In 1994, Easter Sunday fell on April 3rd. That afternoon, #1 Son chose to follow Jesus as a little boy in our home church of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Today, 4/3/2012, #1 Son turns 18 years old in the LORD.

Our family traditions have celebrated this date, a Spiritual Birthday, with donut holes (life without Jesus is like a donut…you have a hole in the middle of your heart), balloons (we lift His name on high in all things), and a gift (something round that reminds us that God’s love is round about His people.) At some point, the gift began to matter more than the donut holes.

Over the years, the gifts included:

A new Christian CD – we have come a long way from Sandi Patti and Phillips, Craig & Dean.

A matching silver Ring – found on Cape Cod, Baby Girl and I shared 2 matching rings where 3 bands were soldered together, 2 hands (1 representing her Daddy, and 1 representing me, to cover the heart (her heart) on the center band).

A Cactus Garden – One year was more prickly than others, so coming across a round cactus garden seemed the most appropriate gift.

A James Avery Bracelet – scripture to wear around her wrist.

A Crown of Thorns – one that fit the head of a little boy, because it’s what he asked for.

Pearl Earrings – we will not cast our pearls among swine…a reminder of the standard He has set for His Princess of the King.

My favorite part of this tradition is that the gift can not be opened until the receiver tells of the day of their decision to follow Christ. He/She names names (many of these precious servants of Christ are still involved in our lives), we claim the family of faith who provided the opportunity for little people to hear the gospel, and he/she shares the circumstances of their decision. But that’s not all.

He/she also shares (1) what they have learned about God over this last year, and (2) they state his/her spiritual goal to set forth for the next year.

He thinks it’s corny, but when I return home from “becoming a Grandmother land,” we will sit across a table.  I will order a salad and he will order a huge steak.  And we will share “great things He has done.”

Serving on a local church staff, speaking at training workshops, and working at “all things little people,” I am constantly asked, “What do you read?” These are the blogs I read regularly no matter what else comes into my email inbox and a new fun find:

http://bookstore.peacemaker.net/blog/  Route 5:9 offers weekly insight on dealing with conflict within the church and in the world.  Reading this blog can turn my heart and mind on a dime.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog   Seth Godin’s blog is a daily snippet of thoughts ranging from organizational bullying (awesome stuff on the bully-target cycle), organizational tribes, the way people operate when they have a seat at the table, and communication challenges.  Plus the blogs are very short which I like a lot.

http://www.relevantchildrensministry.com/   Good stuff by Dale Hudson on effectively sharing Jesus with today’s children and families.  He puts stuff out there that I can use this Sunday.  He shared his list of questions asked of parents at his last parent summit by my sending him an email and he responded that same day.  Accessible and helpful so that we don’t always have to reinvent the wheel.  That way I am able to save my limited creativity for other things.

http://theinclusivechurch.wordpress.com    Amy Fenton Lee is an Atlantan who challenges churches to intentionally meet the needs of families of children with differences.  As a long-time preschool teacher, I love how she offers ideas and shares how other local churches across the country are answering the call to share Christ with those who don’t look and act like us. This is especially helpful in offering multi-sensory experiences for little people.

http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/   This blog gives ideas of making holy things from junk.  Visual and so much fun.  Great stuff on prayer.

http://www.whenyourise.com/2012/01/teaching-your-child-to-pray-seven.html   This blog is my new fun find.  It led me to a 21-day Warrior Prayer Challenge for Boys that will kickoff nationally in May and a 31-days of Prayer for Our Daughters ebook downloads.  With WC’s KidMin prayer focus as we “Let the Spirit of God grow in us,” I’m thinking we have ourselves the prayer themes for May and June.

And I can’t say enough good things about Pinterest!  This visual girl now has online bulleint boards and file folders specifically for KidMin that I can draw from at my fingertips instead of digging through boxes.

The friends I follow who blog outside of KidMin interests are Pat Dunbar at http://barefootpreachr.org/  and Lynn Watts at http://www.lynnewatts.blogspot.com.  Both are inspirational, beautiful women of faith who are in the business of writing, sharing, preaching, encouraging, educating.  I just adore them both personally and professionally.

What’s the stuff you read regularly?

Prayer Rocks!

