Blogging through the Alphabet {Joy - when we need to chase it down with a big stick}

I am not a miserable person, by nature. I am much more the optimist than the pessimist.

I'm a glass half full, not a glass half empty, kind of gal.

I try to be an encourager, and remain cheerful and upbeat.

This week, it's been a challenge. Children with the chickenpox has been VERY challenging. I had great visions of having opportunity to do oodles of jobs, whilst the children watched more DVDs than normal, or maybe even slept.

Errrrrr, no.

Well, sort of.  In between giving out extra cuddles, smearing on multiple varieties of soothing cream, and running oat baths, I have also had to cram in normal "everyday" kinda stuff.  You know, cooking, washing clothes, going to the loo...?

Add to that a daughter, covered in chickenpox, wakening me at unearthly hours, and starting her day at insane times (think 4.30 am, 6am, and 5.45am today - on top of disturbed nights.. Yes, great...)

Feeling tired normally makes me feel rather sensitive, and easily wound up - especially when you add to the mix a very spotty, very itchy, very sore, four year old boy, who doesn't deal well with the "out of the ordinary", and spent most of his waking hours crying and saying "ow, ow , ow".

*And breathe*

I didn't have to just choose joy, this week.  I had to chase after it, and hunt it down like, well, a hunter!

You see, joy is not something that hangs upon circumstances being rosy and bright. It's not dependent upon things all working out in the hunky dory category. It's not something that just drops in your lap as a natural occurring phenomena.  You have to intentionally choose to be joyful, and it especially applies in the tough, trying moments. Times like this week, it was certainly not in plain sight - it was a hidden thing, that required a soul-searching, and a crying out to the Lord to answer prayers.

Praise His name alone, I found it.  Every day, I have been able to find joy, in troubled moments.

How did I chase it down?  How did I find it?

First, I have been asking the Lord to help me, more than anything else.  I don't have the strength to have joy on my own. I am a weak woman, and have no ability to do so in my own strength.

Do you know what?  God answers prayer!

Next, I keep being extremely thankful.  Thankful, amidst all these poorly children?  How can I be *THANKFUL*? I am SO thankful that chickenpox is a one off.  This will not happen again.  This is it - done and dusted.  Do you know what else I am thankful for?  I am thankful for my children - the children that God has given me, whom I love dearly.  Had I not been given them, sure, I wouldn't have this trial - I WOULD miss out on daily joy of numerous sorts, simply by having them in my life.  Even Elijah saying funny little things, amidst his struggles, makes me smile! "Mummy, this is just so ANNOYING!"

I hear ya, son - I hear ya!

I am exceedingly thankful that they are not in pain ALL the time.  Some people have children who suffer pain and discomfort EVERY day of their lives.  Children with long-term illness and terminal illness.  People with children who have disabilities.  My children will be better in a short space of time, relatively speaking.

I am thankful that I am accustomed to them being at home, and that I am here, available, to care for them.  If your children normally attend school, it must be somewhat of a palaver to arrange to be off work, or to have them in the house when you're not used to it.  That was just "the norm" for me, so less of an adjustment.

I am thankful for the one-to-one time I have had with the children. Whether it's been showing compassion, spreading lotions over itchy skin, or cuddling up with younger children - it's all been special!

I am thankful for the time to unwind a little.  This has forced me to sit down, and rest, which isn't something I normally do.  It's been quite a treat.  Sure, I am dog-tired, with Tabitha waking more at night, so the rest is appreciated - but, besides that, it's still a treat!

I am thankful that I have managed to get some jobs done that have been bugging me for AGES! I will share more about that in another post, but I got some sorting, clearing and organising done, in the odd moment where the younger ones were asleep, and I had other jobs caught up on.

I am thankful for the opportunity to see some friends.  It's ALWAYS a joy to see people who we rarely see.  Both families came to try and catch the pox, so we'll see if that part works.  Chickenpox-catching aside, it was so lovely to catch up with them, and spend sweet fellowship chatting and encouraging one another. I felt bad that I couldn't be the hostess I like to be, but my main aim was to look after my family, and theirs' was to try and catch the pox! *grin* Standing on ceremony was less important.

I am also thankful that I got some tidying up done today, because some friends, over on furlough from missions work, were coming for lunch.  Tabitha was awake before 6am, so I was able to get some home baking done for them coming, which I wasn't sure I would have got to do otherwise! Having people come over is ALWAYS a good incentive to do a power clean! Amazing what you can do in about 30 minutes, whilst your small people follow you around asking "When can I sit on your lamp?" (Elijah STILL calls my lap my LAMP - quite what he thinks we sing about, when we sing "Give me oil in my lamp", I am NOT sure....)

I am even thankful, right now, in my foggy brained state, that although I feel like I am getting some kind of viral ailment (think, sore throat, fuzzy head, and achy joints starting..) that it is coming on at a time when everyone is starting to be "On the mend".

