A Parent to be Praised?

Parenting is hard!!! Can I get an AMEN!!! I can honestly say that I am humbled daily by my children … or my ability to parent them. Many days, I feel as though I’m failing (or inadequate) at being a “good” mom. Oddly, on the flip side, I struggle with serious pride issues as well. I think that if my kids do not act perfectly around others, that it’s a reflection on me. And, I find myself more worried about what others think than what God thinks. Oh my. Is that really what I am doing?!? All this results in me constantly being on them.

 What message am I sending? Do my kids have to earn love and acceptance from mom and dad? At first glimpse I say “Of course not” but if I really look at my actions and speech, I have to question it. Yikes!! Am I teaching a warped view of love (based on conditions)? Will they grow up believing that to be loved by anyone (including God), they must earn it? “I’m not good enough… I have to be better” – Is this the message they are receiving? Double Yikes!! Is this how I got this message!?! Is this why so many of us have a hard time understanding what Love really is… because this is how the World loves?

 If you have more than one child, chances are, one of them is your challenge, knows how to push those buttons and can bring out the worst in you. Wow, who knew that anger was in there!!! My firstborn, bless him, is my challenge. I call him my little “character builder.” I’m really hard on him. Why is that? Three things come to mind. 1) He is my first 2) He is most like me 3) I see the potential there. There is so much inner conflict and turmoil going on because on one hand I have this frustration for him to be a certain way, but on the other hand, there’s guilt because of the condemnation he is constantly receiving from me.

 I went for my jog with God. My “character builder” was on my heart and I was desperate for some wisdom. God spoke. This is what I heard … “I gave you your kids. Let them be who I’ve created them to be, not what you think they should be. THEY ARE FOR MY GLORY, NOT YOURS.” Wow, talk about revelation. I am a transparent person, but until now, not in this area. I have been so prideful. I want to appear as if I have all the answers, and perfect children. Why?  So I can be praised for my abilities. Ouch. Truth Hurts. No wonder I’m stressed, confused and overwhelmed with parenting. I’m working in my own flesh and my priorities are all wrong. I’ve had 6 good years of habitual responses and a lifetime of mindsets to break. I CHOOSE to lose all pretenses, humble myself before everyone, and admit that I have no ability without His Spirit moving through me. I must raise my children for His Glory. Then and only then, will I become a parent to be praised. 

 Application: Does any of this ring true to you? I think we can all say it does to an extent. How do we change? 

A Season of Rest

As school gets out and the weather gets warmer, I feel God constantly repeating something to me....

"slow down... and rest in me"
 
After hearing this over and over, I'm finally getting it...

• Take the summer off (from the ministry and constant activity)

• "Hang out on the hammock with Daddy" (don't know who said it, but I like it!)

•  Enjoy my family (laugh with them, reconnect with my husband)

•  Get my priorities back in place (Martha, Martha, Martha and Full of good, but is it full of God)

•  AND LISTEN to what He's trying to teach me but I've been too busy to hear.

With that said, I will be taking time off from posting new blog posts. I will definitely still be journaling, but I am going to allow time for what God's teaching me to really sink in before I share it with you. During this time, I will be sharing some of my old posts. 

I believe MANY of  us are too busy 

and He is saying the exact same thing to you. 

Won't you join me this summer and learn how to rest in Him... sit at His feet... and get your buckets refilled?

What does that look like in your life?

Pray about it and see what He reveals.

An Interview from Togo

Many of you know I have a passion for this West African country and it's people. With the blessing of our new addition, Allie, came the absence of a mission trip back to Togo this past year.

God is so awesome... Guess what he did!?!?! He brought Togo to me. 

I had the honor of hosting Yinka Ojo, a missionary with Pioneers Togo, while he was in Charleston May 1st-8th. He is an amazing man of God with a wife (Faith), twin 9-year old boys (Mercy and Grace), and a 5-year old boy (Goodness). This post is all about sharing his story and mission with you. I truly believe there are readers God is calling to partner financially with the vision of Pioneers Togo, and even more who are called to pray for their cause.

