Sally Clarkson's Blog, page 132

Ember Falls- A Book Review

“To bear the flame means more than only holding on to the fire kindled in the Green Ember’s rising. It means to bear the fatal flames of the enemy, to bear up under the scorching heat of these hateful days.”

 Turn on the news for even just a few seconds and it is hard to deny that we are living in perilous times. Sometimes, especially when I think about my children and the world they are inheriting, I can tend to despair and lose hope. Often, it just feels like too much. When I get lost in those moments of hopelessness and fear, it is usually because I have briefly forgotten a vitally important truth: we are living in the middle of the story. As a Christian, I have a very real faith that all will be restored and set right. I hope in Christ and trust that, because of His life, death, and resurrection, evil will be defeated and true justice and mercy will ultimately prevail. This world, these headlines, this darkness surrounding us—it is not the end. We are in the middle of the story

Click HERE to read more.

Raising Great Thinkers in Your Home

This is the place where C.S. Lewis and Tolkien wrote their books together. For  over two decades they met in this pub to eat, drink, share their writing and exchange ideas and friendship that shaped their legacy of messages they left to the world. 

Play Episode #113

God is all about the heart.

He cares about what is going on in your heart.

That is the gist of Psalm 51:6, which addresses God by saying, “You desire truth in the innermost being” (NASB). What the psalmist meant is that God desires for His love and truth to have so formed us, through our relationship with Him, that they are tucked away in the deepest, truest parts of ourselves.

Really following God can never just be a matter of memorizing a list of rules and doing our best to follow them, but must rather be a deep-seated part of our identity. Knowledge of God is of no ultimate good unless it sinks into our heart and changes the way we view and interact with the world.

When discipling our children, we can easily become obsessed with teaching the right things (indoctrination). And teaching is definitely important! But the true difference is made when truth becomes a part of the disciple’s life (conviction). Indoctrination is from the outside in; convictions are from the inside out. We must all reach a point where our knowledge of God goes from intellectual assent to holding a truth in our “innermost being.” That’s when knowledge becomes conviction.

But what does all this have to do with dinnertime discussions?

Convictions aren’t memorized; they are digested.

A sense of individual voice is essential to developing convictions because it is through articulating what we personally believe that we are able to own and live by our convictions. Dinnertime discussions were the time when I hoped to encourage this process in my children, to encourage them to use their voices to develop their own convictions.

By asking their opinions about various topics, I sought to show them that their voices mattered, that they had the ability to think well, and that their convictions would shape the way they lived. Just as God said to Isaiah, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18, NASB), I wanted to prepare a table for my children to exercise their conviction capabilities.

Because we always welcomed and encouraged their opinions, our children thought discussing was as natural as breathing in oxygen. We did not seek to indoctrinate them through force, but rather asked questions and listened to their thoughts and opinions, as outlandish as they were at times. Each one was encouraged to make his or her own observations about news and life events, and we did our best to respond thoughtfully to their reflections.

Communities of discussion foster the deepening of convictions. A perfect example of this is the Inklings, the group of writers, artists, and academics who met weekly in the 1930s and 1940s to discuss ideas and projects. Perhaps the best-known members of this weekly discussion and reading group were C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Charles Williams. Each week they would bring new writing or an idea they had encountered and discuss it over plate of hot, crispy fish and chips. The creative output of that group is almost mind-boggling, and many people believe the foundation for that prolific output was the friendship they shared. They sharpened each other’s thinking, critiqued each other’s ideas, made each other better.

I wanted my dinner table to be a place to develop my own little Inklings—a place where my children could practice stretching their minds, engaging with new ideas, building each other up—making each other better. And I think this effort was successful. In fact, one of my grown kids recently texted, “Mama, I have started an Inklings group in my apartment every week to discuss books and movies over hummus and chips. So fun to see my community of friends enjoying great discussions.” I know exactly how that feels!

