About God - Part 3

The Self-Existence of God 

Where did God come from? This is a good question, well at least a good starting point. It reveals a lot about the way we think. We came from our parents. The litter of kittens from the mama cat. The flowers in the garden from small seeds. Light and warmth from the sun. The wind...well, I have no idea where the wind comes from but I wish it would go back there. I digress. 

We are created beings and came from something. We have a beginning. We are a part of the timeline. 

"God has no origin," said Novatian, and it is precisely this concept of no-origin which distinguishes That-which-is-God from whatever is not God." [Knowledge of the Holy, Tozer]

That is a lot to wrap our minds around. God is lot limited by time. He exists outside of time. That is why he told Moses to tell the Israelites that He is "I AM WHO I AM" 

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” 

And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel, 

‘I am has sent me to you.’” 

Exodus 3:14

Psalm 90:2 tells us that God existed before our world:

Before the mountains were brought forth,

    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,

    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

God is self-existent, meaning He needs nothing to exist apart from Himself. He does not need oxygen, water or food. He does not need sleep or rest. He does not need a dwelling place. He does not need us. But He chose to create us and love us to display His love and majesty. Chose is the key word. 

Chosen sounds so personal. So loving. So kind. 

Remember playing kickball at recess. Two captains choosing one by one who would be on their team? We all would be silently praying, "Please pick me. Don't let me be the last one standing. Choose me."

God chooses you. Rest in that for a moment. 

The more we contemplate how magnanimous God actually is, the smaller we will feel and the greater our dependence on such a great God will grow. 

Could this great, majestic God actually care about our lives? I mean, even the small things in our lives? Do you ever feel like only praying about the big things since God probably doesn't care about the smaller, daily events of our lives? 

Steve Lawson in the DVD series, the Attributes of God, reminds us "compared to His greatness and self-sufficiency, ALL THINGS in our lives are small; yet, He invites us to come to Him anyway." He calls us as His children if we have repented of our sins and trust in Jesus as our only Savior. 

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, 

that we should be called children of God;  

1 John 3:3a

And because you are sons, 

God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, 

crying, “Abba! Father!” 

So you are no longer a slave, 

but a son, and if a son, 

then an heir through God. 

Galations 4:6-7

Do you cry out to God? Do you call on the great, self-sufficient One to help you reflect His Son to a lost world? To your children? And husband? 

What is stopping you? 

 In trifles as well as in nobler exercises the believer should be conscious of his own inability,—should never say of any act, “Now I am strong enough to perform this; I need not go to God in prayer about this; this is so little a thing; it is beneath the dignity of God, and I am quite sufficient for it by myself.” No, believer, you are sufficient for nothing at all; without Christ you can do nothing that is good, nothing that is right. “We do not have sufficiency in ourselves to think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is in God.” John Newton quoted on AIG {emphasis added}

For more information, I highly suggest A. W. Tozer's book, Knowledge of the Holy. 

About God - Part 2

Photo credit Photobucket

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” [Jeremiah 9:23-24]

What should we boast in according to God? That we understand and know Him. Wow! There is so much about God that totally blows my mind and I cannot even wrap my puny brain around things like His being infinite or any of the omni's. 

But it delights God that I spend time and energy trying to learn more. What could be better than pleasing God? 

So what is involved in knowing God? J. I. Packer in his book, Knowing God, describes four things that are required to know God: 

1. Listening to God's Word and receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it and applying it to your life. 

We must read and be in our Bibles. God gave us a book that tells about His beautiful story. If we are not grounded in His Word which is full of truth, then our minds will be tempted to invent our own truths {which fall short and are easily distorted by emotion and culture}. 

We need to study God and His Word, "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." {Ephesians 4:14}

2. Noting God's nature and character, as His Word and works reveal it.

What is required in order to know another person? Spending time with them. Investing in things they are interested in. Celebrating things they celebrate. 

No matter how much you try to imagine another person, you cannot know them until you actually talk with them and find out what they are truly like.

In addition, no matter how much you sacrifice {time, money, energy, interest}, it is up to the other person as to how much, if at all, they want to open themselves up to you. You can only know a person as much as they will allow you into their lives and thoughts. 

