Raising kids or cows?

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he shall not depart from it"(Proverbs 22:6).

   God has honored mothers with the blessed privilege of being the daily trainer of their young children. He did not place this responsibility in Grandmas hands or with good friends, teachers, or babysitters. That does not mean that the others may not have to raise someone other than their own children. All of us mothers will stand before God one day and give an cccount of how we trained our children. To love our children is to devote ourselves fully to their training. If we fail here, we fail as a help meet. Husbands go away to work and leave their young children in our care. They trust us to train them up to be all that they can be. If we fail our children, we fail our husband, and we fail God.
   Some of the new commercial translations say, "Discipline up a child in the way he should go..." We will not put that text in bold because it does not deserve status as Scripture. Only someone who knows little about God and the Hebrew language and even less about children would trtanslate what God said in such a way. God said "train up,", not discipline up. The Hebrew word translated "train up" appears only four other times, and each time it is translated "dedicate." Parents train up their children by dedicating themselves, their time, and their children to that which God desires for them to become as an adult. That is not discipline; it is a commission from God to train them as a full-time occupation. Training up a child means showing them how to; make corn tortillas, pedal a bicycle, make up a bed, put toys away, cook for forty people in one hour, read, demonstrate respect for others, and a thousand other wonderful things. For a mother who loves her children, training is not a chore, it is a full-time consuming passion. They are worth every minute of time and trouble to every "dedicated" mother.
   Little Esther is only 5 years old. She is quite confident and competent in setting the table or folding the clothes. She knows the difference between the applications of cabbage and lettuce, because when she helps to make salad and slaw, her mother discusses the whys and wherefores of all that they are doing. When she is asked to wash the broccoli and cauliflower she knows the hows and whys, because mama has taken the time to explain in short sentences.
   Esther helps fold the clothes and put them away.
she knows all her colors, because from the earliest age she has helped separate dirty clothes into different color piles.  When Esther takes a book off the shelf, she chooses carefully, because she wants books that have words she can read. She can read many words, not because she has been officially schooled, but her her mother has always taken time to read to her, occasionally stopping to point out words and how to say them. All this has been fun.
 When Esther starts school she will alaready know how to read many words. Therefore, learning will not be a tense, fearful exercise but only a continuatin of her first five years of informal teaching. Her mother spends all day stimulating her developing mind with intriguing ideas.
   Esthers mother has 10 chldren, you may not, yet she is not to busy for Esther or her younger brother. Many little children are not so blessed as Esther. Some mothers treat their children as I treat my cows. I make sure they have good things to eat, clean water, and a place to exercise. If they show any signs of sickness, I attend tothem immediately.   
   This is good for cows, but i fyou raise kids like that, you're going to have a brood of little dummies.   
   Unlike your care for the cows, the training of your children is the deepest expression of your love for them.
Mothers, PLEASE don't take all of this and belittle yourself, because yo don't DO exactly as this mother did, but, take what God would have you do, PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, and listen to the Holy spirit whisper in your ear as to how to apply this.

"The woman who invests in a childs life will be the one the child loves and with whom the child bonds."


Love to all who read...
~~~TERRI~~~~~

Annie Johnson Flint Poem....

Another Poem from Annie Johnson Flint...enjoy!!!!

http://www.homemakerscorner.com/ajf-clasp.htm

The Kingdom that tuurned the world upside down....

Obedience...
During WW11, the US government rationed a large number of items. Rubber was the first to be rationed. Gas soon followed. Before long, the government began rationing sugar, coffee, meats, butter, canned goods,dry peas and beans, and a variety of other things. Eventyally, the government rationed or restricted even such items as shoes and clothing.
   Now, what would people have thought of a person who claimed to be a zealous patriot if we were caught stealing gas from a local refinery so that he wouldn't have to endure the inconvenience of wartime gas rationing? What if the same person broke numerous other wartime laws?  
Would anyone have called him a true patriot? They would have called him a hypocrite, a fraud, and even a traitor.
   Its no difference in Christs Kingdom.  Jesus has issued various laws and commandments, and all of His laws are wartime laws.  When we break His laws, we show ourselves to be traitors. We show that we have no real love for our new country. We want to enjoy the benefits of living under His government, but we dont want to incur any inconveniences. Jesus sees right through any fake patriotism for His Kingdom, any artificial love for Him.

More tomorrow....
LOVE to all who read...
~~~TERRI!!~~~

The Jesus Way.......Annie Johnson Flint

This is a link to the  Annie Johnson Flint Poem,
"The Jesus Way"..
Hope you enjoy it...

http://www.homemakerscorner.com/ajf-jesusway.htm

Seeking something higher than God......................

Dear Mr Pearl....
I am a busy mother whose children go to a Christian school. I am realizing that without another close female in my life who could share house duties, it is harder on me than it should be. I meet with 2 prayer groups each week and have them pray for me and my family by name. My biggest need is for help  physically in caring for the house work and someone to sit in quiet worship with me. I need at least 4 hours per week of meditation time & self- actualization time. It is 4 am now and i'm up writing my friends to ask for prayer and see if they know of any girls with 5 children of their own who might be as stressed as I am. I am frustrated because of my culture and my isolation from regular and close fellowship with wise women. I have a heart desire to change my current lifestyle and to live a rich, full, and meaningful life, and I am motivated so because I want the best for God. I trust you will send me some good advice.
Love in Him...
T.P.


