Children's Authors - Giles Andreae

Another fun children's author for this week - Giles Andreae. We have a number of his books, all in rhyme and we love them.

In a number of books he teamed up with illustrator David Wojtowycz. Many of them use simple rhymes to describe animals.

So Cock-a-doodle-doo! Farmyard Hullabaloo has verses like:

Cow
Sometimes I moo while I'm chewing
I hope you don't think that it's rude,
But mooing and chewing are what I like doing.
Do you moo when you chew your food?

And in Commotion in the Ocean, you read:

Crab
The crab likes walking sideways
and I think the reason why,
is to make himself look sneaky
And pretend that he's a spy.

Shark
I swim with a grin up to greet you,
See how my jaws open wide,
Why don't you come a bit closer?
Please, take a good look inside...

And in Rumble in the Jungle, there are fun verses such as:

Rhinoceros
The ravenous rhino
Is big, strong and tough,
But his skin is all baggy and flappy,
Which means that there's plenty
Of room for his lunch,
And that makes him terribly happy.




Other books have a story to go with them, such as The Lion who Wanted to Love, the story of Leo the Lion who wanted to make friends with animals rather than eat them:

Deep in the African heartland
Way out on the hot sunny plains,
There lived a small lion who didn't fit in
And Leo was this lion's name

Now lions are usually fierce
And lions are meant to be strong,
But Leo just wanted to love everybody
And play with his friends all day long

Another story (this time with illustrator Guy Parker-Rees) which I love is Giraffes Can't Dance.

This story of Gerald the clumsy giraffe and how he cannot dance with all the animals is just lovely and the ending is great, where he discovers he can dance after all, just to different music. It is bound to appeal to children who also feel left out when they can't do things either. The illustrations are lovely and the rhyming verses are lots of fun.

Now every year in Africa
They hold the Jungle Dance
Where every single animal
Turns up to skip and prance.

And this year when the day arrived
Poor Gerald felt so sad
Because when it came to dancing
He was really very bad.

The final story one we have is The Magic Donkey Ride (illustrated by Vanessa Cabban) - the story of a little boy Flinny getting to ride a magic donkey through the sky.

He ran into the meadow
And he came to Treacle's side
Treacle said, "I'm going to take you
On a magic donkey ride!

Please take off my saddle
It's the heavieset of things."
"I don't believe it!" Flinny shouted,
"Treacle, YOU'VE GOT WINGS!"

Lastly, but I think one of the best is There's a House inside my Mummy. This book (also illustrated by Vanessa Cabban) is one of the best books I have come across for children (aged 1-4ish) to talk about the impending arrival of a new brother or sister, with some realistic observations about how Mummy feels too. When I was pregnant with #3, Mr 4 and Miss 2 wanted me to read this to them almost daily:


There's a house inside my Mummy
Where my little brother grows
Or maybe it's my little sister
No-one really knows...

Sometimes Mummy feels so sick
I don't know what to do,
But if I had a house in me
I'd feel quite poorly too...

I just can't wait to meet him
I hope that he's alright
My Daddy says be patient
As his door is rather tight.


My only sadness with this book is there is no need for me to read it anymore!

As you can probably tell, we love these books. If you have any children near you aged 1-4, buy them some of these, and have lots of fun reading to them.

A few thoughts about contraception

I wonder what you think about contraception? Now, there's a dinner party conversation topic for you!

Actually, what I am really wondering about is - have you ever even thought about it at all?

Because I never did. Not once. When I got married I went on the pill because that was what everyone did. Not one person ever mentioned other options. No-one encouraged us to see how different methods worked. No-one even mentioned it. It was assumed you would use contraception (because who wants a baby as soon as they are married?! - again assumed) & it was assumed that everyone used the pill because that seemed to be the most effective, but beyond that - no guidance, no info, nothing.

And now I find myself thinking about it a little more. What sparked this initially was reading God, Marriage and Family by Andreas Kostenburger a few years ago. He has a fantastic chapter on contraception, how each method works and how to think biblically about it. Because what almost no-one talks about is how each method works, which ones stop fertilization from occurring and which ones stop a fertilized egg from implanting and surviving.

And over time, I am coming to realise that the difference between the two is quite large. I didn't think about it at all in my early twenties, but now I wish I had a little more.

What some contraceptives do is clear cut: so IUDs & the morning-after pill prevent implantation, whereas condoms prevent fertilization. However, the big grey area is the pill, beacuse it claims to do both. And of course, we cannot know which method has worked for us. Perhaps it stopped fertilization, or perhaps it stopped implantation.

He also addresses the issue of permanent contraceptive methods, once the family is complete (so much as we can decide these things!)

So I guess what I am thinking now is this:

1. Be informed. Find out about various methods and what they do. A doctor can help with you with this, although you have to ask. Many will just write a script for anything, no questions asked. This also includes being informed about the potential side-effects of any method.

2. Let your theology guide your practice. If you really have a problem with using any method which stops an already fertilsed egg surviving, you need to make choices that match that. And yes, they may be less easy, more messy and less spontaneous choices - but you have chosen that it is worth it. I want to be careful at this point however. I don't think I am ready to speak out wholesale against the pill - but I still think it warrants thought.

3. Be prepared & willing to have children. If you are having sex, you must be willing to have a child as a result. If you are married, whether or not you 'want children', you need to be willing to have children - because you have chosen to have sex. As any group of women with children will attest - no contraceptive method is completely reliable.

4. Acknowledge that no matter how much you want to be, you are not completely in control. This is proven to us is so many ways as women: contraceptive failures, the desire to conceive going unfulfilled, the way a pregancy takes over our bodies, and the changes that occur during and after birth. God is in control, and whether we agree with him or not - he has designed our bodies to work the way they do. Our times are in his hands.


***

To follow another rather strident discussion relating to the pill, you can see ProWomanProLife here.

