Testimonies From Our Sons

The following are our sons’ personal testimonies of becoming Christians. Although they have only a few memories of their lives before accepting Jesus as their Savior, none of them doubt their salvation, and are in fact confident of their decision to follow Christ, knowing without a doubt that they have a personal relationship with Him and will meet Jesus face to face in Heaven one day.

Brandon’s Testimony:
Before I became a Christian, I was a good child, but did not have a personal relationship with God. I wanted to know Him more and become a Christian. I was very inquisitive, asking questions for months before I actually accepted Jesus as my Savior. Whenever I asked questions, Mom and Dad would answer them. They would frequently test me to see if I wanted to be a Christian for the right reasons. On April 12, 2004, I was talking with my parents about it, and they prayed with me, confident I was accepting Jesus as my Savior and Lord for the right reasons. I was five years-old at the time. On October 9, 2004, when I was six years-old, I got baptized at Wake Cross Roads Baptist church. Now that I know the Lord personally, my life is much better and Christ-centered. I try the best I can to please God and obey Him. I am much happier and am glad to know I will be with the Lord in Heaven one day. I don’t remember much about not being a Christian, but I know that Jesus died for my sins, rose again, has forgiven me, and loves me. I do not doubt that I am a Christian and that Jesus saved me.

Nicholas’ Testimony:
My life before I was a Christian was not as good. I was difficult and did not obey very well. Then one day Brandon became a Christian, which encouraged me. About two years later, I asked my mom about becoming a Christian. We talked for a while and later that night when my dad was home, we read from the Bible and prayed. I talked to God about my life and asked Jesus to be my Savior. I was so excited and felt so much better. Now I obey more and am not as difficult. I still get in trouble sometimes, but I am sorry and pray about it. I’m glad to be a Christian. I want to live my life for God and follow Him.

Zachary’s Testimony:
Before I became a Christian, I asked a lot about how to become a Christian. My parents wanted me to know a lot about becoming a Christian. They wanted to make sure I understood what I was doing. I didn’t want to have to wait. When I was six years-old, I made the decision to follow God. I knew I was a sinner, and I know that Jesus died on the cross so I can live with Him forever instead of going to Hell for my sins. I believe that Jesus is God’s son, that he died on the cross for my sins, and that He came back to life three days later to show that He really is God. God has changed my life now. I try not to sin as much. When I do sin, I feel bad. I try not to disobey God anymore. I am glad that one day I will be with God in heaven.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Sharing Our Stories

The act of passing down stories from generation to generation is as old as mankind. Furthermore, Christian believers are commanded to tell their children and grandchildren of the wonderful things God has done in their lives.

Perhaps the greatest story to tell is one’s personal story of becoming a Christ follower. For months, a goal of mine has been to have the boys write down their testimonies for the generations to come. Our pastor recently encouraged this act for the entire congregation, and last week’s history assignment nudged us to finally follow through.

At only five and six years-old, our boys made decisions to place their faith in Jesus Christ. Some may suppose that children at this age cannot completely understand biblical truths.

Mike and I have a different perspective. Our personal conversion stories have similarities to those of our boys. Like our sons, we were raised in Christian homes and desired a relationship with Christ at a young age. As a five year-old, Mike became a Christian. My decision was made at age ten.

Not all biblical doctrines will be understood by young children… or adults for that matter. Becoming a Christian is only the beginning of a life-long pursuit of following God and growing in the knowledge of His truths.

Since their toddler years, our children have been reared with an understanding of their sinfulness. As part of the discipline process, we addressed their disobedient nature rather than overlooked or excused it. As a result, early in life they understood their sin and need for a Savior.

As each son expressed a yearning to become a Christian, we listened to him and responded to his many questions with explanations from Scripture. We recognized a sincere desire to follow God as well as frustrations when we would suggest he “wait a little longer” for better understanding before making this life changing decision. Eventually, our attempts to delay the decision until a later age became a hindrance in his pursuit of a relationship with Jesus.

But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:16

From the time of our children’s birth, we prayed for each to know the Lord as his Savior at an early age. We rejoice and praise God that He has answered these prayers. We take great delight in assisting them in the discipleship process even as we, too, are being refined by the Lord each day in our own personal walks with Christ.

