Children

Steak

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1 Corinthians 3:1-3

3 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people.[b] I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life.[c] 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

During Sunday’s sermon, our pastor made a statement that struck me. Although I’ve heard the concept taught several times before, it never resonated in my soul like it did yesterday. I cannot quote him exactly, but the gist of what he was communicating is this: preachers & teachers were never designed to feed meat to the people…what is delivered is regurgitated milk.

It reminded me of myself years ago when I was a nursing mom. I’d eat a meal, my body would digest the nutrients I needed to survive and then it would produce enough milk to sustain our babies. Now imagine if I was STILL breast-feeding our 14, 12, 10 and 7 year old. Good grief! Practically, they could survive on their mother’s milk, but they would never grow to be strong, much less able to feed themselves- or others.

Unfortunately, the church of America is doing a poor job of weaning the infants among us. Instead of making disciples, preachers and teachers continue breastfeeding their young through the power of the internet, cable tv, books, podcasts, blogs… we even fill arenas and nurse 1,000’s of babies at a time. Sadly, a lot of those infants that consume milk from multiple breasts never learn to eat solid food on their own.

Why?

The short answer is, they just don’t feel like it. They know that chewing on the meat of God’s Word requires time, attention, surrender and a whole lot of effort.

Our son recently announced that he hates steak. He says it’s too hard to chew. Even though he loves the flavor and it fills his growing body, he refuses to eat it anymore. Instead, he just eats salad and a baked potato (because, in this household, you eat what is served, or you don’t eat!).

All of us, in one way or another refuse to eat steak in certain areas of our lives. Today I didn’t particularly want to chew on the verses that pertain to coveting my “neighbor’s” stuff. It would have been much easier for me to listen to someone else regurgitate how they conquered the sin of envy than to open the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to correct me.

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

If you’ve been living on milk for a while I want to encourage you, my friend, to pick up your Bible and chew on some steak. When you do, your body, soul & spirit will be nourished and strengthened -and you will be able to run the race that God has set before you (because you can’t do it on salad and baked potato alone!)

Hebrews 12:1

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Great Wealth

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1 Timothy 6:2-10

Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. 3 Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. 4 Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. 5 These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.

6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

I grew up in a stereotypical affluent city in Southern California. Many of the kids I went to school with came from wealthy families who lived in huge houses (they were mansions to me), drove top of the line cars and wore every name brand item that hung on the rack. Unbeknownst to me, my dad made pretty good money back in those days, but like many kids in America, I felt neglected because my parents refused to give me everything my little greedy heart desired. Still, I always had enough food and plenty of clothing…

25 years later, Doug & I are now the parents who are trying to train our children (Proverbs 22:6) to be content.  Fortunately, God’s Word provides all the answers we need. Unfortunately, however, there is much division among biblical teachers & preachers in regards to how God’s truth is to be applied. According to some, we, God’s children are heirs in His Kingdom; therefore, we should have faith for wealth, health and prosperity (just to name a few). Because, after all, God loves His children and wants to bless us…right?

According to Matthew 7:7-11, God DOES love us and wants to give us good gifts, but these gifts are of His Spirit, not treasures that are temporal (Matthew 6:19-21).

So what if all this great wealth is a test for His children, instead of a platform for an inspirational teaching about the accrual of treasure?

Imagine if we, His heirs chose to worship Him by giving 10% to the church to Advance His Kingdom in our communities, nation and throughout the world. Imagine if we also gave above the tithe to others whom God has prompted us to serve. Imagine if we were good stewards and spent less than the numbers on our paycheck each month.  Imagine if we saved for the future. Imagine if we paid cash for big purchases instead of accruing a larger balance on our credit cards. Imagine if we stopped comparing our lives to the Jones’ (whoever they are) in the Kingdom and in the world and choose to be content with what God has given us!

How could those few things change the world for Christ? I can only speak from personal experience and say that it has radically changed my husband’s life and mine. When Doug and I were DINKS (Dual Income No Kids), we made good money, but squandered most of it. When I became a stay-at-home unpaid mom, we were somehow able to live on less money with more people to support. We were able to tithe 10% of our gross income to our local church. We were able to give to others out of an overflow. We were able to sacrifice our wants to get out of credit card debt. We were able to pay cash for unexpected emergencies. And we were able to afford to have a little fun, too.

