Mom Heart Conference-Part 3 {Becoming a Heartshaping Mother}

After going to dinner and not having to repay for parking (woo hoo!) we headed back to the conference for some worship and the first session. Both of Sally's sons got up and talked. The one, which I believe was Nathan, though I'm not positive was talking about his book Wisdom Chasers. He gave the 3 key points of being a wisdom chaser.
1) Teach Children
Not just to know about God but to truly know God.
2) God Chasers
Your kids need a coach, show and train them
A coach doesn't protect the player from the game but prepares them to play the game.
3) Make sure your kids see you chasing after God.

Good stuff!

Session 1: Message 1, Becoming a Heartshaping Mother-Getting Out of Your Children's Faces and Into Their Hearts

What is your legacy? What is the story you're telling with your life? God created women to teach, instruct and model Christ. Also to civilize and train.
The missing pieces-people don't have God's purpose in their life. They're relying on just works which equals toiling and stressing.
In Acts 1, the uneducated men speak boldly about the Word of God and chaged the world.

The Wise Woman Builds Her House (Proverbs 14:1) "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands."
She has a plan: The Word of God
You can build a condo or a whole estate. In our culture today, someone will always give you an excuse to quit.

She understands and knows God (Jeremiah 9:23-24) "Thus says the Lord, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord."
Be changed by scripture, have passion about it in front of your kids.

She delights in God's Word and ways (Psalm 1:1-3) "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers."

She has a focus: The heart of her children
She raises them in the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) "And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Be an advocate, not an adversary.
Adversary-stands in the way of or against. In your face parenting.
Advocate-encouraging. In your heart parenting. Protect, educate, lead. Practice being an encourager.
God is our advocate.
When someone has an advocate they will not fall so easily.

A heartshaping mother is one who shapes a relationship that opens her child's heart with grace.
Heart-who you really are, the personality and drive God gave you. Jesus is our biblical model of grace. Through Him was manifested all truth and grace.
Ask yourself, How many ways can I inspire them?

A heartshaping mother shapes the influence that fills her child's heart with truth.
Sally and a couple other women talked about putting groups together for their children, usually when their a little older for positive peer pressure. They would get together and have discussions and games nights. How neat is that!?

A heartshaping mother shapes with culture that holds her child's heart with love.
Fight the battle of the souls for the next generation.

A Heartshaping Mother's Heart Is Shaped by God's Word

She talked about how the heart has 2 beats, an intake and an outflow.
How can you pass on the holiness of God if your not around that which is holy?
Deuteronomy 6:6-7, "And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."
You can not teach diligently to your child's heart what is not already on your own heart.

Colossians 2:6-7, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude."
You cannot overflow with thankfulness unless your spirit is rooted and built up in Christ.

The Goal of a Heartshaping Mother


What is your goal?
1 Timothy 1:5, "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

I want my children to be lovers of people. Have a high value for morality. Right is always right, wrong is always wrong. Practice morality and love in front of your children.

God wants us to take care of children because He values children.

Parents, as we are, so they will be. What we sow is what we reap.

Heartshaping is a choice and commitment.

Mom Heart Conference-Part 2 {The Importance of Daily Fellowship}

Friday afternoon, the session speaker was Angela Perritt (GoodMorningGirls.org)who talked about The Importance of Daily Fellowship with God...and Your Girlfriends.
My friend and I plan on starting a group when the next session starts, which I believe is in May. Please join us!

Angela talked about how it is important to be in the word and share scripture with our children. Also, how it is important to keep each other positively encouraged to stay in God's word. This is where the idea of Good Morning Girls started. It's something manageable/doable because it's mostly through email. Sending prayer requests and praise reports, encouragements, etc.

What is God saying to me today? Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

The studies that Good Morning Girls host/lead are 3, 3 month sessions a year and all online. The study time can take as little as 10 minutes and the outline of what to do each day is laid out in an acronym SOAP.
Scripture-write it out
Observation-what can I see (contemplate)
Application-God's word becomes personal
Prayer-asking God to help me use His word

I like how she said, God is passionate about His word and about His daughters too and how God is calling us to build a strong spiritual legacy, women of action and prayer.

He gives us just what we need for that day.
Pray to God, asking for favor for children.
Pray without ceasing.
Be willing to build our portion of the wall. Nehemiah 2:20, "So I answered them and said to them, "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no portion, right, or memorial in Jerusalem."

Encourage each other to love God greatly with our lives.

Mom Heart Conference {A Mom Like Me}-Part 1

I first heard about the Mom Heart Conference with Sally Clarkson last year but because I heard about it so late I was unable to attend the conference. I was however able to attend the PossibiliTea that was in the morning and only $25. The PossibiliTea was to encourage the Mom's that lead Mom Heart or Mom groups. After I had attended I lead a book study through The Ministry of Motherhood and was so blessed and totally felt like the book was written for me. All last year I planned on going to the conference this year. I asked Robert to buy me a ticket as my Christmas present. :)

I told friends about the conference, especially the ones that had gone through the book study with me and a couple of them were also able to attend, along with my mom.

So this is how Friday started.

The conference started with a panel discussion titled "A Mom Like Me". Sally had asked a group of women, her friends, various questions to help encourage all us moms. I should have written down the questions that she asked, because my answers would have made more sense but you'll still get what they were talking about.

~You have to receive grace in order to give it. 

                       Romans 5:15-17 "But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in the condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

~Apologize and be intentional with your time with your children

~Ask yourself, How does the gospel change this?

                       Accept your limitations.

                       Discipleship takes loner but it's a lasting change.

~You cannot hand out water from a well that's empty.

                       Hebrews 10:25 "not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near."

                       Proverbs 18:1 "He who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom."

~Proverbs 21:9 "It is better to live in a corner of a roof, than in a house shared with a contentious woman."

                      I can't expect my husband to hold my burdens for me.

                      James 1:19-20 "This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."

                      Give my husband the gift of undivided attention regularly

~To change our self image, we need to change our image of God

                      He delights in us.

                      Advice from her son, "read the bible everyday to your kids and play legos with them". :)

                      God is at work, He will do great things with your children

                      Don't get distracted by the soul killing things

~Keep our focus on Jesus

                      We are not the light, we simply reflect the Light (the moon has no light, it reflects the sun's light).

~We need support/community.

                       We all need someone to help us but sometimes we need to ask.

~Galatians 5:25 "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit"

                       Not being perfect, being obedient.

The Moon 2/5/12

Last night after we got home from our friends house Robert looked up and said, "Wow, look at the moon!" We all got out of the car and saw this ring around the moon. Super cool! Robert asked if I'd be able to get a picture of it. So I got out my tripod (that he just got me for Christmas) and with the kids sitting on the front porch got a few shots.
I checked out some information about the ring around the moon and though I haven't been able to finish reading  this article I got out of it that the ring is ice crystals and the moon basically magnifies them or lights them up. It also means that we're going to have bad weather according to folklore. I bet that's how farmers knew when they needed to harvest before the ground froze!
So here are some of the images that I got. If you click on them it will enlarge them.
Let me know what you think or if you have some information about the halo around the moon.