Word Filled Families Walk in Truth

Word Filled Families Walk in Truth
Author: John Samuel Barnett
Publisher: Mullerhaus Publishing Arts (March 1, 2010)
Kindle Price: $2.51
DOWNLOAD

Product Description

When the Gospel of Jesus Christ entered the Roman world of the New Testament the landscape was very bleak. Christ’s church was born into a world of mixed-up marriages and confused families. First-century believers had to learn the first principles of having godly marriages and families that please God. Twenty-first century believers face the same difficulties, but thankfully, God’s plan has been the same in every age: His people are to have Word Filled Families!

This book will instruct and challenge you in the Scriptures. By God’s grace, you will be drawn to desire a Word-filled life as a man or a woman, a Word- filled marriage as a husband or wife, a Word-filled family as a father or mother, and a Word-filled prayer life as a couple in oneness of heart and mind.

*Some discounts are time sensitive and as such may not reflect the current cost of the above resource.

http://gospelresourcecenter.com/2012/01/01/word-filled-families-walk-in-truth/

Make 2012 a Year to Be Intentional and Relentless

Today’s blog is going to be a little different. Although I always tend to be fairly open, here I will be most vulnerable to my readers by sharing something I recently journaled.

Let me preface this by telling you that God has given me a word for the year 2012. I have never been one to write down New Year’s Resolutions. I usually make a list of goals. But this year I was very specifically given a word and that word is “intentional.”

While God is asking me to be intentional about many areas in my life, one of them is specifically in my role as a mother. The following is an excerpt from a devotional I received through email and what follows are my thoughts on it:

“It’s far too easy to grow weary, to think its okay to cease our perseverance, give in, and drift with the prevailing currents. But the only way for you and me to finish strong is to be relentless in our faith.…

What does it mean to be relentless? The term describes an attitude or posture that is resolute, persistent, and unyielding. Simply put, it does not relent. To relent is to become more lenient, to slacken, or even to concede. …Whether for the short-term or the long-term, a relentless heart is in it to finish according to the desired end. Nothing will deter him or her from the completed goal.”

Excerpted from Relentless by John Bevere

Looking back on the past year, I can see a lot of weariness has crept in as a parent. I have become weary dealing with the changes, the challenges and the disappointments. I can see how I have let up on my perseverance, in storming the gates of heaven for God’s intervention into their lives. At times I have even said out loud that it does no good to take them to church, nothing seems to make a difference. Deep in my heart I know that isn’t true but it has been easy to think that way.

This devotional also mentioned the word “drift.” I do sometimes feel like I am drifting along as a parent, with no real direction. As this devotional mentions, I have also relented. I have become too lenient in some ways. I have slackened in my parenting and I have definitely conceded in areas I wish I hadn’t.

I can’t change these things. I can’t fix my mistakes. I can’t undo the past. I can only look ahead to 2012 and make an effort to be relentless…to be resolute, persistent and unyielding in most especially my prayers. And through the empowerment I receive from those prayers, I can apply this practically as a parent.

May you be intentional and relentless as a parent in the year 2012!

http://heartofamothersprayers.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/make-2012-a-year-to-be-intentional-and-relentless/

I resolve…

I have never been a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. It seems that many, if not most fall by

http://krisparker.net/2012/01/01/i-resolve/

Obedience Flows From Love

My son is turning four in two weeks, which is absolutely mind-boggling to me.  Like most almost-four-year-old boys, he’s not a huge fan of obeying.  That’s not to say that he’s a “bad boy” who’s a terror, but let’s just say he’s not the meek-and-mild type.  He’s great, I love him to death, and look at him at least half a dozen times a day and simply think, “I love that boy so much!”

