God Heals

Guess what we've been dealing with?

My house has the flu.

However, I know the greatest physician...

He is great with kids and is very comforting.

He makes house calls and is always on time.

He has healed all manner of disease and raised folks from the grave.

I'm sure he has an office near you!

Who is it, you ask?

JESUS

Protect Their Imaginations

My pastor was teaching in the book of Ephesians the other night. He said something that struck a cord in me and has been bouncing around my head ever since.

God made a check list for us to follow when putting on his whole armor. In part, the Belt of Truth to protect our loins. What are the loins but the reproductive part of us. In the Hebrew, it can also mean our imaginations. We "dream" things up and then act upon those dreams to make it a reality. Much like an architect imagined the skyscraper; the same as an artist imagining what will become of the lump of clay they are starting to mold.
The hard part these days is guarding the imaginations of our young ones.

In a world so bent on corruption, how can we afford to let our guards down where our children are concerned.

Violent video games, movies, books, even cartoons all seek to distort our children's imaginations.

To corrupt them in a way that their imaginations are no longer pure and innocent.

I have begun to pray a covering over my son's mind from the evil of this world. Purity of mind is such a precious thing. I constantly marvel at the workings of my Little Mister's imagination. He is so loving and sweet. 

Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day and having done all, to stand.

We made a Belt of Truth and read the scripture. 
Ephesians 6:10-18

Sidewalk Evangelism

Be a light to your world, where ever it may be!
We spend lots of time on playgrounds and at parks and decided to let our light shine!

Respect Your Elders

 I know I have mentioned before that my mom lives in an apartment complex for elderly and disabled folks. I've discovered lately that old folks do everything early. Up at 4 a.m., dinner around 4 p.m. and bed by 6! Apparently, they also celebrate holidays early as well! This past week-end they had their Thanksgiving dinner. As my Little Mister is loved by all, we were invited!

Our first task was to make some little crafty item to take. We decided on napkin rings.

 I taped some bubble wrap to the table and Little Mister spread on yellow, orange, red and brown paint all over it. He then spread a piece of white paper over the bubble wrap and smoothed it down. It left a great print! After it dried, we cut it into strips and covered our TP rolls. We added some orange napkins and... Ta-Da! Everyone loved them.

During their meal, we fetched forks, plates, drinks and whatever else was needed. We served everyone before we stopped to try some of the delicious food. We then helped clear the table, sweep and take out the trash.

It was a great opportunity to teach Little Mister about helping others, putting other peoples needs before your own and to respect your elders!

I fear respect for self and others is a tired old tradition in some people's eyes. So sad! 

They say the world can be changed one mind at a time. Well, I'm doing my part by teaching my child the biblical principle of RESPECT!

I would love to hear what you are doing with your little ones as you teach them about respect!

On a side note:
I am thankful for the knowledge and stories that are elders carry with them. I love to hear about their childhood and their younger daily lives. Imagine how much change they have seen in their lifetime. It always amazes me to think how swiftly our world does change. Makes me kind of sad in a sentimental way!
Tell me 'bout the Good Ole Days!

EYE'm Thankful

The more I look for things to be thankful for, 
the more things I see...

Open your eyes to the wonderful works around you that God has created!

I asked Little Mister the famous question, "What are you thankful for?"
He put his finger on his lips, looked up and hummed. Finally he blurted out:
POPCORN!

God didn't have to make things so beautiful I suppose,
But I'm sure glad he did!
A few things I'm thankful for:
 crisp, blue skies in the morning.
orange hued skies before a rain
clouds that look like bunnies
the smell of freshly cut wood
tall, majestic trees

leaves that form tiny boats on a slow moving stream
the feel of cool moss on my toes
the crackle of a fire
shadows that dance on the ceiling
the color purple
the smell on rain on the wind
the softness of baby animals
wind rustling through the pines
bugs that visit my rose bush
the smoothness and coolness of rocks
the complexity of pine cones
and
POPCORN

God Made You Unique

We were all made in God's image, yet we are unique. 

Did you know that our DNA, fingerprints, foot prints, tongue prints and ear prints are uniquely different from every other human being on the planet?

How marvelous are HIS works!

Little Mister's fingerprint animals

Have a blessed and wonderful day!