It is not this way with God. He has revealed Himself in the Bible. It tells about Him, what He likes, what He despises. It tells how to please Him and how to upset Him. His character and nature is clearly described in His holy Word. 

Just as an example, see what we can learn about God from the Jeremiah verses above. We see that He is loving, just and righteous and He delights in such things from His children.

3. Accepting His invitations and doing what He commands.

God has commandments that He clearly describes in the Bible. Jesus says in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." I think that is pretty straight forward, don't you? 

If you spend time in God's Word and find out what He requires of you and you willfully choose to not obey, then you might want to ask yourself,

Do you really love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength? 

4. Recognizing and rejoicing in the love that He has shown in approaching you and drawing you into this divine fellowship. 

God does not owe us anything. He has given us life but we daily choose to rebel against Him. Our sin separates us from Him. It is through His amazing grace {giving us what we do not deserve}, through the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, which makes it possible for us to be friends with God. 

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. {Romans 5:8}

This should cause our hearts to rejoice and worship God Almighty! And as we rejoice, we are drawn closer to Him and His heart. 


Do you wish to know God better? Someone said one time {I don't remember who or else I would give props} that, "You can have as much of God as you want, in fact, you already do."

"One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that 

there is always so much more to know. Just when we least expect it, 

He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works." 

 Joni Eareckson Tada

"Being infinite, God is inexhaustibly interesting. 

It is therefore impossible that God be boring." 

John Piper

About God - Part 1

Do you know anything about God? Do you even think there is a God? Some of us grew up in Sunday School always believing there is a God and others need a bit more convincing.

This article {or series of articles} is aimed at the person who says they know there is a God, but maybe does not know Him as well as they should. Wait. Does it matter if you don't know much about God? As long as you acknowledge Him, does it matter if you know His attributes or characteristics?

Knowing God changes everything.

J. I. Packer says in his book "Knowing God"

"As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it."

He goes on...

"The world becomes a strange, mad,  painful place and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you.

This way you can waste your life and lose your soul." [emphasis added]


Do you feel like life is a strange, mad, painful place? Disappointed and unpleasant? Do you feel as if you may be stumbling in the dark with no sense of direction?

Maybe it is time you seek after the One Who created the world and Who runs it.

I have started a study on the Attributes of God and it is wonderful! God has never been more perfectly magnificent in my life and so unfathomably ginormous...but also never more real, close, compassionate and loving as He is now.

As Christians, we say we want eternal life, and Jesus Himself defines it as this in John 17:3,

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent."

What is eternal life? Knowing God. Do you know Him? If not, what is stopping you?

Follow along as I walk through the attributes I am learning each week and I pray that the true and living God will use the feeble words I type to encourage you and bless you.

It's all for His glory!

Drawing a Conclusion Pt 1

I admit it. I am a documentary addict. I love to learn and it turns out there are many, many documentaries available to watch {and from all different perspectives, so I must put on my thinking cap to separate truth from propaganda}.

I also love books, especially non-fiction books that glorify our great God and encourage my walk along the narrow path.

I am about to draw a conclusion that is disturbing, but at the same time, it is full of hope because I think I see a link. I'm going to introduce each piece of the pie as evidence.

Evidence #1

This past summer, I did a book study through the book, "Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl" by Dannah Gresh. In chapter 8, she is encouraging parents to unplug their kids from electronic devices. She states that the lack of imaginative play eliminates {or decreases drastically} children's self-control. One example is a child's ability to stand still.

Before all the technical gadgets, TVs and gaming devices came along, a child ages 5 and above was able to stand still for an indefinite period of time. Can you imagine that? Can your child stand still for any amount of time? Now that our children are spending hours in front of screens, they have lost the ability to focus and stand still. They cannot self-regulate.

Sound familiar? I'll bet if you are a first grade teacher, you would understand this in a big way!


Evidence #2

Stay tuned...

Influence from Friends

My husband and I have chosen to homeschool our darling daughters. This decision started for one particular reason, but has grown into a plethora of reasons. The main reason {now} is that we want to glorify God in all that we do.

In school, children learn much more than what the teacher puts on the blackboard. Yes, there are many controversial issues that Christians will battle the public school textbook on, for sure {evolution, young Earth, dinosaurs, God's hand in all of history}.  

