{Hope for the Home} Linky Party: Making LOVE Come Alive

She had nothing. Nothing but a life filled with sin. Nothing but an alabaster jar filled with perfume.

 

Jesus was having dinner in the home of Simon, the Pharisee. Surrounded by the religious leaders of the day when she showed up. Uninvited. And obviously unwanted.

Right there at the dinner table, she washed Jesus' feet with her tears and poured out her expensive perfume onto his feet. A repentant sinner, anointing him with the only valuable thing she owned.

Seeing what she had done, Simon said, "if this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is -- that she is a sinner."

To which Jesus replied, "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

"I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

"You have judged correctly...Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

What is it that you value? What have you been holding onto, keeping for yourself, putting above your relationship with God?

This woman loved Jesus so much, she gave everything she had. What a beautiful testimony of faith.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. {1 John 4:7-10}

Family Activity for the Week...

Gather together and have each family member tell one thing that they are going to do this week to show love to Jesus and others. One of the best ways to show love is to put another person before yourself. Sacrifice something for them in the same way that Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross. Give up something for them.

Leave me some comments to let me know what you did and how it went. I will be praying for you!

Don't forget to hang your Love fruit on your Fruit of the Spirit tree and display it in your home as a visual reminder for your family this week, as you focus on love in your home. Go here to download the printables that go with our Making the Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive in Your Home series if you missed our introductory post last week. And go here  for Cat's tutorial on how to make your fruit printables into glass pebble magnets, so that you can hang your tree on the refrigerator.

Happy Monday, friends! Invite your friends to join us next week as we talk about JOY! :)

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

{Hope for the Home} Linky Party: 7 Creative Ways to Display Scripture in Your Home

As you know, I think it is so important for families to display scripture in their homes. I believe these displays help us to keep our focus on the truth and are a shining light in this dark world. They also serve as a reminder for us to hide God's word in our hearts, a protection against the devil's schemes and the lies of this world.

With that in mind, I thought today would be as good a day as any to show you some creative ways to display scripture in your homes!

A wooden sign...

Source: mydesignhearth.com via Worthy of the Prize on Pinterest

A stack of books...

Source: lessthanperfectlifeofbliss.blogspot.com via Worthy of the Prize on Pinterest

A canvas...

Source: charlotte-march.tumblr.com via Worthy of the Prize on Pinterest

A pillow...

Source: etsy.com via Mariela on Pinterest

A wall decal...

Source: etsy.com via Kathy on Pinterest

A banner...

Source: sparksinthekiln.blogspot.com via Tracy: The Crafty PolkaDot on Pinterest

A printable...

Source: shanty-2-chic.com via April on Pinterest

What about you? How do you display scripture in your own home?

Go here for more ways to make God apart of your everyday life and home, and be sure to link up your own ideas below!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Faith and Fitness: Core Strength

The two words 'core strength' probably hit home with most people. They associate it with working out, staying fit or having a flat six-packed stomach. When you hear those words, core strength, what comes to mind? A mental cringe, an immediate contracting of your belly, or do you just exhale out or give your tummy a little jab for good measure?? No matter what you do, you know it's there, your core... something that is at the base of your whole body, the center of you physically. If you didn't have it you wouldn't be able to do or go or move or stand or sit... basically you would be immobile.

As a fitness instructor, the first thing I do at the start of class is go over how important your core is to you during class. For power, for balance, for longevity and endurance. I am constantly queuing my class participants to engage their core... 'Keep it pulled in, contracted and be aware of it as you get to the point of fatigue in your exercise routine'... I say on repeat! I tell them when you draw strength from your core it can spur a burst in your movement to help you finish your exercise set stronger, it can help you balance longer or push thru a set harder than if you were letting your core hang there, non existent, basically working against you. No matter if I am teaching cycle or an interval class, core strength is key and either makes or breaks you when it comes to improving your over all exercise routine and ability to increase your physical endurance.

