A River Runs Through It

Last night I attended Converge – the first in a series of monthly meetings at the NW campus of Lifechurch.tv. on worship.  There were nearly 100 people who came, bringing their talents in the areas of music and tech.  Chuck Dennie did an outstanding job of casting vision for this group—a vision which included exhorting us all to be servants in the other ministries of Lifechurch.



His words stirred in me something I was able to share with our youngest sons (also musicians) as we were driving home.



Worship isn’t just about singing, playing instruments or singing on the stage during a weekend experience.



Worship is the outpouring of our hearts, even through the most mundane, regular things we do.



Worship is seeing God’s hand in the beautiful sunrise.

Worship is smiling at that little one while you’re changing his poopy diaper.

Worship is choosing to love that office or school mate, even when they are unlovable.

Worship is embracing your circumstances, not merely enduring them.

Worship is thinking of others as more important than ourselves.

Worship is accepting that He is in control, and I am not.

Worship is serving.

Worship is loving.



Worship is a natural outflow of what is in our heart.  It is the River of Life flowing through us.



John 7:38

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”



Romans 12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.



May we be so connected to the Source of Life that nothing comes from us but pure, joyful, humble worship BECAUSE of our relationship to Him---in ALL that we do.

~Robin

Family Vision Statement-Q & A

How can you discover the vision for your family?

Think about these thoughts:



Your vision needs to be everlasting, and an on-going goal for generations to come.



What is your calling?



What is important to you?



What will you want to be remembered for?



What makes you come alive?



Next: write your thoughts down.  Share them with your mate.  Brainstorm and write different phrases.



Try to make it around 10-12 words.



Teach it to your family.  Place it on your wall. Refer to it often to cast vision to your family.







What if my husband or wife doesn’t see the need to have a vision statement, but I really desire it?



Pray!  Don’t nag, force-feed, continue making suggestions or get in a huff because they’re not on the same page as you.  Pray!!  Never discount the power of the Holy Spirit.  Live your life with your own vision statement in mind.  Be consistent to it.  Pray!



What makes you or your family come alive?





Tomorrow, we’ll share our family vision statement with you.

Dirk and Robin

An Amazing Opportunity!

I am just so blown away by this amazing opportunity that I had to share it! I was just invited to dance in a professional Christian dance company! We'll get to do all kinds of dance/missions such as in Time's Square, Israel, and many other places around the world. What a great chance to use my talent to reach the homeless, lost, orphaned, hungry, etc! I mean, this is such a God thing right? It's only one day a week commitment for now, it's my passion and what I have trained for most of my life.


Well, guess what? This amazing opportunity that God has led other people to do, isn't a God thing for me right now, and I'm not going to do it, nor did I consider it very long. You see, God gave me a very clear calling, and no matter how great this opportunity seems, it doesn't fit under the purpose of my life right now.


One day a thought hit me like a brick in the head. You know when you're reading those verses like, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations." (Matthew 28:19) Well my "nations" at this time in my life are right under my own roof! Now anytime I read about the lost and hear pastors preaching about going out to the world I first think what that means in my own household, and most of the time I feel God urging me to keep doing my mission work right at home.


I do care deeply and am able to do some things that still fall under my purpose as far as giving and serving in my community, and the day will come when I can do even more and include my little guys in the process. I'm really thankful for those individuals and families that have the calling to go into the world, because the homeless, orphaned, and hungry people really do need great Christian people serving them.


For now though, I'm fully devoted to just being a wife and mom, and all those so called "amazing opportunities" can just keep passing me by. I've got amazing opportunities happening each day as I serve my husband and train my kids!


What "amazing opportunities" have you passed up to fulfill a seemingly lesser calling?







Erin

Feeling Like a Bad Mom

You know those days when everything you've worked so hard to teach your children just seems to fall apart?  All the things you've preached and lived and breathed into them.  And now it suddenly seems like they never heard a word you said.  Their choices or responses aren't matching up to the efforts you've poured into helping them understand.  The importance of things like responsibility, obedience, honor.



Well, it happened to me again recently.  And it didn't make me feel so happy.  In fact, I felt like a really bad mom....once again.



