Childishness v. Disobedience

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp is an outstanding book--Carrie's most recent post gave a great segment of it on communication with children.

Another reminder in that book that I've been mulling over with a friend of mine recently is the difference between childish behavior and defiant behavior. When children are young (i.e. toddler/preschooler), it's very important to discern whether or not your child is being childish (accidentally knocked the milk over when he reaches for his fork) v. defiant (knocking the milk over intentionally after you told him not to touch it). Sometimes it's a hard line to draw, but more often than not, I think we react to simple childishness in ways that are more appropriate for defiance/disobedience. The communication steps Carrie referred to in her post are great for this: would the time when your child knocks the milk over be a time for censure? (for defiance) for warning or instruction (for childish behavior)? for encouragement (accident and the child is upset)?

I've been thinking through my New Year's Goals (a whole post coming on why I make goals instead of resolutions!), and one of them is to slow down so I can really train my children well. Part of that slowing down means I will take the time to think through my children's behavior more instead of simply reacting the same way all the time.

Communicating To Our Children

Well, I wish I could say I came up with this...but no. This is actually taken from a book, Shepherding a Child's Heart. A friend in a Bible study sent this to us and she keeps it posted around her house with big Stop signs to remind her before she acts out of hand:

Rich Biblical Forms of Communication

Encouragement Correction Rebuke Entreaty

Instruction Warning Teaching Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:14

“Warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak,

be patient with everyone”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Encouragement:Children need communication designed to inspire and fill with hope & courage. Help them assess the reasons for disappointment; help them understand the promises of God. You can help them to find courage, hope and inspiration from God, who draws near to the brokenhearted and contrite.

Correction:Correction gives your children insight into what is wrong and what may be done to correct the problem. Correction helps your children to understand God’s standard and teaches them to assess their behavior against the standard.

Rebuke:A rebuke censures behavior. Sometimes a child must experience your sense of alarm, shock and dismay at what he has done or said. Followed by instruction, encouragement and prayer.

Entreaty:This communication is earnest & intense. It involves pleading, soliciting, urging and even begging. An earnest pleading for a child to act in wisdom & faith. It is reserved for use in cases of great import. Proverbs 23:26

Instruction:Instruction is the process of providing a lesson, a precept, or information that will help your children to understand their world. Children need a framework in which they can understand life. King Solomon’s proverbs are a rich source of information about life.

Warning:A warning is merciful speech. A warning faithfully alerts us to danger while there is still time to escape unharmed. An alert parent can enable his child both to escape danger and learn in the process. Warning preserves. The warning is an application of the sowing and reaping principle that we find operative throughout scripture.

Teaching:Teaching is the process of imparting knowledge. Teaching is causing someone to know something. Sometimes, teaching takes place before it is needed. It is often most powerfully done after a failure or problem.

Prayer: Our most penetrating insights into our children will often come as they pray. Hearing you pray will communicate your faith in God to your child

12 Days of Christmas

This is a fun 12 days of Christmas version. Enjoy.

12 Days of Christmas Song

Interesting Nativity Facts:

Well, I have a major cold, still haven't sent out the Christmas cards, and got sprung with a surprise appraisal on a very messy house. So, I thought I would just jot down some fun Nativity facts that you may or may not know (since the brain isn't going to produce anything else of value!)

1. We don't know if Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem. It never says in the Bible. However, if she WERE to ride on something, it probably was a donkey because they were cheaper.

2. The Bible also doesn't specifically mention that they stayed in a stable. But where else do you find a manger.

3. I wonder if the shepherds abandoned all their sheep when they went and saw Jesus, or left someone behind to watch them...poor fellow who got left if that's the case.

4. They do say a new star was in the sky that night, and that the wise men noticed. They were Magi, which means they would know astronomy (not astrology as some thought).

5. There weren't just 3 wise men. Actually the Bible doesn't state how many there were. It was just plural, meaning more than one. They brought 3 different types of gifts which is where the 3 comes from. (Interesting...those are some of the same spices used for burials of kings I think. And they used to use them around the Tabernacle for sacrifices and to annoint the Tabernacle.)

