Family Funny: Not the Book Anymore

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

By Lisa Cherry

Josiah had his fifth birthday in December. It delights all his siblings and fans when he shows off any of his new skills. Last week big sis Hannah heard him correctly reciting nursery rhymes to himself. When she asked him how he had learned them, he threw his hands on his hips and looked at her with a mixture of surprise and disgust, and said very matter-of-factly, “Mothergoose.com.” Well, duh, Hannah! You should have known.

After a good laugh, I was sobered to reassess my internet safety precautions. Thank God for Covenant Eyes.  You can get 30 days of this excellent accountability and filtering service free through the affiliate link on the Frontline Moms homepage.   Is it time to check on your family’s filter too?

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A Peak into POTTS

Posted on January 14, 2012 by

Hi Frontline Moms,

I just wanted to let you see what my good friend Deanna said on the POTTS Facebook page.   She’s a member of our local group and she posted about our meeting last Wednesday night.

Have you started your own POTTS group yet, or joined an existing one?

Thanks, Deanna!

Lisa

I am always so full of inspiration when I leave a POTTS (Parents of Teens and Tweens) Group meeting. If you don’t have a POTTS group in your community, start one and if you have one please attend.

Being inspired causes you to be open to and seeking more. I think this is part of the flow we were talking about last night at our POTTS group meeting. The Grace of God is His creativity that is available to us to stand, to act, to do more than survive, to have the courage to (I can’t think of the word) (do something, not just do something in response to what is done to us),

In the meetings I get so intense because I am excited when the Holy Spirit finishes a conversation he has been trying to have with me throughout my parenting or brings back to my remembrance what He has spoken to me that I may not have heard as clearly as I should have.

When you get in this flow this is the time to revisit your prayer journal, open up your bible and revisit those highlighted scriptures. There is more. Creativity does not have a starting and ending point, it is infinite. He said *he will do a new thing out of his mouth over 2000 years ago and because He said it His word is constantly performing it over and over. It is so right now that if you catch even a little of it you will realize the urgency of the moment.

That raft that you will need to ride on is passing you right now. Will you jump on? Will you run to meet it? Will you walk out into the water and grab it? Will you wait at the shore and step in as it comes to you?

In these times that we are in if we know that we have been entrusted to train up the remnant that will lead the saints in these last and evil days I do believe we will run towards it. With some Godly fear, yes but we will run knowing that his Grace/Creativity is sufficient, what He is creating in you and through you is sufficient. Listen, can you not hear the water rushing? It is time. It is now.

This river of Grace/Creativity seems to flow through every POTTS group meeting that I have attended. Sometimes it is a calm flow that you have to seek out and sometimes like last night it is a mighty rushing current! But at every meeting it does *SPRING FORTH. *Will you see it? What will stop you from seeing it? *If you see your family in the wilderness, It Is There. If your family is in a desert, It Is There. You who are chosen to raise up the remnant, *there is drink for you. It is available Now.

I can see myself every week being washed and made new. Washed from fear, guilt, anxiety and pride. That flow cleanses you and makes you new. What do you need to be cleansed of? Without these things on me I am free to Love my children through every season.

FYI we discussed parenting from the perspective of *Isaiah 43:18-19 and it was FIRE!!!!

Join us at the POTTS Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you too.

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Family Devotions Work

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

Family devotions work….but the results are not always evident short-term. That’s why I was so blessed to read about how my good friend E. Tyler Rowan and her family spend time together with family Bible reading. Doug and I have been faithfully at this “Family Devotion” thing ourselves for nearly 20 years. Tyler is one courageous woman, and she really hit this issue on the head! Click over to her site today and take a look at her post (Im)perfect Family Devotions, and tell I sent you.

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Daily Bites for Parents–Sample #3

Posted on December 11, 2011 by

By Lisa Cherry

Have you been enjoying sampling Daily Bites for Parents? These bites are designed to strengthen your parenting skills in one minute or less per day.  Here’s today’s sample:

Daily Bites for Parents: It’s Essential

The aver­age age of inter­net expo­sure to pornog­ra­phy is now eight years old.  Inter­net account­abil­ity and fil­ter­ing is no longer optional, but rather essen­tial for all fam­ily members.

How do you eat an ele­phant? …One bite at a time
How do we increase our par­ent­ing skills? …One bite at a time …One minute a day.

Subscribe to Daily Bites for Parents here, and please forward this bite to parenting friend.

