5 Ways Twins Can Change Your Life

May 16, 2013 By Christen Ridley Price

Some people call me a superhero, doubly blessed. Others say I have my hands full, double trouble.

Hi, my name is Christen, and I’m a mother of twins.

Before I had children, I had heard rumors that motherhood was the most challenging and rewarding job on the face of the planet. I was the newlywed that thought I could handle the challenge of being a mom; that it couldn’t be that hard. I had illusions that the reward part of motherhood would be more often than the challenge and my children would be well behaved, athletic, musically-talented, smart, and successful from a very early age.

Now, I can imagine God and his chorus of angels laughing at my naivety. “Just you wait,” is what they were saying to each other.

Having twins has changed my life in so many ways. Here are just five ways twins can change your life:

1. The biggest lesson that I’ve learned so far from being a mother of multiples is expect the unexpected. I’m naturally a Type-A girl that likes for things to be done my way. I plan, I organize. It’s just part of my DNA. When life doesn’t go according to my plans, I usually freak out in a not so nice manner (it usually involves tears, chocolate, and a reality t.v. show…not always in that exact order). But, the twins have been God’s way of teaching me to trust in his plans, his times, his ways.

And, you know what? His plans might come as a surprise to me but he sure knows how to throw one amazing surprise party.

Like, when we found out we were having twins. It was a shock, yet he also answered a desire of my heart.

Or, how the twins came three months early weighing only two pounds each. God used those 83 days in the NICU to change my perspective on faith in a radical way.

2. The best advice I have for any mother expecting twins is to embrace the journey. You will be different from your friends with singleton births. Your family will not always have answers to your questions. You pediatrician visits will take an extremely long time. The little old ladies at the grocery store will always ask you if they are twins. Your stroller will be bigger, you will go through more diapers, and if you have to use formula, you will cherish your $5 off coupons.

3. After my twins were home from the hospital, I wanted so desperately for life to be normal. But, I had to adapt to a new version of normal. It was really hard not to compare my children to others, especially since they were born premature. My twins were three months behind developmentally. They were still in newborn clothes at six months old and could barely crawl by the time they turned one. Their first year was so very challenging and God taught me humility; how the high expectations I set for my children before they were born were false forms of pride. Yet through the challenge of their developmentally-delayed first year, we reaped bountiful amounts of reward. Each day was truly a gift that we weren’t sure we would receive when they were born premature. Each milestone met was an abundant accomplishment; comparisons were discarded and expectations became less exaggerated. We found our normal and I was so happy it looked completely different from everyone else.

4. Another way twins have changed me for the better is I’ve realized that I need help. Bad. Before, I was much too prideful to admit that I couldn’t do this motherhood thing on my own. Asking for help has not only changed my perspective on pride, but it has also strengthened my relationship with Jesus, my husband, my family, and my friends. Daily, Jesus and my husband help me get through the day as a mom of twins. Without Jesus, I would have no peace. Without my husband, I would have no clean clothes (among other things ) This past year, we moved back to our hometown to raise our children closer to family. I have no shame in dropping the twins off at their grandparents house so I can run errands, write, or have a date with my husband. It’s fabulous. Before I had the girls, I was very private, even with my friends. It wasn’t that I was trying to be secretive, but I didn’t always like to talk about the tough stuff. Now, I’m much more vulnerable, authentic, and open in my friendships, online and in real life. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s actually a form of strength.

5. And, mothers of twins need some strength. Especially in the toddler years. Twin toddlers has caught me completely off-balance. One goes this way, while the other goes that way. I know now where the term double trouble comes from. Keeping up with twin toddlers has been the most challenging part of motherhood for me so far. I’m emotionally and physically exhausted after our days filled with tantrums, potty-training, and fierce independence. My house is always a wreck and food always gets stolen off my plate. Naps are {almost} a thing of the past and bedtime couldn’t come any sooner. I wonder daily how I’m going to make it raising twin toddlers.

But, then my twin toddlers say how much they love me. Or, they will twirl around in their princess dress exclaiming, “I’m so happy!” They aren’t my babies anymore but they still love to cuddle in the early and late hours of the day. Watching them run, use their manners, and hug each other is the reward during this challenging stage of life.

Twins are always a double blessing and sometimes double trouble. God gives some moms twins because he believes we are up for the challenge. Or, maybe its because we need a challenge. Whatever the reason may be for the challenge, I urge you to rest in the reward; the double portion of God’s grace.

Question: If you are a mother of twins, what has been your hardest challenge and what has brought you the most reward?

