Last week I found myself in the middle of the same conversation I’ve had over and over since having children. The topic…food; specifically what my kids eat. I have a 16 year old boy which means one thing- a high grocery bill! A mom of another teenage boy and I were comparing notes on how much they eat. Let’s just say, it’s a lot. No one won the comparison contest…we both lose when it comes to the amount of time we spend either buying or making food to fill our bottomless pits.
The food discussions didn’t start when my boys hit puberty. It was long before that. Think about all the time we as parents spend discussing food and our kids. Breast fed or bottle fed, when to start solid food, when to give them peanut butter, only to find out that they have a food allergy. It’s an ongoing, never ending topic of conversation among moms.
Before I continue, I feel the need to interject two things…
One, I wonder if we discuss it so much because it’s a topic where we can safely make comparisons without the risk of feeling like we’ve failed in some way as a parent. The friendly competition of “my kid eats more than yours” doesn’t really set us up for hard feelings.
And, two, I proudly admit that I’m very happy my children were “raised” in the era of chicken nuggets and Kraft mac and cheese. Just ten years ago we moms didn’t worry about our veggies being organic or making gluten free brownies as an option for the birthday party. I’m sorry that moms have that added pressure in childrearing these days.
Back to topic…
Our children don’t live on milk forever; they graduate to solid food, and then to eating us out of house and home. We spend many waking hours buying and preparing food for them. We agonize over whether or not they are getting enough of what they need.
As I thought about all the food discussions I find myself in with other moms, the verse in Hebrews about milk and solid food came to mind.
Hebrews 5:13-14 “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
This verse is somewhat of an admonishment for those who were slow to listen and learn the Truth of the Gospel. Some commentaries liken it to the fact that those “living on milk” are “not acquainted” with the Gospel due to simply not making a practice of studying it.
Think about how this is related to feeding our children. If we gave them only liquid sustenance forever not only would they miss out on the good stuff, they wouldn’t grow. We’d have some unhappy and unhealthy kids on our hands.
The same is true spiritually. We have to feed our kids. It’s our responsibility as parents to make sure our kids are getting what they need to not only sustain them, but to help them grow strong Spiritual muscles. This means teaching our kids at a young age the basic Spiritual disciplines of reading the Bible and prayer, not to mention the “meat” of what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus.
My boys graduated a long time ago from milk as a source of nutrition, and as I’ve said, now eat until the pantry is bare. I am blessed to say that despite chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, they are very healthy.
I hope, that in time, I can say with as much certainty that my boys have the strong Spiritual muscles I’ve tried to help them grow. Wouldn’t we as parents be better served in our conversations to encourage the nutrition of our kids’ spiritual growth as much as we discuss what we made them for dinner? Even better, wouldn’t we all love to have that conversation without fear of comparisons?
This Week’s Announcements:
Daddy/Daughter Dance ~ Friday, February 7th, beginning at 6:30pm. This event is open to dads of all ages and girls age 3years through 5th grade. The cost is $10 per family. Registration closes at noon on February 4th so sign up quickly. To register, go to www.signupgenius.com and search under penny@stonebridgemarietta.org
What God is Teaching Us:
Follow the links below to see the past two Sunday’s curriculum:
This link is no longer available
*Note that there are no lessons attached for 4k-5th grade for Jan. 26 because it was an outreach Sunday.
Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
As I asked the kids if they had anything special to share from the last week, one boy raised his hand and called out, “I got a crushed.” Not sure what he meant, (did he mean he had a crush on someone, or someone had a crush on him…?) I waded in…“What do you mean- someone has a crush on you?” Luckily, this particular child has a great sense of humor and laughed along with the other kids. He then corrected me and said, “No…I mean my team got crushed in basketball.” Oh…that makes more sense.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
On Saturday my oldest son left home to return to college. He was home one month, but it seemed like a day. I’m not the Lord- OBVIOUSLY- but it felt like the whole “a thousand years is but a day” thing happened. (Look at 2Peter 3:8 if I’ve just completely confused you)
Anyway…he left on Saturday at 4am. As we hugged goodbye for about the 5th time, he said, “Mom, I left a little part of me behind for you.” After the comment he chuckled and said, “I mean I didn’t make up my bed.”
For this to have relevance you must know this about my eldest- he is messy. I don’t mean that he just leaves things lying around every now and then; he is the messiest person I’ve ever had the privilege of living with. No…scratch that, he’s the messiest person I’ve ever known.
Leaving his bed unmade was no surprise- I would’ve expected nothing different. Comforter half on the bed and half in the floor, one pillow smashed in a corner against the wall, the other at the foot of the bed, sheets so tangled that you wonder if he can tie knots with his feet….all of it was much more than just another example of his messiness; it was a picture of something he wanted me to “get.”
Even more than the unmade bed, his pointing it out in the way he did was his way of saying something to me. He was saying, “I’ve been here and I want you to remember that I’ve been here.”
I think as human beings we want to be remembered. We want to know that when we’re gone, we’ve left something behind that someone can look at and say, “That was (fill in the blank with your name).” We want to leave our fingerprints on things, but more than that, we want to leave our mark on the hearts of others.