How were we able? By loving Jesus.

John 14:15-21

15 “If you love me, obey[a] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.[c] 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

I wish I could say that I am no longer tempted by great wealth. I am. Comparison to the Jones’ can do that to you…but thankfully, as I continue to pursue an attitude of gratitude towards Our Provider by daily surrendering to His will through Worship, Prayer & His Word, I have been able to avoid all kinds of evil.

Father, would you help me know your truth about wealth and how that applies to my life? Thank you for blessing me with the gifts of your Spirit- and for the abundance of food, clothing and material objects we possess. May your Spirit always keep my heart content, whether our bank account dwindles or expands.

Amen

Obey

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Ephesians 6

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

When I was a child, my parents had verse 1 of Ephesians 6 framed and hung in a place where my sister and I were FORCED to read it regularly. It infuriated me! I was what some might call; a “strong willed child” and I didn’t want to obey ANYONE- including my parents.

Earlier this week, as I erased the same verse off our school dry erase board, I chuckled as now, decades later, I am the one trying to teach our children why this Truth is so important- and why they should learn to submit to it while they are still young…..

During a recent conversation with another mommy, we discussed the same passage of scripture. As we talked about specific circumstances with our children the revelation of why came out of my mouth before my brain even had time to comprehend its impact: If we love God, we are to obey Him.

John 14:15

“If you love me, obey my commandments….”

In training our children to obey (which often times requires repeated discipline in order to help them submit), we are not only teaching them to love and respect their parents, we are showing them how to love and submit to their Heavenly Father- even when they don’t feel like it.

As an adult, when I finally repented and submitted my strong will to the Father, He lavished His unfailing love on this prodigal daughter and gave me a childlike faith to pursue Him- and obey His commands. Now, as I fight the battle of obedience with several strong willed children of my own, (thanks dad, for praying I’d have those!) I am able to enforce “the laws” of our home, and when necessary, administer discipline, in love (well, most of the time….sometimes I still lose it). For I know that God did not send the law to punish us, but to teach us how to live a long life… in FREEDOM!

Romans 7:21-25

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

PS. Thanks Mom & Dad for continuing to sew the Word into my heart- even though it took a looooong time to take root.

Not Offended

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Colossians 3:12-13

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

During a recent walk with my neighbor, I was shocked when out of nowhere she blurted out, “Jodie- I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but you don’t work? You need to make some money so you can take care of yourself and your children. What if Doug runs off with another woman? What would you do?” “Well,” I quickly replied “I trust God and I trust my husband so I have no need to fear.” As she continued to plead her case, my mind began to wander…….

“dang! this woman just insulted my worth as a stay at home wife & home-school mom AND she’s accusing my husband of wanting to be unfaithful!!!”

But then the Holy Spirit gently interjected “she does not know me….she does not trust me…”

As my mind re-engaged in the conversation, my friend said again, “you know, Jodie, I don’t want to hurt your feelings…I just don’t trust NO ONE, not even my husband.”

DING, DING, DING- there it was, blinking like a neon sign right in front of me, exactly what the Lord just revealed: she trusts NO ONE.

Fortunately, instead of reacting in anger and becoming greatly offended by her false accusation the Lord poured out His Spirit and allowed me to show mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience towards my new friend. It was also God’s perfect timing because it was only the day before that she confessed that she was lonely- and needed a friend. It was only the day before that she wept, telling me that her beloved dog had just passed away. It was only the day before that she shared about her belief in Buddha- and that she was trying so hard to be a “good person.” It was only the day before that my heart ached and my eyes filled with tears as I realized how lost she was. It was only the day before that I told her about Jesus- the greatest friend she could ever know. It was only the day before that I asked God to continue to use me to draw her to Himself.

Every day, God gives us the opportunity to love our “neighbors”….whether its our spouse, our children, our extended family, our co-workers or those that live next door or down the street. The question is: will we be offended by their words or actions towards us, or will we allow the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to help us love them?

