Tag - Bible

Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid: #4 – True Ministry Isn’t Easy or Glamorous

April 11, 2016

Recently I’ve been giving you a behind-the-scenes peek at what growing up as a preacher’s kid was like and how that has shaped me, my faith, and my parenting. If you’ve missed my first three confessions, you can catch up easily (Confession #1, Confession #2, Confession #3).

TODAY’S CONFESSION:

True Ministry ISN’T Easy or Glamorous

Growing up in a pastor’s family, I understood from an early age that ministry – true ministry – wasn’t an easy or glamorous path.

Sure, there were the infamous televangelists with glittering sets, personal planes, and hair that was way too big, who made it seem as though being a preacher was kind of like being a celebrity. But that idea is as false as Tammy Faye’s eyelashes. 😉

Watching my parents’ lives, I knew the truth.

Shepherding a flock, leading God’s people, and following His call isn’t easy. In fact, when my dad first felt called to ministry as a young man, an experienced man of God told him, “If you can do anything else, do that.”

Because he knew that ministry and pastoring aren’t for the faint of heart. They’re for those with a servant’s heart.

My parents have served wherever God has led them because they couldn’t “do anything else.”

When I was first born, that meant living in a small apartment in Alabama where the only furniture initially was my baby bed and a cot for my older brother. Later, God’s path took us to Florida, Ohio, West Virginia, and Georgia, and no matter what “position” of leadership my parents ministered from, it was never about them.

God, need me to lead junior high kids? Really?!? Okay.

Need me to play piano as the back-up? Here I am.

Need me to lead praise & worship? Alright.

Need us to reach out to this hurting couple and counsel them? Our home is open.

Need us to start a church over there? We’ll go.

Need us to minister to children and families in THAT part of town? We can love them!

Need us to forgive and keep giving when we’ve been hurt? It’s hard, but our focus is YOU. (Help us.)

Being in ministry, leading, especially pastoring, means putting yourself to the side, “not my will, but Yours be done.”

It means calls on the phone or knocks at your door at all hours of the day from a person or family in crisis or hours in the hospital with the sick or dying. It’s conducting funerals and visiting prisoners. It means being a part of the church but still being slightly set apart (similar to parenting – you can’t always aim for “best friend” when you need to be the leader). It’s being the “watchman on the tower,” speaking the hard truths that some never want to hear. It’s dealing with petty squabbles or huge divisions in a congregation. It means pouring, and pouring, and pouring into someone only to have them turn their back on God and you. It’s protecting your sheep from the wolves and doing spiritual warfare on their behalf. It’s loving people deeply, no matter what.

It’s hours on your knees, in His presence, seeking His face, praying for direction and leading because your responsibility is not just a big one, it’s an eternal one.

But it’s not a responsibility without joys and rewards. God is kind of good like that. 🙂

Allowing God to use you in ministry means seeing a person’s life changed and made new when they put their trust in Jesus. It’s baptizing new believers, counseling engaged couples, officiating weddings, and dedicating babies. It’s seeing God move through His people as they grow in Him. It’s feeling like a proud parent when the congregation begins to serve and minister, too, and as a body you reach your community with Jesus’s love. It’s being surrounded by the Holy Spirit’s comfort and guidance, knowing you can rely on God to never fail you, to give you the right words and actions just when you need them, and to supply every need you may have. It’s trusting His strength in your weakness.

It’s feeling humbled and amazed that God would choose to work through you.

And while some might think that these lists apply mostly to my dad since he was the “pastor,” there is no separating my parents in this (or other pastor and wife teams that I’ve known). They are one, and God has used them as such. (My dad learned early on not to discount how God could use my mother). I promise you, from personal experience, they minister most powerfully and effectively when they are side-by-side. It’s kind of a beautiful thing to witness.

I’m glad I’ve had that unique opportunity all of my life. You know, being the preacher’s kid and all. 🙂

My family when I was about 5. Don’t we look all 80s glamorous?

I’d like to challenge you, my readers, in two things based on not only my experiences as a PK but also my own experiences in ministry, both by myself and with my husband.

