Parents, for you about today's tragedy...

As I sit and watch this tragedy unfold and how my own children are at school, I wanted to give you some things that I am thinking about that deal with how Kiera and I will handle this with Madison and Wilson.

• As soon as our kids get home we will turn off our TV.  Continuing news coverage of developing stories such as today's shooting will only create more fear and unnecessary worry for our children.
  
  
• But, on the other hand, please don't ignore your children's questions.  Below are some ways that Kiera and I plan on talking with our children should they have questions.
  
  
• We will talk as a family about how sin affects the world we live in.  We will be sure to reiterate that this tragedy was not God's will, but instead what happened today in Connecticut was a result of the sinful world in which we live.
  
  
• Undoubtedly as we process this horror one question that will arise will be "How could God allow something like this to happen?"  Reassure your children (and yourself) that God did not stop this from happening but is working and will continue to work to redeem what has happened.  It's OK to let your kids know that God's heart is breaking too.
  
  
• We will assure our children, as much as possible, that they are safe.  It's important for kids to know that danger exists in our world, but it's more important for your kids to know that you as their parents will do everything in your power to keep them safe.
  
  
• We will pray as a family for the following:
• Pray for the families of the children who were lost.  That God's peace that goes beyond all understanding will surround them during this unbelievable and indescribable time.
• Pray for the surviving students and staff who have just begun a long road of healing.  Pray for God to help fill the minds of those who witnessed this horror with images of comfort and peace.
• Pray for the shooter's family as they come to grips with what their loved one has done.
• Pray for the churches and God's people in and around Connecticut that God's love and comforting Spirit will permeate that town.
  
  
• We will admit to Madison and Wilson that we simply don't know all the answers.  But we DO know that God WILL work to redeem this situation, that His heart grieves for those that are lost, and that God will continue to reign as He has always done.

Hug your kids.  Tell them that you love them.  And help them to understand that God loves them more.

On this sometimes difficult journey with you,

Pastor Beau

Family Dinner Friday

You may...or may not...have noticed that Family Dinner Friday took a summer vacation.

So, school is back in session and it's time to get back on schedules and start eating regular dinners together as a family.

Yes, I know many of us have crazy busy schedules once school starts.  Softball, soccer, dance, volleyball, piano, cross-country, homework, etc, etc, etc.

This is why it's even more important to plan dinners together.  Make sharing dinner together as a family a priority rather than a last minute run thru a drive thru.  Making time to sit down together as a family and connect over dinner helps keep families grounded and connected.

Our 'Family Dinner Friday' family this week is the Bahr family.  The Bahr's have been attending Redding First for about 8 years.  Their family is very involved in our church (have you called the church office recently, you probably had the pleasure of talking to Carmen) as well as connected and busy with various other activities around Redding.  This is one busy family, yet they make family dinners a priority.  

the beautiful Bahr family {Mitch, Izzy, Isaac & Carmen}
photo by Solange Duarte Photography

Meet the Bahrs:

Question:  How many people are in your family and the ages of the kids?  

There are four people in our family, Isabelle is 9 and Isaac is 7.

photo by Solange Duarte Photography

Q: How many times a week do you eat dinner as a family?

Nearly every night we eat dinner as a family.

Q: Do you have picky eaters in your family?

Yes, Isaac is our pickier eater though he doesn't like to be labeled this way.  I make him try at least a little bit of everything and have stopped giving him other food options.  Meat is not his favorite thing so he often eats a lot of vegetables and fruit. 

Q:  Do you have any weekly activities that make dinner together hard?

Yes, during the school year we have Mitch's meetings at school, the kids music lessons, and sports.

Q:  Do you ever feel like NOT making dinner?

Yes, often!  If it could be made for me that would be awesome!

Q:  Have you found something that makes dinner together easier?

I try to have us work together as a team.  One child sets the table, one child clears it, Mitch and I clean up together after dinner.

Q:  What is something you think is important about eating together?

It is an opportunity for all of us to sit down together and hear about our days and how things are going.  It's a time to connect when the least amount of distractions are happening.

Q:  Do you have any major dinner time rules?

We usually have the tv off, but a "crucial" Giants game could change this fact.

Q:  Where do you grocery shop?  And who does the grocery shopping in your family?

Mainly Trader Joes and Costco.  I do nearly all of the shopping.  Mitch will occasionally stop by the store for something I need or forgot.

Q: And what is one of your favorite throw-down meals (a meal that doesn't take much time to throw together/down)?

