Matthew 28:19 + 20 (NKJV) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
These verses have been special to me in different seasons and for different reasons. I first read this in the King James Version before I was a Jesus-follower and it caught my attention because it called me by name. (My nickname was “Lo.”) That was one of the first times my heart was softened toward the Lord and the Holy Spirit perked up my ears by speaking my name on these pages. It made such an impression that I was eager to give our daughters names they would see in the Bible someday. As Dale Carnegie famously penned in How to Win Friends and Influence People, “Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” God obviously knows that because He created us! So it felt very personal and loving that He spoke to me by name.
In another season, I was preparing to launch The Savvy Sauce. God was clearly calling me to this work, but it didn’t mean I was without doubts . . . I have a journal full of questions and prayers and scripture I documented as reassurances that God was indeed calling me to this work at this very time, as He does for all of us (Ephesians 2:10, AMP).
I thought it made logical sense to launch the podcast once our youngest was in kindergarten, but my husband lovingly spoke truth to me, saying if God was speaking to me about this daily, it was a command and I needed to obey . . . now. I once had a mentor mom tell me, “God is not a ‘yes, but later’ kind of God . . . He’s more of a ‘yes, right now’ kind of God!” This seemed to be one of my “yes, right now” moments.
Other things were not making sense to me in the process. For instance, I sensed God urging me to pre-record sixty episodes before we went live. Sixty! It seemed like a lot, but I knew I needed to obey.
Sometimes clarity and understanding come on the other side of obedience.
The week we aired our first episode, I also took a pregnancy test that was wonderfully positive! I was thrilled with the many gifts that margin provided. It was a reminder to me that we have a loving God who delights in every detail of our lives. I was well ahead of schedule for the sick days to come while I was pregnant with Kessler Story and I was ahead of schedule for the maternity leave when I was soaking up newborn snuggles and enjoying episodes where the work was already done. Praise be to God!!
Even to this day, over five years later, I still struggle with the same fear and doubt: Lord, will you promise my children will never suffer because I spend some of my time on The Savvy Sauce? It reminds me of another prayer before the podcast was launched. I told God “I want to offer you my loaves and fish in every season and I pray you use every corner and square inch of our home to reach the nations with the Good News of Jesus . . . but I also pray our family never is sacrificed in the process.”
Then one day, I came across these verses again and it hit me: The Savvy Sauce podcast is discipleship.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
The Gospel message of Jesus – that he took our place dying on the cross, and rose again three days later to take away our sins so that we can have eternal life with Him now and forevermore – was being shared in the nations though The Savvy Sauce. And God was also allowing me to be discipled through our guests. They were teaching me to observe all the things He commanded me, and they were blessing the ears of those who listened so that they could observe His commands too. Then He replaced my fear with more good news: Not only will The Savvy Sauce not hinder my parenting and relationships with my family, but it is the very thing He is using to benefit and bless our home and parenting and family. Best of all, He is with me always, even to the end of the age. Amen!!!
Recently, during my time of solitude, Bible study, and prayer with the Lord, God reminded me: The Savvy Sauce is discipleship and it is full of wisdom. Wisdom is timeless, so resurrect these timeless truths (aka: episodes) to bring them back to life . . . I was overwhelmed with rejoicing seeing again how God takes the dead and makes it alive. Even better, what was once dead has potential to be even more powerful after being resurrected!!! That is why I decided to go back and re-listen to every Savvy Sauce episode ever released. (Re-listening to the episodes informed my writing in this past article: My Own Top Ten Savvy Sauce Episodes That Never Made the Top Ten.)
I began with episode one and saw His faithfulness. Even from this very first episode it was apparent that God was allowing me to be discipled AND get to share this discipleship with others. We are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2, NIV).
I experience delight when I get to share, so allow me to share the lesson that was resurrected for me from Episode One, Finding Your Purpose as a Mom with Courtney DeFeo.
I posed this question to author and podcaster, Courntey DeFeo, “How do you recommend we find our purpose as a mom?”
She said Deuteronomy 6:7 was grounding for her as a new mom because it helped her have a purpose and decide to be intentional during the chaos. She began to wonder how to sprinkle in spiritual talks throughout her day with her children and she concluded, “As we go, we are just having conversations.” This seemed realistic and attainable, and this freedom gave her purpose as a mom.
