Making the Most of Every Opportunity

We just reread the chapter in  Sammy and His Shepherd , by Susan Hunt where "My Friend" (Sammy's dear friend from the other pasture) is rescued by the Good Shepherd. My eyes are welling up as I think of Him renaming her "Precious". She's ratty, scrawny, and needy. Yet He sees her as precious. So thankful for this reminder of how my Good Shepherd knows me, sees me clearly and still came and rescued me... and now He calls me precious. Does anyone else ever feel like kids books are really more for parents? Amazon's Product Description: In Sammy and His Shepherd, veteran children's writer Susan Hunt takes youngsters on a delightful trip through Psalm 23 from the point of view of a sheep named Sammy. Sammy lives happily under the care of his faithful shepherd. But one day he meets a sheep from another flock, one who lives in misery because her shepherd is not so caring. Eventually, to the delight of both of them, Sammy's shepherd buys the needy littl...

"Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ' Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!'  And having said this he breathed his last. " (Luke 23:46) I was reminded as I read through Jesus' dying moments that He really was in control the entire time He was dying. This wasn't a weak gasp to God, he cried out in a loud  voice as He committed Himself fully to God beyond death. He willingly took on this suffering, cried out purposefully in it, and ended by committing His spirit fully to his Heavenly Father. And all to save us from our rightful punishment (2 Corinthians 5:21).Wow! There is sweet comfort in knowing He was in control, but also a model for how to live well, suffer well, and die to God's glory. Jesus taught from His early temptation, through his teachings, and by His miracles that we live to God's glory by knowing His Word and clinging to it. Here at the cross, He showed us what to do and where to cling in suffering and death: still t...

"...Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God ."  -Ephesians 5:2  Have you ever thought about this verse? "Christ loved us " - Jesus- perfect, sinless, fully God. He knew fully our hearts. And He loved us. The very people who hated Him. Christ is for us. "and gave himself up for us"  I love that picture. He gave Himself. He set His mind to go to the cross. No one took His life. He laid it down(John 10:18)! That's such control and strength. But why? To give Himself to us. "gave himself up for us" He gave us not just a gift, but the gift: Himself. He gave us His righteousness. He gave us forgiveness from God's wrath. He gave us eternal life. He gave us joy. He gave us the Holy Spirit to be our Helper and guide. He gave us His Word come to life. He gave us His position with God in heaven. We are now partakers in His glory... The list goes on and on! It's crazy and amazing to think o...

We have a lot of traditions in this one day, but I love each of them SO much. It's so refreshing to take the day and just be excited about Jesus beating death and the precious gift that is to those of us He calls His own!  Here's our day: 1) I get everyone up before the sun rises and we go watch it together. Our old home was blocks from the beach. That was our favorite spot, but last year we watched from our hotel room window. -Getting up to go is not easy, but it's so exciting to cheer and clap and sing HE IS RISEN as the sun rises. As the boys get older, we're adding a little more (Andy reading the Word, Jimmy picking a song to praise God to, me praying, etc...) I'm praying it's a sweet family worship service we enjoy for years to come. What a beautiful gift from God. 2) We race home to see if Jesus is still in the tomb we made . I decorate the table and it's fun to look for Jesus who is no longer in the tomb, but has risen again (and is hidden in ...

"A woman who creates a home does on a personal level what the Church does for Christ on a corporate level; and also what Christ does in His Father’s House on an eternal, heavenly level—She creates an environment that’s welcoming, nourishing, healing, and conducive to life and growth." - Mary Kassian I read this quote and felt like it so aptly sums up my ministry. I enjoy learning about simplifying our home, reading financial wisdom, biblical parenting tips, and creative family night ideas. I want to learn from others who excel in those areas, not because that's what a "stay-at-home-mom" does, but because I see the value they have in creating a great home environment. It's not just about having a fun (and clean) home and good memories. It's about Jesus. In other words, I care for our home, but it's not all about the home, it's about pointing to Christ through it. I learn and grow in those areas (and many more) to create an environment that exude...

"God... saved us and called us to a holy calling... which he gave us in Christ Jesus... who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..."  - 2 Timothy 1:9,10 One tradition we have to do each year on Easter week is to make a tomb. I read about it in Noel Piper's book "Treasuring Our Traditions" a few years ago. We have so much fun mixing the dough and baking it. You can decorate it or leave it plain. We use the tomb for our kids (Jimmy started at age 3) to tell us the Easter story .We take a family walk and collect sticks while we are out (to be used as crosses). Then we come home and mix our dough (you could just use pre-made play dough if you prefer.) Check out Noel's blog post  for her recipe and pictures. It does take a bit to cool. we usually make the dough into the mountain on Thursday night , so we can let it sit overnight and use it Friday morning. Then we put a picture of Jesus on the cross on our cross and ...

I think it's important to talk through Scripture my kids are exposed to, see what they are learning, and explain concepts I think may be hard to grasp.  When Jimmy was 2 1/2, he was fascinated by the cross in the middle of the entryway at our church and often asked me to tell him about why Jesus had to die. I was sharing how those who believe in Christ’s death and resurrection by faith can live forever with God. Then I said, “Have you ever heard people say that Jesus gives us eternal life ? Because Jesus is eternal, through Him now we can be too”  After a minute of silence (where I assumed I went too deep and he lost interest) Jimmy spoke up and said, “Mommy, Jesus is NOT a turtle!” Ha! I guess “eternal” and “a turtle” do sound alike.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”- John 1:5 I adore  Noel Piper 's traditions and we use many of them in our homes to point to Jesus. One we are starting this year as a family this year is her  "Lenten Lights" . It's a good way to sober our hearts to look at our own sin, repent, and turn to Christ and to prepare to remember the horrible death of Jesus. THEN, we will celebrate that He rose again and brought life for us. The Pipers light 7 candles and then each week during the lenten season they read  a family devotional  and snuff out one light, leaving the last to be snuffed out on Good Friday. Here's a quote from  "Lenten Lights" : Your seven candles symbolize the Light of the World—the Light that was God’s glory and that illuminated God for us—the Light that, in the end, seemed to have been darkened. As we move through the season preceding Easter, the candles are snuffed out one by one, until all are dark on Go...