A Breakdown of Psalm 23 for Parents

One of my greatest joys is Christian discipleship. I get excited every opportunity I have to learn something about the faith that I can apply to my life and I get equally excited about the opportunity to teach something about the faith to followers of Christ. That’s why I love writing this column. Every time God gives me something to share He teaches me as I’m listening to Him on your behalf. This has been the case with my public ministry as well as my private one of discipling women to grow in Christ, particularly with my spiritual daughter Helena.

She is a wife to a minister, a mother of seven and exceptionally naturally and spiritually gifted as a teacher, poet, hair stylist, nail technician, homemaker, prophet and giver of knowledge. Her personality is infectious, one easily moved to laughter and compassion, depending on the flow of the Holy Spirit. She’s so talented that she got me, one who hates traditional showers, to love coming to her baby showers, which are prayer showers, intimate times of showering her and the coming baby with prayers focused on the areas Helena believes God is leading her to give attention to.

So early in December we had a prayer shower for Helena and she asked some of her other spiritual mothers and me to expound upon Psalm 23 and then pray for her to shepherd her children as God shepherds us.

Though one of my parenting verses is Proverbs 27:23, “Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds” (NLT), I had never made a direct correlation to the way I parent to the way God parents us in Psalm 23 until preparing for the shower. And what I uncovered is great for all mothers to rejoice in the goodness of our Savior, who was born to die for us, and to examine how well we are shepherding our children.

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It’s CHRISTmas Time: 7 Ways to Help our Kids Remember Jesus

This season has been fun with my sons listening to Christmas music and singing and dancing to our favorite songs. Even though we like these parts of the season, my husband and I have resolved to make sure that our sons know that, as Christians, whatever we do this season, we must make it about Jesus Christ.

Christmas, despite others infusing the season with pagan ideologies or not, is going to be about Jesus Christ just like every other time in our lives. So as the world ramps up its idea of Christmas, with songs and sales at every turn, we will ramp up our focus on Jesus Christ so that we remember and others see that, for us, Jesus is the reason for the season.

Here are some ideas to help you focus on Christ this CHRISTmas.

Speak about Christ. Teach your children to say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays. What other holidays are stores or society in mass focusing on besides Christmas? So really, it doesn’t make sense to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas when you greet people because this is the Christmas season.

Examine cultural practices. I admit this is a tough one for me. I like hokey holiday music, sappy Christmas movies, a decorated home, a trimmed tree and gifts, but I have not been able to figure out what any of those things have to do with Jesus Christ. And though he loves putting up a Christmas tree my oldest son asks why we put up a tree...

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When Love is a Challenge

I thought I would lose it. My 10 year old was having a woe is me day, moaning at every task with slumped shoulders and hanging head; my 4 year old was being unusually loud and wild; and my 3 year old, recovering from pneumonia and a weekend stay in the hospital, was extremely clingy. I didn’t want to see their faces, hear their voices or feel them tugging on me. I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. I paused, remembered my role and got back to performing it to help stabilize them. They all had needs, some legitimate and others questionable, but what was true for each child was their world centered on them.

Though I had settled to perform my motherly duties, I still struggled as a mother in this moment so I took to Facebook: “I believe the selfishness in children is designed to squeeze out the selfishness in parents. I am being stretched on my selfless journey. Anybody know what I'm talking about?” I got dozens of likes and comments echoing variations of my experience, and I know plenty of you know what I’m talking about, too.

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