Oh Jesus/Emma’s Praise Song

One of the things I love most about my kids is their love for the Lord.  It is pure and unhindered.  It is a great blessing to watch them take hold of His promises and run!  So simple and free is their love for God.  I just love it!  I was cleaning out Em’s backpack and found a wadded up piece of paper.  When I opened it, she had penned a praise song to Jesus titled “Oh Jesus.”  After bursting into tears and then cleaning up my face, I found her and asked her about it.  It wasn’t a school project or assignment.  Wasn’t something everyone did during indoor recess.  She just loved Jesus so much and all that He has done for her (at the tender age of almost eight!) that she said she “was just going to burst if she didn’t write it down!”  I love it!  And, I’m humbled be her adoration.  I asked her permission to share it with you…I left the imperfect spelling, though there aren’t many mistakes.  What really shines through is her love for Christ…and so should ours.  Shouldn’t we be just about to burst with our love for the Lord? 

Oh Jesus/Emma’s Praise Song

Oh Jesus

Oh preashus Lord.

Oh Jesus

Oh perfect God.

He’s my savior

He’s the jewel of my heart.

Oh Jesus.

Oh He’s the perfect one for me!

 

So I’ll tell you the whole story.

He was in a girl with locks and curls.

They went to Bethlehem.

Her husband was Joseph.

So that’s the story of the greatest King.

He’s in my heart eternely.

 

I love Jesus!

And you should too!

Go Jesus!

Yay!

Finding the Time

To say that it is a struggle for a mom of four under the age of eight to find “quiet” time to study the Word is a little like saying it’s hard to stay dry in a hurricane.  It’s just plain hard.  I can tell you from experience.  I’ve tried all sorts of systems and methods over the years.  Some worked, some were a flop.  But, the important thing was to just keep trying.  In that trying have come some of my sweetest moments of fellowship with the Lord!  Not to say it’s been perfect…far from it!  There have been days, weeks and even (during a very difficult time) a month when reading the Word wasn’t on my radar.  There are reasons, and now is not the time to talk about those, but the reasons don’t seem as important now.  What is important is finding the time to be in the Bible.  Consistently, purposefully and with the intention of allowing God to have greater access to my heart and change me.

I was hunting for some free Bible coloring pages online when I stumbled across a site and had a real “duh” moment.  One of my prayer requests lately has been to find some way of fitting in my Bible reading alongside my children’s learning.  For a lot of reasons (again, not the time to go into those) I need to be studying at specific times and points in our day and week.  I re-discovered Calvary Chapel’s great website for children’s curriculum.  It has 325 individualized Bible lessons and each lesson is centered around a key passage of scripture (listed in chronological order) and contains several worksheets.  The one we printed today to complement our morning devotions was titled “Bread of Heaven” and had a coloring page, passage look-up worksheets, crossword puzzles and word searches.  Basically enough activities for our entire week!  What works great is that Ruthie and I can read the passage together and work through some of the activities and because it is Calvary Chapel, the study is extremely accurate and detailed.  (We happen to attend a Calvary Chapel and I can attest that I have personally received excellent instruction over the past nine years:) )

Anyway, it was such a “duh” moment!  I’ve seen that curriculum numerous times, but never thought to do it with my kids.  It’s been so fun!  We’re all learning–me, probably the most–and we’re learning together.  The Lord has provided the time, and not just time, quality time with my kids in the Word. 

Here’s the link:  http://children.calvarychapel.com/site/curriculum.htm

Happy studying!

Lord, thank You for answering my prayers.  I know that You hear me and see me and Your desire is to be at work in our family.  Help us to learn.  Help us to grow.  Help us to be all that You have intended.  In Your name, Amen.

Thanksgiving Journal

This year, I didn’t want to skip Thanksgiving.  The real meaning of giving thanks.  And though we have read about the first Thanksgiving and studied Squanto and made Pilgrim puppets etc., I wanted something spiritually tangible for our kids to help them begin their own habits of giving thanks.  No rote prayers; just real heartfelt giving thanks to the Lord.  So, we started a family Thanksgiving Journal.  Nothing fancy–just a spare spiral notebook I dug out of the school closet.  I made it really official looking by scrawling “The Henze Family Thanksgiving Journal” across the front cover.  It even has a spaghetti noodle dried on for extra fanciness.