Aside from the physical nature of having core strength, for me, there is also an equally important component in having core strength mentally and spiritually. For so many years I lead a life that I thought was based in faith and encompassed a spiritually sound core. I was raised in church, I believed in God, I prayed... but past that, past what was always asked of me growing up, I didn't do much to give strength to my mental and spiritual core. I basically let it hang there... non existent, working against me and I didn't even know it. I didn't know how to draw it in when I needed it most. I had no clue how to contract that mental core, or spiritual muscle when I was feeling weak or tired. Basically my life went way out of balance. I finally had to step back and ask myself some hard questions. Questions that opened my eyes to all that I had been missing. I cringed, I inhaled, and contracted to the fact that I was allowing myself to be immobile in the biggest, most important part of why I was put on this earth. My faith was lacking, I had no core strength mentally or spiritually. I asked myself....

How can you rely on a faith that you don't exercise? 

How can you fall back on a spirituality that you don't strengthen on a daily basis? 

Just like exercising and working out keeps you healthy physically, praying and meditating keeps you healthy spiritually. You can't have a strong core faith with out doing the work that comes with it too... work within yourself, within others, and work with your God! You can't have strong core strength with out doing the work that comes with that either... work in the gym, within your diet, and work with your lifestyle! A lot of times, in the beginning, I would journal to help strengthen my core. Reflection is a big player in mental and spiritual growth for me. Then as time went on I joined bible studies, prayer groups, changed the types of music I listened to, and adjusted who I spent a good portion of my time with. Basically, just reassessed my lifestyle to give it more balance, in hopes that would help gain some endurance where I was sorely lacking! I refocused the center of me, my core, my spirit to make myself more holistically mobile.

Not that I am any expert on spirituality or all things 'fitness'.. I couldn't be farther from that! I just know what works for me! I can't have the balance I need in life without growing in my core relationship with God. I can't have the stability I need to teach or take a Boot Camp class without developing my core strength physically. One doesn't come without the other, balance and stability in life comes with purpose, work and focus... and most of all practice!!! I quit giving up on myself if I didn't get it right the first time. I allowed myself room to grow and change and make mistakes... I accepted balance where I knew I needed it!!!

Here are some of my favorite core strength moves.. for physical and spiritual growth:

You can find strength and motivation in all forms, in many places... but if you don't find it within yourself first, your fighting an uphill battle that doesn't have an end. Draw your core in... Give yourself strength, mentally AND physically!

Always - Abbey

Images are found on Pinterest... follow me there for more Wellness, Fitness and Motivation!!

About the Author: Abbey Lewis started her blog A Moments Peace just one year ago as an outlet to be creative, and to have a place for her boys to look back and see the real her! It has been that, times 100!! Abbey lives in Texas with her husband and two sons. She loves her family, her faith, her friends and she tries to put a positive spin on any thing that God has in store for her! Feel free to stroll through her blog, Sonic drink in hand, because she believes every thing is better when you have a Sonic drink!

Raising Biblical Superheroes {Ephesians 6}: The Helmet of Salvation and The Shield of Faith

Today was another fun "Superhero Saturday" at our house! The boys are loving the dressing up and playing, and we are loving the teaching them what it means to be a "warrior" for God...or Biblical Superhero, if you will!

I was planning to make superhero masks today, but when I found these cute little masks in the party section at Walmart the other day for only $2.00 (just $.50 apiece), I decided buying them was much easier! :) But if you would rather make them, go here for some printable superhero mask patterns.

The boys loved wearing them!

Scary...ha!

And it worked out perfectly because one of the masks in the package (Thor) was actually a helmet, not a mask, which led right into our discussion of the "Helmet of Salvation."

We talked about the fact that one of the pieces of armor that we need, in order to be in God's army, is salvation through Christ alone. In order to win the final battle against the devil and spend eternity in Heaven with God, we must have a personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ.

We MUST...

A - ADMIT we're a sinner, that we need Christ as our savior, and that all those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved! We simply need to turn from our sin and turn to Christ.

B - BELIEVE the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, who took our place on the cross, dying for our sins and then 3 days later rising again, conquering death and Hell, so that we can have eternal life in Heaven with Him when we die!

C - COMMIT our lives to the Lord, putting our faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior, allowing Him to lead and guide us! We need to strive to live a life for Him, becoming more and more like Him, knowing that we will not be perfect until we get to Heaven.

Go here for more information about how to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life in Heaven when you die.

