Faithful Follower of Christ

The House Hunting Process Has Sort Of Officially Began

2009-05-11T19:25:00.001-07:00

Today the possibility of future house hunting sort of officially began. I turned my application in for a first time home buyer program that is available in my area. The next step is for me to take their home buyer class. Unfortunately they do not offer the next class until June 12th. My understanding is that I will receive a letter at the end of May if I am approved for the program.

There should not be any reason why I would not be approved. When I have completed the six hour class, I can then make an appointment with one of their staff if I still feel that buying a home is the right way to go for me. At the appointment they will then help me to determine how much of a home I can afford.

So this is all very good news, but I just wish that I didn't have to wait for an entire month to take the class. Ideally, I would just like to be able to find out more quickly if this possibility is really something that I am going to be able to do or not. Having a month or more to sit here and wonder about it is not my idea of fun at all. I'm not in a rush to buy, but just to know whether I would be able to or not.

I just keep reminding myself that God's favor surrounds me as a shield, and that He works all things out for my good because I am called according to His purpose. My faith is set that everything will happen at the perfect time, and that it will all go very smoothly, and that it will be evident that the Lord's hand was on the whole situation. Please join your faith together with mine if you would. Hallelujah!

Rejoice Before God--Rev. Mark Hankins Part Three

2009-05-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

I know some of you have been waiting to hear about Thursday night, the last night that Rev. Mark Hankins was here. Please accept my apologies in the delay in writing this post--with all of the late nights I was very short on sleep and so I needed some time to catch up!

Let me tell you, Thursday night did not disappoint! Many great things were shared, but the service really centered around the subject of rejoicing. The Bible speaks quite a bit about rejoicing, but this seems to be an area that many of us are lacking in.

Psalm 68:3 NKJV

But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.

When I think of someone rejoicing exceedingly I think of the people you see jumping up and down, hooting and hollering, and even dancing--all because their favorite football team just scored a touchdown. You don't see a lot of this kind of behavior in church, even though God makes it abundantly clear that He desires this. In Leviticus 23:40 God even commands the Israelites to rejoice before Him for seven whole days every year! We should not be any more free than we are in church.

King David was a good example of someone who was glad and rejoiced exceedingly before the Lord his God. 2 Samuel 6:14 tells us that David danced before the Lord with all of his might. This must have been some serious rejoicing, because his wife was offended and embarrassed by his behavior and she was quick to tell him so. She didn't think the King should act so undignified. He let her know that she hadn't seen anything yet--and as a side note there is a good lesson to be learned here about being critical of others. Michal was cursed by barrenness for the rest of her life because she dared to criticize a servant of the Lord. Yikes!

Rev. Mark Hankins mentioned a time when the Lord said to him, "If you only knew what happens in the spirit when you rejoice, you would rejoice everyday." What a powerful statement. Daily rejoicing would mean rejoicing when things don't seem to be going well. Rejoicing in the face of adversity is a strong act of faith that says "I believe God, and I know that He has the power to turn this situation around." It's that kind of faith that makes things happen and causes God to move on your behalf. The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God.

I want to encourage you to be glad and rejoice exceedingly before the Lord today, especially if you are facing something difficult! Hallelujah! God is good!

I'll close with one of my favorite "rejoice" scriptures.

Psalm 5:11 NKJV

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.

Praise the Lord!

You Cannot Have Fire On Your Head And Act Cool--Rev. Mark Hankins Part Two

2009-05-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

All I can say is wow! Tonight we had a great time in the Lord! I was laughing so hard my face hurts. You cannot talk about Rev. Mark Hankins without talking about how funny he is.

A couple funny quotes from tonight:

"If they run you out of town, just get out in front and make it look like a parade."

"If you could figure God out with your brain, we would all be disappointed because we all know how ignorant you are."

Referring to the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples with cloven tongues of fire Mark Hankins says, "You cannot have fire on your head and act cool."

Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV) says, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." In the Greek, this is literally saying to be "being filled." Why do we constantly need to be "being filled?" Mark Hankins says, "Because YOU leak! Look at you, some of you have been leaking all day! You have a permanent problem--a continous leaking drip!"

