What does all of this mean? Well, according to Luther’s Catechism it means that baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word. Luther also answers the question “What does such baptizing with water mean?” He answered “Such baptizing with water means that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts; and that a new man daily come forth and arise, who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” Baptism truly is a great blessing. What a wonderful God we have that blesses us this way through the Holy Spirit! Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch.
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As a former daycare teacher, I learned so many things about the growth and development of a child. I helped out in the infant room where we took care of babies just 6 weeks old. I worked my way up room by room and age by age. I attended school toward my degree and I also took day classes to keep up with the research and development of care and procedures. I worked my way up to the school age classroom where I did the after school program and summer school program. It was a wonderful experience for me and I loved to see the children grow and learn. What I missed during my years at the daycare was the opportunity to share God’s Word and His Love with the children there. We were so focused on their physical well-being and because it was a public daycare, we were not allowed to focus on the children’s spiritual well-being.
While it is most important to know that the children are growing in faith, I would like to share some ideas on how to help their physical development. Working in the daycare field helped me put a lot of these tips and tricks into practice and it was fun to see the children learning through play. There are endless ideas out there on helping your children develop specific skills. Everything from fine motor skills like putting puzzle pieces in place to large motor skills like running and jumping should be considered. You can find various websites for specific skills but you are welcome to check out a website I found that has many different tips and ideas to help your child grow and develop physically and mentally. There are many different links on The Imagination Tree webpage so have some fun and try a few of these out with your little ones! If you don’t have little ones of your own, share this page with other young moms or use these ideas for grandchildren, friends, nieces and nephews. The children will have fun and you will know that you helped with their growth! God’s Blessings on your journey with His precious little ones! May they grow strong in faith and body. Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. When you hear the word Mother, who do you think of? It might be the woman who gave birth to you. It might be the woman who raised you. Does it make you think of a woman who was always there for you? Or perhaps someone who wasn't really there for you much, but worked all the time to help pay the bills? Okay, so clearly Beaver had some interesting ideas of what being a woman is all about... If you watch the nightly family sitcoms on television or if you ever go on the popular website Pinterest, you will see all sorts of unspoken rules or standards that mothers today are set against. Married mothers, single mothers, working mothers, and stay at home mothers all have standards to live up to. Often it is the mother's job to take care of the house. The shopping, cooking, cleaning, planning, and laundry for the family all lay on the mother. According to The United States Department of Labor website, almost 70% of mothers with children under the age of 18 years of age are working either full-time or part-time. So now they, like many others, have to balance the home chores with a job. Let's throw kids into that factor now. After all, this is what makes them mothers. Child-rearing is a huge job in itself. Everything from waking with the child at night for diaper changes and feedings, teaching them how to take care of themselves as they get older, helping with homework, carpooling to sports, attending school meetings, and helping them cope with the changes through life is a job a mother often takes on herself. Knowing who her children's friends are and keeping her children safe, what they like and what they do in their free time, and the children's hopes and dreams are all things that a mother needs to know. Basically, a mother is supposed to have it all and do it all. All of this is quite overwhelming. How can a single person live up to these standards all the time? I know that I fall short as a working mom. I struggle with juggling a job, housework and the kids. I feel like during their teenage years is when they need a mom more than ever to be there for them. My house should be clean for when they want to have friends over and my responsibility to my job is very important to me. I think that all moms struggle and become stressed out with the responsibilities of being a mother. Now as crazy as it sounds, I would like you to take a step back and forget all of what the world thinks a mother should be and look at what God says a mother should be. Let's look at what the Bible says children are. Psalm 127:3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Let's remember what God says about being a mom and the role a mother should play, and everything else will fall into place. Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. You wake up one morning and you know something isn’t right. You feel different but don’t know what this new sensation is. It isn’t a bad feeling but you do feel a difference. What could it be? Then you start to think. “Oh no! It couldn’t be! There is no way it can be! We used protection! God wouldn’t do this to me. He knows I’m not ready.” The tests confirm it. You are pregnant. Now what? You start to evaluate the situation. You can’t tell your parents. They will be so upset and disappointed. You tell your baby’s father but he says it isn’t his problem and he wants you to have an abortion. He will even take you just to be done with it. It would be the easiest way. You won’t have to tell your parents. You wouldn’t have to change your plans. Your life will continue as you have planned. It would be so easy.
