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Dear Friends,

We are no longer updating this blog here.

We have moved to Hearts of Moms Blog at http://heartsofmoms.wordpress.com/

There are many more new posts and resources there. Visit us at Hearts of Moms Blog.

God bless.

Hearts of Moms Blog at Wordpress :)

Latest Update

Dear Friends,
We have moved!!

Please check our new blog at http://heartsofmoms.wordpress.com/ for the latest post and recommendation of resources. All our old posts are there as well. So you won't be missing anything.

God bless.

We have Moved

We have moved to http://heartsofmoms.wordpress.com/

Please visit us at Hearts of Moms Blog

We are in the process of moving. So do bear with us. Meanwhile, you still and check the latest 2 postings there on the recaps from our previous session at Heart2Heart.

See you there :)

Choices Recap

Visit us at our new blog on wordpress.com at : Hearts of Moms Blog :) We are no longer updating this blog.

Who would have thought that Psalms 1 can be applicable to us moms? And what's more to our children as well.

Below is Mom JW's takeaway from the session. There was so much she took home with her. She said ti can't be summarized in a paragraph :)

We were made to reflect on the verbs in Psalms 1 - sit, stand & walk vs meditate & delight.

I liked this approach as it showed many of us the many practices, lifestyle & ways we can go wrong when we are unaware of our actions when we adapt to society's standards.

Christians should WALK to a different rhythm in the secular world, seeking righteousness and knowing God's will through the Bible and from fellow people of God. However, it is critical that we need to learn to recognise the moments and rise up for the LORD.

Together with the Holy Spirit, He will give us discernment and wisdom when to STAND against the subtle ways of evil thinking and outside influences.

We need to be aware not to just SIT down or become apathetic to worldly habits that may creep into our lives through work culture and worldly standards and ambitions.

We have to remember to be alert to our own weaknesses and to always have an attitude of self-checking.

God gave us the freewill to choose and these choices will determine our own path and ultimately, our children's path.

Thus we must choose to PURSUE HOLINESS...

As such, we need to discipline our MINDS - by MEDIDATING bible verses, and by looking for God in everything. Dont be lazy, dont ignore, dont procrastinate, dont be self centered, dont be too busy- have self control! Change our attitude!

Most importantly, we must find DELIGHT in being with the Lord and enjoy dwelling in His presence.

Finally, our personal growth benefits us with the wisdom and discernment in teaching, training and distinguishing our children's choices that are Christian values.

The type of tree we are will determine the type of FRUIT they are!

We concluded with Phil 4:6-7 "DO NOT be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the PEACE of God that surpasses all understanding will GUARD your HEARTS and MINDS in Christ Jesus."

Choices Galore!

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We are faced with many choices today - choice of things to watch .. to read .. to listen ... to do...

Some of these choices are just simple everyday stuff, but some of these choices we make today will impact the outcome of the future.

Some of these choices we make today lay a foundation for what we become later on in life.

Come join us this Friday, 17th July 2009 as we look into God's word and find out what it means to be intentional in the choices we make today, and how that will impact our lives and our children's.

Topic : Choices

Date : 17th July, 2009 - Friday

Time : 9:00-11:30am

Place : Conference Rooms 1 & 2

Greater is HE !!

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This is sure one very powerful testimony of the love and power and the NAME of Jesus.

Chief ShoeFoot was a shaman of the Yanomamo tribe in the deep dark forest of the Amazon. In this testimony he shared how he was in bondage to the spirit world and how Jesus set him from his bondage.

Truly, Greater is He who is in us, than he that is in the world.

This audio testimony really opened my eyes to what a GREAT BIG WONDERFUL GOD we have!!

