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Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Incredible Story, Part 1
Dan and I have intentionally not shared many of the specifics related to our adoption. Most people generally know what we did, why we did it and where it happened, but we’ve kept the fine details – dates, names, places and so forth to ourselves.
We have our reasons for keeping quiet. Some details we don’t share for the protection of Hannah and Joseph. Some details we can't share in order to protect the privacy of our friends in Uganda.
But some details we don’t share simply because they’re private, they're our memories – and they belong to our family alone. One of those stories we’ve kept to ourselves for too long. Dan and I think it’s time to share this one because it’s a story of faith, radical sacrifice and reckless abandonment for Christ like you’ve never heard before.
Buckle up and get ready. This will rock your world. Religion that is pure and faultless is this…
That’s Ernest and Catherine. Ernest is a 65 year old Ugandan pastor. Catherine is his beautiful wife. They are kind and loving. They live very simply and they are poor because they give everything away. They are sold out for Jesus.
Ernest is a church planting evangelist of rock star proportions – he has planted over 80 churches throughout Uganda and Tanzania over the last 45 years. He does this incredible work with no resources to speak of. He has the Holy Spirit in his heart, God’s Word in his hands and that’s all he needs.
Ernest and Catherine have never had biological children. But oh, they’ve had children. Over the years, they’ve taken in dozens and dozens of orphaned children. They have fed and clothed and loved these children as their own. They’ve raised them to adulthood and found ways to pay for weddings and college and medical school and more.
And here’s how Ernest and Catherine tie into The Owens’ story…
When Dan was in Uganda in July 2010, we began pursuing adoption of Hannah and Joseph. At the time, they were the youngest permanent residents of “M.” Their living conditions were horrible, their health was declining, their safety was in question, at best. We had not even begun the adoption process in the US so Dan couldn’t bring them home. But Dan simply couldn’t go back to Atlanta and leave our two small children in that place.
In desperation, he and the Sixty Feet team turned to Ernest and Catherine for help. Dan showed up on their doorstep, unannounced and uninvited and asked them to take Hannah and Joseph – until we came back for them. And we had no idea when that would be.
Without a moment’s hesitation, they agreed. They actually rejoiced, as they’d been praying that the Lord would send more children for them to care for. Seriously.
At the time, Ernest and Catherine had 9 children. They lived in a tiny bungalow with little indoor plumbing. And they rejoiced to take in Hannah and Joseph.
However… the church Ernest worked for did not rejoice. In fact, this church responded in the opposite manner. They were horrified at the thought of having these children live on their land.
It’s one thing to take in helpless orphans. It’s another to take in children from M. Those children are truly "the least of the these" – who would want them? They’re sick. They’re uneducated. They have no social skills. By no fault of their own, they are labeled as outcasts.
I know this next sentence is unbelievable but it’s true: The church ordered Ernest, in no uncertain terms, to get rid of Hannah and Joseph. The church told them they simply could not stay. Orphans, yes. The dirty, dangerous, sickly children from M, no. “Return those children to M, immediately” were the instructions.
Ernest and Catherine refused. They stood up to their church, to the white, American-born senior pastor, to all the elders and said “no way.” We will not leave these children as orphans. We will not return them to M.
“Then you stand to lose everything,” said their church. "Either Hannah and Joseph go -- or you go. You will lose your home, your job, your income. This will cost you everything."
I imagine that most of us would lay down our lives for our children. Most of us would give up our homes, our jobs and our sole source of income for them. But how many of us would give those things up for some random, dirty, orphaned children who just show up on your doorstep one day? I like to think I would – but in reality, I probably wouldn’t.
Guess how Ernest and Catherine responded.
Well, I hate to leave y’all hanging but that’s it for now. This is getting long and it's getting late so this one is To Be Continued... Meet me here on Sunday night and I’ll finish this incredible story.
We have our reasons for keeping quiet. Some details we don’t share for the protection of Hannah and Joseph. Some details we can't share in order to protect the privacy of our friends in Uganda.
But some details we don’t share simply because they’re private, they're our memories – and they belong to our family alone. One of those stories we’ve kept to ourselves for too long. Dan and I think it’s time to share this one because it’s a story of faith, radical sacrifice and reckless abandonment for Christ like you’ve never heard before.
