Today I am just asking God to be with me in this day! I see how easily I can lost sight....reach my human limitations of love and patience! God I pray that you will be with me and my family!
You are marking a path for each child at this home! You have great intentions and plans for them. Lord continually mold their hearts and minds to be more open to you. I know that only you can change a life. I love that YOU are willing to meet us where we are at and that you are unconditionally in love with us!
Thank you for new friends and thank you that you always bring the right people into our lives for the right seasons.
We love you Lord. Keep us mission minded.
Lord protect our bodies from illness. Several of our kids are getting sick. I pray that you would keep our bodies healthy and safe. I never want to be as sick as I was last year. That was miserable, although I did grow in my faith because of it.
Protect Christopher. So much has change in his life......we love that we can share each moment with him....but are very aware that our attention and time is split in so many different ways....please always let us be there for him...to protect and love him.
I really am glad we just have Christopher as our only child......but if it be your will....we now know as well....we have a great capacity to love children.
Until later....Your daughter, Krissy
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thank you JESUS for all that you have been teaching us!!!!!!!!
It is hard to summarize and journal about life when so much happens everyday. I guess I just really want to bring attention to all those God moments I have had in the past week. I cannot believe how people can go through life without HAVING to acknowledge the creator of the universe is ACTIVE in their life.
Let me give you testimony of how this has been true in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jason and I spent the past five weeks as houseparents at Sunny Glen Childrens Home for the new home for mothers and children. We have quickly learned that GOD IS IN CONTROL and how much we need to rely on him EACH day. I thank God for this job...this life....because I am FORCED AND PRIVELEGED to give my every moment to him. The second I lose sight of GOD and his plan....I have to give it right back to him.
I am reminded of the Israelites. The Scriptures are so important to the JEWISH people because they are recordings of HOW EXACTLY God met His people, how He loved his people, how he rescued them, and carried them through...........Jewish children had to learn the scriptures not just for discipline sake but for heart sake......so that they would not forget what God had done and what GOD was able to do and what GOD always promises to do........isnt it all amazing.
So this week I write some of all the God happenings down so that I might remember His presence.....so if I am in another season of my life....I can look back and remember......
This week Lord I saw you in my son.....as he played and learned and explored and laughed in Houston during our time off.
This week Lord I saw you descend upon my household.....I saw you soften hearts before my very eyes.....I saw you break strongholds.....
I saw you Lord when I was talking to (Faith) and I told her that God had a special plan for her and her babies....and for the first time I think.....she took hold of that promise...
I saw you Lord protect us as we spoke with our girls....as emotions rose....and how you eased them......
I saw you Lord as you held (Hope) and conforted in her tears.....
I saw you Lord as you gave me the words to share.....to encourage people in their faith and in the work that you have called them to.....
I saw you at work Lord as 8 beautiful children came to Sunny Glen and I was able to touch their face.....and know how much love you had for them....I could feel it so strongly.
I saw you at work Lord when another young teen came to our home....and you gave her a new beginning...
I saw you at work in my heart...softening me.....I saw you at work Lord when you stripped my of my human sight and gave me spiritual eyes.....I saw you at work when you challenged me to be bold in faith.....
God you are at work everywhere....and I love when I am able to be aware of it all! You are amazing. I love you Lord. Thank you for your patience with me and all of us.
I thank you for my son. I thank you for my husband. I am amazed at what you have given me with those two in my life. They are such amazing blessings to me. I see Christopher's faith and belief in you.....The other day I bug got in my eye and he immediately bowed his head and prayer for me....laying his hand on me....and Jason has grown into such a great spiritual leader for our family......He really encourages me so much....he is so loving to me....
I thank you for our kids. I love (changed their names) Faith Hope and Joy.....My three daughters and their beautiful children.....
I cannot believe that you have allowed us to be mother, father, brother to these great kids.
Bless their little lives.
Keep us doing as you desire us to do. Let us never walk this journey without you lighting our path and guiding our lives....
Let me give you testimony of how this has been true in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jason and I spent the past five weeks as houseparents at Sunny Glen Childrens Home for the new home for mothers and children. We have quickly learned that GOD IS IN CONTROL and how much we need to rely on him EACH day. I thank God for this job...this life....because I am FORCED AND PRIVELEGED to give my every moment to him. The second I lose sight of GOD and his plan....I have to give it right back to him.
