Tuesdays For Timothy Moms- The Last Challenge

Sorry for the lateness of theTFTM's posts! Yesterday I was unable to post at all but had in mind posting the last Deuteronomy 6:6-7 challenge...so, we'll do that today! :) You can either write a post about your thoughts concerning what I've written here for TFTM's and leave a link in Mr. Linky. Or you can post at a later time what you did for this last Challenge. Or you can just leave your comments if you'd like.

As I was thinking about it yesterday and this morning- what this "challenge" is in Deuteronomy 6 for me as a mom I keep coming back to modeling. I keep seeing this in neon when I read the verses, "YOU shall love the Lord YOUR God with all YOUR heart, with all YOUR soul, and with all YOUR strength. And these words which I command YOU today shall be in YOUR heart..." YOU, ME, is the emphasis in this command of God to teach our kids. The focus isn't really our kids, it's us! Why? Because our kids will imitate us. Our love for the Lord will be their inspiration, or lack of it, drawing them to Christ for themselves.

I like the way Chip Ingram put it in a message series called House or Home- Is There A Parent In The House part 1?

"...the best thing is not a to-do list about all the activities you need to do with your kids. Or about how your going to change your family devotions. If you are not the person you want your kids to become, the greatest gift and the greatest stewardship you could perform right now is to look in the mirror and say, ' If there's anything in my life that I wouldn't want my kids to imitate, OH God! lets go to work on that together RIGHT NOW!

Let me play it differently for you, ok, cause I think as parents we should do this. Imagine if you will, I've got my living room- little family room- here's the couch. Ok. I'm asking my kids to walk into the room, regardless of the age, ok. For me it's four, 1, 2, 3, 4. I get em all lined up. I'm the parent...But I sit in the chair right across from em and I look em all in the eye. And I say...

"Okay gang. Um, I'm your parent. I believe you're a gift from God. And I believe probably the biggest job I have on this planet is this sacred stewardship, so are you ready? However you see me drive, that's how I want you to drive. However you see me use my money, that's how I want you to use your money. I want you to give like I give. I want you to save like I save. And I want you to make wise purchases the way you see me do it. Whenever you see me get cut off in traffic, or something that really offends me, I want you to respond in the same way that I respond with my anger. I want you to spend the same kind of time in the Bible that you see me in my time in the Bible. I want you to have the same passion for Christ and care for our neighbors that you see in me. I want you to never put anything in your mind that you don't see me put in my mind. And the things that I say, I don't want to watch or look at I don't want you to, too. Imitate me and if you do, your life will go well."

And parents I want tell you straight up! If you can't say that, you'd better address it. BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THAT TALK. THEY WILL IMITATE YOU! And they'll imitate not just your actions, but your attitudes, your faith, what's in your heart, your motives. And that's why the target has to get on the wall, and then you need to understand the teacher, primarily is you!"

Wow! Stab to the heart! I pray you don't take the line of bull the enemy wants to feed you right now and get defensive and shun this admonition from the Lord by saying, "That's rediculous! I'm only human. I can't be perfect. I can't do that!" The whole point of God putting this responsibility on us as parents is to cause us to fall at the feet of Jesus and let His mercy and grace and His love for us transform us. Doing this should cause us to be real before our kids and real before the Lord, not trying to do only what we know we can do, but realizing all that WE can do is nothing apart from Christ and that with Him we can do all things...even model a life of worship and obedience to Christ to our kids that will be key in teaching them the ways of the Lord that we desire for them to walk in.

The Lord doesn't want us to expect anything of our kids that we aren't willing to obey ourselves, and that doesn't mean He wants us to lower His standards and make it anything goes in our houses. He wants us to walk by faith, not by our own strength and He wants us to model that life of faith in Christ, a life that grows in grace and is repentant and seeks mercy and shows mercy to our kids.

So the last challenge is to look in the mirror of God's word, get on our knees and seek for God to expose to us areas He wants us to get rid of that we might be better models of faith for our kids. Seek the Lord on this. Get in a quiet place, even if it means locking yourself in the bathroom, (bring your Bible with you, along with a paper and pen) and read Psalm 139, and Psalm 127, or whatever scripture you may feel led to read. And cry out to the Lord, seek His face. Pray and see if there's anything He'd reveal to you that you need to deal with that you might let some of that salt that you are out into your kids' lives so that they might thirst for YOUR God!