Children's Authors - Sandra Boynton

Sandra Boynton. A fun place to start this series on our favourite children's authors. Sandra Boynton books have been around since I was a child, growing up in the USA in the 70s and 80s. (I'm not sure if they were in Australia though until more recently).

She is an author and illustrator, and most books feature animals - in fact, I can't recall any with people. Hippos feature often. Our favourite is Hippos Go Beserk.

It's a counting book, starting

One hippo all alone
calls two hippos on the phone.
Three hippos at the door
Bring along another four...
Nine hippos come to work
ALL THE HIPPOS GO BESERK!

Cleverly, she then counts backwards as all the hippos leave again...

..three hippos say "good day"
the last two hippos go their way
one hippo alone once more
misses the other forty-four.

It's a great read, and appeals from ages 1 and up (all ages really). We have it as a board book, and it is falling apart after being loved and well-read by all three.


Another one featuring hippos again is: But Not the Hippopotamus

With fun rhymes and great illustrations, it looks at being left out:

A moose and a goose together have juice
but not the hippopotamus
A bear and a hare have been to the fair
but not the hippopotamus

In the end, they all invite her to join in...

..saying "Hey, come join the lot of us!"
And she just doesn't know - should she stay, should she go?
But YES the hippopotamus
But not the armadillo.

This one (left over from my childhood) lives at Nanna and Grandad's house and is enjoyed every time we visit. Again suitable for all ages, and grownups have fun too.


Another simpler one, mainly for toddlers is Moo Baa La La La! It's a fun way to learn some animal noises:

A cow says MOO
A sheep says BAA
Three singing pigs say LA LA LA!
"No, no!" you say, "that isn't right.
The pigs say OINK all day and night...
QUACK! says the duck
A horse says NEIGH
(It's quiet now, What do you say?)

Other ones we have enjoyed include: The Going to Bed Book and Opposites.

You can find more about Sandra Boynton at her website, which gives you an idea of her sense of humour as well! I was tempted to order the sterling silver hippo earrings as a memento for my sister and I of our childhood, but I wonder where I would wear them?? (and they weren't that cheap either!)


* apologies if I have misquoted any of these books, I was going off memory for some!

At home and not happy

This is the title of an article in this month's Adelaide's Child magazine (and therefore I presume also in Sydney's Child, Melbourne's child, etc).

One disappointing thing about these magazines is that they do not provide copies on the internet (it's a free magazine, so one wonders why not? and they don't even have an email address to send this suggestion to!). So sadly I cannot give you a link to the article, but hope instead that if you are a parent, you are able to get your hands on a copy.

This article At Home and Not Happy, written by Mary Kirby, really stood out to me, mainly because of the honesty in her writing:

I am sick of motherhood. Completely sick of it. More accurately, I am completely sick of stay-at-home motherhood.

I have two children, a three-year old boy and a 15-month old girl, and I laugh bitterly at that oft-proffered advice to 'enjoy the pre-school years because they're gone before you know it'. In my past life, nobody ever felt the need to advise me to enjoy something. If an activity was enjoyable, I simply enjoyed it, without making a conscious decision to do so. The fact that when it comes to raising children, people feel the need to remind you to 'enjoy yourself', validates my experience that parenting toddlers full-time is filled with many more moments of frustration, boredom, self-doubt and resentfulness than periods of unbridled pleasure.

She goes on to make a number of comments about the division of labour in the home when mothers stay home and also about how if her husband does anything at all for the children, he is immediately labelled a 'great father' where she does the same things and more all the time. She ends with:

I don't want to write an article that complains about the burdens of being a stay-at-home parent, but ends with a declaration of how much I love my children, or how stressful it was at the time, but now we all look back on it and laugh, in order to reassure people that despite the difficulties, parenting is a noble and worthwhile pursuit. Perhaps one day I will look back of the toddler years with fond memories of my children's innocence, and chastise myself for not enjoying these fleeting years more. However, here in the midst of toddler-land, I'm finding lots of aspects of being a stay-at-home parent very tough, and I want to be honest about this so that anyone else with similar thoughts knows that they're not alone.

In many ways, I am thankful for her honesty in this article, she echoed thoughts I have had and I know friends have had. We have chosen to be mums-at-home, but we struggle with it - because it is hard, hard work, unrecognised by many and unappreciated by the little ones we care for.

However, it also concerns me. I hope her children never read the article when they are older, and it is not complementary about her husband, mother or mother-in-law either. The way she finishes also raises questions - surely she does love her children, and that makes much of what she does worthwhile. And the points she makes at the end, are often the point - it will pass and you do love them.

So, it made me think - for those of us who are mums of young kids, or those who have passed this stage, but remember it clearly - what helps you to keep on going??

Here are some thoughts (or some things that have worked for me at times):

1. Remember the grace of God. God loves us, he cares for us and he strengthens us. He loves our children and he has given them to us as a precious gift for a short period of time.

2. Remember how you would feel if you did not have your children (or for those for whom conception was difficult, remember that grief) and thank God for them. Many women grieve the loss of children, through miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility or the lack of opportunity - and would happily trade your daily drudgery for their pain.

3. Be open with others. I have found opening up with close friends (especially those whom will pray) about the challenges I face as a mother has helped me many times.

4. While it seems like forever in the middle of it, remember that this, like everything is another season of life, and it will pass.

5. Remind yourself that your goal is to see them mature and grown, both in Christ and as responsible adults - and that takes time, a lot of time! We are not there yet, we cannot expect more of little ones.

6. No amount of dissatisfaction or discontentment with being a mother is an excuse for sin. We are still to be self-controlled, gentle, loving, kind and patient. (And if you are like me, to pray daily for it!)

7. Some practical things I have found helpful:
- when the children are really bothering you, get out a camera and try to take photos. Babies are usually photogenic and even a screaming photo is worth having to show them later! Older kids often like to pose and smile for the camera. It can break the bad mood feeling as you have fun smiling for the camera together.
- more seriously, and related to #2 above, when you are up in the middle of the night (again) and are exhausted and want to sleep - pray for friends who are trying to conceive, knowing that they long to be up in the middle of the night holding their child.
- if you are listening to crying (again) and trying to get a baby to sleep (again) - be thankful that you know where they are and that they are safe. It's very likely that in their teen years you will long for them to be home and safe in bed at night.


