Is Jesus celebrating with you?

Today, I read day 53 of "Jesus: 90 Days with the One and Only" by Beth Moore. It's a devotional book that requires some interaction- but nothing as intense as Mrs. Moore's Bible study. It really is a great book!

The Scripture reading is Luke 10:17-24, and 70 disciples have returned to Jesus after being sent and accomplishing their mission. What a celebration! Jesus was "full of joy through the Holy Spirit!" Moore explains, in discussing the original language, "The word for Jesus' joy is -agalliao- meaning 'to exult, leap for joy, to show one's joy by leaping and skipping, denoting excessive or ecstatic joy and delight.'"

Jesus was very likely literally jumping up and down, celebrating the success of the disciples' mission and reminding them the truest cause to celebrate is that their names were written in heaven!! 

All the work you may be doing for Christ is reason to celebrate- but don't forget to celebrate the exciting truth that if you have placed your faith in Him, YOUR NAME IS WRITTEN IN HEAVEN! You are bound for a perfect eternity in His presence! WOW! This is reason to celebrate!

Daily living for Christ sounds a lot easier than it is, sometimes. I'm the world's worst at getting bogged down by all my "to do's" and the struggles of dealing with issues we face. But my heart desire truly is to live in such a way that Jesus LEAPS FOR JOY over me! Isn't that a beautiful thought?

Guilty. And terrified by it!

I am soooooo guilty of this one... are you?

When's the last time you prayed earnestly for your kids? Why is it so easy to get wrapped up in the busy-ness of life and forget about the eternal impact we are having, whether we're working on it or not? Being a mom or dad is never easy, and it seems like I'm always behind on something- running from one event or activity to the next, never having time to slow down and process...
let me rephrase that- never TAKING time to slow down and process.

I came across (and updated) a little card that my friend Becky Patterson gave me a million years ago. Becky and I, along with Tonya Lee, had a really special season of life together. We were all moms of toddlers and pregnant at the same time. We spent time together every week, sometimes more than once, and we prayed together on a regular basis for our kids and for our husbands! I can tell you, those were some of the sweetest days of my life, to date! What a blessing to have Christian friends who spent time praying for me and for my family...

This little card is entitled "How to Pray for your Children" and it goes something like this:

Pray that...
1. They will know Christ as Savior early in life!
2. They will have a hatred for sin.
3. They will be caught when guilty of sin.
4. They will be protected from the evil one in all areas of their lives.
5. They will respect those in authority over them.
6. They will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong friends.
7. They, as well as their future mate, will be kept pure until marriage.
8. They will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one.
9. They will totally submit to God and resist Satan in all circumstances.
10. They will be single-hearted and willing to be sold out to Jesus Christ!
11. They will be a witness for Christ to the world!

I have printed a bunch of these cards, and they are at the church for anyone who wants to pick one up to tuck into your Bible, the visor of your car, or tape to your bathroom mirror! Join me in praying for your children (and Lord help me... please pray for mine too!)

:) love in Christ, tracy

What are WE putting into our kids?

As a mom, sometimes I stop for just a second to think. Sometimes. Meaning really rarely... and this is an important step in parenting we need to incorporate into our days more often than we do! We're all busy, and it's so easy to get caught in the rut of getting up, getting busy, driving the mom-taxi, getting home, feeding people, and crashing, isn't it? Sleep (less than we ought to), get up, repeat!

Today, I have been pondering what I am putting into my kids, not just what I am putting my kids into. Sure they attend church, piano lessons and voice lessons, gymnastics, dance, various sports; those are things we put our kids into. But what am I putting INTO my kids. What am I speaking into their hearts and heads, and what am I putting into them through my actions?

Scripture tells us that as we are going, we should be constantly teaching our children about the word of God. I'm not sure why that's one of the easier things to put on the back burner in this world we live in, but it's definitely something that will fall out of the daily grind if we aren't focused on purposefully sharing truth with our children daily!

Our Sunday school class is studying a book on marriage, and Douglas Wilson points out that the marriage is the center of the family; when we care for our marriage, the family is healthier. Similarly, when we care for our bodies, our health flourishes. In this same pattern, when I as a Christian spend time in the Word of God alone, my parenting is much more effective!

