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Elementary, Parenting, Preschool, Theology, Uncategorized

Reading with my kids

March 5, 2021 by Hannah Lugibihl No Comments

Reading books with my kids is one of my favorite things to do! We read books strictly just for fun and a good story, but we also read books to learn something. I have found that reading a story versus just spouting out information and facts is so much more effective in keeping kids engaged and helping them comprehend and relate to what you’re telling them about. That’s probably part of why Jesus used parables to teach so often, and didn’t just lay out facts for people. It causes you to put yourself in the shoes of the person in the story and encourages you to imagine, question, and think for yourself.

I wanted to share a few of our favorite books that are on rotation at our house. These are all books we have read that help my kids (and me!)  learn more about God and the Bible and grow in our relationship with Him.

We love all of these kids’ Bibles. They all re-tell stories in a beautiful way for kids to understand. 

Jesus Storybook Bible

The Gospel Story Bible

Tiny Truths: Wonder & Wisdom (Psalms & Proverbs)

These are a few of the devotional style books we have really enjoyed:

Indescribable 

How Great is Our God

The Ology

Here are a few books we love to read. Some are re-telling of Bible stories and some are simply beautiful stories that point us to God.

All of the books from “Tales That Tell the Truth” collection. We have these three, but would love to own all of them!

The Garden, The Curtain, and The Cross

The One O’clock Miracle

The Friend Who Forgives

God Gave Us ______ series.

God Gave Us Easter would be a great Easter basket gift. We love the Christmas one as well! 

The Big God Story 

A beautiful story of some of the most well known Bible figures! It concludes with saying that we, too, are a part of God’s story! One of my absolute favorites.

Psalm Twenty-Three

This book is beautifully illustrated and shares the words of Psalm 23 as it applies to a child’s journey through their day

What Am I Feeling?

This book helps teach kids (and me, ha!) how to name our feelings and ask God to help us with them.

It’s Will Be Okay: Trusting God Through Fear and Change

I love this precious story about a seed and a fox’s friendship. It’s a story about how change and circumstances can be hard or scary, but we have a God who loves us and knows what is best for us. We read this one a lot!

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Reading time: 4 min
Elementary, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen, Teen, Uncategorized

A letter to my new homeschool friends…

March 14, 2020 by Ellen Davis 1 Comment

To all my new homeschooling friends, WELCOME!  Take a deep breath, it’s going to be okay.  First and foremost, remember God specifically designed your children for you.  You know them better than anyone else.  You have been loving, caring, and providing for your child since birth. 

I’ve been homeschooling for about 10 years and I know this journey well and you are not alone.  Reach out to your homeschooling friends and ask for advice and support.  I promise you they will come to your rescue because even though we have chosen to homeschool we know we can’t do it without a community of our peers by our side.  We don’t have all the answers, but we can encourage and pray with you.   

Here are a few of my tips to help you

–       Lean on God each day to use the patience and peace He has given you to lead your children well

–       Laugh.  A LOT.

–       Keep perspective and look at what you have accomplished over the week not just that day

–       You don’t need desks, do school at the kitchen table, outside, on the couch, upside down.

–       Play outside!

–       Establish a basic routine not a minute by minute routine (ex. wake up time, breakfast, school, lunch, unfinished school)

–       Your kids can entertain themselves – have books, art supplies, footballs, and toys readily available for their use

–       Help your child with a routine and staying on track but ultimately they need to be responsible for their schoolwork.

–       Utilize your new school uniform, pajamas!

–       Break your routine sometimes BECAUSE YOU CAN- watch a movie, go out for ice cream, walk around the block – enjoy this new freedom.

You will find homeschooling is as much a lifestyle choice as an educational model. Use this new time together to deepen your relationship with your children.  Even on the days I want to put my kids on the bus, I remember that God has gifted me this opportunity to pour truth and love into their developing hearts.  At this end of this disruption, your biggest success will be pointing them to Jesus.

Ellen and her family.
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Reading time: 2 min
Elementary, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen, Teen, Theology

Parenting, Purity, and Perspective

January 10, 2020 by Tim Chalas No Comments

Sex. The mere mention of the word conjures up feelings that run the full spectrum of our emotional scale. Maybe the only thing more intimidating than the word itself is teaching our kids about it! The Birds and the Bees make it sound so easy and simple but if you are a parent, you know better. Our kids are living in a fast-paced, visual world, and the language, messages, and images about sex today are not veiled in symbolism such as birds and bees, but are in your face, blatant, raw, and shocking! I have had “the talk” with my own kids and am so glad I did…they taught me so much!!! I wanted to believe that in their ignorance, they were innocent but soon realized that in their innocence they were ignorant! That is a recipe for being naïve and susceptible to the lies out there. They had already heard words and seen some things I had hoped they hadn’t but they had been left to their own understanding of it all and needed the truth about it, not so much insulation from it.

