Tis The Season

Tis the Season, not for tinsel, but in the military world the season to PCS (Primary Change of Station).  This is not my favorite season, just to eliminate any confusion.  We have lived in our home for four years and I have loved every minute of it here at our current duty station.  I have told my husband I want this to be our forever home, I want to stay here, I would love for us to retire here and raise our family here - here is where I want to put down roots.  Being the military family that we are though, I have learned if you want to put down roots, they better be in a pot - the easier to move them.  

So here it is, regardless if it's what I want or not, tis the season to uproot and a time to weep, but in the end a time to embrace and build.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"There is a time for everything, 

and a season for every activity

under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance, 

a time to scatter stones and a time 

to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

After talking about it, my husband and I have decided we will rent out our home instead of outright selling it so that when retirement comes we have the option to return "home", which makes this time of transition a little bit easier.  I love that I am not having to close a door instead we are crossing the threshold of another, while this one remains open to us - happy median.  So maybe this too can be a time to embrace the change of a new place and a new home with a new church family.

I must admit, it is strange renting this time, instead of selling like we did our last home.  I still have an interest in this home and by not letting go it's harder to "loan" it out.  Our property has been listed for three days and already we've had one showing and another tomorrow.  The first showing went well and we may be hearing back from them (which would be a beautiful blessing, prayers welcome) 

While showing these lovely people (really, they were great) asked if we would be willing to change paint colors in certain rooms, which if I were selling it no big deal ... but I like my kitchen yellow and my bedroom sky blue.  When I come home I want it to still be the cheery kitchen I love to cook in and the peaceful sky blue bedroom that makes me feel like I'm sleeping on clouds in the sky.  I know so childish, I will grow up and we will change the face of our walls by making them neutral beiges and blahs but here I am taking just a minute to mourn (attempt at being slightly funny - no real tears over this, just that knee jerk reaction that change inspires in most us - change does this to you too right?)

I am loathe to leave home (no this is not my hometown, but by all means this is home to me) because this is where my husband found Jesus and here is where his walk began.  We have a church home and family we love and enjoy being a part of, it has been one of the most wonderful blessings yet.  I think of this verse: 

1 Corinthians 7:20

"Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him" and

1 Corinthians 7:24

"Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to."

The reason I think of these verses is because this Bible believing blessed church is where his walk with the Lord began and leaving isn't the same as staying where you're called.  Granted it says nothing of physically staying put, just keeping your situation, which that we are.  

We were a military family then and we are now.  We also have faith and a family that has Christ as the cornerstone and that will continue to be the same.  We will also find a new church to love and a new church family to be a part of, I know that - God is good all the time, but it's still a little painful to leave. 

This is not even our first move and so just like always, I will focus forward, have faith and find new things to love about our new place because after all our littles are watching and taking their cue from me and because of that I am spreading joy and thoughts of new adventures and places to explore.  

What about you, how do you joyfully embrace change?  I am looking forward to hearing it, please share.

As always, God bless!

PRAYING FOR BOYS A BOOK BY BROOKE MCGLOTHLIN

“Raising boys brings one adventure after another, but we’re losing the beauty and importance of training up godly men. Our boys need faithful Christian parents now more than ever. We can choose to rejoin the war for the hearts of our sons…today.”

-Brooke McGlothlin, Author, “Praying for Boys for the Things They Need Most”

________________________________________________________________________________

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to review “Praying for Boys” by Brooke McGlothlin, in exchange for a fair and honest review I was given a copy of her book. The opinions expressed below however are entirely my own.

Praying for Boys is a book that talks about how we Mamas can cover our little men in prayer and place their hearts in the hands of an all loving, all knowing and all powerful God. Page by page the fruit of the spirit and other characteristics are written of and shown how each one should be prayed for on the behalf of our little ones. There are even specific scripture references for each trait so that not only are we praying for these christian qualities, but we are taking the word of God and putting that into prayer to cover our sons.

