December 5, 2007 · 1:56 am

Celebrate Advent!

The celebration of Advent is truly the cornerstone of the Lambdin family Christmas.  For those Christians who have not been exposed to church liturgy – celebrating advent may seem strange or too “formal”. I’ve even had believers say – “You’re not Catholic” or “Why do you want to do rituals like that?” Personally I think having a family advent service is one of the best ways to keep Christ at the center of your Christmas season.  And I am a firm believer (as is the Lord) in rituals as a way to build a firm foundation of faith in our lives. (and perhaps I am a little bit Catholic – I certainly share their passionate pro life views when it comes to children in and out of the womb!)

What is Advent?

The word advent comes from the Latin word – adventus – meaning coming. By celebrating advent you are celebrating the coming of Jesus. For Christians not only did Jesus comes historically – being born into this world – but He also has come into our lives as our Savior and Lord.  According to the Scriptures, Jesus is also coming again for His church. For our family the advent season is a remembrance and celebration of His physical birth as well as His coming into our lives. It is also a time for us to prepare our hearts and lives for Him coming again!

When is Advent?

Traditionally advent is observed the four weeks proceeding Christmas day and Christmas Eve.

The Advent Wreath

The advent wreath is used to help symbolize and visualize the meaning of the four weeks.  The wreath is decorated with five candles – one for each Sunday and one for Christmas Eve. The greenery around the wreath represents the gift of eternal life. The candles are traditionally – three purple, one pink and a center white candle.  

The first candle (purple) symbolizes hope – the hope that the Messiah would come

The second candle (purple) symbolizes love – Gods love towards us for sending His Son Jesus to save us

The third candle (pink) symbolizes joy – the joy we find in Christ and his coming

The fourth candle (purple) symbolizes peace – the peace that comes in knowing Christ as Lord and Savior

The fifth candle is the Christ candle (white in center) which symbolizes purity

How we celebrate Advent

We have a family service each Sunday around the advent wreath.  Many years ago I wrote two advent devotionals – one for families with very young children (these are short & sweet – and “hands on” – perfect for the young family) and another for families with older children that have meaningful family discussion questions as well as the opportunity to share the real meaning of Christmas with non believers.

We used the first one for many years but have since graduated to the older one despite still having small children.  I may soon write a devotional that can be used for families with both older and younger children! (kind of like having a “kids message” in the middle)

The service consists of prayer, scripture reading, candle lighting, discussion, praise and worship and a Christmas blessing.  It is something that we all look forward to and enjoy.  But most importantly it keeps the focus on Jesus throughout the entire Christmas season.

I encourage you to begin a tradition of having a family advent service (even if you have very young children) – it’s not too late to start this year. Just pick up a wreath at your local craft store or go to your local Christian bookstore if you want a fancier one, get some candles and sit down with your family this week to celebrate Advent!

Perhaps I will find someone to type up our advent devotionals and put it online for you to use.

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Filed under Christmas Season, Family Traditions

December 4, 2007 · 6:49 pm

A few of my favorite things

Celebrate with us….the birth of our Lord Jesus

This is my all time favorite Christmas decoration in my home. (a wedding present handmade by my sister, Caroline) It speaks clearly as to what this season is all about for the Lambdin family. We want everything we do to center around the celebration of Jesus birth.

My favorite Christmas treat –  Meatballs

My favorite Christmas cookie – Snickerdoodles with red and green sprinkles

My favorite Christmas drink – Gingerbread Latte

My favorite Christmas movie – It’s a Wonderful Life & The Nativity

My favorite Christmas scents – Fresh Pine Needles & “Home Sweet Home” Yankee Candles

My favorite Christmas CD – Crystal Lewis “Holiday”  & Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops “White Christmas”

My favorite Christmas Song – “Breath of Heaven”

My favorite Christmas Carols – O Come All Ye Faithful – is my all time favorite!  (and I sing this song year round)

O Come all ye faithful

Joyful and triumphant

O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem

Come and Behold Him

Born the King of angels

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him – Christ the Lord!

O Holy Night is another cherished carol

O Holy Night

The stars are brightly shining

It is the night of our dear saviors birth

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees

O hear the angel’s voices!

O night divine,

O night divine,

O night, o holy night

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December 4, 2007 · 6:05 pm

“Secret Sisters”

When it comes to shopping for Christmas presents, women seem to fall into two groups –

1. The “I am super excited because I have all my Christmas shopping done by November 1st” group

or

2. The “I am so stressed out and am running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get it all done by December 25th” group.

One of the fringe benefits of being in the ministry of Christian education (translation – being beyond broke more times than not) AND of having a “super sized” family, is that even if you wanted to try to figure out how to get all your shopping done in a timely fassion and without stress – you couldn’t simply because of the sheer size and finances involved in pulling off Christmas for a family of nine! (I mean really– most American families go “all out” for Christmas – spending a couple hundred dollars per child. Can you imagine? Christmas would cost us into the thousands!)

