Bribery and Jesus

It started on a whim.

One morning on the way to school, my youngest child, Paul, recited a verse he had learned in Kraze. His sister, Madison, knew it, too.  Then she rattled off another verse she happened to know, which Paul repeated.  They were pretty impressed with themselves for knowing two verses.

On our way to school the next morning, I asked one of them to pray out loud, and then, out of the blue, they both recited their verses again.  I taught them one more for good measure, and so began our newest tradition: praying and memorizing bible verses on the way to school.

When they had mastered 8 verses, I dangled a carrot in front of them: $10 for 10 verses.  Yeah, I know, bribery might not be the wisest avenue to take, but they took the bait, and today they earned $10 each! Here are the verses they’ve memorized:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Exodus 20:3 You must not have any gods but me.

Isaiah 6:8 I heard the voice of the Lord.  He said, “Who will I send? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am.  Send me.”

Psalms 39:7 Where should I put my hope?  My only hope is in You.”

Psalms 119:27 Help me understand the meaning of Your commandments, and I will meditate on Your wonderful deeds.

Proverbs 11:27 The generous shall prosper. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Philippians 4:19 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

James 1:19 Understand this, brothers and sisters: All of you must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

James 3:2 For indeed we have all made many mistakes.  For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and able to control ourselves in every other way.

Pretty awesome, huh? It may look like a lot, but it literally takes us about 5-6 minutes to pray and recite the verses. I especially love when they explain the verses to me.  Understanding is more important than memorization.

Want to know the best part? As they’ve recited those verses each morning, I’ve learned them, too.  Score!

Today, I’m one proud mama….especially because the kiddos just found 2 new verses.  They want to tackle another set of 10!

If you are looking for an easy way to disciple your kids, give this a shot.  You just might find you disciple YOURSELF in the process.

 

Sunday Summaries

When I think of the word legacy, my mind immediately goes to my family.  Let’s face it: our spouses and our kids are watching us.  They see our actions, our reactions, our good moments, and our well…..the times we completely lose it.  Like the time I told my oldest daughter she was never again allowed to turn the radio dial in my car because she drove me crazy with her incessant station-changing.

I was serious.

She laughed out loud.

Leaving a legacy of a flipped-out mom is not exactly what I’m going for, though.  To be sure, I flip out more than I’d like, but I also have a plan to model a Godly life for my family.  This weekend at MLC, our Family Pastor, Steve Aylor, taught us some key ways to do just that.  He shared some stories from his own life which motivated me to get my head in the game, so to speak.  That’s a good thing since Summer is here, the kids are with me full-time again.

My plan is nothing spectacular.  I simply have a goal to lead well as often as I can. The plan is two-fold: teachable moments and intentional living.

I take advantage of teachable moments – with my husband and my kids.  I share with my husband what I’m learning in Scripture or in relationship with others, which usually jump-starts a conversation.  You’d be surprised how much both of us learn from those talks.  And, of course, I use the things my kids see and hear as a springboard to share Godly wisdom.  Not in a preachy kind of way, either.  Just casual conversations to give and get insight.  Simple, really.

Intentional living is the other part of my plan.  Living life on purpose, for a purpose.  In other words, I plan out the good our family will do…..the ways we will honor God with our time.  Volunteerism, service, generosity, personal spiritual growth, etc.  Following God is important to me, and I want to leave a legacy of passionately serving Him.  So, my kids not only see me serving and leading, I pull them into the mix by helping them find ways to serve, too.  Again, simple.

Leaving a legacy for our families isn’t as difficult or unattainable as we might think.  As a matter of fact, you can start today!  Click here to watch this week’s message and get some ideas to get started.  Then, get your head in the game and start out-living your life!

 

 

 

Flannel Boards and other intimidating stuff….

Sometimes I amazed by those families. You know the ones.  They have family devotions.  EVERY day.  The mom creates handy-dandy crafts to complement the devotional lesson.  Bible verses are memorized, and their refrigerators are adorned with popsicle-stick characters from the Old Testament.  They probably even have their very own flannel board for story-telling.  Yeah, those families.

The Lovejoy’s aren’t like that.  At all.  I’m not the mom who likes to make crafts, and my patience wears thin when we try to corral our family to sit still and pay attention.

Yet, I wholeheartedly believe that parents are the best teachers for their kids….and that there is nothing more important than teaching them about God.  I just take a different approach.  I tend to grab teachable moments as they come and leverage them to show my kids the value of Godliness, obedience, love, and generosity.

I’ll give you an example: my oldest daughter sat with me during one of our services at Mountain lake this past weekend.  She was absolutely tuned in to what her dad was teaching on stage as she took notes and underlined verses.  Occasionally, she leaned over to whisper a question or clarify a thought.  I had the chance to direct her to additional verses and show her some ways to learn even more.  That kind of stuff doesn’t happen in every church service, so when I recognized her interest, I seized the teachable moment.

I do the same kind of stuff with my younger two children.  For instance, the other day when my little boy got his feelings hurt, we talked about the need to find ways to repair and restore the relationship because a friend loves at all times (Prov 17:17).  A real life experience…..related back to God.

So, we haven’t bought a flannel board or finger puppets.  Nothing against puppets, mind you.  I’m just not wired that way.  And, just in case you’re not wired like that, I want to encourage you to look for everyday, teachable moments and make the most of them!  Don’t let it intimidate you.  You CAN do it!

