this season

This season

I have really enjoyed the sermons this season. They talk about us not getting stressed, but enjoying the time we have with the family. I don't have to make a huge fru fru about everything, but I want to make it special. The kids don't have to have every gift they had last year, and we don't have to keep every tradition (although some traditions are fun and important). The important thing is being together..playing games (yes, we should play video games with the kids some), singing, dancing, exercising like playing soccer together, watching movies (but not all day), cooking together, eating without the TV distraction. Listening to them is important. They don't need extravagance, they just need us.

Another important thing is for them to see us serving others. This includes our parents. Maybe the kids know someone that doesn't have much money. They can pick out a toy for that friend. Maybe there is a neighbor that never comes out of the house. Maybe you could take them some home made cookies. Ask God to show you ways to serve, and I'm sure he will put someone in your mind that needs a smile, or a hug.

God wants us to shine his joy and mercy in others. We shouldn't be greedy with His love. He wants us to share it freely and sharing the birth of Jesus with our family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and strangers is a wonderful way to emulate what he has done for us.

Lord Jesus, help me to show Jesus to our kids during this season. Show me ways to not just see the kids in the other room, but to be with them as we celebrate the birth of the Lord. Also, help me to model serving to them. Show me people that need our love and care. Thank you for our families and I pray that we have quality time together as we celebrate Your birth.

In Jesus name

Amen

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

Hi parents, I've been studying about discovering my SHAPE which is:

[S]piritual gifts

[H]eart beat

[A]bilities

[P]ersonality

[E]xperiences

As we train up our kids, the verse says train them they way they should go. That means THEIR SHAPE WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN OURS. Yes, we train them in the ways of the Lord, and teach them walk a christian lifestyle, but as the grow it is our responsibility and privilege to see their personalities bloom and to help mold them to be the person God wants them to be. Occasionally they may follow in our footsteps, but we shouldn't try to mold them into what we want them to be, or to recreate our lives through them.

Spiritual gifts: We need to help them discover their spiritual gifts and help develop those gifts in church. For example, if they have the gift of mercy, we should take them to the hospital to visit a sick church member, or if they are gifted in hospitality we should teach them to have a fun party with their friends. (yes, I love to teach my kids how to party)

Heartbeat: They are learning what their passions are right now. We need to lead them to link their heart with God's heart. They're learning from us what their heartbeat will be. We need to show them Jesus in our every day lives. We can share with them our dilemmas and how we made our choices. Our home should be worshipful, fun, loving, peaceful. As we share our passion for Christ, they will be inspired and become passionate too.

Abilities: We need to pray every day for God to show us their abilities so we can channel their energies in a positive way. If our child really loves sports, we should encourage them to be the best they can be, but if they don't we shouldn't force them. If they are doing sports, we should teach them cooperation, good sportsmanship, caring for others, teamwork. It isn't about screaming at them to do better from the sidelines, but to encourage them and build them up as they do their best while coaching them, practicing with them, going to their games. If they like singing but they are shy, we may need to give them lessons and give them opportunities to be on stage. They may not like it in the beginning, but we are also supposed to help them stretch! It is a hard line sometimes between stretching and pushing, but patience and prayer is the key. Pray for them to have opportunities that only God can provide and He will provide amazing opportunities.

Personalities: It is so fun to study the birth order of our children. It isn't always accurate, but it helps to know what the experts say. (“The New Birth Order” by Kevin Leman is one of my favorite books.) In my experience, each kid has their own unique way of fitting in while trying to stand out. I have 4 kids that are very different. They all love God, but they come at it from different angles. I like to tell them that God made each of us different and their unique talents are needed to make the family complete. We need to have mutual respect for each member of the family, just like we do with God's family.

