I’ve had a difficult time lately writing a post…I just can’t seem to focus upon any one topic. However, I read this today: Raising Counter-Culture Children & it hit me. I’ve realized that although I’m teaching my children to pray, I need to be more purposeful when doing so. I need to have a plan – a heavenly, divine strategy.

Seems I need to be educated on how to educate my children on the heart of God. Could there be a better job set before me?

In my house we already pray for the health & safety of the pregnant women we know. It’s time to take it a step further now. Although he’s only pushing 3, my son could also be praying for the health & safety of other babies & that all the grown-ups would decide to protect them. We can simplify the language, speak positively, answer questions with care & teach the little ones to care for & intercede for their peers – even the potential ones.

I’ve cried for my long-lost best friends that I’ll never know; when can we stop having to do that? Maybe this next generation won’t have to for very long?! Let’s teach our kids to pray for their potential best friends, classmates, fellow worship team members, & prayer partners. Let’s teach our kids to pray for LIFE. Because really, what are we waiting for?

Hours later I checked again & after some friends left some encouraging posts, I posted this in reply: “You’re all great – thank you! BOTH kids are asleep now- that is GRACE. Actually, I ♥ my work…if only I could keep my current position but only do it part-time so I get more time with the kids before they go off to school.”

But…is it grace that my 2 truly wonderful kids are now napping at the same time? Or is it a chance to let God use my kids to show me my weakness? It didn’t occur to me until reading a blogpost by the IHOP-KC titled “The Humility of God”, that I realized what a whiner I was being.

The quiet gives me a chance to see my lack of humility. I wonder why I think a 2.5 year old should be perfect & not wipe his nose on his sleeve (or the couch), or always make it to the potty on time? Is it really that difficult for me (or that low beneath me) to clean up someone else’s mess? *Especially* when it’s someone whom I love with all my heart? Why do I think my 2 month old should sleep as well in the daytime as she does at night? Since she does sleep so well at night, can I blame her for wanting to stay nestled in the safety, security & warmth of my arms during the day?

Jesus lived during a time without so many of our basic conveniences that we consider “necessities”. I get grossed out by the tip of my robe’s belt landing in the toilet water, but don’t realize how fortunate I am that I have a comfy robe to wear & a nice washing machine in which to clean it. Nevermind that I have a toilet with running water…what did Jesus use? How did He clean Himself? I doubt He had a warm shower, lathering up with lavender-scented body wash on a mesh pouf. Jesus wore a different kind of “Old Spice”.

Here’s a quote from the IHOP blog post I referred to: “Humility is the true fragrance of God, and it gives an effective witness for the kingdom. Our words, our attitudes, and our facial expressions must always be soaked in humility as we go out and when we’re at home. He is exalted and glorified when we choose to put on humility.” If humility is the true fragrance of God, then I stink.

How did I react when the potty mistake mess & ensuing robe belt “disaster” happened? I was frustrated; I yelled. I was definitely not soaked in humility & I taught my son how to throw the adult version of a temper tantrum. What a poor witness I was today (OK, most days) with those precious hearts entrusted to me.

Lord, I thank you for leading me to see Your truth today. I pray that beginning now, even before they wake up from their divinely appointed naps, You would continue to use the power of Your Holy Spirit to remind me of Your teachings & convict me of the example I leave for my kids. Please help me to teach them self-control in stress they encounter, resilience, & to rely upon You. May I be a woman whose children remember her, not for short temper, frustrated yelling, & pride, but for her patience, kindness, & humility. I pray You humble my heart so that I may better reveal Your character to them, leading their hearts to Yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I’ve always thought that a person’s home should be their sanctuary, their safe haven from the craziness of the world. Beginning my maternity leave just before giving birth to my 2nd child 1 month ago, I was really looking forward to staying home each day with my 2 kids; my husband works from home so we see him frequently as well. Maybe it’s because I’m an optimist, but I really thought we’d have a great time & that my son would adjust well to his new sister without *any* problems or controversy. He was doing great accepting everything we told him about what life would be like & was looking forward to having a new sibling. For the most part things have been going well & he is gentle with her & gives her kisses. However, today I thought I was going to lose it.
Every chance he got, my 2 yr old would disobey, waking the baby up twice in the process. I’m sure he was just looking for attention, & yes, he sure got it! He spent quite a lot of time in the corner, unfortunately. Anyhow, today my safe haven, my sanctuary, was anything but. It was more stress & chaos than a tough day at work! Stay-at-home moms definitely work hard! The experience made me realize 2 things.
First, it made me ponder, & know just a little bit better, how God feels when we, His children, disobey His word. I don’t mean ignorance, but blatant disobedience. Have you ever knowingly disobeyed the Lord? Ever felt like you were “standing in the corner” or on a “time-out” for a while in life? God doles out the discipline with more love in His heart & a whole lot less anger (Ps. 86:15) than we earthly parents! But each day as a mom I look at my 2 kids & get to know the parent part of God’s heart that much better. It makes me want to be a better daughter.
Second, & my main point, is that He reminded me that the temple veil was torn when Jesus was obedient & completed His mission on the Cross. The holy of holies, the ultimate place of worship, was opened up to us all. 1 Cor. 6:19 tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Christ is dwelling within our hearts & with us now & always, to the end of this age & for eternity. In the midst of my little home’s stress & chaos, I was reminded that Jesus is with me through it all. He is right there with me in my boat that is being tossed to & fro in the storm & He is calm. When I remember that He is with me, not only can I tell the storm to calm, but like Peter, even I can walk on the water with Him, by His power.
My sanctuary, my safe haven, was within the whole time.

