On Sunday Dr. George Tiller, a doctor who provided late-term abortions, was murdered at his church. Abortion is such a controversial topic that I would normally not write about it, but I feel compelled to say a few words given the news of Dr. Tiller’s death.

I must confess that I have been grappling with this very topic myself for quite some time. I am an educated woman, and I enjoy the rights that have been fought for and won by other women before me. I choose to stay home with my children, a right that women did not have in the past. I know what abortion is, and I now how both sides of the fence view it. But this issue is more complicated than just the facts about what abortion is. It is an emotionally charged topic, and politics play into it all. It is not clear cut.

It is a great idea to research and understand a topic before you formulate an opinion. I have found a brief description of what an abortion entails at Daybreak Pregnancy Resource Center. If you are interested in reading about it, please go to their website, http://www.daybreakinc.org. (I’d rather not link to any website related to this topic.) By the way, Daybreak is a non-profit counseling and pregnancy center.

In the end, your opinion of abortion does not really matter. God tells us that murder is a sin. Period. He does not detail who is murdered and why; there are no exceptions.

You shall not murder. Deuteronomy 5:17

We are all sinners. We are not called to judge each other, though.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:36-38

We are called to love God and each other.

Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39

I am saddened by this whole situation.

I will pray for others.

I will love others.

Will you?

My kids (A2 & C 5) and my nephew (P 4) were in the back seat of my dad’s SUV. We were leaving the beach one windy spring day, and we were talking about Jesus walking on water.

P – “The beach was fun, Auntie. I wanted to go in the water.”

Me – “It was too cold to go into the water today. We’ll go in the summer.”

C – “Jesus walked on water.”

P – “How did Jesus walk on water?”

C – “He just did.”

Me – “It was a miracle.”

P -”But how, Auntie?”

Me – “Jesus can do anything.”

P – “Jesus is alive. Can I see Him?”

C – “He used to be on earth, but now He’s alive in heaven.”

P – “Why is He in heaven?”

C – “He lives with God there. You can see Him when you go to heaven.”

A – “He’s in your heart, too.”

P – “Jesus is pretty cool!”

C – “Yes, He is! I love Jesus”

Photo courtesy of brett.wagner

We read the story of Jesus being crucified a few times per A2’s request recently. I wrote about that experience in my blog post, Mom is Learning About Faith. She seemed intrigued by the story. A few days later C5, A2, & I were drawing pictures. A2 decided to draw a picture of Jesus being beaten.

While she was drawing, A2 explained that Jesus was “banged up” because He loves us, and He died for our sins.

I am amazed at her understanding. Before she started drawing, she told me that she wanted to draw the picture of Jesus. Often times when young children draw pictures, their ideas of what they are creating changes as they progress with it. But A2 did not veer away from her original idea the whole time that she was drawing. She was focused on showing me what she knows about Jesus.

If she’s doing this at 2, I can’t wait to see what she does when she’s older. God has an amazing plan for this little girl!

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is amazing and a mystery to me. I have many questions and doubts, but I believe in God and I love Him. My faith is strong and it is growing every day, but there is a lot for me to learn about faith.

Children’s faith is even more awesome to me. They know so little, yet their faith can be so much stronger than any adult’s. In Nepal I saw children who had nothing but their faith, and they were truly joyful. They sang praise songs. They prayed fervently. They knew Bible verses. They invited me into to their lives, sharing what they had – faith. I was filled with awe. There is a lot I can learn about faith from the children I met in Nepal.

Watching my own children’s faith grow has been truly a blessing to me. They love God and Jesus. They pray and remind me to pray. They beg for me to read Bible stories to them and sing praise songs. They ask big theological questions all day, and I don’t most of the answers to their questions. They also make profound statements about God, Jesus, faith, and the Bible. It is a mystery to me that they are so little, yet they have such BIG faith. Their eyes are open to things that I could never see on my own. It touches my heart. There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

I was overjoyed and honored when my four year old daughter prayed with me and asked Jesus to be her best friend forever.