The initial shock wears off and you decide to tell your best friend. You can trust her to keep your secret and help guide you in your decision. She has always supported you and you know she will do so now, no matter what you decide. You were right. She heard you without judging. She helped you through your tears. She talks you through your options and offers help. She takes you for an ultra sound. What a turning point!! That is no little blob of tissue! That is a baby. That is your baby. Your baby is so small and helpless. How could you think of an abortion? What can you do? Now the really hard decisions come. This is where the mothers at New Beginnings have been. Not exactly, and every situation is different, but they experienced an unexpected pregnancy and they decided to give their child a chance. What a wonderful chance to start a new life for these women and their babies! At New Beginnings these young women can find God’s Word, structure, support, encouragement, and knowledge. They can grow and mature as they await the arrival of their baby and get the help and support they need during those first few years of their child’s life. A big THANK YOU to all of you who have given of their time, talents, and abilities to help and support us here at New Beginnings. Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. I was scrolling through my social media news feed one day when I came across an article that caught my attention. I clicked on it and was mesmerized by what it had to say. I have always known that I was "sinful from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me"(Psalm 51:5). From that moment of conception, I was a sinful human being. Not a blob of flesh to be discarded and forgotten, but a soul that is capable and accountable for my sins. My faith has always told me that it was wrong to kill a child still in the womb and I am very blessed to have grown up in a house that was Christ-centered. What about those who don't have such a blessing?What stops them from aborting the child that isn't wanted or what they see as a mistake? This is where this article comes in and I urge you to read through it. I pray for the mothers here at New Beginnings. They saw their child as a life. A life and a blessing given to them by God. A blessing that they are doing everything they can to protect and nurture. May God bless and guide us all as we continue to do His work. Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at NewBeginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. Have you ever said anything that you regret? Perhaps you lost your temper and said some things better left unsaid, or maybe you were hurt and wanted to hurt someone else so you damaged their reputation by spreading gossip. How often have you gotten upset or angry about something that was done to you and went to complain or "vent" to a coworker or friend? Do these situations sound familiar? We all have been guilty of letting our tongue and temper get the better of us. More often than not, the hurt and anger comes from misunderstanding or lack of communication; This is especially true among people with different backgrounds and cultures. I know this is a challenge among staff and residents here at New Beginnings. Individuals from different cultures and backgrounds are living and working under one roof and what might be acceptable and said in innocence in one culture, might be annoying or insulting to another culture. It is a challenge that we can all overcome with patience and understanding. We should look to God when we have these issues. What does He say about our words? I know that in the Ten Commandments, God says "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." You might argue that it is all true! I am just exposing this person for what they really are! We must ask ourselves, what does this commandment really mean? In Luther's Small Catechism, it is explained like this: "We should fear and love God that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, or give him a bad name, but defend him, speak well of him, and take his words and actions in the kindest possible way." This is difficult I realize. When we have been hurt or offended, the easiest thing to do is react instantly. We must control our words and think before we speak. Let us see what else God's Word has to say about it. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Amen!) – Psalm 19:14, ESV Here we are asking that our thoughts and words are pleasing to God. That must be a question that we ask ourselves before we react. “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1, ESV We must be aware of others and their feelings. We should think of others first.
