God’s Role in Parenting

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Faith, Parenting, prayer

I just started reading through, Power of a Praying Parent, by Stormie Omartian.  Each morning before my daily prayer time I  read a small section and jot down any notes, thoughts, or ideas I would like to use in my daily prayer time for my children.

The following quote was encouraging to me:

In regard to our children, we are in full partnership with God.  He would shoulder the heaviness of the burden and provide wisdom, power, protection, and ability far beyond ourselves.  We would do our job to discipline, teach, nurture, and ‘train up a child in the way he should go’ knowing that ‘when he is old, he will not depart from it’ (Proverbs 22:6).

When I find myself worrying about or being anxious about a particular parenting situation, I can take hope in the fact that God will provide the wisdom needed in each and every situation.  The Bible says…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God.  My responsibility is to pray and be confident that He WILL give us wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5-8).  I must also be obedient to His Word and the direction He provides when I ask Him for help.

God is good.

Seeking Joy through Prayer

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Faith, Joy

Several weeks ago, I was convicted about the lack of joy in my life. Each day felt like a blur of activity and to-do lists.  At the end of each day, as I sat down, feeling exhausted, to do my daily Bible reading and prayer time, it was becoming more apparent that I had thought of no one but myself and my family that day.  My thoughts were not on the Lord as I went through each day.

In the Lord’s wonderful timing, my spiritual mentor and I, have been going through the book, What Jesus Demands from the World, by John Piper.  Each chapter covers a command of Jesus.  In the chapter, Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart, one of the verses discussed is John 16:24…

“Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

I was puzzled by the verse because it specifically connects our joy with prayer.  How does prayer produce joy in our lives?

God can and will be sovereign in our lives whether we pray or not.  Our joy comes in knowing that God, in His sovereignty, has chosen to work through our prayers. We have the honor of serving Christ in His work through our prayers.   This is truly a blessing from the Lord.  To see the Lord in action and working in our lives produces joy.  When we lift up situations, people, and/or problems in prayer, we are so much more aware of God’s presence and help.

I want to experience joy in the Lord.  I want to see God working in the smallest details of life when I lift them up to Him in prayer.  I want to rejoice when I see the Lord working on behalf of others; knowing that He has allowed me to experience this joy through participating in prayer. 

Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

I just started reading “Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ,” by John Piper.  I’m only into Chapter 1:  Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God, and I wanted to share a few powerful statements.

The sun of God’s glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul.  And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit.  But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart.  The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all-attracting place at the center.

We are all starved for the glory of God, not self.  No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem.  Why do we go?  Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self.  Indeed, what could be more ludicrous in a vast and glorious universe like this than a human being, on the speck called earth, standing in front of a mirror trying to find significance in his own self-image?  It is a great sadness that this is the gospel of the modern world.

2 Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Remembering Aaron

On October 27, 2006, my cousin Aaron Varner passed away after battling a 2 1/2 year battle with cancer.  He was 19 years old.

You can read about his journey at www.aaronsadventure.com.

Aaron was a believer, along with the rest of his family.  God used this family as a tremendous witness of the Lord’s grace and faithfulness in a time of great hardship.

We miss you Aaron…but right now you are hanging out with Jesus!  And we continue to keep Lynda, Dennis, Katie, and Derek in our prayers and thoughts.

And Varners, if you read this, it would take me a long time to tell about everything I learned from you guys.  Someday I will share.  THANK YOU.  God used you to change my perspective of God (in a good way!) forever.  I am just one of many people that were touched by Aaron and all of you.

Aaron, Caleb, & Aunt Lynda (Aaron loved babies!)