6. The wise men probably came when Jesus was closer to 2 years old.

7. I wonder if Mary walked to Bethlehem and that's what put her into labor?...could have been part of God's plan.

8. "Santa" didn't appear until the 19th century. Which means he wouldn't be found kneeling at the manger. (Sorry for whoever likes those decorations.)

9. The day Jesus was born does not start the "A.D." (Anno Domini) System of dating. He was probably born between 7 and 2 B.C. But it is the basis for which A.D. was started...(maybe the Magi helped with that? Hhhmmmm....)

10. This is NOT necessarily the day that Jesus was born. It was just the day set aside for it, probably corresponding with a Roman festival or Winter Solstace.

Merry Christmas...Go ahead and make a birthday cake if you would like :-).

The Advent Book

If you are looking for a great family tradition, this is a fabulous book. My parents gave us this several years ago, and the kids fight to open the doors. Each day you open a door that tells the story of the birth of Jesus. I found it on Amazon.

Wednesday Equals Wash Day

So, when you move all your laundry needs to one day, as I have done, your house undergoes an interesting makeover on the Big Day. I decided to let the kids enjoy the myriad baskets of laundry since it would all be clean and out of reach by the end of the day. Anyone else's house ever look like this?

Wednesday Equals Wash Day

So, when you move all your laundry needs to one day, as I have done, your house undergoes an interesting makeover on the Big Day. I decided to let the kids enjoy the myriad baskets of laundry since it would all be clean and out of reach by the end of the day. Anyone else's house ever look like this?

Free Advent Coloring Pages

These are pages that your child can color, one for each day in December. They have scripture on the bottom of each one telling the Christmas story. This is a fabulous site with lots of free printables, craft ideas, etc. I have used it a ton.

DLTK's Advent Coloring Pages

Present Blunders

Ok, this is totally to make you all laugh and feel a little better about yourself. I'm not even that old! (I had Betsy practically in tears...). So, last week was tiring and rough, especially Tuesday, when I told my darling (HAH!) 5 yr old to stay in his room till Daddy got home. So my hubby let me escape and go finish painting a teacup for my niece's birthday (that was in October!). Well...almost done and the lady says "why don't you date the bottom." Sure says frazzled brain. Well, it was for this past October (2008) and her birthday is in the 20's. What I put was 10 (got that right)-18-2009. Don't ask....just laugh till you cry. I don't even know the brain malfunction to come up with that. I'm not dating things any more!! (I messed up the twins date on their cups too....)

A Season of Advent

This past week I have found myself in a state of tiredness (left from Thanksgiving, cold, etc.) and a little stressed over the Christmas presents not gotten, and realized I am doing the very thing I swore I wouldn't do this year.

Last year was a very different Christmas season for our family. The weeks proceeding were filled with chaos, stuff, stress, etc. Then Christmas Eve, into the wee morning hours of Christmas day, my husband and I sat in a hospital room hearing the news that our baby boy had died at 16 weeks into the pregnancy. On what should have been a joyous holiday, we were in a state of shock. However, as we spent hours in the hospital with all the procedures, I was so struck with the fact that this is WHY Christ came to earth. To rid us of all the pain, suffering and sin we have to deal with. I had never experienced Christ's birth in such a real way before. And had never slowed down as much as I was forced to then to really think.

The Advent season is usually the 4 weeks preceding Christmas, or the day we celebrate Christ's birth. Wikipedia defines it as: "the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus." It's the excitement of children, counting down the days. It's the realization that we are a blessed people with a loving God, who cares so much.

In light of advent, I have quit school (we home school) for the season, and will be spending time with my boys. Last Christmas, I would have gladly said "come quickly Lord." But I have two little ones who need to also want the same. So we may not buy or make a gift for everyone we know, or run ragged to every event. But we will enjoy what we will do, and hopefully they will catch the true Christmas spirit-the season of Advent, and understand why we celebrate. My hope is that amidst the chaos, you will too.

A Busy Day in the Life Of...