Buckle up and get ready. This will rock your world. Religion that is pure and faultless is this…
That’s Ernest and Catherine. Ernest is a 65 year old Ugandan pastor. Catherine is his beautiful wife. They are kind and loving. They live very simply and they are poor because they give everything away. They are sold out for Jesus.
Ernest is a church planting evangelist of rock star proportions – he has planted over 80 churches throughout Uganda and Tanzania over the last 45 years. He does this incredible work with no resources to speak of. He has the Holy Spirit in his heart, God’s Word in his hands and that’s all he needs.
Ernest and Catherine have never had biological children. But oh, they’ve had children. Over the years, they’ve taken in dozens and dozens of orphaned children. They have fed and clothed and loved these children as their own. They’ve raised them to adulthood and found ways to pay for weddings and college and medical school and more.
And here’s how Ernest and Catherine tie into The Owens’ story…
When Dan was in Uganda in July 2010, we began pursuing adoption of Hannah and Joseph. At the time, they were the youngest permanent residents of “M.” Their living conditions were horrible, their health was declining, their safety was in question, at best. We had not even begun the adoption process in the US so Dan couldn’t bring them home. But Dan simply couldn’t go back to Atlanta and leave our two small children in that place.
In desperation, he and the Sixty Feet team turned to Ernest and Catherine for help. Dan showed up on their doorstep, unannounced and uninvited and asked them to take Hannah and Joseph – until we came back for them. And we had no idea when that would be.
Without a moment’s hesitation, they agreed. They actually rejoiced, as they’d been praying that the Lord would send more children for them to care for. Seriously.
At the time, Ernest and Catherine had 9 children. They lived in a tiny bungalow with little indoor plumbing. And they rejoiced to take in Hannah and Joseph.
However… the church Ernest worked for did not rejoice. In fact, this church responded in the opposite manner. They were horrified at the thought of having these children live on their land.
It’s one thing to take in helpless orphans. It’s another to take in children from M. Those children are truly "the least of the these" – who would want them? They’re sick. They’re uneducated. They have no social skills. By no fault of their own, they are labeled as outcasts.
I know this next sentence is unbelievable but it’s true: The church ordered Ernest, in no uncertain terms, to get rid of Hannah and Joseph. The church told them they simply could not stay. Orphans, yes. The dirty, dangerous, sickly children from M, no. “Return those children to M, immediately” were the instructions.
Ernest and Catherine refused. They stood up to their church, to the white, American-born senior pastor, to all the elders and said “no way.” We will not leave these children as orphans. We will not return them to M.
“Then you stand to lose everything,” said their church. "Either Hannah and Joseph go -- or you go. You will lose your home, your job, your income. This will cost you everything."
I imagine that most of us would lay down our lives for our children. Most of us would give up our homes, our jobs and our sole source of income for them. But how many of us would give those things up for some random, dirty, orphaned children who just show up on your doorstep one day? I like to think I would – but in reality, I probably wouldn’t.
Guess how Ernest and Catherine responded.
Well, I hate to leave y’all hanging but that’s it for now. This is getting long and it's getting late so this one is To Be Continued... Meet me here on Sunday night and I’ll finish this incredible story.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
How Much Will It Cost?
Last week, Hannah and Joseph came running to me in the kitchen. “MOMMY!!! Look, look! You see? You see?”
“Hang on guys, I’m right in the middle of washing dishes. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
“Mommy, look. Please look.”
I sigh deeply. I’m a little irritated. My sink is still half full of dishes. But I wipe my hands and kneel down. “What is it pumpkins?”
And I realize what they’re holding. Somehow they’ve managed to unearth the latest World Vision catalog from my ever-growing stack of junk mail. You’re probably familiar, but World Vision is one of the world’s largest mercy ministry organizations. They publish a bi-annual catalog full of gifts that can be purchased for the world’s poor… gifts of food, clothing, clean water and other necessity items.
Hannah and Joseph are pointing at the catalog…“Mommy, look. Dis boy.”
Oh, wow. They are pointing to a picture of a little boy from Uganda (he’s on page 21 if you have a copy of the Spring/Summer 2011 catalog). He’s suffering from malnutrition and his little belly is swollen with worms and parasites from the filthy water he drinks.
“Mommy, what wrong with boy? Why he sad?”