Luke 7:23

And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

Endurance

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Romans 5:1-5

5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

I’ve had the undeserved privilege of snorkeling in the waters off Maui, Oahu, The Bahama’s and The British Virgin Islands. My first attempt was on our honeymoon and the seas were especially rough that day. I struggled to learn how to breathe only in and out of my mouth and forcefully blow air out of the snorkel to expel water. Early into our excursion, waves began crashing over my heard and I began to panic, feeling like I was going to drown. After swallowing too much water I was forced back to the catamaran while Doug dove to the depths, petting sea turtles and snapping pictures of exotic fish.

Having snorkeled a handful of times since then, I felt confident that I would thoroughly enjoy 6 days of exploring the uncharted waters off Peter Island, but my maiden voyage was cut short. On our first full day on the island, Doug and I strapped on our flippers and facemasks and dove into the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, swimming towards the rocky edge of White Bay. In the first few minutes I saw more fish then I had on all my other snorkeling adventures- combined! I was stoked. But then…we entered deep waters with powerful waves that continued to pull me towards the gigantic boulders on the coast. As salty water continued to pour into my snorkel, I tried and tried to remember to do as I had been taught, but I quickly began to panic. I surfaced multiple times, asking Doug for help and he patiently re-iterated what I needed to do. “Relax, Jodie…blow in and out of your mouth (not your nose) and when water comes in your snorkel, blow out….hard!” After a few more failed attempts, he even switched masks with me- thinking perhaps it wasn’t user error. It was. Switching back to my original mask I stuck my face back in the water, determined to see more fish.

Gurgle, gurgle, choke….swim to the surface…..spit.

I was exhausted, my stomach hurt and I was DONE. As I made my way back towards the beach I asked the Lord to help me relax and be able to enjoy snorkeling with my husband for the remainder of our trip.

Two days later, we donned our snorkel gear again, jumped in the water & headed towards the rocky coast of Honeymoon Beach. This time I rode the waves – just like a professional. I encountered schools and schools of beautiful fish and dozens of exquisitely designed coral. Reveling in my new found freedom to roam the seas, I began asking the Lord “would you pleeeease let Doug and I see a stingray?” Three days later, while riding the waves on my 2nd attempt to stand up on a paddleboard in Dead Chest Bay, I caught a glimpse of a moving rock. It was a stingray!!! I yelled at Doug on the shore and he quickly ran to grab our snorkel masks. Both of us were able to follow (at a safe distance!) that extraordinary creature and watch him glide across the bottom of the sea. The following day, I swam across a starfish in the same area. Bonus!

When I began feeling like I was drowning in my marriage a decade ago, I clung to God’s promise of restoration and redemption to endure the fierce waves. Even when the waters continued to pour over my snorkel and choke the breath out of me, God was developing strength of character in me. Even when Doug continued to disappoint me and our lives felt like we were being smashed against the gigantic boulders on the shoreline, God was developing confident hope in me.

When we had 4 children under the age of 7, with 1 of them labeled “special needs,” I clung to God’s promise of training them in the way they should go to endure the fierce waves. Even when the waters continued to pour over my snorkel and choke the breath out of me, God was developing strength of character in me. Even when I would have to discipline our children over and over and over again for the same defiant, manipulative, deceitful behavior, God was developing confident hope in me.

Now, as I look back over those years, I realize every problem and every trial has helped me develop endurance, strength of character and a confident hope in the only One who offers salvation from the fierce waves. And I can honestly say, I have not been disappointed.

 

 

 

Table Teaching

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Proverbs 22:6

6 Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.

When I was a kid, I was expected to sit to the table and eat whatever my mother cooked- no questions asked. Some of the menu items, quite frankly, made my stomach role and my nose crinkle when I smelled them being prepared. But, I knew better than to speak a word of my opinion, for my father frequently reminded us; we did NOT live in a democratic household!

Since I had no control of what I ate, I decided I would be a “nicer” parent and give my children the opportunity to eat whatever they wanted.

Then I had children.

I quickly realized that my parents weren’t so mean after all. In fact, it was just the opposite! Because they loved me, they taught me the discipline of eating what was offered- and not complaining about it.

When our 1st child came along, she was an obedient first born, willing to comply with whatever Doug and I gave her.

