by Kimberly | Apr 12, 2016 | Bible, Books
I love church signs. You can either think that is sarcastic or true – whichever.
But, I passed one today and it said “prayer is the answer”. I thought to myself. No, Christ is the answer.
Here’s my thought. If we tell people all they have to do is pray, everything will work out right, then that really isn’t the right answer. We do need to pray – Christ models it and commands it. We need to pray biblically-centered prayers. We need to know the Word and pray it back to the Father through the Son by the power and intercession of the Holy Spirit. But, our works, prayer, isn’t the answer to any of our problems.
The one who is our Brother and Intercessory Prayer partner is the answer. All of God’s promises to us are yes in Christ Jesus. So, we need to pray – but rest all of our hope in the Christ who answers according to His Father’s will.
I’ve been a believer for a long time now, and Max Lucado has been influential in my growth. I read most of his earlier books when I was in high school and college. I have his children’s books and read them to our boys. And now, he has come out with a set of prayer books that have prayers that are guided by the Word. You have ones for military families, mommas, dads, friends, graduates, etc. I love how you can give these out to people, be a blessing. You can also have them to read in a quick moment and focus your mind (through prayer) on Christ!
I gave away the military one to some sweet ministry friends of ours who live in south Florida. They are about to have their second baby.
I gave away the teacher one to a mom of 3 boys and a preschool teacher.
I am giving away the Dad one to my husband on Father’s Day.
I gave away the moms one to a sweet friend in our church who is about to have their first baby girl
Thank you Litfuse for sending these to me. All opinions are my own.
by Kimberly | Feb 29, 2016 | Bible, Books, Shepherding Children, Uncategorized
We have so many kids’ books in our home. We have them in our cars, in our living room, in the toy box, upstairs in both of their rooms, in our master bedroom on our nightstands, and in the hallway outside their rooms just in case they need to find one on their way to the stairs. And we get more every month. Yes, I give some away, some to other moms, some to our church nursery rooms, and some to goodwill. If the books are very well worn, then they just go in the recycle bin.
However, out of all the books we have, the only one that has authority, power to change their little hearts, and shape their souls and hearts and actions is the Bible. It is the belief of “sola scriptura”. One of the five solas of the Reformation. Basically, (taken from wikipedia) it is : the Christian doctrine that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice. Sola scriptura does not deny that other authorities govern Christian life and devotion, but sees them all as subordinate to and corrected by the written word of God.
And that is one of the reasons I love Crossway and the ESV Bible. They publish books that are so full of Scripture and are such a good help to their readers. They also design great Bibles, for adults, and children. I personally have used their Journaling Bibles for almost 10 years now and LOVE them. And one of their new ones is a hardcover ESV Children’s Bible. Think back to the 70s and those picture Bibles: Now, erase that memory from your mind’s eye and picture realistic pictures, larger print, maps to help your children get a heart for the world that God so loves, and a concordance to help studying the word easier for little minds.
Here’s a simple way you can ease in to family worship if you don’t already do anything. Using this Bible:
- Start in the Gospel of Mark, one of Paul’s letters to the churches, the Psalms, or even Proverbs (especially if you have older children).
- Read a short passage. Have them read it if they can read.
- Talk to them about who God is, who Jesus is, what the passage says about man, and what it says about the gospel.
- Pick one verse the passage to help your children memorize. You may stick to that one verse all week, or depending on how old your children are, you may do a few a week. Kids can memorize the Word of God!
- Pray with them. Pray the Scriptures you just read. It will help them understand them. Pray the Spirit would give them a new heart that loves the Word of God and loves the Jesus who died for them.
Family Worship doesn’t have to be long and hard and have a lesson plan written out. It can, or you can just read the Bible with your kids, talk about it, and pray. And believe me, the Spirit will be molding your heart as well. His Word is good like that.
