Drip, Drip, Drip….

I’ll admit it – I am not the best at keeping up with the structural, plumbing or electronic issues in our home. It simply doesn’t occur to me that I need to be looking at corners, foundation walls and other details to check if anything is going wrong – that’s until something DOES go wrong.

Last night the boys brought to my attention to a small spot of water in front of our refrigerator. I assumed someone had dropped an ice cube and it had melted – no big deal right?

WRONG!

I started to scold the boys when I saw another wet spot in the same location later that night. They denied any involvement and that’s when my critical thinking skills finally kicked in.

Instead of assuming clumsy children were the source of the problem, I started investigating. After winning a battle of tug-of-war with the refrigerator I was in shock. The wood floor under the fridge was warped, discolored and…you guessed it…covered in water.

After covering the soaked wood with a towel I focused all my energy on finding the source of the leak – what could have done so much damage!? How could I have missed it for so long!? Where did this come from!?!?!

———-

Have you ever experienced a time when your children departed from their typical demeanor and became a creature you don’t recognize or like very much?  I have.

Within each stage of life we see new facets of our children’s will and personality. These moments can come as a shock.

The temptation to disregard these sudden, short outbursts is strong and sometimes justified. Justification comes when When my children are tired, hungry or have endured multiple changes to their schedule, I can almost guarantee someone (including myself) will lose their temper or respond incorrectly. In these moments I can look at our situation and understand why certain behaviors appear.

It’s in the times when things are fairly “normal”, when people are fed and semi-rested that I have to be on my guard. If children show signs of disrespect, if they willingly participate in behaviors they know to be unacceptable; this is when we need to become investigators and not give up until we’ve found a source and solution to the problem.

Perhaps our children push back because they are trying to see if we’ll give in to their requests or if we’ll show inconsistencies in our expectations of them.

No matter their intentions, the fact remains that our children know us better than they know anyone else in their life. They know when we’re tired, stressed, happy, focused….and they know when we are weak.

When facing a situation where our kids are using their behavior to try and control us we need to pray to God for wisdom, patience and intuition concerning our kids.

Meeting their needs is important, but holding our kids accountable to the acceptable standards and behaviors of our home is essential.

Back to the fridge….

—————

I found the source of the leak. Within the tubing that goes from the water pipes to the fridge there was a hole. A tiny, pin-head sized hole. But it was enough to create a MAJOR problem for our wood floor and for us.

My superhero husband, Matt, came home to find the fridge sitting in the middle of the kitchen, wet, dust-covered towels and me – frustrated and at a loss. With a trip to the hardware store and few slices of his knife we were back in business. All leaks were taken care of – at least we hoped they were.

Matt said we needed to leave the fridge pulled out, away from the wall, so we could check the next night and see if any new water had appeared.

And now for the tie-in…

—————-

There are times when our child’s “tiny” behavior or response can cause big problems. A few that come to mind include (but are not limited to) children rolling their eyes at an adult, whining, talking back, being disrespectful to other children and/or adults, disregarding a request made of them, defiance…

The list could go on and on, but for our purposes we need to focus on our response when we observe these behaviors in our children.

We can disregard the small behaviors (just like I did with the puddle of water on the floor) or we can decide to respond and investigate. This is where our instincts should be trusted.

A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “If they did this same behavior as a 12, 16 or 21 year-old would I still think it’s cute? Would I brush it off as “childish” behavior?”

If the answer is no – it’s important to take action and follow through with a plan that benefits both you and your child.

I understand that certain ages bring certain behaviors (like saying “no”)…but there comes a time when behaviors cannot be excused due to age or intellect. When this occurs we have the opportunity to modify and potentially eliminate a “small” behavior before it becomes a BIG problem.

Don’t ignore the small “drips” or behaviors…they add up.

Kasey

The Power of A Mom

Power can be measured by volts, amps, watts and yes…MOM-POWER. I believe Mom-Power (MP) can be found in each of us.

It’s the power that helps us walk away from a pile of laundry to play with our child.

MP comes out when a Mom takes a deep breath before responding to her toddler’s temper tantrum.

Our MP is specific and necessary, and the best part about Mom-Power is that it can be recharged, renewed and redistributed.