Experiences: We don't want our kids to hurt. More than anything we want to protect them and have provide them a sheltered, safe environment. That is good and normal, but when things go bad, we can teach them how to work these things for good. When they get bullied at school, instead of saying “just tough it out” or going to the teacher to complain, we can say, “I wonder what this kid is going through at home? Maybe his parents are split up, or maybe he is hungry. We might not know why a bully is mean, but we can start praying for him/her and try to witness God's love to this person. Lets pray right now...” Our child will have a new mission to try to show love instead of vengeance. That experience may lead to the bully becoming saved. With the difficult experiences that our children live through comes a teaching moment that we can be sensitive to. We may have a hard time talking to our children, but if we are available to them, they are more likely to come to us.

All these suggestions take time and effort. Whew it is hard to help SHAPE our kids the way God wants them to be molded, but with God all things are possible. He has given us these kids so we can help them grow into men and women of God.

Lord, Help me to take the parenting task seriously. Show me how to SHAPE my children to be the sons and daughters of God that you desire to use for Your kingdom. Help me to be sensitive to your leading and know when to help them stretch and when to just sit and listen. Most of all, help me to be the best example I can be as I learn to follow you with my SHAPE too. In Jesus name, Amen

clean slate

Parenting is an amazing challenge.It is fun to learn to bond with each child..they are all so different! As I learn about each of them, I  gain knowledge and wisdom. At the same time, the kids grow and develop too. So I keep all my knowledge and experience to equip me for anything, but I've realized that I also need to wipe my  slate clean with each kid so I can react to them individually.  What's good for one kid is not necessarily good for the other.  I need to think about what makes that kid tick using their love language, their birth order, their good and bad experiences, their competitiveness, their sensitivities.   I need to take time to respond with strength and sensitivity.   Some kids open up easily, while others require me to probe to prove that I care...yet as they get older, I have to learn when to give them freedom and when to reign them in. When they proove themselves academicely, I need to be careful to watch their social interactions.  Most importantly,  I think they need to know that I love them no matter what. I'm human and make mistakes,  but at the end of the day, if we give hugs and prayers, including confessions to God and to each other, and lots of laughs, I've done the best I can as a parent.

We are His Masterpiece

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

This verse is worth meditating on. When we take off all the worldly junk and put on Jesus, He makes us his beautiful masterpiece. When He created us, he had big plans for us. It didn't just happen yesterday or a few weeks ago. His plan started when we were being formed. He made us because He loved us as his workmanship. We are each made differently and we are all a one of a kind. Sometimes we feel like a misfit, like we don't belong. The interesting thing is that we are not meant to fit in, we are made to stand out, to be unique, to shine for HIM.

So how does this fit in with our kids. Do we shine for Jesus as we go along our daily routine? Do the kids know we think we are special in His sight, or do we put ourselves down? Do they see Jesus in our relationship with our spouse and our friends? Does God's light (or lack of light) shine from us to them? We can go along everyday and not even notice the kids. If they are into their own music, their own friends, their own tv, we can say “oh, that is just the way they are”, or “i can't do anything with them”. It doesn't have to be that way. Our influence on them is invaluable! God's light shining through you to your kids requires them to be with you to see the light. When they see it, they can feel the warmth of the Sonshine, and it radiates from you to them. They may not tell you about it, but it gives them security and love and they begin to believe that they are masterpieces also.

We need to tell our kids how special they are, even when they screw up. Jesus never demands us to be perfect, but loves us through our imperfections and teaches us how to be obedient. He leads us back to His plan for our lives and shows us the best way. He is the best example for us as parents. We need to show our kids we love them unconditionally and teach them how to obey. It is a long process, but if they can learn to obey Christ through our teaching, they will realize they are special in His sight and he isn't going to give up on them, and neither are we. Our children are meant for an amazing purpose, to know they are loved and to share His love with the world.

