Well, Slap Me Upside the Head–Freaky Friday

17 May 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in Freaky Fridays, God's Word Tags: , , ,

Psalm_141-5

Ever said these words?

“God just needs to slap me upside the head sometimes.”

I know I have, and although I don’t necessarily like it when He does, I’m always thankful. I know He will only use the “slap me upside the head” method when I have been unwilling to listen or get what He’s trying to tell me any other way. I know He does it because He loves me too much to let me keep walking in my sin.

Apparantly David understood that, too, and he also understood that God often uses someone else to do the slappin’ because in Psalm 141 verse 5 David says,

“Let a righteous man slap me–that is a kindness; let him rebuke me–that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.”

Love, love, love that David, yeah King David, was willing to be taught and rebuked–even in some pretty drastic ways so that He wouldn’t walk in the way of the wicked. Extreme. Freaky. Courageous. Honorable. Honest. David.

David got slapped once. A prophet named Nathan had to do the slapping. But it changed David’s life, and it shows us today that following God doesn’t mean we have to be perfect, it means we have to be repentant. When I take those words to heart, it changes my life, too.

Extreme. Freaky. Courageous. Honorable. Honest. God.

www.hypersmash.com

What’s in the Bible–Thankful Thursday

16 May 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Kidmin, Thankful Thursday Tags: , , ,

whats in the bible

Today’s post is short and sweet! (Well, for me anyway!)

What’s in the Bible Church Edition curriculum is straight up something to be thankful for. Catchy name–What’s in the Bible–and it sums it up pretty nicely.

Hope you like nuggets, because here’s one you’ll love. A week ago, some of the 6th graders I disciple were meeting with my hub and me when I asked them what were their highs and lows of their time in our children’s ministry. Without a doubt, each one of them said that the What’s in the Bible lessons were one of their absolutely most favorite things about church. Yeah, 6th graders. Yeah, puppet teaching. Yeah, corny songs (okay that part may make sense!) Yeah, blew my mind, too.

Their reason??? They said it was because they learned so much stuff about the Bible, what it means and how it fits together–stuff that fit together with what they were learning in public school and it helped them know for sure that the Bible is true! BOOM!

Interestingly enough, a few weeks ago son #2 and his fiance, both whom are Bible college students, were visiting and helping in class. When class was over, they remarked on how incredible it was how much our kids knew–not just the facts, but understanding what it meant to their lives. DOUBLE BOOM!

So, to the Good Lord, Phil Vischer, Buck Denver, and all those on the What’s in the Bible team: Today, Thursday, May 16, I am thankful for you, your efforts, inspiration and faithfulness to help the next generation know, love and follow Christ.

phil vischer
I got to hear and meet Phil Vischer this winter in St. Louis. Turns out we actually used to live in his hometown of Muscatine, IA! Go IOWA!

witb kids
Some of HiSKidZ working together–(Go Unity and Cooperation!) to find out What’s in the Bible!

HyperSmash.com

Mock On–Word Up Wednesday

08 May 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Life Lessons, Word Up Wednesday Tags: , , , ,

images
About a week ago, I came across one of those little passages of Scripture that kind of blow your socks off. You know what I mean? The kind of thing that makes you think, “How come I never knew that was there before?”

At first I just thought it was a bit humorous. Then, I felt like it–to a small degree–gave me license for sarcasm. But now I’m seeing there is some great truth in these little words. You’re dying to know what they are, aren’t you???

Well, here goes:
In Job 21:1-2 Job said these words to his friends.

“Listen carefully to my words; let this be the consolation you give me. Bear with me while I speak, and after I have spoken, Mock On!”

Ha! Mock on! Who knew? I have to tell you that I absolutely love that Job was so incredibly honest with his friends. “Hey, guys, just listen to me for a bit, that’s the least you can do as I sit here suffering and listening to you go on and on. Just be patient a few minutes and when I’m done, go back and mock me all you want.”

I seriously laughed when I realized Job said, “MOCK ON!”

Now, the more I’ve thought about his words, the more I realize how much I like this attitude. I mean, technically, we should expect to be mocked anyway. We shouldn’t care what others say. We should pretty much see it coming and even rejoice in it when it does. Instead, we tend to let it derail us when people oppose us–friend or foe. Yet, God has given us forewarning that this is how it will be for those who follow Him.

