The Family That Camps Together

By Robin J. Steinweg –

Is it possible these days to raise a happy, well-adjusted family? When our boys were little, we listened faithfully to Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family program. We learned a lot and developed confidence in the advice we heard. One day he mentioned a poll taken of successful Christian families. Something they all had in common: camping.

Without hesitating, we scoured garage sales and thrift stores for equipment. We borrowed How-To books from the library, and collected recipes for campfire meals. We found an available site at a state park and loaded the car till the bumper scraped the driveway.

My husband had never camped in his life. I had fond memories of camping as a young child. The rain, the long soggy treks to the outhouse, the lake leeches attached to my sister’s legs, the mosquitoes carrying me off. How could I describe such delights to my uninitiated family? I didn’t. They could experience it for themselves.

The book of Proverbs tells us wisdom will protect us, wisdom is supreme—so get it, if it costs all you have. Wisdom might come through God’s Word, or sometimes He plants it within us. But then there are the times He allows us to walk through an experience to develop our wisdom muscle. Guess how He chose to do it in our case?

I should have seen it coming. A husband who dislikes the unexpected, a son who believed he had a future in entymology, a toddler who believed every insect was a scorpion, and me with allergy-induced asthma. A thin sheet of canvas wasn’t a proper filter from ragweed that spread pollen like guests showering rice on newlyweds. Nor did it filter the whoops of drunken neighbors starting their weekend early.

By the time we folded up our sodden tent (of course it rained) we were only on speaking terms with our sons. We got over it eventually, and learned some valuable lessons: it’s wonderful to have programs like Focus on the Family to teach good parenting skills, but it’s a good idea to check with God before jumping into things. What works for other families may not be God’s best for yours.

Yes, it is possible to raise a happy, well-adjusted family these days. But leave camping for campers!

AUTHOR QUOTE: The family that camps together may end up soaked and ornery.

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25a, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Robin J. Steinweg. Robin’s life might be described using the game Twister: the colored dots are all occupied, limbs intertwine (hopefully not to the point of tangling), and you never know which dot the arrow will point to next, but it sure is fun getting there!

Bravery and Fear

By Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert

“Bravery and fear are the same emotion.” I heard that statement on the radio. Immediately I chuckled. I was thinking of my children’s faces as they walked down the long corridor, snaking through the iron barriers to the entrance of Space Mountain. This was their first trip to the Magic Kingdom! They had a swell of adrenaline and emotions inside them: excited, scared, confused.

My daughter, nine, is the inquisitor. How fast will it go? Will it be fun or scary?  What happens if it breaks?  Mommy, do you like roller coasters?  Daddy, have you even been on Space Mountain before? She was preparing for the unknown. We continued to tell them few details of the ride. We would repeat over and over to her relentless questions, “Trust us! It’s fun. You’ll like it.”

My son, seven, who lives at a speed of mach 3 on normal days, was running around at mach 10! He was bouncing, swinging on the poles, tugging at our arms. He was bopping around so fast he was only hearing half of the answers to his sister’s questions. He would swing into the conversation and hear the question, “Is it safe?” Then he would swing the other direction as we answered. You can imagine our difficulty in reassuring him when the answers he was hearing sounded like: “Will…break…will…hurt…roller coaster… Space Mountain.”

As our space shuttle ride vehicle arrived, it hit them; frozen and silent they stood. This was the moment where bravery and fear were the same emotion; the moment they had to take the step of bravery and experience the thrilling, pitch black ride into the unknown. With panic in my son’s eyes, in all his innocence he whispered, “I’m scared!”

His honest confession was followed by his sister’s, “Me too.”

We reassured them again, “You are supposed to be a little scared—that is part of the thrill.”

Are you frozen by your fear? Are you asking God question after question to prepare for the unknown? Are you bee-bopping through life so fast that you can’t hear God?

Your walk of purpose will be full of fearful moments. God is telling you, “Trust Me. It will be worth the ride.”

AUTHOR QUOTE: Turn your fear into bravery… it is the same emotion. Will you stand frozen or step out in faith?

“In God I will praise His Word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me” (Psalm 56:4, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert. As Life Coaches, they equip women to discover their life purpose. Learn more about their study DIVAS of the Divine: How to live as a Designer Original in a Knock Off World at www.walkofpurpose.com.

Summer Squash Turned Orange

By Hally Franz –

The exhibit hall doors opened promptly at 5 p.m. on Day One of the county fair, and eager children scurried in to see what ribbons they’d earned on this year’s 4-H projects. Among my son’s were two posters (building a rabbit hutch and planting a garden), a wooden bookshelf and two plates of homegrown vegetables. While he’ll be sharing his rabbit-cage-building skills and garden-planting savvy with 4-Hers at the state level, his tomatoes and squash garnered only red ribbons. The judge’s note on the squash tag said simply, “Too far along.” Apparently, the bumpy surface and slightly orange shade indicated a squash past peak.

