Giving Thanks - A Thankful Heart

This past week in the high school classes I teach, I challenged my students to take time and write out a list of the things they are thankful for and how God has blessed them from last year's Thanksgiving to this year's Thanksgiving.  The idea behind the task was that my students would visually see how God has either protected them, provided for them, or blessed them throughout the past year.  I hope they are surprised to see how much God loves them by the length of their lists!  Because I encouraged my students to create a list of thankfulness, I thought I would do the same here on my little blog.

Tamra's List of Thankfulness 2013

I am thankful for...

• God's perfect timing and provision as well as guidance, forgiveness and love for me - I am continually amazed at how God loves me even when I fail Him so often.
• My godly husband who leads our family by example and encourages each of us to walk better with our Lord; for the provision he gives to the family; for his unfailing love; for his friendship; for his positive attitude; for his perseverance
• My seven beautiful children and how they daily brighten my day with the little notes they write to me or the million times they say (or scream) "I love you, Mommy!"; for the help they give in keeping our house clean; for their energy and zest for life; for the seven different little personalities; for all of their hugs and kisses (and messes); for their patience with me; for their unconditional love
• My parents and siblings (and their spouses and children) - I live far from my family but I am so thankful for the memories we created while growing up and for the time I get to spend with them even though it may be every other year :(
• My students - they make my job FUN and they are an encouragement and blessing to me
• My friends (both near and far) - for their listening ears, advice given, and prayers offered on my behalf
• My family's health
• My church
• My country and my freedoms!

I am extremely thankful for all God has given me and how He has richly blessed me.  May I never stop to give Him thanks just on Thanksgiving but each day throughout the year.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Psalm 34:8 (KJV) "O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."

Bible Verse of the Week - July 14th - Fight for Your Families! Nehemiah 4:14b

"...Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethern, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses." 
- Nehemiah 4:14b

We must fight for our Christian families - to keep them together and to keep them strong in the Lord.  Today's families are under attack as the idea of a traditional home, one that consists of a father, mother, and children, is quickly becoming obsolete.  The majority of people today see the modern family as whatever is relevant to them: a single parent with a child born out of wedlock (the father never existent in the child's life), two fathers or two mothers and a child (modern medicine enables homosexuals to have children without having sexual relations with the opposite sex) and the list of non-idyllic family situations goes on.  

But, the Bible is extremely clear on what the traditional, Christian family should entail: one father, one mother, and children.  Christian families are under attack as the media and Hollywood attempts to push their worldview of a "modern family" and so it is up to us Christians to fight for our homes.  Let us not grow weary in being committed to our spouse and children.  May we resolve to keep our families in tact and to train our children with a biblical view of family and how a Christian home should operate.  As Nehemiah so eloquently stated long ago, "Fight!"  Our Christian homes are worth fighting for!

 

Bible Verse - Week of April 29

Joshua 24:15

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."



Oh, how people today search for Christian families who live out their faith, who are not ashamed of God and His Gospel.  The plea in Joshua 24:15 is as relevant today as it was back in the times of the Old Testament.  We need to choose whom we will serve: God or the Devil (the world and all it has to "offer").

The Devil seeks to destroy Christian families.  If he cannot cause the parents to divorce, he will try to damage the family's testimony through discord (children fighting, parents fighting), time constraints (extracurriculars from the kids which prevent family dinner, the family being in the same place all at once - always driving from one sports field to the other, one music rehearsal to the other, etc), and the like.  So many things pull at our families today to prohibit us from spending time together, much less time together in God's Word.

This world is in desperate need of Christian families standing as Joshua did and stating, "We will serve the Lord" no matter what.  Too many Christian families today sit back on the sidelines and watch the world's influence creep into our homes.  Christian parents silently permit their children to act and behave like the world.  Joshua saw this same scenario among the Israelites which prompted his declaration that his family would serve God and not conform to the behavior, ideals, and worldview of the unbelievers around him.

My husband and I have made the same commitment: we will serve the Lord.  We have purposed in our hearts to not let Satan get a foothold in our family.  We read the Bible, pray, and memorize Scripture as a family.  We teach our children about God and point out the blessings God gives our family.  We desire to serve the Lord as a family and to honor Him - we will not be ashamed of Him - and may your family do the same. 

Expect Good Behavior

This weekend I plan to do some serious spring-cleaning, the kind that is best done WITHOUT children around.  But, since my husband and eldest son are at a Men & Boys Campout for church, I will brave this spring cleaning with the other 6 children around my feet.  Actually, they will all help to some degree - even the 3 year-old (not so much the 7 month-old)!

In order to get ready for this monumental task, I needed to go to the store for the 19 items of cleaning supplies and organizational baskets.  I had to do the shopping TONIGHT (Friday, 7:45 PM) because I certainly didn't want to wake early tomorrow to deal with the Saturday shopping crowd and then come home.  I knew the kids were tired from a long week, but I had already fed them dinner so I told them we all had to pile in the van for a quick shopping trip.  Now, with 7 children, I try to make EVERY shopping trip super-quick lest any outbursts should arise!

We arrived to our destination around 8 PM and before we unbuckled our seat-belts, I reminded the kids of the behavior I expected: no screaming, no crying, no loud voices (the 3 year-old seems to shout rather than speak each word), no touching items, no touching each other, for those who walk -  hands on the cart at all times, and walk quickly.  Likewise, I reminded the kids that if I had to say their name more than once for any of the above infractions, there would be consequences at home.  I also told them that if they obeyed the rules, our trip would indeed be super-quick and there would be time to watch a movie at home before bedtime.