How are we to help teach, protect, nurture, and guide our kids as they navigate through the onslaught of social media, images, music, computers, video games, television, culture, and all that is out there in the world, not to mention the onslaught of hormones that are in them? In short, how do we help our kids live pure lives in an impure world? First of all, let me encourage you that the situation is far from hopeless. Listen to these words in Titus:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” – Titus 2:11-12

Because of God’s grace, we have hope, we are not alone, and we are loved with unquestioned certainty in the midst of uncertain times…and so are our kids! By His doing, we have been made new creations, holy and righteous, we have been given a new heart, desiring exactly what He desires (regardless of how we feel) and we have His indwelling Spirit so that we are never alone or without His power to be able to “do all things through Christ, who strengthens us.” Purity is not something we can achieve, it is the Life of Jesus we have received! We are pure because God made us pure…now the only sensible thing to do is live like who we are. This is the reality that our kids need to know and that we need to know. This is the gospel…the good news that sets us free!

 

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Reading time: 2 min
Elementary, Marriage, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen, Teen, Theology

The “S” Word – Part 2

October 22, 2019 by Kyndal Jacoby No Comments

Shame. It is one of the greatest tools that the enemy uses to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). Kill our kindness towards ourselves, steal our ability to experience love and joy, and can destruct relationships like no other. In THIS previous post, I laid out the role shame can play and the truth that shame has NO PLACE to dwell in the heart of a child of God. As we are journeying together through this beautifully messy thing called parenting, I know it is each of our hearts for our children to not only know but experience the love God has for them through the way we love them.

Sometimes when I think about the magnitude of it all, I can find myself nearly begging God for my children to turn out okay – more for their sake than for mine. No one desires for their child to continue to struggle into adulthood or choose to live life contrary to who they are in Christ. I am then reminded and reassured that it’s not all up to me and that my primary act of obedience is to depend on Him and His ways, not my own. To trust what resides within me. Simple in theory, oftentimes oh so challenging in practice. In the book The Cure and Parents, the authors say

“we get to give our kids the best of us– earning permission to influence them, mature them, know them, give guidance to them, protect them, love them, free them, and show them a magnificent God and an authentic life that will hold up for their entire lifetime.” They continued to state, “they get to watch us trusting God. They watch us mature and heal and become freer…they get to enjoy, instead of maneuvering around, the very ones who have loved them most.”

Because I know I am not alone in that, I thought I would share some tangible areas we as parents can walk out fostering love and grace, standing victorious with Christ (and our kiddos) over shame.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is the pathway for love to freely flow. It is the very cornerstone our relationship with God is built on. It was the exact thing that God did in order for him to fully experience us and us to fully experience Him. Therefore, forgiving ourselves and others is essential in experiencing the depth of God’s promises for ourselves, to be an expression of those promises to others, and to experience the fullness of community with those around us. Forgiveness invites acceptance to love someone right where they are; remembering Whose they are to begin with. I know it can sound like all of this is flowery and pretty, but love is hard and messy a lot of the time. But I have experienced trusting God when it is difficult, confusing, and exhausting and watching it turn into a beautiful thing. Walking in our forgiveness from God and extending that forgiveness to ourselves and others removes the barriers allowing love to flow just as it was designed to.

Belongingness

We have all been there. As a kid wanting a place to belong at lunch in the cafeteria. As an adult, really hoping when we walk into that social event we have at least one person we feel safe with. We are wired deeply to be loved and belong. We are all biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually created to love, be loved, and to belong. Love and belongingness is not something we earn. It’s our birthright in Christ Jesus. And if that’s true of our relationship with God, then that is true of our relationship as parent and child. I belong as my boy’s mother and they belong as my sons. Obviously, the experience of this love can for sure be tampered with if anyone in the equation is living in fear, lies, or shame. Even in tough seasons or with personalities that challenge the heck out of us, our kids belong in our home. You belong in your home. You are the chosen parent God so delightfully appointed to parent your child. When we are believing truth about ourselves, and our role as their parent (despite how we feel or the circumstances in front of us) we can communicate those same truths to our children. Speaking truth into their lives a million and one times is so life-giving to them. Especially when the world is speaking the opposite. When we and our kids believe we are loved and belong right where we are, that they are good and wanted despite any poor choices, there is security and trust to battle the lies together.

