How many of you remember this phrase from the movie, You've Got Mail? The phrase came from the movie, The Godfather and it means "all out war."
This is what we must do with sin!
Last night I heard our teaching Pastor talk to 900 college students about "going to war with sin." It hit me to the core. This is something that we all need to hear.
One thing he talked about was cutting out the very things you struggle with. For example if there are TV shows that causes you to stumble, then why do you still have your TV? Sounds extreme, huh? Well, that is what "going to the mattresses" looks like. Does that mean that you can never have your TV back? No! Maybe it means cutting it out for a season.
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." ~Eph 4:22-24
A challenge to all of us today: "Go to the Mattresses!"
Be reminded that sin is very real and the enemy is lurking to trip you up today.
Ask the Lord to renew your mind today and let's go to war.
Thanks Greg Pinkner for another awesome message.
click here to hear the message title "The New Life."
~kerry
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Living with Less
I have been pondering the issues of my last post and the Lord has revealed a lot to me over the past serval days.
Side note....I forgot to tell you in the last post that Ladd sugguests going and buying a used Bible or use a Bible that you already have that you can mark in. She said that she uses a different maker for each person in her family and uses sticky notes to write notes about certain situations to pray for with that particular scripture.
As I have been praying for Parker and his heart attitude, the Lord has revealed to me some areas that need attention. The Lord confirmed this by leading me to a book called Having Less so Your Family Can Have More by Mark and Jill Savage.
Description:
Our culture believes that bigger is better, but Jill and Mark Savage believe that being satisfied with less materially can allow you to give your family more-emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.
What Christianity.com gleamed from the book:
Make constructive sacrifices, but avoid destructive ones. Making certain types of sacrifices can benefit your family by freeing up more time for them. These include: comfort, sleep, hobbies, entertainment or recreational activities, and career pursuits. However, be sure not to ever sacrifice your relationship with God, your marriage, or your identity, because doing so would harm your family.
Okay, so where I am I going with this?
Well.....I have been convicted that "Living with Less" doesn't always mean downsizing your home but it is a heart attitude. It is a way of life in every decision you make for your family. The thing that Paul and I have come to realize is that we have fed into the "Having more" attitude and not teaching our kids to be content. When your child has a Wii, Game cube, every movie known to man, every toy ever created, their own room with a TV and access to it whenever, able to go to the pantry and get whatever they want whenever they want to get the food that they demanded at the grocery store.....something is wrong.
I hate to admit that this is where we are at!
We have made some major changes in the White household. I don't like to call them "rules" but rather "boundaries" we have set to point our children to Christ and less on the World.
If we sale our house and move into a smaller one (which we are waiting on the Lord's provision on that as a for sale sign sits in our yard) yet our attitues of "having" have not changed, then what have we gained? Sometimes the most important decisions are not the big ones but the smaller daily ones.
I will write more about this as God reveals. But for now I challenge you to see where your heart is. Whether single, married, married with kiddos. Are you following into the footsteps of the world or God?
Am I saying that having "things" is bad? Absolutely not!
Here is what Christianity.com wrote on the practical application of Mark and Jill Savage's book:
Our culture constantly says that you need more in your life: a bigger house, a newer car, better clothes, more activities. But none of that reflects what God says is most important: healthy relationships. Pursuing what truly matters requires living with less - not more - so you'll be free to grow closer to God and other people.
Pursue simplicity. Realize that living simply isn't about deprivation; instead, it's about determining what's truly important and discarding the rest from your life. Pursue inward simplicity by examining your heart often and keeping it fully focused on God. Pursue outward simplicity by expressing your values through your lifestyle decisions, such as: buying items for their usefulness rather than for their status, rejecting anything that's addictive to you, making a habit of giving things away, refusing to believe that you need the newest and the best, learning to enjoy things without owning them, developing a deeper appreciation for creation, resisting "buy now, pay later" schemes, speaking plainly and honestly, rejecting anything that oppresses others, and turning away from anything that distracts you from seeking God's kingdom first in life.
This is still all very new and fresh and the Lord is still dealing with me on these very issues. I just pray that I would be silent enough to hear His voice and then follow.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
Not perfect, but being perfected in Him,
~Kerry
Side note....I forgot to tell you in the last post that Ladd sugguests going and buying a used Bible or use a Bible that you already have that you can mark in. She said that she uses a different maker for each person in her family and uses sticky notes to write notes about certain situations to pray for with that particular scripture.
