Yesterday, we got to babysit my youngest nephew. He'll be a year old in October (you can figure out the months). It's been about four years since one of our boys was this little. Our boys are in the mostly self-sufficient stage of their life. They know how to get a snack after they ask. They know when they need to use the bathroom. One of them even knows how to do his own laundry-beautiful moment in life.
Having one this little in the house again made me think about all the things we haven't had to think about for a long time.
-Is that too small for him to play with?
-Is he wet?
-Is he hungry?
-Is it safe for him to crawl over there?
Then of course, uncle Jacob started patting his back and they put each other to sleep. Rough life.

All of this made me think about baby Christians. Sometimes we forget what it was like when we first decided to live for Christ. I mean, it's not like things ever get easy but when this is a brand new way of living sometimes a little extra help is needed and appreciated. 
And in reality, it works both ways. New Christians need mature Christians, ones that have been living for God for a while. Ones that they can go to, without judgement, and ask stupid questions without feeling stupid. And mature Christians need new Christians with their fresh fire and passion for God. Reminding them of the same passion they had when they first turned to God.

The Apostle Paul spoke these words to Timothy, someone new to the faith. He wanted him to be successful in his faith. He wanted him to stay true to his faith. We need to ensure that we are doing the same. If God is nudging you to help mentor someone else don't wait until you're qualified, instead pray continually for God to give you the right words and the right times.

God, help us in our walk to mature and grow. Then God, as we mature and grow, guide us to those younger in the faith that we can help mentor. When they do something 'not very Christian' give us patience. Help us to remember how patient you have been with us when we do things that 'aren't very Christian'. Lord, allow us to recognize that they cannot run before they crawl. There are things that we may have already learned that they are still learning. Help us not to rush them but to guide them as we would small children. Remind us always that we are one body and we need to work together for your glory. Amen

Would you say that it is important to know where you are stepping when you are walking down the street or through the woods? Of course it is, it is important to know that you're not about to step off a curb into on-coming traffic or sidestep off a bluff.  The same can be true in our spiritual walk.

There have been many 'good' things that I have heard on many subjects. Things that made me question why I believed the way that I believed. Some of these things brought me closer to God because they required me to dig in deeper to my relationship with him. Some of these things made me stray from God because I didn't have mature mentors that I took these questions to. (Winging it is not the best option.)
As a Christian, there have been moments when I have been accused of being narrow-minded. And in truth, there were moments that I was. I was afraid to let someone express their opinion that differed from mine but I wasn't sure why. 
Looking back I can see that fear came from a place of uncertainty. The crazy part is that I never needed to be afraid of not knowing the answer, or not knowing how to respond, or even being right.  The only thing that I should have been focusing on was the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 
I remember talking with somebody once about God. This person was agnostic and I had no experience with evangelism. That gave our conversation a dangerous combination. I had no clue what I was doing, so, of course, I opened my mouth and inserted my foot very early in the conversation. (I offended the person, unintentionally.) 
At that moment, I said "Holy Spirit, I really need your help." Little did I know that I was evoking the word of God.

An analogy crossed my mind and I quickly gave it to the person. It was a really good analogy, high five, Holy Spirit! By the end of the conversation, the person was not converted to Christianity but there was a recognizable change in their life. They even ended by saying they weren't sure what to call it but whatever I believed in was real.

God, sometimes it is difficult to stand on your word. Let's be honest, people don't like to be told they're doing something wrong. They don't want to take time to think about the future because they are too busy living in the present and the past. (Been there.) Holy Spirit, guide us, prompt us, humble us. Provide opportunities to share God's love with others. Give us boldness to speak of the love and sacrifice that was provided that makes the lives we live different than the lives we use to live. Help us not to seek victory but to seek you. Amen

While reading it, I began thinking about my own prayer life. Most of the time, when I hear about the way someone prayers or the methods they use I wonder if I’m ‘doing it right’. But, reading Becky’s book didn’t give me that feeling. It made me want to tap into my personal relationship with God even more. To be me during our times of communication and to have my own unique time with God rather than trying what ‘works’ for someone else or someone else’s method of prayer.
If you want to read a book about all the steps you need to take to pray, don't read this book. But if you want to read a book about someone's personal relationship with God and how they communicate with Him just as they are and the wild things that happen through that communication- this is the book for you!

Does anything on this package make you laugh? For me, it made me realize you can move on from a job but the lessons you learn, or pains you endure, don't easily fade. 
You probably didn't spot anything but for me it immediately made me laugh and cringe at the same time.
Am I supposed to preheat the oven to 350 or 325? 😂
What makes me cringe about this is knowing the amount of checks artwork for any brand goes through before it ever lands on the shelf in front of the consumer. Their are deadlines to meet and so many different eyes viewing, reviewing, and tweaking along the way. Then, after all that, a product hits the shelf with a mistake like this and suddenly it is the end of the world. That, my dear readers, we'll call Brand Management PTSD. 

