Captain of the Army!

Proverbs 31:10b "... she is worth far more than rubies."

About 3 weeks ago, while my daughter was getting her teeth cleaned, she was asked by the hygienist what she wanted to be when she grew up.  Calgary Brooke quickly replied "I want to be a mom."  The hygienist's jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she looked at me like my daughter had just done something dreadfully awful. The awkward moment followed with "She just wants to be a mom?" implying I should intervene at once and set my poor wayward daughter straight.  I simply replied, "She could run a fortune 500 company, but she wants to be mom and I think she will be a wonderful one!" The woman was still not satisfied and brought it up 3 more times.  "You know you could have a career AND be a mom."  "You shouldn't sell yourself short."  "You should go to college."

One week later, my daughter was asked the same question in her dance class at a Christian school by one of her teachers.  My daughter once again replied, "I want to be a mom."  This time she was met with a tearful face saying "That so blesses my heart, sweetie!  You are choosing the best thing!"

My two takeaways:
1.  The world will constantly try to impose its priorities and goals on us and our children.
2.  When God gives you a word or desire it is nothing short of a miracle!  The God who created the world and is outside of time, took notice of you and intervened in your heart and mind.  Guard it jealously! Keep your focus on Him and let the nay sayers pass on by.

On the mom thing, let me clarify.  God created marriage and family BEFORE He instituted the church or government.  The Bible tells us He desires godly offspring. Yet for so many of us, we struggle with "should I be doing something more important than raising kids?" "How can I impact the world in a more profound way?" What more profound way can a person impact the world than to raise up a world-changer. (one person at a time)

Think of the people you most admire.  Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, Ronald Reagan, Einstein, your favorite aunt ... they all had mothers speaking into their character.  Their mothers poured thousands of precious hours into their lives, launching them into the world. Each mother played an invaluable role in changing the world. Mothering is the highest calling, the most influential job on earth, and one which ought to be affirmed more readily. Let us lead the charge to not just be an excellent mother, but to train up an army of excellent mothers.  One day, Calgary Brooke will be a captain in that army!

Calgary Brooke and her lucky mommy!

Speaking Strengths into Your Child’s Heart

Proverbs 22:6  "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Every night when my husband puts our kids to bed, he lays his hands on them and prays out loud, thanking God for their strengths.  He will pray "Thank You, Lord, for my son, Zack, whom You have given to me, who has a pure heart of love for people of all ages, and a great business mind," or "Thank You, Lord, that my beautiful daughter, Calgary, exercised her gift of leadership in school today by ..."

My children will never doubt that my husband believes in them or wonder what their strengths are. This simple, consistent act has helped shape their Godfidence (confidence in God's involvement in their lives), given them direction in making choices for their lives, and ensured that their "Daddy" love tank has been filled up!  (Mommy has a separate tank but that is for another blog post!) 

Each child is created uniquely by our wonderful Father in heaven for a specific purpose He has planned for them.  I encourage you to ask God what your children's strengths are and begin consistently reminding them of those strengths.  Children need to grasp to Whom they belong (rooted in Him), and know how He has gifted them (wings to fly.)

My Sister's Keeper

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

My family and I have been blessed recently to rejoin the YMCA after a two year hiatus. I love this little time of refreshment for myself where I know the kids are cared for, and I can work out a little mommy steam uninterrupted. That is….until my little guy started having an issue at the Y. My oldest son and my daughter were having a blast, but my little guy would dread going, and he started saying “NO” to his teachers at the gym. I asked my oldest Doodlebug what was going on, and to my surprise, he was oblivious. He had no clue what the issue was, so I probed a little deeper. I wanted to know who his brother was playing with, if he was making friends, etc. After further investigation, it seemed that my oldest son was off playing with his friends, and my sweet little daughter was enjoying some much needed company with other little girls.

That’s when it dawned on me; my little guy needed friends of his own at the Y. We as a family needed to pray for that. BUT until then, I gave my oldest Doodlebug a mission: YOU are to be your brother’s best friend, include him, and help him make new friends. Our little guy needed to know he had a place to belong, and we needed to let him know that he ALWAYS belongs in this family. (As a side note, I am totally not blaming his discipline issues completely on not having a friend. My husband and I have to be very consistent, firm, yet gentle to enforce the rules. But we needed to play offense and defense so to speak to tackle this issue.)

