Bombardment Ball (or It's Time to Focus the Family)

Do you ever get the sense that life is just a series of random bits and pieces pelting you and pushing you along?  I go through stretches where I just feel so... reactive.  I get stuck in knee-jerk reaction mode, dealing with one urgent need after another.  I get so mindlessly, soullessly reactive that I almost become radio-active — stressed out by the bombardment ball of life to the point of being toxic.  Just picture that for a moment. 

Not pretty.


That's why I want so badly to be pro-active, intentional, focused.  I want to be centered in Christ so when the stuff of daily life tries to push me around, my feet and my faith still stand firm.

So I read my Bible and go to church and pray through the nooks and crannies of my day.  I feel pretty rooted.  Not perfect.  But better than the alternative.

And just when I'm about to pat myself on the back and high five the Holy Spirit...

...I see what I've been missing.

Yes, that's my daughter, the ball of stress and frustration and perfectionism and anger that I have spawned.  Hardly 8:00am on a Tuesday and she's in full-throttle radioactive reactionary mode.  Her only focus is on deflecting her inner yuck onto everyone in her midst.

Help me, help me, help me, Lord.  She needs some centering, too.

It's time to renew my efforts to help my kiddos find a kinder, gentler, more grace-filled focus to soften the sharp blows from this world's projectiles.

It's time to find time — between church choir and school work, gymnastics and basketball, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, making dinner and folding laundry — to slow down in God's love.  To fill up with God's grace.

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. 

Luke 2:40 (NIV)

I have no idea how I'm going to do it.  All I know is I do not want this mission to become another bombardment ball, pelting me into a state of stress.

I think I'll start by putting my daughter's Bible on her bed, with an I've-been-there letter from Mom.  I'll leave her with a verse that calms my stormy soul.  

And for my son, I think the Lego men stuffed animal entourage may be lined up along his Bible tonight, inviting him in.

Another day we might pull out the markers and paper and dress up and doodle God's word, decorating our hearts and our bedroom walls with scripture verses.

by Stephanie Ackerman @ HomegrownHospitality.typepad.com

When they scream for screen time I'll give them Seeds Family Worship videos. 

Are there Veggie Tales for tweens?  If not, could somebody please get crackin' on that? 

And we need to get back to reading the Bible together and praying together REGULARLY.  Perhaps we'll move it to a wake-up-and-face-the-day snuggle time when this mom has a little more energy.

Oh, how I wish I had this family faith corner squared away.  I wish I had a list of proven strategies to share with you.  But instead of inspiration and tangible tactics, today you get this: an invitation to journey alongside me as I work to focus my family in faith. 

What do you do to center your family in God's grace?  I'd love to hear your ideas and borrow from your experiences.

Singing God's Word into our Souls

Have you seen the videos from Seeds Family Worship?  I am super psyched about this discovery.  So much so that I'm tempted to march right over to the kiddos' school with my laptop and show THEM right this VERY minute.  Would that be disruptive?  Just a little?

Fine.  Well, I'll show you instead.  Take a minute to view this.  Your toes will tap.  Your heart will sing.  Your brain will catch the lyrics and play them over and over again in the most delightful way.  And you will be singing God's words right into your very soul.  You'll be writing them right on your heart.

It gets even better.  There's not just ONE video, but oodles (37 on YouTube)!  Like this one, featuring one of my all time favorite verses.  And these aren't cheesy tunes.  It's good music.  I'm a fan.  Hook, line and sinker.  Good stuff.  Yipppeeeeeeee!  Enjoy!!

By the way, I found this via Tony Kummer at Ministry-To-Children.com.  He says "We watched the Psalm 55 video last week and all our kids loved it.  They call it 'Kinetic Typography' and it gets 100% attention from the kids when memorizing Bible verses."

So there you have it.  I'm not the only fan(atic).  There are at least two of us out there (113,327 views and counting on YouTube... so there could be a couple more unless Tony has watched it 113,325 times).  You can be the third or thousandth or something like that.