Because squash plants grow easily and abundantly, it seemed a good bet they’d be ready for the fair. Green promises sprouted quickly from the ground once the seeds were sown. Within weeks, squash plants were sprawling over into rows of onions and tomatoes. Then almost overnight, yellow produce materialized in the mounds beneath the stems, stretching in size, morphing in color and pimpling up before we finished one row of weeding.

Isn’t it interesting how our children sometimes mature in fits and starts too? Their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth isn’t always consistent. A quick scan of a middle school classroom proves that. Sometimes, there seems to be little happening in their development. Other times, we glance away and turn back to find they’ve stretched out and are sporting an unfortunate pimple or two.

While my son needs some coaching on writing proper thank-you notes to the buyers of his rabbit, he needs no help selecting and purchasing a cordless drill with his earnings. From the silliness and angst of a pre-teen, occasionally there springs forth a puzzling comment of real maturity, thoughtfulness and appreciation. And, on more Sundays lately, I see wheels turning behind his dark brown eyes as he listens to our minister and considers his next step in his walk with Jesus.

I might miss a moment or two looking away, but I’m assured that neither he nor I nor any of us will ever grow “too far along” in our spiritual development. Unlike our human bodies that begin to deteriorate in our twenties or something (clearly, not a statistic worth committing to memory), our souls, hearts and minds will always grow stronger and healthier during a life-long relationship with our Lord. That promise brings more joy than a few squash sprigs poking from the ground and comfort in knowing I’ll never look like I overdid the spray-on tan.

PRAYER: Lord, encourage me daily to develop a more complete understanding of You and Your Word and a more intimate relationship with You, maturing in faith now and throughout my life.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18, KJV).

Bless the Beasts, the Children and Women Like Abigail

By Cynthia Ruchti –

I have this friend (no, really I do!) who is struggling in her relationship with her husband. He’s not an ax-murderer or an adulterer, so she can’t just walk away. Nor would she want to. He’s a good man, but they’re not seeing eye-to-eye right now on a few dozen issues.

My mind flipped through the pages of Scripture and stopped to rest on passage after passage that revealed incidents of women who wrestled with less-than-ideal situations with the men in their lives.

That formed the basis of this prayer on her behalf. I’m posting it here because I’m pretty sure she’s not alone.

Great God of women with issues (of blood or otherwise),

…of women with jerks for husbands (like Abigail with Nabal),

…of women who are strong but misunderstood (like Deborah),

…of women who don’t like the choices their husbands make (like Sarai),

…of women whose husbands fail to take seriously their role as spiritual leader in the home (like Eve and Adam),

…of women who through the Adamic curse get their insides ripped out in childbirth while the men are “burdened” with oh-so-traumatic sweat and weeds, poor things,

…of women who are mentioned as followers of Christ and contributors to His work…but their husbands are not (like so many New Testament women),

…of women who “go to the tomb” because they care so deeply and have to do something with their sadness,

…of women who “happen” to be in the Garden to witness angel-speak because they care so deeply ,

…of women who put the pieces together when they hear that Jesus is alive, even though the men closest to them—who ought to know better—don’t get it,

…of women who wait for their husbands to return from war, to show up after work, to show up emotionally, and to “get it,”

PRAYER: Great God of women who from the beginning of time have found their strength—and their reward—in You, please place Your Hand of enduring blessing on the heads of the women who endure. Grant them a double dose of heart-peace for every bucket of patience they pour over their homes and relationships. Refill their reservoirs of grace, reservoirs so easily drained by life and people. May they find in You an inexhaustible measure of what their hearts most need—to be understood, appreciated, cherished, protected, encouraged, wanted, treasured, approved, believed, honored, embraced, covered and well-loved.

“Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?” (John 20:15a KJV).

Today’s devotional is by Cynthia Ruchti, writer/producer of THE HEARTBEAT OF THE HOME radio ministry and president of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). She is the author of They Almost Always Come Home (Abingdon Press Fiction) and the soon-to-be-released The Heart’s Harbor in A Door County Christmas novella collection. Cynthia writes stories of hope-that-glows-in-the-dark (www.cynthiaruchti.com).

I Know That One

By Cynthia Ruchti –

My granddaughter (6) spent the Sunday morning worship service on my lap instead of in her children’s church service that day a couple of years ago. A dozen excuses seemed to boil down to the fact that she just needed to be close to me for a while. Seemed a good enough reason for me. Read more

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