Friday, May 30, 2008

Another thing

I was sitting in one of the sessions and Jeff Myers was the speaker.  He is a VERY gifted speaker!  If you ever have a chance to hear him, go!  He is a professor at Bryan College and the founder of Passing the Baton ministries.   Wow!  Talk about catching a vision for raising your children!  His heart is to see children raised in a Godly home where us parents pass the baton of Godly faithfulness on to them.
  One of the things he said that really stuck with me, (and made me laugh cause it's so true) is this, "You come to a conference like this and get all these great ideas.  Then you go home and everything is still the same!"  Ah he is sooooo right!  I did get all these great ideas and yet I come home to the same life, same husband, same kids that I left.  They didn't change just cause I got some ideas!
  So Jeff taught us from God's Word about how to pass the baton.  How did Jesus do it?
1. Jesus led based on his TOTAL OBEDIENCE to God.  He did everything God told him to do and NOTHING else.  
  Whoa!  That alone was convicting for me.  Then to make it even more gut wrenching, he asked this, "How many things do you do everyday because you think people expect you to?"  Ummm, let me just say ALOT of what I do everyday is for this reason. I have some serious work to do in this area.  Part of my struggle is that I absolutely love serving others.  But often I don't stop to consider if God is directing me to do the tasks.  I just assume I have His blessing and do it!  Foolish!
2. Jesus led based on His anointing
  We all have a calling.  He suggested we develop our own personal board of directors to consult about our calling.
3. Jesus led based on his deep love for his followers
 Love this one!  He said Jesus never called the disciples, disciples, he called them brothers and friends.  
 We all have a deep love for our children.  Man, I hope my love starts to win out over my selfishness more and more.
  And so many of us have little nick names for our kiddos.  Doesn't that communicate a deep love for them?  Gracie is boog and Piper is Pipes.
4. Jesus led based on his intercession for them
  Another punch in the gut!  I don't pray for my children near enough.  I have been working on that lately, but there is still much change needed here.  I want to pray for them really specifically, not just help her to obey...
5. Jesus led based on his trust in GOD'S WORK  in them
  Again, ouch!  I am so self-reliant! My poor children.  Like I have any ability to change their hearts and give them salvation.  Only God can do that.  I need to pray more for God's hand on their lives.
6. Jesus led based on his transparent with-ness
 We must involve our kids in our lives.  Jesus spent 14 months having the disciples doing nothing but going with him everywhere.
  Gracie is with me at all times.  She loves to follow me wherever I go.  In fact, she has decided that she doesn't even want to go to Gamma's without me.  Hmmm, I can't believe that one. Anyway, I need to make a point to make this time with her, which comes so easily, more profitable as I have said before.  And then of course, I need to take the same time with Piper.
7. Jesus led based on a primary concern for character development
 Isn't that our goal moms and dads?  Now it needs to be my primary concern.

So there you have it!  This time was sooooo full of meat for me.  I am so grateful for it.  I hope you will notice lasting change in my life as I seek to apply these messages that so gripped my heart.   

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

More on the conference


 So, what did I learn while I was gone?  I learned a lot, but one of the most important things was about me.  As I sat in the sessions, I became more and more convicted about the lack of purposeful time I spend with my girls.  As I already told you, I was rather frazzled for the first day and a half of the conference, so every time I thought about how little time I spend with the girls I wanted to bust out in tears.  I had a talk with my friend about it and she reminded me not to be condemned, but to learn the lesson and move on.  So God was kind to help me grieve my sin and help me move on.
  It is just amazing, the gift of schooling children at home and being able to be with them so much of the day.  Talk about quality time and child training!  So as these men and women told their stories I was so saddened by my lack of attention to my girls.  I am usually running around the house doing stuff.  So I have made myself a pact to get home and change this!  How?  Well, first I am doing a lot of praying about how to change.  I have noticed that God has been working on my heart with this even before the conference started.  I have really been enjoying the girls more over the past few weeks.  They are such precious gifts to me.  One thing I have been trying to be diligent about is paying attention to them more when they ask me to help and not just say "in a minute." 
 For starters,  I bought a tea set:)  I am so excited about this!  Gracie and Piper love to have tea parties.  Meemaw does this with them alot.  So I thought this would be a great tradition to start with them.  I bought a book on how to do them and it has recipes in it.  So I'll give a report after our first tea party:)
  I would appreciate your prayers if you think of it.  For God to help me to give my children quality time that they deserve.  For me to fight against my selfishness and put them first during the day.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Homeschool Conference