Dear sister T.P.;
  Your divine calling is to serve your family. True worship of God is not dependent upon other people or special circumstances, nor does it require a time of meditation. The Spirit of God is present when you wash the dishes or pick up(for the 40th time), the dirty clothes, and he is there while you  prepare meals for your family in the evening, or while you wipe a snotty nose... God never intended for you to have intimacy with another woman, whether in worship or otherwise. Stimulating your own inner feelings in the name of worship is selfish, approaching idolatry. Your seeking of "self-actualization" in the name of spiritiality is a mixture of foolish psychology and emotional insecurity.
   You are part of a trend sweeping through church womens circles--a pursuit of intimacy and deep feelings apart from your husband. This inner-stimulation is what my husband calls"spiritual masturbation". It has nothing to do with the God of The Bible. It is Spiritually more akin to Eastern Mystic meditation. when  your spirituality competes with your service to others(especially your husband and family), it is just that---"your spirituality". Jesus said to Peter,"do you love me"...then "feed my sheep". God does not call women to be mountain-top gurus or to seek someone out for their personal benefit. He commands them to be "keepers at home", to "obey their husbands," to "render due benevolence(make love to him)," and "reverence" him. Remember that the sin of Eve was to seek deeper understanding and to be like the gods. Independent of her husband, she thought to go deeper. Her ambition was personal spiritual fulfillment. Which is the most selfish drive that can possess a person and the easiest to justify, humanly speaking. It is that foundation of all sin and rebellion.
   Learn to read the Scriptures just a few minutes per day or here and there throughout the day, and meditate on what you read as you work. Sing unto the Lord. Dont allow the "lonely womens club" menatlity to sweep over you and away from your role as a wife and mother. Your time at church and prayer meeting is sufficient enough time with other women. Focus on your life and your life at home for your husband  and children
   There is grave danger in becoming emotionally dependent on other women. Too many times I have seen this lead to something abnormal and sick. Your husband and God should be the ones to whom you turn for emotional support and intimacy. Women who seek higher spirituality end up feeling and acting spiritually superior to their husbands and others in the church, and its a death knell to a healthy, marriage  .Spend that "desired" spiritual time with your husband, where real growth and maturity can and will be found.
   Seek to serve your family by tying your little ones shoelaces, reading a book to your toddler, telling a simple bible story to the whole gang, and making sweet love with your husband. these are the things that God counts as important in knowing and loving him.

Love to you..Debi

   "A wise woman never expects anyone to serve her, and is therefore never dissappointed. She is ready to help, always the giver. By her example, her children learn to cheerfully and energetically serve."

Love to all who read.
~~~TERRI~~~

Who are you?

Just some thoughts from Grandma......
   What is in your heart?
    Are you trying to become like Jesus, or just pretending?  Does his very  heart touch yours? Do you keep it in the back of your mind that , "This is just the way I am"?  Do you make excuses for how you act? Do you treat others the way Jesus taught or the way you want? Do you think life "owes" you? Do you believe in the "saving" power of Jesus, or do you want to stay where you are? 
   Are you yearning to be more "CHRIST LIKE"???? That is what the word Christian means, not to stay where you are, but, want to change and be more like HIM!!
   In the next few years, perrilous times are coming, will you be ready Spiritually?

Love to all who read....
~~~~^^^TERRI^^^~~~~

I dont wanna be like MaMa...................

