We leave tomorrow!
Please be in prayer for Shyen (pronounced something like Shining without the middle N).
He's nineteen, and he is from
Azerbaijan which is to the north of Iran and therefore has a Muslim background. He is working evenings at Wendy's (with my daughter Leslie) for another six weeks or so and will then return home. He has been coming to church with our family for the last few weeks but as we leave for the Czech Mission trip we are worried he'll stop going.
He has been asking a lot of questions about Christianity and seems to be very open to discussion. He is asking things like ...
How many Gods do you believe in?
Why would you were a cross around your neck? The cross killed Jesus - it is bad, isn't it?
Do you baptize babies?
This has led to a lot of discussion around our table!
Please pray he will continue to go to church at Easthaven while we are gone and that God will place people in his path over the next six weeks.
And, of course, please pray for our trip! There are nineteen people going to the Czech Republic for nineteen days. We're doing an English camp AND outreach in the town of Vysoke Myto. Pray for safe travel, for health, for effective witness, and for the peoples' hearts to be open to Jesus. Our whole family is going, and I'm so excited! It's a dream come true to be able to serve together in this way.
Also, pray for my grandma who will be here alone. We will have people checking in on her, but she's used to a busy, active, noisy house and she's going to miss us being here.
Love,
Tricia
Spiritual Role of Moms
I was checking my email this morning when I came across an interesting email from George Barna (
www.barna.org).
Here is a short excerpt:
May 7, 2007
(Ventura, CA) - Mothers inhabit many roles inside and outside
the family. Within the household, they are often counted on to be
the emotional compass, organizer, and multitasking manager of the family. Add to
that list another common function: spiritual energizer.
According to a new Barna study, women who are raising children are among the most faith-minded and spiritually active segments of the American population. The study explored faith-related activities, commitments and perspectives, relying upon nationally representative interviews among more than 10,000 adults and nearly 2000 women who are currently parenting children under the age of 18.
The study shows that more than three-quarters of moms identify "family" to be their highest priority. At the same time, a majority of mothers strongly agree that their faith is very important in their life. In contrast, fathers also tend to list family as their top priority in life, yet they are much less likely to equally attribute importance to faith.
You can read the rest of the article
here.
I am blessed that my husband has grown as a spiritual leader over the years. I think there are three major reasons for this.
1. God convicted me years ago of my tendency of being John's "Jr. Holy Spirit." God reminded me that He can and will speak to my husband. Thank you very much.
2. I've allow John to "do" spiritual leadership his way--not how I think things should be. I have my ideas of the types of family worship or Bible Study I'd like to try, but my way does not mean the only right way.
3. I pray for my husband's success. I pray that He will listen to God's leading. I pray that I will follow and be an encourager.
Also, I thought of something else that ties in--as parents it's our job to raise our sons to be the spiritual leaders of their future homes.
In fact, just this morning I was talking about this with my 18-year-old son. I told him, "You know what? The type of girl you're looking for will be more attracted to your spiritual maturity than anything else. So the more time you spend with God, the more you'll attract a girl who has a heart for God."
I'm also excited because of a new resource I just bought. This weekend I was super-blessed at a women's retreat that featured the speaker Sheri Rose Shepherd. Sheri is a fellow Multnomah/Waterbrook author.
One of Sheri's books that I bought is Preparing Him for that Other Woman. I can wait to start reading it! With two teen sons I need all the encouragement I can get!
Oh, and if you haven't read
Generation NeXt Parenting yet, then make sure to check it out. I give more ideas about how to train our kids while also being a helpmate to our husbands. The men in our lives deserve nothing less.
© Tricia Goyer
Packing, Life, and Travel Prep
Right now our suitcases are 90% packed for the Czech Republic, our curriculum is close to being finished for the English camp, and my to-do list of things I need to finish before we head out is getting smaller.
I just had to tell you about one of the cool things we did before our trip ... we actually installed a new lock on our front door! Exciting, I know!
Actually, we are very excited about it, and we've been showing it off to friends. It's a combination lock, and it was VERY important to install it for my grandma. You see, my 78-year-old grandmother lives with us, and even though we have many people checking up on her, she'll be spending more time alone during our trip than she's used to. She'll also be letting herself in and out of her house when we're gone.
For as long as she'd lived with us, grandma has had trouble with the deadbolt lock. You had to get the key in just right for it to work. Bothersome even for me!
Grandma's also one of those people who changes her purse with her outfit, so there's been times she's left the house and has forgotten her key in "the other purse." This hasn't been too much of a problem when we're around to let her in ... but we'll be in Europe! So ... we found this awesome Schlage lock that has a keypad. You just punch in the right code and the lock opens with a simple twist of the knob.
We were able to give Grandma a code (one she'll remember) and with a push of a few buttons she's inside. It's also awesome because we can give separate codes to all those people that we've asked to check in on Grandma. In fact, we can program 19 different codes if we want to. (And my husband thinks it's great. He's a gizmo person so this was right up his alley. And it was easy to install, too!)
