Author Archives: leesachesnut

Simplifying with JOY

Posted on by under 2015 January

Colin

As the new year starts and we take on 2015 with eagerness, I am thinking about what I am reading and what I am planning for the coming year. Living on a farm in the Midwest, we have cold and snow. We have time to think and plan this time of year. I also make the time to read. I seem to gravitate toward books that pertain to what I want to accomplish. (Okay, sometimes I read just for pleasure…) Right now I am reading

So, what do I want to gain from all this insightful reading? I hope to reduce the STUFF in our home. I would like to rid us of things we do not USE or LOVE.What a concept! Looking around my desk right now, I have items ON MY DESK that I might use, might read, might refer to, might want. You get the picture. I often don’t use, read, refer to or even want the items in the future. Why keep them? Somewhere deep inside I have a strong feeling of warning, that I am guessing came from the generation which lived through the Great Depression: We have to keep THIS because we don’t know if we will be able to get something like it in the future, OR the parts for THIS could be used for something else in the future! Eek! This is a terrible concept to live under because it makes us so owned by our stuff. I am cleaning, organizing, moving, storing, reorganizing…on and on. I doubt that the Lord appreciates things or the time I spend “messing” with them. I want to free myself and my home of these items that we will never miss.

Let me be honest here, though. As I was reading through minimalist websites and looking at pictures on Pinterest, I had some realizations.

1. I am NEVER going to have a house that looks like those pictures.

2. I do not want my HOME to look like those pictures. We have a home and not just a house. Many of those pictures appear stark, sterile, and sadly “un-homely.” I want my boys to have a comfortable home and a warm home full of color, fun, crafting, learning, and love. I do not want bare rooms, but I do want less of what we do not really need or want. I desire to have organized and orderly rooms. Everyone thinks more clearly and is more creative here in clutter-free spaces. Since we home school, we also need the order for us to be able to learn and study.

Going back to having a home full of color, fun, crafting, learning, and love connects to Ms. DeFeo’s book. I am always looking for ways to add virtues to our home, but mostly, I want to hear more laughter, feel more joy.  Lately, I have been smiling more at my boys.  It caught one son by such surprise that he actually looked behind himself to see where I was looking.  Another day, another son asked “What?” when I smiled at him.  This is a sad realization for my Momma heart: they do not see me smile at them enough.  So, I have been smiling more and making things a little more fun. I am implementing little ideas from the book, too. I hope to get some joke books at the library and add in more giggles (even some guffaws) to our home. Adding in the fun is so important, but I think I get so stuck on doing life and getting all the boxes checked off my list that I forget to LIVE life. I added joy to our Bible time before school, looking up verses & talking about ways to inject more JOY into our daily lives. I only have a few years (though some days it feels more like centuries!) to be with my boys: loving, living, laughing, and sharing joy. So very soon they will move on and more out, and this Mom does not want to look back on these precious years with regret!

January starts the month of focusing on JOY for us, just like the Courtney DeFeo’s book suggests, and this month we will begin to reduce items in our house.  A couple of days ago, I went through my closet and removed ten items (Yes 10! Ten things just taking up space that were not really my color or no longer my style.) I want to keep doing this purging. We are going through toy boxes next week. If we don’t use it or love it, it needs a new home.

I have no misconceptions that either of these goals are obtainable in only one month, but these are long overdue and we have to start somewhere.  I will try to update you from time to time.

How about you? Do you have plans for the new year? I would love to hear about what you are working on this year.

Remember, no matter what you are doing to Love Your Boys!

Leesa

Raising Men…but not yet.

Posted on by under 2014 Oct

I want my boys to grow up to be strong men who are loyal and hard-working, honest and kind. We work toward this daily with our training and teaching, as well as our discipline and work. It is not an easy job because we will not know how it turns out for some time now. I want to keep the perspective though.They are still young boys and not yet men.

thru the lens

I want them to envision what type of job and responsibilities they will have. Sometimes I talk to them about their wives and future families. I want them to think about and discern the type of wife and mother of their children they hope to marry. I want them to create an imagine of themselves as independent men and caring, loving husbands. Mostly, I want them to see themselves as Men of God, standing for His Word and loving those who need Him. But they are not there yet.

