For Dylen

This week's post is a little different. I've been so busy with our real estate business that I've not had time to many DIY's. I have a few tucked away that I will share with you all next week. 

I am dedicating this post to my 14y.o. son, Dylen. He doesn't know about this yet.  But, last week, he was on the phone with his best friend that lives in Alaska. I have admired their relationship. They have not seen each other in over a year, but yet they talk to each other several times a day. It's funny to listen to their teenage boy/young man conversation sometimes. At the same time, they can be very annoying. I've enjoyed listening as they bounce back and forth from adult type conversations to a "boy like" conversation. One minute that can be talking about how to start a knife business and in the next, they can be having phone wars. That's what I call it. It's where they make up weapons and try to up each other. It's a game of "my horse is bigger than your horse."

I will tell you in short the story that happened the other day that has lead me to write this blog about Dylen. I have been so proud of him. Every time I think of what he did, it puts a big smile on my face.  So here's the story...

Well, the other day, Dylen called his friend and asked him the usual daily question "What's going on?" His friend must have replied with "It's bad" or "I'm not having a good day". (Here's the exciting part....Wait for it, Wait for it!  I just love saying that)  Dylen replied, "Man, what's going on? Can I pray for you?"

"What?" I thought. "Pray for him?" Did I hear him right? So, I listened closer. They had continued their conversation while I was having  a discussion with myself about whether or not I heard correctly. And yes, to my surprise, Dylen had once again asked him if he could pray for him. Unfortunately, his friend declined his offer and the conversation switched to another topic.  I was excited and disappointed all at the same time. I've never recalled Dylen asking a non-family member if he could pray for them. To me as a mom, this was a big step that he took as a christian and I got to witness this first hand. (This is why we homeschool) At the end of the night when it was time for me and Dylen to debrief his day, I encouraged him to pray for his friend in Alaska anyway. 

As I left Dylen's side, after he asked his friend if they could pray, I was very encouraged. I had been dealing with discouragement in the parenting and homeschooling factor. I myself had been praying and asking God to please help me, to encourage me and show me that what I've been doing for the past 7 yrs has and will pay off. (Every parent and homeschool mom goes through this, I've heard) God knew exactly what I needed and when I needed it. So am I gonna continue to homeschool? You betcha! Am I gonna continue to be myself in front of my kids? You betcha. Because you see, what Dylen did that day was not just taught from watching his dad and I pray all through out the day, but this is a principle that has been caught.

I sincerely hope that you hear my heart. I'm not out to try to make myself or my son look any better than anyone else because we are not. We are people just like you with problems, struggles and mistakes. I'm hear to shine the Glory of Jesus Christ. It is he that makes this post possible. It is He that has changed our hearts. It is He that has answered many prayers that leads us to trust in HIM every second of our day and continue to pray to HIM. I want to encourage you toward a deeper walk with Jesus. I want to encourage you to continue praying, believing and trusting in Him. I want to encourage other parents who don't know what to do, when all seems lost with your child, who is discouraged as a parent or a homeschool parent.

Paul says in Php 3:14  I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize of God's heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus. "To keep pressing toward the mark". My mark is to have children that believe in Jesus and have a relationship with him greater than I do. My mark is to have children that push others to Christ no matter what the world does or says. God gives us exactly what we need every day to do His will. All we have to do is ask and stay tunned into Him through out the day. He does talk to us.

Want to know what we do only a daily basis that has lead to Dylen asking his friend at the age of 14 if he could pray for him? (God knows, even being raised in church, I didn't ask my friends if I could pray for them)

This is what we call being raised in Christ, not just being raised in church.

Here's what we do...

1. We pray first thing in the morning. 
2. We pray after Bible study for each other every day. (There are 5 people in our family. Each family member gets a day of the week and we gather around them, lay hands on them and pray for them)
3. When problems arise through out the day (Not always) but most of the time, I stop and say, "Let's pray about it".
4. At I tuck them into bed at night, I pray for them again and for any problems that have snuck in our day and for their friends and family members.


In my leadership Bible under Prov. 22:6 "Leading Our Children" is a devotion about how God calls us to lead our children. They give 3 tips:


1. Modeling: Abraham Lincoln said, "There is but one way to train up a child in the way he should go, and that is to travel it yourself." What you do has more impact on your child than all the lectures you could ever give.
2. Management: Good management is the ability to discern the uniqueness of a child and teach him/her accordingly.
3. Memories: Parents should create memories. Why? because memories are more important than things. I know my children will remember me standing in the kitchen praying for their lost friend more than me preaching/lecturing to them about how their friends need to get saved. People remember actions more than words.


I don't know about you but reading that devotion has helped me and encouraged me to keep moving forward even after having a bad day/week. 


I sincerely pray that this encourages you to keep moving forward and leading your children in prayer by example. Don't worry about how goofy you sound when you pray. Your kids don't care. Your prayers will get better over time the more you do it. Just like anything else. 

                           ~Dee Dee~

Dylen and Dee Dee