Our 2014 Family Plans

Here we are ready to start a new year, rethinking goals, lesson plans, menu plans and such.

I love new beginnings, fresh starts even while I struggle with the same old habits that kept me from accomplishing previous goals (lack of self discipline).

But that is the great thing about HOPE. God’s mercies are new every morning and as I ask Him to burn away the hay and stubble form my life I can look back on old goals/plans and see that they were foolish or self-centered…. full of vain-glory.

I’m good at making plans, having high hopes, I have lots of vision for the future, but I struggle with follow-through. A LOT of that is simply a lack of self-control…being too impulsive.

Plans are great, but you have to work them. It’s the day in - day out, seemingly meaningless tasks that make us achieve our goals. Whether it be laziness or busyness it is easy to loose sight of long-term goals and feel defeated. Plan the work but then you have to work the plan.

Our 2014 Family Plans

Our character trait to focus on this year is Humility. You really can not have any other character trait without humility.

Our 2014 Family Verse

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Ways to Serve

Be Available - the most important thing is not to be overly committed so that we can be available when needs happen.

Be Connected and Involved - in the community through:

Volunteer Fire Department - we’ve done this for many years and it really is one of the best ways our family can serve our community and be connected to needs.

Sav-aLife - Olivia and I are both on the board for Blount County Sav-a-Life and Olivia works as a counselor each week.
Lady Lakers - is a ladies community group that does a lot of community beautification and organizes community events. This is another way to have your finger on the pulse of the needs in the community.

4-H - Olivia and I are leading a monthly 4-H club for the homeschool community.

All of these are monthly meetings so we are not out of the home a lot in the evenings.

Hospitality:

Regularly have people over for dinner- at least once a month.
Bonfires, kid’s activities, etc…
Take a meal to someone (shut-in, large family, sick family, family with a new baby, etc…)

Debt Free - a work on progress.

Build a Stronger Family Economy

Save Money
Make Money
Improve on Skills
Plant Fruit Trees

Areas to Improve On:

Gardening
Plan a Better Pantry
Menu Planning
Grow Our Rabbit Population

Spiritual Growth

Memorize Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 13.
Work through Malachi and The Cross and The Christian Community .
Read Humility together.
Regular reading through the Scriptures.

Vacation

Spring Camping Trip
Attended the family reunion in New York in July.

Babies, children, life… tough stuff

Friday Emma and I were suppose to meet our friend Kelly at the hospital for the birth of her 10th child. I have been in the room to video her last two babies and this time I was suppose to just take pictures. We planned for Emma to watch the birth seeing as she will be delivering my first grandchild next year!

Unfortunately for us, but not for Kelly, baby Kaid came very quickly and we did not get there in time to see the birth, but we did get there in time to enjoy his first minutes in this world!

There is nothing like a newborn, no matter what number it is!

kids

Olivia spent a couple days at Kelly’s home helping with the other children.

God taught her some more lessons about life and why she is here, read her fabulous post here! It’s pretty funny!

3D_Wasted Years

Speaking of Olivia… her book No More Wasted Years is set to be released THIS THURSDAY!!! Don’t miss out on the rock bottom introductory price!

We are enjoying our summer, the garden in coming in with LOTS of zucchini ! The kids are doing GREAT!!! Cherish is actually making a short film/documentary for the Plants and Pillars Film Festival about her adoption. The newlyweds are doing great also!

Even though life is so very good, it all comes with struggles. Relationships are a constant WORK in progress. Kids have attitudes, spouses struggle no matter how long they have been married, unexpected deaths happen, things break down, cash flow is interrupted, medical/dental bills happen, etc…

Life is not easy, it’s not suppose to be. Each struggle reminds us of our dependency on Christ.

Forgiveness only happens through Him.
Provision only happens through Him.
Healing only happens through Him.

The key is to remember to bend the knee and give thanks, knowing that this too shall pass.

Rejoice in hope,

be patient in tribulation,

be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:12

Finding Freedom from the Monster of Self

The monster of SELF rages in all of us. The only way to find freedom from this self-destroying creature is to execute it through a heart of service.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

(This is actually a picture of Peach playing Grumpy Girl one day.)

The most unhappy people I know are people who are focused on themselves, they are angry, pouty, miserable people.

We are all there at times. Some people just choose to feed the monster rather than kill it.

I recently decided to watch the BBC series Downton Abbey. What I love most about this series is that you see what an attitude of respect and service bring. The characters that have the biggest hearts for respect and service are the happiest and most peaceful characters.

The same happens in real life. Those who understand what their calling in life is and then they spend their life pouring out to others within that calling are the happiest, most content people.

Are you feeling angry or sorry for yourself? Could it be because you are focusing too much on YOU?

Do you have a child who is angry, or pouts a lot because he doesn’t get his way? Is he always the victim of every circumstance?

It is because the monster of self rages within.

How do you overcome this? How do you find peace, even joy?

