and 8 year old. I mean come on, how much do they need to really learn how to use money rightly? The last thing I want is them day dreaming about how much money they are amassing so they can go buy whatever the heck they desire.  Remember consumerism and individuality?  It can creep right in, right there, and I well tell you right now I am going to guard the heck out of it here in our own home.  That is also the reason we stopped playing monopoly right now.  I saw a little greedy seed crop up, when they all were reveling in owning the world.  Oops, I saw that and in my heart, I was hearing, “ABORT, ABORT like fast.”  I quietly put it away and will take it out maybe later.  Hey better yet, maybe I will invent one based on giving instead of amassing wealth.
• We offer a small monetary fee for jobs above and beyond their normal chores, if they are really wanting to work towards getting something that we have said isn’t in our budget.  It isn’t an every week thing, just here and there.  I think it is good to makes kids work towards what they want.  I don’t buy them every new thing that comes down the pike.  I mean I really don’t buy them much at all. Would you be shocked to know we didn’t buy or kids a single thing for Christmas last year? Really, not one single thing and you know what, they still got more then they could ever use.
• Once they have an account, take a day, where you sit down together and talk about what money is.  Nothing more then a tool.  We spend it, we give it, we save it, we don’t hoard it.  That’s it.  Jackson realized the other day, that at one point in history money had no value, you traded what you had.  Hey I will give you a bushel of apples if you will give me a slab of meat, and it all came together.
• Then pray with them about how much they should give and where they should give it.  I think that helping your kids begin to hear what God is saying in their heart about the poor and marginalized will give them deeper joy in giving then in just making them do it.  I did this with our crew a few months ago, and it was crazy what they felt lead to give to.  Jackson was lead to a local migrant community, Chloe’s was sent to Africa and Hudson wanted his to go to Old people. I also don’t make them do a certain percent at this point.  I tell them, it is all God’s and He gives it us so we can steward it correctly.  Listen he will tell you how much to give.
• A little business isn’t a bad idea either.  Our kids have a lemonade stand.  They pull it out from time to time to make a few bucks.  It is cute and another real world math example that REALLY sticks in their minds let me tell you what.  They have also made some cash by dog sitting and walking while friends are away.  Hey, win/win in my book.  They get to see what it is like to have a dog without out us actually having to,you know, buy one.
• This year for the first time, we gave them all a clothing budget.  Here they sat, at this computer, and shopped at old navy for some new clothes for this school year.  They had to put whatever they wanted in their bag, with the right size and color without regard to cost. Kind of gave me an idea of what they like in regards to style.  I said you must put in 2 shirts, 1 short, 1 pant, 1 dress etc.  They had to follow the task.  Then we saw how much it all cost and how FAR it was outside of their budget.  Then they had to think it through and figure out what they really needed and what they really wanted, and what to put back.  It was fascinating to watch them.  Our youngest who is 4.75 GOT this with no problem.  Now this year, they will have to take care of the things they budgeted and spent for. We also said, you can’t get this until the tax free week, so they are having to WAIT. Did I say waiting was a good thing.
• Well it is, teach them to wait…..and that will flow over into every area of their life. Delayed gratification is a very, very good thing for little guys and Mommy’s and Daddy’s too.

So there are a few of my thoughts on money and kids and apparently laundry too.  Be blessed all of you out there counting the cost even when it comes to a silly little piggy bank.  It is a bigger deal then we think.

Excuse the poor snaps.  I had little time for composition or artful lighting, or even to wait for the kids to relax.  We were on a mission and were a bit late as it was. Last year we spent 6 weeks in Peru.  It was a beautiful family experience that we hope to do over and over again as the years go on.  I really wanted to stay connected with the Spanish speaking community after we returned home.  I have been praying about how we can be with the poor in our local area and I have had a few ideas, but none of them seemed to be very practical or easy to do.  So I kept praying, and then God showed me what to do through our dear sweet kids.  Isn’t that always the way?  Now they have lead me into all sorts of ideas.

You may remember the story I told you last week.  So this week, we just went for it.  I called a few Moms who stay home with their kids, and we all made up our minds to do it.  We actually let the little children lead us.  There is a local community center that reaches out to the migrant workers in our area.  They are poor and literally hungry and open.  In reality they need a church planted right in the midst of them.  They will not go into a “gringo church” building but that is another story for another time. We bought a few dozen bananas and passed them out to about 200 men waiting around for any odd job that may come their way.  They were grateful for the banana.  We were blessed by being able to give something small away.

When we walked out, the children were giggling saying, “That was so much fun. We want to do that again!”.   So I think we will.  Somehow I remember Jesus saying something about it being better to give than receive, so we are just going to go work that out in the real world and take him at his word.  I asked the kids what else we can do for those people.  Jackson said we should buy a couple of Bibles and bring them there and tell them about God.  I think he is on to something. I will let you know what we come up with.