Thank you Crossway for this Bible. All opinions are my own.
by Kimberly | Feb 20, 2016 | Bible, Books, Kids r Readers 2, Shepherding Children
There are many sounds to motherhood. If you have been a mom for any length of time, you are quite familiar with them, and you know that they quickly change depending on your child’s age. Here are a few of mine:
- Apple chewing. Yes, I love to hear my two boys ask for a “big apple”, ask for mommy to “tut it”, and then chomp down on it. That means that are craving healthy foods and I give them enough sweets to balance it out 🙂
- Crying. We just took our younger son to the eye doctor for the first time. Come to find out he is extremely near sighted and will need glasses (just like his older brother). He is really clumsy even though he is a daredevil. (His eyesight probably has something to do with his clumsiness.) So, I know that when he falls and cries, than he is actually hurt. He has busted his gums and caused his two front teeth to be completely gray now (because they are dead with damaged nerves), yesterday he was playing instead of napping and tipped over a wooden chair in his room and almost punctured his eye. Thankful it was just the corner of his eye, and black eyes heal. He has scraped the top of his head from spinning circles on the back porch, getting dizzy, and falling over. He just loves to be crazy, but he knows when he cries mommy or daddy will come running – and usually his older brother will show great compassion on him.
- Mommy. Honestly, some times this gets old because they’ve said it 20 times in a row, whining for something they really don’t need. Any other mom our there know what I’m talking about? But today, as I was reading to my boys in the car while we ate lunch (waiting for a showing on our house to be finished), my younger said Mommy. Yes, he has said it plenty of times, but something just caught my attention this time when he said it. I’m there Mommy. I’m the one who loves them most in this world (with their daddy), and will be there for them, and play with them, and tuck them into bed at night. I pray that through my imperfect love they will come to see the perfect love for their Abba.
- Singing. Both of my boys have grown fond of singing. The two songs we know perfectly are the ABCs (finally, it was delayed in our home), and Jesus Loves Me. I’m glad the boys are learning that one in their SS class at our church. We sing it all the time. As my younger was awake at 6am this morning he was singing this. As I was getting ready to head out the door, I saw his little fingers sticking out at the bottom of the door, and heard his little voice singing.
My favorite line of Jesus Loves Me is “for the Bible tells me so.” Especially as I parent, and make mistakes, and don’t know what to do half the time, or how to balance everything that I need to balance, it is good to know that I have the perfect Word of God.
And Judah and Chelsea Smith just put out a great story book Bible for your kids (think grade school). It is more storybook (like Jesus Story Book Bible), but it tends to be more concrete and practical, making it somewhat easier for younger kids to grasp and know how to implement. This is an easy to use Bible, especially helpful to parents in leading Family Worship time in their home. Remember, as a parent, it is your responsibility to teach your kids about God, and the church’s job is to come along side you and partner together.
If you would like to win this Bible (and believe me, you do), just leave me a comment on one of the verses you are teaching to your children or one of the songs that your children are learning right now. Thanks Tommy Nelson Mommies for the Bible and the opportunity to pass it along to someone else!
by Kimberly | Jan 12, 2016 | Bible, Uncategorized
Everyone has gone through phases in their spiritual journey where focus and energy and excitement about the Word has been less than enthusiastic. I remember hearing a great word from the woman in my life who loves and knows the Word the best and it went something like this :
even when you don’t feel like it – keep doing it – be faithful – God will bring fruit and excitement
That is so true.
One of the ways that I stay focused in my time in the Word (both during studies, classes, services, and personal devotions) is doodling. Most people might read that and say that I’m not focusing or I’m tuning out – but on the contrary. Doing something with my hands engages my mind and actually helps me listen and engage more (internally, as I’ve gotten less apt to speak aloud in a class). Doodling helps me focus on certain words in the Word or in the book or from a sermon or class that is being taught – or maybe its a lyric from a hymn. Doodling helps me remember what I’m learning. And isn’t that the point of Psalm 119: to get the Word in you so the Spirit can help you remember it when you need it – which is always?!
