KLove is a cross-country Christian radio station that I can pick up almost anywhere I travel. So, as I hit the seek button, I catch just little tidbits of conversations or songs. One I heard this past week led me to look up this girl’s ministry and has me thinking a lot about parenting. I know, I’m not a parent, may never be a parent, but…I do work with parents, write for children and youth, and can have an influence on the kids I do work with.
Kelly Chapman has an extensive ministry on this very idea. She has written two books about being a Prince and a Princess.
While I have not read these book, the Christian world has also bought into the idea that we need to raise our daughters as princesses and our sons as princes. Technically, we are. We are joint heirs with Christ, a son and daughter of the Most High King. The videos I have seen from Kelly’s ministry has purposed to show little girls (ages 4-8) what it means to reflect Christ and His attitudes and heart and passion. Unfortunately, most of the world thinks differently when they allow their little girls to wear princess shirts and have crowns. I think back to the Bachelor contestant who always wore crowns. This is more what our world models. But, while the mainstream Christian world does mention that, I think most miss the mark for what a real prince and princess should be like. I want to take a look at one passage and how it correlates to princesses/princes.
1. Jesus, Prince of Princes, counted others better than Himself. He left Heaven and came to serve (The Son of Man came to serve, not to be served). I don’t know of any Princesses who serve. They are waited on hand and foot, have servants who are always at their beck and call. We instill this in our kids too. That others are there to serve them – not the other way around. How can you raise a son/daughter who has a heart of serving others and true humility? Get them in the action. Give them opportunities to serve their family members once a week. Have them help out at church functions as they get a little older. Help them to serve the older generation by baking cookies or raking leaves for folks in your neighborhood. Instill now. It doesn’t get easier.
2. Jesus died on a cross. We raise our children and youth today to think that suffering will never come to them. We have every comfort in America. Most of us want for nothing. That is how I was raised. But, how can we invest in our children by showing them that they will suffer in this world. They will have hardships. Is it by not caving to their every whim? I don’t know. But, I do know this. Christ suffered. Christ also said as Christians we would have hardship. Let your kids participate on mission trips (city, state, international) with people who are less fortunate than they are. They will see suffering. Let them take the gospel to orpahn kids in Uganda who live on the street. Let them see these kids living on the street, then have the luxury of going back to a hotel each night because its not safe or wise to sleep on the street with them. The Gospel of Jesus is bigger than this suffering.
3. God exalted Christ. Christ didn’t exalt himself. Christ lived a humble life – even the prophets declared that nothing was in Him that we would be attracted to Him. John says early in his gospel that he should decrease so that Christ may increase. We instill pride in our kids. We want them to be the best at everything they do, we want them to win the MVP awards and be brought up on stage to receive accolades. We want them to have many friends, we want them to be high achievers in all things. But, the Bible tells us that humility is the way we should seek and press in to. Humility is a foreign concept these days. Especially in many who parents. How do you instill humility in your kids? By teaching them the Word, the life of Christ, and implimenting #1-2 above.
What other ideas do you have of making your sons and daughters be more prince and princess like in their character?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvmE4_KMNw]
Good Monday morning. I’m reminded that Mondays are always a good day to start all over.
1. Start over with grace. Pressing on!
2. I loved my vacation and seeing tons of friends: Tasya, Lisa and Baby Tanner, Amy, Lorie and Stephen and Baby Elijah, Bekah, Jeremy, Mr. Morgan, Christina, Marcus, William, and Ainsley Girl. Love friends, but wasn’t very relaxing. My October vacation and beach trips will be that.
3. Driving by myself affords me the atmosphere of praying aloud to my Father who listens, hears, comforts, and convicts.
4. I love country music. It helps me with these long road trips.
5. Fresh fruits and vegetables really are what make summer bearable! These 100 degree days gotta be worth something.
6. This is a slow week for me – which I am very thankful.
7. Praying Scripture for people is very important. I love how people have done that for me, and I love doing it for people.
8. I love my church when I am away.
9. Wondering how to more encourage men to lead? That is the question on my mind this morning.
10. Go Gators.
11. Brian Frost can preach. God uses him mightily in my life – he opens his mouth, I’m usually convicted of something in my life that the Spirit needs to work on. He preached yesterday. Hebrews 11.4. Moses is great, Jesus is Better!
