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Pork Roast a la Sally- Discipleship a la Feasting

May 22, 2013 by  · 5 Comments
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Strange to see how a good dinner and feasting reconciles everybody!
Warm smells of onions, apples, thyme and roast fill our home with delectable temptation as my sweet children come through the front door. Usually bread is rising and the yeasty aromas mixed with the lovely herbs of roasting pork is enough to calm frayed nerves, soothe exhaustion from a day spent in busyness. And all of this speaks to my children and their friends of a sanctuary where all will find life and peace.
When people ask me how I influenced my children to love God and to love home, I often try to come up with something deep, spiritual, insightful and wise and hopefully I have learned some principles of wisdom that have influence my children’s hearts.
Yet, often, I have realized that it is the times shared over meals, the time filling our hunger with wonderful tastes and smells and delight that has wrought as much pleasure and comfort–all of this, that has reached the depths of their hearts for Christ and His ways.
The colors God made, the pleasures he wanted his children to enjoy, the tastes and smells and sounds and life itself stirs a heart alive, inspires a soul to hope in the beauty of the life shared moment to moment each day. This week we have had a celebration of an engagement, two birthdays, mother’s day a week late and lots of eating. But the fellowship and laughter and conversation around the table has set memories for years to come.
The food was the frame that set up the picture of our days shared. I thought I would share with you my own roast pork concoction–so very easy and so very satisfying and impressive.
Filed Under: Cultivating A Life, Events, Family LIfe, Intentional Living, Mealtimes, Uncategorized

Tips On Memorizing Scripture With Children!

May 17, 2013 by  · 6 Comments

Tips On Memorizing Scripture With Your Children!

How can a young man keep his way pure?
            By keeping it according to Your word.

With all my heart I have sought You;
            Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

Your word I have treasured in my heart,
            That I may not sin against You.” ~Psalm 119:9-11

I’ve always loved the story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who, when she visited her cousin Elisabeth who was also miraculously with child, couldn’t stem the tide of scripture and praise that came bubbling up from her young soul. What a picture of being full to overflowing with the Lord (in more ways than one!) and what an example to all of us of what we surely need to be filling our own hearts with.

You’ve probably listened in awe yourself to a child reciting scripture at some point–whether at some church awards ceremony, a homeschool event, or maybe at the end of your local VBS week. It’s pretty awe-inspiring to hear little lips quoting verses, passages, even chapters! And recently Ann Voskamp, Beth Moore and many others have spearheaded movements among many adults to follow the little one’s example–a wonderful reminder, to be sure. Why is it, I wonder, that we encourage our children to do so many things we ourselves don’t do? Ahhh, but that’s another post. ;-)  

When my older children were younger children (it seems many moons ago!) memorizing scripture was part of our homeschool curriculum planning guide, and so it was quite easy to remember to actually do it (ahem). Life has gotten topsy-turvy since then, and I’m sorry to say that memorizing scripture has been moved to a back burner. I thought perhaps some of you sweet mamas out there might also need some encouragement and ideas to help you as you endeavor to add scripture memory to your own family habits, so here are a few tips and thoughts from our house to help along the way! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultivating A Life, Family LIfe, Intentional Living, Mealtimes

When a Band Aid Is Not Enough

May 14, 2013 by  · 5 Comments

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We had been looking forward to Mary’s games all week. Our family had special plans to see Mary play then go out for a nice dinner together which for a big family is a big deal…at least financially. My oldest daughter was bringing her boyfriend. My mom and step dad were coming. I had two of the younger children with me. We even brought the puppy, which we regretted by the second inning of the first game:)

As a single working mom it has been hard to make a lot of Mary’s games as they are typically during the busiest part of my work day. So this was a treat all the way around.

