You are My Sunshine

  

I don't know about anyone else, but to me, one of the greatest blessings in life is laughter!  I mean, it would be like clipping the wings of my spirit if I could not laugh!  When I have a good side splitting laugh, I feel like a soothing ointment has just spilled all over and saturated my entire being.  Laughter connects and bonds us with people we love and those we barely know.  On a personal level, laughter counters stress; on a social level, laughter counters hostility.  It is a powerful physiological, social and emotional force that we should be stimulating in our homes on a daily basis.

My blog has moved to:

 http://sandrariordan.com/ 

                                                 Hope to see you there for more recent posts!

God was so creative when He decided to make us to laugh! He even gave us a few unmentionables to make sure it happens almost daily! =) (and yes it does happen at the Riordan's! HaHa ) Come to think of it, God must have a great sense of humor! He gifted people with the ability to carry an atmosphere of mirth and cheer everywhere they go; they have the talent to ignite laughter in the most dismal circumstances. Our son-in-law, Joe, has this most hysterical fake laugh that he will sometimes spontaneously break into at our family gatherings; it always gets all of us really laughing until we are red in the face!

Since God thought of laughter and provided the ability and the means to do it, obviously there must be a need for it.  What better place to experience it than in the home?  When our kids are grown, will they look back and remember home as a place of joy and laughter?  Laughter brings to a home what sunshine brings to a day!  So what's the "weather" been like in your home lately?

When we think of the atmosphere of our home, what words come to mind? Are they words like, lighthearted, joy, cheer, smiles, mirth?  Or would words like strife, moodiness, frowns or hatefulness better describe it. Maybe our home is somewhere in the middle described by words like gloom, discontent or silent. Evaluating the way things are at home may reveal the need for a more lighthearted atmosphere.  Parents, the atmosphere of our home greatly depends on us.  If we wake up with a thankful, joyful heart our kids will follow our lead and instead of raining on our day they will be our sunshine! With a little effort to stimulate laughter in our home we can turn dismal into delight. Whatever the "weather" condition of our home, it is worth considering and making a few adjustments, if needed, to ensure a sunnier day tomorrow because we could all benefit from a little more laughter!

So get everyone's jolly bellies jiggling with laughter =) ! There is plenty of help online but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Break into a spontaneous tickling session on the floor with your kids.
- Use a prompt to start a tall tale chain story at the dinner table with each member of the family adding their own crazy twist to the story.
- Have a family night when everyone comes prepared to tell their best jokes.
- My family and I have had a barrel full of laughs around the dinner table just telling funny stories from the past.
- We have had loads of fun watching ridiculous youtube videos or searched "funny"on pinterest.
- Have a Karaoke night with fun songs. YouTube offers Karaoke playlists.
- Learn a new dance together.
- Look at random photos of people in public places and make up silly scenarios of what might be taking place.
- Games are great for triggering laughter
- Give everyone a tiny gift bag.  Award them with a Jolly Rancher every time they really laugh.  Encourage them to collect enough Jolly Ranchers to fill the bag and give to a friend. This will encourage laughter and the joy of giving.
- Keep your camera handy and capture photos of family members laughing.  Frame and place them all over the house.

Have gray skies been hanging around your home for a while? Here are some ideas to get everyone thinking, and create an awareness of the need to be more lighthearted.
- Have a family meeting and let your kids express how they feel about home.  Is it fun?  Do we laugh? Do we bicker a lot? Do we complain?  Are we thankful?  Encourage them to make a list of words that would describe the ideal atmosphere at home. Use the list to evaluate each day for a period of time.
- Set aside a week to focus on laughing more! Provide a calendar and some sun, cloud, and rain stickers.   At the end of each day talk about the day with your kids.  Was it a Sunny day, a cloudy day or a rainy day? Let them apply the stickers accordingly.  At the end of the week, celebrate having more sunny days of laughter with a smiley face lunch (be creative!)
- Laughter comes from a thankful heart. Get everyone involved in making a list of blessings and write thank you notes to God, friends or relatives illustrated with their own artwork.  Hang them around the house or send them in the mail.
- Your kids may not even know that the Bible talks about laughter.  Have family devotions tonight using these verses: Psalm 126:2, Job 8:21, Ecc. 3:2-8; Prov. 15:13, Prov. 15:15; Prov. 17:22.