Little IS Much

   Occasionally at our church, all the seniors get together and sing some of the old hymns. I really enjoy this! Some songs I know while others cause me to wonder if they aren't made up on the very spot. But they are all singing the same words even if their tunes are varied! So that theory is blown! The other day I heard a song for the first time and it has stuck with me, "Little is Much when God is in it".

   This sort of struck as a kind of 'motto' for my son. Those of you who have actually read by posts may remember about Little Mister's health issues. For my new readers, here's a quick catch up. My Little Mister is well, little. He is extremely small for his age, he doesn't really eat and he runs constant fevers. We battle breathing issues and sickness often. He has been going to specialists for well over a year and has been tested for just about everything under the sun. We've seen pulmonologists, endocrinologists, oncologists, infectious disease folks, geneticists, gastroenterologist, dieticians, etc... So far we know he has delayed bone growth and they are now testing for Russell-Silvers Syndrome. Which does not explain all the symptoms but it is a start!

    Anyway, not long after I heard the song, I was unlucky enough to get a bad case of the stomach flu. I was laying on my bed in severe pain and Little Mister came prancing in my room. He looks at me, climbs up on the bed and placed his little hand on my head and said, "Thank you Jesus" then continued on praying for several minutes. Unfortunately, I could not understand anything he said after that except, Amen.

   Right then and there I realized that my little guy may be small but if God can use a little stone to bring down a giant, He can use my Little Mister to do great and BIG things as well! He may be physically small but he has a big heart. He is gentle, caring and kind. People are always telling me sweet stories and saying things about him that makes my heart swell!

He may not be physically big but he will do big things for the Lord.

And I truly believe that

Little IS much when God is in it!

Respect for God's House

Our church is rather big so the ladies rotate throughout the month for cleaning schedules. Myself and one other clean the fellowship hall on the first Saturday of each month. I always take Little Mister along. I want him to see that we must take care of God's house. It is a place to be reverenced and should be properly maintained and kept clean. While the grown-ups are taking out trash and moving any clutter, he usually pushes around the empty mop bucket and scouts out spots on the floor. He loves to point out a "mess"! I let him wipe little fingerprints off windows and he thinks it's great! No matter what, he is praised as a good helper.

I know when you are at church 3 or more times a week, it has the potential of getting a kind-of commonplace feel. But, I believe we need to teach our children to r-e-s-p-e-c-t the house of God and not treat it like a playground! No running, climbing or the such. My Granny had very, shall we say STRONG, opinions on the subject and made sure I knew all about them too. For some, I suppose, this may sound extremely old fashioned. What can I say? I am a product of my up-bringing and I want to teach my son that same respect. Not only for church but for himself and others!

Scripture Tree: Teaching Compassion

Those of you who have been here before probably remember that I have recently lost a sister to cancer. Well, a few days ago a very close family friend, affectionately known as Granny M, lost her son. Ironically enough, several members of this family helped me SO much through the initial stages of my grieving process. We wanted to somehow reciprocate their loving kindness.

Little Mister has been surrounded by loads of sadness and mourning as of late. Through it all, I wanted to think of a way to reinforce his understanding of kindness and compassion to others. I also want him to learn how God's word is there for us when we are sad, lonely, angry or hurting. It can speak to our personal situation and make us feel better. Hurting may be slow to leave, but we can have a peace in our hearts knowing that God, who loves us very much, has this whole world in his hands; that includes me AND you!

So, I found a few scriptures and wrote them on construction paper. We slipped the paper into ziploc bags. I used a hole punch (making sure to stay on the outer part of the sealed area) and made a hole in the top middle. We then added a piece of cut yarn to tie on as a hook.

 

 We wanted it to be a surprise for her to find on her way to church in the morning. This explains the night shots. Yes, I had my son out late. We tried to be stealthy. However, when I opened the car door he yells, "Oh Mommy, the Moon. It's so pretty!" No one called the police so I don't think they heard him. LOL

We love this family and hope they can find strength and comfort in the Word of God!

A Time for Grief

Initially I was going to post about my son's fascination with clocks and show all the pictures of him with clocks we saw on our trip to a church function in Jackson this week-end. My plans have been changed because of a phone call.

