Parenting

John Adams

2011-10-25T15:02:00.002-05:00

John Adams
Joseph Field came to the young lawyer John, asking him for help. John was very reluctant in taking the case which involved a cow trampling the crops of Joseph Field. Going against his better judgment he took the case. His fears were manifested. He lost the case by omitting one critical word, “country”. The case was thrown out. John was devastated and it caused great stress within his home.
That following day his mother, Susanna, went into one of her famous rages. It appeared it was unrelated to her son’s failure, but there was little doubt that humiliation triggered the crisis.

John Adams threw himself into becoming the best lawyer he could be. He studied, he questioned and he interviewed many people.
John Adams became great because of how he handled failure.

Compassion

2011-09-26T13:54:00.001-05:00

How to Instill Compassion and Servanthood in Your Children

Remind our children to put others first in a me-first society.

Teaching our children (and modeling it through our own behavior) to put others before ourselves can be a daunting task.

Our job is to continue to impress the importance of putting others first on our children, even when they don’t “get it” the first, second or one-hundredth time!

3 John 11

Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

2011-09-16T11:40:00.002-05:00

Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

Margaret Mead made this observation: “The central problem of every society is to define appropriate roles for the men.”
George Gilder adds: “Wise societies provide ample means for young men to affirm themselves without afflicting others.”

David Blankenhorn says, “Men, more than women are culture-made.”

Personal Note: If boys are left to themselves to form their our life vision and course, culture will lead them.

Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

2011-08-09T10:29:00.006-05:00

Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

Questions for Dads
Are you involved in your sons’ activities: things like athletic events, school programs, and church?

Do you help your son with his homework?

Are you imparting a biblical vision for manhood to your sons?

Are you training your son to relate to the opposite sex – not just sexually but socially?

Did you explain a man’s role with a woman from a biblical perspective?

Are you providing a road map for your son?

Dr Lewis Yablonsky states: “A man in his role of father delivers a basis philosophical message to his son.”

Final Question: What message are you delivering to your son?

Toddlers & Anger

2011-05-10T09:48:00.000-05:00

Children & Anger

A Toddler will get angry and frustrated.
There are ways that a parent can lessen your toddler’s outbursts.

Create an environment to support your child’s curiosity and energy level. This could be outside and a designated play room.

A toddler doesn’t just want to be held. He or she is wired to interact with you. If this interaction does not happen, this child will be trained not to interact with anyone when the urge to do so occurs.

What happens if you are prepared and still the child is throwing a tantrum? Do a little detective work. Study your child. He may just simply hate the word no. Hold your ground. If you give in, next time your “holding your ground” will be much more difficult. Be consistent and remember this: This stage will pass.

Angry Children

2011-05-09T13:04:00.002-05:00

In his book, When Kids Are Mad, Not Bad, Henry A. Paul , M.D. describes the kind of anger exhibited as developmental anger — anger that aids infants in getting their basic needs met.

I often tell new parents that it’s not possible to spoil an infant. I believe that. An infant cries and gets angry because of an unmet need: hunger, uncomfortable, too hot or cold, over stimulated, feeling isolated, experiencing an upset stomach or dirty diaper or just needs to be held.

I had to laugh at an episode of My Wife and Kids. The baby wouldn’t stop crying. Michael would take the crying baby into another room and return with a content baby. He wouldn’t tell his secret until the end. Then we found out that Michael just helped the little one pass gas.

As a child turns two a frustrated toddler could reach “shake factor #10”. Imagine seeing the older kids and the dog doing things and wanting to do it only to be told NO. Studies have show that a toddler can understand hundreds of words before being able to speak. Imagine again knowing all these words and not able to express yourself?

Instead of seeing these cases of anger as negative, a parent can view it as growth. In the first case with infants it’s important to meet the child’s need immediately, even in the middle of the night. As for toddlers a parent should not take the role of problem solver. That is an endless job. Remember that it isn't your fault and it's normal. It's a part of your child learning to master his world.

Blessings

2011-04-22T09:21:00.002-05:00

Raising a Modern-Day Princess by Pam Farrell & Doreen Hanna

Blessing Prompts Celebration

Celebration stated with and comes from the heart of God. The Heavenly Father loves to celebrate and bless His children.

Adam & Eve – Blessing – to be fruitful and multiply

People out of Egypt: - Celebrate Passover; Celebrate Feast of Harvest, Celebrate Feast of Ingathering

A word spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

What if the Nightmare is real: Monsters by Julie Dejong

2011-04-15T14:58:00.002-05:00

She writes this about herself when she was a young child: “To all outward appearances, I seemed normal. I could smile and act like everything was great and I didn’t have a problem in the world. But inside I was screaming. There were times I wanted to curl up and die!”

”It is like a wound that keeps festering and hurting with nothing to dull or take the pain away.”

”I often wondered how someone could look at me and not see what a horrible, ugly person I was.” I must be a terrible person for something like this to happen to me. Does that mean there is something wrong with me? Is there something inside of me that is bad and that is why this happened?

Self Esteem?

What self esteem? I am a hideous, repulsive, vile person and there is no way anyone could ever truly love me if the knew!

This is another way the monster has insured the secret will be kept!

Pastor Randy Thoughts: My question is this: There are children that are like Julie. How can we go below the surface and help those children?

Help My Kids are Hurting – Marv Penner

2011-03-15T15:08:00.002-05:00

Filter your level of personal disclosure through the law of love in Ephesians 4:29, which reminds us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, But only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ask yourself, Is this conversation helping my child or is it just something I need to get off my chest? Will this build up or tear down the kid who hears it?

