In my earlier post this week I mentioned that being crazy for Jesus, can lead to ....well ... crazy things... like hearing God call you to Africa ... and then actually moving to Africa.
Let's be specific, Sierra Leone. These are our friends, the Orrange Family.
Brent, Courtney, Brooklyn and Sam
Last Wednesday, while my girls were stressing out about the first day of school, Courtney, Brooklyn and Sam were boarding a plane and MOVING to Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Brent went ahead of them a few weeks before). For the last fifteen (or more) years Courtney has been very open about her and Brent's calling to work with women and children affected by human trafficking. Courtney was the first person I knew who had a clear calling on her life. While most of my friends over the past 15 years have flowed from wanting to save endangered monkeys, to working with the homeless, to selling beads of a co-op in South America, to concerns over melting icebergs, Courtney has not. Together with Brent, the two of them have plodded along in laying the foundation they needed to make last Wednesday happen.
So what exactly are they doing in Freetown? They are going to work with a newly opened aftercare center for women and children survivors of human trafficking. They're hard core. This is not easy, or pretty, or light. They are going to love and restore and redeem those that the world has injured and abused in the most grievous of ways.
"We have been asked to join an anti-trafficking group in the capital, Freetown, and serve as mentors to the leadership team as they start this new program. We will be supporting Sierra Leonean leaders as they create solutions to human trafficking in their country. We are projecting that this will take about 3-4 years, and that is the amount of time we are initially signing up for. At the end of that time we are expecting national leadership will have the skills and confidence to lead without our support."
They are following the example of the Good Shepard. They are going to find those lost sheep and save them from the wolves, to restore them to the flock, and show them their great and beautiful worth in the eyes of their Heavenly Father.
While that all sounds awesome, and inspiring, and worthy of an emotional symphony soundtrack, the truth is they are also leaving a whole lot behind and planning on getting their hands dirty to get this done.
They are leaving running clean water, a nice suburban neighborhood, grandparents, air conditioning, schools, Target, safety, friends, their church.... their life. There's a whole lot of it that must be flat out hard and terrifying when you are 8 and 7 or thirty-something.
So friends, I am sharing the Orrange family with you all in hopes that you will share in Momma Anderson's zeal and Grandpa Anderson's faithfulness, and join my family in praying for them. They are taking on a mighty work - please take some time to read about human trafficking on their website. The numbers are hard to imagine. The need is astronomical.
In talking about ministry work the other day my friend Tara said, "there are kings in the land." God has blessed some of us as kings and queens on this earth so that we can bless others. (Not feeling like a king or queen these days? The average American family earns $46,326 a year, which puts them in the top 3% of earners in the world. I'll let you do the math and figure out if you think you are a king or queen on this earth.)
In addition to prayer coverage, please prayerfully consider supporting the Orrange family's ministry. When Pete and I first read their support materials we saw that they were asking contributors to commit to $30 a month. Pete said it perfectly when he said, "That's nothing. That is one lunch at Panera." Even looking at the annual amount of $360 - it's just a big trip to Costco.
It's our crumbs, but through the grace of God the Orranges are going to accomplish great things with them.
I have been wondering lately, with all my preaching and rantings about Christian faith building, "what type of Christians am I really trying to raise?" Do I want to raise my girls to be radical Christians who lay it all on the line for Jesus, or am I just trying to raise polite church-goers?
Sometimes it scares me to think of raising radical Christians. They do freakish things - like hear the voice of God ...and respond... and leave their mothers behind and move to Africa (yes you know who you are - I'll be talking about you later this week!). Do I actually want that? I'm sad to admit that I am not sure I do. Maybe I just want nice girls who marry nice boys and volunteer to teach Sunday school and drive to my house for Sunday dinner with the grandkids. That sounds good to me. Radical Christians can have lives lived very far away, like in China.
Being an ancestry addict, I know in our family that moving to China is not far fetched. This is my great x3 Aunt Arabella.