I am sure you have plenty of ideas to get everybody laughing!  Be creative and have fun! Thanks for reading!

 

 "I'm thankful for laughter,

except when milk comes out of my nose."

- Woody Allen

My blog has moved to:

 http://sandrariordan.com/ 

Hope to see you there for more recent posts!

Spilled Milk Part 2 - Lessons in Crisis 101

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Have you spent much time in the ER lately?  Unless you are a medical professional in that field, probably not, but if we took the time to hang out there and observe what goes on we would gain a broad perspective of the many different ways that people handle crises.  No need to go to the ER to find it though,  you have probably experienced a real crisis yourself or at least been closely associated with someone who has, not to mention the nightly news drama.

One of two lightbulbs flicks on in our heads in a moment of crisis: SURVIVAL or OPPORTUNITY.  "Survival" is always focused on the protection and comfort of self and "opportunity" is always focused on the welfare of everyone involved and the outcome.  In other words, our reaction to crisis depends on our mindset. For the Christian it is a mindset plus the faith that God is in control of all things, and because we have the life of Christ in us we have an ever flowing supply of His power that gives us the strength to keep in mind that every crisis is an opportunity.

Other than our relationship with God, and whether we are a Christian or not there are some practical things we can all do to help maintain an "opportunity" mindset.  If it is at all possible to prepare the mind for the unexpected, from a practical standpoint,  it would be summed up in this word: Practice. 

Think about the number of minor crises we have each day.  If we ever hope to have an "opportunity" mindset when a real crisis comes, guess what! We are given plenty of practice time on a daily basis.  So when we're wondering why we can't seem to get through a single day without our child having a meltdown, the dog chewing up our favorite leather shoe, or Johnny's spilled milk on our newest "Rooms to Go" purchase, our lessons in Crisis 101 abound.  Are we reacting with the most natural animal instinct "survival" mindset or are we seeing it as an "opportunity" for ourselves and everyone around us to grow and learn. You may be thinking, "OK, this is completely unrealistic.  I am done with this blog".  It may seem unrealistic, but remember your only other mindset option is "Survival", and that's how animals think.  I am certain that we can muster up the fortitude to do better than that!

So a typical crisis in the life of Mom and Johnny might look something like this:
(If you haven't read my Mom and Johnny stories you should! They're good! =)  )

Mom goes into the quiet of her bedroom to nurse Johnny's baby sister, Jody.  Johnny and his younger sister Julie,  are busy making mom happy by finishing their list of chores.  Maybe mom was a little too confident in her child's abilities when she added "Clean the fish tank" to the list of chores, but of course, Johnny and Julie are more than confident and decide to take this one on while mom is not around to help.  Johnny and Julie together lift the ten gallon tank off the stand and slowly inch their way to the kitchen, water sloshing, fish confused.  Under the weight of the tank Johnny and Julie decide to rest the glass bottom tank on an open cabinet door.  Glass breaks, ten gallons of water flood the kitchen floor and five fish are desperately trying to swim in it!  Mom rushes to the scene.  In stunned silence and shock riveting her body she stands there speechless for at least 5 seconds unable to move. (I can't help but laugh when I get to this part of the story.  This really did happen at the Riordans!  But I can assure you I was not laughing in the moment!)