Go figure: God works through YouTube, too!

Jelly Beans and Jesus

I firmly believe that if jelly beans were around in Jesus' time, he would have adored them.

"Let all the children come to me.  I've got jelly beans and love and hope!"

He would for sure have had a jelly bean parable or two.  "The kingdom of God is like a jelly bean, smaller than any other delectable treat, but full of juicy, colorful goodness that you can't even imagine until you bite into it..."

In the absence of any official words from Jesus about jelly beans, I'm filling in the blanks with inspiration from various sources around the Internet, all starting from the original Jelly Bean Prayer by Shirley Kozak.

So, without further ado, here's a post about putting some theology into the kiddos' Easter treats with just a few easy steps.  Print something here, grab some beans at the store, find some jars in the cupboard, and you are ready to roll.

print me!

Now, I'm all for a prayer and a fistful of jelly beans.  But I like to add an extra, devotional angle to this.  Here's how the jelly bean prayer works at our house.  (If you want to join in the fun, you can click on the card images to download and print them, assuming the technology works...)

We have a big ol' jar of beans decorated with the Jelly Bean Prayer.  On the back of the prayer card is a list of Jelly Bean Activities.

Each morning the kiddos read the prayer card aloud.  Then they each pick out a jelly bean from the jar and place it in their individual jars.  The color they picked determines the Lenten activity for the day.  (They work really hard to keep a balance of colors going.  It's one area of their lives where they practice fairness with admirable consistency!)

print me, too!

Then they look for opportunities to do their Lenten "assignment" during the day.  We usually report back during dinner or before bedtime prayers.  It makes for a great platform for discussion where we saw God in our day.  It's like a Lenten "show & tell."








And because I rarely do anything the same way twice, this year I'm adding a Bible verse component.  We read a verse that relates to the line of the prayer and/or the activity.  Nothing like filling them up with some verses to go with those candy beans.

print me, three!

Wait.

This IS all about candy, right? 

When do they eat the jelly beans?

I'm so glad you asked.  Because this is one of my favorite parts of this activity.

They don't eat the candy until... wait for it...

Easter morning.  It's a delicious practice in delayed gratification.  In seeing how their faith-filled actions pile up.  In witnessing how God fills them with love and grace. They are the empty jars.  And when they tune into God, he fills them with bright and juicy goodness.

Now, I sense you are shaking your head in disbelief.  "My kids will never, ever, not in a million years WAIT to eat those beans."  Did I read your mind?  No, I don't have ESP.  (I wish!!)  I just thought that very same thing when we started this at our house.  But those darling kiddos, they surprised me.  Even my sweet-stashing daughter didn't snitch an early jelly bean.  Not one.  She even counted them all at the end to make sure she didn't miss any days.

I chalk it up as one of God's modern day miracles.  That's the way God works in us and on us.  In our weakness his power is made perfect.  In our jelly beans he shows us his love.

8 | The Little People in My Life

Is it Week #2 of the 31 Days series already?  Time flies when you've committed to posting daily...

It just dawned on me, dear readers/followers/lurkers, that I just throw you into these prayers.  No intro.  No set up.  No context.  Hmmm.  That's rather awwwwkward.  So sorry!

I didn't really know what I was getting into with 31 Days of Prayer.  I guess I didn't really expect anyone to follow my inexperienced blatherings in this blog.  So I've been launching into prayer straight away, pouring my heart out to God.  And it feels good.  Taking one topic a day and capturing my prayer on a screen has really forced me to focus on God, his gifts, and where I can meet him in these areas of my life.  I find these prayers roll around in my head all day.  7 | Love Song made me a better wife for a couple days.  (Sorry, honey, I guess it's wearing off a bit!)  4 | Thanksgiving framed my focus on all the little things I take for granted, but am truly grateful for.  I feel like my prayer habit is maturing—from my typical rushed prayer that pops in and out of my head faster than I can eat a Pop-Tart, to something more lasting, more influential on my behavior.  God is clearly working on me, and I am so very glad.