Pastor Yinka's Story
While growing up in Nigeria, Yinka was active in a Christian church. However, he didn't have a personal relationship with God as his Lord and Savior; and therefore was not living the abundant life that God meant for ALL of his children to live.

All of us have defining moments - I like to call them "God" moments ... turning points in our lives. I will share a few of his.

• He found that relationship with Christ in college ('87) and was actively involved with Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFES) for 14 years.
• Heard a sermon about the Kingdom Lifestyle - Philippians 2:1-11, that struck him deep. Jesus gave it all. He made a decision that day "I’m giving up my life for you – I want to live for you – take all of me." (All in for Missions) – I want to be His voice. God opened my eyes to see the need around me.
• He woke up one morning to a worship song saying - "Free us, Lord free us to lay down our life - to love and worship you." Yinka became overwhelmed with God's demand to lay down his life - His whole life - just as Jesus did. That day he made the choice to give up his life, his ambitions, his dreams, anything God asked him to. (To the world, this seems crazy. However, it is the secret to the abundant life - John 10:10; Phil 4:11-13)
• Prayed for the Lord to show him who he was to marry. God clearly revealed it to him one day as he walked past this special lady. There were many obstacles in the way to this marriage, but God paved the way.

Hearing Yinka's story makes me think of one word - SACRIFICE. Have I really surrendered EVERYTHING to God? My Marriage? My Children? My Calling? What my day looks like?

INTERVIEW WITH YINKA OJO

Tell me about your organization and its mission.
Pioneers International  is a christian organization whose mission is to "mobilize teams to glorify God among unreached people by initiating church-planting movements in partnership with local churches."  The Pioneers Togo team is made of 24 family units. Our mission is to empower and equip the indigents among the 53 different tribes so they may take the gospel to their people.

There are three purposes

• Walk in partnership with existing churches by equipping and mentoring their leaders
• Place field missionaries into unreached villages, not as a preacher, but a researcher living out loud and offering a physical need or service (i.e. selling essentials, first aid, medical clinics, etc). His goal is to build an identity as someone to render service while he seeks a person of peace (someone whose heart God is already working on). God brings the P.O.P. to the missionary and that person becomes the bridge to plant the church. We then empower and equip them to take the gospel to their people (more receptive).
• Church planting: seeking to develop and mentor leaders in the community for the churches to become self sustaining so the missionary can move to another village. Empowering the locals for the Lords work, the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). 

CONNECT to people where they are

...DRAW them to GOD
...LEAD them to CHRIST!

What RELIGIOUS GROUPS are among the people of Togo
Religions of Togo (Joshua Project): 37% Ethnic Religions (Idol Worship) ; 18% Islam; 44% Christian (The Christian percentage is deceptive. I would say there is more like only 15% Born Again Christians in Togo. )  

What's the DIFFERENCE between the Togolese who call themselves CHRISTIANS and those who are truly born again? They are christian by tradition - born into a "christian" home. Many of the Catholic churches don’t present the implication of what it means to be a Christian – “ a Christian does not have to lay aside it’s traditions.” They still practice ancestral worship. They are basically saying that Jesus makes no demand (I can have all my other gods). 

Tell me about ANCESTRAL WORSHIP

They believe that worshiping their Ancestors assures them of safety and protection from evil forces. If you want to have good life, the ancestors hold the key to our well being. If they are not happy with us, then things will go bad. The spirit world has great influence – the ancestors are gone and they can mediate between us and what is happening around us. (Before these ancestors died, they had connection to gods – and always made sacrifices to these idols). What do these IDOLS look like? Idols can be anything (storm, statue, animal, stick). The idol is a medium, to connect to a god. Offer sacrifices and perform different rituals to appease the gods. For example, an object would be placed in front of a farm so it would flourish. A bracelet or belt would be worn to protect yourself.

