Discipleship From a Busy Woman

My parents are Christians and sought to raise my sisters and I up in the Lord. I learned many things from them and felt they were the same at home as they were at church. I did NOT see hypocrisy in the way they lived. Because of that and many other reasons, I felt like I saw 'the faith' work for them and knew it could also 'work' for me. Unfortunately, many have a very different experience. Either Jesus was nowhere in the picture, or their parents put on a smile at church and acted differently at home, teaching their children that 'church/God/faith' really doesn't work and that it is just a game we play. Some of these youth play the same game and then leave church when they go off to college. Because the youth never had a true faith themselves and never saw it 'work' they were ready to move on. I not only had godly examples as parents but had other adults pouring into my life as well. Richard Ross, the co-founder of True Love Waits and guru in youth ministry, once said it takes 5 adults outside a child's parents for that child to properly mature (especially spiritually). I sure can see that in my life! I can truly say I lived among a Christian community where many adults poured into my life. I know discipleship/mentoring is a foreign concept for many because they have never seen it done, don't feel they have time, and I guess either consciously or ignorantly don't feel that those verses in the Bible are meant to be obeyed. Just so we are on the same page...here are a few...

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 ESV

"So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come." Psalm 71:18 ESV

"Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God." Psalm 78:1-8 ESV

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:3-5 ESV

"and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2 ESV

We are definitely commanded to make disciples, train, teach, etc. So let's do it! The Bible doesn't tell this only to those who have time to disciple or only to those who have gone to seminary, but we are all called to this important mission. Obviously we are all in different seasons of life, have different jobs, schedules, and are in different spots in our spiritual walk. Discipleship/mentoring may look slightly different to different people.

I had a great mentor growing up. She was/is a pastor's wife, speaker, and mother of 3. She was/is a very busy woman. She influenced so many people and still continues to pour into lives all around her through her speaking and living her life for Christ. Her love for Christ overflows, you can't help but smile around her and desire to be in her presence again. She has truly taken on the character of Christ! She is compassionate, loving, joyful, gracious, giving, faithful, kind, obedient, a servant, a teacher, a mentor, a guide, a leader, and very zealous for the Lord. I was so blessed as a high school student to be with her a lot. She mentored me in so many ways. Because she loves the Lord so well, it overflowed to me. I wanted to know Christ more and have that love and joy in my life. Because of her, I desired to read the Word and worship the Lord in all I did. Although I did attend some of the classes she taught in church or other times, we didn't set out to do a Bible study one-on-one. I think that is one of the misconceptions of discipleship--that you just have to sit down and study the Bible. That is not the whole of discipleship. Yes, we are to strive to be in the Word and we must center everything we do around it and encourage one another in it, but we don't always need to add another study in our life. For some who are not involved in a church or Bible study, that may be a good part of your time spent together. But for others it may just be doing life together. Beverly and I just did life together. Like I said, she was a busy woman but still made the time to take me under her wing. We never called it discipleship and I didn't specifically ask her to spend time with me, but thankfully it worked out that way. I saw how she acted at church, how she spoke and counseled people, how she was excited about going to church, reading the Word, and pursuing Scripture memory. I helped her cook dinner, I saw how she talked to and respected her husband, how she treated her kids, how she served others, how she wasn't lazy or selfish with her time, how she handled herself when she felt she failed at something, how she always had a worship song for the Lord in her heart, how she brought Scripture memory to mind in a situation...really just how she spent her life for the Lord. She would have been doing those things whether I was there or not but she blessed me by allowing me to be there to see how a love for the Lord changes every aspect of your life. And now that I am a pastor's wife, I can see what a blessing that was in my training. To see how a pastor's wife supports her husband and that pastors and their families are still human, not perfect, but still real. Like I said, my parents are godly examples, but I am not going to lie...I was a teenager once and that is a point in your (or at least my) life where your parents just are not cool. They never changed, I just had that teenage prideful, independent attitude. They were not necessarily the first person I ran to for advice or the like at that stage in life. I have learned a great deal of what it means to be a godly woman, have a godly marriage, and be a godly parent from my parents but can see the need and desire I had at that time to have someone outside my parents to disciple and mentor me. There were other people outside my parents who also invested in me but Beverly was a huge example of what it means to be a godly woman at an important time in my life.

