UPDATE ON MY KNOXVILLE WEEKEND!

Hey Everybody,

How was Knoxville? Wet. Really wet! I have never seen so much rain. Did it put a damper on things? Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it!

My sister-in-law, Karla, journeyed with me across the state, and the two of us haven't spent time together in a long time. We had a blast! Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, plenty of Diet Coke, and it's a good road trip. :) When we got to the Live at Five studio, we were tickled to see that Patti Page was in the house! She's incredible. That was a real treat! (She was going to be singing the Tennessee Waltz at the UT game on Saturday evening. She said she was nervous about it! I guess that's a good thing. It makes me feel better, anyway, to know that she's been getting up in front of people for seven decades and she still gets butterflies!)

My segment was about 2 minutes, and I found myself talking mostly about encouraging our kids to have an attitude of forgiveness, and claiming one for ourselves, as well, as we walk through the middle school years. Since I never really know what they are going to ask, I also never know what the Lord is going to have me say!

Book signing: I took some pictures at my book signing because several dear friends braved the torrential downpour, and I am NOT exaggerating, to swim out to see me. It was good to see everyone. It was a real blessing, and there were quite a few tears (you know that means I'm happy!) Thank you, North Knoxville LifeWay, for hosting the signing!

Saturday evening, I got to fellowship with and speak to the very lovely ladies of Cherokee Hills Baptist Church. It was a great evening! It's always fun to meet up with moms who have "met" me already through Baby Boot Camp, and I am so thankful to tell you that it is going into another reprint! That's a thrill, and I'm amazed by what the Lord is doing with that little book!

Now, it's catch-up time, y'all. My house is chaos! But it sure was a sweet...although drippy wet...weekend!

Baby Boot Camp Excerpt: My Vision for My Kids

My vision for my kids is that they become mature Christians: leading godly lives, holding the Bible as the standard by which all else is measured, capable of offering wise counsel to others, and totally accountable to God for their whole conduct and every thought.
My prayer is that each one chooses submission to the Lord over his or her selfish will and that they would enjoy abundant life through a close, personal relationship with the living Christ, loving Him with all of their hearts, minds, and souls. May these children be "pillars of the church, soldiers of the cross, and true servants of Jesus."* This I pray in that blessed, wonderful name of Jesus, Amen.

Excerpted from Baby Boot Camp: Basic Training for the First Six Weeks of Motherhood (a devotional for new moms) by Rebecca Ingram Powell, New Hope Publishers, 2004.
*quoted phrase from Luis Palau's prayer for his sons


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THE PURE IN HEART CONFERENCE IS COMING TO COLLEYVILLE, TEXAS!

Hey Everybody,

On November 14, a Pure in Heart Conference will be held at Compass Christian Church in Colleyville, Texas. This exciting, one-day event is uniquely designed for tween girls, ages 7–12, and for moms, grandmothers, and mentors who want to plant seeds of purity in young hearts.

The Pure in Heart Conference not only teaches young girls practical, biblical wisdom to help them make choices for purity, it also shares a message of hope and forgiveness for women--moms and grandmoms who may have already walked paths of impurity.

During Tween Break-Out Sessions, girls enjoy a time designed especially for their age category with fun dramas, teaching times, and a really cool craft! I will be leading the 5th and 6th grade girls in their break-out session, and Danya will be leading worship for the conference! We had so much fun at the Pure in Heart Conference in Davenport, Iowa, last April, and we can't wait to get to Texas!

Adult Sessions include inspiring testimonies, instructional equipping, and practical take-home tools that will help you prepare children to combat the conflicting cultural messages they face each day.

Interested? Check out the Pure in Heart Conference website for promotional materials, videos, and more info. If you'd like to make plans to join us in Colleyville, just contact Rene Hanebutt at (269) 697-8600 or email: RHanebutt@ReviveOurHearts.com. Would you like to plan a Pure in Heart Conference in your area? Talk to Rene! We're currently scheduling conferences for 2010!

We're praying that God will use the Pure in Heart Conference to ignite a passion for purity in the hearts of tweens.

