The More, The More, and More and More

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:1-4 , 10-12 RSV).



One of the many "careers" I've had included working as the Lead Teacher for a class of three-year-olds at a daycare center. I absolutely and completely adore children. I have been told I have a gift for working with even the most "problem" children. Perhaps the "gift" is simply a manifestation of my deep, sincere love for them and my recognition of their full potential!

God has that type of love for us as well! We can rejoice because we are His beloved. God has a similar vision of us: He knows our potential, already planned our future, lets us have our little fits and bouts of independence and defiance and then welcomes us back into His loving arms.



Or as one of the children (or I!) would often say, “OK, I need a hug now.” One the little girls in the class often threw open her arms, looked up at me and said, “I love you the more, the more, the more and more.” Wow! Just imagine! God loves us even more than that!


We say, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” God replies, “I love you the more, the more, the more and more.” We beg God, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” God’s response is, “I love you the more, the more, the more and more.”



We continue, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” God, in his mercy and infinite patience repeats, “I love you the more, the more, the more and more.” Get it? Try reading the verses of this passage one by one, inserting, “I love you the more, the more, the more and more” after each one. What were you getting ready to say about a bad day you might be having?

My prayer today is that no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done; no matter how much success you celebrated or the miserable failures you have experienced; no matter what, no matter what, you’ll remember God loves you the more, the more, the more and more. And that He waits for you with loving arms open wide.



Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Fabulous Friday!

Yes, it really was a rather fabulous day overall! This morning I worked with the twins and their sister to make Christmas gifts for their parents. Yep, I really did - even at 2, 2 and 4 they did a beautiful job! I'm not going to say what it was in case mom reads this, though:-) Then we watched a couple of Christmas shows (Dora and Go, Diego, Go--or Go, go, go as the boys call it!).

At some point today the Spirit inspired me about the character I will portray when I go the nursing home on December 28th. As a Certified Lay Speaker I volunteer at area assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and sometimes fill the pulpit at area churches if needed. The last time I visited Elmcroft, where I will be on the 28th I gave a short sermon and then portrayed the Samaritan Woman at the Well. I had taken a Storytelling course as part of my Lay Speaker certification training earlier in the year and I was quite excited to have a chance to put what I had learned into practice.

The residents enjoyed the storytelling and asked me to come back, so when I go in a couple of weeks, I'll give a brief intro to the story and then get into character. I've given the details at Godly Graffiti, if you're interested.

(CHRISTMAS 2007)
Tonight my son put up our Christmas tree. I know it's late -- really late for us -- but it's done and I'm really enjoying putting on the decorations. Last year I used the bows and ribbon from my daughter's wedding on the tree. They added such a beautiful touch and have decided to do it again this year. I've got them on and have added all 21 angels from the Hallmark collection we started for our son when he was born.

We don't have my daughter's on the tree this year because we packed them up last year for her and her husband to use. They don't have a big enough tree this year, and they've been and will continue to be on the road, so the ornaments are in a box waiting for them. We've got plenty of others though, and each one has a story behind it. We are so grateful our daughter and son-in-law (and our grand dogs) will be with us for Christmas though.


It's been a very odd year for us and very challenging at times. We feel blessed though that we have been able to work, to keep our home, that our children are doing well and making a future for themselves and for the countless friends and loved ones in our lives.

We are looking forward to our annual Christmas Eve Open House. It has become a tradition for many neighbors and friends of all ages to stop by our home on Christmas Eve. Our holiday would not be complete without the hugs, laughter, good food and good company we enjoy each year.

Well, I've almost got my second wind, so I may go add a few more ornaments to the tree. We're really scaling back this year, but my husband was off today and he did put the candles in the windows. I'll hang stockings, but I don't think we'll display the nutcracker collection or the Santas this year. We're going with understated and low stress as our theme:-) I kind of like it!

The Wonder of a Child

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew 18:2-3 RSV]

On Wednesday I observed the qualities that I believe Christ has in mind when he made this statement to his disciples--and for the benefit of bystanders. I was at the home of the family for which I nanny and had an enchanted day!

The weather here in Richmond, VA has been glorious and the children love to be outside so as soon as breakfast was over and we managed to get everyone dressed, the boys were at the door and ready to go outside! The children I care for include a 3.5 year old girl and her twin 20-month old brothers.

The boys made many laps up and down the driveway with their push toys or chasing their sister on her bike. I have to chuckle as I watch her, look of determination and sheer delight on her face, certain she will take off and fly any moment and she pedals her tricycle up and down the driveway.

