Caleb wanted a new look.
Before and After:
We had to stop at a drug store after his hair cut to get some gel to re-create the look. He loves his new ‘do!
Archive for June, 2010
We’re baaaaaaaack! The kids and I spent 11 days in NY visiting family. Fun time. Kevin was on a mission trip in Ecuador. Blessed time.
I saw this fruity rainbow in a recent issue of Family Fun magazine. (We don’t subscribe to Family Fun, but they have some neat craft and activity ideas.
EDIT: As of October 2010, we do subscribe to Family Fun. I got a 12-month subscription for only $2 through US Airways. So far, I like it–great craft, game, activity, travel ideas. This is a Disney magazine, so if you boycott Disney, you probably won’t want to get it 
.
So how did they eat their rainbow? One color at a time, inside out.
I tried to go against the flow and sneak a strawberry, and they screamed, “NO!”
I can’t believe they ate almost the entire rainbow in one sitting. (I ate about five pieces.) All they left was a few strawberries.
Enjoying lots of delicious fresh fruit is one of our favorite things about summer!
What Will Your Kids Be Like as Teenagers?
Published June 5, 2010 Faith , Family , God Lessons , Missions 11 Comments
My friend Beverly wrote a great post detailing some parenting tips from John Rosemond. One point jumped off the screen: “As parents, you MUST have a vision for what you want your children to be in the future.”
That statement swirled around in my head. Yeah, I want my kids to be kind and love God, but do I have a specific vision for them? Not really.
About a week after I read Beverly’s post, I turned on the radio. A woman was sharing how each year she sits down with her husband and sets long-term and short-term goals for their children. They talk about what they want their kids to be like when they are older, and they discuss what they can do now to help them reach those goals.
She said something like, “A vision for the future helps you make decisions for today.” Her encouraging words reminded me of something I read in a parenting book a while ago: It’s much easier to prevent problems in your kids now than to fix problems later.
I’ve learned when God sends me the same message from different sources within a few weeks, it’s as if He is putting his arm around my shoulder and gently saying, “I really want you to get this.”
I shared the concept with Kevin, and we spent some time talking about the kind of people we would like Caleb and Chelsea to be when they are in high school.
Here are some of the things we discussed:
- We want them to love everyone (put others’ needs before their own) and reach out to the kids in their classes who need a friend.
- We want them to find their worth in God and be confident and secure in themselves.
- We want them to be mission-minded and have a heart for those who do not know Jesus.
- We want them to be involved in at least one extra-curricular activity, but we don’t want to them to be committed to 10 different activities. We don’t want their lives to be so busy that there is no time for family or personal time with God.
We might alter this list as they grow, but it’s a start. Helping our kids attain these goals requires us to model godly characteristics. Wow, what a great tangible way to keep ourselves accountable to live holy lives.
What vision do you have for your children? Are you setting practical goals to help them become the people in your vision?
I hope to write a post soon about one practical way we are helping Caleb develop a heart for missions. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what goals you have for your kids.
WordPress has some cool stats. I like how I can view the search terms people use to find my blog. Almost every day I see phrases like, “what is God’s purpose for me,” “fulfilling the purpose of God for my life,” “what is my purpose”. You might be one of those people who is wondering, “How can I know what my purpose is?”
No person is an accident. Everyone has a specific purpose–a reason to be on this Earth. One of the most amazing things to discover is God knew you even before the world was formed (Ephesians 1:4). He knew everything about you before you were conceived, and He had a special purpose in mind for you (Jeremiah 1:5).
I recently heard a fellow community member say, “Be present with God every moment, and do the thing that only you can do.” He was speaking about being a great leader, but I think his statement perfectly describes how to fulfill your purpose. No one else in the entire world has your unique set of gifts, talents, personality traits, and experiences.
God has a purpose that fits you and only you. No other person can fulfill your purpose. Every purpose is important–no matter how big or small. Even smiling at people can be a ministry and a purpose in life.
Two things will last forever: God and people (souls). It makes sense to invest your time, energy, and talents in things that will last forever instead of material things.
Here are some things that might help you discover your purpose:
- Pray, pray, pray! Ask God to speak to your heart and reveal His plan for you. Trust that He will guide you. God never tries to hide is will. If you ask with pure motives, He will answer you.
- Get to know yourself better. Take the Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment. Take a spiritual gift inventory questionnaire.
- Ask friends and family what they think your gifts and talents are.
- Try lots of different hobbies, service projects, ministries, and/or vocations until you find something that you are passionate about, something that gives you energy.
Books About Purpose
- The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
- Knit Together: Discover God’s Pattern for Your Life by Debbie Macomber
- The Search for Significance by Robert S. McGee
Purpose Quotes
“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible,…everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” Colossians 1:16 (Msg)
“It’s not about you.” Rick Warren
“Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless.” Bertrand Russell, atheist
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” Jim Carrey
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11
“God, I’m going with your plans for my life, not my own. I’ve got plans, I’ve got dreams, I’ve got goals, I’ve got ambitions, but I know that you put me on this earth for a reason, for a purpose, and I am intentionally choosing your plan for my life instead of my own. I know you’re not going to reveal it to me all at once; it’s going to come a little bit at a time. But, I’m willing to take it one step at a time, knowing your plan is better than mine.” Rick Warren
“There is no happier place than the intersection of God’s will and your giftedness.” Phil Vischer
“Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” Helen Keller
“Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” Tim Kizziar
“This is true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” George Bernard Shaw
“Give yourselves to God…Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.” Romans 6:13 (TEV)
“I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me.” Psalm 57:2
“What you are is God’s gift to you; what you do with yourself is your gift to God.” Danish proverb
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Proverbs 19:21
“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me…” Psalm 138:8