It’s been such fun to record the things we are thankful for.  One of our kids is always thankful for our food.  And she really means it.  She isn’t saying it just to fill in her spot.  As we’ve progressed with our dinner-time ritual, the kids have become more interested in making sure their thoughts are recorded accurately.  And, it’s always a race to see whose hand can shoot into the air first as soon as grace is said.  I love that about them.  They can’t wait to give thanks.  Okay, they are probably competing with each other to be the first recorded, but even when that issue is settled, we spend the majority of meal time focused on the abundance of God’s good gifts to us. 

And, it has helped me think…about ALL the things God is doing on my behalf.  More than the food I eat, the clothes I wear, my home, my family, my friends.  His grace.  His sufficiency.  His Lordship.  His mercy.  His truth.  So many, many things.  It would take thousands of spiral notebooks to begin.  It is true:  God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.

Here are a few excerpts from our journal, our thanks to God.  And then an excerpt from His journal, His love letter to you.  May you be blessed with the knowledge of all that you should be grateful for this Thanksgiving and offer a sacrifice of praise.

Emma:  That Jesus came and died on the cross.  That we worship Jesus at school every day.  For my baby brother.  That we had appetizers for dinner.  That Daddy has the weekend off work.  For our good family.  For my art class.  That I didn’t have to write spelling words today!

Ruthie:  That we can watch the Olympics on TV.  That we can read the Bible.  That Mommy can spell really good.  For our new cell phones (Mom and Dad’s that is!).  For our good food.  That we have cookies.  For our garden this summer.  For Hope’s birthday and that she is alive.

Olivia:  That we went trick or treating.  That I played at Emily’s house today.  For our dog, Penny.  For corncake.  For my teacher, Miss Lisa.  For sour cream. That I have a birthday.  That Emma gets to go to art class even though I think I am a better artist and should be allowed to go and she should have to go to bed early.  That we believe in Jesus.  That Mommy and Daddy make me eat my dinner–even the proteins!

Psalm 100

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

 ¹ Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
 ² Serve the LORD with gladness;
         Come before His presence with singing.
 ³ Know that the LORD, He is God;
         It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;^[a]
         We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
         
 ⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
         And into His courts with praise.
         Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
 ⁵ For the LORD is good;
         His mercy is everlasting,
         And His truth endures to all generations. 

Successful Children vs God Honoring Adults

Amyone else out there know competitive mothers?  You know, the ones who make your stomach do flip-flops when they approach because you aren’t sure you have enough grace to get through the next few minutes without feeling either worthless or defensive?  I’ve met a few and have had to pray through my own competitve urges with my children…sigh…don’t you just feel like most of this parenting thing is meant to teach us instead of our kids?!

I’ve been struggling to write a blog post about this topic and just couldn’t find the words…well, the right, encouraging words I guess.  Plenty of the wrong words came, so we’ll leave them where they should be:  the trash.  A dear friend shared this with me this afternoon and it was just exactly what I was thinking, praying, feeling, wanting to say–so I copied and pasted as any good blogger does!  Hope it blesses you as much as it did me!

November 19, 2009
 
I Don’t Want to Raise Successful Children
Lysa TerKeurst
 
 ”Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
         
Devotion:
I don’t want to raise successful children.  That’s a shocking thing to read, and a shocking thing for a mother to type.  So, let me clarify.
 
I used to define success according to my child’s report card.  Good grades and academic achievement would surely equal a good child with great potential in this world.  But then several of my children wound up being average students with average grades.  Though we carted them off to tutors and spent many a late night at the kitchen table helping them, they remained average.  And I remained concerned and frustrated.
 
One report card day I found myself facedown in the fibers of my carpet crying and wondering, “Where have I gone wrong as a mom?” 
 
I dug into Scriptures.  I begged God for wisdom and discernment.  I prayed for God’s perspective with each of my kids.  Finally, one day it dawned on me – what if I simply chose to embrace the natural bent of each of my kids as God’s way to protect them and keep them on the path toward His best plans for their lives? 
 
