When You Rise

Guest Post: The Most Important Thing

2013-05-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

The first time I took my 3-month-old firstborn to a pediatrician in the States is the first time I felt complete relief that I was not doing everything wrong. What had I been worrying about so much? Almost everything the doctor told me was opposite of everything my son’s pediatrician in Croatia had said. One country required different shots than the other; in America he was considered a good weight, in Croatia he was underweight etc. I walked out of the doctor’s office thinking about all the parents around the world (although I’m pretty sure western parents do this much more than any others!) freaking out about whether they’re doing things right, reading all the books and trying to keep up with the latest parenting fads when in reality so much of it just boils down to traditions or what’s currently popular in parenting styles.

Parenting styles differ from country to country in the same way they change from one generation to the next (my mom was told formula was better for babies than breast milk!). Here in Croatia my parenting habits are often greeted with odd looks and questions. “Sometimes, we just look at your kids in the yard dressed lightly and rolling on the ground…” our neighbors once commented. Translated, that means “they’re not wrapped up in 5 layers of clothing on a springy day” and that we don’t freak out if they choose to roll down a little hill in our yard and get dirty.

My Croatian friends are also shocked that I let my kid pick up the apple that dropped on the floor a minute ago and put it in his mouth and that they walk around without slippers or with wet hair. In the states my friend was shocked that my youngest was on cow’s milk well before her first birthday, that I do just fine without many of the ‘must have’ baby products and that I use an attachment to a household vacuum to suck out snot from my kids stuffy noses (best baby product ever!).

I too often obsess about my parenting habits. I read. I compare. But I need to remind myself that much of what I’m doing on an every day basis is not necessarily right or wrong and that in the end most of it really doesn’t matter. I’m not saying that teaching good eating habits, schedules or being wise with entertainment are not important parts of a child’s upbringing. Of course those things have some influence over the well being and future of my child.

However, there is something so much more important than any of those things that I spend too much energy thinking about - their heart. What matters for their future and what will truly make all the difference is whether or not I’m pointing them to Christ. Their eating habits very well might change, just like their interests, and their daily routines. But through all that, I hope to plant a seed in their hearts of wanting more of Jesus. That is the one thing that doesn’t change with time. Easier said than done though.

Just like in my own life, I get so carried away with the small things I forget the most important thing. In the same way I need to keep refocusing my thoughts and priorities, I need to be doing the same for my children. Move through the fog of the everyday questions and concerns so I can more faithfully and consistently point them back to Him.

***Petra is a Croatian who went to college (and some of high school) in the US. She married a great American guy named Jeremy, and now they live in Croatia with their three kids (almost four!). They are missionaries who work with the church there doing camps, youth work, baseball ministry . . . and a whole lot of other stuff! You can follow along on their ministry journey at http://bohallministry.blogspot.com or visit her husband, Jeremy's blog at http://cultureshock-jeremy.blogspot.com

Guest Post: The Depths of Motherhood

2013-04-18T04:30:00.000-05:00

It’s a blur now. The days of having half a dozen kids in just as many years. Moments of tears and beauty have wrapped together to make this lovely, heart-stretching thing called motherhood.

And I know now what it’s like to be the mom that brings nourishment when she can’t pull herself off the floor covered in tears. The mom that stands brave when she doesn’t know whether to laugh or to cry as she grabs her tweezers and digs out the shiny gem from her little boy’s nose. The mom who sits watching her baby hooked up to monitors and cords, and is on her knees in prayer in her heart as she strokes the soft hair of the babe sound asleep through the beeps. The mom who feels like melting in agony and defeat from the sinfulness of her children… and herself. The mom who cheers bitter-sweetly with each first step and every last diaper. Each moment strung together like shiny pearls on a strand. Praying that they will somehow glimmer with more than just a glimpse of God. For eternity of these little hearts weighs heavy on my shoulders. The charge of a child is no small calling. I search through crinkled pages of the Bible on my lap. Knowing His truth is all I have left. And there are His Words bringing breath to my lungs.

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. -Isaiah 40:11 NIV

And that’s what I can cling to – that this kind Shepherd will carry them and lead me. And the weight is no longer heavy when He’s carrying it. For this Shepherd laid down His life, nailing all my blunders and failures and sins to the cross. And the same great power that rose Him from the dead, lives inside of me. I no longer need to don my glass slippers or supermom powers, But can rest in His grace and trust that His power is working in me.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness” -2 Peter 1:3 NIV 1984

Guiding me. Carrying them. Through every blessed, tiring, awe-filled, heart breaking, gleaming pearl of motherhood.

Jessica

Jessica is the wife of her ministry-minded best friend and the love of her life. She is a blessed homeschooling stay-at-home mommy to 6 precious children all ages 8 & under! She is your every-day mommy that longs to be full of grace, but often needs to ask for forgiveness. She has a passion for seeking & following hard after God, loving on her family, leading little (and big) hearts to Christ, and encouraging others along the way! She shares her heart & her life at Our Family for His Glory.

The Heavens Declare His Glory - Part Two

2013-04-11T09:12:00.001-05:00

source

Good morning everyone! I just wanted to pop over and let you know that the second installment of "The Heavens Declare His Glory" by Susie over at Raising Deep Roots is live on her blog! I so loved all her ideas for teaching our children about space while keeping the emphasis on the fact that God created it all! Plus I am so thankful for all the awesome book recommendations she gave! I can see a few of them making it into our own personal library!!! I really think you will enjoy it as well!!!

To read part two go here.

Guest Post: The Heaven's Declare His Glory

2013-04-09T04:30:00.000-05:00

(I just love this post from my friend Susan at Raising Deep Roots. She has become a dear friend to me and this idea for turning a lesson on stars into a fun way to point your kiddos to the majesty of the Creator is just awesome! She knows her stuff too because she graduated with a degree in astronomy! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and she'll be posting a Part 2 soon over on her blog to continue with the project, so stay tuned! -Desiré)

{The Small Magellanic Cloud is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It contains this group of baby stars that are still forming from collapsing gas clouds and have not yet ignited their hydrogen fuel.}

photo credit

It's not surprising, that if you were to peek through the doorframe of my boys' room, you would find their walls covered with space ships, planets, astronauts, and glow in the dark stars. You would also find remnants of space themed birthday party favors in their toy chests, crafts from our astronomy summer theme week still hanging on the walls of the family room, and a closet full of Epiphany "follow the star" decorations that find their way to our living room every January. You see, I love astronomy! I have been fascinated with it ever since my sixth grade science class when I fell in love with it and decided then and there I was going to be an astronomer. And I did! Come high school, I chose calculus and physics as my electives (what?) and by the time I graduated university, I had a degree in Astrophysics and even landed an 'observing' run at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. I've since switched physics fields as I've discovered (for me personally anyway) that it is way more fun to LEARN about someone else's research than it is to actually DO the research! LOL!

All that aside, I'd like to suggest to that you don't have to know anything about this:

to share with your children about this:

This mage shows a mountain of dust and gas rising in the Carina Nebula.

photo credit

And when we spend time admiring and standing in awe of the heavens, our hearts are naturally drawn to worship and to glorify the Lord and to worship him as the Almighty Creator of the Universe! The Psalmist agreed...

The Heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of this hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4

When was the last time you managed to get away from the glare of the lights of the city (or just from the street lamp in your neighborhood) and see the night sky? I mean REALLY see it?

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Even without telescopes, the naked eye is drawn to the heavens. Those billions upon billions of twinkling stars take our breath away! Who created these marvelous celestial bodies? Look how big the Universe is! Oh how small am I? Ah...exactly! As we behold the intense beauty of God's creation and the immense scale of His universe, we realize our insignificant place in it.

When I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
Psalm 8:3-4

And yet, our Creator IS mindful of us. Just as he knows the stars in the sky by name, he knows the number of hairs on our very heads! The creator of the universe calls us friend! Oh how he loves us! Oh how he loves us! He took on flesh and made his dwelling among us! Yes, dear one, and then he sacrificed his own life that we might have life everlasting! Oh praise Him! O Praise His name forever! Glorify his name, glorify his name, glorify his name in all the earth!

Wouldn't it be marvelous if we could to invite our children into this place of being awed and amazed by the Creator God? Can we give our children a glimpse of how big and mighty and yet so personal and loving God is? Well, it is my prayer that some of the resources and activities outlined in the this post will invite you and your children to magnifying the Lord as you gaze at his Glory as proclaimed in the Heavens.