I love to think of the conversations Jesus and His disciples must have had around a meal. (At least two are described in the Gospels, but of course there were many more.) The disciples clearly felt free to ask Jesus deep, sometimes silly, even offensive questions. And Jesus asked His disciples what they thought as well—perhaps because He, too, knew that convictions so often come to us once we’ve articulated our ideas for the first time.

Jesus set the model of dialogue with His disciples and showed us that there is no substitute for personal conviction. And so too should we cultivate spaces where our children can learn to voice their beliefs, question and understand ideas, and articulate their developing convictions.

 

The ways you learn to respect the learning process of your children, to admire their ability to think, to engage them in great ideas and thoughts will give them a chance to digest great convictions that will shape their faith for a lifetime.

The process will not be neat, controlled or pretty if authentic personalities and levels of maturity are alive. Yet, building the mental and spiritual muscle of your loved ones will build a foundation that will help them to stand firm through the storms of life. 

other books mentioned in this podcast:

You can buy and find all these books on Amazon by putting your cursor on the title and it will take you there. :)

The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time

By Sally Clarkson





















As Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed by the Words of God

By Eugene H. Peterson























By John Mark Comer





















A Blossom in the Desert: Reflections of Faith in the Art and Writings of Lilias Trotter

By Lilias Trotter, Miriam Huffman Rockness





















Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings

By Diana Pavlac Glyer






 

The Possibilities of Simple Feasting (And a New Podcast!)

Episode #112: The Possibilities of Simple FeastingPodcast: Downloaditunes: Subscribe

"Mama, What's for dinner? I'm hungry!"

Oh, not again. Can it already be time to eat, again!

Sometimes when we hear more ideals from others, instead of feeling inspired, we feel a failure. All of us who serve others in our home become weary from time to time amidst all the work. Life has little and big ones who become ill, small and big crisis, holidays, too many activities. And yet still we need to eat!

Bringing influence through the shared moments of our table is not about having fancy or elaborate meals, but about conducting the beauty that extends the grace of God within overwhelming times. Practicing endurance and sustainability through different seasons gives me the capacity to better deal with future stress, which indeed will always come.

The more I practice taking steps of endurance, the more capable I am at handling my whole life. 

The table is central to the everyday moments of our lives, even when we are busy, or find ourselves stretched in the midst of seasons that require much from us. Feasting goes on! It is also the anchor to much of our milestones and family celebrations. In this episode, Sally and Kristen discuss Chapters 7 and 8 of the Life Giving Table and offer their own tips for how to create for simple feasts when life is overwhelming or we are short on time. They also share how each of their families create traditions with food and fellowship to mark life's special moments, birthdays, loving through seasons of life. 

Here the story of how one who was doubting her faith was encouraged at table to find encouragement to keep going forward.

What we Talk about:

-Living Well in the midst of daily choas and real life

-How we can train ourselves to see God's gentle hand of provision in our lives

-How to live sustainably in pressured seasons

-How to bear weariness that comes from what God is calling you to do

-The ways we each add beauty to our homes to encourage our hearts (and those of our families)

-How to stop waiting for the ideal and learn to enjoy the moment.

-Our favorite staples, recipes and tricks for feasting simply or when we have little time.

-Our family traditions and celebration rituals

-Birthdays in the life of the Clarkson & Kill Family

-How to create a blessing celebration in your own family

-Purposing to verbalize blessing and affirmation

-The way God blesses us through words of affirmation, and how we can do the same with those at our table

-The power and necessity of creating a home of belonging

links:"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." -Author unknown

Mark 6:31 "Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat."  

Table-Discipleship Principle: A wise discipler must make space for rest and beauty in the midst of life."If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -J. R. R. Tolkien

Numbers 6:24-26 "The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you; And be gracious to you;The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace." 