The other day I told my 2 year old that Santa is pretend. I specifically said, “Did you know Santa is pretend? Yes, he’s pretend – he’s just something that we talk about & have fun with at Christmas. He’s pretend. But God – Abba – Jesus is real”. He stared at me blankly. I know he knows the concepts of “pretend” & “real” because he has used the words several times before correctly. However, the next day he was talking about Santa with my parents & was “being good so Santa brings him toys”.

My son didn’t even believe me when I told him the truth – that Santa is fake. Then the thought occurred to me…although part of the issue is the influence of society & consumerism upon kids, & part of it is how we present it initially to a child (like my parents “calling” Santa on the phone to get him to behave – which works), I realized that God designed us to believe – to want to have faith in something, or somethings. We want to believe in the mystic, the mysterious, the supernatural, the other-worldly, the unexplainable. God designed us to question & judge, & sometimes be skeptical, sure. But He also, in His infinite wisdom, designed us to be people who specifically look for, & desire to believe in, things out of the ordinary.

Think about how many movies & tv shows have to do with the supernatural & mysterious. There’s a ton. Most of them have absolutely nothing to do with Christ, unfortunately. Part of our make-up is looking for & looking forward to what we cannot logically explain. Those things that seem to defy the natural.

Can we harness this? Can we focus our curiosity on only the things of God & be sure to stay away from those other distractions & lies of the world? Can we use this innate curiosity most of us seem to have to draw others to Christ?

“”The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.”" Daniel 2:47 NIV

Daniel continuously used his spiritual gifts to reveal mysteries to those around him, & proclaim that our God truly is the most-high God, the only One who is all-knowing & the “revealer of mysteries”. However, Daniel was only able to do this through 1) God’s grace of course, & 2) living a lifestyle of prayer & fasting. Daniel remained pure when surrounded in a counter-culture. He stayed true to what he knew the Lord wanted. He lived his life always striving to do the right thing; there was no selfish corruption in him. He prayed without ceasing & fasted daily, encouraging others to do the same. Accordingly, God continually rewarded him by strengthening his spiritual gifts, protecting him in impossible situations, promoting him strategically within the kingdom administration, & further opening his eyes to the spiritual. Daniel never had all the answers, but the eyes of his heart were open to the Spirit’s leading. He spoke with angels & had revelation of the end-times.

Can we, like Daniel, live lives of prayer & fasting in such a way that we draw others to Christ? Can we model & teach our children to seek after the mysteries of God, rather than the frivolities of our culture & world? If “we become what we behold”, perhaps we should be sure our children are beholding what we want them to become…

Dalene

I think most kids today, especially boys, really enjoy potty humor. I hear about it from other parents of young ones, read about it online & in email newsletters, etc. Most boys go through it around 3 or 4, so I read, but my little one has really enjoyed it all along. His first word at 6 months old was not Mama or Dada, but “poo”. At the end of singing his ABCs, he says, “…next time won’t you sing with poopie?!” He loves the reaction & the attention. He thinks it’s hilarious & I have to admit, sometimes the silly potty-related things he says are pretty funny. Maybe I’m immature, or maybe just light-hearted; let’s assume the latter. However, I was conflicted when he first began saying his “poopie” prayers.

Each night we try to wind down (which takes quite a while!) by putting on pjs, brushing teeth, reading a couple books, & then sometimes a verbally-told story as well. We finish up with our good night prayer. Some of you may know it: Now I lay me / Down to sleep / I pray the Lord / My soul to keep / Keep me safe / All through the night / & guide me ’til / The morning light. We then add additional prayers for healing for various people, the poor, the church, ourselves, some thanks, & close with “In Jesus’ name, I love you, Amen”. John repeats after me line by line. He’s gotten some of it memorized by now & if I say something in a different order he’ll correct me (as if it were wrong) or if I forget something or someone he reminds me. Sometimes he’ll even add something! But, several months ago when he repeated each line, he began adding the word “poopie” into it! So it instead sounds more like: Now I poopie lay me / Down to poopie sleep / I pray the poopie Lord / My soul to poopie keep, etc. My husband & I couldn’t believe when he first did it; he didn’t miss a line! I was shocked & didn’t know what to do. My husband laughed hysterically until he couldn’t breathe (maybe it’s a guy-thing?). This has gone on every night ever since!

I told a few other young adults & was told I should stop him from saying it. He needs to understand a respect & healthy fear of the Lord. Prayers are powerful & shouldn’t be taken too lightly. Others, like my parents, laughed & said something along the lines of, “what a kid”. At first I was torn! What do I do?! Let my child be goofy during prayers or insist that he needs to say them the proper way? (Actually, is there a proper way?)

