Lisa Life Lesson- "Here's to a Great New School Year!"

Binders, Crayons, Backpacks, a clean slate and new shoes...A NEW SCHOOL YEAR IS HERE!

Summer is over (almost) and school is upon us.  I love it.  We're about to send Camryn back to Baylor and she is ready to go.  All good things must come to an end. 

My favorite part of a new school year is getting my Mom Calendar out and all filled in.  New dates and new responsibilities.  Kid's activities. Meetings. Functions. Games. Practices.  It's so fun...for about 29 days.  Then reality sets in that I have a year's worth of activities, meetings, functions, practices...wait a minute? Who signed us up for all of this? Who got our family in this situation? We're running around like chickens with our heads cut off! Whyyy??? How did this happen???

Me.  It was me.  I signed us up for all of this.  I signed her up for soccer because all my friend's kids were playing soccer and I wanted to be with my friends, so I signed my daughter up for soccer.  Which includes 2 practices a week and a game on the weekend.  I signed him up for skills classes every Tuesday and Thursday because Mr. __________ said if he didn't take skills classes he would be left behind on the team and we don't want him left him left behind on the team for heaven's sake.  

You get the picture.  We are eager to go at the first of the school year and are "sign me up happy!"  We never consider our schedule, our family... or God's best.  

Here's a thought.  BEFORE signing up for anything, pray.  Bring the options before the Lord and seek Him.  Ask for peace and guidance over your school year.  Seek The Lord.  Ask for balance. 

Here's what happens when we just jump in and don't pray:  We get crazy, unbalanced and resentful.  Mad.  Our family is wheels off and we want to blame someone.  But the reality is we did this to ourselves.  Don't feel pressure to do it all.  Your kids are in 3rd grade once.  Don't miss it.  

Praying over scheduling puts God in charge.  This is where you want to be.  Under Him.

God bless you! It's going to be a great year!

Blessings,

Lisa

Sky Ranch SkyMoms Parenting Mentor

Prayer Encouragement: "To Do!" by SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

To Do!

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.  I have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand-

I will not be moved.

Psalm 16:7-8

Fill in the blank problem:______________.   What do I do?   

What do I do and what am I supposed to trust God to do?

How many times has this question surfaced in your mind regarding 

how to handle an issue or a problem regarding your children or something they are going through that is completely out of your control?

At times, we can just be mentally bombarded with what I am supposed to do.

We have three answers for times like this found in Psalm 16:7-8

1. Bless the Lord for past and present counsel.
2. Listen to the Holy Spirit who speaks to you.
3. Set the Lord before you and refuse to be moved by the circumstance.

Go back to the passage above and see why it is possible to not be moved.

It says because He is at my right hand…I will not be moved.

Jesus is the right hand.

 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God Mark 16:19

Because of what has already been done on the cross, we do not have to be moved.

He is with us.  The answer to the to do…has already been done.

Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us.

We can trade our power of fretful to do’s over to His power that is accessible to us and accomplishes much.

Let’s Pray God’s Word:

Heavenly Father, thank You that I can come to you with everything that is dear to me and my children.  I thank You and praise You for all of the counsel You have given me in past times.

When I look back and see, it is exceedingly and abundantly more than I could have asked or imagined.

When I wake up in the night fretful, or am bombarded during the day with what I am supposed to do, guide me by the power of Your spirit.

Instruct me on how to handle all circumstances with my children.

I do not want to be moved into anxiety, fretting, or worry.

Thank You that You are at my right hand.

I will not be moved.

Amen.

~ Terrie Chevaillier

Prayer Encouragement: "We love you Sky Moms! Your labor is not in vain!" by SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

We love you Sky Moms! Your labor is not in vain!

They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord and their offspring with them.

Isaiah 65:23

Do you ever feel like this labor of love of raising children is in vain?
Ruts, routines, hard seasons, disappointments, discipline issues, setbacks. These are all the result of living in a fallen world.  We cannot control these things not being a part of our lives.