What if my A student needs academic success to prepare her for God’s plans while my average to below-average student needs to be steered away from a more academic future?  What if my sports star kid needs that athletic excellence for his future assignments by God, but my benchwarmer kid is being protected from getting off course by her lack in this area? 
 
And that’s when it finally dawned on me.  My job isn’t to push success for my kids.  My job as a parent is to recognize the unique way God created each child and point them to Jesus at every turn along their journey toward adulthood.  Yes, I want my kids to learn and thrive and grow up educated, but it’s not a flaw in me or them if they don’t have straight A report cards and trophy cases full of sports medals.
 
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (NIV).
 
I am challenged to ponder these words, “… in the way he should go.”  Are we training our kids that the “way he should go” is to chase worldly achievement or to chase God?  Whatever they learn to chase as a child, they will chase as adults.  Therefore, we must be challenged to honestly assess the way we are pointing them to go. 
 
My daughter, Hope, is one of my average students.  She has also warmed many a bench in the sports she’s tried, and can always be found hiding on the back row of the stage during school concerts.  Using the world’s benchmarks for achievement, Hope wouldn’t be seen as a child positioned for success.  But God…
 
This past January, my 15 year old Hope, shocked me when she announced she wanted to go to Ethiopia with some missionary friends of ours and live in the remote African bush for the summer.  Yes, she may not have trophies and straight A report cards but she does have a heart of gold.  And because she’s not entrenched in sports and academic pursuits that could have created obligations for her summer, she was free to go to Africa .  Free to chase God in a really big way.
 
One of the first e-mails she sent me from Ethiopia read, “Mom, I’ve fallen in love with the AIDS orphanage children.  They rushed at me when I held my arms out and I tried with all my might to hold all 30 of them at once.  I love it here.”  
 
Now, don’t get me wrong.  I do expect Hope to return to her studies this fall, give 100% effort, and finish her high school career having done her very best.  She will most likely then go to college.  But she probably won’t be delivering the valedictorian address or wearing the honors cords and medals.  She’ll be the one with a vision of a dying AIDS orphan pressing against her heart ready to chase God’s plans to the ends of the earth.
 
So back to my original statement, I don’t want to raise successful children.  It’s true, I don’t.  Though Hope’s sister coming behind her is an A student and can always be found on the front row of school performances – we don’t chase after success for her either.  I trust God that she needs those things in her life for the plans He’s unfolding in her life.  We train with that bent in mind.  But, we don’t chase it.  Just like Hope, we point her in the direction of God at every turn and pray like crazy.
 
I stand by what I said and I’ll say it again, I don’t want to raise successful children.  Because— raising God-honoring adults who will set the world on fire for Christ is just so much more rewarding.
                                                                                                                                                                           
Dear Lord, being a mom is a really tough job.  Please help me, teach me and show me how to define success for my kids. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Mid-November

I should be doing something else, something that has a more productive appearance.  But, it’s another tired day and the children seems to be following right behind me, undoing everything I put my attention and hands to, so here I sit catching my breath and attending to this space.  It is about as forgotten as the dusty furniture in my house!  When was the last time I even thought about blogging?!

It’s been a busy month.  We celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.  Charlie scored a fabulous deal on new cell phones for us at Wirefly (free with a very slight upgrade to our plan!) so that was our gift to each other.  They’re called “smart” phones, but really, I think you must first be smart to be able to use them!  Charlie is a pro, but I’m in need of some remedial help;)  We spent our anniversary day texting each other, recalling what we were doing at various points throughout our wedding day.  He surprised me by walking through the back door at the exact moment I walked down the aisle…very cool guy, that hubs!  It was another blessed day with the best husband and father on the planet!

