As mommas we might tend to feel the need to "control" all the happenings of our family.  Here's a little devotion from Our Daily Bread to help us remember the majesty of our God.  We can sing that little Sunday School song, "He's got the whole world in His hand..." but we tend to forget it when life's issues pool upon us...

https://odb.org/ (Spilling Through My Fingers, by Kirsten Holmberg. March 16, 2017)

Got a Jersey?

     Today I have visited with three ladies.  Great ladies.  They are leaders in their church, their schools, and their homes.  They all appear to be great wives and great moms and I’ll add great friends.

     But each of these ladies are struggling.  Struggling specifically in their marriages.  I understand.

Life

Is

Hard!

My response to all three was the same.

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     Without effort I can point the finger and blame my husband, I can express my disappointment for what he doesn’t do and be ungrateful for all that he does.  I challenged each of these gals to remember their husbands ARE NOT the problem.

     Our fights are NOT against them.  Our fights are against what we cannot see.

     I suggested to one of the gals that she create a “team jersey” for each member of her family.  I told her to consider wearing the jerseys as reminders that she and her husband are on the same team.  Whenever she needs help with chores around the house to put on her jersey and have the other family do the same to remind them they are on the same team.

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     I told her when she and her husband get in a squabble to put on the jerseys to remind them they are not fighting against each other.  The resolution isn’t to slug it out on each other but together they look for resolution.

      A bloody nose and black eyes should be given to the enemy not each other.  Don’t fight against your spouse fight with your spouse.

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Leading My Family in Thankfulness

A couple of years ago, we were blessed to host some good friends for the Thanksgiving season. They were in town to visit some family members and needed a place to stay, but they also carved out some time to “kick the can” with us. We had a great time! After they left, I realized that Kate had placed a little thank you card on my dresser along with a Thanksgiving card from Family Life.

Such a sweet gift of gratitude! On the back of the card, was a little exercise to complete with our family. I thought it would be a great idea to make this little “assignment” together a tradition in our family…perhaps sweetened by a cup of tea, cider…or hot chocolate with marshmallows for the kids.

The exercise is a fill-in-the-blank “walk down memory lane” that we complete (verbally) as a family. It is my pleasure and joy to share it with you… J

Complete the following statements together:

• I remember when we needed ________________ and God provided ________________. (Read Phillippians 4:12-13, 19).
• I am thankful that God brought ___________________ (person’s name or another family) into my life because he has used them to _______________. (Read Ephesians 4:11-13).
• I am thankful for ________________ that God gives us every day. (Read Deuteronomy 8:3).
• I am thankful that God is teaching me ____________________. (Read Hebrews 12:4-11_.
• Despite (and even because of) _______________, I thank you for ____________. (Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 and James 1:2-4).
• We can’t help but thank you for ________________!  You are so good, Lord. (Read Psalm 23: 5-6).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Prayer,

Lord, for YOU we are truly thankful! You have washed us clean of our sins, even though we do not deserve it. You bless us with good things. You desire relationship with us, and we are blessed by your Spirit and your truth. Thank you, Lord!

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

TRAGEDY INTO TRIUMPH

31 years ago July 9th my husbands dad who was a pilot on Pan Am flight 759 was killed in a tragic plane crash. He went to be with the Lord along with 151 other people that day. Leaving behind a wife, 8 year old daughter, and 3 year old son (my husband.) This tragedy rocked his family as you can imagine but it has been a true blessing and inspiration to see how he, his mother, and sister have leaned on the Lord and held on to HIS promises in the midst of this trial. This post was written by my husband last year on the 30th anniversary of the crash. It touched my heart and inspired me. I pray it inspires you the same way.

FB post 7/9/2012

     Today I’m a year older than my father was when he was died and I have a 3 year old son, 4 and 12 year old daughters, and a wife I’m madly in love with. I came home from shift this morning and everything hit me like a wave when I walked through the door to see my son peeking his head around the wall followed by his sisters. For years I wished my dad had walked back through the door and even now I wish I had something like my dad’s Facebook account to take a look at the times we had together (this is why I journal through FB). However, today is special because I can look at my kids and know better the love he had for us as well as the types of experiences we may have had together. I’ve always wondered about that. 

Even when I purposefully ran far away from God, He never gave up on me. Through all my selfishness, ungratefulness, self-pity, depression, anger, denial, addictions, pride, rebellion, and plenty more He has always been there I just didn’t always look for Him. 

Rom. 5:8 “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Maybe the absence of my father has given me an advantage in knowing the presence of my Heavenly Father. You know how they say when you lose one of your senses it heightens others? I used to focus on the bad things that came from this tragedy until I began to see how many great things were happening in spite of it and how they were directly related to God (this would be around 2004). I think this is what led me to dive in to Big Brothers ministry, mentoring, briefly teaching Bible class w/ my future wife, and now Fathering like I’m some kind of hybrid between Bill Cosby and Jeff Corwin. When I see others who have been through or are going through trials inside I want to scream that God wants to do great things for them too! I need to get better at sharing that. 

