It was suggested that this interview I did be posted on the blog. Since the blog revolves around the book, I thought this might help some of you who haven't yet read Chasing God and the Kids Too yet.


What inspired you to write this book?
Well, the reality is this book is based on the age old struggle that all Christians have and that struggle is how do we reconcile the divine to our daily lives. All of us as Christians have struggled with this issue for mothers it becomes how do we walk in the in the power of the Spirit while dealing with the dirty diapers, runny noses, sleepless nights and bad attitudes. I considered myself a rather strong Christian but as a mother, I struggled with seemingly simple things like having a regular quiet time. Most of the books I read just heaped guilt on me because they would tell me where I should be but not how to get there. Chasing God and the Kids Too joins the spiritual to the practical so moms can accomplish what God is calling them to do.

What are a Mom’s two most important pursuits as your subtitle suggests?
As mothers, the two most important pursuits should be that daily we passionately pursue the heart of God and at the same time pursue the hearts of our children because our children see God through our us. It is a heavy burden to bear, yet at the same time it is an awesome calling as a mother. As a mother we get to share in the privilege of being like God. God is a Creator who wooes our hearts to Himself. In fact, if you look at scripture, particularly New Testament references you will see the Holy Spirit sounds a lot like a good mother. He comforts us, teaches us and guides us. This is such a definition of a godly mother.

Throughout scripture godly mothers impacted not just their children but whole generations and people groups. My husband is very much involved in the Christian men’s movement and I do affirm that men have an influence on their families but we must also understand that a mother has a profound effect on her children’s walk with God especially in the formative years. My daughter wrote a poem in the book entitled The Reason God Created Mothers. What struck me about the poem (and by the way I have spoken with other children who have this same view) is how much our children define God by our actions. When we are impatient with them they assume God is impatient. It is important that we daily stay connected to God such that He daily pours in us so we can accurately reflect His image to our children.

You say in your book traditional time management has failed mothers. Explain this.
In our lifetimes, God gives us two things resources, and relationships. The resources are our material possessions, and the tangible things our gifts, talents and abilities may gain for us. It is true God has called us to possess the land but more importantly He has given us relationships. Our relationships are the only thing that will last for eternity. One day I will stand before Jesus, not in some ephemeral way but I will really stand before the judgment throne and I am convinced He will look at me and ask me what did you do with Derek, Jarett, Janae and Jolene- my family. I won’t share with you everything I will say to Him because I want my words to be few. I pray my actions will speak louder than my words as I turn and point to my family. I know they will be standing right there in glory with me unencumbered by time. I pray the LORD says to me as he reviews in his book how I spent my time “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Every Christian mother wants the LORD to say the same thing about her and her family. So when we start planning our days and organizing our homes we have to do so around eternal purpose. Most time management just centers on doing more by making elaborate laundry to-do lists. Time management for mothers is so much more. Our time is relational and most time management books/ programs center on doing more when God calls us to be more. A mother’s time does not fit into neat little time slots. No matter how many times I tried to schedule diaper changes my kids just didn’t cooperate. Traditional time management does account for your talkative teenager. If you don’t take the time to talk to him or her when the mood hits your teen you may miss the experience of connecting to your child’s heart. It is hard to schedule caring, nurturing and eternal pursuits.

Can you give us one time management nugget for mothers?
Yes, when we read Genesis we see God had certain things in place. Nothing took God by surprise. He did not say oh no man messed up what am I going to do now? I guess I’ll have to think of plan B. I guess I’ll have to send my Son to rectify all this. Of course not! God knew the end from the beginning. It is a bit of a hard concept for us to understand but time was created for man. God exists beyond time. I used to think when I was a kid that God could predict the future. As I matured in the LORD I realized God is the future. He is not struck in the constraints of time like us. He simply sees the end and shares with us what He sees so clearly.

The end determines how He will begin. Mothers can apply this to the way we daily spend our time by planning backwards instead of forward. When we plan forward we create long lists and are frustrated when we cannot plan our day effectively. We plan backwards by having a daily goal them looking at our day from the time we go to bed to the time we get up in the morning. I used to stay up late finishing the dishes in the sink, or checking that one assignment ( since I homeschool). Of course, I would stay up too late and wake up the next morning exhausted. The Lord spoke to me to go to bed earlier so I could be refreshed in the morning to hear His voice. I was able to do this successfully by what I term backward planning.