On the second evening of our trip we received a phone call to beckon us home swiftly. My oldest sister has been battling cancer for some time and my brother-in-law called because the hospice nurse thought her time was very near. We threw our things in the cars and headed south, her home was about 2 1/2 hours away. Three cars carried mom, step mom, three sisters, a niece and nephew. About an hour into the trip we got a call from our brother saying turn on your flashers and hit the accelerator she was fading fast. We were only 20 minutes away when we got another call telling us to rush no more she had passed peacefully away holding her daddy's hand. We were too late and we were all crushed.

She has been battling for so long and suffering unimaginable pain. My only consultation is she suffers no more and is wrapped in the arms of her maker. She can sing with heavenly choirs and walk down streets of gold! Both physical things she has not been able to do for some time now.

With all the chaos at her home, including friends, family and weeping, it was hard to keep track of Little Mister. Family passed him around until I lost track. When he had made the rounds and was back with Mommy, he was exhausted, confused and scared. My tears continued to flow and I couldn't make them stop. My Little Mister looked into my eyes, cupped my face in his precious hands and sweetly said, "It's OK Mommy. Don't cry.". Of course, this made me smile while more tears escaped.

Once we finally made it home, near 3 a.m., he followed me around like a puppy. I layed down while my husband got Little Mister settled. I layed in the dark with bitter sweet memories swirling before my eyes. I was brought back to reality by the sound of running feet headed toward my door. The door opened and a sliver of light illuminated a shadowy figure climbing up on the bed. He crawled over and hugs me tight (growl included). Then, he pats me on the head and asked if I was OK. 

Now that I had a little of my wits about me I was able to explain that I was very sad because Aunt Penny went away to be with Jesus. I explained how I was glad that she was in no more pain but that I was going to miss her very, very much. 

Everyone says that a child so small does not really understand about death. I'm sure that's true (I don't understand all about death) but I know he understands everyone's moods and reacts in a very sympathetic way. He does partially understand the concept because he recently asked me if Aunt Penny was singing for Jesus now! What a beautiful thought from such a innocent mind!

Penny 

8/28/62 - 9/8/12 @ 12:08 a.m.

 

I will be taking a few days off from the blog for obvious reasons.

Please, make sure your family and friends always know how much you love and appreciate them!

God bless and pray for my family as we travel through this Time of Grief!

Rainbows and God's Promises

With all the rain we've had lately from hurricane Isaac, this seems rather timely.
A sponge, some paint and a cute boy!

We read parts of Genesis 6-9. In 2 year old terms: people were ugly and God was unhappy so he caused it to rain for a long time. Noah took animals on his boat because the water got so deep. Because God loves us, he promised to never make it rain so long again. To remind us of his goodness and mercy, he put a beautiful rainbow in the sky!

A Few More of God's Promises:

1. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6
2. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. - Jeremiah 29:11
3.  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. - Matthew 11:28-29
4. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19
5. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39
6. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. - Proverbs 1:33
7.  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Absorb Knowledge from God

Lord, I want to continue to grow in You and Your Word. I want to be wise and absorb the lessons you try to teach me! Help me to learn from my mistakes so I won't have to repeat them. I want to listen for your voice of guidance in all that I do!

Much like the celery uses what it has been given for continued growth, help me to make the most out of my situation (good or not so good) and TRUST you!

Cut the bottom of the stalk and place in a cup of food coloring. Wait for a day or two and watch how the dye is drawn up by the celery. If you slice the celery in half, you can actually see the tubes which carried the dye up the stalk. Science is so cool!

Consume the Word, eat a Bible Cookie! (HeeHee) We made these for Sunday School snacks.

Bacon and Eggs in a Bag with Joyful Noises on the Side

Psalm 100

100 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

² Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

 

Little Mister loves Sunday School. We wanted to do something special for his buddies and decided to take a fun "morning" snack!

Jonah was a Prophet, Oo-Ooh!

We love Veggie Tales! Little Mister has a passion for pirates which I believe evolved from the Jonah movie where the Pirates Who Don't do Anything made their first appearance. He loves it and has watched it MANY times. He even tries to sing along with the songs! 