Recently we have visited many friends and family as well as local libraries and stores. I have repeatedly heard folks, both men and women, asking other children if they have a boyfriend/girlfriend. I have heard teasing about children “dating” and if they are holding others’ hands or kissing. Mostly the children being asked are embarrassed and giggle. But, each time we talk to children about more adult or mature topics, we are encouraging them toward that end.

According to the US Dept of Heath for Adolescent Health, in 2013 there were 26.6 births out of 1000 in the US to teen moms (15-19) and for 1/6th of those, it was NOT their first birth.  89% of those births occurred outside of marriage, according to the notes. On the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies website, in 2013 there were over a quarter of a million (274,641) teen births. This is saying nothing of the terminated pregnancies, just births. The site also notes that teen pregnancies have declined in the last decades; however, it still states that a staggering $9.4 was spent in 2013 on childbearing for teens. They also noted that even though the rate is down, 3/10 girls will become pregnant before they is 20 years old.

Now, I know that statistics can be arranged to look good and bad as the reporter would like, so I often do not put too much stock into them.  When I wanted to know about the US National teen pregnancy rate, I did what all educated folks do today, I googled it! 😉  But joking aside, as you well know, teen pregnancy is something that affects all of us. We don’t need statistics to tell us that it is alive and well all around us. We all know young women who became pregnant before they were ready to be.

So, what am I really talking about today? I am talking about the adults in the lives of children speaking life and love and perspective into their lives. Speak respect and truth. I am talking about adults NOT asking a kindergartner if he has not been holding a girl’s hand. I am encouraging parents not to tease fourth graders about not “going with” someone. I am begging parents not to put clothes on a little girl which draws sexual attention to her body. I am praying that family will not laugh at my boys when they don’t have girlfriends in the 8th grade. I am talking about adults allowing children to be children.

Recently, I have come across Facebook posts with photos that make me want to say, “Get some perspective! Let them be children!” One was of two first graders, one kissing the other on the cheek while they held hands. The caption said, “First Loves.” Another post was of two tween/teens wearing “I am his” and “I am her” t-shirts. The kids had interlaced arms and big grins. Another still showed little girls going off to school with parental comments noting that their “style” will really draw some (boy) attention. I know that we often joke and tease and think it is cute for children who seem to be doing adult things, but if we encourage our kindergartner to dress like a 25 year old, our first grader to hold hands, our third graders to kiss, our sixth graders to be “claimed” by someone else, how long will it be before they are moving forward to more mature and adult activities: the activities of marriage?

Why not let them be children? Why not encourage them to be kind to others and to play and run? Why not encourage them to work their bodies hard and respect themselves? Why not love them and teach them about marriage IN THE FUTURE?

If you ask my boys about girlfriends, I hope they will (politely, ahem) tell you that they are not old enough to support a wife.This might sound odd in today’s standards, but I want my boys to think about attachment with intimacy connected to permanence and marriage. I don’t want it to be thrown out when the t-shirt is too small to wear anymore.

We, as the adults, are where it starts.Talk to your boys about being good husbands and dads. Share stories of men doing just that. Show them examples and work on skills with them. Build up women as ones to be loved and cherished, protected and honored. Keep intimacy for marriage and forms of pre-intimacy to closer to marriage.  The sooner they start on the path, the sooner they will arrive at it.

Love your boys! They will one day be men…but not yet!

Sites I used:

http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/teen-pregnancy/trends.html

http://thenationalcampaign.org/data/landing

My Mounds Bar Recipe…at last!

Posted on by under 2014 Sept, Dessert, Mounds Bar, Yummy

IMG_4810

 

So, those who know me in “real life” know that I don’t have tons of talents in the kitchen. I don’t bake the perfect pie crust or cook the blue ribbon chili or roast meat or well, anything. I cook nutritious and good food but not award winning or noteworthy. 🙂 It’s okay. I can be honest with myself and others.

I never let my guests go hungry but the foods and desserts I make never get too many comments EXCEPT my Mounds Bars. People actually ask me to make these, ask me if I made these, ask for extras to take home, and ask for the recipe! The recipe came from somewhere years and years ago, but I have changed and tweaked it to my own liking. Finally, I have found the “perfect” Mounds Bar. Through the years when others have asked for the recipe, I have passed it on as I had written it down but not as I actually make it. I just never changed the recipe card to what I actually do! 🙂 It is time to pass to my friends my “real” recipe!

Without further ado, I give you

Leesa’s Mounds Bars

2 cups of crackers crushed (I use Club crackers or saltines, sometimes mixed)

1/2 cup soft butter (no margarine)

2 tbs brown sugar

Mix these well and press into 9×12 pan. Bake for 10 min in pre-warmed oven 350. Should be “stuck together” and only slightly browned.

7 oz of coconut

1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed milk

Mix these two well and spread carefully on top. I use a knife and fork to spread it out without “smearing” the layer underneath.  Bake for 10-15 more minutes. When done, this layer should be “stuck together” and only slightly browned. Don’t overdue this one. 🙂

Top with milk chocolate chips. Spread as they melt. I use nearly a whole bag! 🙂  Cool and cut.  You can freeze these and they are just as good when you pull them out! 🙂 Do put wax paper between the layers as they separate easier.

Enjoy and may you get as comments as I do for this easy recipe!

Love your boys and eat your chocolate! 🙂

 

This recipe was first posted on 4theloveofboys.com

A time I love as a momma of boys

Posted on by under 2014 May, boys, Boys, BOYS, Life on the Farm

boys with bikes1

Spring is here!  The boys love taking walk/rides up and down our blacktop road. It is a time that I cherish with them as well.

My boys love stories: reading them, creating them, acting them, sharing them, listening to them! I have used this time of walking to share “The Four Princes” stories which are about my boys. I use these made up stories to teach lessons about sharing, working together, giving to others, serving, being adventurous, and loving the Lord.  The four princes are each named for one of my sons. When we were expecting The Dancer, I told the “Three Princes” about the queen expecting and that they would soon have a new prince to love!  It was fun for them to find out this way. I have added our address to the stories at times so they are learning it through them as well.

Our walks consist of time in nature, too. The boys have caught crayfish and worms. We have watched turtles fighting and seen deer, coyotes, and many other animals on our walks as well. Sometimes we look up information on the animals we see when we return home. Sometimes we talk about the plants we discover: herbs, weeds, grasses, tree sprouts. We purchased some books about the trees and plants in our state. We talk about how the plants produce seed and about how they bear fruit. We watch the bees and the butterflies. Always I try to bring up to them how creative and awesome God is in His creation.

A natural advantage to these walks is the exercise. We had some boy visitors one day last summer, and we went for a walk/run/bike ride. I was amazed at how “in shape” our boys are. The other boys were very winded but our boys were just doing life. When the Farmer or I take the boys somewhere where there is a great deal of walking, we often see other children needing to be carried or be in a wagon, etc. Our boys seem to trek right along as though it was nothing. I don’t say this out of feeling superior, only out of feeling thankful. I am deeply thankful my boys are all healthy and strong and are able to be outside to love the land and nature.

As the spring turns to summer and our schooling at home takes a slower pace, I pray there are many days the boys can be outside to explore and as the Cowboy says, “Run off some boy energy!” 🙂

Outside is a good place for boys.

Love your boys and remember that you can explore, enjoy and cherish ANY place with them.

 

Have you ever seen the rain…

Posted on by under 2014 May, boys, Boys, BOYS, Studying God's Word

rain 1

 

There is rain in the distance.  See the streaks on the picture below the clouds?  The dark lines coming from the clouds show the rain that falls in the distance. But you can see it coming, smell it, hear it.

Farmers need the rain, but too much rain is bad for us, too. I love the falling rain. It cleans the air and removes dirt from the sidewalks. It refreshes us, all of us. Children love to play in it and in the puddles from it. But too much of anything is no good. Sometimes the rain is not good for us.

With children, it happens that we can also see the dark clouds coming at times, and we know it is not going to be a good thing, like too much rain on the already wet soil. Our Dancer is not yet two and sadly I can see the dark clouds coming in his life. Children do not have to be trained to be sinful. Scriptures tell us, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” in Romans. Unfortunately, it is there in their blood.  They inherit that sin from their fathers who inherit it from their fathers, all the way back to Adam, the first man.

I asked the Dancer if he had spit his piece of meat into his napkin (Who taught him that, anyway!?) and he said, “No.”

Just like that, my sweet-faced little Dancer lied to his momma!  Sin is in his blood. So, what is a Mom to do?

I start training. I start teaching. I start praying.

rainbow

After the rain, a rainbow appeared.  It was a whole rainbow that spread across the sky and then a double rainbow appeared.  We are praying for that same rainbow to come in the life of our sweet-faced Dancer’s future.  We are praying that he accepts the blood of Jesus Christ early in life so that he can be able to be used by the Lord, and so that he can be not only sweet-faced but sweet-hearted: deep, sweetness of heart because he is the son of the Lord Jesus Christ and a member of the Body of Christ, completely forgiven of his sinfulness. Yes, this is what we want for our little boy.

Are you teaching your little boys? Are you training good behaviors now before they are an insult to you and to others?

We will be training and praying for that whole and double rainbow! Above all, love your boys!

 

 

Our Choice for our Boys: home education

Posted on by under 2014 April, Home Education

The boys

I have often heard of others who talk of how they want their children to return to school after a break, how they cannot wait to have “their homes back” when their children get on the bus after a snow day (or several), how they could never do what I do and don’t have the patience or the education or the time…the list goes on… to be with their children more than they already are now.

Stop.

Before you comment with mean things about why you think it is okay that you send your children to school, let me say it: it is okay that you send your children to school. But, may I also say, it is okay that I keep my children at home to educate them because it is NOT about me.  It is also not through my own power that I do it.  The boys miss each other and enjoy each other during the day. The Dancer could get used to the boys being gone, only seeing them for a bit after school (and homework and lessons) before bed. But why?  We want the boys to be friends with one another and love one another first, after God.

Let me say it though for all to hear read:

I do not have enough patience.

I am not educated enough: though I have a Bachelor of Arts in high school and middle school English Education and reading (read former high school and middle school English teacher), I do not know so many things the boys ask about daily.  My boys were the first I ever taught to read or count or add.  I feel I have a lack of knowledge on a regular basis.

I do not have time to myself  to read or go potty without interruption (Yes, this is an issue for me. Yes, it is a big deal. And yes, I know I mentioned it before), or write when I want, or even pray when I want to most days.

My days are currently dictated by others.  But, in many ways, is that not the definition of motherhood? We lay down our lives for our children every day. Moms whose children are educated outside the home do this too, but home educating moms do it to a greater extent because they are always WITH their children.  We give up our freedom, so that we can love these little men that the Lord has blessed us with for such a short season.  It is a blessing and a responsibility, and it truly is for such a short season.  The Lord will bless this time that I give to my sons to train, support, teach, and lead them.  But I know that it is not really me but Him. He is the trainer, support system, teacher, and leader they need. And, I need Him, too. He gives me the patience, the knowledge, the desire to learn, everything.  I can only educate my children at home because He gives me the strength to do it.

The Farmer and I chose to home educate our boys for academic reasons as well as other reasons. While we do not feel mandated by God to home educate our children, we do believe that He will bless this time we spend with them teaching and instructing them. This week alone we have been able to read the gospel accounts to the boys about Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.  Their handwriting work has been passages that we read from those gospels.  We have also been able to work with them on memory work which included the three characteristics of light, the list of coordinating conjunctions, the commutative laws of addition & multiplication, and the geography of Central and south Central Americas. (Did I mention my oldest isn’t ten yet?! I never learned some of the things they are learning until I started teaching them.)  That isn’t even all of it that we did with Classical Conversations! (But that will have to be another post.)  We are choosing to classically educate our children at home, with the Lord’s help, because we believe it is the right thing to do.  It is our choice for our boys.  And, it is okay if it is not your choice for your boys.  Let me say it again, it is our choice, but it does not have to be your choice.

Not all families choose to home educate their children, but as parents, we have to stick together and not judge one another.  We have to respect the choices of others for the sake of our boys. When home educating parents see a family dropping off children at school or putting children on the bus, the home educating mom does not pull over to a stop and ask the other mom why she is doing so.  She does not ask a mom in the store where her children are and what they are learning at school that day.  She does not think poorly about the family that sends their children to school. Could the courtesy go both ways? Could a mom who sees a home educating family at Sam’s Club NOT ask why the children are there? Could she NOT ask what they are learning today? Could she NOT question them about the presidents or their math facts? We love all love our boys and are working to give them the best lives possible, in a school outside our home or in our living room. Let’s pray for one another and build one another up; we will all be stronger for the decision.

So the next time you see a passel of boys out while you are getting lunch in the middle of the day, it just might be us on a field trip. Instead of thinking, “Why are those boys out of school?”  Could you think instead, “I wonder what those boys are learning today?  I wonder what great things the Lord is teaching them through that mom right there (who does look a bit tired and sometimes a bit frazzled)?  Let me pray for her and her job of educating those men of tomorrow.”

I am taking time to pray for you and your family today. Please take a minute and pray for that mom and those boys or that family hanging out with the monsters.  😉  We all need it!

What do you think, could you do it?  Mikeandthefamily

Love your boys.

Protecting our Boys

Posted on by under 2014 March, boys, Boys, BOYS

Protecting our children is important to parents.  Keeping our boys from harm: bad food, bad language, bad thoughts, but mostly from bad people is so important.  The topic about to be mentioned is not one that moms often bring up and discuss, but we need to be aware that there are people who would hurt our children for their pleasure.  These people are called child molesters or sexual predators. Just like a predatory animal such as a shark or lion, they seek their prey and plan an attack. But there are some things that we can do, as parents, to help our children stay safe.

1. Do not be naive.  Sexual crimes against children happen.  According to The National Center for Victims of Crime, 1 out of 5 girls will be molested and 1 out of 20 boys.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that the percentage for boys is as high as 1 out of 6 boys being sexually molested before they are 18.  No matter the exact percentage, one is too many!  We can see that children are being hurt.  We prayerfully hope that it will not be our boys.  So, how do we work to keep our children safe?

2. Know something about a person who might hurt your child.  Do a quick search on the internet and you will find that children often know the person (as high as 96% of the time!) who will hurt them. They are sometimes related to that person.  Know who your children are with and who will be visiting that person while your child in there.  Often the molester is under 18 years old.  Children need to be monitored, which leads me to #3.

3. Be with your sons.  Don’t allow your children go into a restroom alone.  Have them go with a trusted adult or  brother.  Better yet, have them go in with you.  As the mom of all boys, I find a family bathroom at the mall or a store. The boys simply turn around when it is my turn.  Don’t allow them to spend the day or the night with someone you don’t know or that you do not trust completely.  It might seem like you are a stick in the mud to your sons (or the other family), but it is your job to protect you son.

4. Talk to your sons about the threat.  We have read the Yell and Tell books.  The one for boys is called Samuel Learns to Yell and Tell by Debi Pearl.  You can check out the book for boys  here. It is a great book for starting a conversation about who might want to hurt them but more importantly what they should do about it.  They need to yell for the person to stop and they need to tell a trusted adult.  Teach them not to be afraid.  Trust them, if they tell you someone has touched, hurt, or made them feel uncomfortable. There is a book for girls too; this topic is for all children. (The book also has great tips and good information for parents at the back.)

5. Teach your sons to be safe.  Several sources noted  that boys 7-18 are the most likely to be sexually molested.  This is an age where we feel they are “finally safe” as they are older.  We let ten year boys go to the restroom alone at the ball game.  We allow for sleepovers for our twelve year boys at their friends’ houses.  Because we cannot keep them under our wings forever, we need to teach our boys to be safe.  They should learn to BE AWARE: of their surroundings, of their feelings that something is off, of their own strength to protect themselves.  We need to teach our boys to look for weapons in the objects around them.  In the bathroom, this could be the shampoo to squirt in someone’s eyes.  In the bedroom, this could be a book to throw at someone.  In the game room, this could be a remote or glass with a drink.  We have to teach our boys to look for a way to get free of someone who would hurt them.  Practice helping them learn the words to say. “No. NO. NO!” and “Stop!”  Help them be confident enough in themselves to know that they are worth it.  No one should hurt them.  Also, they need to tell. Help them trust themselves enough to tell.

6. Believe them and love them. Keep praying for you son.  Keep talking with him and listening to him.  Pray for wisdom in your decisions on what to do in specific situations and for how to be train him in this difficult area.

