Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 71
November 7, 2020
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins for Your Weekend [11.07.20]
Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Some real, down in the bones JOY to celebrate today! Links & stories 100% guaranteed to make you smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything — and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))!
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morganno one captures our world quite like she does… come along for a walk with us?
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November 6, 2020
Why You Should Bless Your Home & How to Do It
Shannon Acheson, decorator, mom, and author of the new book, Home Made Lovely, has learned a few things about making a house a home. In the 24 years she’s been married, she and her husband, Dean, have lived in 11 different homes. For Shannon, home is the most important place on earth, and her passion is showing other women how to make their homes into beautiful, grace-filled, peaceful spaces. It’s a grace to welcome Shannon to the farm’s front porch today…
When visiting, people have often told us how peaceful our home feels.
I always smile when they say this because I know creating that feeling and special place of rest isn’t a coincidence or accident. It is something that we have been very deliberate about.
As a decorator, I make our family and friends comfortable in our home by making it physically welcoming right from the moment they see our front door.
As a Christian decorator, my approach is somewhat different than other decorators though.
Why You Need to Be Intentional with Your Home
In Ephesians 6:12, the Bible tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
I believe this verse to be true. Yes, spiritual warfare is very real, even in this “enlightened” day and age. People with the spiritual gift of discernment know this very well and can often recognize that something feels off.
But even without that God-given gift, someone can feel relaxed or stressed in a space too; they just aren’t able to articulate why.
If you live in an older home, other families have lived there before yours. Families that maybe had opposite beliefs to yours. Families that had plenty of their own inherited issues. Maybe a family lived there that watched horror movies or messed around with Ouija boards or palm reading. Things that, as Christians, we know we’re not supposed to do because of the power who’s behind those things (hint: it’s not your heavenly Father).
Even if you live in a brand-new home, there have been many people going in and out, building, constructing, and inspecting. That’s a lot of opportunity for negative spiritual influence in what is now your home.
Dean and I have lived in a lot of places over the years. We got married when we were young, and I went to college after we were married. As a result, we rented many apartments. We were not yet Christians, and I spent a lot of time feeling fearful in those apartments. At the time, I couldn’t put my finger on why. Looking back, I now know it was because of some of my own and a lot of other people’s spiritual junk pressing in on me.
To Whom Does Your House Belong?
After becoming a Christian in 2002 (Dean and I answered the same altar call when I was hugely pregnant with our second child, but that is a story for another day), I began reading the Bible and studying Scripture more. In time, I came upon Joshua 24:15, now a familiar verse, which reads in part, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
“Everything we own as Christians belongs to God. We are simply stewards or caretakers of all that we have.”
This was a slow-burn lightbulb moment for me in my home journey—kind of like those old-school energy-efficient lightbulbs that were dim when they were first turned on, but got brighter the longer they were left on. Remember those?
Everything we own as Christians belongs to God. We are simply stewards or caretakers of all that we have.
With that stewardship comes a choice of who we are going to serve with those possessions: ourselves, the devil, or our heavenly Father.
We have many options for dedicating our home to God and marking it for His service. Some are mere reminders, others are bolder statements and declarations. We can
write Scripture on the literal walls and floors of our home,
buy or create art to put on display, and
do a house blessing.
How to Do a House Blessing
A house blessing in its simplest form, is a way of blessing our homes and dedicating them to God and His purposes. It’s a way of protecting our homes from spiritual danger, much like we do by locking the doors to protect our homes and ourselves from physical danger.
“A house blessing in its simplest form, is a way of blessing our homes and dedicating them to God and His purposes.”
You can perform a house blessing by yourself, with your spouse, or with friends and family. Traditionally, in many Christian denominations, this house blessing has been performed by a minister or priest.
If you’ve never done a house blessing before, here’s how:
Remove Things
Remove anything from your home that has dark roots—books, movies, posters, clothing, video games, etc. If you can’t think of anything off the top of your head, pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit. This step is about closing doors and declaring that you don’t want evil in your home in even the smallest ways.
Invite Close Friends and Family
Get your Christian friends and family involved in this blessing. Having loved ones be a part of the blessing can add to the experience and give them a chance to bless your home as well.
Pray through Each Room of Your Home
This is the core part of a house blessing and is sometimes called a prayer walk. It is the process of consecrating (making holy) your home and dedicating it as holy ground.
To do a house blessing:
Begin on the lowest level of your home.
Pray for each room over each doorway and around each window.
Continue to walk through your home praying for each room in each space, moving through your house. Don’t forget closets, stairwells, laundry rooms, garages, and bathrooms.
Finish by praying over each of the four walls on the outside of your home as well as the lowest floor and the highest ceiling (or roof). Extend this to the four sides of your property too. This is sort of like putting your home in a big protective box.
The focus of your prayers should be on the home and those who dwell in it. However, you can customize your prayers to be whatever you feel is needed. The goal of these prayers is to
rebuke the devil and shut down and shut out anything that’s not of God.
invite the Holy Spirit into your home so that He may fill it, protect it, and bless it.
Pleading the blood of Jesus Christ over each space is also very powerful. You can say something like “I plead the blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth between myself/my home/my family and the entire realm of spiritual darkness.”
If someone (you or an invited family member or friend) has the spiritual gift of discernment, that can be very helpful for discerning any specific prayers that need to be prayed.
Anoint Your Home with Oil
There is nothing mystical or magical about anointing your home with oil, and it is an optional part of the house blessing. It is powerfully symbolic though.
Anointing oil is simply oil that has been dedicated to use for God’s purposes. You can simply use olive oil that has been placed in a small vial and been prayed over, asking God to cleanse it and dedicate it to His use. Using anointing oil is a symbol of your faith in God’s absolute holiness.
“Dedicating your home to God with Scripture and asking for His holy protection and blessing over it affects how you live your life and freedom here on earth.”
To anoint your home with oil, simply mark a cross in the outer walls, windows, floors, ceilings, and door posts with the oil. Ask God to fill your home with His Holy Spirit and that every single thing that happens in your home will be only according to His will. This step can be done while you walk through each room praying or as a separate step at another time.
Blessing Your Home Has Nothing to Do with Your Salvation
The Lord is sovereign, and He already has the victory in all things.
Blessing your house or not blessing your house won’t make or break your salvation. That is by the work of Jesus alone, and He doesn’t need your help with it (Ephesians 2:8).
But dedicating your home to God with Scripture and asking for His holy protection and blessing over it affects how you live your life and freedom here on earth.
By doing the things that I’ve talked about in this post and even layering all three things together (Scripture tucked away in the walls, displayed as art, and said aloud as a house blessing), you will find that your home is more peaceful and even tangibly more comfortable than before.
