Mind Doodles

Good Story for Parents

My friend, Jacque, wrote a great post on her blog.  It's a good reminder that kids really do often get what we, as parents, are trying to teach.

5 Things Every Kid Needs--Part 2

#2--Someone else who believes what they believe

The friends your children spend time with will ultimately influence the decisions they make in life.  The people they hang out with the most, are the ones who become their best friends.  And every parent understands how important it is to help their children find the right friends.  

At Crosspointe, two environments are designed especially for this : 

Kidspointe, for kids first through fifth grade, 

and WOW for 3 year olds through kindergarten.  

This is where children get to hang out in small groups with other kids their age.  

It's a great place for them to talk about God, and to build lasting friendships.  

They need friends in their lives who believe the same things they believe about God.  

5 Things Every Kid Needs

A kid's world changes all the time.  Friends move in and out their lives.  Family relationships change.  They need something solid that they can hang on to--that's always going to be their help and hope.  

They need. . .

1.  A really BIG GOD they can trust no matter what happens.

Kids need to know that God is big enough to handle any problem that comes along. Nothing is more important than understanding how to have a relationship with God.  When children learn who His is and what He has done, they discover they can trust Him with anything and everything in their lives.  There is nothing too big for God.

That's why we celebrate every Sunday who God is and what He has done.

We kick off every Sunday with great music.  We raise the roof and make some serious noise. We want our families to know that praising God is meant to be fun!

  

What I'm Learning As A Mom--Surrender

Years ago, when my children were still in preschool, I went to a MOPS convention (for mothers of preschoolers).  I heard a woman named Carol Kuykendall speak who made an impact on me.  Little did I know that the words she spoke were not as much for me as a preschool mom as they would be for me as the mother of teenagers.  So, all of these years, I have stored this up.  I have found myself drawing on some of her wisdom over the past several months.  

There is a reoccuring theme in my parenting. . .that of surrender.  Every day I have a choice--I can hold my children tightly and protectively, or more loosely with faith and trust that God will provide.  It's a difficult choice to make.  

Most often, I do not choose wisely.  

Most often, I hold on too tightly.  

Most often, I want to be in control instead of trusting their future to God.  

The right choice depends upon a daily attitude of surrender--that same choice applies to everything I treasure in life.  

Our children are the treasures of our heart.  We love them with a powerful love that words fail to describe.  The more we value something, the more we worry about what might happen to it, and the tighter we wrap our fingers around it.  That's why we put our jewlery in safe-deposit boxes and install alarm systems.  We want to protect our valuable treasures.

Because we value our children more than jewels or possessions, we're even more tempted to have a tight grip.  We want to protect them.  The choice to loosen our grip requires faith and trust in God--that he is in control and will do what is best for them.  

Surrender involves an attitude of the heart before it is an action of the hand.

This is right where I am living these days--in the midst of this reality.  Kelsey is trying to finalize college plans.  What I want for her and what God has planned for her, might not be the same thing.  It's tough.

Whenever I hold on to something too tightly--my desire for success or affirmation or recognition or my fears about my child's future--God calls me to "Come.  Bring me what you are holding so tightly in your hand.  Loosen your grip on it.  Bring it to me as your offering.  Surrender it to me.  Trust me."

And when I surrender my offering to God in trust, I receive his provision of peace and comfort.  Always.

Weather and Sick Kids

Here's the problem with bad weather and sick kids.  

Both are totally unpredictable.  

Neither comes at a convenient time.  

Today I was reminded of that.  

This evening was Fresh Brew--a coffee and dessert event for our incredible volunteers in Children's Ministry. We had some really great things planned.  I was so excited about our breakouts.  I was looking forward to hanging out with the Children's Ministry Volunteers for the evening.

BUT--that's where the bad weather came in.  

The day started out with a lot of really cold rain which promised to turn to an icy mix this evening and 

2-6 inches of snow sometime tonight.  WHAT???  Isn't today March 1?  Isn't this the South?

I was pretty sure that the roads would be okay for Fresh Brew--that it would be later this evening before it got rough BUT you never know. . .

It's like sick kids.--I'm sure you know what I mean.  Your child is sick--has been hanging on with a runny nose, cough and sore throat for a couple of days.  You think it might just be a virus and so you hold off on taking them to the doctor.  You don't want to get in there and have the doctor say, "It's just a virus--that will be $20.00"  But, then when you take them to the doctor you find out it's strep throat.  

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about all day.  

Oh well, we'll reschedule our event and hope for nice weather.