PAUSE

This is a critical moment of choice for mom. If she lives in "survival" mode her reaction may sound something like this:

Oh my goooooooooooooshsh!!!!! What in the world are you thinking!!! You stupid, careless, clumsy little brats!!!!! Johnny and Julie, horrified and hurt by moms words are thinking "But we were just trying to make you happy by doing our chores, and thought you would be so proud that we did the hardest one all by ourselves."   Mom, for the duration of cleaning up the mess, continues to rant  and finally sends the kids outside to "get out of my hair so I can have some piece and quiet!".  Not only did mom miss an opportunity for herself and her kids to grow and learn but she also hurled a crushing blow to the spirits and self worth of her children.

If Mom lives in "opportunity" mode her reaction may look something like this:

In those few seconds of stunned silence and shock mom is putting aside how she feels about what has just happened and wisely decides to put off asking "What happened?" for later. She quickly analyzes the situation and collects a few thoughts about what is truth.  "Yes, this is a mess, but not irreparable; I did put "clean the fish tank" on the list and that was a mistake; Johnny and Julie were being obedient; and there is something here for all of us to learn."  Because mom is in the habit of this kind of thinking these thoughts come easily. Mom promptly instructs the kids giving them specific jobs to do to help with cleaning up the mess. All done!  Everyone involved is better than they were before the crisis.  Johnny and Julie have grown in their respect for Mom; Mom learns to be specific about chores; they all learn that cleaning up a big mess is a cinch with everyone working together; they all got some crisis practice, and the icing on the cake, the floor is cleaner! Fifteen minutes after the accident the kids have a memory to hold on to for the rest of their lives.  Mom held it together in a moment of crisis.

You may be wondering, "Sandra, have you always held it together like that?". My answer: definitely not.  I wish I could say that I have.  I also wish that I would have had someone helping me think through issues like the ones I write about in my blogs. I have learned so much over the years and it brings me a great deal of joy to share it with you!  Thank you for reading!

Here's a simple suggestion: With a marker and construction paper hang the word "Opportunity" all over your house.  Take the time to talk with your kids about seeing every crisis as an opportunity.

Legacy

My blog has moved to:

 http://sandrariordan.com/ 

Hope to see you there for more recent posts!

 

In loving memory of my Mother-in-Law 
Betty Riordan
 

 

Legacy.  This word has come to my mind several times in the past seven days as I have reflected on the life well lived through my mother-in-law Betty Riordan. She is with Jesus now, but the life she lived will forever inspire us and remain a constant glow in our hearts and minds.

A legacy is an exemplary life of solid values, sound choices, and honorable character all wrapped up and embodied in a person who took the time to leave a piece of themselves in the hearts of those whose lives they touched. What is said of a person who leaves a legacy? It is very difficult to realize or measure the impact of a life well lived, but certainly the testimonies of the ones whose lives were touched by it is worth noting.  Many remarks were made of Mrs. Riordan that continually wove themselves in and out of conversations throughout the events of the week:

"She loved teaching the Bible to children; she loved singing songs with them. She never let an opportunity pass to share her love of Jesus with the children."
"Thank you, Grandma,  for helping to mold me into the person I am today."
"We will never know this side of Heaven how many people Betty influenced by her many ways of service."
"Perpetually happy and a constant reminder of what a godly woman was like. "
"She had a wonderful ability to make anyone and everyone feel important. Her love for all those she came into contact with transcended language barriers, social status, and past mistakes. She was quite simply, one of the most likable people anyone could have the pleasure of meeting."
"I do know her impact on me is quantifiable. She changed who I am as a man. Her memory is still changing me."
"It is because of Mrs. Betty that I am in the ministry today."
"I was always inspired by her goal of taking the gospel to every continent."
"I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to know such a precious lady and my life is better because of her!"
"When I think of remarkable women like Lottie Moon or Mother Theresa, Betty is right there on the list."
"Her legacy will live on in ways we don't even know yet."
"Dad and I sat thinking of just the people now in full time ministry who were under her leadership at camp...it's a staggering list.."
"Ms. Betty was the most mission minded saint I have ever seen."
"I hope I can become half the person that she was for us."
"Her legacy will live on through her children and grandchildren and through all the many other lives she has touched."
"She taught me to love God and that everything was in his hands even in my toughest times."
"She never once complained."
"I give her a lot of the credit for my career choice, my move to WA state and my desire to work with people."
"She loved the word of God."
"Betty was on fire for Jesus."