Table-Discipleship Principle: Love and affirmation given generously provide the foundation for opening a heart to influence 























 

Play Episode #112

Storyformed Podcast Episode #18 - A Storyformed Thanksgiving

In this episode, Holly Packiam and Jaime Showmaker, talk about how to cultivate grateful hearts in their own lives and in their children. They also discuss ways of making God central amidst the activities, food preparation, and business of the approaching holiday season. 

Topics include:

A brief history on how Thanksgiving became a holiday How gratefulness leads to faithfulnessPractical ideas for cultivating gratitude in our kidsThanksgiving book recommendations 

CLICK HERE to listen to this Storyformed podcast and to view the show notes. 

Secrets of Living Well for a Lifetime

Play Episode #111

Many years ago, Clay and I had the opportunity of moving to 200 acres of land right in the smack dab middle of Texas where his family had some land. I was beyond excited and dreamed of having my children run wild on the land, wild and free (!), and of the amazingly productive garden I was going to plant and the carefree life we would lead.

I was a novice gardener and had no idea where to start. I read a book about raised beds, cobbled a couple together and began to plant my seeds and plants--tomatoes, squash, green beans, and so much more. Yet, my garden eventually became infested with tomato worms, squash bugs, with low yield because of rocky soil as we were right on top of fossil rim--filled with fossils and not a lot of rich soil. I was to learn that any garden--flowers, fruit, plants, veggies, require careful attention to grow strong, healthy and productive.

I believe it is the same way with our own hearts and souls. A person does not develop rich faith, strong moral convictions, deep friendships, wisdom and understanding in life without lots of tending, hard work and patience.

My desire in my ministry is to help women learn how to flourish as women of God, friends, wives and mothers. Yet, we must each be attentive to the health of our hearts, minds and souls in order to grow strong and to stay healthy. Today, I have recorded a short podcast about some of the ways we must nourish ourselves on a regular basis in order to grow strong and live well.

1. We must pay attention to our physical health and be sure to include rest and refreshment so that physical weariness diminishes our emotional and spiritual strength.

2. We need love as much as we need food--babies don't thrive without love, affection, attention, and neither do we. 

3. input Our souls and minds long for wisdom, direction and input as our bodies long for physical food. Investing in a regular quiet Time, reading, wisdom, knowledge recognizes that our brain hungers for truth and wisdom because we were made to worship God with our minds, thoughts, ideals and ideas. He crafted us to be creative, intelligent, excellent

4. To stay balanced and happy, we must include fun and playful escape which provides psychological rest from burdens of life --fun, delight, escape from the mundane refreshes us in a unique way.

5. Humans were created for work and purpose. An deep inner need that provides us with a sense of worth is that we long to feel that we matter and what we do matters, that our lives have meaning, purpose and direction.

My team and I have attempted to create a community where some of these needs can be met and where your heart, mind and soul will find nourishment. We created a monthly membership where you will receive, by email, inspiration, encouragement, and education through conference talks, interesting unique podcasts with stories to share with your children about artists, authors and musicians, books to read, posters to download, verses to memorize, Bible study, outlines where you can take notes, recipes and so much more. 

To help us pay for the costs of ministry and staff we are charging a small amount for people to become members so that we can keep our content growing, our resources developing and the staff behind it all supported. Hundreds of women have been enjoying this for the past two months and we are adding more every day. 

You can join now for $9.99 a month or $99 for the whole year. Our introductory price will be going up in the next couple of months, so be sure to join now to take advantage of this entry price. I have a team of 9 women working together to develop this even more in the next few months and I am very grateful for them and their hard work. 

For more information, and to enroll, go HERE

I would love to show you just a few of the themes we have planned for the calendar year 2018. 

If you have loved the podcasts and messages from my books and conferences, you will love the resources we have planned for you each month and you can keep it and go back anytime to listen or print anything out again. (We just ask that you keep our resources for yourself and do not share online or copy this copyrighted material.) Enjoy! 

