I'll Give God Me This Christmas

Apparently this is an older song, but I have never heard it until I did a youtube search as I was planning our church kids Christmas program.

I decided since I do not sing and not very musical, we would say it all together. The words were just too good for me to skip over.

I'll Give God Me This Christmas:                                                                                             I'll give God me this Christmas, it's the best gift I can give.                                                         I'll give God me this Christmas, and for Him I will live.                                                               I'll give God me this Christmas from my head down to my toes.                                               I'll give God me this Christmas, that's what He wants the most.

 "But Jesus said unto Him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead."                    Matthew 8:22 (KJV)

This tells me that we have to FOLLOW JESUS! We have to allow Him to REVEAL His plan to us. We cannot walk through life getting GOOD IDEAS through blogs, facebook, twitter, our girlfriends. Our thoughts and ideas should come FROM the Lord.

It is a pretty strong statement to say: "let the dead bury the dead." Here Jesus was saying MY plan is more important than yours. It's ALL. ABOUT. ME. I am not trying to make light of someone passing away. My grandfather passed away last November and rest assured I was everywhere the family was. But I think Jesus is trying to make us realize that we cannot let LIFE get in the way of His plan.

I think too many times we ALLOW people to pull on us. We think we have to do this or that because we do not want to let people down. We attempt to do things because we saw others post about it on their blog or facebook. BUT we have to remember that God is top priority. He IS the PRIORITY! What really matters is are we following Jesus OR are we too concerned with what others will think?

Now what with my children?

We have used this song as a conversation starter with the kids at church and in our home. We have talked about what it means to give God ourselves. How do we give Him us? What does that look like?

1. Open up YOUR heart and SHARE! That speaks volumes to your children. Let them hear your heart and ASK them what they think. Lead them to Scriptures to shows how Jesus laid down His life for us.

2. Walk it out! As the children discussed this at church, we talked about how it is easy to talk about, but harder to walk it out.

3. Tell them when you see them do what God would want them to do. For example, sharing with their brother or sister, helping someone pick up something they dropped, holding the door for someone. Tell them that God sees them and He is proud of them for following His example of giving up His life.

4. Let your children see your faults and talk with them about how you have failed too. We are sinners saved by grace. We can only get life right when God is at the center. It is HIM working through us, it is not in our own strength!

5. Most importantly pray for your children. Pray and ask God to give you wisdom and how to lead your child toward Him. Pray that God's message reaches the HEART of your child. It's easy to change our behavior aka "behavior modification" for a while but real true change comes when God changes the hearts of our children. Pray that God's Word would reach their HEARTS! Pray for guidance.

I desire for God to have me! I desire to hear His voice LOUD and CLEAR among all the other voices that seem to scream at us. This Christmas we are working on giving Jesus US! That is what He really wants.

How do you plan to give God you? Again, we have to be INTENTIONAL or it will never happen. We have to be INTENTIONAL with our children as we LEAD them to JESUS each. and. EVERY. day! It never stops. We are NEVER off duty when it comes to TRAINING them in the ways of Jesus.

As a new family tradition we are going to write letters to Jesus. Many children write letters to Santa, but we are going to write letters to Jesus. I am not sure of the details yet since it is a new tradition. I would like to keep the letters for us to look at each year. I think it would be a good way to see how God has grown us and changed us through the years. I think that each individual should share if they want their letter to be a private letter between them and Jesus or shared among the group. I will follow up here after we have done this. Of course, the way we do it each year may change. I am not sure.

 

I Love This Time of Year

I just love this time of year. I love the lights, the songs, the childhood memories.

As we ride and look at lights, I am reminded of the True Light, Jesus Christ. It is only Him working through us that we can be a light.

"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. To all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."  John 1:9-12

Are you anticipating the birth of the One True King OR what gift you may get under the tree? Do we recognize Christ in our lives? Do we receive Christ? As Christians, we can still reject Him daily with the choices we make. Do my choices reflect Christ and His will for my life?

My challenge for this season is to live intentionally focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. I choose to find meaning in the DETAILS of Christmas.

I read something recently that said one way to simplify Christmas was to finish buying and making Christmas gifts by November 30th. Then, when December 1st rolls around you are able to FOCUS on advent. Well, it happened for us BY ACCIDENT because I read this AFTER I finished my Christmas shopping. I usually do more through the year, but did not this year because we seemed to be more busy than normal. I did go Saturday, which was November 30th and my goal was to START and FINISH my Christmas shopping and I did just that. Now we can have fun wrapping the gifts through the month of December. I LOVE wrapping gifts for people. I have a new idea I am going to try next year, but I will wait and share that AFTER Christmas.

How do you INTENTIONALLY make it a point to focus on Christ in this Christmas season when we are bombarded by the commercialism? I will be sharing what our family does during the month of December.

