31 Days of Servant Leadership: What is Purity?

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October 31, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

What is purity?

The Free Dictionary defines purity as:

1. The quality or condition of being pure.

2. A quantitative assessment of homogeneity or uniformity.

3. Freedom from sin or guilt; innocence; chastity: “Teach your children . . . the belief in purity of body, mind and soul” (Emmeline Pankhurst).

4. The absence in speech or writing of slang or other elements deemed inappropriate to good style.

5. The degree to which a color is free from being mixed with other colors.

I find these definitions interesting.

And I’m going to say something shocking.

I don’t want my kids to be pure.

And I don’t mean virginity. Because the Christian community has hyped that all up and set ridiculous rules and bent them to suit twisted desires and legalism as each denomination sees fit. Purity isn’t about sex at all. We don’t teach the purity thing.

Purity is an attitude.

I want my kids to be dirty. I want them to get dirt under their fingernails. I want them to experience life and God and all the in-betweens.

I don’t want them to be pure, emotionless, unbroken, crystal clean in their ivory towers. I don’t want them to remain unaware about the horrors of this fallen world and unable to do something about it.

I don’t want my kids to be uniform. I want them to dance to their own drummer. I want them to be original, unique. I want them to know who they are. I want them to be on a mission. I want them to be confident in their spiritual gifts.

I want my kids to be unashamed. I want them to be strong and realize they are God’s princesses and prince. And royalty has its privileges. I want them to be responsible and use their power for good. I want them to be servant leaders. I don’t want them to be followers. I want them to use their talents and abilities and intelligence for the glory of God.

I want my kids to be inappropriate when it’s necessary. If we’re called to be missionaries, then how can we reach anyone for Christ with our white upper middle class accents and grammatically correct English? Learn the pidgin or dialect or language of God’s peoples so we can reach them for Christ. #endBiblepoverty! Christ ate with sinners and the outcasts of society. They’re my people too. I am most at home with those who aren’t afraid to be real. The cussers, the tattooed, the pierced, the broken, the unlovable, the lost. I don’t want my kids to live in a bubble.

I want my kids to get in the trenches and “mix with other colors.” I grew up in a racist time in Georgia. It’s probably still like that in some places, but it was sadly alive and well when I was in high school. I have untaught myself to see color. I see beauty. I see Jesus. I want my kids to see the art of our Creator in every skin color and hair texture, in the palest blue eye and the darkest brown eye.

I want my kids’ consciences to be at unrest every night that there’s a lost soul, a potential world leader in some forgotten third world country who needs Jesus, a mother who needs medicine and a hug, a baby who needs a loving and safe home, a grandma who needs to know she’s important and not disregarded.

I want them to be wrecked. I don’t expect them to be pure.

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31 Days of Servant Leadership: Respectful Parenting Resources

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October 29, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

Disciple your kids. If you don’t train them, the world will.

“Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.’” Matthew 9:13 The Message

Check out my Parenting Pinterest board:

Follow Jennifer Lambert (Royal Little Lambs)’s board Parenting on Pinterest.

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Fall Unit Study

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October 29, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

We celebrated a windy fall day with leaf art.

They collected fallen leaves and the last of the flowers and we brought out some black paper. They formed buildings and animals and people with leaves. They loved it. At least it didn’t involve glitter.

I love fall.

I love the smell of the leaves and an autumn drizzle dampening the browning grass.

I love all things pumpkin.

He who controls the {pumpkin} spice rules the universe.

Here are some random pics of my kids doing printable fall activities:

We’ve lived in some places where it was mild year-round, so the leaves are special. And the crisp air and boots and hot cocoa or PSL. I love the cycle of dying so there can be rebirth.

Not so much looking forward to the winter and snow and shoveling and slushy muddy mess, but there’s a season for everything.

There’s a season for everything.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

For us mamas in the trenches of motherhood, we often long for a different season.

We think: when this morning sickness passes, when the baby sleeps through the night, when the toddler potty trains, when the preschooler learns to read, when the grade schooler masters long division, when we pay off this debt, when we get a better minivan, when the tween finally gets through algebra, when we move to a nicer house, when the teen learns to drive, when the house is empty…then what? You pray for weddings? grandkids? freedom? travel?

Don’t wait on a someday. Some Days are death to faith. Some Days may never come. Some Days are the lies we tell ourselves because we are slaves to fear. Live now. Experience life. Do life with your families. You’ll never get those seasons back.

What season are you in? Relish it. Sure, you’ve probably heard that before and it’s hard, Mama, when you’re down in it. But we’ve all been there. We’re all mamas together.

