LASIK on my Heart

Last night I learned about LASIK.

Did you know your eye’s lenses harden over the years?  Yeah, I didn’t either.

In surgery, they cut through the eyeball and use a laser to obliterate the hardened lenses.  Cool!!

Another thing about vision- sometimes it gets bad so slowly that your body compensates and you don’t realize you have a problem until you’re blind in one eye!  {True story!  My MIL just found out she’s blind in one eye all of a sudden!}

During worship this morning, I suddenly saw a parallel to my walk with God here.  I don’t relize I’m hardened to the gift His presence is, the mercy He poured out in the cross and His provision and care for me in daily life.  Thankfulness, awareness of these gifts, is more essential than sight- yet I’m dulled to the miracle of His mercies!

LASIK.  Yes, Lord, I need you to blast way the hardened layers.  Help me to enjoy You, to see You clearly.

~This is my prayer.  Amen.~

Priorities

As I read before bed last night, after a sick mommy day where life’s priorities are suddenly seen with a clarity lacking in my healthy I-can-d0-everything days, this passage struck me regarding children:

 Jesus, too, loved hearing the children, and once it even triggered His anger.  The Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of the universe was fuming.  His disciples were only trying to help- protecting him, guarding him from the crowds… But when Jesus saw them rebuking… the children… “he was indignant.  He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”  If this set Him off, it gives me pause to think He’s watching us now…

A new week is begun.  Monday is a day when we set priorities, make lists, start “back to school”.  We would do well to prioritize our lives not by what seems urgent but by the kingdom of God.

The grass can grow another 1/2 inch, the floor can be quickly swept instead of scrubbed & mopped, the world will not stop if you miss a facebook update…  Instead, read your little princess the story again.  Check out the amazing lego ship (that happens to look exactly like the last one he showed you) and admire the updated super-sonic engine with force field blasters your son brings down.  Talk to your teen.  (I’m totally preaching to myself here…)

Lord, help me to pour my life into the ones you’ve given me to love.  Amen.

Raise Your Eyebrows

<- This is Michelle.  {Hi Michelle!}

Michelle is a wise, sweet, hospitable, godly woman.  When she shares a tip, I listen.

“Remember to raise your eyebrows!” she counselled me a couple of weeks ago.  At first, I was totally confused.  Is this some sort of wierd 80′s face exercise to stay youthful??  (Totally off the subject, but you MUST make time to click that link!)

No, it’s more of a biblical heart exercise along the “put off/put on” lines.  Try it now… it’s pretty hard to have a grumpy face and raise the eyebrows at the same time, isnt’ it?!  When I raise my eyebrows, it reminds me to smile.

Whether teaching or correcting the children, or just sending them on a quick errand, instructing with a smile communicates my love and gratefulness for the Lord sending them into my life.

Genesis 4- “So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 yIf you do well, will you not be accepted?2 And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. zIts desire is for3 you, but you must rule over it.”

Don’t let your face fall- Genesis reminds us it’s an indication of your heart! Put on a smile for those you love today.

Go Go Gadget… PATIENCE!!

Andrew just watched Inspector Gadget for the first time… and he loved it!  Do you remember Gadget?  He was the incredibly gadgeted, always bumbling, detective who saved the world from the evil schemes of Dr. Claw every Saturday morning.  With the help of Penny and Brain, of course.

Go go gadget chute! Go go gadget cuffs!  Go go gadget copter!  This robotic cop had all the tools he could possibly need for any evil scheme at his disposal.  But in spite of the awesome tricked-out suit, he messed up every single mission!

This morning, I found myself whispering, “Go Go Gadget, PATIENCE!!”  If I were Gadget, I think a flowerpot would have popped out of my hat or something comical like that.  Because in spite of my well-equipped suit, I too bumble…errr, sin… quite a bit.

I said it wistfully… but as I thought of it, the Gadget illustration really held out farther than my initial impulsive blurt.  (Which reminded me of Sarah on Labrynth, “I wish the Goblin King would come and take you away… right now.”  But I digress…)

Do you remember Brain, the brilliant dog?  He and Penny always had to bail Gadget out.  Well, it’s like that here, too.  I can wish for a go-go-gadget fix, but I really have to be engaged if I want to see change.  Kind of like Brain talking to Penny on their watch walkie-talkies.  (The Holy Spirit & me?  I know this is a stretch, but it’s my illustration & a comic after all!)

Here are some things Brain tells me, after my Go Go Gadget wish flops:
1) Think on scriptures that apply and meditate on them.  (ex: Let me be quick to listen, slow to speak & slow to become angry b/c my anger doesn’t achieve the righteous life God requires. -James 1:19 paraphrased by me)
2) Ask for help!  Go to the Lord.  Confess my sin, identify my weakness, and ask (beg!?) for His mercy, which is new each and every day.  AND ask a friend to pray for/with me and to check in on me later (it’s called accountability!)
3) Put off/put on.  I need to put into practice what I’ve just been meditating on!  I can’t read, “Love overlooks a multitude of sins” -1 Peter 4:8 and then keep on rehearsing all the ways my children/husband/the driver that just cut me off (fill in the blank) are making my life difficult!  (Side note: I’ve often noticed that they’re not even sinning against me, I’m just irritated b/c their preference isn’t the same as mine!  In those cases, I REALLY need to overlook!)
4) Go Go Gadget, SMILE!!  Raising my eyebrows helps change my whole countenance.

