news: Steven Curtis Chapman's Daughter Killed in Accident

5-year-old daughter Maria Sue struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle at home.
By Andree Farias, from press reports
posted 05/22/08

For those who do not kow yet,here's the article from Christianity Today. Let's be in prayer for the family.

A recent photo of the Chapman family with Steven holding Maria

 

Maria Sue Chapman, Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter, died Wednesday evening from injuries sustained when a sports utility vehicle hit her in the driveway of the family's home near Franklin, Tennessee. She was 5.

 

The girl was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by one of her teenage brothers around 5:30 p.m., authorities said. The teen's identity was not released.

 

Laura McPherson, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Highway Patrol, told The Tennessean that the girl was airlifted to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, where she was pronounced dead.

 

"It appears to be a terrible accident," McPherson said, adding that no charges are expected.

 

According to the Associated Press, several family members witnessed the accident, but the Tennessean report said only two children saw what happened. McPherson said the entire family was home at the time.

 

"I'm confident I can speak for everyone in the community to say we will do everything we can to support this family, as we would do at any time, but especially at a time like this," Gospel Music Association President John W. Styll told The Tennessean.

 

Maria was Steven and wife Mary Beth Chapman's third adopted daughter and sixth child overall, behind siblings Will Franklin, Caleb, Emily, Shaohannah, and Stevey Joy.

 

Their belief in adoption led the couple to found Shaohannah's Hope in 2000, an organization aimed at helping families facing the financial burden of adopting a child. So far, the charity has assisted thousands of families with grants, according to the nonprofit's Web site.

 

"My heart is just aching for them," said Velvet Kelm, Chapman's publicist.

 

"I don't know of anybody who loves his children more than he does and is so committed to the adoption concept, and to lose one, no matter what the circumstances, is heartbreaking beyond all comprehension," Styll said.

 

In April, Chapman was inducted in the Music City Walk of Fame for more the 20 years in Christian music — a career that has spawned five Grammy awards, 54 Dove awards, 44 No. 1 singles, and more than 10 million albums sold.

 

"There may or may not be issues ahead for us," Mary Beth Chapman told Today's Christian in 2005 about her and her husband's future as adoptive parents. "But even if Shaoey turns 16 and says, 'I hate you, I'm going back to China,' I know God put Shaoey in our lives; God put Stevey Joy here, and God put Maria here. Whether it's all peaches-and-cream or it's miserable, this is God's work."

 

Editor's Note: Steven Curtis Chapman's music has touched millions over the last 20 years, and many of us feel like we've come to know him and his family through his songs and through his consistent witness for Christ. Most can only imagine what the Chapman family is going through right now in the aftermath of such tragedy. The 'who,' 'what,' and 'how' of all this is undoubtedly weighing heavily on their hearts, leading them to wonder 'why' such a thing could happen.

 

As brothers and sisters in Christ, I would encourage you to keep the Chapman family in your prayers as they wrestle with the grief and the guilt stemming from little Maria Sue's accident. Pray especially that they would experience God's peace and comfort at this extremely difficult time.

 

Steven Curtis Chapman's official site is overflowing with traffic from those wishing to express their sympathies. If you'd like to show additional support, consider making a donation to Shaohannah's Hope, the family's foundation promoting the care of orphans from around the world. You can make a donation to the Maria Fund in memory of Maria Chapman by clicking here, or mailing donations to Shaohannah's Hope, c/o The Maria Fund, PO Box 647, Franklin TN, 37065. What better way to remember Maria Sue's life than helping to provide a life for others like herself?

Five steps to overcoming ministry obstacles

by Rick Warren
source: Ministry Toolbox

Ever notice that when God is blessing your ministry the most, troubles follow? Your church is growing, but you desperately need a new building. New people are coming to Christ, but you now need to disciple them. You're tackling some of the greatest evil giants of your community, and now they're starting to tackle back.

Maybe you're feeling like Joshua. As God was leading Israel into one of the greatest eras of its history – the conquest of the Promised Land – Joshua was chosen to lead the charge. Yet in the midst of this great time of success came one of the greatest challenges of his life. There were seven larger and stronger nations already there. If he was going to fulfill God's call on his life, he'd have a big obstacle to overcome first.

That's when God gave Joshua a five-point strategy for success that still works today.

1. Be clear in your direction.

   In the first four verses of Joshua 1, God specifically outlines when and where Joshua is going. He knew exactly what God wanted him to do.