1st Sunday: Jacob’s prayer pillow…see the previous post, Part 1.  (Genesis 28:11-22)

2nd Sunday: Samuel’s Ebenezer Stone…when a “rock” is removed from it’s natural state and used for another purpose, it’s name changes to a “stone.” Idea: Our prayers remind us that “God has been good to us so far, and He will be good us going forward.”  (1 Samuel 7:12)

This week we introduced “Rocks & Socks,” and began collecting socks for the local homeless shelter.  Idea:  Because God has been good to us so far, we can be good to others by donating socks for the months of January and February.

3rd Sunday: David’s 5 smooth stones…”Go with what you know and not with how you feel. For the battle is the Lord’s”  (1 Samuel 17:49)

4th Sunday:  The stone was rolled away from Jesus’ tomb to let His disciples in to see that He had risen.  The scriptures tell us that Peter and John ran to the grave when they heard Jesus had risen from the women who came to visit the grave.  John makes sure to tell us that he outran Peter (which just makes me chuckle.)  Once they got to the tomb, Peter runs in and checks things out.  John chooses to stand at the entrance.  John then sees that the cloth that had wrapped Jesus’ body was folded and left in place.  You know, I can tell who folded the towels at my house.  I roll them.  #1 Son folds them in half.  Baby Girl folds them into thirds.  I wonder if John knew it had to be Jesus by the way the cloth was folded?  They did spend a whole lot of time together.  That’s what good friends do.  Idea:  We want to know Jesus so well that we can see and know where He is and where He has been.  (John 20:2-5)

As per some KidMin friends, I’m posting the series of Children’s Moment Messages for Sunday Mornings at WC.

Background:  The theme for 2012 is based on 1 Corinthians 3:16.  The children’s focus will be to “let the Spirit of God grow in you… through prayer.”  Each month has a different prayer focus.  January’s is “Prayer Rocks!”

Growing up with 4 brothers in south Florida and South Louisiana, rocks and sticks were the toys most prevalent. Rocks are spoken of often in the scriptures. We’ll be using them as reminders that “Prayer Rocks!” this month at WC as we embark on this new year of “Letting the Spirit of God grow in me,” from 1 Corinthians 3:16.

In the book of Genesis, there is a story of a man named Jacob. Jacob was on his way to begin a new season in his life. But, he had some serious problems. After a long day’s journey, he used a big rock for his pillow. While Jacob was sleeping, he had a dream. He dreamed about a ladder that went all the way up to heaven.  Angels were coming up and down the ladder. God was at the top of the ladder and he spoke to Jacob. The Lord told Jacob that He (the LORD) would always be with him (Jacob) as the LORD was with his father, Isaac, and his father, Abraham, before him.

When Jacob woke up he knew he was in a special place. He took the rock that was lying flat on the ground as his pillow and stood it up on end like a pillar. He also poured oil over the rock to honor God.  

Do you have a special place to talk to God?

God talks to us through the Bible.  Did you know that you can talk to God anywhere and He will listen?

It’s good to choose a special place to pray because doing this can help us to remember to pray more.  God wants us to talk to Him everyday.  I brought a rock for each of you to remind you to talk to God everyday.  You can set it in a special place.  You might set it on your sink while you brush your teeth.  You might set it on your bedside table to see before you go to bed at night and when you wake up in the morning.

When you see it, you can pray to God.

Sometimes it is hard to start a conversation with God, especially if you just woke up.  You can use the alphabet to help you get you going.

Thank you God for ALWAYS being with me.

Help me, God, to BE kind to my little sister.

Show me, God, how to CARE for my pets without being asked.

Thank you, God, for all you DO for me and my family.

Letting the Spirit of God grow in me through prayer will help me be more like Jesus.

Prayer Rocks!

For my birthday last year I posted a list of things I would NO LONGER do now that I’d turned 50. This year I decided to go with the thought of listing some things that I’m really GLAD I DID, now that I’m 51:

1. Graduated college – I wrote my first tuition check for $249 which was graciously paid for by a scholarship from the American Business Women’s Association of Terrebonne Parish. Dave Ramsey states, “You will finish college in 4 years if you are paying for it.” A drive-through bank teller by day. A mall branch teller by evening. An A&P grocery checker on nights and weekends. A few trips to the blood bank to pay for my books. I lived by the mantra of “Educate a man, you educate one. Educate a woman (remember this was the 80’s), you educate a family and everyone who follows her.” Geaux tigers!