Grace and Peace to those who are having fun “doing the stuff” of Jesus~

We all sat at the red light waiting to turn.  We were heading to a dinner play date with friends at our local family friendly food stop.   As we waited, first in line to turn, we saw a man standing to our left holding a sign like this.

This is how the rest of our evening proceeded:

J:  “Mom that man says he is hungry and needs help.”

me:  silent

J: “Do you think he has a home?”

me: listening

J: “He is old and scruffy and he looks like he hasn’t had a bath for a very long time.”

me: acknowledging the situation to the best of my ability

Some time passes and we are now entering into the restaurant.

J: “Mom can we help him?”

me: “What do you think we should do?”

J: “Can we bring him some food?”

Me.  “Sure, when we leave remind me and we will buy him a sandwich to give to him.”

The kids play and eat and we are getting ready to leave.

J: “Mom don’t forget, we need to buy that man some food.”

me: went to purchase some food and then loaded the kids back in the car to take them to their next desitnation.

C: “That man needs help, we should pray for him.”

J: “Yes, God can help him.”

Me: “We can pray that God will give exactly what he needs.”

C: “Like a home, and some food and a family.”

Stuck at a red light.

J: “Oh I wish this light would go faster, we have to hurry to get to him. Mom what do we do if he is gone?”

Me: “We will pray for him.  God loves your heart to help.” as we get closer I can see that the man is gone.

C: “Mom we have to go find him.  We have to search for him. God goes to find lost things.”

Me: Speechless. What does a rational adult say to a passionate child in such matters? It is dark, we are in a very busy congested area. We can’t get out of the car and go look for this man, and I am left having to explain this dichotomy to a 5 year old who knows that God goes out to find lost things.

After this whole experience, I am reminded how much our children want to help those in need and how we rarely have opportunities as tangible as that one.  So, this week, I am praying through ways that we can be intentional about helping the truly poor in our area. Even if we just buy a bag of apples and some bottled water and go and pass them out at our local immigrant worker area.  Just a simple act.  A small way to say that you are loved and valuable.

Blessing to all those who want to be like a little child today~

One of the things I enjoy about being home with the kids is giving them a holistic vision of what is means to be the people of God. Isnt’ raising our children in the faith, primarily, our job…not Awana, children’s church, Sunday School, Keepers of the Faith or any other program you could send your child to?

Mike and I have been very intentional about how we have immersed our kids into discipleship to Jesus.  Everything has centered on the person of Jesus and then spirals out from there. If you have not done so, check out COGS or Godly Play. Both fabulous methods in their own right. I was trained in COGS and it is amazing but very hard for most people to get the training and the resources to pull it off.  Godly Play is very accessible to everyone, and most Moms or small churches can enter into that without any problem  so check them both out and ask the Lord to lead you in the best way for your brood.

Our hope and prayer has always been that our faith would be alive for them, and not just something they consume, go to once a week or color cute pictures about.  We have also always prayed that the Holy Spirit would teach them and reveal to them supernaturally the deeper mysteries of our faith.  I am here to tell you, He WILL.  Trust in the bigness of God, and you feebly fill in the blanks with them as God leads you to. Have a plan for how you will train them up  in the kingdom, but realize your plan is only a small God breathed part of it, the rest of it, He will accomplish in the most beautiful ways.  Let me tell you what happened the other day with our youngest…who is 4.

I had an art piece cross in our home from a worship and art night we just had.  I was returning it to our friend who lent it to us.  Our youngest kept asking to hold it.  In fact, he just couldn’t move on to any other thing.  So, I reminded him to be careful because it was not ours and I gently handed him the cross. He then held on to it for the next 45 minutes just jabbering away to himself, our so it seems.  I believe he and the Holy Spirit were having a little heart to heart convo, and I just got to listen in.

Hudson, while holding the cross:

• This cross is powerful. 
• This cross is the power of the kingdom. 
• This cross held the King. 
• The power of the King was on this cross, and then he died and “comed” back alive again.
• He has the power.
• This cross is the most powerful thing in the whole universe. 

Over and over he repeated these phrases, on the couch, in his car seat, out loud in the sweetest way.  I kept thinking, “Where is He getting this language from?”.  I remained silent.  I listened.  I prayed and the Holy Spirit kept reminding me that He is calling and leading and keeping up His end of the bargain and reminding me that our kids are really His kids first.  We just get to steward them  for awhile.

Grace and Peace to All faithful Stewards out there~

This particular connection  has been inspired by worship. We received a Seeds Family Worship CD for a gift this Christmas.  If you don’t have one, I would say you should grab one or all of them.  You know me and worship. I am always working on ways to expose our kids to great worship.  There is nothing more tender, then hearing and seeing your children sing the words to deeply powerful songs to our King.  These are all scripture verses set to music so we are all memorizing away as we listen.