Shannon Acheson is a mostly self-taught designer and author. She is the editor and designer behind the blog HomeMadeLovely.com. Her happy place is in the suburbs of Toronto, where she is a Homebody with a capital H, a Jesus girl, a happy wife to Dean, and a homeschooling mom of two teenagers and a twenty year old.
Everyone wants a home that is beautiful and clutter free. But most of us are unsure how to get there without breaking the bank. Popular interior designer Shannon takes the guesswork out of creating a lovely home. Home Made Lovely is a mind-set: decorating should be about those who live there, rather than making your home into a magazine-worthy spread. Shannon walks you through how to brush up on hospitality with more than 20 actionable ideas that will make anyone feel welcome and loved in your home.
In Home Made Lovely, Shannon meets you right where you are on your home-decorating journey, helping you share the peace of Jesus with family members and guests.
[ Our humble thanks to Bethany House for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
November 4, 2020
The Art of Good Neighboring in a World of Divide: A Story of a Tree, a Table & a Town that tasted Hope
There was once an Old Farmer I knew, the kind of man who, driving into the town compost site, noted an old and expansive walnut tree just over the town compost site’s embankment.
Looking up into the gnarled limbs, many of them dying, the Old Farmer could see that the faithful walnut tree was nearing the end of its good life of giving good shade and good breath to the good people of the village.
“There is always a way to make the troubles between neighbours into tables for neighbours.”
The kind people who knew: You’re only going to love heaven if you love people who think differently than you. Because they’re going to be there too.
From where the Old Farmer stood, the girth of that tree was rooted squarely on town property, so he rang up the Town Office to ask the head of Public Works, Mr. Mills, about harvesting that massive ancient walnut tree into the possibility of lumber before it actually died.
“Well, to be honest, the town has no use of that tree,” Mr. Mills, the head of Public Works, decided. “If you want to harvest that tree, by all means, go ahead.”
It’s true: If you want the neighbourhood to harvest good things, find ways to yield with grace to each other through everything.
The very next day, in the golden warmth of an autumn afternoon, the neighbours reaped the beans off the field beside the town compost site, all the beans under the spreading canopy the walnut tree, so the Old Farmer thought no better time than today, before the snow flew, before the tree died, to harvest the ripe glory of that old walnut tree.
He thought about that, resting his hand long on the immense girth of the trunk, what the old Chinese proverb says: “No better time than twenty years ago to plant a tree, and the second best time is now.”
“No better time than yesterday to plant some kindness, and the second best time is right this minute.”
No better time than yesterday to plant some kindness, and the second best time is right this minute.
No better time than today to grow in grace, and the second best time is right this second, because it’s never too late to be like Jesus.
The Old Farmer looked up into the tree, closely studying its reaching branches, trying to determine the best way to lay his saw and bring that walnut tree back down to earth.
But just after the Old Farmer finally began to saw, the wind changed direction, blowing in from the east, threatening to down that tree out in the neighbour’s bean field, instead of down along the town’s compost site. So the Farmer positioned the loader of his tractor such that when he made the final cut stroke, it would push that wizened walnut tree down on town property.
Because the Old Farmer knew: When winds shift, shift your position till you have a vision of your mission.
It turned out that it was long after dark when the Old Farmer drove into the lumber mill up at Hollyrood with the walnut log, and Abram Martin, just finishing up supper, he came out to admire the old tree: “My, would you look at that. And English Black Walnut is at an all time high right now.”
The Old Farmer smiled wide and grateful in the cool of the late fall evening.
“When winds shift, shift your position till you have a vision of your mission.”
But there was no way of knowing right then that the very next morning, the Old Farmer’s phone would ring and he’d pick up only to hear, “Well. I think you’re in a whole lot of trouble.”
The Old Farmer waited for what came next. Embracing the wait, sitting with uncertainty, makes you friends with all kinds of possibility.
“Apparently you cut down a huge old tree — that wasn’t on town property — but on personal property.”
The Old Farmer slowly closed his eyes.
“Because Neil Gowing, he was in here at the town office this morning,” the phone cracked and broke up, but he could still make it out: “and Neil says that big English Black Walnut? Was growing on his property.”
When the Old Farmer called Neil, Neil was certain. “There are two anchor posts, one at the south, one at the north. Sight it up — and that walnut tree, I’d say was actually growing 90% on my property.”
“What matters most is not that you are right, or that you look right, but that you love right.”
This was the one thing the Farmer was actually certain of:
“I will do whatever I need to, to make this right.” What matters most is not that you are right, or that you look right, but that you love right.
So Neil Gowing and the Old Farmer, they agreed to meet at the Hollyrood Corner General Store and then drive on over together to Abram Martin’s lumber mill to take a look at the fallen walnut tree.
Standing in front of Hollyrood General, with its stack of feed buckets and wheelbarrows outside, and boasting of the best ice cream cones inside, Neil turned and offered, “You know, I think I would be satisfied with $2000 for that tree — and then we’d be squared away.”
Though Neil hadn’t yet seen the fell tree, and the Old Farmer didn’t definitively know what the tree was actually worth, the Old Farmer did definitely know that you’ve got to do whatever it takes to Iive at peace with a neighbour. When you put yourself in the place of your neighbour, you know your heart’s in the right place.
“Well, if you’d be happy with that, I’ll write you out a check for $2000 right now, Neil.” The Old Farmer rummaged in the glove compartment for a pen.
Neil nodded, the two neighbours shook hands, and the Old Farmer cut Neil Gowing a cheque for the English Black Walnut Tree cut down in the the twighlight of its life.
After Neil pocketed the cheque in his wallet, the two neighbours drove on over to the lumber mill to pay their respects to the felled walnut tree now cut into two logs. When Abram Martin came out to see the men, they straight way took to telling the story of how a wrong assumption led to a man’s ancient tree getting cut right down.
“You can only rightly love your neighbour when you can see where they feel wronged.”
“Oh.” Abram nervously smiled, wide-eyed. “So — how do we right things between you all as neighbours now?” You can only rightly love your neighbour when you can see where they feel wronged.
Neil waved his hand assuredly. “Honestly, he has already made everything right — but can you give us any idea what this walnut tree here is worth, Abram?”
So Abram brought out his ruled log scale to calculate what kind of lumber was in the tree, meticulously recording a tally of numbers down his notebook.
When Abram finally figured out the board feet in the log, he looked up at the two neighbours: “I’d say, for that log, considering what it’s worth, I’d give you — $2000.”
The two neighbours slowly broke into smile, knowing that’s already exactly what the two of them had settled on to clear the whole fiasco up. And Abram Martin cut a check to the Old Farmer for $2000, for a Black English Walnut tree that was straddling a boundary line at the town compost site.
