Lessons I'm Learning- Thoughts from the revival

We just finished 4 days of revival services. I admit that I wasn't thrilled about it at first. We've had them before and they seem more like a pep rally (phrase used tonight) and not a true awakening of the soul. Now that they are over I'm so glad we had them. I was revived and encouraged.

Here's some highlights and thoughts on what God showed me personally (the guest pastor preached through Zephaniah):

Sun AM
(Zephaniah 1:1-6)

*God is offended at a heart with divided loyalty- He wants my undivided attention.
*Christianity is not just a part of my life- IT IS MY LIFE!!
*The contents need to match the label- if I'm squeezed, does Christ come out?
*A natural reflex of a love for Christ is a desire to be at church and to serve (people will do it without having to be asked)
*Get fed at the King's table and you won't desire the slop of the devil.

Sun PM
(Zephaniah 1:7-12)

*Ecclesiastical Elitism- thinking that some or all of what is written in the Bible doesn't apply to me
*Sin is offensive to God. It cost Jesus His life!
*Do I have remorse for my sin?
*If I run to sin, I don't believe it is as serious as God says it is.

Mon PM

*Note: I had nursery so I didn't hear the message.
*I was told it was on self-sufficiency. In hearing this I immediately thought of 2 Corinthians 2:9-10 where Paul writes that God is sufficient for us when we are weak. We ought to boast in our weaknesses because then God will be glorified.
*The two areas in my own life where I am weak and need to rely more on Christ for strength rather than trying to tackle them on my own is parenting a toddler and preschooler (it's so easy to let the flesh react to situations rather than trying to be Spirit controlled) and being self-controlled with the food I eat (I'm reading the book Made to Crave in preparation for leading the book study this summer. It's convicting).

Tue PM
Zephaniah 3:1-7

*It's never good to be stubborn with God
*If I continue to ignore the two areas from Monday than I know I am being stubborn and that is sin.

Wed PM
Zephaniah 3:9-20

*He gave several evidences that revival has happened. The two that stood out-
*When God has come near we will want to sing a song from our heart- I have been so encouraged lately by playing music in our home which allow me worship at any time. Pandora is a favorite website for free music. I've been enjoying both Fee and Hillsong stations

*When God comes near we become contagious- do people want what we have? How can they know what I have unless I proclaim it!!

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If you are reading this and came to any of the services I'd love to know what God taught you. Leave a comment!!

Lessons I'm Learning- Sunday Absences

Even before we went into the ministry, Sunday morning church was never something we missed. It's not that we were being legalistic, but rather acknowledging that it is important to maintaining our spiritual health. And since we enjoyed gathering each week with our church family, it is what we wanted to do with our Sunday morning.

Since Christmas we have only gone to our church 2 times (and my parent's once). We've either been sick or out of town. Needless to say, I miss being there.

I'm trying really hard to look at it all through the eyes of grace. Being a Pastor's wife means that all sick care falls on me since Anthony cannot stay home. There have been plenty of mornings where I've had a bad attitude towards it. I've been trying really hard not so that it will not make his job of leading worship more difficult. I certainly don't want to hinder his ministry.

I also know that I tend to worry about what others think. I figure that "they" think I'm being lazy and using every excuse to get out of going. This certainly isn't my motivation and besides, who are "they" anyway? (If anyone knows, please let me know because "they" have caused me much frustration in life!)

I just need to do what needs to be done for the family God has given me to care for and learn to praise God for it. Whether it is tending to my sick children or worshiping with my brothers and sisters in Christ, I know I am right where God wants me.

I'm really starting to see what Ann writes about in One Thousand Gifts. If I look at everything as being a gift given to me by God and am thankful for it then I experience His joy. I guess I would have thought that by missing this much church that I might feel distance in my relationship with God, but in actuality the Lord has been faithful to teach me. Hopefully I'll remember these lessons and apply them to future circumstances. Living in joy is so much better than living in frustration and concern over what "they" think!

Now my hope is to actually be able to attend church next week. We'll see what God has in mind!

Lessons I'm Learning- Preaching to Myself

I was confronted with the realization today that I demand more consistent obedience from my three year old then I do from myself. I focus so much of my day teaching and training Graham and Reed to handle situations in ways that honor God and his Word, yet so often I let my emotions and thoughts take over me. I give in to my frustrations and insecurities, saying and acting in ways that don't exemplify obedience. How can I expect them to behave when I, the adult, and choosing not to?

