When you lie down, you will not be afraid.
When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Proverbs 3:24
Every now and then God sends us little bits of encouragement regarding parenting. Every now and then I see my children's pure and innocent hearts...full of God sized faith.
This past week, Jen Gash from Sweet Sleep came and spoke during chapel at my children's school. She spoke about the orphan crisis in Uganda and the desperate need for beds and mosquito nets for these children. (Uganda just passed a law requiring that all children in orphanages have their own bed. Some orphanages have been closed because of this new law.) Matthew came home absolutely convinced that he would do something about this. He said that he wanted to use his $50 bill and his $20 check from his birthday and buy mosquito nets for these children. I told him that was great, but I kind of waited to see if the decision would stick. He mentioned it again the next day and the next. I am so proud of that boy. I see a heart that believes that one person really can make a difference and that warms my heart.
Matthew then told me yesterday that he'd be okay if all he got for Christmas was coal. He said, "At least, I'd get something because some kids don't get anything." I'm so thankful that the Lord is allowing me to see that what we're trying to teach our children does have an impact and that it is soaking into their hearts and minds. I pray that God will give them more passion and a bigger heart for those all around the world who are desperately in need.
So, we're buying mosquito nets with some birthday money and we're buying some more as Christmas presents.
Jen Gash and I will be in Uganda at the same time but in different parts. There is much work to be done everywhere. Let us not grow weary in well doing...
Northern Ugandan children face much adversity. It is an area that has been under attack from the LRA Rebels, who have systematically destroyed villages, killed adults and abducted children. The children, as early as six years old, are used as slaves and child soldiers, forced to kill or be killed. Over 1 million people have been displaced in Northern Uganda – three quarters of these, precious, orphaned children living in child-headed households/huts.
There are lots of ways to help this Christmas!
Here are the specific needs from Sweet Sleep.
Prayer for Jen and Sweet Sleep and their work in northern Uganda.
Notes of love to give to a child she encounters. They can be notes of love, encouragement, your favorite scripture, whatever. Mailed to Sweet Sleep. She’ll pack and take and hand deliver to a child she gets to spend time talking with.
218 mosquito nets. 8,320 Ugandans will die of malaria during the 26 days I will be gone. I will purchase these in Uganda for $8 each. Malaria kills more people in Uganda than HIV/AIDS.
Mattresses for 218 children so they will be able to sleep up off of the ground for the first time in their lives. Mattresses are $50.
Can you imagine not having a blanket to warm you during these chilly nights or sheets to sleep in? 218 more children still need to be able to be warm and snuggly. They can for just $30. $30 purchases a soft, fluffy banket and a Bible.
I hope your family will get involved in some way. Do something! Pray, give or send notes of encouragement to Jen at Sweet Sleep and the children in Uganda. (Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. Proverbs 25:11)
Jen Gash
Sweet Sleep
PO Box 40486
Nashville, TN 37204
www.sweetsleep.org
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
A Lesson Learned
We're not current on pop culture...it may not even be called that anymore. We don't watch music awards or MTV or even local channels. We pay our cable bill each month so that we can watch two channels--Disney and Fox News.
So I didn't know that Miley has lost her way. I didn't know that she was no longer appropriate for young girls and I especially didn't know that she had a step brother who is part of a group called Metro Station.
Mendy and I surprised the girls Tuesday night with outfits and tickets to the Miley Cyrus concert. We expected a modest teen girl with her guitar and probably some good special effects. That's not what we got.
Metro Station opened and sang 7 songs...Mary Chandler counted them. The music was loud and obnoxious. I rarely understood a word and when I did it was completely inappropriate for my daughter's ears. There were two dancers with the group. These girls barely had any clothing on and they were dancing in front of mirrors so that we would get a front view and a back view of inappropriate dancing. The singers were grabbing themselves and lifting their shirts to expose their tattooed covered body. The lead singer took off his t-shirt and wiped his body down with sweat and threw it into the audience. Disgusting!! Mary Chandler kept her coat over her head the entire time and Elizabeth cried and begged, "Can we please just go home?" Mendy and I sat there horrified thinking, "What have we done?" Miley's brother even said, "I'm so thankful that my little sister fought for me to be on this tour because many people didn't want it to happen." Not surprising at all.