What other CHALLENGES do you face in preaching the gospel in Togo?

• Reaching North Togo (where many of the unreached villages are) such as operational costs,
  
  difficult travel (rugged roads only reached by motorbikes, rivers to cross, and you are only ensured transportation on market day (once a week). – pay heavily.
• Mission Home - Vision to build and own a mission home that can be self sustaining. Right now, we pay rent for our mission home (hosts missionary families, mission teams, administration work, etc) The owners have remodeled and raised rent that is unrealistic for us. We own land and hope to build our own building one day. Our dream is to build it in a way that it can be used for multi purposes (conferences, meetings, i.e) to produce income. 
• Micro finance: Workers are few. Field missionaries need to start a small business to live and that meets a need in the village. When we can, we offer them a small
  
  loan ($120 - they give back $10/mo) to help. The missionaries have to wait till funds are available and take turns receiving the loans. The missionaries move to a new village once leaders are raised up and a church is planted.
• Continual Care. Medical missions help provide a need so the village will be open to the missionary and the pioneers team. Many people are sick and some need surgery. The medical teams bring money to help in this cost, but many times it is not enough. The local team feels keeping this connection with the people is important and does what they can to provide the continuing expenses for these patients.

How you can help
If someone wanted to partner with Pioneers Togo in this mission, what would they need to do? You can give a one time gift or become a partner with a recurring gift. You can also specify if you want your gift to go to a particular effort (self sustaining mission home, missionaries, travel, continual care, church planting, etc.)

Click here To become a partner with Pioneers Togo.  

• Specify what type of gift you would like to give - be as specific as you would like.
• In the name field - PIONEERS TOGO (You do not need the account number to give as long as you put Pioneers Togo in the name field. I will update the post as soon as I have it.)

If you have any questions, you can email me at michaudchristie@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer. :)

Enough for me

Hey Everyone. While I've been quiet in my posting for a few weeks, God has not. He is always speaking. What has He been speaking to me lately? 




Balance? YES! 
Putting Him First? YES! 
The Revelation that He is enough for me? YES! (I so want to GET this!).  
 Let me share two quotes He has placed on my heart...


 Quote#1
 "I know you are all I have. but I don't know you ENOUGH for you to be all I need."  - Finding God, Larry Crabb

What holds me back from KNOWING that God is all I need?

• When I'm not receiving the love, affection and acceptance that I need from my husband, my kids, my parents, my friends, my accomplishments, etc.... I hear God asking me "Am I not enough for you?"
• When I'm lonely, tired, stressed and tempted to woof down a 1/2 gallon of ice cream with magic shell on top - I hear God asking me "Am I not enough for you?"

TRUTH: God IS all I need.  

• In Christ, you (I) have been brought to fullness  Col 2:10
• Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4
• I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord Phil 3:7-10

God's Word is powerful (Hebrews 4:12) and it does not return void (Isaiah 55:11). However, if we don't read it...claim it... receive it,  then it's not true for us. We need revelation...for the eyes of your hearts to be enlightened (Eph 1:18).

Quote #2
"You have access to as much of Me as you have faith to receive." -Jesus Calling Devotional, Sarah Young

 Let that sink in for a minute. Wow. This quote hit me hard. I don't have "as much," ONLY because I have not received!  To receive is an act of faith....Oh Me of little faith!!!

Faith is defined as complete trust or confidence in (google). Don't let the word "complete" condemn you - this journey we are on is a process.
Phil 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

DID YOU KNOW? Faith is a gift from God. It is not from ourselves (Eph 2:8 ; Romans 12:3) ... but we must CHOOSE to receive it. He is waiting to give, we just have to ask for it ... all of it ...and accept it like a child at Christmas time.  Matthew 18:2-3



HOW DO WE INCREASE OUR FAITH?
Matthew 7:7 Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.