Thanksgiving Day

I am not doing a formal post today because I know I do not take the time to read posts on Thanksgiving. It is just too busy and I want to enjoy every second I have with family.

I hope that you are blessed today as you spend time with family and friends.

From my family to yours: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The Importance of Vision

"Vision is a plan or a dream for the future." ~ Mark Harper

Do you have a vision or a dream for your family?

I am not talking about you picking in detail what your child will be or do when they grow up. I mean a vision or a dream in how they will present themselves, the type of character you hope to instill in them, etc.

We as parents have a part to play ~ a BIG part to play. We must think with the future in mind. EVERYTHING we do NOW matters and counts. It helps to shape and mold who our children will be when they grow up.

You see, we are the grown ups in the house. Children do not fully grasp what things will be like as they get older. They don't understand that if they are lazy, they will not be able to hold down a job, etc. That's why we are here to help our children with these tendencies.

I think what makes our job even harder is the fact that we are such imperfect beings as parents trying to help train a child. That is why it is super important to have time with the Lord so that He can breathe His very strength into us and help guide us in how we should train our children.

"Our vision must be a heavenly vision." ~ Mark Harper

Our vision for our family should not be for the glory of man. It should be for the glory of God. Our vision should not be just about us. Jesus was about other people and if we are going to have a heavenly vision that comes from God, then it must be about others.

"He must become greater, I must become less." John 3:30 (NIV)

I desire to see my children have a rock solid faith, an active relationship with Christ where they are gaining fresh revelation from His Word daily. I desire to see Christ be their all in al. I desire to see them treat others with respect and know that they are subject to being wrong. I want them to look out for the needs of others before their own. I want them to see a need and choose to do something about it and not just think or talk about it ~ do it. I want to see them decline the job promotion if God tells them no even if it would benefit their wallet. I want them to know God and make Him known. I'm not concerned about what particular job they choose to take if they are following what God has for them. I want them to know they are walking in obedience. They will then experience the joy and freedom that brings.

My challenge to you: What is the vision you have for your family? Have you and your spouse talked about it? What are you doing about it? Are you ACTIVELY working towards instilling your family values in your children? Is your vision a heavenly vision or for selfish gain? Write it down. Take one step at a time.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18

Perish means to destroy or ruin. We must have a vision and not just kind of feel our way through life when it comes to spiritual things. The world (Satan) has a plan and his plan is to do all he can to lead our children away from God. We have to be proactive, parents. There is no time like the present ~

if  not...

our children may be successful in the world's eye, but be in ruin when it comes to the spiritual. In our relationship with God it is through obedience to Him that we find TRUE joy and freedom.

 

Homeschool

I wanted to share with you a few things about our home school in case you were interested. I know that other blogs and talking to friends have helped us create what plan works for us in our home.

Our home school name: Kingdom Kids Academy                                                          We are in South Carolina and our accountability group is SCAIHS. We are required to pick a name for our home school. We chose this name because we desire to see our children  have a Kingdom mentality. We desire that all they put their mind to will be for the benefit of the Kingdom of God and for the glory of God.

Why do we home school?                                                                                                            We home school because we desire for our children to learn from a Biblical Worldview. We desire to have a tight family unit. We want to also have time to train them in their gifts and talents so that they are ready and able to minister for the Lord in any way He desires to use them. With these reasons in mind, we knew that public school nor Christian school were an option for our family.

Will we always home school?                                                                                                        I LOVE homeschooling our children. My husband LOVES that I home school our children. It is a great fit for our family, but I cannot say for sure. (this sounds like it sort of contradicts the last point, but bear with me). The reason I say that is because my greatest desire is to obey God with every aspect of my life. In order to do that I cannot write my own story. HE has to write it. I learned a long time ago to never say never, because sometimes those are the very things you end up doing. I said I would NEVER home school until about year and a half before my daughter was to start school.

Is homeschooling hard?                                                                                                           YES, it is hard. We have really great days and we have some pretty tough days. BUT what in life isn't this way? Everybody has great days and tough days. I would trade nothing in the world for the days that I have with my children. It is often hard because there is very little time for me to breathe between wife, mommy, home, home school duties (not to mention, I am a children's minster). But I am joyful because I am in the middle of God's will for my life. I wouldn't be happy doing anything else! He is the One who breathes His strength into me each and every day.

**You may not home school and you are reading this post today, I want to encourage you: home school may not be an option for your family for many reasons. That is ok. You have to do what you feel is right for your family. My biggest challenge to ALL families, homeschooling or not: have a plan. I know you are tired of hearing it, but with no plan you really do not go anywhere. How will you help lead your family to Jesus? How do you plan to help them grow up to be disciples of Christ.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

~On Tuesday I will be talking a little more about vision.