Quiet Time, Part 2

Quiet Time, Part 1 is here.

So you know you want to teach your family to appreciate both a rest time and time in the Word.  Do you find yourself wondering where do I start?

We’ve tried many things over the years and my perennial favorite is letting the children listen to the Dramatized Bible during nap time.

<– This is the NIV Bible dramatized(by Zondervan).  Dramatized means they read exactly what is written (and only what is written) adding different voices for different speakers, music and a few sound effects.

We also have The Bible in Living Sound and some Your Story Hour Bible-based radio dramas that the children love, but I like the children to listen to the Word (unaltered) at quiet time.  We save all our other audio dramas (including Jonathan Park, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre and Lamplighter Books) for car rides, fun time or bedtime.

How long is quiet time?  I’ve let the CD become a timer for those who no longer take naps.  So they lay quietly (or draw or play w/a quiet toy) during nap time until their CD is over.

What do they listen to?  All of the Bible!  We don’t always go sequentially… sometimes I pull a CD related to a recent conversation or Sunday School lesson or favorite story.  Other times, I work through in order.

What about the scary stuff?  I used to worry about the “scary parts”.  You know, the battles, weeping and gnashing of teeth… not to mention Sodom & Gomorrah or Lot’s daughters’ reprehensible behavior… Mom advised me to pray and trust God and also be available for questions.  So I don’t really edit what they hear day in & day out.  There are a few CDs I don’t put in often- you can listen with your kiddos and use discernment.

How young do we start?  I didn’t realize how much my little ones are retaining until I overheard a conversation in Sunday School about Samson, the 300 Philistines, the donkey’s jawbone and his power coming not just from long hair but from the holy spirit.  That was Andrew (4).

We usually start when a CD playing offers something for the children to focus on and relax… Georgia is just starting to benefit from them, so I suppose around the 3rd Bday is when I usually add a “devotion CD” to their naptimes.  Ben (12) is managing his own quiet time now, but I still like Lauren to listen- I think the ages depend on where the children are developmentally, their learning styles, etc.  What doesn’t change is the importance of spending time in the word- written or audio!

Don’t stop there.  This shouldn’t replace family devotions, it’s a way to help your child grow up having his own quiet time.  Trust God to speak to him.  Ask God to be real & personal to your child!

See if it works for you!!  I hope and pray that God’s Word, hidden in their hearts, will serve my children well over the years.  It’ll lead them where they should go (Ps 119:105), keep them from sin (Ps 119:11) and help them to love the Lord.  Learning to quiet their little hearts is a gift I try to give them every day!

Quiet Time, Part 1

“My soul finds rest in God alone, my salvation comes from Him.” -Psalm 62:1-2

Everyone knows little kids need naps.  Some people even recognize the benefits of siestas for big people!  But rest alone does not a happy home make!

Quiet time at our house is more than rest for our bodies.  Yes, we each find a solitary place to relax or sleep… but it’s also when the children listen to the Word & learn to rest in Him.

How can we train our children to relish both types of quiet?  Read on…

Scrooge was Right!

Return your Operation Christmas Child and Angel Tree gifts!  Cancel all cookie deliveries to fire stations.  No parties, no shopping, and please- do not serve a meal at the homeless shelter!!  Scrooge was right- Bah Humbug!!

The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas are among the busiest of the year.  Who has time to decorate, cook, entertain, shop, be a friend, be a daughter, bring snacks to school, be the gorgeous (and brilliant!) wife at the work party, and dress the children in perfectly coordinating outfits for the Christmas Eve service?  No thank you.  It’s just after Thanksgiving and I’m throwing in the towel.  Pass A Christmas Carol and a glass of eggnog.

Are you nodding in agreement or shaking your head in dismay?  I’d like to commend my favorite Christmas poem to both crowds*.  Yes, it’s a Christmas carol- but not Scrooge’s.  I’m taking my cue for Christmas 2010 from A Christmas Carol by Christina Rosetti. The last stanza reads:

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.

Even with a recessed economy, Americans are far from poor.  Oh, but how I can identify with this stanza!!!  I often say yes to so many “good” things that I have little left to offer the King of my heart.

So the truth of it all is if I have to choose between all of those holiday activities (which are wonderful, really) and quieting my soul long enough to appreciate the essence of Christmas, well I’d have to join Scrooge in shouting, “Bah Humbug!”

I’m not really wiping my calendar clean this December.  The ghost of Christmas present shows me a picture full of hope!  I have the opportunity to choose wisely, keep my priorities in line and celebrate the birth of the Savior!  Quieting my heart is a gift I can give to myself, my family and my God.  Praying, reading Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth (chapters 1 & 2) and remembering His purpose in coming- to redeem sinful people, to redeem me!- are part of the relationship that makes Christianity unique among all religions.  What a God!  What a gift!  Merry Christmas.

