This talk got me thinking. Am I raising my boys to grow up to be “mom” dependant? Am I teaching them that it is okay to not take the lead and that the woman in the house will do everything for them?

Now, I know that the whole talk was on marriage, but why would a married man have this attitude, if it didn’t start when he was young and at home.

Boy that was a wakeup call. I don’t know exactly what my plan of attack is, but I know that I want to raise strong young men who are leaders. Only with God’s help and of course the leading and insight from my husband will this be possible.

Children are a blessing, but it takes a lot of hard work. Our children are worth it, though. I can’t imagine life without them.

Tiger, I hope you got the message. People do care about you. Jesus cares even more. You won’t find that anywhere else or from anything else.

I have to be honest and sincere. It does matter to me what people do in their private lives, because what they do in the house effects what they will do and how they will act outside their private lives. It is just the facts. There is no getting around it.

So yes, I do care what you do in the privacy of your house. In a broad sense, that is. No, I am not going door to door checking up on my neighbors or family. But we do need to care.

We need to care that many men and now women are looking at pornography in the privacy of their homes and it is effecting how they relate in the outside world. Many a rape, incest, molestation, murder case can be linked to the addiction of pornography. To not such an extreme, this addiction is breaking up families, which in turn hurts children, which effects how they function in life.

This is just one example of how what we do in the privacy of our homes does matter. I can’t turn my back on what is going on. I have to stand up for what I believe in. I have to stand up for what is right.

Am I going door to door condemning my neighbors? No. But, I can’t say that I won’t speak up when given the opportunity and I certainly, at the very least, must be honest with myself and true to my God, that I do care what others do. To say that I don’t care, would be to say I really don’t care about humanity.

So, to anyone who says that they don’t care what others do as long as they don’t push it on them, I ask you to really think it through. I understand where you are coming from, but if we are truly honest, we do care. When something is wrong, it is wrong; inside the house or outside.

We must stop the political correctness and stand up for what is right.

Our middle child broke down in bed last night. He was distraught, as much as an 11 year old boy can be. He told me that he didn’t enjoy school, because children were just mean. He just didn’t feel like he had any friends. He gave the impression that it was almost impossible to make friends. His heart was breaking. I could tell he wanted to say more, but he just didn’t know how to communicate it.

As a mom, I just want to hold him and tell him it will all be okay. I want to be a fly at school and see just how horrible it is and what exactly it is that makes it hard to make friends. I want to protect. At the same time I want to give him the chance to become a wise young man who realizes that friends come and go and that when all is said and done, God is our only true blue Friend.

I am so grateful that my son opened up, as little as it may have been. It is imperative that we create a safe haven for our children in this tough world. We don’t want to push our children to seek out others or destructive habits to fulfill their desire to belong. When our children feel safe, they can endure the hard times.

This safe place starts with a solid foundation and that can only be found in Christ. My husband and I must make sure that our children know their Creator and His love for them. Then they must be able to see Christ in us. Then and only then will they be able to make it through all the difficult times that will come their way.

Parents, your children need you—at every stage of life. We must make our homes a soft place to land.
It’s tough being a kid.

Home should be a retreat to which children
can return in triumph or defeat, in victory
or disgrace, and know they are loved.
Author Unknown (Lists to Live By for Every Caring Family, pg. 162)

There are things that surround me every day that I do not agree with and that I don’t want my children exposed to. What do I do when I am bombarded by this stuff? Well, I run the other way. I teach my children the difference between right and wrong and I surround myself with the things that matter.

We live in a great country, but so many are intent on destroying what makes this great land of the free just that, free. We must stand up and not back down. God did not say to stand idly by and allow others to steal our freedom. We must stand up for the innocent and we must stand up for the truth.

Thank goodness for many American citizens who are willing to do just that.

What has happened to America that we could get this far. Is nothing sacred anymore?

What does this have to do with prayer? Well, everything. In the good and in the bad, we are to be praying to God. Pray without ceasing. This is where I am at. I have always prayed, but have I really. Do I believe when I pray? I never doubt that God can do things, but I doubt that He will. I have allowed my families circumstances to get the best of me and I have allowed fear to overtake me. Is this what it means to be broken? Maybe.

I was reading my devotional, Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman, for the day and it was appropriately on prayer. God has a sense of humor! I want to quote parts of the devotional; because I couldn’t say it any better than she did.