Not being much of a shopper ….or should I say – I HATE SHOPPING (my poor six daughters – they will be sorely lacking a Mom to enthusiastically do all that wedding shopping someday – Aunt Cynth will have to be my fill in!) – I have to admit it wasn’t hard to convince me to “throw out” the materialistic gift giving part of Christmas.  Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy buying gifts for friends and family and when I see something that I know they will just love or that they really need and I can get it – I do!  What I do not like about Christmas gift giving is:

  • the obligation (they bought me a gift so I should get them one)
  • the waste (getting things I do not want or need or giving others things they don’t want or need – maybe the environmentalists should start blasting that type of waste – it is abundant this time of year!)
  • the financial commitment (even if I did make a six figure income – can you imagine buying presents for 7 children, 15 nieces & nephews, 4 grand nieces & nephews, 8 siblings and their 6 spouses plus our parents? – that is 43 gifts just for family – not counting the gift exchanges at work parties and other groups we are a part of, teacher gifts and a few close friends. The time, energy and resources expended for such an endeavour would be exhausting.)
  • the attitude I see in many children of ungratefulness and greed.

So I look back to 10 Christmases ago with great appreciation to the Lord for allowing us to both lose our jobs that year and have no resources to purchase any type of Christmas gifts at all.  You see it was that year that changed the way we celebrate Christmas to this day.  It was that year that we were able to enjoy the true blessings of Christmastime – time with our family and friends, the love and joy of celebrating Jesus birth, and freedom  to enjoy the season without any stress.  We had a simple Christmas and spent what little money we had on making our house a bit festive, sending out our family Christmas card and sharing our love for others at our annual Christmas open house. (which we added  “bring a holiday snack to share” to the invitation) We had several more years of “financial drought” after that which solidified our commitment to keeping Christmas gift giving down to a minimum.

One of our best Christmas traditions was born out of this season – it is called “Secret Sisters”. (although now that we have a brother we are trying to come up with a new name – any suggestions out there that don’t include the word Santa?) Each year after we have decorated the tree we put all the childrens names into a box and they each draw out one.  That is their “Secret Sister” for the duration of the Christmas season.  Since we want the season to emphasize giving (but not only of gifts) and we want to train our children to serve and live for others before themselves.  The secret sisters –

  • Pray for their secret sister or brother consistently during the holiday season
  • Look for ways to bless them in secret (do their chores for them, help them with school work, write them notes of encouragement, let them have their way – this is really fun because as they are trying to do this “in secret” they have to do things for many of their sisters –  so it keeps everyone guessing)
  • On Christmas morning they get up and share verbally or with a pre-written note or even a decorated photo album page what that sibling means to them, their good qualities and express their love for them.
  • Gifts are optional!  If they want to purchase something for their “secret sister” they can, or they can make them a gift or share a special activity together!

It has been a wonderful way to encourage selfless giving and love in our family.

“Secret Sisters” no longer works for our family (I love alliterations!) – Any ideas for our tradition of giving?

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December 4, 2007 · 8:34 am

Oh Christmas Tree

I have been wanting to write about our many Christmas time traditions in “real time” as they happen….but have already fallen behind. (in the writing arena – not the doing!)  It is late already and I should be heading off to bed, but I’m going to go ahead and start sharing with you all the joys of the Lambdin family Christmas season in hopes of inspiring you to make your Christmas both meaningful and memorable. (and perhaps less materialistic)

Our Christmas season officially begins the weekend following Thanksgiving with the ritual of cutting down and trimming our Christmas tree.  Every year, for the past 15 years we have ventured out of town to a Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree.  And we have almost always been joined by friends and family members which just makes it even more fun. There have been many variations to this tradition over the years – going to different tree farms (from Sonora, to Santa Cruz Mountains to Mt Shasta National Forest) , sometimes stopping at a “greasy spoon” eatery for breakfast and other times eating a full sit down meal at our table complete with the fancy Christmas china, sometimes heading up early in the morning and getting back home for lunch and other times having a long lazy morning and not getting back until sundown. 

But some things always remain the same:

  • We always go cut our tree on Thanksgiving weekend.
  • We always wear festive Christmas colors. (looks great in the photo albums & makes everyone get “in the mood”)
  • We always listen to and sing along with Christmas CD’s in the car on the way – and Amy Grant’s Christmas Album is the first one played.
  • We always take a family photo at the tree farm.

This year my #2 daughter, Amy made it to the State cross country meet in Fresno the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so we knew that getting our Christmas tree would have to take place as part of that adventure.  Since the meet was scheduled bright & early Saturday morning we headed down to Fresno the night before and were graciously hosted by my life long dear friend Jule Rurik and her family (of all boys – so it evened things up a bit for us! If you are reading this Julie – thank you for a wonderful visit!)  My sister, Caroline and her family also came to watch Amy run so after the competition we all headed out to a darling tree farm to keep with our Christmas tradition.  This particular tree farm was spectacular – it had a train, a suspension bridge, a tree house, a miniature cottage and castle.  It was amazing!  We had a great time enjoying the warm afternoon in the pine scented wonderland.