Emulating Good Mentors

Role models themselves present somewhat of a paradox for parents. We want our kids to have people to look up to, but we realize that no one on earth is perfect. It’s a lot of pressure to be a role model, and it’s a huge responsibility. These days we have athletes and celebrities who are very uncomfortable being role models. They shrug it off because they just really don’t want it. Maybe they don’t like being accountable; they don’t like having to answer for what they do. But the very nature of being in the public eye puts these folks in the way of being admired and looked up to as role models.

Several years ago when my boys were younger and just starting to play baseball, they were big fans of Arod. (I like Arod too; I actually carry one of his baseball cards with me just in case I ever run into him somewhere, LOL.) We were watching a Yankees-Red Sox game when the pitcher just barely missed hitting Arod, and Arod just let loose with a stream of cursing. Although they were bleeping it out, it was very easy to read his lips. That's when I told my sons, “You might want to emulate Arod's batting stance, but what he just exhibited there was a lack of self-control. He didn’t control his anger; he let his anger control him. You don’t want to be like him in that respect.”

As parents, these are the times when we really understand that, when it comes to our kids and this culture, the only role model that we have any real control over is ourselves. And even in that, we will let our kids down. My choice then, is to constantly point my kids to Christ. He is the only perfect One, the only One worth emulating in all things. When it comes to being a role model, I want to offer my kids the example of a life spent following Jesus, leaning on Him, and trusting in Him.

Read the other posts in this series: When Role Models Fall
Real-Life Consequences.
Owning Your Behavior.
Living with Consequences.
Emulating Good Mentors.



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Living with Consequences

When my family was young, we had a dear pastor who once preached a sermon entitled, “You Have to Live in the House You Paint.” He told the story of his neighbor, who was going for dark red siding on his house, but when it dried it was a purply-fuschia color. And this homeowner had to live with it—at least for a while anyway—because it was too big a job to do it over immediately, and of course, there was great expense involved (a price to pay). There is always a consequence. Sometimes it’s temporary; sometimes it’s long-lasting.

See the other posts in this series: When Role Models Fall
Real-Life Consequences.
Owning Your Behavior.
Living with Consequences.
Emulating Good Mentors.




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Owning Your Behavior

Kids are great at pointing the finger of blame—She made me! Or, He started it! But we have to learn to own our behavior. The only person sitting in that courtroom is Lohan. Friends she might have blamed have left her. She’s the one who has to stand on her own before the judge.

See the other posts in this series: When Role Models Fall
Real-Life Choices.
Owning Your Behavior.
Living with Consequences.
Emulating Good Mentors.


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Real-Life Choices

Substance abuse is a choice that kids often make thinking that “just one time” won’t hurt anything. But you don’t know if it will or not. Nobody takes his first drink or his first hit intending to become an addict, intending to become a slave to it. Role-play with your child some different scenarios and talk about how to stand firm on a decision for a substance-free life.

See the other posts in this series: When Role Models Fall

Real-Life Choices.
Owning Your Behavior.
Living with Consequences.
Emulating Good Mentors.




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Getting Ready!

Hey Everybody,

Don't forget See You at the Pole is tomorrow--Wednesday, September 23!

If you're on your way to work in the morning and you see some kids gathered around a flagpole, please take a few minutes to stop and pray with them! It's okay--they will love it! They are praying for our country, our future, and our nation's millions of souls who need Jesus. They are also praying for the community in which they find themselves immersed everyday: school. As you remember, it can be its own planet.

Last Friday, my church family had the pleasure of serving a taco dinner to the local high school's football team. It had been some time since I had walked through the hallways of a public high school, and oh my, it still made me nervous! As a sign of what is becoming typical these days, there were little stations set up everywhere with hand sanitizer dispensers. At every turn in the hallway, and throughout the cafeteria, you could just squirt and keep on goin'! LOL. But truthfully, it is not that easy to disinfect the multitude of hurts, problems, and issues that many teens face every day.

I will be speaking at the SYATP rally at Richland Park in Portland, TN, tomorrow evening, and Danya and her band will be there leading worship. Would you please pray for us? And pray for all the kids who are joining hands and hearts around the flagpole tomorrow.