Love without boundaries leaves kids feeling uneasy and afraid, while boundaries without love can make them feel like failures who will never measure up.

Over Churched Kids

2011-03-01T13:59:00.000-06:00

Over Churched Kids by Mark Gregston

1. Familiar Stories Lose Their Power: When kids hear the same Bible stories year-after-year they can become a little boring. Even worse – these stories are often told without imagination or any listener interaction. Most over-churched kids have heard the same 100+ Bible stories since they were in the Toddler Sunday School. They no longer connect with the characters or feel moved by the plot resolution. Once I was told by a seminary professor, “ It is a sin to make the Bible boring.” I’m starting to think he was right.

2. Knowledge Can Promote Pride: Something happens inside of us when we become the expert. Children feel that same sense of superiority when they have more religious knowledge than their peers. Too often over-churched kids build their identity around that achievement, even when it doesn’t involve a growing relationship with Christ.

3. They Have Learned to Pretend Pray: A real struggle for grown-ups is connecting with God through prayer. Too often it becomes routine and dry. Most younger children learn prayer as an act of imitation. Many don’t even realize that something cosmic is happening when we address our words to God. They don’t feel the presence of God or even expect that they should.

4. They Don’t Feel Their Lostness: Many over-churched kids don’t know what life is like without the comforts of faith. Their brain says ‘forgiveness’ before their heart feels ‘I’m sorry.’ Because they know about grace, they have never really struggled much with guilt.

5. The Ugly Side of Church: Kids who hang around Christians know the yucky side of the church. They hear the complaining. They know Jesus didn’t fix daddy’s temper yet. They know that church is not always the safest place in their lives. Beyond all this they notice when adults are being fake or doing religious role play.

Questions

2011-02-11T14:36:00.002-06:00

Questions to ask yourself:

How many waking hours each week are you and your spouse with your children?
Are you willing to sacrifice time, hobbies, money and/or possessions to be with your children?
What are you willing to sacrifice to be with your children?
What changes does the Lord want you to make in this area to better Disciple like Jesus?

How often each day do you read or teach scripture to your children?
How often do you give testimonies to your children of the goodness of the Lord?
How often do you show your children by example how to be a Disciple of Jesus?
What changes does the Lord want you to make in this area to better Disciple like Jesus?

Do you send your child anywhere alone?
What are some of the wolves that are in your child’s world?
What protections do you want to provide for your children?
What changes does the Lord want you to make in this area to better Disciple Like Jesus?

Girl's RIte of Passage

2011-02-11T14:30:00.002-06:00

Raising a Modern-Day Princess byPam Farrel & Doreen Hanna

A Jewish girl’s rite of passage is called a bat mitzvah.

Age of 12 she is paired with a women mentor

This mentor will stay with the 12 year old girl for 1 year training her in the ways of Jewish womanhood.

In preparation for her mitzvah, she memorizes a passage from the Torah

On her 13th birthday she celebrates her rite of passage.

She and her mother shop for equivalent to a wedding dress.

On her special day she stands in her synagogue and reveals her knowledge of the Torah by quoting a portion from memory.

She demonstrates her talent, expresses her future goals and states where she will share 10 percent of the gifts with the poor.

Climactic Moment: Her rabbi and father publicly bless her

The dinner after the ceremony is usually quite elaborate as many family and friends are invited to celebrate and many attend bring very generous gifts.

Authenticity

2011-01-26T10:49:00.000-06:00

Help My Kids are Hurting by Marv Penner

Authenticity

There is a danger of uncensored authenticity. It does not mean that we open every part of our thoughts and lives to the kids in our life. Your child may not be able to correctly process your total transparency. It may be good to show the children what you came out of. Wisdom dictates that you know the timing of such revelation.

On the other hand don’t think that you can have a false façade and get away with it. When kids figure out that you are not who you say you are, your credibility and word is called into question. The Psalmist says, “Search me, O God … test me … see if there is any offensive way in me.” (Psalm 139:23,24)

Understand the kids you are ministering to. They may come from dysfunctional families and they don’t need to you add more dysfunction.

Here’s a Hint

Filter your level of personal disclosure through the law of love in Ephesians 4:29. Which reminds us: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ask yourself, is this conversation helping my student friend or is it just something I need to get off my chest? Will this build up or tear down the kid who hears it?

Availability

2011-01-18T10:41:00.001-06:00

Help My Kids are Hurting by Marv Penner

Availability

Should your kids have access to your time 24/7? Does that hurt family relationships? There is a danger in unrestricted availability. Whether you are a parent or a children’s worker there should be boundaries of time. This does not only apply to children, it should apply to friends and even our spouses.

Let the people in your life know when you are available, not when you’re not. Of course there are exceptions when an emergency occurs

2011-01-11T14:55:00.002-06:00

Help My Kids are Hurting by Marv Penner

What do hurting kids want from us?

Triple “A” relationship

Availability

Kids look for someone who’s accessible, not too busy to take the time to get to know them and hear their stories. It’s not just about having an open calendar. It’s also about having a welcoming spirit – about making room in our hearts.

Authenticity

Kids need to adults who are real. They are not looking for perfection only those that are transparent and honest.

Acceptance

Many kids feel misunderstood, diminished, and disrespected by the people around them. They are constantly feeling judged – and often found wanting. They long for people to value them for who they are instead of what they do.