Today, I'm praying that you as a parent are spending purposeful time in the Word, and that it is carrying over into your parenting. I am praying that you avoid the trap of seeing the world as the standard, and choose holiness as the standard for your family. I'm praying that you are sharing the truth of God's Word as you are going along throughout the day with your children. Mostly, I am praying all these things over my family and myself as well, because these are the struggles we have too.

Father, help me make my time with you a priority, even when there are a million things tugging at my mind and children tugging at my shirt. Remind me daily- even moment by moment- that sharing your truth with my children is more important than anything else I might have planned. Lord, help us to look to Jesus as our standard and not the world. Help us to open our eyes to the sin around us and the sin we are choosing to live in, and convict us so we may repent. We love you Lord, and we want to honor you in all we do and say and with all we are! Thank you for the mercy and grace You extended to us when You sent your only Son Jesus to die on the cross so that we might be restored to you in a relationship of love! I pray this for moms and dads and families across Selma, Alabama, the United States and this whole big world of yours, and I pray this for my own little family and for me. In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.

What does it mean when you say you're a "Baptist"?

Today I picked up a book for $10. The title is something like "Religions in 30 seconds" and the basic premise is the book is full of explanations that will take you 30 seconds to read. So all these religions are described in the book. Here are a few things that surprised me:

1. There wasn't just a page for Christianity. There are like...20. Because they divided it all up. I guess I thought that was kinda weird, but I suppose we have brought that on ourselves by dividing ourselves into a gazillion denominations...

2. The page about Baptist Christians said we only allow adults to be baptized. What?

3.They did kinda get the whole "believer's baptism" explanation right. Almost. There were definitely a few discrepancies.

Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't have bought the book. But it made me think... if they didn't get Baptist Christians right, I really don't trust the book to have any other religion descriptions right either. I just bought it to use it for a children's sermon sometime. :)

How many people around you have you spoken to about your faith? Would they say they have a good understanding of the Baptist faith, because they're your friends and you have clearly shared with them about your faith and why you chose to attend a Baptist church? For that matter, do you have a good understanding of the Baptist Faith and Message, our doctrinal statement of what we believe as a denomination? Perhaps it isn't really that important to you. I know it wasn't to me until I started taking classes like Baptist History! I am more and more thankful for our organizational committees and our foundational statement of faith as I grow older each year. There is definitely not a perfect church ANYWHERE. And there won't be until Jesus returns! We don't have to strive to be perfect either- the best things we can do as a church is to first love Go, then love each other and our community!

God bless you as you go about your business this week. I am praying for our church family this week, and for those around us. God open our eyes and help us to minister to those in our paths. Help us to open our mouths and share the gospel in love. We love you, Lord, and are so very thankful for Jesus!

tracy

May 2nd, 2013

While I should definitely be writing papers and wrapping up school assignments, I just have to share this first... tonight I watched as the Holy Spirit spoke to the heart of a precious young man, and held his hand as he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior! Tonight, I witnessed parents sharing the testimony of their own stories of accepting Christ with their son. Tonight, I watched one of our Bible drillers flip effortlessly to passages in the Bible because he has worked hard to learn where to find the books of the Bible. Tonight, the last passage I asked him to find, he opened right to the exact page where the verses he was asked to read were located. THAT was cool.

This family's story will be shared when they're ready, and this young man will be the one to tell you that he has committed his life to the Lord. So don't ask. I'm not telling. :) You won't have to wait long! But I am reflecting on a really special evening, and wanted to encourage every family with little ones to follow this family's lead on a few things:

1. Bring your kids to church.
This child knows a lot about the Bible, his Savior, and God's love. This is due of course to his parents' faith and the discussions in their homes, cars and around the table. But this is a family that is faithful to attend church and ensure that their kids are participating. The world is throwing enough garbage at our kids, and we need all the help we can get. Let's encourage each other to get our kids in church and keep them there. Let's also encourage each other by teaching, loving and directing each other's kids to the Truth. Will you join me in pointing our church family's children to the Word of God?