They may just like the beat, or are absently saying the words.  But, most days, there is a word or two, that they ask me about, like Mom what does sacrifice mean? or Mom why is it saying “fear God”?  We are not scared of Him?

Kids put it together if you feed them enough good stuff in order for them to do so. I was telling you yesterday how I am seeing all types of fruit in regards to connections with the kids. Remind me to tell you Chloe’s response to her Dad about government a few days ago.  A few months ago, Jackson heard the word sacrifice in a worship song and asked about it.  I explained what it was and related it back to some things we had been learning about pagan peoples in world history.  Then about a month later we read a story in Trial and Triumph about a “craazeee monk” who went “postal” during the crusades inciting zealous crusaders to start killing Jews in Germany on their way to the Holy land, because they killed Jesus.   Jackson stopped the story with a frank statement,”Mom these crusades were not a good idea.  You can’t make people follow Jesus?” I agreed and continued on with the story until he stopped me again with an incredulous, exasperated statement, “Mom, this makes no sense. They killed Jews because they killed Jesus? Didn’t they know that  Jesus had to die, to be the final sacrifice?  If he didn’t die, then none of this would of worked.” I said you are right buddy, people do funny things sometimes, our history is a strange thing. Then a few weeks later, during our advent celebrations and reading he set a small lamb on my desk.

It is a little, wooden lamb I made 4 years ago when he was  3 in order to help him meditate on the Good Shepherd Parable.  He had taken a red marker and colored a huge red mark on the lamb. I was just about to “pop off” because he had colored on this work when he said….”Look Mom, the blood of the lamb.” and walked away. I bit my tongue, guess he was thinking about sacrifice and many other things that the Holy Spirit was whispering deeply in him.  This was all over several months time, but I could clearly see the thread working away.  The connections happening one by one. I am passionate about exposing our kids to great things, not just things they like.  How will they know if they like it or I know if they like it, if I don’t expose them to lots and lots of varied things both historically and culturally.  Jackson loves Shakespeare and poetry particularly Shel Silverstein, I wouldn’t of known that if I just gave him things to look at and read about having to do with legos and karate.  Chloe loves painting and Monet (she loves his flowers), and Hudson is mad for U2 and Handel…who knew.

All of these things, are tools that point right back to God and relate to our life in Jesus.  It is amazing for me to go through this with them as an adult.  I have a deeper understanding, and connectedness to our whole story through me working through it with them. So after school, I crank the tunes and let them play and clean and work with an environment soaked in worship.  Not to mention it keeps me right in tune with the one who called me and the one who is calling them. So go look for a few connections in your home today.  They are so fun to find.

Grace and Peace to All~

Driving home in the car after a discussion with the children about why we were not going down the Halloween isle at Wal-mart.

Hudson: Mom listen. God wants his people to clean the earth.

Me: Oh He does? How do we do that?

Hudson: We have to go and tell everyone the story.

Me: what story bud?

Hudson: You know, the story of the kingdom! (With great tone in his voice like he was perplexed that I didn’t seem to know the answer.) 

Hudson~ almost 4

I like his idea that telling this “story” is like doing a little cleaning. Isn’t it great to be a kid. Sounds like a good plan worth giving your life for.

Peace to all~

Yesterday we did a group lesson on the Good Shepherd. I have mentioned that the children are learning the 23rd Psalm among others this term. In my orderly, teacher like mind, I thought it was a big BUST! And yet today I watched something very interesting happen. I laid their little colored pictures of a shepherd on our table yesterday. You know the one I told you about.

We say their work is a gift. We say do your best, because it is honoring to the Lord. We do the simple, seemingly unceremonious act of leaving some simple work there, as a visual clue, that there is so much more going on with what we do, then what we do. And there are days I wonder if any of it gets in. Maybe I am being too… I don’t know hopeful about my intentionality…and today I saw it.

Just a little glimpse. Chloe spontaneously moved her chair over to the the table in front of the cross to do her math work. She has never done this before, and I asked what she was doing, she said, “I wanna work here Mom.” She stopped, doing the math and started drawing the Good Shepherd, in her own hand. This is a child’s way of meditating on the words of Jesus. I wouldn’t of know that without reading The Religious Potential of the Child by Cavalletti and seeing 50 years of her work, and story after story revealing the way children interact and meditate on Jesus. It is much different then we adults.

In some time, she finished her drawing and her math, and went and put it all away and the two of us never talked again about it. I am willing to bet, that she will be an adult and think back to that very moment and something special Jesus was teaching her. So, I keep praying and sowing and watching and…..standing back and letting Jesus be her king without me forcing it.

It was humbling actually, you know like when you walk in on an important conversation that two other people are having and you know you are not supposed to be there. It was kind of like that.

Peace to all~

Aren’t road trips grand?

