10 Commandments of Fatherhood

Happy Father's Day!!!!!

10 Commandments of Fatherhood:

1) Character Counts~ "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity," Proverbs 11:13

2) Love God~ "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength," Mark 12:30

3) Love Your Children

4) Love Your Wife

5) Love Others

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, does not boast; it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails..." I Corinthians 13:4-8a

6) Discipline Your Kids~ "For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons...no discipline seems pleasant at teh time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it," Hebrews 12:7-8,11.

7) Pray for Your Family~ Pray these scriptures back to the Lord concerning your family (Ephesians 3:14-19, Ephesians 1:15-23 and Colossians 1:9-12)

8) Heart of Purity ~ "He who loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king will be his friend," Proverbs 22:11

9) Play with your Family~ Vacations, weekend-get aways, investing time in the relationships is a key to a lifetime of memories

10) Courage to Lead ~"Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds," Proverbs 27:23

Faith Affirmations for Husbands and Wives

Affirm your love and commitment to one another this wedding season with these faith affirmations. All marriages go through seasons (summer, fall, winter and spring)....be faithful in all seasons. Boldly declare to one another your covenant:

Faith Affirmations for a Wife:

I will stand beside my husband.

I will be trustworthy.

I will enrich his life.

I will appreciate him and all he does.

I will take care of his needs.

I will yearn deeply for him.

I will share my body with him.

I will cooperate and work with him.

I will love and respect him.

I will hate divorce.

Faith Affirmations for a Husband:

I will hold my wife close to my heart.

I will protect her.

I will praise her publicly.

I will compliment her.

I will trust her and treasure her.

I will listen to her.

I will always be faithful.

I will never abuse or abandon her.

I will love her day and night.

I will grow old with her.

I will hate divorce.

Summer Reading List

Summer is the perfect time for catching up on reading....of course, I believe that summer is the perfect time for anything! This is my favorite season. I want to share with you some great reading picks for these wonderful sunny days. Most of these selections I have referenced in our study time together throughout the year:

1) Crazy Love by Francis Chan

2) The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Sterns

3) The Renegade to God by David Foster

4) The Nazirite DNA by Lou Engle

5) In His Face by Bob Sorge

6) Radical by David Platt

7) The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel

8) 7 Commitments of a Forerunner by Mike Bickle

9) Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo (This is the true account of Todd's 4 year old experiencing heaven FOR REAL! A great book for the entire family)

10) The Chronicles of Brothers (part 1): The Fall of Lucifer
by Wendy Alec (part 2): The First Judgment
(part 3): Son of Perdition
This trilogy takes you behind the scenes into the heavenlies and the depths of hell (perdition) itself; using a supernatural imagination, Wendy Alec shares glimpses into the way it might be in the invisible world. For more info on this series: www.chroniclesofbrothers.com

These are some great resources to challenge you in your walk with the Lord. Happy Reading!

Summer is coming and the kids will be out of school. This is my favorite season of all! Having my kids home was a highlight for me...no schedules...no homework...lazy days of summer. But it can be a difficult time adjusting from early mornings and much activity to quiet, long days. I want to share a few tips for making summer the most enjoyable time with your children, instead of counting down the days when school starts again!

1) Plan several field trips throughout the summer. What "hot spots" could you visit this summer in your area? Any places that you've wanted to go to, but during the school year there isn't the time? What's within an hour radius of your home~a capital city, zoo, museum, camp, historical site, waterpark, lake, etc. Plan 3 or 4 throughout the summer with a couple friends, because friends make everything more fun!

2) Movie days. Many theaters have inexpensive kids movie specials during the week. The movie times are in the morning, so little ones won't miss nap schedules. Marcus Theaters has a movie weekly & popcorn comes with the price of admission. Meet a couple families at the theater for a cheap movie date. And since the movies are geared to children, noise in the theater is expected! :)

3) Crafts. I know that word ieea is not for everyone! I am not a fan of crafts...but I will say that my kids loved to make things with me. We would gather all sorts of odds & ends, place them in a tub (kept in the basement) and on rainy days or days when friends couldn't play, we'd get out the craft tub and make something. Store everything that you would need in the tub, so it's an easy activity to plan. Here are some items to get you started: glue, cotton balls, paper, tape, craft paint, straws, paper plates, paintbrushes, stickers, rubberbands, scrapbook paper, scissors, clay, etc).

