spring turns to summer, we are gearing up for VBS, June 23-26, an amazing opportunity for kids can’t wait to see all God does.
Happy Mother’s Day weekend to all the mamas out there! What a wonderfully sacred yet complex role that you have been given and carry with you all your days. I shared a few words at a baby shower last week from Psalm 61 and although it was for a new mom, I pray it can encourage your heart too!
“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name… So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.”
Psalm 61:1-5, 8
I’m not sure how many pregnancy or parenting books you’ve read but I think you could read them all and still feel ill equipped for this role. There are so many twists and turns and what I have found and what these first three verses suggest from Psalm 61 is that the best parenting advice I could give to any mom is to Stay close to Jesus. My heart has been faint more times than I can count and because no two kids are the same I need the wisdom from above. Sometimes that looks like a dedicated time each morning with my Bible and sometimes that looks like sitting in a parking spot and bowing my head in prayer so I don’t lose my cool when I’m at the end of my rope.
This scripture is a prayer and a cry out from David to God because he often found himself with enemies. But for moms I feel like the enemy often feels like tiredness or like needing wisdom or trying to find a new rhythm with your spouse in a different season than the last. Don’t give up, keep on momma. I know this role is hard but it is vital in your kid’s lives. They need you and God picked YOU because He knew you were the right mom for them.
This passage goes on to say that he wants to dwell in the tent of the Lord forever and to take refuge under the shadow of His wings. I think that one of the best things that we can do as moms is to Show them Jesus and your need for him. When our second son was little he frequented the time out chair, like A LOT. One day, when Luke was out of town I was at the end of my patience and this particular child was in the time out chair again, there was more time left of the day and I truly didn’t know what else to do with him. As I tried to talk through this situation with him, I said, “Buddy, you need Jesus.” And he looked at me, didn’t miss a beat and said, “I don’t need Jesus!” I balled and I called Luke and balled some more. Here’s the thing, we can’t guarantee that our kids know and love Jesus but we sure can show them that we do. So much more is caught than taught.
David closes this Psalm the same way he does most Psalms, his eyes on Jesus even though it doesn’t say that his circumstances have changed. I encourage you like David says in verse 8 to Keep praising. When my kids were little, I would sing to them: Jesus loves the little ______ (fill in their name) all the _____’s of the world. Red and yellow black and white they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little _____’s of the world. If they didn’t fall asleep I would then sing them Jesus loves you. And often I think it was for me more than them. It’s words we all know but it’s truth to hide in your heart after a long day, whether good or bad, hard or joyous: God loves you so very much mama, this I KNOW!
mother's day vibes
Sometimes people really wanna show love for their moms and they do it in this unfortunate overarching big way.
“She’s the greatest!”
“She’s the most!”
“She’s the best mom in the history of moms!”
I get it, that’s sweet in its own way, but I wanna talk about my mom today in a very specific way. the thing I love about my mom is the way that she loves me the way I need in the stage of life I’m in.
so many people that I talk to experience their baby boomer parents to be very selfish in their relationships: always needing the relationship to be the way the parents want or imagined it should be. my mom has just never been like this at all.
when I was a child, she was a wonderfully dedicated caretaker.
when I was a teenager, she was an extremely helpful and present, but not hovering guide.
when I was in college and a young adult, she always made sure I (and another dopey friends were hanging around) had a full belly.
in this stage of life with raising kids, she is ready whenever we need help.
and she’s always adding something … dropping off a candy or a book.
she meets me where i need it. that’s incredibly loving.
she would be happy to be celebrated at a steakhouse, but maybe my favorite memory of Mother’s Day with her was during Covid time lockdowns we got a burger and went for a long walk by the ocean.
Last Week’s Sermons
i preached on probably my favorite text in the bible, John 21. after a long night of nothing, jesus makes me breakfast of mercy + grace
Mother’s Day Prayer
For everything my mom did well, thank you Lord.
For every sacrifice my mom made, thank you Lord.
For everything my mom messed up, help me forgive, Lord.
For every little thing she taught me, thank you Lord.
For all the times she comforted me, thank you Lord.
For times we didn’t understand each other, give us grace Lord.
For the strength my mom showed, thank you Lord.
For her quiet moments of patience, thank you Lord.
For the wounds still healing between us, grant us peace, Lord.
For my mom, your precious gift, forever grateful, Lord.
Playlist
every sunday … we will update the music from the previous Sunday on this playlist, hopefully helps you connect with things a little better.
Cup of Leadership
the worst part of our house is this little section behind our garage. it’s about 4 feet by 15 feet leading up to our neighbors fence. it serves no purpose and is just a quirk of how the home was built. about 4 times a year we go back there to mow down the weeds and branches and grass. something about the angle of the sun and the way it collects moisture, it grows thick and intense back there.
i was doing some spring cleaning the other afternoon, and carter was helping me and he said in a very 16 year old way,
“why do the weeds grow so intense back here, we don’t even want them?”
in my pastoral mind i couldn’t resist framing my response like a sermon point,
“good grass has to be cultivated, weeds grow on their own.”
the stuff that happens easily is usually the stuff that isn’t so good for us.
our natural selves,
eat processed food because it’s easy, buying + cooking healthy stuff takes work.
ignore partners to chill on our phones, because it is easy, cultivating conversation takes work
hit the snooze because it is easy, getting the bible open takes work.
weeds are easy, grass takes work.
this is good news,
luke + kristen