God, Our Father

1 Corinthians 8:6 [abridged] yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist;...

Last week, we discussed how serving the ONE true God with all our heart, soul, and strength, is making Him the Voice of Authority in our lives. As parents, our relationship with God is a model for the relationship that we want with our children.  We teach them to listen to us over their friends and to obey us over any other person in their lives.  That is exactly what God is asking from us in Deuteronomy 6:5.  This week, I would like to dig a little deeper into the heart behind this command.

As parents, we play multiple roles in the lives of our children; we are their helper, teacher, disciplinarian, comforter, listener, provider...the list goes on and on. I don't think its a coincidence that we are each one person with multiple abilities that meet the needs of our children. Likewise, our God exists in one essence as three distinct Persons -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  As Shimmy-Shimmy Shamrock says:

"The Trinity is there 

for all the world to see.

Every clover tells the story--

God is one and He is three."

As the Person of our Father, He gives us rules by which to live. Why do we need rules, you ask? It may be that your children have asked you the same question. To find the answer, we need only consider our own heart behind the rules that we establish for our children. 

Don't touch that, it will burn you. 

Don't act that way, it will cause problems in your relationships. 

Clean your room and take care of your things to show me that you are grateful for them.

Obey me, be respectful, and listen for my instruction so that I can teach you how to be successful.

From this perspective, it is much easier to realize that God, Our Father, has given us every instruction we could possibly need to live a long, happy, and prosperous life. 

"Oh that they had such a heart in them 

that they would fear Me and always 

keep all My commandments, 

that it might be well with them 

and with their children forever!" 

Deuteronomy 5:29   

Have you ever wished that same thing for your children? My prayer is that our children will see our love for our Father in the way that we submit our will to His; in the way that we love and respect others in what we do, in how we act, as well as what we say; and in the way that we use our resources, talent, and influence to build His House.  By our example, they will learn that the house of God, our Father, is filled with love, with everything that is good for us, and with everything that we need to live a great life. May you and your children make your home there.

Message Books By LaDann to schedule a Storytime (free of charge) at libraries, preschools, your elementary, or children's group. Also available for teaching lessons on Writing Couplets 3rd - 5th grade level or The Trinity 3rd - 5th grade level. Some lessons include crafts. All children who attend will receive a sticker and/or a bookmark! 

You may email ladannhendley@gmail or call 512-677-1771 for more information.

God is One!

Deuteronomy 6:4 puts it this way, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!"

This scripture clearly states that God is ONE God. It is noteworthy that it comes just before the Greatest Commandment in verse 5, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Do you see the repetitive phrase in this commandment?

"With all your" heart...soul...strength. Have you ever told someone that you love them "with all your heart"? I have. I know it is a figure of speech because I still have room in my heart to love other people, too.  But, the people that we love "with all our heart" are people for whom we would likely sacrifice something of our own desires. 

When we love God with all of our heart, we give Him all of our will, desires, passion, affection, and perceptions. Nothing and no one trumps our love for God. Yes, at this moment, I am searching my heart to determine if there is anyone or anything that I have placed above God. Lord, I submit my desires, passion, and will to Yours and ask to see myself and others from Your perspective and not my own! I give You not only my heart, Lord, but my soul as well. 

In return, He shows us a genuine love for others. We show that love in what we do, what we say, and how we act. In fact, that is a pretty good definition of soul. In order to love the Lord with all my soul, I must love Him with what I do, what I say, and how I act. 

Again, I am convicted.  Lord, I want my choices to reflect my commitment to You above everyone and everything else. I don't want to merely hear Your Word, I want to DO Your Word and SPEAK Your Word.  Life and death is in the power of my tongue and I humbly accept that I will eat the fruit of my own words. I will be meek (bridling that power) and express my worship to the ONE true God through the acts of service that You find worthy. 

Now, when my heart and my soul are wholly committed to HIM, then, my strength, which is all my resources, will be wholly committed to Him. Lord, I know everything I have comes from You to be used for Your purpose. My physical possessions, my talent, my influence...everything that I am able to do and have is by Your strength. You have given me power, through Your Holy Spirit, to accomplish every good and wonderful thing. 

When Shimmy-Shimmy Shamrock tells young readers about the Trinity, he speaks to these three aspects of the Greatest Commandment:

One leaf stands for the faith

of those who know the Father.

One leaf stands for the love

His Son gave us for others.

The third leaf stands for hope

we have because we know

the Son sent us a Helper;

His name is the Holy Ghost.

This is the "good life" that we are supposed to teach our children. But first we must model it to them. Verses 6-7 tell us that, if we do, we will carry it in our hearts and talk with them about it when we get up in the morning, when we are driving down the road, when we sit down to eat, and when we tuck in for the night. Verses 8-9 remind us that repetition and visual reminders are important in this teaching process.  

Like our children often ask us, you may be asking, "Why does God's Word tell us to do these things?".  We need only look back at the beginning of chapter 6 in verses 1-3 to learn the reason. He is training us, like a father trains his children, to listen to His voice as the ONE voice of Authority in our lives. 

