Happy New Year!
Truthfully, I don’t see January 1st as the end of something and the start of something else. It’s another day. A great day, though, full of parades, black-eyed peas, cornbread, football, family time, and taking down the tree for our family.

A lazy day, too. I like that. Confession: I’m still in my jammies right now. This day is like stripping away the busyness of the season, and reclaiming a slower-paced life back.

I’ve taken a bit of hiatus this past month, you may have noticed.
Know how well I did on my own? Um, not so good. Was I spending time in the word every day, treasuring my time with God, and memorizing scripture to know Him better? Yeah, not so much.

I’m wondering if you all struggled too.

So, while I’m not big into New Year’s resolutions, I cannot think of a better day to start one than this Day 1.

I pulled up a post I started writing December 4th, which I think sets up this Day 1 nicely…

I awoke at 6 something. As I lie all snuggled and warm in bed, it seemed like God was gently stroking my hair and back, inviting me to come spend time with Him, rather than continuing my slumber.

I pondered it while my weary body lay in rebellion. Just as every morning, it wanted to squeeze every last moment of sleep, rest, and laziness out of this day.

After a few minutes in His word, He led me here of all places.

~~~

I didn’t finish, no. But perhaps, in my failure, God is now using it for good. This post sure seems the perfect setup for today. Day 1.

Every day in God’s word.

It’s not complicated, although some days it will be hard.

Are you in?
I’ve had many, many days in a row before, months possibly, but never 365. Can you even imagine how much that will change you, grow you, strengthen your love for God and His people? I want that!

How are we going to do it?
Just as always, TOGETHER.

Not sure you can? Be encouraged! It’s just one day. Then another.
And, I challenge that there’s no better way to train up your kids in righteousness than for us parents to sit at God’s feet everyday.

I’ll write back with more suggestions soon, including a verse for the kids, but for today I’m keeping it simple.

Agree to let today be Day 1.
Hit the Journey from yesterday. Read the passage first. Even if you don’t get to the devotional part, read God’s word.

If you read it yesterday, then read it again. See what God’s word reveals to you today. It’s living!

I’m going to recommend journaling of some type and sharing with others for accountability. If you can do that today, awesome!
If not, just read and let God’s word speak to your heart.

Happy New Year, indeed. And happy Day 1! – Sundee McDonald

Started the Jesse Tree tonight, as planned.
Sweet time.

As I begun the devotional I blogged about yesterday, I realized something. The eloquence with which that woman writes, reaches into my soul and caresses it. It’s beautiful. But, it’s beautiful for ME.

Not as much for the younger kids, like ours.
So, I’m switching back to the one I used last year, which is more age appropriate for our children. I love the way it is written and the simple, yet engaging questions and prayers at the end of each devotional.

Click here for the RCA devotional. And here for their patterns to print.

The good news is that the stump and the verses are the very same as the other.

(A clipping from a tree in our front yard.)

The not great news is that RCA started last night. Doh!

But, no worries! Just do 2 tomorrow. Creation and Adam and Eve go great together! : )

If you haven’t started yet, don’t give up on this season. You don’t need to do any homework.

Just print out the pattern, have your child color it if you want, hole punch it, and hang it on the tree. It’s that easy!

No tree yet? Just grab a branch from the yard. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it just has to be heartfelt! Reece agrees.

And again, I’m here if you have any questions…email me @ buildingblockswm@gmail.com.

And speaking of revisiting things, if you’ve never checked out Bethlehem Revisited in Waxahachie, it’s an amazing experience.
They portray a re-creation of the City of Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth. It runs this coming weekend and next, and another Christmas tradition I highly recommend starting. It’s worth the drive. Click here for more info. – Sundee McDonald

It’s already begun. Seems like it’s earlier every year…
the busyness, the over-scheduled calendar and just too many things to do.

There are feasts to prepare, lights to hang, decorations to display, plays/recitals/programs to attend, shoeboxes to fill, travel plans to make, bags to pack, cards to send, and gifts, gifts, and more gifts to buy and then wrap.

And if that wasn’t enough, our mailboxes, inboxes and Facebook pages are now flooded with the latest catalogs, coupons, specials, free shipping, 1 day deals, best gifts of the season, better hurry or it’s gone. I try to ignore or delete them, but sometimes it lures me in.

We claim, it’s all for a good reason, this season. But, I have to check myself often this month…Is my focus truly on Christ’s coming?

Our family started a new tradition last year, that helped us do just that.