When our 2nd child came along, she decided she wanted to snack every hour and a half instead of eating 3 full meals a day and 2 snacks in between. We had a decision to make: submit to her demands, or teach her wisdom that would last a lifetime. We chose the later, even though, occasionally, she would “frow a fit” when she didn’t get her way.

When our 3rd child came along with severe acid reflux and autism (which we didn’t discover until she was nearly 2 years old) no amount of discipline remedied her issues. But, when God gave me the insight of providing her with whole foods and a strict routine, her body and her mind thrived.

When our 4th child came along, he used his lawyer-like skills on Doug, me and his 3 older sisters to obtain his food of choice. However, the judge and jury were quickly made aware of his manipulation. He has since served time and is on parole- and being completely rehabilitated!

As our family sits down for a meal each day, Doug and I have the opportunity to teach them invaluable lessons that don’t just relate to food:

Lesson #1: Gratefulness

Lesson #2: Thankfulness

Lesson #3: Treat others the way you want to be treated

We do this by trying to follow a few simple “rules”:

-Thank God for providing the meal

-Thank the person who has prepared it (mom, dad, grandparent, friend, etc.)

-Eat what you take

-If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all (“yuck,” “I don’t like this,” “this tastes burnt,” “this looks gross” will insult the cook).

-You may give an opinion of something new, after we’ve tried it (as long as you continue to follow the “say something nice” rule!)

-If you refuse to eat, you may be excused without any other food until the next mealtime

-You may choose your favorite meal/dessert on your birthday (or when mom hasn’t prepared anything to eat and asks the family what they want! )

Even though mealtime has often felt like a battleground, instead of a relaxing time to fellowship and nourish our bodies, Doug and I are finally beginning to see the “fruit” of our labors. On multiple occasions, our children have been praised by complete strangers and those who have hosted us for a meal, for their willingness to try new foods and their thankfulness towards the cook. And that delights this mama’s heart.

Proverbs 29:15

15To discipline a child produces wisdom,
but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

Infinitely More

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Ephesians 3:14-20

14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,[a] 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.[b] 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

I’ll admit it: when something breaks in our household, it ticks me off! The inconvenience of an item not functioning properly, the amount of time it will take to fix it, and the extra money invested in parts and repairs can sometimes turn me into Oscar the Grouch.

During the last few weeks, however, God has been showing me a different perspective of life’s little inconveniences.

Item #1:

After we installed a new deck, purchased a used hot tub and paid a licensed electrician to wire it, the dang thing wouldn’t turn on! Somehow I knew that God had a lesson in all of it, so I prayed: Lord, please help me not to blame the electrician…let this install somehow be a blessing to him. Would you pleeeeeease miraculously fix the wiring so we don’t have to hire anyone else.”

He didn’t answer my prayer exactly as I asked, but He did send a friend over who switched the wires and POOF! The jets turned on. As the kids (they too had been praying for the Jacuzzi to be miraculously fixed) and I went screaming into the backyard, shouting “Thank you, God! Hallelujah!” our friend smiled, realizing that God had answered our prayers.

infinitely more than we might ask or think…..

(I won’t go into great detail of the leak that started pudding inside the frame of the hot tub a week later…because God sent another friend to fix that in about 2 seconds and the rest of the night we sat encouraging one another, as we all are enduring an extremely busy and difficult season in life).

infinitely more than we might ask or think…..

Item #2:

When the 2nd time in 4 months that our fridge stopped cooling, I had had it! “Lord, would you pleeeease fix this supernaturally- or send us a new one FREE of charge!” After the repairman came to assess the damage, we realized we just needed to replace another part that had worn out. So, I changed my prayer “Lord, let us not have to pay for the repair- at all! (since the same company had worked on it 4 months before, I assumed this was their fault. Boy, was my heart completely wrong.) Two days later, once the part was replaced, the service man turned to Doug and said, “Hey, man- I hope you don’t mind me eavesdropping, but I overheard your family praying together the other day. It encouraged me. Normally, I only pray at meal time- but now I’m praying at other times too!”

“All glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think!”

AND, if that wasn’t enough…..the repairman didn’t charge us for labor- just the part and the service call.