Vulnerability

Even the word vulnerability kind of feels funny. When we are vulnerable and open with ourselves in the environment of grace with God, it gives us the ability to recognize what lies we may be believing about ourselves, God, others, or our circumstances. Vulnerability is simply being honest with yourself. Peeling the onion layers back in our thoughts and feelings and not letting anything stick that does not align with our identity in Christ. When we practice vulnerability, and stand in truth, we are able to have intimacy in our relationship with God and those who love us. Separating behavior from identity for ourselves and our children is a key function in fostering a safe environment for everyone to be free to be vulnerable. Living this out for our kids to see is essential in helping them build the same practice. Showing vulnerability allows our kids to see God at work in our hearts. Me closely watching God work in someone else’s heart is how I came to know Jesus myself! I was drawn to the realness of her walk. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Allowing our kids to see and hear our process of trusting God not only invites them to trust us, but to trust God with their life. The hope is that by our kids watching us trust Jesus, they will be compelled to do the same. “For it is the love of Christ that compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Patience

I oftentimes have to remind myself that my kids are just that…kids. That I surely can’t expect them to handle things well and maturely all of the time or even most of the time. Depending on the age of your children, they are learning emotional regulation, impulse control, and sorting all sorts of thoughts and stimuli simultaneously.

The goal is not to never struggle, but to learn to depend on God in the struggle.

That goes for ourselves as well as our children. This takes TIME. And lots of practice. Heck, I am still learning and growing in how to live out these truths in my own current season. Obviously, the hope is that we see continued growth and maturation, but having realistic expectations for our children goes a long way with our experience of them. As hard as it is, every struggle, teenage outburst, meltdown, or silent treatment is an opportunity for us to meet them in love and grace, speak truth, and walk through the struggle with them. As I tell my boys frequently, “let’s practice our patience” and trust that He makes everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

It is the primary cry of our hearts as parents for our children to come to know, trust, and live as one with Christ. As I mentioned before, it can all seem incredibly overwhelming and daunting at times. I can find myself sometimes more easily thinking of all that could go awry than dreaming of it going well. I am sure I am not alone in feeling sometimes like “ugh, I’m doing all of this and my kids don’t seem to be getting it.” Thankfully our identity is not in our parenting or in our children’s choices. The truth is that we are equipped in Christ Jesus. We have what it takes and you are not going at this alone. Christ in and through you is the only true parenting “tip” in the economy of grace. Know that wherever you are at in your parenting journey, that God has not forgotten you or your children. That if you have trusted Christ in your parenting and your ideas and plans have not played out, that the purpose of the Lord will stand (Proverbs 19:21). If you are a parent in a difficult season with a young child or an adult child, know that the battle has been won and the war is over. Victory has been had. We are not always sure when and how we will get to see the victory play out, but victory still remains true.

In whatever your days hold right now, know that you are not only welcome, but wanted in your community of believers. None of us have it all together and all of us benefit from walking beside each other. Come alongside others and allow others to come alongside you. Perfect love, His love, casts out all fear. And because of that, it is good to be us here with God and with each other- especially in this beautifully chaotic thing called parenting.

 

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Reading time: 7 min
Elementary, Marriage, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen, Teen, Theology

The other “S” word

October 21, 2019 by Kyndal Jacoby No Comments

Shame – Part 1

Shame. Your cheeks get hot, your stomach drops, you feel like the whole world is looking at you. You are exposed. Ewe. Even the word isn’t super fun to say. Shame in all its glory can be brutal. It is one of the greatest tools that the enemy uses to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). Kill our kindness towards ourselves, steal our ability to experience love and joy, and can destruct relationships like no other. Aren’t you so pumped to be reading about it?! It’s the other “s” word that no one wants to touch with a ten-foot pole.