Tree decorating consists of lots of laughter, festive music, egg nog and always a trip to the store to purchase a new string of lights! (I am convinced that their is some type of computer chip in those lights that is set to make them stop working the minute you pull them out of storage!)

We want to make all our Christmas traditions meaningful and one of the ways we do that is during the tree trimming.  The very FIRST thing that goes on the tree is a large nail – representing the nails that were used to put Jesus on the cross.  As we hang it on the inner trunk of the tree, we remind the children that even as Christ was coming into the world as a baby that God had a plan for Him to be nailed on that cross to save us all from our sins.

After the tree is decorated we turn out all the lights and turn on the twinkle lights on the tree. It is always a warm feeling as we watch the lights glowing in the darkness. We then stop and read “The Tale of Three Trees”  a traditional folk tale retold by Angela Hunt A Traditional Folktale that is a wonderful story about three trees and how they each played a part in Jesus’s birth, life and death despite their personal dreams and life dissapointments.  It is a great story for children and adults alike. We read it again during Holy Week before Easter as we have usually made a cross out of the Christmas tree trunk at the end of the season to use in preparation for Easter.  This helps the children to tie everything together – the birth, the life, the death an the ressurection of Jesus Christ. Our main goal as parents is to teach our children to love the Lord and serve Him faithfully throughout their lives.

Our Christmas tree traditions give us another opportunity to do this.

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December 3, 2007 · 7:43 pm

It’s a wonderful life

How many of you watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” during the holidays? (if you are like my family, it is a tradition!)  At one point during that movie George Bailey says – “Aren’t you tired of just dreaming about things?”  I think about that line a lot during the holiday season.  It seems that many people are just going through life – day by day – doing what they need to do to get by, but not really living the life that they dream of living and not really ever doing the things they sincerely want to do. Let me share with you how I stopped just “dreaming about things” several years ago during the Christmas season.

One of my dreams – “someday” – was to have dear darling Dan and I renew our wedding vows.  The year previously we had attended the “I Still Do” conference (now called  “Weekend to Remember” put on by Family Life Ministries – I highly recommend it) where we received a beautiful marriage covenant certificate that we brought home and put high up on a shelf in its plastic covering to do “something” with at a later date.  Well on December 16 that year, I looked up at that certificate and said to Dan – “Let’s renew our vows for our 15th anniversary” (which was just four short days away).  To which he smiled and replied “Do you want me to rent a tux?” (gotta love that guy!)

And that is exactly what we did – four days later we had a meaningful ceremony here in our home with our closest friends.  The girls all dressed up in their red velvet Christmas dresses and carried candles and flowers.  I bought a new dress, shoes & had my hair done up & Dan rented the tux.  We even had music, flowers, a cake and toasted with a bottle of Martinelli’s to many more years of blessings from the Lord. (We are getting ready to celebrate 21 years later this month!) It was an awesome and memorable moment.  It was a highlight of our marriage and the girls were impacted greatly about the importance of finding a godly, loving & kind husband to spend their lives with.  I am filled with joy just reliving it again as I share it here with you.

And the beautiful marriage covenant certificate hangs prominatly in our living room today for everyone to see our covenant to one another and to the Lord.

But do you know how easy it would have been to NOT have renewed our vows – just to have continued on to say – “someday” we’ll do that. We could have easily talked ourselves out of it by saying – Yes, but…

....maybe we should wait until our 25th anniversary?

…we only have four days to plan it – how can we pull it off? …our friend, Donnie, who married us has a Christmas dinner to go to that night and can’t come..…we aren’t giving our friends enough notice. …I don’t have anything to wear

…I have so much to do this week

…we really shouldn’t be spending the extra money (we decided to use our anniversary trip fund to pay for it…so the girls put together their money and treated us to dinner & a movie and then when we came home they had a sign on the door that said “The Robinhood Hotel” and they had cleaned our room spotless – put sparkling cider & candles in the room & acted like they were innkeepers – too cute!)

The “yes….but” list could go on & on.  We chose not to listen to that voice but to begin living our dreams and doing what we really want to do in this life – right now! It is now a priceless memory that we will cherish forever!

Are you tired of just dreaming about things? Are you ready to begin living the life you want to live this year?  I see so many people around me waiting to really live, waiting to fulfill their dreams.  We’ll do that –

  • after…we get married
  • after…we have kids
  • after…the kids get older
  • after…we’ve moved to a new house
  • after…we have more money
  • after…I get that degree
  • after…the house is clean
  • after…the laundry is done
  • after…(fill in the blank)

OR we are constantly saying I’ll do that –

  • next week
  • next month
  • next year
  • or if its a diet…next Monday 🙂

Its time to stop waiting & stop putting off living the life we dream of and its time to begin to “start doing” the things we really want to do.  Put away the excuses, destroy your “yes…but” list and begin today to live that “wonderful life”.