Today was an exceptionally busy day--the actual schedule didn't have much on it, but when you factor in the three small children.... All you moms out there can show this to someone who thinks you don't do anything all day. There's also an interesting news article being circulated on this same topic and my friend Alicia posted it on her blog. I certainly have many days where we are "just" at home and the workload feels very different. But this is a good example of any day where I might have an errand scheduled.

Actual scheduled items: 3-year old check up at the doctor at 10:30 a.m.; Christmas party at 6:30 p.m. No biggie, right? Read on... (Times are approximate)

• 7:00: I wake up, shower, get dressed, etc.
• 7:30: Get kids up, dress boys (the Dynamic Duo henceforth)
• 8:00: Help get hubby out the door, give kids milk and dry cereal to tide them over, let dogs out,....
• 8:30: Feed kids: scrambled eggs, toast, clementines; check email while kids are eating; call Alondra (my friend who was planning to keep the boys in addition to her own 4 children during the Elf's 3-year-old check up); put diaper bag and sippy cups in car
• 9:00: Herd kids upstairs and deposit in boys' room; quickly wrap hats and mittens as early Christmas gift from "Mimi" (one of their grandmothers); give presents out and take pictures for aforementioned, absent grandmother; try hats on and boys' are too small; add hats to bag of Target returns/exchanges
• 9:15: Bathe the Elf
• 9:45: Start the car (it was 25 degrees outside...); change Dynamic Duo's diapers; bundle kids up; answer phone; herd them downstairs (which means I make two trips, carrying a boy each time); grab Target bag and purse; herd kids to car (again, 2 trips)
• 10:00: Leave; run by neighbor's who just called and drop off Christmas goodies (pecans and almonds)
• 10:15: Arrive at Alondra's; unload kids, diaper bag, sippy cups; give final instructions (yes, the Dynamic Duo can eat anything you want to give them for lunch)
• 10:30: Arrive at doctor's right on time--truly amazing! I even managed to have her Christmas gift with us--more pecans--but forgot the Elf's urine sample; thankfully she actually could pee in the cup this time! (please, those of you who know me, no comments on peeing in the cup issues! :) )
  
• 11:30: Leave doctor's and head for Target; returns and exchanges at Target (including new hats for the Dynamic Duo)
• 12:00: Get gas at Kroger (so cheap today!)
• 12:15: Chick-Fil-A drive thru for lunch for the Elf and me; 3 milkshakes to split between 6 kids and two adults--thank you gift for Alondra!
• 12:30: Arrive back at Alondra's; divvy up milkshakes and slurp them down (inhale chicken sandwich)
• 1:00: Pack kids back up in car; thank Alondra; drive home singing and making funny noises to keep the Dynamic Duo awake
• 1:30: Unload kids; herd them upstairs; change diapers; try on new hats and take more pictures; put Dynamic Duo down for naps
• 2:00: Upload pictures and send to absent grandmother; check email; put on White Christmas for the Elf
  
• 2:15: Start something for kids' early dinner; Wrap white elephant present; gather Christmas party stuff (white elephant present, appetizer stuff, Christmas gift for hostess/friend, sheets and pac-n-play)
• 2:45: Chat with friend on phone while picking up stuff around the house
  