   If you're going to be a leader that God can use, you must first be clear in your direction. I talk to pastors all the time who say, "I really don't know what I want in my ministry." They tend to just drift along. They don't know what they want for their church or family. When you ask them to tell you what their vision is for the church, they respond with something fuzzy and not specific.

   We all need a goal, a dream. But those goals must be clear and specific. Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific. And the more specific you are in your direction, the more you'll find a magnetic pull that'll take you along.

   Every time I've presented Saddleback with a specific goal, the church has responded in a big way. In 2002 when I challenged the church to start 3,000 small groups, it was a nearly impossible goal. I was as specific as I could be, and the church responded. We started more small groups than we ever had before. Two years later I challenged the church to feed every homeless person in Orange County. That's no small task. But Saddleback reached the goal once I made it specific. When you get specific, people get excited.

2. Be confident in your desires.

   Once you know the direction that God wants you to take, you must have the confidence to move ahead. You can't doubt what God's called you to do. Doubt is the opposite of faith. The Bible says, "Whatever is not of faith is sin."

   Once you've set your goal the devil will get you to start questioning it. Is this really God's will? What if I'm wrong? Do I really deserve this? Am I just being selfish or prideful?

   Evidently this was a real problem for Joshua. He lacked confidence. He felt inadequate in his leadership. Sound familiar? I've identified with Joshua many times. God had to keep giving Joshua a pep talk. Four times in Joshua 1, God says, "Be determined and confident."

   Why? It isn't the obstacles that keep you in the desert. It's fear. Fear keeps you from being all that God wants you to be. It's fear that keeps your church from growing how God wants it to grow. You must be confident in your desires.

3. Be committed to your decisions.

   Once you've started, don't look back. Joshua 1:9 says "Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." God says stick with it. To be a success in life, you must outlast your critics. An oak tree is a little nut that refused to give its ground. Commitment is a key to accomplishment. If you don't have commitment to your ministry, you'll never finish anything.

   What are you committed to? What are you willing to die for? Many people in your church are afraid to commit to anything. They begin one job and when it gets tough, they switch to something else.

   When high achievers make a decision, they die by it. You can't just jump across a canyon with several baby steps. You have to commit yourself to your goal. If you're going to cross a canyon, you've got to go for it with gusto. It won't work until you commit to making it work.

4. Be corrected by your defeats.

   In chapter 1, verse 7, God tells Joshua, "Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the law. Don't turn from it to the right or to the left that you may be successful wherever you go." He tells Joshua not to get sidetracked. When you have a failure, get back on track. Let God's Word help you reorganize your ministry and your priorities. Mistakes are a part of life. You're not perfect. The pencil eraser industry was built on your mistakes. If there weren't such things as mistakes, we wouldn't have any need for erasers.

   The difference between successful and non-successful people is not that successful people don't fail. They do. It's just that successful people learn from their failures. Corrections after defeats are the key to the future. Thomas Edison once said, "Don't call it a failure; call it an education." At Saddleback, our staff is highly educated! We've done more things that didn't work than did. We're not afraid to admit it when we've made a mistake and to learn from it. The road to success is paved with failure. But we've learned from those failures.

   Joshua did too. Remember the story of Ai, the little dinky town that the Israelites came upon after their great victory at Jericho. They'd just taken on the greatest, most fortified city in the land (Jericho) and God had given a tremendous victory. They were getting a little confident and cocky. Then they began to presume upon God's grace. When they had to take the little city of Ai, Joshua said, "Go out with a small battalion of troops." They went out and were absolutely wiped out. When the news came back to Joshua, he threw himself onto the ground and prayed. He asked God what happened.

   God tells him to get up, dust himself off, and get the sin out of the camp. Don't just pray – do something. They later discovered that Achan had stolen three things even though God had said not to take plunder. Because he hid those things, his sin was causing the entire camp to suffer.

   But Joshua had to discover the problem and take appropriate action. He learned by his defeats.

5. Be conscious of God's dependability.

   God promises enormous benefits in his Word as we trust him and follow him. Joshua 1 is full of God's promises. He specifically promises Joshua four things:

   • Power: In verse 5 God says, "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses so I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you." God tells Joshua to trust him and he'll provide all of the power he could ever need.
   • Protection: He tells Joshua that nothing can harm him. In verse 5 he says, "I will never leave you or forsake you." He'll be with him always and protect him.
   • Prosperity: God says in verse 8 "Don't let the book of the law depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night. Be careful to obey everything written in it. Then you'll be prosperous and successful." Prosperity is being everything God wants you to be, having God's blessing your life, and using the talents he has given you. God guarantees that you'll have more than you need if you trust in him.
   • Presence: That's the best promise of all. In Joshua 1:9 God says, "I will be with you wherever you go." Many times I've felt lonely in ministry, but God always gives me a new sense of his presence when I trust him.