This article was originally published in The Creekline.

From Generation to Generation…

Clara is two weeks old today. We’ll have our “Welcome Clara Allison” party tonight… we’ve had fun doing that with each of the kiddos. We’ll record the children’s height on their growth chart, play some games (the Penguin Race is a staple), eat a sweet treat and dote on the new baby. I love making family memories!

Speaking of memories… this picture is of Clara’s first Sunday heading to church. I dressed her in an outfit I wore when I was a baby!! I’m *so* not a packrat, so it’s impressive that I not only still have it (thanks, Mom!) but that I remembered to put it on her while if fits!

I’m more concerned with passing on our godly heritage than passing on cute clothes- and we try to accomplish that in many ways. Some fun (welcoming babies with a family party!) and some more challenging (consisitently doing family devotions).

What special memories do you have & what do you strive to pass on to your own children? How?

Using Proverbs to Teach Your Children

This article was originally published in Homeschooling Today, an encouraging resource for Christian homeschoolers.   

      I have a confession to make.  I hate coloring books!  As a child, I never wanted to slow down long enough to “stay in the lines.”  My kindergarten teacher gave up and let me grade papers for her during coloring time instead!  At home school conventions, I don’t buy workbooks that even look like them!  But a year ago, I was introduced to a little coloring book that changed my life.

    Our second child, Lauren, was six and had just mastered reading.  We wanted to integrate a devotional into her reading time twice a week and I set out to find the perfect book.  After wandering the aisles of our local convention the second day, a friendly smile from the Doorposts booth prompted me to ask for advice.  Did they have a beginning reader that would teach a girl godly character?  She handed me- you guessed it- a coloring book. 

    The simple booklet, “A Young Lady of Valor” Proverbs 31 for Girls filled the bill.  Each page had one or two sentences from Proverbs 31 with an accompanying picture to color.  There were no zany illustrations, the scripture was the King James Version (which would be hard for her to read with the extra -th sounds) and it was a coloring book!  But it was perfect for a beginning reader’s first devotional.  It was perfect because it was simply the word of God. 

    Lauren was thrilled to do a girls-only Bible study.  I remained unconvinced and wondered how long a 19 page booklet could possibly last.  We read the first verse, “Who can find a virtuous woman?  For her price is far above rubies.”  The book I initially thought of as too short and too simple immediately began to minister to Mom and daughter in such a profound way it set a precedent for our schooling that continues today.  I shared what a gift Lauren is to her Daddy and to me.  We discussed her incredible value to our family practically, relationally, and also her inestimable worth before our heavenly Father.  Her brothers, doing other schoolwork in the adjacent dining room, chimed in with why she’s special to them.  As she skipped off to color in the first page, I sat on the couch dumbfounded… and not only because the boys had been kind to their sister!  I was seeing the fruit of teaching from Proverbs. 

    I never had to remind Lauren to take the Bible, her “study book” and the colored pencils out on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  page by page, we discussed how the Lord would have a six year old girl live for him.  When she read, “She will do him good and not evil” she scribbled some blue, green and orange on the picture then cleaned up some of her brothers’ things and told her Daddy she was learning to be kind to him so she could learn to be a good wife one day. 

    A few weeks later, she asked what it meant to “giveth meat to her household.”  While I explained it meant to feed her family well, she colored a bit more carefully and then asked if she could make her brothers a snack.  The day we read, “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry” I had an opportunity to praise the skill of sewing.  Although I can’t follow a pattern to save my life, we chatted about friends and family who enjoy sewing and excel at it.  My desire as a mom is for each of my children to surpass me in both knowledge and skill, so the next time she was with Granny they did a sewing project together.  Lauren came home telling me how easy it is and that I really should finish the apron I started 2 years ago!

    As mammas, we have the privilege to gently impress biblical truth upon our daughters’ hearts until they are molded into the image of God.  We can train them and strengthen our own understanding by discipling our daughters in the very areas that challenge us.  You may talk about finding joy in serving others, creative ways to make meals tasty and fun, or working with willing hands.  We’re not confident as parents or teachers because we know what to do but because we rely on the greatest teacher.   He instructs our minds and guides our hearts through the word. 

    We’re reading a new book every Tuesday and Thursday now.  The 19kth century language paints pictures in Lauren’s mind of a girl growing into a woman.  We both enjoy it and her reading is improving daily.  But it’s the little Proverbs 31 coloring book that changed our lives.  She colored her way through the book and I learned to color her life with the Word. 

Allie Olsen continues to read books on godly character with her 5 children in St. Augustine, Florida.  www.gracefullmom.com

NEXT

A new year, a new name, but the Biblically-based teaching remains a constant. Chris went to NEXT this year and says he’s taking me next time! No longer a “singles conference” (formerly New Attitude), NEXT is online & needs your attention! Like now! 2009 NEXT Messages Yes, you. Click that link.

D.A. Carson’s message was my fave, but they’re all wonderful. Make sure to listen in order… and then tell me which ministered to you the most.