Perfect Parenting

Those who have children:  how's your stress level? Off the charts? You've got lots of company.

This time of  year creates anxiety for most parents. Getting the children back on a structured school schedule takes a lot of planning and effort. Snapping them from summer's "sleep-in-'til-noon" mode to the "wake-up-and-get-moving" regimen takes the diligence of a boot camp sergeant.

In addition to school there are sports practices and games, music lessons, church activities, etc. Everything seems to start this time of year, making for a very busy family schedule. Oh yes, then there's your work and managing a household. And don't even get me started on the laundry. I remember.

Jesus, a parent?

 

I've always believed Jesus, because of his 33 years on earth, understands everything we humans experience--our joys, sorrows, fears, etc. However, when I was raising four very active and opinionated youngsters many years ago, I just knew my Savior could not know what it was like. After all, he wasn't married and wasn't a parent.

Then it dawned on me Jesus did have children--his twelve disciples. They were babes in the faith and when he called them from their various lifestyles he had twelve amateurs on his hands. He led them through the precarious stages of infancy into childhood and on through to maturity in their Christian faith. How comforting. He loved, taught, nurtured and reprimanded. He fed them and even washed their feet in loving service. Sounds a lot like parenthood.

He also dealt with sibling rivalry when the disciples asked who would be greatest in his kingdom. He handled temperamental attitudes in James and John, nicknamed "men of thunder." Do you have any thunderous children in your household?

He coped with the impetuousness of Peter (got one of those?), the skepticism of Thomas, and the rebellion of Judas, the greatest heartbreak of all. Though adults in age, these men were childlike in their walk with Christ and he worked patiently to bring them to competent Christian adulthood.

A Divine Role Model

How do we follow him as a role model for parenting?

• Note how frequently he went off by himself to communicate with his father. Pray, pray, pray every day, all day for your children.

• Trust him because he knows your fears and anxieties whether your children are babies, toddlers, teenagers, or adults--whether they're making good decisions or bad, he knows your heart.

• Read about his interaction with his disciples and other people he encountered and glean parenting skills from that.

Take heart, parents. You will get through the hectic times of child-rearing though it will take every ounce of your energies and then some. Dip into God's power to get through these busy, busy times.

Remember, Jesus does know what you're going through

for he is the PERFECT PARENT.

To My Readers

Dear Electronic Friends:

I'm catching on to this Blogging thing. I don't yet have all the bells and whistles of the technology part worked out but I love the writing. My next "growing edge" is to make it look a little more zippy by playing around with background options and colors. I never did like beige. It's so....beige, if you know what I mean. Look for a more colorful presentation in the future. I promise to stay away from eye-damaging neons.

Every day I seem to learn something new about this whole realm of the blogosphere but it seems to be a means of communication today so I'd better jump on board. Getting the word out that God wants to be involved in our lives and help us deal with successful survival is important to me so I will use whatever medium is available. (Shout it from the rooftops? Maybe not.)

If you're reading this, thank you for giving me your valuable time. I hope to honor that with worthwhile posts.


A regular schedule of posting would be beneficial so you know when to click on my web address to read a new entry.

My plan is to publish new posts every Sunday and Thursday

This seems like a good idea. Sunday launches us into the work/school week and then Thursday foreshadows the weekend. I'll start that schedule with the next post, this coming Sunday.


I invite you to become a regular follower and here is how you do that:

• Just plunk in your email address in the box in the lower right-hand column and you will get a notice in your inbox whenever I post something new. I've tried it and it works.

• You can create a shortcut on your desktop by left-clicking the little icon next to the blog address and dragging it to the desktop. Release the click and an icon for "Grow with God" should miraculously appear.
  

• Some are having trouble posting comments. You click on "Comments" at the bottom, write your lovely thoughts, and hit "Publish". I don't think you have to have a Google account to comment. I'm guessing you use the little pull-down menu to comment as "Anonymous" but I'm not really sure. Help! I need a twelve-year old kid to come to my technological rescue. I would love to dialog with you so I invite your responses.

• Feel free to use the social media buttons on the bottom to share the blog with the world--or at least your part of it!

Fall Greetings from the Southwest

 

On another note, we here in the Southwest, are facing the most difficult month of the year--September. We've survived the hot, hot, hot summer months and the calendar soon will read Fall, right? Not so. In Arizona we still get some extremely hot days and very warm nights, making for a lot of grouchy people.

Many of us are transplants from the Midwest and can't give up the Four Seasons concept. We even put out pumpkins and hay bales to fool ourselves into thinking it's Autumn when it still feels like summer on steroids. If you're in any other climate you probably are anticipating beautiful Fall or Indian Summer temperatures. Enjoy it for us.

