Madison321web

the line of communication open to discuss purchases. Jeff looks
over the bank statement each month, as he has more of an eye for
detail to catch anything that could have been purchased without
our knowledge. We also pray for wisdom in this area, seeking to
glorify God with our money and for contentment in what He
provides.
Since your children are younger, what is your discipline philosophy?
We have three children with very different personalities and very
different ways that they struggle in sin, but we try to discipline with
the view of heart-change first, which we believe will lead to behavior
change as a result. God changes our hearts first before we can truly
begin the lifelong process of sanctification, and we use that as a
model in how we pursue the hearts of our children, not with the
short term goal of behavior change (although, that is wonderful as
well) but with the long term goal of a spirit-wrought change in their
hearts and minds. We also use what could be called the “down
times” when we aren’t actively disciplining after a sin has occurred,
to passively discipline them by casually discussing what God desires
their behavior to be and how they can accomplish that. We find
when tempers aren’t flared they are more willing to listen and have
open discussion about certain sin patterns and what the Bible has to
say about them, and these conversations often take place in the car
or while we are working around the house and farm. We also believe
that we passively discipline in living out our faith before them.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands us to teach his commands “diligently
your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your
house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and
when you rise.” We look to God for guidance in our own lives, and
implore the Lord to use our example to convict and influence their
hearts and minds as well. We have learned a great deal of wisdom
from more seasoned members of our church, First Presbyterian
Church in Jackson, with older children, and through a women’s
Bible study at our church called MOMS. Following the pattern of
Titus 2:3-5, each small group has a woman with grown children
that are able to mentor and counsel younger women in parenting
and marriage, and their wisdom has been invaluable. Ultimately, we
pray for and seek after wisdom in Gods word, resting and trusting
that God promises to grant wisdom to those who ask for it.
What do you see in your role as the greatest benefit to your family?
Jeff and Kimberly decided to answer this question about each other:
Kimberly says Jeff is the steadying anchor of the family. He doesn’t
let his emotions rule him, and is “quick to listen and slow to speak.”
As the spiritual head of our family, he is excellent at lowering the
temperature and has that influence on everyone in our household.
Jeff is also principled, has an excellent work ethic, and is pretty
disciplined on daily routines, which has benefitted our family greatly
when it comes to prioritizing family worship, and teaching our
children the value of hard work.
Jeff says Kimberly does a great job of managing the “day to day”
activities around the home, including getting the children to school
and to a couple of enrichment activities. She also is skilled at getting
the children involved in the learning process of how to manage a
home by allowing margins in the family schedule for them to do
chores. Each child is responsible for making their bed, folding
towels as well as their own clothes, setting their place at the table,
picking up their toys after playing, vacuuming and mopping (they
fight over who gets to mop for some reason), and other little ways
that they can contribute to the running of our home. Our thinking
is each day we are preparing our children for life outside of our
home eventually, and instilling work ethic and habits in which they
are responsible and able to take care of themselves and their things
is a valuable lesson. It’s never too early to start! Jeff says she is an
excellent cook, and that she cooks most, if not all, of the meals they
eat every week to help stay on their family budget. He says she works
to do as much around their house herself so as to not outsource a
job that she feels she can do. She also is hospitable, inviting people
into our home about once a week to share a meal and share life with
our church and school friends and family.
What is a quick go to meal that isn’t fast food?
And who does the cooking?
In Jeff’s words, “Kimberly definitely does the cooking.” Jeff can
claim many, many talents, but his cooking talents end at eggs and
frozen chicken nuggets and tots. Kimberly often cooks in large
batches and freezes individual portions that can be pulled out and
defrosted easily, and one of those meals is Jalfrezi chicken, an
Indian dish with a sauce that keeps the chicken moist even during
the reheating process. The sauce is a jarred sauce from the Private
Selection brand at Kroger. The process starts with chicken (Kimberly
prefers the chicken tenderloins) that is cut evenly into cubes,
browned in a skillet with some minced garlic and onions, then
simmered in the sauce straight from the jar. Once the chicken is
cooled down, Kimberly ladles the chicken into quart bags and puts
them in the freezer. All of this can also be done the same day as the
meal, too! Kimberly pulls out a frozen quart bag in the morning,
and when it’s time to prepare dinner, pours the mixture into a
skillet to warm. We have a stand-up freezer filled with vegetables
from our garden that we harvest June through July, and our
favorites to pull out and defrost are our sweet corn and okra. We
also eat “Mamma Bread,” as mentioned above, with many meals.
How long has Madison been your home?
Jeff is 47 and has been a resident of Madison County his entire
life. His father, Jerry Sumrall, moved to Madison County from
Cleveland, Mississippi, in 1971 to begin farming land here while his
father remained in Cleveland to farm their land there. Kimberly
purchased a home in the Northplace neighborhood in 2012, then
moved to the farm with Jeff after they married in January of 2013.
16 • MARCH 2021