Adoration - Blog

25 Rules for Mothers and Daughters

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:59:21 -0800

I came across this post in a Blog online and I thought it was a good reminder of how mothers and daughters relate to each other. Having a son and a daughter I am learning there is a different connection and relationship with each one. I love how this "list" shows ways to teach our daughters to be the women God created them to be by our example and time spent. I hope you enjoy this list (I have one for sons that I will post later too...Monica

25 Rules for Mothers of Daughters.

Paint her nails. Then let her scratch it off and dirty them up. Teach her to care about her appearance, and then quickly remind her that living and having fun is most important.
Let her put on your makeup, even if it means bright-red-smudged lips and streaked-blue eyes. Let her experiment in her attempts to be like you…then let her be herself.
Let her be wild. She may want to stay home and read books on the couch, or she may want to hop on the back of a motorcycle-gasp. She may be a homebody or a traveler. She may fall in love with the wrong boy, or meet mr. right at age 5. Try to remember that you were her age once. Everyone makes mistakes, let her make her own.
Be present. Be there for her at her Kindergarten performances, her dance recitals, her soccer games…her everyday-little-moments. When she looks through the crowds of people, she will be looking for your smile and pride. Show it to her as often as possible.
Encourage her to try on your shoes and play dress-up. If she wants to wear her brother’s superman cape with high heals, allow it. If she wants to wear a tutu or dinosaur costume to the grocery store, why stop her? She needs to decide who she is and be confident in her decision.
Teach her to be independent. Show her by example that woman can be strong. Find and follow your own passions. Search for outlets of expression and enjoyment for yourself- not just your husband or children. Define yourself by your own attributes, not by what others expect you to be. Know who you are as a person, and help your daughter find out who she is.
Pick flowers with her. Put them in her hair. There is nothing more beautiful than a girl and a flower.
Let her get messy. Get messy with her, no matter how much it makes you cringe inside. Splash in the puddles, throw snowballs, make mud pies, finger paint the walls: just let it happen. The most wonderful of memories are often the messy ones.
Give her good role models- you being one of them. Introduce her to successful woman- friends, co-workers, doctors, astronauts, or authors. Read to her about influential woman- Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie. Read her the words of inspirational woman- Jane Austen, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson. She should know that anything is possible.
Show her affection. Daughters will mimic the compassion of their mother. “I love yous” and Eskimo kisses go a long way.
Hold her hand. Whether she is 3 years-old in the parking lot or sixteen years old in the mall, hold on to her always- this will teach her to be confident in herself and proud of her family.
Believe in her. It is the moments that she does not believe in herself that she will need you to believe enough for both of you. Whether it is a spelling test in the first grade, a big game or recital, a first date, or the first day of college…remind her of the independent and capable woman you have taught her to be.
Tell her how beautiful she is. Whether it is her first day of Kindergarten, immediately after a soccer game where she is grass-stained and sweaty, or her wedding day. She needs your reminders. She needs your pride. She needs your reassurance. She is only human.
Love her father. Teach her to love a good man, like him. One who lets her be herself…she is after all wonderful.
Make forts with boxes and blankets. Help her to find magic in the ordinary, to imagine, to create and to believe in fairy tales. Someday she will make her 5 by 5 dorm-room her home with magic touches and inspiration. And she will fall in love with a boy and believe him to be Prince Charming.
Read to her. Read her Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. But also remember the power of Sylvia Plath and Robert Frost. Show her the beauty of words on a page and let her see you enjoy them. Words can be simply written and simply spoken, yet can harvest so much meaning. Help her to find their meaning.
Teach her how to love- with passion and kisses. Love her passionately. Love her father passionately and her siblings passionately. Express your love. Show her how to love with no restraint. Let her get her heart broken and try again. Let her cry, and gush, giggle and scream. She will love like you love or hate like you hate. So, choose love for both you and her.
Encourage her to dance and sing. Dance and sing with her- even if it sounds or looks horrible. Let her wiggle to nursery rhymes. Let her dance on her daddy's feet and spin in your arms. Then later, let her blast noise and headbang in her bedroom with her door shut if she wants. Or karaoke to Tom Petty in the living room if she would rather. Introduce her to the classics- like The Beatles- and listen to her latest favorite- like Taylor Swift. Share the magic of music together, it will bring you closer- or at least create a soundtrack to your life together.
Share secrets together. Communicate. Talk. Talk about anything. Let her tell you about boys, friends, school. Listen. Ask questions. Share dreams, hopes, concerns. She is not only your daughter, you are not only her mother. Be her friend too.
Teach her manners. Because sometimes you have to be her mother, not just her friend. The world is a happier place when made up of polite words and smiles.
Teach her when to stand-up and when to walk away. Whether she has classmates who tease her because of her glasses, or a boyfriend who tells her she is too fat- let her know she does not have to listen. Make sure she knows how to demand respect- she is worthy of it. It does not mean she has to fight back with fists or words, because sometimes you say more with silence. Also make sure she knows which battles are worth fighting. Remind her that some people can be mean and nasty because of jealousy, or other personal reasons. Help her to understand when to shut her mouth and walk-away. Teach her to be the bigger -the better- person.
Let her choose who she loves. Even when you see through the charming boy she thinks he is, let her love him without your disapproving words: she will anyway. When he breaks her heart, be there for her with words of support rather than I told-you-so. Let her mess up again and again until she finds the one. And when she finds the one, tell her.
Mother her. Being a mother—to her—is undoubtedly one of your greatest accomplishments. Share with her the joys of motherhood, so one day she will want to be a mother too. Remind her over and over again with words and kisses that no one will ever love her like you love her. No one can replace or replicate a mother’s love for their children.
Comfort her. Because sometimes you just need your mommy. When she is sick, rub her back, make her soup and cover her in blankets- no matter how old she is. Someday, if she is giving birth to her own child, push her hair out of her face, encourage her, and tell her how beautiful she is. These are the moments she will remember you for. And someday when her husband rubs her back in attempt to comfort her...she may just whisper, "I need my mommy."
Be home. When she is sick with a cold or broken heart, she will come to you: welcome her. When she is engaged or pregnant, she will run to you to share her news: embrace her. When she is lost or confused, she will search for you: find her. When she needs advice on boys, schools, friends or an outfit: tell her. She is your daughter and will always need a safe harbor- where she can turn a key to see comforting eyes and a familiar smile: be home.

