On my 14th wedding anniversary this summer, Troy and I were in Ft. Worth, TX, attending a NAUMS conference with fellow Board members of our school, and listening to the teaching of Dr. Rob Rienow of Visionary Family Ministries. We had no idea what an impact his encouragement to us would be that day. I couldn’t have known that the Lord would encourage my weary mothering heart through Dr. Rienow in such a compelling way so that I would clearly see God’s provision when finding out I was pregnant with our sixth several weeks later. There is nothing–NOTHING–that brings hope and motivation like biblical truth.

I’ve recently finished reading one of Dr. Rienow’s books, Visionary Parenting: Capture a God-Sized Vision for Your Family. It is so much more than a how-to book on correction and discipline…it is a power-packed book on the biblical vision for family. I so appreciate Dr. Rienow’s biblicity as well as his practical theology. These are some of the key issues the book address and gives encouragement for:

Your family as a discipleship center. 

A child learns what is important through the family schedule.

Do your kids love what you love?

Family worship is the intersection of a right relationship with God and a right relationship with family.

Family worship is the foundation of worship in the church.

Discipline that disciples is consistent.

Do these topics intrigue you? Do they feel convicting? They are to me.

And how about this…Dr. Rienow quotes Charles Spurgeon:

“The Christian family was the bulwark of godliness in the days of the puritans, but in these evil times hundreds of families of so-called Christians have no family worship, no restraint upon growing sons, and no wholesome instruction or discipline. How can we hope to see the kingdom of our Lord advance when His own disciples do not teach His gospel to their own children? Oh, Christian men and women, be thorough in what you do and know and teach! Let your families be trained in the fear of God and be yourselves ‘holiness unto the Lord’; so shall you stand like a rock amid the surging waves of error and ungodliness which rage around us.”

Sometimes as moms, we simply put one foot in front of the other, and press on in daily tasks, chores, and training of our children. Visionary Parenting is a mental break, an opportunity for you to reset your mind on what this is all about. It is both theological and practical, from one parent in the trenches to another.

I love the beginning of the last chapter in Visionary Parenting:

“We now need to extend our vision beyond our family and our children. God did not create the family as an end in itself. God’s purposes for your family and for your children reach far beyond the particular life you have together in this time and place.”

I couldn’t agree more! We are ultimately in the diligent work of training our children, raising our families, and striving as godly parents—not to simply have godly families we can be proud of or enjoy. No, we are called to a higher purpose for His glory and renown! I’m so thankful for Rob Rienow and Visionary Family Ministries, and for the work God is doing in this generation through their faithfulness to the Word of God.

I am thrilled to be giving away 2 amazing resource packages from Visionary Family Ministries. Here are the Giveaway Details…Enjoy!

I. Books

Visionary Parenting: Capture a God-Sized Vision for Your Family, by Dr. Rob Rienow
Visionary Marriage: Capture a God-Sized Vision for Your Marriage, by Rob & Amy Rienow
When They Turn Away: Drawing Your Adult Child Back to Christ, by Rob Rienow

II. Videos

VISIONARY FAMILY DVD SET BUNDLE – (Visionary Parenting, Visionary Marriage, Never Too Late, and Single Parenting)
(Valued at $199!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

This is the motivation behind The Dig for Kids, a resource written by Pastor Patrick Schwenk, husband of Ruth Schwenk of The Better Mom, a site for which I am so honored to be a contributor.

The Dig for Kids is a simple, yet in-depth resource for leading your children through the study of the Scriptures. A typical Dig lesson follows this pattern:

1.  The Map: The Map tells you and your child where you’ll be going in each lesson.  It is a short summary of the study ahead.

2.  The Dig: The Dig is the main passage you will be studying.  Following each passage will be several questions designed to help conversation and understanding.  They are meant to be a guide.  You can use them or tweak them to help you talk with your children.

3.  The Treasure: The Treasure is the big idea of each lesson.  In a short statement, it is what you want your child to remember from the passage you studied.

4. The Display: When an archaeologist finds a treasure, they will clean it up and put it on display for everyone to see.  This is the basic idea of the Display.  It is the application of the Treasure you have found!

I so appreciate that the Dig for Kids is a resource that takes our families to the Word of God, and not to paraphrased stories of the Bible. God’s Word is presented as treasure waiting to be discovered. The greatest blessing in pastoring our own children is that the transformation is not just for our kids…it’s for us as parents as well.

