intentional parenting Archives - Page 7 of 12

Fear Not to Do Good.

I was reading scripture one day and came across these verses:

“Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap. …

“Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. …

“Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.“

I remember thinking to myself, why would I ever FEAR to do good?? That’s such an odd thing to say.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I fear to do good all the time. I’ll get a thought to say something nice to someone and be embarrassed to say it. Or worry they’ll think I’m weird (which I am, but still).

I’ll get a feeling to stop by a friends house and check in on them, but then second guess myself and think I’m intruding or bugging them.

I’ll feel a strong impression to e-mail, text, or call someone, but I worry about what they’ll think. Or I won’t have the right thing to say.

Or I’ll feel compelled to pursue something in my life that could benefit myself, or even a lot of people, and I’ll resist. Out of fear. Out of the unknown. Out of uncertainty.

The truth is, I fear to do good all the time.

But once I realized this about myself, I decided I was going to try and change.

So now, with any thought that pops in my head, I ask “is it good?”, and “will it help someone else?” and if it passes those two questions, then I tell myself “then do it.” It’s not always easy, but I am trying.

Now for the record, I have a LOT of things pop up in my head, and most of them are good. Realistically I don’t have time to do all of them. But I do as many as I can. And I fight the fear that often accompanies those things (even if they are seemingly small).

If it’s good, do it. Fear Not to DO GOOD.

“Where Children Sleep.” Photos of children and their bedrooms from around the world.

This photography project by James Mollison is absolutely fascinating!

Where Children Sleep

“Where Children Sleep–stories of diverse children around the world, told through portraits and pictures of their bedrooms….I found myself thinking about my bedroom: how significant it was during my childhood, and how it reflected what I had and who I was.”

Two pictures. One of the child. One of their bedroom. The two together tell an incredible story.

Roathy, 8, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Kaya, 4, Tokyo, Japan

Lamine, 12, Bounkiling Village, Senegal

Delanie, 9, New Jersey, USA

One picture, of a bedroom, and a child, can tell so much about who someone is, what they have, and where they come from. So incredible. What a world we live in.

My dad! A hero for many.

Today is my dad’s BIRTHDAY. And in honor of this day, his day, here are some of the things I love when I think about my dad.

1. Never pass up an opportunity to serve someone else. My dad has given his LIFE to helping other people. And I have never, EVER seen him act like it’s an inconvenience. Because of his profession as a doctor, people ask him to do things all.the.time. For free. And he always does it with a willing heart.

2. Don’t act like you’re better than anyone else. My dad can put people at ease no matter the situation. Because he treats them like an equal. He also gets asked allll sorts of questions, and I have never seen him try to make someone feel stupid or talk to them in a condescending tone.

3. No trace camping. Whenever we went camping, my dad always made sure the spot we stayed at was better than the way we found it. Our goal was to leave the campground with NO trace we had ever been there. Same goes for church. Pick up the trash. Leave no trace behind.

4. Never ride in a car without a seatbelt. Growing up, my dad had a picture of a woman with half her face ripped off attached to the visor in the car. The woman was in a car accident and had no seat belt on. If anyone ever gave him grief about wearing a seatbelt, he wouldn’t say a word. He’d just pull down the visor and there was the torn apart woman. And the complainer would promptly put on their seatbelt.

5. If something is worth doing, it’s worth overdoing. My dad never half-asses anything. Ever. It’s one of my favorite qualities about him. He’s thorough about the little things as much as he is about the big things. (This is unfortunately something I did not inherit from him–I’m workin’ on it).

6. Waste not, want not. Sometimes my dad overdoes this one and we have to sneak expired food into the garbage. He is the poster child for reduce, reuse, recycle. He uses empty nut jars from Costco for all his nails and screws. And cardboard milk boxes to store magazines. Never wastes.

7. Sloooooow down. The only time I’ve ever seen my dad “rushed” is when a neighbor has called him with a life-threatening emergency (which has happened numerous times during my life). Other than that, my dad takes his sweet time. He never seems rushed through life. He is present in the moment and happy to take life slowly.

8. Take 4 ibuprofen with food. We tease my dad all the time about this. For most complaints we had as kids (or even now as adults), his remedy always seems to be “Take 4 ibuprofen WITH FOOD”. Most the time I don’t even call him anymore. I just take the ibuprofen.

9. Never give up on your kids. My parents have had their fair share of tough kid challenges. But there’s one thing I know–my dad (and mom) would never give up on any of us. They love us. No matter what choices we make. They’ve been put to the test on this one so I can say this with certainty.

10. Teach by example. I don’t remember my dad “telling” me many things growing up. Most of his teaching was through action. He sent “messages” to his kids by DOING things instead of SAYING things. And it was pretty effective teaching.

One of the most quality human beings you’ll ever meet.