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, christen

Filed Under: Christen Ridley Price, Growth & Development, Newborn & Baby, Parenting, Special Needs, Toddler & Preschooler Tagged With: Being a mom, Children, Christen Price, Motherhood, Toddlers, trusting God, twins 6 Comments

Raising kids with the urge to lead

March 22, 2013 By Julie Sanders

John C. Maxwell said that “Everything rises and falls with leadership,” so if our children are to have a strong future, we must raise strong leaders. In less than a week, the United States Supreme Court will hear the Perry Case to determine if the 2008 proposition voted in by the people of California to protect marriage is constitutional or not. We will all feel the ripple effects. Our children will live and raise their families in the wake of the decision.

Moms are raising kids in an atmosphere antagonistic to the family, and the same is true in much of the world. How can a mom raise her child with the urge to lead?

Leadership begins at home, takes root in the church, and bears fruit in the world. Moms today follow in the footsteps of mothers who release their once-babes to become leaders in their day.

Jochebed had precious little time to retrieve Moses and train him in a home that feared the true God, before she had to release him to the house of the Pharaoh. Even in the great family of Egypt, God was with him and steered his path to leadership.

Hannah’s time with Samuel was treasured before she willingly opened her hands to offer her only son back to the Lord. Still, she mothered him at chosen times and from a distance, adding to the firm foundation that would be his platform for leadership.

Elderly Elizabeth raised up her only son John to be a man of the wild, a grown son whose one purpose was to lead people to the Messiah. Ultimately, her son’s life would be an earthly sacrifice with a heavenly reward.

Mary knew from the beginning that her Son Jesus was not her own, but the very child of God. She nursed and nurtured him, raising him for purposes she could not conceive. God used a humble woman to raise the God-child who would lead captives free from death and into an eternity of restoration.

If mothers today are to raise children to be leaders, we must face the urge to lead.

Mothering with the urge to lead

Resist the urge to rescue. Children learn to depend on God, understand their design, and manage conflict when mothers choose to let children encounter hardship.
Feed the urge to pray. Every mother knows she will raise her child to leave her, but God will never leave them. The best gift we can give our children is a habit-heritage of calling on their Heavenly Father.
Overcome the urge to interfere. Children will not lead if mothers solve all of their problems. If we step in to fix trouble and buffer our kids from life’s challenges, we keep them from developing a response to the need to lead.
Nurture the urge to encourage. Mothers have atomic power to lift children to higher hopes and courageous confidence. The world will stifle the moral ambitions and godly initiatives of future leaders, so moms need to strengthen their hearts as they grow.
Cultivate the urge to model. Children learn more from how we live than how we lecture. When children see parents impacting their world as servant-leaders in the home, and in the community, they will see their own potential to impact their world.

Everything does rise and fall on leadership, so let’s raise kids with the urge to lead.

Filed Under: Character Counts, Julie Sanders, MOM Stuff, Parenting Tagged With: Character, encouragement, How do I parent, influence, jesus, parenting advice, Successful Parenting, trusting God 8 Comments

Don’t Lie to Me

March 20, 2013 By Becky Kopitzke

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ,” (Galatians 6:2).

I want to chat with the new moms out there. Seasoned moms, pull up a chair, because we’re all in this together. Are you comfy? Let’s talk.

Motherhood isn’t easy. It’s not supposed to be. Caring for children is a physically grueling, emotionally draining, and spiritually challenging round-the-clock job. I don’t know who might’ve told you otherwise, or how many women withheld this bit of information when they gushed over your adorable baby shower gifts, but I’m here to set the record straight. Babies are hard work. So are toddlers. I’ve heard teenagers are extra special, so let’s hold onto Jesus for the ride.

But there’s something else you should know.

You are not alone.

If you cried in the glider rocker at 2 a.m. because you are just so unbelievably tired and the whole world seems flipped on its side—somebody else cried, too.

If you spent two hours after dinner bouncing and shush-shush-shushing a fussy swaddled bundle because the books said it would calm him and please Lord you just need the noise to stop—somebody else shushed, too.

If you’re staring at piles of laundry and blank thank-you notes, fighting the guilt of unfinished tasks and wondering how other women have done this without collapsing—somebody else wonders, too.

If you miss the smell of your husband’s chest and his unhurried gaze into your eyes across the dinner table, and you ask God, what have we done? Somebody else asked, too.

Somebody else, some other woman somewhere in the world—quite possibly in your very own neighborhood—is learning to be a mom, also. And after she conquers colic then teething then first birthday party planning, she graduates to a club of moms who’ve been there and know exactly how you feel today.

Maybe not every new mom struggles the same. If your baby hardly cries or snoozed through the night the first week home, or if you have no problem spinning cartwheels on two hours of sleep and every moment of caring for your newborn is filled with pure joy, then count your blessings and praise the Lord. Sincerely.