Book Resource: I found an absolute treasure when I saw this book lying on the coffee table in the home of a Bible study I was attending. Um...yes you could say it caught my eye :) It's full of pictures taken by the Hubble Space Telescope which are then paired with scriptures about the beauty of God's creation. Added to that are poems and quotes by beloved Christian authors as they themselves are propelled into praise as they gaze upon the wonders that are to behold in the heavens. This is one for your library for sure!

Family Fun Adventure: Go sky gazing and search for constellations. Before we go out at night to star gaze, I like to familiarize my boys with finding patterns in the stars so they can actually recognize the constellations. So we pull out our flashcards (of course I have some lying around ;-) )

I love these ones:

But I've considered picking up a set of these:

(Note from Desiré: I got these in the $1 section at Target last year and my boys LOVE looking through them and talking about them!)

A great activity is to pull out a chalk board and chalk and let the kids try to copy the constellation patterns. I actually decided to make our own super portable chalk board by simply taking some poster board and spray painting it with chalk board paint! Did you know chalk board paint comes in a spray can? Super easy and very affordable!

Most constellation cards also come with super helpful star finder charts or you can make some star finders from NASA . Now that you are at least somewhat familiar with the night sky for your region and time of year, head out and see what you can find!

He counts the number of stars;
he gives names to all of them.
Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
Psalm 147:4-5

Family Devotional : This is one of my favorite family devotionals ever. Buy some glow in the dark ceiling stars. Maybe like these:

Place the stars under a lamp and let them "charge" for at least 5 minutes. Turn off the lights and watch them glow! Once the glow has faded, turn the lights back on and while you wait for the toys to re-charge, explain how this is a picture of what happens when we spend time with Jesus. Ask your kids, "what made the stars glow?" They soaked up the LIGHT! Help your children make the connection that the toys had to be close to the light in order to shine and show them that the LONGER they are in the light, the brighter the toys shine! So it is with us, the closer we are to Jesus and more time we spend with him, the brighter our light will shine too! Jesus has told us that we are "the light of the world"(Matthew 5:14-16) and that we are to "shine like stars in the universe" (Philippians 2:14-16) . Just like God created the stars and the galaxies and the quasars and comets to bring Him glory, we too were created to bring Him glory. By living lives that please him, we too can proclaim his glory!

For extended fun, affix the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, (maybe even in the shapes of some of your newly learned, favorite constellations!) drag in pillows and have the whole family pile on the floor to look up at the stars glowing. Why not break into song, singing Twinkle twinkle little star and add in praise and worship songs. You will make some memories that will last a lifetime.

And each night, as your kids drift off to sleep, they'll have a visual, glowing reminder that :

1)When life feels big and overwhelming, look up at the stars. God is bigger ! He who hung the moon, put comets into orbit, flung the stars into space, and sent galaxies whirring through the cosmos is more than able to see you through your present trials.

2) When you feel insignificant, look up at the stars. God made all of those stars and planets and galaxies and he knows every one. But even more importantly, God knows the number of hairs on your head, knows you in your innermost parts, and oh how he loves you. Yes, we are mere specks in an infinitely majestic and unfathomably vast universe, and yet God the creator chooses to be with us, to indwell us.

3) When you wonder how you can live to please God, look up at the stars. Just as the heavens proclaim the glory of the Lord, so should our lives. We were made to bring God glory. Stay close to Jesus, soak up his light, and shine his light bright like the stars in the universe!

Blessings,

Susie

Susie blogs at raisingdeeproots.wordpress.com along with her cherished friend Kellye. Both gals are boy moms, pastor's wives, and ministry leaders in their respective churches. Raising Deep Roots sprang out of a shared passion to encourage and equip parents to raise up children with deep roots in the Word of God and the Person of Jesus.

Guest Post: Each Day By Faith

2013-04-04T04:30:00.000-05:00

(Today's guest post is from one of my college roommates. I still love her dearly to this day and think you will be so blessed by her encouragement about what "give us this day our daily bread" means in the midst of the normal mundanes of a mama's life. Thank you, Lindsay. You were a sweet role model for me in college and continue to be that for me years later. -Desiré)

Give us this day our daily bread…

Know here the nature of the life that prays this prayer worthily and sincerely. It is a life that has taken to heart the command to seek first His Kingdom. It is a prayer that knows the difference between bread and the Bread that gives true life. The one it needs, and receives with joy and thanksgiving, but its real hunger is for the other and this is its food by which it knows itself to live. This is therefore a life that has burned its bridges and knows itself each day – one day at a time – to be directly dependent on the provision of its Father. Not merely as an abstract principle, in theory, but really and truly dependent for the needs of this day. If He does not act this day, we will perish. And tomorrow our situation will be the same. And it is a heart that finds in this dependence a greater peace and confidence than any earthly parent, any work contract, and any investment portfolio could promise. This is a prayer that is too quickly prayed by the young before they have got the measure of the sacrifices such a life of faith will bring to them. But pray it and mean it and God’s grace will empower you to live it.

Give us this day our daily bread…

When Desiré and I were at Moody together, one of our favorite professors, Dr. Laansma said these words during a Day of Prayer we had on campus as part of a focused teaching on the Lord’s Prayer. This particular part has been echoing in my mind tons these days. Each day by faith in the God of Life.

My husband and I have been preparing a lecture series through the Gospel of Matthew, and I have been thoroughly challenged, especially as my life has taken a turn from my college days of ambition to my current motherhood days of life with babies and preschoolers. I am amazed how much faith this life of motherhood requires, especially in light of Matthew’s Gospel. Through Jesus’ life and words, he demonstrates throughout the gospel that the nature of His kingdom is entirely different than what everyone in his day (and I mean, everyone) was expecting. The economy of His Kingdom is our world turned upside down: the last will be first, the first shall be last. The “little ones” are upheld as role models, to find our lives we must lose them, and the Coming King is crucified. And, for me, without even realizing what was happening to me, motherhood ripped the rug from beneath me—laying down one’s life for the least now seems a lot more real.

And so, I am thinking about this request, “give us this day our daily bread,” in an entirely new light than I did in college. I used to think about receiving the faith and provision to accomplish great things for the Kingdom in some unreached people group. Right now, I am asking God to help me believe and have real perception into how his Kingdom works, because, if I’m honest, it is hard for me to serve my children in obscurity. Jesus showed us that true life, His life, is found in service and giving up our lives for the sake of others. Give me this day faith to believe that I might find You here, find abundant life here, folding clothes, wiping eight meals a day up off the floor, almost breaking my foot every hour on not-put-away-Matchbox cars, gently instructing time and time again similar lessons like “Please don’t smash your sister’s head into the floor.” You are the God of Life; please meet me here in my little corner of obscurity, and show me the glory of your upside down Kingdom.

He is the Author and Giver of Life, and it’s a promise that we, I, must cling to every day. He is the Giver of Life, when I feel like I’m laying mine down again as I set aside my dreams and my self for others. He is the God of Life when those we know are hurting, and we feel bankrupt of resources to help; we cling to him. When I struggle to believe his promises that the last shall be first, that true life is found in serving the least, that the economy of His Kingdom turns our world upside down, He is the God of Life, supplying all we need for this day. Give us this day our daily bread

Lindsay

Lindsay and Desiré were freshman year roommates at Moody Bible Institute, where Desiré inspired Lindsay to change her major to Applied Linguistics and train for the dream of someday working in Bible translation. From there Lindsay went on to Wheaton College for her master's in Biblical Exegesis. After marrying a fellow Moody grad who also happens to be Canadian, she immigrated North to Calgary, Alberta, where they currently live with their two small children.

What Does Hope Look Like When Your Child is Fighting for His Life in the Hospital on Easter Morning?

2013-03-31T04:34:00.001-05:00

This morning is Easter. Many of you are getting ready for church. Some of you have new clothes for your kiddos. Some are prepping the holiday lunch. Traditions may be being carried out and you're looking forward to a day of fun memories.

For the first time in my life, I won't be going to church this Easter. I'm wearing sloppy, comfy clothes. I likely won't even be tuning into an Easter sermon as I work to console my 15 day old baby who is fighting for his life and suffering from the pain of open heart surgery, withdrawals from narcotics and fussiness from never having eaten 2 weeks into his eventful little life.