“Prayer is the link that connects us with God. It is the bridge that spans every gulf and carries us safely over every chasm of danger or need”. (pg. 412, Steams in the Desert) No one can ever take this away from me. I am so grateful for that. Everything else may go, but my connection to God will never be stripped from me. Now if I could just remember that every single day.

“In your prayers, above everything else, beware of limiting God, not only through unbelief but also by thinking you know exactly what He can do. Learn to expect the unexpected, beyond all that you ask or think”. (pg. 413, Streams in the Desert) Wow, this quote hit me hard. I know that I limit God. I only see what is obvious or feasible in my own mind. Sure I see Him do wondrous things for others, but that surely can’t happen in my own life or the life of my family. Like I said above, I believe God is capable, but I truly doubt that He will do anything in my life. I have limited God and this isn’t okay.

This has been a struggle for some time in my life and until God is through with me, I assume it will always be something I have to be guarded against. I must always remember that I serve an amazing God and that nothing is impossible for Him.

Wrestling prayer can wonders do,
Bring relief in dire straits;
Prayer can force a passage through
Iron bars and heavy gates.
Frederick William Farrar
(pg. 413 Steams in the Desert)

I have had many a break down and have gone through a good share of Kleenex. I find myself in a panic. Anxiety builds up. My husband was right when he told me I paralyze myself, because I allow all of the “stuff” to overwhelm me, instead of just moving, even if it means baby-steps.

I need rest. Life just seems to be crushing me and wearing me out. I am in a daily battle just to keep my eyes and heart focused on the Lord. There has to be some light.

Well, there is. God always has a way of bringing me back to Him. I was reading Matthew 11 today, and was reminded in verse 28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Boy how I needed that. It was a reminder that no matter what happens or doesn’t happen, God is always there.

Are you weary? Are you burdened? Guess who can give you the rest you so desperately need? GOD can and will. He’s waiting.

I don’t like the way I see things heading here in the U.S. As a conservative and a Christian mom I want to preserve our heritage as believers and Americans. My children can’t receive that in the public school setting. It’s my husband’s and my responsibility to ensure that our children learn what is true!

As parents, we must be completely engaged in our children’s lives at home and at school. We did not have children so others could teach them right from wrong. We cannot drop our children off at daycares, public schools or private schools and expect that they are being taught our values, morals and ethics.

In today’s educational environment we must take an active role in educating ourselves as to what is being taught in the classroom. I must confess, I often wonder if they are being taught anything at all. The way they teach anymore seems to lead to chaos and confusion. Do they even teach the fundamentals anymore? You know, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Oh and how about spelling. Heaven forbid we circle a misspelled word in red and have the student look the word up in a dictionary and spell it correctly.

Things sure have changed and they haven’t changed for the better. Take for instance teaching children how to read. You might be excited to see your child come home and read some words, but do you really know how they are being taught to read? It probably isn’t by using phonics. Our children are taught to guess, to think about what would make the most sense, to sound out the first part of the word and then finish it with what they think fits. Whole language at it’s best.

I saw this effect my oldest child’s reading ability and I wasn’t about to let it happen to my other two, so I preceded to reteach my oldest and then teach my younger ones how to read. I used Turbo Reader by Phyllis Schlaffley. It was easy and precise and my children can read excellently. Unfortunately, my oldest got a bad taste for reading and still struggles, but I hate to imagine where any of them might be had I not intervened.

We must be involved and educated ourselves. Parenting takes hard work, but it is so worth it.

I am always looking for little gems of wisdom to help me as a mom. I don’t like psycho babble or “modern” ways of relating to and disciplining my children. I am all for the tried and true ways.

I always strive to hold all that I read and learn up to the Bible. God, after all, is the author of life and Creator of all. He will guide through His Word and I also believe that He uses many great men and women to proclaim the truth and give us those little gems of wisdom.

I came upon a small booklet written by Dr. David Jeremiah, How to Encourage Your Children, that had some great little gems of wisdom.

Four Ways to Encourage Your Children

1. Focused Attention: Make each child a priority in your life, no matter how busy your life.
2. Individual Affirmation: Every child needs to know that they are unique and special.
3. Genuine Appreciation: Don’t walk around looking for what they do wrong, but for what they do right.
4. Physical Affection: Love your children in a tangible way letting them know that they are important.

This is just a very condensed version. I would recommend reading Gifts from God by Dr. Jeremiah. It is a very good book on remembering that our children are precious and encourages parents in raising godly children.