Connection Studio at Westwinds

A teacher wrote: Today was a great day and the kids did really well with response time. As we were wondering today a child, who used to have major behavior issues, asked, "So these stories are, like, real? They really happened?" We talked about the Bible and told them all the stories in the Bible are real, that they really happened. The little kid said, "Cool!" It was really cool!

Another parent shared that she overheard her daughter playing at home, "May God be with you because He loves you so so so much."

Another parent observed their daughter painting at home. When she was done with the painting she said, "Now we need to think about God and look at it." She wanted to bring the painting to church and "think about it."

A teacher's comment: We did the church calendar and when we got to Easter one of the kids said, "Jesus died and if we believe in Him we won't die in a couple of days."

Living Generously

I wonder what will come of these conversations about faith and money with my kids. Like most of life,lessons are not learned the first time they are “introduced.” Our kids did not speak back to us the first time we spoke to them, yet we continued to talk to them and at the right time, they began to babble back something that appeared to be the beginning of language.

So I take heart and believe that the more conversations, the more experiences of giving, the more I demonstrate and live out what it means to have a generous heart, the more likely my kids will also follow down a similar path.

That's what my parents did. They lived, loved and gave generously.

II Corinthians 9.11 "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion."

Teach me to pray

Luke 11.1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples spoke to him. "Lord," he said, "teach us to pray. . ."

I like how one of the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. While it is not explicit in the scripture I can imagine that the disciples must have seen Jesus on numerous occasions go off to a certain place and pray. I wonder if the disciples sensed a difference in Jesus after he returned from praying, perhaps a sense of peace or focus. I wonder if this is why the disciple asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Whatever the reason I love the disciple’s humbleness, his desire to be taught and lead, he desire to learn the ways Jesus was practicing.

Teach me to pray, Jesus.

March 27, 2010 at Westwinds Church we will be hosting a prayer seminar.

Learning to live generously

At Christmas time I began to use the 3 jars setup with the kids. The 3 jars are labeled church, savings, and spending. I told the kids that 10 percent needs to go into the church jar; 10 percent needs to go into the savings jar; and the remaining money they can decide where to put it. It’s been interesting to see the kids add extra money into each of the church and savings jars. I’m not sure that they quite get the concept that they cannot spend the money but it’s all a process.

Today when they received their “blessing/allowance” we shared with the kids that their school, Paragon Academy, is collecting money to support relief work in Haiti. For a $1 the kids can purchase a heart that provides support for Haiti. Unprompted both kids said that they wanted to use their money to purchase a heart.

Later that evening I made a bet with my son about the Pro Bowl score. (I should NEVER bet against Jeff, he’s sharp and I always loss!) Naturally I lost the bet, but then he just informed me that the dollar I now owed him would go towards buying another heart for Haiti.

Not every circumstance has this kind of ending, but when it does my mom’s heart is full!

Learning to live generously

Both kids have been buying their school lunches and while that has been convenient it’s not the most cost effective way to eat lunches. During Christmas break the kids and I talked about how much it cost to buy lunches every day. Jeff did the math - $2.35, 20 days, multiplied by 2 kids. We decided to only buy 20 lunches a month between the 2 kids, the other 20 lunches would be packed. Jeff went through the January menu with Allie and together they decided which lunches they were buy and pack. Then Jeff made up a chart for me, so I could easily see what days and which kid I needed to pack lunches.

We’re all feeling good about this decision. The kids like carrying their lunches, I like knowing what they are eating and we’re happy that we’re saving money.

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion." 2 Corinthians 9.11a

Your Will Be Done

While planning, dreaming, etc. are very important in our roles as leaders, we still must hold all these things loosely and be willing to relinquish our agenda, our TO DO list to care for the needs of those who cross our paths.

The Spirit is willing;
the ego is willful.
One releases our agenda and
one demands our own way.

Let me always be willing to walk your way, rather than mine. Amen