What does hope look like then? What does Easter mean now? Many have been praying for a miracle for our precious son and it appears in many ways that God is granting it. We continue to pray fervently for God to make Caleb whole... but what if he doesn't? Or what about all the families that have gone before us that love Jesus with their whole hearts, have prayed earnestly for a miracle and God DIDN'T grant it? What about those who have had to bury their child?

What does Easter hope look like then?

I've wrested with this question a lot in the last few months. Hope has become my theme. I even had the phrase, "I have HOPE" put on a customized necklace. At first glance, I'm sure many assume that I mean I have "hope" that Caleb will get well enough to come home with us and of course, that is something I hope for, but that's not why I have it dangling around my neck. The hope I have is much deeper and remains regardless of circumstance.

The hope I have is that one day, all this suffering will be gone. Mine. Caleb's. Anyone who has placed their trust in Christ does not have to fear even the darkest circumstances. Does that mean I don't feel the sting of this suffering my child and family is going through? Of course not! I frequently stand at my helpless child's bedside and weep. This stinks. Big time.

Some may become bitter with God and wonder why he would ever allow a tiny baby to go through the insane pain we've watched Caleb endure the last two weeks. He's completely capable of healing him. Why doesn't he just take it all away? I read something from Nancy Guthrie that has helped put this all in perspective a little better for me:

She points out that when we expect God to spare us from the effects of sin (sickness, tragedies, etc.) "we're mistakenly expecting in this age what God has reserved for the next." Am I expecting God to create a "heaven on earth" right now? That thought has been profound for me. I long for heaven for a reason. It's perfect. That's not where I'm at right now and I am expecting the wrong thing from God when I expect him to make the here and now what he has promised us for the future: A world without sin and all the effects it brings is the hope we have to look forward to. In times like this, I am reminded all the more why I want it and what it has to offer.

So I cling to hope, knowing that one day there will be no children born with congenital heart defects that require multiple open heart surgeries. I know there will be no more death. I know there will be no more pain. There will be no more sin and no more effects of sin. Because of what Christ did on the cross, I can celebrate Easter this morning, even though my day may look drastically different than yours and painfully different than what I'm used to. My hope is sure. Jesus died... like for real died. But he was stronger than death and he defeated it. For me. For you. For anyone who believes and will call on his name. Sin (and the effects of it) don't have the final say when Christ is in the picture.

That is glorious hope.

^"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." -Romans 8:18-25

Guest Post: When I Rise

2013-03-28T04:30:00.000-05:00

(Today's guest post is from my sweet, real life friend Kelly of Exceptionally Average. I think you will be so encouraged by her thoughts about the idea of planning out Bible activities and going over the top when it's a struggle just to get out of bed and do the "normal" stuff each day. -Desiré)

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7

These verses sum up the purpose of this blog. I respect this command from God, do my best to live it out, find inspiration in the responsibility, and comfort in knowing that the reward for seeing these words through is eternal.

But let’s be real.

Sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed with God’s charge to us parents to diligently teach His Words to our children. In a quiet season of life, reading these verses might be just the motivation and challenge we need to get creative and intentional.

Quiet seasons never last for long, however; and there are times when the phrase “when you rise” makes us moms sigh with a great big desire to roll over and pretend like we have the luxury of staying in bed.

Perhaps your quiet has been taken over by a curious child with more energy than your choice of caffeinated stimulation.

Or a defiant child.

Or a child with a disability.

Or your family is going through a busy or trying season.

Maybe illness has struck your household and it’s all you can handle to keep up with wiping noses, cuddling, and disinfecting.

It’s possible that you’re a single parent trying to balance all of the responsibilities that demand your attention every day.

Or are you in the same boat as me? Sleepy mama to a newborn while older brother is watching my every move.

God gave me a fresh perspective on a familiar verse the other morning when my eyes were bleary and I wiped spit up off my shoulder in the middle of devotion time. I pray it encourages your heart as well as you face the “when you rise” part of your day.

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
Psalm 139:1-4

I find incredible comfort in knowing that the same God who gave me the command as a parent to teach His Words to my children, even from the moment I rise, is the God with whom I have a personal relationship. The God who knows when I rise, and what words are in my heart to share even if I’m afraid they’ll come out jumbled and inadequate.

While I may not get a “free pass” to neglect my duty to train my children when times are hard, I have direct access to the source of all things true, even the very One who defeated death and gave me eternal life.

This season is not filled with cute little projects and well-planned Bible lessons, but it can and will contain conversations about Almighty God. My children will have the opportunity to witness me spending more time showering them with love in the form of cuddles and prayer because my hands are too filled with baby to worry about organizing my closets. Most importantly, they will unknowingly witness my dependence on God’s strength to get through the day-to-day responsibilities.

Realizing that God is present to sustain me during the multiple times each night and early morning that I rise during this brief season of my life gives just the energy I need to not give up on being purposeful in showing Jesus to my kids throughout the day.

Kelly

Kelly is a wife to a fire fighter, mama to two little ones, blogger at Exceptionally Average, and writer. Her passions are Jesus, family, friends, chocolate, and encouraging women of all ages to be purposeful in life and relationships.

Holy Week Activities

2013-03-25T15:32:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to share a few ideas that my kiddos (Lauren, age 4 1/2 and Easton, almost 2) and I are doing or plan on doing this Holy Week. There are SO many amazing ideas floating out there on Pinterest (do you follow When You Rise? If not, you can here) and on other wonderful blogs! Aren't you glad we don't have to re-invent the wheel every time? Whew, I am!

Here they are in no particular order!

1. I saw this video over at Oh Amanda and couldn't believe how perfect it is! Its short (for those of us who have little ones that don't sit through hour long videos yet!) and yet it somehow goes through what Easter means on a level that my babies can get! We plan on watching it several times this week and it's already provided some great conversations around here!

2. Holy Week Calendar from The Domestic Notebook. Ours will be slightly different as I chose a few different things to highlight than she did, but I loved the overall idea of using each day this week to focus on the events leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection. You can see that I chose to focus today on Jesus being the servant King and washing his disciples feet. (And, yep - those are my own little ones' feet we traced and cut out!)

3. This post from Desiré last year is awesome! I need to have the hubs help me make our box tomb. I think both of my kids will be absolutely shocked and surprised to see the empty tomb! Gives me goosebumps!

4. This great, "He is Risen" coloring sheet!!! And this AMAZING bundle of coloring sheets for Easter from 1+1+1=1.

(source)

5. Make an Easter playlist! If I were on top of things, I would have done this for the whole Lenten season, but alas the reality is I'm not! Still, I love the idea of having an iTunes playlist full of songs that bring our hearts to the wonder of what Jesus did for us! This list could include current popular Christian songs, and also some you know your kids will love (and love to dance around to!) like The Donut Man, Shout Hosanna!

6. Make Resurrection Rolls....yummy and such a powerful visual for kids and adults alike! We made these last year but I don't have any pics of my own to share with you. Again...not on top of things! Thankfully, Desiré was and the link above shows her adorable boys enjoying the ones they made last year!!!

7. If you are looking for some ideas for what to put in your kids' Easter baskets this year, Oh Amanda has some great posts on that here and here.

8. This great new e-book from Katie Orr called, Find More Jesus. (I wish I had seen this earlier as it is intended to be done daily, the eight days leading up to Easter...I'm behind on this one but it definitely looks like something that would be an amazing resource!) I'm planning to use what I can this week and then have it for next year!!!

According to the bio each day includes:
- Short daily Bible reading.
- Corresponding simple egg-activity.
-Suggested prayer time.
-Personal focus point for you to chat about with your family.
A supplies list (items you probably already have around the house) and thoughts on the Easter bunny from a Christian worldview are also included.

Okay - I think that is it...for now! Ha - I am sure I will think of other ideas throughout the week but maybe this will help get your wheels turning too. :) I pray you have a blessed Holy Week with your children and that you will again be reminded of the great love your Savior has for you!

Much love!

****Thank you also for all the amazing prayers and words of encouragement for Desiré, her little man Caleb, and her family. I wish you could know how deeply your prayers and words mean to her. She is truly blessed to have you all!!!****

Look Who's Heeeerrree!!!

2013-03-21T04:30:00.000-05:00

Introducing...

Caleb Matthew

March 16, 2013

9:35pm

5 lbs 4.5 oz

18.5 inches

SOoooooo, we had anticipated Caleb's arrival to be on March 26th via C-section.