There was so much more that it would take me hours to write about, but alas, it is almost midnight and I have to get up early to take care of those babies tomorrow! God Bless you all!

The Blood of Jesus--Rev. Mark Hankins Part One

2009-05-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first night Rev. Mark Hankins was preaching at Living Word Christian Church. Wow, I came away with so much! I am very eagerly anticipating the next two nights! As I said in my previous post, I will be coming home each night and posting about the meeting. There is no possible way I can share with you everything that happens in a three hour meeting, so I will share the thing or things that stood out to me most.

As always, we start our services with praise and worship. I love praise and worship. To me, there is nothing like entering into the presence of God during corporate praise and worship! After our first praise and worship, Rev. Mark Hankin's wife Trina got up and sang of couple of songs, and then we had some more praise and worship! Good stuff I tell ya!

Then, I was excited to find out that the next three nights Rev. Mark Hankins is going to be preaching on the Blood of Jesus! Hallelujah! Unfortunately, so many churches have been issuing statements that they are no longer going to be preaching about the Blood, singing about the Blood, or mentioning the Blood at all. They don't want to offend anyone by talking about the Blood. But the Bible says that without the shedding of Blood there is no remission of sin!

Hebrews 9:22 (NKJV)
²² And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

The Blood of Jesus is more precious than silver or gold. It was the perfect sacrifice that paid the price once and for all. It is through the Blood of Jesus that we are able to enter into the Holiest--the very presence of God.

Hebrews 10:19-22 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

When the Blood of Jesus is applied, we receive boldness to enter the Holiest. This is for every single believer. Under the old covenant, only one could enter in to where the presence of God was, and that was the high priest--and according to Rev. Mark Hankins he did it scared! In case anyone is unfamiliar with what I am referring to, I will give a brief explanation. Before the new covenant was made in the Blood of Jesus, people were under the Law, or the old covenant. This covenant required that each year the people of Israel (worshippers) would come to the temple and a lamb would be sacrificed for their sins. The lamb had to be perfect, without blemish, or without spot. The priest would examine every single inch of that lamb to make sure that it was free of disease and without defect in any way. The high priest would then slay the lamb, and collect every drop of that lambs blood to take it into the innermost part of the tabernacle where the ark was kept and where the presence of God was. He would then offer that blood on the mercy seat for his sins and for the sins of all the people (worshippers). Because God cannot be in the presence of sin, if the priest did anything wrong, he would drop dead. They would actually walk in with a rope tied around their ankle in case this happened! The Bible says that this practice was only a shadow of the good things to come.

Hebrews 10:1-5 (NKJV)¹ For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. ² For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. ³ But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴ For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

This passage shows that if the animal sacrifice was perfect and complete, then the worshippers would have no more consciousness of sins or in other words, they would have had no more guilty feeling. But these sacrifices were only a continual reminder of their guilt, because it is not possible for the blood of animals to take away sins or sin consciousness.

We have a better covenant, but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at some Christians! Why? Because they don't know how to apply the Blood of Jesus. When the Blood of Jesus is applied, it brings boldness (check Hebrews 10:19 again) because it is a perfect sacrifice that takes away the sin and the sin consciousness. The Father wants us to be rid of this sin consciousness, because people who feel guilty do not feel worthy, and they do not come boldly to His throne to receive mercy and grace to help in time of need. Above all things, the Father wants to have fellowship with us, He in fact wants it more than we do.

What stood out to me the most tonight was when Rev. Mark Hankins pointed out that during the times under the Law when the worshippers approached and the sacrifice was made, it was not they who were examined. It was the sacrifice that was examined.

When we approach the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus, it is not we who are examined, but the sacrifice. The perfect sacrifice of the Blood of Jesus.

Approach boldly my brothers and sisters in Christ!

Mark Hankins At Living Word Starts Tonight!

2009-05-05T15:44:00.001-07:00

I am so super excited because it's the first night of the next three that Mark Hankins will be preaching at Living Word Christian Church! Check here for more info!

This is probably one of the shortest posts in all blogging history, but I just wanted to give you all a heads-up that I am planning on coming back tonight and writing a post about the service. I am actually planning to post about the service Wednesday and Thursday night also--so check back for updates!

