Why I am Involved in Junior Miss...

There are several reasons why I support Junior Miss. First of all, when I was introduced to Junior Miss in my hometown of Dublin, GA, the program was (and still is) run by a wonderful group of Godly ladies. When I participated in the local and state programs, the emphasis was on excellence…in scholarship, talent, modesty, poise, communication…for all of these things I believe you can find Scriptural support. Of course, we are exhorted in Scripture to do all things with excellence, so the entire “Be Your Best Self” portion of the program appeals to me.


Secondly, Junior Miss is the only program of its kind which rewards excellence in a variety of fields. Children and young adults are often rewarded for excellence in one area or another—scholastics, sports, theatre, music, art—but the philosophy of Junior Miss is to look for the most well-rounded young woman in all of those areas. That philosophy greatly appeals to me because it fits with mine & Trey’s parenting philosophy. It is not our goal to attempt to make our children a great dancer, baseball player, violinist, etc., at the exclusion of well-roundedness. Let’s be honest…only a fraction of children will earn a living in any of those areas. Most of them will be normal adults, doing normal jobs, with normal day to day responsibilities. Of course, as a Christian, I pray that we parent our children in a way which instills in them a desire to live out the Great Commission before seeking greatness in any other field.

Thirdly, Junior Miss rewards excellence in these young women with scholarship money. Even if you don’t win the local program, you can win category awards, Spirit of Jr Miss award, etc., which can often pay for books or more. If you do win the local program, you have the opportunity to go to various schools free…and then there are the additional funds which can be won at the state level. Junior Miss doesn’t waste money on crowns, sashes, tiaras, etc.

Lastly, Trey and I are not called to full-time ministerial staff positions. However, we know that God has gifted us in various areas and He expects us to utilize those gifts for His glory. As I debated about whether to get back involved in the Junior Miss program, I remembered that Christ-honoring volunteers are necessary in all areas of secular life. Otherwise, we are all just Christians in our Christian bubble…weird to the world and ineffective for the Kingdom. If I display integrity while running the Lee Co. Junior Miss Program, then Christ is honored as the other volunteers and participants see how a believer conducts herself. Thankfully, the current Board is composed of quite a few Christian women. So we have the opportunity to show Christ throughout the program.

So…why do I choose to be involved with Junior Miss? It’s a matter of being in the world and not of the world. Shining a light in the darkness as opposed to being a bunch of lights gathered together illuminating nothing. My desire is to be different while making a difference, not just to say that I’m different. Just because you play Christian music doesn’t mean you operate your business with integrity. Just because your restaurant has Bible verses on the wall doesn’t mean that you have the best food in town. Just because you have a fish on your car doesn’t mean that you aren’t cheating on your wife. Just because you are a Sunday school teacher doesn’t mean that you aren’t an embarrassment to Christ as you deal with your children’s teachers. I guess you get my point. Trey and I are choosing to walk in the world while keeping our eyes fixed on the cross and staying true to our goal of righteousness in Christ. May God be glorified in all that we do.

Oh, by the way, there will be winners in the Junior Miss Program. And there will be losers.  But isn’t that part of life…the life that God has created for us? We aren’t all winners in the world’s eyes. Thanks be to God that He views us in light of Christ’s righteousness…the only glory in which we can ever truly boast. This is another reason why it is important for Godly women to be involved in the local programs…to offer support to these girls as they try and succeed or try and fail, but most importantly, just try.

Exerpts from Macy Maddox's Coffee Talk on June 14, 2010. The topic was Discipling Your Children.

2 Timothy 3: 14-15 “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.


The Holy Scriptures will make you wise to salvation. Give them Jesus!

First of all, you must know Christ yourself. Secondly, you must love your husband.
Always have a “wifery” book. Macy’s current one is Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs http://www.amazon.com/Love-Respect-Desires-Desperately-Needs/dp/1591451876/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276578171&sr=1-1

Teach them the things of God

• Bible stories—we depend way too much on the church. Immerse them in Bible stories.
• Read Aloud Bible Stories. http://www.amazon.com/Read-Aloud-Bible-Stories-1/dp/0802471633
• The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Story-Bible-Catherine-Vos/dp/0802850111/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276576215&sr=1-1
• Graduate up to Bible studies.
• Precept studies for children http://store.precept.org/c-30-for-childrenkids.aspx
• Let him/her do her study and you do yours. Talk about what God’s told you and what you’ve told God.
• Character traits--honesty, gratitude
• Doctrine--Proverbs 4:1-4.
• Catechism (they paid their children $50 when they learned the catechism!)
• Small talks on Big questions Volumes 1 & 2 (this goes through the catechism and explains it) http://www.amazon.com/Small-talks-big-questions-vol/dp/189440002X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276576571&sr=8-2
• Little Visits with God. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0013TPJ5S/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&qid=1276576635&sr=1-6&condition=all
• Biographies of Christians
• Hero Tales Volumes 1-4 by Dave Jackson http://www.amazon.com/Hero-Tales-Treasury-Stories-Christian/dp/076420078X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276577079&sr=8-1

What are hindrances to reading, immersing, pummeling your children with God’s truth?