Then he turned head down and we changed that date to March 29th via induction.

Then he decided he didn't like either of those days and would rather come on his own terms on March 16th...

My water broke about 4pm (while I was standing at the kitchen sink eating a brownie... lol). It was far from funny at the time and Matt and I went into turbo mode. We made phone calls to doctors, Matt's parents and jumped in the car. The next few hours were a blur. We live 3 hours from where we planned to deliver and we knew that a lot was going to have to be organized in a short amount of time. Thankfully our amazing ob was the doctor on call for the weekend and she got the ball rolling to make it all happen.

We went from thinking we could take a helicopter to St. Louis to deliver only to find out that there were storms in St. Louis and Caleb was no longer head down and would need to be delivered via c-section. Our doctor then coordinated some medical staff from St. Louis to fly down in a plane (this was an option because they could fly above the storm), but it would take longer and Caleb had to be delivered when they got there instead of me flying with them back to St. Louis in the plane.

This was heart wrenching. I knew very well that they were going to put my baby boy on an airplane and rush him back to St. Louis while I lay flat on my back helpless and recovering from surgery. It is one of the most difficult disappointments I've ever experienced.

God was so good to us though. In the midst of one of the most stressful, chaotic experiences of our lives, he worked out every detail and in the end, we have a beautiful baby boy who is doing very well under the circumstances. The staff were incredible and everyone bent over backwards for us and even made an exception and let Matt fly back on the plane with Caleb so we never had to be separated from him. My ob did a fabulous job with the delivery and did everything in her power to get me discharged safely and quickly (I got to head to St. Louis less than 36 hours after delivery). Caleb was smaller and earlier than we had hoped, but so far has had no more problems than a baby born later and bigger. He's done all breathing on his own and he's been a little trooper so far!

He is just the cutest. His cries are more like "squeaks" even when he's really mad and it's impossible to look at him and hold him and hear his little grunts and watch his little movements and not fall madly in love. We are beyond smitten.

Tomorrow morning Caleb will undergo his first open heart surgery. We were thinking he was going to have to have the most complex surgery first, but because of his small size and because the doctors determined that a hole he has is big enough to take a different approach for the first operation, his first surgery will be slightly less complex than originally anticipated. We are thankful for God providing this hole (what would normally be a bad thing in a normal heart) to provide an opportunity for a different approach that will likely be easier for Caleb to respond to.

Please pray for us tomorrow. Please pray that God would give Caleb stamina and strength to withstand the operation and recovery. Please pray for the surgeon (Dr. Manning) that his hand will be steady and he will perform an excellent repair. Please pray for our family that we would press hard into our heavenly Father who loves us and Caleb even more than we do. If you want to keep up with the "play by play" details, you can follow Caleb's page on facebook. I will try to do another update on the newest addition to our family next week!

While Desiré is "Out"

2013-03-19T16:14:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! This is Jen. Some of you early readers of When You Rise may remember me, but many of you newer (within the last year) readers probably have no idea who I am. Desiré and I started this little blog together but after a year or so I needed to step away for a while. We've remained close friends and I've been blessed, alongside you, by her honest heart and Biblical knowledge she shares here.

With that being said I wanted to take a second and just touch base with you all. While Desiré is occupied taking care of her precious new son, Caleb, and her family I'll be updating the Facebook page, handling the email correspondence, monitoring comments, scheduling posts, and maybe even throwing in a couple posts of my own. Have no fear, Desiré is still very much behind this blog! In fact, she is planning on updating us with weekly blog posts about Caleb's progress...but we will give her lots of grace on that!!!

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers for Desiré, Caleb, and her family. You are a blessing!!! I am so glad you are here and a part of this community.

Much love!

Prayer Point: Fill Our Hearts Lord

2013-03-14T04:30:00.000-05:00

(Do you see your children struggling with contentment? Do you struggle with it yourself? Today's prayer from Christina is a beautiful confession of our temptation to put "second things first. I know it will be a breath of fresh air for you as you pray these words with her. -Desiré)

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction." 1 Timothy 6:6-9

Father in Heaven,

You are so generous and kind. Freely giving from Your abundant grace, You shower us with love and affection. The very air we breathe is a gift from Your hand. You know the number of hairs on our head and each thought that we think.

I come before You today, concerned about my kids. They want and want and never seem satisfied. Once one gift is unwrapped, they are expectant of another. They have so much and yet they are not happy with any of it.

Yet how can I be frustrated with them when contentment is something I struggle with as well? I put second things as first things in my heart. While it is not toys that I desire, things like affirmation, clothes, success, and money can all do the same thing. Trying to fill that space that only You can fill, leaves me only empty, hungry, and wanting more.

Forgive me for desiring anything other than You. Forgive me for modeling discontentment before my kids. And forgive me for all the ways my own heart lacks gratitude.

I know that I can't change my children's heart, or my own for that matter. I ask for You to work in us, removing our desire for second things and filling us with love for You alone. Help us to take nothing for granted, but to be thankful for all we have.

For we deserve nothing from You. But out of Your infinite love, You made a way for us to know You and be Your children. I thank You for Jesus and the greatest gift we could ever receive: the salvation of our souls.

Keep this ever before us. Remind us of the cross and all we've been given through Your Son. Help us to be generous to others because You've been so generous with us.

And fill all the empty places of our heart today.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Christina

Christina Fox is a licensed counselor, homeschooling mom, coffee lover, blogger, and writer, though not necessarily in that order. She lives with her husband of sixteen years and their two boys in sunny S. Florida. You can find her sharing her faith journey at www.toshowthemjesus.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ToShowThemJesus.

It's About to Get Quiet...

2013-03-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

Exactly 3 weeks from today our little Caleb is scheduled to arrive!

photos by Austin Images

To say we are nervous is an understatement, YET we are trusting the Lord in the midst of all of this and thankful that he has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Whatever these next weeks and months hold, he will be right there with us...

I have a few posts planned that may or may not happen. I have a few EXCELLENT guest posts lined up for you during the month of April. I plan to pop in and out with some updates about Caleb and how he's doing after he's born, but for the most part, it's about to get pretty quiet around here. When You Rise has become a passion of mine and I forsee it continuing to be a part of our family's life after things settle down a bit. In the meantime, I feel like I have too much snuggling, playing, savoring and packing to do and too few naptimes left over the next 21 days to accomplish everything. :)

I appreciate all of your prayers and encouragements to us over the last few months. If you haven't done so, but are interested, you can keep up on all the details of Caleb, his surgeries and how you can pray for our family on his facebook page.

Have a great day!!

A Tribute to My Children's Father

2013-03-01T04:30:00.000-06:00

(So, this isn't specifically related to parenting, but I think it's always a good thing when parents have a strong marriage to display in front of their kids. I'm blessed to have one and my handsome hubby just happens to be turning 30 on Sunday, so I thought I'd share a bit of our story...)

I started attending the same school as him in 6th grade, but being the awesome, shallow girl that I was, I never took much notice of the short, skinny, smart kid that I shared occasional classes with.

We continued to attend the same school and share classes in high school, so I always knew who he was, but it wasn't until we sat in close proximity in French class that I actually had some conversations with him. There was a group of 5 of us that worked together on group projects and did a lot more talking and joking around than we did work, but when your French teacher is easy and lenient and you all have over 100% in the class due to ridiculously easy extra credit, it lends itself to slacking off. So we slacked off together and the "shy kid" in the group opened up... just a little.

A friend and I made it our mission to find this good guy a girl. Of course, neither of us were particularly interested, but we knew that he would never be able to find a girl unless he talked to her and showed them his awesomeness, so we decided we could help. We hooked him up on dates for school dances and tried to coax him to talk to girls that we thought were a good fit. Nothing ever worked out and I just couldn't understand why he hadn't snatched up some delightful girl.

By graduation we found ourselves often hanging out in the same group of friends. We went to prom in the same group (not together). He came to bid me farewell at the airport with a group of friends when I left the country to spend a summer in Africa on a mission trip. I considered him a good friend.