And I’m thinking, well this is ridiculous. Am I going to sit here on my well-fed rear end and explain to Hannah and Joseph about hunger and thirst? Am I really going to explain about malnutrition and dirty water to two children who spent the first years of their lives living in poverty more extreme than I could even fathom? Am I going to explain to Joseph, who now has massive holes in both ear drums due to chronic, untreated ear infections, about lack of medicine and medical attention in third world countries? Seriously?
Well, I’m their Mommy, so guess I’ll try. “Guys, this little boy is sick. He doesn’t have enough food. He doesn’t have clean water. He doesn’t have medicine or a doctor to help him get better.”
Hannah and Joseph are very, very serious and quiet for a minute. And then Hannah says “Mommy, me help. Me help boy.” And Joseph says “Me help too!”
“Well, we can help guys. We can send money to Uganda and help this little boy and his brothers and sisters and his friends. Do you want to do that?”
And Hannah says “YES!!! Me get my toof money now.”
Hannah recently had a tooth pulled at the dentist. She was given a $1 gift from the Daddy Tooth Fairy which she proudly placed in her treasure box. She often opens the box just to look at the money and will remind me or Madeline or whoever happens by, “look, my money!”
This is the only bit of money this child has ever had. And without a moment’s hesitation, she’s ready to part with it if it’ll give another child a better life.
Hannah gets it. She’s only been in America for three months, but she’s fed and clothed and healthy. And to her, it’s pretty obvious that the little boy in Uganda needs that dollar way more than she does. She didn’t stop and run through a mental checklist of the things she can’t have if she does give her money away.
Amy Carmichael said this: “Satan is so much more in earnest than we are–he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost.”
I know Jesus calls us to count the costs -- but while we sit around and consider whether or not it's "worth it" for us to get involved, children suffer and die.
Today there are 163 million orphans in the world. Today 30,000 children will die of preventable causes.
I'm pretty sure this is not what Jesus meant when He said "count the costs."
We are commanded to care for the orphan. When the Lord puts a need on our hearts and in front of our eyes, let us respond quickly and in earnest. We are our brother's keeper.
The Owens are just one family. We can't fix Africa, solve the orphan crisis or change the world. But with the Lord working through us, we can change one little corner of it.
Hannah & Joseph, spring 2010:
Hannah & Joseph today:
Where can you make a difference?
“Hang on guys, I’m right in the middle of washing dishes. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
“Mommy, look. Please look.”
I sigh deeply. I’m a little irritated. My sink is still half full of dishes. But I wipe my hands and kneel down. “What is it pumpkins?”
And I realize what they’re holding. Somehow they’ve managed to unearth the latest World Vision catalog from my ever-growing stack of junk mail. You’re probably familiar, but World Vision is one of the world’s largest mercy ministry organizations. They publish a bi-annual catalog full of gifts that can be purchased for the world’s poor… gifts of food, clothing, clean water and other necessity items.
Hannah and Joseph are pointing at the catalog…“Mommy, look. Dis boy.”
Oh, wow. They are pointing to a picture of a little boy from Uganda (he’s on page 21 if you have a copy of the Spring/Summer 2011 catalog). He’s suffering from malnutrition and his little belly is swollen with worms and parasites from the filthy water he drinks.
“Mommy, what wrong with boy? Why he sad?”
And I’m thinking, well this is ridiculous. Am I going to sit here on my well-fed rear end and explain to Hannah and Joseph about hunger and thirst? Am I really going to explain about malnutrition and dirty water to two children who spent the first years of their lives living in poverty more extreme than I could even fathom? Am I going to explain to Joseph, who now has massive holes in both ear drums due to chronic, untreated ear infections, about lack of medicine and medical attention in third world countries? Seriously?
Well, I’m their Mommy, so guess I’ll try. “Guys, this little boy is sick. He doesn’t have enough food. He doesn’t have clean water. He doesn’t have medicine or a doctor to help him get better.”
Hannah and Joseph are very, very serious and quiet for a minute. And then Hannah says “Mommy, me help. Me help boy.” And Joseph says “Me help too!”
“Well, we can help guys. We can send money to Uganda and help this little boy and his brothers and sisters and his friends. Do you want to do that?”
And Hannah says “YES!!! Me get my toof money now.”
Hannah recently had a tooth pulled at the dentist. She was given a $1 gift from the Daddy Tooth Fairy which she proudly placed in her treasure box. She often opens the box just to look at the money and will remind me or Madeline or whoever happens by, “look, my money!”
This is the only bit of money this child has ever had. And without a moment’s hesitation, she’s ready to part with it if it’ll give another child a better life.
