To Be Reverent In The Way They LiveLikewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-4 |
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Welcome!
It is with great excitement that we at CFH begin 2013. For some time it has been the desire of both the Board Members and myself to provide, in a concise manner, regular ministry helps and words of encouragement for our Contact Moms. Thus the Contact Mom Chronicles will become a means to achieve that goal. While each CMC will have a theme taken from Titus 2:3-4, one of the primary objectives is to serve you providing suggestions and answers to your questions which will help you both personally in your home and also your ministry. Therefore, please send questions or topics you would like to see addressed knowing that we share a like-minded worldview, based on Biblical principles. Looking forward to ‘meeting’ with you each month and pray the Lord’s blessings on your home in the upcoming year.
In His Grip,
Anne Marie
For the CFH Board
As in every aspect of life, Jesus set before us the example of what being ‘reverent’ looks like. Hebrews 5:7 b “and God heard His [Jesus] prayers because of His deep reverence for God.” His love for the Father was demonstrated by reverence in doing the will of the Father. So we are reverent in the way we live when we reflect the character of God to our family and all those He brings into our lives to minister to.
The following points will help us keep spiritually healthy leading to worship of God and resulting in reverent behavior:
- Priority time in the Word daily. Psalm 1:2
- Personal prayer time – journaling helps to track God’s answers. Hebrews 4:16
- Praising God for His work of grace and blessings. Psalm 100:4
Meditating and increasing ones understanding of what God’s Word declares, results in growing in His precepts and to living in obedience and reverence of Him. Reverence involves walking in the presence of God. How is your ‘walk’ today? |
Most Commonly Asked Questions of Contact MomsQ: It’s very hard for me to hear my six-week-old baby cry. How do I know when its time to intervene?
A: We remember how hard it was to hear a newborn cry, and how five minutes can seem like an hour. First of all, stop take a moment to listen and evaluate his crying. If the cry is intermittent, that’s really okay, as he is either learning to settle himself and fall asleep or to resettle and go back to sleep. Next, think about where he is in the routine and those ‘normal and abnormal cry periods’. When a mom rushes in and picks baby up right away, she is actually robbing her baby of the ability to resettle on his own. Certainly checking to see if he’s wiggled himself in a corner of the crib, or if he needs to be changed, is part of evaluating the reason for the crying. You may even consider using a timer, setting it for 5 or 10 minutes, using this time to pray, and assess your baby’s cry. What has he done during that time period? Did he cry nonstop; or did he take a break and then start again? Evaluate. However, at this age, if your baby is crying 10 minutes without a break, he may become so worked up that he needs Mom to help him calm down and regain control. If that is the case, first rather than picking him up try gently patting him on the back, rather than picking him up and see if this soothes him. On the other hand, given that he is just six weeks old, it may be best to pick him up, as he may need a dditional burping, but if it’s time to sleep, the objective now is to gently calm him and place him back in the crib. Now, don’t be surprised when he sees or senses you approaching that he stops crying and then when you pick him up to comfort him, whispering in his ear “it’s nap-time”, that once you put him back down and leave the room, he starts to cry harder. You are beginning to learn the difference between a cry of real need and a cry of strong disappointment. If he does begin to cry again, consider re-setting the timer for another 10 minutes giving you time to process, what to do next. However, if it’s getting close to the next feeding time, then feeding may be the solution for this ‘feed/wake/sleep’ cycle. Eventually, baby’s crying becomes less and you grow in the skill of assessment. |
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Reverence: a feeling or attitude of deep respect, love and awe, as for something sacred.
Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.
As a manager of our home, we can plan to set aside a day for rest and worship. What could that look like? Perhaps cooking a casserole ahead of time or planning to eat leftovers that day so that meal preparation is kept to a minimum. Scheduling chores and housework for the other 6 days of the week; laying out clothes the night before so that the family can focus on worshiping Christ before heading off to church.
PRACTICALLY SPEAKING
When our children were little I needed a break from 3 meals a day 7 days a week. So we decided that Sunday evening was a time for ice cream supper. Our family did ice cream, but each family can pick a simple, fun meal; popcorn and root bear floats or grilled cheese, pick something unusual, something fun. All this made Sunday evenings something to look forward to. |
Holiness: A LifestyleWhat is ‘holiness’ supposed to look like? This CD offers practical application of how living a set-apart, holy life is not as complicated as one may think. The CFH Board consists of 5 godly, maturing women who have a passion and desire to lift Jesus higher through their lives and in their homes. Each shares unique, practical applications that will encourage and uplift you in your personal walk with the Lord. *visit christianfamilyheritage.org to purchase this CD at a reduced price during the month of January.
Thoughts from the Board
1 Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, Be you holy; for I am holy”.
If we remember that holy means ‘set apart’, and we became set apart the moment we made the decision to follow Christ. What then does ‘holiness’ look like every day? This outworking of holiness takes time, sometimes generations. We respond to God out of a desire to emulate Him. Holiness requires that we invite our Lord, to reign and rule in our lives in the little things, and watch as He prepares our hearts for the big things. Perhaps God has asked you to forgo that wonderful women’s bible study this semester, for the sake of concentrated parenting. Or maybe your husband has decided to make a big move and it is really going to rock your world and you are not so sure you want your world rocked. Holiness will require you to make a choice. Do I go along with his decision as a helper, or am I an impediment to him? Dying to self is practicing ‘practical’ holiness. In parenting, we are all familiar with the phrase: “more is caught rather than taught”. Practical holiness is just like moral-training; Gary Ezzo shares in GKGW that we cannot hold our children to a higher moral standard than we are holding ourselves, what is the ‘practical’ holiness standard for you and your family? Holiness must be practiced, frequently. Preparing and delivering a meal for a shut-in, or planning a monthly outing to visit a convalescent home, where you can share, sing and hold hands with those whom life has come to a standstill. It is not enough that our children see us doing acts of holiness; they need to be brought in, shown how it is done and then own it. This is how Jesus taught his disciples and we too are training disciples. We are involved in teaching and training holiness for generations to come, adding new, righteous branches to your family tree. Holiness takes time, a lifetime. So be patient with yourself and encourage those who are following along the way. |
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