In college, we maintained our friendship and he and another high school friend of ours would come out to Chicago to visit me. I wasn't dumb. They could stay in the guys' dorm for $5 a night and they were not about to pass up a cheap visit to one of the best cities in the U.S. under the guise of "visiting me." More like, "let's eat good food and go to Wrigley Field all while harassing you for your horrible sense of direction as you try to guide us through the city." :)

Matt and I often hung out when I was home. I attended a St. Louis Cardinals game with him and his parents once (when he could find no male takers, of course). We always spent New Year's Eve together. He would humor me and go get ice cream at Braum's (even though he preferred another local establishment called Andy's). We did Bible studies together over summer break. I know what you're thinking... these two were already in love. But I promise, it was the farthest thing from my mind.

I was attending a Bible school, getting a degree in Bible theology with full intentions of spending the rest of my life overseas... preferably in an African hut. Matt... well, he'd never left the country, other than a short vacation to St. Thomas with his family in high school. And he had no intentions of ever living anywhere but the town he had been born and raised in. And I can tell you that I was just as certain that I would NOT live there the rest of my life. He was a fabulous friend, but love was nowhere on the radar screen.

Until...

One New Year's Eve our junior year of college, we were half-heartedly watching a boring movie at my house. I can't remember what is was... maybe Lord of the Rings? Either way, neither one of us was enjoying it. My sisters had also given up on it and I'm pretty sure one of them was sleeping in the recliner and the other had gone to her room. I was telling him about some of the kids I worked with and tutored in the projects of Chicago. I loved those kids so much and spent quite a bit of regular time with them outside of my weekly scheduled tutoring. I grabbed a stack of pictures to show him from some of the outings I had done with them. I talked about these kids all the time to whomever would listen and most people got a little glassy eyed as I went on and on and on and on about them.

But he didn't. In fact, he looked at my pictures slowly and asked questions so that I would talk about them even longer. He was genuinely interested in the ministry I was doing with them and even said it was "cool." In that moment, I saw him in a completely different way. I knew we didn't have the same desires for our future, but I begged God to give me a godly man who would listen to and encourage my passions and desires the way he did. A person that I connected with spiritually like I did with Matt. Obviously, the answer was not Matt, but I wanted someone just like him... who wanted to live in a hut with me...

A few days later it was time for me to head back to Chicago and start the next semester of school. One of us called the other (I honestly have no idea which) and decided to go to dinner before I left. This was not uncommon or out of the ordinary. We even talked about our crushes over dinner (this was not uncommon either).

Then something out of the ordinary DID happen. He picked up the tab for my dinner. And it didn't freak me out. I kind of liked it.

As we walked back to his car, I joked that he needed to let me take him jean shopping sometime because, I informed him, it is best for your jeans to at least touch the top of your shoes. He chuckled and informed me that he could care less about fashion. (This conversation is still true today... nothing too trendy for my man; however, I get his jeans for him now, so they're a couple inches longer than the ones he used to wear ;)

I went back to school and he stayed home to do an internship. He had a lot of free time on his hands while he was living at home and away from his friends, so he'd send me emails (not uncommon), but I would actually email him back in a timely manner (very uncommon).

Then he would call (fairly rare while we weren't both at home).

Then he started calling a lot. By Spring Break I had a full blown crush on this nerdy guy (who didn't seem quite so nerdy anymore) that I'd known for years. I resolved that I would never bring it up. If he was interested (and I had a hunch that he was), he was going to have to make the first move. This shy guy was going to have to show me that he liked me enough to take a risk and admit it. We went to a Shane and Shane concert (one of my faves to this day!!) with a group of friends and on the drive home he asked me if I'd ever thought about the possibility of "us." Of course I had and thus began 2 months of talking circles around the idea.

We knew this wasn't a typical start to a relationship. This wasn't a "let's get to know each other and see what happens" kind of thing. We knew each other. He was comfortable farting in front of me and I was comfortable telling him his pants were too short. He teased me in a big brother kind of way more than a flirtatious crush. We weren't exactly trying to impress each other. It was more like a high pressure, we've been heading different directions in life and now we need to decide if we should take a step back and get married and see where God takes us together. In May, after discussing our dilemma with our parents, friends, godly professors, mentors... anyone who would listen, and getting a unanimous nod of approval, we decided to take the plunge and start a relationship.

I freaked out more than once. But he was just too awesome to let go.

By February of the following year we were engaged and that December we vowed to go wherever the Lord led us together.

So far, that's been back in our hometown and we are both at peace that we're exactly where we're supposed to be. Matt continues to encourage my passions and dreams (that's why this blog exists), he continues to be my best friend that I'm comfortable talking about anything with. He continues to be a godly man whom I now not only call my husband but the father of my children.

We are blessed to have you Matthew Steven and I will love you forever and always! I'm so thankful that I get to experience another decade of your life with you! Happy birthday!

When I Just Want to Be Able to Say (And Really Mean!), "I'm a good mom."

2013-02-26T04:30:00.000-06:00

Have you ever read a REALLY good section in a book and found yourself underlining or highlighting almost the whole thing? I've been reading Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick with GraceLaced and Grace Full Mama book club of sorts the last few weeks. The book has been really good so far and I loved this page so much that I wanted to share it with you!

Although it seems counterintuitive, fully embracing our utter inability to keep the law will actually free us from feelings of guiltiness. For instance, when your children fail and you respond to them in an ungodly way it's easy to beat yourself up with thoughts such as "I'm such a terrible mother." If, however, you've been freed from the expectation that you should be able to be a wonderful mother, your hearts response will be:

"I know that I've failed to be the kind of mother he wants me to be, but that's why I need a Savior, and it's why my kids need one, too. Thank you, Lord, that you've given me your perfect record, and that even though I sin, I am accounted perfectly righteous before you. Please forgive me and help me respond to this great gift you've given in faith and grateful obedience. I trust you to work in me."

In my own life I frequently have to pray in this way numbers of times before I can silence the dreadful harping of my proud heart. I have to remind myself over and over that his righteousness is now mine and that the way my heart harasses me is more a function of my pride and self-sufficiency than a sincere desire for godliness. If godliness before him is what I was really after, then one look at the cross and empty tomb would suffice. But I can see that I'm frequently more concerned about whether I approve of myself than the fact that he approves of me. I sinfully long to be able to look at my life and feel good about my personal accomplishments --See what a good mother I am! -- and it's that desire that spawns crushing guilt. The only way to silence my heart and find solace is to continually remind myself of my new identity in Christ and to be satisfied with that alone. If I try to be satisfied in my own accomplishments or identity, I'll never know the comfort he promised. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden," he calls, "and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30). --from Because He Loves Me, p. 74-75.

Happy sigh. Don't forget to preach the gospel to yourself today, Mama!

The Best Gift You Can Give Someone Who Hurts

2013-02-22T06:10:00.001-06:00

I'm just a few days shy of 35 weeks and have hit that uncomfortable stage where sleeping doesn't come easily. About every 3rd night my body builds up it's sleep deprivation and I crash, but most nights involve quite a bit of tossing and turning and, unfortunately, they're often accompanied by some unpleasant dreams.

Last night was one of those nights. I tossed and turned much of the night struggling to get comfortable and woke up this morning sometime after 4am. My thoughts immediately went to Caleb and I had tears in my eyes before I decided that sleep was over for the night and I might as well not just lay there and worry. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and checked facebook and email. While I was browsing, I got an email. It was from one of my favorite blogs, so I immediately opened it and was shocked by what I found...

It was about me.

I wept as I read the post written by my dear friend. The words were intended to love me, encourage me and point me to our Savior as the difficult days ahead get closer and closer. My jaw dropped even more when I saw that a whole group of my friends had joined together and used the space on their blogs to encourage me. Each one took a different angle and each one was a tremendous source of comfort and encouragement for me. I will be printing them all and taking them with us to St. Louis in a few weeks.

I am often one of the first to say that you have to be careful with online friendships. They allow you to put forward a face that's not the whole picture. They can detrimentally replace real life friendships. BUT I am discovering they can also be one of the most blessed gifts in our lives. Since beginning When You Rise, I have met a core group of like-minded women who have been an incredible encouragement to me. Just yesterday we had two "conversations"... a deep one about some concerns we have regarding some parenting philosophies and a fun, lighthearted one that literally had me laughing out loud. These girls are the real deal and I feel comfortable sharing my bad days and frustrations with them and love hearing their insight into Scripture and the faith.

To read the absolutely beautiful posts they wrote or just check out the awesome ladies I'm privileged to call friends, you can click through the links below.