Link Love:
1. My friend Courtney pulls some highlights from a favorite author (Elyse Fitzpatrick) on modesty.
2. While the above video may be adequate for helping the poor, it so misses the mark. The first questions that it answers – answers wrongly. Maybe for the world today – but the world is passing and fleeting. There is only one who can help this world, and HE wasn’t a girl, He was born a little baby in a manger and grew to die on a cross. That is the power of the gospel. The only true hope for this world.
3. The problem with frou frou coffee drinks and the scale. I don’t drink too many of them – but even ice tea lattes are more calories than I need
4. I want to try these!
5. This blog post was helpful to me – encouraging me to keep up with photoging food. As well as a great comment by a fab photo friend over the weekend.
Just small glimpses of my world. I used to think that women’s ministry was too narrow for me – I didn’t want to major in that in seminary. But, I am learning that women’s ministry – is simply ministering to women – and that is what I’m doing. Here we go – this is all from Saturday-Today.
Saturday: (Location: Chapel Hill, Orange Leaf outside tables). Overhear two young women talking about being single. One of them said I love being single, as long as I have someone to be single with – l love to flirt and its fun to flirt without being attached. Girls – what is the purpose of flirting? Is that the only reason you should be single? Married women – you should flirt with your husband. How is flirting evidence of the gospel in our lives? Do we manipulate flirting to make is permissable? As the two girls left, I was praying for them and my own view of singleness. I love being single. It has allowed to me do ministry beyond anything I could imaging. It has fueled times of deep teaching from the Lord. It has refined me more than I would have expected – and I never expected to be single this long. But – my God is gracious. I am praying. I am obeying. And I know that God is bigger and better.
Sunday: (Location: my office at church). Reading BeAttitudes for Women by Dr. Mrs. Patterson. When I purchased this book many years ago, I was very cynical. I thought how are the beattitudes different for women – it’s the Bible. Come on. But…as I started to read the book yesterday, turned to the Meekness chapter – I was introduced to how wrong I was.
I shared the following with one of the singles’ classes in my church as I was talking to them about serving:
“Rather, it (meekness) commends a spiritual condition of submission to and confidence in God, which then unfolds into a lifestyle marked by patience and gentleness.” (p. 85) I will be reading the rest of the book on vacation this week.
Monday: (Location: Summer Bible Study, teaching high school girls about modesty for the sake of the gospel)
Wow – not a fun topic. This has caused much confusion in ministry in early years for me. But, God has definitely changed my heart with thinking through this in light of the gospel. I will forever be grateful to Veronica Greear who gave me the CD and sermon of CJ Mahaney of Soul of Modesty one morning after church back in 2004. I put it in the cd player as I pulled out of the parking lot. By the time I got to the traffic light, the Spirit had already greatly convicted me of the sin in my own heart. tonight, the main points will be these: 1. The issue of modesty is found in one word: the GOSPEL. 2. 1 Tim 2.9 3. Dressing while considering others better than yourself. 4. Modesty is proper for those who profess Christ. 5. Others should be able to see Jesus by how you dress. 6. “The woman who loves the Savior avoids immodesty because she refuses to distract from or misrepresent the purity of the gospel.
Please pray: 1. For me as God continues to shape and mold me as a woman after his own heart. 2. Those two girls in Chapel Hill. 3. For the high school girls who will hear the Truth about modesty tonight.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNDcAWNscg8]Throughout the entire CMT awards show back in June – clips from this video were playing. I had no clue because I had never listened to it. While driving to Charlottesville the other day I took the time to listen to this very sad song – states accurately the state of our country. I’ve been around the world – this describes typical America. How can we as the church live differently? Be different? Teach our youth and children how to pursue Christ and not – This American Ride?
Momma gets her rocks off watchin’ Desperate Housewives.
Daddy works his can off payin’ for the good life.
Kids on the YouTube learnin how to be cool.
Livin in a cruel world, pays to be a mean girl.
Thats us, Thats right
Gotta love this American ride.
Both ends of the ozone burnin.
Funny how the world keeps turnin.
Look ma, no hands.
I love this American ride.
Gotta love this American ride.