• ASK Him - Pray for Him to increase your faith. 
• SEEK -Learn God's Word and His promises. Don't just listen and read the word, do what it says (James 1:22)
• KNOCK - Be persistant and expectant. Keep asking. Thank Him in advance for His gift IN you that continues to grow. 

More Verses on Faith Matthew 21:21, Hebrews 11:1, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 Cor 2:5

"You have access to as much of Me as you have faith to receive."  

-Jesus Calling Devotional, Sarah Young

WHAT DO WE HAVE ACCESS TO?  

Cultivating Peace

I would like to introduce you to a fellow woman of God, Stephanie Haynes, Founder of Peace of Mind Ministries. She has an amazing passion and calling to help women who struggle with priorities and busyness. As most of you know, this is right up my alley right now. Read her guest post below and gleam some wisdom from this ministry. Wont you join me in learning how to live in peace amongst the chaos!?!?!?

“Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10

Last week I read Aha! Moments’ Blog Post and my heart immediately went out to Christie and every other woman who could identify with her story. If you missed it, here’s a snippet…

I'm busy working on a ministry, writing a blog, taking care of my three children, maintaining healthy friendships, trying my best to keep the house in order, figuring out how to be a help-mate to my husband, and all the while praying for God to help me keep it all together.  

Oh how I know that place! The place where there’s so much to do and not enough time to do it and hoping God hears me and will somehow make it all work out the way I need it to so that the craziness will somehow just STOP…

God doesn’t work like that though.

He doesn’t want us to live for everything and everyone else and hope He will jump in and help. He wants us to live for Him and trust Him to work out whatever everyone and everything else needs.

That’s a huge paradigm shift!

I have lived the crazy life Christie wrote of and it almost killed me. At one point I was in danger of entering menopause, having a heart attack, on the verge of a divorce, and so angry and bitter I couldn’t stand my own children, much less my life. I couldn’t understand why God wasn’t intervening and making everything work out “right.” I was 33.

Today, at 43, I have an incredibly different life.  I am free from any threat of a heart attack, menopause is now naturally occurring instead of stress-induced, I have an incredible relationship with my children and I am still married to the same man. But, the most important thing is that amid the regular busyness of everyday life (and the occasional chaotic season) I have PEACE!

How? I chose to make the shift from putting everything else first and God last, to putting God first and letting Him tell me what came next.

Making the choice to live out of my own control was the easy part. Learning how to do it was the challenge. That’s why I chronicled my experience and what I learned in a 10-week Bible study called Cultivating Peace: Revealing God’s Peace within Your Chaos. In this study I share how out of control my life was and how, little by little, God infused my life with His Truth and cultivated His peace in my daily life. Using my own experiences, as well as the stories of the women I have met along the way, I walk through God’s truth in issues such as:

•  How to live out of our own control without everything falling into chaos. 
•  The lies we believe and how they affect the level of peace we feel.
• What it really means to center our lives on God. 
•  How to stop comparing our lives to anyone else’s and find peace within our own.
• What personality types and love languages have to do with peace in our relationships.
• What true peace really is.

If you feel like your life is more often full of chaos than peace, if you feel like God is distant, if you feel as if at any moment your choices could cause your schedule to come crashing down all around you, then this study is for YOU!

Of course, you may still feel like saying: Where on earth will I find the time to read??

I hear you! That’s why I have created all kinds of resource tools to help you!

• Each session has its own free Video Teaching segment that you can watch when you need some peace right now in any area of your life.

• Each chapter has Personal Reflection questions to help you discover God’s truth in a few short minutes.

• Each chapter also has a corresponding memory verse to keep you centered on God all day long.

• Our Peace of Mind Ministries Schedule Tracker™ is available any time to track where your time is really being spent in order to see why you feel so chaotic. There’s even a special Video teaching on how to use this tool.

No matter how chaotic or out of control your life is today, God has a way to cultivate His peace within it. All He asks of you is to invite Him to take over:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

I pray you will make the choice to cultivate God’s peace within your life today!