Melissa of Hive Resources: When You're Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Christina of To Show Them Jesus: For When a Loved One Is Sick
Jessalyn of Desiring Virtue: The Bravery of Caleb
Kristen of Celebrate Every Day with Me: When You Have to Walk by Faith
Emily of Redeemed Reader: Home Missions: Letter to the Helpless Mom

Christina, Kristen, Melissa, Jessalyn and Emily: Thank you. I love you and am so incredibly grateful that God has brought us together. Thank you for loving me with gentle, encouraging, sympathetic words and even more, for pointing me to the Word and our great God as our family travels this road.

You've given a hurting heart the best gift she could ever receive.

Winner of the Gospel Story Bible...

2013-02-22T06:00:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to...

Zonna B.!!!

You're the winner of the The Gospel Story Bible!!! You should have received an email from me notifying you of your win. Please reply with the address you'd like your book shipped to within 24 hours and I'll get it right out!

If you didn't win, this is a book I highly recommend adding to your wish list. Maybe a fun addition to an Easter basket next month or an upcoming birthday? It really is an excellent resource!

The links above are my affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, click here.

Parenting Books That No Longer Make My Reading List

2013-02-21T05:30:00.000-06:00

"Do A, B and C and you'll have a new kid by Tuesday!"

So I try... and I don't.

<Sigh>

Parenting books can leave me so discouraged. They often lead me to believe that I'm either a) not consistent enough with the "method" or b) my child is worse than most or c) I stink as a parent in general.

I like to read. A lot. But in the past few years I've become increasingly picky about what I read...

Today I'm sharing why and how I choose parenting books that I read over at To Show Them Jesus (one of my favorite blogs!!!) I hope you join the discussion there and share some of the books that you've found helpful (and maybe less than helpful) on your parenting journey.

Bible Themed Quiet Bags: NOAH'S ARK

2013-02-20T04:00:00.000-06:00

Our Noah's Ark Bible Quiet Bag is up next!

This story is probably one of the more familiar Bible stories for most kids, so there were quite a few inexpensive activities I was able to purchase for this one, which made putting it together one of the quickest yet!

Stampers- I bought these cute Noah's ark stampers from Oriental Trading Co. There are some animal ones along with a Noah figure and an ark. Isaac liked the idea of them a lot, but only used them for a couple of minutes. I suppose that's why I try to fill the bag with multiple activities because 10 activities that each last a couple of minutes fill up a lot of time. :)

Sticker set- I got these stickers as part of an assorted set of Bible scene stickers from Oriental Trading Co. I put two in the bag and he used them both during the service. He enjoyed creating his own scene a lot and changed up each picture a bit. In one he had Noah and his wife standing in the ark entrance and in the other he had the animals marching up the ramp. I wish we had a lot more of these sticker sets because I think he would enjoy doing one every week that we used this bag.

Lacing cards- I got these lacing cards from Oriental Trading Co. in a set with lots of different Bible stories in it. I just pulled out the two Noah's ark cards with a string for each so he can "decorate" the pieces and I'll be able to use the other cards from the set in future bags.

Felt Rainbow- I thought this idea from All Our Days was super cute! This is the first activity Isaac pulled out of the bag. He used the felt board I made for his puzzles and assembled the pieces to make a rainbow. A simple, fun reminder that God would never flood the whole earth again. (You can get the template and instructions on how to make it from the link above).

Handwriting sheets- There were two printables available for Noah's Ark from Christian Preschool Printables. Both have a Bible verse and a picture that can be colored as well. (Letter N printable; Letter O printable).

Sequencing Cards- Bible Story Printables has some sequencing cards intended for older kids (scroll down the page a bit to find the Noah cards). I adapted them to work great for Isaac. I wrote a short synopsis of what the picture describes on the blank line (where older kids are supposed to write this). I cut them out, put a small number on the back in case he needed to check his work, and laminated them so he could put them in order. We have done sequencing cards for several Bible stories now and I have found it to be one of the best way to solidify the details of a story in his mind. He becomes an active participant in telling the story without being required to have every part memorized at his age. I highly recommend including sequencing cards in a quiet bag when you can.

Coloring Pages- These coloring pages from Bible Story Printables are the same pictures as the ones found in the sequencing cards, only in an 8 1/2 x 11 version that can be colored by the child. I printed up one of each and added them to the bag to be colored however he'd like (which may not be ever... have I mentioned my boys do not like coloring?)

Memory Game- I got these cards from Oriental Trading Co. They are very good quality, thick cardboard matches that can be used to play the classic game, Memory. There are far too many cards in the set to include in a quiet bag intended for a small space, so I just pulled out about 10 matches for ours. (I tried to pick out a few animal pairs and as many of the ones directly related to the story as possible.)

Dot Marker Rainbow- This is a fun printable from Making Learning Fun. They suggest using colored pom pom magnets on a cookies sheet or fruit loops to decorate the rainbow, but bingo daubers seemed like the best option for a quiet bag and Isaac was very excited about this one.

Ark Window Counting- This file folder game from Christian Preschool Printables has you count the number of window on an ark piece and match it to the ark with the correct number on it. Simple and short game, but fun!

Counting by Twos Animals- I thought this would be too hard for Isaac, but surprisingly, he did it 100% correctly the first time he tried it. It's also from Christian Preschool Printables and there are pairs of each animal and the object is to begin with the number 2 and count by 2's all the way to 36 (each animal goes next to their match to make it a little easier). He then played with them for a few more minutes quietly marching the animals around 2 by 2. If this is too hard, there's also a simpler version where you just match the animals from the same site.

The 2 animal picture and animal word matching games from the Creation bag would also be perfect for this bag! Hope some of these activities prove to be a fun way to review the story of Noah's Ark with your kiddos!

To check out other Bible Themed Quiet Bags, go to "More Ideas" and scroll down to the list of bags we've already made!

Giveaway: The Gospel Story Bible

2013-02-18T04:00:00.000-06:00

Sooo...

If you've followed When You Rise for long, you know I'm a fan of The Jesus Storybook Bible. We've done a couple of giveaways with it, I made a printable based on it, and I've highly recommended it as the best resource out there for pointing out the gospel throughout Scripture, even in Old Testament stories. I will always be grateful for how God used The Jesus Storybook Bible to help me better grasp how to point my kids to the gospel in all of Scripture, but, well...

It's been replaced.

Yes, we've found a book that we like even more in our house now and I'm excited to share it with you! It's called The Gospel Story Bible and though they have some striking similarities, I'm going to kind of compare it to the JSB and give some pros and cons to help you get a better idea of how it's similar and different than The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Pros:
-Straightforward. The Gospel Story Biblepretty much just states the facts of the story. It tells a condensed version of most stories, but it's still fairly detailed. The Jesus Storybook Bible is a little more poetic in it's approach. While it's often beautiful and I enjoy reading it, I think it often goes over my young boys' heads.
-Accuracy. While it's not characteristic of every story, some of the biblical facts in The Jesus Storybook Bible are just plain wrong. I'm not talking theologically, I mean, the facts from Scripture just aren't correct. For instance, she says that Jacob worked for 7 years for Rachel, was given Leah and then worked 7 more years before he got to marry Rachel. Close, but Jacob actually got to marry Rachel after a week... he still had to work 7 more years for her, but he was already married to her during that time. She also takes some liberties that The Gospel Story Bible doesn't take. I think this review on Amazon does a good job of fairly reviewing this downfall of the JSB.
-Good theology. Obviously not everyone is going to agree with my theology, but as a whole, I find myself agreeing with the theological stance presented in The Gospel Story Bible than I do The Jesus Storybook Bible. For example, I'm not a fan of the JSB's presentation of the Fall. She focuses on the fact that Adam and Eve didn't believe God loved them, so they sinned. There are many scholars who would agree, but I fall more into the mindset that Adam and Eve's pride made them sin. They weren't victims of poor judgement and believing a "lie." I don't like Adam and Eve being made out to be victims. They willfully chose to sin against God and I think it had more to do with their pride and usurping God's authority than getting duped. Anyway, might seem minor to some, but as a whole, I think the theology of The Gospel Story Bible is very sound and Matt and I don't find ourselves needing to do ad lib corrections as we go.