So Miley came out and we thought all would be well, except she barely had any clothes on either. She was dancing around provocatively and rubbing up against the guitar players...the first time she did that I really thought, "Maybe that's her boyfriend". Obviously, I am very naive, but then she did it to the second guy on stage. She was touching herself in places that just aren't appropriate to touch in public and she was throwing her head all over the place while she sang, probably so the camera could show us her cleavage.
Oh wait...there are mostly 5-10 year old girls in the audience. This would all be inappropriate for their eyes. If my daughter ever, ever, ever danced like this at home or anywhere else, she would be in big trouble. I could give you more details, but I think you get the picture.
The bright side of the concert was that I have a friend who is sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit and could get past the fact that we together had thrown $300 out the window. After 4 songs, she said, "I'm feeling convicted. Will Elizabeth be devastated if we leave?" There was a bigger lesson to be learned than E's missing this concert. This was not a concert for young girls. I told Elizabeth this wasn't a good concert and we needed to leave...no fussing. We got up and had some wholesome food at Cracker Barrel on the way home. Coca Cola Chocolate Cake can make all things better. The girls never even mentioned that they were sad that we left. I don't think they enjoyed it anymore than we did.
I did talk to the event manager of the Sommet Center before we left. He said we weren't the first to complain.
Miley has lost her way. Did she forget that she made her money by being a modest, clean cut girl? There weren't teenage girls or boys at this concert and even so, I still don't think it would've been appropriate. I can't imagine that her daddy is proud, but he must be if he's letting this all happen. If Miley is a believer, I hope the Lord intervenes soon and shows her the error of her way. Her dancing and gestures were completely inappropriate. If she's not a believer, then I pray that God saves her and she turns from this wickedness and will be a godly role model for this young generation.
On the way out of the concert, Mary Chandler found a penny. Heads were up and Mendy said, "God is reminding us to trust Him because it says 'In God we trust'". I do trust Him. But He has entrusted me with a precious daughter and I don't want to have to stand before Him and give account of taking her to inappropriate movies and concerts. So, I will buy tickets much more cautiously next time! It was an expensive lesson, but a lesson learned!
So I didn't know that Miley has lost her way. I didn't know that she was no longer appropriate for young girls and I especially didn't know that she had a step brother who is part of a group called Metro Station.
Mendy and I surprised the girls Tuesday night with outfits and tickets to the Miley Cyrus concert. We expected a modest teen girl with her guitar and probably some good special effects. That's not what we got.
Metro Station opened and sang 7 songs...Mary Chandler counted them. The music was loud and obnoxious. I rarely understood a word and when I did it was completely inappropriate for my daughter's ears. There were two dancers with the group. These girls barely had any clothing on and they were dancing in front of mirrors so that we would get a front view and a back view of inappropriate dancing. The singers were grabbing themselves and lifting their shirts to expose their tattooed covered body. The lead singer took off his t-shirt and wiped his body down with sweat and threw it into the audience. Disgusting!! Mary Chandler kept her coat over her head the entire time and Elizabeth cried and begged, "Can we please just go home?" Mendy and I sat there horrified thinking, "What have we done?" Miley's brother even said, "I'm so thankful that my little sister fought for me to be on this tour because many people didn't want it to happen." Not surprising at all.
So Miley came out and we thought all would be well, except she barely had any clothes on either. She was dancing around provocatively and rubbing up against the guitar players...the first time she did that I really thought, "Maybe that's her boyfriend". Obviously, I am very naive, but then she did it to the second guy on stage. She was touching herself in places that just aren't appropriate to touch in public and she was throwing her head all over the place while she sang, probably so the camera could show us her cleavage.