The truth is the body of Christ should operate in the same way. We need to encourage each other. Three easy ways we can show our love for Christ and each other are:

1. Affirming each other with kind and encouraging words. Not empty flattery, but sincere praise. If you see something beautiful in another sister, let her know.
2. Time well spent—maybe a play date or a quick BYOL (Bring your own lunch) at the park while the kids play would provide the refreshment you and another mom (and your kids) need.
3. Prayer. Let’s make a habit of praying with each other. It’s great to let someone know you’ll be praying for them. It’s even better to stop right then and pray with them.

On the other hand, godly encouragement can also take the form of admonishment. Maybe a little truth in love is what is needed. Maybe that sister needs to hear a loving, “Stop doing that because that is sinful and will end up hurting you and the ones you love.” I’ll be honest; sometimes we all need to hear that kind of truth in love. In the earlier example, I had to encourage my older son to do that for his little brother. Please, help that boy stay out of trouble. LOL J

When it comes down to it, in the body of Christ, WE ARE OUR SISTER’S KEEPER.

Have a blessed day in the Lord, my friend,

Teresa

Verses to ponder:

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2

Encourage One Another

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)

We all need to be encouraged at one time or another. Even when things seem to being going great. We've all answered the ever common "fine" when asked, "How are you?" even when it's not totally true.

Take this time and ask God to lay at least 3 women on your heart to encourage within the next 3 weeks. You can encourage one per week or all three today if you want. 

Here are some ways to encourage her:

1 - Mail a card or a note.

2 - Go for a visit.

3 - Take her to lunch or for coffee.

4 - Compliment her.

5 - Ask her for a prayer request.

6 - Give her a hug.

7 - Buy her a gift.

8 - Send her a song. (youtube link)

9 - Call her.

10 -  Email or Text her.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)

Father, I pray for the disheartened and lonely. For those who feel alone even when surrounded by people. Lord, let her know that You hear her prayers. Comfort her with Your loving embrace. Remind her of Your everlasting love. Use us Lord, to encourage our sisters in the faith. We love You and we thank You for new mercies everyday, in Jesus' name, Amen.

"ME" Time - PART TWO- Girl Time!

Last week's blog talked about what we can do in our spare time to bless our husbands.


Side note: Single moms - you do have a husband - his name is Jesus. He looks for you to pursue ways to please him as well. He loves for you to seek out time to be with him. To exercise and be in "shape" for those moments HE wants to use you in ministry.  Keep your face towards Him and watch how he puts those opportunities in your path, which allow you to feel close to Him. Allow Jesus to be your perfect husband right now in this season.


This week we will explore the importance of having "girl time" scheduled into our week.

Many times as moms we are the last person on our list. We seek to serve others and forget to plan some "me" time into our schedule. I am hoping you will see the importance of friendship and how it's something we need to cultivate and encourage in our life. The impact is life changing.

We should have at least one day per week that we get out, for ourselves, with no responsibility, and just enjoy the sweetness of friendship. Get refreshed. Rejuvenated. Ready to face the week ahead! Ready to share the struggles of the week that just passed. I need to be intentional about getting together with friends and have learned in my life that if I am not... than unfortunately those friendships will suffer. 

I LOVE Starbucks! Yes I enjoy their Frappacchinos but I love what their store represents even more. Starbucks symbolizes sweet times with girlfriends. Sharing life. Doing Bible studies. Catching up. Reminiscing. Making new friends. Relaxing. Gleaning. Laughing. Enjoying great coffee.


Scripture reminds us of the importance of friendship in our life...


Proverbs 18:24 NIV
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.




Proverbs 13:20 NIV
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harms.




John 15:13 NIV
Greater Love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.




Proverbs 27:17 NIV
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another




Proverbs17:17 NIV
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity




Proverbs 22:24-25 NIV
Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared




Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!




Proverbs 15:22 NIV
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

When is your "girl time" scheduled this week? 


I once had a friend say that in order to start something new you have to let go of something old. So elementary yet so profound. What, in your schedule, do you need to let go of to make some room for girl time?


 If it is not on your calendar yet then plan to call up a friend and get some coffee together. Mark it down. Get a sitter if necessary. Then share. Cry. Laugh. Enjoy. Pray together. And then repeat all of the above on a regular basis and watch how you will be refreshed, challenged, encouraged and ready to face the world! 


Life is busy. Make time for friends!


You might just be surprised @ the ministry opportunities HE allows you to be a part of as you get out :)

Friendship

“So encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

                                    1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)

I just came back from the most refreshing time away with a group of ladies who love the Lord. A few of my friends and I escaped to the FPEA (Florida Parent Educators Association) convention in Orlando, Florida. This convention is focused on homeschooling, and it offers tons of incredibly useful information…not to mention an amazing exhibit hall with every homeschool curriculum imaginable…and a representative to explain and answer questions.