• Time 
• Be leery of organized activities too early.
• Play with siblings.
• Go outside.
• Stay at home.
• Distractions
• Back off.
• Do only one thing outside of the home.
• When you are home, BE ALL THERE.
• Children’s short attention span
• Be quick and to the point.
• As long as they aren’t interrupting you, let them be children.
• Feelings of inadequacy
• Learn it yourself! God will give you what to say.

Recommended Parenting Books

• Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp http://www.amazon.com/Shepherding-Childs-Heart-Tedd-Tripp/dp/0966378601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276577768&sr=8-1
• Hints on Child Training by Elisabeth Elliot's grandfather, H. Clay Trumbull http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/188393401X/ref=pd_luc_sbs_01_01
• "Moms Who Changed the World" by Lindsey O’Connor http://www.amazon.com/Moms-Who-Have-Changed-World/dp/1565076559/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276577883&sr=8-1
• "24 Family Ways" http://www.amazon.com/Our-24-Family-Ways-Devotional/dp/1888692073/ref=pd_sim_b_1#noop

Play to win, but in the process, grow

We have just wrapped up another baseball season for our oldest son, Ted. The practices, the games, the uniform-washing…I really do love all of it as the mom of a growing boy. However, this season has caused me sadness in my heart for the future. What is the purpose for youth team sports? Why do families sacrifice “free time” for youth sports? Why do we spend hours upon hours at the ballpark?


Youth team sports should be first and foremost about character-development. You should want your children to learn a few basic attributes as a result of sports: a good work ethic, perseverance, cooperation among teammates, coachability, how to handle adversity. If your goal for your son in little league baseball is to get him a Junior College scholarship, I am afraid you are misguided. If your goal for your son in little league baseball is for him to be a Major Leaguer, I am afraid you are delusional. The number of MLB players in its history is estimated to be around 17,000; the number of children aged 6 to 18 who compete in youth sports every year is around 44 million (according to the National Council’s 2008 study).


Trey was the head coach for Ted’s team this spring. During his initial meeting with the parents, he told them, “We may not win a game, but we will do three things: 1. We will hustle on and off the field; 2. We will manage our own dugout; and, 3. We will respect our teammates, our coaches and the umpires and not have temper tantrums.” What was he saying? He was saying that he expects maximum effort, that he expects them to be responsible and that he expects respectful and appropriate behavior on and off the field.


Hustle. That doesn’t sound too hard. If I heard Trey yell, “RUN!!!” one time, I heard it one thousand times. Run on and off the field. Run to get into position to catch the ball. Run to first base when you hit the ball. Run, run, run. Exert the effort. Of course, as Christians, we believe that we should do “all things” to the glory of God. What does it say about us if we don’t expect that to trickle down to extracurricular activities? “All things” means all things.

Manage the dugout. Keep your hat and glove together. Be responsible for your gear. The Gatorade can wait; water is fine. No visiting at the dugout. (Moms, it is time that we let our boys be young men.  If they are truly hurt, the coach will come get us.)  The game is still being played even when our team is batting; it is not social hour. For goodness sake, encourage your teammates. Learn the game.  Carry your own gear to the car once the game is over. 


Respect. Your teammates deserve respect by virtue of the fact that you signed up for a team sport. That means, you show up for practice and for games. Take responsibility for your mistakes, learn from them. I don’t care if you are the “super star” on the team; don’t refer to your teammate as “kid”.  Encourage your teammates.  Be a leader. 


The coaches deserve respect from the players because they are in authority over them. I have seen that the pool of young men my daughters will have to choose from consists primarily of disrespectful boys who roll their eyes at successful grown men, yell at their own fathers from the mound, and refuse to be coachable. God help us all.  The coaches deserve respect from the parents because we have registered our children for a team sport.  Our children learn from us. 
 (Oh, another thing. If your child is fortunate enough to have a former professional baseball player as coach, please understand that he actually does know more than either you or your son do about the game. In fact, he has probably forgotten more about baseball than either of you will ever know.)


Lastly, the umpires deserve respect because they are the umpires. That might be the hardest for even the most respectful child. Umpires make bad calls. Sometimes a lot of them. But they are the final say. End of discussion. And, parents, please keep your mouths shut. I promise if you saw a video of yourself yelling at the college kid who is earning some extra money by calling balls and strikes, you would be embarrassed. It is just not acceptable.