God of the details: Guatamala 2011

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:07:33 -0800

Have you ever gone to a place and immediately you know you are exactly where you are supposed to be at that very moment? Everywhere you look you see the Beauty of God revealed and know that in some small way you can share the love of God just because of where you are? Well, every time I'm given the opportunity to travel on a short-term missions trip, that's exactly how I feel...and I would have to say that it's especially true - for me - when I am with the people of Guatemala. I love the country of Guatemala...I love the people of Guatemala and I have seen the beauty that God created in so many ways when I've been there that's different than any other place I've ever been. In some ways I feel "at home" when I'm there...although God knows my Spanish will make it evident pretty quickly that it's NOT my "home" and i leave a little piece of my heart each time I leave.

Guatemala 2011 was no different except I think I fell in love with it's people all over again. I, along with 40+ team members, were once again blessed with the opportunity to travel to the villages of Guatemala this summer. While there we provided medical, dental and optometric servcies (not as in-depth as we would have liked but in small ways that will forever change the little community of San Pablo La Laguna, Guatemala), we built a small but sufficient home for a sweet family and were able to minister to hundreds of children in the local schools (during which time dozens of children accepted Christ as their Savior).

I think this year's trip was a little different than some in years past, for me, because of the exact feeling I'm referring to. You see, I'm one who believes that NOTHING happens by accident and that we have divine appointments every day (many of which I know we aren't even aware). I've seen this truth revealed over and over again in my ministry opportunities and many other ways over the past few years. One such example was in the very organization of this trip. You see, we don't usually work with specific missionaries in Guatemala but this year we did...and what awesome Missionaries they were...Dave and Debbie Amsler ROCK!!! But that's not the cool thing...the "cool" part actually began 20 years ago (yep, I'm dating myself). While in college I, along with Laura Lee and Shawna Wiggington, had a female trio called "Promise". We travelled for a couple years and during the summer of 1992 we were asked to represent Southeaster College (now SEU) by travelling to youth camps across the country. One of the camps we worked in was for the State of Kentucky...well, long-story short, while at this camp we worked with the then-District Youth Director Dave Amsler and his wife Debbie...YEP!!! ...the same Dave and Debbie that are now missionaries to the great country of Guatemala with whom our Team worked with this summer...talk about divine appointments.