I humbly hope to be God's faithful servant as I write these prayers.  May his Spirit sprinkle them with words that your heart is longing to hear.  I hope these prayers are launching you into your own conversations with our Heavenly Father.  I hope your prayers are rolling around in your head the whole day long.  And I fervently, persistently pray something good and fruitful is brewing in your prayer life.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.  Your companionship has transformed this into a personal challenge to a place of fellowship and worship.  As I log on I feel myself tuning in to God and hearing his voice in your reflections on these prayers.  You are pure gift, dear readers.

And now, some solid prayer-time for guiding the little people in our lives...

Dear Lord,

You have blessed me with the wonderful children in my life.  Each day with them is pure gift.  Every time they smile, giggle, and hug, I am reminded that life is so very good.  Every time they ask curious questions I see the wonder of this world you created.  Every time they pray I am reminded how very close you are to us.  Every time they drive me crazy (and it's a short drive, as Mr. reminds me), I marvel at your unending, unconditional, unwavering love.  I pray that you will bless me with a large slice of that love today.  Help me to share it with my kids; help me to show it to my kids.  They deserve every bit of it.

God, you have shown me that parenting is an amazing journey in faith.  I have never felt more stupid, exhausted humble than during those long, sleep-deprived months with my newborns.  I have never felt more frustrated, insane uncertain then the long period of my sweet daughter slipping into an insomniac spiral, espousing fear after anxiety after fear, working up drama upon drama.  I have never felt more irate, maniacal, afraid of child protection services  challenged then when my happy boy sprouted horns, grew fangs, defied logic, hit me in the head with his shoe, and ran away from me—all while laughing with victorious glee. 

Thank you, Lord, for leading me through these and other parenting challenges.  Thanks for answered prayers, faith-filled parents who listened and gently coached, loving family who jumped in just when I needed them, and your Living Word that illuminated the darkest, most despairing days.  You never give up on my ability to help me kids through trying times, even when I want to give up.  You never give up on my kids, even when I want to give them away.  I am grateful for your constant and abiding love that shows me the better way to parent.  I am blessed that I can always, always trust in you and your wisdom.  Help me to point my kids to your eternal love.  Help me to foster a deep and resilient faith in them, so they trust in you always.

You know my current worries for my children.  I ask now that you lift them off my heart so they don't get in the way of my love for them or their need to grow into their own selves.  

For my daughter 

...who is testing our limits, please give her the strength to choose right from wrong.  Help her to seek out Jesus' example when she's not sure what to do.  Plant your good Word in her mind to guide her in times of temptation.  When she's struggling to do the right thing, write prayers on her heart, and give her patience to wait for your answers.  Above all else, make sure she knows that even when she misbehaves, you are still her accepting, loving, forgiving Heavenly Father.

For my son

...I ask that you build up his confidence.  When he feels like the little guy left out, give him the strength to find another friend or activity that gives him joy.  When his feelings are crushed and his ego is bruised, help him to know that YOU always remember and love him. And when his hurt and frustration boils over to anger, give him deep breaths and slow counts and some self control.  Help him to remember that he is a beloved child of God just as he is.  Use these hurts to make him a compassionate, faithful friend to others who are hurting.

Thank you, God, for loving my children so dearly, for watching over them so carefully.  Thank you for filling all the holes in my parenting with love and forgiveness.  Most of all, I thank you for naming and claiming my children as your own.  Bless them always with a powerful faith in your saving grace.

Amen.

Rest assured that God hears all of your prayers for the children in your lives, whether they are your sons and daughters, grandchildren, or the young people in your midst.  And thank you, for being a bright and shining example of God's love in their lives.

Could you spend a whole month praying for your children?  Check out this series:

Could you use a resource that has prayers for all kinds of parenting dilemmas?  I love this book:

Prayers from a Mom's Heart by Fern Nichols