Alpha, Beginning–Omega, the End

I hit the snooze button up to three times. My husband asks, “Why not set it right the first time?”

We put on our sneakers for our morning walk. We ask, “How’d you sleep?” and tell tales of our dreams.

We walk several blocks. We walk, we talk.

Heading back home, we reflect on the day and stop to pray.

Jesus is our Alpha—the beginning to our day.

I get ready for work. At the sink, I pray.

As I do my hair, I read God’s word.

Jesus is my Alpha.

My husband sits, coffee in hand, Bible in lap—bowing his head.

I walk by and smile. Thank you, God.

Jesus is his Alpha.

I go to work. My husband—he works from home.

Throughout our day, Jesus is our Alpha.

As our day nears its end, we lock all the doors and climb into bed.

I open my Bible. He opens his.

We each read a chapter.

Our Jesus, Omega—our end He is.

We lay face to face and discuss what we’ve read.

We pray for the day, say, “I love you.” We kiss.

Alpha, Omega—Jesus is.

Although this year ends, another begins.

My prayer, my heart: Jesus, please stay

Our Alpha, Omega.

Amen and Amen.

 

Daphne Tarango

 

Daphne’s post today is part of Mentoring Moment’2012 theme called Jesus Is. Feel free to share via email, Facebook, or Twitter.

Fulfilling the Great Commission Through Adoption

Our dear friends are adopting a child from China next month.  They already have four biological children, but the Lord has moved them to express our adoption in Christ in a tangible way.

Their adoption will be a visible testimony to all who know them of God’s  pursuing love for His children.  As the old hymn proclaims, “Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God.  He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.”  Our friends will bring a stranger into their home and confer on him all the rights of a son.

This adoption will also be a daily preaching of the Gospel to their own hearts and to their other children, as each will see in a new way what a profound thing the Lord has done for us.  It won’t be an easy road, but raising a child never is.

And what about the little boy? A precious soul will be brought out of a pagan nation, taught the Scriptures, and raised to follow Christ.  By God’s grace, I trust this little orphan will one day know the joy of two adoptions: first, into an earthly family and later as a child of God and fellow heir with  Christ.

Adoption is a picture of the Gospel to the world, to the church, to the family, and to the child.  When Christians adopt, they go as workers into the harvest field.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2 (ESV)

Be a Voice

God created each of us. All of us. We are not various races of people, we are one…the human race, created by a loving God.

Over the ages, a tiny little lie took root and grew. A lie that says all human life is not equal, not precious, not a right bestowed by a loving Creator.

It is not a political issue; it is a human rights issue.

It is a God issue.

This is Sanctity of Human Life month and Sunday, January 22nd, is Sanctity of Human Life Day. For Mentoring Moments it is more than a month or even a special day, it is a call.  As women of God, we are called to teach and train. This year we will be providing ongoing education into humans rights, specifically in the areas of abortion, slavery and human trafficking, adoption, special needs children and adults, widows and orphans.

If you are a blogger or even use Facebook and Twitter, we encourage you to join us and become a voice too.  Share the facts, the information, the call to help, and be a voice (even if you feel like you are only a small voice crying in the vast internet wilderness). Feel free to share the videos and articles that will be posted. Be a voice for those without a voice in 2012.

Focus on the Family has put together a marvelous video in honor of Sanctity of Human Life month. Watch it. Share it. Be a voice.

If you are reading this via email and do not see the video, click here.

Show Me How: Starting a Homeschool Co-Op

Starting a homeschool co-op can be as simple as a few moms meeting together and teaching various skills to your own children.  Or, it can be as organized as meeting in a church on a certain day every week for an entire semester and having parent volunteers teach elective classes.  If you are thinking of starting a co-op, here are some things to consider.  Do you have enough parents willing to teach or serve as assistant teachers?  Do you have enough parents willing to serve as nursery workers for the younger siblings of the teachers?  Take it slow and you may be surprised at how your co-op begins to grow.  Our local co-op began with just a few classes and now offers classes for children aged 2 all the way through high school age.

The first step in deciding to start a homeschool co-op is to find a place to meet.  Many churches are happy to allow homeschoolers to use their Sunday School classrooms one day per week.  The next step would be to determine which day of the week your co-op will meet and the times you will arrive and dismiss.  A good place to start would be to have two classes back to back.  Our local co-op offers two, one-hours classes.  The first one begins at 9:45, and the second starts at 11:00.  There is a 15 minute break in between the two.  Some grade levels are combined and each group of students remain in the same classroom , whereas a new teacher comes into the room for the second class.  Larger co-ops offer a list of classes and allow parents to pick and choose which classes their children are interested in attending.

