Think SPRING!

Image by dodo via stock.xchg

Oh the weather outside is frightful and my dear it’s so …not delightful!  By the time February…or March…or May rolls around (you never know in Kansas!), you are sick of being indoors and your creative juices may have been sucked dry.   I’ve put together a few activities you can do inside with your children to keep things ‘interesting.’  Stash away a few of these ideas to help beat the last (hopefully) of the winter doldrums!

Bring the outdoors in by planting seeds your child can nurture and watch grow.  Be sure to choose something that grows fairly quickly so your child can see the fruits of their labor and not get discouraged!  Some ideas might include bell pepper seeds, sunflower seeds, dry peas, beans, or basil.

Since March roars in like a lion and out like a lamb, have your child create a paper plate lion and lamb.  On one paper plate, have your child draw a lamb face, then glue cotton balls around the outside edges (the bumpy part).  On a second paper plate, have your child draw a lion face, then glue skinny strips of brown paper around the outside edges (again on the bumpy part).  For a little extra lion fun, have your child roll the skinny strips of paper around their finger or a pencil  first so the lion’s mane will have a bit of “curl” to it!

Make a windsock.  Let your child decorate a piece of construction paper.  Add crepe paper or tissue paper streamers to the bottom using tape, glue, or staples.  Roll the construction paper into a cylinder and secure with staples or tape.  Punch 3 holes in the top, thread some yarn or string through and tie all three pieces together in a knot at the top.  Your windsock is now ready to hang!

Do a SPRING acrostic poem.  If you aren’t sure what that is, simply have your child write the word SPRING vertically on a piece of paper.  Then have them think of one thing about SPRING for each letter.  For example:

S for sunshine

P for plants, 

R for rain,

I for invigorating 

N for nice weather

G for gusty

There are also a few good places around the area to head to when you need to get out of the house but the weather isn’t cooperating. Check out some of these:

Johnson County Kids Museum (http://www.jocomuseum.org/EXH/kidscape.shtml).  They offer a free Kidscape exhibit or Pop N Play for $1 for non-members.  Pop N Play is only on certain Wednesdays so be sure to check their calendar on the website for exact dates.

Matt Ross Community Center (http://www.opkansas.org/things-to-see-and-do/community-centers/matt-ross-community-center/).  They also offer an indoor playtime called Toddle Time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with the cost being $1 for non-members.  There is also an Exploration room right inside their front door that is free.

Sylvester Powell Community Center offers an indoor play time (similar to Matt Ross) Tuesdays-Fridays from 9:30-11:30am at the cost of $2 per child.

By the way, a few posts ago, I mentioned making indoor snow and vowed that I would do it and let you know how it turned out.  Well…we (meaning me) had great fun mixing it up (our son doesn’t enjoy the feeling of shaving cream for some reason) and playing with it.  We had trucks and trains, buttons and spoons, yarn and feet (yes, feet) in our ‘snow’…and really enjoyed it!  As you can see from below, we even had a go at making a ‘snowman’ although like I had said, it didn’t look anything like the Modern Parents Messy Kids one.  But who cares?!  The ‘snow’ ended up staying in our container for about 2 weeks before we switched it out with something else!

Praying you have a great weekend and week ahead!

Julie

Stepping into your Calling

I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.  Psalm 32:8

Here at Heartland full-time employees get to take something called a Study Leave. Maybe

you can do something like that too. It doesn't have to be long - maybe an hour here and there, but it needs to be a focused time that is dedicated to trying to figure this out and acting on the calling God has placed in your heart. I’m a mom of two really young kids and I am also a working mom so
my time is limited. I get how hard it is to sometimes get away.

If you plan in advance about trying to hear what God is saying about your calling, you will be amazed —it can be done!

• What are some of your passions?
• How can they help the kingdom here on earth?
• Sit and envision and think about where you want to be 
• What are you hoping for?
• What is holding you back from stepping into your calling?
• What is your dream for this passion God has placed in your soul?

Sift through the clutter to see Gods call on your life. Find scripture to support your calling. Pray without ceasing. Share your discoveries with your table next week or a close friend who supports you in your spiritual journey.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8

She is clothed with Strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25

by Jenae W.

Celebrate Them, Not Just Their Accomplishments

My oldest son is 14 years old, a freshman in highschool.  He’s wandering through the wilderness.  Wounds get created during this time and for some the scars left still cause pain and maybe even limit our range of motion.  As moms, grandmothers, and motherly influences, we do our best to protect our children.  What I’m realizing is that protection isn’t an option so much anymore. Now, I’m doing my best to guide and counsel him to make his own good choices. But there are days when this guidance and counseling feels more like judgement and punishment for consequences of making not so wise choices.  I sense moments like these have inspired the overall negative reputation of the teen years.  