I have been praying for my children since before they were born, a part of being a christian mother has to do with sending more than a few prayers up to God on their behalf. I had never thought however of turning scripture into a prayer itself. I love it, I think it's wonderful to prayerfully battle for the hearts and minds, the christian walk, of our sons (and daughters). Throughout Brooke's book there are scriptures laid out that can be directly applied to our children to pray for them. Unlike other books, this one in particular is not just one you read and implement later, this is a read and use right away kind of book, from beginning to end.

I love how Brooke is honest enough to admit that as parents there is only so much that we can do or as she puts it, control, and because of that we must bend our knees and turn to the one who controls it all. Knowing that we alone cannot raise Godly men of sound christian character alone is already half of the battle we must fight. We must do all we can and then entrust our sons back into the loving hands of the one who gave them to us, our Creator, Heavenly Father, Prince of Peace, the Great and Mighty Counselor – God.

I urge anyone who is a parent of boys to check out Brooke McGlothlin's newly released book, “Praying for Boys” you will be glad that you did. Here are some quotes from Brooke's book “Praying for Boys” that I just loved;

“All it takes to lose the truth of the Word of God is one set of parents who fail to teach it. The result can be generations of men who don’t know and fear the Lord. Imagine the impact for a moment. It’s a lot to take in.”

and

“If their knees are ever to bend to Jesus as Savior, their hearts must bend first. This is the place of a mama’s prayers.”

I am excited to announce that for those of you who have read to this point that I will be GIVING AWAY one free copy of Brooke McGlothlin's “Praying for Boys” (applicable only for residents of the United States), as soon as I receive it from her publishers. I will keep you updated on this fantastic giveaway so don’t forget to check back, or take a minute to subscribe, as I am hoping to announce the start of the giveaway soon and will be sharing how to enter in for a chance to win your very own copy of “Praying for Boys” – Yay!

And yet, here is ANOTHER GOODIE for you all, a question and answer I was blessed to ask Brooke McGlothlin, enjoy!

Me: Hello Brooke, Thank you so much for the opportunity to review your book. I can honestly say that I loved reading it from the moment I picked it up and now that I'm done with it, I am so very grateful for having read it. A few questions I'm excited to ask you are:

As an author having written “Notes to Aspiring Writers: Your Dream, God's Plan”, “How to Control Your Emotions, So They Don't Control You: A Mom's Guide to Overcoming”, “Hope for the Weary Mom” and now “Praying for Boys: Asking God for the Things they Need Most”, which of them would you say you had the most fun writing or that you hold a little dearer to your heart?

Brooke: “I would say I had the most fun writing Hope for the Weary Mom because it gave me the opportunity to work with my co-author, Stacey Thacker. She's been a gift in my life, and I've loved spending time with her. Hope was a total labor of love for us both, and as a self-published book, it's been a treat to watch it succeed.

With that being said, Praying for Boys is probably closest to my heart because it represents my cry to the Lord on behalf of my sons.”

Me: In this book, “Praying for Boys”, you mentioned to let your children find you reading God's word and to share it with them. Amen. The Bible is the ultimate go-to guide when it comes to raising children and I do believe in sharing it with them also. I would love to know if during those moments, when they find you reading the Bible, do you read to them from your Bible or have them grab theirs to read to them a children's (or lighter) version?

Brooke: “I've done both. If I'm in the Psalms or Proverbs that day I'll read it to them. Sometimes, I just ask them to sit beside me while I wrap things up with a prayer, thanks God for His Word and for them. It really depends on the day.”

"thank God"

Me: There's a moment in your book when you mention the combination of the trees, the restaurant, and your boys I must admit I could barely stop laughing and could only think, “boys will be boys”. This moment in your book, and the title “Praying for Boys”, has left me wanting to know what do you believe is the hardest part about raising boys?