Even though I am so busy at this time in my life discipling my own children, I can still invest in others' lives. So I encourage you to as well. Bring someone along to study the Word with and/or just walk through life together. It is such a blessing to all those involved, and it IS commanded after all...

If you would like a good read on this topic, check out this blog post: As Iron Sharpens Iron

Luke's 2nd Birthday

We celebrated Luke turning two last week end! Wow; when did our baby grow up...thankfully we have been blessed with another one! 

It was a fun party with lots of kids and food! Since we had a morning party, we had cinnamon rolls instead of cake as well as pumpkin bread, peanut butter popcorn, fruit, and mocha punch. Some of Luke's favorite breakfast foods minus pancakes and bacon. The cinnamon rolls and mocha punch were equally as sweet as cake and ice cream but socially acceptable for morning treats!

We got out the Toy Story birthday stuff from Noah's 3rd birthday party. I imagine with another boy coming, we will use it a couple more times!

And that would be the extend of pictures my old, charged camera took. I will have to get a new camera at some point. (Blogging is not nearly exciting without cute pictures of our boys!) Thankfully, John has an IPhone so he got a picture of the birthday boy blowing out his candles...

Happy Birthday Luke! You are such a blessing and joy! We love seeing you learn new things, the expressions on your face as you discover something, and how you love playing with your older brother. Love you dearly!

#3 @ 16 Weeks Prego

I was 16 weeks on Wednesday and went to the OBGYN. I've gained 15 pounds total (ahh!) and the heartbeat was 150 bpm. I also got to make my appointment for my sono to check the baby out and find out the sex of the baby! We can't wait! I am thinking about drinking a pop to get the child dancing so we don't miss any important parts. We will see.

Overall, I am ready to hold our precious new addition. I know...I have a long way to go! I have ALL the wonderful aches and pains that go along with pregnancy. Since my tummy is too big to sleep on my back and my hips hurt too much from expanding (thanks to that chemical my body is releasing for this amazing feat of delivery) and the fact that I have to pee several times at night (TMI...I know...but most of you can relate!) sleep is very limited. But in the end, a Mom just deals with it to enjoy that baby the rest of her life! It is only 9 months right! I am not going to lie, I am already looking forward to getting the weight off so I am live normal again! Hey, at this point, I can still see my toes and put my shoes on!

On a more exiting note, it seems like I can feel some movement. One day, it felt like the baby was doing somersaults. That is a crazy feeling! Other than that, I think I've just felt a few kicks...or hoping it was anyway. I am looking forward to John and Noah feeling the baby kick for the first time! Noah is going to think that is so neat! I love seeing him discover the miracle of life through #3. He almost daily makes a comment about the baby getting bigger...whether it be my shirt is going to pop, the baby is going to come out 10 (yrs. old), or the baby is this big (as he measures the length of my tummy). He is so excited about being a big brother for the second time and tells me how he is going to hold the baby, etc. Love it!

We will announce the sex of the baby the day of the sono and possibly the name. We've had a girls name picked out for 10 years and if the baby is a boy then we will have to narrow down the list to figure out a third boys name. Either way we will be so blessed. If the baby is a boy, we don't have to paint the nursery...nice! If the baby is a girl we have to paint but we will have TONS of clothes and toys from my sister. So either way, we are set! Can't wait to see!

