How to Motivate a Kid to Keep a Daily Journal

Instructions

1

Give your children's journals that are kid-friendly. Ask what the kids want in a journal. Blank journals without lines are great for younger kids who may not only want to write but draw. Drawing increases creativity and can eventually encourage writing.

2

Find writing prompts to motivate the kids to write. Some kids get discouraged because they don't know what to write. Search the Internet or library for books and websites on writing prompts for kids.

3

Write with the kids. Kids enjoy doing things adults do. If they see adults writing, it may motivate them to do the same.

4

Set up a reward system. Give free treat coupons for so many journal entries written. Design a reward calendar to give kids stickers when they complete a page in their journal.

5

Assure kids that their journal is private. Many kids, especially older kids who've become more private, get discouraged if they think others may read their private thoughts. Ensure kids by stating rules about journal privacy.

Use kids' writing prompts to make a journal jar. Cut up strips of paper that have the writing prompts on them. Fold them up and place them in a jar, basket or other container. Pull a writing prompt out when the kids need inspiration.

The True Meaning Of Easter

Good Friday marks the day Jesus was taken to be crucified at Calvary. Our Lord and Savior took on the sins and weight of the world. He was mocked, scoffed at, beaten and disfigured, to the point that historians say he was unrecognizable. He did this for you.

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ There was a written notice above him, which reads: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘ Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him.

‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’

Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’

Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise‘ (Luke 23:36-43).

When Jesus was betrayed by Judas at the Garden of Gethsemane and captured before going to the cross, Jesus had been praying and asking God to let His will be done. Although Jesus was sweating blood and knew what was ahead of Him, He knew what His purpose was and that the prophecies would be fulfilled through scripture.

The Lord Jesus asked the Father to forgive the people who mistreated him and the unbelievers. The Lord knew man’s heart and that we would need forgiveness.

Jesus said, ‘Father. Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Luke 23:34).

The Lord knew He needed to come and take the sins of the world to conquer death and to rise again on the third day. The resurrection reveals the power of God and that His word is true!

Historians have researched the heaviness of the stone that was in front of Jesus’ tomb. The stone weighed more than two tons and would have required teams of men to move it. At least four Roman soldiers were on guard. Of course, as the scripture says, an angel of the Lord came and rolled the stone away.

Jesus appeared to His disciples and to Mary telling them to not be afraid, but to share the good news! HE IS RISEN! Jesus conquered sin and death! Glory be to God!

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus (Luke 24:2-3).

The Bible says two bright angels appeared to the women and they were afraid. The angels said,

‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?! He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Then they remembered his words (Luke 23:4-8).

Isn’t God amazing–He loves us so much and redeemed our sinful nature! The Lord is a God of reconciliation. He knows we are not perfect, that we fall short of His glory, but He wants us to be in His presence and to have an abundant life.

Jesus had to share in our sin and sufferings. He was the ultimate sacrificial lamb in order for the price of sin to be paid. We now have access to the throne room of God because Jesus is the High Priest and sits with God at His right hand.

In the Old Testament and the Jewish religion you had to have the High Priest go into the temple because man was too sinful to go to the Holy place of God. Now, we have access to the Lord through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death…For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people (Hebrews 2:14-15, 17).

PI readers, have you received the free gift of salvation? Ask God to come into your life and receive the gift of new life through Jesus. If you already have received this gift, share your thoughts about the true meaning of Easter and why you are thankful for salvation!

New Blog ( My New Approach To Blogging)

As of today 3/21/2013 I will be changing my approach to blogging. I will start writing about things I know instead of having pity parties or sharing too much info about my life in general. My life has changed now and I am truly happy for once in a very long time for you see I am in love. 