In the book, you also give practical ways mothers can hear from God
Yes, it is imperative mothers hear from God. The enemy tries to rob us by keeping us busy and consumed with the things of this world that we can get distracted from what is really important. There are practical things mothers can do to cultivate their hearing ability. I once heard a pastor say the ability to hear God’s voice is your most valuable asset. The truth is our ability to hear God keeps our relationship with God alive and vibrant. Our vibrant relationship with God likewise will transfer to our children. According to Barna research over 80 percent of evangelical Christian youth turn away from the LORD. Many are pointing to the church to address this issue but I believe it starts in the family. In the book, I give lots of practical things to do with our children to help them to hear God and have their own personal experience with God.

I have heard it said that a man with an argument is always at the mercy of a man with an experience. The enemy may throw lies at our youth but if they know God- I mean really know God personally- and they have an experience with them they will be able to stand against the enemy’s lies. Jesus knew His father so even though the devil assailed accusations at Him, even twisting and taking scripture out of context Jesus knew His Father. Jesus knew the plan of God for His life. Jesus knew that whatever the enemy promised was counterfeit. Only His Father could give Him the kingdoms of this world to rule over. Jesus was able to resist the enemy because He understood His Father, His Purpose and the plan of God for His life. We need to equip our children with this daily. Like the children of Israel we want them to know more than God’s acts, we want them to know God’s ways.

So does your book target young children or teenagers
In this book I share the practical things I have done with my children from the womb to young adulthood. It is never too late to capture the heart of your child. It is never too late to get the heart of your child. Even empathetic listening can help you connect your teenager. Every mother will find this book useful. My husband jokingly points out that dads might learn a few things too.

What do you want people to take away from the book?
I want mothers to be inspired yet have tangible and practical ways they can daily passionately pursue the heart of God and to transfer that passion to their children. I want them to understand the awesome privilege it is to be a mother to share in the work of God. In our churches today we rally around the altar calls and cheer sinners as they come. I want mothers to know Jesus is cheering us as we lead our children to Christ and as daily we make them not just converts but disciples. But mainly I want them one day to stand before the judgment throne in peace and joy not regret.

Cheryl R. Carter is a homeschooling mother who has a passion for the LORD, an excitement for His people and a joy for the chase. Pick up Chasing God and the Kids Too from Christian bookstores. Visit her website www.Momtime.net

Learning to Pray and Obey

Mother Teresa was known to pray long hours in the morning and then obey what the Spirit spoke to her heart throughout the day. George Mueller was likewise known to pray and get ready answers to his prayers such that God used him to minister to the needs of countless orphans in his lifetime. Many of us have prayed to be used by God. Perhaps the key is our availability to hear what God says then obey the promptings of the Spirit.


The real issue is that the war against the enemy of our souls, Satan, is won in our daily victories. It begins when we pray then obey the promptings of the Spirit of God. These promptings are apt to occur in our quiet times alone with God. I will admit it, when I am really stressed about a situation I find it hard to hear from God. I don’t like admitting this fact. I like to consider myself a spiritual giant who can pray down fire from heaven but often, blessedly not always , but more often than I am uncomfortable with I fail to hear the promptings of the Spirit in the middle of a crisis situation.


It is hard for me to be quiet during times of turmoil because everything within me screams out do something-anything- and so I find it hard to hear God’s voice at those times. Now I can pray for others with marked clarity, power and resolve but when it come to my own rocks of Gibraltar. I sometimes falter. Am I the only one?


Confession is good for the soul and the reality is most of us have had our own little Elijah experiences. These are times we are mightily used by God but stumble in our personal lives. The biographies of great men and women frequently reveal this trend. To be absolutely honest with you it is this insight that has caused me to hesitate a bit in my calling. Yes, I want to be used mightily of God but I don’t want to suffer. Perhaps, I’m wrong to think the call always comes with the stumble or despair. It may occur due to human frailty, insecurity, a lack of faith or just falling in the enemy’s snare? I’d like to know why it happens so I can avoid it at all cost.


I think the key to avoiding the despair is learning to pray then obey. As we daily tread the water with Jesus, our eyes fixed to His eyes such that we simply don’t have time to gaze anywhere else and thus be displaced. If by chance doubt, fear, frailty, insecurity or unbelief tries to attack us and we begin to sink, we are never far from Jesus who will reach out and take us by the hand. He wants us to walk on water and get to the other side—our promised land. So this week I’m resolving to pray and then obey. Would you come and walk on water with me?