But I am convinced those women are in the minority. There are a lot more of us deer-in-the-headlights frazzled new mommies who do not have it all together and, sadly, assume everybody else does because women are not talking about it.

It’s time we start being real with one another. Amen?

Recently, I ran into a new mom at church. She glowed, snuggling a lovely bambino on her shoulder for other ladies like me to admire with instinctive awww’s and smoochie sounds. I asked her a question I ask many new moms.

“How is it going?”

“Great! It’s going well. We’re doing great, yep.”

Is that so. I leaned closer. “How is it really going?”

“Well, this week is good.”

Pause.

“Last week, not so much.”

Her eyes grew wide, and she wilted. “Nobody warned me it would be like this. How do women have more than one!?”

Sister, I get you. I see you looking all calm and happy for the shiny people at church, but I also know you were probably juggling a mascara wand, a lanolin tube and a screaming baby in your hands three minutes before you were due out the door to make it to the first service on time. You are beautiful, and so is your miracle child from God, yet I would not be shocked if you told me you didn’t feel beautiful because you can’t fit into anything besides your husband’s jogging pants, and your curling iron disappeared under a stack of nursing pads and used burp rags.

Keep hanging on.

It’s okay to feel like you’re falling apart. Because, in many ways, you are. Life will never be the same again. But eventually—sooner than you fear—it will be better than before.

My girls are 6 and 3. Right now, one is rinsing paintbrushes in a kindergarten classroom across town while the other naps like clockwork at home. And I get to sit here with my laptop and a warm cup of tea, compelled to write these thoughts for you dear new mommies. Because I’m afraid I’ll forget.

Because now my darling girls can strap their own shoes, and pour their own cereal, and play quietly with their dolls while I fix a salad. And I start thinking, hey, this isn’t so tough, this is fun, life is grand, and then I make googly eyes at my husband and whisper should we have another baby? And the answer is NO! NO! Don’t you REMEMBER?

Yes. I remember the hard stuff. But I also remember this:

I remember sitting mesmerized by the perfect, miniature face sleeping in the crook of my elbow, and weeping suddenly when I imagined her growing up and moving to college.

I remember detecting that first authentic, non-gassy smile—a paycheck for eight weeks of unrequited, laborious love—and cheering like we’d just won the lottery.

I remember the hormonal fog lifting, my strength returning after months of little sleep, and seeing God standing before me—where he’d been all along.

You are not alone.

The day our first daughter was born, every nurse, every lactation consultant, even the cleaning lady at the hospital told us, “Enjoy every minute! It goes so fast!”

For you, new ones, the days are not fast. They are long. And while the rewards eventually outweigh every challenge, I don’t want to forget how it felt in the beginning, if forgetting means I will not be able to relate anymore. Or worse, if my forgetting makes you feel like you’re doing something wrong.

You are not doing it wrong. You’re a mom. Welcome.

So—I’m asking a favor. You new moms can help me—and generations of moms to come—prevent the onset of mommy amnesia. Simply remind us what it’s like. Be vulnerable. Shed the “fine, I’m doing fine” mask and spill your exhausted guts. We’re your allies. We can take it. Then let us hug you, counsel you, validate you, encourage you. Let us carry the burden for a little while.

And someday soon, when your baby starts pouring her own cereal, I hope you’ll reach out to the new moms in your life and pay it forward.

Okay, then. If I see you with a newborn baby in your arms and I ask, how’s it going?—tell me anything good, bad, or ugly. But please, please, please—don’t lie to me. Your honesty can spark a revival of moms supporting moms.

We need each other. Are you in?

We’re Linked up at:

Filed Under: Becky Kopitzke, Newborn & Baby, Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: Being a mom, Being a New Mom, encouragement, Faith, God, mommy guilt, Motherhood, new mom, newborn, Parenting, trusting God 4 Comments

If Birthdays Make You Sentimental

February 26, 2013 By Becky Kopitzke

I’ve discovered a crazy thing about kids. They just keep growing up.

Today I’m baking brownies for my firstborn’s sixth birthday treat. Next week, baby sister turns three. I call this “birthday season” in our family, and every year it melts my heart to a nostalgic puddle.

To me, birthdays aren’t just childhood milestones. They’re a chance to shout, “Yay, God!” for creating each daughter unique, beautiful, and according to his perfect plan. More than that, I celebrate my girls’ birthdays as a type of anniversary for me—(1) the day I entered motherhood, clueless, bidding a shocking farewell to my old friends Sleep and Dangly Earrings; and (2) the day my heart busted at the seams to welcome baby #2 with first-round love and, frankly, still a few remnants of cluelessness.

Six years may not be much in the course of a lifetime. But in this span I’ve seen a seven-pound wrinkled bundle transform into a lanky, ponytailed kindergartener who reads chapter books and chomps bubble gum. Six years is a lifetime for her. Six years flew by without permission. Six years stood painfully still.