• 3:00: Another neighbor stops by to return a borrowed tablecloth and leaves with her gift of pecans (almost done passing those out!)
• 3:15: Pin and hem fleece blanket for the Elf's Christmas present
• 4:00: Wake Dynamic Duo up; change clothes/diapers; herd downstairs
• 4:15: Early dinner! Load car up with all the miscellaneous stuff needed for evening party (including snuggly sleep aids!); Call friend and ask to borrow pac-n-play for evening
• 5:00: Load kids up into car (after bundling up in fleeces and new hats); Have frantic phone conversation with equally frantic fellow mom/friend
• 5:15: Leave (actually it was closer to 5:30--the time I said I would arrive at the friend's house I was borrowing the pac-n-play from)
• 6:00: Arrive at friend's house and pick up pac-n-play
• 6:30: Arrive at friend's house who was throwing party; Begin unloading food, kids, gear
• 7:00: Set up pac-n-plays while hubby (who met me at the party) watches kids; set out food; get snacks for kids; decide boys are tired and begin bedtime process for them
• 7:30: Dynamic Duo is quiet in their respective pac-n-plays and the Elf is watching a movie with the same kids the boys played with earlier in the day! The Dynamic Duo made a few peeps throughout the evening, but in general we got to relax and have a good time with friends
• 9:30: Kids' movie is over and we begin to pack everyone/everything up
• 10:15: (yes, it took 45 minutes to gather sleeping toddlers, dismantle pac-n-plays, load up car!) We left the party; Kids were all asleep in minutes.
• 11:00: Arrive home and begin unloading--3 trips up our stairs, once for each kid (usually hubby helps with this, but he stayed at the party--he'll have kid duty tomorrow morning when I head to a ladies' brunch all by my lonesome!). Take off kids' jeans and put on softer sweats, but leave them in their same shirts/sweaters for sleeping!
• 11:30: Write this because it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
• 11:45: Head to bed (oh... should feed the dogs I guess)
  

What do I do on the days we are at home? Laundry day might include 6 loads of laundry; a trip to Kroger for weekly groceries on "Errand Day" takes 2+hours counting loading/unloading time--that does not count putting the groceries up once we get home; a trip to the gym for a 1/2 hour workout takes 1 1/2 hours; story time; playing outside; feeding kids;.....

Top Five Consumable Gifts

Consumable gifts include anything that the recipient can consume. Food and drink pop into mind immediately, but this category also includes art supplies, gift certificates, classes, magazine subscriptions, etc. Why are consumable gifts fun to give/receive? They are often something the recipient really enjoys and is constantly in need of (think: an avid scrapbooker will always appreciate more fun paper and stickers; a golf aficionado will enjoy taking a class or two to brush up on his skills); they show some thoughtfulness on the giver's part; they don't clutter up the house!

Here are the top five consumable gifts my husband and I have given/received:

1. Classes: These are so much fun to receive. We've taken cooking classes and woodworking classes and given cooking classes and golf lessons. Photography classes, art classes, stained glass classes, cake decorating classes, the sky's the limit! Check out local hobby shops, cooking stores, and the internet. We've found that $40 is a good ball park number for most of these.
2. Food and drink: Whether homemade, from a gourmet store, or simply a well put together basket of goodies, food and drink are always appropriate. Give a nice gift of Omaha steaks, put together your own scone mix and include a jar of lemon curd, buy a nice bottle of wine, make up some spice mixes, make your own jelly, .... the options are endless! This might be especially nice if you know someone on a restricted diet (gluten free, for instance). Hunt down something delicious that is on their allowed diet!
3. Hobby Supplies: Consumable supplies are anything the recipient uses up. Batteries, film (does anyone still use film?), art supplies, scrapbooking supplies, cake decorating supplies, model train supplies--even "boring" items like tape, glue, and carpentry pencils come in handy for those people on your list who are in their "shops" all the time!
4. Magazine Subscriptions: Does a child in your family love animals? Does someone love to cook? What about woodworking? Is your mother a gardener? There are endless magazines devoted to micro-specialties. If someone you know is interested in a particular area, a magazine subscription in that field might be the perfect gift.
5. Stationary: It's easy to buy nice, blank cards from an invitation store and "monogram" them using your home computer. You can also buy handmade cards from someone you know who stamps or embellishes cards. Even a big variety box of birthday cards would be a welcome gift to a shut-in who enjoys sending people birthday greetings. Individual cards get very expensive. You might consider including some stamps or writing the return address or some other small favor if you are giving these to someone who could benefit from that assistance.
   

Making Christmas Presents--Jalapeno Jelly

I won't bore our few faithful readers with accounts of all the Christmas gifts I've tried to make, but this one is such a good illustration of why I must start months ahead of time to finish anything these days. Making Jalapeno Jelly seemed like such a straightforward process; if you'd like the bare bones recipe for normal people, see full tummies. If you'd like to see what this process is like with 3 young children, read on.... Remember, it only takes about 2o minutes "active time" to make this.