The key is getting quiet with God so we can hear Him. For specific tools to having a consistent quiet time read chapter eight of Chasing God and the Kids Too. As we utilize the ideas and principles let’s see miracles that come from a life that daily walks out the promptings of the Spirit. Lord help us to hear you this week!

Chasing God

Book Review

Gutsy Faith
by Jeff Edmonton, Beacon Hill Press, 2006

Gutsy Faith is a book targeted to youth, perhaps because of the underlying premise of the book that it takes guts to live out a vibrant Christian faith. My one and only criticism of this book is that it is not just for youth but also for anyone who wants to revitalize his/her walk with God. I found the questions at the end of each chapter really provoked thought and the beginning scriptural references ignited my interest in the chapter. I will admit that I occasionally skim over scripture references when I’m reading books but this book not only refers directly back to the scripture, it gave new insight. This is another plus for the book. It points readers back to the Source of all inspiration. In addition, the l chapter references were genuinely germane to the chapter. I actually read all the references even though they were familiar portions of scripture because Edmonton’s insight was revelatory.

The book inspires people to live vibrantly for God and to step out of the proverbial boat and walk on water. Most of you will remember I first heard Edmonton speak at the Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference when I ducked in on his class late and immensely enjoyed the twenty minutes. The book style is one of Edmonton’s simple teaching. He asks a question then allows us the reader opportunity to muse before giving his opinion.

Edmonton barbecues a few sacred cows in this book and some of his statements might make a few people uneasy. For instance, the basic thought the book builds upon clearly articulated on page 25--- it is God’s desire to always answer our prayers in the affirmative. Can you imagine that? Could it be that God actually wants to say yes to us all the time? If you lean in to really hear the pulse of the book, you’ll understand that Edmonton directs us back to the prayer life of Jesus. Jesus always got a yes response because He was in close communion with His Father. He only did what He heard and therefore He never asked anything that was not on His Father’s heart. I would like to expand on this thought a little further in a tomorrow’s blog entry. Suffice to say Jesus only asked for what He knew His Father wanted.

Edmonton says Jesus never got a “ no” response from His Father because He only asked what was already His father’s will. Therefore, Jesus listened, then prayed and moved in faith. Okay, the italicized words are what I also took away from the bible. This book is so rich in biblical application, it is almost like an inductive bible study. Some of you are probably wondering about Jesus’ prayer in the Garden but you will have to get the book for this issue to be addressed. Suffice to say even then Jesus asked for the will of the Father to be done.

This book would make a great bible study and could be coupled with some good Christian biographies. I was reminded of George Mueller’s faith while reading this book. In fact, Edmonton ends the book citing spiritual examples of people who have walked and lived by faith. This is a great book for discussion and but even greater for life application. Get it from a Christian bookstore near you.

Okay, I’m back. That’s right Cheryl, your ever pursuing God kind of Christian gal is back in the saddle again. After composing that last post I toyed with the idea of just deleting it, but since I place a high premium on authenticity and never want to appear like some super saint, I thought I’d leave the post. After all I had my little Elijah experience and now I ready again to face the giants again. Are you ready to run with me?

What is faith? I don’t mean your Sunday school teacher definition of faith but what is it to you.? When I used to teach Sunday School my students, especially the churched kids would rattle off faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen That’s a good verse but let’s look at it contextually. When we read Hebrews 10 and 11, we read about those the church has termed the heroes of the hall of faith.

These heroes can an eye on the eternal. Faith in the truest sense of the word is trusting in God such that the circumstances don’t matter anymore. This is true but the concept of faith has also been twisted and perceived by some as this great muscle you flex to prove your spiritual vitality. Faith according to Hebrews is trusting in your eternal destiny such that our life on earth is just the first lap of a 10 mile race. As I was reading Hebrews 10 and 11, I was struck my the confidence in the plan of God for our lives.

A friend challenged me to stretch in the area of my faith. Do I so believe in the sovereignty of God and His desire to bless me such that I press on in my calling? I’d like to think that I do however when I read Hebrews, I am assured that my walk or rather run with God requires confidence not comfort. Clearly from this scripture we can ascertain that an element of faith involves knowing that God has a plan for our lives and that that plan is good. The heroes of faith all possessed a trust, a confidence in what God had said such that they endured, some even until death.