 

 

 

Break Time

We are officially on the countdown until our home school break. I am excited for several reasons:

• We get a BREAK! I am in much need of a break and so are the kids. We are apart of Classical Conversations and we are in our last week before Christmas break as well. We will have a couple more weeks of music, but that is ok.


• I LOVE this time of year and I like to have time to help my children really focus on the meaning of Christmas. We will do many little fun outings and we will read Christmas books to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. We do our advent study during this time. We also do a countdown until Christ's birthday. We will also have a Birthday party for Jesus. Last year the children decided they wanted cookies and no cake. (I am ok with that because I never chose cakes for my birthday cake, I chose apple pie!)


• We have chosen to take a long break because this time of year can get busy and stressful. I desire for my family to make memories and peaceful memories. NOT memories where mama was running around all crazy. Well~ that last part still happens, but not as bad.

I will share with you what we do as a family through the Christmas holidays. We seem to do "a lot" of different things as we focus on Christ. I am sure you will think how in the world does she do all that?!? But we break it up through the day and since we are NOT doing school it is doable. And we do not always finish everything. We try our best, but we are human and not perfect ~ trying to be real here.

The things we do is an intentional effort to help my children stay focused on the real meaning of Christmas. It is hard for us adults. We love the sights and sounds of Christmas. Don't get me wrong, my children LOVE watching Hallmark movies with Santa. We do not do Santa in our home ~ that's a story for another time. Nothing against Santa ~ we just choose to focus on Christ. This helps to keep us as a family intentional about the holiday. I feel that with so many voices screaming at us to focus on gifts and Santa, we have to be intentional or we will get lost in the fun part and really never focus on the real reason for the season.

Disclaimer: We still leave out cookies and milk for Santa. My daughter knows it's mama and daddy, but it's fun for us and them. AND I do have pictures of my children with Santa each year (unless we just couldn't get them to sit in his lap). We will continue to do that until they do not want to.

My challenge to you as you are approaching the holiday season: How will you be intentional this Christmas season? Do you have a plan? Give yourself a break: doing something is better than nothing. You do not have to do it all. Ask God to direct you to the resources He wants you to use this Christmas season in your home.

*I forgot to mention: Our home school break starts Friday and we will resume a few days after the New Year, depending on what day Daddy goes back to work. We did start in June.

My Heart

 

Ok parents, on Tuesday I challenged you to have a plan of action for leading your family toward God. Today I want to focus on YOU.

You are so important on this journey. BUT let's get one things straight: I know you are not perfect. I sure mess up on a daily basis. That's ok. I get impatient and holler when I shouldn't, I may have a bad attitude, but thank God we have a God who is full of grace and loves us anyway!

Some things I want you to remember along the way:

1. You must have time in the Word to build you up, encourage you, transform your heart. We could not go days without eating before we saw visual results of no food. With no food, our stomach will begin to hurt, we will have no energy, etc. With no time in the Word, we get wore down and we do not have God's strength to fight the battles that come our way. When we are in the Word we have a heavenly perspective.

2. You must have time in prayer. Prayer is two way communication. It is talking and listening. What is it that the Father wants to say to you? Take time to listen.

3. Take some time for yourself. I know this is a hard one. I am a mother. I get it. I know. BUT do all you can to find some time set aside JUST for YOU. Even if it is simply taking a 30 minute bubble bath with no distractions. Make time to simply relax.

4. Get rest. We need our rest. God created us for rest. Without the proper amount of rest, we tend to be a little less full of the energy we need to face what comes at us. Kids are full time, so be sure you get your rest.

"The goal is to be sure that your own heart is so rich so that when you teach your children you can give to them out of your own treasure." ~Sally Clarkson

So, YOUR heart must be rich with the things of God first. We cannot give what we do not have. If we are not doing things to take care of ourselves spiritually, we will not be able to give the things of God like we need to.

What do I model on a daily basis?

Challenge: Ask your children what they think is important to you and see what they say. This will give you a starting point. Remember, you may not like what they say, but they call it like it is.

Helpful Hint: Another thing I would like to say: I do value the time in the Word I have WITHOUT my kids free of distractions, BUT I also strongly feel that they need to SEE me have that time too. For me, I try to balance that out some. Sometimes I do my quite time before they get up and sometimes I do it afterwards. When I do it afterwards, sometimes we all sit at the table and I model for them and show them how to have a quite time.

My 7  year old LOVES to SOAP now. It's a big deal for her to use that Bible Study method. I am amazed at how much she has grown, God is really showing her what she needs to work on. We do not always do it this way. Everyday is somewhat different for us. I have a framework, but lose so we can be free to explore along the way new ways that may fit the personality of my children. As long as they are growing and getting in the Word, it doesn't matter the method. I am a heavy NOTE TAKER, but my husband is not. He remembers things without that, but I need it. I am trying to help my children find what will work for them.

I would like for you to share: What are some ways that you get your children in the Word?