She moved to Siam and then China. She never came back.
See, it's in the blood. I have reason to fear!
Arabella Anderson, the daughter of Irish immigrants, was born in 1848 in New York State. Hearing a missionary speak of the need for a school teacher to start the first Christian school in Siam, she felt the call of God to be that person. She left the United States two months later and served in Siam and China for the next 50 years.
When I first heard the basic facts of this story I did some quick math and realized her mother was dead when Arabella came back. (I am so morbid!) My momma's heart broke for Arabella's mother. Here she had immigrated from Ireland, she didn't have her own mother around, and now her daughter up and moves to Siam! The story gets worse for Mama Anderson, as her youngest daughter Sarah moves to China to be a missionary two years after Arabella. Two radical Christians in one family ...ah this poor woman! I was sure her momma life was bitter, and sad, and lonely and well.... sad. But then my grandmother gave me a book which wrote about the work and life of Arabella.
These are the lines that caught my breath:
"Herdesire to become a foreign missionary was largely the fruit of home influence. Both parents were devoted to the cause of missions. Her father never forgot to intercede for the work at family prayers. Her mother had been quickened in the zeal for the work in youth by hearing a missionary to Russia; and it was her hope that her first born son might become a missionary..."
Momma Anderson's life was not sad, or bitter. Momma Anderson was the radical!! She had been praying that God would use her children for His purposes. She knew exactly what it meant to move a continent away from family, yet her hope was that her child would become a missionary. She prayed that her children's lives would advance God's kingdom, despite that it would take them away from her. Her prayers were answered in her daughters. It was the fruit she had prayed for.
I am afraid if Momma Anderson was alive and came over for tea, she wouldn't like me. She would probably find me shallow and selfish when it comes to the hopes of my children's lives. I wonder if she would see right through my talk of college-prep education and cultivating a love of Jesus and ask, "what fruits are you trying to grow here?"
Just as Arabella's missionary activities were credited to being the fruit of home influence, so too will it be with Sarah and Emily's lives. I really do have to ask, "what type of Christians am I trying to raise?" Is it more important to me to have children who just live ordinary lives so they can be close to me, or do I want God's kingdom to advance through their lives? Am I brave enough to pray like Mama Anderson that God will use my girls? In the face of immeasurable poverty, an exploding spread of Islam, and gross injustices across the globe, can I really be so cold as to pray only that their lives will serve me? If my heart is legitimately broken for the brokenness of this world, I have to start praying that my girls will indeed be radical. I have to start praying that I can be radical.
Momma Anderson did not live to see the full picture of Arabella's influence. The fruit of her prayers. But I own a small picture of the beginning of that harvest.
Arabella dared to radically live for Jesus. She taught the first class of girls educated to read, write, sew and know God in Bangkok. This little picture was sent to me by the curator at the school's museum. One hundred and thirty-eight years later Wittana Wittaya Academy is still a Christian school for girls in Bangkok. I am sure Momma Anderson is looking down quite happy with the fruit of her radical prayers.
I promised last week to post some ideas for make-ahead breakfasts to save you a few precious morning minutes in order to participate in Our Salvation and Song this school year. I am four days late in posting this due to the fact that I have come to realize I am horrible at taking food pictures. Sarah actually laughed out loud at one of my shots - then realizing it wasn't a joke, patted me gently on the arm while biting her lip. I went to Pinterest to get some photo taking ideas, but frankly that just made me feel worse about myself. (Am I the only one that feels very inadequate after spending some time on Pinterest?) But without further ado, here are five breakfast ideas and some correlating poorly taken photos. Enjoy!
1. Yogurt Parfaits: Layer berries and yogurt in jelly jars and keep in the fridge up to five days. Add banana slices and granola right before eating.