Faith is not an esoteric force that ignites a fire for action in us On the contrary, it is a rest in God that makes us steadfast and helps us to persevere. I have faith in Gpd’s plan for my life. He wants the best for me more than I want it myself. He is good. Getting to know God better and trusting in His attributes is what grows our faith.

May each of us desire to know God such that it ignites our faith

It has been awhile since I last posted a blog entry. It is not that I have been busy but my mind has been so utterly occupied and my time has been spent wresting with our contractor. Most of you know we have been out of our home and ping pongging between relatives homes for the last eight month. Pardon my whining, but this has been a very distressing circumstance for our family and as not to seem ungrateful I’ll spare all the details of our living arrangements. Frankly, I am tired of the whole situation. I’m tired of continuously asking for prayer. I tired of hearing people’s religious platitudes like God has a greater plan for you or just wait until you get in your house. I’m tired of dealing with the different ”personalities in both of our families. I’m tired of homeschooling on the fly. I’m tired of dealing with personal intrusions and never being alone. I am tired of battling the anti- Christian sentiment in the homes we stay in. Both Derek and I have tremendous pain and discomfort thresholds but frankly, I think I speak for both of us when I say we are tired of being tired.

I wish I could express everything we are going through and suffered in the last eight months. Although we have had, people say they understand I really don’t think anyone really gets it. I guess those homeschooling mothers I’m very close to understand my heart but we have been challenged in many relationships because we, both Derek and I are generally the strong ones. We were always leading others in prayer, counseling and offering encouragement. For the most part, we have continued to do those things but these last few weeks I have been feeling the strain more than ever. Last night, a mother cried because I could not help her. I cried as I walked away. I don’t think she quite understands where I am at right now. I feel bad I want to help her but right now, I just don’t have it to give.

If it sounds like I’m whining, I guess I am. Although I’m tired of asking all I can do now is ask again for your prayers that God will give us favor with our contractor and bring this project to a quick resolution. I’m still chasing after God but this past week I’m been a bit battle weary.

Thanks and I appreciate your prayers!

I welcome your comments, discussions, questions or whatever you would like to share.

Last week, I attended the Philadelphia Writers Conference. The conference is a pivotal point in my spiritual growth as a communicator. Besides being the place where Chasing God and the Kids Too was picked up by Baker Books, it is the place where I seasonally assess my call as a communicator. It is also the place where I connect with good friends, hone my skills and take spiritual inventory. I enjoy ministering and being ministered to as well. When reading the program this year, I noticed one workshop. I think the title was Your call as a writer, I was intrigued because the description posed questions like, "are you writing what God has called you to write or have you missed God's direction?"This piqued my curiosity.

Ordinarily, I probably would have passed this workshop by but as most of you know the past eight months has been really challenging for our family. I'll spare you all the details, suffice to say we are engaged in a major home construction project that has taken twice as long as originally planned. We are living with the barest of essential,, running a business / ministry from a suitcase, accessing the computer from public places and homeschooling on the fly all the while maintaining a strenuous speaking and ministry schedule. When I say pray for us, I really mean it!!

We are stressed because we are out of our climate. I define climate loosely as the environment or hub our home created by our words, deeds and activities. Those of you who have read Chasing know exactly what I mean. It is not just that we are staying in places that do not necessarily embrace our Christian values, family convictions or simply our way of doing things. It is the constant battle for us and our children to fight a mindset we do not embrace. We have been told it is spiritual warfare: knowing what it is does not necessarily make it any easier.

It has been difficult to pray not because I did not want to pray but without going into details and with no exaggeration there simply was no place to go. As a result of being out of our Christian climate , and the many stressors we faced, I struggled with whether or not we had heeded God's voice. Both Derek and I wondered if we had missed God's direction. This was the one time in our twenty years of marriage that we both struggled to encourage one another and our kids too! I understand that suffering may be part of God's redemptive plan so that was not the issue. It was just that no matter how I tried to Romans 8:28 the situation in my mind, I still could not see what ,if anything, God was accomplishing. He is doing something. I'm just not sure what it is or more to the point will I and my family make spiritual progress as a result these last several months.

I know progress and and activity are not synonymous and yet moving just feels good. Sermons on waiting on God have somewhat bothered me because some people use it as an excuse to do nothing. In fact, recent comments made by Bill Cosby ( and I paraphrase here) that our community uses the term Jesus will fix it as an excuse to do nothing is quite accurate at times. While I may not agree with all Mr. Cosby has expressed, I do concur that some in the Christian community use the term waiting on God as a excuse for inactivity especially when dealing with hard core issues that need to be faced head on. Waiting on God is an active process where we pray, fast, and lay before Him and seek godly counsel to direct our steps.