Not long after that, I had a much-anticipated doctor’s appointment (no, I’m not pregnant!) to get to the source of my achy joints over the last six-plus months.  The verdict:  rheumatoid arthritis.  It wasn’t altogether unexpected–my family doctor had prepared me in advance for what we were probably dealing with.  The real surprise came in discovering that I have three small fractures in my left foot that have gone basically unnoticed!  Strange what the body can handle and the mind can overcome…Anyway, we’re working on solutions for all those health issues and I am ever so thankful for such a supportive husband.  He has been a trooper taking on more responsibility around the house and with the kids.

We’re gearing up for the holidays, trying to prepare in advance so we can enjoy this special season with family and friends.  Our pantry and freezers are stuffed to the gills in anticipation of sharing the Lord’s bounty with others…can’t wait to see who He brings to our door and table!  I’ve made good progress on my Christmas projects, though of course, I would prefer to be finished.  I’m more that halfway but less than 75% finished, if that makes sense.

Our kids are great…more than great, really.  The last few months have just been fun with them.  Maybe that’s why I haven’t been able to express myself as much in this space…I just love hanging out with my kiddos.  They are each unique, wonderful individuals and it is exciting to see the Lord at work in their lives.  I can definitely see real spiritual fruit in their lives.  Plus, they are just FUN to be with!  Three days ago, they re-discovered a large, black, plastic spider in the yard and named it “Jehovah.”  They crack me up!  We also started a Thanksgiving Journal that we fill out every night at dinner.  Some of the entries are hilarious, though Charlie and I try not to crack up in their presence.  Last night Olivia said, “I’m thankful that Emma gets to go to art class tonight, even though I think I’m a better artist than she is and I really think I should be going instead and she should have to stay home.”  Too funny!

So that’s the Henze clan, mid November.  Blessed off our socks and so excited to see where the Lord will lead next.  Truly, He is mighty and an ever-present help.  He is Light and Life and Love-Everlasting!

Anniversary Pix!

We’re celebrating our tenth anniversary next weekend (thanks again, Mom for the free babysitting!!!) and the pix Rachel took last weekend are here!  I love ‘em.  She titled the CD  “Growing Up Henze.”  An apt phrase…

I won’t spoil our Christmas card by revealing our top picks, but here are some runner ups:

Making Christmas

I also love Christmas (see post on Fall…).  I love twinkly lights and the smell of Christmas trees and baking cookies and drinking hot tea.  I love Christmas hymns (though our church doesn’t sing enough of  ‘em to suit my fancy), and opening our home to friends and neighbors, and reading Christmas cards every single day.  I especially love gift giving.  Well, I used to love it, but the last few years have been tough, what with the baby after baby after baby syndrome going on in our family.  It seems like I’ve either had no time or no money or no sleep to put much effort into our gift giving.  One year we even found ourselves frantically driving around my in-laws’ city looking for a store–any store–that was open at 9:00 PM to finish up our shopping.  Walgreens was open–and packed with other shoppers in the same predicament.  Struggling with gift giving can outright ruin Christmas for me.

This year, we’re making Christmas.  I find myself with some time (nine weeks til Christmas, folks), some regular sleep, but not a lot of extra cash.  So, I’m making gifts for our relatives.  We’ll still buy something for each of the kids.  We tend to trend towards a book, a toy and some sort of clothing for each child.  But the brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, moms, dads and the rest of gang will be receiving something mostly handmade or homemade. 

Now I’m not a crafty chick.  I can whip up the most difficult dishes in the kitchen, but when it comes to arts and crafts…well, I have a closet full of unfinished, ugly projects hidden from view and memory.  So, I spent time carefully selecting projects I thought I could pull off with limited skill and budget.

Right here, I’m going to ask you to stop reading if you are in my family.  I mean it now.  Read no further.  Consider this paragraph akin to a wrapped gift with a tag stating “Do Not Open Until December 25th.”  Don’t ruin your surprise and my fun!

For my step-dad, he grew up on a farm but doesn’t really have any memorable photographs of it.  He inherited part of the land this year, so we drove out there a few weeks ago and I took several shots from the gravel road.  They turned out beautifully and I was able to score an amazing frame with four openings at Hobby Lobby for nearly 90% off!  Total cost was less than $15–including gas!