Mom's Tip of the Day #92

 Studies repeatedly reveal that the greatest influence on a child’s attitude toward sex, and on his decision concerning how to use that gift, comes directly from his parents.

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The Twice as Nice Giveaway Winner is...

Karina Curtis, who entered via Facebook! Congratulations, Karina!

TWICE AS NICE GIVEAWAY!

Hey Everybody,

I think it's time for another giveaway! :)

The recent Kanye West/Taylor Swift incident was adults playing out what many of our middle schoolers face on a daily basis. Here are the lessons I think we can take from this:

Words hurt--no matter how old you are.

Sometimes bullies grow up to be. . .bullies.

Respecting people by offering them grace and dignity is always the right thing to do, and since people just don't do that very often, it won't go unnoticed.

So, for anyone who has ever been hurt by words, been bullied (or been a bully), and for all of you who are plugging away at doing the right thing....this giveaway is for YOU!

THE TWICE AS NICE GIVEAWAY!

Enter to win my latest book, Season of Change: Parenting Your Middle Schooler with Passion and Purpose and my friend Glynnis Whitwer's new book, When Your Child is Hurting: Helping Your Kids Survive the Ups and Downs of Life. Looks like a great tool kit for any middle school parent! This prize package has a retail value of ..... $26.98!

The Twice as Nice Giveaway has two ways to enter. If you do both, you'll be entered TWICE!

1. Leave a comment on this post! (Please check out my giveaway rules here.)

AND

2. Fan me on Facebook! I just recently got my author page up, and I would love for you to join me there! Click here: Rebecca Ingram Powell or just click on the FB widget in my sidebar!

I'm running the contest through this Saturday, Sept. 19th! The winner will be announced and notified on Monday, Sept. 21st, when I begin my countdown to the Season of Change book signing at the North Knoxville LifeWay Store!

"Engage: Go and Pray..." See You at the Pole 2009!

Hey Everybody,

I posted on Facebook about See You at the Pole (SYATP) and got several questions regarding what it is and how it works. Since I am really still struggling with FB (what it is and how it works LOL!) I wanted to post here to fill you in on this student-led phenomenon that is celebrating its 19th year.

Here's how it happened: Back in June 1990, a group of teenagers who were on a DiscipleNow weekend met with God in a powerful way. They were burdened for their lost friends and their schools like never before. They went out that night to three different schools in their area to pray, and according to the website: "Not knowing exactly what to do, they went to the school flagpoles and prayed for their friends, schools, and leaders." From that simple act of obedience, a movement was born! A few months later, in September 1990, "45,000 teenagers met at school flagpoles in four different states to pray before the start of school. " Incredible!

The event is scheduled for the fourth Wednesday in September, which this year, is September 23. Students meet at their schools at 7am, gather around the flagpole, and pray. That's it. No special equipment required! It's just about prayer.

Hmmm. It seems to me that is what it always comes down to! I once interviewed Fern Nichols, the inspiring founder of Moms In Touch International, and at the end of the interview, I said, "Prayer is the first and the last, don't you think?" And she replied, "And it's in the middle, too."

“Engage: Go and pray . . .” (2 Kings 22:13a)

Consider This #15

Hey Everybody,

I know that I usually have a quote for your pondering pleasure on Saturdays, but I'm just home from an excellent evening, and I wanted to share.

This week has been full, crazy, and good. I didn't get everything that I wanted to get done accomplished, but that's okay. I've been busy and healthy and I have no complaints. There is so much going on in our country...our communities...and for some the situations that are around us seem quite bleak.

But tonight, I sat in a coffee shop in Hendersonville, TN, where there were people gathered to just listen to some good music, celebrate the end of the week, and talk about what God had done with it: A youth pastor's wife who is investing her life in neglected teenagers. A homeschooling mom raising two sons and caring for her elderly mom. A missionary who finds herself on a new mission field. This is life. This is hope, really. Ever thought about it that way?

Before Danya began to sing, she remarked that in spite of everything going on in individual lives and in our life as a nation, God still has a plan. A good plan.

And it's true. He really does.

Consider this as you live your weekend!

Knoxville Book Signing is Coming Up!

Hey Everybody!