We really are more concerned with the lessons that our daughters would learn in the hallways, lunchroom and bathrooms. The friendships they would develop. The influence these friends will have in their lives in regards to music, movie, TV shows, clothing, jewelry, make-up, and even the way they talk. Friends can be a very strong influence in a child's life and they should be chosen wisely. They can easily influence a person do live foolishly and take their eyes off of God.

 

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, 

nor go with a wrathful man,
lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.

Proverbs 22:24-25

After reading "Six Ways to Keep the Little in Your Girl" this summer, I am also more aware of how Satan can use outside influences to harm the purity and sensitive consciences of our kiddos when they are very young. The younger they are when they are exposed to "cultural junk", the greater harm it can be. What may be OK for a 13 year old to watch, is confusing and even harmful for a 7 year old.

Homeschooling has been a great option because I can basically pick who our daughters are spending time with and therefore, have a great influence on the friendships they are developing. These are typically like-minded Christians from church and our co-op. It has been great!

One goal we had for the summer was to get to know our neighbors. This has proven to be challenging. They are not believers and since the live next door, it is hard to limit the time spent with the girls. It turns out that kids these days are very eager to spend time away from their homes - at least it seems that way when they knock on our backdoor 10 minutes after they get dropped off by the bus.

We have been very diligent to supervise conversations {so far}. There have been a couple of times where the girls next door do not understand why we do things differently {homeschool, not listening to pop music or watching certain shows}. But most of this has been pretty harmless.

Until last weekend.

There was a lot of chaos as our neighbors were having a big birthday party {and somehow all the kids wanted to play in our yard}. I looked out and noticed our 7 yr old and one of the neighbor girls weren't in the backyard. I sent the sister over to get them.

My daughter came home with a funny look on her face. I asked what they were doing and she said watching Martha Speaks on youtube. When I asked if that was all they watched, the tears streamed down her cheeks. She was very upset and very confused.

And I was getting angry....

What on Earth had the girl exposed my daughter to? They watched something  on youtube that has left my daughter very upset. What could it be??

She was so embarrassed that she didn't want to tell what it was.

I was getting angrier by the second, wrapped in compassion and love for my lil' girl.

It turns out that it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but because of her sensitive conscience {thankfully}, she was knew it was wrong to watch all the same.

So I had to have a talk with the friends next door. I had to explain what it meant that we are Christians.

But that'll be in the next post....stay tuned.

Have your kids been exposed to something from their friends that you weren't prepared for? Did a friend influence them to do something they shouldn't {or should have} have done?

I can remember so many choices that I made based on the bad influence from friends. Not blaming them because it was my own decision, but they presented me with options that I never would have thought of on my own.

I Did It!

Wow - I never dreamed those 3 little words would melt my heart, but they do.

They remind me that my daughter is getting older.

They remind me that she is getting so strong and capable.

They remind me that I won't have her with me forever.

This makes my heart sad and happy all at the same time.

I dropped her off for Sunday school and she crossed the road all by her big self. She quickly turned around and proudly yelled, "I did it!" I was so happy that she wanted to share that moment with me and a bit teary-eyed at the thought of her growing up so fast! {sniff sniff}

The older I get {or maybe it is the older my kids get} the more emotional I become. I hate to see how many kleenexes I'll need when they graduate!!

Top Ten Things I learned from the book

I am finished with the summer book study of "Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl " by Dannah Gresh. It was a fantastic book stuffed full of useful information. As a way of concluding the book study series, I put together a top ten list.

The Top Ten things I learned from "Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl " by Dannah Gresh.

10. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Don't let this be your little girl. The devil is not some red creature with pointy ears and a tail. No, he comes as the angel of light. He is crafty and knows how to tempt a little here and a little there - seemingly harmless. He comes camouflaged as cultural norms. He has desensitized the people into believing his lies. This book draws back the curtains of ignorance and opens our eyes to his schemes.

9. I always knew there was something wrong with Barbie, besides her crazy, unrealistic body proportions and now I know. Dannah tells us why {and now our Barbies are in the trash}.

8. My 3 yo and 7 yo both ask "why" all the time. Did you know that this has a different meaning depending on the age of your child? I didn't. I thought my 3 yo was being curious and my 7 yo was being defiant. Not so...find out what it means to ask "why" at 7.

