He gives and He takes Away! Blessed be your Name!

We just started a new Women's Bible study on Monday's. We are going through Philippians in the Bible. The Study is called "Learning to be Content", by Judy Gerry. We've only just begun and I do believe it will be a neat study and I know God will grow me through it.

As I was doing my homework this week I'm realizing I have so much to be thankful for! I really do! I have a wonderful awesome Savior, who rescued me from the penalty of death for my sins. He washed away my punishment. Do I deserve that? No, but He in His awesome mercy, love and Grace did it for me. Thank you Jesus! I have the best husband that anyone could ask for! We complete each other wonderfully. He is so passionate about the Lord, and I love to see him get so excited for what God is doing in his life. I have two of the cutest, sweetest boys in the world. I love them so much and am more grateful for them than I ever have been! He's blessed us in so many other ways as well, and I'm truly grateful!

It has been hard the past couple weeks. The loss of our baby that was just beginning to form inside me has certainly taken a toll on us, and I think especially me. I feel it most when I'm alone and in the quiet. I'm still not over the miscarriage completely, as I'm physically still tired and emotionally still sad (deep down). It's hard because we wanted that baby so badly. We were so excited when God blessed us with the news of me being pregnant again.

However, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 he is saying to give thanks in everything. Meaning any circumstance, because God has certain things for each of us to go through, and there are reasons for those life circumstances. He's trying to grow us in our faith, make us stronger, realize areas we need to change etc. We are to praise the Lord because of.....

For those who LOVE THE LORD all things will work for the good. Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I can't say that I am happy that our baby is gone. But I do know that I can cling to Him who gives me peace and joy at all times, no matter what the circumstance may be.

The Lord is Almighty, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and he gives and takes away. Job 1:21 "...The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away may the name of the LORD be praised." My babies aren't mine anyway. He's only just loaned them to me, to raise up to love Him. I don't own them! He's blessed Brian and I with two handsome little boys and they are only on loan to us from Him! I don't know if I will ever know why I had to go through a miscarriage and loose a little one that we so desperately wanted. I do know that in the big plan of His, there is a reason and because I love the Lord I know it will be for the good. God is providing exactly what is best for me, Brian, and our family. Though some days are hard, filled with emotion and tears.....I cling to what He tells me in HIS WORD! I cling to Him! My Savior. Blessed be your name!

Family fun ideas

Arts & Crafts

Finger-paint.
Draw pictures on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.

Get out the coloring books and crayons, and color.

Build a model car or airplane.

Design a family calendar; record birthdays, anniversaries, and family events.

Make Christmas cards or ornaments.

Family Growth

Have family devotions.

Plan a guy/girl night. Dad: Teach your son how to change the oil. Mom: Teach your daughter how to sew.

Decorate a can and fill it with ideas of fun things to do. Take turns pulling out something new each day.

Food & Meals

Have an ice cream sundae night with special toppings, whipped cream, and candy.

Bake cookies together and take some to your neighbors.

Plan a potluck dinner with friends.

Have a barbeque.

Pack a picnic.

Go to an ice cream shop.

Build a bonfire, roast marshmallows, and make S’mores.

Getting Out of the House

Visit the zoo or a local museum.

Pick fruit at a U-Pick.

Take a road trip down a road you’ve never explored.

Plan and go on a scavenger hunt with your kids.

Attend a free community concert.

Hospitality

Adopt a “grandpa” or “grandma” from your church and do something special with that person.

Host a “Cousins Camp” if cousins live nearby.

If It’s Raining

Build a fort with blankets, tables, and chairs.

Make a “home movie.” Let the kids use the camcorder, dress up, and use whatever resources you have on hand to set the scene.

Design a personal collage of “Things I Love” or “The Story of My Life.” Give everyone a large poster board and a stack of magazines. When finished, take turns talking about what the pictures mean.

Give your girls a “makeover.”

Play dress-up or “Cowboys and Indians.”

Play musical chairs.

Sing around the piano.

Write a “progressive story”—each family member adds one sentence—and then illustrate it.

Write encouraging notes to relatives, people in the military, friends, and pastors.

Play board games.

Put together a jigsaw puzzle.

Neighborhood Fun

Host a bike-decorating contest, and let the kids have a parade to show off their bikes.

Plan an art show. Display the neighborhood children’s artwork, and invite their families to attend. Serve refreshments, and elect a judge to award ribbons.

Organize a community cleanup day.

Make sock puppets, write a script, and invite the neighborhood kids to the puppet show.

Sports & Exercise

Play soccer or kickball.

Go on a bike ride.

Play Putt-Putt Golf or visit to the driving range.

Go roller skating or ice skating.

Visit the playground.

Shoot hoops or play H-O-R-S-E with a basketball.

Take a hike and collect rocks and leaves.

Jump rope.

