A few weeks ago I wrote about entering a 10K race. Well, I did it! I am officially entered in the Ukrops Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond, VA. The race is on March 28. I am certainly not doing this for time... I just want to complete the race. And believe it or not, I am already looking forward to the next race that I can participate in. I don't know yet if it will be later this year or maybe the same race next year. Regardless, I am very excited to participate in this race and am happy that my family will go with me.
It's funny... I have never been a runner. Now, at the age of 33, I have taken up something that I hated to do--and I like it! God has really changed my heart where running is concerned, and it has truly become a time that has been set apart for Him. I grab my iPod and hit the gym, and I listen to music that leads back to the Father while I run. I've got Toby Mac, Chris Tomlin, Natalie Grant, and Hillsong in my workout playlist, just to name a few. I'm on a mission now to add more music to my workout playlist... enough to get me through the race.
Brother Lawrence truly said it best when he said:
Lord of all pots and pans and things...
Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates!
If Brother Lawrence could worship God and spend time in His presence while doing something as mundane as the dishes--do I hear an "Amen!" from all of the mommies?--one can certainly worship God while running!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
What are you reading?
I love to read. I always have. In fact, I love to read so much that I kept probably 90% of my textbooks from college--I just can't bear to part with a book!
I have been reading a lot of fiction lately. I really enjoy good storytelling. One of my favorite authors is Lori Wick. She is an excellent storyteller, her style draws you into the story so much so that it is as if you are part of the story itself, and her books always minister to me in some way. I can reread her books and take away something different each time. It's really hard to say which of her books is my favorite; I can honestly say that there isn't a book of hers that I don't like!
Another author who is at the top of my favorites list is Jan Karon. If you haven't read her Mitford series, you really should! The first book is At Home in Mitford. Her style is very different from anything I have read, and it has an almost slow, laid-back pace to it--which is quite fitting because Mitford is a small, fictional town in North Carolina where everyone knows everyone and where there is a true sense of community. The main character in the Mitford series is Father Tim, a 60-something Episcopalian priest who has all kinds of adventures--and some misadventures--while going through life. You'll really come to love the Mitford series when you read it. Be sure to have a current library card or money set aside for book purchases! Once you've read the first book, you're hooked!
Right now, though, I'm taking a little break from fiction and am finally reading The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. This was recommended to me by one of my former professors at ORU, and I am so glad that he recommended it! I haven't read much of it yet, but already I can say that this is a must-read for all Christians.
So, tell me... what are you reading right now? What kinds of books interest you, and why?
I have been reading a lot of fiction lately. I really enjoy good storytelling. One of my favorite authors is Lori Wick. She is an excellent storyteller, her style draws you into the story so much so that it is as if you are part of the story itself, and her books always minister to me in some way. I can reread her books and take away something different each time. It's really hard to say which of her books is my favorite; I can honestly say that there isn't a book of hers that I don't like!
Another author who is at the top of my favorites list is Jan Karon. If you haven't read her Mitford series, you really should! The first book is At Home in Mitford. Her style is very different from anything I have read, and it has an almost slow, laid-back pace to it--which is quite fitting because Mitford is a small, fictional town in North Carolina where everyone knows everyone and where there is a true sense of community. The main character in the Mitford series is Father Tim, a 60-something Episcopalian priest who has all kinds of adventures--and some misadventures--while going through life. You'll really come to love the Mitford series when you read it. Be sure to have a current library card or money set aside for book purchases! Once you've read the first book, you're hooked!
Right now, though, I'm taking a little break from fiction and am finally reading The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. This was recommended to me by one of my former professors at ORU, and I am so glad that he recommended it! I haven't read much of it yet, but already I can say that this is a must-read for all Christians.
So, tell me... what are you reading right now? What kinds of books interest you, and why?
Monday, February 2, 2009
The lesson in Cheerios
I took the kids to church by myself yesterday. Ben had to work...they had a very major problem that kept him pretty much tied to his BlackBerry and his laptop all weekend, and while we were at church he ended up having to go in to the office and was there until almost half-time of the Super Bowl.
At each service, we keep the kids with us through praise and worship and through the offering and don't take them to their nursery classes until the kids are dismissed to go to children's church. Why do we do this? Because we believe that even at a young age, children can be taught to worship God. Children already have a natural rhythm and love to dance to anything that has a beat. Hayden sometimes dances to the rhythm of the washing machine! Since children love to dance and sing, why not expose them regularly to worship and let them learn to worship God in their own way? They are too young to care who sees them or to care about whether they look ridiculous or dignified or anything else. (That is for another post!)
