3 Ways We Glorify God On The Car Ride To School

August 12, 2019 by 2 Comments

Between elementary school and preschool drop off last year I started to wonder if I could be making better use of my time in the car with the kids. A few months into the school year we began to implement these 3 things on the 15 minute car ride to the elementary school: singing, catechism, and prayer. With all 4 kids in the car it has become the perfect way to start the day for all us.

SING

We love singing together as a family and singing about God to glorify God is the best way to start our drive to school. Here are a few of our favorite albums that I highly recommend:

  • Seeds Family Worship: Seeds has many albums that will help your entire family memorize scripture through song! This is a great resource!
  • Sovereign Grace Music: Another great resource to speak God’s Word into your family via song. We like the albums Walking in the Wise, The Ology, and To Be Like Jesus.
  • Shai Linne: The album Jesus Kid is our current favorite. The song Gotta Know The Books helped our 6 and 4 year old at the time learn all the books of the bible. If you want to introduce your kids to good and sound theology that will be easy for them to remember and understand start here.

CATECHISM

For reference we are using New City Catechism. Today many churches and Christian organizations publish “statements of faith” that outline their beliefs. But in the past it was expected that documents of this nature would be so biblically rich and carefully crafted that they would be memorized and used for Christian growth and training. They were written in the form of questions and answers, and were called catechisms.

Using this question and answer method the catechisms explains clearly what the gospel is, but also lays out the building blocks on which the gospel is based, such as the biblical doctrines of God, of human nature, and of sin. It also helps to address false beliefs of our culture so that believers can reflect the likeness of Christ.

You can download the New City Catechism app on your phone. We love this app because it is free and we also have easy access to the songs that make it super easy to memorize each question/answer. There are 52 questions and every week we do a new question. Our kids enjoy the songs and it is amazing to see how much they are learning. We also have it in book format as well which can be purchased HERE. 

We usually will review a previous question that the kids have already learned and memorized and also the current question we are working on for the week. I get just as much, if not more, out of learning these alongside my kiddos.

PRAY

About 5 minutes before we arrive at school we start praying for the day. We will pray blessings over our children and their school as well as the staff. We also ask each off our school aged children to pick a friend in their class that we can also pray over. By the end of school year each child in class will have been prayed over by our family multiple times. Our morning car ride concludes with praying that our kids find a way to encourage that person during the day. 

These are super simple and easy ways we have found to place the gospel message in front of our kids. Plus when they are in the car they are strapped in and can’t go anywhere ;). If you have children I hope your family has a blessed, safe, and happy school year.

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On My 32nd Birthday…

November 17, 2015 by 3 Comments

On My 32nd BirthdayMy Mom said she could always tell when I was getting sick because there would start to be a trail of used kleenex all over the house. While I am not as bad as I was about leaving my germ infested kleenex all over, I knew that the week leading up to my birthday, I could possibly be coming down with a cold. Not from the trail of used kleenex but because of my worsening sore throat. Then I was congested and then I admitted to myself that I should probably go to the doctor after having symptoms for a week.

I really wasn’t super bummed about having a cold. In the past year my anxiety and overall outlook on life has gone through a major overall. As my birthday was quickly approaching I was just super thankful that my family was not showing signs of stuffy noses and coughs.

Last Thursday, the day before my birthday, I made an appointment with the doctor. He said if my symptoms got worse to call and he would call in a prescription for me, but he was fairly confident that by the next day I would start feeling much better.

On my birthday morning I woke up to no voice. Yikes! I knew at this point I needed to get ahold of the doctor again. Thank goodness for text messaging and email. Josh was on shift but he was able to get in touch with the doctors office and explain what was happening and he also was able to come home for the day until the kids went to bed to help me. I really thought I could handle it on my own but I am so thankful he came home.

At this point, Caden started coughing, and I knew that he was sick too. So we decided to have a sick day, watch movies, and drink green smoothies. Not a bad way to spend a birthday cuddled up on the sofa with your loved ones, minus blowing crazy grossness out of your nose all day.

Right before dinner, as I was in the kitchen getting the food dished up on the plates, Maisie walked into the kitchen crying. This is not super unusual because when she knows it is getting close to a meal or snack and she can see the food, she wants the food. Suddenly my kitchen floor was covered in throw up. Again and again she got sick on the floor, on me, and on the floor again. I felt so bad for her. Once she was finished her little body was shaking and she nestled her head under my neck and snuggled in.

Dinner ended up getting cold as we cleaned Maisie up in the bath, the kitchen floor was mopped, and soon enough it was bedtime for the kids.  Josh went back to work and I was asleep quickly after he left. Not the day I planned but I wouldn’t trade it.

