Building a Firm Foundation as a Mom Seeking God

 

The following is an excerpt from Julia Roller’s Mom Seeks God. We encourage you to share it with women, small groups, and anyone who could use some encouragement regarding their personal Bible study.

With the possible exception of prayer, Bible study (or the lack thereof) is the discipline Christians feel most guilty about. And despite the time I spent in my Bible for work, I was no exception. Not surprisingly, the Bible tells us that we should spend a lot of time reading and thinking about the Bible. The kings of Israel were explicitly directed to always have a copy of the law nearby and to read it daily. The Psalms get a lot more inspirational about it: “Great are the works of the Lord, / studied by all who delight in them,” wrote the psalmist (111:2, NRSV).

That focus on study, and also the delight, used to come more effortlessly to me. One of the reasons I chose the life path I did was that I wanted to fit Bible study somehow into my career. When I was studying the Bible for my undergrad and graduate classes, I felt that every detail and discovery was interesting not only from a tetchy little academic point of view but also in terms of a life application point of view. Even when I studied or learned things that challenged my faith as I had previously understood it (and this happens to every student of theology), I was still engaged and fascinated by the process. Most of all, I was convinced of the essentialness of the endeavor.

When It Isn’t a Happy Mother’s Day: 10 Ideas That Can Help

Mother’s Day is May 8^th. Founded in 1908 by Miss Anna Jarvis and first celebrated at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia, the holiday was created as a way to honor Anna’s own mother and thus, every mother.

And today, we still celebrate our mothers with breakfast in bed, glittery Sunday-School crafted gifts, and a little well-deserved pampering. It’s a sweet occasion all right; every mother loves to be embraced by her children. . . . unless she can’t be. For the mother of a deceased child, Mother’s Day—and all its wonderful traditions—can be bittersweet.

I’m Not a Mother

It’s Mother’s Day, and the preacher asks for every mother to stand up and be recognized for all they’ve meant to their family. As the congregation begins to applaud, someone leans over and whispers excitedly into your ear, “Why aren’t you standing up? C’mon! It’s Mother’s Day!” Your greatest dream is to be a mother and your dream has not come true. The tears you’ve blinked away all morning are now streaming down your face. “I’m not a mother,” you weep.

Cost-saving tips that’ll make you say, “VB-Yes!”

 

Even in our so-called sophisticated world, Vacation Bible School is still a beloved rite of childhood. Churches know that it’s a way of getting their community into their church, or (like Backyard Bible Clubs) a way of getting their church into their community. Regardless of the method, however, VBS doesn’t come cheap . . . but there are ways to soften the budget blow. And thanks to some of our budget-conscious, VBS-enthusiast friends, they’ve let us publish a few of their secrets here!

Five (Affordable!) Children’s Ministry Staples for Sets and Props

 

If you want to see how fun the children’s department is at a church, check out their craft closet; every church has one. Some are junky, and some look like the shelves at a Michael’s^® store. At my church, it was the place we kept the aluminum Christmas tree left over from the Christmas play of 1972, the bathrobes (a.k.a., “shepherds’ robes”), the wire coat hangers and tinsel that become halos in December, the pair of sandals that “Jesus” (a.k.a., kid with longest hair) wore during the Easter play, and the endless plastic containers of glue, glitter, markers, construction paper, beach balls, and so on. But no matter how it looked or what it contained, everyone knew that this is where the real fun began!

Regardless of where your church falls on the space-financial-creative spectra, a well-stocked crafts and supplies closet is more valuable than the sum of its parts. So here’s my list of five easily obtainable, affordable children’s ministry staples—all easily adaptable to various themes, programs, and purposes.

What Would Einstein Do … to Recruit VBS Volunteers?

 

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” You’ve heard this quote from Einstein, well, over and over again. But in truth, the definition is not his; nor did it come from Ben Franklin. Maybe Mark Twain? Nope. What’s also doubtful is that any of these three brainy men ever recruited volunteers for Vacation Bible School.

Now if every position on your VBS volunteer roster is filled, congratulations! You’ve got volunteer recruitment down to a science. If not, maybe it’s time to change up something in your volunteer recruitment strategy*.