God wants you to have success in ministry. He may not define it the way you do, but he wants you to have his best. As a pastor or key leader in your church, he wants you to help lead people to tackle the great giants of your community. Follow these five principles and he'll give you everything you need to succeed.

10 Important Educational Activities for Preschoolers

Amelia Harper

source: CW

 

1.  Teach them to say the alphabet.

One of the best ways to do this is by using the old "Alphabet Song." I like to add my own touch to make it more special. (It would never fly in a classroom these days, but that is the beauty of homeschooling.) My kids loved this version:

A-B-C-D-E-F-G. H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P, Q-R-S, T-U-V, W-X, Y and Z;

Now I know my abc's; can I have a hug now, please?

 

2. Recognize a few letters of the alphabet.

Use games and simply point out letters everywhere you go. Children love to learn the letters in their own names.

 

3. Let your children see you read, and read to them often.  

As you read, put your fingers under the words sometimes. This helps children understand the concept of reading from left to right and also helps them learn to associate words on the page with words that you say.

Don't worry if they are not actually reading yet, but if they do pick up a few words, pause and let them read them. When my children learn simple words such as a, an, the, and God, we let them "help" read a verse at devotions. The use of Rebus books is a great way to introduce pre-reading as well. In the text of rebus books, little pictures function in place of certain words (like a picture of a cat instead of a cat). Even nonreaders can "help read" these books. Ask the librarian in your library's children's department to show you where they are. The most important thing is to help them develop the love of reading.

 

4. Teach the shapes and colors.

Shape puzzles are a great way to teach the shapes, such as circle, square, etc. Have your children identify shapes in daily life. Colors are even more fun. I know I will get mail for this, but here is a great way to teach basic colors. Get a bag of M&MS ^® or other colored candies. Let your preschoolers eat the red ones if they pick them out correctly. Then look for the yellow ones, etc. Candy is a great motivator. Also, discuss names of colors as they use crayons. Older siblings are great at teaching this one.

 

5. Teach them to sort objects.

A great many sorting and matching games are out there, but you can do this in real life too. Let them help sort socks. As you unpack groceries, let your preschoolers sort the canned veggies from the canned fruit. Let them sort the M&MS^® by color. (M&MS^® are very educational!)

 

6. Teach them about spatial relationships.

This is a fancy way of saying to teach them concepts such as "over," "under," "in," and "out." An introduction to "opposites" often works well as you teach these concepts. Stuffed animals are great tools with which to teach this skill (e.g., Is Harvey Hare over or under Martha Mouse?).

 

7. Teach them to count to 10.

Again, you will have opportunities to do this every day. "How many plates are on the table? Let's count them!"

 

8. Help your preschoolers develop motor skills.

Throw balls; color with crayons and markers; cut with children's scissors. Many of these simple childhood activities build fine-motor skills that are essential when your child later learns to write.

 

9. Develop a good vocabulary and use it around your kids.

According to the Children's Defense Fund, by the time a child from a middle-class family enters first grade, he has a vocabulary of about 20,000 words. However, a child from a low-class family knows only about 5,000 words.¹ The truth is, class should not matter. If your vocabulary is not large, expand it and talk to your child as you would an adult--within reason.

 

10. Use good grammar around your children.

Many children are handicapped educationally because they did not have good grammar models in the home. You will make the teaching of English so much easier if your child knows what proper grammar sounds like. If you are not sure yourself, then get a book on the topic and learn. Listen to good books on tape, and listen to intelligent, excellent media. You will soon get the hang of it, and your child will too.

 

Footnote:

1.        <http://www.tcf.org/Publications/Education/UniversalPreschool.pdf>

Amelia Harper is a homeschooling mother of five and pastor's wife.  She is the author of Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings, a complete one-year literature curriculum for secondary level students.  She is also a freelance writer for newspapers and magazines.  http://www.homescholarbooks.com.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/MiddleEarthMom

Copyright 2008. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Right now, 25 free gifts when you subscribe. www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com

Increasing the Money You Don't Spend

Mary Hunt

Debt-Proof Living

source: CW

If you are, or ever have been in serious debt, you know the feeling that your creditors own you lock, stock and bank account.

Debt steals your freedom one option at a time. It keeps you chained to a job you hate. It keeps you stuck in the past, unable to move forward in life. And big debt causes terrible stress that makes it hard to breathe, keeps you awake, spoils relationships and zaps the joy out of living.

