1 Corinthians 13 for Moms

(1 Corinthians 13 is traditionally known as the "love" chapter of the Bible, and is read at many weddings. I like how this anonymous author applied it to being a mom. I hope you enjoy it too!) 


I can read bedtime stories till the cow jumps over the moon and sing "Ten Little Monkeys" until I want to call the doctor--but if I don't have love, I'm as annoying as a ringing phone.

I can chase a naked toddler through the house while cooking dinner and listening to voice mail, I can fix the best cookies and Kool-Aid in the neighborhood, and I can tell a sick child's temperature with one touch of my finger, but if I don't have love, I am nothing.

Love is patient while watching and praying by the front window when it's 30 minutes past curfew.

Love is kind when my child says, "I don’t like you anymore!"

It does not envy the neighbors' swimming pool or their brand-new mini van, but trusts the Lord to provide every need.

Love does not brag when other parents share their disappointments and insecurities, and love rejoices when other families succeed.

It doesn't boast, even when I've multi-tasked all day long and my husband can't do more than one thing at a time.

Love is not rude when my spouse innocently asks, "What have you done today?"

It does not immediately seek after glory when we see talent in our children, but encourages them to get training and make wise choices.

It is not easily angered, even when my 15-year-old acts like the world revolves around her.

It does not delight in evil (is not self-righteous) when I remind my 17-year-old that he's going 83 in a 55-mph zone, but rejoices in the truth.

Love does not give up hope. It always protects our children's self-esteem and spirit, even while doling out discipline.

It always trusts God to protect our children when we cannot. It always perseveres, through blue nail polish, rolled eyes and crossed arms, messy rooms and sleepovers.

Love never fails. But where there are memories of thousands of diaper changes and painful labor(s), they will fade away.

Where there is talking back, it will (eventually) cease. (Please, Lord?)

Where there is a teenager who thinks she knows everything, there will one day be an adult who knows you did your best.

For we know we fail our children, and we pray they don't end up in or therapy, but when we get to heaven, our imperfect parenting will disappear.

(Thank you, Lord!)

When we were children, we needed a parent to love and protect us. Now that we're parents ourselves, we have a heavenly Father who adores, shelters us and holds us when we need to cry. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

(author unknown)

My New Year's Challenge to You: A Gratitude Journal

My New Year's Challenge to You: A Gratitude Journal

This article appeared in the January issue of the Nebraska Family Times. Even though the "official" day for resolutions--Jan. 1st--has passed, I challenge you to begin a Gratitude Journal. "Counting my blessings" every day helps me realize how truly blessed I am--and it will do the same for you. 

Here is my list from yesterday, Jan. 8th, 2012. 

1. Went to church with Morgan, heard a great sermon, and strengthened my faith with the Lord's Supper.

2. A nice afternoon nap. :-) 

3. Tim and Cody arrived in Denver safely (for the National Western Stock Show). 

4. Time with Morgan, just talking and being together. 

5. A walk outside--short, but great to get some fresh air. 

----------------------------

2012—A Year of Gratitude

by Shelly Burke, Editor

We are in the time of year in which gratitude and thankfulness are easy, with the focus on Thanksgiving and our Savior’s birth at Christmas. But what about the rest of the year? Are you as thankful every day throughout the year as you are during this season?

The Bible commands us to be thankful. Psalm 106:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 repeats the command, as does Psalm 136:1.  And God truly is good. He gives us the greatest blessings in life—eternal life through the death of His son. He also gives us our faith, family, friends, homes, and on and on.

The Bible also tells us we should be “always giving thanks…for everything”(Eph. 5:20) and we should “give thanks in all circumstances“(1 Thess. 5:18). Always” and “in all circumstances”—not just when we’re having a good day.

Obviously the biggest benefit of giving thanks is obeying and honoring our Lord. But there are other benefits as well.

