Rain In The Desert

on freedigitalphotos.net by chayathonwong2000

Are you in a spiritually "wet" season, but walking through a desert in circumstance?

When we cling close to our God in those times of walking in the desert, He will supply us with an amazing rainy season for our hearts, and guide us when we least expect it!

Here is a sample of my post on the Alley today:

"In my recent encounters in the desert of life, God has presented conversations that have pulled truth from my heart through my lips that I didn't even realize was significant when I read it earlier in His Scripture... BUT IT WAS FOR A TIME SO PERFECTLY PLOTTED BY MY GOD!"

God blesses us in relationship no matter the chaos about us. All we have to do is turn to Him.

Check it out my post  here!

TGIF: MamaK Shout Out and Snack Time!

So, it's been a while since my TGIF posts, and today I hope to pick up momentum again.

MamaK and Hubby

I've always tried to get my family to eat healthier, and there are people out there who spur me on to keep on trying! For TGIF,  my longtime friend, MamaK, has just started a new blog sharing GREAT
healthy and delicious recipes, as well as her fun personality in every post. Her first post is a healthy brownie...chocolate? Really? I am ready! Check out her blog here!

In honor of MamaK's pursuit for healthy eating, I thought I'd carry the food theme in my family fun idea. It's not just for the weekend, actually it started out for the weekdays. But, it's about food, and food is ALWAYS fun for the family!

My kids come home from school scouring the pantry for food most days after school. They eat lunch early, and let's face it, the school meal portions are very small these days. So, I have always tried to keep the pantry stocked with easy snacks for the taking...but, what I've come to realize, is that they disappear quickly...AND...they aren't always that healthy.
This past week, I decided to not just meal plan breakfast and dinner, but snack time as well...and it's been a BIG hit! I have time before the kids get home to prepare something simple, and the kids love being surprised with a new snack each day. This doesn't just have to be an after school thing, but a weekend family snack is always fun, too.
Besides, meal planning snacks makes life easier, your budget under, and gives health and taste priority!

Do you meal plan your snacks? What kind of snacks do you prepare?

This week, I've made smoothies, celery with peanut butter and white chocolate chips, nachos with quinoa and black bean chips, and an assortment of cheese, almonds, peanuts, veggies and fruit.

I'll have to think of something extra tasty for Saturday...especially since Daddy will be around at snack time:)

Looking for recipes? Don't forget to check out MamaK's blog, I am sure she'll have some great ideas for snacks in the near future! mamakfavorites.blogspot.com

My Little Deities

This is what my weekend looked like:

Friday: Valentine's date with my hubby. As it neared 6:30, we both questioned whether we should forfeit the rest of the time to rush home and take our son to his baseball practice. Hmmmm....but we chose not to.

Saturday: I woke up at 6:00am to get ready and take my nine year old to a swim meet. I gathered up his swim items and hopped in the car with a friend to travel the 40 minutes to the meet.

My husband gathered up the rest of the kids, all the snow gear he could muster, piled them in the car, and picked us up from the swim meet, 40 minutes away, at 11 am. We then headed to a nearby ski hill, and spent the day from about noon-7:30 pm, giving our boys a very successful first experience with skiing. In the meantime, I took my two year old daughter to the movies, and gave her popcorn and a fun princess show.

Sunday: We took the kids to church. First service, I helped in Children's church with other moms and my husband. Second service, we sat in the front row with the kids' friends, tried to maintain behavior during worship, shuffled them to their classes, came home, made lunch for the kids and a friend, took one kid to baseball practice, played dolls with my daughter...and got ready for the week.

So, are you wondering what the point of this post is?

Let me give you a hint. Our church sermon this Sunday was about Family-focus.

I agree with the Christian cultural idea that the family unit is very important...that two parents pouring into the life of a child is great. That family time is key to a stable environment. I mean, look at our weekend! How much did we pour into these kids of ours? Yes, I definitely play by "the rules" of the culture to pour into my children. And I LOVE it.

But.

Wait.

Who is the center of my universe and who do my kids think the center of my universe is?

Something very important that was said in the sermon this Sunday, was that parents must remember their spouse is first priority OVER the kids.

And it made me realize, how little my husband and I focus on our relationship in relation to our relationship with our kids. Even on our valentine's date we wavered on wondering if baseball practice should trump it! We try and be good, loving parents as much as we can--trying to model the loving Father in Heaven for our children--but can we truly give room for God when our kids are over-saturated with us catering to them?
Do we so meet their every need and desire, that we become a giant idol genie god (see my last post), who give no reason for them to really seek the True God on their own? In this western culture, where inconvenience and want are lacking, how do our children understand the importance of patience, necessity, and Godly provision?

