Revelation 16
 
“Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, ‘You are just in these judgements, oh Holy One, You who are and whom were; for they have shed the blood of Your holy people and Your prophets, and You have given them blood to drink as they deserve.’ And I heard the altar respond: Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgements.” Revelation 16:5-7, (NIV)
 
A Prayer Over Our Children
Oh conquering King, when Your wrath pours out, shelter and hide my child in Your holy tabernacle. When judgements come, find her blameless through her sufferings. Yet bring her to repentance with all praise and glory to You. Prepare my child for battle, I plead, keeping her alert and ready for Your glorious return.
 
Truth
     Today was one of those mornings. Crazy and hectic. Rushed and harried. Amidst it all, a complete attitude makeover was badly needed…for me.
     It started when I awoke late and behind the proverbial eight-ball. With a flurry, I charged into my daughter’s bedroom intent on making up for lost time. Flicking on her bedroom lights, I didn’t even bother with my typical morning greeting.
     “Let’s go!” I barked over my shoulder. “Time to get up!” I yanked open her closet in the hunt for clothing. Instead of pleasantries or cheerful chatter, a grumbling noise met my ears. A whining wail issued forth from under the bedcovers. I confess to all of you right now, I did not respond with gracious concern or empathy. Rather, I bristled with irritation and impatience.
     Sweet Pea who already possesses the flair for dramatics, has been struggling with seasonal allergies. Whenever her nose becomes blocked, it is as if the world ends and the sky is falling. Tears rain, sobs ensue, and wails abound. Needless to say, the end result to all of this is typically an even more stuffed nose.
     “Don’t cry,” I mechanically responded. “Sit up, blow yoru nose, drink your water, and go to the bathroom.” Understandably, my lack of compassion did not elicit a favorable outcome. Let us just say a minor morning skirmish commenced between mother and daughter. Yet even after the dust settled and tentative peace restored, I still marched, ordered, and barked my way through until my mission was accomplished…an empty house devoid of noise or complaint. 

​“Great and amazing are your deeds! Just and true are Your ways, oh King of the nations! Who will not fear, oh Lord, and glorify Your Name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.” Revelation 15:3-4
 
Prayer Over Our Children
May my child see Your wonders and marvelous works, oh Lord. Make her victorious over all those who seek to prevail against her. I pray You will set a golden harp in her hand and fill her mouth with song. Let her proclaim Your great and marvelous deeds while she declares Your justice and truth, lauding You King over all the ages. Reveal your righteous acts, I plead, so she may give glory and bow down with all nations to worship You, who alone is holy. Oh God, when Your wrath is unfurled and Your glory and power fills the earth, shelter her in Your holy temple and dress her in clean, shining linens.
 
Not of Me
 
     After a week of absolute gluttony, laziness, and self-indulgence, I found myself pounding the treadmill. Arms pumping and muscles straining, my thoughts wandered over the past week. Spring Break came as a welcome diversion from the usual hustle and bustle. Yet with all its fun and leisure, I came away feeling empty and unfulfilled. This is not to say we hadn’t enjoy our time together. We had fun! Biking, swimming, movies, trips to parks, and eating out characterized our week of play. We slept-in, went to bed when we liked, and were the masters of our own time. Why then, did I feel so distant and empty? Why then did it feel like I was dangling from a precarious perch?

​What was it like?
 An Easter poem
 
What was it like
to reach out Your hand
and touch Your creation with the fingertips of man?
What was it like,
You, the Great I Am,
To be clothed in our flesh
and breathe with our breath?
You spoke a word and it came to be,
Yet came to this earth to set mankind free.

​“and they sang a new song before the throne…” Revelation 14:13.
 
     Oh Lord, fill my children’s mouth with a new song to sing before Your throne. I pray wherever You go, they will follow. Purchase them with Your blood and offer them as the first fruit of righteousness among men. Find them blameless, oh God, and keep their bodies, minds, and mouths pure. May they hear You and give you glory, proclaiming Your eternal gospel to all those on the earth. In the face of persecuting winds, Lord, I pray You will help them to obey, remain faithful to Your commandments, and persevere with endurance. Bless my children5 in life and death, Lord God, while You help them find rest from their labors and joy in suffering.
 
     Sweet Pea is no longer a preschooler. Gone are the chubby legs and the round face. Eyes now peer above well-defined cheekbones. Limbs once undefined with baby fat now taper in length. Even her vocabulary is growing up. Where “punkmin’s” abounded as tongue-twisters, now proper pronunciation, and advanced vocabulary flourish in stately decorum. Hair styles, accessorizing, thoughtful opinions, and growing self-awareness wave at the forefront to signal the change. I’m not sure how or when it happened. But Sweet Pea is now fully, most definitely, and without question, a little girl.
     These past years have been a blur. The whirlwind of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual development has left me gasping for breath. Like many of you, it feels like only yesterday when I first held her tiny body in my arms. Where did the time go? When did she grow so tall? How am I now looking at a little girl who likes to tease, encourage, and unashamedly proclaim her faith in Jesus? Yet, as I marvel over these questions, it makes me treasure my moments with her even more.

​“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform…” Revelations 13:11-14, (NASV)
 
A Prayer Over Our Children
Spirit of the Living God, when deceivers exert their authority, grant my daughter patient endurance and faithfulness. May she not be deceived by men’s great and miraculous signs but open her eyes with Your truth. Oh Lord, keep her from the mark of blasphemers and protect her, I plead. I pray she will refuse to worship men or idols but stand brave and courageous when death threatens her. Almighty God, be her refuge, her shield, and her All in All.
 