Play “Kick the Can” or “Capture the Flag.”

Have a water fight with the hose, buckets, balloons, or squirt guns.

Fly a kite.

Teach the kids how to play hopscotch or croquet.

23 great questions to ask your kids

By Sharon Jaynes

1. What do you think heaven looks like?

2. What does Dad do at work?

3. Who is a person you know that seems the most Christ-like?

4. What do you think your wife (husband) will be like?

5. If you were going to spend one year on a desert island and could only take three things with you, what would they be?

6. Who is your favorite aunt or uncle and why do you like him or her so much?

7. What sounds and smells do you think Joseph and Mary experienced in the stable on Christmas night?

8. What is the nicest thing I ever did for you?

9. When is a time that I hurt your feelings?

10. When is a time that you were really mad at me?

11. If people followed the Golden Rule, think of all the things we wouldn’t need. Can you make a list?

12. If you could be in a movie that you’ve already seen, which one would it be? Would you be a character that is already in the movie, or would you be one that you would add?

13. How is love different for a Christian couple than it is in the movies?

14. What is the difference between being smart and being wise?

15. What is your favorite outfit?

16. What is the hardest part about being (fill in your child’s age)?

17. What has been your favorite childhood memory?

18. When you pray, how do you picture God?

19. What is your favorite Bible verse? Why do you like it?

20. If you could be an animal for a day, which one would you be?

21. If you could go in a time machine, what era in history would you like to visit?

22. What person in history would you like to visit?

23. What is the most important decision you will ever make?

I love these too! I got from a friends site

How are your devotions?

What is God teaching you?

In your own words, what is the gospel?

Is there a specific sin you're aware of that you need my help defeating?

Are you more aware of my encouragement or my criticism?

What's daddy most passionate about?

Do I act the same at church as I do when I'm at home?

Are you aware of my love for you?

Is there any way I've sinned against you that I've not repented of?

Do you have any observations for me?

How am I doing as a dad?

How have Sunday's sermons impacted you?

Does my relationship with mom make you excited to be married?

(On top of these things, with my older kids, I'm always inquiring about their relationship with their friends and making sure God and his gospel are the center of those relationship. And I look for every opportunity to praise their mother and increase their appreciation and love for her.)

Proverbs (7:1-3)
"My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart."

Just like a child has to grow physically, mentally and socially, he also must grow spiritually and a child has to be taught all of these things. Taught about God and His love for us! I'm always praying that I am teaching my kids about the Lord (Brian and I both are), and that I'm training them up in the way they should go! There is nothing greater than passing on GODLY teaching and being a Godly example to your kids!

Not just words!

Each night Brian and I pray with our boys. Sometimes we pull out our prayer journal and write down the things about which we want to pray or we may look at the pictures of people we want to include in our prayers. Other times we’ll just gather together and pray about our concerns of the moment. Each of the boys pray, then Brian and I pray. We have been doing a family prayer time since Gregory was a baby. We feel it is very important to come before the Lord as a family and pray.

The other night, as I snuggled the boys down into bed, Gregory prayed “Lord, please help us when we pray, that we don’t just speak words, but that we mean what we are praying and when we do our Bible study, that we will not just read it, but that we will understand it”. I think my 7 ½ year old is teaching us something. We don’t want to just come before the throne of God and ramble off words just to get them off my “to do” list. We want to have Faith and trust God is going to answer our prayers. We also want to pray with purpose and meaning! Same with our quiet time with God, that we will desire to understand. Let us all pray for understanding and growth in our daily walk! I think having a daily prayer time becomes easier once we have established the habit of having a daily time with God. People can get into a “rut,” but we don’t want that in our lives. Each time we come before the Lord or dig into His Word, we want to keep it exciting: a journey of spiritual growth! It is important to have DAILY time in prayer and study. But it's important that we don't make that time just "going through the motions or just spouting out words". We need to make each day meaningful and special otherwise it's wasted time.

Thanks Gregory for helping me think on this!

Let Kids be Kids!!

I was reading an article recently that made me sad. It was about how kids grow up too fast these days. Isn’t it the truth though?! We look around and see the way little girl’s dress, the fact that kids have cell phones and are into “grown up things”. What happened to playing dolls, riding bikes, and make believe?? To me kids do grow up too fast and I think it’s because parents allow too much. We should put age limits on things, such as wearing makeup, internet use, dating, getting jobs etc….. Just delay some things that should come over time. Why rush our kids to grow up? It will happen soon enough. I remember growing up and playing outside with my sisters. We would make hide-outs and play dolls, ride bikes, use our imaginations. Seems like the majority of kids don’t do this anymore, and to me it’s pretty sad! Let’s keep our kids, KIDS while they still are KIDS! J A challenge this new year….. Allow our kids to be kids, spend more quality time with them. Childhood will be gone soon enough!