I am back from a few days away with friends. I had a great time of reflection. My journal, my heart and my mind are full.

While away, I had a few wonderful ideas of how to more deeply communicate the kingdom of God to our kids. I will be thinking those things through and if you are good and very polite I may post them here:-)

I am also preparing to leave for a few days to go to Wisconsin and visit a blogging friend in person for the first time. We have developed a wonderful friendship through each other’s blogs, face book, emails and phone calls. Now, we will get to do it real time in person.

Life is good and the weather is feelin’ fine.

In our home, over the years, I have tried to keep a special table set up just for the kids to interact with. The last 18 months or so, I’ve let it slide, so I am bringing it back. I am doing this specifically for our youngest, who is 3 turning 4. This is a very special time of wonder. I did this for our older two, and so now, I am doing it for him.

My COGS training inspired me to create a prayer table in our home, that would allow the kids to interact with God on their level. A child under 6 or 7 can not read the bible on their own, they have to have it read to them. But they can interact with the word of God through things that remind them of stories that they are learning, and center their mind on God in a way that is helpful for them. (Hint - this is why I am big on worship playing in our home. The kids can be with God, without my needing to facilitate it.) I have been scoffed at by some, for this seemingly silly table, but again, I don’t care….I just keep pluggin’ along. So here is our table, currently.

Many pieces of art - conveying beauty from around the world. Some purchased, some made by myself or the kids. It is good to create beautiful things.

I leave a timer on the table so the kids, can just sit and think and be silent for a minute. You would be amazed at how much a child loves to sit and watch the sand fall through a timer. This helps my very active, youngest boy, sit still for three minutes without moving a muscle, all on his own. In this I hope to teach them that silence is a good thing. To listen, and not speak is a valuable skill.

I let the kids make small flower arrangements as a symbol of their work. Doing your best, as a gift unto the Lord is a wonderful life long lesson to have. Even the smallest things are precious to the Lord.

I leave lots of natural, nature items on the table. About once a week, this jar of shells is opened and spilled out on the carpet, just to look at. I love to see them find their favorite one, over and over again.

This is a “vintage” needlepoint of an old church I picked up at Good Will for $2.29. I love it, and so do they. If you look closely behind this piece, you will see a few canvases that are “primed out” and ready for some new art. I am just waiting for the inspiration. I pick them up super cheap at Good Will. There is also a picture of a Peruvian boy and the cross. All of them, just adding to the sensory story I am telling.

Lots of books….. (I have to find creative ways to organize my husbands theological library)

and hand made art by the children are proudly displayed…

and baskets to hold, all the little things I find on the floor throughout the day. It helps me stay sane. It is a special treat, to look through it at the end of the week and say “Oh, there that is, I’ve been looking for that!” and off they go for another time of play with some little bobble.

From time to time, I will leave beautiful picture books that I find at the library, sometimes, the picture Bible, some sand tracing cards with new and interesting words. My parents in law have a wooden carved sign that says Jesus. Hudson loves to run his fingers over the letters and trace that precious name. So I need to find one. If you have an extra one lying around - could ya send it to me?

Our youngest spends the most time here. It is his space, and he doesn’t even know it. I made it just for him, and I pray that he finds a special piece of Jesus here as he wonders about all the beautiful things that have been made for him to enjoy and all the wonderful things that we have created to give.

My hope is to keep it interactive and changing all throughout the year, with new things to look at, smell, see, and interact with, all pointing to the reality of the Risen King.

So go make your own table and send me a picture. Don’t worry about those that think you bizarre. You have a special purpose in mind.

Peace to those who are thoughtfully parenting today~

in a very loud voice!

“I WILL FEAR NO EVIL FOR YOU ARE WITH ME!” over and over. Our youngest was having his quiet, alone time and was acting something out with a play sword. I have been working on the 23rd Psalm with the children. Each day, we go over another portion and find a beautiful photographic image to go with each section. Then we recite the portion we have memorized.

It is true, that if you feed your children good mental food to eat, they will grow big and strong. Oh I am sure the Charlotte Mason says it much more eloquently and flowery, but that is the basic concept. I think it is interesting that our youngest is resonating with this portion of the Psalm. He is very brave for his young age. Really people you have no idea!