I Like My Kids!

I absolutely love my children. Most parents would say the same about their own offspring.

But my feelings toward my sons extend past merely loving them; I also like them! I wonder if as many parents would agree with me in this respect.

From time to time, I receive comments from others expressing surprise at the fact that I actually enjoy my children, that my daily life with the kids at home is not just about surviving, but rather about thriving in an environment where we genuinely like being together.

Of course, on any given day, you could walk into my home and all those observations about how much I enjoy my boys could be abolished. You see, our life is not perfect – far from it, in fact. The boys misbehave or argue, and I respond impatiently or angrily. Our actions and reactions are not always what they should be.

Other times, I am simply tired from the pressures of raising little men to be Christ-followers, and I long to escape to a cabin in the mountains with my Bible, a stack of novels, and my favorite Meg Ryan movies.

Despite the occasional waywardness or longings, I can sincerely and unhesitatingly say I like my kids! And while I consider my own sons to be the best in the world and would not trade them for any child prodigy or athletic superstar – or even for a girl – I do believe there are specific reasons I enjoy them.

At the top of the list is discipline.

When Brandon was really little, my reason for disciplining was merely because that is what parents are supposed to do. I feel incredibly blessed to have grown-up in a home with a dad and mom who took discipline seriously. We knew the rules and the consequences of disobeying them. To continue that pattern with my own offspring was simply natural. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!)

Furthermore, as a Christian mom, I understood that discipline is an assignment God had entrusted to us as parents.

I also recognized early in life that well-behaved children are more pleasurable to be around. Discipline was the answer to keeping others from being annoyed with my kids.

Only in studying God’s Word as a slightly more seasoned parent did I realize that God promises we will enjoy our children if we discipline them. Allusions to this promise are found throughout the Bible, but the most specific verse related to this assurance is found in Proverbs 29:17.

Our goal in disciplining is not having sons that act well in order to avoid punishment or to receive rewards, but rather to have them behave because they want to please us, and ultimately, please God. We strive for this goal by clearly communicating our expectations, correcting misbehavior with appropriate consequences, and maintaining consistency.

I have noticed a pattern that when we fail to communicate and correct with consistency, our pleasure in our sons plummets. Admittedly, the discipline process is not enjoyable, and in fact, often painful not only for our boys, but also for us.

We have found, however, that when we continue to be intentional with disciplining our sons, it is needed less often. With age, our children are becoming more obedient and respectful, and continue to be a genuine delight to us.

“Discipline your son and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.” Proverbs 29:17

Thanks, Mom!

Holidays and special occasions abound. Opportunities exist almost monthly to remember or honor a special person or group of people. At times, these days can become taxing, as their commercialization produces pressure to overspend or fulfill seemingly impossible expectations.

However, Mother’s Day happens to be one of my favorites. Selfishly, I relish the thought of choosing my favorite restaurant for Sunday lunch and being spoiled all day by my husband and sons.

Mother’s Day is also a time to reflect on my own mom and how special she is to me!

Not an easy child in my younger years, I often challenged my parents. Yet their constant discipline eventually produced a relatively well-behaved, self-controlled daughter. I am thankful that my mom did not give in to my whims, ugly words, or rebellious behavior. She wanted more for me than that, and her consistent correction produced a pleasant child.

Although her correction was never pleasurable when I was young, her tenderness was not lacking and was perhaps most evident on the days I was home sick from school. She would cover me in blankets on the couch, wash my warm face with a cool cloth, and feed me chicken noodle soup and applesauce.

I specifically remember the time she gave up seeing a much anticipated concert at church to stay home with me because I was not feeling well. Instead of watching gospel singer Larnelle Harris, she and I watched Haley Mills in The Parent Trap.

Even when I was well, Mom and I had our special “girl” shows. Along with Haley Mills’ movies, we watched Perry Mason television shows and, in pre-VCR and DVR days, never missed an episode of “Murder, She Wrote”.

A trait of my mom’s that stands out above others is her generosity. My own needs were met and exceeded, and I often wonder if I was a bit spoiled by the good things in life my parents provided for me.

