Category Archives: Motherhood

Control Yourself

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Chaos is all around us: scandals in the pulpit and throughout the pews, political unrest around the world stews, educational systems failing and folks bailing from the faith. But we don’t have to look to systems to see this; chaos meets us on our own streets with gang-banging activity (even in the suburbs), rampant drug use, bucked rolling eyes and children who otherwise despise and disrespect their parents. Yes, these unruly children may even belong to us. We can help our children abandon the chaos and prevent others from creating it when we emphasize their need for self control.

I’m not advocating hollering “Boy, you better control yo’self” while jerking the child to you or slapping an older child who you find too big to physically rule. I’m talking about systematically instituting external measures that will help shift their internal system for change that lasts well beyond the days of correcting a single offense. Getting a real handle on the self can revolutionize lives. Read the rest at EEW Magazine.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#301-310
For toothpaste to clean my teeth
No having to pay to park
A Blue Nile gift certificate that we used for dinner
Indigestion relief
Joshua telling me I’m the best mom in the world
Flynn remembering that I needed and buying me beets
Flynn getting carryout
A nice article on Nichole’s t-shirts
Loving children who love to show affection
Janice showing me what it means to be a loving mom

The Word vs. The World

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Last summer at a children’s birthday party my three-year-old son pretended to be a pirate along with the five-year-old honoree and a gang of other children. The birthday boy and my son really like each other and play well together when they get the chance, but this was not our usual crowd. Earlier this year I had helped the mother with one of her community projects and had babysat her son a few times. I was drawn to helping this single woman any way that I could, including praying daily for her salvation. I didn’t want to miss the party, so I dressed Nathaniel in a pirate’s outfit and suited myself with the armor of God, not knowing what conversations I would encounter.

Two very warm women—a Muslim and a follower of what she calls “oneness”—found their way to me and we talked about marriage. The Muslim was divorced and the other woman a predetermined…Read the rest at EEW Magazine along with other great columns from my sister writers and a host of other articles that I thank God for.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#281-290
Nate and Justus laying on, hugging and kissing me when I was sad about not being able to attend the retreat
God bringing me swiftly out of my funk by reminding me that I will get what I’m supposed to get
Packing for five and only forgetting a few items
The Christian Education staff for our gift of an overnight stay at the Doubletree Suites Hotel
Alone time with Flynn
Jazz at Cliff Bell’s
Being shuttled to Cliff Bell’s and not having to drive
A comfy hotel
Pleasant front desk staff
Laughter with Flynn

Raising Children of Virtue

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Photo courtesy of Sherwood Pictures Ministry, Inc. from the movie "Courageous"

My heart was simply thrilled when I saw “Courageous,” the new blockbuster Christian feature film that chronicles the lives of five men and their challenge to be courageous. Though this movie centers on men, the women and children in their lives learn just what courageous should look like by witnessing their husbands and fathers. Watching “Courageous” made me think of the seven qualities of a strong believer in 2 Peter 1 and how modeling may be our strongest weapon in helping our children achieve for themselves virtue, the first quality in the list.

The definition of virtue in 2 Peter 1:5 is “courage, fortitude, resolution” and many people, including youths, lack this. Though some are born with virtue, others aren’t, so this is something we must teach or cultivate in our children so they will stand firm on God’s word. They need virtue in our day where everything seems relative, children are largely indifferent and social media helps develop and destroy trends and friends with lightening speed. Read the rest at EEW Magazine.

Envy Drama

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

God has blessed me with some great girlfriends. I told you last week that I have friends I can call without hesitation and know they will rejoice with me when I rejoice. For the most part I have evaded the drama that some women friendships bring. There was one major exception to this when I was in college. I had a friend who decided she wanted my life. She stole my organizational ideas, copied my style of dress, flirted with my boyfriend and talked about me behind my back. You know I was in full blown strong black woman mode then so when she kissed my boyfriend as close to his mouth as she could without kissing him on his lips in front of me, you know I didn’t stand idly by. I didn’t hit her, but let’s just say she and most of campus knew that I thought she was an envious backstabber trying to snatch my life.

This Lifetime movie drama just doesn’t happen. More often than not, I believe, envy seeds get planted early in a girl’s life and without the proper tools to dig up the roots that take hold, these little girls grow up to be hateful, covetous women. Click here to read my latest EEW Magazine column about how we can help our children (and even ourselves) deal with envy. What have been your experiences with envy? How have you handled them? Yes, as always, I want to know, “What do you think?”

Mothering Mess?: Octomom and Other Thoughts

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What Do You Think? Wednesday

Motherhood is definitely an evolutionary process. I wrote about an aspect of my own journey on Monday (). Whether we give physical birth or nurture others’ children, all Christian women are called to motherhood (Titus 2:3-5), and it is no joke. My own experience helps me keep my stones for myself. Even with that in mind, I’m curious about what you think about Friday’s Today Show appearance of the Octomom, Nadya Suleman, the single mother of 14 children, including octuplets. One of my Facebook friends said as she was watching the show she thought about “taking an ax to my uterus.” If you missed the show, you can see some footage below. After you watch, what’s your reaction? What do you believe your response, as a Christian called to motherhood, should be about Suleman’s mothering and even your own? Please, let me know what YOU think.