From the book: Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

2010-12-27T09:25:00.002-06:00

Bo Jackson, the former baseball and football star, in Sports Illustrated, writes this:

My father has never seen me play professional baseball or football… I tried to have a relationship with him, gave him my number, said, “Dad, call me. I’ll fly you in.” Can you imagine? I’m Bo Jackson, one of the so-called premier athletes in the country, and I’m sitting in the locker room and envying every one of my teammates whose dad would come in and talk with them after the game. I never experienced that.”

Bullying

2010-12-21T06:55:00.002-06:00

71% of students say that bullying is a problem at their school. How do we teach our children about bullying? Some parents teach their kids to stand up for themselves while others teach them non-reaction. Both could be right depending upon the situation. Their are coaches that believe a child needs a "thick skin" and can borderline on bullying themselves. I can't say I have the full answer. I know that adults have a huge part in that problem. Parents can't overreact and protect their children from everything.

What would you tell a child that is being bullied?

Word of the Day

Capricious [ca·pri·cious] adj. Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable. "He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react."

Facebook/Twitter & Children

2010-12-07T10:19:00.000-06:00

Facebook & Twitter & Children

Twitter is similar to Facebook in that users can express their thoughts — from the most simple to the most earth shattering — for the world to see. But there are a few key differences from Facebook:

• On Twitter, users are limited to just 140 characters per post.

• On Facebook, users have to mutually agree to be “friends” before they can see each other’s profiles. On Twitter, each profile is public to everyone else unless the user decides to make it private. Twitter users have “followers,” or people who can see each tweet they post on a homepage.

• Remember that anything online is there forever. I suggest you have a joint account with your child but if separate accounts subscribe to your child’s sight and monitor it.

• Make sure you ok any photos your child wants to send or upload.

• Your child should only follow people she knows in real life and similarly, when it comes to her own followers, she shouldn't let anyone follow her who she doesn't know outside of the web.

• It's important for your child to keep users from seeing her tweets unless they've been given specific permission. To do this, click on “Settings” from your account, click on “Account” and check the box saying “Protect my tweets.”

• Your child should avoid tweeting her name, address or phone number. It's also important that she doesn't tweet where she is– like places in Facebook.

• Only you and your child should know her password.

• Make sure your child knows not to click on any link promising a quick way to get rich, a free prize or anything else that looks too good to be true. These tweets could be a scam to charge everyone who gave away their phone numbers a monthly fee without their knowledge.

• You can set up a Twilert. http://www.twilert.com/ and follow whatever is said about your child on line.

Value

2010-12-06T14:01:00.002-06:00

Ways to make your child feel valued

1. Make sure there is structure and rules

Your child will test his boundaries. How much depends upon the personality of the child. If those boundaries are movable, then an insecurity will be produced. You are doing your child no favor by “giving into them”. Now as a child grows older the boundaries do need to change. It does work better to have stricter boundaries when they are younger and relax the boundaries as the child grows older. It’s very difficult to reverse that order.

2. Give Grace

Children are going to make mistakes. I try to be aware of when is a teachable moment and when is not. A teachable moment is not when the child is tired or not feeling good. Parents can give their child “grace” while keeping them inside their boundaries. Grace is an act of kindness. It is offering them something that's undeserved. It affirms them with a message that says, "I love you when you are doing well, but I will also love you when you aren't

Tips on Helping a Child with Nightmares

2010-12-03T11:08:00.000-06:00

•Pray with your child before he or she goes to bed and ask God to give him or her sweet dreams.

•Add a nightlight to the bedroom.

•Keep the bedroom door open.

•Briefly check under the bed and in the closet for “monsters.”

•Offer lots of physical reassurance when a child wakes up scared.

•Give the child a special blanket or toy to keep him or her company.

•Make sure the child is following a regular sleep routine. Keep the routine upbeat and soothing.

•Explain that a dream is just a story and that they can change the ending if he or she wishes. Sometimes just talking about a new ending to a scary dream helps.

•Simply reassure the child, rub his or her back, pray, and stay until he or she calms down.

Parenting Phase 3

2010-11-19T09:09:00.001-06:00

Parenting Phase Three: Counselor

If you haven't yet experienced it, you will soon: The day dawns for every parent when he or she is no longer the driving influence in a child's life.

The task of the loving parent is to encourage a child's growth from dependence to independence; it is especially important in this phase of parenthood. This is the phase - usually in the teen years - when a child can reasonably be expected to understand what is right, just and fair.

Too many of us continue to parent our teenagers in much the same way we parented them as toddlers or grade-schoolers. When our kids begin to strain against the reins, like a horse that's eager to run, we pull back hard - as though it's wrong for them to seek independence. But that's exactly the purpose of the teen years. In fact, we should encourage that drive for independence and direct it in the right direction.

Of course we have to keep our teens safe, so we direct them in ways that are just that. When your teen has earned responsibility, a parent is wise to allow him to excercise that freedom. It's good to offer suggestions and warn them about potential consequences of poor decisions. (Resist the urge to use: "I told you so".) They will make some poor choices but they do need to make those choices and live with it.

2010-11-15T08:23:00.002-06:00

Parenting Phase Two: Coach

After the early years of a child's life, a new phase starts. Probally around the 3rd or 4th grade. The child should be taught about work and wages - interviewing, hiring and even occasionally firing them from jobs around the house and garden. The idea is not only to teach but also to encourage their growth from direction to self-direction, giving them more responsibility with each new job.