And that Old Farmer, he had that English Black Walnut Tree, that had stood steady through generations of storms and generations of neighbours, that tree that had given good shade, and good breath, to the good people of the village, made into a 9-foot-long good table to gather together all the people who are all neighbors to each other.
“Good neighbours happen wherever we are one.“
And that Old Farmer, who is my never-that-old Dad, he gifted that table back to the town to set at the town hall, for town council meetings, for generations of good neighbours to come.
Because: All the good things in life are simply the hard things, that invited grace to keep working through all the things.
Because: Good fences make good neighbours, but good tables make great neighbours.
Because: There is always a way to make the troubles between neighbours into tables for neighbours.
Because: Making spaces for over—communication averts making wrong assumptions and makes for better understanding.
Because: A table between neighbours is worth more than any fence lines drawn between neighbours.
Because: Good neighbours happen wherever we are one.
Where you make a tree rooted in bitterness into a table set with kindness — is where you taste real hope.
In all these uncertain days, you can find yourself at a crossroads — and what you need to know is the way to abundance.
How do you find the way through uncertainty that lets you find certain peace, sure joy, real hope? ,
How can you afford to take any other way, especially in days like these?
In a hard year, don’t miss out on the gift of what can still be — and you can still become.
November 2, 2020
How to Navigate the Chaos
I could not hold this brother in higher esteem. And I know that of which he speaks: Family pain can wound us deeply, to our core. The truth is, our families of origin drastically shape what we believe about ourselves. In his latest book, I Am Restored, my friend Lecrae courageously tells the story of his own broken family, and how, even at the height of his success, he could not outrun the chaos of his past. Apart from being a cruciform Gospel voice and an incredible artist, he is doing the difficult, holy work of reckoning with the past in order to truly be whole. Wholeness is elusive. In a world filled with brokenness, it evades our desperate grasp. Even still, we must bravely reach for it. It is a deeply humbling privilege to welcome you to learn from Lecrae’s journey and to never stop reaching…
I spent summers with my uncle, getting tough, running the streets, and searching for significance. I enjoyed my time there, even though it was filled with chaos.
I now know that’s all they knew.
“I saw shootings, drug arrests, and other things a kid shouldn’t be exposed to at that age.”
I saw shootings, drug arrests, and other things a kid shouldn’t be exposed to at that age.
But I’ll never forget when my uncle told us to “shoot first.”
I looked around like I was in a dream. My friends’ eyes were glued to him, drinking in his instructions and processing how they would act on them.
What is wrong with y’all? I thought to myself as I half listened to advice that I just knew would get one of us killed.
This was my moment of clarity. Forget this “tough guy” act. I don’t have to live like this.
At that moment, before my conversion to Christ, before I had the privilege of healthy community, I knew I had options.
Earlier that year my auntie had sent me a postcard from Japan. I stared at the scenery for the longest time. It helped me to see that the world is bigger than this neighborhood pettiness. I didn’t want to be a street dude, and I wasn’t built for it.
“I didn’t want to excavate the problems of my past to get healed.”
I had to fill the gaps in with something.
I had to find some outlet to prove myself to others, something that would help me make sense of my existence.
I couldn’t identify with these tough men in my family, but hip-hop was a place of affirmation and acceptance for me. Someone was recognizing me for the gift that I was.
When I found hip-hop, I felt like it was all I needed to fill in any of my life gaps. I didn’t want to excavate the problems of my past to get healed.
I didn’t want to enter into the chaos because I was convinced it would consume me.
Even after my conversion, I still clung to this part of my identity. It looked a little different at that point because people weren’t just praising my skill. They praised how my skill showcased my devotion to Jesus.
The crowds surrounded me, just enough to hide the chaos. I was addicted to alcohol and popping pills to numb myself from the pain of addressing my past. I came perilously close to sabotaging the beautiful family God gave me.
“This gave me hope because, as a man, I don’t necessarily have a script for how to exist in my world. I couldn’t follow the script that came from the men around me or from my father.”
The pressure to prove my manhood shifted into a pressure to prove that my devotion to God was legitimate. The bloggers, the theologians, the fans were watching like hawks to see if I would slip up. And the culture considered me a standard-bearer for this different wave of music. They were tempting me with what they passed at parties and private events.
In the middle of navigating this broken reality, I was forced to ask, Where is the script to show me what it means to be a man? Who will show me what it means to be a father? If my own father failed, how can I succeed? If my own dad was a screw-up, I guess I’m destined to be that as well, right? Where’s my pathway to fulfill this role?
I remember reading the work of a professor who specializes in the divinity of Jesus. He remarked that in the Torah there are detailed scripts of what the temple priests were supposed to do. With painful attention to detail, each of the priests had to follow the temple rules. Those who ignored or broke the rules received strict, even fatal, consequences. Their role as priest was emphasized rather than the person. They were seen through the standard of their position in the nation.
Most of us can’t name many priests from the Old Testament, but almost all of us can name at least a few of the kings.
“But over time I have become convinced that God had a script for me to follow. His script is simply to love Him completely, love my neighbors faithfully, and navigate life in light of these two commands.”
But ironically, there are no specific rules in Scripture for being a king. Sure, there are Proverbs that they could cling to and general principles that would be wise for kings. But often they would succumb to the temptations of lust, conquest, and power-based evils. There was no script for how to rule, no script for how to lead, no script for royalty.
This gave me hope because, as a man, I don’t necessarily have a script for how to exist in my world. I couldn’t follow the script that came from the men around me or from my father.
But over time I have become convinced that God had a script for me to follow.
His script is simply to love Him completely, love my neighbors faithfully, and navigate life in light of these two commands.
My responsibility is to love my wife and kids well and remain faithful to them.
That’s what it means to be a father even when I don’t have a father.
For years I was convinced there was a “man script” for every contour of my behavior, and God had to show me there are all types of men in His kingdom, living different but faithful lives.
There is no complicated script. My liberty is in simplicity. Love God and love others well. That’s it.
What holds us back from addressing our families of origin?
I’m convinced that a large part of what holds us back is our fear.
“Fear keeps us from engaging in necessary conversations and confronting our unhealthy habits.”
Fear makes us shrink back in a false version of ourselves.
Fear keeps us from engaging in necessary conversations and confronting our unhealthy habits.
Fear binds us to What will others think if I admit this?
Fear makes us ashamed of who God created us to be.
I sat across from my father recently. It was the first conversation we’d had in decades. I looked into his eyes, examined what was in his soul, and felt his pain. I did look like my father, but I was no longer trapped as he was.
The man who wasn’t present for most of my childhood was imprisoned by his own fears, bound by his own mistakes. He was plagued with addictions he couldn’t beat, expectations he couldn’t fulfill.