Matthew 5:11 says,

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven.”

And Matthew 10:34 reminds us:

“Don’t suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law–a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.”

So even from those closest to us, we can expect opposition. And because of Christ, we can say, “Mock on!” For it’s better to be mocked and be with Christ than to be find approval from others, yet be without Him.

The more I read, the more I understand how well Job knew that truth. Although Job had this paradox of understanding and lack of understanding all at the same time, he had great security in time of trouble because although he may have felt abandoned by God, he knew he wasn’t. Not only that, he knew that no matter what anyone said to him or about him, it couldn’t change one smackerel the things he knew to be true.

You may be facing some persecution today. Maybe someone is saying things that aren’t true, mocking your beliefs, or falsely accusing you of something. I hope you may take a little consolation in our friend, Job, and his now infamous, in my mind anyway, words–Mock On!

That’s the Word Up this Wednesday, May 8!

Hypersmash.com

A Gift from Jacob–Word Up Wednesday

27 Mar 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Kidmin, Parenting, Word Up Wednesday Tags: ,

Image

 

My friend Jacob goes to my church. He is a passionate little guy with a great zeal for life, and recently he gifted me with a little something he had made. Yeah, it’s the picture and writing above.

Needless to say, it knocked my socks off. First of all it’s just too cute. All of it, the spelling, the art work, the thought–over the top! Second of all, it’s just sweet. I mean, c’mon, he goes to my church and he LOVES church, “revivle” and HiSKidZ (the name of our ministry).

Not only that, Jacob filled his gift with appreciation, thankfulness and encouragement. Jacob, in his 1st grade way, reminded me of the things we are all supposed to be doing. 

Like it says WORD UP in Hebrews 3:13: 

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

Jacob did that, and his parents tell me that he did it of his own initiative–out of a heart that is overflowing with thankfulness, joy and excitement for the things and people of God.

It took him a little time. It took him a little effort. It took a little risk, and it reaped a giant return. Because there’s just no way I could be the same after being encouraged like that. Nope. No way. On that day of revival when he gave that to me, I was tired; I was sick; and I didn’t even know that I was in need of that encouragement. But God did, and He used Jacob’s gift to strengthen and encourage me for the night ahead.

Encouragement  changes you. It softens you, it makes you smile and it helps to keep you from being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 

So maybe today you will find the time to take God at His Word and spend a minute or two encouraging someone. I hope if you are a parent or a kidmin leader that you will find ways to help your kids encourage others introducing them to the life changing power of encouragement!

Athaliah, Athaliah–Mama Mia Monday

25 Mar 2013 2 Comments

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Mama Mia Monday Tags: , , , ,

bad moms club soap

Since it’s Easter season, and after being gone from blogging for a week due to some illness, I should probably be bloggity blogging about Easter. BUT! I just can’t get Athaliah out of my mind. I’m sure that happens to you all the time–or maybe not.

You see, I am an Old Testament story lover! Seriously, I love the things God has recorded for us to teach us about who He is and what that means for us, and as I was zipping through 2 Chronicles the other day, I stumbled up on the account of Judah’s King Ahaziah. Within his few short verses are a couple of even shorter verses about his mama.

Ahaziah was twenty two when he became king after his dad died, and he was only king on year. Listen to the words written about his mother:

“His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri. He too walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him in doing wrong.” 2 Chronicles 22:2-3

Way to go, mom. I wish it stopped there, but it doesn’t. Oh, Ms. Athaliah is bad to the bone, and after her son, the king, is killed, she puts herself in charge and proceeds to destroy just about the whole royal family of the house of Judah. This was one strong willed woman, I’m telling you.

However, Athaliah didn’t realize that she had missed someone in her corruption of mass destrustion raid a few years back. Joash had been saved and kept hidden for six years while Ahaziah was busy ruling the land with her reign of terror.

But then, when he reached seven years of age, Joash is brought out and declared king –to Ahaziah’s screams of “Treason! Treason!” She was then taken down by the army commanders and put to death at the Horse Gates of the palace grounds. The end of her story.

Immediately after her death, a covenant was made that the people and the king would be the Lord’s people, and they went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and killed the priest of Baal on the spot.