2. Overnight Oats: Are you eating overnight oats? If not, you must not be as addicted to Pinterest as I am. There are thousands of combinations and options, but we eat them pretty simple. The general premise is that you soak raw oats instead of cooking them. My base recipe is 1/2 cup oats to 2/3 cup almond milk (or dairy, or soy). You can then add a variety of "flavorings," Here is my "Pin" with the options. You can make up a big batch for the week as they hold in the fridge for 4-5 days. I have these Martha Stewart tags that work well as labels so picky members of my family don't end up with the wrong flavor.
3. Breakfast Burritos: (thank you mom for reminding me of this!) Have you seen the cookbook Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer? If not, check it out, it is great! This is a recipe from it for burritos that you make up in bulk and freeze individually. Take out as many as you need and microwave for 2-3 minutes. This recipe will make 20-24 burritos.
Breakfast Burritos
1 1/2 lb ground turkey or firm Tofu
1 1/2 lb frozen cubed Ore Ida potatoes
18 eggs or 36 whites, beaten
3 T milk
1 1/2 t salt
3/4 t pepper
3 T butter
3 10z cans green chili sauce
20-24 burrito size tortillas
3 cups cheddar cheese
Brown meat/Tofu, drain and set aside. Cook potatoes according to package, set aside. Scramble eggs with salt and pepper in buttered pan, set aside. Layer each tortilla with 1/3 cup eggs, 2-3 T meat, 1/3 cup potatoes and cheese and chili sauce to taste. Roll up burrito style. Wrap in plastic wrap individually and place together in freezer bags. Freeze.
4. Smoothie Freezer Bags: Cut up combinations of 2 cups of berries, bananas, and/or peaches and freeze in a quart size bag. Label the bag with the amount of milk (almond, soy, dairy) and ice that is needed to make a smoothie. Kids can grab a bag and make up smoothies for breakfast (or a snack). I think this is a great way to take advantage of fruit when it goes on sale!
5. Apple Oatmeal: Nothing beats coming downstairs to warm oatmeal and an appley smelling kitchen on a cool morning. (I am keeping my fingers crossed that cool mornings are in our near future!) This recipe comes from Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook. It makes 4-5 serves (that's what the book says, I think 3-4)
Apple Oatmeal
2 cups milk
2 T honey
1 T butter
1/4 t salt
1 cup old fashion oats
1 cup chopped apple
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 T brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
Mix all ingredients together in greased crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with milk if desired. ( I prefer to the add the walnuts at the end and not cook them!)
Happy Breakfast eating everyone. I hope these ideas help your family as you shift into the school year. What works for your family in the morning? I would love to hear your ideas for fast and healthy school morning breakfasts.
I am so excited to share with you all Our Salvation and Song: A School Year Reading Schedule of the Gospels and Psalms. Over the course of 170 days this reading schedule covers all of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Psalms in 6 minutes a day. Designed to be read five days a week, your family will read one chapter of the Gospels each day for three weeks, followed by a week of readings from the Book of Psalms.
Our family would like to invite yours to join us in participating in Our Salvation and Song this school year. The key verse for Our Salvation and Song is Psalm 27:8,
My heart has heard you say, "Come and talk with me," And my heart responds "Lord I am coming."
This beautiful scripture reminds us that God is waiting for us to come and talk with Him. I pray that this reading schedule can be a tool to help your family to respond, "Lord, we are coming." I will be posting monthly information on the readings and encouragement from other families, so please join us.
I hear all the "what ifs." What if school already started for us? What if we miss days? What if the kids won't listen? What if I've never read the bible to my kids and I'm not sure how to do this?
On average American kids go to school 175 -180 per school year. There are around 250 days calendar days between Labor Day and Memorial Day. So while this is a challenging reading schedule, that will guide your family through a significant portion of scripture, it has grace poured all over it. The truth of the matter is, no family is going to actually do their reading every day of the school year. (If you do, e-mail me, I'll send you a prize!) Our kids are going to get sick, plans will go astray... things will happen, so don't let the "what ifs" overwhelm your family so much that you don't try. With just 170 readings of 6 minutes each, it will be easy to catch up or read two at dinner one night. Before summer starts again, you'll have had plenty of days to complete the reading schedule.