So, this time I took a moment to reflect on how I was going to handle it. I had to consciously choose to:

• Recognize that my children's choices weren't necessarily against me personally. 


• Try not to transfer my negative feelings onto everything else bothering me in my life and blow it out of proportion.


• Recognize the lies of the enemy desiring to bring discord and destruction into my heart and mind.


• Recognize that this is a time when I start comparing myself to others


• Take all thoughts captive to the Truth

Realizing the truth and not believing the lies didn't change my heart immediately.  I still had feelings of being a failure.  But they were short-lived and I was able to quickly move on with my day, choosing instead to believe that progress can indeed come, even with my failings.



A different perspective gave birth to better thoughts, a better mind-set.



Do you struggle with thinking you're a failure?  Do you have trouble separating the lies from the Truth?







Robin

The Best Gift - Your Words

The Best Gift---Your Words

It has no monetary value, but it will cost you everything.  It may cause you rejection, feelings of discomfort, or even embarrassment.  In fact, it may be the most challenging gift you’ve ever given.  And you may wonder why it’s such an important gift.

But it is….and it’s something that you’ll never regret giving.

Ready?

This year, tell your children that you love them and that you are proud of them.  And then keep telling them.

This is absolutely the best gift you can ever give your children!  And the older they are, and if you’ve never offered it, ….the more they need to hear it from your lips.

Have any of these excuses? :

“I said it all the time when they were young.”

“Well, they already know that!  After all, I show it to them every day by providing for them.”

“It’s too late now….too many years have passed to say it now.”

“They’re just words.”

“If I tell them I’m proud of them, they may quit being challenged to do better”.

Your children may know you love them and are proud of them, it’s never too late (until it is), and they may “just be words”.  But combined with your loving actions, these are the most powerful words you’ll ever say to your children. 

Take the challenge. Say the words. It will change your kids.  It will change YOU!

Is it easy or difficult for you to say those most important words? 

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We’ll revisit this topic at a later date and talk about why these words are so important and the effects their presence or absence may have in our own lives and the lives of our children.







Robin

What Do You Think?

Apart from regular school subjects, what things do you think are important to teach your children to prepare them for life?

Or, what things do you wish you had known more about when you became an adult?

Tell us.

Robin

Hurts and Offenses.....The End?

Today, we'll finish this series with some answers, hopefully, to how we can overcome hurt feelings and offenses.  We all will be hurt.  It's a fact when you open your heart to love.

But, can we learn to recognize our response, identify the real offense and then quickly forgive?  I think so.  And our relationships will be healthier for it.

Here are a few of my thoughts:

*Recognize the evil spirit behind the offense.  Satan wants to destroy you and your relationships.  Be aware of how badly he wants you to take things personally.

*Know that it is unusual for someone to calculate and purposefully hurt another person.  It does happen.  But, usually it is not intentional.

*Don't trust your feelings.  Even though we can't help our feelings, we can take the necessary steps to prevent those feelings from fueling our emotions. (The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? -Jer. 17:9)

*Be quick to bottom-line your offense.  Don't attach it to past circumstances, other feelings of rejection, or blow it out of proportion.

*Wait to speak about your offense until you've had time to sort it out. You don't want to say something you regret.

*Quickly forgive offenses. Otherwise you'll be dealing with a much larger issue: bitterness.  (Prov. 17:9; Prov. 19:11)

What are your thoughts on overcoming offenses?





Robin

Hurts and Offenses....Part 3

I want to spend just a couple of more days on the “hurt feelings, being offended” subject.  I hope you’ve gotten a lot from the comments that people have left.  You guys are wise!

Next I want to discuss your reactions when your feelings are hurt. When you’re offended do you become a stuffer (you hide your feelings and pretend that you’re not hurt)?  Or are you a screamer, a door-slammer, or maybe you throw things?  Or do you just shut down, try to keep from feeling anything, and become cold, detached and withdrawn?

You know you react in some form.  It’s a natural response.  Let’s learn to recognize it.

I’ll go first.

I just shut down.  My reaction is to pull back and not talk, smile or interact.  

So?  How do you react to being hurt and offended?