As I have been praying for Parker and his heart attitude, the Lord has revealed to me some areas that need attention. The Lord confirmed this by leading me to a book called Having Less so Your Family Can Have More by Mark and Jill Savage.
Description:
Our culture believes that bigger is better, but Jill and Mark Savage believe that being satisfied with less materially can allow you to give your family more-emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.
What Christianity.com gleamed from the book:
Make constructive sacrifices, but avoid destructive ones. Making certain types of sacrifices can benefit your family by freeing up more time for them. These include: comfort, sleep, hobbies, entertainment or recreational activities, and career pursuits. However, be sure not to ever sacrifice your relationship with God, your marriage, or your identity, because doing so would harm your family.
Okay, so where I am I going with this?
Well.....I have been convicted that "Living with Less" doesn't always mean downsizing your home but it is a heart attitude. It is a way of life in every decision you make for your family. The thing that Paul and I have come to realize is that we have fed into the "Having more" attitude and not teaching our kids to be content. When your child has a Wii, Game cube, every movie known to man, every toy ever created, their own room with a TV and access to it whenever, able to go to the pantry and get whatever they want whenever they want to get the food that they demanded at the grocery store.....something is wrong.
I hate to admit that this is where we are at!
We have made some major changes in the White household. I don't like to call them "rules" but rather "boundaries" we have set to point our children to Christ and less on the World.
If we sale our house and move into a smaller one (which we are waiting on the Lord's provision on that as a for sale sign sits in our yard) yet our attitues of "having" have not changed, then what have we gained? Sometimes the most important decisions are not the big ones but the smaller daily ones.
I will write more about this as God reveals. But for now I challenge you to see where your heart is. Whether single, married, married with kiddos. Are you following into the footsteps of the world or God?
Am I saying that having "things" is bad? Absolutely not!
Here is what Christianity.com wrote on the practical application of Mark and Jill Savage's book:
Our culture constantly says that you need more in your life: a bigger house, a newer car, better clothes, more activities. But none of that reflects what God says is most important: healthy relationships. Pursuing what truly matters requires living with less - not more - so you'll be free to grow closer to God and other people.
Pursue simplicity. Realize that living simply isn't about deprivation; instead, it's about determining what's truly important and discarding the rest from your life. Pursue inward simplicity by examining your heart often and keeping it fully focused on God. Pursue outward simplicity by expressing your values through your lifestyle decisions, such as: buying items for their usefulness rather than for their status, rejecting anything that's addictive to you, making a habit of giving things away, refusing to believe that you need the newest and the best, learning to enjoy things without owning them, developing a deeper appreciation for creation, resisting "buy now, pay later" schemes, speaking plainly and honestly, rejecting anything that oppresses others, and turning away from anything that distracts you from seeking God's kingdom first in life.
This is still all very new and fresh and the Lord is still dealing with me on these very issues. I just pray that I would be silent enough to hear His voice and then follow.
I would love to hear your thoughts!
Not perfect, but being perfected in Him,
~Kerry
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Prayer
I was laying out by the pool yesterday reading The Power of a Positive Mom and watching my kiddos splash in the pool. I was reading Chapter 6: A Positive Mom is a Praying Mom.
Karol Ladd says, "Do you want to make a positive impact on the next generation? Become a praying mom!"
Wow!
I am not saying that I don't pray. I do. But I often forget to pray for the very people I live with...Paul, Parker and Tanner. I can tend to only pray when a situation arises--crisis mode. Like a few days ago when we were at the pool, one of my neighbors and good friend told me that I should talk to Parker about what he was saying.
It is not important for you to know what he said but let's just say.....It sounded like something you would see on Dateline.
I mean what do you do? I pulled Parker aside and immediately started asking questions to get to the root of it, of why he would say such things. I reminded him of what God thought about what he said and then reminded him of how much God loved him and desires him to reflect His character.
You better believe I got on my knees that night and asked the Lord to help Parker make better choices. But the thing is, I don't want to react. I want to be proactive.
Yesterday a friend of mine reminded me of John Wesley's mother, Susanna, who was a devoted prayer warrior. Susanna believed very strongly in daily prayer and if she could not find a private place in the house to pray, she put her apron over her head as a sign to the children to be extra quiet, mom was praying.
Makes me want to go out and buy an apron! :)
I truly want to become a woman of prayer. Not only for my family but for those that God puts in my life.