Not only does my overcompensation to provide everything for my children run the risk of me becoming an unhealthy idol to my kids, but I equip my children to think of themselves as their own little mini-world...or sun...where everything revolves around them and their pleasure. They become mini-gods, thinking that if life isn't about them, then something is dreadfully wrong...boring...unfair.

UGH!

No wonder I struggle with the constant mommy guilt when I want to do something for myself...it goes against the will of the little deities running around demanding snack when they want it, entertainment when they want it, attention according to their standard.

So you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking I am being over-dramatic. And I might be--to make a point. Balance is key...and as far as time and focus go, I believe the scales really need to tip a bit.

The kids drain me to the point of irritation and misery at times, and I have nothing left to give my husband...or my God. And it's not the kids' fault, but my own...for buying into the kid-centered, family-overfocus theology. Yes, folks, I am going to go as far as saying that our Christian culture response to the anti-family culture, has over-compensated a bit.

Look at history...did the parents really devote every hour to their children? Did children demand the attention of their parents for entertainment, their every whim?  And yet, did great scholars, inventors, pastors, entrepreneurs, come out of past generations? And most importantly, has God filled in the gaps along the way?

My grandfather was a super wise man. He is one of my heroes. A piece of advice he gave me as a young parent, stung a bit at first, but now I realize the wisdom in it... "Get a babysitter."

Children are a gift from the Lord, but they are not to be a distraction. Parents are responsible for their care, but we aren't to devote every second of their life with entertainment and comfort.

My children mean the world to me...for sure. I love them SOOOOO much. But I am not going to make them my sun, and I am going to stop trying so hard to be theirs.

God, the Genie

"Whoever seeks God as a means toward desired ends will not find God. The mighty God, the maker of heaven and earth, will not be one of many treasures, not even the chief of all treasures. He will be all in all or He will be nothing. God will not be used. His mercy and grace are infinite and His patient understanding is beyond measure, but He will not aid men in their selfish striving after personal gain. He will not help men to attain ends which, when attained, usurp the place He by every right should hold in their interest and affection." - A.W. Tozer

How often do I fall into the thinking, "if I ask, He will give", when I haven't even sought His will in the matter in the first place? God is not just a genie who wants his children to be fat and happy. He's a God who wants to give to His children good things that will bring Him glory. And sometimes, it's going to hurt a little in the process. I might throw a tantrum because He's not answering my prayer, or  worse, He's actually saying, "no". Just like my own child who kicks and screams because I say it's not time for the fun stuff yet...or who cries because I said "no" to that toy he really wanted. It's not that the toy is bad, but I have foresight and know how greed can destroy his heart if I gave in all the time. And I am not withholding fun from my child because I am ruthless and mean...but I know that if he just waits for the perfect moment, he'll see I've been preparing a great surprise for that special occasion. 

Just our breath is sign that God loves us enough. Why do we turn against Him when He's not giving into that one thing? 

Lately, I have grown weary in this publishing pursuit. I've entertained everything from I don't have what it takes to God doesn't want me to do this.

WHY???? Why do I always turn against God when things aren't going my way? How dare I, really. Tozer's quote above really resonates with me. 

It's all about Him.

He is the treasure. 

And He has bestowed upon me the ability to grow in relationship with Him. The Creator of the Universe wants me to know Him...intimately. Aaaah! That is so hard to understand. Obviously, so many people don't. But all other things, publishing, dieting, success, are absolutely nothing compared to a divine friendship with God Almighty.

Priscilla Shirer says it best in her study, Discerning the Voice of God, "Often we seek to know God's direction more than we seek to know God. We bypass the relationship because we would rather have answers about us. God wants to speak to you because He wants you to know Him; knowing His direction is just a by-product. God seeks to reveal truth about Himself because this knowledge will lay the firm path you can walk to fulfilling God's purpose for your life."

The thing is, when I have truly sought God's voice, a supernatural peace resides in my heart...and He doesn't fail in speaking. It is when I lean into Him for the sole purpose of listening and learning, that He meets me. It's not with a publishing contract, or a hidden secret to how I should live, it's with His whisper and His Truth.

Be still my heart and just abide. The desires of this world are nothing compared to Who wants you for His friend.

Self-Imposed Deadlines??

I am at the Alley today, talking about the pitfalls of self-imposed deadlines. If you are a writer or a mama, this really can apply to all of us! Check it out at: www.thewritersalleys.blogspot.com

Happy Monday!