However, we can control how we maintain our focus and vision as we walk through them.  And that is exactly what the ministry of Sky Moms desire is.
To Help you! Encourage you! Love you! 

This summer I have had the privilege of meeting many of you.  For those who don't know what Sky Moms is about, when I get to tell you that it is to minister to the heart of the mom....eyes light up and you want to know more.

We want you to know that your labor is not in vain.  Sky Ranch has a LOVE for your kids to see them be and become all that God has intended for them to be.  And for that reason, Sky Moms wants to come alongside you in the journey to help equip moms as you seek God's vision for your child and then see that come to pass.

Let's Pray God's Word:
Thank you Father that our labor of raising children is not in vain. You have a plan and a unique purpose greater than we can imagine for them.

We pray they know You fully and experience Your love deeply.
We ask for Your help as we labor.  We don't want to get to the end of our time with them in our homes and regret that the focus of our labor was in vain.

What areas are we laboring in that do not honor you or make a kingdom difference? Are we laboring with Your love? We trust You to help us shift our focus on Your plan and off of our plan.

Your word says we shall not bring our children forth for trouble. Some days it feels that trouble might be the outcome in this fallen world.

But we thank You that Your Word guides us to labor toward a blessed promise. That they will be Your children and continue on to a legacy of a Godly generation of offspring.  That gives us hope.

Bring many to Sky Moms that need help laboring.  Bond us together for the purpose of raising these precious children to be partakers of the rich blessing You have for them and their future.

Amen
~Terrie Chevaillier

Check out our Sky Ranch Launch Camps!

Not quite ready for overnight camp? Check out our Launch Camps! With several locations across the DFW area, Sky Ranch brings camp to YOU! Enjoy wild and crazy activities, silly songs and skits, and amazing counselors. What are you waiting for? Sign up today!

www.skyranch.org/launch-camp/

Lisa Life Lesson- "Mom, I have NO FRENZZZ!!!"

Mom, I have NO FRENZZZ!!!

It really is a devastating statement.  You’re the mom.  You’re supposed to fix stuff, ya know? So when that brick is thrown at you, you go into mom fix it mode.  “Well honey of course you have friends!” “No I don’t.” “Yes you do…what about Sarah?” “Sarah hates me.” “Well, what about Susan?” “She only likes the soccer players.” “Oh, well you and Carla have always gotten along so well.  She’s your friend!” “No she isn’t.  She moved.”  And then you go all hyperChristian and give the obligatory, “Well sweetheart, Jesus is your friend.  Yes.  Jesus loves you and He’s your friend.  So go be friends with Jesus while I finish dinner.  K?” 

And you did it.  You played the Jesus card.  Again.  What would we moms do without the Jesus card? It is true.  Jesus is our friend.  He’s actually our best friend.  But a 3^rd grader might need a friend in the flesh, too.  Someone to play with on the playground and confide in and make stupid noises with.  Friends are good.

Whether your child is extremely social or a loner, he’s still going to want an occasional buddy.  We all do.  And some kids make friends easier than others.  I told my girls more than once, wait for it, wait…”You have to BE a friend to HAVE friend.”  One of my all time favorites. 

1).  When your kids are feeling friendless, identify with them.  You’ve felt alone before, too.  Share your experiences.  Comfort them and remind them this is temporary.

2).  Brainstorm.  Sometimes kids get stuck in ruts with friends.  They need new blood.  Remind them of the new neighbor on the street who needs a friend.  Or of the girl they sat by in Sunday School and talked about non-stop on the way home from church.  Or the boy on the team that you took home after practice.  

3).  If appropriate, coordinate a fun activity to get kids together.  I wouldn’t do this for juniors in high school.  But elementary/middle school, yes.

4).  Pray with your kids about their friendships.  Jesus had friends.  You have friends.  Your kids want friends.  You want them to hang out with kids who are like minded.  Not ones who will lead them astray or down the wrong path.  And you want your kids to represent Christ and your family well.  There are lots of reasons our kids attract the wrong friends.  PRAY.  (Proverbs 13:20)

5).  Don’t panic.  If your child has one true friend he/she is blessed.  They don’t need a posse.  