I love, love baseball. I love that my son enjoys the sport. I love that he is competitive and wants to win. However, I am most proud of him when I see him encouraging his teammate who just made a mistake, when I see him hustling off the field after catching behind the plate for 6 innings straight, when I see him putting his arm around an opposing team’s player as they pray. Those images are worth a thousand homeruns.  He is a work in progress and God's grace has been lavished upon us over his lifetime.  May we be worthy of the responsibility of parenting Ted, his sisters and his brother.


Play to win, but in the process, grow.

What I've learned from Hogan...so far

There's an 8 day old baby boy in Athens, Georgia, who is having a huge impact on a lot of people these days.  Hogan is his name and he was born on April 2 despite all of the earthly odds being against him.  God, through Hogan, has taught me quite a few things this week.
First of all, I've learned that while God might not answer my prayers in the "best" way according to my way of thinking, He answers them in a way to give Himself the greater glory.  The "best" way would've been for Hogan to be born perfectly healthy...the ultrasound would've been wrong...miraculous healing would've occurred.  Wow...if that had happened last Friday, God would have received much glory!  But God is choosing to answer prayers incrementally.  Hogan was born alive...he lived long enough for his mom to hold him after her c-section...his older brother and sister have met him...his grandmothers have held him...he is spending night after night with his dad in the NICU...he surpassed the "5-7 day" lifespan prediction...and the list goes on.  As a result, God is receiving the greater glory because untold numbers of people are reading and watching this love story unfold through Facebook and Hogan's blog.  Hogan's family is on display for many to see and they are being faithful to the One who has called them.
Secondly, Hogan has reminded me to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."  Every thought, every moment, every everything that I have is because of Christ.  My attitude and my life should be marked with thankfulness, obedience and love. 
I am loving on my children more today than two weeks ago.  That doesn't mean that I have stopped disciplining them, but I am reminded daily of how blessed we are to have four healthy children entrusted to us for a time.  God has called me to the highest of callings...wife & mother.  When I am called home, I pray that God will be able to say "well done" when we look at the men and women who were my baby boys and girls.
I am reminded that God uses the weak things of this world to shame the wise.  My sweet husband is so pragmatic about medical issues.  I am much more hopeful.  He has continually tried to breathe some realism into my idealism.  (Not liking that, by the way.)  I would assume that Hogan's victories this week are amazing the physicians and nurses who, like Trey, might have become numb to the possibility of miracles.  It's not their fault...it's easier to deal with loss when the situation is hopeless.  However, God says in Isaiah, "You were tired out by the length of your road, Yet you did not say, 'It is hopeless.'  You found renewed strength, Therefore you did not faint."  May God renew the strength of all of our medical professionals while He renews their belief in miracles.
Lastly, Hogan's name means "warrior".  He is fighting each battle with the ferocity of a great military hero.  Zephaniah 3:17 in the NAS version says, "The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.  He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."  Hogan is a warrior from the line of Christ...the warrior who wins the ultimate victory. 
I pray that I will be open to the things that God is teaching me through Hogan, through my children, through all of the people with whom I come in contact.  Keep 'em coming!

How to provoke your child into anger

How can you provoke your child into anger (Eph. 6:24)? …Here are some easy steps:

1. Spoil him.
2. Give him everything he wants, even more than you can afford. Just charge it so you can get him off your back.
3. When he does wrong, nag him a little but don’t spank him.
4. Foster his dependence on you. Don’t teach him to be independently responsible. Maintain his dependence on you so later drugs and alcohol can replace you when he’s older.
5. Protect him from all those mean teachers who want to discipline him from time to time. And threaten to sue them if they don’t let him alone.
6. Make all of his decisions for him because he might make mistakes and learn from them if you don’t.
7. Criticize his father to him, or his mother, so your son or daughter will lose respect for his parents.
8. Whenever he gets into trouble, bail him out. Besides if he faces any real consequence, it might hurt your reputation.
9. Never let him suffer the consequences of his behavior. Always step in and solve his problems for him so he will depend on you and run to you when the going gets tough and never learn how to solve his problems.
10. If you want to turn your child into a delinquent, let him express himself anyway he feels like it.
11.Don't run his life, let him run yours.
12. Don't bother him with chores. Do everything for him then he can be irresponsible all his life and blame others when things don’t get done right.
13. Be sure to give in when he throws a temper tantrum.
14. Believe his lies because it’s too much hassle to try to sort through to get the truth.
15. Criticize others openly; criticize others routinely so that he will continue to realize that he is better than everybody else.
16. Give him a big allowance and don’t make him do anything for it.
17. Praise him for his good looks, never for character.

John MacArthur
God’s Pattern for Parents – Part 2, The article originally appeared (www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/1950B) at www.gty.org. © 1969-2008. Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Who are we?

Six.  That's how many of us there are.  Wow.  A family of six.  Four children, Big T, Piggy, Bean and Peanut.  Then there's T & me.  I will introduce you to us all, but not tonight.  Six Auburn Wages.  I hope you enjoy our story as it unfolds.