Valentines

The boys are in Mother's Day Out for the first time this year and they have a Valentines party in their classes. I try to be intentional in all I do so I didn't want my boys giving out Valentines that said, 'Be mine,' 'Pick me Valentine,' or some other loving adult phrase they don't understand and should not say. But the first one I found was cute so I went with that. It says, 'I like how you roll' and comes with a bag of tootsie rolls. I just found the tiny bags in the cake decorating aisle at Walmart and printed out the hearts from a free pinterest website. Cute, simple, and appropriate.

 Noah trying on my tall boots; love him!

   And here is the picture I took while it was still snowing at our house. I think we had around 5 or 6 inches. Not sure the official number but the ground was covered after an hour and it continued to snow the whole day! We made snow ice cream (8 cups snow, 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk, 2 tsp. Mexican vanilla). It was yummy! I think that is my favorite recipe so far. I've made it with heavy whipping cream in the past. 

A Little Play and a Little Work

Sword fight...Superman vs. the Basketball!

 Truck and car inventory...menial task but working hard.

Number 3!!!

John and I went to my first OBGYN appointment Tuesday. I was 11 weeks yesterday. It was hard to wait until after the new year to have my first appointment but for insurance purposes we wanted to have all appointments in the same year. I was so comforted to see our sweet little one and hear the heat beat. What a precious miracle from God. We are so blessed! It was also nice to know whether we were having twins or just one. I've already gained 8 lbs. but we are only having one. I always think I am having twins because I gain weight real easy when I am pregnant. I am not the only one who typically thinks I am having twins, I always get the comment from those really 'wise' people who say, "Are you sure you are not having twins." P.S. Never say that to a pregnant women...she knows she is big! Praise God the weight falls off while nursing! 

#3 looked looked like he/she was praying! So sweet!

My OBGYN said the baby looked real good and she would keep my due date the same since we are confident of that date and the baby was on track for that size. She also said the baby was real active...shocker!

I have already started nesting as I am realizing we are going to have 5 people in this 3 bedroom house! It is amazing the amount of things you need (or that are just real convenient) with an 8 lb. child! John has been such a big help in working so hard to help me organize, throw away, and donate so many things. It is already looking better!

We are blessed!

Boy fun...

Flying double...

  Game time! We are all about games at our house. They boys play one game after another. Noah has recently been playing a few games by the rules but for the most part Luke and Noah just play with the pieces of each game. I can't wait until they are older and we can have family game night where the whole family plays a game by the rules. Fun times!

So serious...

 The boys loved mouse trap. We didn't actually play the game this time but they watched the two silver balls go through the course over and over again. I could just see their minds trying to figure out the science behind it. Little engineers in the making!

 As I took on the 'nesting/reorganizing/give away-ever-inch-of-the-house' project, we got out a few more of John's old toys. The boys are in little boy Heaven! They have been OBSESSED and constantly playing with all of the John Deere equipment. Thank you, thank you Grammy for keeping this for soooooooo long! They love trucks, etc. There were two skid steers, an 18-wheeler truck, two different green tractors, a front end loader, a red combine, and a tractor with two different attachments to till the soil, etc. I think that was all. They had been playing with all the mini ones John had as a little boy but we hadn't brought out these big ones until now. Wow! They probably wouldn't miss most of their toys if I happened to get rid of them! Luke is enjoying all of them by himself while Noah is at MDO. Happy boy!

John and I did go through every single toy in the house last night. We kept some and organized them, threw some away, took some to the church since we are adding a new classroom for all the wonderful little ones coming to church now, and took some to the Etc. Shop (a good will type of place). The house looks so much better. Thank you John for working so hard on this mission. He has been such a good helper in our 'complete house redo' and really leads by example in what it means to be a man of the 'second shift.' I know he would probably like to sit on the coach and relax when he gets home but instead, he is selfless in serving the family, playing with the boys, and ministering to so many. I've got a good one. I love you, John!

Snow Day

I am just now getting around to blogging again after Christmas but here we go...

