Our Legacy

Last November I posted a poem entitled Legacy.  I also wrote an article for Ruby for Women about the importance of raising our kids with a legacy of faith and a relationship with God.  Here is an abridged version of that article:

What do we want to give our children? We have many hopes and dreams for them. That they are more successful than we are, that they are more skilled. That they have faith, friends, and love. We want them to make good grades, have a sense of humor, be hardworking, honest, kind, forgiving. We want them to know how to cook and clean and be self-sufficient, manage their money, be responsible. If you can’t home-school – which we can’t because we cannot afford to not work – how do you do it all – how do you find the time to pass all the important things down to the next generation? It is all important.

I used to get discouraged at how to teach my kids to become adults. I used to worry that they were not ‘involved’ in enough things. I don’t worry anymore. I sat down one day and thought, where to start, what is the most important thing I can pass to them? If I were to die before they are grown, what do I want them to remember? FAITH! God is the most important. None of that other stuff even matters in the face of salvation!!!! (And yet a lot of that stuff will come along with a true faith.)

I grew up believing in God. I grew up knowing all about heaven and how to get there. I still did not read my bible. I would leaf through it occasionally, maybe read a verse here and there; I would pray ‘pretty much’ daily. We went to church, usually. I didn’t even know about tithing. I went through a rough time when I was around 30 and I FOUND my bible; I began my TRUE faith walk. And it has grown and grown and grown and grown some more.

I don’t want my kids to wait until they are 30 to learn the truths of the bible. I don’t want them to wait until they are 32 to know exactly how God wants them to live their lives. I don’t want them to wait until they are 36 to walk hand in hand with Jesus wherever they go. Think of what this kind of faith will mean as they go through their lives! They need it to make choices in high school. They need God to choose a spouse. Most of all, if Jesus comes tomorrow, they need their faith to LIVE.

The most important thing we can give our kids as a gift or legacy is FAITH. And the biggest part of passing them faith is the bible. Matthew 4:4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”NLT Jesus himself quoted that from Deuteronomy 8:3, when he fought off the devil’s temptations. We all want our kids to have the weapon to fight off Satan! You teach them the bible, you show them how to apply it through examples in your own life and whenever you can in their lives. You show them how important they are, and how important time in God’s word is by investing time in them all! Give them the tools through bible study. Show them how to use those tools in life by using them yourself!

Just what would your life be like if you had started your true faith, your personal walk with God, your close relationship with Jesus, and the constant company of the Holy Spirit in your early teens? How would it be different than it is now? What would God have used you for if you were listening to his voice way back then…? That is the legacy we should strive to leave for our kids. That is the legacy that will truly give them a life of peace, and joy, and happiness. That is THE LEGACY! The only one worth having.

Those were my thoughts last fall... and so... I wrote a book.

Our Legacy: Bringing Families Together with God (Volume 1) is like lesson plans for the gospels. Each lesson includes a reading, questions, a reflection on the passage (to further explain and apply the passage), activities to help retention and understanding and life application, and a prayer. I wrote this book to help God's word become an integral part of our lives and spread God's word as far as I possibly could. This book is a compiles the gospels, so you are reading the same bit of history from each gospel at the same time from each gospel author's perspective. Volume 1 (the beginning of the gospels through Jesus's walk on water) is available now, and Volume 2 (the water walk through Jesus's ascension) is currently in the printing process and should be available by Christmas. I am currently working in Acts.

Here is the link to my book:

https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781681428994

or you can contact me directly at angkev07@gmail.com.

https://youtu.be/GPKxo5RJDzg

I hope you enjoy it and pray that it will bring a blessing to your lives!

Persecution

Have you ever been persecuted for your faith?  Has anyone picked on you, put you down, or criticized you for your relationship with Jesus?  Have you been abused or beaten because you love the Lord?

Persecution seems like a terrible word.  It sounds evil and hurtful.  Persecution is generally feared.

