Tag Archives: teens

It Can’t Wait: Teaching Our Children About God

god_deserves_a_place

Keep up to date with RSS or iTunes

I wonder, as families, are talking about the Lord very often? I mean, really, if I were to ask you if we should be talking about the Lord, you’d answer, “Yes, of course we’re supposed to be talking about the Lord!” However, when it comes down to it, it’s not as easy as it sounds, is it? It’s easier to put the Lord at the end of our day or at the end of our conversation, if we even remember Him at all.

Sometimes, we only mention His name when we need help. I think this is the common response— we we run to God only in times of crisis or emergency. Certainly, God is there in those times, but I wonder what our families would look like if we ran to Him on a daily basis rather than in times of crisis or struggle.

If you already have your Bible, turn with me to a familiar passage that most of you probably know. It’s in the Old Testament, in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6:5-7. This is what it says:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

A couple of years ago, my husband and I began a writing project called Firmly Planted. The heart behind this Bible study is to engage the whole family in the study God’s Word. One book, with activities and engaging questions for all ages. We began this project in response to something that we saw happening within the homeschool community, but as we spoke to our friends outside the homeschool community we began to see that many of us were struggling with the same thing. We talk a lot about walking with the Lord, but we are not doing anything proactively to teach and train our children in the ways of the Lord.

This may require a sacrifice of time and energy on our part as parents, but one thing is certain: if we don’t teach our children about God, the world will do it for us. We want our children to know the Lord, we want them to give Him the same place in our families that He holds in the universe. The Bible says that God is the Creator of all things.

So, as you consider your family, take a step back and ask yourself, “Are we studying the Bible as a family? Do my children see me reading the Bible? Do they know that God has a place in our family, that He is the most important part of our family?”

God deserves a place in your family, busy mom, and, you know what? He deserves first place. He deserves to be at the head of the table. Our children need to know that God is real and personal. They need to know that He loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.

Does this take effort? Yes, it does.

Someone asked me one time, “How do you make your children love the Bible?” I had to laugh a little as I remembered all the times that my children had grumbled and complained when we gathered the family for devotions. They would say things like, “Really mom? Do we HAVE to do that?” I’d like to say that it was perfect, but there were times where arguing was involved. Looking back, I can honestly say that the most important times that I remember with my adult children were when we were reading the Word and God really spoke to them in such a way that they began to see their relationship with Him in a personal way.

Let your kids see that God takes first place in your family. Although God deserves to have priority in the lives of your family members, don’t just do it for Him. Put Him first in your family for the sake of your family and you will find that there is tremendous blessing in walking with God.

My grandpa used to say,

“If you keep God outside of your family, there will be problems inside your family.”

Grandpa was right. We see this in our culture, too. Where we remove God, we struggle and suffer. Walk with God, busy mom. Spend time in His Word with your kids and then see what God will do.

P.S. Have you been enjoying these daily devotions in podcast format? I hope so—because I’m sure enjoying recording them! Let me know how you’re doing—and feel free to post questions, too! I hope these daily devotions are helping you get into the Bible on a consistent basis.

Mending Relationships

2 Replies

Keep up to date with RSS or iTunes

Do you have a relationship that needs mending?

Sometimes we have fights in our house. I hate to break it to you guys, but my home is not always calm and peaceful (shocking, I know!). There have been many times when we have needed to mend relationships in our home.

I want to take us to James 4 today. The first part of James 4 says, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but you don’t get it? You kill and covet but cannot have what you want, you quarrel and fight, you do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with the wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

It’s interesting to me that the more I get to know the Lord, over and over again God says the same things throughout Scripture. He says, trust me, talk to me, put down your flesh, and dwell and live in the spirit.

If we continue to read in chapter 4:6, we read, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” God opposes the proud, and gives grace to the humble.

If you are in the process of needing to mend a relationship in your life today, be willing to seek forgiveness for your own actions. As parents, we need to be humble and not lording our position over our children. Humility opens a child’s heart. When I can go to my child and say, “You know what, I’m sorry, I could have done that better,” it’s amazing the response I will get, as opposed to saying, “You need to apologize to me.”

Several years ago, I had an instance with one of my daughters- a hardness of heart- and I was having a hard time getting through. I asked the Lord to give me a specific grace for this particular child, and I felt like the Lord was telling me, “Tell her that you need her grace for you. Ask her to pray for you.” I went into her room and I was tucking her in bed for the evening and we said our prayers together, I said to her, “You know what sweetheart? Mom is struggling with these things…” I could almost see her heart begin to soften as I told her some things in my own life (like pride and fear) that I was struggling with. It was almost as if my willingness to expose a tender part of my heart made her hear tender towards me.

So if you have the opportunity to, seek forgiveness from your children if you need to. Children want to forgive their parents. Wait for the Lord to speak to your child and then wait for your child to respond to you verbally.

