christianparenting

Alright, so I’m still learning with my five year old daughter learning to dress herself.

This morning she came out very practically dressed in a t-shirt and comfortable black pants, and in a very short amount of time, I might add.

I tried to compliment, “That’s a cute outfit.”

“Today is TaeKwon Do! You don’t look cute for Tae Kwon Do!”

“Oh, sorry.”

At least she was thinking ahead as this was at 8 am before school and TaeKwon Do was at 4:30 pm.

I am grateful that this outfit was practical and comfortable as they are not always, and that it did not involve much drama. This is mostly because my husband keeps reminding me when to pick my battles and when to just not accept an argument.

On a side note, I find it strange that I will argue with my five year old daughter when I would never let my boys talk back to me. Of course I think that has something to do with boys and girls as well. Funny how some things you seem to be born with.

Oh - and a little rant -we’ve been trying to “go green” and ride bikes as often as possible. Well, our TaeKwon Do place just started holding classes that are faith based (really cool - based on the fruits of the Spirits and loving God with your mind, body and soul, making Him a part of every part of your life) within biking distance. So our good friends and my family biked it. Here’s my rant - I live in a township that is very proud of it’s green initiatives and yet not all of it’s roads (and I mean main ones) have sidewalks! We have to adapt our root and ride a little farther to stay on sidewalks so my kids aren’t riding down main roads.

My daughters strong will.

Although it plagues me now, hopefully she will do great things in the future and not let things stand in her way.

What are you thankful for?

Thankfully, this is not my dilemma but I would like to share a quote with you from the book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. 

“Sometimes I think, “If I die, I won’t have to see my children suffering as they are.” Sometimes I even think of killing myself. So often I see them crying, hungry and there I am, without a cent to buy them some bread. ‘My God, I can’t face it! I’ll end my life. I don’t want to look anymore.” - Iracema da Silva, resident of a slum in Brazil

Wow

Here I am worrying because my family doesn’t have everything we are ”supposed to” have, and yet, tonight my children will eat.

I just started this book and am so challenged and grateful at the same time. I am first grateful that my family and I have a roof over our heads, though it may not be what I think it should, and that we have food to eat. I am challenged because while we live in meager comfort, others starve.

Once again, we need to be acting and we need to educate our children about the world around them.

I wish I could raise my children in a bubble where everything is hunky dory and they need never be concerned with things such as poverty (not just poverty by our standards, people in the US would be considered rich in too many nations).

However, to truly raise my children as Christians, they need to be aware of the brokenness of the world (at age appropriate levels, of course, but it needs to be introduced, not ignored). Without a knowledge of this how will they understand God’s gracious gifts?

Plus, who knows what God’s plans to use my child or my family are. Might one of my sons grow to help fight this hunger or my daughter bring healing to those in pain?

It might not even be when they’re grown. I believe God can use them now as well. They diligently save their change for causes now, and as they see needs they want to do more.

I pray that we can make a difference, that we can all step up and make a difference.

No matter where you stand on how we got to where we are, both ecologically and economically, the truth is, we have majorly strayed.

What example are we setting for our kids and how are we providing for their future?

The other day in my Bible Study I read Genesis 2:15 which says, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” I know this was pre-fall and much of the state of this world is from the entrance of sin and death, but don’t we still have a responsibility to care for what we’ve been given?

I was blown away this morning when I looked at my Blogger reading list and saw that Robin from “A Little Greener Everyday” (she’s a talented and passionate writer and I hope you will check out her blog and maybe even take October’s mini Eco-Challenge!) wrote exactly what God had put on my heart.

Here’s a segment from her post. Please click below and read the whole thing.

“We are responsible for environmental stewardship. This earth is our responsibility to take care of. It is within our charge. It cannot defend itself against the harm we inflict. It is another’s property - God’s, our children’s, those living in third world country’s who suffer the ill effects of our consumerism, and we who can take care of it, must.”
Click here to read the rest of this article

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.