A Great Gift!

If you have a son or husband that loves action/adventure/fantasy movies like Pirates of the Caribbean or books like The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia, then I have a great gift idea for you! (Okay, to be fair, some of you moms might like that kind of stuff too!) Let me recommend the book The Legend of the Firefish by George Bryan Polivka. I bought this book for my son, Cameron, and he devoured it, stating that it was by far his favorite all-time book. Then my dad read it and now I am currently reading it. We gave an autographed copy of it away at Open Book night, and I talked about it briefly at that time. It is the first installment in the "Trophy Chase Trilogy" and has been compared to a pirate version of the show "24." Let me share with you three reasons why you should get this book:

1. It is a Christian fantasy/adventure, so there is no worry of mystical/magical themes that are dark and might be objectionable for you as a parent. However, it has all the action, suspense and adventure to appeal to the most serious reader who might otherwise overlook Christian fiction. I would recommend it for anyone 12 or over, because the thematic elements do deal with the reality of good and evil in our world. The author says this, "Although the kingdom of Nearing Vast is mythical, it is not magical. Like our world, it is populated with people who have very real limitations. The world, the flesh, and the devil press in, and threaten destruction. But here, as in our world, there is power in faith, and all people have hope for redemption. This is not a 'sword and sorcery' tale, but one of 'sword and spirit.' There is no magic....but there are miracles."
2. As a mother of two boys, I have at times struggled to raise boys that are Godly young men, yet still masculine MEN. (Thank God I have a husband who is a great example of a Godly man to lead that process!) This book beautifully addresses this struggle that I have no doubt many men struggle with as well. How do you obey God's word and follow Jesus' example (like turning the other cheek), yet avoid becoming weak and pushed around? When do you fight and when do you just walk away? Packer, the hero in this story, is a great example of what it means to be a man of faith in the face of trials and temptation. He exudes biblical "meekness" which is really strength under control.
3. The third reason I love this book is that Polivka creates a heroine that is strong because of her God-given female traits, not in-spite of them. You gotta love that! Panna faces trials and temptations with perseverance and overcomes her human flaws with faith and persistence.

Well, in the spirit of full-disclosure, I must tell you there is one more reason I love this book. The author, George Bryan Polivka, is incredibly talented, and he gave me my first job out of college and taught me many of the skills that I now use in my ministry of speaking, teaching and writing (even though we were working in television and not in a Christian environment!). God used him in my life many years ago to prepare me for the path He would eventually call me to, long before I was even a mom or had any notion of starting a ministry. We crossed paths again recently and I was so happy to see how God is using him through these books. He is a fantastic writer and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. By the way, don't forget to click on our Legacy Moms "store" and order it through Amazon. When you order anything through Amazon by going through our store first, Amazon gives Legacy Moms a referral fee. 100% of the money goes back into our ministry so we can continue to equip and encourage moms. Thanks for supporting us. Blessings!