From working on my own identity and learning how my choices directly reflect the identity I’m claiming, I’ve begun to recognize it’s not a behavior issue, but an identity issue.  While pressing into this prayerfully, the Holy Spirit brought to light those places where my son’s identity was strong, unconditionally loved, and where it needed building, beautifully and wonderfully made. Then, when I searched for some sort of resource, I came across article after article, blog after blog, with and without spiritual context, explaining how we continually try to figure out who we are.  We search from the time we’re brought into this world until the time we are here no longer, but it seems to reach its pinnacle when our hormones rage and we begin to change from girls and boys into women and men.

What many of these resources emphasized was praise.  Praising our children, catching them doing the good, being the good and celebrating that.  This left me confused, because my husband and I really try to do this.  he brings home his semester report card and we’re amazed at the grades, the comments, and his overall placement in his cl

This realization came recently as I praised him for his semester report card - we’re amazed at the grades, the comments, and his overall placement in his class.   In that exact moment the conversation changed, my eyes welled with tears, as I started expressing how proud we were of the unique way God created him and how because of that he was able to do these great things.  As I went on about this, a confused look came upon his face and he asked about his younger brothers giftings.  He knew they weren’t the same because his brother struggles with many things he does not.  He began acknowledging that he probably overlooks his brother's gifts because of their closeness.

Since having this breakthrough conversation, we still search for opportunities to praise our boys. Whether it’s something they do or say or think, but also we’ve formed a habit of pointing them to God and celebrating who he’s made them to be.  So, not praising them only for receiving good grades or scoring during the game, but for the blessing of being a quick learner or determined studier and being physically agile or dedicated to the team.  Celebrating not just for doing what is expected and practicing good self control, but for the character of who they are no matter what they do.  As an added bonus of affirming our boys’ identity in Christ, we’ve found they struggle less with their own obedience.  It seems to have transitioned them from doing things to avoid punishment into a joyful expression of their new found identity.  Sounds somewhat familiar…  
- Nanette H.

Say the Right Thing

Our own lovely Jena Meyerpeter recently wrote a piece for KC Parent entitled Say the Right Thing.  In it she encourages us that, "Finding ways to simplify your words while loading them with meaning may just be your ticket out of the land of nagging and into the domain of happier parents and kids."  Join us over at KCParent.com to soak in her wise counsel on finding the right words to speak to our kids so they will remember the important points.

Gifts that Give

The Bible says we are created with a purpose, we are God's masterpiece, his workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).  Furthermore, we are given gifts by the Spirit:  gifts to bless, to help, to strengthen, to grow into, to serve, and to glorify God  This week in keeping with out Identity theme we are learning about those unique God-given gifts we each possess, and we can act on them.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different

kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who

does the work in all of us.  A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 – NLT

 

Over the next couple of weeks...

 

• Review the Spiritual Gifts Descriptions, specifically paying attention to your top two gifts. Look up the Biblical references listed at the bottom of each Spiritual Gift. Consider putting scripture on a note card, journal, or some place that you will see it to remind you of your God-given gifts.
• Over the course of a week, or even a few days, dedicate time to contemplate your Spiritual gifts, hot buttons, and nudges you may have experienced. Jot all these down in one place and take time to pray over and consider where the Holy Spirit might be prompting you to act.

 

A Hand in the Harvest

Photo by rams_on from stock.xchg

We generally discuss discipleship in terms of the people around us with whom we have permanent or semi-permanent relationships - discipling relationships.  We have talked a lot about creating disciples of our children, our spouses, our friends, our family members, our co-workers, etc.  But, what about encounters we have with people once, maybe twice, and never see them again?  Does that mean that we have no impact on the people we meet in those encounters?  No!

In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul writes a letter to the Church and its leaders, explaining that the Lord uses each one of us for a specific purpose, but that it is God himself who does the hard work:

"What, after all, is Apollos?  And what is Paul?  Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each his task.  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." (1 Cor. 3:5-7, NIV)

Or, as Breen and put it in Building a Discipling Culture, "Paul said that some plant, some water, and God gives the harvest.  In a passing relationship, you may be called on to plant a seed or to water what has already been planted.  Just because you do not see the end result does not mean you are not a vital part of the process." (Ch. 13)

Whew, that takes the pressure off a bit, doesn't it?  We don't have to take on the responsibility of bringing everyone we encounter into a personal relationship with Jesus.  God alone has the ultimate power to do that.  We may just have the privilege of lending a hand in preparing for God's harvest.  Whether we are planting a seed with a well-placed word, watering the new shoots with timely encouragement, fertilizing the growing plant with pertinent scripture references, or helping keep weeds at bay by speaking truth, we can perform the task God has given us.  No matter how small it seems to us, that task may be vital to the bountiful harvest He will ultimately reap in that person.

Do you look for opportunities in your everyday to perform such a task?

- Katrina

Valentine's Day with Family

Photo by vancity197 at stock.xchg

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, what better way to say “I love you” or “I care about you” than spending some quality time with your family and/or child(ren) crafting, playing a game, reading or doing an activity together.  