So, this is how Mrs. Riordan is remembered. In a nutshell, Betty Riordan impacted her world. She left a legacy.

It is so important for us to put the brakes on our busy life at times like these and ponder.  Do I want to leave a legacy?  I don't know of anyone who would answer that question with a heartfelt "No".  Why would any of us want to be born into this world and not leave it having made it better than it was before we came?   But here's the clincher: What are we doing about it?  This question is answered in the moment by moment, day to day choices of life.  If we will one day leave a legacy it will be done in the context of a constant awareness that every choice we make moves us toward or away from that goal.  Mrs. Riordan once said, "If I died today, I know I would be with Jesus and I have done everything in the world that I thought I would ever do."

Let's never forget Mrs. Riordan and others like her who have gone on before us and made choices that left, for the rest of us, a beautiful legacy. We avoid talking about death.  We avoid thinking about death, therefore we live as if it will never happen and our daily choices are affected by it.  Death is as naturally a part of life as birth and the dash between the two is all we have.  Let's make it count; our kids and the generations that follow are depending on us!

We should take the time to occasionally talk about death with our children. An activity you could consider doing with them would be to go to a cemetery and read the headstones comparing the differences in what is said of each person.  Talk about the dash in between the two years and what it represents.  Tell them stories about people from your past who left a legacy.

Hmmm.....so how would I hope for my headstone to read?  I'm going to close this blog now and write my epitaph.

Spilled Milk - Part 1

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"God is in control of all things." I have said this to my kids.  Do they believe it?  I hope so, but by the way I have reacted to some of the unexpected and unwelcome happenstances of life, my guess is that they may struggle with believing it; I mean really believing it.

To really believe that God is in control of all things affects the way we react to everything from a death in the family to spilled milk. It is in those moments (or sometimes months depending on the severity of the crisis) when we are reacting that our kids are all ears and eyes soaking up our tone of voice, facial expression, and the words that recklessly spill out from our lips or not.  When we react, it is like picking up a megaphone and shouting to our kids, "Here's what I really believe about God. Watch!" (I am feeling the pain of my own words right now!)  We are communicating to them some very basic truths about God: Is God in control? Is God good? Does God love me? Does God care? Hopefully, we are all careful in moments like these, but let's be honest, we can all look back at times when we misbehaved in front of our kids.

IS God in control?  It is critical that we settle this question in our own hearts. A couple of silly questions might help us gain perspective on the stuff life dishes out and the way we handle it (the correlation does break down theologically but you get the idea.)

Mamas and Daddies, do you sit around deviously plotting a day full of tragedies, trials, and temptations for your child? You are probably offended at such a suggestion!  Of course you don't!!  Why not?  Do you establish natural consequences for the rebellion and disobedience of your children?  If you don't chaos ensues. When you do, your child learns to submit to your loving correction and harmony is restored. Every act of rebellion and it's consequences are the best teaching moments we have with our children to lovingly shape them into people of good character and maintain a loving relationship. God is in control of all things and He uses all of life to teach us and shape us into his image and express His love.