Lately he’s been teaching me a lot about obedience: his obedience… and mine.  My wife and I feel like we’re constantly having this conversation with him:

Me: “Hey, stop stealing your sister’s toys.  You need to share.”
Son: nothing
Me: “Did you hear me?”
Son: “Sorry”
Me: “Come here, we need to talk.”
Son: nothing
Me: “I said come here“
Son: “I love you daddy”
Me: “I love you too buddy, and because you love me you should obey me and mommy.”
Son: “Okay”

We proceed to have this conversation a few times a day.  Now, I’m not throwing my son under the bus… afterall, he’s an almost-four-year-old boy… I’m really throwing myself under the bus, because how often does the Holy Spirit have this same exact conversation with me?!

My wife and I are really careful to make sure that we don’t use God as our disciplinarian who is constantly looking out to see if our kids are naughty or nice.  Too often, Christian parents fall into the trap of using the Bible as a book of morality (Be nice, Help other, Obey mom and dad) and less as a book where God has revealed Himself to us (God made you, You sin – yes, we teach our son that he sins and use the word “sin” – but God loves you SOOOO much that he became a man named Jesus so he could forgive your sins and live inside you).  If you’re looking for a good Bible to read with your kids at night, I recommend the Jesus Storybook Bible, the words are sometimes more geared towards older kids and the stories can be a bit lengthy at time, but I very highly recommend for anyone, not just children!  What I love so much about the JSB is how it captures the Bible story as so much more than a story to tell you to be nice, it makes that connection while demonstrating how the entire Bible is all about Jesus.

God definitely does care about what we do and whether or not we’re “good people.”  But to always use God as a divine disciplinarian and as the one who demands us to be nice and to share our toys is to simply make God into a rule-giver.  Sure, God gives rules… but He’s so much more than a rule giver, isn’t He?

The last few days have been filled with reminders that obedience flows from love.  As I discipline my son for not obeying, it’s a reminder that loving dads discipline out of love while loving sons obey out of love.  There’s a very simple, yet profound, lesson to be learned here.

Obedience flows from love.  When I grow impatient with my son, how can I not feel convicted of my own hypocrisy: demanding of him what I don’t give to God, my Heavenly Father, who deserves so much more honor and respect and obedience than I deserve from my kids?

“Jesus replied, ’If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.’” (John 14:23-24)

http://ebccrosswalk.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/obedience-flows-from-love/

Where the Wild Winds Blow: A Gentle, Southerly Mama takes her Little Wind to Work Day

Where the Wild Wind Blows: Part 2 The little boywind, rustling into a windsome sleep, asked, “Sweet,

http://bluecottonmemory.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/where-the-wild-winds-blow-a-gentle-southerly-mama-takes-her-little-wind-to-work-day/

The Time for Finding Windwho o o o s

One wild winter day while the North winds blustered, a boywind sat in the weak sun suffering a child

http://bluecottonmemory.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/the-time-for-finding-windwho-o-o-o-s/

Raising Daniel kids

I remember sitting in one of my Christian education classes in college and the professor asking a very controversial question–whether we as teachers were supposed to expose our kids to the “things of the world” or to shield them from it.

I’m thankful we were to WRITE a response to this question rather than have a verbal debate about it. I needed time to think on this one and do some research.

I ended up in the book of Daniel. Daniel was hand-picked to be in the king’s very highly esteemed education program. He was being trained and groomed for greatness. Yet he was a Christian. A strong one. And part of his training and education went against God’s law.

Despite being a Christian, Daniel was exemplary. And he was highly successful in his very public government position. He knew all about everything. He lived and worked for and with people who worshiped idols–I don’t think you can get any more secular than that! Yet he chose not to live the same way others were living and even asked to be excused from activities that went against his religion. And because he was respected, his requests were granted.

This translates to me as both a teacher and especially now as a mom in that I desire for kids to be well-informed, educated, aware of  the world around them, yet so rooted in their faith in God that they choose to honor him no matter what everyone else is saying or doing.

Don’t hear me wrong. I’m not saying “this is THE one and only way to raise kids”, I’m simply sharing my version of what I believe is how I am supposed to train up the kids I’ve been entrusted with in the way they are supposed to go. (Proverbs 22:6)

So while I’m not wild about some of the things my kids hear at school, on the bus, playground, soccer field or around the neighborhood I’m thankful that they don’t choose to repeat the words they hear. They are living differently. In the world, but not of the world.