While I learned a ton about how to homeschool effectively, I was blessed the most by the fellowship of the ladies whom I met at the conference. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Just as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” I was strengthened, challenged, and encouraged by these ladies. John 13:35 informs us that we will know Christians by their love. There were approximately 4,000 homeschool families at this convention, yet the amount of peace as opposed to chaos was evident. The majority of the families there acknowledge Christ as their Lord and Savior and they live by that truth. Instead of feeling like moms were competing against one another to see whose child was the brightest, craftiest, most outgoing, advanced, etc., these moms simply loved on their children for who God had created them to be, and they acknowledged that each mom parents and teaches a bit differently. How refreshing!

I am currently blessed to be five months pregnant with a little baby girl…or another boy. J I also have a four year old and a fourteen month old. I am excited about having three little ones, even though that was not me and my husband’s initial plan. However, I also have to admit that while people are very excited to hear about your first and second child, they often seem puzzled and uncertain by the third and wonder (sometimes out loud) why someone would want to have “all those kids.”

God’s word says that children are a blessing from the Lord, but so often people view children as burdens…especially if you have a lot of them. My point in highlighting all this is to say that it is important to hang out with people who are going to encourage you in your walk with the Lord—people who have been where you are or are trying to walk the same road. That doesn’t mean that everyone we hang out with has to be just like us, but we should carefully consider the goals and values that we hold dear and then choose to invest in those types of relationships. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to chat and have tea with women who had four, five, six, eight kids. They were not crazy, weird, stressed out moms. They were fun, God-loving, transparent, witty, sane, and cool! I was blessed not only by their words, but by their example.

Sometimes as moms we can feel so overwhelmed by the things God has called us to, and that is OK. But perhaps the road we are traveling would feel less intimidating—less lonely—if we chose to walk with moms who love the Lord and our willing to pray, encourage, and share life with us. I would encourage you to pray for God to send such women into your life. You will be blessed! J

Prayer,                                                                                                                                                                

Heavenly Father, thank you that you did not call us to walk this life alone. You are always with us and you created us for fellowship with you and your people. Please help us to invest in friendships in which you are the center. Help us to be a reflection of you to the people we meet. May we encourage each other in love and truth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Seasons

When was the last time you held a baby only hours old? I was blessed with the opportunity just this last week as I was able to be with my sister and brother-in-law for the birth of their new baby. Having four of my own children and having been with my sister for the birth of both her children, the awesomeness of these events just becomes more breathtaking each time. It doesn’t diminish in any way...I am only left in awe of God’s creation and His love.

I don’t know if this is true for every mother but for me it was most difficult to go from one baby to two. With the first one there was time to sleep when they slept, time to sit and enjoy feeding them and rock them to sleep. With baby number one you thought you knew what exhaustion was but now with number two you really get to find out. You are awake all day with your older child counting down the hours until naptime where you are praying that the new baby will be sleeping so that you can catch a few minutes of rest. You are awake all night with that precious new baby who hasn’t yet figured out that nighttime is for sleeping. There are dishes and laundry piling up and a bathroom that…well…maybe we shouldn’t even go there.

My point is that I was there and when I was there I would think about all those books that I used to have time to read. All those books that told me to have a quiet time every morning, study my bible, pray, to be a good wife and mom. AHHHHHH………… It just all made me wanna cry or scream or do both. I remember telling my husband once, “you know what would be nice, is if a women who actually has babies could tell me how to fit all this in.” It wasn’t that all these other women had never had babies because they did, they too had been where I was, but when you are in the forest all you see are the trees.

I look back on those days and what I did was cope and adjust. My mornings were no longer quiet they were feeding babies, crying babies, changing diapers and wondering if I was going to get to shower and if I did would I have to skip washing my hair or shaving my legs. There was no way I was getting up earlier than my kids because I was exhausted and lucky if I got 3 hours of sleep in a row.

Oswald Chambers said, “Never make a principle out of your experiences, let God be as original with other people as He is with you.” And that is what I did… I let God be original with me. I took the principles that I had learned; that it is important to spend time with God in quiet, study my Bible and pray and well…I had to get creative. When I nursed I would read, give the other children a book or have them watch a short video. Occasionally, they would lose interest and loving that mommy was preoccupied do something like play in the toilet. I also started writing scripture on index cards and putting them everywhere in my house or in my pockets. I was then able to memorize and meditate on scripture while doing dishes, showering, or putting on makeup. Laundry time became my designated prayer time. I could fold and pray and eventually that just flowed over into everything I did, I prayed all the time. And as far as quiet time goes… I took it when I could get it everyday was different.

photo found here

My reason for sharing this is because life has many seasons, babies is just one of them and the important thing is that we do come to Jesus, that we learn about Him, that our faith grows and that our relationship with Him strengthens in each of those seasons. The principles of spending time in quiet with God, reading His word and praying aren’t going to change but our methods of how we do them may change. And you know… that’s okay. It took me awhile to get that. I was putting myself under a law that I had created, not God. Beating myself up for not doing things the way I thought they should be done. I was making the method the principle.