Soon, six years will be just a memory.

And that’s what slays me. My girls—who they are today, those precious faces, those sweet giggly voices and petite sticky palms clutching my fingers—are not who they will be tomorrow. They’re always growing, always changing. Always slipping away.

Last week, we made a birthday poster for my daughter’s school. The teacher asked us to glue a baby picture beside a current photo. When I compared the two faces, tears stung my eyes. I studied those rosy baby cheeks and thought, I’ll never get that little person back. She is someone different now. Someone even more delightful, more beloved with each passing season, yes. But a private space in my heart aches when I realize all of her earlier days are just snapshots en route to graduation.

It’s tempting to wish I could suspend time, to ensure my daughters will always love me unconditionally like they do today, always sing to Jesus with innocent faith, and always hold the promise of an unblemished future as they do right now, this moment.

But then I cruise through Proverbs and remember—that’s not the point of parenting.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it,” (Proverbs 22:6).

I know this verse. It’s a staple in my arsenal of encouragement. Yet when was the last time I really unpacked it?

Train a child. My Bible notes say another word for “train” here is “start.” Start a child in the way he should go. Eighteen years in my house are just a launch pad. The ultimate purpose of parenting is to equip, teach, love—then let the children go. Is anybody else weepy just thinking about that?

When he is old. Only God knows how many days we have on Earth, but chances are my babies won’t just grow out of their kindergarten shoes—they’ll grow old. Which means they’ll build their own families and establish their own legacies, founded largely on the start that my husband and I gave them. That is a huge responsibility for a parent. But it’s also a tremendous privilege.

He will not turn from it. The truth is, my children aren’t the only people growing up. So am I. I’m not the same person I was six years ago, either. But isn’t that the beauty of the Christian life? There is a way we should go, which suggests forward movement, drawing nearer to God. I want that for my kids as much as I want it for myself.

So today, I’ll embrace the bubble gum stage and look forward to tomorrow, for the chance to see more of who God designed my girls to become. I can already tell there are some benefits to parenting older children. Dangly Earrings are back in my life. Sleep and I are still estranged. But that is a post for another time.

Happy birthday, my darling girls. Happy anniversary to me. And thank you, Lord, for the great gift of being a mom.

By Becky Kopitzke

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Filed Under: Becky Kopitzke, Childhood, Growth & Development, Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: Being a mom, Children, encouragement, Faith, God, Mother's Love, Motherhood, Parenting, trusting God 3 Comments

When Prayer Overcomes the World

February 5, 2013 By Christen Ridley Price

Yesterday, I walked into my women’s Bible study group with thoughts consisting of my own problems and circumstances. There is a physically-handicapped woman in our group who greeted me with a huge grin and asked me how I was doing today. I lied and told her I was fine, thank you. We sat in our chairs and as our leader began with prayer requests, this precious woman asked if we could say a prayer for the crisis going on in Midland City, Alabama.

Just down the road from my house, a school bus driver named Chuck Poland was shot last week and a little five year old autistic boy, Ethan, was kidnapped.

The women in my group stood from our chairs and held hands in a circle. At first, only the gentle hum of the air conditioner could be heard, we were all at a loss for words. Then, this woman – with her own physical handicaps – began to pray, thanking God for his grace and asking for his love to cover the kidnapper’s heart so he would release this little boy.

Tears pricked my eyes as I listened to her heart-felt prayer. She, full of compassion, me heavy with selfishness. My heart hurt as I realized how small my problems were compared to this enormous situation a couple miles away. Silently, I prayed for forgiveness.

A friend on Facebook wrote, “Well, 3rd night in a row now I have cried myself to sleep worrying and scared for little Ethan. I have literally found myself begging God for a safe end to this situation. I honestly have no words when I think about it all, just tears. John 16:33 has never sounded so comforting for me to read. I have Faith friends. If you haven’t already, please join me in prayer for ALL involved in this unthinkable situation. The Devil is working hard, but I truly believe God is working harder!!!”

Her compassion spills onto the screen just as her tears have spilled from her eyes each night. When the world is dark and full of trouble, do we believe that Jesus has truly overcome the world?

Can we get past our own agendas and join hands in prayer for another? Can we believe that with God, all things ARE possible?

There are so many questions floating around our Alabama homes. Moms have children that are afraid to attend school or stay home alone. Dinner time consists of worried eyes and young hearts that don’t understand why somebody could be so cruel. How do you tell your child that bad things do happen but Jesus is our protector, a light in the dark?