Brooke: “I constantly fight the desire for my parenting to be perfect. When I've worked hard on an activity for them, when they're just not paying attention when we're reading the Bible, or when the "boy noise" is off the charts for the day, I can be quick to feel like a failure. Thankfully, God never asked us to win the battle for the hearts of our sons, only to fight for them. I need to be reminded often that God sees and delights in a heart that wants to please Him.”

Me: Do you homeschool your boys? If yes, what has been your most rewarding experience and your most difficult so far? If no, have you considered doing it?

Brooke: We do homeschool our boys! I've often said that teaching my boys to read was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done, outranking even getting my Master's degree! The most difficult thing about homeschooling for me is that I'm not a crafty mom. I hate projects, experiments, coloring, painting...all those things a kid probably needs in life, right? Thankfully, my husband loves science and does most of the experiments with our boys. And we have some crafty friends who feed that need for our boys. God has been so faithful to provide for us in this area!

Me: My last question, do you have a hobby (other than writing), what is it?

Brooke: Reading. If I had no other responsibilities in life I would spend every waking second reading a good book. My favorite author right now is Kristen Heitzman.

Me: Thank you so much for your time, your answers and your amazing book “Praying for Boys”. I sincerely hope you are able to reach as many boy Mama's as possible.

Brooke: Thanks, Chelle!

If anyone of you have already ready Brooke's book "Praying for Boys" and want to share your opinion or what you most loved, I would love to about it, leave it in the comments below.

A book by Sara Horn "My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife" Review

In Exchange for a fair and honest review I was sent a copy of “My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife”. This book can be purchased from Sara Horn's website at: http://www.sarahorn.com/my-so-called-life-as-a-submissive-wife/.

I loved reading Sara's first book “My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife” not only because I found it chop full of humor but also because it inspired me to attempt my own Proverbs 31 experiment. Since I found Sara's Proverbs 31 book to be such a great and inspiring read, I was really excited to have the opportunity to review her latest, “My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife”.

The topic alone is intimidating because submission is not an easy trait to take on and personally, I find it hard to be submissive as a wife. My husband and I have always worked well from a 50/50 base, we each have equal say, we are each equal partners and all that. The 50/50 frame we work from isn't one of equal spilt as in he does ABC and I do XYZ but it is one were we come together and work side by side as equals in all areas of marriage, parenting and life A through Z. Reading a book on being a submissive wife was going to be challenging. When I told my husband, his honest reaction was laughter. He then told me I don't have a submissive bone in my body. Challenge accepted.

“My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife” is an interesting look at Sara (the author) down in the trenches of her own experiment being the submissive wife the Bible talks about. She wrote about this time in her marriage as she attempted to put her faith in God above all else and then place her husband second, only to the big man above, and herself last. Page after page of real life accounts on what being submissive was looking like in their marriage I loved seeing how her submission to her husband softened his heart toward her and she found freedom in submitting to a God fearing husband (which is IMPORTANT because I do not believe you can submit to any husband who is not God fearing).

There were big changes that happened with the Horn family as Sara worked on taking on a more submissive character as a wife, and then there were some small changes too – it goes to show, that really every little thing matters when it comes to our decisions and our actions. One example was when they were taking a trip to Disney World and there was a mild fanny pack debacle – was that funny! Another when a gecko dropped in for a visit – another moment that had me laughing. But, you'll have to read the book to get those funny stories, I won't be ruining any written pleasures from within that books pages here.

I found that although I didn't know where I stood on the submissive wife topic reading this book was not like finger nails dragging across a chalkboard (sorry to all who are now hearing the screech of that mental memory). Reading this book was great because Sara is so honest and open and down to earth in her writing and reading I feel as though I can relate, relate, relate! At the end of the book I thought, if she could do it and see positive changes, maybe (just maybe) I might try it too. But what it did do was have me pulling open my Bible and looking up all the passages about wives and submission to see what God does expect of me specifically on that topic and putting into action what I gathered from that.

I think if you get the “My So-Called Life As A Submissive Wife” you should definitely get her book before that also, “My So-Called Life As A Proverbs 31 Wife” and go ahead and read them both back to back.