Oh wait...there are mostly 5-10 year old girls in the audience. This would all be inappropriate for their eyes. If my daughter ever, ever, ever danced like this at home or anywhere else, she would be in big trouble. I could give you more details, but I think you get the picture.
The bright side of the concert was that I have a friend who is sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit and could get past the fact that we together had thrown $300 out the window. After 4 songs, she said, "I'm feeling convicted. Will Elizabeth be devastated if we leave?" There was a bigger lesson to be learned than E's missing this concert. This was not a concert for young girls. I told Elizabeth this wasn't a good concert and we needed to leave...no fussing. We got up and had some wholesome food at Cracker Barrel on the way home. Coca Cola Chocolate Cake can make all things better. The girls never even mentioned that they were sad that we left. I don't think they enjoyed it anymore than we did.
I did talk to the event manager of the Sommet Center before we left. He said we weren't the first to complain.
Miley has lost her way. Did she forget that she made her money by being a modest, clean cut girl? There weren't teenage girls or boys at this concert and even so, I still don't think it would've been appropriate. I can't imagine that her daddy is proud, but he must be if he's letting this all happen. If Miley is a believer, I hope the Lord intervenes soon and shows her the error of her way. Her dancing and gestures were completely inappropriate. If she's not a believer, then I pray that God saves her and she turns from this wickedness and will be a godly role model for this young generation.
On the way out of the concert, Mary Chandler found a penny. Heads were up and Mendy said, "God is reminding us to trust Him because it says 'In God we trust'". I do trust Him. But He has entrusted me with a precious daughter and I don't want to have to stand before Him and give account of taking her to inappropriate movies and concerts. So, I will buy tickets much more cautiously next time! It was an expensive lesson, but a lesson learned!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Give This Christmas Away
This Christmas, our family is trying to be intentional about Christmas. We are trying to focus more on Christ and less on us. We are trying not to shop, shop, shop til we drop. We are incorporating Matthew West's book and song Give This Christmas Away and looking for ways to give of our resources and our time and our love. A lot of them are simple...pack a shoebox, hold the door for someone, give the waiter/waitress a very big tip just because, buy a cup of coffee for a stranger, smile, and the list goes on and on.
I found this video intriguing and convicting all at the same time. If you're reading this and I'm on your Christmas list, cross my name off. Give the money away to someone in need--someone who needs clean water or a warm blanket or a month's worth of food. I'm serious. We are blessed abundantly and we need more Jesus and less stuff!
Go to Advent Conspiracy for more information.
I found this video intriguing and convicting all at the same time. If you're reading this and I'm on your Christmas list, cross my name off. Give the money away to someone in need--someone who needs clean water or a warm blanket or a month's worth of food. I'm serious. We are blessed abundantly and we need more Jesus and less stuff!
Go to Advent Conspiracy for more information.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Found!!!
Well, the pictures were found. They were right where I looked several times the night before, but I guess God needed to teach me a lesson before I could realize that they were in the stack that I looked through several times.
Something else is lost....FINALLY!!! He's 8 years old and this is the first one to come out. A big thanks to the apple in his lunch for the assistance in making this finally happen!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Lost
Stephen lost one shoe, not both, just one. We tore several rooms in the house apart looking for the shoe. I looked under furniture, on top of furniture, in bathroom cabinets, in drawers...everywhere I could think to look. So, it was missing for several days. It drove me crazy. I can't stand for something to be lost. I offered a $5 reward to the finder of the shoe. I thought if somebody had hid it, they would fess up.
Last night, I found the shoe. It was wedged between Matthew's headboard and the wall. Not sure how it got there, not sure I want to know. I was so excited!