Just as you train your children to follow your instruction so that you can reward them and you encourage your teens to listen to your advice so that they will have more pleasant experiences & greater success, Our Father is preparing us to receive the life that He has promised us. He is the only ONE who can provide it.

Message Books By LaDann to schedule a Storytime (free of charge) at libraries, preschools, your elementary, or children's group. Also available for teaching lessons on Writing Couplets 3rd - 5th grade level or The Trinity 3rd - 5th grade level. Some lessons include crafts. All children who attend will receive a sticker and/or a bookmark! 

You may email ladannhendley@gmail or call 512-677-1771 for more information.

The Trinity

The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one God but it also refers to each PERSON of the Trinity as God.  This can be a very difficult concept for adults, even more so for children, to grasp. My first book,  "Shimmy-Shimmy Shamrock and the Legend of the Leaves"  introduces young readers to the concept of the Trinity.

I'm Shimmy-Shimmy Shamrock.

St. Patrick came to preach.

He found a three-leaf clover

and knew what it could teach.

He held the clover overhead

and asked the Irish crowd,

"Is this one leaf or is it three?"
"It's both!" they cried aloud.

"You're right," St. Patrick answered,

"and so it is with God.

He's Three and One -- Father, Spirit, and Son."

They all began to nod.

When I read to groups or classrooms of children, I am sometimes asked to give a follow-up lesson on the subject of the Trinity.  I am excited, yet challenged, to deliver. The existence of the Trinity is a subject I once skimmed over because of its difficulty in understanding and explanation.  Then, I realized that getting a full understanding of the Trinity is getting to know God more fully.

This is a lesson I desire to receive and to share with whomever I am given the honor to speak. I hope that everyone who reads my children's book will be intrigued with this same desire to learn more about the PERSONS of God. This will be an ever-evolving lesson, as we grow and learn more about Him.

As I increase in the knowledge of who our God IS, I will share with you here.  Join with me in becoming more intimately acquainted with our Godhead, "Three Are One", and invite your children (or parents) to join, too. Who knows? There may come another book from our discoveries!

Mother's Day is on the Way!

I just finished Mother’s Day with Markus, the third book in my Holiday Series of children’s books.  That was an enjoyable book to write.  I enjoy writing for children.  There are a lot of stories in my head and I can’t wait to get them down on paper.  What I find most interesting about the writing process is that the stories often end up being quite different from the way I first envisioned them.

I never intended for my stories to rhyme.  Upon further research, however, I discovered that educators believe children learn well with couplets (two lines that rhyme.)  Not to mention, they are fun to write!  Fun and informative is a good description for what I’ve been writing.

I didn’t set out to “expose” the myths and legends of our holiday traditions in exchange for the truth. In fact, I determined that would take the FUN out of them.  What I realized, however, is that the truth CAN be fun!  I believe it takes more imagination and creativity to “pretend” than to “believe” in fictional characters.

I also think it enriches a young mind to know the origins of our traditions. I’m not the only one.  Other parents feel that teaching children the truth of tradition is important, too, and...scripture DOES tell us to get understanding...  That leads me to another element of writing books for children that is different from what I imagined.

I didn’t know I would be relying so heavily on scripture.  Sounds silly. Since I rely heavily on scripture in my own life, I should’ve known I would convey that in my books – especially children’s books.  One thing I did in my Mother’s Day book that I didn’t do in the first two: I added the scripture references to the pages that relate to scriptural truths.  I think I’ll go back and edit Shimmy-Shimmy Shamrock and Easter Lilli and do the same!

Happy Reading…and Happy Holidays!

LaDann Hendley

Holiday Series

I've always loved holiday tradition and it's iconic characters. I'm especially fond of Jolly Ole Saint Nick.  As a child, I loved the Christmas coloring books.  I would search out the “Santa pages” to fill in his bright red suit with careful strokes and then make circular puffs with my seldom used white crayon to accentuate the fluffy trim. The finishing touches of glossy black color for his boots, belt, and gloves solidified my devotion to the man and his message of good cheer.  But that was not the only message of the season in my house. Our family embraced the importance of imagination and creativity but never forgot the real meaning behind the celebration. I always felt that I got the best of both worlds.  I was allowed the freedom of my imagination but I knew the truth of reality.  In my first series of books, the Holiday Series, I hope to relate the importance of tradition and imagination while communicating truth in a way that expands the minds of our children. 

Most of these truths lie in the origin of the traditions.  I invite you and your children on a one year journey with me through the holidays we know so well…or do we?  Do you know why the four leaf clover is considered lucky? In my first book of the series, Shimmy-Shimmy Shamrock and the Legend of the Leaves, you’ll take a rhythmic rhyming tour through the history of this St. Patrick’s Day icon. The second book of the series, Easter Lilli and the Mystery of the Bunny Eggs, follows Lilli as she cracks the case and learns the real reasons behind the games she and her four sisters play during the Easter season. Look back here for information on my upcoming books for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.

Until then, Happy Reading...and Happy Holidays!