Sucessful Family Devotions

As I mentioned in my post, Focusing on the Family, I have always struggled with having successful family devotion time, for several reasons, but this is one obstacle I am going hard after during this 21 day fast.

The first thing I had to overcome was my...

mindset.
In my mind I had built up an idea that "family devotions" looked like... fill in the blank. 
Because I was not raised having this experience with my parents, I didn't know what it was suppose to look like. My mind was left to wonder, dream, and fantasize that I was sitting on the couch with my husband and all our little obedient children were gathered at our feet while our "rabbi-ish" leader father would educate us in the ways of God. Realizing that picture was not reality when I have four children under five, we set out to try to read together at night, but then one needed to nurse while another needed a diaper change, while yet another ran and hid from us. The pictures in my mind started to fade, as did my will to have them all sit in a room together. 

The second obstacle I had to overcome was...

time.
When is the best time to have devotions with the whole family? Our five children range in age from 4 to 12, and they pretty much are on the same schedule, which should be to our advantage, yet it has been a struggle to nail down a time that we can all sit down together. Mealtimes seemed good in theory, and worked on occasion, but because we are usually eating right before we leave somewhere, I am brushing someones hair, finding someone's socks, or getting myself ready during those few minutes of shoveling a meal down. Not every meal is on the run, but they are not consistent, so it is hard to plan.

Here is what I have been learning and some decisions we have made regarding having family devotions to keep the integrity of our mission statement in the midst of our home. 

Successful Family Devotions Mean the Family is Connecting.

I have deciding that it doesn't matter what book or curriculum I am using, success is when my family is sitting in a circle and talking to each other. When we are asking questions, and they are answering them, we are connecting. When they are sharing what is on their hearts, we are connecting. When we go around the circle and give a word of encouragement to one another, we are connecting. When we are praying for each other, we are connecting. It might not be a pretty perfect picture, but I believe that if we keep at it, when they grow up they will love and values these times together. 

Successful Family Devotions Mean we are Growing Together.

Don't get me wrong, I love to study and go deep in the Word all alone, and frankly, that is why it has been so hard for me to take the time in the Word with my children. I have a very limited amount of time and I have always struggled having time with God and my family. Sometimes I feel like II have so little time that its Him or them, can you relate? But I have realized that I cannot grow deep in God only to wake up 50 one day with my children all grown up and out of the house and them not knowing or loving God because I took all my time to be alone with God and left them out of it. 

You know I am being general and frank here for the purpose of the point I am trying to make, of course they are going to church and learning the Bible, etc. But I believe that if we are growing together in God than my personal life in God will be blessed. I have to believe that if I sacrifice my "alone" time here and there, the Lord will fill me just the same by sitting with my kids. 

A good friend of ours once told us that, "whether I am mowing the lawn, at a baseball game with my family, or in a prayer meeting for hours, it all pays the same." What that means is that whatever grace, mercy, revelation, or encounter God has for me, He will give me. If I could rest in Him and set my priorities straight, then I'll be alright.

Successful Family Devotions Mean I Need to Stop Striving.

I have decided to do the best I can each day and embrace His mercies that are new each morning. (Lam. 3:22-23) If our devotion time flops, we'll try again tomorrow. I am pressing into grace and not perfection. Whew! what a load off my back! 

The book we are using right now is wonderful because Johnny or I just read a little and stop when the kids get restless and then dialog together. It's called "Eyes & Ears" by Jennifer Toledo and its about how to hear God's voice. For us, being more laid back is what we need in this season of our lives to connect with our children and meet our goals of loving each other and laughing together. 

For you, maybe a rigid routine works best, maybe a Bible layout or curriculum. I'd love to hear what works best for your family devotions, or what you have tried that you like. Hope to hear from you!

blessings!
Gina

 

   

 

Family Mission Statement

Well day 1 has begun, and it begins with a Family Mission Statement. As I discussed in the Focusing on the Family post, having a family mission statement is something we have done, but never really did anything with. Now that the kids are a little older, it was time to include them and get rallied around a focus. 

Does your family have a mission or purpose statement?

We felt like it was important for our family to get focus and vision that could help us to all be unified toward a common goal. Because our priority as parents is to create a home environment where our children can thrive spiritually, we knew that our mission statement was going to have a strong spiritual emphasis.

