All of Me -- 2014 Arizona Women’s Retreat

“I want the truth that I believe to be the definition of me!”

With power and conviction, an all-female worship team opened this year’s Arizona Women’s Retreat with these lyrics from Mandisa’s catchy song “Definition of Me.”

About 330 women from our ministries throughout Arizona participated in the “All of Me” women’s retreat held the weekend of August 9-10, 2014 at the stunning Hilton El Conquistador resort in Tucson. I enjoyed watching us all come together - mothers and grandmothers, campus students and professionals, old friends and newcomers - to participate in two days of teaching and worship.

Spiritual Back to School Boosts for Your Kids

Editor's Note: Every once in a while you stumble on a valuable resource you didn't even know existed. You can follow these postings on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tenderyears (you can also find it under Facebook pages, listed under the name Elizabeth Laing Thompson). Check it out for some great (and humorous) child raising lessons.

If you're like me, your Facebook newsfeed is filled right now with adorable first day of school pictures. Our family has a tradition for the night before school starts: We go to the school playground, and after the kids run around for a while, we sit at a picnic table and take turns praying for the year to come. It's so simple, but it brings God into our family life in a special way. It teaches our kids that God cares about their daily life, and it sends them off to school with a sense of peace, knowing God is watching over them. It helps them embrace Joshua 1:9: "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Sometimes we overcomplicate spirituality . . . but mostly, it's pretty simple. Don't underestimate the power of small spiritual moments—small as they are, they play a big role in developing kids' faith, and knitting together the fabric of a family's spiritual life.

When my brothers were in elementary school, they walked to school with a bunch of neighborhood kids. Every morning before they left, my parents would meet them at the front door to hand out lunches, give goodbye hugs, and say a brief prayer asking God to be with them throughout the day. After a week or so, some of the neighborhood kids started knocking on our door early, hoping to get there in time for our prayer. Before we knew it, we had a group of kids gathered on our doorstep every morning, praying for their school day! Most of these kids were not religious; few had ever really prayed before—but they loved these prayer times. This simple act became a meaningful way that our family shared our faith with neighbors, just by doing what we already did as a family! And more than that, it taught me and my brothers how we could be an influence for God, a light to the world: "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Sometimes we underestimate the power of simple godliness and daily prayer—their power to influence our children and change our little corner of the world!

Breakfast can be a great time for sharing a quick scripture with kids before they head off to face the day at school—sort of like a spiritual multivitamin! In the next few posts, I'll share some two-minute devotionals and scriptures to read to kids in the mornings before they head off to school:

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" -- 2 Chronicles 16:9.

God always has his eye on people who love him—his eyes constantly roam the earth, looking for noble hearts, and when he spots people who love him, he pays them special attention and gives them strength in whatever challenges they are facing. Even when kids are away from home and parents, they can feel confident knowing that God's eyes are on them and his strength is with them—helping them make good choices, keeping them safe, bringing them joy.