This is definitely going to be an exciting time in God's Word. I am expecting to get blessed, especially with all of the opportunities to get offended that have been presenting themselves recently! Please pray for the services these next few nights if you get a chance!

Worship and Prayer Life

2009-05-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

What is your worship and prayer life like?

Mine could use some improvement. Okay, a lot of improvement. There I said it.

Getting down on my knees is the first thing I do every morning, however, usually it's for less than a minute. I don't know why I have this problem--it absolutely doesn't make any sense to me because I really enjoy worship and prayer. I have experienced some very real and specific results to prayer, especially when praying for the church service.

One time I thanked God that His miracle working power was present in the service. Towards the end of praise and worship, one of the elders stood up and said he felt the Lord say that His miracle working power was present in the service. He said it exactly as I had prayed it, word for word.

Another time I prayed referencing Isaiah 10:27.

It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder,
And his yoke from your neck,
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

I thanked God that He was the God that didn't just break yokes, but destroyed them, and that that He would deliver people during that service, and destroy yokes of bondage in their lives. That same service a church member came to the front and prophesied that very verse, and then prayed with people when the service was over.

Please don't misunderstand me and think I am saying these things happened because of what I did. It wasn't me, but the Lord. I'm simply pointing out that even though I have seen the hand of God move as a result of prayer, I still struggle to make time to pray. This is not logical.

I've taken all kinds of measures to help myself increase in my prayer life. I've read books on prayer, made my own prayer binder, and even joined my pastor's prayer team. None of these things have helped that much. I suspect I need to grow in DISCIPLINE. Okay, I know I need to grow in discipline, but I am thinking that if I could just grow in discipline in this area, then the other areas might not be quite so difficult.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Rebukes?

Friday Photo Flashback

2009-04-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

This week I have decided to participate in Friday Photo Flashback over at Alicia's blog. This photo was taken during our summer school Spanish class party. I am not exactly sure how old I am in this picture but I would guess somewhere between eight and ten. If I remember correctly, my mom actually got the dress I am wearing from Mexico when she was on her honeymoon. What is interesting to me is how blue my eyes were. They are now very green. I wish I still had that platinum hair!

In Need of Jesus--April's Blog is The New Blog of The Week

2009-04-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Now entering week three of the New Blog of The Week! I hope you all are enjoying this feature and that you are finding some new interesting blogs to subscribe to. This week I am excited to feature April's Blog!

Here is what I like about April's blog:

The header of course! We are all In Need of Jesus!
The overall blog design is really fabulous. It is clean and neatly organized.
The blog theme colors really go together nicely.

Here is what I have learned about April:

She can make something useful out of anything.
She hearts blog comments. You should go leave her some!
I love her candid writing style. She is real.
She has battled major depression and anxiety and she is not ashamed to share her experiences with it here, here, and here. She is a fighter.
She loves the Lord, and purposes to be thankful.

Okay, so you know the drill. Go check out her blog and don't forget to leave her some comments, then come on back over here and leave some more comments! Don't forget to let her know that you found her blog through this feature!

My Day--The Bad, The Good, The Tough Parental Issues, and The Possibilities

2009-04-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. Aside from the fact that I couldn't find my keys this morning and was subsequently five minutes late for work. I despise being late. Being late makes me feel all rushed and panicky.

The infant room went smoothly today. I love my job. Sure, there are stressful moments, but how cool is it that I work with eight babies who all love me and want to snuggle me all the time?! It's a little hard when they all want to snuggle at once, but we make do. I also work with some pretty cool people. Not that any of us is perfect, but overall we have a pretty good work environment. I get two ten minute breaks and one half hour break per day. I know this sounds like what everyone gets, but that is because I didn't mention yet that all of my breaks are PAID. Praise the Lord!

After work I came home and took a nearly two hour nap. It was fabulous. You should try it sometime.

After said nap, I woke up and had cereal and pop-tarts for supper. Really I was supposed to fast because I was having an appointment with my pastor and we are encouraged to fast so that we can be more spiritually receptive. I should have fasted lunch instead. I decided that I was so hungry that I was afraid that I would be way to distracted by hunger to concentrate on what Pastor Clements was saying. I reasoned that what I was meeting with him about was more of a practical issue than a spiritual one anyway. It's way too easy to reason ourselves out of doing things we should do but don't really feel like doing, don't you think?

