Substitutionary Atonement for Kids

I really wanted to repost from a blog that the Pastors from my church keep. The blog is called Christocentric (from bethelgrace.org). An excellent Pastor (my hubby) wrote the following blog a few weeks back and everytime I read it, I'm overcome with gratefulness...Enjoy and be encouraged!

Substitutionary Atonement for kids
September 20, 2010

Recently I had the opportunity to teach one of my children about substitutionary atonement. As is the case for any parent who loves their children, I found myself in the position of needing to hand out some discipline. On this particular occasion the sin was of the nature that not only required the withholding of blessings (no treats) but also needed to be preceded with a swat. The parties that were sinned against had been talked to and reconciliation had been achieved. It was time for the dreaded walk into the bedroom. As I explained what was about to happen I also explained that God punishes every sin. I explained that I had to do what was right and give a discipline in the form of a swat. With an understanding head nod, my child laid across my lap, eyes closed and teeth clinched, waiting for the pending punishment to be delivered. Swinging with more power and force than normal, I connected with my own hand that was covering my child’s bottom. “You hit your own hand!” Pleased but confused was the response. Putting my child on my lap we took a look at the welt that was now rising on my hand. I immediately thought of Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”

With tears streaming down both of our faces I explained that Jesus takes our punishment upon Himself. The punishment that we should have received because of our sin.

I explained that I wouldn’t always take the punishment, but this time I wanted to show that God loves us so much that even when we were sinners Christ took our punishment on the cross. Kind of like Daddy taking the swat that you deserved.

As my child rubbed my welted hand in consolation, I knew that on some level the lesson made sense.

It was a good bonding time for us and turned into a wonderful time for me to worship at the foot of the cross once again as I thanked My God for taking upon His body the wages of my sin and the wonderful healing that comes from trusting in His shed blood for me.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Blessings,

Alvin

Busy, busy!

Our days have been full! I figured i'd update with some recent pictures at least, for now. :) hugs!

New School Year

New school year pictures! These kids are great fun!! This year we will be learning about History, Geography, Math and Science! We will also practice Spelling, Writing and Reading!! Art, Cooking and Bible are three of my favorites that we'll do too!! I am excited!! I have 2 out of 3 kids excited too!!! (I'm still figuring out how to inspire the other kiddo)...

My Darling

Recently we celebrated my darling Kennedy's 6th birthday!!! I absolutely adore this girl! She is an absolute joy! She loves life! We have so much fun together and already have meaningful talks of how to love others and live her life for God's glory! I really think this girl is quite amazing! Here are some pics of her birthday celebration during her first trip to American Girl!

Thank you Heavenly Father for the gift of my children! Thank you for the growth you have given me through being their Mama. I pray that all my children will love you and desire to live their life for you from an early age. I pray for Kennedy; that she will be a godly young girl/woman who loves you and your word. Please allow Kennedy and me to keep a tight bond of friendship as she grows in maturity. Thank you again Lord for her life, may she yield herself to you always, Amen.

The Saviour

This summer I have had such a wonderful time writing a Bible Study on the book of Romans. Periodically throughout the study, I am including some puritan prayers from the book Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Here is one beautiful prayer to echo.

† THE SAVIOUR

Thou hast given me a Saviour,
produce in me a faith to live by Him, to make Him all my desire, all my hope, all my glory.

May I enter Him as my refuge,
build on Him as my foundation, walk in Him as my way, follow Him as my guide, conform to Him as my example,
receive His instructions as my prophet, rely on His intercession as my high priest, obey Him as my king.

May I never be ashamed of Him or His words,
but joyfully bear His reproach, never displease Him by unholy or imprudent conduct, never count it a glory if I take it patiently when buffeted for a fault, never make the multitude my model, never delay when thy Word invites me to advance.

May thy dear Son preserve me from this present evil world,
so that its smiles never allure, nor its frowns terrify, nor its vices defile, nor its errors delude me.

May I feel that I am a stranger and a pilgrim on earth,
declaring plainly that I seek a country, my title to it becoming daily more clear, my meetness for it more perfect,
my foretastes for it more abundant, and whatsoever I do
may it be done in thy Saviour’s name.

