1

A M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R

THE

encouragement for ordinary women to nd hope in an EXTRA-ordinary God

PAIGE TURNER
M y F a i t h S e e d s o f

ige out Pa All Ab

L E T T U C E E AT !

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
~Psalms 34:8

M o m , I m H un gry !
erhaps those are the most commonly heard words in my home. Morning, noon, night ... my ve children seem to endlessly say to me:

Mom, Im hungry.

Feeding my children is practically a full-time job that needs my constant and devoted attention. It is certainly the most time-consuming part of my day. And still, my children spend a large portion of their day trying to convince me that they are hungry. On the next page is a food diary of sorts to show what a typical morning in our home might look like ... and I surely hope other moms will be able to relate to my experience!

Paige Terry Hamilton lives in the heart of Louisianas Cajun country with her husband Jon and their blended family of ve children (who for the next month are ages 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13). They are active members of Calvary Chapel of Lafayette, and enjoy the blessings of being a homeschool family. When not climbing the endless mountain of dirty laundry, Paige enjoys encouraging ordinary women to grow in their faith in an very EXTRA-ordinary God through writing and speaking. You can read more of Paiges writings on her blog, Paiges Pages (http:// paigikins.blogspot.com/). Paige can be reached via email at paigikins17@yahoo.com.

A Food Diary of sorts

s ... orning Most M

Wake Up and EAT!
6:30 am Julia: Good morning, Momma. Im hungry. Can I have some breakfast? 7:00 am Joel: Im hungry, Mom. What is there to eat for breakfast in this house? 7:15 am Nathan: Mom, Im extra hungry this morning. Can I make myself a couple of fried eggs? Please?!?

For there is more to life than food ... Luke 12:23

Made to Crave
written by Lysa Terkeurst
! If you are interested in learning more about satisfying your cravings with God instead of food, then this devotional is written for women like you (and me!). I have been reading this book and have discovered much food for thought in the pages. (Yes, that pun was intended!) ! Lysas website,madetocrave.org, oers a wealth of information and encouragement for women who are looking to end their tendency toward emotional eating by satisfying their souls intense craving for a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.

A Mid-Morning Snack
8:00 am Maddie: Im hungry. I ate a peach with toast for breakfast, but I need something else to ll my stomach. 8:10 am Megan: GiGi, I already ate a bowl of cereal but Im still hungry. Can I eat something else? 8:30 am Joel: Mom, Im HUNGRY. Seriously, there is nothing to eat. What am I going to do? 9:13 am Julia: When is lunch? Im hungry! 9:25 am Nathan: Its been over 2 hours since breakfast, and Im very hungry. Can I have a snack?

10:16 am Nathan: Mom. Im hungry so Im going to go make myself a peanut butter sandwich to hold me off until lunch. 10:28 am Maddie: GiGi ... Im so hungry I think I might faint. Please say it is time for lunch! 10:32 am Julia: Momma, isnt it lunch time yet? Im hungry. Megans hungry. Nathan is hungry. Everyone is hungry.

11:06 am Joel: I hope its not peanut butter sandwiches again. Im too hungry to just eat peanut butter. 11:12 am Julia: Momma, I am so glad lunch is almost ready! I thought you were never going to feed me!

Lunch is Served
11:15 am Mom: Its lunchtime, kids! From 11:15 until 11:30, the only noises are those of happy children devouring their lunch of sandwiches, carrot sticks, pretzels and fresh fruit.

Is it Time for Lunch?

9:58 am Joel: mom ... Mom ... MoM ... MOM ...

Can We Eat Yet?

10:58 am Megan: GiGi, Ive noticed it is lunch time. Do you need me to help you make lunch or can you handle it by yourself? 11:03 am Nathan: Yay! Moms in the kitchen, everyone! Its lunchtime! 11:04 am Maddie: Lunch? Great! I thought I was going to starve to death!

MOMMA ... im hungry. Whens

lunch? 10:04 am Megan: GiGi... Im really hungry. How much longer before lunch?

And then ...

12:14 pm Megan: GiGi, Im feeling a little hungry. Whats for our afternoon snack?

While that might be something of an exaggeration, its honestly not that far from the truth.

There are seven people in my family, so it takes a lot of food to keep everyone feed and happy. In order to make that happen, we tend to spend enormous amounts of our time, energy, and money on food or food-related activities. It seems to me that for my family we are either thinking about, talking about, shopping for, cooking or eating food just about every waking moment of the day. But even with all of that focus on food, it seems that we are never full. We constantly are looking for the next opportunity to ll our stomachs and ease the hunger pains. And that leaves two big questions burning in my mind ...