RECHARGED: We are unique. What exhausts one woman might energize another, that’s what makes the recharging process so very important. How do you recharge? When you’re feeling empty (physically, emotionally, spiritually) where do you go, who do you talk to, what do you do to recharge your MP? It’s okay to become empty or begin running low and it’s REALLY okay to admit we need a little recharge.

RENEWED: Although it sounds a bit like recharge, being renewed is a bit different. Most of us can look at another mom and know she is in desperate need of a “charge”. Our ability to recognize a mom needing to be recharged comes from our personal experience with the same issues. But for a mother to be renewed she needs to go one step deeper, beyond the tasks she manages each day. When a woman’s MP needs to be renewed, she reconnects with her purpose as a woman, a mom and a child of God. What scriptures or activities help renew your sense of purpose and identity?

REDISTRIBUTED: To me, this is the BEST part about Mom-Power. I can share my MP with others and I can borrow MP from my friends. I don’t have to worry about being perfect or having all the answers. Instead, I get to combine my MP with the women around me and enjoy the super surge of power we bring to our church and community.

Moms really are powerful creatures. Who else could fulfill the role of nurse, psychologist, chef, housekeeper, accountant and more; all the while still finding time to shower!? Our MP is always with us, but sometimes we need to be recharged and renewed – that’s where our friends and our Mother’s groups play a major role in our life.

When we meet together we become energized!  It doesn’t matter if we meet at a church, the park or a coffee shop…we just have to continue meeting together, no matter what! We can’t keep our mom-power going strong if we try to do it alone!

If your MP is running low you have a choice. You can keep pressing on, hoping one day things change; or you can be vulnerable (which is really scary for some of us) and find other moms who have a little extra power they can redistribute and in turn help you feel renewed and recharged.

When we have a personal relationship with Christ we understand that our MP comes from Christ alone. Although He has given us gifts and abilities, we are human and our reliance upon Him keeps us in a growing partnership with Creator God. Isaiah 40:29 says it best:

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

When I’m weary and weak I have a God who is ready to recharge and renew my spirit. Sometimes He accomplishes this awesome task through my prayer and devotional time – but sometimes He uses the amazing women around me and for that I am truly grateful.

Feel free to wear your superhero cape and enjoy the beautiful truth that God has given you the Mom Power you need.  Trust yourself and keep checking your level of MP. If it gets to low make sure you

How do you recharge and renew?

Have you experienced a time when others moms redistributed their power and helped you or someone else in your group?

Share your comments and encourage us – we need to hear from you!

You are an amazing woman, full of power and strength – you don’t need an invisible jet or x-ray vision – you’ve got Mom Power!!!

Kasey

Your kingdom come, Your will be done…

As we continue our series about the Lord’s Prayer we are diving into the first of many tough statements:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven…

Although we typically pray this phrase in a public setting and recite it with other people, I hope we can personalize and internalize it’s meaning in a new and fresh way right now.

If we pray for God’s kingdom to come to our home – what does that mean?

From what I know of Heaven, it’s an amazing place. It’s amazing because God is there and it is His dominion. In God’s kingdom there is no Satan, no sin, no separation, no sadness and no suffering (just to list a few).

When I read this list of things that are NOT present in Heaven I start to doubt how that kind of Kingdom (the perfection that is God and Heaven) could ever exist in this sinful, fallen world. But that’s when I read the next line: “your will be done”.

I will never understand God’s ways or His will. It’s not my job to understand why He does and doesn’t do things. Isaiah 55:8 says, ”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

Instead of seeking my own will and my own way I’m supposed to be seeking God’s ways and His will!

So if I’m constantly seeking after God, listening to Him and following Him…His will is more likely to be accomplished and therefore a little slice of Heaven, or His Kingdom, will come into my home!

When I think about it this way I see a little light in the midst of the darkness and I can discover new ways to make my little piece of earth a bit more like Heaven.

My house will never be perfectly clean, my children won’t always behave, I won’t always respond in the right way – but instead of looking at my actions and behaviors I should be praying these words:

YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done…not mine.

That statement seems easy to type and even to say, but living it out is a different thing.

