Advice to moms of boys becoming men

1. Let your boys be strong. The world needs men that have the strength to lead,  protect and defend.

2. The way they treats their mom,  will be the way they treat their wife. The habits they create now, will be harder to break when they are older. 

3. Do not excuse their behavior (even when you feel they have been misunderstood). Let them learn 

to give reason and take responsibility for their actions.

4, Resist the temptation of answering for them when people asks them their age, grade, or why's or when's.

5. Give them space when they need it and take advantage of the times they are ready to talk. Sometimes happens while having ice cream at the local ice cream shop.

6. Talk with them often and ask for their advice. They have good things to say. Learn to listen.

7. If they are playing sports, don't ask of other kids to throw the ball at your child so he can play. 

Rather, teach you child that if he wants something, he must try, and fail before he becomes good at it. But do not let him be the pity of others. He must learn to ask for it himself.

8. After the age of 13, do not plan their play dates. If they want to have a friend over, teach them to  grab the phone and plan it themselves. If they do not do it, then teach them the importance of friends and that he needs to make it happen. But moms, PLEASE do not call other moms to invite the friend any more!

9. Let them play rough sometimes. They need that. Do not save them if they get hurt. Your baby will get hurt.

10. Let them make choices, that may push your limits. Talk about those choices. Ask their reasoning,..you will be surprised how sometimes you may change your view of the issue. Or at least answer with a: "hmm I will consider this. Let me think about it, I have never thought about it that way"

11. Summer?  = work! = get a job! , teach them to write a CV, , deliver as many as they can, to have interviews and be rejected.. They have the energy and the time. Being at home is not productive. Any money they make put it towards university, and a small portion they can spend. They need to know the value of saving money, working hard and keep busy.

12. Give them due dates for school and keep them. 

13.Teach them public speaking and debate. (Ideally, not you mom, but a formal class where he is accountable to others - Toast Masters is a great option, usually it runs for free or a very mall fee)

14. Teach them to cook, iron, and dress respectably. And learn to respect their own taste even if  its not that ideal look you may have envision for them when they were young.

15. Let them disagree with you (respectfully). 

16. Tech them hard work (not only physical but in all they do -  school, mowing the lawn, character building...). Think highly of them! But do not praise them simply for existing. Let them know that a good character, a manly one that it is now seldom found, it is of great worth.

17. Trust your husband, He is a guy! Let him have his own relationship with his children without you monitoring every step. Guys relate different. Get used to it! 

18. Start seeing them differently (it is a conscious act). He is not a baby. He has his own ideas, plans and desires. Respect them. In the private of your home as well as in public. They are building a reputation for themselves of strong sensitive individuals as they try to find themselves.

19. Laugh with them. Teach them that life is not that serious. But when they see you talking about their soul... they should know you are serious. And they must see now in your life the prayer life you taught them, the character you required, the struggle with the flesh, the hope in Christ!

20. Encourage them to have compassion for the needy. And explain what an honorable character means.. a character found in Christ.. Give them the opportunity to learn that honor. To work for it. So that it tastes glorious!

Running is more than exercise. Lessons that I learned from running with a coach are these:
                                 
1. Your mind will give up faster than your body. That is true in my life too. My mind will try to trick me into thinking I am too tired, that I can't do this anymore that the finish line is too far ahead. But just as my body can keep going if the coach runs beside me or someone cheers me on, I can run the race set before me if I listen not to my mind, but to what I have been trained to. The coach will run beside me and he will be saying: "keep going, you have been training for this, your body can do it". I have to remember in my daily life, I have been trained and I am being trained by a great coach. And He knows what I can do, I must trust Him.

2. There is a wonderful climbing wall beside the running track, and sometimes (OK, every time) as I run, I get distracted watching kids climb the wall. It looks so neat, and so fun!. Every time the coach passes by me, he yells: "Norma! keep your eyes in the track!, keep your time!" . How true this is in my daily life. I need my husband, children, friends, family to keep reminding me to keep my eyes not on the distractions of this world, but in the race I am running.  I can lose time, I can lose my pace, I can even hurt myself. But that reminder from my coach or my friend, is of great value. I need people beside me, that will keep encouraging me and others in this race.

3.Every race is temporal. It always finishes, yet every time I go, is a training process. I battle with my mind as I struggle with thoughts of doubt whether or not I can finish it. But the struggle is good. I need the push, I need the pain because I grow stronger with it. But it will finish one day, and I will have my final crown, my final rest.