• Finding the One True God (Part 1 of 2)
• Finding the One True God (Part 2 of 2)

For trailers and review and book, look at these links :

• The Enemy God (The Movie)
• Plugged In Review: The Enemy God(Summary & Review of Movie by Focus on the Family)
• Book: Growing Up Yanomamo: Missonary Adventures in the Amazon Rainforest (Exciting book written for the teens in mind)
• Spirit of the Rainforest: A Yanomamo Shaman's Story(Testimony of a former shaman)

Bautista Perez, also known as Shoe Foot, was a shaman of the Yanomamo tribe when some Christian missionaries came to his village and shared the Gospel with him. Perez became a Christian and has since been actively involved in reaching his own people with the love of Christ. He has traveled extensively in the United States, speaking in college campuses about his people and his experiences in the spirit world. He and his wife, Marilu, have 8 children.

Dedicated to All the Dads!

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We missed putting up this post for Father's Day.

Nevertheless, this post is dedicated to all the dads of our precious kids.

Beautiful and powerful tributes and testimonies of fathers touching lives of their kids.

For all the Dads .....

Winning Strategies for Successful Fathers

Carey Casey offers encouragement to dads in a discussion based on his book, Championship Fathering: How to Win at Being a Dad.

• Winning Strategies for Successful Fathers (Part 1 of 2)
• Winning Strategies for Successful Fathers (Part 2 of 2)

In Honor of Dad

In commemoration of Father's Day, comedian Dennis Swanberg offers encouragement to dads as he shares humorous stories about his father

• In Honor of Dad (Part 1 of 2)
• In Honor of Dad (Part 2 of 2)

Step Up to the Plate, Dad!

What do you remember about your childhood? Evangelist RV Brown, author of the book Step Up to the Plate, Dad!, reminisces about growing up in a family of 17 children and fondly recalls the integrity and fortitude of his father, Eddie "Fish" Brown. .... What words would you use to describe a father--faithful, hard-working, strong? Evangelist RV Brown, author of the book Step Up to the Plate, Dad!, talks enthusiastically to Dennis Rainey about what it means to be a father.

• Reaping the Family Blessing
• What is a Father?

Manhood

How would your wife rate you as a husband? Hear a message by Matt Chandler, pastor of the The Village Church in Highland Village, TX, on what it means to be a man who initiates, nourishes, and cherishes his wife.

• Men as Husbands

Dads are the burden bearers of the household. Pastor Matt Chandler talks to men about the responsibilities they bear as fathers. Hear him explain why fathers shouldn't provoke their children to anger, and how the discipline of the children squarely falls on the father's shoulders.

• Men as Fathers

Children & Friends

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We had a very lively discussion last Friday regarding our Children's Relationship with Others.

Through the DVD, we learnt from Reggie Joiner that as our children grow, friends begin to play and exert a greater role in their lives, especially during the teenage years.

We concur with Reggie Joiner and also learnt from our own experiences & that of our family's and others that friends do influence the quality and direction of our lives. We learnt that often the greatest successes and biggest regrets in our lives are directly influenced by our friends. Proverbs 13:20 says "He who walks with the wise is wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm."

Hence, it is important that we look into the friends our children mix/hang out with and we must also make an effort to influence our children's choice of friends.

Some key points on ways we can influence our children's choice of friends :

1. Set up play groups for our children.
2. Encourage our children to pray that God will bring friends into their lives - this builds the child's faith to when he/she sees God answering the prayer. One mom testified this to God's glory.
3. Get kids involved in some team sports - where they can learn to interact with team mates and through playing together, build strong bonds with each other. Being involved in a sports will also take away idle time from our kids spending too much time playing computer or console games.
4. Encourage them to join ccas or uniform groups that encourage team building. CCAs like the Boys' or Girls' Brigade really draw the kids together through their team building exercises and camps and outings.
5. Plan outings or holidays together with family friends with kids of similar age group on a regular basis. Do it together with families with similar values.
6. Help your children start a bible study or small group with their friends even when they are in primary school. When they study God's word together and pray together, they will learn and grow together. And as they grow up together in this small group, they can hold each other accountable to the values and truth of God, in their teens years and adulthood. The bonds and ties build up during these years will last them through their life time as seen by many of us in our own lives and that of our spouses'.
7. Get our children to participate in church or youth camps
8. Know the friends our children hang out with. Invite them to our homes, talk to them, encourage them and help guide them.
9. Empower our children to be discerning in choice of friends. Teach them through God's word.