For my mom, she is caring for her aging parents and it’s been a rough time these last few months.  I know it’s hard for her to see them as she does and wants to hold onto happier, healthier memories.  So, my brother is sneakily (is that even a word?) collecting photographs of them out of family albums for me to scan and collate into a collage decoupaged onto an artist canvas.  Total cost less than $10!

For my brother and sister-in-law, I’m making silhouettes of their girls.  For a great tutorial, check here.  I’m also making a freezing about a half dozen meals they can enjoy, as they both work long hours at full-time jobs.  Total cost less than $25!

For my grandparents, they don’t want or need much.  But, I’ve already prepared several containers of their favorite soup and muffins and frozen them.  We will also be making them a paper wreath made out of the great-grands hands.  They will love it, I’m sure.  Total cost less than $10!

For my brother-in law, he lives in Boston (far, far from us) and I know he misses being a part of the kids’ lives.  So, we’re sending him a care package in December with a promise to send another one every month of the year next year, filled with photos, homework papers, art work, baked goods and well wishes.  Total cost somewhere around $6-$10 per month, depending on weight of package.

For my father in law, he wants family photos.  So, he will be receiving framed photos not only of our own family, but of his three grown children.  Total cost less than $15!
 

My mother-in-law has quite the extensive dish collection, but no real inventory of her wares.  I’ve started discreetly photographing her dishes and plan to put the photos in an album with space for her to write notes about their history and the number of pieces in her collection.  Total cost less than $15!

My sister-in-law and her husband are the hardest.  They are in major transition now, so it was hard to come up with a “winning” idea.  They are getting either fleece blankets or ready-made meals.  I’m still praying about that one…Either way, total cost is less than $20.

Kids–we have several little ones to bless this Christmas between our own kids, friends and nieces.  Each one is receiving a fleece blanket.  Check out this post for great instructions.  Total cost per blanket less than $10!

 

You can see that I’ve trended towards lots of photograph based giving.  It isn’t that I’m an awesome photographer, but I am slightly handy with the lens and those are the sort of “no-fail” projects I can manage.  What sort of Christmas can you make for your loved ones?  I’d love to hear your ideas–might even “borrow” a few!

Fall Fun

I love Fall.  I know it brings winter, which I detest, but I still love Fall.  This year the leaves around here a stunning.  I drive slowly down one particular street every afternoon just to enjoy the golden canopy while it lasts.  Today, we had pictures of our family taken by our good friend Rachel…I can’t wait to see them and I especially love that we were able to capture the beauty of this season–literally and figuratively.

We’ve already taken our annual trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch–such fun!  Little Samuel didn’t quite know what to think of the loud tractor or the endless corn maze, but it’s a great memory.  We’ve made applesauce and we’re carving our pumpkins tonight.  Later this week I’ll be making batches of chili and a couple of pecan pies.  Hopefully we can squeeze in a leaf hunt or two while the weather (and leaves) hold.  Like I said, I really love Fall.

Charlie and I were married in the Fall and this year we are celebrating ten years.  Wow.  A decade.  That flew right by in the blink of an eye.  Our wedding day was so clear and beautiful– a lot like today.  I never imagined so many blessings….so, so many.  God is so good and so faithful!  I married a gem of a man, a great dad and husband and a real leader for our home.  By far the best blessing of all.

And now, for a little visual story of this wonderful Fall we are enjoying.  Fall blessings to all of you!

 

A Hard Question

Recently, I was able to spend a couple of hours talking about my spiritual walk with an older, wiser friend of mine.  It was a golden opportunity for me to ask some burning questions about motherhood and faith and this awesome life in Christ His grace affords us.  I rarely get one-on-one opportunities like this, so I seized the chance.  The conversation ended up veering off in an unforseen direction for me, but was totally Spirit led.  At one point (as I started to get emotional), she asked me calmly, quietly, but pointedly, “Jen, are you in sin in any way?”

I was caught off guard at the directness of the question as well as the loving but piercing look in her eyes.  I was able to answer no, thankfully.  I am not in any deliberate, on-going, knowledgeable sin.  But, that question came back to me as the week progressed:  Am I in sin?  I honestly couldn’t remember the last time anyone had asked me that so plainly, nor could I remember the last time I had asked the Holy Spirit to reveal sin in my life.  I spent several days pondering and praying and repenting of things that I was unaware of.  It was cleansing and I have to say needed.