Hannah gets it. She’s only been in America for three months, but she’s fed and clothed and healthy. And to her, it’s pretty obvious that the little boy in Uganda needs that dollar way more than she does. She didn’t stop and run through a mental checklist of the things she can’t have if she does give her money away.
Amy Carmichael said this: “Satan is so much more in earnest than we are–he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost.”
I know Jesus calls us to count the costs -- but while we sit around and consider whether or not it's "worth it" for us to get involved, children suffer and die.
Today there are 163 million orphans in the world. Today 30,000 children will die of preventable causes.
I'm pretty sure this is not what Jesus meant when He said "count the costs."
We are commanded to care for the orphan. When the Lord puts a need on our hearts and in front of our eyes, let us respond quickly and in earnest. We are our brother's keeper.
The Owens are just one family. We can't fix Africa, solve the orphan crisis or change the world. But with the Lord working through us, we can change one little corner of it.
Hannah & Joseph, spring 2010:
Hannah & Joseph today:
Where can you make a difference?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
More Important Than Furniture
Recently, I read some words (literally, just six words) from Keith Thompson, veteran foster parent, that have pretty much revolutionized my life. Here's what he said:
"Children are more important than furniture."
Ok, I know this is not some kind of huge, earth shattering truth. It's something that should have been pretty obvious to me already. But I'm sinful, and I'm fallen. And I admit it... I love my stuff. And I want my stuff treated lovingly.
"Children are more important than furniture."
Ok, I know this is not some kind of huge, earth shattering truth. It's something that should have been pretty obvious to me already. But I'm sinful, and I'm fallen. And I admit it... I love my stuff. And I want my stuff treated lovingly.
If there is one area where I struggle, in a truly desperate way, with my newly adopted children -- this is it. I try not to love my stuff -- my furniture, my house, my car, my things... but my wicked little heart wants to fight for all of it.
Sure, I can lie to myself and slap a pretty Christian title on this love-of-stuff. Sometimes I call it "good stewardship." You know -- we take care of our stuff because God gave us our stuff and He wants us to be good stewards of the things He entrusts to us. And there is some good, biblical truth to this idea of stewardship... but stewardship should never come at all costs. It definitely shouldn't come at the cost of a child's little spirit. Because children are more important than things. Period.
I should back up and explain that before we adopted Hannah and Joseph, people told us to beware of all this. They told us to batten down the hatches in our home. To prepare for every thing in our house to be broken, cracked or destroyed.
Now y'all know I don't usually put a lot of stock in what "they" have to say. But in this area, They weren't kidding.
Logically, it makes perfect sense -- I mean why would a child who has never owned any personal possessions know how to care for things? Why would a child who is accustomed to living in day-to-day survival mode for food and other necessities suddenly grasp this crazy western concept of stewardship?
In the last month alone, Joseph has taken scissors to my kitchen curtains, pulled the trim off of my beautiful polka dot fabric pillows, ripped a gaping hole in his brand new crocs and destroyed more shirts than I can count. Hannah has all but balded Madeline's American Girl doll, worn a hole through her new dress shoes and ripped pages out of countless books. They pulled the handle off of their bathtub, they've broken dishes and picture frames, they crashed Baby Charlotte's tricycle. Today they almost broke our garage door.
Almost all of this destruction is purely innocent -- it happens out of curiosity and honest ignorance. But it happens. A lot.
In the last month alone, Joseph has taken scissors to my kitchen curtains, pulled the trim off of my beautiful polka dot fabric pillows, ripped a gaping hole in his brand new crocs and destroyed more shirts than I can count. Hannah has all but balded Madeline's American Girl doll, worn a hole through her new dress shoes and ripped pages out of countless books. They pulled the handle off of their bathtub, they've broken dishes and picture frames, they crashed Baby Charlotte's tricycle. Today they almost broke our garage door.
Almost all of this destruction is purely innocent -- it happens out of curiosity and honest ignorance. But it happens. A lot.
Everytime one of my new babes displays one these acts of "sinful and careless stewardship," I am tempted to display one of my own acts of sinful and careless anger. I am often tempted to scream "WHY would you do such a thing? How could you possibly think this was ok??"
And the Lord speaks to my heart and reminds me that I know perfectly well why they would do these things... They are broken and hurt and they've never had stuff before so they don't know how to take care of it. And frankly, it's just stuff.