The Jesse Tree
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Isaiah 11:1

The Jesse Tree is a special advent tree, a way to anticipate and celebrate Jesus’ birth, tracing through His family tree. It tells the story of God’s salvation plan, beginning with creation and continuing through the Old Testament, to His birth.

And tomorrow, this Monday, it starts.

I cannot say enough about how passionate I am about this.
Reece, my gift-oriented guy, loved it last year, asking and asking each of 27 nights, “Can we do the Jesse Tree now?”

Yes, I did just say 27. Don’t think of it as 27 days of something to keep up with. Think of it as replacing what the world says is important this time of year, with the excitement and joy of Christ’s birth. I promise it will be an incredible gift for the whole family.

And it’s easy! Even more so this year, as there is a wonderful online resource from Amy Voskamp at A Holy Experience. Short of a tree, it contains everything you need: daily bible reading, devotional, prayer, and ornament to print. Click here for her blog post to the online resource.

There are other great resources out there too, including other ornament templates. You can make your own ornaments as well.

My only recommendation is that you keep it very simple, whatever that looks like for you. All you need is a tree. We use a small 3″ tree, but you can use a branch from your yard, if nothing else. It’ll work!

As with everything, it isn’t just for the kids. What a great way for us to reorient our minds every evening toward our glorious Savior coming.

Let’s claim this Cyber Monday as Jesse Tree Monday and the start of a new, wonderful Christmas tradition.

Won’t you join me???
Just as that last month of pregnancy involves much excitement and anticipation for the blessed event, even more so for the birth of our Savior!

You can do it!
Not sure how to do it or what you need or just have questions?
I’m here. Email Sundee at buildingblockswm@gmail.com.

It’s going to be a great Christmas season. 27 glorious days and counting!

The house is perpetually messy.
Why, oh why, can’t that boy put away his toys, flush the toilet, or just get dressed without a fit or fight?
I need to do something. Me thinks chore chart.

I always think there is some kind of fix for every issue we have around here. Some book or method or chart or something.
While there are good resources out there, God’s message to me was something else…

Lead.

It IS NOT true that the only messy places in the house are due to the boys. I’ve begun to learn that I’m not the neatest, tidiest, most organized person out there.

Hmm, why would Reece think that putting things in their designated spots is important when there is always some level of clutter/disarray around here? Hmm, guess who else needs a chore chart?

Lead.

Not just in cleaning, but in everything.

If I want my boys to walk with Jesus daily, they have to learn how.
We can read to them about people in the bible that oriented their lives for God as examples. But who is it that they will learn from the most? Us.

Teaching them how to walk with Jesus is hard.
We don’t even know how to do it well; it’s a daily struggle for us.

But, don’t let that discourage you. This world is a perpetual battle between good and evil. Wake up and choose to let God be your King today, and then do it again tomorrow. It’s hard, and it’s worth it!

And, it’s a choice.

This week is a beautiful week.
In theory, it should be slower: time off, families together, a celebration of God’s incredible provision for the pilgrims and for us through Jesus Christ.

Somehow it tends to be the start of a chaotic several weeks.
Don’t let it be!

Choose to let it be slow and beautiful and a celebration of what God’s done.

How?
Spend more time preparing your heart and mind this week for the celebration, than on your turkey and fixings.

For those of us on kitchen duty this week, that’s a challenge!

It starts here in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18…

Be joyful always, pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

This one has got to go where you’ll be spending lots of time the next few days. Hang it off a shelf in your pantry, attach it to a drawer in your fridge, wrap it around the handle of the oven, smoker, or grill, hide it in your oven mitt, place it in a frame on your table. If you’re traveling this week, put it inside your car, your luggage, toiletries case, or the always handy cell phone.

In the spirit of LEADing, I’ve already started my preparations. I haven’t sprinkled the verse yet, but I’ve begun finding joy and being thankful in every day circumstances.

Oh the technology! Since Sunday, every Facebook status update has been an outward reflection of my inward preparation.
Here’s one from Monday: Sundee is thankful for bleach that removed the set-in coffee stain on one of my fav shirts. Am also thankful for the time it took to remove the stain…allowing me to care even less about a simple garment of clothing, and be more reflective about that big giant stain Jesus washed away.

Orienting your mind this way is a choice, and it takes practice, just like learning to walk with Jesus does. I think this is a great way to walk even more with Him during the day as you find joy, give thanks, and pray to Him in the smallest of things. I hope you’ll join me.

