Growing up in the church, specifically Southern Baptist churches, I have always heard a lot about stewardship, at least one part of stewardship. If you would have asked me 10 years ago what it meant to be a good steward, I would have said something about tithing and giving your money to the church. And while that is part of it, I believe the Bible has so much more to say about stewardship. Now, I want to preface this by saying that I have heard other pastors talk about this same thing and not everyone in the church is a money only steward.
According to dictionary.com the word steward has a lot of different meanings. My personal favorite is: a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others. And isn't that exactly what we are doing in this world? As Christians we are the agents of our Father and what we have was given to us by Him.
Lately, I have been challenged to be a good steward with all the blessings in my life. Time, resources, marriage, children, family, environment, money, these are all areas where we are to be agents for Christ. What good am I as a witness if I raise my children to love God but don't tithe, or I love my husband as a Christian wife should but spend no time in the Word, or I use my talents to praise the Lord but take no concern for the Earth He has given to us? It is no easy task being a follower of Christ, we are (and rightly so!) held to a higher standard. We are judged by the outside world every second of every day. We are supposed to take these things into consideration daily. 2 Corinthians 6:3-4a says, "We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God." (NLT)
One of the biggest problems that people have with the church, both Christian and non-Christians, is hypocrisy. We say we love God, yet we use curse His name; we say we believe God created the universe and all the life in it, yet we support the death penalty, forgetting those we are fatally injecting are His children, someone He knit together in the mother's womb (rough paraphrase of Psalm 139:13).
But I digress, I am trying to hold myself accountable for the choices I make. Choices with my children, my husband, my money, and my time. I'm not going to get a second chance to get this right and I won't have another chance to be the kind of witness I desire to be. I'll have to check-in in about 6 months and update you on my progress, but feel free to send me reminders of what I should be doing!
If you want to see all the definitions of the word steward, follow this link: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/steward
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Poem of a Stay at Home Mom (or Dad)
I think this applies to all parents, not just those who are blessed to able to stay at home with their kids full-time.
What Did You Do Today?
Today I left some dishes dirty,
The bed got made around 3:30.
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before,
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall,
Will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those window panes,
Will still be there next time it rains.
Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?
The bed got made around 3:30.
The diapers soaked a little longer,
The odor grew a little stronger.
The crumbs I spilled the day before,
Are staring at me from the floor.
The fingerprints there on the wall,
Will likely be there still next fall.
The dirty streaks on those window panes,
Will still be there next time it rains.
Shame on you, you sit and say,
Just what did you do today?
I nursed a baby till he slept,
I held a toddler while he wept,
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess it’s true.
Unless you think that what I’ve done,
Might be important to someone,
With bright brown eyes and soft blond hair,
If that is true … I’ve done my share.
I held a toddler while he wept,
I played a game of hide and seek,
I squeezed a toy so it would squeak.
I pulled a wagon, sang a song,
Taught a child right from wrong.
What did I do this whole day through?
Not much that shows, I guess it’s true.
Unless you think that what I’ve done,
Might be important to someone,
With bright brown eyes and soft blond hair,
If that is true … I’ve done my share.
Author Unknown
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Wii, Princess Jasmine, and Healthcare reform
Since Mike takes our only car to work everyday, I sit at home and play Wii with the kids a lot. Zoe has gotten really good at most of the games and her favorite (this week) is the sword fighting game on the Wii Sports Resort. Basically, a whole herd of people come after Matrix style and you have to use your sword to fight them off one by one. Zoe really gets into it and when she loses she throws a FIT. Crying out of anger and defeat and you'd think she actually had something riding on winning this game. Usually when she gets like that, I turn the game off, citing that she obviously has had too much excitement and she needs to calm down. Today I took a different approach. After losing this one level about 5 times she started bawling, I asked her, "Are you angry at them for beating you?" "Yes, those are mean guys." "Then fight them harder, if you are mad at them, beat them up more, don't give up!" "You mean like Princess Jasmine?" (I'll get to that) "Yes, just like Princess Jasmine!" And you know what? She beat the level on the next turn!