I am reminded of the Israelites. The Scriptures are so important to the JEWISH people because they are recordings of HOW EXACTLY God met His people, how He loved his people, how he rescued them, and carried them through...........Jewish children had to learn the scriptures not just for discipline sake but for heart sake......so that they would not forget what God had done and what GOD was able to do and what GOD always promises to do........isnt it all amazing.
So this week I write some of all the God happenings down so that I might remember His presence.....so if I am in another season of my life....I can look back and remember......
This week Lord I saw you in my son.....as he played and learned and explored and laughed in Houston during our time off.
This week Lord I saw you descend upon my household.....I saw you soften hearts before my very eyes.....I saw you break strongholds.....
I saw you Lord when I was talking to (Faith) and I told her that God had a special plan for her and her babies....and for the first time I think.....she took hold of that promise...
I saw you Lord protect us as we spoke with our girls....as emotions rose....and how you eased them......
I saw you Lord as you held (Hope) and conforted in her tears.....
I saw you Lord as you gave me the words to share.....to encourage people in their faith and in the work that you have called them to.....
I saw you at work Lord as 8 beautiful children came to Sunny Glen and I was able to touch their face.....and know how much love you had for them....I could feel it so strongly.
I saw you at work Lord when another young teen came to our home....and you gave her a new beginning...
I saw you at work in my heart...softening me.....I saw you at work Lord when you stripped my of my human sight and gave me spiritual eyes.....I saw you at work when you challenged me to be bold in faith.....
God you are at work everywhere....and I love when I am able to be aware of it all! You are amazing. I love you Lord. Thank you for your patience with me and all of us.
I thank you for my son. I thank you for my husband. I am amazed at what you have given me with those two in my life. They are such amazing blessings to me. I see Christopher's faith and belief in you.....The other day I bug got in my eye and he immediately bowed his head and prayer for me....laying his hand on me....and Jason has grown into such a great spiritual leader for our family......He really encourages me so much....he is so loving to me....
I thank you for our kids. I love (changed their names) Faith Hope and Joy.....My three daughters and their beautiful children.....
I cannot believe that you have allowed us to be mother, father, brother to these great kids.
Bless their little lives.
Keep us doing as you desire us to do. Let us never walk this journey without you lighting our path and guiding our lives....
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Something good for us to remember as we work and live each day as houseparents!
Don't rock the boat.
In my second film series, titled Turn Your Heart Toward Home, I offered this advice to parents of teenagers: "Get 'em through it." That may not sound like such a stunning idea, but I believe it has merit for most families — especially those with one or more tough-minded kids. The concept is a bit obscure, so I will resort to a couple of word pictures to illustrate my point.
When parents of strong-willed children look ahead to the adolescent years, they often imagine it to be like a flowing river with rapids that will soon give way to swirling currents and life-threatening turbulence. If that doesn't turn over their teenagers' boats, they seem destined to drown farther downstream when they plunge over the falls.
Fortunately, the typical journey is much safer than anticipated. Most often, the river descends not into the falls but into smooth water once more. Even though your teenager maybe splashing and thrashing and gasping for air, it is not likely that his boat will capsize. It is more buoyant than you might think.
Yes, a few individuals do go over the falls, usually because of drug abuse. Some of them even climb back in the canoe and paddle on down the river. But the greatest danger of sinking the boat could come from you!
This warning is addressed particularly to idealistic and perfectionistic parents who are determined to make their adolescents — all of them — perform and achieve and measure up to the highest standards. A perfectionist, by the way, is a person who takes great pains with what he does and then gives them to everyone else. In so doing, he rocks a boat that is already taking on water.
Perhaps another child could handle the additional turbulence, but our concern is for the unsteady kid — the one who lacks common sense for a while and may even lean toward irrational behavior. Don't unsettle his boat any more than you must!
I have seen parents fight battles over such nonessentials as the purchase of a first bra for a flat-chested premenstrual-adolescent girl. For goodness' sake! If she wants it that badly, she probably needs it for social reasons. Run, don't walk, to the nearest department store and buy her a bra.
The objective, as Charles and Andy Stanley wrote, is to keep your kids on your team. Don't throw away your friendship over behavior that has no great moral significance. There will be plenty of real issues that require you to stand like a rock. Save your big guns for those crucial confrontations.
Let me make it very clear, again, that this advice is not relevant to every teenager. The compliant kid who is doing wonderfully in school, has great friends, is disciplined in his conduct and loves his parents is not nearly so delicate. Perhaps his parents can urge him to reach even higher standards in his achievements and lifestyle.
