Savoring Living Water

By on October 17, 2011 in The Word

As a mom of two boys and a girl, all 6 and under, it is a constant battle to make the best use of my time. I especially want the precious, quiet moments when I sit to connect with the Lord to be time that is spent well.

Whether it be in the early morning hours or minutes tucked away here and there throughout the week, my time alone with God is a must. There is no telling what might be ahead for me in this day, so when I sit down to read my Bible and fix my eyes on Jesus I need each moment to be fruitful.

What about you? What is your time with God like? Do you have a structure for your time, whether it be 10 minutes or an hour? Would you like to be able to read and study the Bible and discover life-changing truths on your own?

Are your “quiet times” well-spent?

We may know that His Word is “living water” meant to quench our soul thirst. But many of us struggle with how to drink deeply of it. We may want His Word to affect our daily living, yet it could feel as if the truths lay flat on the pages of Scripture.

In Savoring Living Water we hope to equip you with tools that can help you connect with God in a meaningful way through His Word.

We present a framework for what to do in your “quiet time.” Along with stories and encouragement from each of our own journeys, we offer a road map for you to use in your times with the Lord: how to journal, study the Bible, memorize Scripture, and apply His truths to your days…

-Introduction, Savoring Living Water

My dear friend Lara Williams and I have written this book to teach you how to have an effective time in God’s word. Through the pages of this book, you will discover:

  • A practical how-to method for studying the Bible on your own.
  • Tips on connecting with God in a meaningful way through journaling and scripture memory.
  • Ways to deal with the distractions that inevitably arise during a quiet time.
  • How to apply God’s word to the moments of daily living.
  • …and much more.

With every copy of Savoring Living Water sold, $2 will be donated to OneVerse, and for every 13 copies purchased we will be able to fund the translation of one verse into the native language of the Vidunda people who presently have no Bible in their own tongue!

So, if you are looking for a better way to spend those invaluable moments you have to study your Bible, Savoring Living Water can help equip you make the most of that time.

 

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Wisdom for Motherhood

By on September 20, 2011 in Life Lessons, The Word, Tough decisions

Is this energetic little boy being disobedient or simply childish?

Should I breastfeed or give the bottle?

Do I send my kids to private or public school, or educate them at home?

Should I feed my family organic or clip coupons to save money?

Does God want me to stay at home or work?

When is the right age to start chores?

Is this a moment to show grace or give discipline?

The Bible is clear about many things regarding how we parent, yet there are plenty of grey areas which remain.

God has a unique plan for each of us and every one of our boys. So when the lines are blurry and we don’t know what to do it can be paralyzing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5

God knows each of our family situations, each of our personalities and needs. He knows what is coming up around the bend and He loves our children even more than we do. He can be trusted, with every detail of our lives.

He cares about our decision to breastfeed or not. He wants to navigate us through each year of reevaluating our budgets and where we choose to school our children. And though the Bible may not say “Yes, Katie, you should go back to work.” or “Spank him this time.” God is in our moments and he has promised to give us wisdom.

All we need to do is ask.

Do you struggle with knowing God’s will for you and your family? How do you seek God in the moments when the “right” decision seems hard to come by?

 

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Five ways to grow a spiritual leader

By on August 23, 2011 in The Word, Uncategorized

 

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 2 Timothy 1:5

We all long to raise up our boys into men who love God and who lead well their families, communities and churches. Timothy, a young yet strong spiritual leader, was given a great head start on his spiritual journey through the legacy of his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. We too hold this baton of faith and we everyday are slowly handing it to our children.

Passing the baton

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Here are five things we can be doing as we strive to pass the baton of faith to our future leaders.

Pray for them.

Let’s be sure of this: only God can raise up a spiritual leader. We can teach our boys everything we know about walking with the Lord, but without the Spirit of God moving in their hearts the knowledge we impart to them will be only that-knowledge. Pray that your boys would come to a saving faith in God, then pray that the depths of the gospel will penetrate every area of their lives. (If you don’t have it yet, our own Brooke has a great e-book on how to pray for your sons.)

Model what it means to serve the Lord.

Many things are caught, not taught. As our boys watch us serve the Lord, as they experience how we prioritize the will of God in our lives and as they see our passion for God to be glorified in our lives they will have a head start on realizing these things in their own lives.