The entire human race is fallen and sinful.  The bad things that happen to us and the world around us are the natural consequences of the disobedience and rebellion of the world we live in. God is not up on His throne concocting a miserable day for you or anyone else, but He does allow natural consequences to come and it touches our lives sometimes close to home.  It is difficult for us, small as we are, to understand this big picture, but the context of it all is His great love and His great plan to spend eternity with us in heaven.  His love runs global circles around our love for our kids, yet what do we do when trials come? Just like defiant little children we cast an angry glare at Him and demand to know why.  "How could a loving God allow this to happen? ", we say.  We resist with all our might, assuming God must have taken a vacation, and we treat life like one big haphazard series of events, without purpose and "well, things just happen" and we all just keep getting bumped along the path of life, avoiding as much pain as possible, until one day it all ends and we go to our graves with a fat bank of tragedies, trials, and...spilled milk that God would have used to shape us into His image had we just been moldable ..............but we missed it. We were too busy kicking and screaming against the gentle pressures of the Potter's hand or just altogether ignoring them. And why do we react this way?  Because we have not settled the question, "IS God in control?".

The sun will rise again tomorrow, just like it did today. Maybe we should spend some time today considering how we will face it with a different perspective. A perspective that says "God, I know you are in control and I am willing and ready to receive whatever you choose to allow to touch my life tomorrow, however painful or frustrating it may be.  In all my busyness I will keep watching for You and choose to be teachable through it all."

Our kids are hungry for the truth to be lived out in front of them.  Let's keep that megaphone handy because when tomorrow's crisis comes, we will be shouting things like, "Yes! God is in control!", "Yes! God is good!", "Yes! God loves us!", and "Yes! God cares!".

Below are some verses you may use to meditate on today.  Blessings to you dear readers!

Romans 9:20-21 - Who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 

Isaiah 45:8&9 - "Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, and righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it. Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker - an earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'?"

Jeremiah 18

Proverbs 16:9 - The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 

Job 12:10 - In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. 

Psalm 22:28 - For kingship belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations. 

Psalm 115:3 - Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases.

Proverbs 3:5&6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Romans 10:9 - "If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Thank you for reading! And please share!

Training Johnny to Sit Still Part 3 - Mom, Johnny and Friends

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I just ushered my last of six homeschooled children out the door this morning, and off to public high school.  OK, I'm not gonna lie...I had myself a pity party. I am excited about this new chapter in my life but at the same time, I feel like a fish out of water, and I miss my kids! I know for sure that blogging will be a more consistent part of my life (Wow! It's been two years!).  Plus, I will have my grands a couple of days a week, and I bet they will be giving me plenty to write about!! =) So excited for the fun I will have with them this year!

This one is the last of three parts, but Johnny will continue to show up in my blogs since I am a prophet (HaHa) and I can tell you that, thanks to his wise mama and daddy, he grows up to be a jewel of a man that abundantly gives back to the world he was born into instead of taking from it! Which is, of course what we all aspire to as parents, right?

In my last blog, Mom and Johnny celebrate a huge victory when Johnny learns to sit still for five, ten, and even twenty minutes.  This is a goal that mom never dreamed would be possible, but with the wise advise of her grandmother, determination and consistency she soon realized the peace, love, and joy that blossomed in her home as this one success gave mom the encouragement she needed to continue training Johnny toward obedience.

Mom announces "Johnny, get your shoes on, we are going to the park!" Johnny doesn't hesitate. It had been a week since Mom's last gathering with her "a day at the park" friends and she was anxious to hear from them and had invited Grandma to come for extra support and encouragement.

After a picnic lunch Mom, Grandma and friends gather under the pavilion while the sitter watches the children on the playground.  Molly's mom pipes up and blurts out her frustrations with Molly's behavior from the previous week.  "I just don't understand it!  I popped Molly every time she did anything other than sit still during our practices!  She reacted as if we were playing a game and showed no signs of improvement for three days!"  Bobby's mom shared how every practice turned into an emotional frenzy for both she and Bobby.  They all collaborated back and forth for an hour asking Grandma lots of questions and her responding with her "two cents worth", as she called it, until they finally concluded with three common problems that many parents struggle with when faced with disciplining their children.

1) Molly's mom, with her sweet tender nature, admitted that her pops on Molly's leg were merely pats and Molly in turn was actually associating her bad behavior with something nice, a painless touch from Mama.  "It has to be just enough to sting, otherwise they will not associate their bad behavior with a negative response", said Grandma. " You are not really hurting her, just leaving enough sting to get her attention."

2)When Bobby's mom explained how she gave in to Bobby, allowing him to get away with being noisy and running around "just a couple of times" she added, the problem was clear!  Grandma explained how consistency is key.  "If you are consistent, the problem will be mastered in just a couple of days or less. Save yourself the frustration of dragging it out for weeks and just make up your mind that you are going to be consistent no matter what."  All of the moms agreed that consistency was something they all struggled with.

3) Molly's mom also admitted that her feelings about discipline got in the way. "It makes me feel so mean to spank my child." Molly's mom argued.  The other moms nodded in agreement. "Think about it like this...", Grandma encouraged. "...When you give in to your feelings instead of giving your child the discipline she needs, you are actually being selfish. You are elevating your feelings above Molly's need to be taught self discipline. You are not doing what is, in the long run, best for Molly!" After a long pause Molly's mom said, "I've never thought of it like that before!"

Bobby's and Molly's moms were encouraged to hear of Johnny's mom's successes that week! Realizing their tendencies towards these three common issues they promised to keep a tally for every time they gave in to any of them. They all agreed to continue to meet and be a support for each other in this incredible journey we call parenting.

Thanks for reading!!  Please feel free to leave comments or questions or prayer requests!  And blessings to all of you who are doing your best!  It is not easy!  You're awesome!  Don't ever stop aspiring to being the best parent you can be!  =)

Christ in Christmas

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by Sandra Sellers Riordan

I could not go to sleep Tuesday night. My mind was full of Christmas! This Christmas, for us, marks the beginning of a new chapter in our lives with the arrival of our first grandchild, Olivia Sinclair Bence, born on May 21 of this year. What a sheer joy and delight she has already been to our home! I will try not to bore you with the usual Grandma gab, but seriously, she is the sweetest child that has ever landed on planet earth, well, except for six others!  =)

So my thoughts were racing about how this new beginning for us would look at Christmas time. I decided for sure that we would start new traditions that would encourage more focus on the true meaning of Christmas than ever before.  Certainly the reading of Luke 2 would have to be part of the plan but somehow I wanted to tell the story of Jesus Christ and the reason he came, a story that would reach from the beginning of time with creation to the resurrection.  It would also have to be short and simple enough for a preschooler to understand, since, I'm sure there will be plenty of them coming to Minnie's and Papa's house for Christmas for many years to come!!

My thoughts turned into rhyming phrases. What? A poem?  I've never done this before! By this point I was out of my bed with pen and paper in hand, and the words flowed.  Truly, I believe God gave me a gift!! It is nothing short of a miracle that my groggy head could pen words that would be so meaningful to me.  He is so gracious and loving!  I am overwhelmed when I think of the many and unique ways he blesses me!!

So I wanted to express my gratitude and a Merry Christmas to you, our dear readers, and share the gift God gave to me. You are welcome to use it during your Christmas celebrations! This "poem" doesn't follow any certain pattern, rhyme or rhythm but it certainly expresses a song in my heart!! And I can't wait to share it with all of my grandchildren for many,many Christmases!

I am dedicating this poem to Olivia Sinclair Bence and all my grandchildren that are yet to be born.