4. After a long run, we are supposed to run very slow to recover... not walking.. it must be a slow shuffle. Today I decided to walk for a bit. WRONG! The coach passed by and asked if I was OK, I said yes, and then he said: Then why are you walking? That is the way I am in my spiritual life. I should be recovering in a way that I am still in that race, but sometimes I decide to walk. I walk and I lose focus. I walk and I need people beside me checking if I am OK and if I am, then I need to continue on that same attitude and not walk. I need someone who says: What are you learning lately? What is it that the Lord is working in you? Are you being faithful in your prayer? Are you keeping your eyes on heaven? And maybe run along with me for a while, when I am finding it hard.

5. How encouraging is to run with others! It is much easy than getting up and going on my own. The same is true of my spiritual race. It is easier to run the race when I know I am not alone. There are other Christians running with me. Not right beside me, but with the same purpose. I see some pass by faster than me, others are slower, but we are all running. And as we pass our fellow Christians or they pass us, the words of encouragement are heard: Keep it up!, Keep going! You can do it! Don't give up! The finish line is closer!

6. When I am running, I rely on my own mind and strength. But in my christian life, is even better, because I rely on One who is strong. Who gives me the strength I need to finish, and One who runs by my side every moment. And even when I slow down and when I get tired, He has promised never to leave me nor forsake me. When I run, I could quit and nothing happens, but in the race towards heaven, I cannot quit, not because I will lose my salvation or because I am strong and I can, on my own merit, continue. But because it is the Lord who gives me the strength to continue. And I cannot quit, because He will not let me do so. All I am asked is to not give in to the games of my mind, and bring every thought captive to His Word.

7. There is a time when you are running that you start running on lactic acid (not that I do that often... OK.... maybe I have never ran on acid), but I know people who run seriously, they do. I am not there yet. But the point is, sometimes it will be harder that others, and you keep running... you do not stop because is hard. Yo keep up, you run, you beat your own time, you work at it with sweat and tears. But never forgetting that He is the one giving you the strength.. you could not run if it was not because of Him.

8. The feeling after a hard workout, is great! To know that is finished! .... Can you imagine the feeling when we get to the finish line to our Father's arms? I know for sure that the rest will be sweet. And then, when I receive the Reward in exchange will be a glorious day! The Reward? Jesus! Jesus is our reward!

And this is some that I have learned so far, I am sure there is much more I will learn as I run the race.

MY LIFE PERFECT!?.....
O no!! you must be my FB friend!.

On line, I have an identity, which yes, is pretty perfect. I post only, the romantic things my dear husband does for me (to have a small bragging party), post pictures of myself that look casual (after they have been carefully selected, and if the person standing beside me does not look its best... O, so sorry, it will be chopped or even better, posted still).

Some wrinkles?... LOL (after they passed the photo shop department!, You know? I like to trick myself into thinking I am not aging).

I post every time I bake, just to show what an awesome home maker I am. I love posting the fancy meals I make... (while I am making them! .. yes I am multi task , aren't you?). 

Charity works? Of course I do many!!, I write about them as soon as I can! You should all know very discretely how awesome I am. (my neighbour is in some kind of need?... I had no idea!... but let me first, tell you how great we did on our great charity "event").

 How I love commenting on others on how amazing, wise, obedient,... my kids are! (even when "real" people think other wise.... BUT  online, I can pretend I have a functional family!)

 I am, (or at least appear) very educated, well, yes, of curse I learned about the latest news on FB because someone else posted it  it before me, so I just did the good old: copy and paste.

You want to know how organized I am? What amazing home school activities and projects we do?, How an awesome wife I am? How busy I CAN be?... O, it is easy!, just see my posts, they are a constant reminder of me!

O yes, in real life, I have just a few friends, people avoid me, not sure why ... but on FB... I am very popular!, I have close to 2,000 friends!

I love commenting on other peoples post just so I can tell you something about me... I love the FB person I am!

Want to meet me in person? O boy! are you sure? I am afraid you will meet others  around me that know me... my neighbours, my church members, my husband, my children!! you might be disappointed, but worst even... You may know who I really am!

.... How real this is for many... May we be the same on line and offline. I hope that people that meet me online and offline, will have the same opinion of me.

Invitation or Command?

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,” Christ declares in Matthew 11:28.

Is this an invitation of Christ? Well, only if you understand that an invitation from the King of kings comes as a command. An invitation to a birthday party of a friend you may accept or reject. An invitation from the Lord of heaven and earth is a command that you had better obey—or lose your life!