Do you know how quickly a pumpkin spoils when it sits on the front porch in this desert heat? Think pumpkin pie, Folks.

The beauty of the Arizona desert - this is as much fall color as we get!

Happy Approaching Fall Anyway

Talk with you next Sunday and Thursday!

                                                                                                      Blessings,

                                                                                                                    Sue

 

Yep, He's in Canada!

Another reason I know the Canadian Rockies are home to God (see previous post) has to do with a happy encounter I had in Banff, Alberta, Canada.

It was our last morning in this magnificent town in the National Park and we were waiting for the airport shuttle to drive us to Calgary Airport for our return to Arizona. I took one last walk to soak up the cool, crisp, clean mountain air and view the magnificent mountains surrounding the town.

Towards the end of my walk I saw a group of motorcycle dudes standing around a gas station. There were six of them, three men and three women, all wearing the characteristic leather jackets, bandanas, boots, etc. The men were big and burly, some with bushy beards (aka Duck Dynasty) or pony tails. The women looked competent as they gassed up the bikes and adjusted their helmets.

What intrigued me was the insignia on the backs of their jackets:  a cross with Tribe of Judah Motorcycle Ministries. I just had to stop.

I introduced myself as a fellow Christian and asked about their ministry. There were other Christian symbols on their jackets. One guy even had the date he was "born again" stitched on his leather vest and they all had "Jesus is Lord" on their backs. We enjoyed a delightful 20-minute visit right there at the gas station.

I told them they were living my husband's dream, as he would love for the two of us to ride around the country on a fancy motorcycle. Sadly, he's married to a wimp who doesn't relish speeding along the highway just inches from asphalt and hanging on for dear life. 

The three couples were traveling from Montana to Banff and on to Lake Louise to see the grandeur of the area and to be open to opportunities to share the gospel with hurting people. They insisted they are not a motorcycle club (or gang) but a Motorcycle Ministry looking for God appointments.

They often go into bars (because they can) to be available to anyone who wants to talk or share a need for prayer. They're not pushy and keep things low key. They're approachable because everyone loves to talk to a biker guy and a motorcycle mama, right?

Prayer Meeting at the Gas Station 

 

After a while they asked if I would join them in prayer before they headed off to Lake Louise. There I stood in a circle of prayer with my new biker friends right on the main street in Banff, the one that runs from the TransCanada Highway to the remote terrain of the Canadian Rockies.

They prayed for me and I prayed for them. They closed by asking God for, "Safe travels and no critters on the road!" I left with hugs all around as they roared off and I returned to finish packing for my trip home.

So, yes. God lives in the beauty of the Canadian Rockies and he lives in the people I encountered on our visit--especially the six bikers who are earnest about sharing God's love with anyone they meet.

* * * * *

I'd like to echo the prayer of my new biker friends for everyone kind enough to read this post:

May God give you safe travels (through life) with no critters on the road!   

 

(Won't my Grandkids be impressed to hear I'm hangin' with the bikers!)

I've since learned Tribe of Judah, is a national--no, make that international--organization that aims to share the gospel with outlaw motorcycle riders. And...grandmas going out for their morning stroll.

I Know Where God Lives!

That's right, I know where God makes his home. It's the Canadian Rockies in Banff, Yoho, & Jasper National Parks. When I first visited Colorado I was certain God was there because the beauty took my breath away. Then I went to Canada.

I've seen other beautiful places around the world & all are fantastic in their own right but..."Oh, no. He lives here," I thought when I first glimpsed the scenery in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. They are some of his greatest handiwork.

 What you see here is a crystal blue lake formed by melting glaciers, rimmed with stately evergreens, all backed up with the craggy peaks of those incredible mountains. I believe this was the valley of the Ten Peaks & yes, there were ten (I had to count).

My husband & I just returned from an 8-day trip to this beautiful country. We canoed on icy cold Lake Louise, formed by Victoria Glacier, & walked on the surface of Athabasca Glacier in a guided group. What a contrast to our August desert climate. I dipped my hands into several rivers that had been frozen ice about 10 hours previously.

The clear mountain air was so pristine our lungs had trouble figuring out what happened to the pollutants and allergens of the city. Invigorating, to say the least.

Another fascinating part of our vacation travel was hearing a Bear Specialist--yes, there are such things--talk about her long experience tracking & studying these amazing animals.