I would love to hear from you if you are reading, have read or plan to read either of these two completely awesome books! What did you think of them? How did you use them in your marriage?

#SaraHorn

#WifeLife

You Reap What You Sow

Recently I was given an opportunity to review the Abundant Harvest for Kids board game (ages 7 and up priced at $24.99), for a fair and honest review. I was really excited about this great opportunity because this seemed like just the kind of game I would love to play with my littles. As the Harvest Time Partners website outlines, this game was designed to:

• “create teachable moments for parents and educators” alike, and
• “the situations are presented and directed towards children who are learning the importance of making decisions that are based on principle”.

You can check out the games for yourselves at www.harvesttimepartners.com. Below is my opinion after having played the “Abundant Harvest for Kids” board game. (And even further below that, a quick mention of their “Face to Face Dinner Party Edition” game and my thoughts on that one – but you'll have to keep reading to get to that).

We are a homeschooling family that incorporates God and the study of His word into our daily lessons. I was at a point where I had started to think about new ways to focus on, encourage and strengthen Godly character – character development. After all we are to train our children up in the way they should go. Abundant Harvest for Kids seemed like a great way to do just that.

During our Thanksgiving holiday our family decided to break out our Abundant Harvest for Kids game and give it a go. We love gathering around the table to play games and this one was no exception, moments like these are what memories are made of. Question after question, my girls loved showing how they could make a good decisions. If I had asked the girls what their favorite part of the game was, I know their answer would be collecting the Abundant Harvest Dollars. Those dollars, unbeknownst to them, were a great tangible reward to positively reinforce their good choices to all of the games proposed situations.

As a parent, playing this game with my kids was great because I got to read the scenario cards and let them know how I would handle it and be able to share my wisdom before it was needed. Just like the military trains for war, parents train their children spiritually, to be biblically and morally sound – this game is something that can definitely be used for just that. Listening to the answers and hearing their wisdom speak volumes beyond their tender years was confidence building for me as a parent, I knew I had begun to raise little ones with a moral compass that pointed straight to the Holy Bible. Playing this game with them gave them and myself alike, the reassurance that no matter where life takes them, or what it throws at them, that they will be ready, and will be able to successfully navigate any of life's waters.

Honestly the game was a little hard for the girls to play all the way through because it was a little lackluster, the conversation cards were all serious and a little heavy without any lighthearted moments to it other than the moments we made. I think families with children that really haven't developed a solid christian moral compass could definitely benefit from playing this game despite that because of all the real world challenges it pitches for preparedness on how to tackle them from a good christian base – so if you're that family, I would highly suggest playing this game to help your children develop that despite it's lack of levity.

The only other downsides for us really were that the game was a little hard for us to relate to, maybe that's because we are a young homeschooling family – maybe for others who aren't homeschooled or maybe children who are even a little older than the game suggests, this game would be a better fit. There were cards that the children drew that I tweaked the scenario for to make more appropriate for their ages and some we skipped all together and drew another card for them in place of those I thought inappropriate. When either little landed on a parent space and had to answer a scenario as the parent, never having worn that hat –they were attempting to try on new shoes to answer those cards and as a homeschooling family things like bullying or cheating on a test is pretty foreign – however greek any of the un-relateable scenarios were, our girls still shined in knowing what the right thing to do would be and bless their hearts, they continued to show it turn after turn. That said, just like if you give a mouse a cookie – if you give a kid a soap box you might want to throw in a timer ;)

Overall, I would say this game was a fun time had by all. I am very thankful we took the time to play this game for the togetherness it brought but also for the opportunity to see the direction our little's moral compass was pointing (and the opportunity to recalibrate if needed). I think taking something like building good Biblically sound character and judgement and making it into a game so that teaching and learning can be done all while spending time bonding over a game is a fabulous thing to do.