We’re not just preparing ourselves for Thanksgiving either, but for the birth of the Savior that came for us all. Even the yummiest turkey, dressing, and pies can’t fill you up like that.

When we focus on Him first, we give that busyness of this season the snub, or at least a pause to consider where we’d really rather be filled…

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Man, doesn’t that want to make you take all of your Thanksgiving cravings (and um, I have quite a few), and turn them upward?

Don’t just find the joy in inanimate things this week, treasure the time with family. Sometimes that can actually be a stresser. Pray that God wells up in you even an ounce of the love He has for them. And as JP suggested on Sunday, do it out of love (a relationship), rather than of obligation (religion).

That reminds me of our Romans 6 verse this past week, we’re not under law, but under grace. And verse 15 continues it,

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!

You’ve got this one, by all means, it’s easy peasy!

I’m betting you’ve already begun your Thanksgiving feast preparation. So, now begin preparing your hearts and mind even more so.
Keep your Martha in check, and let Mary rule your day. It’ll take practice, but oh what a beautifully delicious celebration it will be, filled with a lot more than turkey, dressing, and pie.

If you didn’t receive a copy of our Thanksgiving Packet. Click here to download it, along with 4 tracer attachments: pumpkin, turkey, leaves and feathers.

Have a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving! – by Sundee McDonald

Been sick.
A dry, tickly, cough that kept me up in the night for 2 weeks turned bronchitis on me. And then Thursday afternoon, a little stomach bug hit to top it off. BTW, that’s nothing like an ice cream sundae and a cherry on top. NOTHING like it.

It’s funny, Wednesday morning I felt great, but then Thursday was my worst day yet. I survived, but those that saw me on the playground leaning my head against a pole and scowling, knew I needed reinforcements. Friday, the very day my hub stayed home to help me take care of the kids, HE spent half the day in bed.

We pushed through, but there were a few days there, when it was hard to. I didn’t want to take care of anyone, I wanted someone to take care of me. I just didn’t have energy or patience to offer anyone. I wanted my mommy. Seriously, I remember specifically thinking in a very pouty, ‘oh pitiful me’ attitude, ‘I want my mommy’.

But, even faster than a tummy bug can hit, this hit me…
Sundee, it isn’t your mommy you need. It’s your Daddy.

That was so right…my heavenly father is exactly what I needed.

This week was a great opportunity to be home and practice the verse in Philippians on praying in everything. Well, opportunity certainly knocked. But unfortunately, I pretended not to be home.

Yet, I had plenty to pray about.

Rather than wallowing in how I didn’t apply last week’s verse as much as I’d hoped, I’m instead being thankful I have another week to spend in God’s word.

That’s just what we’re going to add in this week: a big ol’ heaping cup of thankfulness.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

This is another sprinkle verse. It’s going to be like confetti this week!
Think about where you spend a lot of time in your home, and put this verse there.

The kitchen and the dining table are big ones for me. I’m putting one on the fridge close to the handle, in the silverware drawer, with the plates, and nestled in the napkin bowl.

Okay, okay, and on the computer. I hear you. That’s another great spot.

Every time you see the verse, thank God for something you are grateful for and practice your verse.

This is a time of year where our little Martha’s like to step up and take charge. With meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking, cooking, cooking, our to-do lists are overworked. And, often our time at Jesus’ feet, underpaid.

Don’t let it be this year. The beautiful part of this holiday is celebrating how very thankful we are. It is not about having the most or best food, the prettiest table setting, the yummiest pies, the most handsomely-dressed children. It is, instead, to sit at the feet of Jesus and give thanks. My goal this Thanksgiving…to eat more humble pie than pecan.

Something I’m thankful for this week, Romans 6:14. I’m not under the law, but grace!

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

I seemed to learn the second half easier than the first. Stick with it, you can do it!

I hope you’ll join me in this delicious verse menu this week, giving lots of thanks, and cooking up a big yummy pie…humble, that is. ; ) – Sundee McDonald

Had a house call from my hair person/dresser/stylist/colorist this past week. Been going to her since before I had kids, maybe 9 years now. She’s a doll. She moved this past winter though, and neither my hair nor the visit to the salon has been the same since.

When she told me that she was coming into town, I quickly got on her schedule. It was so nice to have her smiling face and my reddish hue back!

But more than my hair, the conversations were real and honest and personal, not just surface stuff. Oddly, the surface stuff makes me more uncomfortable than putting it all out there. Is that weird?