Starfall.com

Starfall.com is an amazing educational website full of games that teach preschool to the "reading on your own" stage. Most games teach phonics which has been great with teaching my own kids to read. (Side note, I also recommend the book, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann--$14.96 on Amazon). Starfall also has loads of fun lessons on poetry, art, the body and music. I LOVE that my then 2 year old daughter knew who wrote the classical "Can Can". In the priorities of child training and life, it's not too important but it is a fun little extra! (BTW, it's Jacques Offenbach). You could even teach your child to recognize Beethoven's 9 symphonies! (I didn't). I could go on and on about starfall.com! With the younger kids, parents can sit with them and maneuver the mouse. When your child learns to maneuver the mouse, he can do the games on his own because the directions are said aloud on the site! My three kids, ages 7, 5, and 4 love this site and between the 3 of them, they could spend hours on this site exploring and learning! Most times, I have them each take a 20 minute turn being the "mouser" (a term my 4 yr old made up for the person controlling the mouse), as they all interact with the lesson. Check it out and have fun learning!

Sweet Girls

Noelle and cousin Abbey.
Isn't this a sweet picture?!

Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!

Thank you Lord for the gift of family and friendship. I pray that these girls will know you as their Savior, love you and live for you all of their days! Amen.

New Dress A Day

I just came across this really fun blog. A woman was inspired by the movie Julie & Julia to get her creative juices flowing. She created a fashion blog where she makes a dress a day for $1 for 365 days. It's great-she shops at flea markets and yard sales to buy old dresses and re-creates them to fit her in a chic and fun new way! I'm inspired!!! I have many ideas for kiddo clothes and have sketched them out, now I need to get to sewing!!! Maybe when my life is less busy..ROFL! Not sure it'll ever come to fruition! That's ok! ;)

Anyhow, check out the before and after pics at:
newdressaday.wordpress.com
(Disclaimer: I do not know this woman nor do I know her heart before the Lord. I may not agree with everything this woman says about life.) ;)
.Be inspired.

Let us not neglect to discipline our precious kiddos

I wanted to share this great, convicting & encouraging quote with you...
"Far better that children should cry under healthful correction, than that
parents should afterwards cry under the bitter fruit to themselves and
children, of neglected discipline." -Charles Bridges
Reminds me of Proverbs 13:24
Blessings!

What's in Your Purse?

Ok, so...My hubby is forever asking me, "WHAT'S IN YOUR PURSE?" Not because it's heavy but because there's generally a ton of stuff in it!!! I had a dream that made me laugh when I woke up...Here is my simple and strange dream: I was talking with Becky from the Organizing Made Fun blog and she asked me if I had a rubberband, and presto! I had one in my purse. End dream! lol...
A seemingly pointless dream, i know...But it made me think about what IS in my purse? So, I looked and here's what I found:
A safety pin, 2 paperclips, a broken earring, a toy car, a strawberry shortcake doll (mini), 4 hair bands, 3 pens, some candy/gum wrappers, ATM receipts, my wallet, a church bulletin, my Don't Make Me Count to Three book by Ginger Plowman, a gluestick (?!), my pocket ESV Bible and some loose jelly beans!
I got to thinking; I can be a blessing to others even by what I carry in my purse! I can add some tissue in there, I know that would be a blessing to my own family! And I think I'll exchange the wrappers for a band aid!!
If I am purposeful with what I have in my purse, I am thinking of others potential needs and may be able to help them.. i.e., give the sneezing girl in church a tissue, or have a band-aid for my kiddos when they fall and scrape themselves while we're away from the house...
Col 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Hugs!

A Few More Party Pics

1. Aiden wanted to sit on his smash cake...

2. Aiden + Kennedy

3. Another fun shot of the greatly anticipated smash cake

4. Sweet Noelle as Curious George
(My hubby Alvin is a wonderful artist and painted this photo op board)

Party!!!

So after an insanely busy week of VBS, we had Aiden's 7th birthday party. I am soo thankful all his friends could come after such a fun and exhausting week for everyone. The party was super fun, one of my fave things is to watch my kiddos share sweet times with their friends! Another one of my fave things is planning parties along with baking and cooking and decorating. Loved doing all that for this party!!
Here are a few pics!

1. My birthday boy!!

2. Big, round balloons i found at an online balloon shop

3. Cake pops

4. Aiden requested a smash cake. I don't know how he got the idea, but he was super excited about having one. So, I made him a little cake with fondant (less messy than frosting, but looking back, he would have had more fun with frosting).