Then the boys put on some superhero costumes and went to war against the evil Daddy! ;)

I had not planned to discuss the "Shield of Faith" today but Little A was blocking the "fire balls" that Big A was throwing at him (actually squishy baseballs) with his Captain America shield and it was just too good to pass up. I used the opportunity to talk about how having faith in God, putting our trust in Him, will enable us to overcome sin and remain victorious against the devil and his lies.

The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. {Exodus 14:14}

I hope you are having fun playing with your little superheroes, all the while using the Armor of God passage to teach them how to "fight" for the Lord!

Check back next Saturday for a fun little superhero giveaway! And be sure to post your Biblical Superhero pictures and ideas onto our Facebook page or simply leave a comment here, with the link to your blog post, or on Twitter using the hash tag #biblicalsuperheroes. I will feature them here next Saturday.

Go here to find out what we did last week to teach the boys about the Sword of the Spirit!

Happy Saturday, friends!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.

Raising Biblical Superheroes {Ephesians 6}: The Sword of the Spirit

My friend Courtney (who blogs for our Hope for the Home series) posted a brilliant idea on her blog Lil Light O' Mine  a few weeks ago.You can read about it here.

It was basically saying that we can use the Ephesians 6 passage (The Armor of God) to make our little men into "warriors" for God, incorporating it while we play superheroes with them.

Um...LOVE! Hello, I have 2 boys who are CRAZY about all things superheroes. Off the top of my head, I know that we own the following costumes...Spiderman, Captain America, Ironman, The Hulk, Wolverine, and Bumblebee Transformer, to name a few. Not to mention we own our fair share of swords, shields, masks, capes, etc.

With this in mind, I decided to start "Superhero Saturdays" in our home. Basically, every Saturday in October (and maybe longer, not going to put a limit on how long they want to do this) we are going to dress up like and play superheroes, while discussing what the Bible has to say about being a "Biblical Superhero," ready for battle against the devil and his schemes!

I thought it would be fun if we included some sort of superhero craft or recipe as well, to reinforce the lesson for the day.

That said, every Saturday during October, I will post what we did right here on the blog, so that you can follow along if you want! If you can't do Saturdays, no worries. Simply choose a day and time that works for you.

Feel free to use my ideas or come up with your own. I would love for you to post your pictures and ideas onto our Facebook page or simply leave a comment here, with the link to your blog post. I will feature them here the following Saturday. I would also love for you to share your ideas and pictures on  Twitter using the hash tag #biblicalsuperheroes. I will feature them here as well. We may even have a fun giveaway along the way. :)

Will you fight with us?

We started with the sword, for no other reason than I had the supplies needed to make them. :)

Here is exactly what we did...

1. Dress up like superheroes, using anything they could find from the costume bins in their playroom or around the house

2. Make the swords, using the following steps:

First, I used scissors to cut strips of cardboard from boxes (that we no longer needed) in the garage, leftover from our recent move. I'm sure poster board, foam board or card stock would work too.

Second, I drew a sword onto the cardboard strips, using a pencil. I free handed it while looking at a picture of a sword. One, because I did not care if it was perfect and two, because I was too lazy to print a pattern. But you can use a pattern if you would rather.

Third, I cut out the swords using scissors.

Fourth, I set out the supplies...markers, foil, stickers and stamps. You could really use anything you wanted...fabric, crayons, glitter, buttons, etc. I just used what I had on hand in our craft cabinet.

Fifth, I called the boys up to get to started and had them color their handles. I helped them wrap the blade in foil and then they decorated their swords with stickers and stamps.

Last, we discussed Ephesians 6:17, which says that we need to take up the "Sword of the Spirit," the word of God. We talked about the fact that we need to read our Bibles daily and memorize scripture, so that we are ready to stand against the devil's schemes and the lies the world tells us.

Specifically, we talked about examples of things that the world says are true, that differ from what the Bible says. For example, the world says that we have to dress, look and act a certain way to be accepted but the Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, "The LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

We ended the day playing "superhero wars" with Daddy...you know the whole fighting, wrestling, boy thing that takes place daily in my house. This time using their new swords. :)

Let us know if you have "Superhero Day" at your house and check back next Saturday for more "Biblical Superhero" ideas!

Here are the other posts in the series so far:

The Helmet of Salvation and The Shield of Faith
The Gospel of Peace..with giveaway!
The Belt of Truth and The Breastplate of Righteousness...and a winner!

Happy Saturday, friends! :)

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.