The village we worked in, San Pablo, was such an awesome village! Usually we have some difficulty of communication due to language barriers but it was even more so this year b/c a lot of the village people don't even speak Spanish (which most of us aren't even good at anyway). They speak a native Mayan language which I don't know how to spell but is pronounced something like "shoot da hill"...We all joked we really needed 3 interpreters to speak with those native village people --- 1. to interpret Southen English to English 2. English to Spanish and 3. Spanish to "shoot da hill"...it was quite funny at times. I learned a couple of valuable lessons on this trip: First, I really came to realize that God is truly the God of the small details. And He is able to use the simplest of events or items to make the hugest impact on His people (no matter where you are from). I was Doctor Monica this year (a promotion from my "nurse" title of the past)...I was seen as an "eye DOCTOR" by the locals, howeverI have to say I wasn't really excited about "JUST" handing out reading glasses. I wish I had the time and space to write about how absolutely shallow and limited my thinking was to view that responsibility as being un-important. I also wish I could take you back and allow you to be a witness to the absolute gratefulness and amazement of the patients I saw, when, for the 1st time in who even knows how long, they were able to thread a needle (which is how the women make a living) or read the Bibile. It's impossible for me to even verbalize or describe efficiently. All I can say is that God truly humbled me and my limited view of how HE can work to impact the lives of people.

Second, I realized how absolutely blessed I am that God continues to allow Me(along with many others) to be used in such small ways for HIM. I never take it for granted when God supplies financially for me to participate in short-term missions trips...I pray He continues that Blessing so that I am able to go on many more (who knows maybe even longer than just "short-term"). There are so many elements to being able to GO! Sure it's great to see how different cultures live, to visit a country and have time to actually "see" it but it's SO much more than that. It's more than the country or the travel or even meeting the people...it's about "GO-ing" as God instructed us to do. Yeah it's easy to sometimes question whether we are even able to make a difference in such a short amount of time or whether the limited resources we are able to provide do anything more than provide a temporary fix to long-term issues? I don't really know the answers in the physical realm but I do know that God can use a donkey...or a pair of sunglasses...a root canal or a bag of bleach to do something so SUPERnatural that we can't even comprehend. It's not about what WE did! It's about what HE did and is continuing to do.

There's so mcuh more I would love to share about this year's trip and maybe I will at a later date. This is just a brief reminder to us all that God is NOT limited to our limits! HE IS GOD and we are not and I'm so thankful that HE chooses to use little people like me to do little things like hand out eyedrops and reading glassesto show HIS love and draw us all closer to Him!

Grace

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 07:17:18 -0800

By: Monica
Some time ago, I had the opportunity to attend a Marriage Conference at our church with my husband. The speakers were Rusty and Leisa Nelson and they spoke to the structure of marriages and the correlation between the Church and our spousal relationships. There was one statement made that has stuck with me (although not specifically in the confines of marriage) . . . GRACE is: God granting you the ability to do something that, in your own ability, you would not be able to do. In Christianity we most often equate that to the sacrifice that Christ made in His death on the cross - in His taking on our sins (which we have no ability to do on our own) and allowing us to stand blameless before His Father. I also believe it can extend to our life's talents and dreams. Often God places dreams within us that we feel there is no way for us to accomplish them ... within our own abilities. That is usually right ON. When God places dreams within us, He doesn't expect us to do them on our own! That's where He extends His grace to us. Through HIM, and only HIM, are we able to accomplish His destiny for our lives. If we try to rely on our own abilities and talents, we will fail every time. But if we put our trust and success in HIM we will always be successful (although not always in the way in which our human mind may have planned it). There are multiple examples in scripture of men and women of God who would not have been able to fulfil their God-given destiny except for the GRACE and provision of God to work His abilities through them.
Today I challenge you, as I'm doing, to take an inventory of the dreams God has placed inside you. In ourselves, there is no way we can accomplish them, but with HIS grace ALL things are POSSIBLE!!!

Enjoy this wonderful song about God's GRACE by The Martins...this song has come to mean SO much to me!

