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Peggy All Way And Always
By Al Silvera Reviewed By Laura Larson
It is a love story you will not soon forget. In "Peggy All Ways And Always," Al Silvera has written a moving tribute to his wife Peggy -- an amazing woman who, on a personal note, was like a grandmother to me, and whose friendship, wisdom, kindness and absolute passion for life shine through every page of Al’s delicate storytelling.
Al’s obvious affection and devotion are evident as he gives us glimpses into the life of his beloved wife. We’re shown a woman who reached out to others and put them first, a woman who genuinely respected and loved her husband, and a woman whose heart for God was so evident in her ever-present smile.
Al’s book is filled with humorous and amazing stories of two people in love, and the adventures they share in the day-to-day and in the challenges of life. While enjoying these often simple stories and adventures, the reader begins to see the threads of Peggy, who she was in her relationship with others, her husband and most importantly, God. Al subtly teaches us, through Peggy, lessons about life, love, and the divine.
Al recalls how open and transparent Peggy was in her relationships with others; how she showed genuine interest in everyone and warmly befriended all she came into contact with, regardless of age or status. Her face was open and her eyes were clear. She reached out and gave. “Peggy was a giver,” Al writes, “Quietly and joyfully, she gave of herself, her time, her talent, and her treasure.”
Peggy’s relationship with Al was, in a word, inspiring. They so enjoyed each other’s company and found fulfillment in serving and bringing joy to each other. Al’s book tells of his humorous attempts to dance, swim, bike, walk and even sail – just to keep up with his physically active wife. Peggy loved to be on the move! And when Al would bring up an idea, Peggy would support him with an enthusiastic “Let’s go for it!”
Peggy’s relationship with God was sweet and pure. She had both an innocence and depth to her faith that was refreshing and whole. Al’s book teaches us, through Peggy, a great deal about priorities. “Our primary Sunday activity was church,” Al explains. “Whatever else we did would be secondary to what we both believed was so important for our lives. Equally important to us were the time for prayer and devotions we had every day before breakfast and the time for thanksgiving we practiced every night just before bedtime.”
As Al's detailed, and often intimate, portrait of Peggy begins to take shape, the reader suddenly realizes -- in a moment of revelation that is both breathtaking and a little shocking -- a simple yet profound truth: Here is one woman who, though known and familiar to many, was truly known and deeply understood by only one on this earth -- her husband.
What an amazing picture of God’s plan for marriage, and the wonderful treasure awaiting those who stay together through thick and thin, "from this day forward," “for better or for worse,” until the Lord brings one or both of them home. As reflected in the title of the book, Al truly knew and loved Peggy, in “All Ways And Always,” and the wisdom Al shares through this once-in-a-lifetime experience with his wife is a must read for anyone who is serious about marriage and the adventure of forever love.
Read More: Links
Al Silvera: Peggy All Way And Always _________________________________________________________________________________
Family Missions Giving In Tough Times
By Ann Dunagan, author of The Mission-Minded Family (Authentic Media, 2008), international minister alongside her husband, Jon Dunagan (http://harvestministry.org), and homeschooling mother of seven.
As Christian families, we need God’s perspective on finances, and a vision for how our resources can help to expand His kingdom – especially in tough times.
But money is also a “big thing” – and we can’t underestimate the importance of training our children to have a godly perspective toward money and financial stewardship. Our money represents our life; our time, our talents, our education and experiences, and our priorities. In fact, if we really want to find out what is important to us, we can simply look back through our checkbooks and credit card statements over the past few months. Our true priorities are right there in black and white (or red!); and the numbers don’t lie.
It’s really very simple. If we have a heart for the Lord and for the lost, we will give our resources to glorify Him and to help spread His gospel message; and if our children are raised with their perspective, it will affect their bottom-line attitude toward the purpose of money. Both parents and children need to acknowledge regularly that everything we have ultimately belongs to God: our life is God’s, our home (or bedroom) is God’s, our car (or bicycle, or special toy) is God’s, our money is God’s. We’re all simply stewards of God’s “stuff.”
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, J.G. Morrison urged Nazarenes to increase missionary support, as he earnestly pleaded, “Can’t you do just a little bit more?”
When times are tough, our families need to “sow in famine” (like Isaac in Genesis 26:12) and “lay up treasures in heaven” (like Jesus commanded in Matthew 6:20). Physical needs worldwide are greater than ever; orphan children desperately need help; sacrificing missionaries need continual support and prayers; and billions of people need to hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
During today’s economic downturn, let’s do more for the needs of world missions. Let’s be faithful stewards of the many resources God has given us, and let’s encourage our children to participate. As mission-minded families, let’s do just a little bit more.
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Raising Up Missionaries
By Laurel Diacogiannis of A Journey of Faith (http://ajourneyoffaith.net). Along with Laurel’s speaking and writing ministry, Laurel is the homeschooling mother of 13 children (ages 7-24).