So, I thought I would share some tips – if you want to start doodling, or drawing, or lettering, or anything:
- The focus of doodling is not you – but it is engaging the Word into your mind. An example: as I was lettering Jeremiah 29:11 this morning, and as I prayed it for a pray names art I did for a sweet little boy in Virginia for a Christmas present – I was thinking of the words wholeness and know that are in that verse. I was thinking of the verses after it. I was thinking that these verses are especially popular for kids and teenagers, but how true are they still today when I’m a wife and a momma of two little boys and we don’t feel settled in life and don’t know what is next. Even then – even this morning – I need to know the truth of that verse. How sweet the Word is to my soul!
- Grab a pencil or any writing instrument you want. I use micron pens a lot, I love pencils, I love Staedtler pens and Le Pens too. Whatever you want to write or doodle with. Just grab it. It doesn’t have to be name brand or cost much of anything. You can grab dollar store pens and have them on hand for all that doodling.
- Start doodling. The good thing with doodling is it doesn’t have to be perfect. And its your doodles. I doodle words mostly because I’m not a good artist. I love lettering – always have. I’ve always loved writing, journaling, writing out prayers, etc. And experiment. If you really like some lettering you’ve seen – try it out. You’ll never know unless you try. Pinterest and Instagram are great places to start if you want to find some new fonts to try out and practice.
That’s all there is to it. Happy doodling. And I pray that your doodling is fruitful in helping you understand and meditate on the Word! And this is a great summary of Don Whitney’s thoughts on meditating on Scripture. You can do a lot of this by doodling – not just thinking.
by Kimberly | Oct 26, 2015 | Bible, Books, parenting, Shepherding Children
As a parent, I love both of my boys, but I long to see lasting change in their behavior and heart. But, I’ve realized in a very short period of time that I can’t change their hearts – only God can.
One of the ways that God changes hearts is by the Word of God. And it is very important as parents who love the Lord to help instill in our children a love for the Word. I know they won’t love the Word unless God saves them, but we can work on creating moments where they Word gets in them and the Word works in their hearts.
Tommy Nelson just put out a new study Bible for kids (8-12) and I think its awesome. They gave me this Bible as a part of Tommy Nelson Mommies and are giving you a chance to win won too! It is in the NKJV and that is readable and understandable while still sticking to the languages pretty well. It has bold colors and a style that pre-teens will like Easy thumb tabs built in to the pages so the books are easy to find. Has application points that are geared toward pre-teens. Has further study points throughout the Bible that will help kids learn more about God’s will for their lives.
The Bible is living and active and life-changing. Get it into your kids’ lives and hearts.
If you would like to win won, comment with your favorite verse that you like to pour into your pre-teens, or kids of any age.
by Kimberly | Oct 3, 2015 | 31days, Bible
Parenting has taught me a lot about this idea of mercy. I think children need both discipline and mercy. Of course they need to learn obedience, but they also need to be shown mercy sometimes when they fail. They need to be shown mercy if for no other reason that to get a fuller picture of the God that created them. Mine need mercy so they won’t spend 4 hours in time out each day.
I am a daughter. I have a merciful heavenly Father. I am so thankful that he shows me great mercy every day. How often do I speed without getting a ticket? How often do I say something out of anger or spite to a family member only to be shown radical mercy and not what I deserve? How often do I sin and am not struck down dead like some in the Bible?
I think if we realized the holiness of God and the sinfulness of our hearts than we would always start every prayer with mercy pleas.
David knew a trusted communion with God and he know he had sinned greatly. That communion was broken. The only was David was going to be in a right relationship with God again was if that just God showered mercy down on him. So, he opens his heart wrenching psalm with this plea.
This mercy that God showed to David didn’t stop there. All of God’s mercy toward us was brought to completion on the cross. Christ took all of the wrath of God for us – in other words – he got no mercy from his just Father. He got penalty, he got death, he got the absence of His Father’s presence.
In Christ, let us also rejoice and plead for great mercy.
Psalm 51:1 ” Have mercy on me, O God.”
Other readings: Psalm 86:5; Psalm 145.9; Ephesians 2:4-5, Hebrews 4:16