We were in the City for Christmas and stayed an extra couple days after the snow storm. It was such a fun time with family! My favorite present was a precious primer design necklace with Noah and Luke's name on it. I love it! I guess I will have to add another name to it this summer when #3 comes along!

The snow was still fresh and ready for little boys when we got home. After we got back both boys bundled up and Luke only lasted about 5 minutes. He just had cotton gloves on. They didn't last long and he got cold. Noah had the right gloves and gear and played several times for an hour each each day. We had a blast!

Shoveling...

 Sledding...

 And sliding...

We tried to make a snow man but the snow was too fluffy and dry. I added some water to make some small snow balls but that was the extent I went to. Maybe next time we will be able to make a big snow man!

Visiting the Fire Station

We took the boys to the Fire Station yesterday and they loved it! Noah and Luke both love any kind of truck.

When we got there a fireman came out and showed us around. 

 The fireman was so good at showing the boys how quickly they get dressed and explained everything so well. 

 Their favorite part was looking at all the different fire engines.

 They even went inside some of them. In this truck they checked out the back-pack tanks they wear.

 They also got to use the device the fireman use to check the temperature to see whether there is a fire in a wall or somewhere they cannot see. 

Checking out a hose...

The only red truck they have since they prefer the yellow trucks that are easier too see in a fire...

The captain came out to visit with us and give the boys hats, stickers, tattoos, and other information.

Driving the truck...

Luke had to drive also of course...

So proud of his tattoo!

"I've been to the fire station."

Luke went to the door today saying, "Fire truck." He wanted to go and see the fire trucks again!

My Dad

I am doing a True Woman 101 study called Divine Design with several ladies right now. It is a study on God's design for men and women and how we display His glory. So good! I have been truly blessed to be in this group with several stay-at-home mom friends and a few older and wiser women. As we've gone through this study, done several pre-marital counselings (for couples at our church), and seen my husband as a great dad, I have been overwhelmed at what a blessed daughter I am. I love my Dad. He has been such a godly example to me. Who I am to be in Christ and what a man is supposed to be. He has taught me so much growing up and now I am realizing even more truths that were ingrained in me through him as I grew up that God is opening my eyes to even now. It is not Father's Day or anything but I wanted to share how much of a blessing my Dad is to me and my family.

One of the blessings that has been so clear to me lately is financial blessing. He has blessed me financially in so many ways. I think of how he has sacrificed so much in his life to bless my Mom, sisters, me, and others by giving his time and money. It all started when he made a decision to work hard through college to get a civil engineering degree. I know that earning that degree was not easy and getting up early for so many years to bring home the bacon was another commitment altogether. Because of this sacrifice and hard work, he was able to pay for my college degree, a civil engineering degree also. Although God did design me with that Type A personality with a love for math and science, I wanted to be like my Dad. I respect him in so many ways and thought doing that would work for me. I knew that if I worked hard through college to get that degree I could be financially stable no matter what happened in my life. My husband also got an engineering degree and that is how we met in college. Another blessing! I used my degree for several years before we had kids. I enjoyed my job immensely but knew God called me to stay home and raise our children up in the Lord that way. I am blessed to have worked several years in that profession and also help put my husband through his seminary masters degree. My Dad also showed me that ministry and family are more important than materialism. John is now a pastor and I stay at home raising our boys. If it wasn't for my Dad's financial decisions to get a good degree in order to get paid well and pay for my college, we would not have been able to take this church position. I am thankful to not have school loans or car payments so that we can be here here and serve where God has led us. Thank you Dad for allowing us to serve and showing us that God satisfies more than money ever will.

I am also reminded of many other sacrifices my Dad made for us growing up. My Dad would park outside the house in the extreme heat and cold so that my Mom, sisters, and I could park in the garage. He hardly ever spent money on himself so that we could have luxuries. He daily took care of the cat we brought home so that we could enjoy him. He went to work really early so he could be at our 3:30 pm track meets or any other activity we were involved in even if it was a dance competition. He really showed us that he supported us and cared for us in his actions and not just his words. And he still sacrifices things for us as we come visit with them or so that we can financially do things in our life.

