So, I'm in the kitchen...minding my own business....when I turn around and see this!!! A little boy standing up at the counter talking to me!! When did he grow up? Wasn't he just a little tyke just yesterday?
Monday, September 29, 2008
When did he grow up?
So, I'm in the kitchen...minding my own business....when I turn around and see this!!! A little boy standing up at the counter talking to me!! When did he grow up? Wasn't he just a little tyke just yesterday?
Family Night
Chenye stepped out in faith this year and said "no". He said no to extra cirricular activites, including church "ministries" to stay home and nurture his family. He has decided that now is the time to be investing into the diciples God has placed in our home and make that his primary ministry. One of the ways we have activley persued this is by establishing a weekly "family night". We chose Sunday evenings. This is a time where we turn off the phones, put off the dishes and chores, and have a fun purposeful time with just us. We felt this was important for a number of reasons. Just a few are: 1.) we want to model Christian truths. Spiritual imput should not come from just outsiders. We want it to be normal in our daily living.
2.) Spiritual imput doesn't have to be boring. As someone put it, "Christian truth can be alive, effective, and can blend with other forms of family sharing. It doesn't have to be closeted off in a holy zone of formality." 3.) We want to develope relationships and keep influence. As the kids get older we see a battle for their affection. Either the world can have them, or we can fight for them. We want to be a fun family where they are comfortable sharing themselves and secure. We want to have a solid foundation of trust and respect by the time they reach the teen years.
A few rules we have put on the Family Night is:
1.) It has to be just us, and all of us.
2.) The activities have to be fun, and fun for everyone.
3.) All conversation has to be interesting to everyone. (Parents not discussing politics at dinner, etc.)
4.) There must be short purposeful spiritual topics peppered through out the evening.
I have to tell you. It has been tremendously fun. We have enjoyed our family more than ever before. And I believe we have already seen spiritual fruit. Isaac is taking more of an interest in the bible and spiritual things. The motivation seems to be that he is interested in what we are interested in. "Daddy likes it, and so do I" mentality. Another benifit is that the kids are more imaginative. Because we have spend time playing with them, they learn more ways to play on their own. Another thing is that the family relationships are sweeter. Since we started, Cheyne has made many comments about how neat his kids are, how much he loves them, how fun they are. He always loved them, but taking the time to get to know them more and have fun with them has just made it all the better.
I highly recommend this to any family with kids in the house. The blessings are many!
2.) Spiritual imput doesn't have to be boring. As someone put it, "Christian truth can be alive, effective, and can blend with other forms of family sharing. It doesn't have to be closeted off in a holy zone of formality." 3.) We want to develope relationships and keep influence. As the kids get older we see a battle for their affection. Either the world can have them, or we can fight for them. We want to be a fun family where they are comfortable sharing themselves and secure. We want to have a solid foundation of trust and respect by the time they reach the teen years.
A few rules we have put on the Family Night is:
1.) It has to be just us, and all of us.
2.) The activities have to be fun, and fun for everyone.
3.) All conversation has to be interesting to everyone. (Parents not discussing politics at dinner, etc.)
4.) There must be short purposeful spiritual topics peppered through out the evening.
I have to tell you. It has been tremendously fun. We have enjoyed our family more than ever before. And I believe we have already seen spiritual fruit. Isaac is taking more of an interest in the bible and spiritual things. The motivation seems to be that he is interested in what we are interested in. "Daddy likes it, and so do I" mentality. Another benifit is that the kids are more imaginative. Because we have spend time playing with them, they learn more ways to play on their own. Another thing is that the family relationships are sweeter. Since we started, Cheyne has made many comments about how neat his kids are, how much he loves them, how fun they are. He always loved them, but taking the time to get to know them more and have fun with them has just made it all the better.
I highly recommend this to any family with kids in the house. The blessings are many!
Family Night #1
Family Night #2
Here is family night #2. For dinner we had Hamburgers. Then we played an insanely fun game of hide & seek. Isaac and I were one team and Andrew and Daddy were the other. Levi was the official finder, so he was always with who ever was "seeking". It worked out well. Pretty sure we won... but according to Daddy that is up for debate. After the game, we had popcicles. Then p.j. and story time. Tonight Daddy read about Adam and Eve in the Garden. We learned that God can always be trusted so we should always obey Him. After family prayer, lights out. And Cheyne and I enjoyed a relaxing cup of tea/coffee on the couch.