I know for me as I've done this the Lord points out my lack of patience and quickness to become angry and frustrated with my kids' kid-ness. The other day, as I was sooooooo frustrated with the same pattern of getting in the car, playing, not getting their seatbelts on, me saying, "Boys, get your seatbelts on," them not doing it, acting like I said nothing, continuing to play...I was grinding my teeth. Aaaar! I stopped and prayed, "Lord. You live in me. You're patient. There's no reason why I cannot be patient right now! I could be angry and frustrated and bark at them and grind my teeth, or I could be patient and continue training them again the procedure for getting in the car." Just stopping to do that made the world of difference. But what really got me was a couple days later when I heard my older child sounding just like me, frustrated and irritated at his younger brother for being slower and more childish in the thing he wanted to do in his "big" 5 year old way. My kids are imitating me! May the Lord deal with me!

Lord, help us! The enemy seeks to destroy the sacred stewardship you've entrusted to us in our kids and our flesh is dead weight...completely week and unable to assist in anyway...it's just there dragging us down. Help us to walk by faith and, "... let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is is set before us." I pray for myself and any mom who reads this Lord, that you would give us resolve to believe that You have not called us to an impossible task without equipping us with divine strength. You said you've given us everything we need for life and godliness...let us step out to obey you as parents and take up the challenge of being good stewards of the sacred lives you've entrusted to us. Deal with us Lord. Search us and know us. See if there be any wicked way in US and lead us in the way everlasting.

Prayerfully

~Sheila~

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms- Sick days

Today's a sick day in our house. My 3 year old went to bed with diarrhea and woke up 3 times in the night vomiting. This morning I found myself on the floor in the living room on a pallate of blankets with my little sick one surrounded by the smell of vomit. The couch cannot be sat on, since all the cushions are being washed of the barfies. And there's a pile of upholstery and linens along with pillows to be washed. Oh and there's also that big splatter stain in the middle of the living room...bring out the steam cleaner!

So as I got up I thought, "Now here's one of those clear opportunities to be a Timothy Mom. To labor in love, to lay aside my plans and agenda and just minister unto the Lord in vomit clean up, sips of cool water, and lots of snuggles!"

So if you'd like to join in with the Timothy Moms posts this week the question to answer or ponder in your post is:

How do you minister Christ's love to your children when they're sick? Consider this passage:

Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great. -Luke 9:48

Just be sure to put the link to your TFTM's post in the Mr. Linky below, or leave a comment if you'd rather!

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms: Hebrews 12:7-11

Discipline and teaching our kids to believe our words and obey them is a theme I'm learning to hear God's way and learning to implement God's way.

This scripture comes to mind:

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:7-11)

What are your meditations on this verse?

I look forward to hearing from you Timothy Moms! Remember to leave a link to your TFTM's post on Mr. Linky below.

I'm praying for our kids and for us as we seek to lead them to Christ!

~Sheila~

No Tuesdays For Timothy Moms today

I'm away today soaking up the Word. That's a good thing for a Timothy Mom to do ;)

So there will be no TFTM's post today.

I pray you will also take the time you may have spent posting your thoughts here to go pick up your Bible and prayerfully soak up the Word for yourself.

Be diligent!

Sheila

Timothy Moms Tuesday

My answer to the TFTM's question today is in the question itself. The word of God that has really grabbed me as though the LORD were COMMANDING it to me lately has been Deuteronomy 6:6-7!

Two things "command" me in these verses, at least right now:

1. I need to be doing personal Bible study and listening for the words the Spirit would command me that day or in that season.

2. I can't teach God's word to my kids diligently if the Word's not already been impressed to me and is in my own heart.

For me, obeying what these verses say in teaching my kids what God is writing on my heart as I read HIS word, means I find myself telling them, "You know what Jesus has been teaching me boys....that I need to be teaching you!" I don't know if it sinks in or not, but I'm praying that the life that follows my words will be a model they can follow which leads them to Christ. And I'm also praying that my words, when out of frustration or fatigue, or just plain ole' seflish me, don't muddy the waters for them. I know I just need to be quick to repent to my kids. I must often get down on my knees and look into my boys' eyes and say, "I'm sorry son. That was wrong what I just did or said."

