by robinsteele1@gmail.com | Jul 21, 2014 | Choices, hospital, How to deal with pain, Video
One night when Kennady was in the hospital, Kennady’s home health nurse came up and sat with her so I (Erica) could go out get some dinner and feel the sun on my skin. On my way out, I decided to step in to the gift shop because they had these big shiny red balloons that said “SALE”, which is an instant magnet for most women.
I proceeded to call my husband and tell him that this store had a very cute necklace and that it was thirty percent off, which made it only a mere thirteen dollars, and that seeing as we are in such a stressful time I should really do some sympathy shopping and buy this for myself.
Alas, this ploy did not work and I made myself leave the store empty-handed, content that I could use my money to buy myself food to put in my belly instead.
On my way out the door, there stood sweet Jesse. Jesse gave birth to her precious baby boy Wyatt, and her second child with Cystic Fibrosis, just a little over two weeks ago. She was on her way in to see Wyatt in the NICU and I was on my way out to get something to eat.
We stopped and chatted for a while and began to discuss our children and their special needs and how living a life with a special needs child shapes you in so many ways you never realized it would or could.
One of the ways that this life is shaping us, is through us shaping our children and the next generation.
Robin and I feel strongly that the challenges we and our children face in this life will build our character and make us stronger, if we allow it.
Character: 1 one of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish the individual 2 the detectable expression of the action of a gene or group of genes 3 the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation
Wheew! That is a lot of things to cover, but we will focus on just one point this time around. Character: One of the attributes or features that make up and distinguish the individual.
Character traits can be good or bad, strong or weak, life-giving for life-taking.
Our boys both have a sister with multiple special needs, food allergies and last but not least, they are preacher kids (holla back atcha if you know what I mean).
Talk about opportunities to build your character.
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by robinsteele1@gmail.com | Jun 30, 2014 | Book, Choices, Grandparents
When people think of your family, what images or emotions come to mind? What is your family identity? We are passing down attributes, habits, culture, and characteristics to the next generation. What are you passing down? If you haven’t considered it, then NOW is the time. Being “liked” is not the ultimate winning scenario. It is possible that you will not be liked by some when you live out the characteristics and moral values that are Biblical. (I just used that title to get your attention. So far so good. 🙂 I’m not sure if people like my family, but I love it!
WAKE UP CALL: Just because your family goes to church doesn’t mean that you are passing down Biblical values.
Another WAKE UP CALL: Your best intentions don’t work Biblical values into your posterity.
Your kids are only accepting and growing into the values that you live out before them. We must be intentional about living the life.
I wrote a mini-book to help people work through these issues. It is 4 short chapters with questions that guide a discussion with the rest of your family. You can get it free by signing up for our newsletter.
Our Steele family has a strong heritage of hard workers and deep faith in Jesus. We are determined to have this culture passed down to each subsequent generation. Each of our families are intentional about creating a home culture that cultivates each person’s individuality while at the same time staying anchored to eternal, Biblical truths.
- Salvation – Jesus saves us and we want to participate in others finding Him.
- Forgiveness – We have been forgiven and willingly forgive everyone else.
- Love – We want to live out love in our neighborhood. We want to participate in the resolution.
- Integrity – If we said it, we meant it. We will follow up on it.
- Hard-Working – If you don’t work, you don’t eat.
One thing that we do each summer is host a summer camp for all the kids in our family that are 6-12 years of age. The moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all chip in and help lead the kids. There is a whole lot of fun. The strong prayer culture created by our grandmother is passed down. Most of all, we live together for a week and share ourselves with each other. Wow! We host it at our family’s ranch in the Texas Hill Country. A very rough, yet beautiful ranch with cows, creeks, and a lot of critters.
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For more pics, you can follow the Instagram hashtag: #steelefamilycamp14
Would you like to plan something like this Family Camp? We can help you plan it! email us: hey@mademeaningful.com
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by robinsteele1@gmail.com | Jun 23, 2014 | Children, Choices
We grew up in the 80s and 90s. Watching movies all night at a sleep-over or playing video games in pajamas all day was/is normal. It is relaxing, entertaining, and engaging with others.
Robin’s Background
I grew up in a strict home. In fact, we didn’t have a television until I was around 18 years of age. We would rent TVs and movies every once in a while (during Olympics or World Cup). We went to maybe 3 or 4 movies at a theater while growing up.
Erica’s Background
I grew up with full access to the tv and video games most of the time. My first records (yes, record is correct) were Madonna (which accidentally got melted when I left it beside the oven) and Cyndi Lauper. My mom was pretty firm about us not watching soap operas, horror movies, and The Simpson’s. I am sure this provided a nice buffer from the really bad stuff. Right? The older I got, my dad would pick us up on the weekends and take us to the movies. I am pretty certain I saw most of the movies that came out in the late 80’s through the mid 90’s, not to mention the hours and hours we spent on the Nintendo playing Super Mario Brothers or Duck Hunt. Now you all have a clear picture of why I am so dysfunctional.
Now, we have been married for over 15 years and have three young kids. Our kids absolutely love movies and video games. As parents, we do too. However, we are now responsible for selecting and/or protecting our kids from the damaging effects of media. The question begs to be answered:
What impact do movies and video games really have on my kids? Is it “just a game” or “just a movie”?
Do we need to buckle down and restrict anything that vaguely looks violent, sexual, or profane? OR Should we allow media with different opinions help us grow and develop our world view and theology?
Ralph Waldo Emerson (who was a long way from being a Bible thumping Christian) once said, “A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will come out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping, we are becoming.”
Check out this information from the National Institution of Health:
Not all television programs are bad, but data showing the negative effects of exposure to violence, inappropriate sexuality and offensive language are convincing – American Academy of Pediatrics
The amount of violence on television is on the rise. The average child sees 12,000 violent acts on television annually, including many depictions of murder and rape. More than 1000 studies confirm that exposure to heavy doses of television violence increases aggressive behaviour, particularly in boys. Other studies link television or newspaper publicity of suicides to an increased suicide risk.
If you are interested, you can get all the sources for this data on the actual report, Click here.
Anything taken in, in large quantities, shapes who we are. We are feeding the flesh in us, either good or bad.
Jesus said, “Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!” Matthew 6:22