2. Give people the benefit of the doubt – People do the best they can with what they know. When you know Jesus, you can’t help but want to see people through His eyes. Releasing others from meeting my needs lets me live life with few expectations. Fewer expectations make for fewer disappointments. Living without the fear of disappointment allows one to celebrate the gifts and graces of everyone. Forgiveness makes everyone look mah-velous!

3. Learned to cook like a Cajun – I moved to South Louisiana when I was 16. I learned to shell shrimp one-handed, chop onions with a paring knife, cook outside, and make a roux. When someone asks where I can find the best Cajun food in the Atlanta area, I tell them, “My kitchen.”

4. Moved north of Interstate 10 for a time – Born a southerner, I had no idea what the world looked like for those who must buy clothes for each of the 4 seasons. A season without Rotel tomatoes, Dukes Mayonnaise, Red beans from Harahan, and Jimmy Dean Sausage opened my heart and my stomach to the creativity of God and His people like nothing else.

5. Let my picture be taken when I was younger even when I thought I didn’t look good – When I look at these photos now, I see a beautiful young woman who just didn’t know she was at the time.

6. Built a relationship with my Mother In Law – It wasn’t easy and we are two different people from different eras and different locations of the country. We are as opposite as they come. Yet, after 27 years there is much to be said for not having to explain everything. And my man says, “Thank you.”

7. Wore shoes that fit my feet no matter what the number was – My wedding shoes were a size 8, had Baby Girl and grew to a size 9. After #1 son, I started wearing a size 10 and they felt so good after I turned 40 that I just went ahead and began wearing size 11. The only problem I have with my feet is finding pretty, flashy shoes with a low heel in a size that reminds me of a canoe…there is a lovely Shoe Town between Canton & Griffin, Georgia that caters to chicks just like me.

I have balled my eyes out all day as I have finished the 5th Chapter of James. Not because of the answers it provides, but these questions:

– What is the line between hoarding and saving? I’ve watched the TV shows Hoarders and Extreme Couponing. One looks messy and the other has some sort of order to it. One is usually a result of a hurt or loss. The other a result of wanting to do something good. One makes me hurt inside. One makes me wonder.

– If I grew my own food, would I be more patient? I recall watching episodes of Little House on the Prairie when Pa and the family were anxious every time bad weather came for fear of what it’d do to the crops.  The many references to a agricultural life throughout the bible cause me to do more research, because it’s not what we do today.   But haven’t we all spent time “between the rains” of God’s blessings?  Some call it a wilderness time.  Others call it a desert time.

– What should I do when I am in trouble?  I grab a girlfriend-in-the-Lord and I pray.  I confess to seasons when staying in bed was my preference, but I keep practicing to “count it all joy (James 1:1)”  How else will I ever know what He’s going to accomplish if I don’t have seasons of “living by faith, and not by sight?”  More importantly, how will Satan otherwise be proved a liar in my own head?

Melissa offers some timely interruptions with the James: Mercy Triumphs study. Her information usually flies right over my head. But today she offers a legendary quote by Mark Twain for a filter for chapter 4: “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.”

This I understand…

1.  Submission is a position thing – a reminder that I have a part and God has a part.  God doesn’t need me to do my part, but I need Him to do His part.  When I do my part, it goes better for me.  And I learn my lessons a lot more quickly.  Healthy communication is the key.  I can cry out to my God in the midst of life, but it’s just not right to be fussing and whining at Him for not giving me what I want when I want it every time I come to Him.  I don’t think it pleases Him for my every communication to sound like the temper tantrum of a 2 year old.  He knows the big picture and the other side of the fiery furnace.  James Chapter 1 says to “Count it all joy…”

2.  Being deliberate in what I resist and what I draw near to is a free will thing – Although saved and blessed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, He still gives me choices.  These are choices I make deliberately or by default every day.  Dare I say aloud, this chronic people-pleaser finds resisting the Evil One an easier exercise.  I flee from getting into trouble.  Always have.  I pray for a Holy Spirit alarm to go off like a loud, flashing siren when I step over the line of what is right in His sight.  However, I am easily ensnared by what I draw near to.  This takes more discernment.  I have an “all in” personality that doesn’t always give me the “proceed with caution” sign until I am in so deep that I can’t touch the bottom. 

3.  Judging things and not people is the result of regularly walking in the Spirit and it’s a love thing – More than my share of blessings-from-disappointments has taught me to give folks the benefit of the doubt.  Sometimes Godly people do ungodly things.  But we serve a God of redemption.  One who specializes in putting broken people back together.  Let me recognize the broken ones, Lord.