Number 1: PRAY for your pastor and leaders. LOVE them. They aren’t perfect, but trust me, they love you and pray for you.

Number 2: Don’t expect them to be the only “ministers” in your church. God has given you talents, abilities, experiences with Him, and a purpose in Him. You have a part in sharing Jesus with the world. You make contact with people every day that your pastor may never meet. Get to “going” per the Great Commission – speak with your neighbors, reach out in your community, volunteer in the nursery or children’s ministry, mentor and disciple a teen, encourage your fellow church members, go on a mission trip, give, pray, love.

Even though ministry (even in the smallest stages) has its potential sacrifices, problems, and hurts, the joys, rewards, and satisfaction of knowing you’ve been obedient to God’s call on YOUR life far, far outweigh them.

“And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”~ Mark 9:35

“He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My sheep.’” ~ John 21:17

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” ~ Ephesians 4:11-16

Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid: #3 – I Don’t Talk About God All the Time

April 4, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Confessions of a Preacher's Kid: #3 - I don't talk about God all the time. Growing up in church, I've learned that some people do things because it fits the church culture, such as how some Christians talk. I believe God wants our words to be seasoned with the right amount of salt.

In continuing with my series on Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid, I’ve had several different ideas for topics to share. I’ve already confessed that being raised in church isn’t enough and that my parents never expected us to be “perfect preacher’s kids.” They also didn’t expect us to always talk about God and church.

Today’s Confession: I Don’t Talk About God All the Time

Growing up in church means growing up around church people, and something I’ve noticed over the years is that there are some things that Christians do that are more part of the “church culture” or to seem more “Christian-y” that are not really Biblical or beneficial to the kingdom of God or reaching a lost world.

One of those things is how some Christians talk.

No, I’m not talking about gossip or cussing, even though both of those are not good practices or Christ-like, as the Bible tells us to “let no unwholesome word come out of our mouths” (Ephesians 4:29). As we grow in our relationship with God, those things should fall by the wayside. To stubbornly hold on to them is really a heart issue.

Actually, the annoying talk that I’ve encountered among some Christians would be almost the exact opposite of that. It’s when people only ever talk in scripture, “Christianese” phrases, or sermon quotes.

Why is this frustrating? Shouldn’t the “words of our mouth…be acceptable to” God?

Yes, they should. (Psalm 19:14)

Shouldn’t we be talking about what the Bible says and what God has done?

Yes, we should.

However, I’ve known a number of people who have hidden behind their God-centered words to avoid being real or transparent with others.

For example, if you asked them how their day was going, the response might be something, like, “This is the day that the Lord has made, so I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Is their day going well, or are they choosing to rejoice despite a bad day? Not sure. Speaking in faith is good, but so is being honest. If I can’t understand or relate to you as a fellow believer, how are you going to reach others who really have no idea what you’re saying?

I remember one family I knew for a long time whose father rarely answered questions about himself or their family or life, really, without referencing God, church, or scripture. Even though I spent several years around them all, I never felt as though I really knew him, and he didn’t seem approachable or genuine.

Once when I was spending time with them, I began to feel as though something must be wrong with me or my relationship with God because, even though I had God’s Word hidden in my heart from reading it faithfully over the years, I had plenty of conversations where I didn’t mention God at all or quote a single verse.

That night when I was praying, I asked God, “Am I not speaking about You enough? Am I supposed to sound like these other people?”

God’s answer was simple, “Let your words be seasoned with salt.” (Colossians 4:6)

Anyone who’s watched a cooking show knows that seasoning can make or break a dish. Seasoning something with salt doesn’t just mean adding salt, but adding the right amount of salt for the dish you’re cooking. With that verse, God reminded me that not everything requires the same amount of salt. While potatoes are going to need a lot, fruit or ice cream don’t need much at all.

No matter what you’re making, not having enough salt leaves a dish lacking flavor, but too much salt can make it inedible. You have to know how and when to use it.

Never having God’s words in your mouth means you’re not whetting the appetite of the world to want to know God. However, forcing scriptures or God into every conversation can make talking to you completely unpalatable.

I avoided talking to my friend’s dad because he only gave cliché or pat responses, and he only asked you questions about what you’d read in the Bible or what your church was doing. It always felt as if I were being measured by how holy my answers were.