Mary didn’t play the first game, which was unusual, but we enjoyed the game anyway expecting her to start game two. Up to this point, Mary had only sat out on college game as a freshman due to an injury. When she didn’t play game two either, we were disappointed but supported the team nonetheless. As a mom, I was dreading that dinner as I knew how upset Mary would be. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultivating A Life, Family LIfe, Uncategorized

Deepening Friendships (Upon Leaving My Friends)

May 12, 2013 by  · 10 Comments

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It’s late at night and I’ve just returned from a visit to an Urgent Care center with my son who was showing some troubling symptoms. On my way there, one of my close friends got wind of what was happening and within moments of sitting down in the waiting room, my phone started beeping repeatedly with new text messages.

Several of my friends had been put on alert and were praying, sending kind words, and offering all kinds of help. That’s just how they are. God has graciously supplied irreplaceable girls in my life.

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The crushing part is that as I type, I’m sitting here surrounded by boxes. Our family is moving in a few days and, after four such moves in the last eight years, I know well the effect distance can have on friendships. They will still be some of my dearest friends, but the nature of our relationships will most likely change. Though I have no doubt new and wonderful friendships await where we’re going,  it’s an honor to carry memories of these ladies with me.

From childhood through the present, incredible girls have impacted and changed my life. Varying personalities and unique qualities contribute to the beautiful tapestry of relationships. The makings of deep friendship can be summed up in many ways, but here are a few things I’ve learned from those nearest to me. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultivating A Life, Family LIfe, Uncategorized

Why Titus 2?

May 7, 2013 by  · 1 Comment

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You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Titus 2: 1-5

As I sat in the conference room at the North Carolina Mom Heart conference, listening to Sally speak, I thought to myself: “Why am I at a conference to learn about being a mom?” When did this happen? Mothers in the 1850s didn’t need to attend conferences to learn how to mother more effectively. They were more interested in keeping their families fed than thinking about more effective ways to discipline. They learned that from their mothers. And their mothers learned from their mothers. I believe it was a very instinctual thing to raise their children. There was not a need to be trained to be a more effective mother. It just happened very naturally.

 

The culture has changed. All families are not the same. The moral landscape of where we live is so varied. In this day we truly have to fight for what God purposed.

 

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

~Colossians 2:8

The world is changing faster and faster every day. If we don’t keep in step with the principles of Christ, then we will be ultimately and easily deceived by the world. Thus, because of the ever changing and fast changing landscape of our world, it makes it all the more important to renew our minds with scripture and also with wise teachers such as at Mom Heart conferences in this day in age.

 

Why Titus 2? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultivating A Life, Intentional Living

Sometimes Step By Weary Step …

May 3, 2013 by  · 5 Comments

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“My dreams before motherhood were full of cuddling my darling babies, rocking them and nurturing them in our first years together.

I hadn’t counted on the weariness of years of being pregnant and nursing, of giving birth and having miscarriages. I didn’t have a realistic understanding of the many phases of motherhood that would demand all my strength–asthma, ear infections, tantrums, messes and fusses, thousands of mounds of dirty dishes and clothes, and countless days to fill with meaningful occupation, not to mention the training, correcting, and instruction of my children in righteousness.

I had no idea how often loneliness would literally overwhelm me as I strove to learn and be all that I needed to be for my family without the help of mentors or support systems in my life as we moved 16 times.

Yet many times, when I was tempted to quit taking so much time from my own life to give to my kids, when I felt like I simply couldn’t go on, I would creep away into my quiet corner to spend even a few minutes with the Lord. Without fail, He would use those stolen moments to show me how important my role was in the spiritual life and heritage of my children.

In those times, I glimpsed the goal of righteousness I was working toward and realized that I must reach it step-by-weary-step.”

~Sally Clarkson, The Mom Walk

And now, to see the fire of righteousness bubbling over in the conversations, the choices, the commitment of my adult children, I know that the choice to keep going in the direction of His ideals has made all the difference.

Those who wait for the Lord, who patiently follow after Him, will indeed gain new strength, they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint. And their work and their reward will be sure.

May you have a blessed and graceful weekend; and may you feel the Lord walking alongside you,  even step by weary step.

 

Filed Under: Cultivating A Life, Family LIfe, Sowing and Reaping, Uncategorized