Family night #3
This was our third family night. We ate a huge meal of roast, corn on the cob, blueberry muffins, and cinnomin-raisin baked apples. Then we headed off the the river to skip rocks. Then back home. Everyone into their P.J's and then story time. Tonight I read about Noah and the Great Boat. We learned how God always keeps his promises. Then prayer time. It is really exciting to see all of the kids grow in prayer. Isaac is turning into a little prayer warrior. Then little peoples to bed while Mommy and Daddy enjoy a cup of tea/coffee on the sofa. Splendid!!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Scary turned Sweet.
When we moved in here, I was watching our neighbors (as I am sure they were watching us). What I saw made me nervous and a little afraid. I saw lots of children who were mostly older than my children, and they looked like.....well, how should I put it? They didn't look like they came from nice "christian" homes...if you catch my drift. And the fear crept into heart. How was I going to keep my children away from them? How was I going to protect them or even prepare them for worldly influences? We have a nice big back yard. But, you know, my kids didn't want to play back there when there were kids in the front yard. They didn't want to stay inside when there were children in the streets. It became very obvious very quickly that permanetly avoiding our neighbors was impossible. So, I started praying (huh, what a thought!) and you know what came to me? "You have not been given a spirit of fear that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship." So start acting like it, Sarah!! Then I started looking around here, and God has really provided for the ministry of outreach. For example, this house has tons of gardening that needs to be done, but guess what...none of it is in the back yard!! It is all in the front!!! God has provided a way for me to be out there with my children interacting with all of the neighbor children!! I went out and bought myself a new pair of gardening gloves and pruning sheers!! I have given roses away to little people so they can take them home and give them to their mommies. We have had a blast.
Last night Cheyne and I went out and ate our dinner on the front porch while our kids rode their trikes around. Before I knew it I was surrounded by 1 frog, 3 golfish, 1 bunny, 1 cat, my kids, 1 four year old girl, and 2 twelve year olds. I decided we needed to eat icecream, so there we were all sprawled out on our front lawn laughing and loving our new friends. Yes, the same kids I was afraid of.
Note to self: Let God work....and buy more icecream.
Last night Cheyne and I went out and ate our dinner on the front porch while our kids rode their trikes around. Before I knew it I was surrounded by 1 frog, 3 golfish, 1 bunny, 1 cat, my kids, 1 four year old girl, and 2 twelve year olds. I decided we needed to eat icecream, so there we were all sprawled out on our front lawn laughing and loving our new friends. Yes, the same kids I was afraid of.
Note to self: Let God work....and buy more icecream.
Ponderings
Well, we have been here two weeks now. We are mostly unpacked. We have a few pictures up on the wall. We have met most of our neighbors. We are starting to settle in. As most of you know... we have not just moved into a new house. We have, for the first time, become the "Cheyne Keevy family...on our own" edition. The last time we were on our own Isaac was only 4 months old and our two little ones didn't even exist. So, as the last two weeks have unfolded, I have found myself pondering. Who are we? Who are the "Cheyne Keevy's" when no one else is around? What do we stand for? Are we fun? Are we strict? What do we talk about at the dinner table? How do we live differently so that we draw our neighbors to Christ? Will my children influence their friends or be influenced?
I feel like as I get to know this new house and neighborhood, I am also reaquainting myself with my family. I feel this need to turn off the phones, close the doors and just love on them. It has been such a joy to spend so much uninterupted time with them. I really like my family!! God has blessed me so much with such wonderful people. I am looking forward to figuring out who we are. I know that with the help of Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and your prayers... we are going to be just fine.
I feel like as I get to know this new house and neighborhood, I am also reaquainting myself with my family. I feel this need to turn off the phones, close the doors and just love on them. It has been such a joy to spend so much uninterupted time with them. I really like my family!! God has blessed me so much with such wonderful people. I am looking forward to figuring out who we are. I know that with the help of Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and your prayers... we are going to be just fine.
Saturday's "Honey-do" list
Here is a pic of my men installing my space saver microwave. It is wonderful!
This is a before pic.
This is what my kitchen looked like. Sorry, I don't have an after pic yet. You'll just have to come over and see it yourself.
It is GOOD...living in the city!!
In the city, there is a phenomenon that us country bumpkins hadn't yet experianced. The ICECREAM truck!! It comes buy our house EVERYDAY!!! And for only a few pennies of Dad's hard earned money, we get the GOOD STUFF!!! WE, Keevy boys, are LUV'N the city.
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