Every time before we arrive at a destination, I remind the kids of the rules and the behavior that is required of them.  You would think that I overdo it or that they begin to tune me out, but they don't.  My kids know the boundaries and they know the discipline they will receive if they overstep those boundaries.  It is amazing how well children will behave when they understand there are consequences for their behavior.  I am often asked, "Why do you take ALL the kids with you when you shop, do errands?"  People look at me like I'm crazy for doing so simply because they cannot shop with ONE toddler or small child.  But, honestly, I take the kids because #1: I like to spend time with them (even if it is running errands) and #2 they need to learn how to behave in public in various places and situations.  Expect good behavior from your children, discipline when they don't deliver it, reward/praise them when they do, and always be consistent with your expectations, discipline, and rewards/praises.

So, how did tonight's shopping trip go?  We entered the doors at 8:05, found all of our supplies, and exited at 8:35 PM.  The kids were AWESOME!!!  As we walked throughout the store, people did glance our way to observe the kids.  One woman even commented how well-behaved they were to which my eldest daughter (age 11) smiled and said, "Thank you" and then gave me a wink.  Now, if only tomorrow's spring cleaning would go as smoothly and quickly!

A Family's Foundation

 

"He's got the whole world in His hands...He's got the mommies and the daddies in His hands....He's got the little children in His hands....He's got the Christian family in His Hands....He's got the whole world in His hands."  Do you know this song?  I vividly remember singing it occasionally with my parents and siblings while growing up.  I often imagined and asked myself, "Exactly how big is God's hand?  Can He really fit ALL of us?  Will I ever fall out of His hand?  If I do, can He catch me quick enough before I hit the bottom?!?"  

I believe this picture depicts perfectly how God desires for the Christian family to live - confidently resting in His Almighty hand, knowing that He alone directs, protects, and provides for our families.  Does your family stand securely in God's amazing hand?  We need not fret or worry about what tomorrow may bring because God will be there to shelter us against the storms, comfort us in the midst of sorrow, and offer peace that only His children can understand and appreciate.  God's hand is not too small nor it is weak and unsteady but His hand is strong, warm, powerful and quick.  Build your family's foundation upon God: make Him first - read the Bible together, memorize Scripture as a family, pray together, and worship together.  Experience the thrill of know He has YOUR family in His hands!

Motherhood Quote of the Week - April 24

“The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” – Dorothy Parker

Depending upon the day you are experiencing you may or may not want to let the air out of the tires, whether it be bicycles, cars, etc.! Lately, I find myself perusing photo albums that I have saved on the computer throughout the past 12.5 years of motherhood and each time my fingers grace the keyboard, the waterworks start a-flowing!  I do not know exactly what brings me to this “Trip Down Memory Lane” but I am overwhelmed at how quickly life passes! 

I suppose I’ve been thinking much about the rapidity because my eldest will be 13 in November.  Maybe the fact that I will soon have a teenager living in my house prompts me to take notice and assess how life has gone thus far.  The other day, reality hit me smack in the face.  I realized that my son might have already spent more than half his life for which he will reside in our home.  Suppose the university he attends is located on the other side of the U.S. or suppose he joins the military and is deployed in another country.  I have no idea what God’s plan is for my eldest child (or my other 6 children) but man, do I wish time would S-L-O-W down!

I may not possess the ability to cease time but I am capable of creating a pleasant home atmosphere by which my kids will desire to be home – while they are growing – and that they will desire to return home when they have reached adulthood and created lives of their own.  Is my home a place where they feel safe, loved, appreciated, and important?  Do my words and actions convey how deeply I love them?  Or am I stressed out, prone to losing my temper and saying harsh words?  Do I mindlessly wave a hand at them to shoo them away because there are too many things to do?

Oh, may we mothers create a home environment that exudes love, acceptance, safety, pleasantry, and godliness.  If we desire for our little ones to hang out with us when they are teenagers, to visit home often once they attend the university or get married, we need to develop an enjoyable home environment now.  Let us create memories now so that our children will think fondly of home and always return to visit and spend time with us. 

April 22 Bible Verse for the Week

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thy eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 is one of my favorite Scripture passages when it comes to understanding how Christian families should raise their children. The foundation of any Christian home needs to be Christ and His Word, the Bible. Yet in today's society, I find that many, if not most, Christian families do not make the time to read God's Word together as a family. They neglect the task of teaching their children Bible verses and Scriptural principles and leave it to the Sunday-School teacher, the Preacher, or the Church when it is the responsibility of the Christian parent(s). The goal of the Christian family is to raise children who desire to know the Lord, to grow in their relationship with Him, to serve Him, and one day create a Christian family of their own for Him.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 reminds us Christian parents to talk to our children about God and His Word so they may understand who God is and how much He loves and cares for them. We should not simply let the Church teach and train our children in Biblical principles but rather we must be the first ones who model and teach God's love. Our children should be able to look at us and say, "I see Jesus in Daddy and Mommy." They should see that God is real in us and because of our testimony (our model/behavior/walk), our children will be drawn toward Christ. Too many Christian families today do not have parent(s) who model Christ's love and behavior, thus the children are choosing to reject Christ because He is not real in Daddy and Mommy.

My heart aches for today's Christian families for there seems to be little or no difference between them and the world's families. The family is one of the three ordained institutions by God and yet so many treat it flippantly and deny their God-given responsibilities and roles. We must understand that Satan is a real adversary to the Christian and he desires to destroy Christian families. May we remember Deuteronomy 6:6-9 and may we purpose to hide God's Word in our hearts, to teach our children the Bible and encourage them to memorize it, and may we Christian parents live out our faith in front of the children so they decided to choose Christ and live for Him.