Living my life in small town Nebraska, I have rarely felt the sting of persecution for my faith.  But one day my husband informed me that his ex-wife had said we should not be ‘pushing the religion thing so hard’ where their daughters were concerned.  At first I was confused, ‘that’s our job’ I thought.  Not in the exact words of ‘pushing religion’, but God expects us to teach and instruct our kids in his ways.  And the girls love to pass that instruction on to their mom’s side of the family.  Then the thought occurred to me … ‘we were persecuted!’  Now, I do realize this is a very, very, minor form of persecution – but persecution can be named.  And do you know what?  It didn’t sting, it didn’t hurt, and it didn’t bother me a bit.  In fact, it felt amazing!  It was awesome to have it confirmed that our faith (and our daughter’s faith) shows so much that I was told to quit.  Wow, I thought, I really must be doing something right!  In Acts 5:40 the apostles were beaten and told not to speak in the name of Jesus ever again.  Acts 5:41 says “The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus” Wow!  They were excited!  They were excited because the persecution told them they were doing their job well.  Persecution is not to be feared.

If you are persecuted for your faith…  

WELL DONE! 

God is proud of you.

Goats and Forgivenss

My husband wants to raise goats.  I do not like the way livestock (farm animals) ties you down.  If you have livestock you are tied to you home, every outing has to be weighed with feeding times and other chores.  So one day last month my husband wanted to go to an auction of goats, sheep, and other small livestock, just to get an idea of start-up costs.  I said “Fine, have fun, but do not buy any goats.”  He climbs in his truck.  “I won’t buy any goats.”  We exchanged hugs, love yous, and a kiss, and he drove away.  As his truck rolls away from me I shout after him, “Don’t buy any goats!”  

The sale was a couple of hours away, so I knew he would be getting home late.  The kids and I watched a movie, I put them to bed and went to bed myself.  A while later I heard the truck return, but no Kevin came in the house.  I waited longer, still no Kevin.  As I am laying there, I began to seethe.  The phrase – he bought goats – kept running through my mind.  Soon I hear him come in the door and immediately leave the house again.  He bought goats.  A little bit later I heard a sound not original to our little ‘farm’.  The distinctive bleat of a small goat.  He bought goats!  I was angry.  That was an understatement.  I was livid.  After an entire discussion of cash flow and time, not to mention a promise not to buy goats, he bought goats!  I know myself well enough to know that I am unreasonable after 9:00 p.m., so this was not the time to discuss the issue, and I knew there would be a reason (valid at least in his own thought process).  I feigned sleep.  Soon Kevin came in and went to bed; with much prayer, I continued to ‘sleep’.  The next morning, I got out of bed – he bought goats-.  I put on my shoes – he bought goats-.  I walked into the early morning sun – he bought goats-.  I slogged my way across the yard – he bought goats-.  My anger had not diminished much – he bought goats – but I was willing to hear his reasoning – he bought goats.  I opened the door to the chicken house knowing that any livestock would be stashed in the unused half of the chicken house turned barn – he bought goats!  And I saw this…

 

I forgave him.  Not just because the animals are cute – but because that is what God wants us to do.  My husband has a fault of getting livestock without discussing it first.  But God says to:

“Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others”.  Colossians 3:13 NLT

Where would we be if we could not forgive?  What kind of miserable lives would we have if we could not let go and forgive.  I could have remained angry.  What would that have accomplished?  Would I still have goats in my barn?  I could have sulked and moped all day, I could have thrown a fit.  What would that accomplish?   Those choices would lead to my husband not being treated like an adult, my kids tiptoeing around us, and all of us being miserable.  My other choice – God’s choice – was to forgive and be happy.  Satan uses our unwillingness to forgive to put iron in our hearts, to harden them against God’s grace.  The verse above says “Remember, the Lord forgave you,”.  Are we above the Lord, thinking we are too good to forgive?  Un-forgiveness is like a festering wound, it causes pain all around, it poisons, and it can even cause death.  As gangrene causes physical death, un-forgiveness can lead to spiritual death.  Forgiving can be hard, but all good and worth-while things are difficult.

“Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others”.  Colossians 3:13 NLT

Satan, Go Away

I was visiting with my niece and her husband last night.  He just got a promotion at work.  He is now the Junior High Pastor at the church he works at.  He said the email about his new position went out to everyone at the church, a colleague came up to him and told him to watch out, because he is moving up his work for God, he should expect some new attacks from Satan trying to stop that work.  I know I have touched on this topic before, but this really hit me.  He went on to tell us that someone remembered that very day (before reading the email) – and reported to a superior – that a parent had complained about him two months ago.  This did not hurt his job, as far as getting into trouble – no one can make everyone happy (especially with Satan around) – but it caused him distress.  Satan was out and whispering – trying to distract, upset, and derail – doing whatever he can to stop his work for God.

That is so true and so worth keeping fresh in your mind.  When things go wrong, perhaps God has a big job for you to do and Satan is out there, doing his best to put a stop to it.  I just published a bible study.  It covers all the gospels, blended together, and is a study for families that leads from a scripture reading, comprehension of the text, through application to lives.  Satan has tried to but his smelly head into the mix over and over.  One day I thought, this book must be really important, or Satan wouldn’t care what I am doing.  If you are working for God, Satan is after you!  Be strong.  Be excited things to wrong, be excited when there are whispers against you – don’t create them, but be excited – because when Satan is working against you – God must have something big for you!

Matthew 16: 21 – 23 --- From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.  But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”  Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

My grandmother has a cartoon on her bulletin board depicting slipper clad feet on a rug by a bed.  The caption reads “Live your life so that when your feet hit the floor, Satan says ‘Oh crap, she’s awake!’ “

 

Here is a link to my book, it is called

Our Legacy: Bringing Families Together with God (Volume 1)https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781681428994

Storms

We have been in a time of extreme weather lately.  All across the country and world, there have been amazing weather conditions.  In my part of the country, we have rain.  Gallons – and gallons – an amazing volume of water has been dumped from the sky.  Swollen rivers and flooding is quickly becoming common.  As it rains and rains and storms and a new tornado watch is issued, we know that eventually the storm will subside, the rain will stop, the water will recede, the sun will return.  Most of us don’t do a lot during a storm.  We tend to stay home and remain in a ‘secure and safe location’.  While we may not hunker in the basement every time we see a flash of lightning, we still don’t head out on a drive when the weather gets bad unless we truly must.

I am sure you have all heard the term ‘storms of life’.  If we tend to not make big changes to our actions when we are experiencing a physical storm – we should realize that an emotional storm – or life storm – is also not a time to make big decisions.  The middle of a financial crisis is not the time to buy a car or a home.  The middle of a heated argument is not the time to think about splitting up a marriage.  We need to remember that ‘this too shall pass’.  All the times of life that we experience will be over at some point.  Every crisis will end.  Just as a storm ends and calm weather returns, the storms in our life end as well and calm will return.  Trust in the Lord.  God knows what is going on with you.  Trust Him.  Pray.  Give Him your worries and cares and you can have peace.  Even when the winds are careening around you and the waves are crashing into your boat, you can sleep soundly in the arms of Jesus.  Pray for His will and trust in the outcome.  Follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, calm your brain and listen.  Let Him guide you through your storm.  Let Him lead you to the calm…

Isaiah 41:10  Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Matthew 11:28 - 30  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Psalms 46:1  1God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. (2 So we will not fear...)

Isaiah 40:31  But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will soar high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint.

A Day from Job

The other day, I got up with a kink in my back.  I got up, stretched, exercised, stretched – it didn’t pop.  I began to scowl.  I started the coffee pot, (came through later and realized it had not started) and began to get ready to leave for the day.  None of my pants fit – scowl – scowl – whine – big scowl.  The puppy peed on the floor – bigger scowl. Then I had to go feed the goats (that I did NOT want), dripped milk on my shoes.  It turns out that didn’t matter due to the marsh that we call a back yard  - shoes are wet after 2 trips across because I forgot the older goats branch of leaves, and the shoes go squish squish squish…  Woops – forgot my phone – scowl.   I took my dear puppy along to visit my mom and her dog – he did not want to lay in his bed - scowl.  Road closed due to construction – scowl.  I had to get gas (a normal occurrence but on that day… scowl.)  Had to put puppy in kennel – he whined and howled – scowl.  By now, I am mad at everyone.  I am mad at my husband for buying goats.  I have creases forming permanent lines between my eyebrows.  And I can feel the ‘yellow monster’ (a term from the anger management lessons that I teach –hahaha) raging inside of me.  Satan has taken over my thoughts and I was NEGATIVE – being mad at the world, mad at myself, mad at the dog – dark dark dark – scowl.  I thought – ‘I am really having a ‘Job Day’, everything is going wrong!’  Then I heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit in my soul, barely loud enough to be heard over the scowls…”Job persevered.”…