Throw down meals that we often eat are tacos, taco salad, spaghetti with marinara sauce from a jar, breakfast burritos and other breakfast foods...

The meal that I'm sharing today is fajitas.

I've tried many versions of fajitas, especially early in our marriage.  Mitch actually prefers the fajita mix purchased in a packet in the mexican food section of the grocery store.  

All you need to do is slice a bell pepper, onion, and about a pound of chicken and follow the directions on the back of the packet.  Sauté the veggies and remove from pan, cook the chicken, add the veggies back to the pan, and add the seasoning mix and water.  

We enjoy having grated cheese and guacamole with our fajitas.  We use either a flour tortilla or lettuce leaf and add the meat, veggies, cheese, and guacamole to it.  Enjoy!

Thank you Bahr's!

Let me know if you have an easy family friendly throw-down meal and would like to be featured of Family Dinner Friday!

Family Dinner Friday

It's Family Dinner Friday time...

Today we are meeting the Rush family.

photo by Betsey Walton Photography

Robert and Rayna are active in the Family Ministry at our church, Redding First.
Robert is a leader with the 1st-5th grade kids on Wednesday nights, and helps about once a month on Sunday mornings.  He was also the group leader for the 5th grade kids last year during our VBS program.
Rayna has served on the MOPS steering team at our church for the past 3 years, volunteers in our church nursery &/or Sunday School classrooms once a month (that was until their most recent baby boy was born 7 weeks ago!).  She also served as our VBS coordinator last year, 2011, and is helping with this years new VBS program.

sweet baby Carter at 5 days old...photo by Betsey Walton Photography

Question:  How many people are in your family and the ages of the kids?  

     There are 4 people in our family, us and our two boys, Lincoln age 4 1/2 and Carter 7 weeks


Q: How many times a week do you eat dinner as a family?

     Almost every night. It is rare that we don't eat as a family, even if that means taking shifts to eat while one of us is holding Carter.


Q: Do you have picky eaters in your family?

      No, we have always made food a non-issue, so Lincoln tries everything (within reason) at least 3 time and then if he doesn't like it then he doesn't have to eat it. We haven't found much food that he doesn't like even if it means fibbing a bit and telling him shrimp on his plate is just chicken.

Q:  Do you have any weekly activities that make dinner together hard?

     No, but I am sure that day is coming. 

Q:  Do you ever feel like NOT making dinner?
     Haha, YES I feel like this almost every night, well maybe not the making of the dinner, but the deciding what to have is the hard part for me. 

Q:  What is something you think is important about eating together?

     That if we make dinner together a priority now then when life gets really crazy with activities and school and friends family dinner will just be the norm for our family and will also help us stay connected with our boys.

Q:  Do you have any major dinner time rules?

     No electronics at the table and unless its an emergency we don't answer the phone. We have an answering machine and we can call people back. 

Q:  Where do you grocery shop?  And who does the grocery shopping in your family?

     We shop at Winco (have to contribute to our retirement) and I do most of the shopping, but since Robert works there, there are times that he brings food home.

Q:  It's summer time right now, do you change your menu/cooking habits based on the seasons?

        I would say we do more grilling and less baking. The less we can turn on the oven during the summer the better. 

Q: And what is one of your favorite throw-down meals (a meal that doesn't take much time to throw together/down)?

       I have a few, apple chicken salad (one of Roberts favorites), beef stroganoff, and taco salad. 

The meal/recipe that the Rush family is sharing with us today is actually one that our family shared with them earlier this week.

Grilled Pizza

*pre made dough of your choice (we used thin crust Boboli for the adults and then full pita bread rounds for the kids)

*sauce of your choice (kids had a red sauce and adults had a pre-made white sauce from WinCo deli)

*Grated Cheese of your choice (we used mozzarella)

*Toppings of your choice, we used the following

     'adult pizza': grilled chopped chicken, fresh spinach, sun dried tomatoes in oil & drained and chopped, canned artichoke hearts drained and chopped, and sliced mozzarella cheese to top

     'kids personal pizzas': cheese...that's all they wanted...

pre grill

Preheat your grill.

Cover your 'dough' with sauce, cheese & other toppings

For the 'adult' pizza we turned the grill to low, placed the pizza on and closed it up for about 5-7 minutes until the cheese was melted.

The 'kids' pizzas got a little over-grilled this way, so round 2 for them we turned the grill off and placed the pizzas onto the still hot grill, closed it up and about 5 minutes later the cheese was melted to perfection.

all pizza's on the grill

the 'adult' pizza, so very yummy!