Some things we must wait to do because we lack the finances but many of our dreams -things we want to do, or see, or experience – we could do now or at least in the foreseeable future (enough to start planning, working and saving for), if we really wanted to.

What are your dreams?

What is the life you want to be living?

What are you doing to make it happen this year?

Take some time here during this “most wonderful time of the year” and right before we turn over the calendar to 2008 and really reflect on your life and the changes or rearranges you want to make happen.  What would your “wonderful life” look like? What do you want to see come to pass this year?

As you read this weeks motivation….don’t just “save it as new” or put it in your filing cabinet as something to get to later.  Take some time today and sit down with your pad of paper & a pen and make that dream list.  Write out what your “wonderful life” will look like this year. Include your personal goals & dreams, your family life, your marriage, and even your career. Then begin to set things in motion to have those dreams become realities!  

We only get one wonderful life – lets stop just “dreaming about things” and start living it today!

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Filed under Determination, Goals & Dreams, Inspiration, Monday Motivations

November 28, 2007 · 8:48 am

Tea Time Tuesday

It’s been over a week since I have sat down to do any blogging….not for a lack of things to share….they are buzzing around in my head continually…so beware if I get “on a roll” soon you may be inundated with posts sharing all that has been happening lately!

But despite all the craziness surrounding me on all sides, we do stop on Tuesdays for tea time.  Today as I got ready to set the table with all the Christmas china for our first tea of the holiday season there was a knock on the door and the postman handed me a package. (don’t you just love brown paper packages?)  Joy and I quickly tore it open and there was the most beautiful tea pot I have ever seen, sent as a gift from my dear mother. (who has been the inspiration for our teas!)

Isn’t it simply stunning?  I love it!  What perfect timing too.

Today we read the next chapter in our book for our courtship classes.  It emphasized the difference between romantic feeling type of love and a deep committed unconditional love. A love that gives expecting nothing in return.  A sacrificial and unselfish type of love.  A love that survives the test of time, tragedy and trials.  A love that is steadfast and never ending.

I have living examples of this life long love and commitment. My own parents would have been married 48 years this month, if my Dad had not passed away 12 years ago and yesterday was my in-laws 52nd wedding anniversary.  A few years ago at their celebration of 50 years I was asked to sing a song for that event that is truly a beautiful testament to the commitment we are to make in marriage.  It is called I Will Be Here by Steven Curtis Chapman.  These are the powerful words that all our marriages should commit to –

Tomorrow morning when you wake up and the sun does not appear,

I will be here

If in the dark we lose sight of love, hold my hand and have no fear,

‘Cause I will be here

I will be here when you feel like being quiet; When you need to speak your mind, I will listen.

And I will be here when the laughter turns to crying; through the winning, losing and trying, we’ll be together,

‘Cause I will be here.

Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the future is unclear,

I will be here.

As sure as seasons are made for change, Our lifetimes are made for years,

So I will be here

I will be here, and you can cry on my shoulder; When the mirror tells us we’re older, I will hold you.

And I will be here to watch you grow in beauty, And tell you all the things you are to me;

I will be here

I will be true to the promise I have made, To you and to the One who gave you to me.

I will be here!

I have seen too many marriages fall apart in recent years.  Couples who I would have never thought would walk away from one another. Couples who appeared to love the Lord and love one another.  Yet somehow they have been able to turn their back on the commitment they made to loving one another through all of life’s trials and tragedies.

My prayer for those of you who are married and reading this today is that you would renew that life long commitment each and everyday of your lives to your Lord and to the one that He gave you to love. I pray for my children that they will find their perfect match and then commit to choose to love that person for life, no matter what comes their way.

Dan, my dearest husband….I once again commit to you to be here!

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November 15, 2007 · 2:44 pm

Thursday Thankfulness

  • my financial struggles – because they make me depend on and trust You, while keeping my focus on the right things.
  • my weary, tired, sleep deprived body that reminds me to wait on You to gain new strength
  • my lack of time to get everything done today on my “to do” list that forces me to constantly be looking to see if my priorities are in order
  • my frustrations with others bad/negative attitudes, complaining, unsupportive comments that are a reminder of my own imperfections and Your grace that abounds to me despite them
  • my continual battle with bad habits, sins and control issues as they keep me humble
  • not letting things always go “my way” because Your ways are better than my ways
  • this often times messy, disappointing,  depressing, conflicted, hostile, unforgiving, suffering world we live in because it makes me long for my real home with You!

What struggles, hardships, conflicts, imperfections or problems are you thankful for, in or through today?

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”       1 Thessalonians 5:16

“always giving thanks for all things”  Ephesians 5:20

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November 14, 2007 · 1:33 am

Tea Time Tuesday – God’s love

 

I am still sitting at this peaceful tea table surrounded by the low lights of the candles and listening to the soothing sounds of classical music.  What a refreshment.