Here is our revised statement:

We are committed to:

FIRST pursuing the knowledge of God; THEN to helping one another grow and thrive in God; BY loving, serving, honoring, and blessing one another, THAT we might Love God well.

Our Family Goals are:
1. Daily pursue the knowledge of God
2. Lead others to God
3. Be a blessing to all who know us


We really believe, as parents, that if we focus on being like Christ, all the other things will work themselves out. We truly believe that if we can live humbly, blessing others above our own desires, for example, that we in turn will be filled with joy and satisfaction. 

We have a lengthier version of this, but those are the main goals we are focusing on as a family, for now anyway.

We simplified this statement even more, to help create a focus for our kids to really grasp. 

 

Love, Laugh, and Live Radical. 

LOVE. pursuing knowledge of “Agape”, letting Him fill us, so that we can be expressions of His love in our home and to others. This is the greatest above all. We will be unpacking this word with our children and why there is no greater thing than Love.

LAUGH. pursuing a home full of joy. Playing together, enjoying the life God has given us. Doing the creative things that make us happy together. Exploring the world together.We will also unpack what the joy of the Lord is and go after intentional "joy filling" in each of our realationships in the house.

LIVE RADICAL. understanding that it is o.k. for us to be different. That what our family views as ‘normal’ others may see as ‘radical’. We are committed to doing things like might look crazy to the world if it means being radical for Jesus. Like praying for strangers, going on missions trips, giving away our toys, and having ‘less’ stuff then the western world standards.

Does your family have a mission statement? I would love to hear it!

- gina

  

Praying the Bible

 
One of my favorite topics to practice and preach is on praying the Bible, mostly because something that seems so simple has made the single most dramatic impact on my life. 

Even though praying the scriptures is simple, it still takes effort. You must understand and value it in order to do this diligently. So why pray the Bible? Here are three reasons you should pray using the scriptures. 

1. The Holy Spirit Inspired the Scriptures.

 According to Hebrews 4:12, all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and therefore, powerful. The words of the scriptures are more powerful than my own words. 

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

My words are weak, human, and short-sighted. His words are eternal, powerful, and divine. Why wouldn't  use those words to pray?

2. The Words of the Scriptures Release Faith.

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. As a human, I lack confidence and faith. Let's be honest, on a good day, our faith is wavering at best. We believe great things, yet doubt God will actually do them. When I pray using scripture, I not only am praying powerful prayers, but I am building my faith. Faith literally rises as I pray! 
 

3. The Scriptures are the Will of God.

The scriptures are the only clear, absolute truth and will of God. The scriptures reveal God's heart, what He wants, what He thinks, and what He feels. Why is this so important to know when we pray? Because according to 1 John 5:14-15, when we pray according to His will, He hears us and will answer us.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."

Personally, I can testify that when I am daily praying scriptures I have a significant increase in my spiritual life. I walk in more joy, more faith, and honestly, I have less stress. I am telling you this because it is actually measurable. I cannot express this great enough in text form, but I encourage you to try it. 

How do I start?

In my previous post, Drawing Life From the Word,  I mentioned this resource available on this site in the Children's Ministry resource section: Biblical Promises to Speak over your children- try using some of these.
 
Example:
Biblical identity promise: "Your steps are established by the Lord Ps 37:24"
Prayer: "Father, thank you for establishing my steps. Right now I give you my life, I surrender each step to You. You alone know my days, and I trust You."

Pretty easy right? I hope you'll take advantage of this resource and begin speaking these passages over yourself and your family.

In Preparation for the 21 Days:

• Our bulletin board is up. The family mission statement is posted. I'll share it tomorrow...
• I am working on cards and things to put on it tonight
• I am cutting out the shortened version for the door tonight as well
• I printed out scriptures and posted them around our home for strengthening.
• I decided that as our devotions develop each day I will fine tune which passages stand out to us as a family and they will end up on the board as we go as well.
• The kids found containers today to turn into their mailboxes. That will be a family project tomorrow night. 

Considering joining me in a Fast Unto Your Family. I am starting tomorrow, but you can create your own time frame, I'd love to hear from you!

 
 
 

Drawing Life From the Word

As a busy wife, mother of five, and minister, you can imagine that I lack for strength most days. We all know that life comes from drawing near to God and His Word, but it is so hard most days to tap into it. You know what I mean, when you know what to do, and how to do it, but your strength is at such a low point that you can't seem to reach for it?

I take comfort in knowing that He is reaching for me.

