31 Virtues for our Kids ~ Mercy

Mercy

For the month of January we will be praying for 31 Virtues for our Kids maybe even for ourselves too!

Luke 6:36 (New International Version)

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.







Mercy~compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence; an act of kindness, compassion, or favor




A couple Sundays ago, I did an object lesson with the kids in Jumpstart Kids Ministries. I had one of the kids come up and play a game with me. The game rules were that she had to answer ALL 1o questions right that I was going to ask her. If she didn't get them ALL right she was going to get squirted with a little water gun. If she got them all right she would get a yummy candy bar. She agreed to the terms of the game. She didn't get one question right....well that was partly my doing, I asked her riddles. I then teased her and got out my giant super soaker to spray her because she didn't get any right. We all agreed that is what she deserved. She even took her glasses off to get ready for the spray of water that was about to come her way.

Now of course at this point I did not douse her in water as exciting that may have been. The children were very excited about the idea of it. Nope, I wanted to teach them the ideas of mercy and grace. Mercy was given to the student by me not spraying her with the super soaker. I had compassion on her even though it was the punishment she knew she was to receive. Mercy is not getting what you deserve.

I then went a little further and gave her the candy bar even though she didn't get a single answer correct. I told the kids that this is grace....getting what you definitely did not deserve. She did not deserve that candy bar. But that is exactly what grace is all about.

I want my children to fully understand mercy and grace. I want them to show mercy to those that hurt them as hard as that may be. Hey, I need a good dose of mercy at times too. As humans that natural tendency is to hurt as we have been hurt. But God is always asking us to do what He is calling us to do, walk in mercy.

Yesterday, we talked about justice....we need to love justice; but it must be coupled with mercy. To many times we are ready to be just but not ready to give mercy. Mercy is showing God's great compassion in this very lost world. Mercy also means acts of kindness, compassion and benevolence.

There is no greater time than now to show mercy....
I have posted two pictures of places that desperately need our love, mercy and grace. The first one was taken by me in Jamaica at the orphanage that I went to last November. The second is a picture taken by missionary Matt Love from Dominican Republic last week as he was in Haiti. In that picture Convoy of Hope is passing out food to those in great need. We need to be merciful in times like these.


*"May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful."

Our Father is merciful! Our punishment we deserve is eternal death; but in His great Mercy He has provided Grace!






*by Bob Hostetler, it is excerpted from Pray! magazine issue #4, 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids

A Toothpaste Request!

My daughter has been very upset about the toothpaste I have been buying. As I was leaving to go to the store she gave me her toothpaste request....

Mom, can you get some different tooth paste?
Sure, honey what do you want?

Please don't get the kind with baking soda or....
Tartar sauce in it!

At this point John and I bust out laughing to ourselves. (don't worry she didn't notice, she was to engrossed in her DS)

I then of course I said, "Sure honey...no baking soda and absolutely NO TARTAR SAUCE!"

Maybe, that is why her breath was so stinky!

So, just as promised

NO TARTAR SAUCE!


Too funny....

31 Virtues for our Kids ~ Justice

Justice

For the month of January we will be praying for 31 Virtues for our Kids maybe even for ourselves too!

Psalm 11:7 (New International Version)
For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.

This next verse is dear to my heart one of my favs!
Micah 6:8 (New International Version)
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.



Over the summer, the girls and I decided to protest at the White House (very briefly a baby boy didn't let us stay longer than 5 min). There was a lesson that I wanted to teach the girls, that we need to stand up for what is right. I shared with them that we are very blessed to live in a country were we can peacefully disagree with our government and through our votes guide our country. The girls and I think abortion is very wrong and we wanted to stand up and say that we should stop this practice in our country. We wanted to make a stand for what is right. So we got out our markers, paper and tape and the girls came up with a message....



But justice is more than just and issue, it is about who you are as an individual. To be honest, I don't think I have ever prayed this for my kids. I want them to do justly but I have never prayed that this virtue would grow in their lives. I decided to look up the word and get a better understanding of it

Justice~the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause. (dictionary.com)

Just~guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness, based on right; rightful; lawful, righteous,actual, real, or genuine. (dictionary.com)


So after looking it up and thinking about it....I have been praying these things but maybe not as fervently as I should; because in Psalm 11:7 God LOVES justice. If God loves something it probably is a pretty important thing to have in one's life. And of course, I want my children to be real and genuine, full of righteousness and truth. I want them to act fairly with each other and the people who they come in contact with. I don't want them to have to be right but I want them to desire the one who is right! I want them to understand the idea of "Do unto others as you would have them do to you". I want them to speak up for those who have no voice. I want them to love God and that means to love justice. Now hold on for the next one because along with justice there also comes.....(read tomorrows)



*"God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do"



Let's find ways to exemplify Christ to those around us and especially to our children; and we will...

*by Bob Hostetler, it is excerpted from Pray! magazine issue #4, 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids

31 Virtues for our Kids ~ Love for God's Word

Love for God's Word

For the month of January we will be praying for 31 Virtues for our Kids maybe even for ourselves too!