In that moment, I felt overwhelming sorrow for the hatred I had directed at him for so many years.
I am still working through the pain, still battling with the wounds I felt, but at least I now have a perspective from which to approach them.
For the past 15 years, Lecrae has left us in awe with his groundbreaking music career. His incredible journey includes two Grammys, a history-making #1 album, and a New York Times bestselling book. In between these remarkable accomplishments, he is the President and co-founder of the successful independent record label Reach Records.
In his latest book, I Am Restored, he courageously delivers an untold story of chaos and restoration. Filled with vulnerable honesty and transformational yet simple steps you can apply today, Lecrae shares the personal practices he uses in his daily life for mental, emotional, and spiritual health. With powerful prose, he gives an unflinching look at the personal and public spaces that sadly hurt us so often–culture, politics, family, church, personal failure–and reminds us that learning to let go and forgive is the birthplace for the life of creativity and freedom God has for us.
I Am Restored is an inspiring charge to embrace the lasting healing and restoration available now, and that we all desperately long for, because no matter what you’ve experienced, God is near, He hears, and He’s not done with you yet.
[ Our humble thanks to Zondervan for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
October 31, 2020
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins for Your Weekend [10.31.20]
Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Some real, down in the bones JOY to celebrate today! Links & stories 100% guaranteed to make you smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything — and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))!
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:
Kyle Fredrickson
Kyle Fredrickson
Kyle Fredricksonexhale and step outside this weekend
2 kindergarten teachers in the same house!?! fun days here
winning photos from the European Wildlife Photographer of The Year: linger here for a while?
10 Brain Tips to Learn Anything Fast!
You are cordially invited to join Africa New Life for Strengthen Hope, a virtual fundraising event on Thursday, November 12, live from Austin, Texas.
This evening will include special ministry updates and testimonies, as well as a fun “Paddles Up!” opportunity to give in support of the work in Rwanda and a dynamic live auction that you can participate in right from your home—with INCREDIBLE auction packages to offer!
It’s a grace that the whole Voskamp family will be watching, and we hope you will be too!
Get your FRE E tickets right here
Gerrard Gethingsthis photographer captures humans and their cat look a-likes!
we circled ’round this one
It is considered to be one of the most thrilling displays of animal behavior on earth – a hundred thousand starlings in flight. These small birds gather into highly coordinated formations, while moving at speeds up to 50mph.
thank you, The John 10:10 Project
accidental coffee art(!?!) some very splendid foamy artworks
Women of Welcome launched three years ago with the dream of building a community of women dedicated to showing Christ-like welcome to immigrants and refugees. Thousands have joined the movement.
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells His followers, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Top 10 Reasons These Kids Love Christmas
Beyond grateful for the life saving work of Compassion International
Kindness matters
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kennesha Poe-Buycks (@restorationhouse) on Oct 26, 2020 at 4:37pm PDT
it was a grace to spend time with Kennesha Buycks this week! come listen in!
Wild days, 2020— but this has turned out to be truer than ever:
Giving thanks isn’t a pollyanna game — but a powerhouse game-changer.
You all in? Ready to wake up to real living through a brutally hard year?
Save the date and sign up now for the (FREE) One Thousand Gifts Online Bible Study.
AND (!!!!), when you sign up? You’ll get FREE access to all 5 teaching videos, plus beautiful printables, gratitude notes, and other goodies!
You don’t want to miss this!
2020 needs to finish strong & with a whole lot of joy & thanks to the Giver Himself!
C’mon. You in?
Over and over and stunningly beautiful… How Great Thou Art
“USA Geologic 1932 Relief Map, created from a scan of the 1932 original by cartographer Sean Conway for Muir Way.”found this fascinating…Cartographer Transforms Vintage Maps Into 3D Relief Maps Showing Elevation:
The collection includes over 65 maps from the USA and International locations. They are printed on archival paper and inks.
it was a joy to join We Welcome Refugees this week:
Are we missing out on what God is doing in the world when we look away from those who are seeking welcome? Sharing our conversation on choosing welcome because our theology is best lived out in our hospitality
At a time when the need to resettle refugees has never been greater, it has been heartbreaking to see groups like World Relief needing to shutter offices and lay off staff across the country. As individuals and as the church, we have a responsibility to live out Christ-like welcome to all those in need.
This is why I am asking all of you to join me in having at least three conversations with family and friends about why you have been called to #ChooseWelcome. For the first 500 of you who join us we’ll also send you a “Choose Welcome” bracelet so that you can wear your witness of welcome and keep sharing with others this good news of the Gospel.
Sign up here
How Do We Raise Kids Who Are Not Naive or Cynical?
“How then do we shape their perspectives in preparing them for this world? What mistakes and consequences can be the result of this effort?”
Because He Loves You
one to share with a friend
never, ever give up…. just keep moving
She Lost Her Legs at 4, Now She Cares for 2,000 Patients
“Because I experienced serious pain when I was a kid, I hoped I could help others in pain.”
What a wild, crazy year that none of us could have predicted and yet here we are: My grandpa, he used to say: “Any dreamer can start strong — but only the strong finish the dreams.”
There’s still time to salvage this year — really, there really is — this is for you & your people:
How to Salvage 2020 & Finish Strong: The Year’s Crowning 60 Days
Going through some stuff? Well then, this encouragement is for you…thank you, Priscilla Shirer
November is almost here!
Maybe in this new month, easy, doable ideas for the whole family to Give It Forward Today — to be the G.I.F.T. Love is a verb and that verb is give. For God so loved the world — HE GAVE. You only have one life — to love well.
And just for you, when you grab the “Be the Gift” book? Your farm girl here will immediately email you your own gift of THE WHOLE 12 MONTH Intentional Acts of Givenness #BeTheGIFT Calendar link to download and print from home!
Love is a verb and that verb is give. For God so loved the world — HE GAVE. You only have one life — to love well.
Pick up #BeTheGIFT — Then receive your own #BeTheGIFT printable calendar by letting us know you picked up a copy of “Be the Gift” here
Love is a verb and that verb is give. For God so loved the world — HE GAVE. You only have one life — to love well.
Pick up Be The Gift & live the life you’ve longed to this year
Finally: Jesus the Messiah
can never get enough of this one
Books for Soul Healing:
Joy is actually possible, right where you are.
Take the dare to discover: Life is not an emergency…Life is a GIFT. Life is too short to do anything but truly savor it — to count all the ways you truly loved.
What if Brokenness is the Path into the Abundant Life?
You don’t have to be afraid of broken things — because Christ is redeeming everything.
There’s no other authentic way forward — but a broken way — right into a profoundly abundant life.