If food is what consumes me and my family, then why am I so hungry? And what exactly is it that I am hungering for?
Maam? .... Maam! .... Hey, Maam! Can you help me? I turned around from unpacking my shopping cart containing over $300 worth of groceries, and saw a boy, not much older than my oldest son, calling to me. Lanky, lean, and burned from the summer sun, his youthful face was spotted with acne. He looked like any other teen boy hanging out on a hot summer day, except for his blue eyes which told a far dierent tale, one of a boy who was much older than his years. As I looked at him running toward me, I guess some sort of motherly instinct rose up for I gave him a smile and said, I dont know if I can help you, but Ill be glad to listen and see if I can. Whats going on? Well, I dont ever carry much cash, but I probably have some change. Let me look and see whats in my purse. Meanwhile, why dont you tell me where your sister is at and how it came to be that you are here without money for a bus ride home. He looked me right in the eye for several seconds, then said, My sister ... shes in the store trying to get us some food. I got kicked out of the store for trying to steal. We came over here today to get food for our family to eat. Theres nothing at the house. I guess we didnt think much about the getting back home part. Oh. I see. The biggest problem then is that you are hungry. Yes. Yes, maam, I am hungry. My family is hungry. I see. Do you have parents? Do they work?

Yes. I got parents. They work temp jobs. Lately, there havent been any temp jobs. No jobs. No He stuck out his hand to shake mine, as he said, Thanks. I just need some money so my sister and money. No food. I can catch the bus home. Do you have any I shue around in my purse, looking for change and change or maybe a couple of spare dollars ... just silently pleading with God for wisdom as well as a enough for two bus tickets. Can you help me? good idea for what to do in this situation. I looked him in the eye, searching for signs of dishonesty. There was no sister to be seen Im sorry. Thats got to be very hard. Listen, I have anywhere about, and yet something told me that $1.07 in change, but thats all Ive got. However, I this child needed real help. I just wasnt sure of have a car full of groceries and I would be happy to what sort of help he really needed. share some of what I have with you.

Oh. No. You cant do that. You have ride to one of them. kids in your car to feed and Ive got no way to get any groceries home ... you I know about em. Its hard to get know, without it all going bad. there for meal times cause we got to take a bus ... and besides that sort of I called out to him one last time, I thought you came here to steal thing isnt for my family. No problem ... I just wish I could groceries. You have told me that your do something more for you today. family is hungry. If thats the case, Well, you know ... stealing shouldnt then I can give you a few things that be a way of life for you either. In fact, The young boy stopped, slowly dont have to be kept cold. See ... Id rather know you were going to a turned around, and then said, granola bars and apples, things like shelter for a meal than stealing from a There is just one more thing you that. store. Today you got caught and could do ... maybe if you didnt mind kicked out of the store. Next time it it ... well, what Im asking is .... No maam. I wont take your food. could be worse than that. could, I mean, would you just give Besides, I done got kicked out of the me a hug? store for stealing. If they see me out He looked down and shued his feet. here in the parking lot with a bag of Yes, maam. Ill think about I think the biggest grin broke out food, they might call the cops for that ...but you know even in a jail you on my face. That is one thing Id thinking I stole something from a get fed meals. be happy to do. customer. No. I wont take no food. But thank you anyway. He paused, looking up at me for Moments later I felt him sort of several long seconds. Then, as he melt into my arms the way my own I wish you would, but I understand. turned and began to walk away, he said boys do when they are desperate for softly, Thank you for the money, extra love. A meal would certainly I handed him the changed and then maam. appease my new friends growling said, Do you know about the shelters stomach, but the longing for love in town? They serve meals. I can get I stood there, watching him walk away, was much deeper and more intense you information and maybe even a for what seemed like an eternity before than the hunger pains he felt.

I am the bread of Life. John 6:48 ~ For He satises the thirsty & lls the hungry with good things. Psalms 107:9 ~ You, God, satisfy me more than the richest of foods. Psalm 63:5 ~ Feed me with the food that is needful for me. Proverbs 30:8 ~

God bless you! I whispered in his ear. With those words, he quickly turned and jogged o, leaving me standing there to watch him depart. My eyes lled up with tears as I watched him leave, before turning back to my minivan with its backend lled with bags upon bags of groceries. As I started the car, the child in the front seat said, Mom. Im hungry. And with tears still clouding my vision, I gave a little laugh as I reached over to rue the hair on the top of my own boys head, for what I came face to face with on that hot afternoon is that a hunger for love is much greater than any other hunger our soul may feel. Help me, God, to feed your sheep!

Jesus said, Do you love me? ... Then feed my sheep. ~John 21:17~