Dedicated to All Mothers ...

One of the greatest joys I have here at Sefton is to be involved in the lives of our staff. I really love them and we call ourselves the 'Sefton Family'. We have almost 40 full time staff as well as a group of guys who come in to help when we need building work done etc. We are a team and each ministry group - Children's Home aunties, KMGLC School teachers, Bible School staff, Cornerstone pastors - all work together so well and we love meeting, greeting & eating!

One of the things I really love is to be part of our staff's special occasions - weddings, birthdays, dedications, baptisms etc. Yesterday was such a day. I had the honour to dedicate Abigail Shekinah - the first born daughter of James and Rose Bastian. James is Sefton's administrator and also one of Pastors at Cornerstone and Rose is one of our former students at SBTC. Shekinah is an absolute beauty and a lovely wee girl. I have a wee soft spot for her and she is getting used to my strange white face! No comments please!

I spoke about the significance of her name
Abigail - Father's Joy
Shekinah - the glory & presence of God, to pitch your tent...


My points were:
1. That she would bring joy to her mum & dad
2. That she would cherish the presence of God
3. That she would experience the glory of God
4. That she would always pitch her tent in the right places

What a great service we had ... finished off with some lovely Filipino food of course! Fried Talapia (fish), Fried chicken, Pork Menudo, rice and home made ice cream. Mmmm...

In preparing my message, I came across some really funny things about kids. I want to dedicate these stories to any mum reading this. Stop what you're doing right now, stick the kettle on, enjoy ... and have a laugh!

These are actual things that kids have said in Sunday School Class. Classics ...

* In the first book of the bible, Guiness, God got tired of creating the world, so he took the Sabbath off.

* Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.

* Moses led the Hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients.

* The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert.

* The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery.

* Moses died before he ever reached Canada.

* The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.

* David always fought with the Flintstones,

* Solomon, one of David's sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.

* When the three wise guys from the east arrived, they found Jesus with a manager.

* One of the opossums was St. Matthew who was also a taximan.

* The people who followed the lord were called the 12 decibels. The epistles were the apostles wives.

Parenting

Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with each baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is different from having your first.

Your Clothes

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

The Layette

1st: You pre-wash your newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries

1st: At the first sign of distress - a whimper, a frown-you pick up the baby.

2nd: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Pacifier

1st: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Activities

1st: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, BabySwing, and Baby Story Hour.

2nd: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out

1st: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.

2nd: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home

1st: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Swallowing Coins

1st: when first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.

2nd: when 2nd child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for coin to pass.

3rd: when 3rd child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!!

Diapering

1st: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd: You change their diaper every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.

3rd: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Any comments ladies?