Try it out. See if it does work. God says that forgiveness clears the conscious. Take the time to mend your relationship with your children.

Keepin’ it real, Moms!

Fall Skin & Hair Care

6 Replies

Don’t you just love fall? The leaves are changing, and the cool weather is slowly making its way in. As much as we will miss those fun pool days, and long sunny days – we are excited to welcome this new season. There is so much excitement in decorating our homes, pulling out the cooler-weather clothes, and digging through all our favorite pumpkin recipes!

(This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure page for details.)

But with the new season and cooler weather, we also get drier hair and drier skin. Taking a little extra time to care of your skin can be the difference between healthy skin and flaky cracked skin. And keeping our hair moisturized throughout the cooler months can make the difference between hydrated healthy hair and dry, brittle hair.

I picked out my must have items that help me keep my hair healthy and my skin nourished throughout these cooler and drier months.

Hair care must haves:

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Hair Mask. Ever deep condition your hair, just to finish with what feels like hair that needs to be washed again? If you have, you know how frustrating that is. This deep conditioner doesn’t do that. It is incredibly hydrating, doesn’t weigh down your hair, and keeps hair healthy and soft. A small amount goes a long way too, don’t be fooled by the size of the jar. This jar usually lasts several months.

L’oreal Nourishing EverCreme Leave-In Spray. This is my go to extra care protection product, especially if I’m going to be outside in the cooler weather. It is incredibly lightweight, which is a big deal for me as I don’t like to feel products on my hair.

Face care must haves:

I’m very picky with what I put on my face. Most products take my skin to one extreme or the other. The only product I’ve found that nourishes my skin, keeps it clean, and controls break out – is Cetaphil. I use both the cleanser and lotion. Cetaphil is very gentle, yet effective.

Cetaphil Cleanser. I use this all year long. I love that it’s mild, non-irritating, non-greasy, and rinses of easily.

Cetaphil Lotion. I don’t use this as much during the warmer months, just in the drier areas of my face. But in the cooler months, my skin need it more. Best part? Its fragrance free, non-greasy, and hydrates all day long.

Vaseline Lip Therapy. Last fall my lips started to dry out a lot, and I was constantly applying chap stick but wasn’t getting any relief. I went to the store and grabbed tons of different lip products, but nothing worked. Until I tired Vaseline Lip Therapy. It is by far the best lip product I’ve tried. I apply it about twice a day, and that’s sufficient to keep my lips from cracking and drying out. I bought this last winter and still have more than half of it.

Sun Screen. Sun Screen? Yup! Even though those long sunny summer days are in the rear view mirror, it is still important to use sun screen. I use one of two things: a BB cream which contains SPF protection or an oil free sport SPF sunscreen.

Body care must haves:

Dove Go Fresh Body Wash. I recently switched to this body wash and love it! It smells SO good. Funny how the small things like great smelling body wash can be relaxing – especially after a long day of mommy duties. I really like how it hydrates and restores my skin.

St. Ives Body Lotion. This is one of the non-body-butter lotions that really keeps my skin hydrated. They say you should switch from lotion to cream in the cooler months, but this one works well. It doesn’t feel oily and doesn’t leave a residue. Perfect for a busy moms day to day moisturizing needs.

Extracts Brazil Nut Body Butter. I use this body butter about once a week. Usually right after I exfoliate. Much like the hair mask I mentioned above, you don’t need to use a lot, a little goes a long way. Most body butters that I’ve tried leave me feeling greasy and like I can’t touch anything, this one doesn’t. It is paraben-free and sulphate-free

Pacifica Body Butter. I carry this one around in my purse, and apply it as needed throughout the day – usually on my hands and arms. It’s 100% Vegan, made with Shea and Mango butters, almond oil and safflower oil. It’s also paraben –free.

Bath & Shower Gloves. This really isn’t really a product, but it’s a must have for me. It’s a great way to exfoliate, even if you don’t have a scrub. This will help keep you skin even toned and eliminate dry patches too.

I would LOVE to know what your favorite fall/dry weather beauty products are. And if you try any of these out, let me know what you think about them!

Homeschooling High Schoolers: FREE Webinar with The Home Scholar!

22 Replies

Are you thinking about homeschooling a high schooler, or have you decided to but still have some questions? I’ve been homeschooling for many years—and we have graduated our two oldest daughters, who are now 19 and 21. My husband and I are always telling parents that homeschooling is the “hardest, best” thing we have ever done with our kids.

It’s worth it—but I couldn’t have done it without people like Lee Binz.

A week or so ago, I hosted Lee Binz’s free webinar on “A Homeschool Parent’s Guide to High School Grades, Credits and Transcripts.” I’ve heard Lee speak many times on this topic, and she is excellent! Other parents are benefiting from Lee’s help, too. One mom summed it up this way: “Thank you for all of your time in organizing and blazing a trail for us trying to get through the high school years. You are like a parent’s ‘Guidance Counselor.’”

