A Look Back

My middle daughter is attending her final day in Mothers Together childcare this week.  She’s been reminding me for days that next year she’ll be in preschool and not at “Mommy’s Bible study” anymore.  I’m excited for her to step out into the rigors of academia next year at the ripe age of five, but in reflecting over her past three years attending Mothers Together with me I know she’ll be missing out on experiencing something that has come to be very special to us both.

Every Wednesday she is welcomed into her church home filled with her spiritual moms that have grown to know and love her.  Hand-in-hand we straggle into The Dock bright and early to help set up or prepare for our morning and pouring over her are the sounds of our amazing worship band, Alabaster Box.  Her eyes light up and her dimples deepen when she recognizes the song they’re playing for Jesus. She knows we study The Bible and learn about Jesus in the “mommy’s class”. It’s easy for me to share with her what we’re learning about on our drive home on Wednesday mornings.  Our children know us; the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I know my daughter sees me being authentic with the women I encounter at Mothers Together.  Many lessons in life are better caught than taught and I hope she’s caught the truth that Christ-centered friendships are priceless. I know she may not remember the details of our Wednesday mornings at MT in the years to come, but I pray that the seeds that have been planted by being surrounded by a community of truth seeking, relationship building, and most of all, Jesus loving women will grow into a desire to know this God and keep her chasing after Him her whole life long.  

Our theme verses this year have been from Ephesians 1:17-19, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” and I want to close out our year praying these blessings plant the seeds of desire to know a God who loves us so much that it is pure joy to chase after Him our whole lives long as well.

Father of glory, thank you for the opportunity to know you more personally this year. You have provided a place for us to encounter your spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of you in Mothers Together this year.  I ask that you continue to enlighten the eyes of our hearts as we move forward and know, in the deepest part of ourselves, the hope to which you have called us. Remind us often that as your daughters, our glorious inheritance is rich indeed and teach us how to live out the truth of that promise each and every day. 

Lastly, if you have a nudge or are feeling called to become more involved in Mothers Together we would love to hear from you.  Becoming part of our team is a great way to build relationships and serve God in new and exciting ways.  Contact Tara Gazaway at taragazaway@yahoo.com or Jena Meyerpeter at jmeyer2x4@msn.com for more information.

Jena Meyerpeter

A Willing Heart

bizior photography - www.bizior.com

In my vast experience of parenting (about three-and-a-half years), I've learned several valuable lessons: a good game of peek-a-boo goes a long way, Nordstrom has a giant bathroom tucked away on the 3rd floor, perfect for tantruming toddlers and crying babies, and I will be vague, but a third lesson of great value has to do the appropriate way of changing a newborn baby boy's diaper. Honestly, there really is no reason why bodily fluids should be on the walls of a nursery.

But beyond strategies for survival, one of the most important lessons I have learned so far is the value of a willing heart. Something my three-and-a-half year old has been teaching me lately.

She is a high-spirited, passionate little girl. With her passion pointed in the right direction, I see her stand up for what is right, give away her last bite of dessert and share a new toy without having played with it first. And conversely, which sometimes happens on a more frequent basis, we experience meltdown after meltdown after meltdown.

Most recently we had a break through. From a request to finish her green beans at lunchtime, she was sent into a meltdown of sheer agony and turmoil. I firmly, but gently told her she needed to calm down and what she said next changed my heart, just as surely as it was changing hers.

In the midst of gasping for breath between tears and with a hot, red face, she exclaimed, “Mom, I can't calm down!” It's strange, but I could see in her eyes that she wanted to, but physically, she just couldn't do it. Then she frantically requested, “Mom, please help me!”

I didn't know what to do. For some reason, in that moment, all I could think about was Jesus. So we prayed. I've prayed with her before meals and at bedtime, but we've never prayed together during a moment of desperation. I held onto her tightly and prayed out loud for Jesus to calm her heart, to make her feel better and to protect her.

And then she calmed down. I held her for a bit longer until her final tears were gone. And in those moments, all I could think about was my relationship with Jesus. I am His daughter and He is my parent. He doesn't need me to be perfect; He just needs me to have a willing heart. When I make mistakes or when I don't know what to do with my frustration or anger, He just wants me to call out to Him. He wants to hear me say, “I can't calm down! Please help me!”