Walk by Faith - NOT Sight

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:59:07 -0800

I originally posted this Blog 9/28/09 on my Coaching website (www.pastthepast.com) - However as I read it again today it shed a renewed light on what it means to walk by Faith and not by sight. In other words, living and believing what God tells us in His word and not by what our circumstances are trying to tell us. I hope you are encouraged to not look at your current problems through the eyes of fear or anxiety but according to what you KNOW to be true...God will never leave us or forsake us and He will never heap on us more than we can handle THROUGH HIM...
This week I was lying in bed thinking (okay – so some people might call it worrying) about some challenging events that were occurring in my life and the thought came to me . . . “I can choose to live in my circumstances or I can choose to live in (or by) my FAITH.” It was such an overwhelming thought that I actually reached over and emailed it to myself from my cell phone so that I wouldn’t forget the next morning. Living by FAITH is a choice and one only I can make every day! 2 Corinthians 5:7 says we “walk by faith and not by sight” - the NIV actually says we “LIVE by faith” and I have to tell you there are times when the view of the circumstances I am facing blinds me to the path of faith I should be walking on. Hebrews 11:1 says “FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Another way the Amplified Bible says it is that “FAITH is perceiving as a real fact what is not revealed to the senses.” To say that we have faith and to actually LIVE by it are two completely things. I can say that I have faith and that I believe that God is going to do all He says He is going to do BUT when I’m actually faced with the circumstances of life, how does my inner (wo)man actually respond to those situations - especially when none of my 5 senses can sense a change around me? Well, that’s where our FAITH actually takes over. Because I am living by the things I cannot see with my physical eyes or touch with my hands, I am leaving my situation in the all-knowing, more than capable hands of the very God who created ME and has known me before my very conception (Psalms 139:13) . It’s hard to actually walk out that belief sometimes but as Christians that is the hope we have. It is the hope that the God of the Universe has plans for me to prosper and not to harm me but plans to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11) and I have to rest in the fact that no matter what is going on around me, He knows and He cares and He will walk through the fire with me. I hope that just as I’ve had to do this week, you will give yourself a Faith-check . . . are you living today in your circumstances or are you choosing to believe that God is in control and LIVE in your FAITH??? The choice is YOUR’S!

Lead them to Heaven in 2011!

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 15:30:51 -0800

I heard my first sermon of 2011 this morning at my home church (New Hope Baptist Church here in Laurinburg, NC) and my pastor quoted a Facebook status that he recently read. It said, "Lead them to Heaven in 2011!" I like that! That should be our goal this year - and we should be more dedicated to that task than ever before. Each new year provides us an opportunity to do it better than we did it the year before. It's a new slate, a new chapter, a new chance to be that Romans 12 Christian. I don't know about you but I kind of enjoy the feeling a new year brings with it. I never do it the way I should have or could have - I am always looking for a chance to do it better...but do I? Do I seize that opportunity that each new year brings to do it better - not usually. I trudge on, content with what I do and what I give to the cause of Christ...and you know what? I should be ashamed! With Adoration starting it's 2nd year back on the road it is my desire to really do it better; to be more dedicated to the cause of CHRIST - the cause that HE called us to and that is to lead them to Heaven in 2011! God bless you, guys - and Happy New Year. Let's make this one count!

Coincidence? I think NOT

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:53:58 -0800

So, I came across a great statement today while facilitating a Life Group (aka: Bible Study). Beth Moore made a statement during the Introductory Session of her "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman" study..."Coincidence is a miracle in which God wants to remain anonymous!"
That was my nugget for today...my AH-HA moment. As I look over my life and I see how events have transpired and the directions I have taken, it's awesome to know that there are no coincidences. There is nothing that has happened that God didn't already know about or plan for. Although there have been times I have taken my destiny into my own hands (and not done a very good job) - the whole time God knew that he could turn all that mess into glory for HIM.
I'm so thankful that He orders our ways - even when think we order our own.
Just something to think about...

Be Still My Soul...Words from Joy!

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:29:47 -0800

So, I was told by someone in this group who shall remain nameless (but her initials are CC) that I have never written a blog...ever. "Really?" I said. That's strange, since I'm the one with the gift-of-gab. My apologies, friends. I will try to do better!