It's good to help clarify - rather than dictate - a child's choices for them. "Would you rather do this . . . or that?" It should be a choice you as parent can live with. Obviously, don't tempt them to choose something wrong or foolish; the phrase iss simply a tool to help them gain experience in making their own decisions. For example, You might ask, "Would you rather leave now for church and have time to talk to your friends, or leave a little later and go straight to your class?" The choices you give your child will help them think when you're not around.

2010-11-05T14:08:00.002-05:00

Your role changes as your child grows. What’s yours right now?

Phase One: Commander

In the first years of a child's life, a parent does everything for him. In fact the more attention given to an infant the better. Meeting a babies need causes that child to develope correctly and sets the child on a good course for their life.

In the early part of a child's life the parent is a benevolent dictator according to Bob Hostetler.

The task of a parent of this age is to encourage a child's growth from discipline to self-discipline.

"A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them." (Proverbs 13:25 The Message)

It's good to explain the reasons a certain thing was prescribed or prohibitied.

2010-10-29T11:16:00.002-05:00

From the book: Raising Girls by Dr. Dobson

Females are finely turned machines that operate according to fixed timetables. The behavior we see throughout childhood results from hormones activating preprogrammed receptor sites as they interact with environmental influences. One affects the other, positively or negatively. Maternal stress during pregnancy, for example, can upset the biochemical balance by stimulating a stress hormone called cortisol. It can alter the normal neural wiring, posing lifelong implications for future emotional health. Research also reveals that girls in their first two years tend to absorb the emotional climate in the home. 3Mothers, who are greatly stressed, such as during times of marital conflict or financial worries, can pass along their anxieties to their female offspring. Parents must always remember that perceptive little people, especially their girls, are watching their every move.

2010-10-26T09:08:00.001-05:00

Infants (From the book: Raising Girls by Dr. Dobson)

An infant girl will gaze at faces for signs of emotional expression shortly after birth and draw meaning from a particular look or touch. When they encounter a face without emotion, however, such as a mime or someone who has had too much Botox, the child tends to be confused. A girl will turn her face to others nearby that are more expressive. Mutual facial gazing will increase by over 400 percent in the first three months of life, whereas this response will not increase at all in boys during this time.

To Parents

2010-10-26T08:25:00.002-05:00

Advice from Dr. Dobson (Bringing up Girls)

To both mothers and fathers, let me share a suggestion that you may not want to hear: good parenting almost always requires sacrifice. Childhood lasts for only a brief moment, but it should be given priority while it is passing before your eyes. Watch your kids carefully. Think about what they are feeling, and consider the influences they are under. Then do what is best for them.

2010-10-18T06:57:00.001-05:00

“If I could write a prescription for the girls of this world, I would provide each of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth (taken three times a day until the symptoms disappear). I have no doubt this is their greatest need.” Dr. James Dobson

2010-10-12T10:44:00.002-05:00

From the book: Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

Proverbs 17:6 Grandchildren are the crown of grandparents, and parents are the glory of their children.

The writer is telling us that as grandchildren are to old men, so a father is to a son: a source of wonderment and delight … a reaction for boasting. A son wants to feel like a champion in the presence of his dad.

This admiration is innate, not learned. Sons have an inherent desire to boast in front of their fathers.

Every dad begins fatherhood clothed in garments of praise. It usually happens naturally and effortlessly. He possesses an authority that is both inexplicable and awesome. For this reason, few things are more important to a boy – or a man – than a touch, or a smile, or a word of encouragement from dad.

2010-10-08T13:56:00.002-05:00

Infants (From the book: Raising Girls by Dr. Dobson)

Girls have innate skills of observation, including the ability to hear human vocal tones in a broader range of frequencies. A study at Harvard Medical School found that newborn females less than twenty-four hour old are able to distinguish the cries of another baby from various sounds in the room. Girls a little older can also hear even the slightest tightening in Mother’s voice, which tells them they should not be touching something forbidden. A little boy, on the other hand, will be less able to recognize mild displeasure in his mother’s voice and probably won’t care anyway. He will have to be restrained physically to keep him from plunging ahead. A girl of two can tell whether or not an adult is listening to her or if she is being ignored. If disregarded, she will often toddle away in indignation.

Hurt They Feel

2010-09-29T08:34:00.002-05:00

From the book: The Hurt they Feel

In meeting the child’s physical and emotional needs the adult provides an atmosphere where trust can grow. When the child feels secure in relationships with others, he comes to know God is with me and takes care of me. The trust developed by the child is the foundation of the trust he may later have in Christ as Savior.

“The greatest motivation for all of life is found in the fact that God is love.” Gillespie

A Popular Love song from the 1930’s by Irving King

This song offers valuable counsel to guys about dealing with girls. It could also be said about a Dad dealing with his little girl.

She may be weary, women do get weary
Wearing the same shabby dress
And when she’s weary, try a little tenderness

She may be waiting, just anticipating
Things she may never possess
While she’s without them, try a little tenderness

2010-09-24T11:03:00.001-05:00

From the book: The Parent You Want to Be by Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott

Modeling integrity consistently and staying true to your word are no small feats. But this kind of conduct is what authenticity as a parent demands. In simplest terms, authentic parents have succeeded in being genuine while at the same time maintaining their child’s trust and respect. And when you are genuine, when you are true to your convictions, you run the risk of rejection at the deepest and most vulnerable level. Every parent of a prodigal can attest to the pain that this kind of rejection provokes.

2010-09-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

A Father’s Story

Lionel Dhamer writes about his son Jeffery (a serial killer)

The scene that emerges in A Father’s Story is one of parental neglect and domestic conflict: a wife struggling with loneliness and depression, a father consumed with graduate work – too busy to participate in his son’s life. Jeffery started to drift.