Last night my two year old daughter asked me to read the story of Jesus dying on the cross. We have read this story a few times, especially recently during Holy Week and Easter. At the end of the story, the book leads a child toward accepting Christ. I asked A2 if she wanted Jesus to be her best friend forever. She nodded, and C4 told her that she had to pray. A2 bowed her head and prayed an unintelligible prayer. I think she asked Jesus to be her best friend! Tonight she asked me to read the same story and prayed quietly again. I’m not sure if this means that A2 is saved, but I do know that the Bible tells us that we are to have faith like little children do.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

Photo courtesy of H_Elise

Live as a mom for a while and learn a lot! Here are a few things I have learned after becoming a mom…

~ I can run errands around the location of the clean public bathrooms. I never know when we are going to need one!

~ I have to take several extra napkins whenever we stop at a food establishment. There is always a spill or a runny nose. Those napkins also come in handy if that clean public bathroom is out of toilet paper!

~ I understand why drive-thru was invented. It’s not for lazy people as I thought before. No, it’s for moms with sleeping kids!

~ I can make a healthy meal out of just about anything in the freezer or the cabinet. It’s amazing how creative I can be when I have two cranky kids desperately needing dinner!

~ Bedtime and nap time are mostly for kids but parents benefit more. Mommy and Daddy need the rest!

~ I have to pick my battles. I don’t have to win every battle in order to win the war. Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to pick a fight with your kids.

~ My parents did do a few things right.  I take advantage of grandparent wisdom every day. My relationship with my dad is remarkably different now because I truly appreciate him and everything that he has done for me.

~ Although I know a lot about children in general, I don’t know as much as I would like to know. This parenting thing is an art form not a science!

~ I need to ask God for wisdom, patience, and guidance all day every day. I cannot parent these children without Him.

Living as a mom has been an on-the-job learning experience.

Photo courtesy of GIRLintheCAFE

Tonight our small group studied 1 Corinthians chapter 1. It was a great study! I found myself challenged and convicted.

While reading 1 Corinthians 1:10-16, I was reminded of an article in Newsweek that I recently read. Apparently, some Christians on Facebook are using the term Follower of Christ rather than calling themselves Christian in order to avoid the stigma that comes with that name. The divisions in the church that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians are still present in the church today. (The Bible is still relevant, isnt it?) Paul tells us that these divisions are not what Christianity is all about. In the end, our focus needs to be on the work that Christ did on the cross. What does that mean?

I immediately thought about brokenness. We are all sinners. We can never be perfect. God purposely has chosen those that the world perceives as inadequate, small, and lesser to do big things (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). We see this time and again in the Bible. Moses murdered someone. David committed adultery and had someone murdered. Jesus was born to a young, poor woman. If we weren’t broken, we wouldn’t need Jesus. God wants the glory for those amazing feats (1 Corinthians 1:30).

At my ladies’ Bible study we are learning about fruit of the spirit, and today we talked about patience. One of the points was that we have to be patient with our circumstances and do things God’s way. The example was the temptation of Jesus. The devil tempted Jesus with getting all His inheritance that God promised by simply taking it. Jesus resisted that temptation because we have to remember that Gods work must be accomplished God’s way.

God is whispering to me about letting Him take control of my life. I need to be patient and let things happen His way in His time. I am broken, and I need Jesus. If I wait, God will get the glory for the work that He does through me.

I can’t wait to see what He will do!

My ladies’ Bible study is learning about the fruit of the spirit, and today was the kick off the new study. I was struck by one thing our fearless leader talked about today. She made a distinction between bearing fruit being productive. She spoke specifically to the unique situation that stay at home moms are in. It spoke to my heart.

I am a goal oriented person. I am driven to produce high-quality work. I am a professional at heart. I want things to get done, and finishing a task gives me a sense of satisfaction. Parenting small children does not produce tangible results, though. There are days when I am beat, but I have nothing to show for it except a messy house.

The point of the lesson today was that bearing fruit does not always have an immediate product or even a tangible one. That is especially true with raising children. It can take months or even years before you see the fruit of your labor. Molding and shaping a child takes time and patience. There are days when a child need more direction and instruction than other days. Some days a child needs more nurturing. A parent never knows what a day with a child will bring.

