Sonya Lee Thompson

I need your help. Please honestly answer the following seven questions:

1) Have you ever CONSIDERED adopting a child?

2) Have you ever CONSIDERED how you can help others adopt?

3) Have you ever SPONSORED a child financially?

4) Have you ever CONSIDERED being a foster parent?

5) Do you KNOW anyone who has adopted? If yes, did you support them in any way? (prayer or financial)

6) Do you BELIEVE adoption is mostly for the infertile?

7) Would you ever want information on how you could help orphans both here and abroad? (I will not take a yes answer as you wanting information from this website – just hypothetical.)

By answering this brief questionnaire, you are in no way committing to anything. I just want to know what is in America’s heart regarding this topic. Your answers will be invaluable tools for me as I consider a future project.

Thank you!

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With six kids, life at my house can be expensive. As a matter of fact, we just dropped nearly 10k so two of my precious gems could get braces.

My 10 year old daughter, Ashley, had the misfortune of asking to start up piano lessons the very day I wrote that ten thousand dollar check.

“No, honey.” I answered her. “We simply can’t afford it right now, and you’re too young for a job.”

Without a word, she simply went about her business.

I felt guilty. How could life be so unfair to my sweet girl? I wondered.

About 20 minutes later she came to me with a piece of paper in her hand. She said, “Mom, if I were to clean the piano teachers bathrooms, do you think that she would give me piano lessons in return?”

Impressed with her thought process, I told her to call the teacher.

The piano teacher thought it to be a great idea and said, yes!

Honestly, I felt disappointed when circumstances kept me from paying for my daughters piano lessons. But God had something special in mind for my girl. He wanted to instill work ethics and even help the piano teacher out for the summer.

When will I learn that life isn’t always about me?

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Do you plant an annual vegetable garden? I’ve had a garden before, but somewhere along the way it lost it’s charm and I stopped planting in the spring.

My younger children have asked for a garden this year. My first thought was no, since I remember the weeds and bugs of gardens past. But with no concept of the negative side of gardening, my children have persisted, and I’ve given in.

Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he may have enough to finish it;

When starting out, the soil is perfect with no weeds or bugs in sight. But to count the cost is to realistically expect bugs and weeds and realize the work required to get a harvest. I am trying to teach this to my children. While they are excited about having their own garden, come August they may lose that enthusiasm.

This reminds me of the Israelites who begged to get out of Egypt, but never counted the cost of living in the dessert. What are you praying for today? Have you counted the cost? Have you considered what it will look like in the future? It is interesting to look at the verse just before Luke 14:28:

Luke 14:27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, he cannot be My disciple.

We must bear our cross. God knew the cost of following Him. He knew that at the point of salvation the soil would be pure and weed/bug free, but He also knew that after a season the bugs and weeds would appear and we’d have to put in some hard work to get a harvest in our lives. So, whatever it is that you are praying for…. consider the cost and be prepared to bear your cross when the weeds and bugs come into your life. Then you can expect to have a bountiful harvest!

Happy Gardening!

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“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for myfeet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Luke 7:41-48 (NIV Bold Mine)

Do you have kids? I’m the mother to six. You might agree there isn’t a bigger responsibility in life than raising children to fear and love the Lord.

Applying this verse to my  children’s upbringing is a challenge. As mothers, we want to shelter our offspring from EVERY evil thing out there, and keep them from making mistakes.

But, knowing those who have been forgiven of the most sins are the ones who love the most sends shivers up my spine.

I’ve been forgiven much – Insomuch as I’m confident of my need for a savior and I cling to Him.

What about my children? How about yours? Where can we find a balance for their lives? Are we willing to trust God with their future’s by letting go of them at some point?

Sure, but when…

I recently shared this with an artist friend of mine named, Andre Lucero. He had a wonderful analogy I’d like to share with you:

As a gardener, when you want to grow something from seed, you must first prepare the soil.

Then you plant the seed and protect it from the elements. You may even need to cover it for a short time if frost is eminent.

At some point, while still a seedling, you will need to put it outside – uncovered in order to allow the new plant to toughen up. If you don’t take this important step, you will have a weak plant. You see, allowing it to toughen up causes the plant to become strong enough to weather the storms that lay ahead.

Just like the seedling, our own children need to be given the proper foundation of faith in God. But at some point, we will need to allow them to face some of the elements and toughen up. I believe this should happen before we send them off to college. You see, I think we need to be there for our kids when they make some of those mistakes. This way we can begin to counsel them and walk alongside them.