Robin

What Do You Think?.....continued

From yesterday’s post here’s the breakdown of the reasons why most people get their feelings hurt: (THANK YOU to those who took the time to leave a comment!)



Past offenses and hurts, rejections

Pride, insecurity, fear

Self, ego, self-centeredness

Not  believing God—allowing the situation to become bigger than God—not being anchored in Truth

Believing lies

Taking things personally

Expectations – when we expect more than the offender gives or can give

Allowing our feelings to control us

Now let’s focus on one of these in particular…..expectations. 

And another question:

 
It’s been said that the only way to never be disappointed or have your feelings hurt, is to have no expectations.  Do you think it is even possible to have no expectations of others?    

What do you think?





Robin

What Do You Think?

Your feelings got hurt. 

It happens. 



I’m sure it’s happened to you.  It’s certainly happened to me.

So, I've been wondering…

What causes our feelings to be hurt? 



What is the underlying issue or issues behind your hurt feelings?

I have some ideas, but tell me what you think.







Robin

Home Sweet Home

After a whirlwind year with Jon being deployed and trying to stay busy and on-the-go so I didn’t go crazy missing him, we’ve recently made the choice to stay at home and cut down on outside activities.   And stay at home we do . . . A lot! 

It was a bit of an adjustment at first, but the results have been amazing.  I love to see my children have time to play and create.  Imagination just doesn’t have the time to come alive when all kids hear is “hurry up” and “let’s go” all the time.   Here are some fun things that have come of our recent at-home times.

Kaden, just out of the blue decided he wanted to make a bird feeder.  He crafted this little bird getaway from a paper towel holder, sticks and tape.  He remembered to instruct me to buy bird food when we went to town next, and now we have this “lovely” little house sitting on our front porch.  Please join me in praying for birds to come!

We go on nature walks and collect “treasure” quite often.  On one of these times Kaden and Will found bricks that they wanted to bring home.  They then decided they wanted to paint them. 

 

While sitting down with my little guys doing school one day, Daddy decided he was going to go shoot some water turtles in the pond so they wouldn’t eat our fish.  So forget Mommy’s lesson, off with Daddy they go.

And many times our nature walks include fun picture opportunities.  Fall is a great time to get outdoors!

So I challenge you, no matter what your schedule or calling in life:   try to stay at home just a bit more.  Learn to say no to those extra busy activities and take time to enjoy your kids and home without always thinking about that next thing on the to-go list.

I finally did, and I love it.

Erin

If I've Said it Once....

Never allow your kids’ behavior to embarrass you

Never allow anyone to speak more highly of your husband than you

Sleep in something pretty

Never date anyone you wouldn’t consider marrying

Always prefer

Always love

Never allow yourself to be offended

Never let someone steal your joy

If you are called, He will enable you.

Happiness is a choice

It may be hard, but it’s not TOO hard.

Love is not just a feeling, it’s something you do

Smile…..a lot!

What things do you say often?

Robin

Mother Knows Best

Not too long ago I developed a sinus infection. Naturally, working in
the ER my doc prescribes me an antibiotic and I start taking it,
wishing and hoping to feel better before the multitude of studying
piles up. In fact, I did get better. One week into my 14 day antibiotic
treatment I was feeling 100% better, no more sinus infection.

On that day,  I was at work, carrying on with my duties when I starting itching pretty consistently. I had just taken a patient upstairs who was, well let's
say, lacking in personal hygiene.  So I chalked the itching up to
that, washed my hands really well, and got busy working. A few hours
later I noticed red spots popping up all over me: my arms, my legs, my
stomach, my neck.  And they itched like crazy!

Not wanting to scare my patients I asked to go home early.  There’s something
about your care giver having red spots all over her body that just doesn't
send that comforting feeling. So I went home with prescriptions for
steroids and antihistamines in hand. I kept taking my antibiotic.

A few days later I still have the spots, I'm distracted at school, I
can't sleep at night, they were driving me crazy! And the medicine
prescribed for the spots made me sick so I wasn't taking that anymore.
I was still taking my antibiotic.

