New Quote. There are so many good ones!

The excitement of learning separates youth from old age. As long as you're learning, you're not old.

—Rosalyn S. Yalow, Nobel Prize winner

Quote of the Day

My kids have given me a glimpse of how God must feel. God looks at us, like, ‘Oh, good grief…you’re driving me crazy, but I still love you.'

- Jeff Foxworthy, Actor and TV host

Making Hard Choices
Faith and hope—the same principles apply to the decisions we make every day as they did in Biblical times.

Protection 2

The story my granddaughter told me was a great example of God's protection and having the faith of a child.
One day, my daughter was walking in the down-town area of our small city. She had two children with her and they were enjoying the sunshine and window shopping. There was a pawn/thrift store nearby the strip of higher-end stores. We all know that kids ask for things in any store, so wanting to keep the splurge within her budget, my daughter headed toward the thrift store. Her daughter, Alexis was 4 or 5 at the time and typically well-behaved. Suddenly, Alexis stopped in her tracks and refused to budge. "I don't wanna go in THAT store," she said. My daughter pulled her toward the store and Alexis threw herself on the ground in a tantrum. This was unusual for her at that age. Moms everywhere can almost hear the interaction that followed; mom cajoling, even bribing the child to follow her and to calm down. Alexis was hysterical and my daughter agreed to go in another store first, striking a deal that she was not buying Alexis anything in the first store. Alexis calmed down and they entered the first shop. 20 minutes later, when they exited the store, there were police cars surrounding the thrift store. Alexis said the "shiny man" was gone. She said the shiny man had blocked the door of the thrift store earlier and told her she couldn't come in.
My daughter learned that two men had come to rob the store and had shot an employee and was holding a customer hostage. When 8-yr-old Alexis told me this story, she very non-chalantly said, "So I always know God is protecting us."
Is your faith that simple these days? It should be.

Quote of the Week

"I can forgive but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one." - Henry Ward Beecher

Protection and Provision

Scripture Reference
Psalm 46:1-2
"God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea."

My 8 year-old granddaughter just told me a story of a time she felt the Lord's protection. She also had questions about the earthquakes and Tsunami's lately. Can any of you comment and help me out with this question:
"Didn't those people pray and ask for God's protection?" Does the scripture mean we will not be afraid in the midst of tragedy? Or that believers are protected from tragedy? (We all know instances where great people of God have suffered tragedies) How do we explain to an 8-yr-old not to be afraid in the very real and present dangers today?

Quote of the Week 2

"Free yourself from comparison. Just because someone has fancy sneakers doesn’t mean they can run faster."

—Jon Bon Jovi, singer and musician

Thanks For Your Support!

Thank you to all of my terrific friends who have come to my blog to help me out. I am learning this process myself and just realized something. If you clicked "follow by email" on my blog, you will get email in your inbox every time I write something on here. If you do not want to keep getting those, you can come back to Godfrogdaily.blogspot.com and just click "follow" in the upper left hand corner of the page. This will count you as a follower but will not slam your email box.
Either way, thanks so much for your love and support! You can "unsubscribe" by email at any time. Let me know if you have questions and you may leave comments or tell me what God has done for you as well!

James 1:2-4
"My Brethern, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

You Gotta Act Like It!

They do say, "Out of the mouths of babes".
As a grandmother, I have heard many cute, and not so cute, things come out of a child's mouth. One day, my four-year-old granddaughter, Aliyah was visiting my home and we were making birthday cards for her little brother. The phone rang and I answered it, leaving Aliyah at the table with crayons and markers. I could still see her and she could hear my conversation as well. I was talking to a friend I had met in church.
I had just purchased a new dining room set and the chairs were covered in a light tan fabric. When I got off the phone and sat back down with Aliyah, she said, "Grandma, I heard you talking about church. Do they sing and shout amen at your church?" I told her yes, sometimes. She asked if they talked about God and Jesus at my church and again, I said yes. "Do they tell you to act like Jesus?" she asked. "They tell me to try," I answered. "Oh good," she sighed, "Then you have to forgive me for this." She moved her little bottom and there were marker drawings on my new chair. My face must have shown my frustration as she said, "Ah, ah, ah Grandma, you can't yell at me, cause Im gonna tell you I am sorry. And then you have to forgive me. 'Cause I love you."
Wow.
Now it could have been very clever manipulation. She is adorable and she knows it. But darn it, she was also right. It made me think of all of the people who are listening to me. To you. To people who say they are Christians. Not only was this little girl listening to my "talk" but she was holding me accountable for my "walk". Others are watching us, too. Do we tell our neighbors we are Christians and then go around grumbling, complaining or acting like everyone else?
We should be Christians not "in word only, but also in deed". Thanks for reminding me of that, Aliyah! But she still had to help me scrub the chair!