I am getting so excited about my book signing that is coming up in just a couple of weeks!

• North Knoxville LifeWay Christian Store
• Harvest Center
• Saturday, September 26
• 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

I talked with the manager today, Chip Hall, and that was such a blessing! I am excited about meeting him and all the folks at that store. I hope that I get to meet some of y'all, too, so if you live anywhere in the area, please come out and say hi! They will have plenty of copies of Season of Change as well as my other books!

Also, I will be speaking that evening in Morristown at Cherokee Hills Baptist Church. If you're interested in that event, please call the church (423.586.4481) and let them know!

Wanna Play?

Hey Everybody,

When our tweens need to connect, a great way to reach their hearts and get inside their heads is through play. As our kids get older and we parents get busier, it becomes more difficult to take time to play together; however, it is critical to the relationship.

Reaching the heart of your preteen happens more easily when you:

• Like who they are and who they are becoming.
• Listen well.
• Love them with your arms, wallet, and a home open wide to their friends.

Get rightly focused on what your child needs: He needs all of you because he is growing and becoming all that he can be. Soon, he is going to disappear. These growing pains of adolescence are the preliminary stretch to the final lap of parenting, the teen years. The foundation you lay now is crucial to the formation of your relationship ahead.

I'd love for you to head over to my page at the Examiner and take a look at my recent article, "Tweens Still Need to Play."

Even My Mother Can't Believe. . .

that I saved so much money today!
Hey Everybody,
Thanks to my friend Kelly's motivation and mentoring skills, I finally got under the $100 mark TODAY on my weekly grocery trip! Rich and I had to hustle to get the food put up because we were headed out to Chick fil a (free sandwiches today! yum!) :), so I didn't get a picture, but I will give you the breakdown:
I spent: $94.
Now, that's my total shopping trip, after going to both Publix and Kroger.

• Publix: Spent $19.95 and saved $27.49. That's a savings of around 58%.
• Kroger: Spent $74.00 and saved $46.47. That's a savings of around 38%.

I am really pleased with this. I keep calling it the "grocery game" because I am really having fun with it. Clipping my coupons, doing the meal plans, matching up the deals--it is good, clean fun! It beats sudoku, anyway! LOL
If you want to investigate saving money by shopping smarter, check out Kelly's site, Faithful Provisions.
Learning as I go is the reality of my life!

Consider This #14

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians (3:1-2)

Here's something to think about this weekend:

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Take Them to the Cross

"So, why did He do that? Why did the Cross have to happen?"

It was asked so sincerely, and for the first time all evening, every
child in the room was quiet. And I thought, Okay, Lord, we'll go with
this...

This past Wednesday evening, our children's director was out sick, and she had asked me to fill in with the story for the 1st - 6th graders. We are going to be talking about missions with the kids over the next few months, but we don't have our curriculum just yet, so my plan was to find a Bible story to share. Last week I taught the kids about Philip and the man from Ethiopia. This week, I prayed, Lord, what do you want me to tell the kids about? And I was impressed to "Take them to the Cross." Well, for whatever reason (you may pick from pride, foolishness, audacity, distractedness, or any combination), I decided, "I think I will do the story of the Samaritan Woman."

We usually have anywhere from 5 to 8 kids on Wednesday nights in grades 1-6. Most of them are on the younger end. This past Wednesday night, we had...16. This is amazing in and of itself. And 5 of them were 5th and 6th graders. I have at this point completely dismissed and forgotten anything about a lesson on the Cross...really, y'all, I'm just not thinking in that direction at all. And so I open my Bible to the story of the Samaritan Woman and I will have you know IT WAS NOT THERE! (Well, it wasn't in John 12, where I was looking for it LOL.) So while I am flipping through the New Testament and my concordance in a desperate attempt to find this woman, I began asking the kids questions about last week's lesson.

"What is a missionary?" I asked.

"A person who tells people about God," they answered.

Nope, I wanted them to be specific. Not just God. (The kids I teach hear a lot about God. They hear, "ohmygod" and "god*#$%" etc. Of the 16 kids present, only three of them had parents who were in prayer meeting. The rest were dropped off by parents or picked up by our church van. ) I wanted them to say Jesus. I went on to explain that Jesus is the only way, reminding them that the Scriptures that Philip explained to the Ethiopian man were about Christ's death on the Cross.