My appointment with Pastor was great. I talked with him about two different things.

First, my son has been asking about his father quite a bit recently. I have no contact with his father, and recently found out that he is in prison again in a different state for a drug offense. To be honest, much of the time I am glad that his father is not at all involved in his life. I feel badly saying that, but without going into detail, his father just isn't a good role model at all. I do not hate his father, and I sincerely hope that one day he gets his life together. Ian has been asking questions about when he will see him, if it will be while he is still a kid or not until he is an adult, and if I will take him to see him. It is hard to know how to best answer his questions. He does not know that his dad is in prison. I have told him that his father had a difficult life growing up, and that I thought he just really didn't know how to be a father, but that he has a Heavenly Father who will never leave him or forsake him.

Pastor had some good things to share with me. He said to simply and carefully tell Ian that his father moved away, lives in another state, and that he is not a part of my life and that I do not have any contact with him. Also that I do not know when he will be able to see his father, but that it would probably be when he is an adult, and at that point we could possibly try to locate him. Pastor also encouraged me to have him in a lot of team sports and other activities where he can play with other boys and have interaction with coaches. When he is a little older he can attend the Men's Breakfast and workdays at church. He shared with me that he still remembers those kinds of significant male figures from his own life and that they had a great impact on him when his father was a traveling businessman. This was encouraging because Pastor Clements is one of the men that I respect and admire most.

We also talked about the possibility of me buying a house. Originally my plan was to pay all of my debt off and then look at buying a house next year. With the market conditions, the federal incentive, and other local options for first time home buyer assistance available to me I thought it might be a good idea to look at getting a house this year and paying my student loan off next year. This sounds like a very wise thing to me, but I also know that sometimes when you really want to do something--and it's a BIG something--it's just a good idea to ask someone who might tell you that you shouldn't do it. He said to first find out if I would be approved for everything and how much I would be approved for, then I can go back and talk to him again. Yay! I have been waiting to do anything until I talked to him about this because I wanted a little assurance from an objective point of view that this might be a good idea and not a bad one. Keep checking back for updates on the house hunting situation!

All in all, today was a good day!

Mark Hankins Coming to Living Word Christian Church

2009-04-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

The countdown begins. Only one week until world renowned minister Mark Hankins and his wife Trina come to LWCC! I am so excited I can hardly wait. They will be here from next Tuesday, May 5th through Thursday, May 7th. The services each night start at 7:00, and anyone reading this is invited to come. The Hankins' came last year and it was a powerful time in the Word of God!

From the "About Us" section of their website:

Mark and Trina Hankins travel nationally and internationally preaching the Word of God with the power of the Holy Spirit. Their message centers on the spirit of faith, who the believer is in Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit with joy.

Mark Hankins' daily radio program, "Taking Your Place in Christ" is heard across the United States. It is also made available internationally, via the internet. He is the author of nine books: Let the Good Times Roll, Revolutionary Revelation, The Spirit of Faith, Taking Your Place In Christ, The Power of Identification with Christ, Spirit-Filled Study Guide, Never Run At Your Giant With Your Mouth Shut, Acknowledging Every Good Thing That Is In You In Christ, and 11:23 - The Language of Faith.

Trina is an anointed praise and worship leader and recording artist. She has recorded two albums: A Place by the Father and Be It unto Me.

Believe me when I say that you do not want to miss this!

Christian Blogs

2009-04-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

I just came across this site titled "My Christian Blogs." If you write a Christian-based blog or enjoy reading Christian blogs, you should definitely check it out here.

The benefit to readers is the ability to find a lot of great Christian blogs to check out in one place. The benefit to Christian bloggers is that it is a simple process to get your blog listed. Click here to find out how. Hurry and do it soon because Tony is only leaving this window of opportunity open for a short time, and you don't want to miss out on the big summer kick-off he is planning!

Remembering The Gift of Pastor

2009-04-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I do not love my pastor more than I love Jesus. I do not exalt him, however, I do esteem him highly in love for his work's sake.

^{1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (AMP)}
¹²Now also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]--your leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you.
¹³And hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.