  This past weekend I was able to go to the North Carolina Homeschool Conference in Winston Salem.  It is a combination of teaching sessions and a huge book fair with tons of curriculum to get your hands on.  I was quite overwhelmed for the first day and a half.  I was a woman of few words, if you can believe that!  There was way too much for me to take in.  My friends were patient with me and helped me walk through it.  So by Friday afternoon I was in a much better place and decided I wasn't going to give up and send my children to private school just yet:)
  There were many speaking sessions that were helpful for me.  I hope to do a few posts on them, that helps me process what I learned.
  So why are we considering homeschooling?  Well, we feel like God has given us a tall order in raising Gracie and Piper.  He calls us to train them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.  How can we do that best, we ask ourselves.  And the answer for us is to have them home with us to learn and grow.  You see academics is important to us, but character development far exceeds our desires for our girls to be smart.  Now, don't get me wrong, they will be taught well, and will hopefully be intelligent human beings:)  There were tons of testimonies in the sessions of students who are homeschooled that are extremely intelligent, yet more importantly, they are Godly children.  Desiring to make a difference in this world for the glory of God.  That makes my heart sing!
  So what do we want for Gracie and Piper?  We want two young women who are loving and serving our Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.  We want girls who are loving and serving God's people and sharing the gospel with those who don't know Him.  We want girls who love their home and family and embrace whatever calling God places on their lives.  And then, we want them to be well educated with a biblical worldview.  We want them to know that God is the creator of english and math and science and history.  We want it to make sense to them in the light of God's plan for them and for His creation.  
  Now with that being said, please do not read that I am against other forms of schooling.  I do not think homeschooling is the only way, nor the best way for everyone.  But I definitely encourage everyone to consider it and see what God has for you.
  So for now, I am praying about what God would have for Gracie this coming year.  She is 4 and a half!  I walked away from the conference with a cute little preschool curriculum.  So we will see what God has in store!  More soon....

     Hope you enjoy your Memorial Day and pray for our dear soldiers.
  

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

David!!!!

YEAH!!!!  GO DAVID COOK!!!!

Cook won American Idol tonight!  Okay, I am sure most of you know that.  He has been my favorite for a long time now so I just have to give a shout out on my blog!

Yes, I am a big American Idol fan.  Have been since day one!  This has been a great season!

Who was your favorite?

Sunday, May 18, 2008

My Mom



This weekend my Mom is on an Emmaus walk.  She is a methodist and this retreat is a time of personal renewal and leadership training for her.  It is quite an honor to be chosen to go on this journey.  She was filled with excitement when she left.  What she didn't know is that there were many surprises waiting for her when she got there.  I can't wait to hear about her experience!!  One of the surprises is that she will get letters from each of the members of her family and her friends.  I thought it would be neat to post my letter here.  For she is worthy of public honor.  May you be blessed as you read about the woman I am privileged to call Mom.