I’m giving away a PDF copy of the first in the series, Luke Vol.1, to one of my readers!

Please leave a comment below telling me why you’d like to win The Dig, and I will pick and announce a winner at random on Monday, August 6.

(Giveaway closes at 10pm, August 5, 2012) This giveaway is now closed.

If you can’t wait, The Dig is available on The Dig for Kids website or amazon, so check it out!

Have a blessed weekend, friends…and be in the Word with your kids today and everyday!

Do you tend to think that little ones (who don’t read and may not even talk yet) are too young to understand God’s Word? Nothing could be further from the truth! I’m kicking off a series on how to read the Bible with children through the ages over at The Better Mom today. My post today shares tips and resources for reaching your 0-3 yr. olds:

“If you’ve been around a child between newborn to 3 yrs. old, you know the words that characterize this age group: curious, short attention spans, unable to sit still, energetic, noisy, playful, inquisitive. If you tend to think of the Bible as dry, boring, academic, serious, and complicated, then reading the Bible with your infant or toddler may seem like a practice in futility. However, if you know God’s word to be a vibrant, adventurous, humorous, inspired story of God’s redemptive love…well, then you will find reading the Bible to your little one to be a life-transforming investment for both you as the parent, and your children.”

Please join me at The Better Mom today for all my tips and recommendations for capturing the heart of your littlest ones with the Bible!

But, in our marriages, we might find that sometimes, it isn’t that the feeling has gone away, it is simply that the pursuit is not with the same diligence and delight as it once had. Thus, the Ephesian church was commended for effectiveness, but for all their correct doctrine, they were reproved for not being motivated by the love they once had.

I’m at Beautifully Rooted today, opening up about pursuing my first love in marriage, but ultimately within my union with Christ:

“A well-running marriage routine is not a suitable stand in for tender love; neither is sound theology a replacement for deep devotion.”

Read the rest of the post here. Please come and join me!

Some seasons of life effervesce with adventure, anticipation, and lightness of heart. They are the days filled with many friends, and much time for frivolity. Telling your story to others flows naturally, and your camera captures the seemingly endless moments of a luscious life.

Then there are the seasons of life when standing firm, keeping the faith, and perseverance in joy IS the adventure. Days are filled with baskets of laundry, incomplete projects, difficult decisions, and the burden of responsibilities. The only story to tell may be the story of a Great God writing a big story with a family of weak beings, awaiting the next chapters that only He can tell.

That’s where I’m at today. My heart is warm with love for the Lord, and there is joy even in unpleasant tasks of the everyday; and yet: Life on earth, in the body, this side of heaven…is hard.

The Preacher has been preaching “to live is Christ, to die is gain.”

I’ve been chewing on those words of the Apostle Paul, and sinking my teeth into the thought that all that this day may bring–significant or not–has the opportunity to become kindling that ignites the glory of Christ in my life. The Gospel, ablaze in my days on earth, whatever season I may be in this day.

And because it was of great encouragement to me, you can find The Preacher’s message yesterday on Philippians 1:21-30 here.

This is the day that the Lord has made! Be blessed this Monday!

17th century Puritan, Jeremiah Burroughs offers this:

…the peace of God is not enough to a gracious heart except it may have the God of that peace. A carnal heart could be satisfied if he might but have outward peace, though it is not the peace of God; peace in the state, and his trading, would satisfy him. But mark how a godly heart goes beyond a carnal. All outward peace is not enough; I must have the peace of God. But suppose you have the peace of God, Will that not quiet you? No, I must have the God of peace; as the peace of God so the God of peace. That is, I must enjoy that God who gives me the peace; I must have the Cause as well as the effect. I mus see from whence my peace comes, and enjoy the Fountain of my peace, as well as the stream of my peace. And so in other mercies: have I health from God? I must have the God of my health to be my portion, or else I am not satisfied. It is not life, but the God of my life; it is not riches, but the God of those riches, that I must have, the God of my preservation, as well as my preservation…

Psalm 73:25

“Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon the earth that I desire beside thee.”

(excerpt taken from The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment)

Our family’s been:

Hosting a dear friend who is visiting with a baby ::  ”It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

Getting over some illness :: He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.” Isaiah 4:29

Researching and purchasing a new (to us) family vehicle to replace our totaled one :: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” Matthew 6:31

Confessing impatience and unkindness towards one another in family meetings :: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16

…and soaking up the brisk, but sun-soaked Fall days. :: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

May you be ever seeing, and perceiving what the Lord is accomplishing in an through your every activity…today.