I have to give this disclaimer whenever I talk about Pastor Clements because I really love and appreciate him (or rather, the gift of God in him) but I do not want people to get the wrong idea. It's a hard thing to explain, but when you spend most of your life without someone who is called by God to lead and shepherd you, and then suddenly you are supernaturally hooked up with someone who is--well, there are not a whole lot of things you appreciate more. For those of you who grew up in a strong church with a strong leader--let me assure you, you don't want to know what it's like without one. Sadly, many pastors in America today go unappreciated. My pastor shared some statistics with us this morning and I wanted to pass them on to you. He had several sources, but I am just going to use one I found from Schaeffer Institute to give you an idea.

Over 70% of pastors are so stressed out and burned out that they regularly consider leaving the ministry.
Thirty-five to forty percent actually do leave the ministry--most after only five years.
77% of the pastors surveyed felt they did not have a good marriage.
71% stated they were burned out, and they battle depression beyond fatigue on a weekly and even a daily basis.

Some research this same site got from Barna, Focus on the Family, and Fuller Seminary includes:

Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
Fifty percent of pastors' marriages will end in divorce.
Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.

A few other interesting facts:

The average insurance costs to churches for dealing with mental breakdowns with clergy is four percent higher than any secular industry.
90% of pastors work more than 50 hours per week.
One out of three pastors state that being in the ministry is clearly hazardous for their families.

This is really unfortunate America! In my opinion, a large contributing factor to this problem is that most people are ignorant of their pastors position and role in their life, and what their pastor's job really is (and really isn't). Let's look at a few things the Bible says. You know, the church's reference book that tells us what God's plan is.

Jeremiah 3:15, "And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding."
Jeremiah 23:4, "'I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,' says the Lord."
Ephesians 4:11-12, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,"
2 Timothy 4:2 (AMP), "Herald and preach the Word! Keep your sense of urgency [stand by, be at hand and ready], whether the opportunity seems to be favorable or unfavorable. [Whether it is convenient or inconvenient, whether it is welcome or unwelcome, you as preacher of the Word are to show people in what way their lives are wrong.] And convince them, rebuking and correcting, warning and urging and encouraging them, being unflagging and inexhaustible in patience and teaching.

I don't know about you, but it sounds to me like a pastor's primary job is teaching the Word of God. That last scripture is one of my favorites. Show people in what ways their lives are wrong? Rebuking and correcting? Whoa! I could be wrong, but it seems to me that maybe if more people related to their pastors in light of these scriptures, that maybe the pastors of America would not be so frustrated and facing so much burnout. As a side note, there isn't much point in following a leader if you won't ever let them correct you. How can they help you in life if you won't receive their counsel and you are just going to do whatever you want anyway?

Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."

If you haven't done anything recently, I want to encourage you to do something to show appreciation to your pastor. Do something to help your pastor's job be one of joy and not of grief. It doesn't have to be anything big--maybe just a thank you card with an encouraging scripture. You could also do something to be a blessing to his family. Tell his wife that you appreciate her. This post was primarily about pastors, but pastor's wives and children also deal with a lot.

If you regularly do things to show appreciation to your pastor, what kinds of things do you do? Is there anything that your church does in October for Clergy Appreciation Month? Do you honor your pastor at birthdays and anniversaries? What other ideas do you have? Please leave a comment below! As always, I appreciate and anticipate hearing from you!

Dave Ramsey's Town Hall For Hope Live Event--Fear is The Enemy of Hope

2009-04-24T19:07:00.000-07:00

Dave Ramsey's Town Hall For Hope Live Event was super-duperriffic! Some of my favorite Dave Ramsey quotes from the event are:

Your raise is effective when you are (told to a commissioned employee who asked for a base rate raise)!
You can be sincere, but still be stupid.
Most millionaires can't tell you who got kicked off the island last night!
Work like it all depends on you, and pray like it all depends on God.

For those of you who think this is the worst recession since the Great Depression--you might not be so convinced of that after you check these stats. We need to stop listening to everything the media tells us. The media gets us all hyped up about all sorts of things, and has Americans living in a perpetual state of fear about almost everything. We don't exactly do our best thinking when we are in a highly emotional state (like panic) do we? Fear does serve a purpose in certain life and death situations, but as a lifestyle it is nothing but debilitating. Like Dave says, "Fear is the enemy of hope."