And they’re being noticed. I stood in my kitchen and sobbed as I opened a letter from my son’s principal inviting us to a ceremony where he would be receiving an award for having exemplary character, citizenship, and for academic achievement. This came literally the day AFTER I had written my son a letter in regards to a deep disappointment he had caused us.

Over and over we are affirmed that how we are raising our kids is on point. I just pray that as we continue this parenting journey, we can remain faithful to the fact that the Bible always has the answer to any parenting scenario we stumble across, open to the fact that we still have much to learn, and intentional about the importance of surrounding ourselves with like-minded people who will share the wisdom they’ve gained in their own child-rearing experiences. And last but not least, the importance and power of prayer for these someday-grownups!

http://jennascott77.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/raising-daniel-kids/

Mom Doesn’t Always Know Best

I just learned this in the past week.  But it’s a huge lesson because I plan on carrying it with me as I move forward in parenting.  I wish I had learned it earlier.  It might have saved a lot of arguments.

I think one of the reasons we tend to mistrust our children’s decisions is because we see things through the eyes of an adult.  Yes, experience can definitely weigh in but our world is so different than their world.  What we expect as an adult isn’t always what will happen in their world.

It’s like expecting my children to act a certain way.  Ever say, “Why don’t you grow up?”  Or “Act your age!”  Well first of all, they aren’t supposed to be grown up and more than likely, they ARE acting their age.  But we are expecting them to be mature in ways they can’t be until they have gone through various experiences in life.

I also think we mistrust our children’s decisions because we are focused on our past mistakes.  We don’t want them to make the same ones.  But guess what?  Our children need to make mistakes.  As much as we don’t want to hear that, it’s true.  It is the only way they can learn from their experiences.

It is a humbling thing, to learn that you don’t always know best.  But it’s important to acknowledge this.  That is exactly what I did with one of my children this past week.  I’m so glad that I did.  I think it really helped us to connect even closer.

The bottom line is we don’t always get it right.  And that’s okay because we can’t be perfect.

http://heartofamothersprayers.wordpress.com/2011/12/12/mom-doesnt-always-know-best/

Daily Bites for Parents–Sample #3

By Lisa Cherry

Have you been enjoying sampling Daily Bites for Parents? These bites are designed to strengthen your parenting skills in one minute or less per day.  Here’s today’s sample:

Daily Bites for Parents: It’s Essential

The aver­age age of inter­net expo­sure to pornog­ra­phy is now eight years old.  Inter­net account­abil­ity and fil­ter­ing is no longer optional, but rather essen­tial for all fam­ily members.

How do you eat an ele­phant? …One bite at a time
How do we increase our par­ent­ing skills? …One bite at a time …One minute a day.

Subscribe to Daily Bites for Parents here, and please forward this bite to parenting friend.

http://frontlinemoms.com/2011/12/11/daily-bites-for-parents-sample-3/

Daily Bites for Parents–Sample #2

By Lisa Cherry

We’re sampling from Daily Bites for Parents.  Here’s today’s sample:

Daily Bites for Parents: What Are We Expecting?

Have you ever con­sid­ered remov­ing the tele­vi­sion from your home…or cut­ting off your cable…or severely and sys­tem­at­i­cally lim­it­ing your family’s view­ing?  Even we adults can­not han­dle the worldly pull of pro­gram­ming and com­mer­cials. It reduces our spir­i­tual power. What are we expect­ing for our kids?

How do you eat an ele­phant? …One bite at a time
How do we increase our par­ent­ing skills? …One bite at a time …One minute a day.

Subscribe to Daily Bites for Parents here, and forward this post to a parenting friend.

http://frontlinemoms.com/2011/12/10/daily-bites-for-parents-sample-2/

Next Page »