I know I've kept you all waiting, but little Eliora Grace has been keeping me pretty busy!

The winner of the Disciple Like Jesus book giveaway is...






Stephanie!!! (Comment #28) Congratulations!!


Thanks to everyone who entered!

For those who didn't win, you can visit Amazon.com or Christianbook.com to get your own copy.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!


By His Grace,


Tiana

Dear Friends,

Thank-you so much for your prayers!  Our latest blessing has arrived!









Another successful HBAC, Eliora was actually born at (get this) my midwife's
house! I hope to be able to write the whole story eventually, but in short,
my midwife had two women laboring at the same time (I, one week late, the
other mom, 3 weeks early!), and it looked as though we would give birth
within a couple hours of each other. After weighing our options, we (all)
decided that the better course of wisdom would be for us both to come to
her.

It wasn't my ideal situation (I threw a genuine temper tantrum when Chris
said, "Let's get in the car and go."), but it all turned out really well.
Eliora was born 3 hours after this other mama's baby, and there is no way my
midwife would have made it to both of us in time! God is so good! We are
both healthy and doing well. She is my tiniest baby yet, and she came the
"earliest" too--only 8 days after her ultrasound due date, as opposed to 10,
11, and 12 days "late" for my other three.

Oh, and for the baby name fanatics out there...

"Eliora" (pronounced el-ee-OR-a) is a Hebrew name meaning
"The LORD is my light". 
We gave her the middle name "Grace" to finish the verse, 
"...and my salvation." Psalm 27:1




Again, thank-you so much for your prayers! I am feeling sooo blessed!



By His Grace,


Tiana


UPDATE: You can read Eliora's birth story here: http://godmadehomegrown.blogspot.com/2010/12/eliora-graces-birth-story.html

Discipleship.


In many evangelical circles, "discipleship" is a buzz word, and it can mean many things to different people.

Most American Christians think of discipleship in terms of programs:


Mens ministries, womens ministries, youth ministries, seniors ministries, couples ministries, singles ministries, and on, and on, and on...

However, as we face the grim reality that almost 90% of our young people walk away from their faith by the time they reach college age, we must ask ourselves,

"What are we doing, and why is it not working???"

If we examine the life of Jesus, we see clearly that for Him, discipleship was never about programs. It was a lifestyle--one that He lived day in and day out, pouring His entire life into His small group of followers for a brief but intensive three year period. (Yes, we get our children for a bit longer than that...and it's a good thing we do, seeing as we are not God Incarnate.)

WWJD--"What would Jesus Do?"--was a popular question in recent history. When it comes to discipling our children, though, a better question would be,

"What did Jesus do???"


Disciple Like Jesus by Alan Melton and Paul Dean does a fantastic job of answering this question.

The authors begin by outlining two training approaches--Jesus's training approach and The World's Training approach:

Jesus' Training Approach	World's Training Approach
Follow Me only, a trustworthy Teacher	Follow many teachers of questionable values
With disciples all day	With disciples in spare time
Constantly teach bible, demonstrate how to live, glorify God (80+ hours)	Constantly teach non-biblical information, (bible less than 5 hours)
Send out adult disciples in twos	Send out child disciples alone

Jesus' Training Approach	World's Training Approach
Goal- Make disciples: followers of Christ	Goal- Well educated adult, respected job, affluence, popularity
Goal- A few deep relationships	Goal- Many superficial relationships
Results- Lasting eternal impact	Results- Temporary self gratification
Results- 92% stay in church	Results- 6% to 25% stay in church

Then, in page after page of biblical insight, timely example, and practical application, they show you how to make changes and set priorities that will make Christlike discipleship a reality in your home and family!

I have to say that it has been a long time since I have been so deeply moved and challenged by a book. I was reminded that being home with my children and homeschooling them, while certainly good things, do not guarantee that I will disciple like Jesus. I can be in the same house as my children and still not be spending enough time with them. I can teach them the Word of God without them seeing the love of God in my life. I can educate them without discipling them.

The best part was that it didn't leave me in a state of guilt and anxiety (two pits that I am so apt to fall into). Instead, I left empowered and inspired. Each chapter gave me things that I can do practically--today!--to bring the discipleship of my children more into accordance with the example Jesus set forth for us in Scripture.

Perhaps you're not a homeschooling parent. Maybe your kids are in public school. Maybe you're a single parent, or a grandparent. Maybe you're married to an unbelieving spouse and aren't sure how this would work in your family. Maybe you are the parent of a rebellious teenager and are wondering if it's too late to make a difference. No matter where you are in your life or your walk with God, this book can help you!

I would also like to say something to pastors, teachers, and other church leaders. If you are concerned that the parents in your congregation "don't know what to do" or "won't do the job" when it comes to discipling their own children, this would be a fantastic resource to get into the hands of as many parents as possible.

On that note, I would like to announce my very first giveaway here on God Made, Home Grown!






The authors of Disciple Like Jesus have graciously agreed to give one free copy to a reader of this blog!

To enter, please leave a comment below letting me know what you think you'd like most about the book. (Visit www.disciplelikejesus.com to learn more).


For additional entries, you may do any and all of the following:

1. Blog about this giveaway. (2 entries, leave two comments)
2. Share a link to this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter. (1 entry each)
3. Subscribe to God Made, Home Grown via email. 
4. "Like" Disciple Like Jesus on Facebook or follow on Twitter. (1 entry each)
5. Post the Disciple Like Jesus button on your blog. (find it here.)
6. Follow me on Twitter, Google, or Networked Blogs (1 entry each)

By His Grace,

Tiana

Baby #4's "due date" is a mere six days away.

Now, I have never gone into labor any earlier than a week-and-a-half past my due date. If I stay true to pattern, I'll be birthing this baby on Thanksgiving Day...

...However...I have suddenly been hit with the uneasy feeling that this baby may not come nearly as late as I expect...

...and I'm not ready.


I've recently been asked how I "do it all". I have to laugh because the answer is, "I don't". I have to make choices and set priorities just like everyone else does. Frankly, sometimes I do a lousy job of it. Time management is one of my biggest weaknesses.

Nevertheless, ready or not, here baby comes!

I take a great amount of peace in knowing that God is sovereign over my pregnancy, my labor, my birth, and my baby. He knows when baby will be ready to be born, and he will give me what I need to deal with what comes when it happens. I've blogged about this before. It is a truth that becomes more real and necessary to me as the calendar moves forward.

As I get ready for baby to come, my presence on this blog may be a bit more...well...erratic. My guess is that I'll be writing a lot over the next week or so, and then, I may suddenly disappear for a while. God has been teaching me so much lately, and I have so much that I want to say! On the other hand, I need to balance my work here with my responsibilities here at home, coupled with a healthy dose of rest before the "marathon". (I learned last time, after going into labor in the late afternoon of a busy day, that I should always leave some energy in reserve during these last weeks.)

Anyway, I'm still looking for a couple of guest contributors to this blog for during my "maternity leave". If you don't know how to contact me directly (I prefer not to put my email address directly into posts), just leave a comment and I will contact you. Topics may include Christ-centered homeschooling, child discipleship, and biblical womanhood.

Oh, and last but not least, "God Made, Home Grown" has been nominated in two categories in the HSBA 2010 Homeschool Blog Awards! I am pleasantly surprised and honored! Thank-you all for reading and for your nominations! Click on the link below to cast your vote!: