Sharise and I met at a potluck, just about four short months ago. Bill and I host a middle school small group in our homes on Monday evenings. Nate and Sharise were interested in doing the same. They had just moved to our area, were expecting their first baby, and had no family in the area.
I immediately knew God wanted us to be friends. As I listened to her story, I felt like I was going back in time. In one short month, Sharise had quickly gone from a working woman, to a stay at home mom in a new place....and was still waiting on the baby she was staying home for. Oh, I remember those days!
Sharise and I went out to coffee five weeks before she was due to deliver little Eve. We had a great time. I knew our hearts were connected. I loved hearing her heart for the Lord and how he had worked on her heart to move her out of in career in cinematography to start a family. I learned how her dad is a pastor, and she has moved around some in her life. She and her sweet husband, Nate, met in college - John Brown University to be exact.:)
We left our sweet little coffee date, Sharise pulled up to the light, and her water broke. Little Eve made her entrance into this world five weeks early at just over four pounds.
I'm excited to have Sharise here at Those With Young for so many reasons. She's not an experienced mom. She's a brand new mom who is experienced at loving Jesus! We want Those With Young to be continually relevant to those who are brand new to motherhood, so Sharise's input is priceless. I know you will love her as much as I do!
Treasures
I am a new, first-time mom. I’m sure you can all remember those crazy months when the nurses send you home, the visitors disperse, and you are left wondering, “so, what do I do now?” I always knew I wanted to be a mom. Not just ANY mom, but a mom who taught her child to love the Lord! However, I have had a hard time figuring out how to do that with a newborn. All they do is eat, sleep, poop, and cry! Sure, she might smile and coo at me while I talk to her for a few seconds, but in an instant she is wriggling and fussing to do something more entertaining. So I quietly pray for her during my evening devotions and sometimes sing hymns while I rock her to sleep. And most of the time, that is all I do. However, one evening I was reading A Mom After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George and she encouraged moms to speak the Word of God over their children from “cradle to grave”. She wrote about the power of scripture and the importance of speaking truth over our children’s lives as soon as they enter this world. It was as if a light bulb went on. Of course! Why haven’t I been speaking the Word over my daughter from day one? What better way is there to help my daughter grow in the Lord? Even if I feel silly sometimes, I still try to read out of the Bible to my child every day. I get excited trying to think of new things I can do to surround her with the Word of God as she grows. We ordered a toy box the other day that came with free engraving. My husband and I couldn’t think of what to say. If we wrote her name, her future siblings would feel left out. If we wrote “toy box”, we could never use it for other things. So we decided to engrave, “Matthew 6:20-21” which says, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Now she may not understand what that means for many years. But I am hoping that one day she might just realize that her toys are not the treasures, but her relationship with God IS! I feel so blessed that the Lord chose me to help with the important task of introducing her to His Word! So, moms, what have you done to help your children see the “treasures” from scripture?
A Mom After God's Own Heart offers 10 principles to help moms make God an everyday part of their children's lives. Moms will explore how to:
teach their children God's Word
train them in God's ways
talk to children about Jesus
pray with and for them
Elizabeth George, who has two grown children and six grandchildren, gives practical advice and real-life suggestions for helping children---no matter what their ages---incorporate God into daily life. Her husband, Jim, also provides biblical advice from a dad's perspective.
Tomorrow is the day! You still have a little time to e-mail me your pictures and comments regarding the Valentine's Verse Project. I can't wait to see what you have to share!
Beth Moore's brand new book, So Long Insecurity is due to release this Tuesday, February 2.
Do you struggle with insecurity? Very few of us don't.
If you'd like to read the book, now is a great time to get a hold of it. Beth will be hosting a nine week discussion through the book on her Living Proof Ministries Blog. The reading assignments and discussions will start on February 11, but she will ask you to "sign up" on the 9th. That gives everyone a bit of time to get the book in their hands.
Beth used a lot of the feedback from the blog discussions to help her write the book, and now would like to use the feedback from the discussion group to help her prepare for the April 24 simulcast. You can find out more details on the LPM Blog right here.
I just wanted to take a minute to share some fun stuff that has encouraged my heart this week.
I asked several friends this week to pray for favor for me as I sought some counsel concerning this ministry. God has been good. Not only did I have a very encouraging "counseling session", but God has done some specific "techie/number/type" things for thosewithyoung.com that aren't critical to God's kingdom - but they are certainly encouraging to me.
Yesterday had the highest number of hits in Those With Young's history...actually double the amount of the previous high.
Today, I realized that Those With Young, now has a Google Page rank of 1 out of 10. That is just a beginning, yes; but it is a beginning. In perspective, E-bay has a rank of 8 out of 10 and the six your old web store I work for (Mom 4 Life, with over 900 products), has a rank of 4 out of 10.
I have received a number of very personal e-mails from women this week, that let me know that God is speaking to them through this ministry, and I'm so thankful.
Those With Young received a blog award this week. It isn't like a Pulitzer Prize, but it is kind of fun - and since it was given to me by one of my favorite bloggers, I am honored. It is the Happy 101 award, and it is given to someone who brightens your day.
This award comes with a couple of rules. First I need to share with you 10 things that brighten my day....and then share my favorite 10 blogs with you, while passing on the award. Now, I don't normally get into this stuff. But, why not share the things with you that brighten my day - and refer you all to some other wonderful writers.
So here are some things that brighten my day (not necessarily in order of importance):
A fresh word from the Lord
Coffee - especially when my husband makes it for me in one of our special "I Love You" mugs
Sunshine...don't care if it cold, as long as the sun is out
My husband's hugs, kisses, and "I love you" text messages
The funny things that my kids continuously come up with to say
An e-mail, phone call, or Facebook message from a girlfriend
Time to write
Serving at church on Friday nights, where I help welcome new families and get their kids placed in the right classes
A cheerful customer on the phone
When my boys lick me goodnight. :P
Now, for my ten favorite blogs. I have lots of blogs written by mom friends that I love to read.