Do you have any other suggestions?

Grief and change

If you have not already found it yourself, I highly recommend Molly Piper's blog.

She has great things to say on a number of different topics, however, the most helpful one is her writing about the stillbirth of her second child, Felicity. She has done a very helpful series titled 'How to help your grieving friend'.

I link to her today because of the post she just put up about how the events of the last 2 years have completely changed them:

One of the things I’ve been grieving this last year is simply that I used to be a happy person. It used to be that my days were primarily happy, with the occasional interruption of melancholy or difficulty. For the last 22 months, the opposite has been mainly true.

One of my good friends uses the phrase “secondary losses.” I think that’s what this year has been—a whole bunch of secondary losses. The loss of innocence. The loss of happiness. The loss of youth.The loss of simplicity. And when you experience those secondary losses, you grieve...

So if you’re a mom like me, living without one (or more) of your children, take heart that this is indeed one of the hardest things you will ever live through. But that also means that you lived.

She has some really good things to say both to those of us who are grieving, and those of us walking beside them.

The birds and the bees

I appreciated this post from a woman, trying to explain some of the finer points of sex and pregnancy to her son.

Today I was driving the six kids and my oldest daughter was reading a parenting magazine article discussing pregnancy after 40. She asked me: “Mom, would you have a baby at 40?” “Not on purpose,” I answered. A snicker came from the back seat where my smart-alec of a son was sitting. “You mean you can have a baby by accident?” he asked cynically. That guy knows about the birds and the bees, you see. Without thinking I said “Yes, of course.” “How can you have a baby by accident?”...

All of the details that needed to be explained here still lie before us...thank goodness!

Photo from stock.xchng

Fiction reading

While recently on holidays I had a chance to catch up on some fiction reading that I had been looking forward to for some time. Gladly I was not disappointed.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini What a great book. A very powerful and moving story of two women in Afghanistan, prior to and during the reign of the Taliban. I reviewed Hosseini's other book, The Kite Runner, a few months ago, having really enjoyed it. However I think I preferred this one. I felt (without any way of knowing how to judge it!) that this one was written better. Perhaps one is more comfortable with writing the second rather than first novel? (any novelists out there want to weigh in on this one?!) It is not a nice story, just as the story of women under abusive husbands and the Taliban is not a nice reality. However, there was something compelling about it. I enjoyed the whole book and highly recommend it. World Without End, Ken Follett A massive book, which makes me a very happy woman! Some may find books at 1200+ pages too long, but I love them. I think most books just aren't long enough. I had almost finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by the end of a day's travelling, so it was never going to be long enough to keep me going for a whole week of lazing by the pool. Thankfully World Without End was next on my list and it did the job admirably. It is labelled and marketed as a sequel to Pillars of the Earth (reviewed briefly here), also a great read. While having read Pillars will help with a few references in this book, it is not necessary to have read it first. This book is dated 200 years after Pillars. It charts the lives of 4 children in the 1300s in the cathedral city of Kingsbridge throughout war, plague and life in in medieval England. If you enjoy a glimpse into times gone by, how people really lived, what it was like for lords and peasants, what the plague did to society and how the church reacted to these events - this is a great read. A quote on the front cover "You won't be able to put it down" - was entirely true for me, as Husband will testify!

Back online

I have enjoyed my little break from blogging, and am now officially back on-line. The school holidays have been really good. More enjoyable than normal, which is largely due to my change of attitude. A lot of this can be attributed to a parenting book I read (review to come soon), and quite possibly to the decision to get off-line for the holidays. We all went to the park, fed ducks, went to the library & museum, did craft, cooked and just had fun spending time together. It was a good time and now we are all looking forward to Term 3 with some renewed energy. I have still been reading lots, so there are lots more reviews to come in the next few weeks. At the moment, my plans for this term are: - to keep working through Going the Distance chapter by chapter, on Mondays - to start a children's (mainly pre-schoolers) authors series, on Saturdays - to continue with other book reviews, sometime midweek - any other things, when they come up! Hope you enjoy it!

Weeks gone by and weeks to come...

Don't know if anyone has noticed, but the blogging has slowed of late. The main reason - Husband & I just had a wonderful week away on our own for our 10th anniversary, while my lovely parents minded the kids(earning themselves many brownie points for years to come!). I have come back from holidays to realise that I enjoyed the break from technology as well, so for the next weeks I will be on 'blog holidays'.

This coincides well with school holidays also starting next week as I would like to give the children more time over those 2 weeks.

So things will be sort of silent here until Term 3 starts again. In the meantime, I will also be thinking about what to do here over the next 6 months. Here are some things I am already planning:

- to read My Seventh Monsoon, along with the Equip book club;
- to continue to work my way through my proposed 2009 reading list;
- to continue the series working through Going the Distance;
- to start a series of our favourite children's authors (for pre-schoolers mainly);
- to review some of the great fiction I read over the holiday;
- to share a few more thoughts as I read through the bible; and
- to interact a bit more with other blogs and news.

If you have any other ideas I would love to hear them.

Humility: True Greatness

Book Review - Humility: True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney

I chose to read this book solely on the recommendation it was recently given in the Briefing (Issue #363, Dec 08). Admittedly, the review was written by a friend, so I trusted what he said and I was certainly not disappointed. This is a great book.

It's an easy book to read, it's not long, it's not heavy in its language - but it packs a punch. If you read it, be prepared to acknowledge how much pride really has a hold on your life and be willing to have your heart changed.

In fact my only hesitation in reviewing it now is that I am still thinking about much of what it said and how to apply it personally. Rarely has a book's points of practical application caused my to think so much.