The oversight of the temple was put back into the hands of the Levites. The doorkeepers were back in their place, keeping out the idol worshipers. The boy king took his place on the throne and the people of the land rejoiced. The city was at peace because Athaliah was gone.

Mama Mia!

Wow! What a legacy! I can’t imagine one mom this bad. Really. So it can be easy to dismiss by saying, “Hey! At least I’m not as bad as Athaliah.”

However, when I think back to the first words mentioned about her, I do have to ask myself, “Have I ever encouraged my kids in doing wrong?”

And I do have to answer, “Yes.”

I know there have been times when I have shown greed rather than generosity, impatience rather than patience. They have seen me hold a grudge rather than forgive and heard me criticize rather than encourage. They’ve watched me put my own needs before others, and witnessed a few, “do as I say not as I do’s” through the years.

But God reminds me it doesn’t have to be that way. No, I don’t have to be a perfect parent who never does anything wrong. But I can make those things right. I can continue to allow God to change me and sanctify me. I can continue to admit when I’m wrong and model repentance, forgiveness, restoration and love.

I can keep commitments. I can continue to place God at the center of all we do. I can laugh, smile, encourage, teach and support them in the ways of the Lord so that when our story is written, our couple of sentences are recorded, they honor the God who made us, saved us, secured us and is returning for us.

SO maybe this post is a little about Easter. Because honestly, the only thing that keeps me from being a mom who “encouraged her kids to do wrong,” is the saving grace of the God/man who came to earth, died on a cross, was buried in a tomb and rose to life giving us power over sin and death–power to live in Him, for Him and through Him until He returns.

Mama Mia!

The Land of Uz–Word Up Wednesday

27 Feb 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Spiritual Growth, Word Up Wednesday Tags: , ,

Land of Us

Long before Oz, there was Uz. And in this land there was a great man–”The greatest man among all the people of the East.” (Job 1:3b) He was wise like an owl, and had a great understanding of God. I love to read his story, and I never get past the first two sentences before it hits me. Every time. Right between the eyes.

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.” Job 1:1

There’s the blog post for today. It’s just that simple. I can’t get past those lines without being reminded by God what it is He asks of me. God tucks these little snippets of oh-so-important words throughout Scripture. It’s verses like this one, and Micah 6:8, and Colossians 3:14 which remind me what it is God has called me to in my relationship with Him.

–To be blameless and upright
–To fear God
–To shun evil
–To act justly
–To love mercy
–To walk humbly with God
–And above all else, put on love.

And in those things, I’m brought back to the two greatest commandments.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27

Love God, Love Others.

How do you do that? See above. Repeat daily.

Word Up.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:14

Snow Cool–Mama Mia Monday

26 Feb 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Mama Mia Monday Tags: , ,

?????????????

It’s almost here. Another possibly big snow. People are excited. They are buying up everything on the shelves–well, not everything–I did notice a lot of brussel sprouts still in the produce section. But, everywhere you go the talk is “snow, snow, snow!”

I’m pretty much a snow lover as well as a snow day lover. I happen to be fortunate enough to work for a church with a steep, sloping parking lot!!! That means when it snows a lot it is very hard to get in and out of it. Because we are a church and not a business, we are lower on the plowing priority list, which means my wonderful, super considerate, awesome boss (yeah, he often reads my blog) tells us to just stay home!!!

So what’s a mom to do when there’s no school, no work and no lack of snow. What else? Remember the old saying, “When life gives you snow, make snow ice cream!”? Okay, I know the saying is really, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” But c’mon give me a break, after all once you try the snow ice cream recipe posted at the bottom of the page, you’ll be saying it, too!

While you gather the kiddos to begin scoop of a bunch of the wonderful white stuff, why not dig into what God’s Word has to say about snow. You and your kids may be surprised and some of the “cool” things you find. For example:

Daniel 7:9 says that “the Ancient of Days took his seat and His clothing was as white as snow
Job 37:6 “He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’, and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’”
Job 38:22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail. . . “
Isaiah 1:18 “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow;”
Proverbs 26:1 “Like snow in the summer, or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool.”