Perhaps you have more ideas than what we have discussed. You can also share it with us by posting a comment at the end of this posting :)

Good friends are very important to all of us. No man is an island, so they say. And it is true. Good friends are the ones who stand by us and with us in times of our trials and help us get through a difficult time. Many of us can testify to that.

Through all these, we see that we must be intentional in shaping these precious relationships of our children and do not leave them to chance. Having said this, we must also remember that we cannot micro-manage but must guide and empower our children to be wise, sensible and discerning. Remember, we will not and cannot be with them at their universities or workplace. And we really don't want them running back to us when they are 20/25/30 asking if that is a good friend for them.

So it is very important to pray - pray for them and their friends.

Some additional thoughts on praying for our children and their friends :

Reflections (taken from 2004 Heart2Heart Prayer Workshop for Our Children)

· Even as we pray for our children to be surrounded by good friends, we should ask ourselves – what sort of friend will our child be to another? Friendship is a two way street.

· When we pray for our children’s friends, we are building safety nets below these children, preventing them from slipping into the hands of satan. In this way, we are also extending God’s kingdom as well. Sometimes, we may need to pray for removal of a bad influence (2 Thess 3:2-3) but other times, God may want to use our child to influence this other child and bring him/her to Christ.

· We can also pray against the following to reduce the risk of them falling into bad company:

o Low self-esteem

o Loneliness

o Adverse influence

o Negative Influence

· Pray for wisdom and a way of escape when caught in a difficult situation

· Proverbs is a good place to look up when praying for our children’s relationships and walk with God

It had been a fruitful session that Friday! Each of us present that day realised that in order for us to help guide our child and influence him or her, we must first have a good relationship with them. We also saw that we are so finite in our thinking and ability and we really need God - we need to build our foundation upon our Lord before we can help our children.

Where is God?!?

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Where is God in all my pains and suffering?

Doesn't He see? Doesn't He care? Where is He?

There are times in our lives when we may have asked these questions and we struggled with them and with God.

Listen to or read some of the testimonies of these people who have been through pains, sickness and deaths... Listen and learn of how they exchanged despair for hope and grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Beautiful, powerful, moving and faith building and inspiring testimonies. Each family, each individual has a story that will prick your heart and move you to tears.

Take time to listen or read some of these beautiful stories.

When God Breaks Your Heart

Where is God when we suffer? Ed Underwood, a pastor and loving family man, found himself asking this same question as he became gripped by a form of chronic leukemia. Ed shares how he was first diagnosed, and how the intense pain and agony of the disease brought him to such a low point that he told his wife he was finished with praying. Hear him tell how his wife's unshakable faith brought him through his dark days. ... Are the brokenhearted near the Lord? Absolutely, according to pastor Ed Underwood, a man who has battled a rare and chronic form of leukemia. Ed tells how he seriously contemplated suicide as a way out of his debilitating pain until he began to study John 11 and the story of Lazarus' death. Join us to hear what Ed learned from that story about praying dangerous prayers. ...Where is God when it hurts? Pastor Ed Underwood shares what he's learned about God and life as he's walked through the valley of the shadow of death battling chronic leukemia.