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Daily Bites for Parents–Sample #2

Posted on December 10, 2011 by

By Lisa Cherry

We’re sampling from Daily Bites for Parents.  Here’s today’s sample:

Daily Bites for Parents: What Are We Expecting?

Have you ever con­sid­ered remov­ing the tele­vi­sion from your home…or cut­ting off your cable…or severely and sys­tem­at­i­cally lim­it­ing your family’s view­ing?  Even we adults can­not han­dle the worldly pull of pro­gram­ming and com­mer­cials. It reduces our spir­i­tual power. What are we expect­ing for our kids?

How do you eat an ele­phant? …One bite at a time
How do we increase our par­ent­ing skills? …One bite at a time …One minute a day.

Subscribe to Daily Bites for Parents here, and forward this post to a parenting friend.

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Now Sampling: Daily Bites for Parents

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

By Lisa Cherry

I haven’t met a mom yet who’s told me she knows everything there is to know about parenting.  We all have room for improvement.  That’s why I am convinced that our new Daily Bites for Parents will be a blessing to you.

I wrote about this recently, and now I’m reposting a few of the recent “bites” for you to sample.

Who would not want to take one minute or less per day to strengthen and increase her parenting skills? I am reading mine every morning….. Because I constantly need my parenting focus sharpened!

Subscribe today and start receiving a new bite tomorrow morning.   Please forward this bite to a friend.

Here’s your first sample:

Daily Bites for Parents:  High Five

Kids never out­grow their need for appro­pri­ate phys­i­cal affec­tion.  Even a strap­ping 17-year-old needs a good high five or a pat on the back from Mom and Dad.


How do you eat an ele­phant? …One bite at a time
How do we increase our par­ent­ing skills? …One bite at a time …One minute a day.

Subscribe to Daily Bites for Parents here.

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Phoenix: “Leftovers” or “Chosen?”

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

By Lisa Cherry

My last two Acquire the Fire events have been astounding. Not that I haven’t seen God do some amazing things with the POTTS (Parents of Teens and Tweens) before. But the meeting in Phoenix was remarkably similar to the amazing meeting in Anaheim I had just a few weeks ago. In both of these cities, a key word transformed our parent meeting. The word was “REMNANT.”

When I was a kid I used to go to the fabric store with my thrifty and frugal grandma, Mom Renshaw. Mom seemed to rarely shop for her fabrics on the full price rack. She was always looking for a bargain. So it is not surprising she found amazing uses for those little rolls of material they kept in the bin at the end of the sales counter. “Why look here, Lisa. This is such a nice piece and it is marked down to a great price,” I can still hear her voice echo in my memory. I personally wasn’t a big fan of those odd looking little rolls tossed rather carelessly in the pile. I preferred the carefully categorized fancier bolts down the main aisle for my new dress selection. But Mom Renshaw would just smile knowingly and assure me, “Lisa, this will do just fine.”

Maybe that’s why the word “remnant” has always felt so negative to me. Leftover. Bargain-basement. Cheap. Those are the words I hear in my head when I read “remnant.” So when I first sensed the Lord calling me to study and speak on the concept of His “remnant” on the earth, my little girl side wasn’t initially thrilled.

I have heard it said that the Lord always preserves a group of His people upon the earth. He always has His folks set apart to do His work even when the masses refuse to go His way. They are His REMNANT. Obviously, those who make the remnant are special. They are not like the leftover odds and ends tossed in the cut-rate bin at the fabric store. They are the ones with the special assignment. Perhaps I need an upgrade to my thinking. Instead of thinking “leftovers” I need to think “chosen.”

What if God is assembling His remnant in America today? What if that remnant is not the castaways, but instead, the chosen few who have not aligned their lives to other projects? What if the remnant is the main piece, the one of highest worth?

As I pondered these thoughts aloud with my new POTTS friends in Anaheim and Phoenix, a new penetrating question emerged. Are we, fellow parents, aiming out families intentionally for the remnant? Are we discipling our own offspring as if they will need to stand alone for the God whom they serve even in the midst of a culture (and sometimes church) gone mad? Are we raising the next generation of leaders equipped, passionate, and powerful in His Kingdom?

The Holy Spirit showed up in power as we fellowshipped over these deep questions. His presence was so apparent, we could sense the thickness of the air. Time seemed suspended, and no one moved from their seats as we wrestled the next question on our heart. Lord, what must we do to prepare? How do we aim our kids for the remnant? And Lord, how long do we have for this assignment?