I'm praying for us mommas and for our kids as we seek to lead them to Christ!

Sheila

Tuesdays for Timothy Moms: A question

Since this week began the Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Challenge (go here to participate and post your Challenge post link) I've been thinking and praying a lot about what it looks like to apply Deuteronomy 6:6-7 to my own life. So the question to answer in your blog post this week is:

What of God's word has really spoken to you lately? Is there a verse or section of scripture that you heard or read recently that really grabbed you, something that you'd say were words God was commanding YOU (like Deut.6:6 says)? If there is a verse or passage, how can you talk of it with your kids (or grandkids), at whatever ages they are right now?

Be sure to post the link to your TFTM's post below in the Mr. Linky box.

I'm praying for us mommas and our kids as we seek to lead them to Christ!

Sheila

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms: Elisabeth Elliot quote

All I've got to say is: TESTED!

Today being Tuesdays for Timothy Moms here- a time for me, and anyone who wants to join in, to share our hearts on certain scriptures, quotes or questions that pertain to being a mom who aims to teach her children the scriptures and model a life of faith to her kids- I was tested in the exact area our quote pertained to- the glory of dying to self as a mom.

My modem died today. I ran out of coffee. My computer- which I use to play music CD's- stopped working. My neighbor asked if I could watch her girls so she could have a nice anniversary date with her children. And I was laden with a headache, a grumpy attitude, and frustration.

The Lord tested and exposed SOME of the dross in me today that He desires to burn away.

I'll have to share more with you tomorrow- if I have a computer :).

But for now, I just want to say, "Thank you Lord for being faithful to the process of conforming me to the image of your Son. I give you my will! Have YOUR way with me Lord!"

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms: Elisabeth Elliot quote

I read an AMAZING article by Elisabeth Elliot over at Gathering Grace this week. Today's quote to ponder and share your thoughts on is from the article:

The routines of housework and of mothering may be seen as a kind of death, and it is appropriate that they should be, for they offer the chance, day after day, to lay down one's life for others. Then they are no longer routines. By being done with love and offered up to God with praise, they are thereby hallowed as the vessels of the tabernacle were hallowed--not because they were different from other vessels in quality or function, but because they were offered to God. A mother's part in sustaining the life of her children and making it pleasant and comfortable is no triviality. It calls for self-sacrifice and humility, but it is the route, as was the humiliation of Jesus, to glory...It is a spiritual principle as far removed from what the world tells us as heaven is removed from hell: If you are willing to lose your life, you'll find it...

And be sure to come back next Monday! Timothy Moms will be hosting a weekly challenge- The Deuteronomy 6:6-7 challenge. Click here for more info.

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms: Psalm 144

I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword. Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood-- That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style; That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; That our oxen may be well-laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord! ~Psalm 144

What strikes me about this verse right off is the confidence David places in the effect his genuine worship of God will have on his children.

"I will sing a new song to You, O God...That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style."

David's choosing to worship God, trusting that God will deliver him and his houselhold from the influence of the lies of the world- "foreigners."

Often times I can get fearful about what the world's influence will be on children's lives, but in this verse I see the power over that influence my life of worship has on the outcome of my children's lives. Once they are grown, they of course, must make their own choice to obey the gospel of faith in Jesus, but while they are "in their youth," our lives of worship establish a foundation of who are sons and daughters are created to be by the Lord. Their roots are planted and their strength is formed.

What Sally Clarkson writes in her Mission of Motherhood book is true:

"In a sense, I give my children their best theological education by seeking to really know and love God in my own life and living my life out before my children."

Father, help me to keep my eyes on You! Help me not to try to make my sons "plants grown up in their youth" in my own efforts, but just to sing a new song to You with my life. To do all I do out of a response of adoration of You Jesus.

To post your insights on this verse go to Tuesday For Timothy Moms.