4) Reading time. Be wise about the time you have them home. Get a book (age-appropriate) and read through it together or read to them. My 13 year old still likes to listen to me read to him. It creates a shared experience. We have conversations about what we are reading throughtout the day. This could be a devotional book too, so "Jesus" time can be built into the day.

5) Bored box. Unbelievably to us adults, our kids will have days when they use the words, "I'm bored." I had a box ready for my kids when I heard those words....and amazingly, I didn't hear the words too often. I had practice worksheets to review reading, english, math concepts in the bored box. I also had index cards with "chores" written on them, so they could pick out a card to do when they were bored. Extra books were kept in the bored box too. There is always something to do!

6) Conversation time. Use these summer months to converse with your children. These days of parenting are precious. Spend time getting to know your kids. What do they dream about? Who are their friends? What do they want to be when they grow up? What's their favorite hobby? Favorite subject? Favorite sport? Favorite book? Who is their hero? Be intentional about this time you have them home.

7) Travel journal. Every place you travel....even if it's going to grandma's house is an experience. Purchase a journal or notebook and have your child design the cover of the journal with stickers, drawing, writing. Take it with you when you are overnight: camping, vacation, grandma's, cousin's, wherever you go this summer. Each night you are away, have your child write something about the day so he/she will remember the vacation. Paste a postcard or a picture or brochure of your trip in the journal too for memories. Your child may use this journal for years. It is fun to look back & revisit the places you have traveled and all the memories attached to it~ and all in his/her own handwriting.

8) Make a chain. For all the days of summer or for the last 30 days of summer, make a paper chain. On each link, write something to do. As a countdown,have your child(ren) tear off a link per day and then the family or individual does that activity. Ideas: ride bike around neighborhood together as a family, read a Psalm together and have each person in the family share what it means to him/her, rent a movie & watch it tonight, play a boardgame, go for ice-cream cones today, invite a friend over, etc. The activities can be family oriented, friend oriented, individually oriented. Be creative. Mix it up!

9) Pool party. If you have a pool invite friends over for a pool party. Otherwise, you can have a water balloon party or a slip & slide party or a sprinkler party. Have snacks and drinks all with summer or water names. Have fun with it!

These are just some ideas of how to make summer the best time EVER with your kids.

Being Movie-Wise

With the summer season upon us, there are movie opportunities galore. I am an avid movie theater participant....enjoying all the theater has to offer...which includes popcorn, large diet coke & sometimes candy. I pay a high price for my movie experience! I want to share with you some "movie-wise" tips before heading into the theater this summer.

1. Pray~ I have a prayer from Windows of the Soul (written by Ken Gire) that I pray before I go to the theater. "Help me, O God. Whenever I go to a movie, not to go just for entertainment but also for enlightenment. Meet me there, I pray, and speak to me. Tell me something I need to know so I may live my life more graciously, more compassionately. Give me moments of transcendence so I can leave the theater in some way changed, even if it is a very small way. Speak to me through a character, a scene, a line of dialogue, a musical score. Thank you for those moments at the movies that have touched my heart. And for the fact that there is no place on earth that some echo of Your voice cannot be heard for the one who is listening..."


2. Main Character(s)~ What is he/she like? What are the qualities of the main character? Does he/she change throughout the movie? What helps to make the changes happen through the movie (a circumstance, another character, etc.)? Can you relate to any of the characters? Who would you say you are like? Have you struggled with any of the same issues that the main character struggled with in the movie?


3. Theme~ Is there a theme to the movie? Courage, honesty, boldness, love, growth, perseverance, integrity, friendship, gentleness~ anything you can relate to your relationship with the Lord (fruit of the Spirit, spiritual battle, God's redeeming love, etc) or with others (faithfulness & loyalty to another, commitment)?


4. Signs~ Are there repeating signs throughout the movie that give you clues to the theme? Ex. In "Prince Caspian" there are lions everywhere! Can you see a recurring object or line spoken?


5. Quotes~ Do any of the characters say something that jumps out at you? Does the Lord use any of the dialogue to speak to your heart?