But I digress, the real issue is am I going in the direction God has called me so I can run with fervor? Or am I merely spinning my wheels in different activities. I still do not know. I do know that the Pslam 23 "yea though "I" walk through the valley of the shadow of death thou are with me."Note the Pslam writer says he walks in the valley of the shadow of death and God is with him. He walks there based on his own choice by his own volition but God is still with him. No matter where we walk, God is with us and if we just quietly and gently incline our ear to Him we will hear what He has to say. Interestingly, God is with us in in bad decisions. I'm sure some will complain about my overly simplistic theology but I think you understand what I am saying here. God does not leave us. His character is He like any good parent will do what it takes to get us to move in the right direction.

At times I still wonder if we went in the right direction and yet I am reminded of the Israelites. God told them to possess the land but they had to conquer the enemies who lived there. Now I could preach a whole message on that one! Anyway as I said, I was speaking with a friend who recently after much prayer and years of preparation launched out in his own computer business. I had the privilege of prevailing in prayer with the family and was very excited when he finally landed a major lucrative contract.

"So how you doing..." I queried recently, really not expecting to hear any other answer except great or thanks for praying. Instead he looked at me with a strained expression. Still I pressed on "...Terrific, right?"

"Lots of problems a whole network went down." he grimaced.

"But you were able to get it back up" I recounted in my sometimes annoying Mary Poppins style.

"Yeah, but it was so much work more than I have ever done"

That's the way, we all sometimes. We ask God to give us something then complain when it is not easy. Serving God is not a ticket to the good life. Frankly, I'm glad no one told me that before I signed on the dotted line. Intellectually, I understand it but when it comes to walking it out in my personal life it has not been easy. If you are like me it is easier to share truth with others than to live it out in your own life. This has been a major growth area for me. God has been so gracious to me. He put up with my whining and has walked through the valley with me all the while beckoning me to look up.

Have you ever wondered why God told Abraham to look up at the stars after He promised him an heir? Perhaps, Abraham like us needed a tangible expression of God's promise. Every night he walked outside he had to look up to the stars and remember God' promise. It was not easy for him. We sometimes forget. We read about people in the bible and it slips out mind that between verse one and verse two, many years have elapsed. Abraham was faced daily with his seemingly decaying body, or as we would say the circumstances. Then every night before he slipped into bed he was reminded of God's promise simply by looking at the stars.

So I will wait and look at the stars. I choose not to meditate on the stained relationships, bad attitudes, anti-Christian rhetoric and everything else too numerous to mention. I am looking forward to being able to minister to others like I used to do. I had arrived at this place before I went to the Writers Conference, so what urged me to attend the class. Gnawing at my heart was still the question, how can I ever know if I miss God? Is it possible for me to want something so much that I override the urgings of the Spirit of God or perhaps conjure up my own visions for my life? These are not easy questions. In fact, we'll explore them later on this blog and I'll offer some personal safeguards I have learned over the years.

For now I know God is with us and He is directing our steps as we conquer the giants in the land. We are seeing much fruit in our extended families. My friend , Felicia, shared with me that she admired how we remained strong as a family and true to our convictions in the face of opposition.

"Cheryl, " she shared "don't you see to your ( extended) family and others you were a myth but living your life before them everyday they cannot deny your faith. God will use it.

I like the idea of being used by God but I somehow thought it would be through a best selling book or a fiery sermon. Pain just doesn't fit with my theology on being used by God. It is just not part of the map of my life. You see, I was supposed to marry a great man. I did that. Then I was supposed to have reasonably well-behaved kids. Well, I guess He gave me less than perfect kids to keep me on my knees. So I accepted that. But pain? No, that is not part of my theology.

Yet, I like you have went through many trials, medical, physical and financial even the death of close friends but I always sensed God's direction was to look up to the stars. Maybe I just forgot and the class just reaffirmed what I knew in my heart. Perhaps I was urged on because once more God wanted me to remember to look at the stars.

Are there things you do not understand? Perhaps, we all need to stop and take out a map. Where are you? Where are you in your prayer life? Are you going in the right direction in your daily schedule? Are you doing what God has called you to do?

There are no easy answers. Let's talk about it.