Today at tea we continued to read “When God Writes Your Love Story”.  This chapter was about God’s love – his perfect, unconditional, unchanging love.  The type of love that we can only truly give to others when we have first experienced it ourselves from the Lord.  God loves us through everything, in everything, despite everything. God loves us….no matter what!

He loves us when we are “bratty”, selfish, unkind, flaky, mean spirited, impatient, arrogant, controlling, bossy…..and so on.

He loves us when we are overweight, unattractive, dirty, smelly, unkempt, messy, old, grey and wrinkled.

His love is truly amazing and perfect.  When two people come together who have truly experienced God’s love and as a result of that life changing moment commit to choosing to love each other with that same amazing love – you will have a marriage that is beyond anything you could have ever imagined.

Unfortunately most people’s love is limited and conditional.  We only choose to love if or when they do or do not do this or that. Or we base our love on a feeling or attraction. God gave us a check list that we can use to judge ourselves and see if we are truly loving others as God loved. (1 Corinthians 13)

[ ] Are you patient and long suffering with all their inadequacies?

[ ] Do you care for their needs, wants & desires BEFORE your own?

[ ] Are you kind, compasssionate & caring?

[ ] Do you forgive easily & not keep a record of wrongs?

[ ] Are you humble and willing to give up your way of doing things?

[ ] Do you act in a becoming way and treat them with respect and honor?

[ ] Do you always look for and hope for the best?

[ ] Are you committed to the end….never looking back?

 Dear darling Dan has read that scripture as he has presided over many a wedding.  As the couples stare starry eyed at each other they are usually not even thinking about what those words mean & how they will play out in the months and year ahead.  Often, when couples are headed for divorce court they don’t want to be reminded of the love they committed to choosing.  No, at that point you hear a lot of – buts & can’ts, rationalizations & excuses –  I tried…but, I wanted it to work…but, I can’t live with…, I can’t put up with…., I can’t stand…..  The laundry list of grievances is long & passionatly verbalized to all who will listen.  In fact the love chapter of the Bible is not only forgotten but seemingly completly erradicated from their lives.

So girls……how will you love?  Will you choose a “no matter what”, “in, through & despite everything” committed love? Will you wait to find the person who will love you with that same type of love in return? I hope and pray so!

Always remember though…we can only love, because He first loved us!  So look for the man who has experienced God’s love so intimately that he can love completely.

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November 12, 2007 · 9:39 am

The making of a life champion

I spent Saturday afternoon, in the pouring down rain, watching as my daughter Amy’s high school Varsity Cross Country team took the Section Championship for the fifth straight year! 

I was amazed and impressed as I saw these talented, hard working young athletes give it everything they had and once again take home the top prize.

As a former athlete both at the high school and college level, I know that this championship team did not just get “lucky”, happen to be successful or were even just blessed with exceptional talent.  No, this team has some key components available to everyone, that have contributed to their success.  Whether we are competing as an athlete,  working to run a successful business, managing a productive home, raising the future generation or seeking to live a life of purpose, we too need to seek similar key components if we are to be a champion in life.

 1. You must have a great coach

It is true, whether you are an undefeated recreational girls soccer team, a number one ranked college football program or an Olympic gold medalist – you have great coaches! And in our businesses, families and life pursuits we need great coaches too.

The JECHS cross country team has one of those exceptional coaches.

A great coach is –

  • influential & inspirational
  • a teacher & a trainer
  • a role model & example
  • a cheerleader & encourager
  • a drill sergeant & an accountability partner

We need to seek out great coaches in our life.  Align yourself with people who will inspire and influence you to greatness.  Look for excellent teaching and training.  Be diligent to be around positive, encouraging role models who will lead by example. Submit yourself to programs that require hard work and discipline. Allow others to hold you accountable.

These coaches can also be books, CD’s, videos, articles, radio broad casts, conferences or a multitude of various resources that can help train you to become a champion in life. In fact,  the most inspirational and influential life coach is as close as that #1 bestseller sitting on your shelf…the Bible.

2. You must practice consistently

Every team or athlete I know practices and trains on a regular basis.  Whether its once or twice a week in recreational sports or everyday for championship athletes,  we too need to practice our pursuits consistently.    

What is your practice schedule like?  Are you diligent and consistent in working your business, managing your home, raising up your children or living the life you desire?  Do you practice daily the skills you need to be a champion?  Or are you living life with inconsistent or only occasional training time?

Are you spending time

  • warming up (planning and preparing)
  • doing drills & sweating (working hard at the things that will help you succeed and doing them over and over until you get them right)
  • building endurance & sweating even more! (going the “extra” mile…not just doing the minimum)
  • cooling down (taking time to reflect and evaluate)

For any of us to truly be successful in any area of life we must commit ourselves to a consistent practice schedule.

  3. You must see and believe

Much of what is needed when becoming a champion is mental. It is amazing the power of our mind.  An athlete or team who is mentally prepared to win – can visualize beating the competition, getting that trophy and believes that they can and will win the prize – always has the competitive edge.  On our way to the meet this weekend Amy was verbally going over the race she was going to run.  She decided that she would stay with the top runners and that she would run her fastest time yet. She believed she could accomplish this.  Add to that the prayer that is a regular part of her teams pre-game preparation and Amy came across the finish line in the #2 position for her team with her fastest time of the season and with the coach proclaiming that she “ran the race of a lifetime!”