Lord, Creator, I don't deserve your love, but I'm so glad that you died for my sins. Please forgive me when I doubt your love for me. You have created me as your masterpiece,and I am so glad I am special in your sight. Help me to show the children how special I am in your sight, and to teach them that they are special too. Help me not to ignore them or put them down, but to build them up and to teach them about unconditional love. Show them your love and enable them to realize that they are a masterpiece in your sight.
In Jesus precious name,
Amen

Words that Edify

Words that Edify

“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification that you may impart grace to the hearer.” Eph 4:29

This is a hard verse to follow. It is easy to think the negative and then speak it. Negativity is contagious and causes everyone around to be in a bad mood. Kids are sponges and it is amazing how they pick up on our moods. We as parents have a lot of influence through what we say to our kids. If we use bad language or talk down about people they will act the same way. If we degrade them and tell them, they are they will believe us. They will start having a negative self image and feel worthless themselves. If we are suspicious that they are doing something wrong, it is important not to accuse them. We should ask them what is going on and even ask details. Their answer may be a surprise. Then, we can understand the big picture and discuss with them how they should proceed.

We want to build up our kids and create ways to make them feel special. One thing I do is give them an adjective every night about what I think about them. That is the last thing they think about before they go to bed. They give me one too and it is fun to create new words to describe the kid that day and also to hear what they think of me that day. We also have a time of prayer every morning and before bed at night. That helps us not to focus on ourselves, but to give our words and actions to God. I encourage you to find special ways to give your kids encouraging words. They may not respond the way you want them to, but they will hear them and the will grows in their minds and hearts.

Lord, You are so good to me. I'm sorry for my negative language. I don't want to tear down the kids, but to build them up and edify them. Help me use words of grace, not judgment. Show me how to teach the kids to have a good attitude and to be honest and open with me. Help me to take time to listen to them before I speak and give me wisdom as I respond to their confessions.

I love you, In Jesus name, Amen

9-24-13

Hi Parents, On Sunday Chris talked about worshiping God. He used one my favorite stories in the old testament about Jehoshaphat King of Judah (2 chron 20). Jehoshophat followed the Lord. He had all the false Gods destroyed and in the face of the enemy He followed the Lords instruction. V 15 The Lord says:”Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by their mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's. The next day in the face of the army he appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor...They sang “Give Thanks to the Lord, his faithful love endures forever!”Can you imagine having singers on the front line??

God's army was victorious because they worshiped God with a clean heart and a right spirit that was pouring out. So how can we do that? Every day we are on the front line fighting Satan. It is a war and God wants to fight it for us. He wants the burden, so if we give it to Him and praise Him in advance for who He is and what He can and will do, we can have an exciting day seeing what God is up to! When our kids are getting ready for school, sharing Gods word and God's music will help their attitude be worshipful. When we go throughout our day if we speak words of kindness and love God will show us ways to worship him and share our faith with others. Bedtime is also a good time to worship God the protector for keeping us safe during the day and providing for us according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. It sounds hard, but it isn't. Just let yourself go into the arms of Christ and worship Him. He will take charge and kick Satan's booty.

Lord, we thank you for being our Lord and Protector. We are sorry when we try to be in charge of our lives. We ask you to take charge. We love you and worship you. We humbly ask you to show us how to be an example of worship for our children. Help us to also learn from their heart of worship and to share that heart with family, friends, and even strangers. In Christ's name, Amen

new blog for parents

Hi Parents, 

Would you like to know what is going on in your kids youth group, but you don't want interfere with their “space”?  Well, we have created a new line of communication between the youth group and you, the parent.   I have agreed to help bridge the gap for us and communicate with YOU as the “parent liaison.” about what is going on. 

We have created a facebook page called One50Five Parents so you can be more in tune with the messages, funny stories and calendar updates.  Please like us on this page to receive no more than two updates a week in your newsfeed. We will also have a link to a blog that is on www.one50five.com with parenting issues that we can discuss and devotions to help you grow in your walk with the Lord as you parent your kids.

We know that you are the most influential people in your children’s' lives and we want to come along side you and partner with you to help your child have passion for the Lord and live for Him.  As we grow in this journey with you, we hope that you can help us share in what GOD is doing in their lives! We look forward to working with you in seeing what He has in store for them.

God bless you,

Susan Holly