We have all felt it, acted on it, wrestled with thoughts stemming from it. I oftentimes tell clients that the only thing that grows in the dark is fear and shame. And if we really boil it down shame is rooted in fear. Fear of being seen and others not liking or accepting what is seen. Fear that if anyone really knew what I did/thought/said that they would run for the hills. Or worse stick around and we would pay for it by either our perception of constant judgment and wondering what in the world they are thinking of us OR being treated by others in a way that is fueled by shame. Fear that we, at our core, are not enough, not okay, not loveable. Sounds delightful, right?

As one of the key instruments of the enemy, it can wreak havoc internally. If he can keep someone hidden, festering in the dark, then there is absolutely no freedom in that. And the last thing the enemy wants is us experiencing and living out our freedom in Christ. Shame, remorse, and embarrassment are oftentimes intertwined, confusing, and can be hard to distinguish the role they each play.

We have all been there. Making a grand entrance by loudly tripping through the doorway of a restaurant hoping everyone was too busy enjoying their meal to notice, only to look up and see all eyes on you. Embarrassment. When we feel embarrassed we are experiencing self-consciousness followed by some distress. Remorse, in its healthy function, is feeling icky first then holding what we did/experienced next to who we are and recognizing that it doesn’t fit. Believing that choice/experience isn’t congruent to who we are and therefore it doesn’t sit right. In recognizing it doesn’t fit we are then able to stand in truth and not live in the thoughts and feelings of remorse. Shame happens when we believe it fits and therefore let the choice/experience (and lies that follow suit) say more about us than what God says about us and has done for us. Fear that who we are at our core is not good. Shame would tell me that I can’t even walk through a doorway correctly without making a fool of myself and that I am a constant screw up.

Remember earlier when I said shame was the other “s” word that no one wanted to touch with a ten-foot pole? Christ touched it. He more than touched it. He erased it. Demolished it. Our identity in Him is blameless, shameless, and secure. For we are MORE than conquerors (Romans 8:37)! Shame has NO PLACE to dwell in the heart of a child of God. If this is true, and it for dang sure is, then how come we sometimes experience thoughts and feelings of shame and watch our children wrestle with them too? I like to think we come by it honestly. The very first act Adam and Eve made once choosing to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was to hide themselves. Genesis 3:10 says “And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” For the first time, they felt shame. They felt fear. Felt exposed, vulnerable, and unacceptable. We, our children included, have all been there. Vulnerable and exposed. When caught up in the lies and waves of emotions we can find ourselves fearful that it is actually true.

The beautiful thing is that being vulnerable and exposed in the environment of love and grace is Gods heart for each and every one of us. To be fully seen and be fully loved. To be known and be free. To be heard and be accepted. As Doug and Janet Newberry say, “it is good to be me here with you.” Good to be me because God says I am good. Good to be me because my environment is one that knows my goodness is rooted firmly in Christ. A place where who I am is based on Whose I am, not what I have done. An environment of love and grace. The very opposite of shame, fear, and darkness is love, vulnerability, and freedom in Christ. Living in the light.

As a parent walking in New Covenant truth you have established and are continuing to foster an environment where it is good to be me here with you. Oftentimes it can get sticky to sort all of this out in ourselves and with our children. In order to combat shame, we want our kids to feel safe to be vulnerable with us. To mess up and know they have a soft place to land. To trust us and have the freedom to learn to trust God. Our reactions and responses to things greatly shapes their ability to do this. Giving them pieces of our story, sharing our current struggles or moments of weakness, apologizing, owning our wrongs, verbalizing that our/their mistakes is not who we are and how our heart wants to act, and asking for forgiveness.

Parenting is a huge refiner of us parents. Never be afraid to allow your children to see you being refined. Grow and lean into God more and more with them. So first we must trust God with our own thoughts and feelings of shame and then lead them to do the same. Perfect love, the very love that dwells within you, drives out all fear (1 John 4:18). Drives out fear and invites freedom. Freedom to know we won’t always get it right and neither will our children, but for the truth that it is good to be me here with God remaining the same.

 

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Reading time: 5 min
Elementary, Infants, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen, Teen, Theology

I am the perfect parent.

October 10, 2018 by Emily Soule 1 Comment

I am the perfect parent. Well, that sounds so presumptuous, doesn’t it? It’s hard for me to swallow too. But it’s true. Maybe it would help if I told you how I define perfect. The word perfect found in the book of Philippians also translates complete and mature.

You see my identity is not based on my behavior but in my personhood as a child of God. God has made me complete. God has made me mature. God has made me perfect. Whether I choose to behave like who I am or not doesn’t change the truth about me.