King David writes in Psalm 119:147, “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.” And in Isaiah, God promises, “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I.”

It is not our actions in which God responds. He is simply looking for a willing heart.

- Rebekah H.

You and Your Child

This wonderful piece was sent in by Tasha and written by Joe White, President of Kanakuk Kamps.


Years ago when my kids were small, I was walking my youngest daughter home after an evening K-Life at Kamp. A splendid display of stars spangled overhead; a gift to enjoy from our Creator.

As Courtney and I marveled at the heavenlies, perhaps ten thousand feet above us we gazed at a jet airplane cruising through the night; its lights brightly visible as it prepared to land at an airport fifty miles away.

"Courtney, see those lights?" I pointed overhead.

She leaned back further. "Yes, Daddy. What is it?"

"It's a jet, Sweetheart. See how bright those lights are?"

"Wow, that's neat!"

Capturing a teachable moment, I continued. "See that brightest star just above the plane? That star is thousands of times brighter than our sun, but it is over ten million light years away, so it looks like a tiny dot in the sky."

"Wow, Dad, that's awesome!"

Just then a lightning bug, only a few feet above us, lit up brightly. It was almost like the startling flash of a camera. Just imagine- a lightning bug, whose tail measures only an eighth of an inch across, outshining an airplane's light that can illuminate a runway or a star that could comparatively make the sun look like a flickering candle.

The principle I observed began to grip me with excitement as I related it to parenting.

For years, my kids were exposed to negative peer pressure at school, anti-family music at their friends' houses, seductive messages on television commercials and a giant assortment of modern-day bad influences. Their world was full of it; all presented in the brightest trappings to light up the eyes of children of all ages. It all looked so appealing and irresistible!

But, I was filled with encouragement when I resolved that amidst the alluring display of illuminating corruptive influences that surrounded my kids, if I could get my "Daddy light" consistently as close to their eyes as possible I would be the brightest lightin their sky!

I know that Jesus' light is the light I want them to see, but Matthew 5:16 lays the wonderful task on my should when it says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify, your Father in heaven."

My light may only be a "flicker" compared to the neon fireworks display they faced every day, but the light that is closest is the light that is going to win their hearts for a lifetime!!!

My light; the steady beam of my biblical, old-fashioned, pro-family values may be small, and I knew I would never give it the same seductive dazzle that the media fantasy-makers gave their message. But I knew I would keep my light just a whisper away from those four precious pairs of eyes as they looked for leadership and direction.

Adolescence and pre-adolescence are difficult skies to navigate, but one thing has remained constant in my 40 years of counseling kids; parents who stay close to their kids with meaningful touch, consistent encouragement, participation with the child's activities and most importantly praying and reading the Bible together daily almost always raise the best kids! Kids spell love T-I-M-E!

As your child's skies are filled with neon stars that glitter with temptation, I pray today that your light and God's light will shine ever more brilliantly and that your child will navigate successfully by THAT light through these challenging years that lie ahead!

Tamar Finished Well

Family Tree Image - http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-are-family.html

Our story for today begins in Genesis 38 and focuses on Tamar a woman left with limited choices in order to preserve her future.  Her husband, Er, was the the firstborn of a man names Judah.  Er was wicked in the Lord's sight so the Lord put him to death (Gen 38:6-7).  Then by law, Er's brother was to take Tamar as his wife but then he messed up too because he refused to fulfill his obligation to his brother and to Tamar leaving Tamar in a bad place.  

According to this law explained in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, a brother is to marry any childless widow in the family to ensure she would have a son who would receive her late husband's inheritance and who, in turn, would care for her.  Because Judah's firstborn son (Tamar's husband) did not have any children, there was no family line through which the inheritance and the blessing of the covenant could continue.  Stay tuned for more . . .

Filled with scandal and deceit, this story is one that is sure to surprise you.  Please join us for Frann's final part of this insightful three part series about women who "Finished Well."   

Click HERE for today's handout and discussion questions.