Psalm 19:9-10 (New International Version)

9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

When I was little I loved hearing the amazing stories of David and the giant, Daniel in the lions den, Noah and the ark, Moses and the burning bush, Jesus calming the storm and so many more. I remember the felt boards used in Sunday school. The picture books at home read to me by my parents. When I was little I loved hearing the stories found in God's Word.

Funny how those feelings haven't changed much in me at all, I still hang on to that childhood wonder. I still love hearing and reading the glorious stories. But they really are so much more than just stories. It is God's Word for us, to teach us, to mold us, to guide us on this road of life. I am reminded of the verse found in Psalm 119:105 (New International Version) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. So many times God shows me how to live this crazy life.

I definitely what my kids to love God's Word today and for the rest of their lives. I want them to enjoy the stories the truths found there. I want them to be able to remember God's love during the tough times that life brings. I want them to know His word in their hearts so they can live in confidence in Christ. His word will be there rock.

*"May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than pure gold and sweeter than the honey from the comb."

*by Bob Hostetler, it is excerpted from Pray! magazine issue #4, 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids

Break My Heart for What Breaks Yours! ~Primal

I am reading the book "Primal" by Mark Batterson along with my friend Jenilee. We just finished chapter one. If you are interested you can follow along with Jenilee's in depth study here at her blog, "My Awake Journey". But here I am just going to discuss bits that moved me in the book.

In Primal one sentence keeps capturing my spirit and that is that our hearts should break for what breaks God's. There is a song by Hillsong called "Hosanna" the bridge goes like this...

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours

Everything I am for your kingdoms cause

As I go from earth to Eternity

Mark Batterson challenges to get back to the primal faith, our first love, the new heart that we received when we first came to Christ. To many Christians are not following the commandment of not loving our God with all of our hearts, our minds, our strength our whole being.

I think last week is a good test of were your heart may be...if you did not weep for Haiti ....does your heart break like His. If you were not move to compassion over the hurting people in Haiti...does your heart break like His. If you did not feel inspired to give all that you can...does your heart break like His. Sometimes, events like this can be a measuring stick of where your heart is.

Father, show me how to love like you. Let my heart break for what breaks yours. Give me compassion. Give me that primal faith!

Get Joy!

Apparently, you can actually "Get Joy" and eat it during the holidays now! LOL hahahahaha This product made me laugh! My sister's friend bought this for her and my sis thought it would be funny to give to me. The really funny thing is I hate peeps blah, blak, blah. I actually hate marshmallowy things in general. There is only one kid in my family that likes peeps and she didn't care for them either. However, in some weird way they were still fun to get....now looking back I should have micro waved them for fun! Hahahahahaha Some things just make me laugh!

31 Virtues for our Kids ~ Self Control

Self -Control

For the month of January we will be praying for 31 Virtues for our Kids maybe even for ourselves too!


1 Thessalonians 5:6 (New International Version)
So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.



Last night, my daughter ate too much pizza and now she lies on my couch this morning with a tummy ache. We talked a little about how maybe she should not have eaten the whole personal pizza. Every time we eat at Mr. M's she eats the whole thing and then her tummy hurts. I asked her why do you eat the whole pizza and she said, "It's good"!



Sometimes, we need to teach our kids that just because it is good or seems to be good doesn't mean we should eat copious amounts of the round circles of warm, cheesey yumminess. Rather, we should use self control to keep us from taking in to much. Sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad for us, it can give us a tummy ache.



But it is more than just teaching them to not over eat (which is a wonderful thing to teach them) it is about teaching constraint, in all areas in their lives. If we can show them good habits when they are young they will be able to carry it with them into adulthood. How many times have we as adults wished we had learned to be more disciplined when we were younger and how that would have affected us as now? So now is the time to help our children lay the ground work of self-control.



Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines self-control as restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, our desires.



The more I think about this, I begin to realize how much this plays into the idea of not falling into sin. Sin is not being self-controlled, giving into my own impulses, letting my emotions cloud my judgment, and giving into the desires of the human nature. If we can pray for our children to be self controlled we are praying for the first line of defense in not falling prey to the seduction of sin. It is a very powerful virtue to not only pray for our children to have but for us as well.


*"Father, help my children no to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do."




Today, let us be self-controlled in our lives and be an example to the little ones around us so that we all may....



*by Bob Hostetler, it is excerpted from Pray! magazine issue #4, 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids

31 Virtues for our Kids ~ Honesty and Integrity

Honesty and Integrity


For the month of January we will be praying for 31 Virtues for our Kids maybe even for ourselves too!

Psalm 25:21 (New International Version)
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

The other day a child (not my own) was not suppose to have any candy. The child's parents specifically told him not to. At the dinner table, as this child was talking, we noticed that their tongue was a nice shade of green I believe. We (the parents) all joked about if you are going to eat candy when you are not suppose to at least make sure it doesn't change the color of you tongue, it is a dead give away. Now, we were all joking around about it but we all understood integrity is far deeper than that. The ideal is that the child would not eat it at all and not cover up something if they have done wrong or justify it.