Lee Binz is not only my friend, she’s a real (I love real!) homeschool mom, who has been there and done that and got incredible results. I know her webinar will educate and encourage you. I joined Lee for a little while too, 🙂 so I hope you’ll take a few minutes and listen if you missed us the first time around.

LISTEN TO WEBINAR RECORDING HERE!

Here’s more information from Lee:
Dear Homeschool Parent,

Hi, my name is Lee Binz, The HomeScholar. Have you noticed how it is becoming more and more “socially acceptable” to homeschool your younger children? A few years ago, it was not uncommon for parents to feel like sociopaths for denying their children the “academic and social advantages of a public education” (my favorite phrase from the past).

Social acceptance has been slower coming for parents who choose to homeschool through high school. Change is happening, but there is still a lot of hostility out there from public school parents, special interests and government agencies who are dead set against homeschool parents who choose this path.

My goal is to help parents who are committed to giving their teens the best possible high school education and providing them their best shot at college. I want to take away any fear and replace it with the knowledge you need to ensure homeschool high school success.

I want to empower and educate you to be the best high school teacher, parent and guidance counselor possible. That is why I am so excited to be hosting a FREE one-hour educational webinar , exclusively for readers of Heidi St. John.

“A Homeschool Parent’s Guide to High School Grades, Credits and Transcripts” covers all the essentials you need to know to calculate credits, determine grades and create transcripts. In this webinar you learn:

– 5 sure-fire ways to determine high school credit
– How to let go of “grade anxiety” in your homeschool
– The one factor that will give you ABSOLUTE FREEDOM in your high school
– How you, as the homeschool parent, can help the colleges with their “nightmare scenario”…and how helping them will also help you!
– 5 killer advantages of a properly-crafted homeschool transcript
– 3 transcript pitfalls that can cripple your child’s chances for college admission and scholarships.

LISTEN TO WEBINAR RECORDING HERE!

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar helps parents homeschool for high school and is a leading internet home school resource helping parents homeschool to college. She is an expert in how to craft a winning homeschool transcript. She has an award-winning Christian homeschool blog and one of the most popular homeschool newsletters available. Lee is a dynamic speaker at homeschooling conventions as well as homeschooling support groups. Check out her homeschool online free mini-course and training webinar on how to give homeschool credit in high school.

You can find Lee online at www.TheHomeScholar.com and on Facebook.com/TheHomeScholar

Click on the image to hear Jay and Heidi St. John talk about what it’s like to homeschool their seven children.

Short, precious, irreplaceable {The Teen Years}

15 Replies

“You just WAIT until they are old enough to be really rebellious!”

These were some of the first words I heard from well-meaning folks twenty-two years ago, as I held my bright-eyed, strong-willed little girl in my arms.

I’ll admit: I wasn’t looking forward to those dreaded years, but comments like that didn’t help. I figured I had a few years to come up with a “plan of attack” though. And, thankfully, the first twelve years provided plenty of learning opportunities for my sweet husband and me. Mostly, they were opportunities to learn the best ways to love our kids.

Years ago, the Lord impressed a verse on my heart as I was sitting on our couch reading to our pre-teens. We were reading the story of George Mueller, who had served the Lord with a passion that ultimately brought many to Christ. I wondered what my teens would choose to do with their lives…and then, I saw this verse in an entirely new light:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” ~Jeremiah 29:11

I had been reading this verse all my life but at that moment I saw it in a new light: God had a plan for EACH of my children. It wasn’t just for me—that promise was for them, too. It overshadowed the moments of angst we were having, and those all-too-common struggles for right relationship. I really saw each of my children as truly precious to the Lord. It made me very aware of my part in God’s plan, too, because as their mother, I was a big part of what God was doing in their lives at that point. As a mom, I am God’s divine choice to help Him as He prepares our children for the plans He has already made for them. My job was to nurture and guide them into God’s plan—to help them find their purpose.

Instead of dreading the teen years, I now look forward to them. Why? Because that when weary moms and dads get to see the first signs of buds that appear on the branches we have been tending to so carefully. It’s those final few years that we have our children under our care and supervision. The teen years provide opportunities for late-night conversations about the real stuff that life is made of.

The world says that when we have teens we should gradually give them more and more freedom: 13 yr olds are now being left to parent themselves, and 16 year-olds are often making life-altering decisions will little guidance from their parents.

But how different God’s view is of parenting! Consider what David had to say in Psalm 127:4:

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth.