These are 5 keys that unlock the doors of understanding when I attend a movie. God knows the language of your heart and He is always speaking. Let the imagination of the big screen, with all the images and storylines connect you to God the Father, the Son Jesus or the Holy Spirit. I always carry index cards with me, so if a theme or a quote or character really tugs at my heart, I can write it down quickly (with the light of my cell phone).

This Friday, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 opens and I will be at the first showing in the afternoon, armed with index cards and a heart open to receive all that God wants to show me. The next time you head out to the theater, be "movie-wise".

Happy Mother's Day

Momisms

My mom taught me to APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.

"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

My mom taught me FAITH.

"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mom taught me about TIME TRAVEL.

"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week."

My mom taught me LOGIC.

"Because I said so, that's why."

My mom taught me MORE LOGIC.

"If you fall out of the swing and break your neck, you're not going with me to the store."

My mom taught me FORESIGHT.

"Make sure you wear clean underwear in case your in an accident."

My mom taught me IRONY.

"Keep crying and Ill give you something to cry about."

My mom taught me about OSMOSIS.

"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

My mom taught me about STAMINA.

"You sit there until all that spinach is gone."

My mom taught me about the WEATHER.

"This room of yours looks like a tornado went through it."

My mom taught me about the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!"

My mom taught me about ANTICIPATION.

"Just want until we get home."

My mom taught me about MEDICAL SCIENCE.

"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze like that."

My mom taught me about GENETICS.

"You're just like your father."

My mom taught me about my HERITAGE.

"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

But most of all, my mom taught me LOVE.

"You know whatever you do or whatever happens, I'll stand behind you because I love you!"

~Unknown Author

Happy Mother's Day! The best job and the hardest job in all the world!!!!!!!

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said!

"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." Those are the most beautiful words for us to hear. What was it like that first Easter Sunday for the women who went to the tomb with spices in their hands, to anoint the lifeless body of Jesus? They had witnessed the grotesque way of torture & death that Jesus had experienced...and had the disappointment of hoping He was the One who was prophesied...what a sad day for these women. A hopeless day. All that was promised, all the miracles, all the beauty of that man~ gone. Dead. In the tomb; sealed with a large rock. Who would be able to roll the stone away so they could annoint His body? Would the Romans allow such a thing?

Upon coming to the tomb, "there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. BUT the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come see the place where the Lord was lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you." (Matthew 28:2-7)

The angel from heaven rolled the stone away and the response of the guards? They are still as though dead. How did the angel deliver the message? Sitting on the ROCK! It is finished. Now I have told you. Go. Deliver the message of the good news! ..."Just as He said..." What good news it was & still is. This is the defining moment in history. There is no body. Jesus has risen from the dead. He defeated death and the power of the grave. This day was transformed from sadness to joy; from death to life; from hopelessness to hopefulness. He is faithful to all His promises. He has overcome. What great life-changing news for us too!

The response of the women? "So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word." (vs.8) These women left afraid and filled with joy. Have you walked in that reality? I have. The reality of the resurrection; the hope Jesus gives; the life change He brings; the desire to please Him and give Him glory. I will run quickly to bring word that Jesus is ALIVE! With fear (reverance for the One I serve) and great joy I will deliver the message of Salvation to others. The grave is empty. He is faithful. He will do all that He says He will do. "He is not here; for He is risen, just as He said." Hallelujah! He is ALIVE!!!!!!

The Secret Place

Galations 6 speaks of the sowing & reaping principle: You will reap what you sow.
When you sow in the Spirit by giving dedicated time to the secret place, you will eventually reap a life in the Spirit. EVENTUALLY.

Our culture wants everything NOW. But, our devotional life with God is more like planting a garden than driving through a fast-food joint. We need to know that what we sow today will require an entire season of growth before the results are manifested in our lives.

SOWING: means time given to the Secret Place; establishing patterns and habits that will enable you to spend time with God daily; Proverbs 12:11 "He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread." To have a harvest, you must till the soil of your heart & then plant God's Word into your heart.
REAPING: this time will change you! this time will affect everything around you!!!

Sowing will indeed produce results:
the seed will.......
germinate,
sprout,
send roots downward,
branches upward,
produce fruit!!!