Rewind back to late May: I planted my garden. I got such a late start because of aforementioned toddlers, so, the salsa ingredients I planted failed to mature all at the same time. (Read that as: hundreds of jalapenos, few tomatoes, and no bell peppers....) So, I was stuck with tons of jalapenos and decided that everyone was getting jalapeno jelly for Christmas this year! Genius, right?

August: Didn't have time to actually make the jelly, so I chopped up all the peppers and froze them.

Fall: bought all supplies for jelly making (pectin, jars, etc.).

November: Realized in a panic that I was planning to take all Christmas gifts for hubby's side of the family with us to Thanksgiving since we might not see them at Christmas. Time for jelly making (and finishing other Christmas presents, making shortbread, etc.). So, the day for jelly making arrives. Here's my day:

• Breakfast: while kids are eating, I retrieve all supplies from basement and other places. Pull peppers out of freezer. So far, so good. Oh--I fished out my big canning funnel from the kids' toy bin and gave it a good washing.
  
• Mid-morning: wash all jars and lids. Set big canning pot and stock pot on stove.
• Lunchtime: while kids are eating, I start jars sterilizing (takes FOREVER for water to boil in my big pot) and blend up peppers. Realize I'm 1/4 cup sugar short and SPRINT to neighbor's house with my key, purloin some sugar, sprint back (all in the rain), and make sure kids are still alive and well on planet Earth.
• Naptime: Well, only 2 of the 3 kids was napping (long story). But, still, the odds are in my favor. So, we begin the actual 15-20 minute process by placing pepper/vinegar/sugar mixture in pot on stove and turn the burner on. This only has to come to a rolling boil and boil for a few minutes...
• AS SOON AS I TURN THE BURNER ON: Twin A (the lucky one downstairs with me) has a dirty diaper. Might not be cause for immediate attention on a normal day, but this was the first one in a couple of days. Move pot of pepper mixture off burner and tend to diaper.
• Wash hands and begin again. This time I make it to the point when I'm actually pouring the hot mixture into the hot jars and daughter starts screaming bloody murder (upstairs in her room). I screw hot bands on hot lids and hot jars (burning my fingers) and throw them all into the pot and race upstairs (scooping up Twin A). She'd gotten the mini blinds cord around her neck.... (sigh). Yes, it could have been bad, but this time it just scared her (and me). We spend some time comforting and snuggling and discussing why that's not a good idea to do EVER AGAIN. Then, we all three march back downstairs just in time to take jars out of water bath. Did I decide to do the needed second batch that same day? Nope... We'll save that adventure for an evening when kids are in bed and hubby is at home.
• Verdict: 6 half-pints of beautiful and tasty jelly; 3 safe kids; 1 pooped mom.
  

Enjoying the Holidays

This year, I'm 100% committed to enjoying the holidays, beginning with Thanksgiving: my all-time favorite holiday. What could be better than a day with family and friends, gathered around the best meal of the year, and thanking the Lord together for his abundant blessings?!

But I digress. Here's what I'm vowing "publicly" to not do during this holiday season:

• Complain about dealing with other holiday shoppers (we're big fans of amazon.com, usps.com, and other sorts of internet dealers!)
• Complain about the weather (after all, that's partly why these holidays are so much fun--we get to snuggle up next to the fireplace!)
• Complain about my waistline... ahem...
• Complain about "all that I have to do"
• Throw a big Christmas party that involves lots of work beforehand
• Stress about getting the perfect gift
• Plan lots of homemade gifts (I am working on a few that I've been working on... and they're almost done! No more after these are finished!)
  