Reach out to another mama in a season you’ve already conquered. Help her. Pray with her. Pray for her and her babies. Don’t wait to be asked for something. Be proactive and offer help: a meal, take her kids to the park for an hour, pick up a few necessities at the grocery store, have your son or husband cut her grass or shovel the snow off her driveway and sidewalk.

Be the nudge.

Shine your light into her dark places. Nudge her to realize that she’s loved.

Don’t listen to the devil’s lies that you’re all alone and no other mama feels like you do, has those scary thoughts you do, wonders if you’re good enough. You are enough, Mama. You are more than enough. Look into the glistening eyes of your babes and realize they see Jesus shine out, even when you just don’t feel it.

And if you wanted crafty fall activities like this post “should” be:

Links to some Fall Tot Packs.
Here’s our fall sensory bin.
Here’s my autumn Pinterest board with lots of activities pinned.
Learn about Johnny Appleseed
Visit an apple orchard and pick apples!
Apple Tasting with graphs
Leaf crafts
Leaf nature study and art
Favorite Fall Book List
Leaf Unit Study from The Homeschool Scientist
Toddler Fall Unit Study from Untrained Housewife
Fall Unit Study from 123Homeschool4Me
Fall Unit from Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Fall is a fun time of year!

ProSchool Membership - Productive Homeschooling

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31 Days of Servant Leadership: Valor

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October 28, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

What is valor?

The Free Dictionary states the definition of VALOR is:

Courage and boldness, as in battle; bravery.

Boldness or determination in facing danger.

Don’t you want your children to be courageous, bold, determined?

But to further the kingdom of Christ, not when you tell them to empty the dishwasher, right?

How do you teach your kids the difference?

It’s a delicate balance. Different personalities have to be taught these concepts…differently. My husband likes to say we have four kids with five different personalities. Our job is stressful and we sometimes struggle to raise these babes well.

My eldest is stubborn and fights everything we ask of her. I persevere and know that someday it will click with her and she will be an amazing leader. For her personality, I need to help her learn to tone it down, rein it in, not be bossy or mean. I hope and pray that nothing terrible happens to get the concept through her thick skull! She’s a natural leader, but she tends to be domineering. Her intelligence hinders her heart learning.

My son and second daughter need to be encouraged the other way, to be bolder, more determined, not to give up too easily if it gets hard. They’re shy and fearful. For them, I pray they will be strengthened and use their quiet strength for good and help others and glorify Jesus. My son is already kind and gentle and puts others before himself. I am thankful to have such a sweet-hearted boy who will grow into a man sensitive to others’ needs. My daughter, Tori, firmly desires fairness and equality and I know those ideals will serve her well in her future.

And then, there’s my Kate. I am fascinated by this free spirit who has never cared what the world thinks and I long to be more like her. I long to get dressed in whatever feels good, no matter if it matches by the standards of Milan or Paris. I long to be artistic and creative and in tune with my Maker and Nature and always hum a tune (sometimes quite loudly, to the chagrin of her siblings.) I watch her in awe, dreaming of the radical life she may lead for Christ. All I do is seek new experiences and education for her to explore so she can soak it up in her shining way. I know she’s a leader and she’s bold and strong. I want to be like her.

As parents, raising servant leaders requires constant tweaking, personalization, strategies and tactics. It is warfare. Spiritual warfare. Work with strengths and encourage to overcome weaknesses without frustration.

My job is not to protect my kids from failure, but to help them find their way to success sooner than I did. {Tweet that!}

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31 Days of Servant Leadership: Excellent

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October 26, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

What is excellent?

According to the Free Dictionary, excellent means:

Of the highest or finest quality; exceptionally good of its kind.

Too many of us strive after perfection, when we should really aim for excellence.

When I was in school, my grades were never good enough. If I got a B, why was it not an A? If I got an A, why was it not an A+?

I never looked good enough. My mother constantly admonished me to put on lipstick; I was too pale. This was during the grunge ’90’s, y’all. I wanted to look pale.

As parents, we often inadvertently teach our kids that they’re not good enough. When they rush through a chore or assignment, we mean to say it’s done poorly, but they often perceive that they’re not good enough rather than the job wasn’t done well.

As Christians, we’re bombarded with all the not good enoughs: giving, volunteering, teaching, nursery duty.

We can never give enough of our money or time to meet anyone’s standards.

By trying and failing to be good enough, we lose the reason for giving and become bitter. If we’re not cheerful givers, we’d better just not give at all.

If our kids see us stressing over works instead of following Christ, what are we teaching them? Do we want our kids to be moral heathens or true Christ followers?

Are you just teaching your kids to obey the rules? Or are you teaching them to seek after Christ?

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31 Days of Servant Leadership: Resources for Boys

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October 26, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Boys need godly leadership. Parents need help to raise boys to be real men in this society that emasculates them and teaches against the way God made males.

