Day One: 21 Days for Sons

Welcome to the first day of the 21 Days for Sons Prayer challenge! You are HERE and up for the challenge to pray for your sons for 21 days. Hopefully you have your book! If not, click on the link above, and then look on the left sidebar. The book is available in PDF or for your Kindle.

After our Twitter chat Sunday night, I was so encouraged by the passion you have for raising your sons to be Christian men of integrity with a passion for leadership. Thank you, #warriormom s, for being so honest and transparent. Also, I was so proud of the Twitter newbies that hung out for such a long time! Would all of you like to chat again another Sunday night?

Every day we focus a prayer topic. Today's topic is Obedience.You will see Brooke has included an overview of the topic, study questions, and finally the 10 topical prayers. Set aside time to pray every one of the prayers for each of your sons. Here are some ideas:

• Pray the prayers during a quiet time, inserting your son(s) name(s)
• Select some of the prayers to pray out loud with your son(s) and some during a quiet time
• Pray some of these prayers with your husband over your son(s)

Ask how you can apply what you are praying to your every day life. Some ideas:

• Reflect quietly
• Discuss with your husband and/or sons
• Tweet
• Blog
• Journal

Participate in the community on Twitter.

• Try and tweet at least one time daily (it is ok to tweet more often)
• Use the hashtag #warriormom in all of your related tweets.
• Quote something from the e-book that struck you that day
• Tweet something timely happening in your life related to the daily topic
• Share an aha! moment
• Retweet something that resonates with you from another #warriormom
• Ask others questions
• Laugh online
• Offer virtual hugs

Let's be inclusive. 

• There may be folks who join our #warriormom hashtag from other groups, or who have started the challenge late. Make these mamas feel welcome!
• Invite others to join any time. Just let me know so I can add them to our group list.
  

The only right way to approach these 21 days is on our knees. We are all busy. In our group, some work full time, some homeschool, some are traveling, some are moving, and some are pregnant. Some have impossible loads of laundry, car troubles, and "what's for dinner" issues. There are so many things
that encroach on our well intentions to pray. It can be a battle to set aside the time to prioritize this challenge.

Let's not aim for perfection of having an opportunity for quiet solitude for prayer. Let's just get it done, girlfriend.

I love this from Warrior Prayers: Contrary to popular belief, the battle won’t be won by reading and implementing the best parenting techniques. It won’t be won through late night talks, lectures on right and wrong, or even committing to a Bible-preaching church. These things are all part of the equation, but they don’t trump the most importantpiece of the fight. Prayer. This battle is best fought on your knees.

I am excited to participate in this journey with you. I will see each #warriormom in the Twitter stream today!!

Trip to Maine: Blue Piece is In!

All of a sudden I remembered snapping a puzzle together as a little girl.

More of our day in pictures:

21 Days of Prayer: Twitter Pre-Party

Hi friends! I am so excited for the start of our group, as we build a community of women that are passionate about lifting their sons in prayer. At last count, there are over 800 participants in the challenge! We are our own small slice!


We are going to keep this group mostly on Twitter. WAIT! Some of you are running away. Hands off your mouse! Keep reading.


I know that some of you are not on Twitter yet. But you really, really want to be part of this challenge. And I really, really want you to join us. And just to make everyone feel better, I am going to share with you my own 2009 Twitter newbie confession, complete with pictures at the end of this post. But first, let me give a few details about the group.


We are going to have our very own Twitter pre-party this Sunday, June 5 at 9pm EST/6PM PST. Mid west people, help me on the math for your time zone. We are aiming for 30 minutes. If you are still hanging out after that, we will go a little longer. This is a chance for you to get to know each other and also for those brand new to Twitter to give it a chance. I will be giving away copies of Warrior Prayers, and maybe something special for you folks who already have a copy. We will use the hashtag #warriormom. You can thank the witty and funny Lora Lynn from Vitafamiliae for choosing the hashtag! Between now and our party, we can use the hashtag for our tweets!


The actual Warrior Prayers challenge begins Wednesday, June 8. We will continue to use the hashtag #warriormom throughout the challenge. I would go on about the hashtag but the folks reading this that are new to Twitter are probably saying HASH what?!?!


So Twitter Newbies, I bring you my Twitter Confession!