Cons:
-Price. The Gospel Story Bible is a bit on the pricey end. It has 156 stories in it, but it costs $19.79 on Amazon. It's hard back and high quality, but I almost expected a larger book based on the price when I ordered it.
-One page spread stories. Because there are so many stories in it, it would make one giant book if each story was told over multiple pages, but I do think that would help keep the attention of my boys better.
-Pictures. This is something I don't love about The Jesus Storybook Bible or The Gospel Story Bible. They are a little abstract and bizarre-o. I know many find it beautiful and I don't necessarily disagree, I just think they're the wrong type of picture for the target audience. Bright simple pictures catch and keep my boys attention much better. While the pictures in The Gospel Story Bible are brighter than The Jesus Storybook Bible, they're still a little abstract in nature.
-Dry. The fact that the stories are all on one page, the pictures aren't that interesting and it's basically a straightforward retelling of the text could lend itself to being a really dry story Bible. (I'm not knocking that it's a straightforward retelling, but there's not much simplification to make it a whole lot more understandable for a young child. It basically just takes out some of the details that don't add a lot to the story). There are a few questions at the end of each story to help review and engage the listener, but I often have to drop my jaw and be really animated as Matt reads and draw the boys' attention to certain details and help them get excited about it as we go or they just squirm and don't pay attention. But I think it's more than worth it because of the richness of the gospel and the Scriptures they're being exposed to. We've been reading one story a night at bedtime with them and, even though their attention span doesn't always indicate it, they do like it. They spent the night with their Grandma and PaPa not too long ago and asked to take it with them so they wouldn't miss a night. :) I think as we continue to do this routine and as they get a little older, they'll get better and better at sitting through this 5 minute story.

This book is intended for late preschool to early elementary kids, but it is definitely not too simple for older elementary kids (perhaps besides the review questions at the end). In fact, the gospel summary at the end of each story is probably right on an older child's level. I actually think it would make a great book to use in a family with a wide variety of ages. There are also some companion devotionals and books to go along with it that I think I'll invest in some day when the boys are older.

Does The Gospel Story Bible sound like something you might be interested in for your family? Even though I had a few critical things to say about it, I really do love it and I think any family could benefit from it. Enter the giveaway box below between now and Thursday, February 21st at Midnight and you'll have a chance to use it in your family! I'll announce the winner sometime on Friday, February 22nd.

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Some of the links above are my affiliate links. To read my disclosure policy, click here.

A Love Note from Your Groom

2013-02-14T06:30:00.000-06:00

(Today is a day filled with sentiments of love. Candy, gifts, dates. Sometimes the hype is too much and expectations are not met on this day. But there is one Lover who will never disappoint on Valentine's Day. This is purely imaginative, but something I believe is based on the Truth of Scripture. I hope it's an encouragement to you, sweet Mama.)

Dear Beloved Bride,

I "hear" your thoughts of failure every day. I hear your, "I am so inconsistent" and your "I am just plain tired and sick of this." I see you set a bad example. I see you let your guard down and yell. I see you use your time poorly. I watch you escape on your phone. I see your laziness. I hear your fears that you're messing up your kids. I see your hypocrisy when you tell your kids to have a good attitude and when you roll your eyes and sigh when they don't. I know some days leave you feeling weary of the mundane.

Other husbands may not know, but I do. Nothing gets past me. There are no dirty little secrets with me. I see all. Know all. Hear all.

And I want you to know something. That list above that brings you such guilt, that keeps you awake at night resolving to do better tomorrow, that makes you cringe with frustration, "WHY can't I do better?"

That list doesn't make me love you less.

I'm still glad I chose you. I would still die for you and forgive you of all those offenses. I didn't choose you because of what I would get out of it. Other grooms may long have abandoned you by now. But I didn't give up my life for you and expect you to pay me back with perfection. I gave it up because you COULDN'T be perfect. I knew that full well when I picked you. I didn't make a mistake. I never have and I never will.

I love you. Unconditionally. I will not forsake you... you've got Me for life. And someday, because of what I've done for you, you will be the Bride you want to be for Me. You and all your Brothers and Sisters who are failing daily along with you. So stop trying to earn my love. You already have it. Strive to love me back, not because you want to be "even," but just because you love Me too. It's what I've always said I've wanted.... your heart, not your performance.

So bask in this today and every day. You are loved always and forever, before time began and into the infinite future.

Your Redeemer and Groom,

Jesus Christ

On suffering well...

2013-02-11T06:30:00.000-06:00

One complains that her husband never takes out the trash, watches too much football and isn't very romantic.

And the other's shoulders drop because she wishes that were her "misfortune" instead of her husband's infidelity.

One complains that the nausea is killing her, she's too tired to think straight and she's ready for this all to be over.

The other hides a silent tear as she mourns that she'll never get to hold the child she miscarried.

One complains about having to get up early in the morning and head back to work and how obnoxious his co-workers are and overbearing his boss is.

The other shakes his head wishing he had a job to provide for his family.

The complaints of the first person in all these scenarios might seem trite in comparison to the situation of the second person, but it's not uncommon to see someone vent these kinds of frustrations on facebook or with a group of friends over dinner. Of course, the smaller the setting, the more likely that people are aware of each others' situations, but the truth is, when you are suffering, sometimes things are said that sting. That hurt. That make your blood boil. Sometimes it's all of these feelings at once.

As I've spent the last couple of months wading through the murky water of suffering, I've wondered what the most biblical response to others is (not the TRIAL itself but OTHERS in the midst of it).

I've seen people respond a lot of different ways:

1. Raise awareness. People likely don't know that what they're saying is uniformed and/or hurtful. Educate them (and depending on your personality, that can be gently or hit them over the head with a 2x4 so they realize just how insensitive they were). Either way, help everyone around you understand what's going on in your situation so that they don't say the things that make you cringe.

Problem: Not everyone wants to air their suffering for all to see. It's not always the appropriate time to do so if you do embrace this approach. And you'll always be meeting new people who don't know your situation and this approach could leave one feeling pretty drained.

2. Withdraw. No one can understand your pain so it's best to withdraw. Find other people like you, who have the same situation as you, and pour into them because they're the only people who really "get you."

Problem: Isolation makes for a lonely, depressing road and when you're suffering that's the last thing you need. Sometimes the only other people who "get you" aren't in a close circle of friends, so you have to go elsewhere, like the internet, to find support groups. They can be wonderful, but there's nothing that can replace a face to face conversation with someone who can wrap you up in a hug if need be.

3. Be bitter. Both of the previous two approaches can easily lead to this, but I think it deserves a number all to itself because of how much of it I've seen in the last couple of months. I've seen over and over again women so angry at their friends, family, God, you name it... that they lash out with words meant to "set people straight" by telling them exactly what they should and should not say to them about their situation. They are feeling so suffocated by the weight of their trial that they need a place to vent and unfortunately, I see over and over again it being directed towards others who aren't responding "right" to their situation.

Problem: Needs and wants can change from day to day. There are days already where I've wanted one thing from someone one day and another thing from them the next. Emotions are too unpredictable and it is entirely unfair to place the pressure of a perfect response to the roller-coaster of emotions on someone else's shoulders. And bitterness leaves everyone miserable. Both parties lose on this one.

Lots of responses to suffering are "justified" on many levels. Sleep deprivation. Ridiculous pain emotionally. Isolation. All of these things and many, many more things can factor into a response that most would deem inappropriate under other circumstances, but perhaps understandable in the midst of suffereing. The above response are not difficult to understand and, depending on one's personality and perspective on life, very easy to embrace.

So what's a biblical response to others, not the trial itself, in the midst of our suffering?

What better example than Christ?

-Think about how he healed a paralyzed man who interrupted his sermon. This guy and his friends wanted his legs to work again so much so, that they were willing to barge in while Jesus was teaching a crowd. But Jesus didn't just give him the temporary fix he wanted. He responded to this "rudeness" by giving them even more than they asked for. He also gave the paralyzed man forgiveness of his sins. He gave him grace. (Mk. 2:1-11)

-Exhausted, Jesus withdrew to a private place to rest and eat with his disciples and an inconsiderate (my thoughts from a human perspective anyway) crowd found out and followed him. He had compassion on them, healed them and then fed them... 5,000 of them. Jesus was the exhausted one, they should have been bringing HIM food and giving him a bed fit for the King that he was to get some much needed rest, but instead they asked for more from him. But he had compassion. He extended grace. (Mt. 14:13-21)

-Peter denied Jesus with his words and disowned him in his darkest hour. Talk about a reason to be bitter with someone. Instead, Jesus forgave him and used him greatly to further His Kingdom. What incredible grace! (Jn. 18:15-27; 21:15-19)

These are just a few examples of how Jesus showed us how to respond to others. In the last situation he was undergoing the most intense suffering imaginable. Whether someone inconveniences us, is completely inconsiderate of our situation or flat out rejects us in our time of need, we are to respond with grace.