Journey into a deeply meaningful life with this devotional and take sixty steps from heart-weary brokenness to Christ-focused abundance. The Way of Abundance — is the way forward every heart needs.
Be the Gift is a tender intivation into the next step of deeper transformation, less stress, more joy and abundantly more peace & purpose. You only get one life to love well…to Be The Gift.
on repeat this week: I Found My Freedom in You
…yeah, we aren’t about to let anything steal our thankfulness today.
Because all of us folks down in the trenches know it:
If you let something steal your thanks?
You let something steal your joy,
And if you let something steal your joy?
You let something steal your strength.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength” Psalm 5:11.
Today Joy will not just happen. Today Joy will not just come unbidden.
Every moment Joy must be taken. Every moment Joy must be chosen. Every moment Joy must be RECHOSEN. Because His Joy is your OXYGEN.
So in the midst of our Big Things, our Ugly Things, our Hard Things, in the midst of All Things,
We give thanks to God — not because of how we feel
but simply because of Who. He. Is.
We’re on it, O Beautiful Lord & Giver of All —
The one thing we must pray to be great at is thanksgiving — because it’s the one thing that makes God great in our lives.
[excerpted from our little Facebook family … come join us each day?]
That’s all for this weekend, friends.
Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.
Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again
Share Whatever Is Good.
October 30, 2020
Who’d You Bring with Ya?
This Michigan mama’s blog was one of the first I ever read, and she’s never stopped being a mentor to me. Karen Ehman and I have prayed for and cheered each other on as we’ve baked bread, raised kids, loved our husbands, and humbly endeavored to surrender to Christ so our homes and lives reflect the good news of the Gospel. Her new book, Reach Out, Gather In: 40 Days to Opening Your Heart and Home, part devotional and part journal, will help you unearth a life of purpose smack dab in the center of your ordinary days. Karen pulls up a chair on the farm’s porch today to teach us how to practice a little in-the-moment ministry, leaning in to sincerely love whomever God sends our way.
Most weekends, my front foyer is a cluttered mess of shoes, deposited there by their owners who are invited—or sometimes impromptu—guests in our home.
Over the years, the assortment of footwear has changed. From baseball cleats to dance slippers to trendy tennis shoes, they lay there heaped in a pile while their owners hang out at our home.
“There are times that their presence sort of cramps my style, especially when I’m trying to work in quiet and need to focus.”
Most recently, the mountain contains shoes from my youngest son’s friends who have come to watch a sporting event in our basement family room or play a rousing game of ping-pong. Often, I am in my home office working so I don’t even realize that Spencer is back home or has anyone with him. However, I will notice the shoe stack as I saunter past it on my way to the kitchen to grab another cup of coffee.
About that time, my son will bound up the stairs to grab some more snacks for his gang of guys. A little surprised to see him, I often utter the same thing when he gives me a quick hug, and a kiss on the cheek. “Oh, hey. You’re home! Who’d you bring with ya?”
Then he rattles off a list of friends: Emilio. Brock. Javarri. Ian. Grant. And the other Grant. (I call them First and Second Grant.)
These boys have become “sorta sons” to me. I love them like family. Even if they make my grocery budget skyrocket. Over the years, I’ve helped them process life as they sit at our table, enjoying a bowl of cheesy corn chowder or finishing off the last piece of the peanut butter apple crisp in the vintage Pyrex pan.
I’d like to say that it’s always a pleasure to have these guys over, but I would be lying. There are times that their presence sort of cramps my style, especially when I’m trying to work in quiet and need to focus.
I don’t like things too boisterous or to be interrupted, which is hard with a pack of teens at your house.
Joy Prouty
Usually I’m safe if I get up really early on a Saturday morning to work, the guys still soundly sleeping downstairs. That is until Second Grant moved to the school district and became part of the posse.
“I finally took the hint from God that the soul sitting next to me was more important than any work I had planned.”
Second Grant is an early riser. He would often plop himself on the couch next to me early on a Saturday morning and ask, “Hey Mrs. E. What ya working on?” It broke my concentration, but I would try to sweetly answer him. Before long, he made himself a cup of coconut mocha coffee and sat back down on the couch, apparently wanting to chat.
I finally took the hint from God that the soul sitting next to me was more important than any work I had planned. John 15:13 says, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” Sometimes this means physically dying for someone. Other times it means laying aside your plans for the day to touch another soul for eternity.
So, I shut my laptop and leaned in to listen. I’d always endeavored to naturally weave in the topic of Jesus to our conversations. Usually I was somewhat subtle, but these boys knew they were typically going to get a free sermon from Mama Karen, served up alongside their homemade whole-grain oat waffles topped with whipped butter and pure maple syrup.
“Deciding to “be all there” is practicing in the moment ministry, zeroing in on the person before you without fretting about all of the other things you could be doing.”
I purposed to practice with Second Grant what I call “in-the-moment ministry.” Martyred missionary Jim Elliot said, “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”
Deciding to “be all there” is practicing in the moment ministry, zeroing in on the person before you without fretting about all of the other things you could be doing.
In-the-moment ministry means giving the soul you find before you direct eye contact, leaning in to truly listen.
It’s being fully present with both your body and your brain.
After months of spending Saturday mornings with Second Grant, he asked if my husband and I were going to be around the following weekend. Assuming there was some big sporting event the boys wanted to watch at our house, I inquired what kind of snacks they wanted. His reply made my jaw drop and my spirits soar.
“Oh, there’s no game on. I just wanted to let you know that I have accepted Christ and I’m getting baptized that Sunday. I want you and Mr. Ehman to be there if you can.”
I instantly felt incomparable joy, but also a twinge of guilt as I thought back to how many times I’d felt that his desire to talk with me was an interruption of the important work I was trying to do.
“Human souls are not an interruption. They are the actual important work of our day.”
But human souls are not an interruption. They are the actual important work of our day.
And you can bet my husband and I were there in the congregation that night as not only Grant but also his brother and his mom were baptized into the faith.
You know, when we get to heaven someday, I like to imagine what the Lord will say to us. I don’t think we are going to be congratulated on our successes in our careers or even applauded for our parenting.
Do you know what I imagine the Lord saying to us? The same thing I say to my son when I notice that he and the shoe pile have arrived at our place.
“Oh, hey. You’re home! Who’d you bring with ya?”
Who’d you bring with ya?
Karen Ehman is a New York Times bestselling author, Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker, and writer for Encouragement for Today, an online devotional that reaches more than 4 million women daily. Married to her college sweetheart, Todd, the mother of three and mother-in-love of two, she enjoys collecting vintage kitchen cookware, cheering for the Detroit Tigers, and feeding the many people who gather around her mid-century dining-room table for a taste of Mama Karen’s cooking.