That's when Tyree asked, "So, why did He do that? Why did that happen?" And then that same impression, "Take them to the Cross," was repeated in my heart.

Ohhhhhhhh.

So I did. I even drew pictures on the board to explain how Christ is sinful man's connection to a holy God. And then, I went over the simplicity of this free gift and how easy it was to ask Jesus into your heart. Overwhelmed by the presence of God and the rapt attention of these 16 children, many of whom I had never seen before, I prayed the sinner's prayer and invited any of them who wanted to, to pray it with me. I told them that if they asked Jesus into their heart, I wanted to know, and I hoped they would tell me.

And one did.

One heart. One life. One future.

"We humans make plans, but the LORD has the final word" (Proverbs 16:1). I am so thankful for that!

The Man Cave (Part Two)

TOP TEN ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR A MAN CAVE

1. Refrigerator. (Why do you think David is standing there? He is standing in front of the total entertainment center: a mini-fridge with a TV on top. Really.)

2. TV. This TV is hooked up for games, and it also has a video player. (I would not ever recommend that cable be available in a room where teens are not held accountable. Y'all know me better than that!)

3. Bean bag chairs. Of course! Btw, several items in the man cave are donations from our neighbors, who call my boys instead of calling Goodwill. LOL.


4. Stage. There is also a cleaned-out area where the guys can jam. (It is located right next to the air vents. I can hear them all through the house when they get the guitars going. I kinda feel like Shirley Partridge!)

5. A Chuck Norris Poster. It's to the far left in this picture. It has lots of inspirational sayings on it, such as, "The true definition of pi is Chuck Norris" and "Before he forgot a gift for Chuck Norris, Santa Claus was real."

6. Duct tape. The boys built a storage unit using milk crates and duct tape. (I think one can build anything with duct tape. ) Duct tape is absolutely essential for any self-respecting man-caver. My mom-in-law sticks a roll of duct tape in each of the boys' stockings at Christmas, and they are always thrilled to receive it!

7. Air hockey table. Competition. Sarcasm. Shameless manly pride.

8. Skateboard. So Derek can "shred" all over the concrete floor.

9. Graffitti. I love the wall art!

10. Men! What's a man cave without the guys?

The Man Cave (Part One)

Definitely the "before" picture!

Hey Everybody,

I've always known how important it was that girls have a place to call their own during their tumultuous growing up years, but evidently, it's pretty important to guys, too! For weeks this summer, my sons, along with a neighbor friend, have been working on transforming our basement into a "man cave." What you see in the picture is definitely the "before" picture!

Let me just say that the basement has never been my domain. Nope! Several years ago, when we were looking at this house with the intent to buy, I felt I needed to venture down to the basement. After all, if we were going to buy the house, I should at least look at it once, right? Well, when I pulled open the door to go down the stairs, I was completely unhinged by the fragrance of something absolutely wonderful: my grandfather. Pappaw had a shop in his basement where he did carpentry and woodworking. Whenever we went to see him and my mammaw in the summertime or during the holidays, he would take me down to show me his latest project. When I was little, I always had to have a Dixie cup filled with sawdust before I would agree to go back upstairs! Btw, only grandparents would let a child walk around a clean house with a cup full of sawdust! Pappaw's basement always smelled like a granddad should smell, you know? Just kind of musty and mannish. So when I caught a whiff of that basement aroma that day, I just burst into tears. It had been a long time since I had felt so close to Pappaw, and since the memory of him had been so vivid. All that to say, after my crying jag, once the basement checked out okay, I was done!

My sons, however, have looked at the basement, and where I see memories, they have seen the future! I know you want to see what they've done with the place, so come back tomorrow and I'll post some pictures. I feel sure that they are headed for Design Star. :)

Thanks for checking in with me, y'all--with school starting, and all kinds of senior-type things going on for my girl, basketball beginning for my guys, not to mention some more cool stuff I will share soon, I have neglected my blog! Thanks for your emails, comments, and encouragement!