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Probably one of the most helpful things that the Hotti Hubby and I have done since becoming parents, is becoming involved in a small group (AKA a home fellowship or Bible Study) through our church. Whether you go to church or not, I would encourage you to gather a group of like-minded people together to share life. Raising a family is hard work and is meant to be done in community with others.

To show how we live life, above is a picture taken at Mr. Smackdown's (my eldest) birthday party last year. Almost everyone from our Home Fellowship was there (including some family member's, too!)

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. . . Hebrews 10:25

The women in our small group are the gals that I call when I am having a rough day. Often the solution involves one of us running to Starbucks and allowing our kids to play while we sip our venti mocha's. These are the ladies that I borrow parenting books from, share maternity clothes with, offer potty training tips to, exchange garden seeds, trade date nights with, pick up grocery items for, and most of all pray with. They listen to me and love me, even though my armpits smell, my hair has rats, the PJ's are still on at 1 pm, toys are all over the carpeting, the dishes have fruit flies swarming around them, and my bra isn't on when they come to rescue me.

Currently, we are embarking on a study of parenting together using a resource called Parenting Is a Ministry, founded by Craig F. Caster. What I love about this ministry is that it is free. You can download the parenting workbook and listen to a web cast of each seminar (10 in all). I am hopeful that by the end of the 10th seminar that I will be better equipped to more effectively parent these amazing little people that God has blessed me with.

Already I have been challenged to be in better control of my words and actions. My purpose as a parent is to be a minister to my children. Do you know what minister means? I thought a minister was just a person to spoke about God at church. Nope, we can be a minister. According to Webster's Dictionary it means "one who acts under the orders of another or who is employed by another to execute his purpose." My role and job as a parent is to act as God's minister. Now how do I go about that?

Well, I could tell you, but then you wouldn't have to listen to Session 1!

I will say this, that part of my role as a minister to my children involves my own transformation, and that hasn't been pretty this week! I am finding that God uses my family dynamics to "purge me" of some rather undesirable traits . . . anger, impatience, yelling, and a little bit of selfishness.

Sigh.

Sometimes I wish I didn't like to learn and read so much. Then I could claim ingnorance. But then I would be a boring and rather flat person, and I know that God has created me for so much more.

Oh, and in case you are wondering how my fast is going . . . actually it is going really well. The first two days were HARD! But I am on day 8 today. I am surprised by my energy and excited by the physical changes in my body! I can see my clavicles!







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