Prodigal Mom

Have you heard the call of the Heavenly Father as He asks you to join Him in prayer for the young ones?  Maybe you are a Mom of a Prodigal yourself? 



I have walked that road, and I know the varying levels of pain and love that are felt inside of a Mother’s heart.  When my oldest child became a teenager, I resisted the efforts of those in our church who wanted to label him as a “perfect example” to all of the younger ones there.  I knew how the pressures of those labels create a false pedestal that we humans simply cannot attain to.  I prayed and tried to warn against those labels.  I even asked those in our church to pray for my son as he was entering his older teen years, to pray that He would be strengthened only in God.  Some of the women there told me to stop worrying, that he was a great kid, and he would do just fine. 

Moms, please don’t ignore those promptings in your spirit when God calls you to pray.

God was preparing me for the many hard days and years ahead for both of my sons.  He was calling me to a season of deep prayer and intercession.  Thankfully, He sent a few close friends who were also walking with prodigals of their own.  He knew that we could not walk the path alone, and so HE brought us together to share the load of praying, even when the church had seemed to fail us. 

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:19-23 

I am blessed today to be part of the team at my friend Anna Smit's site, Beloved Prodigal.  Please come join me there to read more of my story by clicking here.

 I am linking today with:  

Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 
Barbie Swihart, #Glimpses 

52 Commands of Jesus for Children

 

(In exchange for my review, the author provided this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  All opinions are purely my own)

"Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: 'God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.'”  Matthew 28:18-20 MSG




On the same day that my daughter asked me for some good ideas on how to train up her two-year old son in the knowledge of Jesus, my friend Susan Chamberlain Shipe sent out an invitation to join the launch team for her newly published family devotional.   

Isn't that just like God?  

Doesn't He always find a way to show us that He is with us, day after day?

And so, this blogpost is being shared with my daughter today! After I read over the book, and gathered my own thoughts for my review, I sent the book home with her.  Listen to her thoughts on how the book has impacted her family already:

 

"This book is very well written for older children, although my 2 year old son enjoys coloring the pages while I paraphrase the stories for him. I am blessed to see a new devotional for children as I am always looking for something for my son and I to work on together. I think it is so important to instill the foundations of God's word as soon as possible in our kids! Each lesson is set up in a one or two page format with easy reading, and good questions to ask kids. It also inspires different activities to do with children to apply God's word to everyday life."

--Becky

(I admit I have a little Grandma-Bias, but isn't that just the cutest picture ever?)

You can even find additional coloring pages to download, if you

click here and go to Susan's website.

I so appreciated the way that Susan combined each of the commands that Jesus spoke, with a character trait for your children to grow in.  Without practical applications, it becomes easy to quickly read the words of Jesus and promptly forget everything you just heard!

In the chapter titled "Let Your Light Shine," the character trait connected is "Generosity."  And the discussion questions call for ideas and ways to be generous with others as we let the Light of Jesus shine on those around us.  I loved Susan's approach to define the word generosity here:

"Do you know what it means to be generous? It means to give or share, unselfishly. So in this Scripture Jesus is teaching us to SHARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, and the Light of the world is JESUS! When we ask Jesus into our heart and our life, he puts his "Light" inside of us and he wants us to share that Light with others--our friends and our family. He tells us not to hide him but to let him shine through us."

When I saw the character trait paired up with Jesus' command to "Love Your Enemies," I was at first glance taken aback.  How could the character trait of "Creativity" combine with that command?  But, as I read the definition, I knew the Lord had inspired Susan to look deep into His heart of Love for these words:

"Being nice to someone mean doesn't make you a true child of God. To be a true child of God means a real change in your heart. When we are nice to unlikeable people we are showing the world that we ARE indeed God's children. Think of creative ways to be nice to not-so-nice people. Maybe you have a grouchy neighbor - ask Mom and Dad if you can bring them some cookies or a piece of cake to show them that you care about them."

As a Grandma, a former Homeschooling Mom, and a past Children's Church Director I can highly recommend this book for families who are seeking to guide their children into a love of God's Word. I learned new ways to be more like Jesus as I read 52 Commands of Jesus for Children. You can find it here at Amazon.