For so many reasons, I am thankful to live a life that daily lends itself to these struggles. Each day I must intentionally choose... what's really important to me?
"For where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also." -- Matt 6:21, NIV
For so many reasons, I am thankful to live a life that daily lends itself to these struggles. Each day I must intentionally choose... what's really important to me?
"For where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also." -- Matt 6:21, NIV
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Wise Words from Wise Moms
I love being a Mommy.
Motherhood is such a high calling. It’s such a privilege. And my five children are such a joy and a delight to me.
Except when they’re not.
We’re like any other family. We have good days and bad days and occasionally we have days that make me want to run screaming from my house.
I think it’s that way with any ministry. Whether we’re talking about my ministry to my children, my ministry to my husband or our ministry to Africa through SixtyFeet, there are good days and bad.
Dr. Suess pretty much said it all:
Wherever you fly you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because sometimes you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but sadly it’s true
That bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you.
True that, Dr.S.
It happens all the time in my house. We’ll be in the midst of a great day - clipping right along, kids are happy, I’m being productive… and suddenly everything falls apart. Yes, apparently bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to me. Like, everyday.
Here's a fun example from this morning -- Dan is out of town at a SixtyFeet event. I was terribly proud of myself for getting all five children dressed, ready and out the door on time for church all by myself. We pull out of the driveway at 10am on the nose, I pop in a worship CD and we are flying high. It's going to be a great day! We get about 5 minutes away from the house and I happen to catch a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror. And I suddenly realize... THAT I AM NOT WEARING ANY MAKE-UP AND I HAVE NOT BRUSHED MY HAIR. I am on my way to church with dark circles under my eyes and splotchy skin and wild hair. And I've gotten too far away from the house to turn around and go back and rectify the situation. Sweet.
Seriously people. That's how we roll around here.
In the last 15 months, our family has grown from 2 children to 5. That’s a pretty big move for less than a year and a half. And lately I’ve been finding myself a tad overwhelmed with the various bang-ups and hang-ups around this place. Large family stuff is not for the faint of heart.
Last week, in a moment of sheer desperation, I reached out to a couple of veteran Moms. These ladies are rock stars in my book. They’ve all been at this “big family” thing for way longer than I have.
I asked them this question… “Will you please send me your best pieces of advice for moms of big families? What are those things that keep you sane, that help you save money, that make your days manageable?”
These ladies are busy people. They run ministries, they homeschool, they write very popular blogs. Some have special needs children, some have husbands who travel and they all have email inboxes that are bursting full. And yet every single one of them took the time to write back to me. To encourage me, to share their ideas and to assure me that they all struggle too.
Their advice and suggestions were really too good to keep to myself. And so, based on their words of wisdom, I’ve compiled the list below. Read it now, implement immediately and thank me later.
Wise Words From Rockstar Moms:
1. Stay in the Word – read from the Proverbs everyday
2. Go to bed with your house picked up and organized – that way you never have to start a day in the hole
3. Every day, spend at least a few minutes with each child – look them in the eyes, hug them and ask them about their day
4. Read to your children everyday – it’s a way to cuddle, relax and teach all that the same time
5. Popcorn that you pop yourself is a cheap, filling snack that goes a long way with a crowd
6. Grocery shop in the evenings without your children – with fewer distractions you’ll make better choices and spend less money. And never, ever shop without a list.
7. Hire a housekeeper to help with cleaning AND laundry – at least for a season
8. Bite the bullet and ask your friends for help
9. Be very careful about your time on the computer and the phone. Do not get on either during the day unless you have to.
10. Choose one day to do all of your laundry for the whole week. Have your children pitch in and help sort, fold and put away. And don't even think about the laundry on the other 6 days.
11. Before purchasing anything -- whether it be food, furniture or containers for the boys' legos, make sure you've first used what you already have. Be creative, pray through your every purchase
12. Make the hard choices about how to spend your time out of the house. Assess your children's (and your own) outside commitments and prayerfully cut out those things that need to go.
13. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (per Romans 12:2). You don't have to look like or be like everyone else. It's ok to look different and to stand apart for Christ.
How’s that for some wisdom? I praise God for placing these women in my life.
I don’t have to be the doer, the manager, the keeper and the director of all things. Heck, I don't even need to wear make-up to church. I need only to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, to walk in obedience and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne..” -- Hebrews 12:2, NLT
Motherhood is such a high calling. It’s such a privilege. And my five children are such a joy and a delight to me.