The more she described the intricacies of a bear's existence & their search for the right kinds of food at different seasons of the year, the more I was awed by God's creation. Those animals crave the bulbs & stems of a specific plant that grows in a specific place that provides the specific nutrient they need to prepare for hibernation in the long winter. It's all been planned out by God when he first created these beautiful animals. And yes, we did see about four of them on our trip, along with some elk, deer, & lots of little squirrels.
   

God, of course, doesn't live just in the Canadian Rockies though I suspect he, too, loves the beauty. God is everywhere, in each of us and even in the ugly parts of the world (ugly because mankind made them that way, sad to say).

He's given us this beautiful world to enjoy & care for. Let's vow to stop messing it up. Look for God in all of his creation & take seriously his command to "cultivate it and guard it" (Genesis 2:15).

What Can We Do?

Caring for the earth can be as simple as making small lifestyle changes or as involved as joining an organization (or starting one) that respects the world & saves it for generations to come.

What is one habit you can develop or change you can make in your daily life that will enhance God's creation? What is something you can teach your loved ones about minimizing their ecological footprints?

Wherever you are, in the desert or city or mountains or wherever, look up & look down to observe creation. We must worship the Creator & not the created but we can draw closer to him as we admire his work.

For those of you who adore animals, here's a little guy (red squirrel, I think, even though he looks like Alvin the Chipmunk) who begged & pestered us during our picnic lunch. First rule of the National Parks:  Don't feed the animals! Obviously, someone didn't heed that because he was very friendly & looked quite well-fed.

 

 

"God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased."  (Genesis 1:31 - Good News Translation)

Psalm 19 is sometimes called the Creation Psalm. Read it for yourself & see if it doesn't praise the glory of God:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth,their words to the ends of the world." (verses 1-4)

That's all, Folks!

(Are you gonna finish that sandwich?)

Formula for Busy People II

BALANCE

I once heard a speaker suggest we plan our daily schedules to include tasks we:

• MUST do
• SHOULD do
• WANT to do

For example, we must feed and provide for our families, we really should make that phone call to a friend, and we want to start a new book or new project. The speaker urged men and women to put balance into their days.

This piggybacks nicely with the previous post that emphasized the importance of establishing rich devotional lives and setting goals and priorities when dealing with today’s fast-paced world. Now the challenge is to bring some order to our tasks so we can enjoy the simplicity and peace, and even fun that God offers.

Life to the Full

 

The must/should/want principle might help you accomplish tasks efficiently so there’s time to enjoy the abundant life Jesus speaks of in the book of John. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10)

Try this:

List about 20 things you enjoy. They can be small, like:

• ordering a decadent, calorie-laden latte
• browsing through a new magazine
• planting a garden
• walking through a hardware store to see all the new gadgets
• renting a movie
• playing on the swings with a child
• hiking a wildlife trail
• camping with friends
• learning a new skill
• taking a day trip to…wherever

Sprinkle one or two of the items on your list into your week as little rewards for yourself.  In doing this you will be living out God’s desire for you to experience life, “…to the full.”

We get so engrossed in caring for others or in carrying out responsibilities that we often neglect to care for ourselves and just have fun. Pretend you are your mom or dad who wants to do something special for their child. That child would be you!

Think about the activities of a typical day and see if you can categorize them into must, should, want groupings. Are you out of balance in one of the areas? What can you do to remedy that? Can you use this suggestion in planning your future days? It not only will help balance out your life, it may make you more efficient and perhaps more fun to be around!

God's Joy & Peace

 

Bottom line is God wants us to experience joy and peace. In this passage from John 10, Jesus calls himself the Gate through which the sheep (believers) will enter, be saved, and find pasture. He concludes by emphasizing the reason for all this is so we can experience abundant life. He wants us to be hard-working, responsible and focused but he also desires we have the fun of being sons and daughters of a King. Go and enjoy life to the full!

Formula for Busy People

I would love to give you the gift of TIME 

Let me guess:

• you are stretched to the max
• you can’t possibly complete everything on your agenda
• parts of your life are in disorder
• you rarely feel caught up at work or at home

Modern men and women live exhaustive lives that revolve around the needs of many people; frequently, we try to do it all and do it all perfectly.

Technology, though essential and efficient, may add to the stress since a worker/friend/family member is expected to be on call 24/7 and respond to electronic messages immediately.

A successful CEO of a very large corporation recently suffered a physical breakdown because of too-long working days and too-little sleep at night. Once she recovered she instituted new rules for herself and those in her employ:  no one is expected to answer messages in the evenings or on weekends, unless they are on call.

What Does the Bible Say?