Job persevered.  Everything, every horrifying thing, everything went wrong for Jonah.  Yet Job persevered.  Job held onto his faith.  Yes he was angry at times.  But he never renounces or spoke against God.  He persevered.  Now, I didn’t loose my faith or speak against God either.  But I had lost ‘myself’ to the mishaps of the morning.  I had let Satan take over my thinking, I had let my anger and frustration rage – I was a time bomb of negative energy (so so so so glad no family members were around).  I was NOT persevering, I was not acting / feeling like a child of God.  I was failing.  I had tiny minuscule obstacles to overcome (yes, a lot at once, but still tiny).  Things did not go my way that morning – but I was unable to maintain my positive attitude and enjoy the peace that comes with Jesus.  Gut check!  Job persevered, God expected me to persevere too, and I was not doing well.

I love getting those proverbial kicks in the pants occasionally.  I need them to stay in line.  My point is, yes there is a point.  All these little things are just that, things.  A “Job Day” is often coined to mean a bad day, a day where everything goes wrong.  But really, that is NOT a Job Day.  A true Job Day is a day when everything goes wrong – yet you persevere.  You keep your peace, you keep your heart for Jesus, you don’t let Satan take your thoughts, you don’t create scowl lines, you hold on to the joy of being a child of God!

Exercising Your Faith

Exercise!  Be slim and trim and perfect!  No rolls, no flaps (that is what my kids call the fat/skin that hangs from the upper arm)!  We are bombarded with ‘be perfect’ propaganda.  The image of perfection bar is set VERY high.  I can’t even imagine the amount that is spent every year on diet everything.  Pills, drinks, food, trainers, gyms, videos, and advertising is a multi-million dollar industry.   Although I think many of this goes way too far, I do think we should be healthy and get plenty of exercise to stay healthy.  We all know that when you exercise you stay in shape, improve your appearance, and get stronger.

Think about that for a moment.  If you exercise you stay in shape, improve your appearance, and get stronger, right?  How often do you exercise your faith?  If we exercise our faith, it stays in shape, improves our appearance, and makes our faith - and us - stronger.  Stronger in faith and a stronger relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Why do we want our faith to be in shape?  If our faith is well exercised and active, we are ready to face whatever we encounter in life.  We are able to handle and succeed (with God’s help) in whatever work He has for us to do.  

How does a strong faith improve our appearance?  We are pleasing in the eyes of God.  We shine his glory forth for others to see.  Our faith and God’s ways (kindness to others, love, mercy) is passed on to others.  When your faith and joy shine on your face - your appearance - inside and out - is improved.

How does exercising your faith make it stronger?  Anything you put work and practice into improves and is strengthened.  If you work on your faith, the truths and actions become more automatic.  They become a part of us and no longer seems like work or effort.  Exercising our faith helps us to LIVE our faith.  It changes you.

How?  Pray a lot, listen to and sing worship music, read devotionals or books about your walk with God, listen to God’s will in your life, and most of all - read and study your bible!  Just like it takes effort to be healthy - it takes effort to keep your faith healthy!  What happens if you never exercise?  Your muscles get weak, your heart gets weak, you can’t run far without stopping… I could go on and on - never exercising increases your risk of death.  Not exercising our faith has the same effects.  Your faith and relationship with God gets weak, your heart gets weak, you can’t go through trials without giving up - - - - never exercising your faith increases your risk of eternal death.

Think about it.