See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

You are my refuge and my shield;

I have put my hope in your word.

“They sow the wind, so they will reap the whirlwind.” (vs 7a)

If you scatter wind
    instead of wheat,
you will harvest a whirlwind
    and have no wheat (CEV)

Planting wind-seeds,
    they’ll harvest tornadoes. (MSG)

Have you ever done this?  Not only not sown what you needed to, but thrown what was good to the wind?  Only to inherit a storm?

I have.

All through the Word, God points out the cause and effect of sin and punishment.  He is such a good Parent.

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.   Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”  (Galatians 6:7-9 NLT)

The beauty of our God is His incredible mercy.  At any point we can stop sowing to please our sin and instead sow to please the Spirit.  That’s repentance.

Hear the original warning about reaping the whirlwind from Covenant Yahweh, combined with His mercy:

“The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you.  There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.

But if from there you seek the LORD you God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.  When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.”  (Deut. 4:27-31)

Oh, even from there!  It’s never too late.  You’re never too far.

He is always faithful.

“Israel will be swallowed up among the nations;

They will be like a worthless piece of pottery” (vs 8)

Israel has become like any other nation and is as useless as a broken pot. (GNT)

The people of Israel have been swallowed up;
    they lie among the nations like an old discarded pot. (NLT)

In looking for help from everywhere but Him, God warns His people that those from whom they seek help will use them up and spit them out.  And it is well known that a broken pot is useless.

But we know better, don’t we?

“For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”  (2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NLT)

Just yesterday my friend was telling me how different life is now with Jesus.  She goes, “I used to feel broken; now I just feel cracked.”

I just looked at her.  She’d never read the Corinthians verse above about clay pots.  And how even when He heals our brokenness, we’re still fragile and cracked.

What our useless idols would use up and then throw out, God can inhabit and shine through.

That’s redemption.

1.  I had already downloaded some photos from last week.  Found em!  All is not lost.

2.  Wanted to make sure and say the fact that we are often incredibly random and spontaneous with extra finances is a main reason we have a “sorry bank account.”  Just wanted to make sure and take responsibility.

Homework

Making brownies for Caden’s school Fun Night.  Unfortunately, they did not make it to the Fun Night.

I thought we needed some orange.  We didn’t have orange.  Caleb goes, “We can mix some colors.”  Yes we can, bud.

It seems to be my M.O. to post pictures about things going on in our life about this time in the week.  Unfortunately, I deleted all the pictures off my camera.  I don’t want to talk about it.

We’ve hung with several fun friends lately.  Also, when the weather heats up, neighbor kids come out of the woodwork.  I love when they breeze in and out of our house, feeling welcome.  (As long as I get some down time in there somewhere!)

We’ve been helping our friends move into a new house.  Then they will sell both houses and move away.  I don’t want to talk about it.

What else?  On particularly trying days that surround work of the kingdom (hard parenting days, investing in people, writing, our team’s outreach) hubs and I – and a friend and I – often talk about this scene in The Matrix:

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9VA-U69yaY

Ever felt like this?  Neo can take the blue pill and go on living happy and oblivious.  Or he can take the red pill and find out the truth about our broken world.

It really is broken.  So much hurt.  And we really do have an enemy who hates us. Especially if we’re seeking to make Him and His kingdom our first priority.

Some days this friend or I will say, “The red pill was worth it, right?”  Then the other will proceed to list all the reasons it is.  All the relationships and insights and intimacy with our King that He has offered us as we’ve chosen to see.  To go deeper.  To live with intentionality, even as we rest in His embrace.

Or my husband, who loves quality things, will look at our breaking vehicles or unfinished floors or sorry bank account and ask me to remind him why it was good we spent our twenties training to be missional instead of building a huge nest egg.  And we’ll remind each other all the ways He’s provided.  And the people who mean more to us than money and “security.”  And how it will all vanish in the end anyway.

Friends, He is so worth it.  And the things He calls us to are worth it.  Let’s live in His love and power today.

He’s the only One Whose approval matters.

Lots of self-help on here lately.  Apparently I need self help.

Have you ever read Boundaries with Kids?

Something I think about from it a lot is the 4 stages of motivational development.  In other words, why do our kids do what they do?

The authors submit that there are four stages, and no one skips a stage.  They are all crucial to move through in order to get to the most excellent way: love.

Stage 1: Fear of consequences.  This absolutely has to be first.  If we…I mean kids…think they can get away with doing whatever they want, they will.  But if they start to fear what will happen if they continue to throw toys or are mean to others, it will motivate them to stop.  The consequence, by the way, should never, ever, ever be loss of love.  God doesn’t do that to us.  I’m only doing my chores because I want to play the iPad.  Yes. Good.

Stage 2: Immature conscience.  Kids start to internalize these consequences.  They may even say,  “Bad boy,” to themselves when they begin to do something wrong.  This is good. They are taking the limit and starting to develop a conscience to determine what is right and wrong.  I will obey because my internal parent is saying don’t do this.

