We’re so excited to introduce you today to our friend Kelly Stamps of Kelly’s Korner! Read on to find out what matters the most to her. And – don’t worry! We didn’t forget about Free Friday!
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Prov 22:6
I am NOOOOOOOOOOO parent expert. I won’t be writing any books on parenting any time in the next 30 years. Or ever. My children don’t sleep through the night even at 2 and 4. They don’t eat many vegetables. They probably watch too much TV. And they aren’t reading chapter books by age 4. They can’t recite all the states or presidents.
But they are sweet.
And happy.
And they have good manners.
And they love Jesus.
And honestly – those are the things that matter to me.
The most important thing to me for my girls is that they grow to have a relationship with Jesus. I’ve had people ask me on my blog “But what if they don’t?”
My answer, obviously, is that I will love them no matter what, but we learn from a very early age about Jesus. They will be in church every time the doors are open. Church is NOT an option in our family.
They will learn to love God’s Word and understand that they can talk to Him about anything. They will hopefully see it in action in their parents and grandparents. They will sing songs about Jesus. They will learn about serving others and giving more than they receive. They will learn how much Jesus loves them.
And I pray over them night and day that they will have a passion that burns in them to know God and to make Him known.
And if, after all that, they choose not to follow Him, I will just continue to pray that they will know the greatest love, hope, and joy ever is to know a God who loves them 10,000,000 times more than I ever could.
Both of my girls love to pray. I love when Harper will remind us if we don’t pray. Just recently, we were coming home from Bible study and the girls were fighting in the back. Suddenly Harper said, “Hollis, we need to be sweet to each other. Let’s stop right now and pray.” And she started praying for them. I don’t think my heart could have been any happier.
I try to take any chance I can get to talk to Harper about God (because she is older and understands more now). We pray when she is scared or when she is mad about something.
One thing I need to work on more is to start teaching Harper more Bible verses. I haven’t done that a lot yet, but she is getting to an age where she can do it.
My pastor always tells us that the greatest mission field we have as parents is in our own homes. The biggest ministry I will ever have is to raise my own children to be passionate for Jesus. I would love to read Experiencing God at Home: A Bible Study for Parents because this is the greatest desire of my heart. Knowing God and loving His word begins in the home. And they will never learn about God more than by watching their parents living out their faith at home. That’s a BIG responsibility and a HUGE challenge but one I’m excited to pursue!
I have no greater joy than to know my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4
Kelly Stamps is the mom to two hilarious little girls and wife to a hunting- and football-loving handsome computer nerd. She is passionate about her Savior, SEC football, her State of Arkansas and Sonic Vanilla Diet Cokes. In that order. She blogs about her family and her faith, both which mean the world to her, at kellyskornerblog.com.
Now for you, FREE Friday-ers. We’re giving away five copies of the new Tom and Richard Blackaby Bible study, Experiencing God at Home: A Bible Study for Parents. Many of you were impacted by Experiencing God throughout the years, and now you can bring it home to your family.
By entering today’s giveaway, you acknowledge Lifeway Christian Resource’s official promotion rules found here. Today’s giveaway starts at the posting time of this blog and ends next Tuesday (5/28/13) at 11:59 p.m. CST. You must be 18 to enter, and you may only enter once. The winner will be selected at random. For questions about the rules and regulations of this giveaway, please contact Bud Harlan at One Lifeway Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-140.