I called my mother one day walking home from school. I mentioned the
fact that I had spots and they weren't going away. I also mentioned
that I was taking an antibiotic for my sinus infection and that I have
been taking it for a week.   Mom replies by telling me that of
course it is the antibiotic and that none of us kids have ever been able to finish
an antibiotic without some sort of reaction. 

Apparently, this is the first antibiotic that I have had to take in my
entire adult life. So, all of that to say:  listen to your mom.   Ask your
mom.   She probably knows your body better than any doctor around, and maybe even better than you!

Aren't mom's great?

 

Katie

Talking is Overrated

The following needs to be read in a “whisper voice”.

Because that’s how it was written.  See?  Today I had no voice.  None.  I can only whisper. The changing seasons got me again. 

Here are some things I’ve noticed today about whispering and having no voice.

• If you whisper, people get very quiet. 


• If you whisper, people get closer to hear you.


• If you whisper, people whisper back to you!  (even the cashier at 7-11)haha


• Men don’t mind long periods of silence (in fact, I think my guys are rather enjoying this!)


• It is slightly difficult to teach new math concepts with no voice


• It’s next to impossible to talk on the phone (NEXT to impossible, but not IMpossible)


• A lot of things don’t need saying at all….hmmmm

Well, I’ve noticed these things…but I don’t necessarily enjoy them.  I’m looking forward to being able to talk again.  Hope my men enjoyed it for a bit :)

When your kids are extra loud have you ever tried whispering?

Do you ever lose your voice?  Have any tricks for getting it back?

Robin

Staying in Focus

In a devotional this week, I read this statement by Oswald Chambers:



"...sin is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God."



Now, this may not be any new information for you, but it has been great help in explaining some things to my boys this week, and has brought some renewed clarity in my thinking.



It's not about what we do or don't do; it's about where we stand.



This distinction helps me to know that I don't teach my boys to focus on staying away from pornography, drugs, alcohol, swearing, deceit, sexual promiscuity, etc., although we do talk about those things.



Instead, it reminds me to focus their attention on the connection they have with God.  On the relationship that is severed by sin.  The choice of deliberate independence of God and the resulting consequences.



In the past, I think I directed my kid's focus too much on what not to do, rather than on having a relationship with a loving, living Christ.



I hope this truth will bring the same clarity to your own thoughts!



Make sense?



Do you read "My Utmost for His Highest"?





Robin

Curse Breaking....A Cry for Help

If you've kept up with this blog or gotten to know the people of the Many Meadows, you've probably figured out that we kids just don't have much baggage from the past or curses to break that Grandpa (Dirk) and Mimi (Robin) Meadows have passed down to us.

But it's just time to come clean about something.

There is a nasty little thing that Mimi Meadows has cursed the future generations with.  This addiction, if found in the genes of one of the Meadows, will take over and consume many a moment.  (And I know Mimi Meadows just doesn't want us to air our dirty laundry on this blog - I mean I had to hack into the system to even get this little story posted.  So please read this as fast as you can and tell everyone to get over here quick before she deletes this very important cry for help.)  Ok, here it is . . . this bothers me to even say it because yes, I am a partaker in and carrier of the curse as well.

We are a family of  . . . hold your breath . . . nail biters.  There. I've said it.  I feel better now.  We have tried many conventional and unconventional techniques in trying to break this disgraceful little habit.  Many a triumph has occurred for periods of time only to fall off the wagon and right back into the nibbling addiction.  I am happy to say that personally I have been doing quite well and only pick at my cuticles now and then and only bite when a nail "needs it" if you know what I mean.  Oh, and only if I've washed my hands recently, because over all, that's really the worst of it, the germy nature of this habit . . . eww!!  Now if you were to take a look at Mimi Meadows' nails you would see those poor things just chewed down to the nub . . . it is quite a problem.

 Recently I've become aware of the ghastly horror that my children are now nail biters.  At first I thought, "Oh they've played outside a lot that's why the weekly nail clipping has not been necessary.  Or maybe they're just not growing as fast since they've gotten older."  But no, I have now caught them in the act of gnawing unmercifully on those unfortunate little protectors-of-fingertips.  Just the other day one of my little guys said his toe was hurting.  When asked for the cause of this pain he answered that he had been biting his toenail and hurt it in the act!  Horror of Horrors!!!  What do I do?