There is a Facebook page called Prayers for Dale County Schools, Family of Charles Poland and Little Ethan. Here, people write:

“Even in dark, dark places, the light of God’s truth, the light of God’s love, and the light of the gospel is able to penetrate, and to rescue and redeem.” ~Nancy Leigh DeMoss~ Praying without ceasing for Little Ethan, and for the heart of Mr. Jimmy Lee Dykes…

“Dear Lord: Please help this man let this little precious innocent child go! Lord, touch his heart somehow as only you can, and convince him enough is enough. Be with that precious little boy and be with his precious family. May you intervene Lord and find a way to end this ordeal for all involve. Lord, I pray this in Jesus name! Amen!”

“As a mother myself, I can’t even begin to imagine what this mom is feeling. I am praying for her and everyone involved. I pray that this child is safely back in his mothers arms very soon.”

The unthinkable happened just a few miles from me in a sleepy little town full of farmers and agriculture. Ethan’s parents had no idea when they dropped him off for school in the morning that he wouldn’t be coming home to them in the evening. Chuck Poland didn’t realize that when he adorned his bus driving outfit that morning that he would be called a hero just a few hours later.

As mothers, we want to stop evil from invading our cities, our homes, our country. It’s so easy to want to hide behind closed doors instead of walking into the unknown every day. Yes, the devil is working hard. He is manipulative, cruel, and relentless. But, we can’t let our minds or the minds of our children believe that he has won. When Jesus wrote the words of John 16:33, he meant for us to declare as a battle cry, “Take heart, because JESUS has overcome the world!”

Evil can be stopped with prayer.

As believers in Jesus Christ, our protector, we moms can protect our children from this world with prayer. Prayer that is beyond our selfish wants and extended to cover our children, our cities, and our country. Before Jesus was arrested, he prayed for all believers saying, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:23).”

Jesus wants us to be unified in prayer. When all hope seems lost, when nothing but the nightlight is on, when we see our children question the motives of this world, we have to pray. Pray on Facebook, pray in our schools, pray in our homes…pray that we, the body of Christ, show that good has won the battle.

Let us join hands in this cyber-circle, sweet mothers, and pray.

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Filed Under: Christen Ridley Price, Health, Safety & Nutrition Tagged With: Being a mom, Children, Faith, Fear, Prayer, School, trusting God 3 Comments

Gift of Grace

December 19, 2012 By Dana Bailey

Nine years ago marks one of the most difficult, yet most important Christmases in my life. It would become a Christmas that would change my life and how I celebrate the birth of Jesus.

In October, we had found out we were having another baby. This baby would be our ninth child and we were just as excited as if it were our first. However, our excitement changed to sorrow when we found out two months later we would never see this baby come full term. We later found out I had a virus that attacked my sweet baby and I miscarried at 12 weeks. This was my first miscarriage. It was an experience I never wanted to have. I wept and mourned for this sweet baby I would never nurse at my breast or rock to sleep. Our whole family was devastated.

My body began the process it was created to do when a baby dies in the womb and this made mourning even worse as the pain of contractions and the bleeding continued. Christmas morning came and all the excitement of opening gifts with our children was in full swing. As I sat on the floor helping to open boxes and unfasten baby dolls from the boxes I suddenly felt excruciating pain run through my abdomen. I immediately got up and went to the bathroom and realized my body was at the peak of expelling my dead baby. I sat in the bathroom weeping, not from the pain, but from the reality that my baby was in fact dead and this was happening on Christmas Day. My Christmas was ruined now!

“Lord God!” I cried out, “Why would you let this happen today? It is bad enough you took my baby, but why would you take my baby from my body today? Today is supposed to be a happy, joyful day! But here I am in horrible pain as my body gets rid of my baby. Why God! Why?”

Right there in my bathroom the Holy Spirit began to minister to my broken heart. Right there, he spoke gently to my aching soul.

“Your Heavenly Father knows your pain. He sees your tears. He hears your cries. He sent His only son to die for you. His only son was born to die so you could live.”

My tears didn’t dry up, they only flowed more.

“Oh my God, your love is so overwhelming! I can’t understand”

Suddenly the real truth of Christmas flooded my soul like my tears had flooded my eyes. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, but his birth marked the beginning of his death and our life. His birth was glorious and miraculous and should be celebrated, but in the midst of our celebration we often forget why he was born…so he could die. We get so caught up in the worldly way of celebrating we forget what we really should celebrate…his death and resurrection.

Because of our sin, Christ became man so he could die and make eternal life possible for us. It is all because of us. He was beaten and hung on a cross because of my disgusting sin. He rose on the third day because he loves me! Even now, I truly cannot grasp this. I don’t understand how he can love me so deeply when my sin is so great!