• Research has shown that people who made a list of three to five things they were grateful for every day were more optimistic about the future and felt better about their lives overall than people who recorded daily hassles or negative happenings. Listing things daily resulted in a greater increase in gratitude than only doing so weekly.
•  Some research shows that feelings of thankfulness can help reduce stress; stress is linked with many illnesses, including heart disease.
• Grateful people are usually more optimistic than others, and some researchers say that being optimistic helps boost the immune system. This means that people who are thankful may become ill less often. A thankful attitude has also been linked to quicker recovery after surgery or when sick
• An “attitude of gratitude” has been linked to better sleep, a decrease in anxiety and depression, kinder behavior toward others, higher satisfaction with life in general, and overall better health.
• When we focus on gratitude, even for small things, our thinking shifts to being more positive in general.

 One of my goals for 2012 is to list 5 things I’m thankful for, every day. Will you join me in starting a “Gratitude Journal”?  Choose a notebook or journal, big or small, fancy or plain, and take a few minutes every day to jot down 3-5 things you’re thankful for. You could also make your list on your calendar. Your list can be in phrases, complete sentences, or even paragraphs. But keep it simple so you’ll find it easy to do every day.

If you would like, share part of your journal with me. Every month in 2012 I’ll be listing some of the things I am thankful for, and/or contributions from readers. Just e-mail me at shelly@shellyburke.net with what you are grateful for—it can be one thing or several.

I hope to hear from you in 2012! 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

WOW--I can't believe it's been a whole month since I've posted! Time flies when you're having fun! :-)

We've had a very good month! It was great to have everyone home at Christmas, at least for a few days. We enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Peace Lutheran Church in Columbus, NE. I'm all for "change" (when it's for the better) but I have to admit that one area in which I don't like much change is the Christmas Eve service, which I've attended for many years--with my "growing up" family and Tim and the kids. I have a lot of wonderful memories of that service--when Cody was just a few weeks old and at his first service he cried and cried and cried...I was in the cry room with him more than I was in church that Christmas Eve! And just a few days before Morgan was born we missed the service--doctor's orders--because I'd had a lot of problems with premature labor. Thankfully Morgan was born just fine--although several weeks early--on Dec. 28th of that year.

As usual the church was beautiful, the music was outstanding, the sermon was inspiring (Pastor Burma spoke from the perspective of the angel Gabrielle, who took the wonderful message to the shepherds) and everything made us more thankful for the amazing gift God gave us that night.

Morgan turned 18 during Christmas vacation. I'm often reminded of the words I heard first during a MOPS meeting many years ago; "The days may seem slow but the years go fast." They sure do! I share those words with all moms of young kids because I know how fast they go...I have treasured the days with both kids and pray that Tim and I taught them what they need to know--most of all the importance of their faith.

During the last few weeks several dear friends have gone to their heavenly home. Each of these ladies played a significant part in my life, and in the lives of so many around them. Two of them died before Christmas (one on Christmas Eve) and I know their first Christmas in heaven had to be fantastic--can you imagine singing Christmas carols with the heavenly choir and being with the Baby who was born that day? Another friend died just last week. She was a friend of the family and I don't remember NOT knowing her.

I went to the visitation of each of these ladies; they had all been sick for many months before they died. While of course there were tears at the memories, underlying those tears was joy in each family member--the joy of knowing their wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt--was in heaven, happy and healthy again, and the joy and certainty of knowing they would see that loved one again in heaven. Their faith was and will be an inspiration to many people for a very long time.

I'm excited to start 2012! One of my "writing" goals is to update Home is Where the Mom Is and make it downloadable, so people can get it via their computer. It will be fun to re-read the book that I count as one of my biggest accomplishments! I also plan to improve the Nebraska Family Times and do some more writing. I pray that the paper will continue to "inspire, encourage, and motivate you in your Christian walk," and I seek God's guidance in every issue I publish.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas as well! I pray that God will bless you and your families in 2012!

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Give a gift subscription and be entered to win Christian books and CD's and the grand prize of a Nook or Kindle--final drawing December 16th! To order, e-mail shelly@shellyburke.net with subscription information; you may pay by check (send to Nebraska Family Times, 42887 G. G. Road, Genoa, NE 68640 or PayPal to shelly@shellyburke.net). ORDER TODAY!  



This says it all!