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms 5/13

I will sing a new song to You, O God; On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You, The One who gives salvation to kings, Who delivers David His servant From the deadly sword. Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood-- That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style; That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; That our oxen may be well-laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord! ~Psalm 144:9-15

Today's question, quote or scripture for Tuesdays For Timothy Moms is from Psalm 144. Post on your blog your meditations on this verse. What do you see in this verse that speaks to you as a mom concerning the future of your children?

Be sure to post the link to your post on Mr. Linky below. And do leave a comment! :) Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms: Andrew Murray quote

This week at TFTM's just post your thoughts about the quote below on your blog. Then post the link to your post here with the Mr. Linky below. BE SURE TO LEAVE A COMMENT TOO!

Abide in Christ, and let your children feel that to be near you is to be near Christ. ~ from How to Raise your Children for Christ by Andrew Murray.

Shepherdess to Five Lambs, So Far quoted this on her blog. I was really touched by it. I thought it was really the summary instruction for being a Timothy Mom.

Here are my thoughts:

I need to get that book!

This is my constant prayer daily, "Lord how do I best lead my children to You?" His answer continues to be the same and two-fold: "Worship Me and let them see you living out your faith in Me, and give them my Word, letting it convict them of sin and bring them to Jesus for salvation."

I can't just teach my children to Jesus, I also must love Him before my kids, and like this quote from Andrew Murray, if I abide in Christ, in His word, and let my kids be with me and around me as I do so, they will feel as though their are near Christ- somehow, by His grace!

Oh Lord help me to live a life before my children that says to them, "Follow me as I follow Christ."

Learning from other memes

Since I'm new to the blogging world and new to the best way to put on a meme, I'm always learning from other peoples posts.

Today, over at the Internet Cafe, I participated in the Cafe Chat meme. Every Saturday (today being the first) they'll post a question for you to answer on your blog and share on their meme. I thought that was a great idea and a good way for me to get away from so much wordiness and sometimes heavy posts on my weekly Tuesdays For Timothy Moms meme.

So if you'd like to join other like-minded moms for some encouragement in your ministry as a mom to your children come back here on Tuesdays. Starting next Tuesday you'll find a question or a quote that pertains to discipling our children in Christ. Just post your answer or thoughts in response to the weekly question or quote and link up with us at Timothy Moms!

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms: Prayers and prayer requests

This week TFTM's theme is prayers and prayer requests. Post on your blog a prayer for your children and/or a request for prayer in an area of mothering and discipling your kids. You can save the TFTM's picture to your post and be sure to come back here and post the URL to your post in the Mr. Linky window. And be sure to leave a comment too!

This week I'm going to put out a request for your prayers in regards to my dealings with my older child particularly. He's a very strong willed boy and he tests me more than the other. I love him dearly, obviously, and see him as created in the image of God and know God has good purposes and plans for him, but I struggle, mostly out of exhaustion to know how to address the MANY things he challenges me on.

I'm just praying for wisdom in how to address each challenge- each time he confronts my authority in his life and wills to wear it down with his many fits, fights, screams, tantrums, shouts...etc. I just want to stay calm and not take it personally, but just persist to show him who the parent is and show him love as I do so.

I'm praying for you all too. I know mothering is exhausting and seeking to train our children in the Lord and teach them a scriptures often just puts us in the enemies target zone for an onslaught of tests, temptations and doubts. I pray we would draw close to the Lord and not seek to parent in our own strength.

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:6-11

Tuesdays for Timothy Moms- LATE!

Well, my computer's been down so I wasn't able to get today's post up for TfTM's, but I can't just use that as an excuse, since the computer's been up and running today, and it's just now that it hit me, "Today's Tuesday! That's right! I started a WEEKLY meme! Get with the program Sheila!"

So I intended to go MUCH shorter and sweeter an simpler this week as opposed to last weeks lead balloon start with writing a creed. This week just post about a recent "teachable moment" you had with your kids concerning God's word. It can be a short (or long) narrative or a picture or two or three.

Here's mine:

I made little wordless haggadas for the kids, with clip art of each part of the seder.