7. I thought the only danger of this "growing up too early" culture was my daughter giving her heart and body away before she was married. There are other dangers such as eating disorders and depression. This book gives great advice for battling these dangers as well as premarital sex.

6. Do you ever feel like the lion in the Wizard of Oz? Do you need a dose of courage and strength? This book will empower you to say no to the culture and yes to the Lord. It gives valid proof of why certain things that seem so normal in our society are just plain WRONG. They are attacks from Satan and we need to be informed so that our conscience is informed and we are empowered to fight off the flaming darts {even when they come disguised as a "fun song" or "cute show" on TV}. 

5. Did you know that most teenage, Christian girls do not want to be Moms? That was me. I had no desire to have children as a teen and young adult. Thankfully the Lord has changed my own heart and we can learn {as Moms} to create the desire in our daughter's hearts to be mothers.

4. When is the right age for your daughter to date? Have you even thought about that yet? Will she go on group dates or alone with a boy {gulp}? When do you tell her the rules for dating? It turns out that you need to start thinking about this {and communicating it with her} when she is a tween so that she clearly understands the rules. The more she understands the rules when she is younger, the less {hopefully} she will fight about them when she is a teenager. 

3. Do you know how old your daughter will be when she has her first period? Did you know that you can be watching for clues? You sure can!

2. How will you have the important talks with your little girl? How will you tell her about her period? How will you tell her about the gift of sexuality and how this is a present for her future husband? How do you do this in a way that honors God, protects her innocence but equips her with the best information to fight temptation? How do you not scare her to death and breed self-loathing when talking about her period? How do teach her to stay as far away from any boy-girl relationship, but prevent her from thinking she is terrible because she thinks they are kinda cute?

1. The most important lesson I got from this book is that the best thing I can do for my girls is to be the parent. Be there for their questions. Be there for the fun times. Talk to them about these things in a God honoring manner. Cover them in love so they are not out seeking it from another source. Create a fun environment so they want to stay home and play with friends instead of always going to another house {this requires me letting go of some control issues I have - eek!}. Parent - child connectedness {and lots and lots of prayer} is the number one weapon in protecting her purity and helping her love who God made her to be.


There is a companion book for little boys, "Six Ways to Keep the "Good" in Your Boy " that I didn't think I needed to read, but.... God has put a little neighbor boy in our life and I am thinking this might be a good way to equip myself for conversations I might have with him. He is a very sweet boy {reminds me of my nephew}. I am not sure how long he will be in our lives but we pray for him and hope that we can be a light in his life. And if he is going to be hanging around my girls, I need him to be a "good boy".  {*wink*}

Did you read the book? What was the most interesting thing you learned? Did anything make you go "WOW!"?

Here are some great resources you might enjoy...
       

Keeping the Little in Your Girl Pt 6

Part 6 of "Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl " covers chapters 8 and 9.



Unplug her!

"The average tween girl will absorb 38 hours a week of video games, computer time, music, television, radio, and print. If she is at a public or private school for another 35 hours a week, that doesn't leave you much time to be the primary molder of her value system. What's a Mom to do?"

Unplug her! Back away from the screens and media swallow your little girl whole!

Dannah {author} suggests the following:

1. Set limits in terms of screen time - this includes all screens such as computers, iPods, TV, gaming systems, and movies.

2. Turn off all screens during mealtimes. I cannot even imagine watching TV during dinner, but I know many families do. This is such a great time to talk {and listen} to each family member. What a special time!

3. Set a good example by being physically active and by limiting your own screen time {gulp}. Yes, our children are watching. The greatest lesson they learn is the one they see us living out each day. It is good to turn off the screens {even my little smartphone} and take time to play with the kids and be busy working in our home. That is my job, isn't it?

When your kids are watching TV or on the computer, make sure you know what they are watching. Use it as teachable moments when there is an example of sin and help her interpret the messages as the media attempts to brainwash her. You should even pre-screen some things before she is even allowed to look at it. Dannah had some of the lyrics from a Lady Gaga song and wow! I cannot believe any parent would allow their child to listen to that *stuff*.

