Faith in Parenting

Come to Our Next Free Parent Support Call:

Date: Thursday, April 3, 2008

Time: 8:00-8:30 pm (ET)

Phone Number: (218) 486-1300

Access Code: 669379

Cost: F*R*E*E

The next Faith in Parenting Support Call will take place this Thursday, April 3, 2008, at 8:00 pm (ET). (Note: That would be 7:00 pm CT, 6:00 pm MT, and 5:00 pm PT.)

To participate, simply call (218) 486-1300 and enter the access code 669379. The call is free, other than any regular long distance charges you may incur.

This month’s discussion topic is how we, as moms, can fuel ourselves Spiritually in the midst of raising our children.

I hope you’ll join us! Feel free to invite a friend, as well. And if you’d like to know more about these free parenting support calls, click on “Parent Support Calls” to your right.

You can also listen to the most recently recorded calls when you click on the sidebar link labeled “Support Call Archive.”

“See” you Thursday night!

Blessings,

Jennifer

My aunt sent me this prayer last week:

St. Theresa’s Prayer 

May today there be peace within.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you.

Hmm…read that again, but this time, focus on you as a parent; as a mom or dad.  You were uniquely created by God to be your child’s mom or dad!  May you be at peace, knowing that He - the Lord himself! - equips you.  Celebrate both the gifts He has given you already, and that which He is growing in you right now.  ~Amen!

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

Luke 2:8-14

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 4:18-19

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Listen again to these key words spoken by the angel of the Lord who appeared before the shepherds: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Not just some. The Good News of Jesus Christ is for all!

He came for each one of us. Not just for those who see to have it all together, or for those who attend church every Sunday or who can recite the Apostle’s Creed from heart. No, friends - He came for all.

John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came “…that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Look again at today’s passage from Luke chapter 4. What does the Lord wish to give you to today? Is it good news you need in order to press on for yet another day?  Freedom from the “prisons” of your everyday life?  Recovery of sight for those areas in our lives where we no longer see what’s right in front of us?  Or release from that which has a hold on you? See, He can do all that and more!  And that was the very purpose for which He entered this world as a baby - fully human and yet fully God.

Where can He meet your needs today, Mom? Where do you have need of Him in your life?  And are you willing to ask Him, to turn to Him, and to rely fully on Him?

Lord,  There are areas in our lives where we’re poor in spirit, held captive by our circumstances, blind to what you might want to show us, and oppressed. Yet you came to this earth to set us free from these restraints and give us new life. By your Spirit, move within us to turn away from that which holds us back and to believe more fully that you came to earth for each of us - yes, each one of us.

~Amen.

It’s one of the Advent ideas we talked about on this week’s “Tuesdays at 2:00” support call. It’s basically a tree branch where you hang symbols - simple ornaments made out of paper and crayons - that represent the lineage of Jesus as part of your family’s preparation for Christmas.

See, from God’s point of view, the preparation for Christ’s coming began all the way back in the Old Testament, with Abraham!

The idea for a Jesse Tree is actually based on the verse Isaiah 11:1, which reads “A shoot shall come out of the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”

Teaching our children about the history leading up to Christ’s time on earth is a neat way to prepare our hearts for His coming.

The Reformed Church in America has several resources available online to help you prepare a Jesse Tree of your own:

• Making a Jesse Tree - includes printable copies of each symbol/ornament
• Jesse Tree Family Devotions - includes family devotions for each night during Advent

Remember, too, to just have fun with your family’s Advent devotions. Your kids will likely learn much more by making their own imperfect, child-like ornaments and symbols, than if you were to stress yourself out over trying to make some type of permanent, laminated display. Our goal through these activities is to connect with one another and share our faith, so let’s focus our energy on enjoying the process!

Think back to your pre-children days. Did you ever take a day off of work because you just weren’t feeling great? I remember struggling with making that phone call (Am I really “sick enough” to stay home?) and then being so glad I did, realizing only as I rested how much I truly needed that break and time to recuperate.

Do we give that to ourselves as moms? Ever? This week’s topic for the “Tuesdays at 2:00” call was taking care of ourselves as moms during the holiday season.