Just think about that. He isn't asking you to go the full distance, He already is meeting you halfway. He already spoke. He already put Himself out there. What comfort to my heart. 

He has given me His Word so that I will have life. Just one word from His mouth is all my spirit needs. 

These are some passages I am meditating on right now and drawing strength from. Are you an "artsy" type? Maybe you can draw or paint a few passages and hang them somewhere you'll see them often (like the kitchen, moms?) Maybe your taxed on time, print a few out off your computer and post them around your house. 

During different seasons of life I have painted scriptures on the walls, printed them, put them on post its, or written them on the mirrors with dry erase markers. I want to encourage you, whatever your style, get some life giving words in front of you. 

This is what I am doing this weekend as I prepare for my 21 Day Fast Unto My Family. 

There is Life in these Words.

Here are a few key verses on "life" in the "Word". Perhaps start with these if you are finding yourself in that place of needing to draw life from Him today. 

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

"How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." John 6:68

 ^"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

"I am the Way, the truth, and the life." John 14:6

 In preparation for the 21 days:

• I'm prepping these scriptures to hang in my home, for personal strength. 
• I'm finishing our Mission Statement. It is done and ready to print.
• I found a book to use for our devotionals along with our mission statement "talks" (I am using Jennifer Toledo's Eyes & Ears)
• I laid out a page for each child in my journal and I am going to be praying out of this resource that my dearest friend made for our children's church classrooms. Biblical Promises to Speak over Your Children.
• I am going to use our existing empty push pin board in the hallway that once was full of hopeful schedules, as a place where our kids can write prayers and leave encouragement for Mom & Dad during the 21 Days. 
• My children requested "Mail Boxes" on their doors so they can leave each other notes as well, so those will be prepped this weekend. 

well, I got some work to do... let me know what you are prepping in your home!

 

Focusing on the Family

As parents we are faced with the focus on the family whether we are looking for it or not, it is always right in front of us, isn't it? There are many things in our lives that change, like jobs, homes, maybe even your church family, but one thing is for sure, your family is always right in front of you. 

    Just as with a job or a ministry, I don't want to just let things happen as they may, I want to pray into my ministry, plan out what I am going to do, and go after it with focus. If you are wanting to learn an instrument you don't just desire to do it, let the desire fade, then maybe try it out here and there. You don't learn to play the guitar on accident. You buy a guitar, you take lessons, you practice. 

   Recently I read the small book, Praying Circles Around Your Children, and I was really encouraged to get more focused as a praying parent. I mean, I pray for my children everyday, I use the Word and pray into their lives, and then over them at night, but I have been feeling like, "there must be more I can do in the place of prayer". If you are a parent, I do not need to tell you how emotionally and physically tiring parenting can be. Sometimes I feel physically or emotionally inadequate, but I know that if I can just get stronger in the spirit then maybe we would get more breakthroughs in the home. Can you relate?

   As the kids are getting older we are finding that what use to work simply doesn't anymore.  The things they use to think were fun aren't anymore, our discipline techniques don't quite work anymore, you get the picture- their growing up. In the process of this I am being challenged to get more creative, spend time with them in different ways, and even pray for in new, creative ways. This summer I am going to get way more focused on my family in a way I have never been, I mean I am ready to take things to a new level! Not only that, but as I embark on a 21 Day Fast for my family, I want to encourage you to join with me. I have never done a "link up" before, but I would like to invite you to "link up" with me during this series in the Month of June. I am planning to post something everyday for 21 days as part of my Fast Unto. 

   What "Fasting Unto"  means is that I am not just fasting "from" things, but "unto" things. Here are my goals for this 21 day fast. (If you decide to join, consider a post on your blog or a journal entry in your personal journey about your goals for your fast now.)

1. Slow down, look at my husband and kids in their eyes, and have quality time with them. I want to give my family my attention. I want to listen to them, I mean really listen to their hearts.  I want to be tuned in. 

In order to do this, I am going to limit technology use to my computer for work and blogging only. I am going to refrain from personal social media. I also have recruited help. I have arranged for someone to help me at home with my housework so I can have more time "with" my family, and less time doing work around the house where I am not engaged with everyone else.

2. Create a prayer list in my journal with specific passages of scripture and prophetic promises for my children that I will pray daily. I want to get tuned in to what God thinks about my family and what He has to say about each one of my children. 