Yet her generosity extended beyond her immediate family. I remember Christmas shopping for underprivileged children and delivering toys and clothes to them. On another occasion, my parents took in one of my brother’s friends who had been kicked out of his house. Mom purchased clothes for him and welcomed him into our home until he was accepted back into his own.

Through both her own example and her instructive words, my mom also encouraged me to treat others with respect. Upon hearing that I would have the most feared teacher in 4th grade, my mom praised this educator for her positive attributes and shared her appreciation to this instructor for her devotion in the classroom. In this example, and many others, my mom helped me to see the good in others and the power of sharing benevolent words to those people who are sometimes less than kind.

As a child, I dreaded shopping with my mom, but that suddenly changed when I got married and began building a home of my own. Now, some of my favorite times with my mom are our shopping sprees. No day together tops our annual “Black Friday” outing when we start bright and early in the morning and continue until supper. Of course, every shopping trip must include a rest stop at Starbucks – always in a Barnes and Noble store – for mocha frappuccinos.

With many miles between us, our shopping trips are not as often as we would like. The busyness of life seems to have spread out the phone calls and visits over the years. However, I will always recall with immense appreciation all my mom had done for me and both the spoken and unspoken lessons she has taught me.

Thanks, Mom!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I love you!

“Her children rise up and call her blessed…” Proverbs 31:28a

Royalty

I married my enchanting prince almost sixteen years ago. Since that majestic day, three sons have been added to our royal family, sealing my position as queen of our home. Furthermore, as a child of the King whose reign will never end, my ever-lasting title of “princess” surpasses even the Duchess of Cambridge’s new role.

Perhaps this is why the anticipation of a royal wedding failed to immediately grab my attention. In the midst of the hoopla preceding the big event, my mind was focused on completing current academic assignments, making decisions for the upcoming school year, and getting my boys to their baseball games on time. The regal event failed to motivate me to sacrifice precious sleep for its viewing.

Yet realizing the historical nature of the occasion, I took a moment to set up the DVR Thursday evening to record the pre-dawn ceremony. On Friday, after teaching lessons to my boys, I plopped on my couch, remote in hand, and began watching the gala occasion.

Immediately absorbed in the magnificent affair, I was mesmerized by the spectacular marriage between a common girl and her prince. Upon hearing the television, my sons soon flocked to the living room to take part in this bit of history.

Their noteworthy perspective brought much humor to this grand event.

A brief explanation became necessary after one son asked, “Who is Prince William?”

The questions continued.

When I identified the lady wearing the yellow dress as the eighty-five year-old Queen of England, one of the boys asked, “Is she the one getting married?”

When the future princess began her procession down the aisle with children following behind her, another son inquired, “Are those her children?”

As the camera zoomed in on best man Prince Harry, another commented, “His hair looks like he just got out of the shower.” Upon realizing that the groom and his best man were both brothers and princes, the same son thought aloud, “I wonder if they ever sword fight one another.”

With much confusion, another of my boys asked, “Why do all the ladies wear their hats crooked?”

As the ring portion of the ceremony concluded, one son questioned why the boy didn’t get his ring - a very good query and one I could not answer. In my opinion, he should get a ring, regardless of whether he wants one or not!

After hearing prayers, hymns, Scripture reading, and references to Jesus Christ as the Son of God, my boys were left wondering if the bride and groom are Christians. The princess had a beautiful Christian wedding. Yet sermons, songs, and prayers are no indicator of a true Christ follower.

We can claim Christ with our words, but fail to have Him in our hearts. A better test of true faith is not a ceremony, but rather a lifestyle of making godly choices. With pride, I acknowledged the beginning of discernment in my boys (albeit in the midst of rather humorous inquiries) as they knew enough to question another’s faith rather than make assumptions based on a certain ceremony.

On that note, we turned off the television. The boys returned to their schoolwork, and I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. I grabbed my iPod, started the Disney Princess Mania CD, and begin singing "happily ever after" songs in my mind as I strode down each road, taking every opportunity possible to practice my princess wave to the neighbors!

“Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever…” Psalm 45:6a