Let me start my first official Adoration blog by saying that we will soon be celebrating 1 year back on the road! I am completely amazed at God's outpouring of love and confidence in us this year. He renewed old aquaintances and created new friendships with our ministry and we could not be more thankful! We have watched as God moved through us to touch lives - to HIM be the glory - and most often walked away more blessed than those in the congregations. I am looking forward to the months and years to come.

As I reflected on this past year, I realized that I have learned so much through this ministry. Most significantly, I realized that I (like many Christians) too often "lean to my own understanding". I say I trust Him but often maintain control of my life, rather than fully surrendering it to HIM., Through this ministry I have learned to "still my soul" and listen for God. As one of our old songs says "He still speaks...I know His voice". If I wait on Him He will direct me and if I am going to be trusted by God to represent Him in ministry then I must be absolutely certain that HE is directing my life. I am so thankful for Adoration and for the spiritual strength I draw from Monica and Cayce and our friendship and commitment to ministry. What a wonderful year it has been . I pray there are many more in our future!

Summer's End

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:58:21 -0800

Well, it's true...summer is soon to be over. School is starting back in a couple weeks and hopefully the temperatures will start to cool down too. We are gearing up for a busy Fall and are so excited. We are already getting calls for Homecomings ...and boy do we LOVE the food at Homecomings!!! There's nothing like it. We are also excited about our Annual Christmas Tour which is kicking off November 12th in Fuquay-Varina. The dates for the Christmas concerts are filling up fast so if you would like to have us at your church's event, let us know. This has become some of our favorite concerts to do because we get to sing our favorite songs celebrating the birth of our Savior. It is a great honor to bring the story of the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD to churches all across the Southeast.
Well, from our families to your's we hope you make the most of the rest of YOUR summer. Soak up those last rays of sun, dips in the pool and family ice cream outings. We look forward to seeing you on the road!

How Time Flies!

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:02:49 -0800

I was looking at our website last week and realized that we have been doing an absolutely horrible job at updating our Blog. I cannot believe it has been 8 months since our last posting but I promise we will try to do better.
We have had an awesome year so far and have been with great people across the Southeast (and look forward to the rest of the year). A great thing that happened to us - as you should've seen on our Home page - is participating in the Talent Competition at Singing in the Foothills. We love the ministry of the Ebenezer's Christian Children's Home and counted it an honor to compete in this competition AND support their ministry all at the same time. And to top it all off, we WON the Group Division and were able to perform at the Saturday evening concert there under the Big Tent. What an honor!
We are in the process of booking dates for the rest of 2010 and we would love to be at your church. In addition to our normal concerts we are booking for our 2nd Annual Christmas Tour for November and December. We had such a great response last year and such a fun time with these concerts that we are planning to make it a yearly event. Although as Christians we don't have to wait for a Holiday to celebrate the birth of our Savior, this gives us the opportunity to sing some of our favorite Christmas songs and to share the Season with friends all over.
We are also in the process of making song decisions for an upcoming CD project. We have added so many news songs to the program the past year that it's hard to choose the Best ones to put on a new project. We would love to hear your suggestions and we'll keep you updated on our progress.
We love each of you and thank you for continuing to support our ministry. We couldn't do it without each of you. We look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you ON THE ROAD!

Tis the Season

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:24:39 -0800

Where has the year gone? I'm looking outside at my leave-covered yard, making Christmas lists and planning my Thanksgiving trip to Alabama next week. I cannot believe it is already the end of November. We have had such an exciting year and so much has happened, but the year is not over yet. We can't wait to get going on our Christmas Tour this year. We have 5 stops in NC and SC and we would love to see YOU and your family at one of them. Christmas is one of my favorite times of year and I have to say that I can't wait to get my house decorated and festive. As I reflect on the events of the year, I am very thankful for God's continued blessings and provision, not only for my family but for the group. HE has given us such an awesome opportunity to be back out on the road sharing HIS love, healing and mercy with HIS people and with those who may not know HIM personally yet. I am looking forward to what is in store for Adoration next year and can't wait to see the doors that God continues to open. Please keep us in your prayers as we try to follow HIS will for the group and for our lives. We love you and can't wait to see You soon!
In HIS service,
Monica