During today's message, Mark encouraged us to preach the Word to ourselves. I've heard this before, but realized that I NEED to start doing this. I recently memorized Proverbs 31:26- "She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." I have not been watching my words and saying things that are not wise or kind. I'm going to work harder this week to preach the Word to myself and hope that in doing so we will have a more peaceful home.

Lessons I'm Learning: Being Intentional

Intentional.

It's the new word that guides much of what I do. The Lord has been showing me that there were certain areas of my life that I needed to be intentional about making happen. Too often I was just hoping that they would happen and they never did. I recently wrote in my journal about the areas I wanted to improve in. They were:

*playing with Graham and Reed
*weekly date nights with Anthony
*teaching Graham
*memorizing scripture
*getting up early to have my time with God

Here's how I'm hoping to become more intentional in these areas:

*Playing with Graham and Reed: It might seem surprising that this would be on my list. I'm a stay at home mom. Aren't I playing with them all the time? It just seems like the "things to do" always get in the way and so many nights I go to bed feeling guilty that I didn't sit and play with them. Then there are the times when I do play with them and I feel guilty that I'm not doing one of the 1000 things on my mental to-do list.

To get beyond this, I'm trying really hard to get past the guilt. It's certainly not accomplishing anything. I'm trying to make it more of a priority to stop what I'm working on when they wake up from naps and play a little before I work on dinner. I'd love to play again after dinner, but I don't want to set the standard too high! I know it won't be achieved everyday. But the days it does, I know I'll feel good :)

*Weekly date nights: This is being accomplished with Project 52: Date Nights. I know we're enjoying it!

*Teaching Graham: He goes to preschool twice a week, but I've been trying to do more specific learning activities with him as well. I'll do a more detailed post about this in the days to come, but many of the ideas I'm using have come from ABC Jesus Loves Me and The Letter of the Week Curriculum. Both are free resources that I've taken the parts that I really like. We're still working on finding the right combination of activities to keep his attention. Some days he has does 5 minutes and others have been much longer. I've been enjoying this time with him.

*Memorizing Scripture: I can't find it now, but I was working on some Awana stuff and read a quote that said I can't expect these kids to learn if I'm not doing it myself. (**updated: I found the link!) What a slap in the face. I've known that I needed to work harder at this. I am learning the verses that Graham has to learn as well as the ones the kids in my group learn, but most of this was just from teaching it to them. I wasn't being intentional about learning verses for myself.

I recently read a series of blog posts on memorization that led me to this video:

and a link to this scripture memory system. I think this system will really work for me. I made my dividers and found an index card binder rather than box to store them in. My plan is to write the verse on the front and the first letters of each word in the verse on the back. I hope I'm able to stick with it and most important hide His Words in my heart!

*Getting up early to have my time with God: I didn't want to do this. I decided a couple of weeks ago to give it a try. For the first time since Reed had been born, I set my alarm. Since I've started, the boys have been sleeping a little later (although now that the clocks have changed that might not be the case) so I've been able to have a time of prayer and reading the Word that is mostly uninterrupted. By the time I'm done they are both awake. Some mornings Graham has curled up on the couch with me and we pray together. It's becoming a sweet time of day that I am looking forward to. Now we are working on filling in all of the other things that need to happen in the morning to cultivate an efficient and effective morning routine.

I found this post with a recommendation for this e-book to help maximize the morning. I have not read it yet, but hope to go through it soon.

Lessons I'm Learning- Perspective

G has been teaching me a lot lately.

So often I have found myself correcting him and realize that I do the exact same things. He may be disappointed that he can't have a Popsicle for breakfast or watch another show. But so many times I've been frustrated or impatient with what I want God to do or change in my life and have the same disappointed attitude. In the end it all boils down to the same struggle.

All have sinned.

We don't like to think about our own sin, let alone admit that our children do. We want to think of our children as being compliant, cooperative, and considerate. But then we get surprised when they do something that goes against it. I think we can transform our parenting if we refresh our understanding of who they are. They sin just we do and they need to be redeemed just like we do.

Our job as parents is to instruct them in what the truth is. We should demand first time obedience but remember that their sin nature is going to fight us in that. When they choose to give into it we will have to discipline them. Keep in mind that as adults we may not get time outs or spankings, but ask yourself if you obey God the first time every time. How can we expect our children to behave in a certain way if we are not doing it ourselves?

Remember that we're in a battle with our kids fighting against sin and its consequences. It may seem at times that we're fighting our kids, but remember that in the end you are on the same team. Strive to teach them the truth, to pray for and with them, and to model Biblical living all the while remembering who we are. Then, if you are redeemed, take time to thank God for giving us freedom from sin and it's power over us.