Author Archive for lizziejank

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May 3: Remembering Part 2

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Another angle of remembering is that while we freely make promises to our children, (we’ll do that soon, maybe tomorrow, not right now, in a little bit) we frequently hope that they will forget. When they continue to bring up these things with us, we can almost feel like their memory is an unseemly fault of theirs. Like remembering is nagging. Like claiming their right to something is selfish and wrong. God is the opposite of this to us. He delights in the transaction of promise and remembering. He loves for His people to repeat His promises back to Him. To come before His throne and say, “Lord, you said..” Continue reading ‘May 3: Remembering Part 2′

May 2: Remembering Part 1

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Probably one of the most common excuses that children like to use is, “I forgot.” Yes, they know that you just told them that, yes they heard you. They just forgot about what you told them before they followed through on it. Or they intended to follow through so slowly that by the time you came back around to check on them you see that they really have forgotten.

Of course as parents, it is our responsibility to make sure that “I forgot” is not a line that gets your children off the hook. That is not a reasonable reason to disobey, it is an additional sin to confess. Forgetting is not something that we are allowed to do. Forgetting is in itself a sin. Continue reading ‘May 2: Remembering Part 1′

May 1: Ecclesiastes 3:1

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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

I am sure I am not the only mother out there who has thought of this passage of Ecclesiastes while wrestling through a challenging phase with your kids. I feel like the very famous lines that follow this verse could be replaced with such common place things as ” A time to be morning sick and a time to feel good. A time to be preparing for birth and a time to have already given birth. A time to nurse and a time to wean. A time to be totally freaked out tired and a time to sleep through the night. A time to feel capable and a time to feel impossibly slow. A time to have well behaved children and a time to have children who are not. A time to feel like the little years will never end, a time to feel like your children grew up when you weren’t looking.” Continue reading ‘May 1: Ecclesiastes 3:1′

April 24: Clothe Yourselves (Colossians 3:12-15)


DSC_0217Clothing is obviously a big part of how we present ourselves to others – it is often the first thing that people see. We recognize people by their uniforms – here is a policeman, here is the mailman, she must be the waitress, this person knows his way around a engine. Uniforms are a simple way to communicate, externally, what we are internally. In other words, the police uniform shows that a person has been given a certain authority. A lifeguard wears the uniform, which means (hopefully) that they know what to do in an emergency. Continue reading ‘April 24: Clothe Yourselves (Colossians 3:12-15)’

April 22: Romans 15:5-7

photo-79May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,  that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Something that is so wonderful about scripture is that it is always the same, yet we change. As we grow and as we get older and as our situations change, we suddenly see so many more levels of the old familiar passages. This selection comes in a section of Romans in which Paul is talking about bearing with one another, specifically the weaker brothers. He talks about how we should be trying to build each other up, and not because it is fun for us, but because we are prioritizing each other. But the thing that really jumped out at me about this passage was that apparently the things that we need to do this are encouragement and endurance.  Continue reading ‘April 22: Romans 15:5-7′

Winners!

I did what I said I would and picked some winners! Congrats to Marci S., Kathryn A., and Rebekah Priscilla! I will email you for your address and we will get some books in the mail for you! Thanks to all for entering!