Well, I’ve so far decided to let it be. He’s 2. If I insist he not use the word “poopie” during prayers, he may just use it all the more (with his personality & twinkle in his eye I’m almost positive that would happen!). & I wondered, what would Jesus have said, while He physically walked the earth, if one of the children who came to Him said something similar? The Jesus I think I know, would laugh right along. I can almost imagine Him giggling & shaking His head, just happy that John is having fun while saying prayers & learning how to speak with his God. Here’s what Jesus said, as written in Mark 10: 13-16 (NIV):

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.

Therefore, I decided to continue leading him in the prayer my way (i.e.: I don’t say “poopie”), but let John respond how he wants. So, prayers are still poopie for now.

Think about the young kids you know & how they approach God. They don’t go before him worrying about paying bills or getting a better job. They don’t have issues, judgments, or bitterness about their past, their present, or their perceived pessimistic future. They don’t pretend to be someone they’re not. What do they do? They simply run up to Him, jump into His arms & get comfy, ready to listen to a great story told by a strong, gentle voice. They’re silly & they just act how they feel & say what they’re thinking. They’re real. Maybe we should all begin approaching Jesus with such realness?

What do you think? How would you respond? Any similar stories to share?

I let worldly distractions, well, distract me. I get tired. I have something else to do with a deadline. I forget. I don’t know what to say. One million reasons exist for not praying some days. Praise God He loves us & sees us as lovely no matter how dark we are feeling or acting. (Song of Songs 1:5 & 6)

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~Aristotle

Well, Mr. Aristotle, please tell me: how do I make my life a habitual song of praise & adoration to my Lord? How can I keep my spirit in constant communion with the One I love?

A little on my prayer history (so you know where I’m coming from):

One of my parents was raised Catholic & the other Lutheran, but neither really committed to their churches, & when they had us, decided not to attend or baptize us (I’m the oldest of 4 children) in either church, but instead to teach us what they knew about God. My parents told us the stories of the Bible they remembered learning, some prayers they had memorized, & also to pray whenever life warranted it (healing for a boo-boo or someone sick, financial problems, etc.). We prayed the standard before dinner & before bed. They also watched biblical movies with us & I accepted Jesus as my Savior during the crucifixion scene in “Jesus of Nazareth” when I was about 8 yrs old or so. I know that a church community is important, but I love my parents for doing what they felt was right for our family. All 4 of us now-adult children are Bible-believing Christians today.

The first time I felt the Holy Spirit I didn’t know I was encountering Him because I wasn’t even praying. I was about 15 yrs old & it was summer vacation so I was up late, maybe 4 or 5 a.m., playing Nintendo’s “Dr. Mario” in my brothers’ room. I used to play for hours at a time. I didn’t hang out with friends at the mall or talk on the phone. I was either reading, with my family, or playing puzzle games. Listening to Bryan Adams’ song “Heaven”, I thought about God & suddenly was overcome with His Spirit. I didn’t know what I was feeling, but I cried as I listened to the lyrics & felt God was singing it to me. My body played the game but I paid absolutely no attention to how amazingly I was winning. I could not explain it the next morning, but now I know Jesus was singing a love song to my heart & claiming me for His own.

When I went to college at a local university, in a weird twist, which I know was divine appointment, my dad & I met a campus minister. I joined that ministry in spring 1998 & met one of the other writers of this blog, Kevin. I never thought I would learn so much more about life outside the classroom rather than inside the university’s large, lecture halls. I’ve been really learning about a relationship with God ever since. I didn’t know we could hear God speaking to us in various ways until that spring of ’98 & was amazed when I first heard His beautiful whisper, “Follow Him. Give to Him”. I chose to get baptized & was flooded with dreams, learning about how God speaks to us all in the ways He chooses.

Eleven yrs later & many times I’m puzzled by His mysteries…I’m still learning that I need to make prayer more like a dialogue & less like me reading a list of to-dos to my Lord. Once in a while I get it right & walk away from the encounter with our conversation written (so I don’t forget), with His instructions & encouragement for me. Most days unfortunately, I don’t have this encounter. My heart longs for more of those purposeful, prophetic encounters when He dares to share a secret or 2 with me.

And so, now that I’m married, & a mom of an incredible 2 yr old son (yes, I know, I’m biased!) & 6 months pregnant with my second child, I have been trying to figure out how to teach my children to pray. In my blog posts, this is exactly what I’ll be discussing. The ups & downs, what works & what doesn’t (at least for us), my frustrations & “my successes” (meaning those wondrous times when my son surprises & teaches me, & I didn’t really do anything at all!)

My heart breaks for the little ones. Knowledge of their abuse &/or neglect is painful for me. I have grand ideas of how to change the world, if only I could, but in the meantime I’m starting at home. In order to make a real difference & teach the next generation to pray, I’m starting with my own little piece of it. It may be a drop in the bucket, but drops make ripples…

I’ll leave you with some Mr. Rodgers, because he got a lot of stuff right:
“Childhood is not just clowns and balloons. In fact, childhood goes to the very heart of who we all become.”

~Dalene