Mahaney has broken his book into three parts. Part I: The Battle of Humility vs Pride. Here he outlines what humility and pride are and what they look like. Mahaney says that

Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness (p22)

In many ways this is the grounding of the entire content of the book. Mahaney points us both to the true holiness of God and our own sinfulness. When we have a true view of these, humility follows close behind.

He goes on to deal with pride and why God hates it so much:

Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. (p31)

He notes how God opposes the proud (James 4:6, from Prov 3:34), he hates pride and arrogance (Prov 8:13)and that he detests the proud of heart (Prov 16:5). A quibble here is that he states that from God's perspective, pride is the most serious sin. I have not thought about this enough yet, and I can see his point. Pride is saying we can do it without God. However, complete rejection of God as King and Saviour is perhaps more serious?

Part II - The Great Reversal. Here Mahaney shows from Jesus what true greatness is: "Serving others for the glory of God" (p44) and he stresses the point that we need Jesus' death to learn true humility:

Consider your own life for just a moment. Where would you be today if He hadn't ransomed you, if He hadn't liberated you? I'll tell you where. You would be self-sufficient, seeking to cultivate self-confidence for the purpose of self-glorification.

But what has happened to you? If you've been genuinely converted, you've been forgiven and transformed. And though for now there remains in you a temptation and tendency to sin, a fundamental and radical change has occurred so that you have the desire to serve others and to see God glorified. We know the inner call to lay down out lives for one another because He laid down His life for us. (p58, original italics)

Part III: Our Great Pursuit - Practice of True Humility is where it starts to get very personal.

Seven chapters cover all aspects of our lives and how we can try to learn humility in all of it. They include: how we start the day, end the day, how we look for signs of grace in other people, how we encourage others, to invite and pursue correction from others and how we respond to trials.

This entire section was very helpful, so I am going to comment on those that were highlights for me:

1. The suggestion to identify evidences of grace in other people. That we should remind ourselves regarding every believer we encounter: "This individual has been previously acted upon by God" (p103). Therefore we look for signs of grace in their lives, rather than deficiencies. I found this a very helpful suggestion. When I am tempted to look at someone without grace and find a fault, instead I now want to find signs of God working in them. For example, instead of noticing that someone is always late, perhaps notice that they always have time for people in need. Instead of notice that someone does not 'parent' in what I think is a wise way, instead notice that they are always kind and gentle with their children.

As part of this he suggested writing a list of the fruit of the Spirit and the different gifts that the Spirit gives (having given bible verses such as Gal 5:22-23, 1 Cor 12:8-10, 28). I actually did this and have two little cards on my desk reminding me of the many and varied ways people can show God's grace in their lives and how different people can be. It's quite helpful.

An added bonus is that is has encouraged me to do it in my children too, so now I have more words to use when I praise them: "You are a good helper", "You encourage me when you are kind", "You had patience then", etc

2. His challenge to parents - to be the example they need in this area, to teach them about true greatness and to teach them how to discern and admire true greatness. He made the suggestion that no matter how well your children do academically, athletically, etc, "don't celebrate anything more than you celebrate godly character in your children" (p160). Make the special celebrations those for when you have noticed "humility, servanthood or godly character," rather than exam results.

3. The challenge to invite and pursue correction, from trusted friends who will ask you really how you are going, and what sins you are struggling with. This is a great idea. Not one I have ever implemented well, but the challenge remains to do so.

4. His focus on the words of God and how they should change us. He challenges one to study:

• the attributes of God, especially those that have no human equivalent (eg. omnipresent, self-existent, infinite),
• the doctrines of grace (election, calling, justification)
• the doctrine of sin

A proper attention to each of these will help to keep us humble -for who cannot spend time learning more about God and how holy and gracious he is, as well as being reminded of how sinful we are, and not be humbled as a result?


In many ways I felt like this book was a starting point for me, there is lots more I can do - read more of God's word and other books, but this was a great place to start - to challenge my own pride and to work, with God's help, towards true humility.

The last will be first...?

Competition in our house is a daily event. Mr 6 and Miss 4 turn everything into a race - who can eat fastest, get to the car quickest, get dressed first, be at the front waiting first. You get the picture.

I find it extremely irritating! There are always little people racing around trying to beat each other and be the winner, be the best.

So, in a moment of exasperation the other day as they both pushed their way into the house and raced down the hall, I blithely made a comment that Jesus said that "the last will be first and the first will be last".

Fast forward a few days, and everyone is out of the bath and supposed to be getting dressed. They are both taking forever, for no reason. I finally told Mr 6 to finish up and go brush his teeth, which he did. Miss 4's voice chimed in behind me "I'm first then, because I'm last"

The penny dropped! All of a sudden I realised why things had been a bit slower of late - they were both trying to 'win' by being last.

So, we talked about how Jesus wasn't telling people to be slow so they would win, he was talking about serving other people, taking care of them, showing kindness to them and making themselves less important for other people.

What was my lesson in all of this? If I am going to quote the words of Jesus to my children, I had better also take the time to explain them!

And you thought your life was busy...

Spare a thought for this couple, blessed with sextuplets last month...

"It just didn't sink in at first. We were so shocked," she said.

Now she says she just cannot wait to bring her ready-made family home.

"I just feel lost without them. We have a house here but it feels so empty. It's not a home until all our babies are here safe and well," she said.

I will think of her this week when I feel overwhelmed by my three singletons!

Sons of Fortune

Feel like a good read? Here is a fiction option - Jeffrey Archer's Sons of Fortune. It is the story of twin boys separated at birth and raised in two separate families. It details their lives over many years, their schooling, marriages, children and eventual decisions to both run for the office of Governor.

It is an engaging read, and the lives of the men are interesting, but what I liked most is that they were both good men. I actually liked both of them.

It's enjoyable to read a book where you truly like the characters!

Today's Bible Readings

Hey, I'm on a roll! Shorter comments today - I only have the amount of time covered by Play School!