• Trusting in the Truths of God
• Understanding the Story of Lazarus
• Reflecting God's Glory

A Symphony in the Dark

Rebecca Mutz wanted to be a mom ever since she could remember. Hear Rebecca tell how her dreams came true in a labor and delivery room in a small Colorado hospital. When baby Molly didn't cry for four minutes after delivery, however, a new mother's worst fears began to materialize. .... It was a one in a million stroke of bad luck--or was it? Molly Mutz, infant daughter of Rebecca and Jake Mutz, was born with an exceptionally rare and terribly damaging defect in the blood vessels supplying her brain. Jake and Rebecca tell how they waited to hear the diagnosis that could mean life or death for their firstborn daughter, Molly. Hear how they considered what God would have them do in response. .... Molly, born with a rare brain disorder, demanded constant care just to stay alive. But little Molly was used by God to work great things. Hear Molly's parents, Jake and Rebecca Mutz, tell how Mighty Molly Mutz brought two families even closer together in the circle of the fellowship of suffering - and how both families were strengthened in the midst of tremendous adversity. .... When life and death are at stake, where do you turn for answers? For Jake and Rebecca Mutz, that decision was easy--they turned to God. When they did, they found the strength to face the final moments of their infant daughter's brief life with dignity and compassion. ....Who can measure the power of a life? Molly Mutz lived just seven days, but the influence she exerted during her brief life stands as powerful evidence of God's infinite creativity. Today, we celebrate the homegoing of Mighty Molly Mutz.

• The Joy of Birth in the Shadow of Fear
• Something is Terribly Wrong
• The Circle Forms
• The Death Angel
• Mighty Molly Mutz: A Legacy of Hope

Into the Deep

Sometimes the unimaginable happens. Robert Rogers shares how an ordinary Labor Day weekend turned into an unbelievable tragedy when his minivan carrying his family of six was swept off the freeway in a turbulent flashflood. Hear him reflect on what he was thinking and feeling in those final moments before the van was totally engulfed in the raging waters.... Where do you turn when all hope seems gone? For Robert Rogers, watching his van quickly fill with water, the only place to turn was to God. Robert talks about his last-ditch effort to save his family by kicking out the window of his van as it submerged into the murky waters, only to find himself carried away by the swift current. Find out who survived and why Roberts still believes in God's sovereign grace. ... What does it mean to trust God in all circumstances? Robert Rogers recounts the awful flash flood that claimed the lives of his wife and children. Hear Robert share how a mustard seed of faith and his resolute trust in a sovereign God carried him through his family's tragedy.

• Tumbling Into the Dark
• Swimming Against the Current of Grief
• Catching Your Breath

Shame Lifter

Author Marilyn Hontz talks about her painful childhood and explains how she found freedom from the shame of her past through her relationship with Jesus Christ.

• Overcoming the Shame of the Past 1
• Overcoming the Shame of the Past 2

Being the Church in Tough Times

Where do you turn when life gets tough? Dave Wilson, pastor at Kensington Community Church in Troy, Michigan, tells Dennis Rainey how the economy is affecting his church and state. With layoffs happening weekly, Dave encourages the body of Christ to not only pray for people, but to provide much needed community and support for those affected by job loss. ... Hardship often leads to discouragement. Dave Wilson, a pastor at Kensington Community Church in Michigan and chaplain of the Detroit Lions, talks about the economic climate facing the state of Michigan, and tells those affected by the economy to take courage and to trust in God's faithfulness.

• Facing Job Loss
• Staring Down Discouragement

Unexpected Journey

You can't always see what's around the corner. That was certainly true for Joe and Cindi Ferrini as they prayed for God's direction for their lives and marriage. Joe and Cindi recall the happiness that the birth of their first child, Joey, brought them, and the despair they felt later when their precious baby was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and mental retardation. ... Sometimes one single incident changes the course of your life. Joe and Cindi Ferrini tell how their lives have changed since the birth of their first child, Joey, was born with severe disabilities. Having decided to raise Joey themselves despite his challenges, Joe and Cindi share what they've learned about unconditional love as they've nurtured and cared for Joey. ... Caring for a handicapped child isn't easy. Joe and Cindi Ferrini talk about the challenges they've faced as they've raised their mentally retarded son, Joey, to adulthood.

• Facing a Painful Reality
• Embracing Life's Changes
• Love: A Day-by-Day Assignment