Anybody who knows me knows I do not believe in a box mix for pancakes. They are too easy to make from scratch and they taste so much better than a box. Here is the recipe:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbls baking powder
3 Tbls sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbls melted butter
Mix all your dry ingredients together and then all your wet ingredients together and pour the wet into the dry. Whisk it until it just comes together. You don’t want to over mix. Get a cast iron pan or a griddle or a nonstick pan and put some butter on it. Once it’s preheated pour in 1/4 cup of pancake batter and cook until its bubbly all over. Then flip it and wait for it to rise and turn brown and its ready to eat!
This is another one of those things that has been weighing on me but this one has been in the back of my mind for years. About 3 years ago the superintendent of our school district did our first day of school talk. He was known for giving some pretty epic speeches but this one will always be my favorite. He said he was talking to some people around the state and they asked him what makes Saraland City Schools different. Why are they so successful? He said he thought on it and he couldn’t come up with just one thing. He said all that came to mind was that “EVERYTHING MATTERS.” The bus driver picking the kid up, the lunch lady serving them breakfast, the teachers pouring into the kids, the janitors keeping the place clean. Every single thing matters and that’s what makes the school system different.
Obviously I love my school but that is not why this speech hit me so hard. At the time I had a baby that was almost one. When he said that it was like the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and said “everything matters at home too.” The music we allow our children to listen to. The tv we allow them to watch. How we interact with our spouse. How we discipline. How we respond under pressure. How we apologize when we are wrong. How we speak about other people. How we eat. How we spend our free time. How we interact with our kids when they want attention (are we valuing our phone over our children). Who we hang out with and who we allow them to be around. Literally every thing you can think of that seems insignificant MATTERS.
This week some things have happened that have made me realize how true it is that everything matters. Get up and get your butt to church and take those babies with you. But don’t just take them, live it out at home. You can fool anybody on this planet but you can NOT fool your kids. What you are doing everyday is either guiding them towards Jesus or away from him. The worst thing you can do is go to church and live like the devil at home. It would be better for your kids if you just lived like the devil all the time (I am not suggesting this just making a point). Your kids will resent Jesus if you live a double life.
I am no where close to perfect but we all need to check ourselves. If the gospel hasn’t changed you or doesn’t challenge you on a daily basis you/we/I need to check our spirit. This side of heaven we can always improve. I spent a large amount of time comparing myself to other people. I felt like I was a better christian than them so I wasn’t worried about myself. Then I actually became a christian and compared myself to Jesus and I got humbled real quick. So, to wrap up, all of your choices matter. Make sure your kids see someone who genuinely loves Jesus and wants to be more like him. You can make your children be good little church kids, but you can’t change their heart and make them go to heaven. Make sure your example is one that draws them to Jesus and doesn’t put a sour taste in their mouth for Christians. Ask Jesus to show you where you are falling short so he can help you guide your children towards Christ. There is no “one size fits all” for how to guide your children towards Jesus. Which is why we need the Holy Spirit to help us. Thank ya’ll for continuing to read my blogs. I pray they challenge us (because I need it more than anyone) to become more like Jesus.
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