Stephanie

Stephanie Haynes is the Founder of Peace of Mind Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women cultivate God’s peace His way within their lives. She and her husband live in the Saint Louis area of Missouri with their daughter Taylor (15), son Christopher (11), and two crazy dogs. Stephanie promotes God’s message of peace through her blog, on Facebook and Twitter, and through speaking to groups such as MOPS and church women’s events and retreats. You can contact her with any questions related to this post via email at Stephanie@peaceofmindministries.com

Full of GOOD, but is it full of GOD?

God is pretty amazing and clever. He can use you to reveal things to others; WHILE, at the same time, teaching and revealing things to yourself. (Hope that made sense.) Have you ever been praying or talking with someone and something you said made you stop and think ... "Wow, where did that come from!?! Did I just say that... that was good!!!!" If it lines up with God's word and was revelation to you... that my friend, is the Holy Spirit using YOU to bless others while teaching you simultaneously! 

That is exactly what happened as I was writing my last post. I experienced true conviction and an AHA moment from my AHA post! Martha, Martha, Martha was about priorities being out of whack.... Being too busy.... Or another way to say it ... Just plain DISTRACTED. One of Satan's most clever forms of deception. 

My AHA moment from my AHA post: 
For the most part, I always believed I PUT GOD FIRST...It was THE OTHER THINGS (kids, husband, friends, activities, work, etc.) I had a problem keeping in order.  

Matthew 6:33  

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

This is the verse that God used to speak into my own life. As I was writing about priorities lining up (The correct way being: God -> Spouse -> Children -> Relationships -> Work / Ministry), I realized I had been deceived. I felt a check in my spirit that said, "If this were true, Christie. If you did put Me first, then ALL your other priorities WOULD line up perfectly and your life would be working out well." That is clearly what this verse says. It does NOT say, your circumstances, yourself or the people in your life would be perfect. It says, all would be well. You would experience the peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:6-7).

I'm busy working on a ministry, writing a blog, taking care of my three children, maintaining healthy friendships, trying my best to keep the house in order, figuring out how to be a help-mate to my husband, and all the while praying for God to help me keep it all together. 

Did you catch something? Read the last sentence again. The order I just wrote all that I'm doing shows where my priorities truly are. Ministry -> Children -> Relationships -> Spouse... and God is just interspersed whenever I get the chance. Wow. I'm humbled, but ever so grateful for the Lord's continual revelation!!! 

I have been striving for that peaceful, restful state (fellowship with God) that we were created to be in. But instead, I'm doing, doing, doing ... and being DECEIVED BY THE LIE - "It's okay if I don't "spend time" with God today because my day is filled with working on a ministry, building christian relationships, asking for His help, etc...It's already full of God." The Truth is... It's full of GOOD... a lot of good, but not necessarily full of GOD - that communion with Him that He desires and I desperately need. 


Satan is just plain sneaky. He can even use GOOD things to distract us. I am so thankful for this revelation as I seek His help (1 John 5:14) and His strength (Zechariah 4:6) to put my priorities in their proper place. I now know that all I have to do is look at my life (with a Kingdom perspective and not a me, me, me perspective) and how it's going (my state of peace) in order to know if my priorities are lining up.

1. If I'm too busy and my life feels out of control; then I am NOT putting God first. 
2. If my mind is not in a peaceful, calm, restful state; then I am NOT putting God first. 
3. If I'm putting kids, before my husband; friendships before my family; then I am NOT putting God first.
4. If I'm more concerned with getting the Lord's work done than I am with Sitting at the Lord's feet (Luke 10:38-42); then I'm NOT putting God first.   

I must not confuse time DOING His work 

as time COMMUNING with Him!

How do we make God our first priority amongst the chaos of life?

Martha, Martha, Martha...

... so, I have been running non-stop since I got back from my trip to Alabama for Easter. All of our bags are still packed and laying where we brought them in. The house is a complete wreck - and I'm overwhelmed as I look at it. Last weekend, I took my husbands Ibuprofen instead of bringing it to him ... and didn't even realize I had done it for at least an hour (Thank the Lord it was nothing stronger)!!! 