If this will be your first time regularly reading scripture to your kids, don't feel overwhelmed. You have probably read 100's of other books out loud to them during their life. The bible is no different. The Gospels are full of miracles, friendships and the best hero of all. It may take time to get into the story and language, but your kids will love it!
At the following link: Our Salvation and Song, you can download a beautiful PDF file to print out. I suggest printing it as a booklet (in your printer settings). It can then be folded and stuck in the front of your bible so you have it handy each day. A giant thank you to my friend Manya Glavach who worked so hard to create these beautiful charts. The chart lists which chapter or Psalms to read each day and will provide a visual marker for you as you move through the school year.
If you are a fellow blogger and will reading through Our Salvation and Song with your family, I would like to invite you to join a monthly link up I am forming. Please send me an e-mail and I will send you all of the information.
Six years ago, within a matter of one week, two women told
me that they had daily family devotions and prayer before school.I remember thinking that was clearly a crazy idea reserved for perky morning people.But the comments planted themselves in my
heart, making a nice and cozy home with no intention of leaving.At the time I had an insomniac baby, a husband
who regularly worked until 3 in the morning, and an extremely inconsistent prayer
life of my own.
That same year my heart started to change.One of those same friends, Joanne, convicted
me of the importance of a daily morning devotion time.Over the course of a year, it became as
important to me as my morning 4 cups of coffee (yes, at least 4).My morning devotions became such a blessing
to me that I wanted to find a way to share this blessing with my family.
The idea of morning family devotions continued to nag at me, but
a new obstacle had appeared in our life, as Pete’s job took him out of town
more and more often.While I started
doing regular, but not daily, devotions with the girls, I prayed that somehow
our family could figure out how to make this happen together… daily.
The answer was not really what I was looking for... but this is how it happened...
This spring our life was turned upside down with a cross
country move to North Carolina.Pete’s
new position promised to keep him in town and on normal 8-6 hours.The girls made the change from homeschool to
a private school.As we sorted out the
new pieces of our family puzzle, the idea of daily morning devotions surfaced
again.Pete and I decided it was the
time to try.With some intentional
morning routine plans put into place, we were able to squeeze in 10 minutes a
day for devotions. Amazingly that’s all it took,
10 minutes. All of a sudden we were those perky morning people making a seemingly crazy idea work.While we only had a few months of this new
routine, the time together was amazing.Pete and I are both looking forward to school starting again and getting
back into our morning devotions.
With a new school year just beginning, I want to encourage
you to consider structuring your mornings to allow 10 minutes together as a
family to read the bible and pray together. Just 10 minutes, that’s all you need.Now I know many of you might be where I was a
few years ago, thinking there is no way your family can do it, but I want to
encourage you to at least pray about the possibility.
Next week I am going to post 10 ways to save 10 minutes on a
school morning.I hope these practical
ideas will help you streamline your morning routine to find the needed 10
minutes together as a family.
And what are you going to do in those 10 minutes? Six minutes of bible reading, four minutes of
prayer. Next week I will also be posting a 175 day reading plan of the Gospels
and Psalms.In six minutes of reading a
day your family can read through these books together this school year.I hope you’ll pray about joining our family
on this reading plan.
If God is nudging you to take this step with your family and
you would like a partner to pray with you, please send me a message or post a
comment, it would be my privilege to pray for your family.
I have never tweeted before.But if I had a twitter account I could have just as easily wrote my
review of Building Family Ties with Faith, Love and Laughter by Dave Sone on Twitter as on this blog. One hundred and forty characters,
no problem, I could go with one of
these:
- Fellow Christian parents, read this book.
- Before school madness starts, read this book.
- Family/Youth/Children’s ministry folk, read this book.
- Grandparents/Godparent/Aunts/Uncles give this book this Christmas.