Know who you are and who you are not. You are not God.
You are not the most important person on the planet, on the team, or in the family.
Come to terms with the fact that God is sovereign! NOTHING, absolutely nothing happens in your life happens without God allowing it. EVERYTHING happens for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28). You can either give thanks for the situation and become more Christ like, or you can feed the monster and become more miserable.
Figure out what your gifts are and start serving in those areas.
Know your duty and do your duty…with a cheerful heart.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-5

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Linking up over at Woman to Woman, Word Filled Wednesday

Teaching Gratitude and a Challenge!

As we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving this month it is a good time to really focus on the character trait of gratitude. Little irks me more than an ungrateful person! It seems that for most people the more they are given the more ungrateful they become and act as if they ‘deserve’ more. Children that are raised in a home that revolves around them and their wants usually grow up believing that the WORLD revolves around them, I’m sure several people are coming to mind right now.

I’m not so sure we can ‘teach’ gratitude because it really is a condition of the heart, but we sure need to be creative in how we encourage it!

As with everything else the best way to encourage gratitude is for it to be modeled by the parents. If mom and dad are always complaining, never content and critical it’s a sure bet the kids will be that way!If you are caught in this trap work hard to break free of those chains!

EVERY, yes, EVERY situation has a silver lining, you just have to look for it. Scripture tells us that God uses ALL things for our good and His glory. We may not always understand, it may seem hopeless, but there IS something to be thankful for in every situation.

A few suggestions:

When a ‘bad’ something happens, stop and say a good thing about it. When your kids are disappointed make them verbalize a positive aspect to the situation. If nothing else say, “Thank you Lord, I know this is for my good!”
Keep a small notebook next to your bed or at your desk and every day write at least one thing to be thankful for. What a great keepsake this would be!
If your kids don’t like someone, make them say something nice about their character.
Sometimes having to go without something for a while can cause a person to be grateful. If you need to, remove an item or activity.
Visit a homeless shelter or children’s hospital, see what real heartache is like.
Watch some documentaries about third world counties and see how they live.
Remind the children, and yourself; when God gives you lemons in life you can either suck on the lemons and look sour OR you can add some sugar (an attitude of gratitude) and enjoy some lemonade!

This would make a great lesson, cut them some lemon wedges and ask them to lick or suck on the lemon, take a picture of their face.

Explain to them that this is how you look when you are ungrateful and the rest of us have to look at you, you make the rest of us sour!

Then add some sugar to a wedge or squeeze some out to make lemonade. Take a picture of their face when they lick (or drink) that! Tell them that a smile (and attitude of gratitude) make everyone around them SMILE!

It is like this for every situation in life. People who choose to be positive and THANKFUL bring life and JOY to people around them. People who grumble and gripe and demand MORE drag everyone around them down.

YOUR attitude of gratitude

is the sugar to every situation!

This month I present a challenge to you and your children:

Write a letter (or at least a note) to 10 people that you are grateful for. Think about people who usually don’t get recognition. Are there people in your past that poured into your life that deserve a sincere “Thank You”? Have you thanked your parents lately? Have you thanked your pastor or teacher? Have you thanked your mother-in-law or father-in-law for your spouse? Perhaps write a thank you to someone you have really struggled with.
Write one letter a day, or all at once.
Do NOT send it in an e-mail or text. A handwritten letter or card means so much more!!!
Be sincere and specific.
Add some sweetness to someone’s life!

A Whine Free Home!

“Do everything without complaining or arguing…” Philippians 2:14

Whining children grow up to be adults that complain about everyone and everything!

For some reason (selfishness…pride…covetousness) they think they deserve more.

Make your home a whine free zone…starting with Mom.

Moms make a mental note how many times YOU complain (whine) during the day; once you get a grip on your complaining (which goes hand in hand with manipulation), then help your children learn to be grateful and not complain! Your home, their future homes and world will be a nicer place without a bunch of whiners!

Got a Kid With a Chip on His Shoulder?

Great clip from one of my favorite preachers, John Piper.

What is Humility?

Proverbs 17:1

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

Proverbs 17:1

As I think on this verse, I am reminded of days when we seem to be on the go non-stop. Household affairs are not taken care of as they should be, family members tend to be more tired and less patient… which gets everyone else less patient.

I think of families that trade out a more simple lifestyle with less things, less extravagant (convenience) food and less activities for a hectic, fast paced life, which often comes with more stress and more strife.

When things get out of balance in our home and relationships get tense, it is usually because we’ve gotten too busy with too many activities or have placed our affections on things that will not bring us peace, but rather brings a temporal satisfaction.

When home life is filled with strife, rather than peace, it cripples the family from being truly effective outside the home, whether it be at our jobs, in our communities and especially in our churches. Stress and contention robs us of our joy and strength.

Give me a piece of dry bread to fill my hunger and a home filled with love and compassion; then I will be strong enough handle what comes my way!