What do you see for your business, home, marriage, children and life?  What is your vision for the finish line? Do you believe that with the Lords help & strength you can accomplish everything that you set your heart and mind on?

4. You must endure and not quit

Far to many people have quit before they cross the finish line.  They have given up on themselves as an entrepreneur or business owner. They have tired of managing their home and let things slide. They have quit on their marriage or in being diligent to raise their children with strong morals and values. They have simply stopped practicing, training or working towards accomplishing their life goals & dreams.

If you are going to live a championship life….you can’t quit!  No matter how hard it gets, no matter the obstacles, no matter the overwhelming circumstances…keep going.

I can’t say it better than the Bible does in I Corinthians 9:24-25

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”

Let’s live the life of a champion!

  Let’s run the race to win!

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Filed under Consistency, Endurance, Home Business, Inspiration, Monday Motivations

November 9, 2007 · 5:10 am

Thursday Thankfulness

 

We have entered the season of giving thanks…and I love it!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving Day is just two weeks away? In our family we want to make Thanksgiving a season and not just a day or an event. Growing up my Mom began a tradition of having a thankfulness banner up several weeks prior to Thanksgiving Day and every night before dinner, we would all write on it the things we were thankful for that year.  By Thanksgiving Day the banner was full! It was a wonderful way of making November a “season” of thanksgiving (rather than just a day) and the banner was a great visual reminder to us all of how very blessed we were. It fostered a spirit of gratitude throughout the entire month.

Our Lambdin family has carried on this tradition. For years we too had a banner hanging up in our dining area but recently we switched to writing our thanks in a special “thankfulness album” that we add to every year.  Both are great ways to establish a tradition of a season of thanksgiving.  This past weekend I found a left over thankfulness banner in the garage. (over 10 years ago we joined forces with my brother Cliff & his wife Lynda and sold products to help establish meaningful family traditions – a great plan – we just lacked investors!) So this year we will use the banner and the album. 

Another way to do this with family & friends who are not local (or college age children who are away from home) is to start a “thankfulness email” & send it back & forth to each other to add their email thanks.  My extended family has done this on several occasions & it has been really fun!

I’ll use the next few weeks to share ideas & inspiration that perhaps you can add to your holidays to help make them meaningful and memorable.

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November 7, 2007 · 7:53 pm

Word for Wednesday – An uncommon life

After yesterdays Tea Time Tuesday exhortation to make the choice to live an “uncommon” life…I am posting my daughter Michelle’s valedictorian speech she gave this past June at JECHS graduation.  I hope it inspires you to live an uncommon life!

Michelle’s Valedictorian Graduation Message

I have been brought up in a home of girls. Not only do I have five sisters, but on my mom’s side of the family there are 14 granddaughters and until just recently there were no grandsons. I know – it is almost unbelievable that after my parents had six girls that this year on April 20 they had a boy! We have always felt unique in being all girls! In fact whenever we go out shopping or to the movies we always wear our crowns and tiaras. We know we are princesses, and now we definitely have a prince – but don’t worry we won’t make him join the tradition of going around in a tiara!

We are all royalty!

1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God”

  • We are not orphans…….We are children of the King
  • We are not common……We have blue blood running through our veins
  • We are not peasants……We are royalty!

Yes – We were once commoners, we were once peasants, we were once orphans until we were brought into the King’s palace and made part of His royal family. We have been crowned by the King of Kings!

So welcome kings, queens, princes and princesses to this celebration of the graduating class of 2007.

Now, what is our place in the King’s court? What has been given to us as our royal duty?

The answer is found in the second part of our scripture 1 Peter 2:9. The Message Bible says it this way, “We are God’s instruments to do His work and speak out for Him – to tell others of the night & day difference He made for us – from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted” and we could add from common to uncommon.We are called to live an uncommon life among the common to show others Christ and make a difference in the world for Him! We are all asked to do God’s work and to tell others about what He has done for us all. He has done so much!

Over 2000 years ago God sent His Son to die for the sin of all mankind. Each of us has sinned, none of us can make it to heaven on our own. We are weak, but the Lord is strong. He came down to earth in the form of a man to make a way for us to know Him and spend eternity in heaven. Most of us know the words, “For God so loved the world He sent His one and only Son” – His name is Jesus.

  • We were not created to live an “average” life for God.
  • We were not made to live a common life, but an uncommon life.
  • We are not here to survive in our world, but to make a profound difference in our world

One of my heroes was most uncommon in his day. William Wilberforce was born the son of a wealthy merchant, and at the young age of 21 became a member of the English parliament. As an adult convert to Christianity, he penned these words in his personal journal, “God Almighty has set before me two great objects, the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of society.” It was not until after William asked Christ into His life that he knew he had an uncommon life to live. In 1807, the Slave Trade Act led by Wilberforce passed with a vote of 283 to 16.