Some suggestions from Ladd's book:
1. Set aside a time to meet with God
2. Find a place to meet with God without distractions. (Buy an apron if you need too.) :)
3. Set aside a Bible in the household for use as your family's "prayer Bible." Highlight the passages and promises for which you want to pray for you and your family. You may want to use a different color marker for each family member.
Here are some suggested verses that Ladd gives to help get you started.
I encourage you to do the same. If you have to put a blanket over your head and tell your children that when you have the blanket over your head you are spending time praying with the Father, your children will grow to honor and respect that time. Who knows they may just grow up with a heart like John Wesley. :)
~kerry
Karol Ladd says, "Do you want to make a positive impact on the next generation? Become a praying mom!"
Wow!
I am not saying that I don't pray. I do. But I often forget to pray for the very people I live with...Paul, Parker and Tanner. I can tend to only pray when a situation arises--crisis mode. Like a few days ago when we were at the pool, one of my neighbors and good friend told me that I should talk to Parker about what he was saying.
It is not important for you to know what he said but let's just say.....It sounded like something you would see on Dateline.
I mean what do you do? I pulled Parker aside and immediately started asking questions to get to the root of it, of why he would say such things. I reminded him of what God thought about what he said and then reminded him of how much God loved him and desires him to reflect His character.
You better believe I got on my knees that night and asked the Lord to help Parker make better choices. But the thing is, I don't want to react. I want to be proactive.
Yesterday a friend of mine reminded me of John Wesley's mother, Susanna, who was a devoted prayer warrior. Susanna believed very strongly in daily prayer and if she could not find a private place in the house to pray, she put her apron over her head as a sign to the children to be extra quiet, mom was praying.
Makes me want to go out and buy an apron! :)
I truly want to become a woman of prayer. Not only for my family but for those that God puts in my life.
Some suggestions from Ladd's book:
1. Set aside a time to meet with God
2. Find a place to meet with God without distractions. (Buy an apron if you need too.) :)
3. Set aside a Bible in the household for use as your family's "prayer Bible." Highlight the passages and promises for which you want to pray for you and your family. You may want to use a different color marker for each family member.
Here are some suggested verses that Ladd gives to help get you started.
- Pray that they will come to know Christ and follow him (Romans 10:9-11)
- Pray that they will be able to recognize evil and hate it (Psalm 97:10)
- Pray that when they do something wrong, they will be caught (Psalm 119:17)
- Pray for protection against the evil one (John 17:15)
- Pray that they will be kind and forgiving towards others (Ephesians 4:32)
- Pray that they'll have courage to stand up for what is right (Joshua 1:7)
- Pray that they will have respect for authority (Romans 13:1)
- Pray that they will chose wise friends (Proverbs 13:20)
- Pray for their future spouse, that they will marry a godly person (2 Corinthians 6:14-17)
- Pray for them to submit to God and resisit the devil (James 4:7)
I encourage you to do the same. If you have to put a blanket over your head and tell your children that when you have the blanket over your head you are spending time praying with the Father, your children will grow to honor and respect that time. Who knows they may just grow up with a heart like John Wesley. :)
~kerry
Friday, July 9, 2010
"Watch your tone!"
These are the words I constantly say to my two boys. It seems that they have decided that it is okay to talk to me in a disrespectful way. The funny thing about it is that I say back to them, "Watch your tone with me young man." And guess what kind of tone I use?
You guessed it!
A mean spirited one.
I would justify it by thinking that I am just demanding respect, showing them who's boss, enlighting them to who has authority over them. After all God appointed Paul and I to be their authority, right?
Well....today in my quiet time the Lord revealed something very eye-opening to me. I heard His gentle voice say, "How is your tone being received?"
Wow!
Paul had always said that I have a harsh tone sometimes. He will yell from across the house when he needs me, "Kerry!"
And I would yell back, "What!" But my "what" is not in a "how can I help you" way. It is more like, "What now" kind of way. Like he is annoying me.
Which leads me to another observation.....We are a yelling family! I hate it! We are always yelling from the top or bottom of the stairs. We are yelling from room to room. We yell when our kids are not obeying (as if getting louder will do the trick).