But first, a little of my own background. I met Lora Lynn eleven years ago at church, before we had digital cameras. YES, it was that long ago. The pictures I needed of us to tell our whole story about how we can teach you anything, do not exist. So I have to skip the juicy story. I asked many people across the country for such pictures on Thursday to no avail. But since Rachel generously produced this one picture for me, I must post it. Lora Lynn had just had the twins, I was very pregnant with my first son, and Rachel was also pregnant with her first son.The very next year Rachel moved to Kansas, I moved to Hawaii, and soon Lora Lynn moved to Alabama.

Then months after I moved to California, Lora Lynn and some of her crew came to visit. I had all kinds of blogging questions to ask her, because she has blogged far longer and better than me.  


And I felt very small and intimidated and incompetent and asked her about Twitter. 


These Twitter things all scared me: @, #, DM, RT.


And I sat in my kitchen on the edge of my bar stool and felt all sweaty palms sitting next to someone with close to a thousand Twitter followers, thinking, I don't get this Twitter thing. She probably thinks I am a complete idiot.


Oh, I so wish I had a picture of us playing cards to show you....to show you I am NOT a complete idiot and can hold my own with her and her Euchre muscles. (It's a card game.) 


She popped open her laptop, showed me her account and walked me through Twitter, step by step. Really, I did not need this Twitter thing. I had no idea why I asked her about @, #, DM, and RT. Now I had to act mildly interested. She was so effectively explaining it to me. But, I had no time for this Twitter stuff. I was very pregnant with my third son. And before I could finish arguing with myself about Twitter, she was done explaining and I knew what I was doing in less than 5 minutes. There is not much to Twitter at all. The great thing about Twitter is that you can build connections and community in an instant. So here I am, pregnant again, with Lora Lynn just after I survived her Twitter lesson.

I want you to just try it for 30 minutes, this Sunday, June 5 at 9pm EST. I am giving away prizes, remember?


So here is what you need to do:


1. Set up your account at www.twitter.com
2. Click on Search. Type this: #warriormom. Save the search.
3. Use the hashtag #warriormom anytime you want our group members to see your tweet.

I will be creating a list for folks whose Twitter handles I already have. Right next to the Searches tab you will see another tab for Lists. If I have your Twitter handle I will list you under warriormom. If you create an account please follow me @thefarmerfiles so I know you have created an account and can add you to the list. You need to follow the list (see the green button after you click Lists), and that will have you follow our group. 


I will start tweeting today using the #warriormom hashtag. Those of you already on Twitter show me some love, and tweet back, m'kay? Newbies, play around a little so you will be ready for our Twitter party Sunday night. How do you attend the party? Very easy. Log into your Twitter account Sunday night before 9pm. You will start to see my tweets coming your way right at 9pm!!


thefarmerfiles at gmail dot com.

21 Days of Praying for Our Sons

 Have you ever wanted to start something, but you just didn't know how to begin? Have you ever wished for something, but it just seemed like wishful thinking?

That was me, almost seven years ago. I was a new mom, far from my family, with a new baby BOY. I knew nothing about mothering a boy, but I knew I wanted to do it right. I never had any brothers. I was completely clueless!! I wanted to try my best at whatever I was supposed to do with a boy. But what was I supposed to do with a boy?

I was blessed to take a course with a pastor and his wife at our church for new parents. I soaked up everything this seasoned mother said about parenting her sons. One of the things she said that stuck with me: Begin with the end in mind.

I know a little more now than I did almost seven years ago about boys. I am deeply honored that God has entrusted us with three sons. I see my tribe together, and I want "the end" to be three leaders, three warriors who will lead their families for Christ and stand up to be Real Men.

 

One day, they will not be guests at a wedding, dancing with me looking over the top of them. One day, my prayer is to be dancing the Mother of the Groom dance, looking up at them, remembering that I began with the end in mind. 

But even so, there are no guarantees. Already they have ideas about their futures. They have opinions and beliefs. And so, I must begin with the end in mind, and do the most impacting thing I can do. And that one thing is PRAY.