I watch my sister, I listen to her tell me about her struggles but I know she will make it out all right to the other side of the forest. It is just that sometimes those trees are redwoods; we are exhausted and the thought of there being another side is at times inconceivable.

I want to encourage you this week to let God be original with you. Get creative if you are struggling to get time with God. This blog is to encourage moms, you have access to seven moms for sure...in addition to anyone else reading. If you could use some help getting creative, share your struggle in the comments and ask for some creative solutions. You are not alone, let other moms come alongside you to encourage and help you in your journey to a better relationship with Christ.

" Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Why Parakaleo?

Our blog would be incomplete if we didn't share the history of how Parakaleo came about. A few months ago the Lord birthed the idea to start a Christian blog for moms. He encouraged 7 women to come on a journey and take a leap of faith. Most of who knew nothing about blogging, but there is something organic about that. Each woman blogs one day per week and brings something totally unique to the table. God hand picked each mom and we are humbled to serve together on this team. Be sure to check out the BIOS section at the bottom of the page to meet our group of ladies. Our prayer is that the Lord uses His word, His spirit, and our experiences to minister to your heart as we walk through this season of being a mom together.
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Hi, my name is Kate. I have lived in south Florida my whole life...yep a Floridian! Four years ago I left the teaching profession to go into full-time ministry...being a mommy. What a blessing! Life is busy but wonderful. I have two wonderful little boys, James (4) and Jack Jack (2), who love to explore! The Lord is continually using my sons to teach me lessons. They are fun and so very opposite of each other. It is challenging at times... but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Seven years ago I married my best friend, James...he is truly a gift from the Lord. Every day the Lord uses our marriage to refine me as we walk together in ministry. I pray the following blog encourages to you today.


Love is a Battlefield
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” – Luke 10:27

Everyone wants to feel loved and accepted. Life is hard and we desire friends who will stand by and encourage us. God wired us this way. I was reminded of this truth a few weeks ago as the boys and I ventured out one rainy morning to an inflatable kids play arena. We had the whole place to ourselves! It was wonderful! We enjoyed exploring and expending all the energy we had built up due to the crazy weather. Suddenly the atmosphere changed as the Lord put into motion a lesson He wanted my family to learn.

A group of older boys came running in. And I, being the over-protective mom, watched closely their interaction with my boys. Each time my son, James, tried to play with them they just ignored him and shooed him away. My son persisted and followed the boys through a tunnel which lead to a secluded area. I saw lots of movement and no response as I called his name. After a few moments, James managed to get out. He explained that the boys were kicking him after he accidentally fell on one of the them. My heart broke. I knew physically, he was beaten down but I also realized that emotionally he hurt as well. James just wanted to be accepted. Don’t we all.

It saddened me to watch my son hunger for friendship that wouldn't be offered. That must be how God feels as He watches us do the same to those in our path who so desperately need a friend yet we keep "playing." Whether four or thirty-four, we all want friends who will invite us into their "tunnel" of life. I experienced this when I first got married. I cried (literally) out to the Lord asking for some good Christian girlfriends. I was sad and felt so alone. Within a few weeks the Lord surprised me by allowing me to meet some sweet women who supported and encouraged me. The compassion shown by those women has never been forgotten. I remember their compassion for me and it has caused my heart to seek out those in need of a friend. There is something beautiful about having friends, in the same season of life, who understand and love you.

Was I friendly today? How did I love my neighbor? Did Christ shine through me to the woman at the park with kids, that co-worker, or cashier at the local grocer? Did I take time to share His love and offer peace to someone in need of a friend? So often, being consumed with my own agenda, I easily pass right by HIS. Our world is broken and hurting. We have something exciting to give them...the love of Christ. Invite them into your "tunnel" of life. So thankful each new day holds fresh opportunities to shine for Jesus.

Challenge: Pray and ask the Lord for an opportunity to reach out to someone who may need a friend. Or if you, like my son James, are in need of a friend cry out to Jesus and ask Him for one. Then, keep your eyes wide open because He might just surprise you and shake up your routine a little! HE wants to do great things in and through you today!