My concern, however, is for that youngster who could go over the falls. He is intensely angry at home and is being influenced by a carload of crummy friends. Be very careful with him. Pick and choose what is worth fighting for, and settle for something less than perfection on issues that don't really matter. Just get him through it!
What does this mean in practical terms? It may indicate a willingness to let his room look like a junkyard for a while. Does that surprise you? I don't like lazy, sloppy, undisciplined kids any more than you do, but given the possibilities for chaos that this angry boy or girl might precipitate, spit-shined rooms may not be all that important.
You might also compromise somewhat regarding the music you let him hear. I'm not condoning music that is saturated with explicit and illicit sex or violence. But neither can you ask this teenager to listen to your "elevator music." Perhaps a compromise can be reached.
Unfortunately, the popular music of the day is the rallying cry for rebellious teenagers. If you try to deny it altogether to a strong-willed kid, you just might flip his canoe upside down. You have to ask yourself this question, "Is it worth risking everything of value to enforce a particular standard upon this son or daughter?" If the issue is important enough to defend at all costs, then brace yourself and make your stand. But think through your defense of them thoroughly.
The philosophy we applied with our teenagers (and you might try with yours) can be called "loosen and tighten." By this I mean we tried to loosen our grip on everything that had no lasting significance, and tighten down on everything that did. We said yes whenever we possibly could, to give support to the occasional no. And most important, we tried never to get too far away from our kids emotionally. It is simply not prudent to write off a son or daughter, no matter how foolish, irritating, selfish or insane a child may seem to be. You need to be there, not only while his canoe is bouncing precariously, but after the river runs smooth again.
You have the remainder of your life to reconstruct the relationship that is now in jeopardy. Don't let anger fester for too long. Make the first move toward reconciliation. And try hard not to hassle your kids. They hate to be nagged. If you follow them around with one complaint after another, they're almost forced to protect themselves by appearing deaf. And finally, continue to treat them with respect, even when punishment or restrictions are necessary. Occasionally, you may even need to say, "I'm sorry!"
In my second film series, titled Turn Your Heart Toward Home, I offered this advice to parents of teenagers: "Get 'em through it." That may not sound like such a stunning idea, but I believe it has merit for most families — especially those with one or more tough-minded kids. The concept is a bit obscure, so I will resort to a couple of word pictures to illustrate my point.
When parents of strong-willed children look ahead to the adolescent years, they often imagine it to be like a flowing river with rapids that will soon give way to swirling currents and life-threatening turbulence. If that doesn't turn over their teenagers' boats, they seem destined to drown farther downstream when they plunge over the falls.
Fortunately, the typical journey is much safer than anticipated. Most often, the river descends not into the falls but into smooth water once more. Even though your teenager maybe splashing and thrashing and gasping for air, it is not likely that his boat will capsize. It is more buoyant than you might think.
Yes, a few individuals do go over the falls, usually because of drug abuse. Some of them even climb back in the canoe and paddle on down the river. But the greatest danger of sinking the boat could come from you!
This warning is addressed particularly to idealistic and perfectionistic parents who are determined to make their adolescents — all of them — perform and achieve and measure up to the highest standards. A perfectionist, by the way, is a person who takes great pains with what he does and then gives them to everyone else. In so doing, he rocks a boat that is already taking on water.
Perhaps another child could handle the additional turbulence, but our concern is for the unsteady kid — the one who lacks common sense for a while and may even lean toward irrational behavior. Don't unsettle his boat any more than you must!
I have seen parents fight battles over such nonessentials as the purchase of a first bra for a flat-chested premenstrual-adolescent girl. For goodness' sake! If she wants it that badly, she probably needs it for social reasons. Run, don't walk, to the nearest department store and buy her a bra.
The objective, as Charles and Andy Stanley wrote, is to keep your kids on your team. Don't throw away your friendship over behavior that has no great moral significance. There will be plenty of real issues that require you to stand like a rock. Save your big guns for those crucial confrontations.
Let me make it very clear, again, that this advice is not relevant to every teenager. The compliant kid who is doing wonderfully in school, has great friends, is disciplined in his conduct and loves his parents is not nearly so delicate. Perhaps his parents can urge him to reach even higher standards in his achievements and lifestyle.