Friends, I do not have all the answers to these deep questions yet. But I am sobered, and I am humbled. God is calling to those who have an ear to hear. The hour we live in is extremely critical…..and our choices can impact a generation. So…are you aiming your family for the REMNANT?

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Have You Taken Your Daily Bite?

Posted on December 5, 2011 by

By Lisa Cherry

Wow, this has been an exciting fall both at the Cherry house and on the Acquire the Fire tour. Phoenix was beautiful this weekend. I will tell you some more about it tomorrow.

Today, I want to invite you to join us for something that will have huge impact for your family. It’s so simple and it will take only a minute or less per day.

Throughout this year the Lord has been impressing on me the value of little things done consistently over time. Perhaps you are like me. Making big sweeping changes in my life seem exciting to dream about…but are often hard to accomplish.

As we experience increasing obstacles in raising the next generation of Christ followers, I truly believe we must make some changes. We must trust the Lord to increase our parenting and grandparenting skills.

Our kids need us like never before to lead them in the ways of the Lord. But how will we adjust our priorities and our behaviors to do it?

Ever hear the old joke…How do you eat and elephant?…One bite at a time! Doug and Josiah have been planting that joke in our family all year long. When Josiah’s little four-year-old weaknesses overwhelm him, his Daddy just looks at him and says, “Josiah, how do you eat an elephant?” With a big grin, he responds, “One bite at a time, Daddy!”

I believe that is the same advice our heavenly Father has for us: “Parent, sweet parent, how will you grow your parenting skills?” “One bite, one minute, one day at a time, Daddy,” we can respond.

Which brings me to my holiday invitation to all my Frontline Mom friends: I invite you to subscribe to the new Daily Bites for Parents. I will send you a little “bite” to chew on for the day—a short nugget of wisdom and encouragement about one of the many parenting skills we need to gain as we raise our children in a culture hostile to our faith.

Would you click now and subscribe?  These bites are also available on Facebook and Twitter.  And would you also consider sending this invite to ten of your closest friends?

Tomorrow I am going to update you about my trip to Phoenix. It was truly an earth and heaven-shaking event. God is raising up a standard in this generation….and He is calling to parents to hear His voice. We can do it, team! We can grow our skills and raise up a standard against the onslaught of destruction!

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The Penn State Sexual Abuse Nightmare: How Could This Happen? Let Me Tell You…

Posted on November 15, 2011 by

By Lisa Cherry

Until a few years ago, I would have dismissed the Penn State scandal as a rare and bizarre problem ripe for the AOL news feed, but remote from my small-town life. Until one day in 2002 when my own family’s world was turned upside down. An $800 cell phone bill revealed a secret abusive relationship between our 15-year-old daughter, Kalyn, and a 46-year-old “responsible” man from our church.

Image courtesy of Dave Dyet

That day we officially joined the throngs of those asking “How?” How could something so ugly happen to our child when we thought we were going to extraordinary measures to protect her? How could a trusted family friend face us with a smile, knowing what he was doing to our daughter in secret? How could our intelligent, bright, high achieving girl fall into such a dirty trap and still not ask our help to get out?

Kalyn’s own words penned while still in her teen years provide us some clues…

“I had fallen in a pit over my head, and it was beyond my ability to climb out. Unable to escape the cycle of excitement, guilt, pleasure, and deception that tormented me, I felt trapped—not just by a person, but by the powers of darkness seeking to destroy my life. I was torn. I had seemingly found the acceptance my teenage heart so desired, but with it came the devastating effects of sexual abuse day after day.

I lived in a fantasyland within my own mind. Whenever my thoughts wandered into reality, I felt trapped in a predicament with no way out…

I learned to pretend as though I enjoyed the sexual exploration and desires communicated to me by this much older man. Terrified of losing his “love,” I went along with all his perverted ideas, even when they made me feel filthy, violated and used. I believed the lie that he needed me to meet these needs in his life lest he be lonely and miserable…

This perverted man had found a way into my young life, shattered my values, and convinced me to believe his sick lies. Yet instead of running from him, I ran to him night after night, giving him my fragile heart and all my trust. I was no longer my own, but I was possessed by this horrific monster whose manipulation had overtaken my life.

This was my secret hidden from the world, the source of my secret pleasure and my inner turmoil. I would do anything to keep it from being exposed, yet deep down I longed desperately for someone to detect it and pull me out of this sinking pit.”