Being thankful REALLY helps with the chasing of joy - and the CATCHING of it!

I rejoice that I can be thankful - I rejoice that I can see friends - I rejoice that I have these precious children who HAVE the chickenpox, to shower my love and attention upon.

In all that joy, the best part has happened.  We are told "The joy of the Lord is your strength".  That is how I have survived. That is how I have kept going, in relative calm and peace. Having joy, from the Lord, has given me HIS strength, to be what I need to be.  It's nothing of myself. When I am weak, then I am strong - IN HIS MIGHT.

Joy is not dependent upon circumstances.  It's something we are TOLD to do - ALWAYS. There is always something to rejoice about, even if it's as simple as having joy in God, who He is, and what He has done for us.

"Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, REJOICE". 

Philippians 4:4

I apologise if this post is lacking coherency, because my brain is rather foggy, but I still wanted to share with you about how the Lord has given me joy this week, in my trials.

Raising a godly generation - part 2

This time I continue with some more practical considerations that are important in training up our children for the Lord.  There is still at least one more (probably more!) post to come, with further suggestions.

4.  HAVE FAMILY WORSHIP/DEVOTIONS

The Bible teaches us, in Deuteronomy 6:6-7



"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

I recently read a blog post, where somebody took time to say that family devotions are not in the Bible, and you shouldn't feel you HAVE to have them.

True, we do not find any explicit details or instructions to sit down together as a family, to read the scriptures, sing, pray and discuss the Word of God.  However, in the above verses we find command to diligently teach our children God's ways.  As I have already mentioned, children do learn by our example, but that is not the same as TEACHING.  Teaching implies formality and time taken to convey vital information from one party to another.  Having family devotions is a perfect time to do this.  It's a time to learn together, with the father as the head of the home, teaching God's truths to his children.  Praising God together in song.  Thinking about the truths that have been taught, and applying them to the life of the family.

Currently, we are going through the book of Proverbs.  The children are loving how Robert is trying to give them object lessons to remember the truths.  Things that they will remember, and by God's grace, apply to their own lives.  In the evenings, we always sing and pray together, and Robert usually brings some truth to round off the day.  It's a more informal time, and we LOVE singing God's praises together!

If you don't already have a time in the day when you have family worship, then I would recommend that you do.  Speak to your husband about it.  Prayerfully consider what format you want to use, to fit your own family, but ultimately not forgetting that the key point of it is to teach God's Word to your children.

We are planning on using a new book soon - Clay Clarkson's "Our 24 Family Ways".

Read about it here.  He explains the reason why he produced the book, and about what it contains   

It looks really lovely - you can see sample pages here.  They now have the added bonus of colouring pages, that you can photocopy for your own family's use, that tie in with the 24 ways.

There are many resources you could use for a family devotion time.  We have, in the past, used the lovely book by Mariann Schoolland, "Leading Little Ones to God".

 It's a lovely book, going through major points of doctrine, in a way that is easy to understand for children.  You can see inside it, and view the contents here. For each part that it teaches, it has a a scripture portion, a memory verse, a song and then the teaching.  Lots of excellent content.  We will probably keep coming around to using it in a cycle, as it's nice to have some variety, but we want the younger ones to learn the doctrine, too!  I must confess, I bought mine before I even got married, or had children!  We had used it growing up, and knew I wanted to use it when I had children of my own! So, I was very forward thinking, and bought it when it was on sale!

You could also use a good daily devotional, such as the Spurgeon's "Morning and Evenings", which would lead to some excellent discussion.

If you want to use scripture as the backbone, but want thematic study, then the Daily Light is great.  It is simply a collection of texts, around a theme, for morning and evening use.

Make the time enjoyable - you want them to see that you have a love for God's Word, and that it is something precious and valuable in your life. Be enthusiastic as you sing praise to God.  Help them to understand what they are singing - there is no point singing empty words.

We sing a selection of choruses and hymns, that are favourites of the family.  We know a small selection of Psalm portions, but that is something I would like to work on a bit, too.

5. MEMORISE SCRIPTURE

Children have a brain like a sponge.  They have an enviable ability to memorise things, which an adult would sincerely wish that they were still able to so readily achieve!   Grab that opportunity while you can!  get them memorising scripture.  For little ones, choose short, key parts of verses.

 "The wages of sin is death",


 "God is love",


 "I am the way the truth and the life",  


"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth".

They could also combine it with learning their alphabet, and learn a verse for each letter of the alphabet!  Older children could learn whole passages - such as Psalm 23, or the 10 commandments.  Key verses about doctrine are also good to have memorised.  You could have a reward scheme, where they could perhaps have a Bible given to them upon completion, or some other suitable reward.

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. "

Psalm 119:11  

6. LISTEN TO GOOD MUSIC

Now, I know this is quite a subjective area.  I personally don't listen to Christian music that is too contemporary.  I feel that it is so close to the world's style of music, that it just doesn't sit well with me.