We're studying Passover this month, Sunday evening we had our Passover dinner with friends here at the house. My boys were soooooo excited about it! The older one especially kept announcing to everyone- daddy, neighbor kids playing in the street with him, pedestrians walking by our front yard...everybody, "We're having a big feast! It's our passover!" What struck me was how God knows best how His kids learn...how ANY kids learn. The seemingly dry regulations for an annual observance of Passover for the Israelites in Exodus 12 and 13 is really the Daddy of all daddies setting up a special day, with special activities to help his kids remember and ENJOY learning and remembering His plan for redemption.

The kids singing and dancing to Dayenu (by Jill Moskowitz) and Nothing but the Blood (by Jars of Clay) after our seder dinner. Sooooo sweet!

Father knows best! While I'm seeking to plant God's word in my kids' hearts and often times struggling to know how best to go about doing that, my heavenly Father has the lesson plans and field trips already written out in His word. And He knows as a parent, I'm learning how to be a parent as I go. He doesn't expect me to have all the answers. He has them all. By equipping me with His word to use in training my sons, He's given me the material and the activities that will help them ask the questions that He has the answers to, and the teacher is learning as much or more than the students as we use His curriculum.

Here's some pictures of our "spring cleaning" while we continue the Passover week study with the Unleavened bread week. We made some unleavened cornbread and flat wheat bread. The boys really like it.

If you want to post a Tuesdays for Timothy Moms post on your blog about a recent teachable moment you had with your kids concerning God's word and link up here I'd love to have you! Just copy and paste the URL from your blog post to the Mr. Linky window below. And be sure to leave a comment!

Next week at Tuesdays for Timothy Moms: A prayer for your kids.

Try again next week

Well the first week of Tuesdays for Timothy Moms did get off the ground, but that's ok. I did get emails from some of you who don't have up and running blogs, who didn't know what a meme is(I didn't know what one was without investigation either) but were interested in being a part of the meme. Thanks for emailing me and I hope you'll come back next week!

I plan to keep going with Tuesdays for Timothy Moms, so, if your a mom looking for a place to get together on the web once a week with other like minded moms who desire to live a life of genuine faith before their children and teach them God's word, come on over here every Tuesday and link up with your T-mom post on your blog.

To learn more about TFTM's go here. To learn more about what it means to be a Timothy Mom go here. To learn more about Mr. Linky and how to link up your post on another person's blog meme go here.

I think my meme theme was a bit heavy for starting a meme yesterday, so next week we'll lighten it up a bit. Come back next week to post about one of your most memorable teachable moments with your kids.

It could be a picture you took of them getting into something or doing something which turned into a conversation about something in God's word.

Or it could be a quote of something they said (I especially like the young kid quotes written in the phonics they spoke it...so cute to read things like, "It mist-da-peered mom!"- translation, "It disappeared mom!")

So plan your post, post and then link up with us here at Tuesdays for Timothy Moms next Tuesday for Memorable Teachable Moments.

Tuesdays For Timothy Moms: Write a creed

Today's the first day of Tuesdays for Timothy Moms! I thought a great way to start this weekly meme would be to write a creed. No this isn't a secret society or club. What I'm thinking here is more along the lines of a scriptural declaration of our individual stands as moms for our children to know Christ.

Writing a creed, vision, plan, declaration...whatever you want to call it is not new, and it's scriptural.

The Apostles creed apparently dates back to early church history. The Nicene's declared their creed. And throughout scripture there are many examples of verbally declaring or writing down plans, purposes and visions that a person has in setting out to live a life of faith.

Habakkuk was told by the Lord to, "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it." (Habakkuk 2:2)

Joshua declared, "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

Even Jesus declared, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

In all these cases there was a decision, a turning point, a crossroads before the person making the "creed" or declaration, and there was also spiritually a stand that was taken. That's what I'm setting out to do today and hopefully you'll join me.

The scriptures clearly show God's heart for children and His design in placing the responsibility and calling of teaching God's word to our kids and evidencing it's truth by living a life of faith before them.

"The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deut.6:4-9)

"And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the Lord swore to your fathers, to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has spoken. "When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?' then you shall say to your son..." (Deut. 6:18-20a)

"And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4)

It's easy to let life consume our time and without plan, purpose and taking steps to pin down time praying and reading and singing and talking together the ripe opportunity to be a laborer in the harvest of our own kids can slip between the cracks.