Of course self-care includes taking the time to really heal and get better when needed; but it also means taking care of ourselves before we become ill or exhausted, worn-out or short-tempered, so that we’re able to withstand the stress of the holiday season.

And let’s not forget, as well, that even “good stress” is stressful! I love all of the baking, gift-wrapping, and decorating that come with the holiday season, but not all at once! So doing it in a way that’s consistently enjoyable - and fruitful for our families - requires some planning.

To explore with us the practical ideas we talked about on the call for how we can make self-care a priority, listen to the call in its entirety right here on the site.

In addition, I’ll be writing up a printable chart of self-care ideas in the next few days, which you’ll be able to print out. If each of us can make an effort to incorporate even just 2-3 self-care steps during the holiday season, we’ll be in a good position for truly experiencing and receiving the Christmas joy we so want to share with our kids!

Listen to the Call: Taking Care of Ourselves as Moms During the Holiday Season

It’s hard to believe October is here already. It seems like I was just saying to a friend, “Yeah, I am looking forward to school starting again. I think we could all use the routine.” You may have spoken similar words yourself back in the heat of August.

Well, how is the routine going? Are the routines of the school year proving to be helpful to you, or stressful?

Today I want to share a word with you, a word about that very thing. It’s from Matthew 11:28-30. You may be familiar with this passage, which in the NIV is written as: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Now, take a look at how it’s written in The Message Bible:

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

“The unforced rhythms of grace.” Does that explain your life, Mom? Where, where, are the unforced rhythms of grace in our lives?

Well, actually, they’re really there. Take a look. I imagine that unforced rhythms of grace might be found at bedtime, when you’re reading to your kids. Or in the moments when you’re sitting outside in the sunshine, watching your preschooler ride her bike up and down the sidewalk, up and down, and then up and down again.

There are many rhythms to our days, especially as moms caring for young children. Let’s seek them out and ask the Lord to show Himself there, in the surrender to the everyday.

Lord, Sometimes being a mom feels tiresome. We love it, and we know we’re so blessed! But some days it takes more energy than we can muster ourselves to go through the repeated tasks and routines with enthusiasm and joy. Fill us, Lord, with your joy. Prepare us and teach us to find YOU, right there in the routines of everyday life. Bless us by your hand as we seek to raise up these little ones to know you.

~Amen

Phone Number for “Tuesdays at 2:00″: (218) 486-1300

Access Code: 669379

What are some of the things that you need to succeed as a Christian mom? I think some of our biggest needs are support, prayer, Scripture, fellowship with other believers, and a sense of deep purpose in our work as moms. How about you? What do you need?

Wouldn’t it be great to just “sit down” with some other Christian moms and support one another? I know it’s not always easy to get out to a church group or make it to a Bible study. And I do believe those things are important! But I also want to give moms a chance to “gather,” so to speak, and support one another. So I’m going to begin a program called “Tuesdays at 2:00 (ET): Support Calls for Christian Moms.”

Here’s how it works. I’ve set up something called a “telebridge” line. That just means that there can be multiple people on the phone call. In advance of the call, I’ll post the telebridge phone number and access code here on the “Faith in Parenting” blog. To participate, just call in at 2:00 pm (ET) on Tuesdays (beginning October 9, 2007). Or, if you’d like to receive a weekly reminder/invitation to call in for “Tuesdays at 2:00,” just enter your e-mail address in the box under “Getting Started.”

My intention is to create a support system for Christian moms. It will be very low-key and casual; you don’t have to have any knowledge of Scripture to benefit from the call, and it’s open to women of all denominations. Each week we’ll talk about a different topic related to Christian parenting. I imagine that it will be similar to some of the radio programs for parents, like Focus on the Family and Family Life Today, except that you’ll be able to participate in the discussion, ask questions, and share stories from your own experience.

I hope you’ll join me! The idea of “teleconferencing” may be new to you, and that’s okay! Don’t worry if there are little ones in the background; I’ll show you how to turn the “mute” feature on or off as needed!

Also, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Blessings,

Jennifer