What type of Christian am I trying to raise?

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:

       "Her desire 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.  

Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas

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. 

Our Salvation and Song: A School Year Reading Schedule of the Gospels and Psalms

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.