Enroll HERE

Practicing Everyday Discipleship & A New Podcast

Podcast Episode #110 Practicing Everyday DiscipleshipPODCAST: DOWNLOADITUNES: SUBSCRIBE

"Why do you think you and your siblings all love the Lord as adults?"

Sarah looked thoughtfully and then answered, "I think it was the French toast, buttered pecans and maple syrup!"

This has become a famous saying to our family because it reflected a bit of what is true. For our children to learn to love God, they must see our love for God in the ways we sing around the house or enjoy a cool drink on the porch enjoying the summer flowers, or at "Kiss me goodnight, please," bedtime moments.

God intended that we as adults enjoy our days and have the ability to be satisfied in the days of our lives as we weave into them pleasure and fulfillment we were intended to experience as we walk hand in hand with our God. If we see passing on faith as just a duty, our lives will overflow with duty and pressure and we will become discouraged and weary in our own lives. We were not made for God so that we could be slaves of works, but He wants to enjoy and be close to us as a parent would their beloved children. We must perceive the proper vision of His love and commitment to us if we are to pass on a faith that will engage our children.

But the real influence comes all the moments of the ways we live our lives in front of our children. It is not just  about passing on doctrine, but as much about relationship, love, beauty as it is the concepts we teach them.

Discipleship is woven into every moment of family life, when we rise up, when we sit down, whenever we are alone with our children, or gathered together as an entire family.  In this episode, Sally and Kristen discuss their intentional focus on relationships, understanding the personalities and stages of children, how to engage in effective Sabbath traditions,  Telling stories of how discipleship becomes a dependable rhythm in our homes everyday through conversation, fun, training and reading, traditions is a part of their own home experience. 

They'll unpack ideas about how the table can become the place where our children experience belonging, preparation for how to enter the world with a competing culture and value system, and how we can create  a safe place to consistently discuss convictions, ideas and even doubts with them.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT:

- That we must have anchors in our lives that give us time to stop, breathe, enjoy, rest and check in with the Lord no matter what.

-How we bring delight into our Sundays

-How to prepare our children for weekly worship, as well as for engaging with a church community

-The way Jesus prepared a meal for his disciples in order to share hard truths with them

-That we must make a choice to model  wither a faith of resigned endurance or delighted enthusiasm

-That Jesus was and is the very best celebration

-How to prepare our own hearts when to bear with our children's doubts.

-Common topics for teens: truth of faith, hypocrisy, and individual conviction

-The reality that questions and sorrows will always be present

-God didn't make us to use us--He is complete--He did not want little slaves, He wanted sons and daughters to love, communicate with, for friendship, and he gave them a beautiful world.

-That God desires us to taste and see that He is good!

LINKS:

"All true friendliness begins with fire and food and drink and the recognition of rain or frost. . . . Each human soul has in a sense to enact for itself the gigantic humility of the Incarnation. Every man must descend into the flesh to meet mankind." G. K. Chesterton

Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” 

Chapter 6 Table-Discipleship Principle: We must be intentional to guide, discuss, and celebrate the dependable rhythms of life.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 "So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!"

Chapter 7 Discipleship principle:Discipleship happens at every moment along the way, morning, noon night and in between. 

























Play episode #110
 

Why We Feast & A New Podcast of Inspiration: Your vision Determines The Course of Your Life

In all the years that the Clarksons have been a family, feasting together has been a lifegiving activity for us. And we’ve always called it feasting, whether it involves a full-blown banquet, a one-on-one treat of milk and cookies, or a bowl of fresh-popped popcorn enjoyed around the fire. The word feasting reminds us of God’s bounty, the gift of our relationships, and the response of pleasure and thanksgiving that the act of sharing a meal requires of us. Somehow it makes “eating” sound more significant.