• Plan to decorate my house as if it was going to be pictured in Southern Living
• Complain about traveling over the holidays
  

Here's what I'm vowing to do:

• Enjoy teaching my 3-year-old more about the real meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas
• Enjoy giving gifts of all shapes and sizes to people of all shapes and sizes
• Enjoy sending out our Christmas cards because it reminds me of all the many friends and family we have
• Enjoy eating the luscious holiday treats... in moderation
• Enjoy spending time with friends and families
• Enjoy making sugar cookies with my daughter (and decorating them!)
• Enjoy raking leaves and other fall-ish outdoor activities with my kids
• Enjoy sitting before the fireplace with my husband (even though we'll be telling our kids "Don't touch" the whole time since they LOVE the fire screen...)
• Thank the Lord for such wonderful reminders of his grace in our lives and Jesus's ultimate sacrifice on our behalf!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Top Five: Holiday Gifts for Teachers

Well, gift-giving time is fast approaching, so it's time to start throwing ideas out into the blog world! You might consider giving your child's teacher a gift this next week as a thanks to him or her for his or her hard work! Christmas gifts abound, but Thanksgiving gifts are quite rare. Just a thought! I wrote a little post a while back on great gifts for teachers that work any time of the year. Below are some new ones that seem particularly suited to the holidays (remember, in my five years of teaching middle and high school, I received many, many holiday gifts of various sorts...this list comes from experience! I also have my fair share of random trinkets, ornaments, candle holders, etc....).

1. Gift Certificates for personal items: clothing stores and bookstores are the best!
2. Gift Certificates for classroom items: many teachers buy items for their classrooms out of their own pockets. A gift certificate to someplace like Schoolbox would come in handy!
3. Edible Goodies: I'd recommend you not wait until the last week of the semester to send in something edible. I once got so many edible gifts that I thew a Christmas party to use them all up--seriously! So, send some cookies in the first week of December or bake a loaf of banana bread or pumpkin chocolate chip muffins or scones this coming week for your child's teacher to enjoy over the Thanksgiving Break.
4. A Meal for the Freezer! Seriously, folks, if I'd received this during a crunch week (or just ahead of a crunch week) when I was teaching, what a gift this would have been! If your child's teacher has children at home to feed, this would be a tremendous help. If your child's teacher is single or married with no kids, pack up a smaller portion. Comfort food always works: Chicken Pot Pie or Cheeseburger Meatloaf would be great options.
5. Relaxation Rx: Gift certificate to a restaurant and movie tickets plus offer to babysit; gift certificate to Blockbuster plus some microwave popcorn and some hot chocolate mix; you get the idea!

Go thank those hard-working teachers!

Power Cooking

My friend Bridgette and I spoke at her MOPS group recently. (Check out Bridgette's great Favorite Things blog--she reviews all her favorite kid-related products, including her MOPS group!) We spoke about Power Cooking: cooking meals for your freezer, whether you spend an entire day cooking an entire month's worth of meals, or simply do a "daily double" here and there (doubling recipes here and there to keep a steadily rotating supply of meals in the freezer).

This is a great time of year to stash a few extra goodies away in your freezer. Comfort food (think chili, chicken pot pie, etc.) usually freezes well and is so welcome after a day out Christmas shopping or just in the midst of a busy holiday season. You can even freeze cookies and other desserts if you need to get a head start on holiday treats.

I'll try to get our MOPS handout up at full tummies soon, but if you're interested in Power Cooking, check out full tummies--it's loaded with freezer meal recipes, a great original post on cooking for your freezer that Carrie wrote (she used to work at one of those assemble-your-own-meals-for-your-freezer places and has lots of experience). Carrie contributed the Stuffed Braided Bread and Maple Honey Mustard Pork Chops recipes in particular. They're yummy!

Teabag: In Christ Alone

No matter what your feelings were over this last week...We sang this in Church this morning. One of my favorite hymns, or praise hymns (not in the Trinity Hymnal). I hope you can relish the words as I did. It says it all!

In Christ Alone: (1st and 4th stanzas)
In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all--Here in the love of Christ I stand.

No guilt in life, no fear in death--this is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from his hand;
Till he returns or calls me home--here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Savoring a Cup of Tea: Praying for our Leaders

I must first confess that I do not pray for our political leaders or our nation like I should. It takes a big presidential election, a national tragedy, or something similar to drive me to my knees before the throne of God.