Aside from the Abundant Harvest for Kids board came, my husband and I played the “Face to Face Dinner Party Edition”. This game has a deck of 96 cards and is priced at an affordable $12.49. There are other “Face to Face” card game sets aside from the dinner party edition such as the kid edition and teen edition. The dinner party edition is described on the Harvest Time Partners web page as:

• a conversation game “for ages 18 and up, adults, and parents”, and as having
• “scenarios encourage discussion between adults on issues in marriage, raising children, and the workplace”.

Exactly as described each scenario card was completely relatable and having experience in all topics covered it was really fun to play and explore the what would you do factor if this were a scenario you found yourself in.

We had roughly 400 miles of road time for Holiday travel and I had just the thing to distract us from all of that bumper to bumper. I pulled the “Face to Face Dinner Party Edition” out of the glove box and read the cards for us to take turns answering. Honestly, I loved it :) My husband said he did too, and really loved how they had a good Christian focus. We look forward to working our way (gradually – we can pace ourselves) through all of the games cards, but we will definitely be playing that game again – and if you invite us to dinner (or get stuck in traffic with us), you might find yourselves playing it right along with us. If you were to ask me if I thought was a game worth adding to your game repertoire, I would say definitely.

If this post has peaked your curiosity about any of the Harvest Time Partners games, hop on over to the Harvest Time Partners website, www.harvesttimepartners.com, or give them a call at (877) 786-4278 and see if there is a game there waiting for you. You too could be a moment away from your very own Abundant Harvest, after all – we reap what we sow. Happy sowing my friends!

Additional Harvest Time Partners Link Ups:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarvestTimePartnersInc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HarvestTimePartners

Twitter:     https://twitter.com/Stand4Character

To see what others thought of this and other games from Harvest Time Partners, check out these blogs below:

http://roomsofknowledge.com/abundant-harvest-kids-game-review/#sthash.gpUc24Nv.dpbs

http://thewatersparkles.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/face-to-face-game-review/

If you have played this or other games from Harvest time Partners let me know! I'd love to hear about it too:)

Cash that Check

Last week was a hard one to say the least. My husband and I were upstairs in our bedroom as I was nursing our littlest and our older two girls were playing. We received one frantic call after another before we could reach the phone. We looked at one another and just knew, something was up – and likely bad news was looming, there were too many calls in a row for it to be anything casual.

I only had to return one call before we received what was devastating his family. His nephew had died tragically much too soon in life. As I shared this with my husband we wept together for the loss that had just hit. Only moments later we were packing up in a windstorm-like frenzy so we could make our way to be with his sister, to help and comfort in any way we could. Thankfully my parents live along the way and we were able to have our girls stay with them so that they wouldn't have to know grief or see such pain at their tender young ages.

I have never been through anything of such gravity before that week and one of my most prevalent thoughts was of rushing home to wrap up my little ones and give them the biggest longest hug ever – in those days (and still to be honest) I just wanted to be able to wrap my arms around them for a hug that never ends. When I did see them I tried to do just that :) but bless their little hearts they could only stay squeezed up in my arms for a couple of minutes before trying to break free.

In that week and still my heart breaks for my sister-in-law, and I pray that God can bring her peace and comfort her.

Life is short, no matter how “long” we live, it's still short. This was a reality check for me in a way. This has made me think about all that goes on in life and realize so much of it is just little stuff, the day to day stuff. Life is to be lived and loved. I want to live every moment intentionally so that not a single moment is “wasted” or “idle” or spent poorly.

Each day we wake up, God is putting a check in our hand for LIFE. We should take that check and cash it in, don't set it on the dresser to get lost or put it in the bank for later, cash it in and LIVE IT and LOVE IT. We do not know when we will stop getting these “checks” from God so let us make the most of the ones we do get.

At the end of my life I want everyone I know to know how very much I loved them. I want everyone to see how much I truly lived. I want to make the most of all the time I have and I want bless the people in my life with my love and my time and my happiness and my heart …. with everything I have, I want to pour it out on each one of them holding nothing back, until it's all spent up.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” 1Timothy 6:7 [NIV].