So what does Princess Jasmine have to do with any of this?
About a month ago, Zoe got a DVD, the Disney Princess Tales. It's purpose is to teach little lessons to girls about life. This DVD happened to be about perseverance. In Jasmine's short film, her father's favorite horse has escaped the stable, so she decides to find it and bring it back. She searches and searches until she finally finds him in an oasis in the middle of the desert. This horse, however, could only be ridden by Jasmine's mother (who said to be dead, which was just alluded to in the original movie). So Jasmine puts her perseverance to the test while she tries to break the horse so she can ride him back to her father's stable. Of course, she succeeds and all is right in the world. It is a Disney movie after all. But I was really surprised, not that Zoe caught on to the message of the movie, but that she applied it to a situation she was facing. Pretty cool, huh?
So now we move to this new healthcare reform. HA!
Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE this new plan. And not because I am a Republican or because I hate Obama or because I want the uninsured to stay that way. I hate this plan because I can do simple math, I don't think the government should be involved this heavily in our lives, and I think there is a better way. But as many opinions and ideas as I have, I'm not going to get into all that here. But what I will get into is how a video game and a princess movie can teach us all a lesson, like it did my 3 year old. As Americans we have a right and duty to keep the government in check. There are always going to be set backs and things that happen that we don't like, on both sides of the aisle. As conservative Americans, we may be feeling angry or defeated and honestly, we should feel that way! Being run over by a steamroller is never fun! But this isn't the time to be mopey and cry and point fingers, it's the time to say, "You made me angry, now I'm coming after you!" We have an AMAZING opportunity this November to show Washington, and more appropriately, the White House that many Americans are fed up with the way things are going. We aren't mindless idiots who will do whatever we are told and believe whatever the media spits out. We have thoughts and opinions and BELIEFS that we are willing to fight for. PERSEVERANCE PEOPLE! If a child can get it, so can we.
So what does Princess Jasmine have to do with any of this?
About a month ago, Zoe got a DVD, the Disney Princess Tales. It's purpose is to teach little lessons to girls about life. This DVD happened to be about perseverance. In Jasmine's short film, her father's favorite horse has escaped the stable, so she decides to find it and bring it back. She searches and searches until she finally finds him in an oasis in the middle of the desert. This horse, however, could only be ridden by Jasmine's mother (who said to be dead, which was just alluded to in the original movie). So Jasmine puts her perseverance to the test while she tries to break the horse so she can ride him back to her father's stable. Of course, she succeeds and all is right in the world. It is a Disney movie after all. But I was really surprised, not that Zoe caught on to the message of the movie, but that she applied it to a situation she was facing. Pretty cool, huh?
So now we move to this new healthcare reform. HA!
Anyone who knows me knows that I HATE this new plan. And not because I am a Republican or because I hate Obama or because I want the uninsured to stay that way. I hate this plan because I can do simple math, I don't think the government should be involved this heavily in our lives, and I think there is a better way. But as many opinions and ideas as I have, I'm not going to get into all that here. But what I will get into is how a video game and a princess movie can teach us all a lesson, like it did my 3 year old. As Americans we have a right and duty to keep the government in check. There are always going to be set backs and things that happen that we don't like, on both sides of the aisle. As conservative Americans, we may be feeling angry or defeated and honestly, we should feel that way! Being run over by a steamroller is never fun! But this isn't the time to be mopey and cry and point fingers, it's the time to say, "You made me angry, now I'm coming after you!" We have an AMAZING opportunity this November to show Washington, and more appropriately, the White House that many Americans are fed up with the way things are going. We aren't mindless idiots who will do whatever we are told and believe whatever the media spits out. We have thoughts and opinions and BELIEFS that we are willing to fight for. PERSEVERANCE PEOPLE! If a child can get it, so can we.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A little about us
The story of us is not unlike the story of others. Mike & I met at McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Myers at a College and Career Pancake breakfast. We were there for VERY different reasons. I had come late (of course!) because I had overslept after a REALLY bad blind date the night before. Mike was there with a friend after having the "worst weekend of his life." I was asked by the C&C leader to sit with the table of new people. The new people were Mike, his friend (and later mine) Justin, and Justin's girlfriend (now wife) Christine. We talked and had a great time during the breakfast and later the church service and later lunch. We all hung out together for the rest of the day and the rest is history.