Amy Carmichael was called to the mission field, she was called to save the lives of women and children. Amy started an orphanage for children on the streets of India. Because of the uncommon life Amy chose to live, her orphanage was a sanctuary to over a thousand children. She served in India without furlough for 55 years.

Just 10 years ago a group of uncommon Christians came together with the dream to start a high school. The vision was to start a discipleship school to train up young people to serve God and make a difference in the world. Jim Elliot Christian High School is a training ground to be uncommon amongst a common world.

The namesake of our school, Jim Elliot, lived with a passion that was uncommon to those around him. God called him to the Auca tribe down in the jungles of Ecuador, a tribe that was yet to be reached with the gospel. It took a man like Jim Elliot and those with him to take on the daunting task of reaching such a fierce tribe.

What will you do to make a difference? Like these men and women what is God calling you to do?

Whether you are 17 or 70 God is calling you to an uncommon life. He has a great adventure for you, a plan to use you to show others how He brought you from the darkness into the light.

Let me assure you that this will not be easy, and you will face many obstacles and much opposition. Some of the opposition will even come from your closest friends and family, maybe even other Christians.

Wilberforce struggled for 20 long years to abolish the slave trade; his health suffered and he faced opposition not only from those against him in Parliament but eventually even from his closest friend and supporter, William Pitt.

Amy Carmichael was not the best candidate for the mission field. From birth she struggled with a disease of the nervous system that caused her much pain and forced her to be on bed rest for long periods of time.

I remember very well the year that Elliot was founded. There were many doubters that this school would ever exist. People commented “It will never happen”, “No one will apply for a school that doesn’t have a building yet!”, and “You will never have enough money”. But, here we are years later and the students sitting before you are the 9th graduating class of Jim Elliot Christian High school.

As God was with these men and women so He is with you. This is His plan for your life and if He is for you than who can be against you.

Graduates, I hope to one day see Jana Wall rescuing orphaned children overseas, Ernie DeLosAngeles touching the lives of young people, and Amanda Collins using her photography skills to show the hunger and need in the world.

As some of you know we also have an ambassador of Christ in our class going to Norway. I can’t wait to hear how Cecilia Hallberg is changing her homeland for the Lord!

I hope that one day my name will be among those responsible for the saving of millions of babies from the atrocity of abortion. Or maybe I will be an investigator with International Justice Mission working to end oppression across the nations.

And so I ask what will you do to make a difference? How will you affect this world to further the kingdom of God? How is God calling you to stand out and be different?

This is not a time of common men; this your time to be uncommon!

 These two ’07 JECHS graduates – Michelle & Jana are already living an uncommon life as they serve in short term missions in Africa!

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Filed under Inspiration, Jim Elliot Christian High School, Word for Wednesday

November 7, 2007 · 3:52 pm

Tea Time Tuesday – one of the few

Ahhhhhhhh….to just STOP whatever I am currently doing and walk away from the never ending “to do list” that is truly one of the best things about our weekly Tea Time Tuesday. It is a time to just relax, to just enjoy life, to just “be” instead of “do”, to breathe in deeply, to sit down with loved ones face to face, and to fill my senses with the beauty of the fine china at a decorated tea table, with the sweet smells of scented candles, pastries and tea, and the soothing sounds of classical piano music and tinkling tea cups – it is the perfect antidote for the turbo speed pace of life I am currently living.

We continued on with our “courtship classes” and the reading of the Ludy’s book.  This chapter was emphasizing the concept that God truly does want to have control over every area of your life – that He has a beautiful story to write if you will just give Him the pen.  The author, Leslie Ludy shared her struggles, frustrations and heartaches during her “normal” teenage years before giving her love life over to the Lord.

What God impressed upon her sounded like this –

Don’t you believe that I know who you will marry, and that I am capable of leading you to that right man someday?

Can you also believe that I am the God of all creation? I know you better than you know yourself, and I am perfectly able to bring this man into your life in My own time, in my own way…and I don’t need your help.

My favorite section in todays reading was when she shared a quote from Elisabeth Elliot’s book A Chance to Die about the life of Amy Carmichael –

“The preoccupations of seventeen-year-old girls – their looks, their clothes, their social life – don’t change much from generation to generation. But in every generation there seem to be a few who make other choices. Amy Charmichael was one of the few.”

Isn’t that the truth?! I have had the eye opening experience of being on the popular social internet network called facebook the past several days in search of graduates of  JECHS  , as I am starting an alumni association for the school. It would seem that not only teenagers are preoccupied with looks, clothes and their social life, but twenty somethings as well.  In fact I am convinced after a couple of days in this world that if just a percentage of time spent on these social networks was used for service, outreach, ministry or missions – the young people of todays generation would change the world!