Also be sure to address what it means to be truly beautiful as she is watching these teen pop stars on TV. No one looks like they do on TV {even the pop stars themselves} in real life. It seems to be more and more of a struggle to have a healthy body image with these twiggy stars on every magazine cover with flawless faces and incredible hair. It is no wonder that "one-third of 10-year-old girls are worried about their weight."

Be sure she knows that even though man looks at the outer appearance, God looks at the heart. That is what is truly important.

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. {Proverbs 31:30}

Unbrand her!

Don't let the media tell her what looks cool and that it is OK to run around in super short shorts and tank tops that used to be considered underwear! I am appalled when I go out and see what little clothing {and large amounts of make-up} these little girls are wearing - and they are with their parents!! It isn't like they are even sneaking out of the house and changing how they look in the mall bathroom.

The Lord tells us that, "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious." {1 Peter 3:3-4}

It is ok to want to look nice, but this does not have to involve showing so much flesh and trying to make a 13 year old girl look like a mature woman.

So what can a Mom do?

Practice modesty yourself. Be an example.

"Make a new goal for yourself - and help your tween daughter establish the habit of spending more time in God's Word each day than she does in front of the mirror. It's easy - if you spend 15 minutes getting ready each morning, you need to spend 15 minutes with God. If you spend 30 minutes painting your face and spraying your hair, you need to spend 30 minutes with God." {double gulp}. That sure is convicting!

Dannah also lists out several "Truth or Bare" tests that are great ways to see how modest your tween's clothes {and your own} really are. This is a great way to talk about her body and how it is precious and beautiful, but it is also private and to be saved for when she is older and married. It is a gift for her Prince Charming.

How will you pass the Truth or Bare tests? I dare - no double dog dare - you to click over to her website and see how your outfit checks out.


I am so thankful for the wisdom in this book! Have you been reading along? What are your views on screen time and modesty? Will there be any changes made around your house?

Top Ten Summer Activities

I have so many fun things I want to do with my family this summer, and I think my list may just be too big! Does that ever happen to you? Kind of like when your Mom used to say that your eyes were bigger than your stomach?  So many things look fun but the calendar just doesn't allow for it all {plus I think it is very important to allow for down time in children's lives}.

So here is my list of the Top Ten Things I want to do this summer:

1. Bible Study: I want to study a book of the Bible with a good friend and also involve my daughter. This summer the book of the Bible will be Job.

2. Book Club: I usually choose a fiction or helpful book (both need to be glorifying to God) to study with a group of ladies over the summer. I have already posted that we are studying Six Ways to Keep the Little In Your Girl and it proves to be an excellent, God-given choice. I am so thankful that He put this book in my hands while my daughters are still young.

3. Potty train my daughter. lol! I know this is not really something that is in my control, but it is something I strongly desire to complete this summer!

4. Complete our Park Passport by spending time exploring the local parks in our area. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful parks to choose from and I can't wait to explore them all! You can click here for a free printable for your own family.

5. Go camping. My husband loves camping and the great outdoors. I know it has been a desire of his for a very long time to take our kids camping and I am hoping (really hoping) we can make this happen this summer. Our church is having a "family camp" this summer, but it is in a hotel. I am sure my husband would appreciate something a bit more rustic. :)

6. Visit the Indiana Dunes. I am wondering if we might combine the camping night and a visit to the Indiana Dunes? Have you ever camped there? Was it a good experience? I follow their page on Facebook and it looks like a wonderful way to spend a couple summer days!

7. Teach our 6 1/2 yr old daughter how to ride her bicycle well so that we can go on family bike rides. Ok, so we already go on family trips when she is on the tagalong bike with Daddy (and I have our 2 *almost 3* year old in the bike trailer), but there are times when I want to take the girls out when Daddy is at work. If she could ride her own bike well, and I could pull the trailer, we could make this happen {and it will be SO MUCH fun!}.

8. Host a children's outdoor party. I am not sure if this will be a birthday party, summer party or a back to school party - but I have so many fun ideas floating around in my head for fun games and activities that I can't wait to entertain some kiddos!! Check back for posts about how it turns out.
Soapbox:  I am not a fan of birthday parties - although I love my girls and want to celebrate their birthdays - because they seem to elevate one person (birthday girl) over the others. They seem to be full of things I generally try to avoid - greed, jealousy, pride, envy - you know, sins. But we do love kids' games, hosting parties, fun food, smiles, giggles and just fun in general - so we try to  host at least one party each summer.
9. See fireworks. My birthday is just before Independence Day so fireworks have always been very special to me (I used to think they were all for MY birthday) and I love sharing that with our daughters.