I feel bad for whomever received the wrath for this simple mistake. I can ensure you that the day the mistake was spotted on the shelf in the store was not a pleasant day. However, life goes on. Even when I was involved in packaging I was able to recognize that you own the mistake, correct it, and move on. It wasn't life or death. Eventually, no matter how beautiful or perfect it was, all packaging would eventually find its way to the trash.

While making breakfast this morning, I saw this and began to think of how tragic it was. Not that I could possibly burn my biscuits but that so much effort went into one tiny piece of artwork, that would one day become trash, and so little effort went into the lives of those that worked on the artwork. 

There are so many things in life that we put a high value on. We get awards for things that are most excellent in their class. However, in heaven, I doubt that the artwork on biscuits holds much value. Let's take a moment to recognize the most valuable things here on earth are those around us- people.

Take a moment today to look in the mirror and say these words, “God created you, you are not here by mistake but for his glory. He loves you and adores you. Believe it.”
Then take a moment to look someone, anyone, in the eye and encourage them today. Encourage them like they are the last person you’ll ever get to encourage.

God, help us to perform our work with excellence, to own our mistakes, and correct them quickly. God, help us to recognize that making mistakes sucks. Let us be firm when mistakes need to be corrected but never belittle or 'make an example' of someone because of their mistakes. Let us recognize that they are a person and even more than that someone created in your image. Let us work alongside each other with love, integrity, respect, and honor. Lord, align our value system with yours, that we would place a high value on the lives of others. As your followers, let us bring forth your kingdom and they way you operate, here on earth as you do in heaven. Amen

Let's not even bother with the world as a whole, let's just zoom in to my tiny world and what's going on in it. God, why do you allow heartache and pain, sickness and suffering? Why do you allow healing only to bring allow sickness back in? Why do selfish people seem to prosper and people seeming to seek you struggle?God, why why why why why?

Do you have these questions for your tiny world as well? I mean the world at whole has a lot of issues. But, let's be real, you have your own tiny world, with your city, your state, your relatives. Maybe you have a friend in another country. It doesn't concern you much what is happening in that country but it does concern you what is happening to your friend.

We all have our own little worlds and we all have our GOD WHY? cries that we demand answers to. So what is God's reply? What is His answer? We can find that answer in the Bible when another man cries out 'WHY GOD?'. 

I was praying today, asking God why he was letting this happen to this person, letting that happen to that person. I don't want to see my friends suffer. I don't want to see my family struggle. Then God reminded me of how I feel when I am correcting one of my boys and someone tries to tell me a better way. Not because it is a helpful better way, but because they think I am being too harsh in that moment. 

We are all God's children. Take that into consideration for a moment. I have three very different boys with very different needs that I am raising. My husband and I have to acknowledge that what works for one does not always work for another. According to Google the current world population is 7.7 billion, and that's just the people they are able to account for, what about people off the grid or on remote islands? 7.7 unique children to care for, instruct, and strengthen. Um, about my demands, about my 'Why God?' let's just lay that to the side.

That statement alone is powerful. If that was the only thing I received from the book I'd call it good but this book was packed page after page with material that made me think and evaluate the life that I am living. Who am I living for? Who am I allow to alter my decisions? What are my plans in life? Am I giving this life all that I have and living it to the fullest?

As we were driving through Melbourne, I happened to notice this mural painted in an alley. We went back and found the alley. One side had these flying girls that reminded me of Spirited Away and the other had an island scene. Alleys are areas that don’t get a whole lot of traffic and typically go unnoticed but someone took the time to notice this alley.
​Take time to notice things today.

Yesterday was the first day full day back from our Florida trip. My cousin's celebration went well and the book signing went well. Now I'm back in the thick of the real world. No more lazy days at the beach or no regard to what time it is. Now I have sinks filling up with dishes, baskets filling up with laundry, boys wanting to know what they can do because they're bored, and book projects waiting to be completed. 
I thought about writing last night when Jacob got home. But instead, I went to bed.

Why do I do this? Do you ever have those moments? Moments when you know there are things that you can get done but you have no motivation to do them?

This morning, I woke up thinking about my boys. Do I challenge them? Do I encourage them to be everything that they can be? And even more so, am I modeling that for them with my own life? My answer is no. All too often, I am modeling excuses. How do I change this? 

God, guide me. Show me the best way to manage my day and the most responsible way to use the time I have been given. Sometimes, ok, most of the times, it is hard to figure out when to do what. I could pour a ton of time into writing and forget to spend time with Jacob and the boys, or I could pour a ton of time into my family and forget to take time to write. Help me with this. Amen.