10 phrases that breed discontentment:

1. I deserve…
2. why can’t I…
3. …I’m so tired of…
4. If only…
5. Someday…
6. …you never…
7. …why not now?
8. I can’t do this anymore…
9. …why me?
10. …why not me?

10 phrases that cultivate contentment:

1. In spite of me…
2. Because of His faithfulness…
3. …nevertheless…
4. …rejoice in the Lord always…
5. I’m so thankful…
6. …better than I deserve…
7. Today is the day that the Lord has made…
8. …Thank you…
9. …and you?
10. …because He’s always good.

As one who is weak in my flesh, but triumphant in the Grace of God: I encourage you, friends, to let your lips direct your course toward contentment this day. Have a blessed Monday!

Last night, the women of my church met to discuss the first of nine chapters in Carolyn Mahaney’s wonderful book, Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother. It’s the second time I’ve lead the study, but the encouragement is still as applicable for me now as it was the last time.

There is nothing easy about the high calling of biblical womanhood.  While happy marriages, obedient children, organized homes, and graciousness in character may be lovely and blessed byproducts of this high calling, it is not to this end that we grow and labor. The seven virtues expressed in Titus 2 are ultimately about the gospel working in us and displayed through us. It is for Christ! I’m so very thankful for Paul’s admonition in Titus 2 for older women to train up younger women to:

love [our] husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to [our] own husbands

and that through these, we have the opportunity to adorn the gospel with our lives:

How sobering it is to realize that our behavior has the potential
to discredit the gospel. But how exciting it is to think that we can
actually commend the gospel!

As verse 10 says, we can “adorn” the gospel with our lives.
To “adorn” means to put something beautiful or attractive on
display—like placing a flawless gemstone in a setting that
uniquely shows off its brilliance. The gospel is like the most
valuable of jewels. It is the pearl of great price.

Make no mistake, by adorning the gospel, we are not
enhancing or improving it. The gospel cannot be improved! But
by cultivating the feminine qualities listed in Titus 2, we can
present the gospel as attractive, impressive, and pleasing to a watching world.

Indeed we have family and friends looking on, observing what it is about the gospel that changes lives, that sets us apart as gospel-centered women. However, let us not miss the opportunity to adorn the gospel in our very homes–in the mission field that is our children. To love our husbands, to choose a submissive heart, to work diligently in our homes…these are ways the Lord can make the gospel of Christ attractive to our little ones, encouraging them towards the Cross.

If you’d like to read along with me, a chapter a month for the next 9 months, I’d love for you to join this conversation. I’ll be posting each month as we work through these seven virtues found in Titus 2.

You can get a copy of the book here. You can also download and preview the first chapter here. Please let me know if you plan to read along!

Rich blessings to you today in Christ!

Our family woke up thankful this morning; very thankful to be alive and to have all 7 of us. While on our way to dinner with my brother’s family, who was visiting this weekend, we were involved in an accident that miraculously didn’t injure any of us, save a few backaches. Upon having a green arrow to turn left, we and the car next next to us began to pull into the intersection to turn. A gentleman ran a red light (he was driving into the blinding sunset, and could not see the light, he said) and took out the front end of our vehicle. The man driving the other car is fine as well, thanks to the fact that The Preacher hit the breaks when he did. A moment later and my husband and baby boy #5 would not be with us. It’s humbling. Life is so fleeting and fragile, is it not? I’m so thankful that our lives are in the hands of the Lord.

I’m rejoicing in the mercy and sovereignty of our God. I’m rejoicing that our five children, though shook up and emotional, were a delight to bystanders who came to help and offer blankets. I’m rejoicing that the baby stayed content in his carseat, and simply dozed off in the whole debacle. I’m rejoicing that all 7 of us are healthy and well. I’m rejoicing that there’s so much to be thankful for, even in hardships.

The Preacher is preaching through Philippians at our church. He gave an intro to the book yesterday and spoke on joy, as seen in the life and testimony of the Apostle Paul. “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Phil. 4:12b)…”Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4) 

What an example we have, to pursue thanksgiving and contentment, finding that there is nothing, save the Grace of God, embodied in Christ, that serves as our source of joy and satisfaction in the midst of all things. Praise God!