I always have a blog or two that I have not yet written inside my mind and I sometimes cannot wait to share them. That is why sometimes I will not post anything for a few weeks and all of a sudden I have posted four or five new blogs. It is my hope to reach more people and make my blog, helpful and insightful with a few laughs in between.. I will find ways to keep my blog interesting as to capture the interest of my readers. My topics will be anywhere from Pediatric materials that I have submitted to that of  health, beauty, fitness, body building, hobbies, recipes and living the life as a biker , adrenaline junkie and last but not least updates on my pets. 

I hope that you will enjoy what I have planned for you the reader.

There Is a True Power

There's the screaming preacher, the kooky jig from the old lady up front, that one line of the song being sung over and over, some man slappin' people across the forehead, people falling down on the ground like limp rag dolls  others shaking and bawling their eyes out, that wild group of youth shouting in what they call "tongues" at the mans crippled legs while he sits there in his wheelchair silently with the palms of his hands turned up to "receive" and some of those ones screaming, you know they were just at that party last week; then there is you- sitting, watching, trying to figure out if any of this has any semblance of reality.

You've grown up around church, its never been quite like this. Sure there has been moments of this over the years, but this so-called "Pentecostal power," is becoming more and more frequent when you brave going around it Yet as much as you sort of want to distance yourself from it, it somehow intrigues you. Typically you sit and watch and decide that this is fine for them, but its just not you. Yet lately, there's been a just a twinge of curiosity. Not to the extent that you want to involve yourself necessarily, but just a new curiosity  There was that time a long, long time ago where you had a moment where you yourself acted kinda weird, but definitely not that weird... In that moment, what you felt was awesome, kind of strange, and it faded fast.


Well if this is you at all, let me pose a few things to you.

1. There's more.
There is so much more to the whole Christianity thing than just going to church and the list of things you are and are not supposed to do. There is beauty to this. I'm not talking about big gaudy buildings and big-haired ladies. No. True beauty. Something that draws you in, gives you peace, gives you everything real-- all the ways you have wanted to feel, but never known how to get there. If you truly taste a real encounter with God, you can actually experience for yourself that He is good. Everything about Him is good. When you really allow yourself to dismiss the initial weirdness of "passionate people," and avoid putting up the walls that you are often so quick to build, you can actually get to experience something beautiful. I'll explain, read on.

2. God is far beyond what you've seen.
When you sit in a service with all the weird stuff going on, some of it is simply just people being kooky. Some of it though is completely, and entirely legitimate. Don't get me wrong, some of it is just flat out weird, but God is mysterious. Some people "fall out" or have weird things happen to them because they are simply overwhelmed. Some of it, well I don't know why it happens. God really can meet you in a tangible way. You may not shake or cry or fall down or any of that. But don't immediately write it off. I've seem some people who would never in anyone's mind be the one to do all that, be the very ones who experience God in the oddest ways. Then there is some people who just get hooked to the moments of encounter. Truest encounter is when people take experiences and then translate that into their lives- living for something worth dying for, not just feel-good encounters then living how they want the rest of the time.

3. God is good and God is fun.
Everything that is lined out in the Bible is not just a great suggestion of how to make people live "right." I could sit here for hours and type story after story about how in my own life and the lives of many others who have tasted of the "more" of God. These stories are full of incredible, odd and just fun happenings. When you choose more of Him, every day can be filled with truly awesome experiences and its all for deep, deep, awesome purpose. How much better would it be to live with hope and purpose and in the midst have a blast instead of simply seeking fun and then often be left with tons of questions of what your purpose really is.