She and I are both practical, so as we continued the conversation, she shared that her first step in using her gifts to glorify God with her children was teaching her young children how to play. She did this through creating play boxes. Here are her practical play box ideas:
Salon: Buy a plastic shoe box and put in real stuff because kids get more excited about real items rather than ready-made toys! She filled her shoe box with a spray bottle, fake scissors, foam rollers, and a comb and her daughters called it Hearts & Horses Salon. They did hair for the next ten years and Courtney loved that it developed their creativity and imagination and kept them off screens! She said, “Grandparents know when they come in, they’re getting a hairdo!”
School Teacher: Another year for Christmas, Courtney shopped at the actual teacher store to purchase a teacher’s notebook, grading rubric, pencils with her girls’ names on them, and she outfitted the space with a desk from Craigslist and lockers. The girls delighted in hours of play.
These ideas don’t have to cost you anything extra. Here are a few examples of how our daughters used what they already had access to, to create an alternative imaginary world:
Mail Room: I still remember playing with my friend, Mary, as a very young girl. Her mom gave us a whole box of envelopes and a reusable stamp and we set up shop at a table in the corner. We played post office for hours! After I shared this story with our daughters, they put their own spin on this idea. One rainy day with friends, each person created their own “mailbox” and then everyone wrote each other letters and drew pictures before delivering them to everyone’s mailbox.
Shiloh’s Bodega: Our elementary aged daughter, Shiloh, attended a birthday party at a local art studio called Art at the Bodega. She painted canvases with her friends and returned, inspired to share all the fun she had with her sisters. She put a sign on her bedroom door with Shiloh’s Bodega hours and she set up stations with various artwork to display and art supplies where she would help her sisters make their own creations. This led her and her older sister, Selah, into another idea. They set up Selah’s room to display new art creations and they asked every family member to come through with a clipboard and piece of paper to rate their creations and then prizes were distributed. One of the best parts of this process: creativity begets creativity! (If you want more easy art prompts, don’t miss Episode 202 Simple Ways to Connect with Our Kids And Enjoy Breaks with Beth Rosenbleeth (Days with Grey) or these articles with fresh play ideas: 7 Ideas for Screen-Free Time with Kids and Ten Play Ideas for Rainy Days, )
Carnival: After attending a school carnival, Isla and Kessler were pleased to have their older sisters set up a carnival in the basement for them. There were obstacle courses created with anything they found around the house and rolls of masking tape that were used as bowling balls to knock down block creations.
Library: Our four girls gathered all their picture books together in one room of the house and set up a table and chair as the librarian’s desk. We have a mini shopping cart they used to take turns loading up books and then they would check out their stack of books for their rooms.
Bus Stop: Our third daughter, Isla, prefers to always be outdoors. She leads the charge to chalk the driveway or ride bikes. Once she worked with her siblings to transform the driveway into a road that included bus stops. The sisters took turns pushing each other in a stroller and stopping at the various bus stops, then following the chalk prompts, such as “write your name” or “complete hopscotch.”
House: Our daughters oftentimes are inspired by an audiobook and they re-enact the scenes with their own twist. After reading about life on the prairie over a hundred years ago, they headed to our woods and set up their own home with branches. They used items in nature to build a pretend fire, table, flower holder, etc . . . I love any outdoor play, but especially the imaginative type!
If you want to give this a try, start noticing what your children already like to play together. By simple observation, you’ll witness their imaginations blooming and personalities coming out. If you still need inspiration, Courtney recommends finding things you loved to do when you were little or even things you didn’t get to do, but would have liked. For example, she wanted to dance as a little girl, but she didn’t get the opportunity until high school, so she created this idea:
Courtney’s Ballet Studio: She repurposed their playroom by transforming it into a mini dance studio, complete with a small section of hardwood flooring, a bar on wall, a mound of tutus, and a bucket of dance shoes so that all the kids who visit can become ballerinas!
It’s no surprise Courntey now has creative children!
Here are a few questions to help you implement creative play in your home :
- What little worlds can you create?
- What is something from childhood you remember fondly that you also hope your child(ren) get to experience?
- Is there a play box idea that you would enjoy creating with your children?
- After you read this list to your child(ren), what idea sounds most intriguing?
- If you start small, what is one action step you can take today to move toward intentionally teaching your children how to play and use their imagination?
Courtney left us with one other exhortation: “Praise is another one that gave me purpose . . . my purpose has to also be . . . build them up.”
So don’t forget, mama . . . you are doing a holy work!
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13, NIV)
Blessings to you and yours!
Sincerely,
Laura