The Parable of the Talents

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time the master of those sevants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five, 'Master,' he said 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.'

“His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share you master's happiness!”

“The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

“His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters's happiness!'

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed, So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

“His master replied, 'You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“ 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. Fore everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' “

-Matthew 25:24-30 [NIV]

Okay so this parable has a literal and a figurative translation, and I'm taking it here in a metaphorical sense that the talent represents life – it's not the only way this parable is used or applied, but this is how it spoke to me this morning.

Life has hit with some pretty hard blows, and I'm not usually one to start in with a “woe is me” attitude (and I'm still not) but I do live in reality and I do know that's also life. Hard blows will hit but God will always be there. Life will never be perfect, but we can live it to it's fullest. Times may get tough, but we can always try our hardest. We may tire, but God will always be our strength.

What a tragic, devastating, and sad thing that has happened and my heart hurts for the suffering and pain for that side of the family. I pray and will keep praying for them. I am driven by this with a new zest to have no regrets to live fully and love deeply and I will live intentionally because one day all too soon it will be cut short.

How do y'all plan to spend your talents?  What things do you feel lead to do with them? Let me know :)

May God Bless you all and may you also live and love to the fullest. Life is is full of blessings, enjoy them y'all ;)



Side note:  Here is a link to the memorial fund if anyone wants to make a contribution, feel free to do so but don't feel pressed or obligated.
https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/kjm2/zachary-batt-memorial-fund

Focus on Forgiveness

Who hasn't had their toes stepped on. I know I have. What about a little more than that? Anyone have their heart broken, been lied to, betrayed? Those are all wounds that most of us have suffered at one point or another and so I'm sure we're all aware of how slowly they heal. Take a moment to think about why your hurts are healing up slowly. Is that something that can be fixed? Now there's a place to start! Forgiveness. Sometimes it means forgiving over and over again.

Anyone with children who takes a moment to watch them play can see how easily their feelings get hurt. (There is a reason parents, of all the hats they wear, moderator and referee is one of them). Have you ever witnessed what happens to the offended child once an apology is offered though? In my house, and in most cases, they once again become fast friends without a second thought to the hurt they had moments before felt. Wow! We really can learn a something from a child after all – if only they could tell us how they do it. Let's see, I'll ask … ok, apparently it's not easy for them either.

My six year old said that she forgives but that it isn't really easy she just does it because it's the only thing she can do. My four year old said that she forgives because of her heart (how precious) but she said that she still remembers. It works the same for us as adults when it comes to offenses and forgiveness. Something happens it's hard to forgive but we do because that is the right thing.

I have heard so many people quote “forgiven but not forgotten” or heard the instruction, “forgive but don't forget”. How unfortunate to hold fast to that as a rule. Those quotes wouldn't work in a marriage. I have heard a good one about forgiveness and marriage: “a good marriage is the union of two good forgivers”. Now there's one I like. If you can forget whatever is needing forgiveness, by all means LET IT GO. Why in the world hold on to something so it can hurt over and over again? Or worse to say you've forgiven but then continually hold whatever offense against the offender – is that any way to forgive? Not really.

True forgiveness isn't truly offered if you don't honestly try to forget it and it certainly isn't given if you still hold it against a person. God knows your heart, if you say you forgive but hold the bitterness of it in your heart still, he knows it's not the real thing. The best thing to do for yourself is to find a way to forgive. I have so struggled with this one! Guilty but redeemed – learning is occurring here, praise the Lord for with it comes peace. How beautiful and priceless peace can be.

Something to think about, is not only have we all been hurt, but we have all inadvertently hurt someone else at some point in our lives also. Not one of us is without sin. When it comes to forgiveness (and judging) the Bible does say this: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:37-38 ESV. It sounds like forgiveness is not only something we give to someone else but a gift we can give ourselves also.