Lionel Dhamer writes:

And so I wasn’t there to see him as he began to sink into himself. I wasn’t there to sense, even if I could have sensed it, that he might be drifting toward that unimaginable realm of fantasy and isolation that it would take nearly thirty years to recognize.

“Through all societies there runs a rule that the father is indispensable for the full sociological status of the child … The most important moral and legal rule is that no child should be brought into the world without a man … who is guardian and protector.” David Blankenhorn, National Review

“While we are living in the present, we must celebrate life every day, knowing that we are becoming history with every work, every action, and every deed.” Mattie Stepanek

2010-08-20T10:06:00.002-05:00

Girl’s Rites of Passage – Jewish Community

Bat Mitzvah

Age of 12 a Jewish girl is paired with a woman mentor, someone other than her mother, who will come alongside her for one year to train her in all the ways of Jewish womanhood, solidifying all that she has been taught by her parents and religious community.

In preparation for her bat mitzvah she:

Memorizes a passage from the Torah

She receives further instruction about her family’s religion and their culture.

Her mentor helps her strengthen her talents and gifts.

She learns appropriate etiquette and receives instruction in the importance of giving to the poor.

Most often she is required to volunteer on a weekly basis at a charity organization of her choice.

On her 13th birthday, with family, friends, and those within her synagogue, she celebrates her rite of passage.

She and her mother go shopping for a dress that is equivalent to a wedding dress.

On that special day she stands up in the synagogue and reveals her knowledge of the Torah, demonstrates her talent, expresses her future goals, and states where she will share 10 percent of her gifts with the poor.

The climactic moment comes when her rabbi and father publicly bless her.

Once the girl completes the bat mitzvah she has the responsibilities of an adult under Jewish law. The dinner after the ceremony is elaborate and many attending bring very generous gifts.

From the book: Raising a Modern-Day Princess by Pam Farrel and Doreen Hanna

2010-08-20T09:27:00.002-05:00

If I could write a prescription for the women of this world, I would provide each of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth (taken three times a day until the symptoms disappear). I have no doubt this is their greatest need. Dr. James Dobson

From the Book: Raising a Modern Day Knight

2010-08-09T13:56:00.002-05:00

Raising a Modern Day Knight

3 critical points

1. Deliver to your son a clear, inspiring biblically grounded definition of manhood.

2. Give you son a directional process in order to embrace the manhood that is defined.

3. Commemorate your son’s progress with a ceremony.

Knights embodied a well-defined set of ideals. Many knights sincerely adhered to and embraced a moral code of honor. They pledged themselves to their lord, their kind, and their God.

One historian writes:
Honor was the shrine at which the knight worshipped: it implied renown, good conduct, and the world’s approval. The “word of honor” was the most solemn oath the knight knew, and this alone became the reason for the most extravagant exploits.”

2010-08-06T10:45:00.002-05:00

From the book: Raising a Modern-Day Knight

by Robert Lewis

Manhood:
Don’t Let Your Son Leave Home without it

Sam Rayburn was arguably the most powerful politician in America. Sam remained Speaker of the House for many years.

Later in life he was asked about his most memorable moment. He said it occurred at a railroad station in East Texas.

On this particular day in 1900, Sam’s Dad had hitched the buggy and driven his 18-year old son to town. The boy was going off to college and would be leaving the family farm. Father and son quietly waited for the train. Sam’s suitcase, some clothes bundled with a rope, lay at his feet.

Then when the train arrived and Sam was prepared to board, his father reached out and placed a fistful of dollars into his hand. Twenty-five dollars. Sam never forgot that, he talked about that twenty-five dollars the rest of his life.

“Only God knows how he saved it. We earned only enough to live. I often wondered what he and my mother gave up and sacrificed.”

With tears in his eyes, Sam turned to board the train. Again his father reached out and grasped his hands. The four words he spoke would echo forever in the boy’s memory. He said, simply, “Sam, be a man!”

What's the secret to happiness?

2010-06-27T07:16:00.001-05:00

Jesus

Ask me anything

If you had to cook dinner for someone tonight, what would you make?

2010-06-19T06:23:00.001-05:00

Swedish Meatballs

Ask me anything

2010-06-18T09:23:00.001-05:00

Celebratory

The one who celebrates, according to the dictionary, “shows happiness that something good or special has happened.” That definition hits the mark when it comes to being celebratory parents. These parents plan festivities to commemorate developmental milestones worth remembering.

Celebratus, the Latin origin of the English word celebrate, means “renowned” or “famous.” It’s where we get our word celebrity. And in a sense, that’s what we do when we celebrate. We make famous—if only to our immediate family—a special happening or accomplishment.

By celebrating our kids’ milestones, we are saying to them, “I notice you. I’m tuned into your life, and I delight when something good or special happens to you.” That’s what celebrating means as a parent.

From the book by Les & Leslie Parrott

2010-06-14T13:42:00.001-05:00

“Bringing up Girls” by Dr. James Dobson excerpt from Chapter 2

Our children remind me of little bunny rabbits running through the meadow, unaware that owls and coyotes and bears and hawks are out there trying to catch them and tear them apart. At times it seems as though every predator in the field is after those same vulnerable little creatures. You, Mom and Dad, are their only defenders. Your public school can’t be counted on to do what is clearly your responsibility. Not even your church can save them. The clergy is trying to counter a culture much further gone into moral decline than the world into which we were born. Meeting together with teens on Sunday mornings or Wednesday nights is helpful, but even it is not enough.