Often co-ops have a set fee for parents to pay which helps with the costs of snacks, insurance, t-shirts, and so forth.  Other co-ops simply have each student pay the individual teacher directly, much like you would pay a tutor.  This provides an extra income for the parent volunteer.  However you decide to set up your local co-op, please know that it is worth the effort and can be a blessing and joy for everyone involved.

Some of the classes that your co-op may choose to offer include electives such as Art, P.E., Typing, Manners, Character Education, Legos, Science Experiments, Geography, State Study,  First Aid, American Girls, Math Games, Astronomy, Excellence in Writing, Movie Making, etc.  There are so many possibilities.  The rewards far outreach simply the knowledge that your children will gain.  Giving your children the opportunity to be around like-minded children will facilitate the building of friendships that may continue for many years to come.

In addition, our homeschool co-op is equally beneficial for the parents whose children attend.  We have a parent break room set up for those who aren’t serving as teachers or assistants.  This adult fellowship time  is a great time for parents to encourage each other and even share prayer needs.  You will be surprised at how parents even continue to cultivate the relationships they have formed beyond the weekly co-op meeting.

If you are thinking of teaching classes for your local homeschool co-op, please check out these titles written specifically for the homeschool co-op setting:  Learning Across the USA, Science for Homeschool Co-op or for Fun at Home, Manners, and Movie Making Basics.

Kathy Hutto, is a certified educator with over 18 years of teaching experience both in public and private schools.  She currently homeschools her own children and teaches classes through her local homeschool co-op.   In addition, she has created several innovative children’s feeding products known as Toddler Bites, which are sold nationwide through Price Products, LLC. You can visit her blog at www.toddlerbitesblog.wordpress.com

Moms’ Gifts of Love

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

I am sick of laundry, dirty dishes and filthy floors.

I am the mom, not the maid!

Have you ever felt that way?  As a mom of many, I must admit I get to this point more often than I care to admit.  A few years ago I was struggling with feeling unappreciated.  As I was pouring my heart out to God, I was led to ask a probing question.

Why do I do all of this?

The first answer was really simple:  because if I don’t nobody will.  As I thought deeper about my motives I finally came to the point of realizing I do the grunt work because I love my family and this is my way of showing them.  There still needs to be help on their part.  But each time I fold a shirt for my husband, it is my way of serving him with love.  As I wash and fold towels or dry a dish it is my way of saying,  I love you and value you.

Jesus showed us the true path of love as He chose to wash His disciples feet.  He took the towel.  He wiped away the dirt and grime from their day of travel by foot.  My jobs as a wife and mother have changed little over the years, but my heart attitude has.  Instead of seeing myself as a maid, now I see myself as a steward who chooses daily to pour my love out on my family through a warm meal and a clean home.

Please pray for your own attitude toward the mundane and ordinary things that you must do.  Ask God to help you see it as ministry, not misery.  Pray for other moms that they too would see their home as a place of ministry.

God of This Family

It had been a hard day mentally and spiritually for my family.  The radio blared in my mini-van as I tried to focus on praising the Lord. My head was telling me even the Lord could have problems calming this massive storm.

As I drove with tears streaming and my heart laid bare before the Lord, I felt hopeless. I needed encouragement in a serious kind of way. Just a word–a Scripture to come to mind. A call–just a friend to say I’m praying for you. Nothing.

Even in the silence I knew the Lord was with me. My heart wanted comfort and direction. Yet again I resigned myself to wait patiently.

Blue Tree’s song, God of this City, came on the radio. As I sang through the first chorus, the Holy Spirit began to speak gently to my heart.

“Sing ‘God of this Family’ instead.”

I began to sing…

The more the words came, the more the tears fell. This time not in sadness, but in praise and thankfulness to a Savior who knows my heart, feels my pain, and is always near. He is bigger than any problem or situation we confront–and we do not face it alone. He also sees a future we cannot, and on this day I could not.

That was several years ago and my prayer request is still unanswered. Yet.

I’m still believing and trusting in His timing. I still sing God of this family and see His hand at work faithfully. His plan and purposes are for more than the right now–they stretch forward for years to come into eternity. He is God of our cities, and He is God of our families. He is God over all.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

“Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.” Psalms 40:5

If the video is not visible, click here to listen to God of this City.