When God created the world and pronounced it good, He lavishly provided an abundance of delights to please every possible palate. His artistic hand can be seen in all of the food He provided, not just to satisfy our basic need for calories, but also to gratify our senses with color, aroma, texture, and taste—orange carrots and red peppers, purple-black eggplant, rust-colored cinnamon, yellow and green squash, golden honey, sweet green and red and purple grapes, yellow and multicolored corn, brown rice and pale grains of wheat, pink sea salt, speckled trout, crunchy pecans and bumpy walnuts, rich maple syrup, mild hominy, spicy green and red chilies.

God created all these and more for our pleasure and our satisfaction. And He created us in such a way that we make emotional and spiritual connections in the process of enjoying them, especially when we share them around the table with people we love.

Breaking bread together, sharing food, sitting at table eye to eye is essential to individual growth and relationship. Adults and children are not just bodies to be fed, but also minds to be challenged, hearts that depend on emotional input to survive and to grow as healthy human beings, and spirits that long for connection with God and purpose in life. Feasting together is a powerful way to fulfill physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Perhaps an exhausted, fussy toddler needs small snacks of chicken, nuts, fruit, or cheese to fuel his little body and settle his emotions. A hormonal teen might brighten up with a cup of coffee or tea, a hot piece of homemade toast awash with butter and jam, and a set-apart time together that communicates, “I am here to listen to your heart.” And for a stressed-out adult, there’s nothing like coming home to a pot of potato-cheese soup bubbling on the stove, bread warming in the oven, candles lit, the table set.

The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time

By Sally Clarkson

We feast because He has created beautiful, tasty, wonderful food; because He has made families to require and thrive on connection; because every meal is another opportunity to celebrate the fact that we sit across from and next to one another, caring for one another, living together, even if only for a moment, with joy.

Don't you think tonight is a good time for your family to feast? On good food? On great conversation? On love given and belonging shared? Happy Eating!!!

*************************************

Play Episode #109

This little podcast is just me sharing some thoughts that have been passing through my brain. Hope you are encouraged. 

And Don't Forget! I am giving away 4 sets of these Lifegiving Partner books. Share the post, follow me on Instagram and leave a comment about what you did. 2 winners will be chosen from comments here & facebook and 2 sets will be chosen from the comments left on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sally.clarkson/  And, thanks again for all of your notes, emails and comments about how you are loving the book. Maybe we will change the dinner times of families all over the world. I appreciate all of you so much. :)

 

 

 

Storyformed's Favorite Children’s Books by James Herriot

I was born in rural Iowa and spent many years growing up on a family farm, home to my parents, my sister, me, and a host of animal friends-- a dog named Spot, wild and free barn cats, (truly) free-range chickens, and a herd of Red Angus cattle. Although my surroundings were the Midwestern plains and not the Dales of England, I find myself at home in James Herriot’s stories about rural life in England. Herriot was a country veterinarian who lived through many quotidian days, but he remembered a myriad of moments where particular stories stayed in his memory for years to come. His stories are a feast set before us with rich language and descriptive images. Readers also receive the gift of learning about the geographical landscape of England and English farm life. Herriot’s most popular stories are included in a collection, James Herriot’s Treasury for Children which includes eight stories. I’m highlighting four of my favorites in this list!

Moses the Kitten

Of all Herriot’s stories, this might be my favorite! We find Herriot driving on a chilly day to a neighboring farm in his heaterless car. As he comes to the farm’s entrance, he notices a nearly lifeless black kitten along the roadside. Upon arriving at the farm, Herriot handed it over to the farmer’s wife. She brought the kitten back to life with the help of a kitchen fireside oven. (I wish I had one of these.) Noting his toughness and recalling his discovery among the rushes, the farmer’s wife decided to name him Moses. Ignoring his own mik bowl, Moses quickly adapted to farm life by settling in with Bertha, a sow, who had just had a litter of piglets. Moses quickly got comfortable in the pig pen, and snuggled right in with piglets to nurse. It was quite the sight! Herriot and the farmer and never seen anything like it! Even after the piglets were weaned, Moses spent most of his time with Bertha and never strayed far from ‘his first warm home.’