We tell him often:

• Yes son, I know you are big, but you can’t work with matches. That is very dangerous I don’t care how many big kids (teenagers in our church) you saw doing it at the fourth of July.
  • (Matches and all flame starting devices are now banned from our home. Some of you may find it cruel that I pulled up stories on the computer, thanks to Google, about how children burned their houses down, and killed their entire family because they played with matches. My older 2 were crying their eyes out. For them, all I would have to say is, they are dangerous and no problem, with Hudson I have to go 500 extra miles for his little brain to get it.)
• Honey, we know you are very big, but you are still only 3 and you can’t use sharp knifes yet, no matter how well you think you can use them.
  • (Knives are now hidden on the top shelf of our cabinet and even I have to use a stool to get them. )
• Honestly child, I know you are very, very brave, but you may never, ever ride your bike away from home looking for your Mommy.
  • (Mommy was upstairs taking a shower, and then realized you were gone. I went out frantically looking for you, not ever thinking to check the gated pool. This was a big mix up in communication. Mike and Chloe went out for the morning and left the boys with me. Hudson assumed I left with Mike, and since he knows he isn’t old enough to stay home by himself, he decided to go and try and find us- dear child. I am now coloring my gray hair)
• I know you are strong and brave, but you can’t prop your bike up against a 6 foot high fence, then climb up on your bike and jump on top of the fence, in order to get a better view of the whole neighborhood, in search of your Mommy, who is now calling 911, hyperventilating, screaming your name like a maniac. Thankfully, you jumped down into the gated pool area, were contained and then found by a neighbor because you couldn’t get out again. I knew, I knew, I KNEW what I was doing when I started you in the pool at 6 months and started teaching you to swim. By 2, you could swim like Michael Phelps.
  • (I had an all points bulletin search going, with several cars canvasing the neighborhood. Our dog walking neighbor found him in a place I would of never thought to look. Inside a child proof gated pool. Ha - so much for child proofing.)
• Yes, I know you think you can handle watching the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe because you are very brave, but you are not old enough to handle CS Lewis’s epic. You have your whole life to see it. Let’s wait a year or two shall we?
  • He sees the cover of the DVD and sees the young boy with the sword the shield and is ready to fight and thinks it is all for him.

  

So we felt we were to name him Hudson Taylor for a reason. This child talks about seeing the world all the time, is obsessed with maps and randomly speaks of China fondly. Trust me we NEVER brought this stuff up to him. It is just coming out. Out of all our children, Hudson is the one who speaks of Peru often and wants to return, today as a matter of fact. I think that portion of the Psalm is God’s way of reminding me, that he is covering this child, and that I am digging my heals in and hanging on for dear life.

This year I have been very consistent with giving each of our children alone time each day, to think, create, sleep, talk to God. It has become an essential part of our daily rhythm. They all look forward to it, whether they think they do or not. They few times I have pushed it from the days’ activities, they have suffered.Let’s be honest, we all suffer! I see it in their attitudes and mine too. Our oldest no longer sleeps, our middles still sleeps about 3x’s as week and our youngest still naps most everyday, although I try to keep it short. Regardless, they get the privileged of having some alone space. We don’t nurture that enough in people today. It is okay and good to be still, quiet and alone.

There are a few new things I am adding into their routines. One of them being a deeper immersion into worship with music. I admit that I have not been drawn to “children’s worship” cd’s. They seem cheesy to me, however, the kids really enjoy hearing their own kind singing to the Lord. So I got over myself and starting investing in a few cd’s just so they hear children singing to our Holy God.

Today during quiet time I put a new CD on, and played it in the hallway outside of their rooms, as they worked away. After quiet time Jackson said to me, “Mommy, I really like that CD. It helped my creativity. Can we do that everyday during quiet time?”

So I am thinking - YES!

A little worship music goes along way to drawing children into the presence of the Lord. Little ones and big ones too!

In an earlier post, I talked about a story I shared with Jackson. I began the story with a door. I explained that Jesus is the door for all people to enter into real relationship with God. I told him the verse from the Gospel of John and the following story.

Photo taken in Arequipa, Peru

John14:6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know^[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Imagine that God lives in the most beautiful house you have ever seen. The house has many windows, but they don’t open, and there is only one door. It is a narrow, rough door that doesn’t really match the rest of the house. It seems too simple. Inside the house, God is there, preparing the most amazing meal you have ever eaten. You can sit at his table and talk with him and you can really get to know all about him.

When you enter His house, you receive a new set of clothes that are the most beautiful and comfortable you have ever worn. The smell in His house is heavenly, and everything is perfect. There is enough room for everyone who wants to enter in through that rough, front door. Many people come right up to the edge of the house, and can kind of hear through the walls laughter and maybe smell a bit of the good food. They don’t even think there is a God, they think the the house is just there, and the smell of food just happened out of thin air and leave thinking they know all there is to know. Then some people come up and look through a window. They can maybe see a small glimpse of who God is but they can’t really get in the house, and sit down and eat dinner and talk to God and really get to know them can they? Well, maybe one of those windows is a Buddhist window, and another is a Hindu window, and another is one called money, and another is the environment and so on. We then begin to think of all of the “windows” that give us small glimpses of God but don’t ever allow any relationship with God.

Many people, leave the house, thinking they know and have met God. They say there are many windows and many people can see God in their own way. All the while, Jesus is quietly calling from the front, come in, I am the way. But not many people want to go through such a simple door. They leave never really knowing all the wonderful mysteries that God has for those who enter his house through the door of Jesus.