It’s interesting that I ended up being a Firefighter/Paramedic just like the first responders that were on scene of my dad’s accident. At work I get to see plenty of tragedy. The majority don’t make it to FB posts…doesn’t seem right. But I am always reminded that God is there in tragedy and Heaven is Home, life is the hard part. 

I pray for the other victims of this tragedy and their families, that they are able to know as well as experience God’s presence in their life. Also for anyone who has endured a tragedy, if you don’t know, there is so much peace, healing, and hope in Christ Jesus. Trust me I am not the preachy type but today I feel led to share, God is there for you right where you’re at, always reaching out. Read the Bible, don’t just view Christianity as corrupt churches, hypocrites, and judgmental people. There is so much out there for those that can seek out what’s real and not just manipulative media or twisted conversations. 

This is by far my longest FB post so I’ll end it here. Back to Psalm 68:5 from above. I’ve always referred to that verse on this day but am particularly struck by the next verse which I normally skip over. Psalm 68:6 “God sets the lonely in families.” (or the desolate in a homeland). Now we are in a class to become foster parents and this next verse has a new significance. Hate to use a cliché’ but God has a plan! 



Written by Devin Pierce

Lt. Donald Pierce

Mom, are we there yet?

This week Greg and I are on a family road trip to be with His parents for their 50^th wedding anniversary.  When taking a road trip I always try to start with my best foot forward by washing and preparing the van for the adventure.  Cleaning it good inside and out, washing the windows, stocking it with essentials such as; water bottles, snacks, paper towels, Clorox wipes and tissues.

  

Our family has had many road trips under our belt.  We have been laughing while sharing favorite moment stories from past trips.  We have had many trip challenges to overcome, some small, like emergency bathroom stops or getting lost, and some large, like accidents or car sickness.  We have great bonding times on the open road.  As we reminisce about our favorite stories, I think as a mom how our family has grown and changed through the years,

Car music - From Barney to Justin Bieber

Luggage - From Diaper Bag to Ballet Bags

Snacks - From Cheerios to Sandwiches

Entertainment – From Road Trip Bingo to watching DVDs and listening to iPods

From Single to Married for one of our Daughters and now Son-In-Law first road tip (Also the first trip that our son will meet us there from college)

I look back with such gratitude and see how faithful God has been to our family.   Road trips are not just about the destination, but about the memories that we build along the way. I am looking forward with great expectation to many more trips in our future.  

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. Phil 4:11 NKJV

Going All Out

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to your children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:7

I love holidays! They are a great excuse to celebrate big—make food, hang out with friends and family, travel, go on vacation, etc. Most kids like holidays too because they indicate that something special is about to happen--they are getting ready to be a part of something great. Holidays provide a great way for us to break away from the routine. Well, with Easter (or Resurrection Sunday) just around the corner, we as moms are presented with another opportunity to celebrate Christ’s love with our kids.

Easter is such a beautiful holiday, but it can be difficult to explain its true meaning to a young child. However, I would encourage each of us (including myself) to pray about and follow through with a way to share the Easter story with your children in a way that is applicable and appropriate for their age. Let’s not waste this holiday on simply eggs, chocolate, bunnies, and baskets. Those things are fun, but let’s remember what the focus of our celebration is.

A few weeks ago at Mom to Mom, Linda Anderson shared a few tips with us mommas about passing on the legacy of faith and building belonging within our family. She was not merely talking about Easter, but about celebrations in general. Here are a few points she mentioned:

1. Keep it simple.
2. Remember that the process is more important than the end product. Involve your kids in the process (crafts, cooking, service projects, etc.) instead of keeping them occupied and out of the way.
3. Focus on creating family memories as opposed to people-pleasing.
4. Include others—create a contagious, fun Christian community that other people are delighted to be a part of.
5. Celebrate everyday “God sightings”.
6. Ask yourself: What’s the focus of our celebrations, and are they fun?

I know this blog may seem a bit premature, but I would encourage you to be thinking of ways you can prepare your child’s heart for Easter/Resurrection Sunday so that it is a joyous and memorable holiday for your family. We put so much preparation and emphasis into Christmas, and the excitement over it is extremely contagious. Let’s do the same for Easter! I would encourage you to leave any ideas and suggestions on sharing the Easter story and celebrating with your children in the comments below. Some of us mommas could really use some good ideas (i.e. me). :)

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank you so much that there is a season for everything. Thank you for this Easter season that reminds of us the incredible price you paid so that we could be clean and close to you. Help us share the beauty of what you did on the cross in a way that captures the hearts and minds of even our youngest kids without scaring them. Give us fresh insight and revelation on how we can “let the little children come to you”. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.