It makes sense that if debt steals your options, then repaying debt creates financial freedom. But that's not necessarily true.

If you spend just the amount you earn, you won't be living beyond your means or creating new debt to bridge the shortfall. But you will be broke at the end of every month spinning your wheels, living from one paycheck to the next.

The first rule of sound money management is to live below your means—to spend less than you earn. This means creating a margin between what you earn and what you spend.

 

The secret to finding financial freedom—freedom from financial worry, fear and want—is in the gap between the amount you earn and what you spend. The bigger the gap, the more freedom you will enjoy.

It's the money you don't spend that gives you the freedom to grow your dreams and prepare for the future.

Widen the gap

There are two ways to increase the space between what you earn and what you spend: 1) spend less and 2) earn more. The harder you work at doing either—or both—the more successful you'll be in finding financial freedom: freedom to fund your children's educations, freedom to travel, to invest; freedom to relocate, to retire—freedom to live the life you love. 

 

How to spend less

Sounds so easy, doesn't it? Just spend less. If it were that easy, we wouldn't be adding $2.2 billion in revolving consumer debt per month, as Americans did in Nov. 2007. We've become addicted to spending, so it takes a concerted effort to reverse that obsession.

Spending less takes work but it remains the best way to change your financial situation quickly. You've already earned the money and paid taxes on it, so there's no waiting. |

Get serious. Put your commitment to spending less in writing. Be specific about how much you intend to reduce your spending and how you plan to do this. "Pre-spend" your income on paper before you ever spend it for real. Set limits and boldly enforce them. Keep track in writing where all the money goes.

Cheat sheet. Write the following on a 3x5 card or similar, which you can keep with you at all times and to which you will refer before spending more than $20 on anything:

a. Do I need it?
b. Do I have something already that will do just as well?
c. Do I need it right now or can it wait?
d. Have I found the best value?

Stop long enough to run whatever it is you're about to buy through the filter of these questions. The minute you get a "No," walk away.

Wait. Impose on yourself a specific period of time you must wait before making the purchase, time you can think clearly. You would never believe how many times I've come to the point of purchase and then enforced my personal 24-hour rule. It says I have to go home and sleep on it. More times than not I just don't go back, either because I changed my mind or, more likely, because I completely forgot. This works well for us impulsive types.

Ways to earn more

While earning more money is more complicated than cutting spending and takes more time and effort to produce results, this is the way to expand your gap more dramatically. 

Increase hours. If available, pick up more hours on your current job.

Improve a skill. There are myriad ways a skilled artisan or musician can create an income stream. If that's you, hone those skills.

Moonlight. We're not talking the rest of your life—only a season from time to time. It won't kill you to work nights and weekends at a second job.

Freelance.

Are you a graphic designer, website developer, marketing expert, copy editor or creative writer? Freelance your services to small businesses. Take a look at Elance.com where providers can bid on small jobs posted by businesses and others.

Rent out. Perhaps you have a garage you're not using. Rent it out for vehicle storage. Rent a spare room to a college student.

Get educated. Finish a degree or take specific classes if it qualifies you for a promotion at your present place of employment. Figure out what you need and then do it. 

Network. Get the word out in your social and business circles that you're ready, willing and able to offer your services.

Embrace frugality

Frugality means maximizing every dollar so you stop wasting money and fund your gap. Set your own standards and you won't have to worry about doing anything that makes you squeamish.

Plug the leaks. Start paying attention to where money is leaking out of your life. Look at everything, from using excessive amounts of electricity and water to paying too much for insurance. 

Cook at home. Take a look at how much you're spending on food outside the home—diners, coffee shops, restaurants, drive-thrus and other fast food joints. Yikes. Are you starting to see why your gap is so thin? Learn to cook at home and you'll turn that $40 tab to feed a family of four into a tasty $5 meal at home.

Make a game of it. If you currently shop for groceries once a week, see if you can beat the frequency by going every ten days. Then stretch it to twelve—even two weeks. Make it a game to see how long you can make a tank of gas last. Now make it last even longer.

Get help. Resources galore are waiting for you (see below).

 

---

Debt-Proof Living was founded in 1992 by Mary Hunt. What began as a newsletter to encourage and empower people to break free from the bondage of consumer debt has grown into a huge community of ordinary people who have achieved remarkable success in their quest to effectively manage their money and stay out of debt. Today, "Debt-Proof Living" is read by close to 100,000 cheapskates.  Click here to subscribe. Also, you can receive Mary's free daily e-mail "Everyday Cheapskate" by signing up at EverydayCheapskate.com.