To accomplish this, it is going to take some diligence on my part to have a consistent prayer time with God. Right now my time with the Lord varies from day to day, so before this fast begins, I am going to have to redo my schedule and get it tighter. I may have to say no to some things, and I may have to change some current commitments. But I am confident that nothing is more important than my family in God's eyes right now.

3. Create a family mission statement. Simplify that statement. Post that statement over the doorway so we see it everyday. 

Years ago some friends of ours told us about how they had a family mission statement. They also had a three-word simplified version of it they had vinyl letters cut out and adhered above a doorway in their home. It reminded me of that passage in Deut. 6:9 about "writing the commandments on your door posts". You know why God had the Hebrews put His commands on the doorposts? So that as they came and went daily they would be reminded of His covenant with them. He knows we are like sheep (that means dull!) and forget things so easily! He knows we need to be reminded constantly of His love, His commands, and His promises for us. We need to see our target, often, I mean, a lot, all the time. You catch my drift?

    So we actually created our Family Vision Statement and then that was it, we never actually did anything with it. This weekend we pulled it out and revised it a bit and were almost done fine-tuning it. 

    If you are interested in doing this, here is a great blog post on the subject: click here. Franklin Covey's website has a free online tool to help you as well: Create Your Family Mission Statement.

4. Do a devotional with my family each day around our family mission statement. Talk about why this is our focus as a family. Find the scriptures to support it. Write out those scriptures and do fun meaningful activities with it.

I have a lot of ideas for this, but honestly my biggest struggle is that we sometimes make these plans of what we are going to do and then we all fall apart once we are trying to get everyone to sit down together. With five kids, its hard to all be in the right mood at the same time. So this make take some creativity as far as "location" goes. This may work better in a different environment. I am currently praying about this one, I will keep you posted. 


Finally, my #5 goal is to blog daily during the 21 days, personally, it's because I need the accountability to follow through on my goals and I work better with others. Consider joining me in a Fast Unto My Family. If you would like to have a special Bible reading plan during your fast, consider using one of these from YouVersion. I look forward to hearing from you,

Fast begins June 2nd.

Building God's House

Over the last few weeks my devotional time has been spent chewing and meditating on these few passages about building the House of Prayer. 

I have recognized and it's been pointed out by others that I have a "builder" anointing. As a builder, my strengths are broad and vary depending on the season of "building" I am in. I feel privileged to share this character trait that my Father in Heaven has, the ultimate Builder God.

"For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God." Hebrews 3:4

The battle some of us "builders" face is that we tend to feel like we are "do-ers" and therefore feel a false sense of lack of intimacy due to our "building" efforts. 

Here is the revelation I want to unpack; building God's house is the ultimate partnership with His heart, and therefore on the highest level of intimacy with God.

God Desires to Dwell with Man on Earth

"Thus says the Lord, “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?" Isaiah 66:1

Knowing what God wants gives us confidence to rest in Him. In meditating on this passage, I am in awe that the God of the universe, God who has the ultimate beauty of heaven, desires to have a resting place on the earth. The He actually desires to commune with man in a house built with human hands. He desires partnership in fellowship. 

Much like a marriage, a home is built together. Both the husband and wife have important roles in the building of their home. The Lord desires our partnership in building the resting place for His presence. It is our "yes" that draws Him to commune with us. 

Loving God's House is Loving God

"How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.   I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness."   Psalm 84:1-2, 10

I remember the early days of my walk with God, at Three Cities Assembly. Each morning before work or school I would go into the sanctuary of the church and read the Word, pray, and play the piano and worship. I was drawn to "the House of the Lord". Why couldn't I just sit in my bedroom and do that? I could, and I did, but there was something drawing me to fellowship with God in His house, and two times a week just was not enough! Can you relate to that feeling?

Today, nineteen years later, I still feel alive and in love as I did back then when I read these words of Psalm 84. All I want to do, all day, and all night, is sing to my God and worship Him in His house- I am consumed with zeal for His house! (Psalm 69:9, John 2:17)

Being in the Presence of God Fuels Prosperity of Soul

The more I lean into the "pull" that is drawing me closer, the greater my soul thrives. 

"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever." Psalm 52:8

When I say "yes" and give time in my secret place life, that is my life in prayer & the Word, I am growing in eternal places that are not seen on the outside. The outward appearance may look poor and weak, but my soul is thriving so long as I press into the knowledge of God.