Not everyone gets to go to Dollar General and watch a girl slam her finger in the car door so hard that the top part of her finger falls off and then get to just pick it up and put it back on for her like nothing happened. Not everyone gets to sit and hear the life dreams of someone they just met 5 minutes before and then realize they are saying the exact things you've dreamed of for years then recognize that the God of the universe allowed you two to meet. Not everyone gets to look at a stranger and be able to tell them what they've been struggling with and then see absolute true freedom come to them as they weep before our compassionate God. Not everyone gets to work hard for something and then see the results of it be absolutely life changing for tons of people instead of just resulting in a few dollars for themselves. Not everyone runs in to financial problems and then because of the their faithfulness to the Lord, somehow be completely provided for and never really figure out where that money came from. Not everyone can talk to their friends about how they feel like they are in the same moment in their life as a guy from way-back-when and then hours later hear the same exact thing mentioned in the same context from someone else. Not everyone gets to spend time talking with God and hear something really kinda odd then tell a friend and them look at you with wide eyes, saying "shut up! no way! how did you know that?" Not everyone runs into struggle and finds hope when others are freaking out. Not everyone gets to "see" lots of stuff happen before it actually does. Not everyone gets to be around someone who is truly considering suicide and have the exact thing to say that they need to hear that sets them free and allows them to live a life of complete joy. Not everyone gets to experience the deepest love you could ever feel and it only get deeper and deeper. I could go on and on and on... All of this can and does happen to people who choose to dive into the deeper things of God. In fact every one of these things have happened to my friends and/or myself. I get to have the time of my life, all the time. I can have such similar experiences as someone hours away and then get to talk to them about it later, all because we seek God together. God and His Kingdom is way fun and so worth giving my entire life to. There is always more. The experiences only get greater. The love only gets deeper.


All this to say, I want to invite you to come and taste the deeper, the more, of God. Once you have settled within yourself that He is more than what you see from other people and then choose to try this whole "more" out for yourself, you will discover He is so worth it. And even in the midst of people who are sometimes weird about all this, He is there. All of it begins to come into perspective and you learn to love some of it and get awesome strategy to see change come to the parts that frustrate you and don't reflect your God. Settle for yourself that you want Him and you want to journey with others who just want Him, despite all the wrong thinking about God that has consumed much of the American church. Don't let other people's wrong thinking cause you to miss out on so much. Its the journey of a lifetime and it can be your life. Come along?

Metanoia

My to do lists are miles long, but filled with stuff that seemingly can wait.
Excuses, excuses.
My own laziness and apathy is utterly disgusting to me.
I’m really over putting everything off.
Things that should take moments take hours or days.
Things that should take days take months. Maybe even years.
How stupid.
How gross.
I’m really over this.
What have I been waiting on?

“It’s like we’re waiting on something… something that’s never going to come until we stop waiting.”

O what a reality I need to get.
My apathetic laziness has exhausted me to the point where even the things I do care about seem far out of reach.
Its time I start walking in obedience.
I’m free, now I need to start acting like it.
Thank you God that you’re showing me open doors in my life.
I slam them shut tonight with Your help.
I’m changing my thinking tonight.
Recognizing-
You are my energy
You are my passion
You are my joy
You are my source
You are mine.

You provide me with convicting disgust with my own ways, what grace.
You've protected me when I've kept doors open, what mercy.
When I have wallowed in my self pity, you have never ceased to relentlessly pursue me to show me affection.
When apathy has kept me still, You have relentlessly moved all around me till my heart can’t help but to respond.
Even when I've disobeyed time and time again, You still bestow Your favor.
You have had every reason to be angry with me and yet You send word to me that Your pleased with me, just for me.
You amaze me Jealous One.
I don’t get it, but I won’t turn away Your love.
My heart is Yours.

WAIT

Typically the idea of waiting is full of negative emotions. Twenty first century culture demands everything RIGHT NOW. There is consistently a new upgrade for faster.... everything. From our instant communication via cell phones and internet to even the food we eat, there is a constant expectation that everything should be fast.

Have you ever clicked on a program on your computer and then because it didn't immediately appear, click it 20 more times just to have it open all 20 times a few seconds later?

It is so easy for us to get frustrated when we don't get what we want immediately. Think about the devices you have- cell phone, computer, internet- any of it. Now think back 10 years. Or even less than that. Remember how much SLOWER everything was? There is a constant acceleration of all those little things that are supposed to save time, yet our lives seem to get busier and busier.