Open Book Night

Don't you just love a good story? One of my favorite parts of being involved in Legacy Moms is getting to hear what God is doing in the lives moms just like you. Many of you have e-mailed me your "stories" and they are amazing! Maybe it was an epiphany that you had during one of our Legacy Moms meetings. Maybe it was something that God spoke to your heart during our journaling time that changed the way you saw your situation or the way you were parenting. Maybe it was just a fun idea that you heard during your table discussion and it helped you connect with your kids in a new way.
Have you ever read the "testimonials" page on our website? They are full of stories about how God has used Legacy Moms to change the lives of women. He deserves ALL the glory! God is working in each of our lives. The question is, do we keep the story to ourselves, or do we share it and give God the glory for what He has done?
At our last meeting, Michele Richardson, co-founder of Legacy Moms, shared with us how using a prayer journal has changed her life by helping her remember how God has taken care of her every need over the years. She shared the story from Joshua where the Israelites took 12 stones from the Jordan river to create a memorial of what God had done for them. In Joshua 4:21-24 it says, " In the future, your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 Then you can tell them, 'This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the nations of the earth might know the power of the LORD, and that you might fear the LORD your God forever."
This is exactly why we started having a journaling time at our meetings: so that you can record specifically what the Lord is doing in your life and so you will have that in writing to pass on as a legacy to your children. However, there's more to it than just that. Do you realize that those lessons you have learned and the things that have touched your life can encourage those around you right now! We as women need to be transparent in order to reach out to those around us and be used by God to encourage others. You have to be an "open book" literally. As Legacy Moms, we should share our triumphs, our fears, our lessons learned and a few laughs with other moms. That is why we are having a very special celebration at our November 26th meeting and I hope that you'll make every effort to be there. We are calling this "Open Book Night." This is a chance for you to reflect back on what the Lord has taught you and share it with us.
Look back at your notes and at your journaling over the past year and consider the following questions: What has God revealed to you through Legacy Moms? Is there a specific lesson, story, or verse that particularly touched you or changed you somehow? How have you grown as a wife, a mother, or as woman in general? What have you learned that you wish every mom knew? How has your family life changed since getting involved in Legacy Moms? If you have something to share, please don't keep it to yourself! Join us at "Open Book Night" for food and fellowship and a time to express our gratitude to God for all He has done. There won't be any pressure to talk or share if you don't want to, so please join us even if you have nothing to say. Only those that want to share something will. Some of you might just want to come and listen and consider it a chance to catch up on what you might have missed! We will have special surprises for everyone, extra door-prizes, and lots of fun.
If you've never come to Legacy Moms, what a great time to join us and see what the Lord has done! Remember, this is not about praising Legacy Moms, your table leader, or anyone else but God. So let's open up our journals, our lives and our mouths and praise Him for what He has done for us! See you there!

Good catch!!!

"More is caught than taught." You've probably heard that line before, but I had an experience this week that really proves how true that is. My kids and I attend CBS (Community Bible Study) and my two older kids and I have the same memory verse : Romans 1:16-17. We were all three trying to memorize it and after reading it out loud together a few times, we tried to say it by memory and we got stuck in verse 16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel.... um..because....um......because it's....." Out of the blue, my 4-year-old pipes up, "Because it is the power of God!" So my husband asked him if he could say the whole verse. Here is what happened: (make sure you have your sound up!)

When I realized he had heard us reciting the verse and had memorized it (even before we did) it got me thinking. The "more is caught than taught" thing can really be a double-edged sword. It happened to work in my favor this time, and I am so thankful it was God's word that he "caught" and hid in his heart! But what else has he "caught" when I assumed he wasn't listening or didn't understand? Have you ever thought about the lyrics in the music you listen to? Have you ever considered the content of the TV shows you watch when you assumed your child was too young to catch what was going on? It is so important as moms that we monitor what our children are exposed to. Keep in mind, not all preachers stand in pulpits and not all teachers are in classrooms. The words you say, the music you listen to, and the media you bring in to your house all impact your children and the way they view their world, even when you think they aren't paying attention, even when you think they are too young to be affected. You never know when that light will come on, the question is....what is it that they will "catch" when it does?

God Bless!

Welcome

Do you enjoy your kids? I do. I don't mean that I enjoy every part of the nitty-gritty, wiping bottoms, cleaning up spills, saying no to candy for morning snack 10 times, finding the lost shoe, "He started it!", and for goodness sakes , "What is that smell?" kind of stuff. But I really do like who my kids are. (And it's not just because they are just like me!) I have a relationship with each one of them, and I find each one of those relationships rewarding. My husband and I have a goal. We want to be friends with our kids when they are grown. But for now, we have to be parents....which means that it is our job to teach them and train them. We have to be the ones to say "no" and give them rules and structure and consequences for disobedience. We must teach them in God's wisdom and place truth in their hearts. But, if we try to do all that without having a real relationship built on trust, it will all be worthless. So, if you feel that you have lost the enjoyment of being a mom.....get back to basics. Put your rules aside for a moment and get to know your kids. Listen to them, play with them, and build that trust. If they trust you, they will be more likely to follow your lead. God bless!