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Blessings,
Lisa
Sky Ranch SkyMoms Parenting Mentor

Prayer Encouragement: “No Greater Joy” by SkyMom, Terrie Chevaillier

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

3 John 1:4

As I was praying for my boys this verse came to mind.  I looked ahead at our summer and was thankful there were some areas where their knowledge of the truth could grow regarding things we had signed up for.

You know how you start thinking about summer soon after Christmas? The sign up sheets for this camp and that activity seem to just flood the inbox and take home folders.

During this season leading up to summer, I often find myself anxious.  That bombardment of feeling that creeps in telling me my child is going to miss out if we don't sign up. Everyone else is signing up. Spots are filling fast.  What if they loose some of their skills because their mom did not sign them up?

I asked myself this question.  What gives me joy as a mom to see my kids doing? What gives them joy?   As I recently wrote, it gave me joy to know that my oldest son was headed to Sky Ranch this summer to work and serve.  That season of sign ups for him were in the past. Now, he was signing himself up for bigger choices and opportunities. Other than signing a check for college tuition, my opportunities to sign for him were few.  However, I found joy as I know he is signing up to walk in the truth.  That talking and walking was now being played out on the real life stage.

Did I have these same pre summer anxious moments with him?  I did.

Now for the two younger boys still at home....what was going to bring me greater joy for them this summer? Most definitely our sign up for Sky Ranch.  Opportunity for truth. Priceless.
A mission opportunity for both boys with church. Opportunity for truth. We signed up the first day registration opened.

I had about three of the eleven weeks signed up for truth building. I was joyful about those weeks.  But what about the other eight?  My joy started to shift to anxiety.  At that moment, I would have told you that my greatest joy would be seeing them busy.  Busy with sports. Skills training. Lessons. Academic prep. Not bad things. Not at all bad things. But my great joy was diminishing as I laser focused on these things.  Truth can be walked out on a lacrosse field or baseball field. Without a doubt it can.

But where was my trust? God's perfect plan for them or my fretful plan?
I realize my joy as a mom does come from seeing my children busy with activity, but now as I have a view of life past sign ups, I see the ultimate goal which is for them to grow up and walk in the truth.

Let's pray God's Word:

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your Word which guides us in a plan. As a mom, I confess anxious moments about extended periods of down time.
Help me to remember that you created a rhythm for my children's lives that require work, play, and rest.  Guide us as a family to choose truth building before other skill building. Help me to be intentional with this time to refresh and find joy in actively pursuing You.  I cannot give them what I don't have. Guide me in the truth of Your Word so we can experience true joy this summer and even greater joy in their future life stage of walking in Your truth.
Amen
~Terrie Chevaillier

Lisa Life Lesson, “Putting Others First - What does that look like?" Watch this video!

As I watched this video this morning, I couldn't help but think, "Her parents must be so proud of her!" How do you teach your children selfless behavior and putting others first? As we know, it doesn't come naturally... for most of us.  We are preoccupied with I, me, myself.  It's our sin nature.  So overcoming this and desiring to put others first is learned.  And dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We can't be who God has called us to be (selfless) without knowing Him.  But with His help (His Holy Spirit) we can be ALL He has called us to be.

Modeling this sort of behavior is key.  Remember, as we teach our children the ways of The Lord, we are teaching their children, and their children.  Generations have come to know the Savior of the world because of parents teaching their children.  It is a high and holy calling.  We can't take it lightly.  What a privilege to model the ways of Christ to our kids!

Watch this video.  Be prepared to feel lots of emotion.  The Shipley family loves The Lord.  That is very evident in Shelby's selfless act of love and kindness.  Find a way to teach your children that putting others first is not only biblical but its God's best for their lives.

Watch this video!

Lisa Clark

Sky Ranch Parenting Mentor