5. The sweets table

first things first

Hey Moms, today i want to share something heavy on my heart as I try to help a friend through a tough time with her family/kiddos. As Moms, our first priority is in our home; our husbands and our children. Titus 2 tells us to be workers at home. Now, this does not mean as Moms we cannot be employed or serve outside the home. It does mean, however, that our first priority is in our own home and to our own children..What a blessing this truly is!! We cannot serve-even in the church-(gasp!) if it is to the neglect of our husband or children.
There is an amazingly helpful book written by Carolyn Mahaney, titled A Feminine Appeal. In the chapter, The Honor of Working at Home, she poses these questions to ask ourselves regarding the decision to serve or work outside the home:
1. What are my reasons for considering this opportunity? Are they selfish or God-honoring?
2. Will pursuing this venture glorify God and honor the gospel?
3. Is this an undertaking that will help my husband?
4. Will it enhance and enrich the lives of my family?
5. Does this endeavor hinder my role as caretaker of my home?

Remember, seasons change. We have the season of no babies, where we can serve a lot and be a huge blessing to others in a different season. Then comes the season of little ones who need a ton of our attention-this season may last longer for some than others ;) Then seasons again change back and forth where we have more or less time to serve. Then were empty nesters, and back to the season of helping other young Moms-not my idea, but God's design :)
I hope you are blessed as you are reminded you don't have to do it all and i pray you are encouraged to keep your own hubby and precious kiddos your first priority. May our prayer be for our homes to be a haven of rest for our hubby and children-a place where the gospel is proclaimed, and we train our children in righteousness for God's glory!
hugs, jenny

Bakerella

Found a super fun website, Bakerella.com
So many great baking ideas! Love it :) Bakerella even has a book coming out. Definitely a website worth checking out. Enjoy!
I'll be making some of these for Aiden's birthday celebration! I'll post pics next month :)

(The pic shown here is from google images).

Want to make your own cake pops?

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
Wax paper
Candy melts (1 lb. pkg.)
Lollipop sticks
Edible ink pens

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can frosting. (I use the back of a large spoon, but it may be easier to use fingers to mix together. But, be warned, it will get messy. Also, you may not need the entire can of frosting, so start out by using almost the entire can and add more if you need to.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50)
4. Melt chocolate in the microwave per directions on package. (30 sec intervals, stirring in between.)
5. Dip the tip of your lollipop stick in a little of the melted candy coating and insert into the cake balls. (Insert a little less than halfway.)
6. Place them in the freezer for a little while to firm up.
7. Once firm, carefully insert the cake ball into the candy coating by holding the lollipop stick and rotating until covered. Once covered remove and softly tap and rotate until the excess chocolate falls off. Don’t tap too hard or the cake ball will fall off, too.
8. Place in a styrofoam block to dry.

Summer pics-part 2

Here are a few more of my faves

Summer pics

The school year is busy. Summer is busy too, just in a different way. Here are some recent pics from our summer so far. Enjoy!

My First Garden

I am starting my first garden and I would like some ideas. Please keep in mind I am a beginner gardener! I'd like to include some veggies... What do you think?
Above are pics of the planter for the garden.

What kind of mom are you?

Are you a "yes" mom or a "no" mom? Think about it...When your child(ren) make a request of you, whether to get something or to play with them, are you quick to say "yes" or do you find it is your habit to say "no" or "not right now"? May I challenge you to say yes as much as you can?! Be a "yes" mom. So often I think we say "no" because we don't want to take the time to get that game down from the closet, or whatever it may be that is a bit inconvenient at the moment. There are PLENTY of times we have to say "no" in training our kiddos in righteousness, so say "yes" whenever possible. Be a "yes" mom!

Must read!!

This is an AMAZING book! All Moms, Grammys, Mimis, Aunties, caregivers etc. should put this on their must read list! It's an annual read for me because oh how quickly I need good reminders! This book, Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman is about heart-oriented discipline. First time obedience...ahhhh... We don't want to merely focus on our child's outward behavior but rather what is in their hearts. I could go on and on about this book, but I won't this time ;)Read it for yourself. I KNOW you (& your kiddos) will be blessed!!!

Our Children's Salvation

Like me, one of your fervent prayers probably is that God would see fit to save your precious children! They are not saved simply because they have believing parents. Pray that God would do a mighty work in their lives and change their heart to repent and believe in Him.
The following really captures the desires of my heart. It is a prayer from the book, Valley of Vision (a compilation of puritan prayers):
O Sovereign Lord, let those that are united to me in tender ties be precious in thy sight and devoted to thy glory. Sanctify and prosper my domestic devotion, instruction, discipline, example, that my house may be a nursery for Heaven. Amen

12 years

Sunday marks my 12 year wedding anniversary! I am married to an amazing man who adores me! In honor of each year of marriage, I put together 12 things I love about my Hubby, Alvin:
1. He loves the Lord our God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.
2. He loves me and lives with me in an understanding way.
3. He loves our children with a tender, Daddy kind of love.
4. He is fun-we have a blast together as a couple and as a family.
5. He values my thoughts and opinions.
6. He is faithful to God and me.
7. He loves God's people and desires to help them grow in the Lord.
8. He has a burdened heart for the lost.
9. He serves me in the home.
10. He is strong and brave-he has 3 black belts (Aikido, jiu-jitsu, kali selat)
11. He is beautiful and has good fashion sense.
12. He would rather go shopping or be artsy than play or watch sports.