However, once I had that confirmation from God, I knew that God was fine if I didn’t mention Him in every sentence.

His Word says that it’s “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). My love for God is already in my heart, and it will come out naturally in my life and in my words, seasoning my conversations genuinely, in a way that will draw others to Him, giving them a hunger for more of Him.

Looking into the Tomb

March 23, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Looking into the Tomb. Just as it was for the women who came that Sunday morning long ago to prepare the body of Jesus, it can be intimidating, mysterious, and a little scary to look into the tomb and be reminded of sin, death, and sacrifice, but the empty tomb is there to show us Life and Victory.

I didn’t want to do it.

I remember – I really didn’t want to do it.

I was 6 or 7 years old, standing on the stage of our little church, going through dress rehearsal for the children’s Easter production, and playing the part of one of the women who came to anoint Jesus’s body at the tomb. I’m not sure which woman I was supposed to be. All I remember for certain was that my character was supposed to be the one who looked into the empty tomb.

And I didn’t want to do that.

Little girl me didn’t want to look into the giant black hole of the tomb…which wasn’t even a hole. It was a picture, painted on a large canvas as part of our set and scenery. My own mother had painted it.

I knew it wasn’t real, but still – there was something intimidating, almost mysterious, and a little scary about it. (Sometimes having a good imagination backfires…)

So, they switched me with one of the other girls playing another one of the women at the tomb. One who didn’t have to pretend to look in.

It’s laughable now that I was so hesitant. It was just a set.

Or maybe I was just really in character that day.

Wouldn’t the women who’d come to prepare Jesus’s body be slightly unsettled to see the huge stone rolled to one side, exposing the opening of the dark tomb? Wouldn’t they hesitate a little before they went in to investigate?

I’m certain there was something intimidating, very mysterious, and a little bit scary about it.

Yet once they went in, well…it was probably still somewhat intimidating, very mysterious, and a little bit scarier.

Jesus wasn’t there, but an angel or two were.

It wasn’t what they expected when they’d set out early that morning. They’d seen Jesus die, knew that His body had been placed in this borrowed tomb, and though they were no doubt grieving deeply, they were dutifully coming to prepare His body and find some closure.

To find an empty tomb instead?

I don’t know that they were instantly aware of what it all meant. In Mark’s telling of that morning, he says of the women in Chapter 16, verse 8, “So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

After the angel tells them that Jesus is alive and to go tell His disciples that He’s going to meet them all in Galilee (verses 6 & 7), the women flee, trembling, amazed, and afraid until Mary Magdalene actually sees Jesus in the garden later (verse 9).

I’ve often wondered why Easter isn’t celebrated as “big” as Christmas is, even among Christians. Yes, we celebrate Easter, but not with tons of decorations, two months of songs, multiple parties and gatherings, or any of that.

Easter is the biggest point in human history, the most triumphant and victorious, but its joy is different than the joy of Christmas time.

I think the answer is in those verses in Mark.

It’s easy to look into the manger. It’s a lot harder to look into the tomb.

[clickToTweet tweet=”‘It’s easy to look into the manger. It’s a lot harder to look into the tomb.’ ” quote=”It’s easy to look into the manger. It’s a lot harder to look into the tomb.”]

The tomb reminds us of our mortality and our sin. It reminds us of sacrifice and struggle.

Looking into the tomb is intimidating, mysterious, and a little scary.

However, it takes looking in to see that it’s empty, and that emptiness means that sin and death were defeated, that Jesus was and is victorious, and that through Him, we are, too. It’s through the empty tomb that Jesus brought us life.

We may not fully understand the entirety of the miracle, but even an inkling of it is enough to leave us trembling and amazed and in awe of our Mighty God, His love, and His power.

This Easter, take a good look into the tomb. It may be intimidating, mysterious, and a little bit scary, but it’s still empty.

Feature picture courtesy of CreationSwap/Joel Millhouse.