However, I have a couple of recommendations, for children, that I think would please most!

Firstly, there is a set of Albums called "Bible Songs for Kids".  You will find them at Bible Truth Music, and what's great is that they are downloadable!  So, no shipping costs involved!  They are a large selection (6 albums, so far) of KJV scripture in song.  Straight up and down Bible verses - no paraphrasing, or put into a meter, just songs composed to fit with the words.  They are really great, and it is also a super way of getting them to learn the Bible verses! The children pick them up very quickly.

Another one I got more recently, is "Hide em in your heart".  This is also scripture in song, but I think it is NKJV?  I haven't actually worked it out, but I base this on the fact that some of them are the same as KJV, and some are just a little different.  These are a little more"upbeat" in style, but not "rock" style by ANY means! You can download it on itunes, and also listen to samples there, to give you an idea of what it is like.   The other element of these that I like, is that they start with the recording artist (Steve Green), explaining a bit about the verse, and what children need to learn from it, before a child quotes the reference, and it is then sung.  My children certainly love it, as a lot of it is very fun!  It covers such verses as Psalm 34:13 (about lying), Romans 12:21 (overcome evil with good), Philippians 4:13 (do all things without arguing and complaining) - so lots of very appropriate teaching!


Please share your experiences and suggestions in these areas, as there are so many resources available out there, that it's a blessing to share them with others when YOU find them!

Link up below!

Raising a godly generation

There are often verses in the scriptures which just strike right at the heart.  They challenge and they subdue, with one swipe of that two-edged sword.

I read one such verse on Tuesday, and didn't have time to share it then.  In fact, it was several verses, all through the second chapter of Judges.

"And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?" (verse 2)

"And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel."  (verse 10)


"And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers....and provoked the Lord to anger," (verses 11 & 12)


"they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so."

OH, so sad.  SO very, very sad. More than sad - tragic.

The Israelites had been given the promised land.  They were clearly commanded to drive out all of the false gods from the land - all those things that would tempt them away from God.  The older generation started off doing so, but then the next generation arose, and they disobeyed the commandments of God, which their parents had followed.  With such terrible consequences - they stirred up the ANGER of God against themselves.

God hates disobedience.  He hates it when those who claim to be His, do not follow after Him and obey Him as they ought to.

Sadder still, however, was the conclusion that I drew.  HOW DOES A GENERATION ARISE THAT DOESN'T KNOW THE LORD????

A WHOLE generation - not just one family, or the odd child or two.  A WHOLE GENERATION.

I drew one conclusion.  I'm fairly certain it's not a quantum leap.  For someone to know what is the right thing to do, THEY HAVE TO HAVE AN EXAMPLE.  You need to know what the right thing is, to follow it.

"And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?"

I think this is a warning to all parents - you need to make sure that your children are brought up understanding the precious truths of God's Word.  We need to make sure that we are faithful in teaching our children - in shielding them from the world and it's snares.  In protecting them from the ungodly influences that seek to crowd in our lives.

You can NOT allow yourself to crack under the pressure of

"well, little Johnny comes from a NICE non-Christian home, he won't do our wee one any harm, playing together every day!"  

Or,

"it's ok, they are learning so many good truths in Church, I don't need to do too much more at home....."  

 Or, (sticking my neck on the line here, with as much love and tenderness as I can muster)

 "school gives them such a broad education, and I really don't think I could manage home-schooling, and I don't want to wrap them in cotton wool anyway....."

We NEED to protect the next generation...and can I say, the influences from which they need protecting, and taught about the errors of, is becoming more foul and horrible every day.  I am getting more and more UNBELIEVERS being sympathetic to my confession  of being home-schooler's, than any Christians I meet!  The hairdresser I had the other day said "you must be able to keep them innocent for so much longer - that's really lovely"!!!!  SHE could see that they lose their innocence at school!

Home education aside - TV, children's books, toys, friends, advertising, music.  There are so many things that we need to protect our children from.  As it said in verse 2 

"ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of the land"

We need to not make friendship and familiarity with the world and it's ways.  You do it to your own peril.

No.....you do it to the peril of the next generation.. And the current generation is already being lost.  Fast.

We need to claim back our children for the Lord..  We need to stop compromising our standards, and lowering ourselves to the standards of the world.

Their standards on leisure...their standards on entertainment....their standards on family values....their standards on education....their standards on children and their "rights".

I fear and I despair, when I look around at the children that are growing up.  I pray that we will all be challenged in our responsibilities and duties before the Lord, to bring up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, which simply CAN NOT be merged with a toleration of the world and it's standards. Well, it can, but we will lose them....we will raise a generation who "know not the Lord".

Pray that the Lord would challenge and convict you about the ways in which you may be in "league with the inhabitants of this land", and seek to get rid of them, by God's grace and enabling.

I will follow this up with some suggestions and resources which could be useful.  

Have a blessed day.