2010-06-11T09:51:00.004-05:00

The Lives our Mothers Leave us

Faye Wattleton

The first person to be named president of Planned Parenthood

Faye’s mother was “called by God” to service at the age of 17. Ozie Garrett Bell was a minister for the Church of God. “No smoking, drinking, dancing or movies,” Faye says. And discipline was always couched in warnings about God’s wrath. “Sometimes it was hard to know where God stopped and my mother began.”

Faye’s father went off to war and returned a different person. His emotional wounds never healed.

Ozie’s “calling” was that of an evangelist so Faye would live her childhood traveling with her parents to many different places during the summer. During the school year she would be separated from her parents. Driven by her dedication to her ministry and Jesus’ example to leave everything behind, Ozie didn’t seem to have any concept of how hard the nomadic life was on her only child.

The late 70’s were contentious years as far as the issue of reproductive rights for women was concerned, and Faye was on the front lines of the controversy. Ozie’s reaction to her daughter’s presence in the national spotlight was to pray for her and to ask others to do the same.

“She felt I needed the presence of God in my life to change my views and my work. Neither my father nor I were ever pious enough. Neither of us could ever meet her religious standards.” Faye writes.

Faye now has the best relationship with her mother. She says it mostly because she has accepted that her mother will always be as she is.

2010-06-11T09:51:00.001-05:00

Various Methods of Parental Instruction

Behavioral Modeling

Our research suggests this is the most powerful component in a parent's effort to influence a child. With an increasingly secular society, our children are developing a hypocrisy detector - an internal sensitivity to actions attitudes, values and beliefs that are inherently contradictory to words that have been uttered as instructions. When an inconsistency is identified, a child is prone to do two things: (1) Ignore the instruction itself; (2) conclude that there is no specific command that they must obey.

We have discovered that many parents are not effective at verbally articulating the values, attitudes, beliefs and lifestyle they want their children to embrace, but their own behavior so consistently displays those elements that their kids naturally follow suit. Actions do speak louder than any words we offer.

2010-06-11T09:48:00.001-05:00

Advisory: Raising children pushes parents to mature in their faith as much as it moves children toward spiritual wholeness.

2010-06-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

Lives our Mother's Leave Us

Rosanna Arquette

Rosanna was almost aborted at birth. It was 1958, Mardi, pregnant was laying on a table waiting for a doctor to perform an abortion. Suddenly a nurse ran in the room and told Mardi to get dressed, and get out of there. She did ... just before the doctor was arrested and hauled off to jail.

"I've wondered," Rosanna says, "if that's lodged in me, that abandonment thing."

Rosanna is someone who investigates, questions. She is a single mother of a 13 year-old daughter. She has dedicated herself to working through the remnants of her past in therapy in order to have healthier relationships and be the best mother she can be. Rosanna grew up in an abusive, sometimes physically abusive home. "My mother and I had a very intense relationship. Very violent and tumultuous for the first part of my life." she says.

Mardi did change and became a therapist for abused women. Rosanna saw this in her mother. Rosanna also says this about her parents: "Both my parents were struggling actors, so when I began working and earning money, they kind of lived vicariously through me."

Rosanna's parents both have died. She says this while sitting quietly at her mother's grave site: "We sit besides the graves of loved ones to listen to the silence they've left behind, but also to explore the lives they've left us with, the lives that lean into our souls, that shape us in both obvious and mysterious ways.

2010-06-11T09:44:00.002-05:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions by George Barna

(Barna is a research group)

The father is charged with passing on the spiritual blessing to the children. That duty is a serious transfer of God's blessing upon the family and cannot be received through any other means or person.

2010-06-11T09:42:00.002-05:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions by George Barna
(Barna is a research group)

Before God will hand over great spiritual responsibility to an adult who has children, the parent must give a proof of being a dedicated and effective parent. 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12

2010-06-11T09:42:00.000-05:00

Carnie Wilson (Daughter of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys)

Carnie grew up in a home of a famous singer. Outside the home it looked like everything was amazing; inside it was a different song. Brian admitted he didn’t know how to be a father and Marilyn (Mom) was trying to protect her two daughters from the sadness of a marriage that wasn’t working.

Marilyn Rovell at the age of 14 met Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys onstage. (He was 18 years old.) They married two years later.

Marilyn grew up in a Jewish home. It was a home of simplicity, purity; a place where no one felt guilt or shame, a comfortable home. Brian’s home burned with tyranny, rage and humiliation.

Carnie remembers being about five or six when Marilyn explained to her that her father was a genius, but was also a drug addict who was searching for something higher, something spiritual, and he’d gone down the wrong road to find it.

She told her daughter, “He loves you, but he can’t be like other fathers. He can’t be the kind of father you want him to be. He doesn’t know how.”

Marilyn tried to see the positive side in everything and she passed that onto her daughters. When Carnie was 11, Brian and Marilyn divorced. Carnie writes the breakup was devoid of bitterness or rancor – Marilyn made sure of that.

What's your favourite food? :)

2010-05-30T06:49:00.001-05:00

Chinese Food

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2010-05-29T06:39:00.003-05:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/Randy7777

If you could go only to one restaurant for the next five years, which would it be?

2010-05-29T06:39:00.001-05:00

Bananza

Ask me anything

Who's the most famous person you've met?

2010-05-28T06:40:00.001-05:00

I saw Robert F. Kennedy a couple weeks before he was assasinated.