Do you have any help for breaking this chewing curse?



 Erin

Do You Feel Invisible?

Summer Re-run (originally posted 9/12/07)
It's long...but well-worth the read!!

Someone recently forwarded this to me and it was just too good not to share! May these words inspire us to recognize and accept the awesome responsibility we have as mommies! Celebrate your invisibility! ~Robin
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"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Pick me up right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

*No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
*These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
*They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
*The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand- bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women."
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Do you ever feel invisible?

Life is School

(picture taken in our living room)

A Summer Re-Run (orginally published 6/5/07)

Recently I was sharing (whining) to one of my daughters about having to do something I didn’t really want to do. Something that will infringe on what I want to do with my time. Circumstances over which I will have no control.

My daughter, Erin, who is facing a huge change in her life with her husband heading to Iraq for a year reminded me, “Mom, I hear what you say all the time echo in my head many times a day: ‘Your life is not your own, you’ve been bought with a price.’”

Later that same day, I was having a heart-to-heart with another daughter, Anna who has recently moved to her own apartment after starting a new job. She is experiencing many changes and a few struggles in her young life. After sharing some of those struggles with me she said, “But mom, I remember you always saying, ‘Your life is not your own, you’ve been bought with a price.’” She went on, “I’m learning that life is not all about me.”

I thought, “OK, Lord….I hear You.”

Isn’t it funny how our own words, or more accurately, Paul’s words, come back to us?

My own daughters are now teaching me, reminding me that life is a continual learning process.

Some of this I thought I would have down by now, but I know I still have a long way to go. Thankfully, the One who purchased my life is also very patient to remind me that it’s really not all about me.

And that’s a good thing!

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. I Corinthians 6:19-20

Am I Doing Enough? (Part 1)

A Summer Re-run (originally posted 7/22/07)


This question has been resounding in my spirit for a few weeks now. In separate conversations with home educating moms, this question was a heart-cry of three different people.

“Every night when I lay down to sleep, I just worry."
‘Today, have I done everything I could to direct and teach my children?’”
“How do I know I’ve covered everything that needs to be covered?”
“Am I doing enough or requiring too much?”

These are legitimate questions, but also ones that can bind us up in frustration and insecurities that will only pull us and our children down. Most of us are concerned that we’ll forget to teach some subject or an area that will end up being a hindrance to our children’s future. We feel that deep responsibility to make sure we’re “covering it all”.

Guess what? We won’t cover it all. We’ll leave gaps. There will be things we forget, don’t know to teach, or don’t do a very good job teaching. And if we’re fearful and concerned at night or at the end of a school year that we somehow failed, maybe our focus is on the wrong thing.

Is our real goal as home educating moms to raise superior academics; straight A students; cum Laude college grads?

Or has God called us to raise children whose hearts are completely turned toward Him? To guide them into a heritage of love and godliness that will continue long after we’re gone?

At the end of the day, or the end of 12th grade, my goal is to have poured my love into my children’s hearts. To have shown them the importance of choosing for themselves a life dedicated to a relationship with Jesus. To make opportunities for their character to be challenged to become the men and women that God has called them to be.

I’ve seen the fruit of that goal lived out in the lives of my five oldest children. What a blessing!

Did we leave gaps in teaching our children? Of course. Plenty. But God is faithful to teach them everything we didn't or couldn't. After all, He loves them even more than we do!

EVERYTHING that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. 2 Peter 1:3 NLT

But he said to me, "My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak."
2 Cor. 12:9 NIRV

Overwhelmed By Our Blessings

Mark 6:31-34

Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

Jesus went through it too. He understands.

So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them.

Sound familiar? Like your life on any given day? Jesus was overwhelmed too.

He was human.

And He was God.

Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

May we all have the strength and heart of our Father to teach our “crowd” many things even when we are overwhelmed by our blessings.

Psalm 62:11 (The Message)

God said this once and for all;

how many times have I heard it repeated?

"Strength comes straight from God."