Scripture Reference

1st John 3:18-20
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Quote of the Week

"Whether it was making my bed or making a movie, my mother and father never hesitated to say how proud they were of me, and that means so very much to a child."

- Reese Witherspoon, Actress

Moving On

Scripture Reference
Jeremiah 1:6-8 (NKJV) Then said I, "Ah Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." But the Lord said to me:"Do not say, 'I am a youth', For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord.


So, a little background information would be helpful for you to understand or relate to our story.
I am the single mom of a 13 year old son and I also have two grown daughters with children of their own. When my son was 3 years old, I opened my own childcare business to allow me to support him and still be the one to raise him. It did very well until 2009 when the economy in Michigan was hit hard, along with the rest of the country. Clients were losing their jobs, parents were working opposite shifts to save money, and I had a rough time drumming up new business. This same summer, the father of my two oldest children passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. He was 43 years old. He had no life insurance or savings. Our children were devastated and we felt obligated financially as well.
During this same rough year, a good friend of mine from church passed away, we lost the land contract on our house, and my son was struggling badly in school. Up to this point, we were not rich but had what we needed and I was able to provide the "extras" all young boys ask for: video games, legos, sports participation, themed birthday parties. My son Zach, was very social and involved in activities at church and school. He had friends over several times per week to play with his newest gadget. It seemed to me like I was always spouting off a moral lesson or relating a scripture as Zach went through the normal, daily life of a boy. He would grunt, "Uh, huh" or "Yes, I know, Mom" and go about his business.
We went through another year and a half of difficult seasons. We lost pretty much every material thing we had and even sold our car. Part of this time, we stayed with family members. I am so grateful for them allowing us into their home, but no one in my family is a Christian, except me and my children. There were moral differences of opinion and some daily struggles. Some of my family is very well-off financially and own the latest gadgets, nice cars, etc. Part of me was happy that my son wasn't "suffering" in that regard. Inevitably, we had a disagreement among family members that we just could not work past and we were asked to leave.
My son and I were homeless for five months. With help from church members and community resources, we did finally move into a housing project that is based on income. Once we were physically moved in, I fell apart. We had no furniture, no car, no income. My son was moved to sell his belongings to help with costs. I felt terrible for him. (I did end up going back to school and getting a part-time job, but the first two months were really rough!) I heard murmurings among my family members about where I was living; a "rough" neighborhood. They made sarcastic comments about how I was such a "Christian" but had to live like this.

We have been in our new "digs" for several months now and I am amazed at the way things have come together. We have nicer furniture now than we did before we lost our house! God has moved in awesome ways to help us get on our feet. Most of all, the rough times has made me see the true character that has been created in my son. He is unselfish with his things and with his time. He encourages me when I need it and asks for help when he needs it. He is getting the best grades in school that he ever has. He has made one or two new friends, but is kind to all of the neighbors. I have had women come up to me and compliment me on my son's manners. He holds doors for them and carries their groceries. He smiles and says hello when he passes anyone in the hall or outside. He has been offerred to smoke a cigarette or to participate in little things he shouldn't. He always tells me and he simply says, "No, thank you." He has prayed for his fellow students on the school bus and invited them to church. When I start to feel bad about Zach not having the latest "stuff", he tells me he is really okay. He says things like, "Mom, I am so much richer than you think. I have you and God. I have a great church and new friends. I feel really good about being here."
My family was concerned about the influence of our new neighborhood, but I am here to tell you that my son has been the influence on many of them. There are groups of kids or teenagers outside that like to act tough. They refuse to move out of the way for adults or cars passing by. They move for my son. He just says, "Excuse me." One time, Zach and I were walking to the rental office across a parking lot when a group of five teens were gathered, smoking and swearing. One of the teens I didn't recognize started blocking our path and grumbling "What the f*** are you looking at?" Another one, a resident, touched his arm and said, "Hey man, don't talk like that around them. That ain't cool. That's Little Preacher Man and his mama." Hmmm, I like the sound of that.

Welcome

Hello! I am very excited about starting this blog. I can't wait to have conversations about how God is working in our lives and those little things we deal with as parents and Christians.  I have some experience as a writer, but this is mostly about sharing faith and family. To start off with, I have a little story about my 13-yr-old son and when I knew for sure that he had been listening to the lessons from home and church: