amberherron

~ Valentine Traditions ~

Tiny Prints sent me an email asking the question, "how do you make valentine's day special for your kids?"  I realized that I have never shared our valentine tradition with Josiah. 

Jonathan and I have never been huge on celebrating Valentine's since it is mostly a "Hallmark holiday."  My mindset changed with regards to our child when I thought about my own childhood. 

One of my best childhood memories with my grandparents was from Valentine's Day.  My grandma cooked a nice dinner for us.  Grandpa bought us the big box of Whitman's Sampler - a big deal to a 7 year old!  He also bought us a stuffed goose with a straw hat.  It was a simple moment.  It didn't involve spending lots of money, a fancy restaurant, or expensive flowers.  That is all part of what makes it my favorite Valentine's memory.  Grandma and Grandpa spent quality time with us and showed us their love for us.

We decided to show our love for Josiah on Valentine's Day through the gift of books.  Surprise, surprise, right?  (it's no secret we are HUGE book lovers here!)  Each year, I scour tons of children's books to find the perfect one.  It is always a book that talks about how much we love Josiah.  I also try to find a book that emphasizes similarities to Josiah's personality or developmental stage.  Once the perfect book is selected, I write a letter to Josiah inside the front cover explaining why we chose it and how much we love him!  I figured he would appreciate that part when he is much older.  To my surprise, when I get those books out to read, he wants me to read the inscription to him repeatedly before the story.  He will have these books to hold on to and always know he is loved!

Some of the titles we have chosen include:  The Yummiest Love, How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You, Wherever You Go My Love Will Find You, and I Love You Little Monkey.

What about you?  Any fun or special Valentine's Day traditions?

*Thanks to Tiny Prints for inspiring me to share these thoughts!  You can find tons of unique and creative Valentines for something extra special this year by visiting their site.  You can also follow them on twitter(https://twitter.com/#!/TinyPrints), facebook(https://www.facebook.com/tinyprints), or pinterest(http://pinterest.com/tiny_prints/)!

~ Transitioning to a Church Plant ~

A very heartfelt and sincere quesiton was asked at our last Life Church Michigan informational gathering.  The question was:

How do you go about transitioning to being a part of this new church when attending another church on Sunday mornings?

I had the opportunity to add to Jonathan's wisdom on this, but came up empty in the moment.  I have had a chance to really process this the last few days.  Here are my thoughts...

First of all, I whole-heartedly agree with what Jonathan stated in answering.  It's ok to attend another church on Sunday mornings right now.  Our family is attending a church on Sundays.  It is important especially with children to provide a church experience.  We are not having services right now.  We don't have children or student ministries set up.  An informational meeting is not a church worship service so we would expect and hope that people are attending church!

That said, a time will come when Life Church Michigan does have an engaging, gospel-centered, life-giving worship service and ministries which provide the best hour in your kids' week!  It is in that moment, that a person needs to pray and seek the Lord as to where He is calling them.  It is not ok to straddle the fence and provide half-hearted commitments to more than one church.  So, how does one go about making this decision?

I think the hardest part of leaving a church when you sense God calling you to do so, is how it affects your relationships.  Hopefully you have connected with the church and have some meaningful relationships built up from the experience.  Leaving a church often means accepting that those relationships will look different and change.  The purpose of the church, however, is not to provide you with a social life.  If the only reason you are staying at a particular church is because of the social life and friends it provides you, I would humbly say you are missing the point.  Don't get me wrong - friendships should develop in the church and they are great.  They are not the purpose though. The funny thing is that when you focus on the mission of Jesus, He naturally brings those meaningful relationships alongside you.

The purpose of the church is to equip the saints.  Committing to a local body of believers is establishing a covenant with them.  When considering this, Stephen Mansfield says one should ask questions such as

How do they view God?

What do they think He has called them to do?

Who is in charge and what authority do they have?

What have they set out themselves to do in the world?

What do they expect of their members?

Are you and your family called in the same way, to the same purposes that these people sense for themselves?

The next thing to consider is whether a particular pastor is a fit for you and your family.  The Bible says that your pastor is a gift from God.  His primary purpose is to teach and train the people to do the works of God.  Your pastor should have authority in your life.  This authority is not to make you feel scolded or guilty, it should be authority that makes you feel built up and encouraged.  So the second question to consider is:

Can this pastor train you and build you up to fulfill your destiny in the body of Christ?

The last question to consider is regarding how God has gifted and wired you.  He has a purpose and wants to use you to minister in the local body of Christ.  Stephen Mansfield says, "you are choosing a portion of the body of Christ to serve with your gifts."  So the question to wrestle with is:

Does this church provide me with the opportunity to fully serve in the way God has gifted and wired me?

I hope this helps as people pray through what church God is calling them to be a part of. 

Should God call you to leave your church, please do so in a God-honoring way!  Be honest.  Confess sins where need be.  Pray for the church and bless them on your way out. 

*thanks to Stephen Mansfield's book ReChurch chapter 7 for spurring me on with this topic

 

~ Hoping to Adopt - You can help! ~

Our lives were touched by adoption five years ago with the arrival of baby Josiah.  Many people ask us if we are going to adopt another child. 
The answer is, "We'd love to!"

We are currently working with a Christian agency that has a strong track record  - Adoption Associates.  In addition, we are also welcoming the help of our family, friends, and blog friends to help us network to locate a birthmom. 

Keep your eyes and ears open - - if you hear of someone with an unplanned pregnancy considering making an adoption plan, point them to our online Adoption Profile and we'll do the rest!  Thanks for partnering with us in our family's journey!

~ Old Pics ~

I was clearing off my memory card last week and realized I never shared a couple pics from the fall and Christmas season.  Enjoy!

 

Playing Santa

 

~ Snow Much Fun! ~

Josiah finally got to use the sled he got for Christmas and play out in the snow!  Enjoy!

 

 

And Slinky joined in the fun too!

 

 

~ Josiah's Photo Shoot - Christmas lights edition ~

Jon gave Josiah his iphone to take pictures with while we were beginning to hang Christmas lights.  It was a great activity to occupy him while we were busy.  Here is what he came up with!

 

 

~ Book Review: His Mighty Warrior ~

Do you have an adventure seeking pirate loving boy?  Do you want your son to see the adventure and excitement of Scripture?  Are you eager for your child to embrace that God desires to use him to change the world?  His Mighty Warrior:  A Treasure Map from Your King by Sheri Rose Shepherd may be just what you are looking for!

This book makes the Bible come alive in new and exciting ways that engages the mind of a little boy.  The table of contents provides various topics relevant to the life of a little boy.  He can choose whatever is pertaining to him in the moment and read what God has to say about it.  Each topic includes a personal letter to your little boy from God, Bible verses, and a prayer.  The language is perfect for capturing the mind of your son.  The beautiful and interesting full color illustrations further enhance this work.  You must check out a preview for yourself here!

I love that my son is learning Scripture at his level.  What I love most, though, is that he is starting to see that God created him for a purpose.  God wants to use him - even at the young age of 5!  He loves that the pictures and wording talk of him being on a mission and adventure. 

*Thanks to Waterbrook/Mutonomah for providing this book in exchange for my honest review!

~ Adoption Awareness - No Joke ~

Did you know that November is Adoption Awareness month?  Adoption surrounds us in our culture and often we don't even realize it.  This is one reason why being educated and aware of adoption and adoption issues is beneficial to everyone...regardless of your personal connection to adoption.  Here is an example I experienced a couple of weeks ago while at work...

I was working my seasonal job and was helping a guest find a certain item she wanted to purchase.  In the midst of this, her family came around her.  Her husband was carrying a young toddler boy on his shoulders.  He was one of those super adorable little kids.  I just couldn't NOT say something.  So I looked at the dad and told him, "he is SO cute!"  The dad's response was, "he's adopted."  My first thought was to share how I, too, am an adoptive parent.  Thankfully I didn't since in that split second, the dad began to laugh.  The mom quickly stepped up to defend that the little boy was her son born to her and not adopted.  The dad thought it was a funny joke to say their son was adopted.  I was so glad that I had not opened up!  I have to say that if I were not representing a company as an employee at that moment, I probably would've confronted this man.  I decided to let it go in the moment. 

This interaction got me to thinking though.  Why is it that our culture often sees adoption as a joke?  Think about it.  How many movies talk about adoption as a joke?  How many times have your heard someone who is joking about not fitting into a family as possibly adopted (when they are indeed biologically connected)?  Adoption is a private issue that most people choose not to broadcast at all times.  This means that you and I can be interacting with others personally connected to adoption without knowing it.  I am not saying you have to tiptoe around the topic, but be educated and respectful.  You never know how it is affecting the listener. 

I am so thankful that my son was not there at work with me that night.  I think he would've proudly admitted to being adopted (which is great!).  He would not, however, have understood why that man would be joking about the beautiful way his family was made. 

Those are my two cents, for what it's worth!

~ Make Christmas Greetings Personal with Tiny Prints! ~

Have you discovered the gem that is Tiny Prints?  You still have time to check them out for your personalized holiday greetings this season!  They have so many unique and creative options.  I will warn you it is hard to even decide what card to select!  Here are a couple I loved that just might show up in your mailbox this Christmas from the Herron family...

Aren't they just beautiful?  Tiny Prints offers a convenient side-bar filter to narrow down your choices and show you the various options.  Take a look for yourself here!

Remember, the very time for faith to work is when our sight begins to fail. And the greater the difficulties, the easier it is for faith to work, for as long as we can see certain natural solutions to our problems, we will not have faith. Faith never works as easily as when our natural prospects fail. George Mueller