Mom's 80th Celebration

Last July, my dear Mom turned 80. She was almost 42 when she had me so somehow, even though she's 80 now, I still don't think of her as old. We celebrated big- with {almost} the entire family coming home for the weekend. There are 70 of us altogether so it is no small feat to find a date that suits the whole clan. Two of the grandchildren were missing but otherwise we had a complete reunion.

We started off the weekend by the 8 siblings and our spouses taking Mom to a special restaurant for dinner. The grandchildren stayed back and had a meal in the garage- Grand Central Station for the food. We joined them for dessert- pie, baked by Mom. Her food is a highlight for the grandchildren, but this time, the only thing we let her make was pie. And we all enjoyed that pie to the fullest!

Saturday we had brunch catered in. I can't say enough good about getting meals catered when you have a bunch like this.

After brunch, we took family pictures and then did our traditional birthday celebration by blessing  Mom and hearing her share memories from her past. She showed us her first coloring book and doll. Niece Allison modeled her wedding dress.

After our evening meal, Karen and I organized a rousing game of chaos Trivia for the family. We divided into 6 teams and we then asked questions about individuals in the family and you got points for getting a correct answer. It was loud, competition was steaming hot, and it was a total chaotic experience, but made some great memories! We all tried to hand in clues about ourselves that people wouldn't likely guess.

Sunday we went to church with Mom and then set up for her Open House that afternoon. About 300 people came through to celebrate with her. We also had a slide show going with old pictures of the family which was very entertaining.

The weekend flew by like it always does when we're together. I was reminded again of how incredibly blessed I am with my big, crazy, loud family. We have strong personalities and loud voices and great story tellers. We have painful memories and we have terrifically good memories. We are all a unique piece in the puzzle. But when we get together, we have a beautiful kaleidoscope of color that makes us who we are- FAMILY!

The whole clan-

Grandma with her grandchildren

Mom and her daughters-

Mom and her sons-

All eight children-

The children with their spouses-

Building Faith In Our Children

{Last February I was asked to share at our local MOPS on this subject. Today I'm blogging some of those thoughts.This is geared towards moms of young children}

Some years ago, my husband and I made some decisions for our family that were met with a lot of resistance from some people. I heard over and over again about the dangerous path we were on and what it would do to our family. Doubt and fear crept in and I cried out to God repeatedly to show us if we were making a mistake. You know you hear from God on a matter, but sometimes you start to question, especially if it calls you out from the comfortable, and soon, you are starting to wonder if you heard right. This was the case.

We were in the middle of harvest, and I have such a love/hate relationship with that season already. I was coming through the harvest widow experience and putting the kid's to bed alone AGAIN. They are all settled. Deep sigh. Then I heard my son come down the stairs, and he was crying. I was privileged to lead him to Jesus that night.

That experience came on the heels of my crying out to God and it was such a huge confirmation that we were following God and that He would lead and direct our children.

I do not have a formula for building faith in our children. In fact, I would throw away the formulas if I had them. There is not a list of 'Do's' and 'Don'ts' out there that guarantees Godly children. There are basic principles of course, but unless the Holy Spirit does an on-going work in my life and the lives of my children, there is no hope for any of us.

We can't build something in our children that we don't possess ourselves.

We start with the basics:

-get time alone with God
This is very difficult if you have young children, I know. Sometimes it means taking a long hot shower while your husband is with the children. Or maybe a walk without any kids to clear your head and talk to Jesus. I love to grocery shop alone, (now that my children are older, and they prefer to stay at home) and I have had many a mighty 'church' service on my way to Aldi.

-read good books
I know, even reading a book other than Clifford, the Big Red Dog or Are You My Mother sounds completely foreign to you. but if you are a reader, and if you're not, :) I encourage you to read good books. I love books that make me think, books that I can take a bite at a time and then not pick it up again for several days or weeks.

-find mentors or people who will encourage you
This is one that I wish with all my heart I would have done when I had 4 kids ages 6 and under. Don't try to swim alone. There are sharks out there and they are out to get you. After my youngest was born, I suffered with a mild case of depression. I was extremely overwhelmed with 4 young children, we had just started home schooling and were misunderstood by many people, and we were struggling with some personal issues. Someone to text for prayer or to pour my heart out to would have been so valuable.


We build faith in our children by growing our own faith.

You can:
-read Scripture to your baby
-require your 4 year old to memorize Ps.23
-pay your 8 year old to read through the Bible
-push your 12 year old to witness to his friends at school like your friend's 12 year old does

But you can't make them desire a relationship with Jesus.

Recently I read the story of Hannah and Samuel. Samuel was 3-4 years old when he moved in with Eli. Hannah only saw him once a year after that. Hannah had to be disciplined and intentional with her time with Samuel. She had other responsibilities too. He wasn't her only child.

So when do we teach our children about Jesus?
Duet. 6:4-9 says "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

When we go throughout our day, we talk about God. We ask questions to make them think. "Who painted the sunset? Who made the baby kittens?" We tell them about God, His unconditional love for us, our unique fingerprints, and the way He desires to have a relationship with us. We tell our children why God created us.

Our children' desire for a relationship with God comes from a heart willing to answer the call and work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Make your home an environment that feels safe and normal to talk about God.

When God answers a prayer for you, tell your children. Our children's faith grows when they see ours growing.

Some of our favorite tools for acquainting our children with Jesus were:

-Steve Green's "Hide 'em in your Heart" DVD's or CD's
-Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Bible Storybooks
-Our Story Hour Bible story CD's

Some other things we've done around here were to write Scripture on the bathroom mirror, record Scripture on cassette, (this is excellent for the child who struggles with memorization!) and have a family time to memorize together.

Finally, to build faith in our children, we must surrender the outcome to God.

Dannah Gresh says, "If you do not have an on-going conversation with the Holy Spirit about raising your children to be set apart in this corrupt culture, you will become a paranoid parent whose legalism does not allow her children to slay the 'Goliath's' God means for them to face."

Jesus Is Peace

When I've cried all my tears, You see and tell me You  put them in a bottle. (Ps. 56:8)

When I think this is the end of the story, You remind me that at the end of Your story there is a happy ending.

When I wonder who's winning around here, You say You already won the victory.

When I want to give up, You say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

When I am without hope, You remind me of the cross that fateful night You hung there.

When I want the pain to stop, You remind me that I wasn't created for here, but for THERE.

When I wonder how to pray, You show me verses like Romans 8:26 and tell me that You will intercede  for me.

When the hurt is deep, You remind me of the pain You suffered on the cross for me.

When I long to see You work in people's hearts, You say I need to let You work in my heart.

When I long for more of You, You come, but now how I expect You to.

When I lift my eyes, I see you there, in the midst of all my confusion, holding tight to me.

When I can't sleep at night, You hold me tight, like a Daddy, and rock me to sleep, and I wake up refreshed.

When I fret about the future, You tell me to rest in Your plans.

All you ask of me is to keep on breathing-

to live out Christ in me-

loving and speaking life into the precious people You place in my path-

that's all.

You'll take care of the rest.

Thank-You, Jesus.

This is where peace is found.