Thanks Rayna for sharing your family's dinner time with us.  And thanks for the yummy easier summer meal!

On this journey with you,

Pastor Beau

Family Dinner Friday

It's time for a Friday Family Dinner...this week our 'cook' is Pastor Kirk the associate pastor at Redding First.

Pastor Kirk with his beautiful wife, Maria

Now some Q&A with Pastor Kirk

Question:  How many people are in your family and the ages of the kids?  
4 people in family Ben is 11 Carson is 9


Q: How many times a week do you eat dinner as a family?
4-5


Q: Do you have picky eaters in your family?
Not so much


Q:  Do you have any weekly activities that make dinner together hard?
Many - Exercise schedule, evening meetings and commitments as a result we don't always eat at the same time every night


Q:  Do you ever feel like NOT making dinner?
At least 4 times a week. So Maria and I share the responsibilty. That way no one get to burt out. 


Q:  What is something you think is important about eating together?
Family conection. It is priceless to have a regular event that everyone attends. We talk about the day and mostly simple stuff but it reinforces our connection. I can't image life without this time. 


Q:  Do you have any major dinner time rules?
No games or books at the table. No one can begin eating until everyone is at the table and we pray. Wash hands before dinner. Use good table manors. Eat what is in front of you until you are full, but you don't have to clear your plate. 


Q:  Where do you grocery shop?  And who does the grocery shopping in your family?
Winco. Safeway, TJ


Q: And what is one of your favorite throw-down meals (a meal that doesn't take much time to throw together/down)?
Actually many of our meals fall into this category. I do a lot of stir fry because it is fast and you can put any vegetable in it. I will often use up little bits and parts of stuff from the week, throw it in a walk and add sauce. We also like tacos and salads and spaghetti all of which can be made in around 30 minutes. 

And the meal/recipe that Pastor Kirk is sharing with us today is a great throw down meal and creative to boot...Tuesday Night Throw Down Dinner : 

Spaghetti with a twist

Ingredients (only 3!)

Whole Wheat Spaghetti Pasta

One Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (what ever brand is on sale that is not high in sugar or salt)

Sausage

Step one:  Cut Sausage into 1 inch pieces and insert dry spaghetti into the pieces (check out picture below)

Step two:  Cook spaghetti (w/ sausage pieces) according to directions on package.

 Step three:  Drain and serve with pasta sauce of your choosing!

Sides: Spinach Salad with croutons


Thanks Kirk!

Do you have regular meals as a family?

Do you have family meal traditions?

Do you  have a favorite family throw down meal that you'd like to share on Family Dinner Friday?  Just leave a message and I'll get in contact with you!

Children <> spiritual understanding? I think not...

I recently listened to a podcast saying that all children do not have the mental capacity to understand spiritual ideas and thoughts.  As I listened, trying to understand where this pastor was coming from, I found myself getting more and more agitated as what he said absolutely did not jive with what I have experienced... at all.

What follows is just a recent example of many:

Last Sunday the kids and I continued our discussion on the many "I Am's" of Jesus and talked together about what Jesus meant when he said in John 6:35 that He is the Bread of Life.

For kids, who tend to take things pretty literally, Jesus' statement of being bread conjured weird and funny pictures in their minds... one child started laughing and said that she didn't know that Jesus was a loaf of bread, another said he wasn't ever going to eat bread again :)

Still another child, a 6 year-old, connected some dots regarding communion.  He remembered that when we take communion we say, "This is my body, broken for you..." as we eat the bread.  This led to a wonderful discussion and an opportunity for me to explain that just as the bread we eat sustains our physical bodies, Jesus sustains our spiritual bodies.  Too little of either kind of bread and our bodies get weak and ultimately die... physically or spiritually.

As we were discussing this, one of my students, an 8 year-old, shot up his hand and said, "Pastor Beau!  I think I understand!"  Clearly a lightbulb had gone on and he was excited!

This is what he said:

Reaching out for the Bread of Life is like asking God into your heart.
Chewing it is accepting Jesus into your heart.
Washing it down with water is praying every day.
Digesting it is keeping your faith in God.

I told him, "You know what just happened here?  The Holy Spirit just talked to you!  A little thought packet from Heaven."

I asked him to write it down so we wouldn't forget and here's what he gave me:

Brilliant!

Who says that kids can't grasp spiritual ideas and thoughts?