After marriage and kids, in a somewhat mixed up order, we settled nicely into a regular life in Ft. Myers. In February 2008 we filled out applications to work as Air Traffic Controllers with the FAA. That little application has thrown our lives into a tailspin! After a lot of waiting and waiting and waiting, Mike finally got picked up by a facility and we began to plan for our future. Our future with the FAA was going to move us to the Chicago area, which Mike was ecstatic about because it moved us back to his hometown. The ATC training was to be 16 weeks long at the FAA headquarters in Oklahoma City, so we moved the family out to Green Forest, Arkansas, about 4 hours from OKC. This allowed Mike to be closer to me and the kids and gave the kids a chance to really get to know their grandparents. Things were going great until just after the New Year when we got notice from the FAA that due to budget cuts, all classes were going to be suspended until further notice. We were stuck. There were NO jobs in Arkansas. So we drove over to Georgia to stay with my mom and try to find jobs. After a LOT of looking and even more praying Mike found a fantastic job that allows him to do what he truly loves, construction and restoration, and allows me to stay home and take care of the kids (for now).
The only "catch" with this job is that he had to live in Gwinnett County, where all the homes were located. So we have spent the last week looking for a home. We found one we love in Buford, and Lord willing, we will be moving in on April 1st. We are so excited to finally have a place to call home and can't wait to become more established.
We have found a great church that has everything I was hoping and praying for, a great women's ministry, a strong children's program, and a POWERFUL preacher. Even though the move will put us farther away from this church, we are willing to drive and are so excited to really get involved!
We have had an interesting time getting to where I feel God wants us to be. Every step we have taken over the last six months has been prayed over. I really feel that we have followed God's calling, and even though the path isn't the way I would have chosen, I am SO happy with the blessings He has given us. The greatest blessing of all is that God is showing Mike how amazing He really is!
After marriage and kids, in a somewhat mixed up order, we settled nicely into a regular life in Ft. Myers. In February 2008 we filled out applications to work as Air Traffic Controllers with the FAA. That little application has thrown our lives into a tailspin! After a lot of waiting and waiting and waiting, Mike finally got picked up by a facility and we began to plan for our future. Our future with the FAA was going to move us to the Chicago area, which Mike was ecstatic about because it moved us back to his hometown. The ATC training was to be 16 weeks long at the FAA headquarters in Oklahoma City, so we moved the family out to Green Forest, Arkansas, about 4 hours from OKC. This allowed Mike to be closer to me and the kids and gave the kids a chance to really get to know their grandparents. Things were going great until just after the New Year when we got notice from the FAA that due to budget cuts, all classes were going to be suspended until further notice. We were stuck. There were NO jobs in Arkansas. So we drove over to Georgia to stay with my mom and try to find jobs. After a LOT of looking and even more praying Mike found a fantastic job that allows him to do what he truly loves, construction and restoration, and allows me to stay home and take care of the kids (for now).
The only "catch" with this job is that he had to live in Gwinnett County, where all the homes were located. So we have spent the last week looking for a home. We found one we love in Buford, and Lord willing, we will be moving in on April 1st. We are so excited to finally have a place to call home and can't wait to become more established.
We have found a great church that has everything I was hoping and praying for, a great women's ministry, a strong children's program, and a POWERFUL preacher. Even though the move will put us farther away from this church, we are willing to drive and are so excited to really get involved!
We have had an interesting time getting to where I feel God wants us to be. Every step we have taken over the last six months has been prayed over. I really feel that we have followed God's calling, and even though the path isn't the way I would have chosen, I am SO happy with the blessings He has given us. The greatest blessing of all is that God is showing Mike how amazing He really is!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)