Poor little infamous America’s town.
She gained five pounds and lost her crown.
Quick fix plastic surgical antidote.
Got herself a record deal, cant even sing a note.
Plasma gettin bigger, Jesus gettin smaller.
Spill a cup of coffee, make a million dollars.
I wonder what it would be like to watch a video of Charles Spurgeon preaching? We will never know thanks to the delays of technology – but thankful for the preserving of his words and how he continually spurs us on with his grip and understanding of Scripture and the application of it to the Christian life and ministry.
Come Ye Children is a small book with excerpts from sermons and writings all dealing with leading children to Christ, being parents, or serving in ministry with children. The three best uses of this book: 1. Have your children’s ministry team go through it together. There are 23 short chapters – the longest one may be 6 pages.
2. Give it to parents who have children – maybe a child dedication present.
3. Read it and apply it.
This is where I’ll begin – with that last point. The only children’s ministry I’ve ever done before taking this current ministry position is VBS or babysitting or childcare. But, Spurgeon has spurred me on to be more diligent in my task at hand and helped me remember the importance and seriousness of teaching children the Word of God.
Only draw back to reading this: the language. Of course Charles Spurgeon speaks more in KJV than in the Message…so just persevere. Have to press on through our chronological snobbery.
“Christian children mainly need to be taught the doctrine, precept, and life of the gospel: they require to have Diving truth put before them clearly and forcibly. Why should the higher doctrines, the doctrines of grace, be kept back from them? It is ours to make doctrine simple; this is to be a main part of our work. Whether we teach young Christians truth or not, the devil will be sure to teach them error.” (p 10)
“You cannot feed lambs, or sheep either, unless you are fed yourself. It is quite right for you to be teaching a great part of the Lord’s Day; but I think a teacher is very unwise who does not come to hear the gospel preached and get a meal for his own soul. First be fed, and then feed.” (p 30)
“I commend to you the study of instructive books, but above all I commend the study of Christ. Let Him be your library. Get near to Jesus. An hour’s communion with Jesus is the best preparation for teaching either the young or the old.” (p 31)
“We should view everything in this world by the light of redemption, and then we shall view it aright.” (p 69)
“Your Sunday schools are admirable; but what is their purpose if you do not teach the gospel in them? you get children together and keep them quiet for an hour-and-a-half, and then send them home; but what is the good of it? It may bring some quiet to their fathers and mothers, and that is, perhaps, why they send them to the school; but all the real good lies in what is taught the children. The most fundamental truth should be made most prominent; and what is this but the cross.” (p 75)
“Oh, that we were more godly ourselves; that we talked more of godliness, and that we loved godliness better. none of us ever knew what a Savior Christ was till we knew what an evil thing sin was. If the Holy Ghost does not teach us the exceeding sinfulness of sin, we shall never know the blessedness of salvation.” (p 89)
I definitely have more favorite quotes from this book – but hopefully this will give you a taste of Spurgeon.
Good Monday morning! I really look forward to this post each week now. I hope some of these links are a blessing to you.
1. Started the 5am club this morning. God graciously woke me at 4.57 so I wouldn’t have to hear my alarm.
2. Training vs trying in the Spiritual Disciplines – and here is a new book on the subject (new to me).
3. God is carving in me meekness and repentance.
4. VACATION this week! Can’t wait to spend 4 days in TN with friends: hiking, reading, hanging with friends, new babies, mentors.
5. There are certain people whom you just can’t get enough of – I love those people.
6. I love old movies.
7. I absolutely love my church! Last night we had 20+ baptisms in a pool – with a break in between due to lightning (when we ate pig/chicken/blueberry cobbler/choc chip cookies/hung out with friends) and then baptized more once the lightning time out was over. God is good. The pastors and deacons and elders who serve us are truly a blessing!
8. Last night I lost a contact. That means for the first time in 20 years (since I started wearing contacts) I lost one. Stink. But, God is bigger and has provided the money – now I just must deal with glasses every day until they come in.
Link love:
1. When you can’t eat an entire avocado and you don’t want the rest of it to go brown – here is what you can do with it. (I fixed the link)
2. Memorizing Scripture is important – remembering it is too!
3. I need to follow some of these rules this week as I travel.