We leave our fingerprints all over the people we influence. Isn’t this the antithesis of why we as parents are at times so neurotic about how we raise our kids? There are many quotes in the annals of parenthood (“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about!”), but none more often used than this one- “Don’t do as I do, do as I say.” And why is that? Fingerprints.
The truth is whether it’s what we say or what we do, we leave a mark. Our life with the people we love might be neat and tidy at times, or it may be messy…really messy…knots in the sheets messy. The point is that we want to be there- for better or worse. The dinners we eat together, the conversations we have, the laughter, the tears, even the fights, they all mean something- or at least they should.
I want few things more in this life than for my kids to look back and say, “She left a little part of herself behind for me…and it was a good part.” I want to leave my fingerprints, even if they are a little smudged in certain places.
If I’m really honest, I wouldn’t mind if they also said something along the lines of … “the days were like years (there was so much packed into them), and the years were like a day (because it wasn’t long enough).” I would take a chance, write my own eulogy, and hide it for later, but no one would ever find it with all the unmade beds.
This Week’s Announcements:
Our next welcome reception is on Sunday, January 26th. If you are new to StoneBridge or just want some answers to those “burning questions” you have, join us at 7:30pm in the 164 space. Childcare is provided WITH reservations. Contact Kim Kremer at kim@stonebridgemarietta.org to sign up.
What God is Teaching Us:
Follow the links below to see the past two Sunday’s curriculum:
This link is no longer available
Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
As one 4k/Kindergarten leader was reviewing Bible stories we have discussed this year, she drew pictures (like Pictionary) so the children could guess the story. After correctly guessing the story, they would discuss what they remembered about the story and God’s Truth from that story. On one turn, she drew a large wall surrounding a city. The kids correctly guess “Jericho!” As they discussed what God instructed Joshua and his men to do, the leader asked, “Do you remember how many days God told them to march around the city?” One very proud little boy yelled out, “I do…40 days and 40 nights!” Good answer, wrong story. Here is the well-known (although unspoken) fact among kids at church- the answer is always “God” or “40 days and 40 nights.”
Anyway…he left on Saturday at 4am. As we hugged goodbye for about the 5th time, he said, “Mom, I left a little part of me behind for you.” After the comment he chuckled and said, “I mean I didn’t make up my bed.”
For this to have relevance you must know this about my eldest- he is messy. I don’t mean that he just leaves things lying around every now and then; he is the messiest person I’ve ever had the privilege of living with. No…scratch that, he’s the messiest person I’ve ever known.
Leaving his bed unmade was no surprise- I would’ve expected nothing different. Comforter half on the bed and half in the floor, one pillow smashed in a corner against the wall, the other at the foot of the bed, sheets so tangled that you wonder if he can tie knots with his feet….all of it was much more than just another example of his messiness; it was a picture of something he wanted me to “get.”
Even more than the unmade bed, his pointing it out in the way he did was his way of saying something to me. He was saying, “I’ve been here and I want you to remember that I’ve been here.”
I think as human beings we want to be remembered. We want to know that when we’re gone, we’ve left something behind that someone can look at and say, “That was (fill in the blank with your name).” We want to leave our fingerprints on things, but more than that, we want to leave our mark on the hearts of others.
We leave our fingerprints all over the people we influence. Isn’t this the antithesis of why we as parents are at times so neurotic about how we raise our kids? There are many quotes in the annals of parenthood (“Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about!”), but none more often used than this one- “Don’t do as I do, do as I say.” And why is that? Fingerprints.
The truth is whether it’s what we say or what we do, we leave a mark. Our life with the people we love might be neat and tidy at times, or it may be messy…really messy…knots in the sheets messy. The point is that we want to be there- for better or worse. The dinners we eat together, the conversations we have, the laughter, the tears, even the fights, they all mean something- or at least they should.
I want few things more in this life than for my kids to look back and say, “She left a little part of herself behind for me…and it was a good part.” I want to leave my fingerprints, even if they are a little smudged in certain places.
If I’m really honest, I wouldn’t mind if they also said something along the lines of … “the days were like years (there was so much packed into them), and the years were like a day (because it wasn’t long enough).” I would take a chance, write my own eulogy, and hide it for later, but no one would ever find it with all the unmade beds.
This Week’s Announcements:
Our next welcome reception is on Sunday, January 26th. If you are new to StoneBridge or just want some answers to those “burning questions” you have, join us at 7:30pm in the 164 space. Childcare is provided WITH reservations. Contact Kim Kremer at kim@stonebridgemarietta.org to sign up.
What God is Teaching Us:
Follow the links below to see the past two Sunday’s curriculum:
This link is no longer available
Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
As one 4k/Kindergarten leader was reviewing Bible stories we have discussed this year, she drew pictures (like Pictionary) so the children could guess the story. After correctly guessing the story, they would discuss what they remembered about the story and God’s Truth from that story. On one turn, she drew a large wall surrounding a city. The kids correctly guess “Jericho!” As they discussed what God instructed Joshua and his men to do, the leader asked, “Do you remember how many days God told them to march around the city?” One very proud little boy yelled out, “I do…40 days and 40 nights!” Good answer, wrong story. Here is the well-known (although unspoken) fact among kids at church- the answer is always “God” or “40 days and 40 nights.”