I healed from my miscarriage and we were excited to find out early in the next year we would have another baby. Kaylin Grace was born in November. Her middle name is a reminder to me of the grace given to me during the miscarriage and after. She knows a baby died in mommy’s tummy before she was born and knows she might not be here if that baby had lived. “I don’t like that your baby died, but I’m glad that I am here.” she says.

I can still picture my unborn baby playing at the feet of Jesus. Even though I still wish I could have held him, I am thankful the Lord used him to remind me of why we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We celebrate his grace given to us.

God’s grace was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. His Grace was worshiped by shepherds and sought out by wise men. His Grace walked and talked with sinners and healed many. His Grace loved the unlovable and forgave the unforgivable. His Grace became a man, experienced everything a man would experience and suffered persecution that would break even the strongest man. God’s grace was beaten to the point of death and hung on a rugged wooden cross, naked for all to see. His Grace died a human death but rose a Heavenly resurrection. Because of His Grace, we have life. His Grace is a gift to us and that is why we celebrate Christmas.

By: Dana Bailey

Filed Under: Christmas, Dana Bailey Tagged With: Christmas, Faith, God, grace, Holidays, miscarriage, Motherhood, salvation, trusting God 5 Comments

Where Can I Go? The Solace of Psalm 139

December 5, 2012 By themomin

I know my kids pretty well.

Even before my youngest could communicate with words, he had a myriad of sounds I could easily translate.

There was the whiney, fussy noise he made most often, which meant that he was hungry (that’s why it’s the sound he made most often).

The scream of pain – I don’t like to hear that one, but I know it well from his toddler tumbles.

The giggle that gurgles through even when he’s tired and crying but just can’t help but laugh because I’m playing peek-a-boo or giving him raspberries on the tummy.

There is the “uh uh uh” that goes with outstretched arms when he wants something. The heart-wrenching, deeply offended, pitiful sob accompanied by giant crocodile tears that he makes when we scold him. It’s the funniest thing ever, and I’m sure we’re going to put him in therapy one day because every time he does it, we laugh.

I can also read their faces...my oldest gets purple shadows under his eyes when he’s getting sick. His cheeks flush. My baby’s eyes get puffy when he’s congested, and he has a stork-bite between his eyes that only appears when he’s tired or upset.

I know them intimately. I have memorized their faces. I know their smell, their weight in my arms.

I know when they are tired, or hungry, or scared.

I know what makes them laugh. I know what they like to eat and what they will like (if they’ll just try it)!

I will never forget the days that they were born, and every night – every night – before I go to bed, I creep into their rooms and watch them sleep for just a moment. To breathe the smell of their skin as I brush a soft cheek or arm with my lips.

To lay a hand on their head and whisper a prayer – or, more often, a plea.

Help me do better tomorrow. Don’t let me fail them. Protect them.

They are an extension of my very flesh, I know them so well.

Someone once commented on the similarities between Psalm 139 and the children’s book The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. I made a note of it in my Bible, and it’s always been one of our favorites.

O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

To think…if I know my children so intimately, how much more so does an omniscient God know them, know me? It boggles the mind, really. It also brings me comfort when I feel out of control or afraid.

He knows them better than I do. He loves them more than I do. Does God steal in and smell our hair in the dark of night, as well?

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

“If you come after me…,” said the little bunny, “I will become a rock on the mountain high above you.”

“If you become a rock on a mountain,” said his mother, “I will become a moountain climber, and I will climb to where you are…”

“If you become a mountain climber,” said the bunny, “I will be a bird, and fly away from you.”

“If you become a bird and fly away from me,” said his mother, “I will be a tree that you come home to.”

“Shucks,” said the bunny, “I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny.”

When one of my boys wakes up from a bad dream, he clings to us, terrified of the images in his mind and of the dark.

To us, it’s not scary, it’s not even that dark. We can see more than he can see.

Even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

I take great comfort in knowing that my children are in the hands of an Abba Father who loves them more than I can imagine. I take great comfort in knowing that I, too, am in the hands of a loving Abba Father who loves me and knows me more intimately and more dearly than I can possibly imagine.

What are your favorite Psalms to pray over your children?

What scriptures offer you comfort, hope and guidance in your parenting?

By Adelle Gabrielson
Trying to live life with grace, humor, and great shoes.

Follow Adelle on Facebook, or subscribe at www.AdelleGabrielson.com.

Scripture excerpted from Psalm 139, NIV

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Filed Under: Adelle Gabrielson, Uncategorized Tagged With: praying God's word for your children, Psalm 139, trusting God 3 Comments

The End of the World?

December 4, 2012 By Tara Dovenbarger

IT LOOKS REALLY, REALLY BAD

Once again we turn on the media and hear a new spin of an old tale, “This is it! The end of the world is here! The end of the Mayan calendar will abruptly bring all life to a sudden end!”