This particular day one of the boys was pushing/playing with/loading and unloading a plastic shopping cart, the other twin was pushing the umbrella stroller wherever he could make it go. Sister took a break from her travels and all three happened to converge in the same place in the middle of the driveway. The boys like to run into their sister with whatever they happen to be pushing and the stroller and shopping cart crashed into each other and made a b-line for the bike.

I expected much drama and screaming. Instead the three of them spent the next 15 minutes attemping to connect the three 'vehicles' into some type of futuristic mode of transportation. That's my take on it anyway. The boys tired of the endeavor and moved on to other adventures but their sister figured it all out and moved from bike to stroller (which was on it's side but attached to the bike handles) and then got up and rearranged her vessel to suit her imagination.

The boys watched leaves floating down like snowflakes and ran to catch them. Then we discovered the sidewalk chalk had gotten wet--and had changed color! What fun to have six "new" pieces of chalk and learn a very basic science lesson.

I know these sound like simple, everyday events. But I was captivated as I watched these children. All three were in the same mode--their little minds took a giant leap all on the same day. The learning and exploring continued inside waiting for lunch, then after nap time on the back porch. The sky was blue, scattered with whispy clouds and that day in my life the earth spun at exactly the right angle and speed. Small blessings. . .

For a few hours I witnessed the wonder of being a child in full swing--times 3!

Thanksgiving – Not Just About Turkey and Pumpkin Pie

This is a great time of year to teach children about gratitude and generosity. Actually, as parents we could probably use a small refresher course, too! The holiday season is also a wonderful opportunity to share your families’ history with your children—traditions, funny stories, and other unique qualities about your child(ren)’s extended family.

Thanksgiving at my childhood home was heralded in when the premier batch of my mother’s famous party mix came out from wherever she hid it from us. I’m not sure when she began making her annual supply of party mix each year (eventually it was made, stored and consumed by the garbage bag sized container!). We always had a house full of neighbors, cousins and friends for dinner.

While we’re talking to our children about gratitude and generosity, why not allow them to pick a community service project you can do as a family Christmas. Serving a meal at one of the homeless shelters, delivering Christmas cookies to the fire station, visiting a nursing home and singing Christmas carols are all great ways to share the joy of the season.

Read more ways to celebrate Thanksgiving at Associated Content: Thanksgiving -- Not Just About Turkey and Pumpkin Pie

Book Review: Becoming the Parent Your Teenager Needs

Becoming the Parent Your Teenager Needs by Rodney Cage, (Broadman & Holman Publishers (May 1999)) is a must read for parents, grandparents, and anyone involved in youth ministry on a regular basis. This book offers insights and biblical principles to help adults minister to the teenagers in their lives.

Parents, you survived the terrible twos. You even survived that first day in Kindergarten. One day, you wake up to find that sweet little bundle of joy who loved to cuddle and worshipped Mom and Dad has been replaced by some person you don’t recognize! Who is this changeling? Yes, you guessed right: a teenager!

Gage introduces biblical perspectives on dealing with the changing attitudes, behaviors, and perspectives that are typical as our children become teenagers. His guidance and direction help parents better identify and meet the needs of their teenager.

Read more to find out if this book will be helpful by clicking on this link: Book Rview: Becoming the Parent Your Teenager Needs.

Book Review: What Every Mom Needs

What Every Mom Needs (Zondervan, 1995), written by Elisa Morgan and Carol Kuykendall, is a must-read for moms of all ages! Morgan and Kuykendall are officers in the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) organization. They share their perspective, sense of humor, empathy and advice with a laid-back tone and a definite sense that they’ve been in the trenches of rearing children with us!


The Sub-title of the book is Meet Your Nine Basic Needs (and be a Better Mom). These two seasoned moms remind us in the introduction that moms, like everyone else, have needs. Further, moms must learn to recognize and meet their own needs in order to better meet the needs of their children. Neither of these two statements is profound, in and of themselves. But all too often, moms get so caught up in the business of mothering that we forget about taking care of ourselves.


Find out more about the great advice this book has to offer by clicking on this link: Book Review: Becoming the Parent Your Teenager Needs

Kids in the Kitchen -- How to Cook up Family Fun

One of my earliest memories of “cooking” is when I was very young and my mom allowed me to stir the party mix. Now keep in mind, her party mix is legendary! Though she swears she uses the identical recipe she has given me, hers is always just a bit better. So, it was an honor to have even a small part in the creation of her famous party mix.

As I grew older, I learned and mastered more tasks required in meal preparation. After I mastered stirring cereals, corn chips, pretzels and several secret ingredients in a bowl without sending them flying all over the kitchen, I was allowed to stir a cake batter, etc.

Begin with simple recipes. There are some great cookbooks for kids on othe market today that include step-by-step instructions and pictures so kids can see what the food will look like when it's finished. Read more . . .