WARNING……WARNING: ADVENT VIRUS

Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:

• A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
• An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
• A loss of interest in judging other people.
• A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
• A loss of interest in conflict.
• A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
• Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
• Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
• Frequent attacks of smiling.
• An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
• An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.

            Anonymous via e-mail

(Did you enjoy this article? More articles like it appear every month in the Nebraska Family Times newspaper. Subscribe to the paper, or give a gift subscription, and from now until Dec. 16th you'll be entered into drawings for Christian books and CD's and the grand prize of a Nook or Kindle e-reader! Go to http://www.nebraskafamilytimes.blogspot.com/.)

Are you stressed about Christmas? Plan ahead, using the advice in this article, and you'll be able to enjoy the real meaning of CHRISTmas!

(This article appeared int he December issue of the Nebraska Family Times. Articles like this--encouraging, inspiring, and motivating to Christians--appear in every issue of the Nebraska Family Times. Subscribe to the paper and for only $20 you'll receive articles like this every month!)

How to Have the 'Perfect' Christmas

By Kimberly Chastain

"This year will be different. I vow I won't get stressed out over presents, parties, cards, Christmas plays, putting up the tree and decorating, and all the many other tasks of the season. I will remember the true meaning of Christmas."

Do you find that all the Christmas chores steal your joy?

"For unto us a child is born" - Aahh the miracle of birth. The true miracle of our Savior's birth. As Christian mothers we are doubly blessed to celebrate Christmas. We know the joy and pain of childbirth. We can imagine an exhausted Mary looking at her truly perfect, holy baby. 

 How can we recapture the joy and the simplicity of the first Christmas? Following are some suggestions for making this the "Perfect" Christmas

 1. Decide how you want your family to experience the true meaning of Christmas. Will you help another family with presents? Our family now has a tradition of doing Christmas boxes for Samaritan's Purse. Our children love picking out items for the box and praying for the child who receives their box.

 2. Prioritize what is most important to you. Maybe you can't do it all. You may choose not to send Christmas cards, but do a New Year's note.

 3.  Decide what parties you can and cannot attend. Sometimes as a family we may rarely be home in December. So much for family time.

 4.  If you have young children, remember how important, normal routine and sleep schedule are for younger children and you. Taking a cranky toddler shopping is not a good experience for anyone.

 5. Decide what traditions you want for your own nuclear family. Sometimes we are so busy going to extended families' homes we don't get to start our own family traditions. Try to have a leisurely Christmas morning with children enjoying their toys before rushing off to anywhere.

 6.  Start a tradition of celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Examples: creating a Happy Birthday Jesus cake, reading the Christmas story before opening presents, or children having their own child size Nativity set to play with and tell the Christmas story.

 7.  Set a limit on Christmas spending and stick to it. Don't celebrate Jesus' birth by being in debt in January.

 8.  Take time to pray and think about the most precious gift of all. Often our quiet times are the first to go when we get so busy. Using an Advent calendar with children will also help them focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

 9.  Be kind to yourself. You may not be able to do everything like your Mom did. Perhaps you can make slice-and-bake cookies with your children instead of homemade cookie dough. Your children will remember the fun of decorating cookies, not who made the cookie dough.

 10.  Remember that you are not superwoman and you can't do it all. Sit down with your husband and decide who can do what on your list. Children can help put stamps on Christmas cards. Be kind to yourself and rest in our Savior's loving arms.

 I don't know if you or I will have the "Perfect" Christmas, but we can make a conscious effort to focus on our Lord. Things will go wrong and we will get stressed, but we need to keep our eyes on Him. We need to show and teach our children that Christmas is not about Santa and receiving gifts. Christmas is about the ultimate gift that we can never repay.

 So, I wish you a "Perfect" Christmas with Christ' birth as your focus, and that you would be kind to yourself. Set reasonable expectations for yourself and experience the true joy of Christmas.

 Kimberly Chastain is a Professional Life Coach and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Kimberly is also the author of the ebook entitled, "Pearls of Encouragement for Christian Working Moms." She has a passion for working with Christian Working Moms to help them find satisfaction in all their many different roles. To find out more go to www.christianworkingmom.com