Stage 3: Values and ethics.  This is the movement from Bad boy to This is a wrong thing to do.  The authors mention this is an especially important time to avoid guilt and shame messages.  Otherwise, “kids in this stage easily fall into being ‘good people’ because they want to avoid guilt feelings or shame about themselves.  Keep bringing your child back to reality principles like ‘That goes against what you and we believe.'” (pg 132)

Stage 4: Mature Love, Mature Guilt.  This is movement beyond what is ethically right and wrong to what Jesus says is the highest motive: love.  Kids connect with others in deep attachment, and concern for the people in those relationships becomes the motivation behind why they do what they do.  It’s the difference between right and wrong and this hurts others or God.

Talking about empathy is important here.  “How do you think she felt when you said that?” is different than “It is not right to say mean things.”  The authors make sure to point out if we become too critical or withdraw our love at this point, kids will lean more toward fear-based compliance than love-based compassion for others.  (I think it’s important to say that this love-based compassion for others will always have healthy limits and boundaries that go along with it.  Love is something freely given, not demanded.)

It’s funny because, in the ways God is growing me up and dealing with my shame issues, and in the ways I deal with at-risk women, I see my own self going through these stages some days.  Things like I totally bit my tongue just now because I don’t want to hear the boys call me out on saying that.  Or Ugh.  I am so sad I committed to something else.  I  know that will affect my closest relationships.  

So…what do you think?  I’m not a psychologist, so I don’t know all the ins and outs.  But I loved learning about it.  Do you have any experience in your own life or in parenting in seeing these stages of motivation?

Before I was afflicted I went astray,

But now I obey your word.

You are good, and what you do is good;

Teach me your decrees…

It was good for me to be afflicted

So that I might learn your decrees.

The law from your mouth is more precious to me

Than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

They look everywhere except to the Most High… (Hosea 7:16a NLT)

How do you “look everywhere except to the Most High”?

When winter hits, even if things are going fairly well, I want to hibernate.  This year God is asking me to train.  To keep showing up.  Even when the pull to hibernate is something fierce.

One of my favorite Christian marriage books for women is Sacred Influence.  He regularly reminds his female readers:

My identity isn’t in my marital status.  My identity is in Jesus.

Wait.  That isn’t what we read marriage books for.  We read so our marriage can be better. Not so we can give up!

Oh, friends.  So many times He is going to ask us to give things up.  Not so we don’t care any more.  And not so once we give it to Him, we can have what we want.

But because holding on will destroy us.

Just the other day a friend was telling me how God is walking her through letting go.  She has for a long time practiced holding her children with an open hand.  Reminding herself that they are God’s, not hers.  They are entrusted to her care for now, but they ultimately belong to Jesus.

God has been pushing even more in this area.  Her husband also isn’t hers.  He belongs to Jesus.  And he is not supposed to be her Rock.

The pit in her stomach as she processes this is real.

I can completely relate.

Friends, He asks us to die to ourselves.  And death is painful.

I was talking to a very discerning, godly woman yesterday about a ministry area close to my heart.  She might have said I have a control problem.

She’s right.  I had to open my hands.  And I will have to keep opening my hands.

It will hurt.

But He really is The Most High.  He is God.  And for whatever reason He has to pry open our hands, it will be for our best.

He comes to us gently – but very firmly – and says,

“This is not yours.  Give it to Me.  Yes, grieve.  Now rest.  Let Me be God.”

My boys love to look at old photos and videos on the computer.  Yesterday I let youngest go to town while I did some dishes.  This morning, this picture was open:

Come on, man.

Tuesday I had an eye doctor appointment.  I do not like that puff of air.  I jump and make the assistant jump.  Last year Caleb held my hand.  This year he had preschool.

I (teasingly) asked him how I will do it without him this year.

He goes, “Be brave.  Be strong.  And I have a joke for you.  Why did the squirrel eat the tree instead of the acorn? Because he ate a treehouse.”

I think you see what he means.

Been a pretty good week around here.  Checkers at the library.

Using the online card catalog

School Conferences/Book Fair last week

Personal feelings about the Golden Arches aside, the new Play Place is great when hanging with a friend on a winter afternoon waiting for conferences.  Lots of wrestling and yelling in a sanctioned environment.

My beautiful and musically talented friend participated in an event with Arts Partners at Exploration Place.  The goal was to bridge arts and science.  She had kids make Rattlesnakes.  Super cute.

The event also featured art from a local high school.

My personal favorite.

Drawing a Goldfish Snake and a Snake Dragon.  They had to figure out which order, class and species to which their make-believe creatures belong.

Downtown Snow Scene

If you can’t tell, the Rattlesnake is biting him.

Any of my high school people out there?  Remember Dutch Blitz?  Had a gift card for Amazon with a few extra dollars on it.  Saw this and couldn’t resist.  Oldest and I love it.  Youngest and Dan?  Not so much.

Aaaannd….The real reason moms don’t love snow.  All the wet clothes.

Anything fun or new or snow-related in your life?   I really want to know.