Ask me anything

2010-05-24T07:21:00.002-05:00

Newborn Infants Learn While Asleep

I found this article on medicalnewstoday.com Here is a portion of that article:

Sleeping newborns are better learners than thought, says a University of Florida researcher about a study that is the first of its type. "We found a basic form of learning in sleeping newborns, a type of learning that may not be seen in sleeping adults," said Dana Byrd, a research affiliate in psychology at UF who collaborated with a team of scientists.

The findings give valuable information about how it is that newborns are able to learn so quickly from the world, when they sleep for 16 to 18 hours a day, Byrd said. "Sleeping newborns are better learners, better 'data sponges' than we knew," she said. In order to understand how newborns learn while in their most frequent state, Byrd and her colleagues tested the learning abilities of sleeping newborns by repeating tones that were followed by a gentle puff of air to the eyelids. After about 20 minutes, 24 of the 26 babies squeezed their eyelids together when the tone was sounded without the puff of air.

My Comments: I find this study interesting. The study uses the word, "sponge". If that is the case and I believe it is then what goes on around an infant can and will shape the little person's entire life. The researchers are attempting to find answers to brain related disabilities. We can literally train children from infancy on.

2010-05-24T07:20:00.002-05:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions by George Barna

The family will grow in spiritual maturity as it serves God and people as a family unit.

Read the below verses:
Genesis 7-9
Exodus 27:21
Exodus 30:30
Josh 24:15

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

2010-05-23T06:45:00.001-05:00

An Astronaut

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2010-05-23T06:36:00.003-05:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/Randy7777

What's your favorite type of flower?

2010-05-23T06:36:00.001-05:00

Moss Roses

Ask me anything

Where's your favorite place to buy clothes?

2010-05-23T06:35:00.001-05:00

I don't

Ask me anything

2010-05-10T09:04:00.002-05:00

James Buchanan

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The only President never to marry, Buchanan was engaged at twenty-eight, but his fiancée died from a sedative overdose. Though successful in winning the highest elected office in the land, the fifteenth President remained a bachelor until his death.

2010-05-10T09:04:00.000-05:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

Spiritual transformation requires us to rely upon God's grace and power; we must therefore pray for the children we seek to impact for God.
1 Samuel 1:10-16
2 Samuel 12:16
Lam 2:19

2010-04-12T07:59:00.002-05:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

Part of the Parental responsibility is to introduce approprioate discipline into children's lives and to avoid pampering them. This emcompasses spiritual discipline as well as parameters in other parts of life.

Prov 3:11-12, 13:1, 19:18, 23:12-14 , 29:15-17

2010-04-05T08:28:00.001-05:00

Spiritual Training

Spiritual development is a lifelong, continual process. It is not to be practiced as a once-a-week routine, but a 24/7 habit. Even after children leave home, the parents retain the obligation to look after the spiritual life of their offspring in the hope of someday presenting them to God as mature and obedient servants.

Deut 6:7, 11:19; Proverbs 22:6

Strange but True

2010-03-29T06:39:00.000-05:00

Women pregnant with her third set of twins

Yep, Gezime Amer is six months pregnant with her third set of twins, all fraternal -- who will join her 12-year-old twin boys and 10-year-old twin daughters, the New York Daily News reports.

"God blessed me with the genes to have twins," the New York mother, 37, tells the newspaper. "They came to me all natural, too."

2010-03-29T06:38:00.003-05:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

Spiritual Training

Worshiping God is one of a believer's most significant responsiblities. Parents must lead their family together in regular worship of God.

Deut 16:11; 29:18; 1 Sam 1:19

2010-03-21T08:27:00.003-05:00

Millard Fillmore

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Millard Powers Fillmore
He was born April 25, 1828 and he died November 15, 1889. "Powers" served his father, as a personal secretary during the latter's time as president. A student at Harvard, he later practiced law and was appointed as a federal court clerk. Much of the rest of his life is a mystery. He had no children and was never married. Before his death he arranged for the destruction of all his private papers.

Mary Abigail "Abby" Fillmore

She was born March 27, 1832. Historians differ on the date of her death. It was July 26 or 27, 1854. Abby lived a charmed life as a child and teenager . After the death of Zachary Taylor, her vice presidential father moved into the White House where she often served as hostess, assisting her mother, Abigail. She died tragically of cholera at the tender age of 22. Abby never married.

2010-03-21T08:26:00.001-05:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

Spiritual Training

Parents must start the spiritual training of children when they are young. Waiting too long produces unfortuante coutcomes for parents and children.

See Isa 7:15; Acts 26:4

2010-03-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

Zachary Taylor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anne Margaret Mackall Taylor Wood

She was born April 9, 1811 and she died in Germany on December 2, 1875. Anne married an army surgeon and gave birth to four children. A widow by the war's end, she journeyed to Germany where she lived with a daughter, who had married a baron.

Sarah "Knox" Taylor Davis

She was born March 6, 1814. She died of malaria at the age of 21 on September 15, 1835. She married a military man, Jefferson Davis, who would eventually become the president of the Confederate States of America. But Sarah would not live to see it happen. She died three months after the wedding of the malaria that had almost taken her as a girl.

Octavia Pannel Taylor

She was born August 16, 1816 and she died of malaria on July 8, 1820. She was three years old.

Margaret Smith Taylor

She was born July 27, 1819. She died October 22, 1820. Only three months after the death of her sister, one year old Margaret was taken by malaria as well.

Mary Elizabeth Taylor Bliss Dandridge

She was born April 20, 1824 and she died July 26, 1909. "Betty," as she was called, served as White House hostess for her mother who refused to entertain. She was immensely popular and was considered an elegant beauty. She married twice. She had no children.