It’s that simple.This is a great book.Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and
Laughter is Pastor Dave Stone’s second book in the Faithful Family series
published by Thomas Nelson.Stone mixes
straight forward advice, family stories and a good measure of humor into a very
satisfying and inspiring read.He does
not come off preachy, although he is a preacher, and parents will leave the book
feeling inspired instead of like complete failures. ( you know the type of book I am referring too!)
Stone had me in the first few pages of Chapter 1, titled
Endangered Species.
As
someone once said, “If Satan can’t make you bad, he’ll keep you busy” –and he
has.
So
many pressures compete for our time and energy these days.Technology that should free us, instead,
seems to absorb our attention like a black hole. Stuff that used to be
entertaining, like sports, music and other extracurricular activities, has
turned into duties drained of excitement and spirit.We’re so exhausted that we drag ourselves
through our days, fall into bed, and then get up the next morning and do it all
over again.
We
don’t have fun anymore.Delight has been
deleted.Joy and fulfillment have been
replaced by worry and hurry.
It’s
no wonder that the joyful Christian family has become all but extinct.
Oh that makes me want to stand up and shout AMEN!Amen Pastor Dave, AMEN!!I am
actually not even an Amen kind of gal – but AMEN!
Building Family Ties
with Faith, Love and Laughter is a great read not because it is full of
ideas I have never heard of, but because it highlights the things I
know as a mom I want, but need some inspiration to reclaim.Looking at topics such as contentment, gratitude,
spontaneity, and communication Pastor Dave does an excellent job making this
book read more like a conversation than a “how-to” parenting book.
Before your family rushes into the school year and fills the
calendar up with little color-coded boxes of who is where when, I hope you will
take some time to read this book and find a way to build faith, love and
laughter into your family’s Fall calendar.
** I am a BookSneeze reviewer. In exchange for a copy of this book, I have shared my honest review of this book.**
Note to Parents: In this devotion, you will need access to the Internet to read a story and watch a YouTube video. Please note with the video that I selected this version for its video quality and words which I felt would help children understand what was happening. I am not affiliated in any way with the group who posted the video.
Introduction: With the whole world watching, thousands of athletes are competing
in the Olympics in London this month.It
is an elite group of talented men and women who have trained hard for this
special honor.Most of us will never be
an Olympian, but did you know God has called us to run in an even greater
race?God wants us, all of his children,
to race toward heaven.For some the race
will be long, it took Moses 127 years!For
some it will be a short race, but God cares only about the outcome.
The apostle Paul wrote to his young friend Timothy toward the end
of his life:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that
day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”2 Timothy 4: 7-8
God wants us to choose to race for Him, to race for heaven, where
our prize will be eternal life with him.As we watch the Olympics, there is a lot we can learn about
how to run our own race of life and help others with theirs.We are going to look at two things all
successful athletes need, and see how we can apply them to own life.
1.All Athletes Need Training
All great athletes train hard to succeed in the sport of their choice.Hours and hours are put into training.It strengthens us.It improves our understanding of our
sport.It prepares us to succeed.
·Discuss as a family ways that you train for
sports in which your family is involved.
God has set for us the race toward eternal life. As Christians we know that we cannot gain
eternal life through our work or efforts.Jesus paid the price for our salvation.But God does want us to train to learn how to live for Him during our
time on earth.God tells us through His Holy Word that studying
scripture is an important part of our life training as Christians.God wants us to regularly study his word and
increase our knowledge and understanding of how God wants us to live.
My son, do
not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will
prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. - Proverbs
3:1
Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to
the end.Give me understanding, and I
will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.Direct me in the path of your commands, for
there I find delight.Turn my heart
toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.- Psalm 119:33-36
Hear, O Israel:The Lord
our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength.These commandments that I give
you today are to be upon your hearts.Impress them on your children.Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down and when you get up.Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.Write them on the doorframes. - Duet 6:4-8
This last passage of Scripture follows the Ten Commandments.God wants his people to think and talk about
these commandments in all parts of our lives. Part of training as a Christian is to learn
these commandments and apply them to how we live.These are ten ways that God is telling us to
live our life.They are not always easy to follow.