If you did not attend this event, then I highly recommend you check out some more info from it here. Don't forget to come back and comment about what you gained from it! Of course, if you did attend the event, you are also welcome to leave comments. As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

New Blog of The Week

2009-04-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the second week of The New Blog of The Week! I am so super excited about this feature, and I really hope that you all enjoy checking out these featured blogs. Don't forget to leave comments on this post and on the featured blog to let us know what you think!

This week's featured blog is Just Doing My Best by Heather!

Here is what I liked about Just Doing My Best:

The blog design is nice. It is simple, clean, and easy to read. It is not too cluttered.
Hello, it's GREEN! I really like the color of the background!
There is a lot of content. Heather posts regularly, which is definitely a plus!
The money-saving advice. Frugality is the new black!

Here is what I learned about Heather:

She made a really cool Coupon Binder.
She rocks a frugal lifestyle!
She has her own way of featuring other blogs that she calls Sunday Spotlight. I'm kind of jealous of the title she thought of. I tried to think of something cool like that for this feature. :)
She has a really great way of boiling the perfect egg. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have ever known about this unless I read it on her blog.
I might have to try these Lemon Cheese Bars for my church's upcoming Spring Fellowship.
She has cool ideas about how to engage your kids in conversation here and here.
I am looking forward to future installments in her Frugal Family Fun Series.
Last but not least, she also does guest posts for Happy To Be At Home.

Go check out Heather's blog, leave her a comment so she knows you found her blog through Faithful Follower of Christ, and stop back to leave comments about what you liked about Just Doing My Best! Also, don't forget to recommend any blogs you think would work for this feature! Check here to see the requirements!

Wordless Wednesday--Funny Face

2009-04-22T04:48:00.001-07:00

She used to make this face whenever you would. It was soooo cute! For more Wordless Wednesday posts, click here.

When Your Nine Year Old Steals From You

2009-04-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

What do you do? I'm trying not to overreact. I'm reminding myself that kids do this kind of stuff and that the moral compass of a nine year old is just quite a bit different than an adult. For some reason or another, dishonesty doesn't seem to be a very big deal to kids. They lie to avoid consequences quite frequently. I know I did a lot of dishonest things when I was a kid that I now consider abhorrent and would never consider doing now.

Yesterday, my son who is generally a very good kid, stole five dollars from my wallet. Before I realized the money was missing he told me he had received five dollars from a friend for allowing him to ride his bike to the store. I thought this was strange, but dismissed it. A few minutes later, I looked in my wallet, and lo and behold, a five dollar bill is missing.

This particular missing five dollar bill had been wrapped in the middle of two one dollar bills. I mention this to Ian, and he immediately states that he did not take it. I begin to reason with him, stating that he was the only other person in the house. He tells me that he learned his lesson a long time ago when he had taken money out of my coat pocket before. This must have been a very long time ago because I don't even remember it. I ask to see his five dollar bill, and show him how the fold lines match exactly with the two one dollar bills.

Operation stare-down begins.

Ian: "Mom, why are you staring at me?"

Me: Stare.

Ian: "MOM, why are you STARING at me?!"

Me: "Because I want you to tell me the truth."

He cracks and confesses to taking the money. When asked what he was thinking and why he did it, he says he wasn't thinking and that the thought just popped into his head to do it. He asks for forgiveness. I tell him I forgive him but that I am very disappointed in him. I explain to him that he was experiencing temptation and that we need to resist temptation to do wrong.

Subsequent to receiving discipline I show him how to use a Strong's Concordance. He is now in the process of writing out every single scripture containing the words liar, lying, thief, thieves, steal, and stealing. When he is done with that he'll also be covering the words honesty and truth. Oh, and because in the world you get a big ticket for theft, he has also been fined the ten dollars commission that he was to receive today.

Dealing with this is a challenge for me. General misbehavior is one thing, but dishonesty leads to a break in trust--and that is quite another thing. I know these consequences are tough, but I want to get through to him so that we hopefully never have to deal with this again. I want him to understand what a valuable thing trust is, how easily it is broken, and how hard it is to get back.