Have your child create a graph using conversation hearts.  You can find a printable graph here:   http://blissfullydomestic.com/life-bliss/valentines-heart-math/30392/

Make a fun heart or Hershey kiss shaped Rice Krispie treat to share with teachers, friends or neighbors.  You can find the recipe/instructions here:  

http://spoonful.com/recipes/sweet-heart-krispie-treats (for heart shaped treats)

http://partiesandholidays.blogspot.com/2010/02/rice-krispie-kisses.html (kiss shaped treats)

Make Valentine cards, or just sweet, happy, encouraging cards, and drop off at a nursing home or hospital.  Your child could even have fun painting and mixing colors on a plain white sheet of paper first, then once dry, cut out hearts to decorate a Valentine with.  

Place red-hots, conversation hearts, or another type of candy in a jar and have family members estimate.  

Attend Valentine Family Night at Ceramic Café in Leawood.  Pizza and flat studio fee is $15.  Call to register at 913-383-0222

Since February is also heart health month, have each family member cut out a paper heart and write an activity they will do to keep their heart healthy this month in the center of it.  Display these in a prominent place to hold each other accountable!  

As a slight variation, each family member could write 4 or 5 heart healthy activity hearts to be placed in a jar.  One could be drawn daily or weekly to jazz up how the family is staying active together, especially with all this cold weather!

Some other special days to consider this month:

February is also National Dental Health Month, African American History Month, International Friendship Month, and Red-Hot Month

Lincoln’s birthday (12^th) and Washington’s birthday (22^nd)

Random Acts of Kindness Day (17^th)

Cherry Pie Day (20^th)

National Tortilla Chip Day (24^th)

I’ll be praying everyone gives and receives plenty of love this month!

Julie

For a Season

Last night I dreamt I walked outside and it was a warm spring day. Twice.  It's not that I don't like winter.  I just don't like to be cold and weeks like this one the two go hand-in-hand.  As the snow poured down and my spring loving heart grew impatient I decided to surrender whatever wasn't to what was.  So, here it is...I love slow pace, clock-less days. Hot drinks, preferably with chocolate in them. I love the quiet of hum of sisters cooperating and hot soup. I love curling up with a good book and the warm glow of a burning candle.  I love neighbor kids spilling in and out of our home for hot chocolate. I love a kitchen warm from a baking oven. I love not being in a carpool line. I love God's irony of a blinding sun on a frozen world. I could go on, but I want you to take a few minutes and think of yours.  I'll leave you with these words to live by from Ecclesiastes Chapter 3...

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Wherever God has you today I pray you know His ever-present love and you find ways to thank Him for seasons of life that lead us closer to Him...

Jena



Be the Light

Photo by afasoulis via stock.xchng

It was just a little soccer ball night-light that miraculously enabled my nearly two-year-old to finally sleep through the night. We had been going through a rough patch of waking up every hour throughout the night. Finally realizing, or at least considering, that he might be afraid of the dark, I spent a whopping $2.99 at Wal-mart. And then our lives were forever changed. A few dollars bought my family some sanity. 

And so, after the dust settled with this fiasco, I started thinking about the night-light. What was the big deal? It was just a tiny light. With the main light on in my son’s room, the night-light wasn’t in the least bit visible. But at night, with the lights off in the bedroom, this little light shown incredibly brightly, creating such a notable difference. And although small, this light brought comfort and security to my son. 

Then I thought about how often Jesus spoke about light during His ministry on Earth. I looked up the word light and found that it was used over 250 times in the New International Version of the Bible. Right out of the gate, in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, God made a point to tell us that He separated the lightness and the darkness. In this way, He wanted us to know that light is distinct. It is vastly different from dark.

And then in Mathew 5:14, Jesus proclaims, “You are the light of the world.” I like to think of Jesus smiling as He delivered this line to His disciples. I imagine He was thinking something like this as He taught, “Do you even know how much of a difference you can make in a world full of darkness?” He went on in verses 15 and 16 to say, “A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

So WE are to be the light of the world; it is our responsibility to bring light into a darkened world. You can look at this concept as a heavy burden or an incredible privilege. But that’s not really where the lesson stops. And this next part continually blows my mind whenever I think about it. Jesus calls Himself the light. WHAT?? I’m the light AND He’s the light? I don’t feel like I deserve having the same characteristic that is also used to describe Jesus. 

But He says in John 1:9, I am “the true light that gives light to everyone coming into the world.” And in John 12:46, He says, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”  Wow.

I don’t deserve being called the light. On my own, I just don’t deserve it. But Jesus sacrificed His life for me, so that I may have salvation and in turn, be a light in a darkened world. It’s really that simple. I can be the light because I am reflecting the true light of the Father.

And even though I may sometimes feel as useless as a little soccer ball night-light, I can still make an incredible difference in the life of someone else. We were designed to be the light in a darkened world. So, think about what you can do today to be the light in someone’s life. Whether it’s a phone call, a hand written note, a meal or chatting with a friend over coffee, go do it. Go into the world and be the light. You will make more of a difference than you could ever know.

- Rebekah H.