Confess your shortcomings.

Humility is a must in a spiritual leader. When we admit our sinfulness to our kids, instead of acting like we have it all together, we show them that no one is perfect and that perfection is not the goal. Running to Jesus with our sin is the goal. In order to take our burden of sin to Christ, we must see that we have a need for Him. Being able to say “I was wrong, will you forgive me?” is a key component to teaching our boys humility. (It won’t hurt for his future marriage either!)

Let them see you spend time with the Lord.

Little feet hit the ground running in the early morning hours. They come quickly down the hall and look for me. On the mornings I’m up, they find me curled up in my favorite chair with my Bible on my lap and pen in hand, scribbling down observations in my journal. On the not-so-good mornings they find me snoozing (and grumpy) in bed. I notice a difference in my days when my kids wake up to me digging in the word of God. They do too.

Our boys cannot be the leaders God has designed them to be without consistent time in the Bible. As they see us make time to study the Bible, they will want to model it. As they see the grace of God in our lives and the life change that results from a life based on the word of God, they will want that for themselves.

If you are struggling with getting into the groove of regular time with the Lord, can I make two recommendations?

  • Inspired to Action’s Maximize Your Mornings challenge is starting back up on September 15. This is a great source of encouragement and accountability towards “waking up for your kids, instead of to your kids.” I’ll be an accountability captain, and I would love to have you in my group! (Just make a note during registration.)
  • Secondly, if you need help with knowing how to have an effective quiet time, my friend Lara and I are releasing an e-book next month which will be just what you need to help you with this time.

Talk about God in the home.

Share with your boys what you are learning from your time in the Bible. Point out the handiwork of God in your surroundings. Praise Him aloud when blessings come. Pray when you really need patience, and let them hear you (I think I have to do this one everyday.) God is amongst us and is continually at work, let’s help our boys be aware of His presence and comfortable sharing about it.

 

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are simple, everyday ways we can strive to pass the baton of faith to our boys.

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The Actions of Integrity

By on July 25, 2011 in growing godly men, the heart, The Word

Joseph is one of my favorite people in the Bible to study. His un-shakable commitment to the character of God is something I long for. He was betrayed by his brothers, separated from his father for decades, forgotten about by those who promised to help him, and falsely accused. Yet through offense after horrible offense, Joseph never wavered in what he believed in.

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife “…How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. Genesis 39:6-10

In the face of great temptation, Joseph ran in the path of integrity.

Joseph boldly refused the offer.

He could have gotten away with it. Joseph had been given control over all of his master Potiphar’s possessions. He could have arranged for all servants to be busy with their duties…away from him and Potiphar’s wife. I imagine Potiphar’s wife was an attractive woman, and we know that she was persistent! She very openly and aggressively offered herself to him. To Joseph, there was no beating around the bush; he flat out refused her.

Joseph recognized who his sin was ultimately against.

Sure, Potiphar would have been livid to find his right-hand-man in bed with his wife but Joseph’s motivation to reject this alluring offer was out of love, respect and commitment to God and His ways.

Joseph didn’t listen to the constant invitation.

20/141 Not Listening

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He had initially declined her offer, but the woman would just not stop. She entreated him day after day after day, constantly reminding him of what he was missing out on. He refused her day after day after day. He tuned her out. He would not listen to the lie that life with this woman and the pleasures she could offer him were better than fellowship with God.

A momma’s plea for integrity.

Oh, that my boys would be like Joseph in the face of temptation! It was by God’s grace that Joseph was able to endure temptation and walk with integrity. And by God’s grace, my boys can too.

  • Lord, I pray that when my sons have an opportunity to sin, they would refuse it. Give them boldness to say no and courage to flee at the first signs of temptation.
  • I ask that you would cement the truth in my boys’ minds that sin is ultimately an offense against you, our Holy Creator. Let them not be primarily driven from sin out of fear of getting caught. I pray their motivation to remain pure would be an overflow of their heart’s reverent awe of your holiness.
  • Give my sons a deaf ear to the offers of pleasure this world can provide. Show them that only you can satisfy the cravings of their soul.

What are your prayers for your sons in the area of integrity? How do you teach your boys what integrity is?

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