SPECIAL, SECRET KNOWLEDGE

Can this prophecy known by the Mayans, media, and select scientists be trusted? How do we comfort our children when they are hearing things that make our own stomach swim? Where can we find reliable, time proven truth to tell us exactly what the end looks like?

MAYAN PROPHECY VS BIBLICAL PROPHESY

According to Josh McDowell, there are 332 distinct prophecies in the Old Testament, all written down at least 250 years before Christ’s first coming, that were perfectly fulfilled. Bible prophecies are proven.

David Jeremiah tells us that there are more than nine hundred prophecies in the Bible telling of the second coming of Jesus Christ (future events), three times as many compared to His first coming. We are confident these nine hundred will be fulfilled exactly as the others were.

THE FUTURE IS TOLD

God does not want us to be ignorant and living in fear. He gave us the complete history of life on our planet through His unchanging Word. Have you ever calmed your children before entering a new situation by telling them step-by-step what will happen? Our Heavenly Father, not wanting us to be ignorant and living in fear, has given us each step in history.

First we are given Genesis, which describes the literal creation and fall of man. Because of man’s fall into sin, God promised us a Savior. These were the 332 prophecies speaking of Christ’s first coming, perfectly fulfilled. John 3:16, Isaiah 53

Second, and at present, believers are waiting for the rapture when Christ comes for His bride the church (although some Christians have different views as to whether the rapture occurs before, somewhere in the middle or after the tribulation). No event stands in the way for this event to happen….this will occur at any time! The dead in Christ will rise first, and then the believers who are alive will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This event, as you can imagine, will be a shock to those left behind. The non-believers will have their wish of complete separation of church and state…..the church will no longer be here….at all! Those left behind will feel the chaos produced by so many people suddenly “missing”. 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1Corinthians 15:51-58

Third we have the seven-year tribulation that immediately follows the rapture of the church. This is a time of unrestrained evil. All Christians are removed and evil will flourish. All the people on earth will want and need a powerful leader to return life to ‘normal” and will turn to the Antichrist for peace. He will show up on the scene after the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. The Antichrist leads the world’s last battle against Israel in the Battle of Armageddon, which Christ’s Second Coming interrupts. Revelation 6-9, Daniel 9:24-27, Matthew 24:15, Revelation 16:12-16

Fourth, is Christ’s return or Second Coming. The Bible gives us more than 900 prophecies about this amazing event. David Jeremiah in The Prophecy Answer Book states, “Christ’s return will be amplified by a devastating spectacle that will make Hollywood disaster movies look like Saturday morning child’s fare. The world will see and recognize its rightful Lord and King. Whereas He came the first time in humility and simplicity (baby Jesus), this time His glory and majesty will be spectacularly displayed for all to see.” Revelation 19:11-21, Revelation 20:1-3 Matthew 25:31-46

Lastly, we are told of the 1,000-year Reign of Christ, then the New Heaven and New Earth. Eternity in heaven! Revelation 20:1-6, 11-15; Revelation 21-22, Revelation 20:10,13-15, Matthew 25:41,46

Chart of events

DOOMSDAY OR RAPTURE?

The human race has always been given a choice. Will we choose to follow the world into each Mayan doomsday type prophecy, or submit to God’s plan and be filled with ecstatic delight and peace as we await the rapture of the Church? (Look up the definition for rapture….it means “ecstatic delight!”) Let’s pour confidence into our children that we serve an awesome God who is in complete control.

Revelation 22:20 “Yes, I (Jesus Christ) am coming quickly.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.

Psalm 4:8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make we dwell in safety.

Dear mom, are you or your children living in fear? We pray you will point your family to the unchanging truth found in scripture to find peace.

By Tara Dovenbarger, Come be filled up with all the fullness of God.

Come chat with me on Facebook, or subscribe at www.taradovenbarger.com

www.freedigitalphotos.net

David Jeremiah, The Prophecy Answer Book (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010)

Kay Arthur, Lord I Want to Know You: A Devotional Study on the Names of God (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 1992)

Filed Under: Blog, Uncategorized Tagged With: Children, encouragement, end times, Faith, Fear, God, Jesus Christ, Prophecy, rapture, Revelation, salvation, The M.O.M. Initiative, trusting God 12 Comments

Casting vision for your child’s future

November 27, 2012 By Julie Sanders

Being a mom is a lot about marketing. We “sell” our kids lots of ideas, both true and false. We may tell them they can be whatever they want, that there’s nothing they can’t achieve, that Santa eats our cookies on Christmas Eve, and that God won’t give us more than we can handle. Moms are master marketers. But how do we genuinely cast vision for our children to reach their true potential?