Except when they’re not.
We’re like any other family. We have good days and bad days and occasionally we have days that make me want to run screaming from my house.
I think it’s that way with any ministry. Whether we’re talking about my ministry to my children, my ministry to my husband or our ministry to Africa through SixtyFeet, there are good days and bad.
Dr. Suess pretty much said it all:
Wherever you fly you’ll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because sometimes you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but sadly it’s true
That bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to you.
True that, Dr.S.
It happens all the time in my house. We’ll be in the midst of a great day - clipping right along, kids are happy, I’m being productive… and suddenly everything falls apart. Yes, apparently bang-ups and hang-ups can happen to me. Like, everyday.
Here's a fun example from this morning -- Dan is out of town at a SixtyFeet event. I was terribly proud of myself for getting all five children dressed, ready and out the door on time for church all by myself. We pull out of the driveway at 10am on the nose, I pop in a worship CD and we are flying high. It's going to be a great day! We get about 5 minutes away from the house and I happen to catch a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror. And I suddenly realize... THAT I AM NOT WEARING ANY MAKE-UP AND I HAVE NOT BRUSHED MY HAIR. I am on my way to church with dark circles under my eyes and splotchy skin and wild hair. And I've gotten too far away from the house to turn around and go back and rectify the situation. Sweet.
Seriously people. That's how we roll around here.
In the last 15 months, our family has grown from 2 children to 5. That’s a pretty big move for less than a year and a half. And lately I’ve been finding myself a tad overwhelmed with the various bang-ups and hang-ups around this place. Large family stuff is not for the faint of heart.
Last week, in a moment of sheer desperation, I reached out to a couple of veteran Moms. These ladies are rock stars in my book. They’ve all been at this “big family” thing for way longer than I have.
I asked them this question… “Will you please send me your best pieces of advice for moms of big families? What are those things that keep you sane, that help you save money, that make your days manageable?”
These ladies are busy people. They run ministries, they homeschool, they write very popular blogs. Some have special needs children, some have husbands who travel and they all have email inboxes that are bursting full. And yet every single one of them took the time to write back to me. To encourage me, to share their ideas and to assure me that they all struggle too.
Their advice and suggestions were really too good to keep to myself. And so, based on their words of wisdom, I’ve compiled the list below. Read it now, implement immediately and thank me later.
Wise Words From Rockstar Moms:
1. Stay in the Word – read from the Proverbs everyday
2. Go to bed with your house picked up and organized – that way you never have to start a day in the hole
3. Every day, spend at least a few minutes with each child – look them in the eyes, hug them and ask them about their day
4. Read to your children everyday – it’s a way to cuddle, relax and teach all that the same time
5. Popcorn that you pop yourself is a cheap, filling snack that goes a long way with a crowd
6. Grocery shop in the evenings without your children – with fewer distractions you’ll make better choices and spend less money. And never, ever shop without a list.
7. Hire a housekeeper to help with cleaning AND laundry – at least for a season
8. Bite the bullet and ask your friends for help
9. Be very careful about your time on the computer and the phone. Do not get on either during the day unless you have to.
10. Choose one day to do all of your laundry for the whole week. Have your children pitch in and help sort, fold and put away. And don't even think about the laundry on the other 6 days.
11. Before purchasing anything -- whether it be food, furniture or containers for the boys' legos, make sure you've first used what you already have. Be creative, pray through your every purchase
12. Make the hard choices about how to spend your time out of the house. Assess your children's (and your own) outside commitments and prayerfully cut out those things that need to go.
13. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (per Romans 12:2). You don't have to look like or be like everyone else. It's ok to look different and to stand apart for Christ.
How’s that for some wisdom? I praise God for placing these women in my life.
I don’t have to be the doer, the manager, the keeper and the director of all things. Heck, I don't even need to wear make-up to church. I need only to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, to walk in obedience and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne..” -- Hebrews 12:2, NLT
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Cupcake Kids News!
No time to blog tonight -- we've been finishing the Cupcake Kids t-shirt page! Hop on over and check it out -- there is literally something for everyone! And, as always, all proceeds benefit SixtyFeet.
Seriously. Who could resist something so sweet?
The Cupcake Momma t-shirt. LOVE it!!!
Have a blessed weekend friends!
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