Friday 'Fess Up

Good evening, friends! I'm sorry this has been delayed in getting out to you all. But it really fits so well with my confession today. I confess that I have really enjoyed stepping back from all the "things" I usually do! Not this blog, of course! But those things that pull me away from my family, from church, from the assignment God has given me. Can you relate?

Usually, I have school to work on (mine or the kids), have the youth organization where I was the leader, prayer groups, and other miscellaneous meetings that just rob me of my time focusing on and working on those things the Lord has called me to do. Well, I've stepped away from two of those things, and I can honestly say, I don't miss them! I miss the people, but I don't miss the time they sucked away from my Kingdom work.

Tonight, and into tomorrow as we look forward to a new year filled with new beginnings, new opportunities, and new adventures, I want you to seriously consider how busy you are.
What things can go?
What things SHOULD go?
What do you want t focus more on?
What do you want to accomplish?
What do you want 2017 to be for you?
How do you want your life, business, family, relationships, finances to flourish?

Pray about those things and write them down! If you write them down and look at them every day, you're 93% more likely to accomplish them! What have you enjoyed during this holiday season? What things is the Lord showing you need to be removed and need to be your center of attention? Whatever it is, allow Him to reveal that to you as you pray, as you sleep, as you go about your day! Say this: 

Have a blessed last day of 2016 tomorrow!

Lyn~

Homeschool Hump Day Encouragement

Vision boards and One Word are my passion! If you've read my blog long enough, you know this. Today, I want to talk to you about vision boards and One Word for your children. If your kids are about 7 or older, they are capable of choosing goals (maybe with a bit of assistance to keep things realistic!) and to create a vision board. So now you're thinking, "How do I get my kids to make goals when they won't even clean their rooms?"

I want to help you guide your children toward their passions, callings, and visions the Lord is beginning to reveal to them in their lives.  If you read that sentence thinking, “My elementary/middle/high schooler doesn’t have a CLUE what his or her vision, passion, or calling is!  How can I guide my child toward that?”  Let me assure you, there are steps you can take, one year at a time!

Whether you or your child knows or sees it, he or she is being molded into the person God planned.  Learning how to focus in on your student’s purpose and calling requires a few steps, even if the student already has a clear idea of his or her calling in life.  This is your opportunity to encourage them, build them up and challenge them to put their faith in the Lord to reach those goals.

 You might ask them open-ended and leading questions to see if they are thinking about future careers and the call God has put on their lives.  Ask them:

• Was there something you enjoyed doing when you were younger that you still do now?
• If money were not an issue (maybe you would get paid, maybe you wouldn’t), would you do this activity, hobby, etc.?
• When you grow up, which of the following jobs would you most like to have?  Why?

-The chief of a major company like General Motors

-A Navy SEAL

-A United States Senator

-The president of a great university like Harvard or Yale

-The personal assistant to a very famous singer or movie star

• What are your biggest dreams?
• How can I help you get started toward that goal?

You don’t have to have all the answers.  You just need to listen, believe in them, and help them see things from a different point of view sometimes!  They will look to you as an example, a role model, for what they can accomplish in life.  Just being there is often the best thing you can do for a teen.

In the Scriptures we read that:

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (Ephesians 1:11-12, The Message)

Helping your child find his or her passion and get a clear vision is one of the most amazing things you can do. Getting their eyes on the Lord and off into the world will catapult them to accomplishing what God has predestined them to do for the Kingdom.

 What your students can imagine themselves doing in life, what they have in their hearts to do for the Lord, they can become!

Heading into the New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas weekend with family and friends celebrating Jesus' birth! I was blessed to have all my children and grandchildren here at our house and my heart couldn't be more full!

As we look back on the past year, there are many things that were on our vision boards that we were able to complete! YAY for all your achievements! But there may have been things that were on your vision board that you weren't able to accomplish. I want to encourage you that it's not that you missed something, didn't work hard enough to achieve that, or that it wasn't meant to be. Sometimes, it's just not the right time or right season in our life for the dreams and goals we have. Don't lose hope, though! Keep putting it on your annual vision board and seek the Lord. Ask Him to show you what the right time is, the right season in your spiritual and personal life, and to give you the desire of your heart! He didn't give you that dream or vision for nothing. He has a time--and a purpose--for everything that He has given to you as a dream.

Finally, I want to remind you to pray and think about what your One Word will be for 2017. In the past, I have shared my words and they served to give me focus and direction in the year. Think about what you want to accomplish, what goals you have for 2017. Is there a common theme? Maybe a word that connects all of them? Maybe that is your One Word!

I'll be praying for you and if you would like a One Word badge as seen on my Super Mom the Illusion home page, I'd be happy to make one for you! Send an email with color requests to: lynparker8@gmail.com.

May you have a blessed and prosperous New Year!!