It was a simple, story that painted a picture. Painting pictures and telling stories is a good thing. Not only for children but for people in general.

Peace to all story tellers today~

The other day I sat with our oldest reading the story of Hokusai, one of the most famous and influential artists ever to come out of Japan. The story goes through his whole life, from age 5 to 80. Towards the end of his life, the book describes how he was a Buddhist and believed that the stars literally guided him towards his destination.

He thought Mt. Fugi was a sacred Mountain and that a “sun-goddess” lived there. This concept is a reoccurring theme throughout world history. Jackson knows that many pagan people worship all sorts of false gods, so I reminded him, that at this time, most poeple in Japan didn’t understand that there is only one true God. We fit into our time line in relationship to what he knows of world history up until this point. This story drew him in, in a way that compelled him. This is how our conversation went. That is why I love good literature, it breathes life and lays groundwork for deep and formational conversations.

J: Mommy, is Hokusai still living?

Me: No, he lived hundreds of years ago.

J: Is he in Heaven?

Me: Well - who did he follow? (Notice I didn’t answer him, I asked him a question. Always giving him space to think and own it for himself.)

J: Buddha.

Me: So what do you think?

J: He didn’t follow Jesus. But he was a good Buddhist and tried to do good and was kind?

Me:That doesn’t matter.

He left the couch and silently paced the floor. I just let him sit with the uncomfortable moment. He was dealing with the reality, that the man in the story, that he had come to love, did not follow Jesus and that that meant something drastic for his eternity. I have stated before in other posts, that we don’t focus on heaven and hell in the beginning of our children’s spiritual formation. We focus on Jesus and his Lordship and that he is the King. We follow him and he teaches us how to live in this life and a natural allegiance to him forms without fear of being “left behind’. Starting a life long relationship with the Lord shouldn’t be done in fear but in anticipation and excitement.

So, as usual, I told him a story, and taught him a new verse in the bible. His little mind gained a foothold on how someone can be good and still not go to heaven. That goodness alone, doesn’t cut it. I will tell you the story and the verse tomorrow.

of coconuts she gave us.

Yesterday, I sat down with the kids and explained that we were going to go on an adventure. We recently cleaned out their clothes and had 3 bags to donate. I had the idea that we would pray and ask God who we should give them to instead of giving them to good will.

So we all sat down. I asked them, “What does God say for his people to do?” They said, “obey, love, be nice” I said yes but what does he say we should do for people especially poor people. They said “Help them.” I was happy to know they have that concept down. So I said we are going to get in the car and drive to the poorest area of our town, where Mommies and Daddies don’t have enough to take care of their kids. They may need clothes and we can help them. The only problem is, we don’t know where to go, so we are going to have to have God lead us. I said, “The secret about this is, that when God’s people do his work out in the world, we get a special portion of him. ”

They were all excited, we got in the car, we drove and we waited. I had already decided that we would not stop for any men, but praying that God would lead us to a poor women that may need help. This was about modeling. So, we go to a poor area, where a large Guatemalan population live. I drove around and saw no-one except out of work men sitting outside of their house. So I said, “OK kids where do we go? What is God saying?” Jackson said, “He will show you Mommy.” Chloe said “Where is our poor family?” and Hudson said, “Mommy, listen to me! Go left, left then right.” So for lack of any other plan, that is what I did and you know what? We landed right at a house with a ethnic women outside washing her dog. I told her what we wanted to do, and she led me right to her neighbors house who had three young kids and one on the way.

She was Mexican and speaks little English. Her children were clothed in rags. They lived in complete poverty. I felt like I was in Peru or Cuba but I was 6 blocks from our home. Trash, filth, fleas, and we patiently waited outside her door to give her our gifts. Hudson wanted to go in. “Mommy we must go in. I want to be with them.”, he said. He was determined. He had some of his toys that he was willing to pass on to someone who had nothing.

I talked a bit of Jesus and the gospel with her, and she said she knew Jesus and said thank you for the clothes and gave us her coconuts. She wasn’t very open but that was not the point. The point was to go. I took 20 minutes out of our whole day. It was small and simple. But we went, we acted, I modeled the reality of what it means to follow Christ and I sewed seeds yesterday, in the woman’s heart, in my sweet children’s heart and in my own heart.

So - we are going to do it again, and again and again. Won’t you join us?

I took the kids to the pool last week. It is a normal routine to beat the heat this time of year.

Chloe our consummate animal lover found a “baby frog” trapped in the pool.

The kids then rallied around her, all of them coming up with plans on how to save the poor little frog.

Ironically, the boys were too scared to get it, so she mustered her courage and all 31 pounds of her saved the little frog by scooping it up with her mask.

They then proceeded to build it a safe home in the grass next to the pool, unfortunately, it had too much chlorine water and was not long for this world. I said they needed to leave it be and let it rest a minute.