Deuteronomy 9

Moses reminds the Israelites that as the enter the land, they are not to assume that it is because of their own righteousness that they will possess it:

It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deut 9:5)

God is achieving two things at once then with the possession of the land - the fulfillment of his promise to his people Israel and punishment for the surrounding nations and their wickedness.

It's quite a harsh chapter in many ways - Moses does not spare from telling Israel how disobedient to God they have consistently been, ever since he saved them from Egypt, in v24 he says "You have been rebellious against the LORD ever since I have known you." Not a shining endorsement!

However, even with the evidence of their ongoing sin (and we are no better!), Moses still pleaded for the people before God,

But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm. (v29)

They are still the people of God, and still the ones he chose to be in relationship with. Of course, they will need to also have hearts that are changed to show that they want to be in relationship with God, but at the moment they are the people of God.


Psalm 92 & 93

Psalm 92 starts with:

It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 to proclaim your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night (Ps 92:1-2)

Without reading too much into it, is this perhaps some guidance on how to approach the day? Praise God for his love for you as you wake and start the day, amazed that you have another day to serve him on this earth. And at night, thank God for his faithfulness in sustaining you through the day.

Psalm 93 is one of my favourites, because G wrote a song about it years ago (which did make it to a CD). It is a great picture of our God who reigns in power, and who in in control of all things for all time. God indeed is mighty.


Isaiah 37

The account continues of the Assyrians trying to invade Jerusalem under Sennacherib. Near the end, God speaks against Sennacherib, saying:

But I know where you stay
and when you come and go
and how you rage against me. (Isa 37:28)

A reminder for those that think they can avoid God, that he still knows everything! You can't hide.

And, even with the threat (and eventual) certainty of the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and Judah, God still promises hope:

Once more a remnant of the house of Judah
will take root below and bear fruit above.
For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,
and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this. (Isa 37:31-32)

Revelation 7

A glorious vision of heaven and the praise of God by all there. I will just include a few verses:

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb." (Rev 7:9-10) ....

Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their
shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev 7:16-17)

I know there are people who fear Revelation a little: it is confusing, challenging to get your head around and people interpret it so differently. But it does contain great passages of praise! And it certainly opens your mind to see how glorious our God is.

Hope you have a great day praising and thanking God.

Take some responsibility

Have you noticed how these days nothing is your fault?

You can blame anyone or anything else, but you don't need to take responsibility for your own actions. For example:
- "I was drunk, I did not know what I was doing"
- "He told me to"
- "That intersection isn't safe - I didn't see the other car"
- "I didn't know (because I did not bother to find out)"
- "The coffee wasn't labelled 'Warning - Hot' and it burnt me"
- "No-one told me junk food was fattening"

It sounds like my children on a national level. All day I hear my kids' voices telling me "She did it first", "He started it". To which I try to reply - "But what did YOU do?" Surely we should be asking the same questions of adults and ask them to have:
- a little common sense
- some acceptance of responsibility for themselves.

Which leads me to an article published last week by our previous Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, in Adelaide Now (also referenced in the Weekend Australian):

...After about 10 minutes as foreign minister I was a little surprised to learn I was "responsible" for miscreant Australians who got into trouble in foreign countries.

No, no, no, don't get it wrong - drug traffickers, drunks, kleptomaniacs and fraudsters weren't responsible for their own stupidity - I was.

It's about time that great nanny in Canberra, the Federal Government, turned around and told people they are responsible for their own decisions...

I don't know whether I am stretching things a little far here - but is it possible that our lack of individual responsibility is directly related to the lack of Christian thought and values in society?

Think for a minute about the 'responsibility' that comes from being a Christian:

1. You realise that you are sinful, and that you are responsible for your sin.

2. You ask God for forgiveness for your sin, acknowledging your own faults and failings.

3. You continue to come before God daily, remembering how you have failed him and thankful for his grace.

4. You try to change and become more godly, all to honour your Heavenly Father - so that you can show him to others.

5. We are called to love God and also to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.


Just a little something to ponder...

Today's Bible Readings

The readings continue daily... so here are some more comments for today!

Genesis 8

A warning chapter. Moses reminds Israel how he provided for them in the desert.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deut 8:3)

This is one of two references in today's readings that Jesus uses to argue with the devil when he is tempted in the desert (see Matthew 4). Yet another example of how often when you read different passages of the bible they all link up together!

In this chapter God explains how wonderful the land will be for it is truly "a good land" (v7-9). Then he warns them:

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

What is the risk? When life is good, they will forget God. They will forget he is the source of their blessing and instead they will claim that they are responsible for the good times themselves.

17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.

When are you tempted to claim blessing as something you brought upon yourself? From your wise desicions? Or your careful planning? Instead, we should thank God for his many blessings upon us. As it says in v18:

18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth...

Even our abilities to do things well come from God.


Psalm 91

Here is the second passage which is used in the account of Jesus' temptation in Matthew, although interestingly, it is used by Satan to try to tempt Jesus:

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Jesus rebukes Satan for using this verse against him, saying "Do not put the Lord your God to the test" (Matthew 4:5-7). I guess this helps to show us that anyone can use part of the bible to their own means and out of context. Perhaps we should take it as a warning to be careful as we use the word of God?

I found the last few verses of this Psalm struck me:

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

In this passage we can see that God is with 'him' (perhaps the one in v1-2 who trusts in the Lord?). God will be with him in trouble, protect him, rescue him and he show him salvation. A reminder perhaps, that God is with us at all times and in all circumstances.


Revelation 6

An interesting reading, which evokes a number of images of judgement. Following on from ch 5 having found the Lamb who alone was worthy to open the scrolls, here the scrolls are opened. There is a strong picture of judgement at the end here and the fear that results, for everyone wants to hide:

16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

There is great truth to the phrase "The great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Joel 2:31, Mal 4:5. The day of God's judgement is certainly real. However there is also great promise, as Joel also says:

Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
(Joel 2:13b)

Let's thank God that while he judges, he is also slow to anger and abounding in love.