But I'm not really sure that they intend for the world to read their
blogs, so I've tried to not send the world their way today and just
share those that I know mean to be "public."
My long time and real life friend shares the adventures of raising four children. She is the one who gave me this award. We share a birthday, though several years apart. I know her love for the Lord, her husband, and her kids...which is why I can confidently laugh through the reality of her daily life (and often identify). The Lumberjack's Wife is seriously my daily comic relief.
My niece in law, Christa Black, who has been touring with the Jonas' Brothers (and previously with Michael W. Smith and as their violinist, back up singer, and guitarist, shares about her passion for God, eating disorders, learning to see herself through the eyes of God and lots of other heartfelt stuff. She has just started Project Beautiful, and I'm really excited to see what God does with it.
Another real life friend and mother of four, shares lots of great recipes and ways to teach your kids to choose good foods. It is creative, informative, and inspiring.
This is the blog for the store I work for. There are a lot of personal stories on here that my boss has written about her journey in parenting and with the Lord. I also get to post some articles every now and then, that may or may not have appeared on Those With Young. I also do several of the product ads on the blog. A few other moms post, too, about parenting, going green, etc.
This is our former pastor in Arkansas, that Bill served under as music minister. He now pastors in Puyallup, WA. I love the theological discussion he starts on Facebook. His thoughts are always so interesting....and even though his blog is brand new (and he has only posted once), I'm trusting that he will have a lot more to share in the future.
Would you consider praying for her? I'm a couple of days late in posting this, but Santha has thought of a prayer request for each day that the team is gone. If you want, you could print them out and pray for her each day through November 4. You could even share them at mealtime with your family and let them pray with you.
Ethiopia
RLM Trip Oct 18 – Nov 4
10-18 – Pray that as we depart the team would be clean
vessels. Relationships with people that remain State side would be left with
integrity, grace and clear communication
10-19 – Pray for logistics of travel and the continued
jelling of the team
10-20 – We visit an orphanage and gather supplies.Pray for a spirit of peace and callm as we
navigate markets and new languages.Pray
for us to love the children well.
10-21 – Travel from Addis to Soddo.Pray for bodies to adjust to time, food and
culture.Pray that God would give us
eyes to see things His way.
10-22 – As we greet and meet dear Ethiopians pray we would
have a sens of God’s timing, not western. And we would be filled with practical
compassion.
10-23 – Pray for insight into what God is doing.Wisdom as Bobbi and Santha work with women
and discipleship.We want to genuinely
encourage the women and boldly obey whatever God directs.
10-24 – During rounds with the hospital chaplains help us
communicate hope and Jesus.Wisdom about
how God wants us to share resources in the midst of so many needs.
10-25 – We will be modeling small groups with 4
churches.Pray we would be humble and
wise.
10-26 – Marriage and Family conference with the hospital
staff. God’s word would be set forth plainly.We would ask good questions and graciously communicate Biblical
principles that would impact homes.
10-27 – Pray for the Ethiopian people.That they would have intentional
relationships rooted and grounded in God’s truth.
10-28– Pray for the
RLM team that they would have strength, joy, patience, kind communication as we
travel to Dilla
10-29 – Pray for the Immersion with the southern Ethiopian
Pastors. Insight beyond experience, unity with the Spirit.Humbly denying ourselves and being about
God’s kingdom alone. Pray for small group experiences, interpreters and the
gathering of so many.
10-30 – Pray for God’s movement in Ethiopia and Africa
to be bold.
10-31 – Pray for the unity of the different pastors and organizations
11-1 – the RLM team will be in a variety of different
churches. Pray for strength and sensitivity.
11-2 – As we debrief with the Ethiopian Leaders may God give
wisdom and a clear leading of His next steps.Joy and celebration.
11-3 – Start traveling home.Pray for God to solidify in each person what He has shown about himself.
11-4 – The day that never ends.We will live the 4th twice in all
the traveling.Pray for re-entry and
reunion with families and the world God has called us to be a part of
here.Pray for continued perseverance in
the next steps God has shown.
I highly recommend Kay's materials. They are solid and in-depth. The only problem is, that like with most in-depth Bible studies, they often leaving moms with young ones overwhelmed by the time commitment to get through a lesson - or worse a week's worth of lessons to meet with a group each week.
So, along with introducing you to Kay, I want to introduce you to one of my mommy Bible study methods. :)
Right now, I'm going through a Precept's book. It is designed to be 6 weeks long, and done in a groups setting without homework in between. That is a great way for a mom to do a lesson: arrange some childcare, pick a night, and dive into the word. However, there have been many seasons in my life where I couldn't arrange childcare, pick a night, and do anything. You hear me?!
So several years ago, I learned to let go of timelines. I would still pick my favorite books by my favorite Bible Study authors, but throw out the expected timeline for finishing it. It isn't always realistic to find a 90 minute time slot in the week where you can meet with God without interruption, but if you can find 5-10 minutes a day, you can still cover the same material. You just have to learn to stop when you need to stop, instead of rushing as fast as you can to finish a lesson...meaning you probably didn't absorb half of it.
So, starting today, I'm going to guide you through one week of lessons with Kay Arthur....but it may take us more than a week. Keep in mind, this week of lessons is designed to do in one session as a group. But we're going to break it down one verse at a time and absorb.
If you like her questions and her style of doing things, you may want to pick up some more of her material. You can get them in the Precept's store or you can find them other places too - like CBD and even Amazon.