Dear Mom,
  There is so much I want to say!  First, I am praying for you this weekend!  I hope you have had a wonderful weekend drawing closer to our Savior.  I hope you are more in love with him now than you were before.  And I pray he draws you closer still day by day.  Can't wait to hear how your experience was:)  As you receive these letters, I pray that you are blessed beyond words.  You have impacted so many lives.  Now it is time to receive God's pleasure for you Mom.
  Motherhood is such a high calling.  It is worthy of much respect.  I am so grateful that you took the task of mothering to heart.  Lauren, Abbie, and I had no idea what a blessing we had in you!  And I am still learning that.  Being a mom myself now sheds new light.  I deeply respect you Mom and want to thank you for embracing the calling of raising us girls.
Thank you for being there for me.  I wasn't the easiest child to live with!  Thank you for choosing to stay home with us, instead of working outside the home.  Thank you for balancing working for Dad and caring for us girls so well.  I don't know how you did it, except by God's grace.  Thank you for taking us to the pool, on vacations, and being so active in our sports.  Even swimming during high school, I know that was torture (the meets were really long)!  You did it because you loved me.  Thank you for caring for me with all my migraines, which you still do.  Thank you for taking me to all the Dr appts I required.  And thank you for caring for my girls when I am sick now.  Thank you for letting me go to college and supporting me as I became a nurse.  And thank you for your blessing as Jeremy and I got married.
Thank you for your humility.  You have supported me in whatever decisions I have made and allowed me to follow what I feel God has placed on my heart.  I don't know if you realize how much that means.  I know it must have been hard when we chose a different church or when you hear Gracie and piper being disciplined.  Yet you never make me feel like you don't approve.
Thank you for loving Dad so much.  You have been a great example of a wife who respects her husband and cares well for him.  The stable environment we grew up in is a total gift to your children.
Thank you for the many sacrifices you made, for going without so your girls didn't have to.  I'll never forget our birthday trips to the Limited Too.  You would give us an amount to spend and the always break it.  Why, because you delighted in blessing your children.  And now you bless your grandchildren as well.  Thank you for being so selfless and giving.
Thank you for singing to your girls and to Gracie and Piper.  I still remember those songs and to hear my girls singing them brings joy to my soul.
Thank you for teaching me what it means to serve others.  Wow!  What an example you are.  You take meals, babysit, make phone calls, help your mom and meemaw, volunteer at church, and help many financially.
Thank you for being so giving of your time and resources.  Thank you for hanging out with the girls and I by the pool even though you have a pile of work waiting for you on your desk inside.  Thank you for blessing us so often by letting us use the beach condo.  We have great memories there.
I think one of the greatest things you have taught me is to look at what's really important.  Mainly, house cleaning is not the most important thing in the world.  When I am tempted to put cleaning over time with the girls, I hear you asking me what's more important.
Proverbs 31:27-31 says "She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also. and he praises her.  Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.  Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."
Mom, most importantly, thank you for pursuing God.  I can't think of anything that blesses Dad or your girls more than your pursuit of the One who matters most.  We were created for one reason, and that is to glorify God.  Thank you for glorifying him in the way you care for me and my sisters.  On judgement day when your name is called- Mom I will be there to cheer you on as you stand before our Lord.  For I can surely testify that you have been a faithful wife, Mom, and Nanny.

                               Mom, I rise up and call you blessed,
                                             Love,
                                                Lindsay

Friday, May 16, 2008

Congrats Abbie!



Last Saturday, we were able to celebrate Abbie's graduation from Gardner Webb.  She actually graduated in December but couldn't walk till now.
  Gracie and I went while Daddy stayed home with Pipes.

Congratulations ABBIE!!!

She is at Appalachian now working on her masters in education 

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Which mother hen are you???

Okay, I am not sure this is working right on this computer.  It's not pasting into the window where it should, so we'll see.  Let me know if you can't get this quiz.

  It's which mother hen are you?  Let me know!


Go to this site and scroll down to the bottom. You will see the "which mother hen are you" It's the first one.  It's not posting right on mine.



I'm a phat mother hen, whatever that means?

Seeing with new eyes


Jeremy is seeing with new eyes today!  He got a contact for the eye he had the transplant in.  Praise God!!  It is a hard contact, so it will take some getting used to.  He can only wear it a few hours today and increase the time by a little each day.  He said it feels like sand paper right now:(

Please pray for him as he adjusts.  And thank the Lord with us for the precious gift of sight and contacts for Jeremy.  We don't want to take for granted that he can even see at all. 

 Please pray too that he adjusts well to the change in vision.  His right eye has been the dominant eye since the surgery two years ago.  Now the left eye will be dominant.  That can cause confusion in your brain until his eyes work together to regulate.

Thank you all for how you care for us through this.

We are alive!

Forgive me for my lack of posts the past few weeks. My computer was REALLY acting up and it was virtually impossible to blog. I have lots of catching up to do!
I got a new computer for Mother's Day.  A Mac!!!  I am so thrilled!  But I gotta learn how to use it:)  I am used to PCs.  So bear with me.
  
I think I'll start with today and blog backwards for a change.

Very Important news!!!  Today at McDonalds they are doing free chicken sandwiches when you buy a large or medium drink.  Yep, it works, did it for lunch!  It's a good samdwich too, I think.  There didn't seem to be a limit, so load up the kiddos and get cheap dinner.
AND Dunkin Doughnuts is giving away free iced coffees today from 10 am-10 pm.