Today's Bible Readings

As I shared a few days ago, I am now following along with the M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan. I will admit that I am only a week in and so it is early days, but I am loving it. G has been following this plan for a while now, and I have also done so a few times. What strikes us both again and again, is how linked all the passages are to each other. While you could attribute this to how M'Cheyne put the plan together, when you look closely he is just working through the bible in order! Rather we give the glory to God - who authored all of scripture and who reveals his plan of salvation throughout - it is all one unified account.

Occasionally I will share what I have read, and what I have learnt from it.

Here are some notes on some of today's readings:

Deuteronomy 7
What a great chapter! The Israelites are camped on the edge of the promised land and Moses is speaking to them before they enter. He reminds them that they are his chosen people, v6:

For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

He goes on to remind them, that he chose them, not because they were special, or more numerous than the other nations, but because:

⁸ But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ⁹ Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

He chose Israel because he loves her, and out of his grace he chose to redeem her. Moses goes on to talk about how because they are saved, they now need to live in obedience to God and his way. He is guiding them on how they must now live as his people.

(I have recently done a series of bible studies and talks on God's promises and how he fulfills them over time. This is yet another passage we could have looked at!)

Isaiah 35
Isaiah is speaking about the joy that will come when the Lord comes to save his people. He talks of how in that day,

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Reading this, we are reminded of Jesus, when John asked if he was the one to come. Jesus replies in Luke 7:21-22:

21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Therefore, that day of the Lord arrived with Jesus.

The end of this chapter in Isaiah is one of those great passages:

¹⁰ and the ransomed of the LORD will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

To which I break into song:

The redeemed of the Lord shall return
And come with singing unto Zion
And everlasting joy shall be upon their head, upon their head.
They shall obtain, gladness and joy
And sorrow and mourning shall flee away, shall flee away... etc etc!

Therefore the Redeemed, Scripture in Song, 1972 (which can be downloaded from i Tunes!)

Revelation 5
A mind-broadening passage. The Lamb, and no one else, is the only one worthy to open the scroll:

⁹And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth."

Jesus, the Lamb, is the one whose blood purchased men for God - from all peoples to serve him always.

And then it goes on, and I will quote in length - for the word of God is always better than my words!

¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. ¹²In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honour and glory and praise!"

¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honour and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

¹⁴The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped.

To which all we can really do is agree with the living creatures and also say "Amen"!

All bible references are NIV.

Cooking & allergies

This recipe book is a 'must-have' for all cooks out there. We count ourselves very lucky in our family to have no food allergies at all. However, amongst our friends there are allergies to nuts, gluten, eggs, soy & dairy. Up until now I have felt completely unable to cater for these friends. Now my problems are solved!

This easy to use recipe guide allows you to cook allowing for all 8 main allergens - nuts, eggs, milk, soy, sesame seeds, what, fish & shellfish. She also gives details on what standard products contain each of these allergens (eg. soy is in some canola sprays) and also has lists of products & ingredients available in supermarkets (in Australia) that do not contain these allergens (eg. the brands of gluten free baking powder). It is a great resource. She also shows you how to have variations - so in some recipes you can choose whether to use milk, soy milk or rice milk, depending on the allergies. You can have eggs or egg replacer. Gluten free flour or normal flour.

I used it to cook a nice, edible egg, dairy, soy & nut free birthday cake for my children this year, so that all their friends could eat it - and they all liked it. I have cooked yummy gluten free pear muffins.

So, come one, come all to my place for a meal - I can now cater for you!

Get off-line!

I have just read two fascinating posts: one by John Piper and one by Josh Harris, both about using Twitter using church services. John Piper writes:

Josh Harris has done us a good service. He explains why many of us think it's a bad idea to "tweet" while participating in corporate worship. That is, we think you should use Twitter before and after corporate worship to say what you take in and take out. But when you are in corporate worship, Worship! There is a difference between communion with God and commenting on communion with God.

Don't tweet while having sex. Don't tweet while praying with the dying. Don't tweet when your wife is telling you about the kids. There's a season for everything. Multitasking only makes sense when none of the tasks requires heart-engaged, loving attention...

To be honest, it stuns me that these issues even need to be raised. No-one could convince me that being online in a church service, either to Twitter or to Facebook, could possibly help in their ability to sit under the word of God and concentrate.

However, I have been amazed by the number of people I know on Facebook (yes, admission here - I am on Facebook, but not on Twitter) who seem to update their status as they go into church, as they come out of church, and sometimes I suspect in church. And guess what - some of them are ministers!!

Part of me wants to say - who cares really? How much attention to you really pay to people's status updates? Especially from people who are only online 'friends'.

Surely it has to be our priority to encourage the people of God who are with us in person, rather than those out there on-line. Let's have relationships with real people in real time!

How do you read the bible?

How do you read the bible?

Do you have a system?
Do you read along with another guide?
Do you just open it randomly and read whatever you find?
Do you only read familiar passages?
Or, if you were really being honest, perhaps do you just not read it at all?

I suspect all of us struggle at times to find a way that works for us to read our bibles. And while we want to read God's word and grow in our knowledge and love of him, other things take precedence. Not only that, but even when we find the time combined with the ability to think clearly, we can feel like we are just 'going through the motions'. A kind of 'yes, tick the box' - I have read my bible today, although I couldn't tell you much about what I read and I didn't bother thinking about how it applied to me. Sound familiar?

I think what I have come to realise in recent years is that (like every aspect of growth in the Christian life) this too is a journey. Sometimes I long to sit down and dwell in God's word and other times, quite frankly, I would prefer to do almost anything else.

So, what do we do then when it's all a bit of a struggle?

I suggest two things: 1) Just do it. & 2) Mix it up.