My concern, however, is for that youngster who could go over the falls. He is intensely angry at home and is being influenced by a carload of crummy friends. Be very careful with him. Pick and choose what is worth fighting for, and settle for something less than perfection on issues that don't really matter. Just get him through it!
What does this mean in practical terms? It may indicate a willingness to let his room look like a junkyard for a while. Does that surprise you? I don't like lazy, sloppy, undisciplined kids any more than you do, but given the possibilities for chaos that this angry boy or girl might precipitate, spit-shined rooms may not be all that important.
You might also compromise somewhat regarding the music you let him hear. I'm not condoning music that is saturated with explicit and illicit sex or violence. But neither can you ask this teenager to listen to your "elevator music." Perhaps a compromise can be reached.
Unfortunately, the popular music of the day is the rallying cry for rebellious teenagers. If you try to deny it altogether to a strong-willed kid, you just might flip his canoe upside down. You have to ask yourself this question, "Is it worth risking everything of value to enforce a particular standard upon this son or daughter?" If the issue is important enough to defend at all costs, then brace yourself and make your stand. But think through your defense of them thoroughly.
The philosophy we applied with our teenagers (and you might try with yours) can be called "loosen and tighten." By this I mean we tried to loosen our grip on everything that had no lasting significance, and tighten down on everything that did. We said yes whenever we possibly could, to give support to the occasional no. And most important, we tried never to get too far away from our kids emotionally. It is simply not prudent to write off a son or daughter, no matter how foolish, irritating, selfish or insane a child may seem to be. You need to be there, not only while his canoe is bouncing precariously, but after the river runs smooth again.
You have the remainder of your life to reconstruct the relationship that is now in jeopardy. Don't let anger fester for too long. Make the first move toward reconciliation. And try hard not to hassle your kids. They hate to be nagged. If you follow them around with one complaint after another, they're almost forced to protect themselves by appearing deaf. And finally, continue to treat them with respect, even when punishment or restrictions are necessary. Occasionally, you may even need to say, "I'm sorry!"
Daily I am seeking God to understand why we are here and know how God is calling to use us here.
He could have chose any couple (family) and we could have chosen any ministry. At this time, God has chosen us to work here with these teen moms and their children.
I see God in small things and large things that happen throughout the day.
I am really challenge right now to how I can tangibly make God's love known to them while also guiding and instructing these moms. They have lots of resistance to authority and to God.
Drugs, Sex, Abuse....are their life stories.....how can their story change.....how can their eternity to altered. Lord everyday I want to share just one new thing about you....I want to have spiritual eyes.
I want you to visit Jason and I in a real way.....in our dreams, in our devotion time, in our prayers.....so that we may do this work as you desire....not of ourselves...but of you.
I do not want to do this work for social or humanitarian reasons....but for eternal Kingdom reasons....please equip us Lord. Help us to know your will more.....Let your Kingdom come more everyday into our house.
Bless bless each little child in our house. Help us to be loving parents above all else. Give us special moments with each child. Let our days be less about enforcing rules and more about encouraging and loving..............
Give us a great break time to renew and have special family time with Christopher. He really needs some one on one time with his mom and dad. Thank you for watching over him and giving him such an amazing spirit. He is just a wonderful little boy....giving loving caring.....
He could have chose any couple (family) and we could have chosen any ministry. At this time, God has chosen us to work here with these teen moms and their children.
I see God in small things and large things that happen throughout the day.
I am really challenge right now to how I can tangibly make God's love known to them while also guiding and instructing these moms. They have lots of resistance to authority and to God.
Drugs, Sex, Abuse....are their life stories.....how can their story change.....how can their eternity to altered. Lord everyday I want to share just one new thing about you....I want to have spiritual eyes.
I want you to visit Jason and I in a real way.....in our dreams, in our devotion time, in our prayers.....so that we may do this work as you desire....not of ourselves...but of you.
I do not want to do this work for social or humanitarian reasons....but for eternal Kingdom reasons....please equip us Lord. Help us to know your will more.....Let your Kingdom come more everyday into our house.
Bless bless each little child in our house. Help us to be loving parents above all else. Give us special moments with each child. Let our days be less about enforcing rules and more about encouraging and loving..............
Give us a great break time to renew and have special family time with Christopher. He really needs some one on one time with his mom and dad. Thank you for watching over him and giving him such an amazing spirit. He is just a wonderful little boy....giving loving caring.....
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