Saturday, January 4, 2014
I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions. I’m not taking a stand or making some sort of grand gesture…I’m just- well…either lazy or realistic. I’ve made my share of them over the almost 50 years of my life. Let’s see, there has been the obligatory losing weight resolution, along with exercising more. I’ve resolved to get more organized, eat healthier, save money, cook more/eat out less, watch less TV, and read more. I’ve resolved to clean out clutter, drink less coffee (what was that about?!), and get all of my yearly health check-ups. The list could go on and on, but why do that, when I can just say- I kept none of them for long.
So this year, again, not as some grand gesture, I’ve decided to resolve nothing. Maybe I’m lazy, or maybe I’m just realistic. Or…maybe my self-esteem can’t take one more failure. Whatever the real reason, I’m not doing it.
Someone actually asked me if not making a resolution is actually making a resolution not to change…hmm…? That may be the conclusion in all of this, but I certainly don’t think that’s my heart. I want to change as much as anyone else. Don’t we all have things we wished we were better at doing or not doing? Of course we do.
Here is the bottom line of what I’ve decided on the topic…I’ll make this the year of change not through my resolve, but through “God-solve.” Cliché- maybe. Corny- probably. More realistic- for sure. None of us can change no matter how hard we try unless God is leading that change. So this year will be about the changes that God brings, not what I decide.
I’ve asked my boys (who don’t make resolutions either- unless you count, “not taking out the trash” a resolution) to think and pray about this too. We know God is never done with us so there are things He wants to do in and through us. He just needs an open door invitation into our lives.
Okay…so it’s no grand gesture, but I am taking a stand. I’m standing still at the door and saying, come on in God…do what You must, solve what only You can. It’s not a resolution, but maybe it’s a goal. The goal for 2014…an open door.
Revelation 3:20 ~ “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Praying that we all - as individuals, as families, and as the Body of Christ- open the door wide so He can step inside.
This Week’s Announcements:
No new announcements for this week! Nothing you have to remember…Happy New Year!
What God is Teaching Us:
Follow the links below to see the past two Sunday’s curriculum:
This link is no longer available
Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
I was handed a very wonderful Christmas gift on Christmas Eve. The gift was from one of our third grade boys. It was a handmade card and note that said, “Dear Ms. Penny, thank you for all you do for me!” He signed it and then put an arrow pointing inside the card with the caption- your gift is inside. When I opened the card, a $1 bill fell out. I told him how generous he was, to which he replied, “I wanted to give you more, but I couldn’t find any more of my money. My dad made me take it to the bank last week.” To say the least, it was one of my favorite gifts of the season!
So this year, again, not as some grand gesture, I’ve decided to resolve nothing. Maybe I’m lazy, or maybe I’m just realistic. Or…maybe my self-esteem can’t take one more failure. Whatever the real reason, I’m not doing it.
Someone actually asked me if not making a resolution is actually making a resolution not to change…hmm…? That may be the conclusion in all of this, but I certainly don’t think that’s my heart. I want to change as much as anyone else. Don’t we all have things we wished we were better at doing or not doing? Of course we do.
Here is the bottom line of what I’ve decided on the topic…I’ll make this the year of change not through my resolve, but through “God-solve.” Cliché- maybe. Corny- probably. More realistic- for sure. None of us can change no matter how hard we try unless God is leading that change. So this year will be about the changes that God brings, not what I decide.
I’ve asked my boys (who don’t make resolutions either- unless you count, “not taking out the trash” a resolution) to think and pray about this too. We know God is never done with us so there are things He wants to do in and through us. He just needs an open door invitation into our lives.
Okay…so it’s no grand gesture, but I am taking a stand. I’m standing still at the door and saying, come on in God…do what You must, solve what only You can. It’s not a resolution, but maybe it’s a goal. The goal for 2014…an open door.
Revelation 3:20 ~ “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Praying that we all - as individuals, as families, and as the Body of Christ- open the door wide so He can step inside.
This Week’s Announcements:
No new announcements for this week! Nothing you have to remember…Happy New Year!
What God is Teaching Us:
Follow the links below to see the past two Sunday’s curriculum:
This link is no longer available
Funny Things Kids Do and Say…
I was handed a very wonderful Christmas gift on Christmas Eve. The gift was from one of our third grade boys. It was a handmade card and note that said, “Dear Ms. Penny, thank you for all you do for me!” He signed it and then put an arrow pointing inside the card with the caption- your gift is inside. When I opened the card, a $1 bill fell out. I told him how generous he was, to which he replied, “I wanted to give you more, but I couldn’t find any more of my money. My dad made me take it to the bank last week.” To say the least, it was one of my favorite gifts of the season!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)