In Reach Out, Gather In: 40 Days to Opening Your Heart and Home, Karen offers creative and doable ways to feed both the bodies and souls of the people whom God has placed in your life.
Over the course of the book, you will discover biblical inspiration as you also chronicle your own journey in the areas of loving and serving others, both inside your home and on the road. From recipes and decorating ideas to cleaning and decluttering strategies, this beautiful book highlights the why of hospitality—so that your home and life will grow to be a place where the Gospel is displayed, drawing others closer to Christ and making a difference for eternity.
[ Our humble thanks to Bethany House for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
October 28, 2020
How to Salvage 2020 & Finish Strong: The Year’s Crowning 60 Days
N
ow, now we begin the crowning 60 days. “Any dreamer can start strong, but only the strong finish the dreams.”
The last 60 days of the year. Good things can still be birthed.
My grandpa, sitting there at the end of the table with his crown of tussled grey and his knee-thin Levis, he used to say: “Any dreamer can start strong —- but only the strong finish the dreams.”
Whatever the dream for this wild year — joy was what we wanted to wake to.
There is still time, there is still paper and pen, there is still a way to find more of the joy in the last 60 days of this hard year.
“Gratefulness isn’t hard. Forgetting to be grateful is what makes life hard.”
I knew a woman once
who waited
for the perfect day,
then the ultimate raise,
then the long applause,
then the mountain retreat,
then the magic number,
then the noticed thanks,
then the wanted affirmation
that never came —
and for far too long she had no idea that joy could be found in day just like today with the cotton bedsheets pulled up and made smooth in a messy room,
or even the cold water straight from the earth below her, now there at the edge of the cup tipped at her lips,
or even this regular moment with her heart drumming like a wild anthem within her,
because on any old day, even this one, is never too late,
all she had to do was write down these smallest slivers of grace in her everyday because:
Gratefulness isn’t hard.
Forgetting to be grateful is what makes life hard.
“If you aren’t noticeably grateful with what you have right now, why think you’d be noticeably joyful when you have more?”
All she had to say to herself for the last 60 days is:
‘Keep your eyes open to the gifts all around you — that you get to open if you just pay attention.’
That woman who waited far too long?
She was me.
But the last decade of my life has had these moments in the day spent in giving thanks, writing down the day’s gifts, and I can testify for living it:
You can spend your one life in a waiting room, waiting to be finally called in to another life, to see more joy, more fulfillment, more of the abundant life you dreamed of —- but you miss out on fully living the joy of your life, when you keep waiting for another life to make you joyful.
If you aren’t noticeably grateful with what you have right now, why think you’d be noticeably more joyful when you have more?
Nothing says beauty quite the simplicity of grace. Grace Crafted Home
All from Grace Crafted Home.
The last ten years have tutored me in joy:
The world around us is training us to think we need more to be more joyful, when the truth is, if we’d just daily train ourselves to be more thankful, we get to be infinitely more joyful.
“The more we need — is more thankfulness.”
The more we need — is more thankfulness.
When I stand at the kitchen sink yesterday and launch into this rant about all that’s going wrong in this crazy year, and spew on and on, a son who curled up on knee when I first began the practice of gratitude, and who now towers over me a man of 6 ft 3, he says quietly,
“Mom? I just finishing reading this book about…” and this sheepish grin spreads across his face, and he winks“ —-this book about giving thanks in all things.”
My eyebrow shoots up awkward and I smile thinly.
“I read it because it was time to change the way I see my life — and changing the way I see my life is actually changing my life —“ he smiles kindly.
“Annnd?” he smiles a mile wide. “I recommended it to one of my buddies — and he’s reading it now too.”
I look down, wincing just a bit. He pats my shoulder.
“So, Mom — wanna tell me three things you’re thankful for right now?”
I look up, look him in the eye, and smile back.
“A life that is meaningful — starts with a heart that is grateful.”
The ordinary moments of today are miraculous answers to long-ago prayers.
And I take a deep breath in front of the once-little-boy now-made-man who’s being the friend I now need, and I murmur that I am thankful for it right now: the way the morning light’s dancing up the wall, the way this son’s standing like a man before me so tall, the way the calendar page turns here now, the way I can turn even now.
And I begin again, because we always get to begin again.
A life that is meaningful — starts with a heart that is grateful.
All the great lives start with a habit of gratefulness.
“Intentional gratefulness is great rant intervention. Vent—about all that’s good to let your soul breathe.”
And I begin the last 60 days of this crazy year counting gifts, writing down gifts to literally re-write the neural pathways in the brain, choosing gratitude because I choose to finish strong.
Thankfulness in small things —- can give you joy in everything.
I turn to thank my son in the kitchen because I hadn’t known it ever just quite like that:
Intentional gratefulness is great rant intervention.
Vent — about all that’s good to let your soul breathe.
Because even the slow-learners like this woman know:
Crown the year with thanks, and you wake to joy reigning over your wide-open eyes.
There’s glory lighting now in all the trees down the lane, right to the very end.
Are you ready to wake up to real living?
This is absolutely amazing & completely unexpected but our friends at FaithGateway (!!! Sister site to Biblegateway!!!) have chosen One Thousand Gifts as their next FREE (!!!) online Bible study, beginning November 16th and leading right up to Christmas.
So that you get the gift of true life transformation.
Want to reset, refresh, reboot your life and literally rewire your brain: Sign up now for the FREE One Thousand Gifts Online Bible Study, led by FaithGateway, and you’ll get access to all the learning videos (sent to your email each week of the study), and a whole bundle of free beautiful tools to make lasting life change.
More than a MILLION people have already stepped into the life-change of this experience.
Sign up — and see how things can look up —
for the rest of your one wild and beautiful life.
October 26, 2020
How the humility required to apologize restores & heals
The moment I met Rebekah Lyons, at Q Portland 2012, and she told me how our stories intersected—the story of a farm girl fighting for joy, being read by her in NYC, fighting for joy too—I only wanted to hear more of her God-story. Last fall she released the bestseller, Rhythms of Renewal, where she outlined four simple rhythms – Rest, Restore, Connect, Create – that radically changed her life and brought sustained emotional health. This month she is releasing the Rhythms for Life Planner and Journal: 90 Days to Peace and Purpose to gently bring practical solutions to daily life, encouraging all of us to release the things that drain us to rediscover what brings fulfillment and joy. I can’t think of a more perfect gift for such a time as this. It’s a grace to welcome Rebekah to the farm’s front porch today…
Two months ago, the kids and Gabe and I were on edge. Tensions tend to surface toward the close of an intense season of exams, work travel, or book and conference deadlines.
It reaches a fever pitch when there seems to be more responsibility than the number of hours in the day will allow, and it seems to happen every autumn.