There are more, of course, and snow days give us a chance to search out God’s Word like an indoor treasure hunt with great riches at the end like cool new info from the Bible, time spent with our kids, and SNOW ICE CREAM!!!

And just in case you don’t have your own great recipe, you can try this one. (It does take raw eggs, but I have never, ever gotten salmonella from eating it. However, if that’s a concern for you, just leave the eggs out.)

IT’S SNOW COOL SNOW ICE CREAM
2 cans evaporated milk or 1 can evap and 1 can sweetened condensed
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1-2 Tablespoons vanilla
3 well beaten eggs
1 large pan of snow (maybe 2 gallons worth)
Beat the sugar and eggs with a mixer. Add milk. Then stir in the snow and eat it up right away–like you’d do anything else with it!

I love how God allows us to see Him in everything. I love how He gives us opportunities as moms to help our kids find Him in places they might not expect, and I love how He takes somewhat ordinary things, like snow and makes them into something extraordinary, like snow ice cream!!

Mama Mia–That’s snow cool!

Da Bears!–Freaky Friday

22 Feb 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in Freaky Fridays, God's Word Tags: , , ,

yellowstone-grizzly-bear-attack-fatality

Let me say from the start this post has nothing to do with the Chicago Bears.

Rather, what follows is one of my favorite stories to teach at camp. Most kids don’t know this story, so it kind of freaks them out while at the same time I get to emphasize the importance of respecting your Bible teacher–me! Okay, that’s not the real point, but it’s kind of fun to tell campers that if they don’t treat you with respect, bears might come out at night at eat them!

Along time ago, in Bible lands far, far away there was a prophet named Elijah. He spoke to the people for God, warning them to stop sinning and return to following Him. Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire. (Probably a future freaky blog post!)

And this is where our story begins.
(Disclaimer: This is an Elisha and the Two Bears, not a Goldilocks and the Three Bears Kind of Story)

After EliJAH goes up to heaven, EliSHA takes his place. After healing some water with a little salt, (yet, another freaky story) Elisha heads up to the town of Bethel where, while walking along the road, he encounters some youths who come from the town and begin to make fun of him.

“Go on up, you old bald head! Go on up you old bald head!” They shout. (Da harsh words!)

Upon hearing them, Elisha turns around, looks at them and calls down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. (Da Man!)

Then two bears come out of the woods and maul forty-two of the youths. (Da Yikes!)

And Elisha goes on to Mount Carmel and from there returns to Samaria. (I always imagine him whistling as he walks for some reason, but oh well!)

Da End.

Well, not really. This is truly another one of those, “WAIT! WHAT! HOLD ON!” kind of Biblical accounts. I mean, seriously, what in the world? Mock someone and bears maul you? There would be a serious decline in mockery if this was the case.

The fact remains here though that Elisha was no ordinary guy to be mocking. Elisha was a prophet of God. No, he was the prophet of God. He was the guy with the double measure of Elijah’s power. He was the voice of God, Himself to the people.

And that is why they didn’t like him. He was calling them out on their sin, and they didn’t want to hear it. They didn’t want to repent. They didn’t think they needed to repent, and apparently, they didn’t like bald men. (Most likely because long hair for men back then was a really big deal.)

Still. Mauling bears. Seems a little intense. Unless you remember that these are God’s people–even though they are young–who entered into a covenant relationship with Him, promising to follow and obey, but failing to do so. God’s warnings to them from the prophets have been that if they continue is disobedience there would be judgment coming. If they would return to Him, keeping their promises, there would be blessings. But if not, curses.

Honestly, after an event like this one, the people of Elisha’s day should have “bearly” failed to miss God’s point!!! Yet, they did. So judgment came, captivity followed, and restoration completed the promises of God towards His people at that time. All of which remind me of the times we live in now, the warnings God is sending and His promises yet to be fulfilled.

And that’s the story of Elisha and the Two Bears.
Da End

When the Storms Come–Tiny Tot Tuesday

19 Feb 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Kidmin, Parenting, PreK Kidmin, Tiny Tot Tuesday Tags: , , ,

jesus calms the storm1

The weather has been crazy around here lately. It’s the Midwest. It’s February, so crazy is normal. It was in the 50′s on Sunday, and by Monday night we were in the midst of what we call “thunder snow.” (When it rains, why don’t we call it “thunder rain”? I dunno either!!) Now, today it’s “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day windy.” Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and clear. But Thursday we are under a possible blizzard watch.