1. Just do it.

Really. Get on with it. Find 10 mins & sit down with the bible open. If you have no idea what to read, start with a Gospel - at least then you will be reading the words of Jesus. There have been many times over the years where I have not wanted to read my bible - it may have been due to tiredness, busyness, feelings of depression, feeling distant from God, feeling like I just didn't care. But in the end, sitting down with God's word was something I tried to force myself to do. Sometimes I was just 'ticking the box', and other times a verse would leap out piercing straight to my heart.

And, by not giving up - we are forming a habit. A habit that says - no matter what, no matter how I feel, I want to let God's word speak to me and change me.


2. Mix it up

There are a lot of resources out there that help us read our bibles and understand them better. Sometimes, it's a hard slog reading through parts of the bible (eg. Isaiah or Ezekiel), especially when we don't really know what they are talking about. However, we still want to read these books and not ignore them because they are a bit scary!

So, here are some resources that appeal to different people:

1. Don Carson's For the Love of God, vols 1 & 2. This excellent guide follows the M'Cheyne bible reading plan over the course of 2 calendar years. Carson has listed the 4 readings for the day and he makes comments on one of them in detail. Its advantage is that it gets you reading through the bible (all in one year) and adds insightful comments for further thought. You can see a sample page here. And really, anything that Don Carson writes is worth giving a go!


2. The Daily Reading Bible (14 vols), published by Matthias Media. These are collated readings and notes from The Briefing magazine Bible Briefs. There are 60 days of reading, designed to cover 3 months. These are short snippets, which start you thinking. Each reading is included (so you only need the book not a bible as well). Then there are 3 questions, something to ponder and a suggestion for prayer. I have done these on and off over the years, and at times they have been very helpful. However, they vary in quality (all are authored by different people) and I find that they are too short. Also, I don't really want to encourage people not to use their own bibles - for then you can't easily look up cross-references, etc. You can see a sample of them here. Don't let my hesitations put you off though, they may be perfect for you!

3. Something new we have recently come across is John Stott's Through the Bible, Through the Year. Stott, another highly respected Christian author has put together this resource, taking one through the Christian calender. He has divided it into three 4-month blocks. The first (Sept-Dec) covers the Old Testament (the Life of Israel), the second (Jan-April) is an overview of the Gospels (the life of Christ) and the third (May-Aug) is from Acts to Revelation (Life in the Spirit). I can't comment on this one in detail yet, as I am only up to week 2 myself. What I can say so far is that I like the idea, and Stott's insights are always worth reading. However, there is often one one verse that the comments are based on. So this is certainly worth reading, but probably also combined with some other larger chunks of scripture. You can see the whole book online here.

4. Various commentaries. If you decide you want to tackle a book of the bible, but don't really know much about it, ask around and see if someone (your minister perhaps?) can recommend a good commentary on that book. Look for a short one, one based on an English version (not the Greek or Hebrew) and one whose style you can easily read.

What are some other bible reading tools or guides you recommend?


HOWEVER, all of these are just tools - nothing beats reading the bible yourself and trying to figure out what it means. Sure, use resources that are available, but last not first - do the work yourself first. So, get your hands on:

• a wide margin bible - this is the best bible I own, there is heaps of space for me to write comments in it;
• a travel bible - my normal bible is too big and heavy to throw in a bag or take away on holidays, so I also have a little bible that fits into my handbag;
• lots of bookmarks - to put in where ever you are reading - privately (if you follow M'Cheyne's reading guide you need 4!), to follow along with church sermon readings at home & what you are doing in bible study;
• pencils, highlighters, whatever you want to write in your bible. It took me a long time to be comfortable writing in my bible (it felt too holy to write in!). In fact, I still refuse to mark any normal book I read, but now my bible is scribbled all over.

And aim to read more of the bible itself than someone's notes about it.


Which leads to me to what I am doing at the moment, for those that care!

• I want to cover some larger amounts of scripture - so I have just reprinted the M'Cheyne reading guide and am going to try to work through it. I just started it again today, so got going at May 28. It's amazing when you do this how often the readings are related to each other.
• I am also reading Stott's Through the Bible, Through the Year at the same time. This helps me to think in a bit more depth about a small passage or verse.

So, if you know me and see me around - ask me how I am going with it!



Photos from stock.xchng

East West 101

Feel like a good few nights in front of the TV? Try East West 101.

This excellent series (of only 6 episodes) was shown on SBS last year. It is the story of Detective Zane Malik (Don Hany), a Muslim police officer in Sydney and his superior officer Ray Crowley (William McInnes). It has some great story lines, with sensitivity and awareness given to issues facing the Muslim community and the stress on cross-cultural relationships in Australia.

It is definitely one of the better police shows I have seen in recent years. Get it out of your local library and enjoy a few nights in!

The Briefing - May

I have just finished reading this month's e-Briefing, and highly recommend it to you.

The topic this month is Purity in the Age of Porn and it contains a number of helpful articles.

In Sexual Immorality: Some Thoughts from Corinth Gordon Cheng talks about how the first and final solution to dealing with sexual sin is the death and resurrection of Jesus. We cannot jump in first with ways and tips to help each other, but must first come to grips with what Jesus has done for us on the cross, and how that must shape all of how we live.

In The naked truth about porn, James Warren talks through the realities of life today, where TV, the movies and most predominately the internet, ensure that porn of all types has a AAA rating "Available, Affordable, Anonymous". James evens attempts a helpful definition of porn "explicit material designed to promote sexual desire outside God's design".

James discusses 3 reasons why porn actually is bitter, because it reinforces three distortions of the life that God wants for us. It distorts sex, distorts relationships and distorts ourselves.

He goes on to suggest 4 ways we can deal better with these issues:

1. We need to be mindful of diversity - some people have no issues with porn, others dabble in it and others are addicted to it. We have to understand that it is a problem for some, but not all - and therefore we must be aware of it, and never dismiss it out of hand

2. We need to be honest - we need to be opposed to all porn and have 'absolutely no porn' as our goal. Those who struggle in this way need to be honest with some trusted friends who will help to keep them accountable.