Thankfully, he seems to be really feeling the effects of these consequences. Most importantly, in a way that has caused him to realize that he was wrong, but that he is not a horrible person. He is understanding that he made a big mistake that he does not want to make again. I think this is important to mention because so often as parents we are tempted to make our children feel as guilty as possible because we want to know they are taking whatever they are being corrected about seriously. This is not how our Heavenly Father deals with us and it is not how we should deal with our children.

¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16 (NKJV)

Our Heavenly Father is merciful, quick to forgive, and understands our weaknesses. He knows that we are not perfect. This is how we should be towards our children. If we make them feel guilty and condemned, they will not feel comfortable to come to us for help when they need it. They need tough consequences combined with the knowledge that we don't love them any less than before, and that we will do whatever it takes to help them not to make the same mistakes.

Have you dealt with this or any other similar situation with your children before? If so, what did you do about it? Was it effective? Would you have done anything differently in hindsight? I am interested in hearing your experiences and thoughts on this.

New Old Treasure

2009-04-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

I spent Easter Sunday at my dad's house. While I was there, he showed me several antique things that he and his wife Peg had picked up at estate sales over time. This old New Testament Bible was one of them. They also had a complete Bible from 1865 that looked like something a Civil War soldier would have carried! It's not pictured here, but this particular bible was written in. I belonged to Frankie Forbes and was a Christmas gift to him from Miss Kneeland in 1875. At some point in his life, he apparently resided at 122 Wabash Avenue, and then 216 Igdin Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. I don't know about you, but I think old things are kind of cool. I liked it so much my dad and his wife graciously offered this one to me as a gift.

Out With The Old, In With The New

2009-04-17T14:58:00.001-07:00

Here goes the old....

And here comes the new...

This is obviously a significant improvement. I'm not a fan of floral prints, but I actually like this couch. The fabric is super soft and feels like jersey knit sheets. The best part? It was FREE! That's right, you heard me--FREE! My mom found it for me on Freecycle. Thanks mom! It's kind of nice having a mom who is retired and spends a lot of time working at her computer (she sells vintage Fisher Price toys on Ebay). The Freecycle email came in, and my mom was able to claim this immediately! Woo Hoo! If you have never heard of Freecycle, you should definitely go check it out. A brief description from the Freecycle website:

Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,726 groups with 6,622,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box above or by clicking on “Browse Groups” above the search box. Have fun!

How cool is that?! Go check it out and find out if there is a group near you. Stop back and leave a comment if you find or are able to get rid of any cool stuff. Oh yeah, and getting quality recycled stuff for FREE is a Finer Thing if you ask me!

New Blog of The Week

2009-04-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have heard about my idea to find new and somewhat "undiscovered" blogs and feature one each week. I have a couple of main reasons for doing this.

I am a new blogger and I know how fun it is to have new people visit my blog and gain some new readers.
I like the idea of featuring one blog because it gives a reader the opportunity to really take their time and explore it thoroughly. Participating in memes and commenting on other blogger's posts is a great way to find new blogs and simultaneously be found by others, but I find myself rushing at times because I am trying to get around to all of the blogs in the meme. I do actually read each post that I go to and comment on, but I don't necessarily spend much time viewing the rest of the blog and really getting to know what it's all about. Oh come on, you know you've done it too!

Before I get to the featured New Blog of The Week, I should also share some of my criteria with you.

It has to be a relatively new blog or at least one with smaller readership numbers.
It must be family friendly. You won't find "21 Ways to Get Enbriated" featured here.
Most importantly, it absolutely must be well written. I think you can make almost any subject interesting if it is written well!
Finally, there should be a history of regular postings. They don't have to be daily, but regular enough that there will be something new to read at least a few times per week.

Finding a blog that meets this criteria has been a little more difficult than I originally anticipated, and I really hope that I will be able to continue this on a weekly basis. If any of you know of some new blogs that you would like to recommend, please do so and I will definitely consider them!

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for.

The New Blog of The Week is...

What I like about Rachel's Ramblings

The blog design is clean and easy on the eyes. I seem to really like dark backgrounds with light text.
There are lots of pictures included in the posts and they are good pictures. Plain text all of the time is visually boring, boring, BORING! Did I mention it's boring?
The post titles are catchy and interesting.
The posts themselves are very well written, easy to understand, and interesting.