Schedules-love em or hate em??

There are seasons when I cringe at the thought of having a schedule! There are seasons when I cringe at the thought of NOT having a schedule...I go back and forth. Currently, I'm thinking about entering back into the delight of having a schedule. It does cut down on the nagging when the kids know what to expect for the day. Or when it is time to have "sit time" or homework time, I don't hear as much revolting. I think we'll try it again-it does take time to get used to-- So if you start to implement a schedule, give it time before giving up-that was to encourage both you AND me!! lol.

Following are some thoughts from Carolyn Mahaney from the girltalk blog:

-A schedule is meant to serve, not rule. When it doesn’t serve, dismiss it. Lay it aside and pick it back up later.

-A schedule must be exercised in dependence upon God. It can greatly enhance our mothering, but it can never eliminate our need for God’s help.

-A schedule should be implemented humbly. We must avoid being self-righteous and judgmental in our communication about mothering practices. We must also avoid sinfully judging other women that they are being self-righteous and judgmental. In many cases they may simply be trying to help.

-A schedule is optional. You can certainly glorify God and be an effective mother without a schedule.

-A schedule is not the most important thing about us. Remember D.A. Carson’s admonition:

“So many Christians today identify themselves with some ‘single issue’ (a concept drawn from politics) other than the cross, other than the gospel. It is not that they deny the gospel. If pressed, they will emphatically endorse it. But their point of self-identification, the focus of their minds and hearts, what occupies their interest and energy is something else” (The Cross and Christian Ministry, p. 63).”

The gospel—and not a schedule—should always be what we’re most passionate about. And this is not a suggestion.

God's Grace is Sufficient

Have you ever felt tired? I don’t mean tired as in you went to bed late and got up early…I mean just tired. Like if you have to do one more thing for one more person, you may just loose it? I have felt that way before. Maybe that’s something a lady shouldn’t admit. Well, here’s to all the ladies that have felt that way but won’t admit it. GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT!!! (2 Co. 12:9) God gives us the exact amount of grace we need for every circumstance-no more and no less! He will never give us more than we can handle. I know sometimes it doesn’t feel that way but because we know that God’s word is true, than this is true. I think of the mother/child relationship here because our children constantly need us to help them. As moms we are to love our children (Titus 2:4). That is a given for me, I absolutely adore my children. I love spending time with them, training them in righteousness and I could talk about them nonstop-sometimes I do. But you know, when I am trying to make dinner and the kids are arguing with each other and one acts out in anger and hurts the other, I can be tempted to roll my eyes, *sigh* and abruptly say “stop it, go sit on your beds!” But I am doing my children harm if that is what I do. In Deuteronomy 6:7 we are told to teach them diligently when we sit in our house and walk by the way. (This includes when I am interrupted in making dinner). I must stop to take the time to actively love and shepherd my precious children. Getting to the heart of their behavior and not merely stopping the current problem takes time and it can be tiring. A mom once said to me, “If I stop to take that time, that’s all I will do ALL DAY!” Yes, is my answer-there are days when most of what I do is teach them diligently. That is why I began this blog with the question, “Do you ever get tired”? Remember His grace is sufficient. As moms, let’s be sure to be encouraging one another in the word; we are on this pilgrimage together. And don't forget to take the time to teach them diligently.

The word of the Lord is righteous and true

"For the word of the Lord is righteous and true; He is faithful in all He does". Psalm 33:4.
Aren't you so thankful for that? I am!! I am thankful that God preserved His true word for us, that He and His word are perfectly righteous, and that we have His word which allows us to know Him. Think about that! We can know the God most high by reading His word. I want to know Him more, don't you? So why is it that there are days that go by without being in His word? I praise God that He is faithful in all He does! How amazing!! I am thankful that God remains faithful even when I am not. How I wish I was faithful in all I do-it is something I strive and strive to be but only our holy and perfect God can be. May we all be faithful to be in God's righteous and true word this week! blessings, jenny

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"You are Lord of creation and Lord of my life, Lord of the land and the sea. You were Lord of the Heavens before there was time and Lord of all lords you will be!" (Twila Paris)