PLAYING IN THE KINGDOM

PLAYING IN THE KINGDOM

  • Encouragement, Playing in the Kingdom

PLAYING IN THE KINGDOM

I dare to say your child has a greater capacity to release the Kingdom more than most adults because it takes FAITH and childlike faith is a gift from the Father to partner with Him. I keep sensing God highlighting children ages 4-8 and how they will be the ones releasing the Kingdom in great measure, children who haven’t yet been taught about fearing man, legalism, or church politics. These are the children who simply hear their Father and marry it with childlike faith and reap a harvest of fruit.

ORIGINAL DESIGN

As parents, we get to blow on our child’s areas of strength and empower them in their areas of weakness. We have the privilege of helping them unpack what is inside of them by God’s intentional design to impact those around them. The more this is discovered in childhood, the easier adulthood will be because they already have a grid for who they are. You can’t operate successfully unless you know your original design and purpose.

EXTRA TOUCHES

Testimony from a mom taking our online parenting class: “I often feel that I struggle so much with my son’s behavior, and I’m starting to truly believe that it’s mainly because his love tank isn’t getting filled. I’ve been wondering this for a little while, to be honest, and I always kind of thought it to be random thoughts, but after reading this lesson, I think it was more of the Lord speaking to me. I care for him, give him gifts, speak loving things over him and give him lots of hugs and touches… I know that I struggle to spend quality time with him; he’s young and just wants to play with me. I love the idea of having a morning date with him after breakfast. Really encouraging stuff.”

PARENTING MISTAKES

My friend shared this golden testimony: “My mother was highly emotionally volatile and sometimes physically abusive. God has healed so much in me, but having a volatile kid has brought me to new places I didn’t know I needed healing. One of which was a fear that my daughter and I wouldn’t have a close relationship if I made mistakes. Part of this I realized was that my mother died before there was any reconciliation and refused to clean up her mess before her passing. I am quick to repent, own my mistakes, and show what healthy reconciliation looks like. Anyway, I began to dialogue with the Holy Spirit about my parenting mistakes – and I heard Him ask me to ask Him what my mistakes look like when I bring them to Him. So I did. And I saw that each time I made a mistake and owned it to my kids and brought it to Him – it was a form of intercession. He would tuck it like a piece of paper in His pocket for later when it’s needed. There is SO much about my daughter’s healing and process that I cannot fix for her. He reminded me that my best is good enough, and the revelation of what my mistakes look like to Him was priceless.”

NOT JUST ANOTHER CLASS

Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to what this parent had to say about our online Kingdom parenting class.

“I doubted if it would be worth the money to take another parenting class. This is NOT just another parenting class! If the class only had the first two days in it, it would be worth it already! Thank you for your life of walking close to Holy Spirit and for leading us on how to walk with Him. And THANK YOU, GOD, for walking with us in the process.” 

Allow me the opportunity to walk YOU through how to partner with your child’s Creator in your parenting.

Journey – ONLINE CLASS – Let the Children Fly

PARENTING MANUAL

Picture someone baking a pie for their evening gathering with friends. Could you imagine someone else coming to take the pie out of the oven and running to the corner to consume the whole thing on their own? They would not only develop a stomachache but have robbed themselves of the joy of consuming the pie with friends and family as it was intended. Your child comes with a parenting manual, and His name is Emmanuel – God with us. I say this in love, but some of you need to repent for taking His creation and running away with it. He did not spend nine months knitting them together and ushering them into the world only to have you run away together. He desired all along that you would parent together with Him. God wants you to parent with Him, not for Him.

LORD’S PRAYER

I am teaching my children about the Lord’s prayer and what it means to pray, “Heaven come – on earth as it is in heaven.” One morning during family devotions, I told them how I grew up with the belief that God was good and heaven was real, but for later, once you die. It gave us hope for what was to come. But I have learned over the years that Jesus died so we can have life and have it abundantly NOW. We talked about what the Kingdom of heaven looks like; peace, love, joy, power, clear mind, empowerment, connection, belonging, patience, honesty, truth, being seen, known, heard, understood, valued, attached to Him, family, etc. I had them think of something happening in their world and hold it in their hands. I then had them declare and pray, “Heaven, come” over that situation. Lauren felt anxious about the pep rally and having to be present but also take photos for the yearbook, not fully knowing where to be and when. When she declared, “Heaven, come,” she instantly felt peace and confidence that she would be able to figure it out. Emma was burdened by the girls in her class who gossiped behind their friend’s backs and wanted to say something to them. When she declared, “Heaven, come,” she got an increase of conviction that she was to figure out how to lovingly speak truth to them in a way that invites them into something greater (not just calling them out on it). She felt like she was to wait and really go after this with Jesus before saying something. Hudson was really burdened that he did not manage his time well last night and had homework due. When he declared, “Heaven, come,” he felt like God said to use the remaining 15 minutes and get it done. He said there was no way he could do that as it would take at least an hour. I told him to declare, “Heaven, come” over his time. Fifteen minutes later, he put it in his backpack and said, “Well, it might not have been my best job, but I did get it done.” WOW. Ellie was concerned about a test where she had to memorize something. When she declared, “Heaven, come,” she felt like God was highlighting her identity and that she was still loved and wanted even if she failed. Could you imagine a generation of ambassadors for Jesus who declared heaven COME to the world around them as a lifestyle?

I SALUTE YOU!

Veterans are very dear to my heart. One day we were in the frozen foods aisle, and an elderly man was walking towards us in a brand-new shiny Veterans hat. I stopped and asked him if he was a Veteran. He was taken aback, and I quickly mentioned that his hat was so crisp and new. He got tears in his eyes and said he was a Veteran but too ashamed to wear his hat. A week earlier, his buddy had chewed him out for never wearing it and told him he needed to wear it with pride. That was his first outing wearing it. He pulled out his worn wallet and showed me a photo of all the medals he had earned, including the Purple Heart. He was injured as a Medevac but went to sign on for another term. I can’t fully describe to you what happened, but tears came pouring out of my eyes. I stood up straight, grabbed my son, and said, “Hudson, THIS is what a real hero is,” Tears began to fall from the man’s eyes. Another shopper stopped, I introduced them, and they stopped to shake his hand. Then another shopper came to salute him. This went on for a while, and we had a small gathering of people in the frozen food aisle honoring this hero. That man was full of shame but walked out of the frozen food aisle the hero he really was!

DUSTY ROAD

Friends, as bloody, bruised, and betrayed as you may feel, you have got to walk your path to Calvary. Only in that place can you truly rise again. We must must must teach our children to be quick to let go of hurts and offenses, like the hot potato game. It’s okay that you caught it but feel the heat and toss it off of you quickly.

HAVING A HARD SEASON?

Wrap your heart around this statement, “When this whole thing is over (whatever that means), I want to come out of it so hungry I don’t even recognize myself.”