Anyway…
With her move to another city, it’s been hard starting over again. Such a vibrant, beautiful, upbeat person, she’s been facing some challenges, and facing them largely alone.

I felt it. I felt the urge in my heart to pray for her right there.
I hate it when I know the good I ought to do, and yet don’t do it.

I told her I’d be praying for her, and specifically what I would be praying for. And, I have been doing that.

But, what is it about prayer that makes it so hard to be bold and pray aloud with other people right in the moment?

Whatever the answer is, I can tell you that it ain’t Godly, or righteous, or pretty. Mandy and Cynthia’s talk last week on “The Truth about Insecurity” nailed it, saying that our insecurity is all about us. It’s selfish and, believe it or not, prideful.

Argh, I missed it.
One moment to be obedient and one moment to bless that young woman. One moment to tell us both WHO is the one that can bring peace and understanding in any circumstance, and the one that knows what’s best for us.

And you know what, that wasn’t the only tug this week I felt to pray for someone immediately and aloud.
A friend asked me for prayer, which I quickly agreed to. But, WHY OH WHY couldn’t I just do it with her right then? Red hair is pretty, but this stuff sure ain’t.

I knew after that, this week’s verse was going to be about prayer.
I don’t just want to pray when I feel the urge, but take it all up to God, reminding us both who knows best, who’s in charge, and who is my King. And, I want to DO it, all the way, right away, and with a good attitude. ; )

Oh how there are some good verses on prayer, good to the soul like pumpkin pie and a warm cup of cider.

Researching them, I discovered something. Many of them stir in a heaping cup of thankfulness along with prayer. With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, we’ll simmer in this sweet pairing for a couple of weeks.

I couldn’t stop coming back to this one, because of this week and my missed opportunities:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6

This is a sprinkle verse. It goes a lot of places.
If I want to pray in everything, I need to invite God into all of those moments, rather than trying to organize my day, solve every problem, and answer every question on my own.

For example, with the rush and craziness of getting out of the house, the back door will be one place I’ll put this verse.
If you can’t stop at the door to pray for your day and the stress of that moment, get the kids buckled in and pray in the car. Let God know you want Him in this day along with you and to be honored through it. I’m going to put it on the inside of my car doors as well, before stepping out, I want to pray I’ll know and do His will.

Put it on your calendar and to do lists. Pray before hitting anything on your list. God has a plan, and it’s always more purposeful than mine!
If you have an electronic calendar, try setting up an automatic email or text reminder for a time in the middle of the day to pray.

When faced with a boo boo or an accident, pray. Put the verse on your band-aid container.
When a friend is sick (or struggling as in my example last week), pray.

The possibilities are truly endless. Reflect for a bit on what brings worry or stress to your day, and sprinkle the verse in a place that will encourage you to pray in those moments.

It will feel awkward at times, but isn’t everything new for a while? We’re changing the way we are doing things, learning to rely less on our own ways, and more on His. Be encouraged! We’ll be feeling weird and awkward together, and know what else, obedient and honoring!
I’m excited about what this week will bring for all of us.
Hmm, I’m going to pray about that right now. ; )

Lord, thank you for today, another opportunity for us to be changed and transformed to be more like you. We sadly feel all too comfortable in our own ways, but, we know yours are so much better. Lord, be with us this week as we seek to spend more time with you. I pray that we fight through the uncomfortable moments to allow You to be the King of our day, our hearts, and our lives. We want to be more like you. Amen.

Romans 6ers, how’s it going?
Been meaning to join us and haven’t? Just do it! I’ve got a friend that is starting this week.
Verse 13 is a little long, but has good ebb and flow.

Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

Got a favorite spatula or spoon in your kitchen that works for just about anything you cook up? Let’s be that kind of instrument for God this week…Righteous! – Sundee McDonald

I read an article a few weeks ago about making this Halloween intentional with neighbors and people coming to your door.
While we weren’t planning on staying home, I had still hoped it would be a great, purposeful time with neighbors.

With 24 houses on our short block, we’ve got 18 kids that are 7 years or under (and 2 more on the way!). We spend tons of time in each others front yards, and feel in many ways like these neighbors are our extended family.

For the past 3 years, we gathered on Oct 31st and trick-or-treated together. It’s become a tradition. We did the same this year.
But, somehow it was different.

This year felt so crazy.
The older kids ran wildly from house to house, as if a race to see who could get candy first. As the bags filled with candy, manners were in shorter supply. Some of the kids rang doorbells multiple times and even peeked in windows to see if any one was home.