What I have learned about Rachel

She is first and foremost a daughter of God.
She takes great pleasure in the simple things in life.
She recently celebrated a birthday. The toe injury looks like it hurt.
She cooks, sometimes a whole lot at one time, and I'm really hoping she posts the recipe to this Chocolate Cherry Pie.
She is a Missionary Kid.
Her husband's name is Philip and she absolutely adores him.
They have three boys--Matthew, Daniel, and Thomas.
Daniel is the family comedian and he is hysterical!
The chore list she created for the boys rocks.
The family will be moving some time this summer to Wake Forest, NC so that Phil can get his Masters from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

I spent a lot of time on this blog before finishing this post, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did! Please check it out, and make sure to leave Rachel some comments and let her know you found her blog through this feature! Don't forget to follow her if you like her blog.

Wordless Wednesday--Nap Time

2009-04-14T20:16:00.001-07:00

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5MinutesForMom's Wordless Wednesday post here.

Spaghetti Bake

2009-04-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite quick and easy recipes. My parents used to make this for dinner, and I have childhood memories of my sister and I helping by grating the cheese.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (minimum--you may want another 1/2-1 pound)
8 oz grated mozzarella cheese
8 oz grated mild cheddar
1 box of spaghetti
1 large jar spaghetti sauce

Preheat your oven to 400°. Next brown the hamburger while boiling the noodles. Drain the noodles, then put them back in the pan you boiled them in and add the spaghetti sauce. Mix well, then pour into a 11 x 13 inch dish. Sprinkle the ground beef over the top, then the cheese. Put in the oven for about 15 minutes or just until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Signs For Christ

2009-04-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken yesterday. It inspires me. The Welch Motel is located basically just around the corner of my house in La Crosse, WI. I drive by it everyday on my way to work. Every Christmas and Easter their sign spreads the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They rock.

On another note, I think I may have found a "new" blog to do as a feature on this blog. I would like to do one every week, but so far it has been harder to locate good "undiscovered" blogs than I anticipated. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know and I will consider them. I would like blogs that do not have a very large readership as far as you can tell, but are interesting, and that post on a regular basis.

Here In The Death of Christ I Live

2009-04-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

We sang this in church this morning. The name of the song is "In Christ Alone." I couldn't think of anything more perfect for Resurrection Sunday. God Bless you all. The video is scenes from the Passion of The Christ movie.

Photo Story Friday

2009-04-10T03:40:00.000-07:00

This is baby Katie. This happened minutes before her mom picked her up, so I just had to leave her there for mom to see. Mom immediately went back to the car to grab her Blackberry to take these photos, and so graciously emailed them to me and permitted me to post them here.

Too cute for words!

She was sleeping so soundly it took mom quite a bit of coaxing to wake her!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Bad Debt is Going, Going, GONE!

2009-04-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah, everybody praise the Lord with me! As of yesterday, my bad debt is a BIG FAT ZERO DOLLARS! I now have just my student loan left, which is about $4800.00.

Jumping up and down, jumping up and down, jumping up and down shout Hosanna--HOSANNA!

That last line comes from a children's song some of you may not be familiar with. Not so random fact: "Hosanna," literally means, "glory to the God who saves us."

It is such a great feeling to have no debt besides my small student loan. Because my money is no longer going towards payments to the Debt Demon, I was even able to buy myself a few needed clothing items and Ian a new pair of shoes. As you can see from the photo of his old shoes below, he desperately needed some!

For those of you who would like to more about how I ditched over $5000.00 in debt in just over three months, check out my Dave Ramsey Rocks My Socks Off! post.

My next financial goal is most likely going to be to buy a house! Originally I planned to pay off all of my debt including the student loan before purchasing a house, but with the current market and federal government incentive to first time home buyers, I very well may decide to buy a house before paying the student loan. My interest on the student loan is only 3.96%, so it's not as if it is costing me that much.

Please leave comments and let me know if you think I should look into buying a house or paying the student loan off first, and give me any tips you may have about looking for homes! I look forward to hearing from you!