God has also made me a parent. He has made me perfect and a parent. He has picked specific kids for me to parent. For these kids, I am the perfect parent. Most of the time, I do not FEEL like the perfect parent for these kids. Most the time, I feel like I should be saving money for their weddings, college education, and all the counseling they will need because of how much I am screwing them up.

BUT the truth is despite how I feel and even how I act at times, God has made me perfect in Him.

Let’s break this down…

In the book of Philippians, Paul has this awkward little section where he says, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12) then he continues… Let us, therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you.” (Phil. 3:15)

Huh? He calls us imperfect and perfect within a few statements! Here is his point: live like who you are: parent out of our perfectness. If our attitudes/ feelings/ actions don’t line up with this truth God will reveal that.

Here is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately… so how do I parent perfectly? I know lots of “parenting gurus”, I have
heard lots of great advice…but what do I want to live from … “what would ______ do?” or even “what would Jesus do”. NO! I want to parent from “Jesus, what would you have me do?”.

Jesus is Love. Jesus lives inside me and He has made me perfect. And you know what? If you have chosen Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He lives inside of you. He has made you perfect.

You are the perfect parent for your child. It’s not based on how you feel, or how you act. If God has entrusted a child to you, He has decided you are the perfect person for that child. If you are a parent and God lives inside you. You are a perfect parent. Now, let’s enjoy Him and enjoy them.

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Reading time: 2 min
Elementary, Infants, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen, Teen

Responding, Not Reacting

May 7, 2018 by Emily Soule 1 Comment

Responding not reacting is one of those tips that applies at all stages of parenting.

I had a chance to practice responding this past week. My oldest daughter is adopted. She knows she is adopted. We talk about it openly and often. We talk about the beauty of it and how much we wanted her, and God had always planned/known she would be a Soule’.  She asks questions sometimes and we answer whatever she asks. We have even begun to have conversations about her birth family. However, this week, I was not prepared to have any adoption conversation (which is usually the way it is when the topic comes up).

I picked up two of my nieces to go to the park. They are slightly older than my oldest.  They jumped in the car and one said, “Aunt Emily, does Ella know she is“ and she stopped. The other niece said,  “yes, she knows.”  The first niece continued, “okay great! Ella lets play a game where we adopt a cat. You know like you are adopted…” I didn’t know what was to follow. My mind quickly begins to race… “Do I shut this conversation/game down? I want to protect my baby! What if they say something that hurts her…wait, this is one of those moments! Respond, don’t react, Emily” So what did I do, I hit a curb – hard! Quite dramatically the conversation quickly changed to the importance of seat belts. This was not an intentional hitting of the curb but it sure did “save me” in the moment.  This adoption game/conversation really was not a big deal. It was so sweet and innocent but how I reacted/responded to it mattered.

Hitting the curb was an outward demonstration of what was happening on the inside. There are lots of times when our kids will come to us with something or just be talking within earshot of us and our response/reaction matters deeply. At all ages, our kids need to know they can say anything to us, that they can talk to their friends in front of us, and our love for them doesn’t change. We can handle the tough, awkward conversations!

On the inside we may be “hitting the curb with our car” but it is okay. We can handle the conversation because of Christ in us. If we chose to respond quickly, sarcastically, loudly, dramatically, etc., it may affect the next time our child needs to talk to us.

God the Father gives us a beautiful picture of responding and not reacting. We don’t catch Him by surprise; He only wants the best for us and is willing to wait patiently and to continue to teach us as long as it takes for us to “get it”. When we respond gently, calmly, in love in the little things, our kids will trust us in the big things. Its okay to take a moment before you respond. I usually need a few seconds (or hours) and a quick prayer like “Jesus, help the words that come out of my mouth to be you!”

I’m praying for you as you parent in the awkward, bad timing, tough conversations and in the normal mundane everyday conversations. May we be parents that respond, not react.

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Reading time: 2 min
Elementary, Infants, Marriage, Parenting, Preschool, Theology

Can’t Do It All

April 16, 2018 by Blake Guichet 1 Comment

It was 9 am and the three year old and I were already locked in a battle of wills that shook the walls. Standing in the living room, arms full of baby dolls to the point that I could barely see her face, she stood her ground on bringing every single one with us to the gym. You can bring two, okay? Two babydolls. No more. No! I bring everybody. We’d been at it for 5 minutes, and I was over it. Luckily she couldn’t hold all 10 babies and walk, so she resigned, but not without crying and whining the entire walk to the car. Just get to the gym, I told myself. You’ll have an hour break from this crazy person, a chance to reset. She fought me the entire process of getting in her carseat, and when I got in the front seat, began screaming. Not about anything in particular, just screaming. At this point I should mention that I also have an eight month old, who is understandably not crazy about lots of yelling – so she’s upset now too.