 

Only One Woof

This charming and humorous book is well-loved among the Packiam children! Peter Barrett’s wonderful illustrations draw you in from the start. At the Wilkin farm, two sheepdog puppies, Gyp and Sweep, were going to be trained someday for the sheepdog trials. As the puppies grew, Mr. Wilkin made an interesting observation about Gyp. He never barked at all.  He was completely silent. The brothers were soon separated when Sweep was sold to a sheepdog trainer. Over a year later, the two brothers found themselves at the same dog racing trial, Sweep as a competitor and Gyp as an audience member. Near the end of the trial, Sweep accomplished the final task given by Mr. Wilkin. A ‘single loud bark’ came from Gyp. The Wilkin’s were astounded to hear a woof come from their dog whom had never made a single noise before. Gyp didn’t seem to notice he had done anything unusual and went on to play around with his brother as they once did. Herriot learned that Gyp never made a sound after that day. “Poor old lad, eight years and only one woof.”

CLICK HERE to see the complete list at storyformed.com.

 

We Only Have Today--Celebrate Well! (& GIVEAWAYS!)

The dance of life goes on--one more generation anew will have their turn to make it beautiful. Today, you are living and writing the story of your life, crafting the legacy you will leave to generations to follow.

“Teach us to number our days that we might present to you a heart of wisdom.”Psalm 90:12

No longer the door slamming as he runs into the house yelling, "Mama, you'll never guess what we did!" or "You'll never guess what I found! Mama, where are you?"

or

"Mama, will you sit here with me just for a minute to talk before I go to sleep. I want to tell you what I was thinking today."

or

Dinner table filled with teenagers, awash with hormones and ideals, discussing loudly their opinions about life with a, "Mama, you are the best cook! Can I have some more?"

Through all seasons, we whisk here and there in a hurry to "get it all done." But, I am now in the position of being the one to say, "before you know it, the early years of motherhood come to an end, and you have no more days to enjoy your son or daughter as a child."

God speaks to us through nature and His own visual art. There is the promise of spring with flowers, blooms, that life is all aswirl with promise--a season of youthful idealism. The summer comes with the promise of fruit and the planting of seeds that will bring life--the planting of all that is good in the hearts, souls, and minds of our children quickly before the season changes again.

And so the seasons go with our children--baby, pre-school elementary, growing into young adult and then off to start his own life. I am so thankful I have so many, many great memories and times of friendship with Nathan--but I wish I had relaxed more and enjoyed looking into his little boy eyes and seeing the life that was sparkling there!

In splendid glory and bursting color, diversity in every form, autumn teaches us that life is always changing--and that, whether we want it to happen or not, life will be changing again soon.  Spring that God is the one who renews. Summer and winter, their own expressions of God. Life and this season right now, is about to change. Life passes quickly and each season  reminds us that one more year, journey, season is about to pass. Let us not waste the time in regret or in hurry.

This year, I intentionally made time, even when I did not feel like I had it, to make more memories--to live in the moments when I could share real life--look into their eyes, share in the deepest expression of their hearts  because I know the season was about to pass.

Driving on Sunday summer evenings, every week,  with the kids who were home, on our nearby country roads with music lists playing and shared creating toe-tapping hearts--became a favorite pastime--every week a rhythm to stop life for a few minutes to say, "You are important--let's take this time together, away from the bother where life steals our moments."

We sat in our white porch rockers and sipped tea every night and stayed until the sun set.

Morning breakfast on the back porch, where breakfast (cheesy eggs) and the caffeine of choice was offered the moment a pajama'd child emerged from their bedroom.

We will never have this year, this day, this moment in which to invest again—it will be fleeting and over, as one spring marks another, one autumn tells of us another season or winter a year soon to be past.

