Love and Chocolate Donuts

My oldest daughter brought me breakfast in bed this morning. A cup of orange juice and a plate with 4 1/2 small chocolate donuts on it.

That number, as it turns out, was significant.

Every children's Bible class curriculum I have ever looked at includes an "application section" on the take-home page. They give them snazzy little names such as "Take It Home" or "Driving Home the Point" to encourage children to apply the Bible lesson to their everyday life.

I have rarely seen those sections amount to anything. Even when I was teaching Sweetheart's Bible class, we never seemed to remember what she was supposed to do or work on that week and when the teacher asks the students the next week if they remembered to help someone or tell someone that Jesus loves them or whatever, she is usually met with blank stares.

There is a reason why God intended parents to teach their children and not Sunday school (not that Sunday school is evil--don't misunderstand). There is a reason why Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is still ringing true with parents all these years after it was written. I'm just now getting it.

For years I was dependent on the children's ministry at our church to teach my children. Oh sure, I knew we played an important role and especially served as an example to our children, but I still expected a lot out of my children's ministry. That's why I felt it so important to teach my daughter's Bible classes--so I could be sure they were receiving good, solid teaching. It has only been within the last year that I began to see myself and my husband as the primary teachers and Bible class as icing on the cake (sometimes).

Last week Sweetheart was talking in a very mean tone to her little sister all week. I got tired of hearing it and tired of reprimanding her. "This is your sister, " I would say. "There is no way you would talk to one of your friends that way." I said many other things--but none of it managed to change her behavior.

And then it occurred to me to open God's word. (What an idea!) Together, she and I read 1 Corinthians 13 and also this section of James. S suggested that Sweetheart and I plan the children's lesson for church on Sunday. I know teaching something is the best way to really learn it, so I agreed. She and I did a great lesson and then this morning she brought me 4 1/2 donuts.

It seems she remembered the section of 1 Corinthians 13 that talks about how love is not self-seeking. And there was an uneven number of donuts. So, instead of taking the extra one for herself, she split it with me.

She applied it. She thought about these things when just she and God were in the kitchen doling out donuts. No one would have known if she had taken the extra donut for herself.

How many times have I taken the extra donut for myself?


And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3

Summer Theme-A-Week: Bears

A few of my friends have expressed surprise that I would do something as "complicated" as the Summer Theme-A-Week. It's really very easy and once you get going, your kids will do most of the work. My sister and I are doing these theme weeks together, but she lives an hour away so most of the activities are being done at each of our respective houses. We get together once a week and that is when we will do some group stuff. You could just as easily invite some friends over for a play day, or perhaps you have enough children to put on a play. I have to borrow a few.

Anyway, our girls are between the ages of 4 and 8 (just completed 2nd grade), so you will find a range of activities for those ages. This week's theme was chosen by my 4 year old, so it could go much younger as well.

Let's get started, shall we? The first thing you do is choose books. We just raid our children's bookshelves to find any books that go along with the theme. I helped Little Bit (4), but my older daughter did this by herself. Here is our collection:

We also checked out bear books from the library. Gathering that many books took very little time and we will read them all week. We have ours stacked on the fireplace for the week.

The next thing you do is tell your children to go find all the bears in the house. Mine go crazy with this. We call it our "bear collection" and they can play with them all week.

An optional thing you can do is build a bear cave. I just used a pop-up play house and stapled crumpled up brown paper around the opening. Sweetheart (8) doesn't really care about the bear cave, but Little Bit (who has always loved small spaces) thinks it's great! She has a flashlight and bear in there to read to. Just an idea--you may have just the right corner of your house to make a better bear cave than this. It's hard to imagine--but you might. (End sarcasm)

And in the second picture you can see where we ran out of brown paper...but I think you can still get the effect of a cave, don't you?

The only other prep work sister and I did was to make a list of possible activities. We planned one art project, which I will be sharing later in the week, because we didn't want to have to be activity directors all week. Hopefully, all the book-reading will spark an interest in your child and they will think of their own things to do along the bears theme. Also today we will be enjoying a stunning rendition of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Again, the kids are in charge of that activity.

So, summer theme weeks don't take hours of work on your part. If you want to do themes that your children are interested in, just gather books, have the kids make a collection, and brainstorm a list of activities. If you have no ideas, 15 minutes on the internet should be plenty. One theme activity a day is plenty.

If you want to follow along on our themes...feel free! The entire bear week will be available this weekend.

One Week Down

I spent my first week of summer covered in sheet rock dust with little splatters of drywall mud all over just for fun. But THE WALLS ARE DONE!!!!

I will share pictures at a later date when I get some order back to the room. It's a beautiful bright yellow and I can't wait to get moved back into place because....I seem to have misplaced my first week of summer.

I think I enjoyed it. I'm not sure what the girls did.

The house got clean in time for church this evening and it was a small miracle. It took all 4 of us working together. Man, we need to get rid of some stuff.

Now, just like that, it's already time for VBS and Bear Week and the Cousins Are Coming on Tuesday and Wow Summer Came On Fast!

What is this Bear Week I speak of? Well, sister and I (in a full fit of nerdiness) decided to have a theme a week this summer. Little Bit chose bears and that is where we are starting. I plan to post our activities (they should be acceptable for children from preschool to early elementary age since that is our girls' age range) in case anyone would like to use the ideas. I know I love to let other people do a lot of work and then let me borrow their ideas for free.

Although I seem to remember the last time I borrowed an idea it was this one and it ended in a fit of fire ants and crying and lots of Caladryl and a declaration of, "I'm never going in Grandpa's yard again!" So, sometimes borrowed ideas don't work out for everyone. :)

Hope your summer is off to a great start! Or winter--depending on where you are.

Being Lifted Up

For about 2 1/2 years, S and I attended another church other than the one where we had been raised. After that, we returned to our home church to work--literally. (S became the part-time youth minister and I began working with the children's ministry...and later became the church secretary.) But those 2 1/2 years at the other church....ah they were wonderful.

It was like a breath of fresh air to us. We walked into the young marrieds class the first week (even though we weren't entirely sure we were young enough to qualify) and found a group of folks who were fun and serious. Fun to be around and serious about their faith. What a great mix!

Little Bit was born while we attended that church. Another couple had a baby boy around the same time. Their names were Brad and Jenny and they were just neat folks. Brad often taught our young marrieds Bible class and played basketball with S (it was a few years ago!). Jenny and I shared some time in the nursing room together with our little ones and she had the best smile ever. They were just one of those families who were neat to be around.

We haven't seen them very much since we left that church, but a few weeks ago we got an update on them. It seems that Brad has been battling cancer. He and Jenny are currently in Germany while he receives alternative treatment for his cancer as there were not many choices of treatment here in the United States. You can read more about their story here.

You know I've been thinking a lot lately about how the body of Christ is so much bigger than just the ones at our church that we worship with each week. Well, at the time we attended church with them we were also friends with another family. The wife in that family was from Germany and when Brad and Jenny arrived in Germany they were greeted by that friend's sister and fed dinner by her mom. Just imagine how God works things out! I'm sure Brad and Jenny never thought they would be traveling to Germany to receive cancer treatments, and yet years before had made friends with a sister in Christ who hailed from that country. God's family is world-wide and I think sometimes we forget that....but I am reminded of it today.

Brad and Jenny are being supported by their family and their church--and it's a great group of people to be supported by. But if you think about it, could you lift them up in prayer too? I have been so encouraged as I have seen pictures of folks repairing their fence for them while Brad recovered from an earlier surgery--people that I happen to know attend another church. The body of Christ....I can't quit thinking about it...and the opportunities we have to lift each other up wherever we are.

Motivation Is...

...finding out that your husband offered to have church at your house this week.

Because we have a friend who hasn't been to church in years and he's interested in coming.

And he would feel more comfortable at our house than the other family whom he does not know very well.

THAT'S motivation for getting your housework done, wouldn't you agree?