Then I went looking for some pictures we had made last fall. I wanted to put them in the frame that I finally bought. I knew where they used to be, but they aren't there now. I tore the office apart last night and looked for over an hour for those crazy pictures. Derek joined in the search because he saw a frustrated and frantic wife. I finally called it a night and went to bed. I woke up every hour (seriously)! I don't know why I woke up, but every time I did I would think about those pictures and wonder where they could be. I woke up this morning thinking about those pictures. It's driving me bananas.
And then the conviction came, the Lord spoke in my spirit and said, "How do you think I feel about those that are lost and need a Savior? Don't you think I'm always looking for just one more person to give them a clue--to point them to Christ? You're concerned about some pictures that have no eternal value, but I'm concerned about those lost souls all around you?"
The Lord loves the lost more than I love the pictures. I'm convicted, I'll admit it. I miss opportunities each week to touch the life of someone hurting or someone lost because I'm frantically involved in things that really just don't matter. I need some priorities that line up with God's heart.
I'll look for those opportunities this week to encourage the hurting or share the gospel with the lost, still hoping though that what once was lost will be found---pictures and peoples souls!!
Last night, I found the shoe. It was wedged between Matthew's headboard and the wall. Not sure how it got there, not sure I want to know. I was so excited!
Then I went looking for some pictures we had made last fall. I wanted to put them in the frame that I finally bought. I knew where they used to be, but they aren't there now. I tore the office apart last night and looked for over an hour for those crazy pictures. Derek joined in the search because he saw a frustrated and frantic wife. I finally called it a night and went to bed. I woke up every hour (seriously)! I don't know why I woke up, but every time I did I would think about those pictures and wonder where they could be. I woke up this morning thinking about those pictures. It's driving me bananas.
And then the conviction came, the Lord spoke in my spirit and said, "How do you think I feel about those that are lost and need a Savior? Don't you think I'm always looking for just one more person to give them a clue--to point them to Christ? You're concerned about some pictures that have no eternal value, but I'm concerned about those lost souls all around you?"
The Lord loves the lost more than I love the pictures. I'm convicted, I'll admit it. I miss opportunities each week to touch the life of someone hurting or someone lost because I'm frantically involved in things that really just don't matter. I need some priorities that line up with God's heart.
I'll look for those opportunities this week to encourage the hurting or share the gospel with the lost, still hoping though that what once was lost will be found---pictures and peoples souls!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Bent
God's been telling me something lately...we all have a bent. Some have a bent towards numbers, some might have a bent towards books, some have a bent towards people, but we all have one. It's God given.
Max Lucado talks about this in his book, The Cure for the Common Life -- Living in your Sweet Spot. My sweet spot is not anyone else's. God intended it just for me. He also talks about our children and how they have a bent and to be quite honest, I haven't always liked the bent one of my children has, but there's no denying that it's God given. We are complete opposites -- this child of mine and me. Sometimes I wonder if God just wasn't playing a big joke on both of us. Let's see if these two can get along! I drive him crazy and he drives me crazy. But I know that God is going to use his bent and it's our job to help develop and refine it.
This pastor talks about knowing your child's bent on his blog. It's a good little read reminding us..."don't try to make your child into something they're not". I need that reminder daily because the two of us are like sandpaper rubbing each other smooth. But maybe that's been God's plan all along to refine both of us into a better image of Christ.
Max Lucado talks about this in his book, The Cure for the Common Life -- Living in your Sweet Spot. My sweet spot is not anyone else's. God intended it just for me. He also talks about our children and how they have a bent and to be quite honest, I haven't always liked the bent one of my children has, but there's no denying that it's God given. We are complete opposites -- this child of mine and me. Sometimes I wonder if God just wasn't playing a big joke on both of us. Let's see if these two can get along! I drive him crazy and he drives me crazy. But I know that God is going to use his bent and it's our job to help develop and refine it.
This pastor talks about knowing your child's bent on his blog. It's a good little read reminding us..."don't try to make your child into something they're not". I need that reminder daily because the two of us are like sandpaper rubbing each other smooth. But maybe that's been God's plan all along to refine both of us into a better image of Christ.
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