So. You're seeking the Lord and He responds to you- not with a yes, not with a no, but a "WAIT." What is your reaction?

Do we even know how to wait anymore??

In recent days, the Lord has placed an expectation in the hearts of many of His followers for the coming age. There is a sense among a whole lot of believers right now that something is about to change. Some have hope of fulfilled dreams. Others don't know what to expect- it's just a sense that something is about to happen. But for now? We wait.

While our culture demands everything fast- we actually do have some sense of waiting. In all actuality, our "now" demands have set us up to have more expectant waiting than ever before. Years ago, you sent a letter to someone and you knew you had to wait for it to get to the person, then even once he or she responded, it had to go through the mail all over again to get back to you. Therefore, when you drop the letter in the mail, you may not even think about it again for a while. You might even forget about it. Now, if you shoot a message to someone through email, it's perfectly normal to receive something back even the same day. We've grown to expect it.

We expect a quick response from most everything these days. From microwaves, to the new annoying second-by-second mini news feed on facebook, everything is RIGHT NOW. While waiting for your food in the fast food line, what do you think about? You may sit and think about what you have to do later on or about that phone call you need to make, but all the while you sit there with an expectation that food is coming quickly. You may be thinking on other things, but you definitely haven't forgotten that you are about to have food. In fact, you may even find yourself getting frustrated if it takes a little longer than expected.

So I ask again.... When the Lord tells you to wait, how do you react? What do you do? What SHOULD you do?

Well. To be honest, I don't know.

Wait I guess?

No, but seriously. What does waiting look like? What is the "doing" in the "waiting"?

Well, heres what I know about waiting. When I wait, there's an expectancy for a certain result. As I wait, I am consistently thinking of that "expected end." I look forward with nervousness, frustration or excitement depending on the situation. Nervousness comes when I've got time to freak myself out about the results ahead- its that butterflies in the stomach feeling you get when you're about to give a speech or something. Frustration comes when I am simply sick of waiting- usually this is when I've got somewhere to be and somethings or someone is holding me up. Excitement in waiting is when I know something awesome is up ahead. Its when our usual reaction is, "I can't wait!"

When God says wait, why do I so often choose nervousness or frustration? Why is it that I've allowed culture to tell me waiting is negative? Why do I let myself get caught up in what I am supposed to DO in this moment?

Waiting is not about the doing, but instead, it's more a mindset. Its inserted hope. Its something we can expect.

Galatians 5:5 says, " For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness."
So often, our faith is about waiting on the Lord. We expect right relationship with Him and do all we can by faith. He shows up without fail every time. What a faithful God we have!

So maybe we should start changing our view of waiting. Instead of dreading the process, and associating waiting with long doctors office visits or being stuck in traffic with some place to be, lets choose hope.

Waiting IS hope. If it's our faithful King whose saying it, we know there's an incredible end we can expect. When the Lord tells us to wait, He's doing something for our good and is promising us a good outcome.

Hope for it.

Expect it.

Wait on the Lord.


"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

Women With Attitude

I just love a woman with attitude

A woman that knows how to give back as good as she gets

A woman that will stand her ground toe to toe and not back down

I have never been one to let someone run over me and I never will, but I have been catching some grief over Blake and I getting back together. I do appreciate all your concern for me honest I do, but I will be just fine. I can honestly say that I wasn't in love with Blake when we were together the first time and it was just so easy to walk away when I did. But, as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder and it certainly has where Blake is concerned. I can now say I love him with all my heart where I couldn't when we were together before. I know that Blake loves me without a doubt.

Blake and I are starting off just dating again, and I am sorry if I hurt someone in the process. I could never hurt anyone intentionally (that just isn't me). But, I will admit I need to be happy and Blake makes me happy. He is witty and charming, and he makes me laugh and keeps me smiling =) 

I am a big girl trust me I know what I am doing!