christianparenting

The kids are home from school today. Oh joy!

Of course, they have not yet discovered the well honed talent of sleeping in. They must rise as early as possible, to play video games, to read and to ask me for 5 million things at the same time.

I was still trying to finish my coffee (to which I add instant breakfast to for my chocolate fix and because who has time to sit and eat breakfast) When my oldest son (9 years) and my daughter are running through the house screaming and chasing each other and laughing. It was just too early, plus running and screaming through the house are not really the manners I want to instill.

They stopped, but what they didn’t know was the part of me that was thrilled they were playing together.

I love it when my children can be not just brother and sister but friends as well.

I pray that this will continue throughout their lives. That they can be each other’s role models, confidants and someone to lean on, along with being a best buddy to hang out with.

I am now the proud parent of an orange belt, a high yellow and a yellow belt. My five year old daughter broke her first board and is thrilled.

I’m hoping some Taekwon Do will help me to worry less in her teenage years:) Between that and two big brothers who also know TaeKwon Do:)

I’m also psyched because the TaeKwonDo studio we go to has developed a program based on the Fruits of the Spirit that my children will be taking part in.

What a family weekend. Not only did my kiddos get their new belts and show off their moves for Mommy, Daddy and B-Pop (and everyone else who saw the video), they visited with both sets of grandparents, one set of geat-grandparents, their cousins, and our church family.

I feel so blessed that my children have such a support system - People around them who love and care for them, to mentor them and to just be goofy with them!

Biblically, the church all pulled together, and I am grateful that my husband and I are not raising our kids alone. I love that they learn from and look up to their TaeKwonDo teachers (also church family) their KIDS Church, Wednesday night and Sunday School teachers, that they have such great relationships with grandparents and great-grandparents. They are truly blessed and I am as well.

Ever feel like someone is trying to tell you something? Just this morning, in three different unrelated instances “somebody” was definately trying to get my attention.

First, it started with my husband putting on one of the music video channels and they were airing Coldplay’s fair trade playlist. Although I’m not sure what “patrone on ice” and buying “whatever you like” has to do with Fair Trade. Anyway, they had all the celebrities encouraging everyone to work together and get involved to make a difference in poverty.

Next, in my devotions, I was reading in Ecclesiastes how it’s not good to work alone and a chord of three strands cannot be broken.

Then I was reading in “Shaped By God’s Heart; The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches” by Milfred Minatrea a quote by Bob Roberts. He said, “My passion is to be a part of a movement in the Kingdom of God that is powerful that when historians study it - unlike past movements, no single individual will emerge. Instead, after study and evaluation, they will say  that what took place was not because  of any one of them, but because of all of them.”

It’s truly time for that “sleeping giant” (thank you Rick Warren and Isoroku Yamamoto for the term)  who is the church to move. Let’s not wait for the celebrities and the politicians and jump on the bandwagon. Let’s do what we’re commanded, care for the downtrodden, the widows and orphans, bring healing to God’s children.

How does this effect us as Christian Parents (or any type of parent for that matter)? Get your kids and get involved.

You can start as simply as buying fair trade food and items, but let your children in on why you are doing so.

Last Wednesday night at church we presented to the children a mission called Eagles’s Wings from EPC World Outreach. It’s a home for girls in Albania who have grown out of the orphanages and are at risk for becoming victims of prostitution or human trafficking. Each child went home with a bucket, to collect change in, to help build the home and provide the things these girls will need. I’m so proud to see my kids put their money in their buckets.

Another mission we support that has no national recognition and ministers to children in Kwabeng, Ghana where there is no help from major relief organizations is African Book Challenge. We’ve saved our change, donated supplies and helped to make small changes in that town, starting with a couple schools. The kids of our church helped to raise money, so far, for new bathrooms (they are currently sharing 2 outhouses for 250 preschool and kindergartners), a new playground set to replace the broken and dangerous one they had, and to run electricity to a classroom for evening study (for older children) since most have no electricity in their homes.

It’s really not that hard for you and your children to make a difference. Whether it be large or small, God wants to use us, use his churches, use his children to accomplish his plans. We just need to be willing to get up and do it.

I know I’ve talked before about demonstrating good stewardship by living simply and I’ve also written my “Ode to Hand-me-downs” but I just want to once again encourage everyone to share and pass things on.

Use what God has blessed you with to in turn, bless others.

The other day I walked out and found three bags of very nice hand-me-down clothes sitting on the front step for my kids. Of course, my daughter had to change right away into her “new” clothes. She loved it and I was so grateful.

Then I went to church and was handed two more bags of hand-me-downs! It seems with the weather changing it’s time to go through those clothes!

So I spent this afternoon going through my daughters clothes and while sorting, I made a bag to pass onto another family. Next I’ll move on to the boys clothes, what fun:)

I’m sure we all have a family with children younger than ours we can pass things onto. If you don’t you can always Freecycle them or donate them to an organization. There’s so many ways to share what we’ve been given.

We have been successfully biking to and from school. However, today we had quite a load so we drove.

First off - my oldest has his first saxophone lesson today. I tried to rig a away for me to carry it on bike but it just wasn’t happening.