Not me... and certainly not Jesus :)

Today I encourage you to ask your children what they think about something spiritual (who is God, who is Jesus, tell me about what Jesus did for us, what is sin, etc...).  I think you'll be amazed at what they tell you.  Besides, starting a spiritual conversation with your children is never a bad thing.  It gives us a glimpse into their thoughts about God and a chance for us to speak truth into their lives (and the other way around!).  We should do it more often.

If you need some help talking to your children about spiritual things or if you just want to talk to someone about kids and God in general, drop me an email.  I would LOVE to chat with you as we discover God's will for our children and families together!

On this journey with you,

Pastor Beau

An Amazing Recipe for an Amazing Story!

The following  recipe was taken word for word from my wife's blog chambersmade.blogspot.com.

 Even though our family does this every year, the visual impact and reinforcement of the Easter story always hits home with every single one of us!

Read the whole recipe before beginning...

and you have to do together Saturday night before Easter Sunday. Or a different day before Easter, sort of missing the point if you do it on Easter Sunday

Resurrection Cookies

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Ingredients:                     You need:

1 cup whole pecans             Mixing bowl

3 egg whites                           Wooden spoon

1 cup sugar                             Bible

1 tsp. vinegar                        Zipper baggy

1 pinch of salt                       Wax paper

                                                    Cookie sheet

                                                    Tape

Place pecans in the baggy and let the children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
For younger children you may want to that the Roman soldiers were mean to him.

• Read - John 19:1-3

Let child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. into mixing bowl.

Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.

• Read - John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to the vinegar.

Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life for our life.

• Read - John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand let them taste it then brush the rest into the bowl.

Explain that represents the salty tears shed by Jesus followers, and the bitterness of our own sin...

• Read - Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing :)

Add 1 cup sugar.

Explain that the sweetest part of this story is that Jesus died because He loves us.

He wants us to know and belong to Him.

• Read - Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with mixer on high speed for 11-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.

Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

• Read - Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts.

Drop by tsp. onto waxed paper-covered cookie sheet.

Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus body was laid. 

• Read - Matt. 27:65-66

Put cookies sheet in the oven.

Close door and turn oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the door.

Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed.

• Read - Matt. 27:65-66

Go to bed !

Jesus followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.

• Read - John 16:20 and 22

On Resurrection Morning open the oven and give everyone a cookie !

Notice the cracked surface and take a bite.

The cookies are hollow !

On the first Resurrection Day Jesus followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

• Read - Matt. 28:1-9

He Has Risen! Hallelujah! ! ! ! !

Enjoy!  I hope your Easter is full of great family traditions and maybe some new ones too!

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau

Cutting the Cord...

Two years ago we got rid of something that was slowly driving a wedge in the middle of our family.  It was making our daughter think she wasn't pretty enough, it was making our son violent, and it was making my wife and I distant, non communicative people living in the same house.

Every day it would suck the energy out of us and show us new, shiny things we should spend our money on.  It was talking to us all day, making us listen.  We listened so much that we weren't talking to each other any more.  It was slowly ripping us apart and we were letting it.

To make things worse, this thing was in our house by our choice.  In fact, we were paying a lot of money for it each month to stay in our house.

So, it had to go.  We kicked it to the curb and haven't looked back.

SPLINK for the Week of March 11th

Tug of War Items Needed: rope or towel (for tug of war) Masking tape Mark a point on the floor or ground. Line up two family members (about the same size) on either end of the rope.  Tell them to start pulling when you say go. Ask: Do you think God and the devil are in a battle? Who do you think will win? Do you think the devil is as strong as God? God is all-powerful; the devil is not. There is NO doubt that GOD will win! Even though the devil is stronger than we are, he is NOT stronger than God. Choose the smallest member of the family and put the rest of the family on the

You mean we're THERE already?

This Saturday my daughter and I are going to our church's 7th Annual Father Daughter Feast.  This event is a great time for dads and daughters to eat spaghetti, laugh with each other, run in The Amazing Chase, and get their pictures taken.

Now, even though I'm the children's pastor, I have absolutely no part in preparing the feast or designing the activities.  This is by design... because for that particular night, I am not Pastor Beau... I'm Madison's dad and she gets my undivided attention for a full night.

With 6 years of Father Daughter Feasts behind us Madison and I have 6 different pictures, each depicting a special moment suspended in time.  As I was working today I began looking at some of these pictures and was struck by a reality that I didn't particularly like.

My little girl isn't so little anymore.

Next year Madison will be a 6th grader... I mean really, a 6th grader!  Am I really old enough to have a 6th grader for a daughter?!  For crying out loud, I still feel like a 6th grader... at least in my head :)

Now, if I sat down and really dwelt on the fact that Madison is getting older, if I allowed my mind to play

Something to do on Saturday...