Keep Stepping
 
     It has been many weeks since my fingers creatively click-clacked over the keyboard. Like most, crammed schedules, constant running, and daily demands shoved my thoughts and time elsewhere. Relationships and their intricately woven layers spun webs over my emotions. Poking amidst the dirty dishes, unfolded laundry, and strewn toys, distraction and disruption cluttered my days.
     This past Friday, I sat on my loveseat ready to do battle. A meeting the prior morning had spurned and empowered me. I determined nothing would stop me. Yet, wounds from earlier skirmishes left me vulnerable. My laptop stared at me. Its screen was blank. The keyboard sat on my lap, my fingers ladened with invisible weights. Then came the shove. Figurative as it was, it felt like a literal thrust against my spirit. It held me down. It stomped and crushed. I could not move. I felt paralyzed with inaction. Hopelessness snuffed the fire in my heart. My inward resolve faltered.
      I wish I could report I persevered through the mire, but I did not. Instead, I welcomed interruptions and pursued my own agendas. The road most traveled appealed with their paths of least resistance. I was glad to lay it down albeit for a time. But our God is faithful and loving. Despite my detour, He gave me rest. Despite my unfaithfulness, He redirected my steps. For nothing goes unused in the battle. 

“And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them…’”
Revelations 12:7-12 (NASB)
 
A Prayer Over Our Children
     Watch over my child, oh God and take care of her every need. Prepare a place for her and grant her refuge in the wilderness. Oh Lord, shield and protect her from the serpent of old, Satan, who seeks to devour and destroy. Help her, I plead, defeat her enemies and triumph in the battle. May Your heavenly hosts guard and aid her in the fight. We claim victory for her to overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the word of her testimony. And may Your salvation, power, and authority cause her to rejoice with the heavens for You have come.
     Oh God, give my little one wings to evade the evil one while You prepare for her a refuge. Minister to her, oh Lord, and help her find rest. When enemies pursue, rescue her and grant her aid. Let Your commandments be her treasure as she obeys them and holds fast to Your testimony. Oh God, place Your living seal upon her and her children, I pray, that You may extend Your favor to her from generation to generation.
 
Joy
 
     Tonight, my spirits lay heavy. Doubts and discouragement assailed me. I stared unseeing at my laptop, listening with half an ear. A conversation had just transpired over the phone which left me vulnerable and exposed. Humble pie was on the menu. A good diet to consume but one which often leaves a door open for the Enemy to exploit.

​“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightening, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.”
Revelations 11:19 (NIV)
 
A Prayer Over Our Children
     Oh God, draw my child into Your inner most courts. Let her stand before You, the Lord of the earth. I pray You will fill her mouth with prophecy and her tongue with truth. Through her, may You display Your mighty power as You consume her enemies with fire and strike them with fear. Help her to testify to the nations as a faithful witness. Oh God, I plead You will keep her from harm and defend her from the evil one.
     Breathe within her Your breath of life, oh God, as You raise her before her enemies. Speak to her, I pray, and call her by name. May You lift her up among Your heavenly places that she may worship and glorify You. OH God, how I pray Your name will fill her heart with thanksgiving and her mouth with praise. And just as Your Kingdom reigns in heaven over the earth, may You also reign in her life.
     Lord God fill my child with a holy reverence and awe of You. Look favorably upon my little one, I pray, but destroy those who seek the earth’s destruction. Pour out Your blessings over my daughter and grant her rich heavenly rewards. Open Your temple before her, oh God, so she might gaze upon the ark of Your covenant.
 
Prepared?
 
     We stood side by side at church. Masks were on our faces. Joy resonated in our hearts. Sweet Pea stood to my left and my husband to the right. The little body beside me jumped and wiggled in praise. As the worship leader cued the next song, Sweet Pea snuggled close. With both arms wrapped around my waist, she leaned in. Side against my side and head leaning against my chest, we swayed to the music. Back and forth we rocked. Warmth wrapped thick around my heart while waves of nostalgia crept over me. Memories surfaced of her baby softness snuggling close in my arms. Almost as one flesh joined together in spirit, today’s embrace was reminiscent of those earlier times. Yet, a significant distinction separated this moment from the baby days of old. What joined us together this time transcended body and blood. Where familial ties naturally drew us together, what knit our hearts together today was the Spirit of God and our shared love of the Father. Our souls bonded through the Holy Spirit, adoration of God as the one true King, and our praise of Jesus Christ, our Savior. 

“Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.” (Revelations 10:1-3 NIV)

Wow! What a day! I was incredibly blessed today to be in a recording studio. Some of you may already know, but God opened the door for me to begin recording a music album which uses music to teach children Scripture. It has been a fun and wild adventure. It humbles me to see how God would allow this everyday mom to reach little souls for Christ. Teaching Scripture to our children, even as early as infancy, plays a vital role in teaching our kids wisdom and equipping them for every good work. Sample two demo tracks below, then read more about this delightful musical project with a sneak-peek and your chance to pre-order copy(ies) as signed CDs and/or in digital MP3 format here! ("Sing-Along With Mr. Caleb" makes a great gift, too!)

Sing along with the “real” Mr. Caleb from the children’s book “Meet Mr. Caleb.” Join our favorite barefoot worship leader in praise and worship as children and parents learn Scripture placed to catchy tunes. From bleating sheep to the “cha-cha” to interactive choruses and kids’ voices, Sing-Along with Mr. Caleb puts Scripture verses to music that children and parents alike will love. Let Scripture come alive through music and song! ...