The fourth commandment says “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it
holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.”In the 1924 Olympics a Scottish runner by the name of Eric Liddel had a
difficult choice to make.He loved the
Lord and wanted to honor Him, but the race he was hoping to win was scheduled
for Sunday.What could Eric do?This race was actually just the beginning of
a big plan God had for Eric’s life.Read
about his life here:
·At the 1924 Olympic games Eric Liddel made a
very hard choice.What was it?
·Eric was not expected to do well in the 400
meter event which he did chose to race in.What happened?
·If you were Eric Liddel would you have made
the same choice?Why or why not?
·Discuss as a family times when you have had to
decide between following God’s commandments and doing an activity you may have
wanted to do.
1 Corinthians 9: 23-27 says:I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its
blessings.Do you not know that in a
race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?Run in such a way as to get the prize.Everyone who competes in the games goes into
strict training.They do it to get a crown
that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.Therefore I do not run like a man running
aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that
after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize.
Discussion:
·How did Eric’s life at and after the Olympic
games live out 1 Corinthians 9:23-27.
2.All Athletes Need Encouragement:
In
addition to training there is another thing that all successful athletes need,
and that is encouragement.No one makes
it to the Olympics alone.Parents,
siblings, friends, teachers, and coaches surround young athletes with
encouragement and support.It is fun to
watch the reactions and emotions of athlete’s family members as they
compete.It is obvious that they are all
in the event together.
The
race toward heaven is no different.We
all need the support and encouragement of our family members and friends.Scripture reminds us repeatedly to do all we
can to encourage one another.
And let us consider how we may spur
one another on toward love and good deeds.
- Hebrews 10:24
See to it, brothers, that none of you
has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.But encourage one another daily, as long as
it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. - Hebrews 3:13
All
athletes know that sometimes times get tough.There may be setbacks like injuries or illness.There might be failures where one had hoped
to win.These are the times that
athletes rely on the strength and support of family and friends even more.Scripture reminds us that those who are
strong should help those who are weak, building them up.
We who are strong ought to bear with
the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.Each of us should please his neighbor for his
good, to build him up. - Romans
15:1
The
1992 Olympics in Barcelona was the stage for one of the most memorable Olympics
examples of encouragement and support.British track and field athlete Derek Redmond was no stranger to the Olympics.He was a member of the 1988 Olympic team, but
had to pull out of his event due to an injury to his
achilles. Before the 1992 Olympics he had undergone eight operations and was
favored to win the 400 meter event.He
was determined that this time he would finish his Olympic event. Watch this
video to see what happened.
·The video of Derek’s race is heartbreaking to
watch.Things did not go as he had
hoped. What did you think when you saw Derek fall?What did you think would happen?
·Derek’s father came alongside him and helped
him to finish his race.How do you think
it make Derek feel when his dad broke through security and reached him?
·Can you think of a time that a family member
came aside you to help you in a difficult situation?
·Think of some ways your family could plan to
help and encourage one another on a regular basis.
You will be sent an e-mail with the name of several athletes, their
country and sport.Your family can start
praying for these men and women by name.
"Therefore, since we are
surrounded
by such a great cloud of
witnesses,
let us throw off everything that
hinders
and the sin that so easily
entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race
marked out for us."
- Hebrews 12:1
Closing Prayer:Dear Lord, we thank you for this time
together to study your word.We thank you
Lord that your son Jesus Christ paid the price for our salvation.Lord we desire to live lives that honor you
as we race with perseverance the race you have marked out for us.Help us Lord to be a family who encourages one
another.Help us to find ways to build
each other up day by day.Lord we ask
that you would also open our eyes to see others who need our encouragements as
well.In your Son’s precious name we
pray, Amen.