God says that our children are like arrows in the hands of a warrior! This is a great image for us to remember as we get ready to launch our arrows out into the world: rather than giving more and more freedom and imparting less instruction, we should be giving more instruction! Before an archer gets ready to launch his arrows, he carefully draws the bow and arrow into himself, carefully determining trajectory and keeping his eyes on the target.

Am I suggesting that we don’t give our teens a measure of freedom? No. Our job is to prepare them for adulthood. They will need freedom in order to grow and test their first flight wings. But let’s be careful not to launch them too soon or carelessly. Let’s keep our eyes on preparing them for that specific task to which God is calling them—and be open to the idea that it will not always be what we had hoped it would be. Remember, God is the Master planner! We are simply caretakers for a few years of great opportunity and influence in the lives of our children.

The teen years go by fast. But contrary to the world’s thinking, they are not a time for less parenting. They are a time of great opportunity— a time for greater wisdom and involvement. The teen years are not an instant maturity of child to adult, but a gradual deepening of a friendship between child and parent. It’s an opportunity to use careful wisdom when disciplining and to ask for forgiveness when it’s required.

Don’t miss these precious years. Don’t dread them. Take advantage of them.

Wondering how? Here are a few simple goals to consider:

Make your home the place where your teens want to bring their friends.
We’ve found that making our home “the place” has required some flexibility over the years … 🙂 but that flexibility has resulted in wonderful memories of pizza parties, game nights, movie nights and even wonderful interactions around a big pot of taco soup. Make sure your teens know that you welcome their friends into your house. Not only does it give you great insight into the character of their friends, it allows you a greater platform to speak into their lives.
Be willing to stay up late.
I don’t know why, but teens become night owls. So we became night owls too. Sometimes, against our will! But those late-night conversations are a huge part of the important stuff. Prop your eyelids open … it’s worth it!
Learn to apologize.
Your teens will respect you and learn from your example if you can admit it when you are wrong. After all, we ask forgiveness for our entire lifetime!
Be the parents.
You’re an archer. You’re preparing your kids for a battle—and this requires both nurture and discipline. Our kids were not created to be boomerangs! They’re not supposed to come back… right? 🙂 They were created as arrows. You don’t get a second chance. One launch. A few short years. Don’t grow weary in investing in your teens.

The harvest is coming. Sow wisely and lovingly. And ENJOY these precious years!

Got Teens? It’s the Little Things

4 Replies

-from a Facebook post I wrote this week-

When I was thirteen years old, these were the “must have” shoes for almost every girl I knew. I wanted them, too. I’ll never forget getting a pair from my mom. It was unusual for her to “splurge” on such a thing for me, as I was one of seven children—but looking back, I get it. She was letting me know that I mattered to her. Right down to my shoes. 🙂

I came across this image today and it reminded me to put myself in the “shoes” of my teens. Sometimes, we need to look at life through the eyes of our kids. What seems important to them right now will likely not be important at all in a few years … but the “messages” we send them every day by our attitudes and actions toward them will make a lifetime impression.

Precious Priority: Family Mealtimes

4 Replies

Ahhhhhhh—Thanksgiving. It reminds me of a simpler time.

I love Thanksgiving because it’s the one time of year that beckons us home, but without the pressure and expectations of gifts.

The memories without the mayhem, if you will.

I tell my children of my love for Thanksgiving and they remind me that they love mealtime at our house. Not just the fancy meals, either. Their appreciation comes from a certainty that at the end of the day, we’re together. Candles lit. Music playing.

Toddler fussing.

Milk spilling.

Teenagers talking.

Daddy praying.

Mealtime.

We live in a culture that has largely forgotten the power of a shared meal. There is something missing when we rush from one hurried day to the next. We think we’re saving time to rush through the drive-thru again. But really, we’re not saving anything. Days turn to weeks. Weeks to months. Months to years.

Where we spend our time is a window into our hearts: it’s an indicator of where our hearts are.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

For me, Thanksgiving is a reminder of how fast my life is going by. Each holiday that passes I know I am another year closer to a quiet house. Mealtimes are markers for me. I think just last year, I had a babe inside me and a preschooler vying for my attention as I muddled my way through learning how to use my slow cooker. Mmmmm. No, that was not last year. That was nearly twenty years ago. Can we really s l o w d o w n?

Mealtimes beckon.

Time is passing. That’s probably the real message my heart receives as I plan Thanksgiving dinner. Again.

I ask myself, “Where are your priorities? What is truly precious in this life?”

And in my heart, I know the answer. The best memories we share will never be found in the drive-thru of life.

The best memories are more of a “sit down” affair. An affair of the heart. An investment. An open-door, company-for-dinner, home cooked investment.

Doesn’t have to be perfect. Mac-n-cheese at the table is just as beautiful to your children as filet mignon 🙂 It’s not about the food. It’s about the priority.

If you’re looking for a place to start making an investment into the heart of your family, the dinner table is a very, very good place to start.