What tips would you share with me to keep my boys safer?  What have you used that has worked with your children?

Love those boys & work to keep them safe!

Leesa

P.S. I do not get anything from the purchase of the Yell & Tell books, but I do believe they are a good source for parents.  I am sure there are other books out there as well.  If you have found some other resources, please share! 🙂

This post was first seen on 4theloveofboys.com

I am doing the best I can

Posted on by under 2014 March, boys, Boys, BOYS

 CleaningLady

“I am doing the best I can!”

 I say this often.

I mean it often.

Or, do I?  Am I really doing the best I can?  Yes, most days I am doing all I can– in my own power– to help grow these four little boys into men.  But it isn’t enough.  I am failing.

One day I had a realization.  I am not enough.  You heard me.  It’s true. I am not enough.  I don’t have the patience to home educate them.  I don’t have the love to listen to any more stories about LEGOs or blocks or whatever they are building today.  I don’t have any more energy to clean, wash, bathe, or did I mention clean anything else!  I don’t have enough.

Luckily, I don’t have to have enough of anything.  The Lord does.  So, now when I hear myself say this little phrase, I stop.  I am learning to rethink it.  I need to remember that I must rely on Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, to do it.  Doing the best I  can is not the same as falling into His arms, so He can work through me and do the best.  I am nothing without Christ and so I need to live as though I am in His arms, letting Him do the living, loving, and growing of these little men. When I hear myself say these words.  I stop myself, right where I am, and pray. I thank the Lord that He is enough and that He is working through me.   I must stop MY doing and let Christ do it.

Do the best you can today and let the Lord work through you! 🙂

What do you do when you feel you are not enough?  I’d love to hear about it.

Oh, and love your boys!

Leesa

Sharing Traditions with our Boys

Posted on by under boys, Boys, BOYS

IMG_4633 roseThe Farmer and I had our first Valentine’s Day just five months before we were married.  The Farmer gave me a glass vase and a single silk, red rose.  He told me that he would continue to do this each year and fill that vase.  Each Valentine’s Day, I receive a card and a single, red rose from my Farmer.  I have one for each year of our marriage, plus that first Valentine’s Day.

It is a tradition.

The boys get to see the vase filling and their Daddy bringing me the roses each year to do it.  They are a part of that tradition because they observe how a man loves his wife, how he gives to her, how he creates a way that all will remember years past.

Traditions: traditions bind us together, make us feel connected and loved. They give us stories to pass along to others and to share with our own children.   I wanted to have traditions that we pass along to our boys, as well.  We started with watches.

When our boys can tell time, on a real clock with hands and not a digital, I give them a watch.  It is a nice watch and it tells the time with numbers and hands.  It is a symbol of their learning and their responsibility to take care of their new gift.  Two of our four boys now have their watches and the third works on telling time on a regular basis, so that he can get his watch as well.

Next come the wallets.  Our boys receive wallets when they begin working and making money.  The three oldest boys received wallets this past Christmas as they had all begun to work and had money.  The Farmer decided we would start Dave Ramsey’s Money Jr.  This is a program where children have chores for which they earn payment.  Our payment is .25 per chore.  They have other chores they do for simply living in our home, but for the named chores, they will be paid.  This system then has the child split the money into SAVE, GIVE, and finally SPEND envelopes.  The boys work for items that they “saving” for with that envelope.  They give the GIVE envelope’s contents to church or a need that they see. They can spend the money in the SPEND envelope or use it toward their item for which they are saving.  This is a simple, though complex, system which teaches the boys to how to manage money.  Since they are making, spending, and saving money, they earned their wallets.

The boys receive Bibles, good and sturdy King James Versions, when they are ready to take God’s Word into their minds on a regular basis.  This year we are doing more study time, so the boys also received new Bibles with their names inscribed on the covers.  God’s Word has to be in their hands before it can be put into their hearts regularly.

Finally, we will give the boys knives.  A pocket knife is very useful for many things and will be given to each son when he shows himself responsible and useful to others outside our home.  This could be when he gives time, shares his talents, or does some other good, without parental “prompting” in the future.  None of our boys have knives of their own yet.

Each item is given with a little bit of pomp and praise to show the boys that they are growing up.  They are changing and becoming men.  They are being trusted with possessions, some of them more costly than others.  They are learning to care for what they have.  We are creating traditions and markers of their development.  When they look back in future years, we hope they see that they have matured, changed, developed, and grown into fine and responsible men.

These traditions will be markers of those moments of growth.

What traditions are you creating with your boys? Do you have coming of age moments?  Do you have coming into responsibility markers?

Enjoy your boys!

Wisdom from the throne

Posted on by under boys, Boys, BOYS, Studying God's Word

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Recently, we had a bout of flu. I should not complain as this is not a regular occurrence.  The 6 year old Cowboy cannot remember vomiting in the past so that is pretty good.  The Engineer and Farmer, Jr. only remember it vaguely.

The Dancer got it first, the next night it was the Engineer, the following night early it was Farmer, Jr. and later Cowboy.  What a long couple of days for the Mom of four boys…I learned that my boys, maybe all boys, are not good at being sick.  They do not want to stay still and do not suffer well.  Hum.

But, it was on this third night that the wisdom of an old man came out in groans and questions.  This flu came with stomach cramps and then vomiting, as well as other cleaning out that won’t be detailed here. So as my poor Farmer, Jr. sat on the throne holding his belly and groaning in pain, he pondered aloud.  His questions went on and on as he tried to hold his belly and head at the same time.

Farmer, Jr: How long will this last?  Why do I feel this way?  Why do we even get sick?

Mom: We get sick because of sin entering the world with Adam a long time ago.

Farmer, Jr: But, why mom? Why did Adam have to sin?  Why did he sin?

Mom: He sinned just like we all sin.  He made a decision.

What a question…from an 8 year old, sick boy.  Why do we sin?  Why do we choose to do wrong all. the. time?  Why indeed?  We sin, very basically, because we are sinners.  Adam was not a sinner but he chose to follow his wife, Eve, who had been tricked into sinning. “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” says 1 Timothy 2:14.  Adam was not tricked.  He saw that she had sinned, and he CHOSE to sin.  He picked it, literally, and ate the fruit.  He made a deliberate decision.

So, we make deliberate decisions daily to sin, also.  We hit a brother or take a toy. We throw a book,  a punch, or an angry word at one another.  Boys sin here.  So do their parents.  We are sinners.  Romans 3:23 says that “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Honestly, that is not an easy thing to write.  I hate sinning.  I know through scripture that my sinning put the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”   So, the wages or payment for sin is death, eternal separation from God.  He is perfect and truthful and cannot be around sin.  We then are cast away because of our deliberate sins.  BUT, keep reading the verse.  There is a gift.  “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Notice that it does not say the gift of God is eternal life through all Leesa does. Or all Leesa prays or how Leesa lives.  It is through the Lord Jesus Christ.  He alone was perfect after living on Earth and being tempted.  He alone can save us from this eternal separation.

Christ’s blood that was shed took care of my sins.  Colossians 1:14 tells me, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”  Christ’s sinless blood was shed to cover my sins–MINE. My daily, weekly, yearly, even lifelong sins.  All of them, covered.  They are taken care of and God the Father can no longer see them.  Yikes!  That is BIG news.  You know what?  Yours too.  Your sins are covered, just like mine and my boys and your boys. We are free from sin because the Lord Jesus Christ died for those sins.

So, what do I have to do to get it, really?  Believe that He did it.  We trust that the Lord took care of it. That’s it?  Yep.

Believe it.  “For by grace are you saved [from eternal death and separation-my note] through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God:  Not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8-9.  It is His grace and our belief.  It is a gift and not a ticket to be paid.  It is not of my works–any works–or then I could boast and brag about myself.  Only trust in His blood that took care of your sins.  Free to you.

So, while all the boys are free from that yucky flu, they are more importantly free from eternal death, if they believe.  Wow.

I want to continually be checking to see if they know, understand, and believe this Truth.  Of all that we teach them, this is the most important.  When a tiny soul is formed, it is a forever soul.  While our bodies get sick and one day die, our souls are eternal.  That is real.

Farmer, Jr. is wise to ask the questions about the Truths of life.

As parents of boys, may we be wise to have the real and truthful answers, the Truth of God’s Word, to give them.

Enjoy your boys!