So the dishes might have to wait while my children and I cuddle up together to read. The laundry will have to pile up while I pray with my children and answer their questions about God. And the bathroom will get cleaned another day because I am too busy teaching my kids how to apologize and forgive each other.

I am too busy producing fruit right now to worry about being productive!

Being a mom means that I worry about my children’s future. I know that I have no control over it, but I cannot help it. I also know that God wants me NOT to worry and to pray instead. So now that I am trying to not worry as much. I am making a conscious effort to pray for my children. I have always prayed for them, but now I am praying more intentionally and for specific blessings. I pray for each of my daughters individually.

I pray for God to provide a God fearing husband. I ask God for a loving man who will love, honor, and cherish my beautiful child. I hope for a man who would be a good provider and a good friend. I also hope for a happy, healthy marriage filled with memories that they can talk about with their grandchildren. I pray that my child and her husband would serve God and His people throughout their life together and depend on God for guidance. I hope that my child would live a full life to God’s glory!

If you are interested in praying for your child but you aren’t sure how to do it, read The Power of a Praying® Parent Deluxe Editionby Stormie Omartian. Each chapter is about a different topic and includes a prayer that you can pray verbatum for your child. It helped me when started praying for my children.

Living as a mom means praying fervently for your children’s future.

I have been researching snowflakes for our homeschool and for my sister blog, Homeschooling Coach. I am amazed by snowflakes! Have you ever looked closely at the different kinds of snowflakes? They are incredibly intricate, geometric, and just beautiful!

All of this research has made me think about God and His divine design. God is an artist and a mathematician! He intentionally created the shapes of the different kinds of snowflakes; those designs cannot be a mistake. Nothing that finite and meticulously formed can be accidental. He also, for some reason, decided to use the number 6 in snowflake design – six-sided figures, hexagonal shapes, six snowflake arms. Not all snowflakes have the number 6. Sometimes you’ll find a snowflake with 12 arms instead.

I can’t help but wonder why did God choose the number 6?

After doing a little research, I found many websites that state that in the Bible the number 6 is attributed to man (because he was created on day 6) and incompleteness (because God’s work wasn’t complete until day 7). That is interesting to me.

God is a mathematician.

God is an artist.

God’s design is divine!

Photo courtesy of yellowcloud

Photo by Kevin Krejci

I have to apologize for neglecting to write a post recently. I have been fortunate enough to land a consulting job. I am working with teachers providing some training in teaching reading in the content areas. I LOVE this work, so it has been a pleasure to be this busy!

I am enjoying using my brain in a different way right now. Having children is rewarding. It involves problem solving, creativity, patience, knowledge of child development, negotiating skills, etc! That being said, there are times when caring for your children can be mundane. The children are exciting and watching them grow is completely fascinating to me, but the everyday stuff can be excruciatingly boring. Taking your two year old to the potty and waiting for that magic moment loses its excitement after a while. I’m sure that you understand what I mean! So working has been a break from the mundane and good for me.

As much as I have enjoyed this opportunity to work, and although it feels great to change my routine a little, I still feel like I couldn’t go back to work full time, especially not back to teaching. (I know the demands of the job, and I have to do the job “right”. I won’t settle for less.) I shared this sentiment with a friend and colleague who is still in the work force and does not have children yet. She tried her best to convince me that I could work full time by giving me ways to make it possible. I know that I could search for a less demanding teaching job. The fact of the matter is that I don’t want to.

I would rather devote my time to raising my children to be amazing people who love God and have a heart for service.

It is difficult to convey to my unchurched friends who aren’t parents the responsibility I feel as a mother. These children are precious, and they have been entrusted to me by my God. I feel, as all parents do, responsible to raise them well and pass on my values for “right” living. As a Christian mother, though, I feel an even heavier burden of responsibility to do this God’s way. I am feeling called by God to be with my children as much as possible in order to teach them well. To me that means that I home educate my children, at least for the next school year, and stay home with them. I am their first teacher, and I am their greatest advocate. No one else knows my children as well as I do except for my God who knows them even better than I.

Yes, opportunities will arise for me to work, but my work right now is to care for and educate my children while I serve the moms and other women in God’s kingdom.