Some of you may say... "that's just Christie", or "it's just baby brain." I disagree ... it is EXTREME BUSYNESS.... one of Satan's most deceptive attacks. And I believe this attack is becoming more and more prevalent for all of us... especially in America. We are trying to do WAY too much - and technology is only feeding the problem. (For example, while we were traveling back on Monday, I spent most of my time on email coordinating and taking care of loose ends. What did we use to do before cell phones, much less iPhones came along??? Enjoy our families, that's what!!!). 

MY WAKE UP CALL was yesterday afternoon in the car with my kids on our way to soccer practice. It was another crazy day. (I was lucky to find 15 minutes to shower before we left ... all the while, Allie was screaming in her bed so you know I felt the mommy guilt). Anyway, my 7 year old all of a sudden said, "You are being like Martha, Mom." I didn't get it at first, but when I did. It hit me like a ton of bricks!!!

Luke 10:38-42 At the Home of Martha and Mary
 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” [Emphasis mine]

If my wee ones are noticing, then my life is REALLY out of balance! The first thing I did was praise my son for bringing it to my attention.  I took a deep breath, then prayed aloud, "LORD, HELP ME BE A MARY IN A MARTHA WORLD" ... He truly calmed me! Afterwards, I asked my boys to forgive me and to let me know when I start acting like Martha again.  

We are sooo distracted with life and all the busyness. Can I get an Amen! 

And we wonder why we can't hear God's voice. His still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12) can only be heard when we are being a "Mary" ... sitting at His feet listening.

SIMPLIFY. I had already been convicted lately about simplifying my life - but this brought it to a new level. There are many things I can be doing... many of them good... but are they the best thing for me to be doing right now... Better yet, are they what God has specifically called me to be doing right now.  I think it is important... no vital... for all of us to stop, take inventory and bring it to His feet for His guidance and direction. I've had to stop and say no to some GOOD activities that I enjoy recently. This is great, but obviously, as seen through my son, there is still a problem.  

What is the root issue? Time management. Nope... Better Yet... Getting my priorities right.

PRIORITIZING

1) GOD:  
 Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

• Give Him the first part of my day and truly "sit at His feet."
• Pray for Him to multiply my time and energy 
• Pray for wisdom and ask Him what my day is supposed to look like.

2) FAMILY / SPOUSE:  Matthew 19:4-6

• How are you and your spouse right now? If your answer is "not good." - then God is not your first priority (Matthew 6:33). 
• Sit at the Lords feet and pray for my husband (Recommend The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. It changed my marriage.)
• Look for ways to encourage and support Him (make his days easier)
• Protect our time together (date nights, couch time, etc.) 

3) FAMILY / CHILDREN:  Proverbs 22:6

• How is your time with your children? If your answer is "not good." - then God is not your first priority (Matthew 6:33).
•  Pray for Wisdom and strength in training them up (2 Corinthians 12:9)
• Give them daily one on one time (100% of your attention for a small set time). Set the timer and call it your special time and let NOTHING take away from it.  (working on this one!!!)
• Let vacation time be vacation time (It is not time to be on the computer, TV, iPhone, etc.) 
• Let them see you "sitting at His feet" and learn from your relationship with God

4) WORK / MINISTRY

• How is job, career, ministry? If your answer is "not good." - then God is not your first priority (Matthew 6:33).
•  This comes AFTER relationships (family and friends) Colossians 3:14 
  

So...What about you? Did this speak to you? If so, don't just pause and think... that was good... and continue in your busyness. STOP and do something about it! SIT at His feet and ask Him if you are too distracted to hear Him. 

Try this exercise 
1. Sit still for 5 minutes 
2. DO nothing, THINK about nothing, SAY nothing. 
3. If you cannot do this... then you are too busy!!!!! :)