10. Spend as much time outdoors as we can! You might notice that our list of activities are mostly outdoors and that is because we love to be outside! Summer is awesome for getting sweaty, dirty, chlorine-y (that's a word, right?) and bath-worthy! We love swimming, running in the sprinkler, digging in the dirt, boating around on the paddle boat or canoe, walking at the park, hanging upside down on the jungle gym (ok, that is reserved for my daughters now that I'm officially old), chasing birds, catching fireflies and soaking up some Vitamin D from the sun. I want to spend as much time doing this as we can this summer. So I am going to get off this computer and get outside!

What summer fun activities do you have planned this year? I'd love to hear them!

Park Passport

One fun thing we have decided to do this summer is create a Park Passport. This is a listing of many of our local parks. Each has an empty square that will be filled with a sticker or stamp after we visit the park.

The challenge - Visit all these fun parks before the end of summer. And hey, if we don't make it to all of them, I guess we may have to extend our summer break {wink}.

Below is an example of our Park Passport and a blank one for you to print {if you like} and fill in for your area.

Keeping the Little in our Girls Pt 2

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am in a book club and we are discussing Dannah Gresh's book, Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl . This really is a must read for any Christian parent with little girls running around the house!

In the Introduction, Dannah tells just a bit about her own personal struggle with purity. I had a similar (although my story is much darker and the resulting chasm between myself and the Lord was much, much deeper) and I thought it was a key point when she said that "one of the physical consequences of s*xual sin is emotional and spiritual darkness."

This consequence is only important when we teach our children (both boys and girls) that a close relationship with the Lord is a treasure worth having. {Sadly enough, unbelievers won't get this.} It is the great pearl and worth selling all that you have and sacrificing anything of this world in order to keep. The Lord will never stop loving us as His children, but our sin (whether s*xual or otherwise) separates us from God. It keeps us from receiving His blessing and being in His will. So part of the groundwork that we need to lay as Moms and Dads is to demonstrate for our girls (and boys) how important our relationship with the Lord is to us. Maybe even share with them that there have been times in our lives where you have failed and sinned (oh come on - you have sinned at least once, right? Me? Daily.) and that it has caused emotional and spiritual darkness.

But there is something very important to stress for our kids {this is where I was lost for so many years}: we are in spiritual and emotional darkness UNTIL we repent and beg for forgiveness. The Lord is quick to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness when we repent. I felt like once I was "impure", I was tainted for life and there was no forgiveness to be found for me. I have no idea where I got this, but it was a burden I carried for years. I am so thankful to know that all my sins - every last one of them - have been paid for by the blood of Jesus. It is finished!

Ok, I got off on a bit of a rabbit trail, but I'm coming back around...

This book talks about topics like modesty and purity {as you might have guessed from my intro}. It also stresses how we, as Moms and Dads, can do everything "by the book", and our kids are still their own person. They will make their own choices. This is not a manual on how to raise perfect daughters (although if there is one out there, please let me know because I'd love to have a copy). Dannah shares that there is "no way {she} can decide how things will go for my daughter, but I'm praying God will give me wisdom to be her friend and guide." That is what I want to be. My daughters' friend and guide. I want to be their gentle, loving and firm guide  as I teach them the ways of the Lord, but I also want to grow a friendship with them that will last our entire lifetimes. My daughters are 6 1/2 and almost 3 and I can already tell, they are cool kids. They are hilarious, smart and witty. I want to be their friend - who wouldn't?

Dannah tells that if you want to open up your 16 year old's heart, you gotta start "when she's 7"! It is so important to build a good foundation of communication, safety and love when she is so young because she will depend on that when she is a teenager. She will learn at a very young age if she can trust you and talk to you without fear of condemnation and judgment (although she should know that you will stand by the truths of God's Word).