I can’t think straight, so I get out of the car and close the door. It may sound a little inhumane, to leave the two of them crying in the vehicle, but it was that or start turning into the HulkMom. I walk a little down the driveway and just stop; that blank, glazed over look you see other moms wearing in Target while their kid throws stuff out of the buggy. I just start talking.

God, I’m so tired. I can’t remember the last time I had a break. Between these two wildlings in the car and trying to be a good wife and run a business and chase my own dreams and not let the house fall to pieces, I’m so tired. I’m not sure I can do it anymore. I’m fighting back tears at this point, allowing myself to drown in it all for a second

You can’t. It drifts through my mind like a falling leaf, and for a second I’m just downright offended. Um, I absolutely can. I absolutely can do it all, thank you very much. After a few moments my pride takes a chill pill, and it starts to dawn on me that I cannot, in fact, do all of these things. Not the way I’m trying to do them right now, at least. You see, I’ve forgotten to rest. Something that even God did. All of the crazy piles up in front of me and instead of resting in who I am in Christ, and what matters because of His truth, I set out to try to climb the mountain of my own sheer will power. And I end up here. Exhausted and frustrated and this close to losing my ever loving mind. Because I’m trying to do it myself. I will fail every single time this way. Every single time. Until I start letting the Lord lead me beside still waters as I raise two babies and chase my dreams, I will end up at the end of my driveway in tears over the crazy.

So I’m asking you to put it down. Whatever your banner of “I can do this on my own” looks like, will you just lay it down for me? You may not even realize you’re carrying this load, I so often forget that I don’t have to try to do all of this alone. And then all the sudden it hits me that I am simply not capable of keeping all the balls in the air at the same time without the loving, wonderful help of our sweet Savior. So take a deep breath, even if the house is being torn down around you as we speak. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and rest in Him and His truth. Let His goodness and peace rush in, because they’re right there – waiting. He is good, and He has good things for you. He wants to shoulder the things you’ve been carrying. Let Him be in it with you today.

 

 

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Reading time: 3 min
Elementary, Parenting, Preschool, Preteen, Teen

Sympathy vs. Compassion?

March 19, 2018 by Emily Soule No Comments

“Mission minded kids.” Have you ever heard that phrase? My hope for our kids is that they will be “Christ-minded kids.” That their minds will be renewed as they grow and learn to know who and Whose they are.  In that renewing that they will live out of the truth of who they are. They will believe and know that our true heart’s desire, as Christians, is to want what God wants. In this knowing, they will act out of that.

As parents, we have the privilege to teach these things to our kids.

In the process of reminding them who they are and Whose they are, we also get to share with them the truths we know about what matters to God and to live out the fulfilling of these desires in front of them.

God has clearly spelled out a few things that are near and dear to His heart and has given us instruction on what to do. God desires no man should perish (2 Pt. 3:9). He asks His people to care for widows and orphans (James 1:27) and to take care of the poor  (Prov. 22:9). This is just to name a few.

As parents, one of the ways we get to teach our kids about God’s heart for these people is to partner in mission work.  To introduce our kids to the needs of the world and allow their hearts to break for what breaks God’s heart. Then to do something! Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone. Compassion is feeling sorry and then doing something about it.

Ask your kids, at whatever age they are, these questions to get the conversation started

  • If you could change one thing about the world what would it be?
  • If you could make life better for someone how would you do it?
  • Share with your child the verses above. Ask them if they know anyone who is not a Christian, or do they know any widows or orphans, or people who have less earthly possessions than they do? Is there something your family can do for these people to share the love of Christ with them?

 

 

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Reading time: 1 min

Who we are

We desire to walk alongside your family, to be a voice of encouragement and offer practical applications.

Whether you are a mother, father, step-parent, single parent, grand(parent), co-parent, foster parent, we hope you will find a sweet spot here.

Grace Life Fellowship

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Recent Posts

  • Jesus is Love – Advent. Week 4.
  • Jesus is Joy – Advent Week 3
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  • What is Advent? Advent Week 1
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