Building God's house grows me internally because I am actually gaining knowledge of His will, His emotions, and His thoughts in the process. It is laying down my agenda, and taking up His.

The more I know His will, I gain confidence in my pursuit of Him. I lean more, I trust more.

The more I know His thoughts, the closer I feel to Him. His ways become more and more my ways. My mindset is won over, and renewed.

The more I know His emotions, as in any marriage (covenant relationship), the stronger bond I develop with Him. Sharing emotions, two-way relationships, are the only relationships with intimacy. 

The Lord is showing me that true intimacy with Him is found in being passionate about His tabernacle, His resting place on the earth. This is an eternal calling that begins here in this age, but will not fade. Forever we will worship Him, fellowship with Him, and partner with His heart. By building His house on the earth, now, in this age, we are reaching into heaven, into eternity, and literally bringing heaven to earth.

I want to encourage you to partner with your church and/or local house of prayer in building a resting place for God. Perhaps your church would like to open its doors during the week for people to come and pray, perhaps you can help make that happen to get prayer going in your church or city. I want to encourage you if you are feeling that burning in your heart, to talk with your church leaders, see if there is a room in your church you can use to play some worship music and begin to create a prayer environment. For resources, feel free to contact us in helping start a prayer room.  I'd love to hear from you!

blessings! 

     - gina

Live Holy, Do Not Compromise.

Living "holy" is a tough topic to talk about, but it has been burning in me since the day I got saved. 

I heard David Pawson say once that, "when you bring the Gospel to criminals in jail, the 'God of Love and Forgiveness' is not the Gospel that preaches well. It is God's judgement, mercy, and righteousness that attracts the sinner to repentance." 

Isn't that interesting? Yes, God is "Love", but He has many faces, and His name is also "Holy".

Demystifying "Holiness"

I have learned over the last 19 years as a believer that holiness begins in the heart attitude. Some people try to change what is on the outward appearance, and that’s good, I mean like quitting bad habits and stuff. But you can only be as “holy” as your heart is.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” Matthew 5:8

I have watched myself and others try to change the outward man, and it doesn’t work. The change has to happen in the heart first, and then the outward stuff will work itself out.

Holiness begins in the mind.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2

The transformation begins in the mind. The way we think determines what we do. It is the way of thinking in a culture that drives it’s values and actions. For example, you may be familiar with the sacred cow of India. Many people, not even Hindu, may revere the cow without even knowing the full history of why it is sacred. The culture has been deeply ingrained for centuries in the minds of the people. It would be hard for many to even eat beef, though they may be distant from the personal belief or culture, it is a part of their way of thinking. 

If holiness begins in the mind (heart, mind, will = inner man) than true worship is not the outward expression, but the inward giving of thanks, praise, blessing, etc. Think about that for a moment. Are we blessing God with our thoughts? With our intentions? With our motives? With our emotions? What if we practiced silent worship in corporate prayer gatherings? What if we worshiped God silently from the inner man as a regular discipline? 

What type of thoughts roll over in your mind? To dos? Worries and fears? Circumstantial problems? The hardest thing for me is I rarely feel my mind actually rest. Even when I am asleep I dream constantly. I have trouble just not thinking.

Putting it into practice.

So I have begun an experiment where I try to condition my mind by thinking worship, which is: praise, blessing, and thanksgiving towards the Lord repetitively in my mind. When a negative thought comes in, for example lets say, "Gina, you really suck, you need to just give up on this area". What I do is I turn it around into worship and thanksgiving. 

I picture Jesus on the throne, I kneel before His Lordship over me and I think in my mind, "Jesus, You alone know all things. You know how and why I struggle, I submit this challenge to You  my Lord right now. Thank You for putting challenges in my life to strengthen me. I know that if I never had any challenges I would be dull and bored. Thank You for Your wisdom You are sending my way to accomplish this task. You are so faithful, I lean into Your faithfulness right now. Thank You for strengthening my heart in the midst of my weakness. I trust in Your strength."

A holy heart attracts God. And getting closer to God, getting to know Him more, will only convince my heart that He indeed is good, and no good  thing will He withhold. (Psalm 84:11) Holiness is not about sacrificing the "pleasures" of life to be bored with a 'boring God'. Leaning into His goodness, His holiness will only produce the very best, superior pleasures in our lives.

The truth is I can never be holy enough, but the REAL question is, how close to the man named “Holy” can I get.

How far will He let me go? How abandoned will He let me be?