Recently, someone asked me how I have raised up 3 children who have chosen to live overseas in service to the Lord. (I have one child serving the Lord in Argentina for the next 2 years; one in Jordan for the next 2 years; and one currently in India as part of a 6 month missions outreach.) This woman went on to say that it is exciting when even one child from a family chooses such a personal journey … but for 3 to choose a similar journey was quite unbelievable for her.
No, we did not tell our children, “When you grow up, you should be a missionary.” We did not focus all of our homeschool curriculum on missions (which would not at all have been a bad thing, it just wasn’t something that we thought of). So, what did we do?
#1 We demonstrated an active, everyday, personal walk with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The heart of a true missionary must come from such a daily, vibrant relationship with the Lord, that they absolutely know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are called into missions work.
#2 We trusted God for financial provision, when having 13 children and a teacher’s salary don’t match up on the budget spreadsheet. Our kids know that the Lord will provide for their needs. They grew up learning how to pray, and how to trust God for the outcome.
#4 We talked about and read about missionaries … ordinary people doing extraordinary things for God. One year, each of the children that knew how to read (7 kids that year, I think), read the Trailblazer Books or Christian Heroes Then and Now series (both from YWAM Publishing) for their homeschool history course.
#5 We went to hear missionary speakers. Cassie told us at age 10 or 11 that she wanted to go to India, after hearing (and meeting) K.P. Yohannan. (And, that dream came true when she was 21, after previous trips to Haiti, Senegal, and The Gambia.)
#6 We supported missionaries. (We have supported Gospel for Asia, K.P. Yohannan’s ministry for over 15 years.)
#7 We took our family on Mission Trips. In 2001, we took all 9 children to work in inner-city Los Angeles for 10 days. We weren’t afraid to take them to the ghetto, to work at a church there. In 2006, we took all 10 children to New Orleans for 2 weeks. Just the other day, Elijah (who was only 4 at the time) asked me, “Mom, do you remember when we went to New Orleans and gave all the presents to the kids there?” We didn’t buy our children any Christmas Presents that year, but not one ever complained … they were filled with joy to be giving presents to the children in New Orleans.
Seriously, we didn’t make a plan to “raise up missionaries”. We made a plan to raise up children who joyfully love and serve Our Lord. Whether He calls them to the military, to missions, to teaching, to the pastorate … it doesn’t matter. Really … ALL we have wanted for our children (career wise) is for them to love and serve the Lord in whatever they might do. And, that’s exactly what they are doing. While we have 3 young adults serving the Lord overseas, we also have 3 young adults serving the Lord here on the homefront. And, we have 7 younger children, still at home, that we are raising up to follow the Lord, follow their dreams, follow their passions, and to be excited wherever it may be that the Lord leads them.
This article is an excerpt from “What Does the Future Look Like for Our Children?”, first published on Laurel’s blog on October 29, 2008: http://imghanaadopt.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-does-future-look-like-for-our.html
Missions And Your Family's Money By Ann Dunagan, author of The Mission-Minded Family (Authentic Media, 2008), international minister alongside her husband, Jon Dunagan (http://harvestministry.org), and homeschooling mother of seven.
Even if your family never lives in a foreign country, you’re still called to be fulltime mission-minded followers, and to participate in expanding God’s kingdom—both locally, and throughout the world. As Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China, often said, “The Great Commission is not an option to consider, but a command to obey.”
There are many ways your family could raise extra money to support international mission projects. Here is a list of activities commonly used by children’s churches, youth groups, and short-term mission teams. The time will come, however, when these efforts won’t be enough. A true mission-minded family just needs to earn and save money, managing that money according to what’s important. Ten Ways to Raise Money for Missions
______________________________________________________________________________ The International Faith Telegraph
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Faith Wire: Breaking News
In our family’s living room, a carved wooded bowl display simple coins from all around the world. Most of the pieces are dull and worn, while some a new and shiny. Our children often enjoy fingering the various francs from France, pulas from Botswana, and euros from Europe, to mention just a few. My favorite is an intricate fold-and-silver-colored piece from Italy, although, as with most of these coins, I have no idea of its worth. Some of the coins are no longer in circulation; some of the countries they’re from no longer exist. All are simply extra pocket change left over from years of past mission trips, each saved as little souvenirs and little reminders that money is only a temporary “little thing.” Each coin is (or was) valuable only because some government somewhere determined it would have value.
How your family views money and possessions is intrinsically connected with how you view God’s priorities in life. As Christians, we should have the perspective that everything belongs to God: all of our time, all of our talents, all of our life decisions, and yes, all of our money. I believe it’s important to teach our children about God’s principle of tithing (giving 10 percent of our income to Him), but even more importantly, we need to instill in our family that 100 percent of everything in our lives belongs to God. This principle is much easier caught—by our example—than taught by our words.The International Faith Telegraph (2010)