Hudson proclaimed loudly, for the whole pool to hear, “Let’s pray to Jesus. We can’t see Jesus but he can make him better.” Shame on me for feeling a bit awkward as all the other people at the pool looked our way. It is true and he let everyone within a 2 block radius now the truth.

They agreed and prayed a sweet heart felt prayer and we all started walking home. Then Jackson said, “Mom that is what God’s people do right? We help things, make them safe and pray for them. We are supposed to take care of God’s creation right?”

I replied with, “You are right son, we are.” and went home thinking how wonderful it is to watch God take root in their tender little hearts. As parents, we keep teaching and modeling what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and how to walk in his Kingdom. They do what they see, and that is a sobering thought if you really sit down and examine your family life.

Great Scott people, We are getting through to them. Prepare a good environment for your kids, practice what you preach and God will cover the rest! - If you haven’t noticed, I am having the TIME of my life. No short term mission trip compares to being missional with your little young charges.

Latah pool rats!

He said it ever so casually. We were going to the beach for Kyle’s baptism. I said, “Tonight we are going to the beach for Kyle’s baptism.” (and Jackson pipes in with “me too”) The first time I was caught a bit off guard and blew it off.

The second time, he said it bit more forcefully, when again I reminded the children that we would go to the beach in the evening. This time I wondered a bit about it.

The third time He said it I asked, “Jackson do you want to get baptized tonight?” “YES” he said. “I decided to make Jesus my King when I was five, I am supposed to get baptized!” as if I was ignorant for not understanding this was what he was supposed to do. I was standing in bewilderment because we haven’t specifically talked about this with him. He has seen others baptized, but it wasn’t like we sat down and said it is time. The amazing thing is Mike and I were feeling like 7 was supposed to be a special year in his life.

My knee jerk reaction was - he is too young at just one month shy of 7. Then I put that away and asked God what he was doing. I said to Jackson, you will have to talk to Daddy about that when he gets home. Mike had a little convo with the dear lad, and it was apparent that he completely understood what it was about and what it meant. Now, you must understand, our oldest isn’t an up front people person. He is shy and rarely likes to be the center of attention, so for him to want to do this in front of us was one thing, but to do it in front of his entire church family was remarkable to us really.

It was then, that I was reminded of the little prayer we say over them every night, that God would give them deep and supernatural understanding of his glorious mysteries.

I guess this qualifies! Why am I shocked that God is holding up his end of the bargain?

Wow!

to follow Jesus. She was right. A few days after she turned 5, she felt big enough to do it.

A few nights ago at the dinner table, we were talking about God, Jesus, heaven and other such mind blowing topics, especially for little guys. In the course of the conversation Jackson said, “I decided to make Jesus my king and follow him when I was five have you decided yet Chloe?” She said, “Not yet.” and we all went on with the conversation.

Last night she woke up twice calling for me. That is not normal. She had some itches and couldn’t sleep, the second time she was hungry. Both not normal for her, so I wondered if God was doing something with her. So the second time, I gave her a piece of an apple and said, “just lay still and you can talk with Jesus”. She said “I am, he says He loves me and wants to be with me and with all people.” I gave her a kiss and prayed for her and went back down stairs.

This morning she declared to me that she made Jesus her king and that she is his Queen. Well, way to know who you are in Christ. Not just a princess but a Queen. Welcome to the kingdom baby girl, take it and run. It is an amazing adventure.

Grace and Peace to you my little Queen:-)

Mommy

Today our sweet pea is 5. I can’t believe how quickly time moves along.

The other day I was laying her down for her nap and we had a little snuggle. She began to play with my cross necklace around my neck and we had the following conversation.

C - “Mom this is a cross but it isn’t the real cross that Jesus died on right?”

Me - “Your right it is just a symbol.”

C - “What is a symbol?”

Me- “It is a little sign that reminds me and other people that I made Jesus king of my life.”

C - “and king of my life too?”

Me - “No, just my life. He can be king of your life if you want him to but you have to ask him. I can’t ask him for you.”

Thoughtful silence.

C- “I am not ready yet. I will wait until a few days after I am 5. Because he is so big and I am still so little. When I am 5 I am bigger.”

Me - “OK- you tell me when you have decided because it is a very special thing. If you listen very carefully when you are still and quiet you will hear him calling you.”

C - “What does he say?”

Me - “Come, follow me I have amazing things to teach you.”

We went on to talk about ponies and flowers and exactly how big God really was and how is it possible that he can be everywhere. So pray that Jesus will reveal himself to Chloe in a way that she sees his accessibility and not that he is so big and she is so small, but that she is loved and protected in his “bigness”.

Peace to all 5 year olds and want to be 5 year olds today!