Now I am not saying that yelling is wrong. There are times that we need to yell. If Parker or Tanner are about to get hit by a car, I am not going to whisper their names. You better believe I am going to yell from the top of my lungs. But what I have realized is that I yell when yelling isn't even necessary and definitely not in an encouraging tone. I say things in the "you're annoying me" tone. I am going to be honest...I struggle with this. Because to be honest, sometimes they are annoying me.
So here is where the rubber meets the road. My children are going to hear harsh tones and hurtful words all day from other kids or even teachers (who like us, don't realize they are doing it). I want to encourage them and build up their self-esteem. Not tear it down! I have a bad habit of making my boys feel like they are the scum of the earth for being so disrespectful.
Here is what The Power of a Positive Mom has to say:
"When our children have nothing positive to believe about themselves, their emotional bank accounts can become bankrupt---overdrawn by the negative comments and disappointments that occur every day in the world around them."
"We need to be deliberate about building up our children's strengths and putting regular deposits in their emotional bank accounts."
Now you are probably thinking I am not giving myself enough grace. You would never witness my harshness because I would put my best foot forward with my friends. But when there is no one around my guard is down.Yuck! Why can't I just realize that God is still watching?
So my challenge is to become more aware of the tone I am using and what I am communicating to them. I want to love them the way Christ loves them. I want to point them to Jesus! I want to encourage them to become the men that God called them to be. I want them to know that no matter what....I love them and think great things about them.
Dear Precious Lord, be with me today as I point Parker and Tanner towards You. May my words and tone be firm yet gentle and loving when they disobey or have a mean spirit. I pray that my first reaction would not be to have a mean spirit back, but I would show them to react to disappointments with the power of the Holy Spirit. I also pray that you would stop us when we start to yell with harsh tones. Remind Paul and I that we are to be examples and help us to make a change in the way we respond. ~amen
"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." ~Proverbs 12:25
You guessed it!
A mean spirited one.
I would justify it by thinking that I am just demanding respect, showing them who's boss, enlighting them to who has authority over them. After all God appointed Paul and I to be their authority, right?
Well....today in my quiet time the Lord revealed something very eye-opening to me. I heard His gentle voice say, "How is your tone being received?"
Wow!
Paul had always said that I have a harsh tone sometimes. He will yell from across the house when he needs me, "Kerry!"
And I would yell back, "What!" But my "what" is not in a "how can I help you" way. It is more like, "What now" kind of way. Like he is annoying me.
Which leads me to another observation.....We are a yelling family! I hate it! We are always yelling from the top or bottom of the stairs. We are yelling from room to room. We yell when our kids are not obeying (as if getting louder will do the trick).
Now I am not saying that yelling is wrong. There are times that we need to yell. If Parker or Tanner are about to get hit by a car, I am not going to whisper their names. You better believe I am going to yell from the top of my lungs. But what I have realized is that I yell when yelling isn't even necessary and definitely not in an encouraging tone. I say things in the "you're annoying me" tone. I am going to be honest...I struggle with this. Because to be honest, sometimes they are annoying me.
So here is where the rubber meets the road. My children are going to hear harsh tones and hurtful words all day from other kids or even teachers (who like us, don't realize they are doing it). I want to encourage them and build up their self-esteem. Not tear it down! I have a bad habit of making my boys feel like they are the scum of the earth for being so disrespectful.
Here is what The Power of a Positive Mom has to say:
"When our children have nothing positive to believe about themselves, their emotional bank accounts can become bankrupt---overdrawn by the negative comments and disappointments that occur every day in the world around them."
"We need to be deliberate about building up our children's strengths and putting regular deposits in their emotional bank accounts."
Now you are probably thinking I am not giving myself enough grace. You would never witness my harshness because I would put my best foot forward with my friends. But when there is no one around my guard is down.Yuck! Why can't I just realize that God is still watching?
So my challenge is to become more aware of the tone I am using and what I am communicating to them. I want to love them the way Christ loves them. I want to point them to Jesus! I want to encourage them to become the men that God called them to be. I want them to know that no matter what....I love them and think great things about them.
Dear Precious Lord, be with me today as I point Parker and Tanner towards You. May my words and tone be firm yet gentle and loving when they disobey or have a mean spirit. I pray that my first reaction would not be to have a mean spirit back, but I would show them to react to disappointments with the power of the Holy Spirit. I also pray that you would stop us when we start to yell with harsh tones. Remind Paul and I that we are to be examples and help us to make a change in the way we respond. ~amen
"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." ~Proverbs 12:25
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