Then, my second grade son had gotten permission to take his hermit crabs in to school whenever he wanted, so since we were driving I said today would be a good day. So he says, “I have to go next door and get them.”

“Why are they next door?”

“They had a sleepover.” Of course.

Our neighbors and his best friend have hermit crabs (or tree crabs) as well so they’ve decided they like to have sleepovers.

I told him it was too early, he’d have to bring them next week and went on with my morning routine of trying to get myself and kids looking somewhat presentable and assisting them in packing lunches (they pack their own lunches, but a little help gets them there neater and all in one piece), sending in book-fair money or whatever that morning entails.

Next thing I know, in walks my second grader with his crabs in tow:)

A little later I asked him to see if his teacher liked hot peppers because I have an overabundance in my garden, he said she likes green peppers so I picked and sent in some Poblanos.

Amazingly, we made it to school on time. Each of my three kids made it to their class line (which are all across the school from each other) and into school with instruments, animals and vegetables.

What a morning.

I’ve been thinking a lot since my friend’s post on the “Green Hour” by the National Wildlife Federation.

The other day my brother was watching my kids play outside with their friends. They were running from whatever the latest invisible monster or badguy to attack our yards is.

My brother asked, “When do we loose our imagaination?”

Funny, because my brother and I would do the same thing, or he and his friends were Ninja Turtles and I was Shera but we didn’t need toys, we just needed open space and the brains God gave us.

We work so hard to acquire all the new gadgets to entertain our children but I can’t help but feel we hurt them a bit in the meantime.

Just think if our great thinkers, artists, poets and visionary leaders wasted their days growing up in front of the XBox. Where would we be?

God gave us a wonderful, beautiful world that too many children know nothing about.

Walking home from school today my daughter found this massive orange fungus in the neighbors yard, so we took a few minutes to inspect it. We also stopped to learn about the rings on a tree that was cut down. It’s that easy.

Not that I am always so good at this, I get caught up in the busyness of life as well. The other night I was bringing my clothes inside (I had remembered to hang them to dry but remebered, just before bedtime to bring them in:) and I looked up.

The sky was beautiful, not cloudless, but remarkable. The wind carried the strings of clouds slowly across the sky in front of the backdrop of evenings stars. How extraordinary.

But the sad thing is, I realized I couldn’t remember the last time I had simply looked up and gazed at the sky.

So take time with your kids, and take time yourself, to enjoy the gift of God’s creation. Take in it’s beauty or just allow the kids to play freely in it.

My seven year old son constantly blows me away and challenges me with his generosity.

The other day he had his friend over, and mainly they played outside, but before she left he found his old game boy advance and gave it to her to keep (not that it was anything fancy) because she didn’t have one, he also gave her (along with my oldest son) all of the games that go with it, most of which they still played in their DS systems.

 Then on the next day one of his school friends rode his bike to our house and I noticed it was a bit small. My oldest had just gotten a hand-me-down bike in great condition (which he loves, thank you) from a generous family at our church who he actually had gotten his last bike from as well, so my seven year old was riding big brother’s older bike.  We decided to give his friend his bike. They were playing and I came out later and he says, “I’m giving him my skateboard too.” very matter-of-factly. We also do have an abundance of skateboards as well.

He also likes to occasionally bring his own toys to church to give to kids, his age and younger. He’ll be walking out and I’ll say you don’t need that at church until he tells me his plans for it why that child would like this.

I hope he continues this way and I hope that we all learn from him.

We drank the last of our apple juice and my daughter asked to keep the container.

She’s been snagging kitchen items for her Dora kitchen set to play with.

So I rinsed it and gave it to her.

Yet we have mounds of toys (which will soon be freecycled or donated) that we actually bought, I need to remember, especially around Christmas and birthdays, how many thing I really don’t need to buy.

OK, so I am finally getting back in to my school time routine and schedule both with my family and my job.

As far as my job, I’m the Children’s Ministries Director of my church. In just this past week we’ve run a teacher training, kicked off our Fall Sunday School, I taught KIDS Church, we had a youth (kids and teens) service that I was asked to speak at times two for two services and last night was the first night of our midweek programs. Whew, I can now breathe, things are now running and in momentum and I have a great group of dedicated volunteers that are keeping us going!!!!

On the home front, school has started, we’re back to TaeKwon Do and midweek church programs. So far we’ve done pretty well biking to and from school and I’m trying to keep up with that. I’ve still been cookin away but really need to make a meal plan ASAP because our schedule is in full swing again.

I am now the proud mom of a forth grader, a second grade and a kindergartner! My daughter is adjusting well to kindergarten, though she’s a bit clingy when it’s time to go in, and I am adjusting REALLY well to having all my kids in school, can’t wait till she has full days next year! Just kidding, well not really:)

No, I was sentimental when she marched up the little ramp with her backpack almost as big as her. She was mad the first day because they didn’t get to play with toys. and she had to do “math”

“Well what kind of math did you have to do?”

“I had to write, ‘I went to the beach’”

OK, so she’s not a mathematician, but I’m sure she’ll do fine