I’ve been thinking through some foundational traditions we are instilling as a family.  I am also reading Winn Griffins,  God’ EPIC Adventure and putting some ideas together in my brain.

When our kids are 5, Mike takes them out on a “date” and shares with them the detailed story of our faith and God’s people.  In our faith community, at 13 the kids (boys at this point because non of the girls have reached thirteen yet) have a coming out thingy.  Our version of a bar mitzvah. 

I was thinking about baptism and how the catholic church does, confirmation.  In some cases it is dead or programmatic for people, but for many catholic Christians a very deep and meaningful experience, as it should be.  I have been wondering about that in our context.  Could we do something equally formational, as  a pillar in a young ones life that they will look back on for all time?

Yes, I think we can and we should.  So Mike and I have been toying with the idea, (clearly ripped off from Alpha) about taking Jackson on his 7th birthday on a “Holy Spirit” weekend.  With some of the older people in our community for a special time just for Jackson, and then the rest of our kids when they the appropriate age and ready to handle it.

Here is the time-line I have been thinking about.

• 0-5 - marinating in the family rhythm of faith.  Beginning to learn the story of our faith and our people.  Special lessons on their level  where they can grasp the mystery appropriately.  Specific emphasis on Jesus as the Good Shepherd as opposed to heaven/hell.
• around 5 as the Spirit leads - special date with Daddy where they really get to put together the pieces of the “good news”.  This is where Mike invites them to make Jesus their King.  It was very interesting when he did this with Jackson.  At the very moment Mike thought he would say yes just because he was Dad,  he didn’t.  He actually thought about it and said, “I want to wait until my birthday.”  Which was a few months away.  Then one day he road up to me on his bike after he had been out riding and he said, “Mom I decided to ask Jesus to be my king.” and road off.  I said something very unspiritual like, “Wow honey that is great, Jesus is so happy to be your king.”
• 5-7 Growing in understanding of that. A deeper requirement of them sitting and at least listening to discussions in our faith community, even if it is just coloring what they hear.
• around 7 -Special “Holy Spirit” weekend and baptism.
• 7-13 Training in the ways of the kingdom. Various activities determined by parents that are formational for disciples of Jesus.
• 13 - coming out party into man/womanhood. Presented with a purity gift and clear discussions about dating etc.
• 13 - 18 really helping and allowing our kids to determine their calling and what they are made for.  This is a “together” process.  International missions travel encouraged at this time.

I am learning that each stage and phase of a child’s development needs to be met with intentionality on the parents part.  It looks different at every stage, but there is an underlying process that is happening.  There isn’t any really clear defined road map for parenting, or training your kids up in the ways of the kingdom, so each family may choose to do this differently.  These are just a few of the things Mike and I have been kicking around!

Peace to all parents today!

Our family was sitting at the dinner table with another couple sharing about our lives etc.  I had asked the couple to tell us about what they were doing in ministry.  The sweet older man started with “I got saved at 9 and…” and Jackson stopped him and said, “Saved from what?”  The man said “Hell”  and Jackson looked at us a little perplexed.   Jackson said “Saved from Hell?” and looked at him strangely.  He smiled and said “I will let your Mom and Dad deal with that one.” Jackson then looked at us questioningly.  We translated for him and said, “When he was 9 he decided to make Jesus his king and let him be the leader of his life.”  Jackson looked at him and said “Oh, I decided to do that at 5.” The man gently smiled at him and said “Good for you!” and then we went on with the discussion.  We had to adjust the language for him to understand what we were talking about.

This same type of thing happened for us last summer.  We were visiting a friends house, and she starting singing the song with the verse, “Don’t let Satan (blow) it out, I’m going to let it shine.”  Jackson stopped the whole song with, “Who is Satan?”.  Talk about feeling like the slacker Mom who doesn’t teach her kids.

It was at that awkward point, I realized, we don’t really focus on all of that with our kids being so young.  We focus on Jesus and his Lordship and his kingdom and that their are those in the kingdom and those outside of the kingdom waiting to be invited into the kingdom of God through Jesus and that we, as God’s peole get to do that. I think, for young children, if we focus on the person of Jesus and his great love for us, his shepherding and protection of his people and the opportunity to allow him to lead us, a very natural allegiance to him as King will develop without the unhealthy “fire insurance” that inoculates people to discipleship to Jesus.  I’ve prayed a prayer and now I am good and I don’t have to really follow Him with my real life.

So know that Jackson has deeper understanding, these topics (Satan and hell) are naturally coming up and we discuss them together.  It has been really good studying about people from ancient Rome.  We then talked about the armor of God and what we are fighting as God’s people.  He is always bringing that up now, as a 6.5 year old boy as he wants to fight battles.

My prayer is that Mike and I gently lead our children into the kingdom of God, always placing importance on discipleship to Jesus and his kingship. I wanted to leave it here in case it may be helpful to someone else.

Grace and Peace to all!