2. Pray with and for your kids.
As soon as we said AMEN, this young man's daddy was wrapping him in a bear hug, and reminding his son that he has been praying for this day, this decision, this most important moment! This family prays together around the dinner table, for the meal and for those around them who need a healing touch from the Lord. I bet if you attend our church and have been sick or hurting, they have lifted you up in prayer! Teaching your children to pray is so important! We are teaching children how to communicate with our awesome God, and we are teaching them that prayer works, that God answers prayer, and that He loves us and listens to us!

3. Share the gospel, and don't quit ever!
Accepting Christ is something we all want for our kids, but it isn't the end. It's the beginning! Now that this young man has dedicated his life to serving Jesus, it is our job to surround him with discipleship, prayer, love and support! Each child who accepts Christ (and adult too!) needs continued discipleship, and as a church family, we should provide it! The gospel isn't something we learn to be saved and move on. The gospel is IT. We never move on from the gospel and we should never tire of hearing about it! If you haven't shared the gospel with someone lately, look no further than home! Tell it to your kids, have them tell it back to you! We should know it so well, it slides seamlessly into conversations so we are able to lead others to Christ! This family has had repeated conversations with their son over the past year especially, since he started expressing an interest in the gospel and how it related directly to his life.
Chris shared the gospel from his heart on Sunday morning during the children's sermon. He wasn't supposed to do it that morning, and he had a completely different object lesson and message prepared, but he was obedient to the Lord and just shared the gospel. I have a cd now of my sweet husband sharing the gospel, and I can't think of anything in the world more valuable! Listening to it today brought me to tears and I am thankful that my children can cherish their daddy's voice speaking the most important message EVER long after we are gone! Can you think of anything better than that?!

4. Support each other.
Parenting is hard, scary, and wonderful all at the same time! We all need encouragement. We all need to hold somebody's hand sometimes and reassure them that it's going to be alright. We all need to be the recipient of that encouragement from time to time too! Find a way to encourage another mom or dad (maybe your spouse!) in love and in friendship. Do you have a friend you can call and pray with over the phone? I am so grateful for friends that will pray with and for me and with and for my kids! BE that friend. I'm thankful for this family, and for their role in my life in adjusting when we moved to Selma, welcoming us to First Baptist Church, and loving me like family. When I pulled up today at their house, their kids were having a great time outside and all waved to us like they hadn't seen us in forever! The love in this family is contagious and sweet. Teach your kids to love others like family, too!I am so proud to know this family that puts an emphasis on prayer, church and family! I know you will be too! Welcome to the Family, little brother!




*On that note, I would like to invite you ALL to our couples Sunday school class. This isn't a scary Bible drill kind of class. Nobody is going to quiz you on your Bible knowledge. This is a group of moms, dads, husbands, wives, and friends who genuinely love each other! You don't have to come as a pair, and several of us attend on our own. It's no big deal! Chris does a pretty good job teaching us, if I do say so myself. He is open to discussion but never puts anyone on the spot, and the mood in class is laid back. There is always coffee, which of course I love. :) Please join us Sunday mornings in room 217 in the building across from the sanctuary! We are supposed to start around 9:30 but we all understand running crazy on a Sunday morning trying to get kids to church, and don't usually get going until closer to 9:45 or even 10 some days!

parenting articles

Hi!
Here are a couple articles I read tonight. Thought I'd share. What do you think?

The first one is about "reality parenting" and I like the idea of letting kids realize the consequences of their actions and decisions.

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/effective_biblical_discipline/why_kids_misbehave/the_wonders_of_reality_discipline.aspx

The second article hits close to home, because it's about the issue of an "over connected" family. We all have cell phones, and have easy access to social networking, text messages and phone calls. It's a good reminder that we need to set limits and set aside protected family time!

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/effective_biblical_discipline/why_kids_misbehave/the_wonders_of_reality_discipline.aspx

Two Terrific Tuesdays

Okay folks!

There will be only TWO Terrific Tuesdays this summer! Terrific Tuesdays are for kids who will complete Kindergarten this May through kids completing 4th grade this May. Cast your votes for where we should go! So far I'm planning a Tuscaloosa trip (Children's Hands On Museum, the park with sprinklers, and of course Summer Snow for a snow cone!). Where else do y'all wanna go???