“Within minutes, whatever positive intentions we’d come with disintegrated into finger-pointing and complaining.”
Just before fall exams, I had grand Thursday night plans. It was our family’s only weeknight together between play practice, youth group, and swim team, and I’d made a home-cooked meal.
I tried to spark conversation at the table, but to no avail. No one had anything to offer but worn looks and fatigued attitudes.
Within minutes, whatever positive intentions we’d come with disintegrated into finger-pointing and complaining. It happened so fast, Gabe and I were powerless to stop it, so we just sat silently and made eye contact across the table.
Unsure how to salvage the night, we reacted the way we always do when we’re unsure what else to do: “Go to your room!” But as our kids mumbled responses and began walking upstairs, hearts more distant with each step, I knew banishing them to their rooms wasn’t the right move. Sure, none of us wanted to be together in that moment, and everyone seemed fine with a reprieve.
But I knew the best response when connection is broken is not to push away but rather the opposite, to pull in. (After all, wasn’t this something Emerson had taught us?)
I yelled up to them, “Stop! Come back to the living room.” With eye rolls and complaints about my inconsistent parenting, they returned.
Undeterred, I launched into conversation. “None of us feel like being together right now or want to have a conversation about how to address the tension and conflict.”
The kids didn’t say anything, and I imagined them thinking to themselves, Exactly, so why are we here?
I continued, “What if we try something else? Let’s each find a spot on the couch or a chair and worship together, singing something before God and each other that is good and true. I know singing is the last thing you want to do right now, because it’s hard to sing and stay mad. But if we want to reunite our hearts, this might be the best way to work through something instead of faking it and moving on.”
“We both apologized for our role in the tensions of the evening, taking responsibility for letting the conversation get out of hand.”
Those initial moments following my impassioned monologue were awkward for sure, but no one had a better idea.
Pierce, always happy to do the helpful thing, grabbed his guitar and began playing. While the result was disjointed, each person made a whole-hearted attempt, proving their hearts were pliable. Within a few minutes, everyone relaxed and settled into the song. We fixed our focus outside of ourselves and reoriented our hearts.
When the second song came to a close, Gabe and I couldn’t get the words out fast enough.
We both apologized for our role in the tensions of the evening, taking responsibility for letting the conversation get out of hand. Our kids softened and received our offering.
By the end of the third song, they began to open up about their own stress levels, confessing the baggage they’d brought with them into the night, and apologized for their own part in the drama.
As our discussion drew to a close, we felt more connected than we had in weeks. Hugs and laughter began to return before bedtime. A night that could have been lost to misunderstanding and frustration was recovered. Our living room moment created true connection and turned into an epic family night!
Why Apologize?
Scripture has something to say about going to bed angry: “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” I’d heard this statement growing up but never quite understood what a foothold meant. It means a “strong first position from which further progress can be made.”
“Apologizing for the wrongs we’ve committed paves the way for forgiveness in our relationships.”
An intruder doesn’t need our whole heart, just a crack wide enough to get a foot in the door.
When we hold grudges, keeping a record of wrongs against each other time and time again, that crack becomes a wide-open door for the enemy to do what he does best: “steal and kill and destroy” the ones we love most.
Apologizing for the wrongs we’ve committed paves the way for forgiveness in our relationships.
There’s no shortage of research showing the health benefits of extending forgiveness. It lowers blood pressure, stress, and anxiety. It keeps relationships in repair, keeps connectedness strong.
But how can you cultivate open, connected, forgiving relationships if you’re not willing to be the first to apologize for a misunderstanding? How can you pave the way to wholeness without first apologizing for your part in any brokenness?
I’ve prioritized confession and apologizing in my own life, believing that the humility required to apologize restores relationships.
I am teaching my kids to do the same so that they, too, can experience the peace of mind that comes when broken relationships are restored.
When I was a young mom, I thought we had forever. The days were long; the entire season seemed infinite. I thought I had plenty of time to teach our kids all the things I wanted them to know.
But now that they are teenagers, I don’t want to miss any of it. I want to be a mama who slows down enough to not gloss over conflicts. I want to be proactive in responding to what wasn’t said. I want to show my kids how to keep from sweeping problems under the rug.
“Our commitment to this takes stonewalling off the table and provides a path to healing.”
After all, I only have so much time left to teach them to apologize for their part in any wrong so that their relationships can be healed, and pain, stress, and anxiety can be relieved.
That’s why even in tense moments when none of us really wants to talk it out, our family works toward conflict resolution by stopping, confessing, and apologizing.
Our commitment to this takes stonewalling off the table and provides a path to healing.
Often, that healing connection renews relationships and sucks anger, anxiety, and stress out of the room.
If you know you’ve played a part in a broken relationship, why not lead with an apology? Sit down with your spouse or child.
Call your loved one or friend. Offer a heartfelt apology and ask for forgiveness.
Then, rest easy, knowing you’ve laid the first stone on the path to restored connections.
Rebekah Lyons is a national speaker and bestselling author of Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose, You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are, and Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life of Meaning. An old soul with a contemporary, honest voice, Rebekah reveals her own battles to overcome anxiety and depression—and invites others to discover and boldly pursue their God-given purpose. Alongside her husband, Gabe, Rebekah finds joy in raising four children, two of whom have Down syndrome. She wears her heart on her sleeve, a benefit to friends and readers alike. Her latest, Rhythms for Life Planner and Journal: 90 Days to Peace and Purpose will be available nationwide October 27, 2020. To pre-order and receive lots of goodies: visit rebekahlyons.com.
Her latest book, Rhythms for Life Planner and Journal: 90 Days to Peace and Purpose, is the perfect guide to daily rescue and a way forward into the peace your soul longs for. Rebekah draws from her own battle with depression and anxiety and shares a pathway to establish four life-giving rhythms that quiet inner chaos and make room for a flourishing life: Rest, restore, connect, and create.
For anyone who struggles with stress, anxiety, overcommitment, depression, or exhaustion, here’s the next right step. The perfect companion to the bestselling Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons, this beautiful journaling planner is exactly what you need to build restorative rhythms into your daily routine for a life of health, purpose, and joy.
As you begin this daily practice, you’ll experience the renewal God offers. The best part? You’ll live these rhythms for life in your own unique way, at a pace that works for you. This isn’t a race, but a rhythm. Transformation happens one small step at a time.
[ Our humble thanks to Zondervan for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
October 24, 2020
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins for Your Weekend [10.24.20]
Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Some real, down in the bones JOY to celebrate today! Links & stories 100% guaranteed to make you smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything — and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))!