The little ones were naturally trailing behind, and the parents were spread out trying to keep up with them all.

It wasn’t quite the sweet, fun neighborhood stroll we’d intended.
The frenzy caught us parents by surprise.

Truth is, I wasn’t any better than the kids. Moments of gossipy talk and judgmental thoughts were present at times over grace and love.
Another appearance by this recovering hypocrite.

My happy pumpkin was dimly lit, difficult for others to see.
It was not exactly the intentional time I had desired.

I hardly slept Sunday night reflecting on our evening. What had I done wrong?

Todd often talks about not spending more time on what you’re going to wear to church (or any other place for that matter) than preparing your heart for it.
I think that’s exactly what happened here.

The kids needed reminders of the purpose of the evening to be together, the respectful way to knock on someone’s door, and the gracious ‘thank you’ spoken after every sweet treat. I needed a breath in between costume readying and picture taking to pray for our evening and remind myself the same things.

No matter what costume I wear on the outside, I still want my inside to reflect out the love and grace that has been so generously given to me. I don’t want my light to only be dimly lit, but to shine brightly for all to see.

Got a guess for our verse this week?

Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

This one goes on the light switch, the bedside lamp, on the fireplace, or any other place where there’s light. Talk about it in the morning, in the evening, any time you turn on lights. It’s a wonderful reminder that we want to reflect Jesus’ love for us, so that others can come to know Him too.

And when we put our primary focus on things like what we’re going to wear or accomplish from our to-do list that day, it’s like we’re wearing a lampshade. It gives off some light, but only in a small area…ourselves! It’s hard for others to see from it.

So, this week let’s take off those lampshades and let our lights shine brightly!

One way to keep that light bright is giving sin the Heisman pose. Romans 6:12 requests we do just that…

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Sin personified gives me the creeps. Thinking about obeying sin and also letting it reign in my body, ewww! Don’t let it, friends!
Fill up on God’s word; His Superfood can help fight even the worst impurities. Shine brightly this week!- Sundee McDonald

Bonus entry tonight.
Just in case you haven’t carved all of your pumpkins yet, there’s a beautiful message in cleaning out that sticky mess and putting a light inside. And it’s also the reason I always carve happy pumpkins.

We carved our happy pumpkin yesterday.

Below is an old post from Oct 31, 2008, but I think still good every year…
—
Just in time for tonight, we carved a pumpkin before nap today.
Some know that I’m not a big Halloween fan. Delving into the history of it, turned me off. But, as are most things, it’s not about the ritual, it’s about my heart.

As we carved into the pumpkin and pulled that stringy, yucky stuff out, I got to share a cool analogy with Reece.

That’s what God does to us, through His son. He takes all that gunk and past history and yucky stuff that we have inside us, cleans it out, and puts His light inside us instead.

We just did the cleaning part this afternoon.
What a simple, but powerful reminder of the stuff He’s healed me from.

Tonight, I can’t wait to put the light inside and watch it glow. How grateful I am now to have that light. Man, I was no good on my own.
Lord, thank you for pumpkins, for an undeserved complete cleaning out, for your Son, and for your Light.
—
That makes for one happy pumpkin. – Sundee McDonald

Witches. Ghosts. Vampires.
Monsters. Masks. Nightmares.
Spiders. Snakes.
Needles. Blood. Guts. Guns.
Death.
Being alone. Crowds. Confined spaces.
Very high places.
Unidentified noises.
Flying monkeys.
The dark.

Just a few things people are afraid of.

Want to hear something truly terrifying?
Your child’s first trip to the dentist resulting in the discovery of 8 cavities. That’s 8. Eight. Ocho. 4+4. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
I guess we’ll be giving out floss this year along with our treats. ; )

With Halloween this weekend and lots of zombies, monsters, skeletons, and witches filling the stores, media, and people’s yards, this week’s verse is about being afraid.

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. Psalm 56:3

You’re going to have to personalize this one.
Reece is afraid of the dark, so I’ll be taping this one to the ceiling just above his bed. Another good spot is on the bottom half of the light switch or on their nightstand. We’ll be practicing it at night and anytime during the week he gets scared.

This week is a great opportunity to talk about the scary parts of Halloween, what’s real and what’s not, and how to work through fears. Encourage them to focus on what is real and true, and pray with your child during these scared moments. God is always with us, even in the dark when we can’t see anything, He can see us and is right there with us.

While some parts of Halloween are focused on death, God is focused on life. Oh how’s there’s life in Romans 6:11 this week:

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

I know it’s getting a little wordy and repetitive, but doesn’t that mean it’s important? Stick with it!