Alongside several hundred women, I will be joining Brooke from Warrior Prayers in a 21 day challenge of praying for our sons. I am leading one of the groups using her ebook, Warrior Prayers. If you would like to join me, please leave a comment below with your blog or Twitter handle. What does joining this group mean? It means you begin with the end in mind. It means you commit to praying for your sons daily, and sharing some of your journey with a beautiful community of women. Each group member will need a copy of Brooke's ebook. It is less than $6.00!!

I would love it if our group can check in on Twitter. I will be posting some about my prayer journey during the challenge here at thefarmerfiles blog, but mainly I would love to check in with everyone more regularly on Twitter.

If you are new to Twitter, or not on Twitter, that is okay. We will figure something out. The most important thing in this challenge, to me, is to commit my time. Some days parenting is really tough! What is most important (to me) is a group of like minded mothers who are committed to beginning with the end in mind, committed to creating a community amongst other mothers, and sharing their hearts for raising a generation of men who will be leaders and Christ followers. If you are unsure about joining this group, or unsure about how to pray please know two things. 1. Thefarmerfiles is a safe place to ask questions about prayer, about God, and anything else. 2. Still not sure? Invite other mothers of sons to join us! We are in this together.

***Other people are already signing up for our Twitter group through the Warrior Prayers blog! 

On Forgetting: Niagra Falls

Today I am linking up with The Gypsy Mama for Five Minute Fridays. Today's topic is:

On Forgetting

Got five minutes? Here’s a great way to spend them.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat without editing your voice.
2. Link back to the Gypsy Mama and invite others to join in.
3. Pony up the comment love for the five minuter who linked up before you.

GO.

 They give me the blank stare. I cannot convince them they DO remember that one time when....

And I dream that today will not be one of those times. I spun those very thoughts around in my mind when I pulled the billowing plastic rain coats over their heads and over their clothes. I was sharply aware that this dressing might slip their memories one day.

Will they remember that I grabbed the Middle Man by the wrist and charged him down the twisting path, across and over the foot bridge, and through the trees to the ticket booth, with Grandma huffing behind? She was clutching the Big Guy's wrist, as I breathlessly bought the very last tickets to the very last boat that day just minutes ahead.

Will they remember the way the birds dotted the shore and the rainbow bent in reverence in front of Niagra Falls? Will they remember the way our shoes were soaked past our socks, and the way that we arched backward to stare quietly at the cascading water? Will they remember the broken silence by happy screams, showering under heart dropping sprays from the plunging white throttles?

STOP.
Pictures from the day:

MY Cupcake Wars

Do you know I love the show Cupcake Wars? I DO. And I am about to have my own WAR. The vlog is in HD, so go ahead and pop it out full screen.



No really, it was true.This was my plate.

We sat with the mother of the bride, and I told her I believed Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. I assured her we had enough desserts.

Okay, so I shared the plate with three other people.

Next, we stalked the photo booth. Woo wee...this is my camera man, and my Dr. Romance.

 

Have I mentioned today is my birthday? And that Dr. Romance is the doctor of romance for a reason. Look what he surprised me with!!!! Cupcakes from the new Mad Batter Cupcake Cafe in town!!! They just opened a few weeks ago.

No Cupcake Wars here. And YES, I shared.

Deep Breaths

***

The Gypsy Mama is hosting Five Minute Friday.

Here are the rules:

Write your heart out for 5 minutes flat.

Today’s topic is Deep Breaths.


GO.

I have been a swimmer nearly all my life. I have no fear of pools or the ocean. I was raised in San Diego, with a pool in my backyard and the ocean minutes away. My parents claim the YMCA taught me to dive for rings at 14 months in three feet of water. They even have pictures.

I drew deep breaths. The air filled my lungs. The deeper I inhaled, the deeper I swam, and the longer I swam. Swimming lengths underwater was a welcome challenge in my childhood.

As a newlywed I was a certified Advanced Diver. Plunging to depths of 120 feet I relied on my regulator, all the while drawing deep calming breaths.

This all should transfer to every day life. It does not. I just ate two cookies after I realized Blogger swallowed comments from yesterday's vlog. So, if you have less than two minutes, encourage me to take more deep breaths and eat less cookies.

STOP.

***I am really upset over the deletion of some of the comments on yesterday's vlog. One was from my sister, and she never comments. A few others were from close friends that live far away. Deep breaths. Less cookies. Enjoy my vlog from yesterday. Comment if you are so led.