Church isn't enough. So what's your plan mom?!

If you're kids are grown and gone- what about your grandkids? Or what truth did you stand on and plan of action did you take to be sure to plant the word in your kids?

Here's the Timothy mom creed I've written and refer to often in praying and go through my days with my two sons:

• I believe God's word is a sure investment in eternity when planted in my children's hearts. It's sure to bring about God's purposes and not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:8-11).


• I believe my role is to preserve a tender place for the Spirit of God to work in their hearts and to induce thirst by being salt to my children (Matthew 5:13-16). To cause them to ask questions by living a life of obedience and faith (Deut.6:18-20). And to bring light to the lives of my children who are born into a dark world with a sinful nature (Matthew 5:13-16, Phil.2:15)


• I purpose to pray for my children's salvation, that God would grant them a godly sorrow that leads to true repentance and not allow religion to dull their consciences (2 Cor.7:10)


• I am obeying and carrying out the great commission Jesus has given to me in making my children disciples of Jesus Christ and by providing an environment where they can abide in His word, that is, hear the word and be taught it in every aspect of life (Matthew 28:19-20. John 8:31-32.)


• I seek to be a model of genuine faith (LORD help me!) in Christ to my children (2 Timothy 1:5). It is Christ who lives in me and who teaches my kids (Galatians 2:20. Isaiah 54:13) and who calls the little children to come to Him through me- let me not prevent them from coming in any way! (Matthew 19:13-15)


• I receive the Lord Himself into my life to a greater degree by receiving my children in Jesus' name or character and thereby become the "least" in people's eyes (even my own flesh) and become the greatest in the LORD's eyes (Luke 9:46-48)


• I will nurture and nurse my kids spiritually on the pure milk of the word which is able to make them wise for salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:14-15).


• I will labor for them in prayer and in daily life, pouring out my life and the gospel into them (Galatians 4:19, 1 Thessalonians 2:8-9).


• I will let God's word convict them of sin, be their tutor and guard, leading and keeping them to the point of faith (Galatians 3:22-25).

Now your "creed" doesn't need to be as long or with links like mine, it can be as simple as one verse or a sentence or two that is based on scriptural truths. Just post your Timothy mom creed on your blog and then copy the link to the Mr. Linky window below. Also, be sure to leave a comment!

If you'd like to learn more about Timothy moms and me go here.

Tuesdays for Timothy Moms meme guidelines

Ok, I've never done this, but here we go...

Starting tomorrow I'll be hosting Tuesdays for Timothy Moms with a Mr. Linky thingy :)

Every Tuesday I'll post on a particular subject concerning being a mom who teaches her kids God's word. Each week there will be a different theme. For instance: A word from the Word for your kids. Share a recent teachable moment. Resources you love to use. What works for you and your kids. Prayers for your kids, etc. At the bottom of my post will be a Mr. Linky thingy (a widget) to link up to your blog to this meme.

My heart here is to provide a place where we can encourage each other by opening up our own lives (as much as you can in a blog post) to each other. When we read each others posts I'm sure we'll be encouraged to keep pressing on in this labor of love to see Christ formed in our little ones.

Here's the guidelines:

• The post must be uplifting. That doesn't mean don't be honest. Sharing honestly our good, bad and ugly days, struggles or circumstances IS UPLIFTING! It just musn't be condemning towards others.


• The post should be concerning being a Timothy Mom (click here to learn more about that). In short that means the posts point should be to share something about the life of a mom who makes it her aim to teach her children God's word and live a life of genuine faith in Christ before them.


• This isn't exclusively a homeschool blog meme. Though, I do talk about homeschooling on this blog and many of the contributors here homeschool, I would love to have a mom who does not homeschool post here! So if you're a homeschooling mom, great, if not, that's great too! All are welcome. But if you are a homeschooling mom, please refrain from discussing curriculum in your post. The emphasis here is just teaching and modeling God's word to our kids.
• Please right click on the Tuesdays for Timothy Moms picture on this post and put it on your TFTM's post.
  
• And of course no foul language or filth will be tolerated here. Ephesians 4:29 is the rule, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may bring grace to the hearers."