The amazing thing about this to me is that in all of these moments I never once thought anything negative or wished the day away. I have really come to understand that life is such a gift and each day should be treated like it is. Sure it would have been nice if we had all felt better, but you know what? People get sick everyday, some much worse than a stomach bug or cough.

Perspective is everything and life should be treasured. Even in the moments when you don’t feel good. There is always something to be thankful for. This was such a great reminder for me NOT to allow negative thoughts to rule my mind. By keeping focused on all the amazing blessings in my life I was able keep myself out of the bottomless pit that I can easily put myself in with my negative thought pattern.

It was so fitting that the past week in my bible study was all about peace. God so knows what he is doing and how to prepare us. On this day He knew that I would need the extra reminder of all the great things I have going for me so I wouldn’t get weighed down in the muck.

As part of the study I was asked to write down three specific things for which I was grateful to God despite whatever difficulty I was currently facing.

The three things I was grateful for this day were…

  • a roof over my head
  • my husband who took time off to come home to help me
  • antibiotics

Next question. How can you incorporate these three things in your prayer strategy this week?

Then I incorporated these into my prayer life by praying for…

  • our landlords and neighbors
  • Josh, his coworkers, and our car that gets him from A to B
  • doctors

When we choose a thankful prayer over wallowing in anxiety and worry we demonstrate a sweet trust in God. This keeps us from being absorbed in our circumstances and allows God to activate a deep peace within us.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

I don’t know about you, but for myself having access to more peace is never something I will turn down. God’s peace is amazing. It is dismantling my emotional barriers and securing my runaway emotions. Which to me is the best birthday gift of all :).

xoxo, Tamara

PS…If you struggle with automatic negative thoughts like I do, try changing your perspective. Start a gratitude journal. Each day write three things you are thankful for. Seriously try it.

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6 Ways to Pray for Your Husband

September 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment

6 Ways to Pray for Your Husband

I recently joined a women’s bible study and at our first meeting one of the ladies shared 6 Ways to Pray for Your Husband with the group. I was so encouraged and want to share this prayer with you.

There is so much darkness in our world today. Our husbands are constantly being tempted and as wives we need to continually be praying for them. Marriage is not always easy but it is worth fighting for. God’s word is powerful and I love that these prayers include the scripture references. I hope this blesses you as much as it has encouraged and blessed me. These could also be used to pray over your children.

I pray that my husband may seek first Your kingdom today. Help him to live righteously. And as he seeks you, Lord, I pray that You will provide everything he needs today. And show him what his true needs are, compared to what the world says he needs. Thank you for providing for every one of his needs, Lord!

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 NLT

Fill my husband with Your Holy Spirit and inspire him to live right and true according to Your Word. Strengthen his hands and knees. Guide him on a straight path and hold him up, so that he can be made strong.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Hebrews 12:12-13 NLT

Help my husband guard his heart. I know, Lord, that where his heart is that will direct the course of his life. I know that where his heart is, that is where his treasure will be. I pray his heart will be first to You, second to his family, and third to the mission and purposes you’ve designed for him on earth.

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Matthew 6:21 NLT

I pray that my husband will be humbled before You today. I pray that You will make him aware of the schemes of our enemy and make him strong to resist those schemes. I pray that he will desire to come close to you. I pray he will make the time to come to you. I thank you that You are always close when my husband approaches You. I pray that he will wash his hands from all the filth that he picks up just walking through life. I pray that if there is anything that my husband needs to seek repentance for that he will do it quickly so that he will not have to carry around heavy burdens and regretful thoughts. I pray that whenever his loyalty is divide between You and the world that He will always choose You.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:7-8 NLT

I pray that my husband will turn to you to search and test his heart. I pray he will turn every anxious thought over to You. I pray that my husband’s heart will be tender so that when you point out areas of weakness that he will gladly and joyously turn over those offenses to You. I pray that you will lead him along the path of everlasting life, and I thank you that although there are struggles in this world that there will be no pain, shame, darkness or struggles and stumbling when we spend eternity with you.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24

I pray that when my husband gets overwhelmed today that he will cry out to you. Lead him to Your towering rock of safety. Thank you, Lord, that You are his safe refuge. Thank you that at this moment You are surrounding my husband with a barrier of protection—and that no enemy can reach him. I pray that my husband will look forward to worshiping in your eternal sanctuary forever, and that you will give him a glimpse of Your holy presence here on earth. May my husband always stay safe between the shelter of Your wings.

From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings! Psalm 61:2-4 NLT

Thank you, Lord, for listening to my prayers for my husband. Thank you for always hearing my prayers.

PS…If you would like a pdf copy of this prayer you can visit TriciaGoyer.com.

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