Listening

 In school, my teachers would make the same comment on my reports cards, “Talks too much!". I have learned that it’s hard to listen when you’re talking. Before the mission to Africa, my devotion referred to Stephen Curtis Chapman’s song “Be Still and Know.”  The song ends with “Be still. Be speechless.” When I had an urge to speak, I repeated that line. “Be still and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10.

 Before school daily, my mother would tell me, “When the teacher speaks, then you stop, look, and listen; then do.”  She gave me that mantra to help me pay attention and listen to the teacher. She wanted me to do well in school.  Likewise, the King David of Israel taught his son Solomon to listen so that he can obey God. (I Kings 2:3)

Solomon listened.  Solomon obeyed God. When God asked him what he wanted, Solomon prayed for wisdom to lead the nation. Today, he is known for his wisdom. His writings in Proverbs are known as truth for an abundant life.

In Africa, the school children we visited sat still and listened as we taught Bible lessons. When all the students and teachers gathered to receive gifts from the United States, the sound of their excited voices roared like a lion. A preacher walked about the students with a switch. “Shut your mouths,” he said sternly. When they were still, we presented equipment for sports play, materials for instruction and bandages for wounds. God gives even greater gifts, when we LISTEN and OBEY!

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. ~ Psalms 25:4-5

Complaining

I love Fridays.  On Fridays, it is cleaning day...well, let me rephrase that.  I love the end product of Fridays.  The process isn't so fun.  Lately my son has decided that his process of cleaning is going to be a long and tortuous one.  It starts at the beginning.  He will work painfully slow to clean his room.  When I tell him to speed it up, the complaining begins.  He never makes all the mess, you see, and his body always begins to hurt during cleaning, and if no one helps him then he will not be able to complete the task.  I'm getting aggravated just typing out his complaints!!!  It was getting old!  I didn't like putting time limits on it and if he didn't finish he wouldn't be able to participate in fun family time.  So I decided it was time to address the issue at heart......COMPLAINING!!  I pulled out my Child Training Bible and we had a heart to heart before we even started cleaning.  We went through the complaining section and got to Colossians 3:17 - And whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  We talked about how we should be giving thanks for all the things we are given that we have to clean.  So we started looking around his trashed bedroom and listing things he was thankful for.  Then we talked about how we are given these things that we are thankful for and how we should take care of them to show that we are grateful.  This entire talk got both of us pumped up (because to be honest, cleaning toilets and vacuuming all day doesn't always sound exciting and I can complain that I have to do it all).  We decided the best way was to crank up some Pandora Contemporary Christian music and worship while we worked!  Man did we have a blast!  He cleaned so fast and so efficiently and I was cleaning the other room and we were both belting out the songs as we cleaned.  We all do this more than we want to admit.  Complain!  It is easy to complain when we are inconvenienced, but going to situations with a thankful heart, can change everything!  If you are having problems like me at home with complaining, show them how the Word of God tells us to handle our words and deeds......give thanks!
My son actually came home from church this week with a stop sign that he made in Sunday School.  On one side it said stop and the other is said Give Thanks!  I told him that we would hold onto that as a visual when we would rather complain than give thanks so that we can "make the switch" by turning our sign over and be reminded to give thanks!

Family Devotion on FEAR!

Have you ever been afraid?  I am sure all of us have been afraid of something. I am afraid of heights.  I do not like being very high above the ground.  My fear of heights keeps me from enjoying many things, such as, roller coasters, ferris wheels, and flying in an airplane.

     I was scheduled to go to Kenya, Africa on June 21,2013.  Kenya is 7,189 miles from Charlotte ,North Carolina!   The only way for me to get there was to fly on an airplane!  Yikes!!  What was I going to do?

  When my ticket arrived I realized that I was not flying on one airplane, but three!  Two of my flights were over eight hours long!  I immediately became afraid!  I wanted to sit down and cry,or run and hide under my bed. 

    Suddenly, I remembered my Bible that I received at VBS.  I ran and got it and found the tab for fear. I quickly turned to the verses on fear and began to read;

Isaiah 41:10:  Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Philippians 4:6-7:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ 

Psalm 56:3:  When I am afraid I put my trust in you.

As I read these verses, I began to realize that God was going to take care of me. He was going to be sitting right beside me on every airplane.  God gave me a sense of peace and joy in my heart!

     When June 21st arrived  I boarded the airplane in Charlotte.  I was not afraid! I knew God was right beside me and  I had nothing to fear. I could not wait for the airplane to take off!   I was able to see so many things as I soared, above the clouds. God proved to me that He is not a God of fear, but a God of peace.  One of my favorite songs says, " I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, the God of angel armies is always by my side!"

 

     Oh yeah, I almost forgot!  God wanted to make sure that I had overcome my fears, so,instead of flying on three airplanes, I had to fly on six!! 

Family devotion

Selfishness.... nobody wants to admit to it, but we all struggle with it.  We are all born slaves to sin  and apart from faith in Christ, we will continue on that highway. But God gave us his Word, so that we can be transformed by the "renewing of our minds" ( remember Romans 12:2). So let's open our child training bible (CTB) and find the selfishness section on the bottom row.  Before you begin, pray this prayer together-

Father, thank you for the honor of reading your word. I now surrender everything to your authority and I trust you to transform my life. Amen

(Read through every verse in the selfishness section. Try taking turns, letting your kids read also.)

1 John 3:16 says " We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." Jesus took on our sin in his perfect body so that we will have forgiveness and freedom from sins like selfishness. When he died on the cross, he paid the penalty, the wage, the payment. Thank you Jesus for being SELFLESS in all things, even death on a cross!

(Pray together through God's word as the Holy Spirit brings conviction and change)

Consider a family project or activity this week by GIVING something to someone you encounter this week.  Here are a few ideas to get you started:
* Cook dinner and take a meal to an elderly couple on your street. Ask if you can pray for them.
* Buy a grocery store gift card and ask your children to find someone to give the gift card to, ask if you can pray for them.
* Ask your kids to make some get well cards and take a trip to a local nursing home or emergency room and let them pass out their cards. Again, ask if you can pray for a specific need!

This past week at Watts of Fun Wednesday, we studied the selfishness tab and the kids made rice neck wraps to give away. Great Job guys!! Don't forget that this Wednesday is our day trip to Sliding Rock. We leave at 8 am. We will not have our regularly scheduled Wednesday night activity this week.....hope to see you on the field trip!!