Think about how well you are cementing this point into your head and heart, and readying yourself to share this truth with others.
You are worth it. They are worth it. God thinks so!

Where candy is a tasty but useless snack to your body, God’s word is a tasty and fulfilling treat to your heart, mind, and soul.

I’m starting to truly understand how very sweet it is. Floss or no floss, you’ll never get any cavities from munching on it!

So, Superfoodies, fill up your treat sack with God’s word this week and indulge! – Sundee McDonald

Before we get started, as some of you know, Family Discussion Questions are included each day on the JointheJourney.com daily Bible reading plan. Many of you are already using the discussion questions, but we wanted to let you know that we are starting the book of John on Thursday, October 21. If you’re not reading along with the Journey, it is a great time to jump on board. Every day, you’ll receive 3 or 4 questions to guide you in talking with your family about the Scripture reading. If you don’t receive the emails, you can go to JointheJourney.com to sign up.

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What a difference a little perspective makes. I thought about that recently as I reflected on a recent trip to the park with the boys. It was a pretty typical day for our family really, but as I thought about the unexpected turns that my days typically take, I considered Philippians 2:5…and what my day would look like if I lived in light of those words. See if you can spot the difference.
The first truly cool, clear day of the year finally arrived after the brutal summer heat, so I took the boys to the park to enjoy the afternoon. I would have liked to have been out enjoying the weather earlier, but we had schoolwork we had to finish and were stuck at the table for hours til it was done. Once we made it through the unbelievable rigamarole of everyone getting their shoes on and finding their scooters and getting out of the house, we made our way down the street to the park. Fortunately it’s a pretty short walk, because my youngest son decided two minutes into it that he didn’t want his scooter after all, so of course I ended up carrying it the whole way. Typical. Being a mom of three young boys doesn’t usually lend itself towards me being “put together” a lot of the time, and wouldn’t you know that being unshowered and wearing my grungiest clothes would be the time that I ran into a woman who I’m just getting to know. I wonder if she thinks I slob out all the time. Finally we started the trek home, running into another woman, a neighbor who was very gracious and shared how excited she is to get to know us. I introduced myself and asked my normally friendly 3 year old to do the same, but he surprised me by making an ugly face at her and turning around to poutingly look at the wall behind him. Perfect. These are the days when I especially look forward to daddy getting home… which has to be later than usual tonight. Of course.

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The first truly cool, clear day of the year finally arrived after the brutal summer heat, so I took the boys to the park to enjoy the afternoon. What better treat than playtime at the park after working all morning together on school work? Homeschooling two days a week does have its challenges, but I’m grateful for the extra time I get with them, especially because I know these little years are flying by and will be gone before I know it. And there are little things now that could be frustrating if I let them… like spending 20 minutes just to round everyone up and find shoes for a quick outing. But given that millions of kids in the world don’t have the luxury of wearing shoes, I refuse to bemoan the few minutes it takes to sort through the many pairs mine have til the right ones are found and put on. It’s so nice having a park just a block down the street, and we hadn’t been there long when we ran into a woman I’ve been getting to know. I was definitely quite a mess, particularly since I’d been running alongside Sam as he learned to ride his new bike without training wheels. But I wouldn’t trade the moments I shared with Sam today for anything. And I love that living for Christ frees me from living for the approval of people. Not having to worry what others think of me is especially freeing when my three year old does things like behave rudely to the new neighbor we are meeting for the first time. This encounter reminded me that I have an important job to do in training him how to show love and respect to others… there isn’t a three year old on the planet who has mastered that. Good grief, I haven’t mastered that, which reminds me how grateful I am for God’s patience with me, not to mention grateful for the amazing man who is helping me in that journey. On days like today I appreciate him even more.

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Perspective is a choice. Attitude is a choice. Paul has these great exhortations in Philippians as to what our perspective and attitude should be, such as “Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus” (2:5)… and “Do everything without grumbling”(2:14)… and “Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS… I will say it again, rejoice!” (4:4) Every day we choose our responses to the world around us. And every day our children are watching us make those choices and are being shaped by those choices. This is what the Lord has been reminding me: choose wisely. — Sarah Stehlik

NEXT STEPS
Make it a family effort to memorize a Scripture verse that you can meditate on together, encourage each other with and pray into your family life. Besides the Philippians references above, here are a few other passages that might speak to your family in one way or another on this topic: Ephesians 4:22-24 or 4:29; Psalm 68:3 or 118:24; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:10-12.