"Getting Back To The Cross" by Fran Maynard

Sometimes I have seasons in my life when I feel off.  I still go through the motions but I’m just not connecting like I know I should be.  Maybe you can relate?  I know when life is like this it’s because my thoughts are drawn more towards the world (or the craziness of my day) and I have taken my eyes off Christ.  When this happens it calls for a realignment.

Recently I noticed my kids struggling with various behaviors and attitudes, so I started praying “Lord please show me how to get them back on track”.  I should have known the answer I was going to get.  The Lord graciously showed me, they too needed to be realigned!  I needed to put Christ back into the reason they do or don’t do something and the reason they are able to succeed at it.

So, I shifted my approach from my own means to Jesus.  I reminded my children that Jesus cares so much for them that He went to the cross for each of them personally.   And because of His great love and mercy and because He is living inside them, they too can live a life that reflects His heart with new behaviors and attitudes.    

“The way to progress as a Christian is continually to repent and uproot these systems in the same way that we became Christians-by the vivid depiction of Christ’s saving work for us, and the abandoning of self-trusting efforts to complete ourselves.  We must go back again and again to the gospel of Christ crucified, so that our hearts are more deeply gripped by the reality of what He did and who we are in Him”. Tim Keller 

My question to you is, have you gotten off track lately?  Have you been trying to fix things your own way?  If so, I would encourage you to get back to the cross and Jesus crucified!  Remind your little ones of who they are in HIM and that He loves them very much..  

Lastly, our family picked out a family bible verse.  How fun to learn and memorize the word together!  Do you have a family verse, maybe one for each child?  This is ours.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That’s the most important thing about it.  And that’s not all.  It also loves peace.  It thinks about others.  It obeys.  It is full of mercy and good fruit.  It is fair.  It doesn’t pretend to be what it is not.  Those who make peace plant it like a seed.  They will harvest a crop of right living.  James 3:17-18

     

Raising Patriots...and Preparing for the Fourth

"So if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed." 

                                         John 8:36

It feels good to be free! To come and go as I please, eat when I want to, go to sleep when I want to, take a shower when I went to (well, for the most part), etc. You get the picture. As we draw nearer to Independence Day, we should prepare our little ones for the importance of that beautiful day. As a country we have had our ups and downs, our failures and triumphs. We have been right, and we have been in the wrong, but we are a nation that was founded upon Christian principles and we need to continue to be rooted in Christ in order to flourish. Jeremiah 29:7 admonishes us to seek the peace and prosperity of the city/country in which we live because if it prospers, we will too.  As the Fourth of July quickly approaches, let’s pray with our children for our leaders and authorities. Let’s teach them to be patriots.

Furthermore, let’s teach our children about the ultimate Independence Day—the day Christ set us free from sin and death! Yes, it feels good to live in a free country, full of hope, and founded upon Christian ideals. BUT it feels even better to be free in Christ—to be free from addiction, self-hurt, and hopelessness because of what Christ did on the cross for us.

So, as we celebrate this Independence Day with our country, here are a few ideas taken from my friend Julie’s blog at www.happyhomefairy.com: By the way, if you ever need a creative Mom idea, you should check out her website. She's covered it all! At our house, we plan on baking a cake, covering it with white icing, and using cut strawberries for the red stripes and blueberries for the part with the stars. Have fun, and Happy Independence Day! :)

                     America’s birthday is coming up and it’s time to start celebrating!

What better way to celebrate than by making an American Flag Craft?

Here are a variety of amazing (and easy!) ideas for you to choose from…

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Your Happy Buddies will love this magical Watercolor Resist American Flag by the Crafty Classroom.

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You know when you buy a box of Popsicle Sticks, you are committing to like a lifetime of Popsicle Stick crafts.

Use some of the bounty to make these adorable Popsicle Stick American Flags from The Suburban Mom.

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How cute is this Handprint American Flag Craft from Muffin Tin Mom?!

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Serendipity added footprints to make this awesome Hand and Footprint Flag.

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This neat Stars and Strips (strips of ribbons!) project from Family Fun will look great on your front door this July.

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Rip into this simple Paper Flag from i heart crafty things.

And I mean rip quite literally – your Happy Buddies will love ripping up pieces of paper to create the flag.

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This American Flag Collage from Meaningful Mama makes my jaw drop!

Her Happy Buddies cut out a variety of red, white, and blue pictures from magazines to put together a beautiful piece of art.

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Living Locurto made me smile with her happy American Flag Marshmallows.

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How about a cute Pom-Pom Flag from Free Kids Crafts?

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Whip up a tasty Patriotic Treat (like this Patriotic Crunch) and stick it in this sweet little Flag Bag from Motherhood on a Dime. Give to someone special on the 4th of July!

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This one is my favorite!

The Chocolate Muffin Tree shows you how to make this entertaining Patriotic Folded Flag – your Happy Buddies will be in wonder as it comes together!

Now for something funny.

Q. What did one flag say to the other flag?

A. Nothing, it just waved.

Happy American Flag Craft-ing!