This is Christmas

Perfect...yes perfectly the world began
When God created, yes He created
Sky, earth, beast and man.
At the sound of His voice
God gave light to the darkness, breath to the breathless,
But He also gave man a choice.
God was pleased with all He made, until one day,
A very sad day, He heard the man say,
I sinned, I sinned,.... I sinned.
Black, ugly, dirty sin, messed up God's  beautiful world,
But God had a plan, His love would span
The great gulf between God and man, that had been made by sin.
Sin had to be punished by the shedding of blood,
So God, in His great love, became a man.
God's love had a name, and it sounds like this:
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
God's only Son, would be the one to make man right again.
And so........it happened!!
Beautiful, silent, dark of night,
A star, a star, a star so bright,
Angels, shepherds, stable, sheep,
The lamb of God was born so sweet.
Jesus is His name.
Mary, Joseph, wise men see, the baby Jesus, born a King!
He came, He came, He came you see,
To pay for man's sins, that's you and me!
He grew, He walked upon this earth, a sinless life from the day of His birth.
The perfect, spotless Lamb of God! How can I declare His worth?!!
So when Jesus became a man, God worked His great plan,
Yes, God worked His perfect plan, to make things right with man.
And so.......it happened.
The whip, the cross, the nails, the thorns,
The sins of the world laid on the Lord.
Black, ugly, dirty sin, He took it all for sinful man!
He died, He died, for you and me! My savior hung upon that tree!
The sin was so great, God turned His head,...........
........."It is finished", Jesus said.
But wait, my friend, there's more to the story!
It's the reason I live, and give Him glory!
So here's the gospel, shout it out!!
GOD IS NOT DEAD! HE'S ALIVE! no doubt!
He conquered sin, death, and the grave, forevermore my life to save!
His precious blood covered ALL my sin! I'M ALIVE, ALIVE, ALIVE IN HIM!
So this, my dear children, is the Christmas story:
God sent His Son,
To shed His blood,
For the sins of the world,
Out of His great love!!
Oh come, let us adore Him!
Oh come, let us adore Him!
Oh come, let us adore Him!
Jesus Christ our Lord!


May the King of Kings and Lord of Lords reign in your hearts and homes this Christmas season!! Have a blessed, Christ filled Christmas!

I would love to hear from you!  Thank you for reading! =)

Sin is NOT my Master

My blog has moved to:

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Hope to see you there for more recent posts!

I recently wrote a letter to all my children.  It is a very personal pouring out of my heart.  I finally decided to post it on my blog because I thought it may help others consider their own walk with God and how we communicate it by words and actions to our children.  Please read with an open heart.

To My Dear Children:

I had an experience this morning during my quiet time that I cannot be silent about. Call it menopause =) or Mom being dramatic if you want to, but I'm telling you it was the most real and powerful thing that has happened to me in a long time. It was not the realization of a deep hidden truth but something I have heard and known all of my life. So you will probably finish this letter with a confused look on your face trying to figure out why this was so profound for me. It will be impossible for me to fully convey because it was solely the work of the Holy Spirit in me.

I am reading a devotional that is excerpts of Charles Finney's writings (great man of God). (I am almost done with dad's Psalms book, by the way.  Also a great man of God and a great book! =) ).  Again, it was nothing new.  But the Holy Spirit used Finney's words to help me fully experience faith like I never have before, that is, faith in the power of the shed blood of Jesus over sin. This has always been a little vague to me and now I know why. I guess you could say that I had a mathematical understanding of my salvation - My Sin + Jesus blood = Atonement. As a child this is all that I was able to understand.  But faith, when applied to Jesus blood covering our sins, is not an equation to be understood  but a truth to be lived out. If the shed blood of Jesus is not affecting the way I live moment by moment, living in a way that SHOWS that I believe in the power of the blood over my sin then I only have a knowing faith, not a living faith!!

I am a visual learner; God knows that.  I love it when he lovingly gives me a visual picture in my mind to help me understand something.  So here's what came to mind: If someone gives you a piece of fruit, it is yours, it is in your hand.  You say "this is my fruit; she gave it to me."  But until you eat it, your ownership of it is only a known fact and a visual fact because I see you holding it.  It does not give you life and nourishment until you eat it.  It then becomes a part of who you are. It gives you strength for the day. This is how I feel about my faith in the power of the blood of Jesus over my sin.  I have always known it, claimed ownership of it but now it is a part of who I am, my life blood. It gives me the strength to say "No" to a critical spirit, negativism, discouragement, depression and satan's lies that i will never measure up to the abundant life God intends for me to enjoy.