4.  Making future plans in a uncertain world is a hope thing – I may not know what will happen tomorrow, and my life is a mist that appears for a little while (4:14).  But I have a new baby boy about to enter this world this Spring direct from the creative hand of God.  He will know a Grandmother who is “clothed in strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

I will address the parts I don’t understand another day.  I have more than enough to fill my cup to overflowing.  It’s time for a cookie.

I like it when the scriptures are not fluffy. When the Word of God is clear and pointed. It keeps me from rationalizing myself right into the pit of complacency.  In the 17 verses of James chapter 3, I can clearly see the “no fluff zone.”

James talks of words and wisdom. I don’t hear condemnation, only a clear reminder that words and where I get my wisdom matter.

Living in the suburbs, there are some experiences which help me put the agricultural terms in perspective:

The movie Black Beauty comes to mind when I read, “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.” What are the “bits” of influence that turn my tongue to healing or to harm?

I remember the movie Titanic when I read, “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot wants to go.”  Lord, please remove that “bit of cynicism” that lets me think I have permission to live jaded and entitled.

Verse 5 reads, “…Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” The May of my junior year in high school, our South Louisiana home burned to the ground. Thanks to a spark from a W.T. Grant TV located in my parent’s bedroom, we lost everything…except our Corelleware dishes and our bibles. The only memory of my childhood that I can hold in my hand is a black, zippered, KJV bible.  Praise you, God, for a lifetime of bringing beauty from ashes in this Jesus Girl’s life.

I feel I have burned hundreds of calories wrestling with chapter 2 of James: Mercy Triumphs. One of the best parts of the audio CDs given to me by Baby Girl and #2 Son for Christmas is the CD I have in my car. The author recites the Book of James from memory. All of it. Every word. Every paragraph. And with energy. I listen to it before anything else goes into the car CD player every time I get in which is at least twice daily to go and to come home.

I can’t tell you how many times I hit pause after she recites the end of chapter 2. It starts with “What good is it?” Then she says it again, “What good is it?”

“What good is it my brothers (and sisters) if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” Is my faith, my belief system, my heart’s desire to wear my “Jesus Girl” hat good for anything? Is it only good for me? Is it only good for my Man? Is it only good for my kids? Is it only good for my …?

James challenges me to demonstrate my faith. But what does that look like?

– a closet full of Christian message tshirts?
– Christian radio in my car?
– Christan CDs in my CD player?
– bookshelves upon bookshelves of Christian lit?
– bags upon bags with Christian messages?
– surround myself with Christian friends?

Good grief, this hurts.

Baby Girl and #2 Son gave me the audio cds for Beth Moore’s latest Bible Study: James-Mercy Triumphs for Christmas. When the package arrived in the mailbox from LifeWay, I was thrilled. Following the directions I was given, I placed the package under the Christmas tree, but ran to the local LifeWay store to pick up the workbook and threw it under the tree, too.

It’s difficult for me to take 8 actual weeks of Bible Study, so it suits me best to dive into the deep end of the pool of an 8 week study for about 10-14 days.  I take a deep breath, hold my nose, and dive in all the way.  I’ve had to come up for air several times to catch my breath from wrestling sessions, crying sessions, and the frequent sessions that just take my breath away.

James, an unbeliever until Jesus appears to him post resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:4-7), rushes to the front of the influence line among the Christian Jews in Jerusalem.  Knowing my own brothers, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Jesus shows up to his unbelieving brother.  Jesus being human as well as God, I wonder if he would have taken the shot of “I tried to tell ya?”  Makes me laugh, just thinking about it.

So far I have washed myself in the words through week 5 and continue to ask myself, “Am I living the faith I believe?”  “Is my world any better because I am a follower of Jesus?”  James’ words are pointed directly to the believers, so I can’t count myself out.  He must have been a practical guy, and one who was unafraid to hit the big struggles.  No ‘namby-pamby’ to do list, but accountability wrapped in barbed-wire.

Being the beginning of a new year, the Sunday paper is filled with ads for workout equipment and apparel.  I think I’ll save us some money and try to wear the words of James as 2012 begins:

Consider it pure joy when I face trials “of many kinds.”

If I lack wisdom, I should ask God (and not Google, or my friends, or the latest newscast, or an app on my IPhone).

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”  (I am my own worst enemy in more ways than one.)

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.  (Oh, for goodness sakes!)

And that’s just the first chapter of James.