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How to Easily Create Beautiful Chalkboard Lettering {+ FREE PRINTABLES}

March 14, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Tried It Tuesday - How to Easily Create Chalkboard Lettering. With a print out, chalk, and a chalk marker, I used an easy technique to made my own custom chalkboard with beautiful lettering, plus I'm sharing my design with you in a FREE printable with three variations.

Almost two years ago, I wrote out my “Mommy Motto” verse on a little chalkboard in my kitchen, doing my best to use my prettiest “scripty” print on it. While my handwriting isn’t horrible, neither is it truly decorative, and every time I saw my little chalkboard, I would think “One of these days I’m going to do that verse over in prettier lettering.”

Of course, rewriting the verse on my kitchen chalkboard was WAAAAYYY down on the bottom of the to-do list. It was really on more of the “it-would-be-nice-if-I-ever-get-a-chance-to-do-it” wish list. So many beautiful, wonderful ideas live on that list. All I have to do it wait for the time and/or the money to do them. You have one of those lists, too, right? (If you have a Pinterest account, I bet you do!)

Then one day I saw a graphic on Pinterest that showed how you could easily transfer your design to a chalkboard, and I discovered these things called “chalk markers.” It was like chalk, only also like a marker, and it would last longer because it didn’t smudge.

I was so excited.

Finally, close to Christmas this year, I remembered to look for a chalk marker during one of my visits to Hobby Lobby. When I found them, I got one to put in my Christmas stocking. 🙂 (I figured I didn’t know how well it would work or how often I’d use it, so I picked a simple white marker.)

Once I had my marker, I just needed the time to create my design and redo my chalkboard.

This past week, I finally did it. (Again, there are so many things on the daily Wife-Mommy-Blogger to-do list that those little “just for fun” projects often get set aside.) But my hubby had the day off, the house was relatively presentable, both boys were healthy and happy, and suddenly I had TIME!!!

So, here’s how I did it:

DESIGN IT

Having made lots of graphics for my blog, I knew which fonts I really liked, so designing the lettering was fairly easy. I used Photoshop, but you could easily use the free services on PicMonkey or Canva. I measured my chalkboard so I knew what size I needed to work inside of with my layout. (Mine was 7×11). You could also just search online for any traceable design or image you’d like to have on a chalkboard and use that, too.

PRINT IT

Once I had my design the way I wanted it, I printed it out in black and white. I added a faint gray border around the outside of the design so that I could easily cut it out of the 8-1/2 x 11 letter-sized paper.

CHALK IT

Here’s where you start the magic! I turned the paper print-side down and used a piece of white chalk to color all over the back of the design area. (You could also graphite instead of chalk on the back if you happen to have it, but if you have a chalkboard, you most likely have chalk handy.)

: Josiah helped me color the back of the page with chalk.

: Taped on and ready to trace.

TAPE IT

After the back was nice and chalky, I flipped the paper over and taped it, gently, print-size up, on the clean chalkboard.

TRACE IT

Using a sharpened pencil, I traced over each letter and design carefully, making sure to apply enough pressure that the chalk on the back would transfer onto the chalkboard underneath.

WRITE IT

Time to use that chalk marker! I carefully removed the paper from the chalkboard, taking off the tape from one side and gently lifting the paper away. I wanted to make sure that the complete design had transferred enough for me to go over it confidently with the chalk marker before I moved the design too much. Then I began tracing over the faint chalk lines that had transferred. I traced everything from left to right, in columns almost, to avoid smudging the chalk transfer. Take your time on this step. I found that having just traced the letters in the previous step (with pencil over the print-out) made it easier to remember how the letters were made. 🙂

: Trace over the lettering

: Faint chalk lines are ready to be written over with the chalk marker.

CLEAN IT UP

I had a couple of places where my marker tip was just a bit too broad for the delicate lettering that I used (next time I’ll make sure to consider that ahead of time!), so I had to go back after I finished writing it all out, and do a bit of straightening of a “t” or opening up the “b” a bit more. I used a tiny piece of slightly dampened papered towel twisted onto the end of a bamboo skewer, so I could get the fine details worked out.

ENJOY IT!

