The Mightiest Engine

There are boys in my backyard having air soft wars. Boys filled my yard and crowded my kitchen last night, too. I have but a moment here before I must leave to pickup Michael from weight conditioning camp and Olivia from a sleepover birthday party. It's summer, and we're living it up!

Me, too, despite an injured foot that is still giving me trouble since Saturday. I took my boys to an end-of-season football party, not realizing that parents were playing against the kids. I was happy to play, but I played barefoot since my sandals were not suitable. About halfway through the game, my foot was crushed under a large cleat as I ran the ball. The pain wasn't too bad... or maybe I just did a fine job at saving face. I kept playing and I've paid for it. By Monday I made an appointment for an X-ray, but cancelled and decided to RICE instead and wait it out for a while. It's healing great, but this morning it's throbbing so I'm taking the excuse to sit and blog!

I've been preparing to teach a class next month, and this morning I made a pile of resources that have impacted me in my parenting. There is a small booklet by J.C. Ryle called The Duties of Parents which I have loved, and I thought I'd write out a quote for the sake of parental encouragement this morning.

"Prayer is the mightiest engine God has placed in our hands. It is the best weapon to use in every difficulty, and the surest in every trouble. It is the key that unlocks the treasury of promises, and the hand that draws forth grace and help in time of need. It is the silver trumpet God commands us to sound in all our necessity, and it is the cry He has promised always to attend to, even as a loving mother to the voice of her child...

"Parents, if you love your children, do all that lies in your power to train them up to a habit of prayer. Show them how to begin. Tell them what to say. Encourage them to persevere. Remind them if they become careless and slack about it. Let it not be your fault, at any rate, if they never call on the name of the Lord."

Pictures from a recent trip to the desert: Windy roads that run back and forth along the mountainside are scenic and fun... until they are not and we have to stop to let stomachs settle.   :/


~Katherine