And for everyone’s viewing pleasure: (My kids watch this over and over and over)

Happy Birthday dad!! I love you.

Create a better story for your family. And photograph it.

I’ve been working crazy hard on the content of the “Tell My Story” intensive two part course. I believe in the message. And I believe in the importance of the message.

The first time I taught a photography class, it was because someone asked me to. Now that I have found the real message of the class, I teach because I feel compelled to share something that directly impacts the course of my family story.

The next “Tell My Story” photography class will be on THURSDAY, MAY 15th. It will begin at 9:45 am and will be over around 2:15 pm (depending on the amount of questions).

The course has TWO parts. The first portion of the course will be completed online where you can work at your own pace before the live portion of the class on May 15th. The theory behind this goes along with the Khan Academy where we’re essentially flipping the traditional classroom model and you will do your “lecture” at home, and then come to class to do the “homework”. (You can see Khan’s TED talk here)

The online portion of the course will cover all things related to “better” photos. Both technical and emotional. We will also talk about CREATING a story for your family. Ways to be an intentional parent. And then how to photograph that story so it is documented and continues to fuel our memory and hearts.

After completing the online portion of the class, we will meet together and use that foundation of knowledge in an interactive, hands on class where you will learn how to be in control of your camera, get consistently “better” photos, and intentionally create and document your family story.

You can read more about what you’ll learn at the “Tell My Story” course HERE.

And as always, e-mail me with any questions! [email protected]

You deserve this! And so does your family.

“Photography fuels memory….

and memory fuels the heart and soul”

Mitchell’s Journey

How do I know if it’s what God wants?

I struggled for a long time with my relationship with God. It seemed like we just weren’t communicating very well. I kept asking Him what direction I should go. What He wanted me to do with my life. Was this the right direction or this?

And I felt like I wasn’t getting any real guidance.

I always knew God was there. And that He was listening. I never doubted He was there. But I felt a little lost. And unsure. Like God was holding back on his answers. Or I wasn’t listening good enough. I couldn’t hear Him.

Because if I knew, for sure, that it was God telling me to do something, I’d do it. Not just me, or someone else telling me. But if it was God, I would do it.

And I worried about making decisions for my life story because I was afraid it would be the wrong decision. And it wouldn’t be God’s will. And I wouldn’t even know. I didn’t want to waste my time on things God didn’t want me to do. And I didn’t want to miss out on all these great plans God had in store for me. Because when you say “yes” to something, you also say “no” to something else. And I didn’t want to be saying “no” to the thing God actually wanted me to say “yes” to. Did you catch that?

So I was essentially doing nothing. Stalling. Waiting for the heavens to open and God to tell me what my next move was. In a fairly loud booming voice so I could hear over all the other life noise.

And then I was reminded of the following scripture.

“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their inheritance”

Men and Women should be anxiously engaged in a good cause. The power is in THEM. When all is said and done, God just wants us to DO good. To BE good. And to be anxiously engaged in good things. And he’s okay with ME choosing what good things those are.

I’m working my way through the book “Storyline Finding Your Subplot in God’s Story” by Donald Miller. (worth every penny by the way)

Miller supports this idea that God has left a lot of the decision making up to us. If it makes our heart sing and we’re anxiously engaged in something good, that will save other souls, then go for it. He says:

“I don’t believe God has a specific plan for most people. I could be wrong, though, because there are several people in the Bible for whom God had a specific plan.

In fact, here’s a little checklist so you can know if God has a specific plan for your life.

According to the Bible, you know God has a specific plan for you if:

A. Your donkey (or any other animal, for that matter) talks to you
B. An angel appears before you and wakes you up because he’s so bright
C. You are a virgin but pregnant

Where did we get this idea God doesn’t speak clearly when He wants something? When I talk to people who believe God has a specific plan for their lives, they act like God is some kind of mystic weirdo talking to them through riddles and we are supposed to use the Bible like a secret decoder ring.

If God has a specific plan for your life, you’ll know it because He’ll tell you. According to the Bible, it will be very, very clear.

For the rest of us, the scary truth is we get to decide what we want to do with our lives. And we get to decide with God.”

He then goes on to say,

“I think we are spending a lot of time asking God to tell us what to do when the whole time He’s asking us what we’d like to do instead. I think He’s asking us what’s in our hearts, what makes us come alive, what ignites our passion and saves many lives.”

What makes me come alive? What’s in my heart? And how can I use that to save many souls?

Now this isn’t to say God doesn’t provide direction. Because I absolutely know He does. And He’ll give me little nudges to pursue certain things. And sometimes He’ll speak loudly about a path He wants me to pursue.

But He also allows me to figure out what makes me come alive, and then wants me to GO DO IT. And trust that God will put on the brakes if he needs me to go in a different direction.