I was so pleased with how easily it all came together and how well it turned out for my first attempt. I immediately began thinking of what else I could do with this technique. I do have a small bottle of chalkboard paint on our craft shelf… 🙂 Also, chalk markers come in several different colors. (Beware, though – some chalk markers are PERMANENT on chalkboard and chalkboard paint. Others are not. Make sure you test it first.)

Oh, the possibilities!

{FREE PRINTABLES}

Since I had so much fun doing this project, I wanted to share a little bit of it with you, so I’m giving you a few variations of my design as FREE PRINTABLES! You can print one or all three versions, if you’d like. Just click on the picture of the version you’d like to download, and then select either the “print” icon or the “download” icon at the top of the full-size picture.

That’s it! You can use it to make your own custom chalkboard or simply frame it and hang it for a pretty reminder to be joyful, patient, and faithful!

WHAT OTHER VERSE OR QUOTE WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO IN CHALKBOARD LETTERING?

(If you try out this technique, please feel free to share you creations in the comments below! I’d love to see them.)

The Parable of the Dough

February 25, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: The Parable of the Dough. Kneading and rolling out dough one day became a spiritual lesson on being pliable and receptive to God's work in our life.

The other day I was working on dinner, preparing some unleavened flatbread for Brad and me for our Daniel fast. I had made this bread before, and it worked out wonderfully.

However, this time as I mixed it up in my Kitchen Aid, it wasn’t coming together as easily, so I decided to knead it the rest of the way by hand. I had kneaded my previous batch, too, so I didn’t think this one would be much different.

But it was.

Every time I tried to knead the entire batch together, little pieces would crumble off. So I picked them back up and worked them in, and as I did, other pieces would fall. I’m not sure why, but this dough seemed a little tougher, even though I did exactly the same thing as with my other batch.

As I continued to knead it, the dough continued to break apart, rather than become more elastic and pliable, as it should.

Knowing that it needed some more moisture, I dribbled a little olive oil on it and continued my efforts. The oil helped, but it didn’t soften the dough as much as I had hoped. Since I didn’t have all day to play with it, and my hands were getting a little tired, I decided that I was just going to have to roll it out and see how things went.

Things didn’t go well.

Without the elasticity the dough needed, rolling it out into eight little circles of flatbread was a chore. I had to apply lots of pressure while using the rolling pin, so much so that I feared cracking the wood of it.

I finally resorted to half rolling and half pushing across the dough with the rolling pin, just to get it thin enough to bake. It wasn’t a pretty sight. The toughness of the dough resisted the process, causing it to crack in places, and the piece to end up as an odd, jagged sort-of-circle shape.

Toward the end of the tedious process, my hands were getting sore, and I was getting frustrated. It was such a fight.

As I worked a particularly stubborn piece, leaning my weight onto the rolling pin as I shoved it along the top of the dough, God said, “This is how it is when the clay resists the Potter.”

I paused and stepped back to look at the dough (and to give my hands a break.)

This dough felt so much different from the batch I’d made before. It was denser, tougher, and less flexible, and now it had crackles from the rolling pin stretching and pulling it, instead of being a smooth, pliable, and even circle of soft dough.

As I went back to rolling it out, I thought about how people sometimes fight against what God wants to do in them and how much harder that makes the process for them.

When we face difficult circumstances or when God is trying to stretch us and mold us more into what He’s created us for, rather than being flexible and pliable under His touch, sometimes we push back or stubbornly stand still, refusing to follow His nudging. Were we soft and elastic as we should be, His touch would feel much more gentle and the stretching less painful.

Looking at the last few pieces I needed to roll out, I was tired of fighting them.

I almost wrapped them up and put them in the refrigerator to mess with later (thankfully God doesn’t do that to us!). However, I decided to try to help them out a bit more, and I added a little warm water to my hands and worked it into the first dough ball.

How the dough should have looked, but didn’t.

Once the water was absorbed in, the dough was noticeably more workable and soft. Apparently I should have added a touch more water to the whole batch in the beginning, but I was in a hurry, trying to get dinner underway while keeping my ears attuned to my boys playing in the other room. Lesson learned. I did the same thing to the remaining pieces.

(I know, some of you bakers were thinking that from the beginning of the story. I should have, but I was just hoping it would come together.)