The kids love the new lock, too ... and we've been showing it off to all our friends who've been over. You can find out more information here:
http://consumer.schlage.com/mediaroom/default.aspOkay, so that's taken care of. It's marked off my to-do list ... and I have a whole lot more piece of mind for the trip! Now ... if I can just figure out a code to water all my plants ...
Friday Flashback...
This is Leslie with Maddie Martinusen. Who knew their moms would grow up to be published authors? What a ride that has been!
Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.
The Little Things
This morning I got the same messages from two different devotional books I'm reading. What are the odds??? There are no odds, because I know in God's kingdom everything is for a purpose.
So what are these messages?
1. God desires you to be faithful with the small assignments He's given you before He moves you on to bigger ones. He's more concerned with character--training you into the type of person He can use.
2. When God gives you an assignment, the timing is now. Not next week or next year. He has chosen this timing for a reason.
3. The most important person is the one right in front of you. Jesus was the perfect example of this.
4. No one seeks the things of God unless God is at work.
So, how am I going to apply this? I already have.
First, I was on my exercise bike when my daughter came into the room.
"What are you doing today, Mom?" she asked.
I was reading, but I put the book down. We chatted about nothing in particular, but it was nice. I showed her she was important. Later, I noticed her whole attitude was great. She even went out of her way to be nice to her brother, go figure.
Second, my youngest son had a frown. His dad had limited his video game time per day, and it had him stressed out.
"What am I going to do instead?" he asked.
We talked about some things he liked, including two hobbies he enjoys but hasn't developed: dog training and cartooning. I told him I'd put some books and videos on hold for him at the library for him.
After we talked, his face brightened. "Thanks Mom."
They are little things. Or are they? I know that most of the time I run through my day with MY agenda in mind. I'm going to continue to work on these four things, leaving the leading up to the Lord.
Who knows what will come out of it? Peaceful hearts? Better family connections? Friends and family members who come to Christ better? Strangers that join God's kingdom?
Now that will be well-worth finding out.
© Tricia Goyer
Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.
Needing Something More
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. And instead of worshipping the glorious ever-living God, they worshipped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever.Romans 1:21-23, 25 (NLT)
Every year billions of dollars are spent by advertisers to make us believe that what we have and who we are aren't enough. That we need something "better"-looks, food, toys, fun. You name it.
I'm as guilty as the rest when it comes to getting caught up in what the world offers. I'm quick to whip out my VISA card and slow to distinguish my needs from my wants.
And it's not only "things" that draw me-just the other day I took my daughter to get her hair cut and found myself eagerly flipping through the pages of People magazine-catching up on who's dating whom and who's wearing what, and lapping up those voyeuristic photos of glamorous stars caught in their sweatpants and ball caps while shopping at the grocery store.
When I take the time to think about it, I realize how silly this tug is. The people we idolize are simply people, after all. The 'stuff' we desire is nothing more than man's attempt to create something beautiful and worthwhile. The successes we strive after are limited in scope and nature.
So why do we get caught up in worshipping the world's idols? And more important how can we keep our kids from falling into the same trap? First, we must to realize that we are being deceived by the world's definition of "need". I think by continually focusing on our living God we can train ourselves and our kids to not live apart from the world, but to serve Him in it. We can train ourselves to distinguish between reality and lies.
You can help your child find freedom from the world's idols when you teach them the following truths:
1. Not every thought that comes to our mind is from us. (Job 1:6-28)
2. Work to equalize the pressure inside our kids' souls. (2 Timothy 3:13-16)
3. Realize God's desire is not that we live apart from the world, but to serve Him in it. (Romans 14:17-18)
4. Study the things the world attempts to glorify and compare those things to God. (Romans 1:21-23, 25)
5. Remind your children who will be around to satisfy us in the long run. (Psalm 77:11-12)
© Tricia Goyer
How Much is Too Much?
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God-you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration-what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body. You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)
Let's talk children and organized activities. How much is too much and which ones are right for your children?
Who could need us more, but our children? Who could be more powerless than our children? They need us and trust us to do right by them. In our hearts we truly want our children to have the best of everything. The problem arises when what we think is "best" for our children is different from what their Maker designed.
My two oldest children love books and movies, drama, giving speeches, and music. Looking back, I can clearly see how many years I wasted trying to make them participate in the activities all the other kids were doing.
My youngest son makes up creative stories, and then he and his friends act out these adventures with their Beanie Babies. How sad it makes me now to think of those countless hours he spent mindlessly maneuvering around the basketball court, following coaches orders. I forced him to sign up-"for socialization and exercise," I told myself. I realize now he could have received both by running around the front yard with his friends, leading them on fanciful adventures.
In forming our children, God did not create empty vessels, making it the parent's job to fill them, to form their personalities, and to insert creativity or skill into their brain. Rather, God designed our children and turned them over to us to mold into the shape He's already crafted. We need to become students of our children and discover their unique shapes. We also need to give them time to be children and not fill up every spare moment with planned activities.
Questions to ask yourself:
Why am I signing my child up for this activity?
Am I doing it so my child won't be left out?
Have I asked God His thoughts?
Does this activity fit in with my child's natural talents?
Does this activity accomplish peace in our household?
© Tricia Goyer