Visit my Boys Pinterest Board for resources. Adding to it weekly!

Follow Jennifer Lambert (Royal Little Lambs)’s board Boys, Boys, Boys on Pinterest.

These are my favorite books for raising boys.

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Pumpkin Scones

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October 25, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I’ve been trying to do better about preparing breakfasts we all like. So when I saw a pumpkin scone recipe online, I thought yeah, I can make that.

It’s super easy and I had all the ingredients already.

My son is my helper. He loves to be in the kitchen!

I kneaded it and sliced the dough into triangles and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

Getting the wedges onto the baking sheet was a little tricky.

The cinnamon sugar drizzle was delectable.

The kids loved these! Middle sister was in heaven. She loves pumpkin anything.

He wasn’t sure at first, but he liked it after he tried it!

She loved it!

Even my eldest enjoyed a scone when she returned from her piano lesson.

Definitely a favorite that’s going in our baking repertoire. And I think the kids can make them on their own next time!

And I got to spend some one on one time with my son. He loved it. And I realize that we need to do that more. I need to bake more and introduce new flavors and foods. It’s easy for me to just let the kids get cereal in the mornings, but they do so much better with a warm breakfast – even something simple like oatmeal, grits, or bread.

Pumpkin Scones

Course Breakfast

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8 scones

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t cream of tartar
1/2 t salt
2 t cinnamon or pumpkin spice
1/2 t nutmeg omit if using pumpkin spice
1/2 c butter cold
1 can pumpkin puree
1 large egg

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cut in butter.
Stir in pumpkin and egg.
Turn out onto floured counter and cut into triangles (or any shape you like!)
Place on a baking sheet 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake 15-20 minutes at 350* or until browned.
Optional Glaze! Blend 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 3 T milk or cream. Add 1/2 t cinnamon. Drizzle over warm scones. We also love them with honey butter!

Linking up: Sunny Day Family, Eats Amazing, Grammy’s Grid, Wife Mommy Me

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Fitness Club

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October 24, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I’ve joined a fitness club on base and since the schools were on fall break, the trainer asked us to bring our kids.

They loved it!

Here’s what we did:

Butt shots of the bear walk. It was fun!

Tori did cartwheels all the way down the field.

Tori and Kate did forward rolls down the field.

Alex did rolls up and down the field a few times instead of following directions.

Katie crab walking

Getting ready for frog jumping

Kate was pretty worn out about halfway through

The girls took turns being the wheelbarrow. Alex was my wheelbarrow. He’s strong!

The fireman carry. Alex was giddy! He loved it.

Here’s our group (minus Alex, who was just so done)

Here’s our group being silly!

I told the kids to thank the teacher. Here’s when they jumped on my friend.

We’re competing in the Family Time Fitness 90 Day Challenge.

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My Last Baby is in Kindergarten

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October 23, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

Alex is movin’ on up! He’s pretty officially doing Kindergarten work now. He was getting so bored! I’m accommodating. No holding back!

So I printed out the Raising Rock Stars Kindergarten letter A pages and he went to town.

He knew the pictures that started with A just fine and colored them.

He practiced the sign for A and chose the correct picture at the bottom. So proud of my boy!

I love that it has Bible verses for each letter!

He cut out his verse and glued it in order with very little help. He recited it to me!

He still loves cutting and gluing. It’s his favorite activity!

Do A Dot markers with his letter A maze. He loves dot markers!

He’s so careful with tracing!

He loves his apps. His new favorites are Gappy’s First Words and Mystery Letters.

Kindergarten is bittersweet since this is my last child!

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31 Days of Servant Leadership: Praiseworthy

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October 23, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

What is Praiseworthy?

praise: approval or admiration

When we praise God, we show Him our admiration.

When we praise things of the world, we show approval…perhaps for the wrong reasons.

Do you crave the approval of other people or the approval of God?

I know I’m not alone in that I’ve spent most of my life seeking the approval of other people. I want to be loved, needed, affirmed, respected, appreciated, applauded.

I am ashamed of so many things I did seeking after that approval.

I want to live unashamed.

I want to be live boldly for Christ, not for men. I want to teach my kids that it’s ok to be our quirky selves and God uses the ordinary to make extraordinary. Who cares what others think? They may snub, raise eyebrows, roll eyes, smirk.

And too often we’re behind-the-scenes, working hard for what feels like nothing. We may never get to see or enjoy the fruits of our labors.

It hurts. It doesn’t matter if we know we are living in the will of God. We want someone to say, “Thank you.” “You did a good job.” “You look pretty today.”

It’s simple. Show your appreciation for beauty, kindness, help. Show someone Jesus. Teach your children that genuine love is more than empty compliments.

Seek to be praiseworthy and to hear those words: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:21

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