Today is the day in which I may pour out love, Inspiration, serving and touching hearts, pointing in this moment of glory, to the divine Creator. Teaching what is true and right and good. Modeling faith.

The ministry of motherhood must be personal—back rubs, giggles, eyes really seeing into the face and soul of the one being listened to…

Our own traditions celebrated again and again--at no cost!

Sleeping out under the stars on our deck in sleeping bags

Hikes and picnics in the national forest

Eating each evening on our front porch to watch the aspen trees dance in the wind

Evening walks each night and taking photographs of the sunset

Every day, candle and music to celebrate eating together.

I knew that these were the memories, the life-pictures that were in the heart and mind of my children, when they would go to their own lives, to begin the celebration of each season and carry on these traditions in their own homes.

I understood, from their first days, that

A real, little human being, requires personal attention as a flower needs real water. 

We are those who are to water the garden of our children's souls that life may spring up every day anew and refreshed. We are the love that causes them to bloom. 

When this day is past, I must hope that I have used it well and invested wisely because I will never have it to live over again, and soon, very soon, the autumn of motherhood will remind us, that this season is almost over.

Remember: Only the wise can dance to the rhythm of life!

May you listen to the music of each season, and dance elegantly the dance God has granted you within your home.

*****************************************

I have written The Lifegiving Home and The Lifegiving Table, and the companion study guides,  as a whole set of the Lifegiving Series, because I wanted to help women understand how to build the rhythms in their home as well as the conversations in their homes that would bring life to the faith and spirit of their children. 

I have received so many wonderful emails, messages and comments from so many of you all over the world who have had your vision for your home reshaped and been encouraged to cultivate and practice ideals. So today, I want to offer a set of each book and the companion study guides to 2 of you--(that is 4 books for 2 people). If you already have the books, you can give them away as a set for Christmas to a friend or to your church. But my heart is to bless you because you have all blessed me. Thanks so much for your notes of encouragement. 

WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE THREE SPECIAL GIVEAWAYS FOR YOU, TODAY!

The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith through Feasting, One Meal at a Time

By Sally Clarkson

 

FIRST, WE HAVE TWO SETS OF LIFEGIVING TABLE and HOME BOOKS.

AND WE ALSO HAVE ONE RADDISH COOKING KIT!

Here's how Raddish describes their product ...

Raddish brings families together in the kitchen and at the table.

Children who are empowered in the kitchen become adventurous eaters and confident achievers. Families who eat meals together raise healthier, safer, and more successful children. Raddish inspires parents to make kitchen memories with their children and discover a new appreciation and joy for cooking together.

Raddish is designed by teachers who believe the kitchen classroom is the tastiest place to learn. Each thematic kit incorporates math, science, nutrition, geography, culture and history. With Raddish, kids cultivate a diverse palate, experience culinary creativity, and build a foundation for a wholesome future and a lifelong love of cooking.

The Raddish kit includes a kitchen tool, a cooking skill tutorial card, table talk discussion starters, recipes and activities.

To enter, share, follow me on instagram, (https://www.instagram.com/sally.clarkson) and leave a comment below to tell us what you did!

Contest closes on Monday morning, October 30, at 10:00 a.m.

 

 

Fighting the World's Culture by Shaping Your Own & a new podcast

Episode # 108 Fighting the World's Culture by Creating Your Ownpodcast: Downloaditune: Subscribe

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Romans 12:2

Thousands of times a day, we are accosted by messages from the world. Commercials, ads, the internet, television, social media: instagram, facebook, pinterest, twitter, magazines pour the messages of the world into our lives constantly. These messages will shape the values, convictions,  foundations of truth, view of morality in subliminal ways as well as active ways. We are also influenced by peer pressure where we see and hear these messages all the time. 