Dannah tells of an APA (American Psychological Association) task force that states that "music lyrics, internet content, video games, and clothing are now being marketed to younger and  younger girls. The sexual content of the marketing and the products themselves - while creating no apparent immediate effect - is clearly linked to eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression when these girls become teenagers." It is SO important to know and monitor what your kids are watching, listening to, and spending time doing. I have said it before and I'll say it again. I am so thankful to be able to stay home and spend time (which is priceless) with our daughters so that I am able to develop a relationship with them. It breaks my heart to think of either of my girls struggling with these issues. It takes quantity of time, not just quality. What a blessing straight from heaven.

At the end of most chapters, Dannah suggests a "back away from the book" activity. This week it is breakfast for dinner. Awesome! And since this mother of dairy free, egg free kiddos has learned how to make DF/EF donuts, you can guess what will be on the menu!

Keeping the Little in our Girls

This summer, there is a lot going on in our lives and we are very busy. I want to make sure that we also have some time set aside to just relax and let the kids be kids (you know, play with worms, dig in the mud, climb trees, catch fireflies). I usually try to have a book club that is a pretty easy read (something that won't make smoke come out of your ears like Spurgeon or the Puritans) but that will also challenge myself and other women in our walks with the Lord. Last summer we read the The Ministry of Motherhood , which was fantastic and really challenged my outlook on being a Mom!!! I also participated in a book study at church on The Excellent Wife . Also fantastic (and really challenging)!!

But this summer, I had decided not to have a book study (for various reasons, one being that the gift of time is so very precious!).

Until, God placed a book filled with such timely wisdom in my hand that I just had to share it with other Moms. As I started reading it, I was busting at the seams with such eye opening (and startling) information but also inspired by such godly wisdom that I just *had* to share it with someone (and my husband was getting mildly irritated at me as I would interrupt his reading to read my own book aloud to him).

The book you ask?

Dannah Gresh's Six Ways to Keep the "Little" in Your Girl.

You see, I have two little girls. One is six and a half and the other is just weeks away from turning 3. My oldest daughter is not boy crazy or even remotely considering a boyfriend, but I started wondering how to communicate things like modesty, changes in her body as she approaches puberty (gulp), and saving her heart for marriage. I saw her talking to a boy this past fall who was 6 years older (yes I said older) than her and although I am sure it was all innocent, it still caught me off guard. I knew I needed to get a game plan together about how I was going to talk to her about this stuff before I was caught off guard too many times.

A couple months ago I saw a post for a free (or nearly free) download of Dannah Gresh's book on Keeping the Little in your Girl. This is really directed at parents of tween girls, so I thought I'd download the kindle version and read it in a couple of years since my daughter is only 6. A few weeks (yes, weeks, not years) later I was in the airport looking for something to read and thought I'd read the introduction to this book. I couldn't put it down! I was stunned by the amount if information I needed to know NOW! Not when she is 10, but when she is 6 (or younger). There are so many things I (and YOU if you have little girls running around your home) can do to proactively protect our girls from the darkness of the world that is trying to sexualize our daughters and steal away their innocence.

The first things you need to do are pray. Get on your knees and pray for the wisdom to handle each day as a gift from the Lord. Our daughters are only small for such a short time and it is important to see each day as a gift and use each training moment for all it is worth. I am so very thankful that my husband has allowed me to stay home with our daughters so that I have even more time available to train them and be involved in their lives. Seek the Lord and His ways and communicate this to your daughter. She is called for so much more than strutting around in skimpy clothes, sticking out her pouty lips as she takes a picture of herself with her phone (so she can post on FB or tweet for countless people (including predators) to see), saying she loves this boy one week and a different boy the next and trying to live her life to match the teen idols on her favorite show.

Moms - we are engaged in war! We need to fight for our daughters! I have a dream that my daughters will be in the minority that saves not only their innocence for their wedding night, but maybe, just maybe, she will save even her first kiss for her wedding day. I grieve the fact that I wasted so much of my love and my self on other men and did not save everything I had for my husband. What a beautiful picture of Jesus and His Bride as your daughter prepares for her husband - the man that God will send into her life (start praying for him now)!


My plan is to post something each week (although these first couple of weeks will be sketchy with VBS at our church and a mission trip to Haiti) about the book and how it has touched my heart. It would be so fun if you wanted to get a copy of the book for yourself and read along! I'd love to get your feedback and hear how it has affected your outlook as a Mom and what changes you may or may not be making after reading the book.