As I rolled out the slightly easier pieces of dough, I continued to think about God’s analogy of the tough dough and us, as His children.

Because the tough dough didn’t represent someone who didn’t follow God. Later I realized that my dough was even more symbolic because it was unleavened. Leavening, such as yeast, in the Bible represented sin. So, my dough didn’t represent a sinful person.

It was us, those who claim to want to become more like Him that sometimes fight the work He’s doing to make us that way.

Going back over what I did with the bread, God pointed out other things, too.

Like the oil, and how even applying the oil to the bread didn’t make it as tender as it could be, even though it helped. In the Bible, oil is usually a symbol for the Holy Spirit. However even though He can draw us and woo us, and we can be in His presence, our hearts have to be receptive.

We have a part to play in being the workable, moldable dough for God to shape and use.

For my dough, I added water. That made the difference in the end.

When I thought about the water, all I kept hearing was “the washing of water with the Word,” which comes from Ephesians 5:26. “So that He might sanctify the church, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word [of God].” (Amplified version).

Being in the Word keeps our hearts receptive to God’s leading, God’s nudging, and God’s molding us. It shows us Who God is and how He’s called us to live. As we spend time in God’s Word and apply it to our lives, we become more like Him. Doesn’t the Bible tell us we are “transformed by the renewing of our minds”? (Romans 12:2)

But when we don’t have a clear picture of Who He Is and what He wants us to be, we’re more likely to resist those changes and to fight against the Potter as He works the clay from a lump into something beautiful and useful.

God’s Word gets to the heart of the matter, literally. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Do you want to be shapeable and transformed into what God wants you to be? Stay in the Word. Get it deep in your heart. Spend time in God’s presence. (You need both water and oil to make a decent dough.)

As for my flatbread…well, it wasn’t as pretty as the last batch, but it was still edible and tasty. As soon as I had baked them all, I stored them in a plastic bag together and sealed it. Keeping in the moisture while they cooled softened them all up a bit more, which was just what I wanted.

(Maybe that’s a good analogy for staying in fellowship with other believers, iron sharpening iron and all that.)

So, I encourage you to be soft dough today. Let God move and work in your heart so He can roll you out easily into exactly what He’s shaping you to be.

But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. ~ Isaiah 64:8

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Choosing the Good Part

February 18, 2016

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Life in Lape Haven: Choosing the Good Part - Embracing the extra time with my children that comes with a snow day, and remembering that I can choose to be distracted like Martha or I can choose the good part like Mary did. I'll take time with my boys over my to-do list.

Here in Ohio, our winter has been incredibly mild this year, and we were all really happy with that, minus not having a white Christmas. However, the last few weeks have brought the cold, snowy weather that we are more familiar with for this time of year.

Only this year, we’ve got a little boy in school. Once the real winter weather arrived, Elijah quickly figured out that snowy weather could not only potentially mean fun outside, but if you’re lucky, it might mean a day off school, too!

He began looking forward to a snowy forecast in hopes of a snow day, and in all honesty, so did I. Not only because I like having Elijah at home, but also because a snow day MIGHT mean we all get to sleep in a little bit. 🙂

Then came last week’s winter storm, a stomach bug, and another winter storm this past weekend. Elijah had three snow days in a row, followed by a sick day, and then two more snow days the beginning of this week. Wednesday was his first day back to school since last Monday!

Normally, Josiah and I have a pretty good routine during the day while Elijah is at school. He helps me do things around the house, we play, he naps, we go get Elijah.

So, what did I do when two little boys were begging for my attention all day?

Either I could let the boys entertain each other while I got some housework done, or I could embrace the extra time with my big boy at home and set aside some time to enjoy my children.

While I did my best to maintain our home, do some laundry, and load the dishwasher, for the most part, I spent time with Elijah and Josiah. Just looking at how quickly they have both grown and changed in the past year, I know it’s important not to miss any opportunities to be with them.

It can be hard for me, though, to step away from my to-do lists. I want an orderly home with clean floors and tidy rooms for my boys to play in. (Of course, once my boys have played in them, they’ll need to be cleaned up again)

There are so many things that I could be doing FOR my family that I sometimes have to remind myself to let it go so that I can be WITH my family.