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morgan
Mary Anne Morganshe captures our world in extraordinary ways
View this post on InstagramA caregiver is like a family member… “I love you my darling.” ❤️
October 23, 2020
Consumed with present concerns, unmet desires, and problems not solved? Consider this:
She’s a beach girl and I’m a farm girl, but Jodie Berndt and I have much in common. We share a love for good books, fresh candles, and old, well-crafted buildings made from wood and stone. We also have a huge heart for God’s Word, and for the way God invites us to slip our hand into His, partnering with Him to accomplish His good and pleasing purposes through our prayers. I discovered Jodie’s writing when I picked up a copy of Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children; now, I am thrilled to welcome Jodie and her newest release, Praying the Scriptures for Your Children: 20th Anniversary Edition to the farm’s front porch today…
My brother, David, graduated from the University of Virginia, where the commencement ceremonies include a grand procession down “The Lawn,” a walk made familiar by generations of graduates.
“Rather than thanking God for “His tender mercies,” I often find myself consumed with present concerns, unmet desires, and problems that have yet to be solved.”
David was walking with a group of his friends when he spotted our parents in the crowd of onlookers. Removing himself from his peers, he threaded his way through the procession and ran over to our folks, encircling Dad’s neck and planting a kiss on his cheek in a very public display of gratitude and affection.
A few days later I received a letter from Dad describing David’s impromptu embrace and telling me how much it had meant to him as a father.
Dad went on to recount about a dozen similar memories and blessings from his children’s growing-up years, pointing out that they were “all a testimony of God’s tender mercies, one after another after another, being bestowed upon our family.”
Dad wrapped up his letter with a challenge:
“God is so faithful,” he wrote, “and we must remember to stop occasionally and ‘build an altar of thanksgiving’ before we hurry on our way.”
“The Bible is bursting with altars built by those who wanted a lasting memorial of God’s faithfulness, His promises, and His life-changing power.”
The Bible is bursting with altars built by those who wanted a lasting memorial of God’s faithfulness, His promises, and His life-changing power.
Noah built one after the great flood; Jacob erected one after God changed his name; Moses put one up after God gave the Israelites an incredible victory over a powerful foe.
In each of these instances — and plenty more — the altar signified the time and place where God showed up and proved His faithfulness, His power, and His love.
I don’t know about you, but I am not nearly as good at building altars as I am at building to-do lists, thinking of all the things I want God to accomplish in my life and in the lives of the people I love.
Rather than thanking God for “His tender mercies, one after another,” I often find myself consumed with present concerns, unmet desires, and problems that have yet to be solved.
In Bible times, an altar was often a pile of stones set up by someone so that they (and their children, some who were yet to be born) would have a visible reminder of God’s provision and His faithfulness. I actually have a couple of stones – and one or two seashells – on which I’ve written dates and a few words or a Bible verse that speak to what God has done.
More often, though, my “altar” is simply a page or two in my journal, one where I revisit prayers (which sometimes look more like scrawls) from the previous months and thank God for how he has moved, often in ways I did not expect.
With the perspective of time, I can see how God has expanded my vision, stretched my faith, and said no to some of my longings so as to make room for His.
“With the perspective of time, I can see how God has expanded my vision, stretched my faith, and said no to some of my longings so as to make room for His.”
(I realize that this might sound sort of heady, but don’t get any ideas. My journal is not fancy. It’s got arrows and abbreviations and chicken-scratch writing that I sometimes struggle to read. But I tell myself that the Bible altars were probably no architectural masterpieces either. I imagine that, to someone who did not know their meaning, they mostly just looked like…rocks.)
If the idea of building an altar is a new one for you, maybe give it a try. Not only is altar-building an exercise in gratitude, it’s also one of obedience: “Tell God your needs,” the Bible says, “and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.”
Write a few words on a rock. Or in a prayer journal. Or just grab an old basket and encourage your kids to be alert to the ways they see God at work in their lives, and to note those things on a slip of paper (chicken scratch is approved!). Slip the notes into the basket when nobody’s looking. And then, every once in a while, let the dishes or the homework wait while you read what’s in there together.
(P.S.: A special dessert is a great way to ramp up interest if your kids are like mine were and seem a little reluctant, sometimes, to try another one of mom’s great prayer ideas.)
The altars you build with praise and thanksgiving are the pillars of a vibrant prayer life. Every single time you reflect on God’s faithfulness—whether His blessings seem big or small—you add a stone to your prayer legacy.
“Every single time you reflect on God’s faithfulness—whether His blessings seem big or small—you add a stone to your prayer legacy.”
And don’t worry if you didn’t grow up in a home like I did—one where people prayed about math tests and headaches, and talked about Jesus like He grew up next door.
Prayer is God’s gift to us all.
As Andrew Murray put it, prayer is the “root and strength” of all else that we do.
And when we aren’t sure how to pray (or we worry because maybe our thoughts are a bit jumbled and we don’t sound as polished or convincing as we’d like), that’s okay.
God knew we’d need help.
And He sent the Holy Spirit for that very purpose. “We don’t know what we ought to pray for,” Paul writes, “but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with wordless groans.”
You might not have started your parenting journey with a prayer legacy. But you have one now.
And speaking of a prayer legacy…
Let’s be intentional about teaching our children to pray.
Let’s help them discover the good plans God has, purposes laid out and backed up by Scripture.
Let’s show them how to anchor their trust in God’s Word—not just the pages, but the person—as they learn to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.
Jodie Berndt is the bestselling author of Praying the Scriptures for Your Children and the follow-up volumes for Teens and Adult Children. A speaker and Bible teacher, Jodie believes that there is not a need we will face in parenting—or in any part of our lives—that God has not already thought of, and provided for, in his Word.
The altar-building story Jodie shares here is from the just-released book Praying the Scriptures for Your Children: 20th Anniversary Edition. This updated and expanded edition includes all the stories, prayer principles, and biblically based prayer verses readers loved in the original book, plus all-new material includes sections on praying for a child’s sense of identity, praying for their use of technology, and building a prayer legacy with specific strategies and a collection of child-friendly Bible verses designed to help children anchor their hope in God’s Word.
This beautiful hardcover volume comes with a satin ribbon and a presentation page, making it perfect for gifting. And if you want to use the book as a Bible study or for small group discussion, you’ll find the companion Study Guide and a free, seven-session Video Series (a $29.99 value).
Praying the Scriptures for Your Children: 20th Anniversary Edition teaches you how and what to pray for your child(ren) in the following areas: faith, character, safety, relationships, and the future. In this expanded edition celebrating the twentieth anniversary of a modern classic, you will discover how using the Bible to shape your desires and requests opens the door to God’s provision — and frees us from things like worry and fear in our parenting!
[Our humble thanks to Zondervan for their partnership for today’s devotion ]
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