Yeah, we enjoy watching it but I have to go back and explain that Jonah was not really kept company in the whales belly by an Indian worn who sells plush toys from a cart; nor was he serenaded by an angelical choir with glowing earrings. For that matter, he never sailed with cheese curl eating, ALF watching, ping-pong playing pirates either. And as far as I can recall, there was no fish slapping mentioned in the Bible!

After we read the Bible account . . . we made a stain glass whale for the window and a balloon whale!

Stain glass: clear contact paper, black construction paper, bits of blue tissue paper.
First, draw a whale on the construction paper and cut out the inside. Lay the paper on a piece of contact paper. Cut out a praying Jonah from construction paper and stick it inside the whale. Place the tissue paper randomly to cover the whole cut out area. Place another piece of contact paper on the top and trim the edges. Place between a towel and press with a low heat iron for about a minute. Hang in a sunny window!

Whale Balloon: blue balloon, dark construction paper, scissors, permenant marker.
Cut out a stick figure man from the construction paper. Fold it to fit into the balloon. Blow up the balloon and draw eyes, mouth and fins. Have fun searching for Jonah in the belly!

Jonah Was A Prophet by Veggie Tales

When I was a boy I went to church back home in Arizona

And that is where I heard the tale of a man whose name was Jonah

Now Jonah was a prophet, but that's not why he's remembered

They tell the tale, Cause in a whale he nearly was dismembered!

CHORUS

Jonah was a prophet

Oo-ooh!

But he really never got it

Sad but true!

And if you watch it you can spot it

A-doodley-doo!

He did not get the point!

Compassion and mercy from me to you and you to me

Exactly what god wants to see and yes that is the point!

CHORUS

Now Jonah Set Sail On A Pirate ship

In a dreadful gale

Got eaten up by a giant whale

But then it's not to be said

You think he would learn alot

From being saved from an awful spot

But the second chance that he had got

He didn't want to be spread

Now poor old Jonah

And now he's all alone-ah

Gotta use a megaphone-ah

To get it through to his head-HEY!

CHORUS

Now during your life you prob'ly don't ride on a camel

And you prob'ly won't wake up inside a large aquatic mammal

But all the same like Jonahthere is something you can do

Everyone deserves to get a second chance from you!

Compassion and mercy from me to you and you to me

Exactly what god wants to see and yes that is the point!

Prayer Picture Book

Since I have a very visual child, I decided to make him a prayer picture book for bedtime. We included pictures of family, friends and broad topics like sick and hurting people, government and things like that. He likes flipping the papers as we pray before bedtime. It is never too early to teach a child about the power of prayer!

I bought an inexpensive index card notebook and printed out small pictures of people that we cut out and glued to each page.

Being in the Moment

My husband is in charge of changing the sign in front of our church. We try to do this weekly for announcements or encouraging phrases to those who pass by on the highway. I go and help by sorting the letters and getting them ready for him to put up on the sign. Little Mister loves to go and "help" as well. I let him stack the letters that my husband brings in while I get the ones ready to go out. 

One day we were waiting for the letters to be brought in and I decided to get the letters out that spell his name. Immediately he dropped down on the floor and started to sort them. He would get them in the right order and I would pretend to move them by accident. He would say, "Sorry Mommy", and sort them out again. We did this over and over while we waited. 

Finding the time to teach children does not have to be chiseled out of the day. It can happen in the minutes you are standing in line at the bank, sitting at a red light or walking around the block! Learning does not only happen in a classroom or, for that matter, within 4 walls. Find those teachable moments and seize them with gusto!

Outside with Daddy changing the sign

This thing is REALLY tall

A Found Thrill

As a mommy, I can say there have been several times that my Little Mister's sheer elation at a simple little thing has brought tears to my eyes! Here is the one that I treasure!
One Sunday morning, someone had left a book on our pew at church which my little guy picked up to investigate. As he turned a page I heard a loud gasp! He yelled "offering"! He had discovered a play $20 bill. Immediately, he then wanted a Tithe envelope to put it in. He was so excited that his little hands were shaking. I put it in the envelope for him and wrote his name on it. When it was offering time, he ran to the front with his found thrill! He was so proud of himself as he walked back to our pew! And you better believe that this mommy was proud of her cheerful giver!

A found thrill

A cheerful giver