It’s kind of like Mary and Martha in the Bible, where Martha spends so much time making everything nice for Jesus while Mary spends that same time enjoying Jesus.

Luke 10: 38-42 tells us, “Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’

And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.’”

It says that Martha was “distracted” – that means she wasn’t focused on the right thing. She was missing out. I know there have been days where I’ve been distracted from interacting with my boys, focusing instead on the housework (there’s never an end to it), working on my blog (writing, planning, sharing on social media), or something else that can wait.

My boys are growing up every day. If I spend my days with them distracted by other things, I’ll miss out, and there’s no getting those days back.

Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the good part, the one thing that is needed. In the New Living Translation, verse 42 says, “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it…”

Of all the things in my home, what’s the ONE thing worth being concerned about over anything else? My family.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I should neglect our home and never take care of it. Nor does it mean that I need to be at my children’s beck and call every minute of the day as their constant source of entertainment and diversion. They NEED to be able to play on their own.

However, I don’t want to be so distracted with my to-dos that I’m missing the good part. I want to spend time with my boys, making memories that “will not be taken away from” me or them.

So with these snow days, that’s what I did.

With the first storm, the wind chills were in the single digits at points, so our outdoor time was limited to a very short adventure in some very fine, powdery snow. Stuck inside, Elijah and I taught Josiah how to play “Go Fish,” we did paint with water projects, and Elijah practiced his reading by doing story time for us each morning. One day we spent several hours making rocket ships out of cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, foil, bubble wrap, lots of tape, and tons of imagination.

: Mommy & Elijah out in the cold!

: The boys’ cardboard box rocket ships complete with bubble wrap windows.

: Elijah’s water color painting. He said it’s a “Christmas praying robot.”

With this last snow, it was a bit warmer, so we braved the slushy roads and spent an entire day at a snow day playdate with my nephews, where the boys all worked together to make a snowman.

Since Elijah was so good at rolling snowballs and since the boys hadn’t had time with Daddy out in the snow, on Wednesday when he got home from school, Brad and I took the boys outside, and we created the biggest (and heaviest!) Lape family snowman to date.

: Working on a small snowman with his cousin.

: Admiring their snowman

: Trying to push Elijah’s snowball a bit farther.

: The Lape family snowman

Sure, I could have stayed inside to work on dinner while my hubby supervised the boys, but these last few snow days have been a sweet reminder to me: Just like the snow, my boys’ childhoods will pass quickly.

I want to focus on what’s worth being concerned with, so I chose the good part, put down my to-dos, and put on my boots and gloves.

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Tag - Bible

Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid: #4 – True Ministry Isn’t Easy or Glamorous

TODAY’S CONFESSION:

True Ministry ISN’T Easy or Glamorous

I’d like to challenge you, my readers, in two things based on not only my experiences as a PK but also my own experiences in ministry, both by myself and with my husband.

Even though ministry (even in the smallest stages) has its potential sacrifices, problems, and hurts, the joys, rewards, and satisfaction of knowing you’ve been obedient to God’s call on YOUR life far, far outweigh them.

Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid: #3 – I Don’t Talk About God All the Time

Today’s Confession: I Don’t Talk About God All the Time

Looking into the Tomb

This Easter, take a good look into the tomb. It may be intimidating, mysterious, and a little bit scary, but it’s still empty.

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How to Easily Create Beautiful Chalkboard Lettering {+ FREE PRINTABLES}

So, here’s how I did it:

DESIGN IT

PRINT IT

CHALK IT

TAPE IT

TRACE IT

WRITE IT

CLEAN IT UP

ENJOY IT!

{FREE PRINTABLES}

WHAT OTHER VERSE OR QUOTE WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO IN CHALKBOARD LETTERING?

(If you try out this technique, please feel free to share you creations in the comments below! I’d love to see them.)

The Parable of the Dough

It was us, those who claim to want to become more like Him that sometimes fight the work He’s doing to make us that way.

We have a part to play in being the workable, moldable dough for God to shape and use.

But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand. ~ Isaiah 64:8

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Choosing the Good Part

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