Her Greatest Adventure

My eight year old daughter is a go-getter.  I admire her spirit.  Like when we were at the skating rink and she said yes to a race against an 8-year-old boy.  Did she care that she had just learned to skate that day?  Nope.  With the entire crowd watching, she took her stance behind the starting line and then raced for all she was worth.  She may have lost, but not by much.  And, she’s still convinced that the little boy cheated because he ran on his skates, rather than actually gliding. 

Then, there was the other day when she was hanging upside down from not one, but two different swings.  At the same time.  No fear of the 6 feet of space (and gravity) below her.

Or, how about her willingness to speak to a crowd of 3000 at church last Christmas?  Or, ride the Mind Bender at Six Flags at the age of 7?  (Her 42.5″ self proudly walked past the sign limiting riders 42″ and below.)

But, her spirit isn’t the only thing I admire about Madison.  I adore her sensitive heart, too.  Whether she’s dabbing tears from her eyes during a movie or counting down the days until her dad returns from a trip, I can see her deep need for relationships and connections.  It’s her tender heart that causes her to help around the house or write notes to friends.  It’s that sensitivity that cause her heart to break when she realizes she’s hurt someone or done something wrong.  I see genuine repentance in those eyes.  Sometimes, when she hugs me, I’m overwhelmed by how much love that little girl has stored up inside of her.

Yep, my girl has an adventurous spirit with a soft heart.  That’s a good thing because she’s about to take on the greatest adventure of her life….and it begins with a heart-filled moment.  She told me recently that she would like to be baptized.  She loves God and wants to let the world know it.  So, I will begin some focused discipleship with her to teach and guide her.  And, once her dad and I are confident that she understands what she is doing, she’ll take the plunge!  Then, God will use that adventurous spirit and sensitive heart for His glory!  I’m on the edge of my seat waiting to see what God chooses to do with my children!

Parents, there is no greater thing you can do for your children than to teach them about God.  Teach them Scripture.  Pray with them.  Show them God’s perspective.  Encourage them to use their gifts to serve in the local church.  And, then take great pleasure in watching God use them – their personalities, their special talents, their uniqueness – for His glory.  I know I’m going to!

Discipleship Starts At Home

Today is a big day in the Lovejoy family.   4 years ago today, Hannah stepped into a pool of water at MLC, and her dad had the distinct honor of baptizing her and welcoming her to the family of God.  We sent out E-vites to everyone we knew asking them to come celebrate the day with us.  School teachers were invited.  Neighbors were invited.  And, family travelled from other states to watch my daughter go public with the most important decision she will ever make.   We asked Hannah to write down her thoughts about the whole experience, and we added it to a scrapbook to help her remember the day.  And, of course, since we live in the South, we topped it all off with a yummy dinner.

Sounds like fun, huh?  It was.  We celebrated BIG.  But, the truth is that event was simply a declaration of Hannah’s decision to live for Jesus.  It’s similar to a wedding – the wedding is simply the event that declares to the world that a couple is married.  After the baptism – after the wedding – work must be done.  After the baptism, we have to learn to walk with Jesus, submit ourselves to Him, and learn His ways.  The baptism is just the beginning; it’s not the end!

So, each March 25, we celebrate Hannah’s spiritual birthday.  We go out for ice cream, and Hannah shares what she’s learned about God over the past year.  We talk about the various ways she has served God through the church, how she has loved other people, and how she is growing in her relationship with God.

Why do we have this conversation?  Because we want to help Hannah see her growth, challenge herself to become more like Jesus, and, maybe most importantly, remember the decision she originally made.  In other words, as her parents we are responsible for discipling Hannah.  We take that charge seriously.  We also make it fun by giving her gifts, leaving her encouraging notes, and celebrating the Godly choices she makes.

So, today we will celebrate.  And, because Hannah is getting older (she’s now 12), she is taking on some new responsibilities.  Today, she’s giving me her plan for her own spiritual growth for this year.  She’s never made a plan like this, but she older now, so it’s time.  Sound crazy?  Not so much.  I helped her out by giving her a list of some creative ways to spend time with God, so she can pick and choose what works for her.  She went shopping the other day and picked out a devotional that she liked.  And, she’s setting a goal for how many days each week she’ll spend time with God.  I’ve encouraged her to start slowly and not bite off more than she can chew.  The goal is to help her win!

Hannah is pumped about today.  She has already been working the plan that she’ll reveal.  She loves this stuff!  Why?  Because God captured her heart 6 years ago, and we have been stoking those fires ever since.  Discipleship starts at home.

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

Parent Power

Recently, I was talking with a friend about her struggles as a parent.  She was feeling frustrated, disappointed, and guilty all at the same time.  Every parent deals with these emotions at one time or another – EVERY parent.  A LOT.  We spent some time talking through the issues and devising helpful strategies success.  Here were a few:
1.  Try your best not to get pulled into the drama (these are Shawn’s words to me on a daily basis).  By that I mean, let your yes be yes and your no be no.  Avoid the shouting matches and the desire to get your child to understand your point of view.  If necessary, develop a plan to delay talking about the situation until everyone has calmed down.  Thirty minutes can work wonders to reduce drama – for your child and YOU!

 2.  Remember, you are the parent.  That doesn’t mean you are a dictator.  But, it does mean you have the responsibility to be the mature one and to take advantage of teachable moments.  Don’t get so caught up in daily tasks that you forget that you are responsible for training your child. 

3.  Consistency is key.  Make clear expectations and stick to them. 

 4. I also find it incredibly helpful to periodically read parenting books that relate to my particular life stage.  Those insights make me a better parent.

What about you?  What’s your best parenting tip?  With our kids out of school over the Christmas break (and spending a lot of time underfoot), we ALL need to be sharpened in this area!

Coming Soon

Launch Date:  November 3, 2010