One time one of my children got caught in a big lie. We as parents have to take these times to teach them about these virtues, honesty and integrity. I made that child sit in their room and think about what they did and why it was wrong. We than sat at a table and wrote down answers to a series of questions I came up with to help my child understand why what she did was wrong. Why is it wrong to lie? Is God a liar? Does it hurt others when we lie? Can I be trusted if I lie? What should I do when I lie? How can I make it right? (She got grounded as well)

I like this verse...it is soooo good. How true it is that when we are honest and blameless what can be said of us. I know people that have such amazing character and integrity that if something was ever said of them to destroy them I would not believe it. If only we could say that about our politicians, sad : ( .

Sometimes, my kids in our youth group have had problem with gossip and so and so said this about so and so... you know what I mean. They want to know the truth, so one of my questions is, "Does this rumor match your friend's character?" Sometimes, that is a great measuring stick for people. Integrity always will protect you...I never have to worry about what people are saying because my hope is in Christ and He helps me polish my integrity.

Wow, that is what I want for my kids. I want them to be honest and full of great integrity; because when they have these virtues I know that they are covered by Christ. Let's pray this into our children today!

*"May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection."





Today, let's not get caught with a green tongue...LOL....



*by Bob Hostetler, it is excerpted from Pray! magazine issue #4, 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids
**I just love this picture of my girl and her very green tongue and just had to use it!

31 Virtues for our Kids ~ Love

Love

For the month of January we will be praying for 31 Virtues for our Kids maybe even for ourselves too!

Galatians 5:25 (New International Version)
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Ephesians 5:2 (New International Version)
and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

"I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I'm talkin' in my sleep
About you, about you
'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your purdy neck I do" ~Frank Loesser



I am sure we all have little songs or sayings we say to our kids. Of course it is easy to love their sweet little faces, their our children.



But we are challenged to pray love into their lives...what does that really mean. I was surprised the man who put this list together chose the Galatians verse to go along with love. I can think of plenty of verses in the bible that would support this idea of love.

As I was thinking and praying about it.... I had (do I dare say it?) an "Ah ha Moment". I began to think about how in Ephesians 5:2 we are to live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. What did that really mean? I know that Christ died for me...but he also died for everyone...the sinner, the good person, the not so good person. He even goes further than that... He died for friends who couldn't even stay awake during a desperate time. He died for a friend who denied Him in His deepest hour of need of a friend. He even died for a friend named Judas who sold Him out for 30 pieces of silver. Bottom line he died for everyone, even those who hurt Him the most. ( to bad Judas couldn't figure that out, maybe his ending would have been very different and he will live an eternity in sorrow over it)

So where can I and my kids get that kind of love? This love only comes from God, the Spirit that dwells in us. In our own selves, try as we might, we can not give that kind of love. God's love is too big, too wide and far too deep and it goes beyond the farthest star.






I also have this little saying I say to my kids often..."I love you to the moon and back". ( I even found it at a store and it now hangs in my boy's room) The tradition usually continues with, "Well I love you to something further like the sun, Pluto, Infinity + 1." With the Spirit we can love with God's love which is even bigger than INFINITY +1.

*"Grant, Lord that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them."

If we can have that kind of love we would most certainly....




*by Bob Hostetler, it is excerpted from Pray! magazine issue #4, 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids

Christmas Presents!

Christmas was so much fun this year. We were so busy the whole month...actually it was a little insane; but it is Christmas and we got to do so many wonderful Christmassy things. I took a picture of my calendar as proof to my family how crazy it was.

Anyway, John and I decided to not spend much money on our gifts to each other. The challenge was to really think about what each other would really want. We could spend $20.00 and go in with the kids if they wanted to. They got $20.00 to spend on each of us as well.

So, I sat and thought and thought some more and this is the idea I came up with. He loves football...He loves watching it with his dad...and he has always wanted to go see a NFL game in person. Naturally, tickets to a game would be the perfect gift....but I only had 40 bucks...not even enough for the nose bleed section at a Lion's game. What?!? You would think they would be giving the seats away...paying you to sit in them. The Lion's stink...it's the truth!

Well, we never said we couldn't use money that our in-laws were giving to us for Christmas. I love loop holes. I called my in-laws and pitched the idea to them. John's mom would buy dad's ticket and I would put money toward John's and what ever else would come out of my gift from them. They loved the idea and then began the hunt for tickets. We got John's dad involved , because what did I know about buying football tickets...nothing! Thankfully, dad had a connection through their business....to end a long story...we ended up getting the tickets for FREE! How cool is that?!? They were not even in the nose bleed section either, they got to sit on the 20 yard line, 20 rows up! Too cool! ~ I am pretty proud of myself...I got a great gift. He liked it even better that I didn't spend any money to see the Lions lose! LOL

So are you wondering what I got?????

John and the kids got me this really cool hoody! ~Good job hubby and kids!

And so all of my 11 followers can now own one too...LOL go here to check it out!

Don't you just love the internet, there are so many fun things you can do for gifts it is amazing!