Here’s my challenge for us this week: Let’s live on earth but keep our eyes on Heaven.

When the little frustrations begin to pile on top of you, stop and look up. Heaven is watching, Heaven is waiting, Heaven’s angels are cheering you on! Bring a little Heaven to your earth and God will be there – even in the midst of laundry, little people and carpool. Heaven doesn’t have boundaries, let it overtake your world today!

You are an amazing blessing to this world and your family – keep going and enjoy this wonderful journey!

Kasey

What’s Your Rhythm?

This weekend began the birthday celebrations for our middle son. To help make the weekend really special, my parents bought us tickets to see the group STOMP.  The show was amazing and our boys were entertained and engaged the entire time.

To me the most amazing part of the entire show came in the realization that the people on the stage only communicated through sounds, movements and their reactions to each other (they didn’t need words, sentences or a script).

They were sweeping the stage, banging trashcans; even crumpling paper – all in an effort to communicate with us, entertain us and bring us into their world of complex rhythms and beats.

I’ve heard the phrase “actions speak louder than words” my entire life, but more than actions – what’s the “rhythm” of our life communicating to our children?

Are we living in such a fast-paced, chaotic way that our children can’t follow or find our groove?

What if we don’t have a rhythm at all – what if we’re so occupied with self that we aren’t including our children in the rhythm of our day?

At one point the lead dancer for STOMP stood center stage and clapped twice. He gestured for the audience to mimic and we did. Two claps changed to three, then four, then triplets, and so on.

He gradually increased the difficulty and varied the dynamic of his patterns. When he sensed the audience was lost or unable to repeat the rhythm he’d given he would simplify or change his direction.

I know most of his rhythms were written out, scripted and rehearsed. But what made us respond to his request? Why was an entire music hall, full of people from all stages of life, willing to follow this man?

I believe it’s because he was engaged with us and his rhythm was easy to follow.

When we’re locked in and listening to our family we can engage at the right level. Sometimes our kids need us to walk them through each step of a task. Yet there are other times when we need to observe an opportunity for what it is: allowing our kids to find their own rhythm in the world and their own way of interacting with our family and the world around them.

Finding the right “rhythm” for our family – be it slow, fast or moderate – takes time. As our children grow the rhythm will change and we’ll learn how to move to a new beat and in a new way.

For me, the most important thing to remember is that WE are center stage, showing our children life’s rhythm. They will decide whether or not to reciprocate, elaborate on or ignore our example.

Our rhythm can be simple or complex – either way it needs to fit our family and our life.

Will your children be able to follow your rhythm? Will they want to?

The book of Ecclesiastes is an amazing collection of wise sayings and insights. Verse 11 in Chapter 6, King Solomon writes:

The more the words,
the less the meaning,
and how does that profit anyone?

It’s true. We don’t need a ton of words to communicate – we can lead our family just by observing, responding and supporting them through our actions.

Spend time praying, asking God to give you a fresh outlook on your family, their needs and if the rhythm of you life needs to be tweaked a bit.

Sometimes I think it would be easier to lead an entire music hall in clapping rhythms than ask our family to be in synch with each other, but we can do it!

Leave the words behind and let your actions be an example for the kind of life you desire for yourself, your children and your family.

You’re doing an amazing job!

Kasey

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name…

What wakes you up in the morning?

Most of us wake up to an alarm clock. But what kind of alarm clock is it?

One powered by electricity, or one powered by hungry little ones?

There was a time with my waking and sleeping were decided by the sounds emanating from our baby monitor. Each coo, cry, even grunt demanded my attention. Some of my most precious memories involve walking into our son’s room in the morning. After watching him play in his own little world I’d whisper, “Good morning baby”. Our eyes would meet and a smile would spread over his face. When he was old enough, he’d pull himself up and peer over the railing of his crib. He’d begin to bounce up and down with excitement as I walked toward him.

Our children look for us, reach for us; they trust us.

Everyone loves to be wanted, appreciated and recognized. God’s the same way.

Jesus’ first sentence causes us to recognize where and who God is.