In order to pull the weeds growing alongside our plants, we must spend time in our gardens. The same is true of our children. If we aren’t actively involved in their lives, we will not see the temptations that are growing up to choke out their faith. Parenting is a full time activity!

Even if you aren’t currently a parent, you can sow into the lives of other’s kids. If you have the time and relationship with them, you may be the one who needs to pull a few weeds, or spread some living water.

What do you think?

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Every January my husband and I get away together to have our annual State of the Family and Finances review.

Getting away from the hustle and bustle of your normal life is extremely important because sometimes the only way to see the solution to a problem is to step outside of the issue for a moment.

We both write out our annual goals, then pray together about the lists.

We discuss any major purchases we see in our upcoming year (i.e.. drivers ed for our almost 16 year old, vacation’s, etc.).

Next we talk about any character issues we are having with the kids. At this point, we focus on each child, one by one, and discuss issues and possible solutions. Then we discuss how to implement these new solutions.

We discuss our family life and make sure we aren’t too busy and that we are getting fed at our local church as well as evening Bible study.

Finally, we check in to be sure we are both satisfied with our marriage life.

Of course we take lots of breaks to just relax and recharge our batteries (This year we added prayer walks which were amazing).

For 2012 we stole away to the mountains for 5 days in a small two bedroom cabin with a fireplace and hot tub.

When we finish, we are both revived, refreshed and recharged. The kids know enough to be tense when we arrive home, because change is imminent. But we know the issues we’ve come to expect are now going to be addressed and in time resolved.

When’s the last time you and your honey got away for a time to reflect? If you aren’t married, you can still get away with a girlfriend and disconnect long enough to work out any kinks in your daily life.

This is an annual investment I believe everyone should make. It’s well worth the money spent for a better year and mentally refreshed you.

What are you waiting for? Make a reservation, hire a baby sitter and get going!

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“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)

Sitting in Bible study, I felt the urge to check my cell phone.  My daughter gave me the heads up, earlier in the morning, about her consistent headaches and how she expected to leave school early if it didn’t stop.

There it was, a text from her.

“Mom, I can only see the big E with my right eye” it read.

My mind raced. How is she looking at the big E when she’s at school? I thought.  Who took her to the doctor? I wondered.

I jumped up and slipped out of study to do some more research. By the time I reached my car, there was a message from the school nurse. She confirmed my daughters concern about her right eye.

I panicked. My imagination went wild and I thought of everything that could cause sudden loss of vision.  I started shaking with fear.

Concerned, I called my sister, Debbie, at work.  She immediately started praying with me. As she quoted scripture, I felt a wave of peace come over me.

After hanging up, I realized quoting God’s word would keep me in perfect peace.  The rest of the trip to the eye doctor went well – as long as I kept my focus on God’s word.

In the end, she needed glasses, but the headache left and nothing was seriously wrong (she could see one line past the big E).

Grateful for the many ladies who were praying for us, and even more thankful for God’s gracious hand on us, I realized His words kept my mind from running away with me.

Since I’m prone to anxiety, I now have a great tool for keeping my imagination under control. Quoting God’s Word.

Today, I’m intentionally memorizing His word. This is a powerful tool for my spiritual toolbox. I want to have as many verses as possible in my weapons pack.

What’s in your spiritual toolbox?

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What kind of fruit does a Christian produce?  I have spent many hours pondering that thought.  And in one moment, my sweet, young, four year old, Tiffany gave me the answer:

My Tuesday morning Bible study group had just let out for the day, so I went to pick up Tiffany from the childcare room downstairs.  Thinking ahead, I took her to the bathroom before running errands.  While there, she said to me, “Mom, all of the kids here are NOT Christians!”

This statement threw me and I said, “Sure they are.”

“Look, Mom, let me tell you why they aren’t Christians. First, when we went to the gym to play, some of the girls kept trying to tackle me. Next, one boy took my necklace and tried to keep it away from me, even after I asked him to give it back to me! So you see, they aren’t Christians!”

There it was…The simple answer to the above scripture. If they were Christians, certainly their fruit would have been different. The girls would have been nice and the boy would have been considerate. I am amazed that at the young age of four, children already see the fruit of Christianity.

I most certainly had been trying to complicate the scripture when in fact, it was as simple as just treating others kindly.