Which well are you drawing from?

John 4 gives us the account of Jesus interacting with a Samaritan woman. There are several points to gleem from this interaction, but I want to highlight one in specific today.

Jesus was passing through a town in Samaria, called Sychar and sat down by Jacob's well. A Samaritan woman came to draw water and as she approached the well, Jesus asked her to draw some water for him. Jesus initiated the conversation with this woman; Jesus refused to stay in the "religious rules" of that culture (Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans & more than that~ he was a man & she was a woman). Jesus was discerning her "thirst" level. He wasn't interested in a casual conversation, he was after something different~ deeper. Jesus always go after the heart. This woman addresses the fact that he is a Jew and she is a Samaritan woman and asks how he could ask her for a drink. Jesus responds, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." The woman is "stuck" in the natural and notices that he has nothing to draw with, so how could he give her water...but still he goes deeper. "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman says YES I want this water. And so Jesus goes deeper still and tells her to bring her husband to the well. Jesus is going behind the veil she's hiding behind. He knows why she is thirsty. The woman responds honestly by telling Jesus that she doesn't have a husband and Jesus finishes her life story. There is continued conversation and the woman can no longer hide behind the veil. She wants this Living Water. She believes that Jesus is the Messiah. And, she leaves her water jar to go back to the village to tell all that Jesus is in their village! The Living Water that had filled her spilled out of her and revival came to Sychar!

The woman came to Jacob's Well with a water jar~ to drink from the natural well; to quench her thirst. But, at the Well she met Jesus and after the encounter she had with the Living Water, she left her water jar (the natural water wasn't so important at that moment) and drank deep from the Supernatural Well. (Sidenote: The name Jacob's Well means "supernatural replacing the natural", so what a place for this encounter to occur.)

So, what well are you drawing from? When we draw from the natural well, we get our "needs" met, but there is an emptiness and we get dry rather quickly. BUT, when we draw from the well of the Supernatural (the Holy Spirit) we are filled to overflowing in such a way that the Living Water spills out. In drawing from the Supernatural Well, we have encounters with Jesus that transform us and even those in our circle of influence. There is a "spilling" effect; the spring of Living Water cannot be contained. Joy, love, faith, peace, humility, gentleness, kindness, renewed mind, forgiveness, selflessness, thankfulness, mercy, tenderness~ it all spills out. So DRINK DEEP OF THE WELL OF THE SUPERNATURAL and watch REVIVAL COME TO YOUR TOWN.

You are Beautiful

Our daughter recently was married and it was a day of beauty and purity and innocence. My husband and I rejoice with the Lord in this new union of husband and wife. Before the wedding, my daughter, Lindsay had a private moment, first with her daddy, then with her soon-to-be hubby. Neither of these men had seen the dress before this time, nor had seen Lindsay in her bridal make-up and hair. My husband entered the intimate setting first and stood off with his back turned away from Lindsay...then she made her entrance. He turned to glance at his beautiful daughter. Tears in both their eyes spoke words that words could not express...daddy's gentle touch and hug released the little girl to step into the world of woman; to begin a new adventure; a new dream; a new reality of one man's girl. After this sweet embrace of time, Greg stepped out and Jeff walked into the quiet, intimate room. As with her daddy, Jeff had his back turned away from Lindsay. The door flung open, and upon her approach, Jeff spun around to admire his beloved one....the wife of his youth. Tears flowed again, this time a soon-to-be new bride and her groom. One glance at Lindsay was all that was needed and Jeff ran to her; literally. He grabbed her in his arms. Your mine. All mine. The beautiful bride, unblemished. Perfect. As I stood outside of this room, peering through the window panes in the door, Jesus spoke softly to my heart. That's who you are to me. You are a beautiful bride; unblemished. Perfect. And I run to you. I embrace you. I speak to you that you are mine. All mine.

Beloved of God, that is who you are. Your Jesus is running to you; his arms out to embrace you. And to Him, there is no blemish, no stain. You are perfect. Let him speak words of tenderness and grace and compassion and love over you and to you. See him smile at you. See the look of love in his eyes, those eyes that burn with love. Hear him speak "You are mine. You are beautiful. You are all mine. I adore you."