1. Our Father is in Heaven.

God’s perspective is bigger and better than ours. When we pray we must recognize that God is not trapped by time, space or any other limitations we face here on earth. God lives in our hearts and inhabits our prayers, all the while being seated on His throne in Heaven. We might not understand the “why” behind our situation, but we can trust WHO is behind it. God is never out-of-touch with our life or our needs. Pray with faith and trust that God IS moving, even when it feels as though things are standing still.

2. Our Father’s name is to be hallowed.

Hallowed is an adjective meaning, “holy, venerated, sacred” (thank you dictionary.com). His name is holy. Growing up I was taught to never use God’s name or anything that sounded like it in a vain or flippant manner. Call me old fashioned, but it seems sad that something has to be really amazing before it gets our attention and respect. God’s name is so much more than an identification – it’s a definition.

God, Jesus, Christ…names that bring healing, hope, peace – just because they are uttered! It really is amazing isn’t it?!

When I was in Junior High I had an amazing youth pastor, Paul Coates. His wife, Janet, was hilarious, honest and always looking to live out her faith in God. In February their grand daughter, Hannah, was diagnosed with a Wilm’s tumor, which is a cancerous tumor that grows out of the kidney.

Reading Janet’s posts on their Caring Bridge site reminds me daily how powerful prayer is and can be. I wanted to share some of Janet’s writings from two posts. Remember, this is a family that has served God and believes He is in control, but cancer is still their reality – I love how Janet makes prayer such a powerful part of this journey too:

“I was always told… “Prayer changes things”  Well, God changes things, but I think our prayers are just us taking time to ask in faith and then God loves that we listened and obeyed and He changes things.  Not only is little Hannah Jane seeing the benefits, but you are receiving the blessings of obeying, too.  Hmmmm…”

“Once again, God teaches me the power of the “fervent prayer of a righteous man (and woman and child) availeth much! ”  I don’t think we even know how much power we have in just whispering His name.  There used to be signs that were hand painted by an anonymous artist in the area and hung up at random places.  They said things like “John 3:16″ , “God Loves You”,  ”Jesus Lives” – well there was one that I saw occasionally and it said…”say the name – Jesus” and I would always say, out loud, “Jesus” and you know what?  It was like an immediate calm would just flow over my body.  From my head to my toes.  

 I just don’t think we plug in the power that we have available to us through the whisper of His name.  When is the last time you just “said the name – Jesus”?  Say the name – Jesus!”

If you’d like to follow Paul, Janet and Hannah’s journey click here.

Whatever is pressing in on your world today, take it to the God who is alive and active, living in Heaven – look for Him, reach for Him and let Him comfort you! Remember that just by speaking His name you are claiming all power on heaven and earth!

You are an amazing blessing!

Kasey

The Skin We Live In

The March topic for Hearts at Home Blog Hop is: “No More Perfect Bodies”.

I love this subject because it matters to all of us. We are constantly bombarded with images, expectations and standards from our world – telling us what we “should” look like.

Remember the Ivory ads where they had “real” women in their undergarments hanging out together on a magazine page? I don’t think I could ever pose in my skivvies for an advertisement but I appreciate the effort.  Those ads allowed the rest of us to see women with bodies that are a bit more realistic, and perhaps shaped more like us.

For me there are two types of women in the world: ones with children and ones without children. Get ready for the stereotypes…

Women without children are typically able to dedicate more time to caring for themselves. This does NOT make them selfish, it’s just their reality and it’s sometimes easier for them to find time to exercise and eat right.

Women with children find themselves eating leftovers off their children’s plates, living with sleep-deprivation and the constant drain of other people needing them.

Now let’s drop the stereotypes and get to the real issue: Either we control our body or our body controls us.

Barring any major medical issues or injuries, most of us live in bodies WE created.

If we’ve been pregnant we basically sacrificed our bodies in order to create and give birth to another human being.

So what have you created? Or let me rephrase that, what are you creating?

When it comes to body image I think women need to ask themselves 3 questions (and remember, the answers ONLY pertain to our physical condition…emotional, spiritual and psychological issues are a whole different thing )

1. Am I healthy enough to care for my children?
2. If married, is my sexual drive and physical relationship appropriate and active?
3. After executing my daily chores/responsibilities, do I still have energy to enjoy my family?