3. We need to be supportive - help those who struggle, for those who do struggle in this area "face a long, hard and lonely path with little support. The discipline required is immense, and the process is humiliating".

4. We need to speak up publicly. Christians are in danger of saying too little on this topic, "yet we have immensely valuable things to say about sex to our society. By not speaking up, we end up capitulating to and condoning the world's agenda."

A helpful article in many many ways.


In Making Singleness Better, Tim Adeney talks about how to love and serve single people in our churches. As you can see from the title, I have linked to the full article which is available online. The most insightful quote that I found from this article is:

Paul was not married, but neither was he lonely. I think he would see this epidemic of loneliness as a major moral failure of the church to be the church, and, perhaps, more particularly, a moral failure of families to treat those not in their family as family. The church is a family, and we are to treat those in the church as family—not by lowering the standard with which we treat our family, but by raising the standard with which we treat others.

He goes on to give suggestions about how our families could operate better to include single people, and how are churches could also do a better job within their own structure and design.

He also encourages singles to take advantage of the freedoms of being single, but also to be careful about it - to ensure they are embedded in a community.


Gordon Cheng also reviews Walking with Gay Friends, by Alex Tylee. He says:

Tylee's book is short and readable. It is particularly useful for readers who are Christians or readers who are open to hearing that there is hope of rescue from homosexual sin. The style is friendly and familiar, and manages to avoid the twin evils of being preachy and patronizing. There is a reading list at the end, which includes Christopher Keane's What Some of You Were. I recommend both books as readable, biblically challenging and pastorally compassionate treatments of homosexuality.

A book I now will try to read.

And finally, Simon Roberts in Avoiding the traps of an online world, takes on the issues of sexual immorality online and how to manage them wisely. He gives some very helpful practical tips on how to use computer software to protect you and your family and to help keep ourselves accountable. Some of these are filter software and others are programs that report on your internet usage to another person.

As part of this, he makes two very helpful points:
1. "We should not expect to find a technological solution to a theological problem" . We must actually try to become more Christlike in everything.
2. However, like in any area of sin, help is available and we should use whatever help we can that works for us.

***

This is one issue that is certainly worth having.


My understanding of the eBriefing copyright requirements is that I can send anyone a copy of it, as long as it is not more than 2 issues per year. So, if you would like a copy - let me know via a comment, and I will email it to you.

Atheism

Thanks to a friend linking it on facebook, I stumbled across this editorial in the LA times by Charlotte Allen: Atheists: No God, no reason, just whining:

I can't stand atheists -- but it's not because they don't believe in God. It's because they're crashing bores...

What atheists don't seem to realize is that even for believers, faith is never easy in this world of injustice, pain and delusion. Even for believers, God exists just beyond the scrim of the senses. So, atheists, how about losing the tired sarcasm and boring self-pity and engaging believers seriously?

An interesting read.

Mother's Day

I wonder what Mother's Day means to you. It may cover a large range of emotions, perhaps:

Joy & thankfulness

- for your mother, and your relationship with her

- for your own children, and your relationship with them

- for the encouragement it is to see you mother or children continuing on in the faith and growing stronger

Sadness

- at the distance that separates you from your mother or your children

- because you are estranged from your mother or your children, and you long to repair the rift

- because you watch them make choices that you disagree with, and wonder how to support them

Grief

- at the loss of your mother

- at the loss of your child

- at the loss of the chance to become a mother

Tiredness

- because of the day-to-day realities of being a mum

- because of the need for you to care for your elderly mother

We all experience these emotions at different times, but Mother's Day is one of those days that can bring them out a little more.

***

Girltalk blog has also been picking up these themes in the last few days:

Her children rise up and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:28

Do you have a hard time picturing this ever happening to you? Oh sure, your kids “rise up”--all the time! Your baby may “rise up” and call (very loudly) at 1:00 am and 2:30 am and 5:00 am. Your toddler might “rise up” with temper tantrums or endless calls to meet his needs. Your school-age child might “rise up” and call you to take her to this activity and help her with that book report. Your teenager may “rise up” in anger at your decisions and call you “strict” or “unfair.”

It may be very hard to imagine your children ever rising up to obey you, rising up to ask for your advice, rising up to thank you, rising up to follow your example, rising up to serve you, rising up to call you blessed.

Carolyn encourages mums to continue on, for you will reap if you continue, read the rest here - in a A Weary Mother's Day.

***

And also in A Sad Mother's Day, Carolyn writes about the grief that can be present on Mother's Day.

For you, weariness is merely the byproduct of numbing sadness. You don’t even want to think about Mother’s Day. A day that reminds everyone else of what they have, reminds you of what you’ve lost—as if you needed another reminder.

Maybe your child has rebelled and doesn’t want anything to do with your family. Or maybe you’ve lost a child through death.

I wish I knew the right words to say to you. If I could sit with you today, I would want you to know how inadequate I feel to comfort you. I know that no words of mine can dull the pain. But after I had grieved with you awhile I would remind you of the comfort of the cross.

****

Whatever your emotions on Mother's Day, I hope you have a chance to stop and:

- give thanks for those women who have mothered you and cared for you

- to pray for yourself as you mother and care for the children around you

And to my Mum - I thank God for you.



***
A late addition from another blog The Pipers - talking about the grief on Mother's Day after losing a child, both the post and the comments are especially poignant.

Photos from stock.xchng

Parenting ... at other blogs

I have been unable to blog much lately - there is too much going on in my 'real' life!

However, I have been reading a few other blogs, which I have found helpful. If any of you are parenting teenagers, or approaching those years, you may be interested in looking at the recent series by Carolyn Mahaney on girltalk - mothering teens. There are nuggets of wisdom there which are relevant for parenting at all stages.

Following on from that, she also included some more thoughts on mothering rebellious teens. One especially helpful post was A Mother's Conversation which give 7 reminders of how to have those challenging conversations with your children and do so in a godly way.

More things to think about...!

Photo from stock.xchng