Avoid Mr. Wrong One and Marry Mr. Right

A. How to Marry the Wrong Person
1. Date someone who is a non-believer
2. Decide you’ll get married at all costs
3. Become sexually involved with the person or live together first
4. Find someone you believe you can change after you’re married
5. Date someone with an addiction or other serious issues
6. Date someone who is married or who divorced for non-biblical reasons

B. How to Marry the Right Person
1. Be God’s right person first
2. Find Your Identity and value in Christ not a dating or love relationship
3. Give up your own desires and seek God’s will
4. Refuse all moral and spiritual compromise
5. Be truly content in your present situation
6. Find your place to serve Christ
7. Step out in faith when God introduces you

Ephesians 4:2-3
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Ten Ways to Get Husbands to Talk…

Basic Premise: There are no husbands who will not talk, only husbands who do not believe they will be listened to. If your husband believes you will listen to him, he will talk to you.

This is a question that we are asked often.  These are some practical ideas that work.

A.        The Seven Most Common Reasons Men Don’t Talk to their Wives
1.         They are afraid their thoughts and ideas will be criticized and rejected.
2.         They do not feel they are as verbally skilled as their wives.
3.         They are convinced they will lose the exchange.
4.         They were taught as children to be quiet or face the consequences.
5.         They are uncomfortable talking about feelings.
6.         They don’t want to become emotional and appear weak.
7.         They do not believe they will be listened to.

B.        The Five Most Common Mistakes Women Make in Talking to their Husbands
1.         They expect an immediate response or answer thus pressuring him.
2.         They assume men enjoy conversation just as much as they do and are just being difficult or stubborn thus misunderstanding them.
3.         They don’t understand men talk as the result of doing an activity, whereas women see talking as the activity itself thus expecting him to open up while sitting still.
4.         They interrupt, evaluate, or criticize their husband’s thoughts as soon as he speaks them thus discouraging him.
5.         They are uncomfortable with “dead air” and try to fill in the awkward silence with their own words thus shutting him down.

C.        Ten Questions You Can Ask your Husband to Get Him to Talk
1.         “So what is the most fulfilling aspect of your job?”
2.         “Who is the one person you admire most at work and why?”
3.         “What would you change about the place you work if it was up to you?”
4.         “Who did you admire most growing up?”
5.         “What’s the best compliment anyone ever paid you?”
6.         “Growing up, who made you feel the most loved and why?”
7.         “If I could change two things about me that would make me an easier person to live with, what would they be?”
8.         “What would you most like to be remembered for?”
9.         “If you could spend the rest of your life doing just what you really enjoy doing, what would that be?”
10.       “Tell me about two or three of the best days of your life.”

D.        Seven Winning Strategies to Get your Husband to Talk
1.         Ask you husband a sincere question, and then do not say anything until he responds.
2.         When he does respond, resist every impulse within you to evaluate, criticize, alter or reject what he has just said.
3.         Instead, smile and say something affirming such as, “I respect your feelings…” or “I can understand how you would feel that way.”
4.         If there are pauses or periods of silence, say nothing and instead give him time and space to continue his thoughts.
5.         Ask probing questions to draw out further information such as, “Tell me more…” or ”What did that do to you?” or “What happened next?”
6.         Under no circumstances start an argument or use his words against him later.
7.         Allow at least 30 minutes to an hour to hear him out (don’t start sharing your thoughts until he assures you he has said everything he has to say on a subject).

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.

Bob will be speaking on this subject on TLN LIVE with Jerry and Shirley Rose, live on Tuesday evening, November 1st at 7:00 pm (a special night of Prayer and Promise) on Total Living Network.  If you don’t have this station in your town, you can watch live streaming during the show at www.TLN.com.

The Wedding You Don’t Want to Miss

Revelation 19:5-9

⁵Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”

⁶Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

⁸Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
⁹
Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.

Remember, marriage is for better for worse for keeps.

Which Wall is Your Ladder Leaning Against?

We live in a busy culture–too busy at times. Let me remind you that we work to live; we ought not live to work. Spouses who spend their entire lives giving their best shot to the company often make a sad discovery as they grow older. Though they’ve reached the top of the corporate ladder, they discover it’s leaning against the wrong wall.

A successful businessman once refused to participate in a heart disease reduction program at work. “Why would I want to live longer?” he said, “I have only a banking relationship with my family.”

Choosing to make your marriage your first priority may be difficult, particularly if you’ve been committed to giving your best to your work. But we can discover a new level of joy and intimacy in marriage when we lean our ladder against the right wall–God and a fulfilling marriage and family.

And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

Remember, marriage is for better, for worse, and for keeps.

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