There are times though when, despite as hard as we try, as hard as we wish and as hard as we pray we are simply unable to bleat it out from our memories. In those moments if we've extended forgiveness, we get to practice the act of continual forgiveness. That means every time we are reminded, once again we must forgive it to move past it. Let me tell you, that is one hard thing to do! (But I'm sure I don't need to tell you that right).

May God bless you as you try to forgive all of the past hurts that have stuck with you and may the good Lord bless you as you try to forget those things as well so that you can lighten your load and not carry that around with you any longer. Turn to God and let him heal you as only he can. Let God carry the pain you may hold, tell him about it and then when it strikes out like a snake – pray for God to cast it away from you. Refuse to think about it. Do not entertain any thoughts on it (that's called a rabbit hole) – instead remind yourself you have forgiven, and forgive again and again, as many times necessary. It's not always easy, but most things that require effort are usually worth the effort they require.

Just a side note: In no way am I referring to forgiveness when it comes to an abuse or your own physical safety. I firmly believe if you find yourself in any sort of abusive situation that you find help to get yourself to safety. Safety first always!

Being A Blessing

Photo Property of C.K. Nelson not to be reproduced or copied

Being a Blessing

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being able to spend some time with, and visit my Grandparents. Our girls ran around the spacious country plot and did what I did there as a child, roll in laughter and make up adventures. It was amazing for me to watch a wonderful new memory being made while an old one was being recalled. Oh, how I loved my summers there.

As we were about to leave I noticed how there was four generations, right there, on that very porch. How blessed are we. Some friends of mine are already starting to lose parents to death, and here, we had not only our parents there, but our grandparents with us too. What a true gift from the Lord that most seem to take for granted.

I began to think about getting older, something most of us don't think too much on – understandably, what fun is there in that. I also thought about the role of parents and children and how they relate to the passing of time and growing in years.

My husband, often times, has joked with our children asking, “When I get older since I changed your diaper, are you gonna change mine?”. If you haven't guessed, his type of humor is the off the wall kind, and that's just what that question is, his humor coming out to play. That comment is a joke that leaves him laughing because the girls will then cringe and squeal at the thought of a poopy diaper. That's right. I said poop. Before parenthood it's a word seldom used, but as a parent it's in as frequent use, as air.

Here is the surprising part, not my husband actually asking this, after cringing about poop, the girls with all the love in their hearts say, “Don't worry Daddy. When you and Mommy are old we will take care of you, even if we have to change your diapers.” Let me just say, I love their blessed little four and six year old hearts! Here he was trying to pull their leg and they used that as an opportunity to show true love is as wide as it is deep as it it is tall.

I wanted to know, how many adults would show that same love to their aging parents? The answer, a surprising 20 million , which is over 80 percent of care, is provided by families, as seen here: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/lifechallenges/life_transitions/caring_for_ill_or_aging_parents.aspx. Wow! Keep up the good work for those who are already helping and for those who aren't let's change that!

Helping parents out as routine things become more complicated like mowing the yard, power washing the house, weeding the garden is something all family members should start to take on as these things no longer appear to be a luxury of capability for parents, yet they maintain the responsibility of accomplishing. Let us find ways to be a blessing to our parents.

Our parents have done their best to show us love, to provide for us and to help us. (This is care work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_work). As our parents age it IS our turn to show them love, and in ways to provide for and to help them. The love, support and help need not be equivalent to what they have given because it's not an exchange system. It is an expression of love, one that should be just as tall as it is wide as it is deep. Although it is not an exchange system, something worth noting is that our children WILL SEE how we treat our parents and care for them as they begin to depend upon us, and our response to our parents and what we do is how we will be teaching our children in turn, to treat us – let's be a good example and let us follow the direction given in the Bible:

1 Timothy 5:4 “...Children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+5%3A4&version=NIV . Pretty clear right? Now that we know, the next step is A-C-T-I-O-N.

I would love to hear back from you and hear about how your actions are blessing family members older than you.

Has this post in any way inspired you to helping out more? In what ways?

May God bless you as you bless others.