May He grant us patience and control over our words and actions that we may be witnesses for His love. Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at NewBeginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. Discipline is a subject that is hard to talk about with parents and non-parents alike. Every child is different and everybody has an opinion on how to raise and discipline your children. As a mother, I welcome any advice and still value the opinions of my friends and family on how I can be a better mom and raise my kids to be respectful and obedient. I want to discipline them in love and help them make better choices out of their own free will and not out of force. I will be honest though. Sometimes, somebody will show me a different way to handle discipline or offer me some advice and I start to get defensive. Thoughts will run through my head that I don't like to face. These thoughts sometimes sound like, "Who are you to tell me how to handle my kids?" and, "Are you calling me a bad mom because I don't do that?" The truth is that most of the time, it is done out of love. They want to see me succeed and they are offering tools to help me and my children. With careful instruction here at New Beginnings, we are teaching our resident mothers how to discipline out of love and understanding the way that God instructs us to do. God is love and so everything He does is out of love. Should we not mirror His example? The Bible tells us "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him." - Proverbs 13:24 We are also told "Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death." - Proverbs 19:18 God disciplines us out of love. We are His children. We should raise our children out of love the way God has loved us. As a mother of teenagers, I was looking for advice on disciplining my children out of that love that Christ has taught us. I found a website that is wonderful and has tips on how to discipline from a Christian point of view using our Lord as the center. You can see it by clicking on the button below. May God Bless and Guide You! Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. I would like to ask you a question. What are you afraid of? Instantly a little voice inside your head might be telling you things. You could be thinking I'm not afraid of anything or I'm afraid of everything. I hear many things from many different people; some are afraid of getting laid off work, while others are afraid of an illness or death in the family. Everything that we are afraid of has one thing in common: fear of the unknown and fear of change. If you have a fear of the dark, you fear not knowing what is there that you can't see. If you are afraid of moving, you fear not knowing what is going to happen or what it will be like when you get there. When I was hired on at New Beginnings, I was terrified. I knew I would have to change so many things, including my ride to work. What if I got lost on my way there? My coworkers would be different. What if they didn't like me. My work and purpose would be different. What if I couldn't meet those goals and I let everybody down? This was all a change for me and I was afraid. We need to look at why we are afraid of change and what God says about it. Did you notice that every single fear that I had about starting a new job involved something bad happening? Getting lost and letting people down were preparing me for the worst. I knew all these bad things could happen but I still went for the job anyway. Why? I wanted to give myself and everybody involved the chance for something better. I wanted to make a difference. I didn't want to do this just for me or just for my family but the bigger picture and for God's Glory. I knew that I couldn't make things better by staying where I was. It was time for me to start a new chapter in my life. The same is true with the mothers and babies at New Beginnings; in essence, the mothers are starting an entirely new life full of what ifs. Change is tough, but the mothers at New Beginnings can rest assured that they have the full support of staff and the other moms residing in the program. Not only do the mothers have our support, but they have the love of their Lord! So what does God say about my fear of change and the unknown? Psalms 115:11 says "You who fear him, trust in the Lord-he is their help and shield." Isaiah 41:10 says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." I know that my fear was sinful. I did not trust the Lord like I should. I also knew that the Lord has promised to be there for me. He will be there for me and protect me and provide for me. Ultimately, I had faith. I trusted God in the end that things would work for His glory. Change was hard and always is difficult for me and many others. We need to make those changes anyway. This is how we grow and make things better. We need to trust God that he will guide us and protect us in everything that we do. "in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?" - Psalms 56:11 Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at NewBeginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. What comes to mind when I say "Christmas Traditions"? Do the thoughts of tree decorating, baking Christmas cookies, gift wrapping and attending Christmas service come to mind? How about getting together with family and friends? In my family, we have a tradition of hiding a small, toy bird in the tree every year for the children to look for. Not all families celebrate Christmas with the same traditions and that is okay. We all come from different families with different backgrounds and different traditions. At New Beginnings we strive to expose our residents to traditions such as decorating the Christmas tree or making Christmas cookies. Many of the moms at New Beginnings have never participated in these Christmas time traditions. Now, imagine if some of those well-loved traditions to you participate in where not there. Could you go without putting up a tree? How about going without the gifts for this year? "It just wouldn't be Christmas without Uncle Jack around." Has that thought ever crossed your mind about a loved one who has passed? Do you really believe Christmas has changed because things seem different? How about if you lost your job or fell on hard times? Is it still Christmas? The answer is simply "Yes". It is still Christmas. Just because something has changed, doesn't mean the true meaning of Christmas has changed. The fact is that Jesus was still born part God yet part man. He still lived the perfect life and suffered our terrible punishment for us. We celebrate Christmas to celebrate his birth and the fulfillment of the prophecy. Where is the best place to celebrate such a joyous event? Around a tree? Opening gifts? The best place to celebrate His birth would be in His house. If you have not made going to church on Christmas your tradition, I urge you to do so for that is where we can truly celebrate. For those of us who do make this our tradition, how blessed we are that no matter how much things change for us here on earth, we know that Christ was born, Christ has risen, and Christ will rise again in Glory one day to take us all home. May God bless you this Christmas. Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch. |
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