Most of you know that I LOVE making paper models... I'm fascinated that something 2 dimensional can become 3 dimensional with a bit of folding and glue :)

During my constant quest of finding great stuff to make I stumbled across My Little House - an awesome website created by a children's book illustrator that is full of wonderful paper toys that are not only cute, but very easy to make as well.

Since Easter is coming up soon I thought I'd highlight a very cool set of toys that when put together tell the story of Jesus' resurrection!

How cool is that?

PLUS... and here's the best part... IT'S FREE!  All you have to do is print, cut, fold, and glue!

This is a wonderful way to spend a Saturday with your kids...

For best (and longer lasting) results use cardstock instead of regular paper.  If you want to go all out, I use Canon Matte Photo Paper... but you can certainly use Walmart brand cardstock for similar results :)

For younger kids the rocks, trees, and tomb are the easiest to cut out and fold.

Parents, I'd suggest that you put the people together as some kids may find certain parts a bit fiddly.

Hint:  After you've built the set, have your children retell the story of Jesus' resurrection in their own words using your new Easter diorama.

And as always, if you make anything with your kids please send me a picture of your creations!

Don't forget to check out all of the other great things to make from this site as well!

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau

What I learned in Kid's Church...

Last night in Kid's DNA (our Wednesday night study for kids) we talked about sharing the Good News.

As I was preparing for class I was reminded of a youth event I attended when I was in high school.  It was called SEMP, which stands for Student Evangelical Mission Project.  This giant event was held in Santa Cruz and hundreds of teens from all over came together to learn how to share the Good News with others.

I remember being really excited at the prospect of gaining new tools in sharing my faith.  But when it was all said and done I was left wanting.  Something was missing.

Years later I put my finger on it:  I left that event thinking that I had to change people into Christians by using a special catchy phrase, or kitschy, clever acronym.  I was given some tools, but not the whole toolbox.

Yes, we are commanded  to share the Good News that sin can be forgiven, we are to share that Jesus died for us, we are to share the hope that can be found in Him... but it's not our job to convict them of their sin.  It's not our responsibility to change people's hearts.  It's not our job to save them.

John 16:8 makes it very clear that that job belongs to God... and God alone.

John tells us in this verse that the Holy Spirit will convict people of sin (the wrong they are doing) of godliness or righteousness (reminding them of the proper thing they SHOULD be doing) and of judgment (the consequences for them continuing down a destructive path).

This was something I was not told as SEMP.  I came away from that event with an unbelievable burden that I had to force, cajole, debate, outwit, out quote, or guilt people into being a Christian.  And that is simply not the case.

Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to pray for them.  To love them.  To speak the truth in love. To tell them what God has done in our lives.  Our responsibility in NOT to convict them... that's the Holy Spirit's job, and I'm pretty sure He doesn't need our help.

So, what's the take home for us as parents?

You will hear me say this over and over... God has called you, by virtue of being a parent, to be His example to your children. YOU are the primary spiritual leader in your childrens' lives.

With this in mind, as you interact with your children in the normal ebb and flow of the day I encourage you to be mindful of how you are showing them, by your actions and words, how to be witness for Christ to others.

Your children are constantly watching you and how you relate to others.  They are taking notes and applying what they learn from you to their own lives.  They look to you for leadership in how to love others, how to pray for others, how to speak the truth in love, and how to tell others what God has done and is doing in your life.

So lead well.

On the journey with you,

Pastor Beau

The Home Connection

To the right of this post you'll see some links under the heading The Home Connection.

This is a great resource for you, the parent, to reinforce  throughout the week what your children are learning with me and my staff on Sundays.

Each week I'll be posting the newest Home Connection for you to download and print out.  Inside you'll find:

• A weekly Bible passage to read together as a family
• Suggestions to help you pray together as a family
• Suggested activities to do to put your faith in action

My family and I will be making the use of this resource a weekly priority, my hope is that your family will as well!

Games and stuff...

<-----  1,000,000 points if you can tell me what video game this is from?

I know.  Too easy.  (I'll get you next time, Gadget! Next. Time.)

I think you'll see as this blog progresses that (and here comes a confession)
I am helplessly and unashamedly RETRO.

I fully embrace and have come to grips with the fact that it is no longer 1984... but that doesn't mean I have to stop liking all things old.

If your kids are with me for any length of time you'll begin to hear them dropping words like "cassette tape"