We also believe that they are not too young to learn to be a giver. When they see us give, they will learn to do it because it is something mommy and daddy do. But when we give them money of their own to put in the offering--a dollar bill, a quarter, or even the loose change that happens to be in the diaper bag or Ben's pocket--they learn to do it by repetition and they learn that it is okay to give money that was given to them. They don't have to hang on to every penny that is given to them. We don't want to create miserly little people; we want to create worshippers and givers. They are learning that when they give, they are giving to God. When they sing and dance, they are doing so to God. We want them to be so free with their giving that when they become old enough to ear income of their own, giving their tithe--and above their tithe--will be second-nature to them. There are blessings that come through giving. Not all of them are financial. Regardless, we want our children to be blessed in every area of their lives from an early age so that they know that living a life full of God's blessings is the rule, not the exception.
Yesterday morning after Pastor dismissed the children from church and I took Abby and Hayden to their nursery classes, I went back into the sanctuary and Pastor was already into his sermon. I sat down and, at the first mention of a reference, I opened the zipper on my Bible cover and turned to where he was currently in the sermon. Imagine my surprise when a few Cheerios fell out of my Bible and onto my lap! I had to smile to myself... I immediately thought of how Hayden is frequently thankful for Cheerios. Then I began to see just how valuable that daily devotional time with the kids really is. They look forward to that daily Bible time--it isn't always in the morning with breakfast, but it usually is. They crave that daily Bible time and if we miss it for whatever reason, they ask for it later in the day. Hayden will pick up a book and ask me if it is a Bible. Abby will read with me out of my Bible. Hayden will carry my Bible around the house. (If I ever can't find it, it isn't because I don't use it!) My children are comfortable with my Bible. They know that it is God's Word for them, not just for mommy.
Here are the lessons from this blog post:
1. Let your children see you and others worship, and let them be free to worship in their own way. Even an infant can learn by observing!
2. Teach your children to become givers. Show them how you freely give of your own income to God, then give them some money that they can put in the offering. They will become cheerful givers by doing this!
3. Don't get upset if you, too, find Cheerios in your Bible one day. Rejoice in knowing that your children are hearing the Word of God and that they are comfortable with the Word of God. When the time comes for you to give them their first "real" Bible--not a book of Bible stories--they will already be familiar with it and will be ready to dive in and start learning for themselves!
At each service, we keep the kids with us through praise and worship and through the offering and don't take them to their nursery classes until the kids are dismissed to go to children's church. Why do we do this? Because we believe that even at a young age, children can be taught to worship God. Children already have a natural rhythm and love to dance to anything that has a beat. Hayden sometimes dances to the rhythm of the washing machine! Since children love to dance and sing, why not expose them regularly to worship and let them learn to worship God in their own way? They are too young to care who sees them or to care about whether they look ridiculous or dignified or anything else. (That is for another post!)
We also believe that they are not too young to learn to be a giver. When they see us give, they will learn to do it because it is something mommy and daddy do. But when we give them money of their own to put in the offering--a dollar bill, a quarter, or even the loose change that happens to be in the diaper bag or Ben's pocket--they learn to do it by repetition and they learn that it is okay to give money that was given to them. They don't have to hang on to every penny that is given to them. We don't want to create miserly little people; we want to create worshippers and givers. They are learning that when they give, they are giving to God. When they sing and dance, they are doing so to God. We want them to be so free with their giving that when they become old enough to ear income of their own, giving their tithe--and above their tithe--will be second-nature to them. There are blessings that come through giving. Not all of them are financial. Regardless, we want our children to be blessed in every area of their lives from an early age so that they know that living a life full of God's blessings is the rule, not the exception.
Yesterday morning after Pastor dismissed the children from church and I took Abby and Hayden to their nursery classes, I went back into the sanctuary and Pastor was already into his sermon. I sat down and, at the first mention of a reference, I opened the zipper on my Bible cover and turned to where he was currently in the sermon. Imagine my surprise when a few Cheerios fell out of my Bible and onto my lap! I had to smile to myself... I immediately thought of how Hayden is frequently thankful for Cheerios. Then I began to see just how valuable that daily devotional time with the kids really is. They look forward to that daily Bible time--it isn't always in the morning with breakfast, but it usually is. They crave that daily Bible time and if we miss it for whatever reason, they ask for it later in the day. Hayden will pick up a book and ask me if it is a Bible. Abby will read with me out of my Bible. Hayden will carry my Bible around the house. (If I ever can't find it, it isn't because I don't use it!) My children are comfortable with my Bible. They know that it is God's Word for them, not just for mommy.
Here are the lessons from this blog post:
1. Let your children see you and others worship, and let them be free to worship in their own way. Even an infant can learn by observing!
2. Teach your children to become givers. Show them how you freely give of your own income to God, then give them some money that they can put in the offering. They will become cheerful givers by doing this!
3. Don't get upset if you, too, find Cheerios in your Bible one day. Rejoice in knowing that your children are hearing the Word of God and that they are comfortable with the Word of God. When the time comes for you to give them their first "real" Bible--not a book of Bible stories--they will already be familiar with it and will be ready to dive in and start learning for themselves!
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