Storms can come on suddenly and are often very scary things for toddlers and preschoolers. Wind, thunder, lightning, ice and snow can be exciting, but fear inducing. Even if you don’t live in an area of the country with extreme weather, we see the effects of storms on T.V. all the time.

Mark 4:35-41 is where we find the Bible lesson where Jesus calms the storm. I love sharing it with children because it helps remind little ones that they can trust Jesus when storms come. (It also helps remind us bigger ones of the same truth!) From this account, we can show our tiny tots that it’s okay to be afraid sometimes. Jesus’ friends had a good reason to be afraid. Storms can be scary. But we don’t want to be so afraid that we stop trusting God and forget who Jesus is.

I love the craft shown above. I found it at http://www.alljoinin.blogspot.com It can be easily made from things you have lying around the house which makes it a great “to-do” on your next stormy day at home, or if you are on a tight budget at your church. If you don’t have colored paper, just color your own. No craft sticks? Fold up some paper and make a paper stick. No paper? Ok, well you might be in trouble there!!

To make the craft:
Place a fold at the top of your paper and draw a stormy sky on the back of the fold. Then draw a sunny sky on the inside side of the paper. Make a boat out of shapes, using a craft stick as the mast. Be sure to attach the “water” only at the sides of your main sheet of paper. Then you can float your boat across stormy or calm seas depending on which flap of the paper you have showing.

jesus calms the storm2

Jesus calmed the storm for the disciples. But, there was still a storm. Jesus will calm our storms, too. But more importantly, because He is God, He can give us peace during the storm, and that is a truth we need to be planting deep inside the hearts of our children now before bigger storms come their way.

I think you will also love the song “Always There” from http://www.amberskyrecords.com to play along as you share this lesson with your children. It’s an absolute favorite of our Lil HiSKidZ and their families. In fact, our student helpers love it, too! The chorus includes these powerful little lyrics:

“When I am afraid, I’ll trust in you to help me be brave. And when I am scared I know that you are always there.

If you share this story and make this craft with your tiny tots, I’d love to see your finished products! I’ll be posting mine soon.

“Altar-ing” My Outlook–Taste and See Sunday

17 Feb 2013 Leave a Comment

by whosthefarris in God's Word, Taste and See Sunday Tags: , , ,

Grilled_Bratwurst-2

The inspiration for today’s Taste and See Sunday post actually came from Saturday. Yesterday was a chilly February day, but it was also clear and bright. We had some company staying with us and decided to grill out. There’s nothing like brats on the grill to stir up some major flame action, and somehow grilling made me think of burnt offerings. Then, burnt offerings made me think of the Old Testament. The Old Testament made me think of the law. The law made me think of grace, and grace made me think of sacrifice–which made me think of burnt offerings again, and the Taste and See topic was decided!

Somehow, (okay, God-how) our bratwurst made me remember the burnt offerings of men like Noah, Abraham, Moses and Aaron. There were burnt offerings laid up on the altar weekly, monthly, at Passover, the Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, dedication of the Temple, and more. Burnt offerings symbolized the total dedication of an offering to God. In being burnt up in the fire, there was nothing left to be used for anything else but for Him.

If I understand this right, the Hebrew word that is used for the term burnt offering is pronounced “oh-law” and means ascending, like in smoke going upwards toward God. So as an offering was made, the smoke went upwards, a pleasing aroma to God. Pretty cool!

Without getting too deep into things, let’s just make the quick jump from the law of “having” to make offerings because God commanded it, to “choosing” to make ourselves an offering because of what Christ has done for us.

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When I offer myself as a living sacrifice, then, like a burnt offering, there is nothing left to offer to the world. And if there is nothing left to offer to the world, I can no longer be transformed by it, but only by the power of God. When I feely choose to lay myself upon the altar, I am now “altar-ing” my outlook, not just “altering” my outlook, because I put to death the thoughts and actions that are not in agreement with the Spirit, living instead for those things that are of Him.

A concept we might even call “mind altar-ing“! Taste and See–The Lord is good, indeed!

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