But here's a really exciting invitation: Susan has generously offered to provide a book through a give-away here! To enter the give-away, all you have to do is leave a comment below, on my Facebook page, or on my Instagram account, telling me to "count you in" for the giveaway. I am so excited to be able to offer this book to another family.  I will draw the winning name and announce it on my post next week, so be sure to check back in here!


I am linking this week with:
Meg Weyerbacher, #TeaAndWordTuesday 
Barbie Swihart, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty 
Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 

Poetry and the Stillness of LIfe

I awoke early this morning, waiting for the new arrival of our youngest Grandbaby, and my heart was filled with so many emotions.

 Too full for expression even

So I looked over at Ronovan Hester's site to see if he had posted the prompts for this week for his poetry challenge issued at #RonovanWrites, 

where the charge is given to write #Haiku using his prompts. Sure enough, there were the words for this week: #flow&tear.

Oh, I know these words, I thought, 

as my heart is filled 

with the weariness of the flow of the trial 

on my own path,

and yet I sense the tearing that will come

as I let go of old ways

to find the healing

in the new.

Isn't that also a picture of 

Labor and Birth? 

"My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:26 NKJV 

When we carry our children

with a heart full of love

we find ourselves

carried over the edge,

our hearts lacking enough

to be what's needed.

We find in the failing

that God is enough

brimming over

with fullness

the flow never ceasing

with Love.

So, again this week, I will try my hand at joining in this #Haiku Challenge. I had to try two, since my heart was stirred in separate ways. Here is my first offering:

 

Heart and Healing

  Heart will you tear free

River of healing can flow

Strength and Life renew

                                --Bettie Gilbert 

 And the second offering with the little one in mind:

Life is Born

The wee Babe inside

Pushing through sac to tear free

New breath will flow in 

                               --Bettie Gilbert  

"The Lord is my strength and my shield
 my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

    and with my song I praise him."

Psalm 28:7 NIV 




I am linking this week with:
#TellHisStory, Jennifer Dukes Lee 

 

Except Ye Become Like Little Children

She walked in the door and ran over to me, her blond curls dancing along the way.  Before her parents had barely said their "Hello, We made it!" she was on a mission to place an envelope in my hand.  "Grandma, I made this for you! Open it, open it!"  Her younger sister echoed the words, "Yes, Grandma, open it!"  


My hands unfolded the delicate tissue, and I read the words that my little Granddaughter had so painstakingly traced, as she lifted my heart with her words of love:  "Grandma, I know all about your sickness and I pray for you every night!"  The hugs overwhelmed me, while her younger sister again echoed the words, "Yes, I pray for you too, Grandma!"


So the tissue-paper-letter sits on my table today, alongside a beautiful card of encouragement that arrived in the mail yesterday from a sweet Sister-in-Christ.  Words swim in my heart from another new-found friend who lives hours away from here, yet tells me that his entire church has been praying for me.


Was it only last week that I felt all alone in this journey?  Mere days ago that I whispered my failures to Jesus, my weakness to find His Joy?


He never abandons us, oh I know that truth, but my own heart seems so quick to abandon Him.  I feel the sting of being cut-off from His people, and so I allow the cutting-off to extend to my own choosing as well.  "Not now," I hear myself say, "I have no strength left to talk myself into being cheerful."


So, He brings the cheerful to me.  He brings the Blessings to us, to His Body, when He hears the weakest among us whisper the faintest of cries.  

 "Hear my voice, Lord, when I cry out! Be gracious to me and answer me."    --Psalm 27:7

Sometimes He brings it even when we think we cannot face the weight of one more day walking the path of Hard. 

"Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, because I will praise Him once again, since His presence saves me and He is my God."

--Psalm 43:5

And sometimes we need the voice of a child to restore our hearts to that place of trust where our faith begins.

"He (Jesus) called a little child to Him, and placed the child among them. And He said, 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven'."

Oh! May we ever let Him keep our hearts soft, and find that child-like place of Wonder and Awe of our God's Love. 

Linking this week at Jennifer Dukes Lee, #TellHisStory.