The truth: God designed them to be better at some things more than others; they might not be able to be a professional football player or an Olympic figure skater; Mom or Dad will eat the Christmas cookies; life will throw us curve balls that will send us begging for help at the feet of Jesus. When it comes to casting vision for our child’s future, we can’t afford to sell the rose colored version; we have to tell the truth and then do more.

Tell the truth about your child’s future

Age level determines how much and the words we use to help our kids see, understand, and face hard things, but they need us to help them face it. Their future is full of hard things.

Instead of picking up a crying toddler and saying, “Oh, you’re fine, you’re fine. That didn’t hurt,” a mom with a view to the future says, “Oh, I know that hurt. I’m sorry you hurt. Let’s ask God to heal it and teach you how to be careful.”

They need to know:

God will never leave them. (Hebrews 13:5-6)
God will always hear them. (Jeremiah 33:2-3)
They do have weaknesses, but God is strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
They will face hard things to grow stronger. (James 1:2-4)
They will be blessed when they obey. (Psalm 103:19-21)
God makes individuals for unique purposes. (Psalm 139:13-15)
God has good plans for their future. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

And that’s 100% true. We can cast a vision for our child’s bright future based on those guarantees, while giving them truths to face the realities of life. But that’s just a start.

Then do more

You might think speaking truth about life is enough when it comes to inspiring children with future possibilities. It’s not. All of our work, our hopes, our good intentions, our right words will be impotent if our children don’t see US live with confidence in God’s purposes for our NOW and our FUTURE.

They need to see:

We live like God is always with us.
We regularly talk to God about everything.
We aren’t perfect, but we depend on God.
We get stronger when we face hard things.
We obey God’s Word and get blessed.
We are comfortable with how God made us and make the most of it.
We smile at the future, whether it’s a new school or a life change.

A child looks to her mother to cast bright vision about her future, but a mother can not impart what she does not possess.

To pass on a genuinely great view of the future, a mom has to believe it herself. God has great futures planned for our kids! Let’s let them watch us and see it in action.

Which of the 7 things a child needs to see is your child seeing today?

By Julie Sanders at Come Have a Peace

Filed Under: Julie Sanders, Parenting Tagged With: Faith, parenting advice, Successful Parenting, Teens, trusting God 7 Comments

Talking to kids about the Storm

October 29, 2012 By Julie Sanders

You could pull the curtains and claim it’s sunny, but more than 1/3 of the United States will experience Hurricane Sandy first-hand. Anxiety surfaces for some children, and questions arise for others, but all young minds do some mental filing and processing as this “Superstorm” strikes the East coast of the United States. Don’t be fooled; they’re thinking about more than lost Halloween candy. How do you talk to kids about a storm?

What God says about the storm

God’s word is not silent about storms. This opens the door for moms to use natural questions, to help children understand God and His plans.

God created peace and storms. “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity. I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).
God makes all the parts of a storm. “Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word!” (Psalm 148:7-8)
God commands winds and waves. “For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea” (Psalm 107:25).
God makes storms stop and be calm. “He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed” (Psalm 107:29).
God won’t flood the whole earth again. “I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign…” (Genesis 9:13-15).

(More reading: Selections from Job 38 about how God is involved with the earth.)

What mom needs to know about the storm

Life’s storms are teachable moments. Embrace them like you would a life preserver in a rising surge. Face uncertainties head on and talk to your kids with these truths in mind:

Closeness produces comfort. Just like we find comfort in feeling near our Heavenly Father, God gives children parents to protect and care for them. Show your child how you’re prepared. Let them see emergency supplies and help you make a list. Physical nearness and touch help a child to feel secure that they are protected.
Media amplifies anxiety. Monitor media feed into your child’s imagination. Images and “hype language” on tv, the internet, and even your phone conversations may create or feed your child’s anxiety. Limit exposure.
Stress accelerates learning. This is a teachable moment. It’s an ideal time to take out the atlas and look at a map, plot your local fire stations, discuss the Jet Stream, and define “Hurricane.” Talk about wise behavior in inclement conditions. Information diffuses fear.
Example trumps intentions. If we monitor media for our kids, but stay glued to the screen (large or small) ourselves, we send mixed messages. Children can sniff out a hypocrite! Tell your inner drama queen to go to Lord with fears you’re facing, and invite your children to pray with you. Say out loud that you trust in God to take care of you. You are teaching life lessons for when your child faces a “storm” without you one day.

Some moms struggle with fears of their own in a natural calamity. Some will face loss and hardship. May the moms around you lift you up and support you in that day, and may we help our children learn how to respond to the storms of life.

After all, God said to His beloved ones in Isaiah 43: 1-4, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you …For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior … Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you …”

What comforts you when the tides start to rise & winds start to blow?