 

Paul wrote this in his letter to the Corinthian church to instruct them about orderly worship:  “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (I Corinthians 14:33) I think these words can apply to our individual lives, as well. God desires us to live in an atmosphere of peace and order. How do we do that?

What Can I Do?

 

There’s no one solution to this dilemma but there are some practical steps that can help us deal with this age-old problem. Take what works for you and toss out the ideas that don’t suit your personality.

        Mission Statement – Write out a mission statement for yourself for the coming year. This idea is from Knit Together:  Discover God’s Pattern for Your Life by Debbie Macomber. (FaithWords 2008) Corporations and committees write mission statements why not you? Keep it short and direct. “What do I want as guiding philosophy for my life?” Powerful stuff.

        Priorities – List the things important or necessary at this phase of your life. Be sure to include leisure time for yourself. Every priority should support your mission statement.

        Goals – Under each priority list the goals you’d like to accomplish in that area in the next six months or year.

        Steps to accomplish your goals (optional) – If you’re a type A personality, jot down the steps needed to accomplish each goal. Skip it if you’re too busy!

Review your priorities and goals several times throughout the year to see if you’re on target or need to adjust. Perhaps something is unattainable at this time of your life. Is your life balanced? Check for gaps. Your priorities and goals will change as you walk through the various stages of your life and as your family or work dynamics change. Simplify where you can, delegate, and focus on what’s really important.

A Promise!  

 

Here’s the clincher:  a disciplined devotional life will help you find more time—really! Make reading the Bible and prayer a daily occurrence and your day will go more smoothly and efficiently. The busier I am, the more I need to do this. Pray over your mission statement, your priorities, and your goals. God will direct you and keep you focused.

"Carry One Another's Burdens"

Do you attend a support group for a problem you’re struggling with? Such groups are valuable if they lead to growth and are not merely sessions of re-hashing old grievances.

We get social support from friends and family in many ways. It may be:

• Coffee with a friend
• Game of pick-up basketball, racquetball, pickle ball (yes, there is such a thing)
• Book club
• Work or volunteer project
• Calls, texts, e-mails
• Visits to your hospital bed or waiting room

Social interaction is vital to our survival in a very brutal world. Treasure your groups of friends or family.


God’s Support Group

What would it be like to be a part of a support group made up of characters from the Bible? Imagine sitting in a circle in the basement of a drafty old church drinking terrible coffee from Styrofoam cups and sizing up the other members of the group:

Hmm. Who is that old guy with the beard and long stick in his hand? His name tag reads Moses. Wonder what his problem is?

And the young man with an eagerness about him? Timothy says his “Hi, my name is…..” sticker. Next to him is another old guy—A. Paul (the A stands for Apostle). They seem to be friends because Paul keeps chatting in Timothy’s ear. Quite a talker, that one. Timothy is attentive but I did see him roll his eyes once when Paul wasn’t looking.

Not many women in this group, other than the classy one with a regal appearance and good posture. She has two names on her tag:  Sarai – Sarah. There is an elderly woman with a wrinkled face. What did she endure to earn such a time-worn countenance? Her name is Jochabed and she must be important to Moses because he is very attentive, re-filling her coffee cup and adjusting her shawl.

The list could go on but you get the drift. The Bible is full of rich characters who relied on God. Wouldn’t it be terrific to select the character who suffered what we currently deal with and sit next to them for a one-on-one? We could ask how they stayed strong in their walk of faith.

That is precisely what we can do when we study people in the Bible. God teaches us through stories of ordinary folks who chose to follow him.

There are several good online resources to help us research Biblical characters:

www.universalteacher.org.uk/bible/biblepeople.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_major_biblical_figures 
www.encinardemamre.com/en/People_and_characters_in_the_Bible.html

Also, the back of your favorite Bible, the one with pages, might have a good Subject Index that lists names, places, and topics.

Check out this list of issues and characters:

Physical, emotional tragedy - Job
Fear - Caleb, Joshua, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, the boy David
Depression - Elijah, King David
Sin & Remorse - David, Peter
Shady Past - Paul, woman at the well
Out of Comfort Zone/Inadequacy - Timothy, Moses
Difficult or Dangerous Task - Ananias, Esther, Mary
Sending Children off (Empty Nest) - Jochebed, Mary
Rebellious Children - David (Absalom), Prodigal Son & Waiting Father parable
Swinging Emotions - David & the Psalmists
Following others' Leadership - Sarah, Ruth
Worry - Jesus (Sermon on the Mount)

The search will benefit you and you’ll enjoy visiting with your new group of friends.

Hope the coffee’s fresh!