For so long I have concentrated on particular sins in my life (you know full well what most of them are) and tried to resolve not to continue committing the same sin and prayed and asked God to help me overcome it, only to find myself doing it again. This has been a terribly frustrating way for me to live the christian life (sound familiar? it is comforting to know that Paul struggled with the same thing isn't it?).

Read Romans 7:14-25

Here's what Finney says about the battle against sin:

"We may suppress this or that expression or manifestation of selfishness by resolving not to do this or that, and praying and struggling against it.  We may resolve upon an outward obedience, and work ourselves up to the letter of an obedience to god's commandments.  But to eradicate selfishness from the heart by resolution is an absurdity.  Should we cloister ourselves away in a cell and crucify all our desires, so far as their indulgence is concerned, we have only avoided certain forms of sin; but the root that really constitutes sin is not touched. All our battling with sin and desires in the outward life, by the force of resolution, only ends in making us whited sepulchers and delusional, for we cannot love God with all our heart in this manner." 

"The biblical doctrine is that Christ saves His people from sin through faith; that Christ's Spirit is received by faith to dwell in the heart. It is faith that works by love. Love is wrought and sustained by faith. By faith believers overcome the world the flesh, and the devil; quench the fiery darts of the enemy; and keep the flesh and carnal desires subdued. By faith we fight the good fight, not by resolution."

Charles Finney

In Genesis 4:7 it is interesting to read how God speaking to Cain says "sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (as we know he failed to master it and it instead mastered him to the point of murder) This would indicate that sin is something that CAN be mastered and that it is by my choice to keep the door of temptation to sin closed that I will master it. It is at this point, when my hand is on the "doorknob" that I must claim by faith, the power of the blood of Jesus in my life!!!  No matter how small the sin may seem or how I justify it, Jesus shed His precious blood for it!!  Really?  How can I possibly open the door???

It has been a few days since I started this letter.  I cannot tell you how powerful and liberating this has been for me!  If I thought long enough of my age and how long it has taken me to let the power of this most amazing truth flood over me like it has in the past few days, I would weep bitter tears. Here's the biggest heartbreak: I have always called my home my mission field.  If I had understood this years ago while you were still wearing size 4 shoes, and still reaching for the bathroom faucet on your tip toes I would have squatted down and gazed into your sweet innocent faces and explained it over and over and over again! ......But I didn't. I would have been careful to live it in front of you consistently...... but I didn't. Instead I was gripped with anger, resentment and selfishness.  Please, please forgive me for not being a better example!!

Here's the big question.  Are we going to live the crucified life or not?  How long are we going to use phrases like "Well, nobody's perfect!" or "I'm only human!". Satan must love to hear God's children talk like this.  It excuses our sin!  It is no wonder that the lost are not drawn to Jesus by the lives we are living because most Christians are content with their sin, making excuses for it and not living the victorious life the blood of Jesus bought for us!!

I want to challenge you to do something.  As a family I would like for us to memorize Romans chapter 6. It is simple, bold and plain truth for the christian life. There is nothing deep or hidden about it. Of all the passages in the Bible, this has got to be the one that makes satan tuck his tail and run!!  It is the muscle, the metabolism, the heartbeat of all of scripture. Let's take time away from the searching of the "deeper hidden truths" of the Bible and start living out the one that slaps us in the face the most!

I expect that satan will be working overtime on me and sin will be "crouching at the door" a lot.  So please pray for me because when  I slip, satan will be right there breathing his lies to me: "Stand by your rights" or "Your efforts are worthless , quit trying!".  I need a lot of encouragement and prayer!! Pray that I will have the strength to say "No! I am a born again, blood washed believer in Jesus. Sin is no longer master over me!"

Because I love You!!!!

Mama