     I would like to share my story with you...It is simple but probably common, and it needs telling. When I was a child, I was always aware that my mom was distrustful of my dad. If one of us children did a bad thing, she was quick to deal with us,"so Daddy will not whip you too hard,"  If Dad was giong out to buy something, she would worry outloud that "he will be foolish in how he spends his money." When he got laid off, I remember her saying over and over,"I guess I need to learn to trade. Someone in this house has to work." I cannot fault her in any area of motherhood. She kept us fed, clothed, and warm. But when I think of my mother, I think of a worried, fretful, woman who was always ticked off at Dad. Our Home was tense. I have a few memories of her smiling. I cannot remember a time when she sat on Dads lap or danced around the room in playful fun. He was not a mean man. I remember hard whippings, but not any harder than the neighbor kids got. I remember him being interested in me. He taught me how to do simple things, fun things, but because of her, I always avoided Him. Us kids are grown now.
   My brother did great in his life. His marriage has been good, and his children seem well adjusted. When he was growing up, he was gone to work with Dad all the time. Us girls never went with Dad, and so we were at home listening to mom talk about how hard her life was.
   All of us girls had terrible youths, and we have all had bad marriage troubles. Our kids have not done well. , but we know Mom played a big part in our misery.  She still lays all the blame on Dad, although we all know he was just an average guy. I always knew I did not want to be that kind of wife and MaMa. I wanted my children to remember me as loving their dad and enjoying life. I did not care if we lived in the back of an old van and ate junk food. I wanted my children free of tension and the feeling that their dad was a jerk who had to be tolerated. My first marriage ended after a few short months. I determined when I married again that I would do it right. When I got married the second time, I lost my way and didn't even know it. When I realized that we would have to move becaus  my husbands company was down sizing, and he was out of work, I packed in bitterness, while silently accusing him of not being a good provider and forcing me out of my lovely home. Then one day I looked up at him and saw the same lost look on his face that I had seen on my dads face a thousand times when Mom was "taking care of the family". I was just like my mother!!! Something inside me broke, and I hated the "wonderful person I was", It was then I remembered my promise to myself to never be like my "condeming" mom.
   I had bought your "Joy in training" DVDs and marriage tapes months before our move, but had not watched them. I knew the time had come. I settled doen in the living room among the boxes, and before long the whole family had joined me. We laughed and laughed at the big old mountain man telling the funny stories.
   We sent the children to bed and finished the "Wives honor your husbands" tape. My laughter turned to weeping, and my kind husband held me in his arms while I begged for forgiveness. I cannot tell you how changed our family i! . My husband is thinking of starting a business. He has wanted to for years, but my fear of failure has held him back. NO MORE!! If we end up living in a van, thats ok. I am  sad for lost ground with my children. More then anything, for my daughters, I want to break this ugly chain, of bitter, critical womanhood. I have asked their forgiveness and found they were glad to be over this tension. They know that from now on, theyr are going to have a a mama who thinks their daddy is the greatest, guy. I am so ashamed when I think of all the earthly hell I have put him through. Our children are going to grow up secure in love, NOT insecure in a spotless house, insurance paid, and name-brand clothes. Life has never been sooooo good. Better late then neve I guess...
From all of us, a great big thanks!!
Shelia

This woman is obeying the Word Of God; she is loving her children by loving their Daddy. 

Are YOU????


Love to who read....
~~~***TERRI***~~~

Crayons....

  There are lots of crayon colors in one box, there are dull ones, shiny ones, quiet ones and loud ones.. ..but they all get along in the same box..How do you get along with all the other crayons that are in the box where you live/work, or go to Church????


Love to all who read.........
.~~~***TERRI***~~~

DO NOT DISTURB?!

I just had a thought,............. is that "Do not disturb" sign still on your heart, so when the enemy of our souls comes to whisper in your ear, "...go ahead and gossip, tell little white lies, a 1/2 truth, cheat on your taxes...."  He CANNOT get those thoughts in?,
   Are you Dear Sisters ..."taking EVERY thought into captivity, unto the obedience of Jesus Christ...?

Love to all who read...
***^^^TERRI^^^***

Have you made the kingdom committment?

   When foreigners desire to become citizens of the United States of America, they are required to take an oath the United States, like most other governments, will not allow those who wish to become citizens  apply for citizenship. To straddle the fence. Naturalized citizens can't claim that their loyalty and allegiance belong to the United States if they retain allegiance to some foreign government. Our government wont allow that. It wants undivided loyalty from any who apply for citizenship.
   So it should come as no surprise that Jesus the King requires similar loyalty from those who wish to apply for citizenship in His kingdom.  In fact, He demands an even greater degree of loyalty:"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.    ...He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses life for My sake will find it....whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disiciple"(Mt. 12:30, 10:37-39; Luke 14:33).


   The United States does not require persons to forsake all they have to become citizens. But Jesus does. In His Kingdom, there can be no divided loyalties. Jesus will not be relegated to a subservient role by anyone or any thing. He requires all or nothing. In fact, thats the very reason Jesus tells us to count the cost before deciding to join His kingdom. "For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it---lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish."(Luke 14:28-30). Jesus has no desire for us to start something we wont finish."No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God"(Luke 9:62).
   If we truly understand the kingdom and grasp what it means, it will be more precious to us then anything we own. : The kingdom of Heave is like treasure hiddden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells al lthat he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, went and sold all that he had and bought it"(Mt. 13:44-46).
   Actually, in times of war, even earthly governments expect their citizens to put loyalty to their country ahead of every other loyalty, including their own families. It sometimes happens in times of war that fathers an sons fight against each other and that soldiers kill their own brothers. In fact, during war, earthly kingdoms expect their citizens to lay down their lives if necessary for the good of their country. Any real government expects this type of loyalty from its citizens.  
   Jesus expects no less. Why? Because His kingdom is a real kingdom. And unlike earthly kingdoms, the kingdom of God is always at war(Eph. 6:12). As Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to bring peace but a sword. For  I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a mans enemies will be those of his own household. (Mt. 10:34-36).
   Jesus requires of His citizens the same level of loyalty, love, and commitment that fervent patriots give their countries during times of war---if not higher. Being a citizen of the kingdom of God is not fun and games---its serious business. "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life"(John 12:25).  


More later this week...
Love to all who read...
~~~***TERRI***~~~