I’m not advocating that we all wallow around in our sin and be so focused on our awareness of sin that we are afraid to live our lives.  God is gracious and slow to anger.  He is quick to forgive and abounding in mercy.  But, friend, are you in sin in any way?  Really…are you?  You don’t have to share the answer to that question with me…but it still needs to be asked.  I’ve observed in my own life with Christ that I desire to focus on the goodness of God, His infinite blessings and grace, my personal requests and needs.  I even try to make time to lift the needs and hurts of others.  But, I avoid the big “S” word.  I rarely ask God to reveal sin in my life.  That’s not a fun topic to meditate on, is it?  I mean, who likes to be reminded that they have failed?  I know I don’t.

It’s important, though to allow God to have greater control over our lives.  If we truly are desiring to go deeper, walk by faith, live like Christ, then we have to also allow God to weed out any sin that enslaves us.  It isn’t a fun process, but don’t we come out on the other side with both a greater understanding of God’s loving nature and a better picture of our dependence on Christ’s redemptive work on the cross?

If you can muster just a little bit of courage, ask God today–don’t wait!–”Lord, am I in sin in any way?  Is there anything in me that displeases You?”  And then wait.  He wants to answer that prayer.  He desires to be bigger and greater in your life right now.  With knowledge of sin comes the chance for repentance and grace.  And His Love…

Father, thank You for Your mercy which allows me to come to You and ask:  is there any sin in my life?  Show me my sin and then help me to repent.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Eau de Peanut Butter

Busy doesn’t cover it.  I feel like I should have been studying military maneuvers and battle plans instead of reading baby books while I was pregnant to better prepare for this stage of life.  It’s wonderful–don’t misunderstand.  But, it’s hard.  I’m learning that I can be stretched in ways I never imagined.  And living to tell about it! 

Here’s a synopsis of what I’ve been doing over the last month (hence the lack of posting or even blog reading!):

• Laundry–2-4 loads per day, minimum.
• Dishes–even though we have a dishwasher, I load and unload it at least twice per day.
• Teaching–both middle girls.  And teaching a child to read is uber important and uber exhausting at the same time!
• Driving–to school, to preschool, to the grocery, to the bank, to the library, to drop off meals to new parents, grieving parents, MY parents!, to piano lessons, to Kids Club, to Indy in search of shoes, socks, new pants, and fruit.
• Cleaning–though it never looks like I make any progress at all.
• Miscellaneous–still nursing, still ministering, still praying, still seeking God in the details of this little life of mine, still balancing the checkbook and checking the oil and clipping coupons and making menus and unclogging toilets and untying knots in shoes and wiping the peanut butter off the couch and the keyboard and LIVING this beautiful, messy and peanut butter scented life.

And then there is The Boy.  Cute as he can be.  The spitting image of his handsome dad.  But, if he had been born first he would be an only child.  I love him and even all the patience-building things he does, but I honestly relish his bedtime every night.  In one day–today–he managed to dump the dog’s food into her water twice, unravel an entire roll of toilet paper, eat half a blue crayon, suck on a red marker (looked like he was wearing lipstick), spill syrup all over the newly mopped floor, pull the cat’s tail, tip over the trash can, throw two temper tantrums, chew on my deodorant, drop a toothbrush into the heating vent, and climb into the dryer.  And he’s only 13 months old.  Can’t wait for the “terrible two’s.” 

These are fun days.  Exhausting, but fun.  I’m never, ever bored.  I can always find a reason to smile and I’m usually afforded several opportunities to laugh out loud each day.  Their smiles melt any tension or flares of anger I might have.  I am blessed.  Beyond measure.

Thanks You, Lord, for the craziness of this life, of life in You.  Give me a grateful heart, give me wisdom, give me determination and grit, and please, give me sleep!  Let me be nothing but sold out to You and a blessing to these blessings.  In Your Name, Amen.