He is a great example of a godly man and husband in many ways. He took us on individual dates so that we would know how a guy was supposed to treat us. He showed us that we were daughters of the King and we were to be treated like one. I think this kept me away from a lot of jerks and guys that weren't worth my time. I knew I should have only the best...and I certainly received the best in my husband. My Dad would always kiss and greet my Mom first, showing his daughters that his wife was of highest importance to him, even over us. He always made sure we respected Mom and talked well of her. He never lectured us about those simple things such as greeting her first but displayed them in daily life. After all, we grew up and got married and he is still in the same house with my Mom. A marriage relationship must be first (after God) above all other relationships! I think many couples miss this and don't know their spouse after the kids leave...they often end up divorcing. I was also blessed to see that my Dad took my Mom on dates weekly. He showed the importance of 'working' at your marriage. I think many couples just think they are going to stay madly in love without spending time together or having those intimate conversation they have while courting. Not so! I am grateful my Dad showed me otherwise because after being married 7 1/2 years I know it is easy to co-exist. I am grateful my husband and I are more in love than ever even in the 7th year when they say it is supposed to be the hardest. Yes, it is a choice to spend time together but oh what a blessing it is to have a wonderful marriage. Thank you Dad for showing me how to live it!

My Dad also showed me the importance of showing love and appreciation. I cannot even begin to count how many times he has told me I am beautiful, capable, and that he is proud of me often times with a hug. He still does. Wow; I am crying thinking about the extreme blessing that is to a daughter. To know that I am deeply loved because I am his daughter, not because of what I do or accomplish. He loves me even in my failure. He points me to the unconditional love of God the Father. It saddens me to see how many of my friends growing up and people in my life now turn to men to get that affirmation and love only to end up hurt and unsatisfied. I am grateful my Dad never made me feel that I needed to turn to worldly things (such as drugs, drinking, smoking, trying to have the perfect body or the best clothes, etc.) or people. I was satisfied in the fact that he loved me for me and that he pointed me to perfect love in Christ Jesus.

My Dad also showed me that it is OK to show and share emotion and how to listen and comfort when on the other end. My Dad was the first person I called when in college and I was struggling with a class. I knew he would listen, comfort me, and tell me he believes in me. I saw my Dad grow in compassion and grace as we grew up. He didn't become a Christian until his 30's so raising up a godly family was very foreign to him. Even in this I think he did a great job and as I think back on my life growing up I can see how God transformed him to be more like Christ. One of those ways is compassion. I know I turn to him more in my later years than when I was younger because of this. My sisters and I always joke that we made my Dad 'soft' living with 3 girls and my Mom. God used us to grow the fruit of the Spirit in his life of compassion and gentleness. I pray I allow myself to be molded by the Potter as my Dad has.

Of course, my Dad is not perfect but even in his failure and sin, he showed me what it means to ask for forgiveness and change. There are probably not a lot of Dad's out there that actually say they are sorry and ask forgiveness from their kids when they mess up but he did. Kids are smart and know when parents sin, so we might as well confess and display how a Christian should confess and repent when wrong. Even though my Dad and now husband do this humbling task so well, I struggle doing it myself. I strive to be better at that one day. I know Noah and Luke recognize when I sin. I might as well fess up to it and show them how they are to respond in a similar situation. I have done this some but should more. I want them to pass on that godly character to their wives and children...another generational blessing of godly character to be passed down from my Dad.

I could go on but just wanted my Dad to know that I love him and am grateful for him in so many ways. Dad, I am generationally blessed by your faithfulness to be a godly man, husband, father, friend, and minister of the gospel. I pray that those blessings of your character and life are passed down to our children. You are a blessing to many, Dad. I love you and I am grateful to be your daughter.