Yet, if we do not want to have our own hearts and minds shaped by these worldly values, we have to figure out how to build a home culture that is more appealing, more satisfying and delightful so that we will be the foundational influence in the lives of our children and for ourselves. In this podcast today, I will be reviewing chapters 4 and 5 from The Lifegiving Table and I hope it will further encourage you as to why investing in the value of our table is profoundly important to the shaping and nurturing of our souls as we seek to grow strong in Christ. 

Imagine, even if you just eat together 365 times each year, one meal a day, and start out with prayer of thanks to God, how in a lifetime, it will be over 7000 times that you and your children will practice remembering God as the center of your life together before you eat. It will place patterns in our brains with the habit of being grateful to God every day together as a family value.

What does it mean to be transformed, changed, and reshaped as an antidote to being conformed to the world? In this episode, Sally ponders these ideas as she discusses chapters four and five of the Life-giving Table and teaches us about how family culture has the distinct and grace-giving power to both change and protect us. She inspires listeners to instill a sense of "this is who we are" and "this is what we believe" into the hearts of her children as they gather at the table, and gives tools to not only create a vision to define our own family culture, but to practically cultivate a legacy.

I hope that you are encouraged by today's podcast. Let us know what you think below. 

What We talk about:

Chapter 4: This is who we are: Shaping a Family Culture Around the Table

Discipleship Principle: Practicing the Rhythms of life regularly with your loved ones creates a secure feeling of belonging- of being welcomed and able to share convictions and faith in a community where one belongs.

-That your family culture needs to be a stronger pull than the culture of the world--you have to define it in such a way that your children will love it, flourish in it, grow in it and feel they belong

-That a unique family culture does not happen by chance and that you must fight to keep it going

- Why creating a family culture is particularly important in our too busy, fast paced and demanding worldly culture

-How to cultivate daily rhythms that keep us anchored in the storms of life

-Creating a cultural battle plan

-How a Kingdom culture means we are stewards of God's messages

-How to create a culture of honor, where our children recognize the significance and worth of human beings created in God's image

-How to create a culture of hospitality, where it becomes a pattern to serve others

-Defining a family culture for YOUR family and determining what characteristics you want it to reflect

-How to cultivate a culture of conversation 

-Navigating squabbles at the table and teaching our children how to consider one another wisely.

"That's something I've noticed about food; whenever there's a crises if we can get people to eating normally things get better." -Madeleine L'Engle

Acts 2:42 NASB"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostle's teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."  

Luke 24:14-15- "They were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them." 

 Chapter 5 The Gift of Dinnertime Conversation

Table-Discipleship Principle:

Shaping the mind and heart through repeated discussions about truth, beauty, and righteousness and engaging in these ideas regularly shapes convictions that last a lifetime. 

"The most influential of all education factors is the conversation in a child's home." William Temple

Our aim is the heart--always, our discipline was focussed on the heart, our training was focussed on the heart--what are we teaching, modeling, saying, loving that fills our children's hearts with the truth and worth of God and His reality. We embrace and celebrate God's truth and values in our own lives through the ways we live each moment and they don't just hear it from our lips and in our instruction, but they see if lived out every day. Your faith must be real and vibrant to pass on a real and living faith. 

Psalm 51:6 reminds us, "Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom".

*IN age of cell phones and instant response, the gentle art of conversation is being lost--yet each of us longs to be heard, understood, known and affirmed in our deepest feelings and desires. You cannot look into the eyes of someone sending you text message. Opening a deep relationship requires time and focussed attention. James says, be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger--hear, really hear the heart of what your loved one is saying--don't just judge them for their words. 

*Teaching consideration must be a value learned at your table--no fighting, bullying, criticizing, yelling, 

*Valuing honor and practicing it so we can learn to honor and hear God. 

Some verses we memorized as a family from Proverbs:

A gentle answer turns away wrath.

Even a fool seems to be wise if he keeps his mouth closed.

There is so much more in these chapters so be sure to read and underline, as well as recipes, so be sure to get your copy of this book today. 

 

























Play episode #108