Ok…off my soap box.  But I do want to raise young ladies (and gentlemen) who are one of the “few” who make other choices –

  • choices to let God be in complete control of every area of their lives
  • choices to not live a common  life but to be uncommon (I need to post my daughters valedictorian speech on this subject) – true “counter culture” is living a life in complete abandon for the Lord!
  • choices to give God the pen to their lives and let Him write their love story
  • choices to live an uncompromising life according to Biblical standards
  • choices to live to serve others an make a difference in the world!

I pray that I will be able to impact and influence these wonderful children God has given me to be one of the few instead of one of the many!

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November 5, 2007 · 6:10 am

You have to want it!

Greetings to you all on this lovely crisp, clear, cool autumn morning!  What a beautiful day. 

 

I had a wonderful weekend celebrating my daughter Rebekah’s Honor Star crowning.  After three years of very hard work & determination she completed a rigorous program that included earning 27 badges, memorizing countless scriptures & the books of the Bible, reading the entire New Testament, completing many service projects and much more! She is one of only four girls from our local church and a hundred girls from the Northern California/Nevada district that achieved this accomplishment. I was so very proud of her.

 

 

It got me to thinking…of the thousands of girls who start out and participate in this program….what is it that makes only a small percentage of them achieve this honor?  Everything is available for them to be successful:

  • The program is hard but the plan is all laid out and easy to follow. 
  • There are teachers and sponsors available to encourage, assist and keep the girls on task.
  • There are weekly meetings to help them complete their assignments.
  • There are even fabulous incentives — what young girl do you know who would not want to wear a long beautiful white dress, be crowned with a sparkling jewel laden tiara, be given flowers and escorted by her handsome prince of a father while being recognized on a local & district level?
  • And of course there is the wonderful feeling 0f pride for accomplishing a goal. 

And yet even with all that, only a few who begin the program end up being crowned.

So what is it exactly that makes some “go for it” and others pass it by or quit in the middle??? I am sure that there are many reasons but one stood out crystal clear to me this weekend.  All the girls receiving their rewards…..

Wanted it desperately!

There is a lot involved in achieving any accomplishment but it can often come down to sheer determination and will.  Do you really want to achieve your goals in life?  Whether they are business goals, personal goals, financial goals, physical goals, or family goals – do you really want to accomplish them?

As a high school field hockey player (on a very competitive team)…..we use to say this cheer before every game…. “You’ve got to want it to win it & we want it more!  S — C — O — R — E…..score team score!”

I grew up with a Mom who use to say on a regular basis…. “Where there’s a will…there’s a way!”

And as a high school teacher when counseling a young person who was frustrated that life was not going the way they wanted it to I would often say…. “Make it happen!”

A lot of what we achieve or do not achieve in life boils down to this:

Do we really want it?

Are we willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen?

What do you really want in your life? What do you really want to do, have or accomplish? (staying home with your kids, private school tuition, losing those extra pounds, stopping that bad habit, having a fulfilling marriage, starting your own business, working at your “dream job”, getting a degree, traveling, additional income to “make ends meet” or for some “extras” in life….the list goes on & on!)

If you really want it…..you need to put your determination and will into making it happen!

Start today! I know you can!

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Filed under Determination, Goals & Dreams, Home Business, Monday Motivations

November 2, 2007 · 5:13 pm

Family & Friends Friday – Happy Birthday Dan!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life, best friend & partner in everything!

(aka: dear darling hubby – ddh or “Dan the Man”)

Dearest Dan,

I pray that your special day is blessed beyond measure!  

  • May the Lord your God pour out to you His abundant love, grace, faithfulness, joy and peace.
  • May your students both near & far affirm your calling to young people and the influence you have had in their lives.
  • May your co-workers at JECHS encourage, support and praise you as you minister together for God’s kingdom
  • May your friends remember you with kind words, appreciation and laughter
  • May your family share their heartfelt sentiments of how much they love, support and are proud to call you their son and brother
  • May your children shower you with love, hugs and kisses and may you bask in the joy and contentment of their complete adoration and respect of you…their awesome Daddy.

I am blessed by you each & every moment of my life.  You are truly the best!  I know I have told you this before but the Lord truly shined down upon me when he gave you to me as my closest friend, my faithful husband, my hard working partner in everything we do and the true love of my life.

May a portion of how you have blessed others come pouring out to you today as you celebrate another year of life.

I love you!

Always,

Beth 

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November 2, 2007 · 5:24 am

Thursday Thankfulness

I am thankful for the gift of eternal life.

“For God so loved the world…that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have ever lasting life!”  John 3:16

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

At some point in life we have each been given the opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Fourteen years ago today….November 1,1993….. a 4 year old little girl, my eldest daughter Michelle received the gift of eternal life when she asked the Lord Jesus to live in her heart.  She was born again into a new life in God.

 I am so very thankful that she has continued to grow in the grace & knowledge of the Lord and is committed to serving the Lord and living for Him. There is no greater joy in life than watching my children know, love & serve the Lord.

Happy Born Again Birthday Michelle!

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