Grace.

And more grace.

Because when I extend it, I find I'm comforted on some level by the ill-timed comment or the unintentionally hurtful words. The Lord opens my eyes and I see their desire to love me. And even if their hearts aren't pure in it, I'm reminded of all the love he poured out on me... even when my intentions weren't good.

To whom much has been given, much is expected.

And haven't we all been given much, regardless of our circumstances, through the Son?

Please understand that I don't think I've got this all figured out and I don't always do this well, but I do know that when I look back on this period in my life I want to know that I pointed others to Christ. Not that I put others in their place or that I got the attention and sympathy and pity of others, but that people saw our situation and in turn saw the Savior of the world.

Winners of The Rizers DVD's

2013-02-08T07:32:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to...

Zonna B.

and

Erin H.

You're the winners of The Rizers DVD's. You should have received an email from me notifying you of your win. Please respond with the address you'd like it shipped to and I'll get those in the mail to you!

For everyone else, I encourage you to keep this group in mind. These songs could not make memorizing Scripture any easier. We gave the 2 cd's they have available to the boys in their Easter baskets last year and they really are fantastic. You can find their cds, dvds and other products at their site.

Prayer Point: Gospel Love

2013-02-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult." Proverbs 12:16

Father in Heaven,

Parenting is so hard! Everyday is a new challenge. There is always something unexpected and always when I am least able to handle it.

Some days my children seem to do everything they can to annoy me. It's all I can do to not respond with sarcasm or express the irritation and annoyance on my face. Too often though, I give in and make my annoyance known.

But I don't want to! Father, forgive me for the way I respond. I want to respond in love, patience, and grace. I want to respond as you respond to me.

The challenges I face in parenting always remind me of how perfect you are as my Father. You never respond to me in annoyance. You are always kind and gracious, forbearing, and compassionate. You know my weaknesses and that I have a long way to go.

I cling to your love and your promise that you are making me new. Work through me and give me Gospel love for my children. Help me to respond in ways that point them to You and the Gospel.

Father, may Your Spirit be at work in my children's hearts to help them live out Gospel love to others. They get irritated and annoyed with one another on a daily basis. They get irritated with friends who don't play the way they want them to play. May they see Your patience with them. May they see Your Gospel love and share it with others.

Help us all to experience Your Gospel love in deeper ways. Impress this upon our hearts so that we can in turn live out the Gospel by loving others as You love them. Help us to love You more and more as we experience all the riches of Your Gospel love.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Christina

Christina Fox is a licensed counselor, homeschooling mom, coffee lover, blogger, and writer, though not necessarily in that order. She lives with her husband of sixteen years and their two boys in sunny S. Florida. You can find her sharing her faith journey at www.toshowthemjesus.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ToShowThemJesus.

Bible Themed Quiet Bags: CHRISTMAS

2013-02-06T06:30:00.000-06:00

I know Christmas is just barely behind us, but I decided to go ahead and post this quiet bag while all of the ideas are fresh. PLUS, some of the ideas are from Oriental Trading Co. and several of the items are on a really good sale right now. This post be a good one to pin and make later. (By the way, do you follow When You Rise on Pinterest? Such a great place to organize ideas to be done at a later date! :)

I LOVE having Christ-centered activities for the boys around Christmas that they really like doing. I always want to make sure that there's not the "fun" part of Christmas (toys, Santa, food, parties) and the "serious" part (Jesus). Jesus IS the celebration and there are so many FUN ways to commemorate it! We do the other fun stuff, but I put forth a lot more effort on the story of the Nativity in hopes that when my kids look back on childhood Christmases some day they'll think back on the fun they had celebrating their Savior.

So, here's what we have in our Christmas quiet bag that goes with us to church every Sunday from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Letter and Number Worksheets: Here's just a few of the ones I printed off for the boys. I found them at 2 places: Confessions of a Homeschooler and 1+1+1=1. I laminated all of them and put a red and green dry erase marker in the bag so they could be used over and over again. Some include counting (and circling or drawing a line to the correct number) and some work on beginning sounds (again circling the correct letter or even writing out the correct one). Down on the lower left side you'll also notice a patterning game where the picture that is different is to be circled. Isaac really liked these and did them all almost every week. This year he even tried to write the beginning sound letters in the blank and it was the first time he's ever tried to do something like that on his own. He did great!

I highly recommend just downloading the free packets from the above sites and picking and choosing what you think your child would like best!

Felt puzzle: I glued down to different printable Christmas puzzles to felt to use with our homemade felt board. (To find out how to make your own simple version to prevent sliding pieces, click here.) There is a 6 piece puzzle from Confessions of a Homeschooler that says "J is for Jesus." I can't for the life of me find the number order puzzle I printed. If you know where it came from or come across it, will you please leave the link in the comments? I also found a whole page of puzzles on Christian Preschool Printables that are really great and would work perfectly for this!

Patterns and Sorting: Here are two activities Isaac liked. The one pictured on the left is an activity where you complete the line by adding the picture that comes next in the pattern. It's very simple and is probably most appropriate for 3 year olds. The activity on the right is a sorting one where animals and people are separated into their appropriate boxes. I strongly suggest going over the directions ahead of time for pre-readers or even to a child who can differentiate between the people side and the animal side. I got both activities from 1+1+1=1.

Magnetic Nativity Scene: I wrote a post about how to make this last year and made another recently with Moses and the 10 Commandments. Isaac will spend a significant amount of time each week playing with these. It's probably the most time consuming project in the set, but well worth it for the amount of use it gets.

Nativity Sequencing Cards: (40% off right now!!!) I got these cards from Oriental Trading Co. and Isaac really liked arranging them in order of the biblical account of Jesus' birth. This is probably one of the most beneficial activities in the bag as it required Isaac to really internalize the story in order to "re-tell" it by placing the cards in the right order.

Coloring Pages: Christmas coloring pages are not hard to come by with a quick google search, but here are a few to get you started:

Christian Preschool Printables

Lacing Cards: (20% off right now!) I got these from Oriental Trading Co. as well. Different parts of the story are depicted on different cards with plenty of yarn to lace around the edge of each scene. My boys are not awesome at the whole over/under lacing thing, but they like doing these anyway. They are very sturdy and I'm glad I got them.

Nativity Wheel: This is another one I ordered from Oriental Trading Co. These could be colored ahead of time if you're child's not into coloring much and put together as a spinning review of the story, or left blank for a child who would enjoy coloring and putting this craft together. After being colored, the card on the left is placed on top of the card of the right and held together with a little bracket that allows the wheel to spin and reveal one scene of the Natiivity story at a time.

Nativity Sticker Scene: I ordered this pack of 12 Nativity sticker scenes from Oriental Trading Co. and included a half sheet of black paper in the bag. Isaac liked placing the stickers where he wanted them and added good variety to the bag.

So a very early (or late) Merry Christmas to you and I hope these ideas provide a great way to reinforce the greatest birth story in history!

Giveaway: The Rizers on DVD!

2013-02-04T06:30:00.000-06:00

Time for a giveaway!

The Rizers put Scripture to song and my boys love them more than any Bible memorization tool we use. (You can read my review of their albums here.) There are cartoon music videos that go with some of the verses that you can watch on YouTube and Silas requests the "flyer song" and the "rollercoaster song" all. the. time. The problem is, our internet is SLOW and it stops every 5 seconds to load a little more of the video. It's mind-numbing to sit through with him, to say the least. I was THRILLED when I heard they were coming out with a DVD, not only so we can enjoy all 10 songs in the same amount of time we can enjoy 1 currently, but also because I love that we'll be able to use it in the van when we travel (and they'll likely have a lot of that in their future while Caleb's in the hospital).

I figured my boys aren't the only ones who would enjoy these, so I picked up a couple of extra copies when I ordered one for them for Christmas to give to two of you! Just enter through the box below via your facebook account or email address and you'll be all set! The giveaway will end Thursday, February 7th at Midnight and I will announce the winner sometime on Friday, February 8th.

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P.S. If you're interested in purchasing the DVD, you can find it on the Rizer's website.