 It is, therefore, a command, without doubt. But it is couched in a way that, in the Lord’s command to come to Him with the burden of sin, He speaks tenderly and with infinite love, for He woos God’s elect to Him by sweet words. He knows how great the burden of the sin of His people can be. He knows how, crushed beneath their sin, they wonder whether God can possibly ever receive them. He knows that they are so ashamed that to come to Christ seems a boldness too great for an unworthy sinner.

 The words are calculated to give us courage, courage in Christ’s love for us, a love that is too great for us to comprehend. The Lord does not say to you and me, “Come to Me—or else.” His voice is not harsh and threatening. He comes in His love for poor, chastised, frightened sinners who know their sins make them unworthy even for Christ to take a quick glance in their direction. “Come to Me ... I fulfilled the law for you who cannot keep it. I will give you rest—rest in salvation by grace alone!” 

Prof. Hanko
                        

Matthew 25

                                                   

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

I love this passage of Scripture. I cannot read it without my mind going to that place. Without tears on my eyes and without that expectation of hearing the words of my Lord and my God. O, to be known by Him! To be blessed by the Creator of the world!

There are a few points that jump at me:

1. there is a kingdom prepared for His people before the creation of the world. Not for all, but for His people. Those who are blessed by the Father! What a beautiful picture of a perfect plan, of our names written in His book.

2. I find it interesting, how the righteous will ask: when did we do this Lord? (as if they don't remember, because they acted not for their own glory, but as a natural way to live...they lived out of what was in their hearts, so there was no record keeping of good deeds in their minds... but God recorded  those actions  in His book!). O precious Savior! May I forget what I do good and be reminded by You alone!

3. In contrast, the wicked, will say: when did we see you like that and did not help you? they did have a record of all their good deeds, they knew them and could "remind" the Holy God of their deeds. But they are not reminded of them. They acted also from what was in their hearts... their own glory!

O, to be known by God! Not that we know Him, but that He knows us!, not that we love Him, but that He loves us! what a blessed and sweet sound that will be, when we enter this kingdom of rest prepared for us before the foundation of the world.

My kindness shall not depart from thee (Is.54:10)

Lord, how is it that You can be so tender and indulgent to one so forgetful, so unworthy, so inexcusable as I am? And your answer is- 'My kindness, I have loved You with an everlasting love'. But Lord, I am a worse and greater sinner than I thought I was; every day reveals to me some hitherto undiscovered evil in my heart, which must be displeasing in Your sight. Again you say: 'My kindness, I have put away thy sin' But Lord, I have no power to do right, I cannot of myself even think a good thought, much less live that life of holiness which You command and require. And again You give me that sweet reply, 'My kindness, My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness' Oh! That I had a seraph's tongue to tell, or a pen dipped in praises of heaven to write, what his loving kindness and tender mercy have been to me!
Mrs. Spurgeon.

I am so blessed!

Halloween just passed, Christmas is coming, parties and dinners... and I see many women taking the opportunity to dress with provocative clothing, it brakes my heart. I am so incredible blessed to be surrounded by good friends who are sensitive enough to dress modestly all the time.

I am so blessed to be surrounded by friends and church family, that care for the sanctity of marriage, that respect and honor that purity. That love us so much that they would hate to be a stumbling block in our marriage. Those women who love my children enough to show a good example. Those women that love them enough to protect them from images hard to erase from their young brains.

I am so blessed. I can go with any of my close friends for dinner or a party and I can be confident that our time will be a good time because of the company and not because of the low cut dress I wear or the competition to see who gets the most looks from men.

I am so blessed to have young men in my family that cherish their minds so much as to look away even at a adds from stores that are too provocative (and they are everywhere!). And to walk away with hurt from seeing women who sell their bodies, not for money but for the simple momentary joy of a lustful look.

I am so blessed to have a God who knows what is best for our minds and He remind us in His Holy Word to renew our minds not conforming to the pattern of this world. I know this may seem foolishness to the world, but it is not foolishness! foolishness is to not see the beauty of sanctity!, There is so much more lasting joy in purity, there is no competitions on the better, the youngest, the one who had surgery, botox... nothing! you can love freely. You can go to a party and not be worried as to where to look. You can enjoy friends knowing that they care for you and you for them. You can be who you are, you can learn to impress your husband by the beauty of character, a beauty that will last. You can encourage other women not to compete for sexiness or beauty, but for holiness, home makers, lovers of their husbands, children and lovers of God.

I am so blessed!