If I can answer yes to all these questions, I’ve obviously created a body I control and it’s a body that helps me be the best woman I can be.

If I decide to do a little “re-sculpting” that’s fine, but my motivation should be fueled by personal desire.

I should never change my body because of a “comparison mindset”…I will not look like the models on TV, I won’t even look like my sweet friend who was able to wear her size 6 jeans while leaving the hospital after giving birth! Nope, that’s not happening – is it because I’m lazy or incapable? NOPE…it’s because I AM ME and I like it that way.

God made each of us unique and our children are watching us to see if we are willing to accept and be good stewards of what God gave us to work with.

So what are you doing to control your body and create a body that will work for you in fantastic ways for decades to come?

Share your daily/weekly activities and secrets that keep your body working for you in the comments – I can’t wait to hear how you take everyday events and make them creative solutions!

Kasey

Click Here to read other blogs from the hop!

Making The Lord’s Prayer My Own

I’ve heard it said that imitation is the highest form of flattery – I know Christ doesn’t need us to flatter Him, but I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d like to imitate more than Christ Himself.

Originally I’d hoped to start this series last fall, but life had a different plan and I see now that God did too. The points and applications I originally wanted to write about have been taken to an entirely new level because of what’s happened in my life. The journey has been filled with the unexpected and it’s during these times I long for the familiar…so let’s dive in and learn more about how Christ prayed, what He needed, how He approached the throne of His Father…

I can’t wait to hear your insights!  You see, I believe scripture is God-inspired. But scripture remains a bunch of linguistic, grammatical statements until we allow these truths to become actions in our daily life. This can happen in multiple ways, but the foundation of any relationship is communication and prayer is our main source to help us connect with our Heavenly Father.

Before jumping into the first phrase of the Lord’s Prayer, let’s look at what Jesus says about prayer and how it applies to us in the 21st century (I promise future posts will be much shorter – but hang in there – this will make sure we’re all on the same page).

Using Matthew 6:5-14 as our foundation, we are confronted with very clear direction and warnings about how to pray…

“…go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father…” (verse 6)
This directive came in response to what Jesus saw in the hypocritical spiritual leaders of that time. They would stand in a large crowd and pray loudly so everyone could hear them and be in awe of their eloquent speaking and scriptural understanding. We don’t have to be eloquent or spiritually mature to pray to God. Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross we can approach the throne of God with confidence (Hebrews 4:16)!  Our exhausted, overwhelmed and sleep-deprived mutterings are not only received, but are welcomed by our Creator. He gets us. He knows what life is like – so all He asks is that our prayers be REAL. For me, verse six sin’t talking about praying in public versus praying in private. It’s about presenting our requests to God because we want to spend time with Him and commune with him. In our room, with the door closed we can be honest, we can be ourselves.

“…do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words…” (verse 7)
Sometimes silence is okay. When words fail, faith prevails. God doesn’t need us to say everything over and over again – He just asks that we approach Him with humility and faith. Our prayers are heard even without words. We can delight in God because He knows the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). We don’t have to fear Him or constantly pray to get His attention. A prayer whispered by a mother in the quite moments of a dark night receives the same attention as   a prayer from the Pope himself!

“…your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (verse 8)
God is not a wishing well or a bank. God is Creator and Father – He is constantly seeking us out in order to redeem a relationship severed by sin. If God is pursuing us, how do we pursue Him? Through prayer. He knows us better than we know ourselves but He can’t communicate with us if we don’t talk to Him as well. Seeking after God means we aren’t seeking after ourselves. It’s a lifestyle thing. So before we use the excuse that God’s going to do what he wants anyway (so why pray) – we need to remember that God wants to include us in His plans. He wants to hear from us!

I challenge you to make a choice to spend time talking and listening to your Father in Heaven. He loves you, He is FOR you, and most importantly – He’s listening.

Speak your mind, open your heart and if you don’t know where to start – let’s look at our text for this series from Matthew 6:9-13:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”

I may not know your name, but I’m praying for you today!

Do you have a favorite time of day or way of praying that works best for you? Would you mind sharing in the comments section so our readers can enjoy your insight too?

Kasey