Lyn~

Friday 'Fess Up

We've talked a lot about vision boards and making goals. The goals we make--and write down--we're more apt to achieve. A year ago, I wrote out some goals that I wanted to accomplish. Below are the Top Ten Goals for 2016 I made and some that I missed. It's not that those goals weren't God-goals or weren't meant to be accomplished, but maybe the timing wasn't right. So let's see how my year went:

I worked with youth, I'm continuing my Master's degree, getting ready to publish one book, took those three family vacations with family (one trip with my dad and sister, one with 2 grandsons and 3 youngest kids, and one with the whole family), became a state public affairs representative, and had nearly $1,000 of credit card debt forgiven! Praise the Lord for those successes!

Of course there were things that I didn't accomplish either. Our women's ministry is still a work in progress, I was not able to increase my income, I didn't publish 2 books (just the one above), I didn't get to Canada this year, and my husband and I didn't get to take that missions trip to Germany and Poland. But everything is in God's perfect timing. Just because they didn't happen this year, doesn't mean they won't ever happen. That's the same for your goals that were missed this year. 

Don't get down on yourself for not accomplishing those things either! We have to rely on God's direction for seeing the vision to completion, not our own power! Remember, even if you only hit SOME of your goals, you were successful! If you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time. I'd rather aim for 100% and hit 50% than not aim for anything at all!

What were your goals last year? Are you planning to make goals for 2017? I'd love for you to share them with me and my team so we can pray over them!

Have a great weekend!!

Lyn~

My Personal Testimony of Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

When I was a journalism student in college just eight years ago, my voice and presentation professor told me that I had a face for radio (as opposed to television news). That comment scarred me for a long time, especially because I was a 38-year-old non-traditional student whose peers were mainly 19 to 21-year-olds!
But here it is! One of the few videos I've done. I felt that the message and my own testimony were more important than my fears and insecurities. The Lord is redeeming me in those areas, and the fear of what others think has less of an impact on me than in years earlier.  Please watch the video, and if you have never received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and you would like to, send me a Facebook message or email. I'd love to pray for you in that area of your life!

Thanks for visiting today!

Lyn~

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

When that pivotal moment in our lives came, and our eyes were opened and we had a divine revelation and knew that we needed a Lord and Savior, we accepted that gift with great rejoicing and gratitude at the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. Do you remember that feeling, that day, that moment? I do.

What about the moment you received Jesus' precious gift of the Holy Spirit? Do you remember when you received and accepted that gift? Maybe you haven't yet. Join me tomorrow when I share my personal testimony of my baptism of the Holy Spirit!

If you've been baptized in the Spirit, I'd love to hear your story, too!

Comment here or share on Facebook: www.facebook.com/supermomtheillusion


Have a blessed Day!


Lyn~

Homeschool Hump Day Encouragement

One of my favorite things about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible and think outside the box when it comes to school. Traditionally, students go to school, are taught from a textbook, and are guided to learn the material from that book. I suppose even as a student myself, I never really liked textbooks. My philosophy of education is to teach children how to learn and to learn to be lifelong learners.

You may be wondering how you can teach your children without using textbooks or you may think I'm completely wrong about tying education to anything but using textbooks. The fact is, children learn in many different ways just like adults do. What was the last thing you learned? Maybe you watched a YouTube video on how to crochet or took a free online course or maybe you even learned how to make a vision board from reading a blog! Have you ever considered additional ways for children to learn some of the academic subjects or electives that interest them?

Here are some ideas of ways to teach your children that are a bit "outside the box":

What kinds of things do you do with your children that move away from textbooks?


Have a great homeschooling week!


Lyn~

What Are You Saying About YOU?

I am a believer in positive affirmations. Ever since I took a class back when I had my first baby, I was convinced that speaking good things over my children would be beneficial to them later in life. I also used that same technique, if you will, with my husband, encouraging him in the pursuits and goals he had for our family and for himself as the head of our household. But I forgot about the one person many of us women neglect to consider--ME!

How often do we go without so our kids can have something more, something better? How often do we make sure everyone else is taken care of? How often do we long for time to ourselves only to be called to kiss a boo-boo, stifle a conflict, or soothe a crying little one? How many times have we felt defeated as moms, feeling as though we're lost in our homeschooling or parenting?

I came across a perfect treasure at a local thrift store and before I knew it, I had set it in the cart with my other purchases. I call it my "Reminder Glass." It reminds me of all the things I am or at least that I strive to be. And most importantly, how God sees me.

Some of the words on the glass include:

Just saying those words and speaking them over my life, out loud even if I'm the only one who hears them and believes them, is so empowering to me! It's a way to remind myself that just because I had a bad day doesn't mean I'm a bad person, doesn't mean I'm not loved, and doesn't mean that God doesn't see me as those wonderful things anymore.

What positive things do you say about yourself, especially when you've had a particularly tough day?

God's mercies are new every morning! Believe it, receive it by faith!
What happened today doesn't define me. Only God can do that!

Have a blessed week!


Lyn~