That being said, it seems that the Holy Spirit has been hard at work convicting me of this during the last few days. Carrie posted an excellent post on Monday about praying for our nation and its leaders. A friend of mine and I committed to holding each other accountable for praying for our nation regularly; specifically, she's going to be praying for Supreme Court justices (that old ones won't retire and/or that new ones appointed will be conservative) and for issues related to protecting the unborn (abortion, stem cell research funding, etc.). She'll also be praying for our president-elect. To add to these two convicting points, our women's Bible study is currently studying Acts. What was our passage this week? Paul's (Saul's) Damascus Road experience. If Paul can be saved--he who was not only persecuting the early church, but zealously persecuting believers--than anyone can be turned around by the gospel. Paul not only was saved dramatically, but he went on to author (through the Holy Spirit) most of our New Testament. Clearly, my faith is weak. I hardly ever think of praying for the salvation of those leading our country; I hardly ever think of praying that the Lord will use them powerfully for the sake of the gospel, especially if their track record/stated beliefs are the to the contrary. Imagine what could happen if the Lord convicted whoever is our Commander in Chief and that man (or woman) went on to be the kind of zealous Christian Paul was! Hmmm.... Something to think about.

And then, the final convicting moment came last night when my husband handed me a list of ways to pray for President-Elect Barak Obama that he'd received at his book club. These are excellent and should be applied to any and every Commander in Chief! You can read them here (the thoughts/list were written by Presbyterian (PCA) pastor Ligon Duncan).

So, folks, let's pray for our country and its leaders!! By God's grace, anyone can become a force for the gospel, spreading its truth. By God's grace, anyone can be convicted of sin. By God's grace, our Supreme Court justices could become Christians. Our President and President-Elect could spread the truth of the gospel. Our nation could uphold the sanctity of life--human life that is made in the image of God. By God's grace, our freedoms to speak publicly of these very things could be upheld. So, add our nation and its leaders to your regular prayer list if you haven't already done so.

VOTE!!!!!

If you didn't early vote or vote by absentee ballot, then today's the day!!! Please do not let this opportunity to make your voice heard pass you by. Your vote does matter and the principle of thing matters. Many countries in the world do not allow their citizens the privilege of voting for anything, much less for a major election like our presidential race. And think of how hard our "foremothers" worked to earn this privilege for us women! Cast that ballot, ladies. Don't take this for granted. You'll also be setting a great model of active citizenship for your young'un's. I remember my mom taking this seriously when I was growing up (she still takes it seriously and voted by absentee ballot because she would be out of town on the big day--yea, Mom!).

One Nation Under God

Well, I know everyone is on pins and needles. I also think every TV will be on tomorrow night. But ultimately, it comes down to a few things.


1. God's candidate will win. And no I am not talking about Obama or McCain...but the one God wants in office. We can't know and can't predict the future of our country. The ONLY thing we have to rely on is our trust that God always knows best.


2. Pray for our country. Have you ever considered that if your candidate didn't win...God might be teaching you a little more in faith and prayer. Pray for whoever is in office. I think many of us get lax in praying for our leaders when we think they are OK. But even good leaders can turn bad....or bad leaders can turn good.


3. Pray for your fellow countrymen. I am always amazed and how patriotism is getting less and less. And that doesn't mean you do or don't believe in war. It means you are proud of our country, its values and beliefs. I think our founding Fathers would be horrified. But we can teach our children what our country was founded on, and what it stands for.


4. Pray for your service to our country. We have the privilege to vote. We have the privilege of freedom. And we have a witness to others. Why do the French always act rude to us....maybe we act rude to them. What kind of image do we give off to our fellow Americans and to those from other countries?

So pray for our Nation Under God. And pray we will be a nation under God. The founders of this country went out on a limb....traveled miles of dangerous sea....all because they wanted the freedom to worship their God. I don't know many of us today that would do the same. But they had a strong belief and a passion for that belief, and a trust that God would protect them and see them through. And our country became one of the strongest in the world. With Thanksgiving approaching, we might could learn a little about faith from our founding fathers.