                                                            from Kalyn’s Secret, page 42-43

If only someone had known about Kalyn’s abuser and had blown the whistle…but would they have done it? Would they have been able recognize the abuse for what it was? Would they have had known what to do, and had the courage to do it? Or would they have been intimidated and fearful of offending the perpetrator?

Ignorance is one of my greatest mothering regrets over my daughter Kalyn’s life. I had lectured her well about saying “no” to bad touch and running from the trench-coated in the park. But like 90% of abusers, he was known to her. We trusted him. We didn’t realize he had groomed Kalyn and us for his evil purposes.

As the story continues to unfold from Penn State, I believe we will learn of the recognizable predator characteristics that were missed and the long trail of clues that were ignored. The questions we have should cause us to face head on the silent monster of sexual abuses lurking in the shadows of our hallowed halls.

All around us are others waiting to be rescued from their tormenting pain. With estimates ranging from one in three to four girls and one in five to six boys being sexually abused in America by age 18, obviously thousands are in desperate need of help! Are we, as the church, prepared to hear their cries and respond? Who will be Jesus’ voice of compassion to them?

Protecting our children and healing our walking wounded will require a special grace from our Heavenly Father. The church—not just the government—must prioritize this issue if we are to see a generation made whole. Ignoring the epidemic and pretending it would never happen to us “good Christian folk” is both naïve and dangerous!

Will you begin sharpening your understanding and alertness even today? Start by taking the Sexual Abuse Awareness Test which shatters some of our long-held views.

God, help us to know our kids’ world and constantly stay alert to hidden dangers that they cannot see. Help us to extend Your healing, redeeming hand to those we encounter who are trapped in a secret world of pain.

Lisa Cherry is the author of Kalyn’s Secret: Every Parent’s Battle to Save Their Children, and co-founder of POTTS (Parents of Teens and Tweens). She speaks to parents at Acquire the Fire events, and co-pastors Victory Dream Center in Carbondale, Illinois with her husband Doug. They are the parents of ten children and the grandparents of three. Follow Lisa at POTTSgroup.com and FrontlineMoms.com.

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Discrimination and Bullying of Christian Kids at School!

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

Image courtesy of Tiffany Szerpicki

By Lisa Cherry

When I heard of my precious 17-year-old’s recent classroom experience, I was heartbroken. She’s taking a class this semester at our local junior college, and over and over she has encountered the nightmarish tactics that conservative Christian worldview experts have warned us about.

Long classroom discussions on politically correct, “inclusive” language; vicious attacks in class from a fellow student calling her a “homophobe” when she expressed her view that homosexuality is wrong; lectures from her teacher on “tolerance” coupled with disdain for anything but liberal immorality… Truly my daughter is being tested in her faith to stand.

What is a mother to do when her teen is under such pressure? I have considered contacting the school. But what if that backfires on her grade? I have considered having her drop the class. But that will adversely impact her academic standing. So I am left to wrestle it out.

If I did not see her arising, I would pull her out no matter what the cost to grade or finances. But I am watching an amazing sight. God is empowering her to stand! He is strengthening her resolve as the testing is strengthening her faith. Wow! I am so grateful.

Fellow parents, we must equip our kids in new ways. Normal Christianity will not survive the level of persecution heading our way. As you read her recent blog post, will you pray for her—and all our Christian kids—to pass the faith test?? And while you are at it, pray for all the POTTS (Parents of Teens and Tweens) who must disciple the next generation for the remnant!

It began ok, but as time went on, it got worse. I went to speech class at 12:00 P.M., and my instructor was not being fair at all. Our next speeches are due very soon, and they are supposed to be persuasive.  But today in class she started going off on this tangent (pretty much threatening people) that if anyone uses a speech about abortion or anything “Problematic” in her terms, then we had better have some VERY convincing proof. She said this many times to the point where I wanted to raise my hand and say, “Teacher, I shouldn’t have to cater to what you believe is right, that is not what a persuasive speech is!” I decided that it wouldn’t do any good, so I just remained silent, inwardly laughing and arguing over her derogatory attitude. I know she needs Jesus, and my heart aches for the pain and suffering she will one day endure for the way she has openly accused and blasphemed Jesus Christ. All I want to do is find a way to bring life into my class, but every time I try, I get shot down. That is not the way it is supposed to be. I have already decided that I will not remain silent and watch America crumble. I don’t care what it takes; I am determined to do my part! The only thing is that my flesh gets involved very easily. I know the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities of this dark world.  Jesus, help me be a witness to You! I need Your strength. I know you see my heart!
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