Richard Taylor

He was born January 27, 1826 and died on April 12, 1879. After education in Europe, he served as an aide de camp to his father during the Mexican campaign. Later when the general became president , he served as his father's private secretary. During the Civil War he rose to fame as a Confederate general, fighting with Stonewall Jackson in the Valley Campaign. He refused to accept favors or promotion because of his name, earning even begrudging praise from Northern observers. He was a plantation manager, soldier, politician and author. Taylor was considered a success who earned his own reputation on its own merits. He died from severe internal congestion, resulting from a long battle with rheumatoid arthritis.

2010-03-15T10:06:00.001-05:00

Jewels from Barna

Kids and Teens Have Spirit

One of the remarkable facts about the current U.S. adult population is the breadth of people's exposure to spiritual training as children and teenagers. More than eight out of every 10 adults remembers consistently attending Sunday school or some other religious training before the age of 12. Those who recall being involved typically said they were engaged every week. In fact, seven out of 10 adults (69%) said they attended religious programs weekly.

John Adams

2010-03-08T07:05:00.002-06:00

President John Adams
John Adams as a boy
John Adam went to Harvard. It was a fond memory for him. In his words he writes, "invigorated my body, and exhilarated my soul." During that time his love for books increased. Harvard had been founded primarily to train ministers, and when John left, his Dad wanted him to become a minister. He was probably turned off from that course in life by the hypocrisy. His own father had a fondness for telling off-color jokes in company but had once helped remove a minister whose conduct was deemed "light if not immoral." John had decided to pursue the study of law. On November 6, 1759, John Adams was admitted to the bar in Boston.

from the book by Doug Wead

Barna

2010-03-08T07:04:00.000-06:00

Jewels from Barna from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions
The Clarity of the Bible (What families ought to do to raise godly children) The purpose of spiritual training is to instill a passion to love, obey and serve God. The outcome is not mere knowledge but also true wisdom and discernment as evidenced in behavior (see Matt 10:37, 12:48-50, 1 Tim 4:7, 2 Tim 3:15-17)

by George Barna

(Barna is a research group)

2010-03-01T08:36:00.002-06:00

President's Family

Deacon John and Susanna Adams
Parents of President John Adams
In a time when most men married in their early twenties, Deacon John Adams remained single into his early forties. When he finally decided to get married he married Susanna Boylston, a woman twenty years his junior.

Susanna taught her son, John Adams, to read at the age of five. (John was the only Adams child that inherited her love of books.)

John Adams wrote little about his mother, other than that she was his "honored and beloved mother." When John was a youngster he noticed that all his friends homes were ruled by reason, but his by passion. (For John is was not an attractive quality.) His parents, both strong and forceful figures, "bickered to an unusual degree." John's own personality would exhibit the same tendencies.

2010-03-01T08:35:00.001-06:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

The Clarity of the Bible

(What families ought to do to raise godly children)

Parents should provide the primary spiritual training of children. The parents may receive encouragement, training and resources through the Church, but the parents are intended by God to be the primary provider of spiritual direction and care (see Deut. 1:31; 6:4-9; 11:18-21; 21:18-19; Ps 78:5-8, Luke 8:39; Eph 6:4)

2010-02-22T09:06:00.002-06:00

James K. Polk

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marshall Polk
He was the nephew and personal ward of President James K. Polk. No children were born to the president and his wife Sarah Childress. Marshall sadly ended his life an alcoholic and in prison.

Barna

2010-02-22T09:04:00.001-06:00

Media

A new national study by The Barna Group among Christian parents shows that even though most Christian parents are not always comfortable with the content of the media-related products, they purchase some of those items as presents for their children. The born again Christian population of the U.S. is likely to spend more than $1 billion on media products such as CDs, DVDs, video games and magazines for children under the age of 18 despite parental misgivings about the moral content or developmental affects of those resources.

John Adams

2010-02-15T09:01:00.002-06:00

President's Family

In 1638, Henry Adams and his wife, Edith, dissenters from the Church of England, gathered together their only daughter and 8 sons, along with a few necessary possessions and climbed aboard one of the many small, dangerous sailing ships bound for the New World. Adams was seeking a place in the American colonies where he and his family could worship freely and practice their Puritan principles without ridicule or harassment.

Many years later, John Adams would write graphic descriptions of his ancestors' harrowing journey across the wild North Atlantic, with lightning striking he foremasts and storm-driven waves nearly carrying passengers and sailors overboard.

from the book: "The Raising of a President" by Doug Wead

Barna

2010-02-15T09:00:00.002-06:00

ADVISORY: God's plan is for families to lead in the provision of spiritual development for their children.

When a church - intentionally or not - assumes a family's responsibilities in the arena of spiritually nurtuing children, it fosters an unhealthy dependence upon the church to relieve the family of its biblical responsiblity. (There are exceptions of children depending upon the church for all their spiritual training.)

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

2010-02-08T10:09:00.001-06:00

President's Family

Ann Dunham, PH.D.

Mother of Barack Obama born in 1942, died in 1995. Born Stanley Ann Dunham, she was an American anthropologist who specialized in economic anthropology and rural development. She earned her Ph.D from the University of Hawaii and worked with the United States Agency for International Development, the Ford Foundation, and Women's World Banking, championing microcredit for the world's poor. Obama referred to his mother as the dominant figure in his formative years. "The values she taught me continue to be my touchstone when it comes to how I go about the world of politics."

Stanley Dunham is the grandfather of Barack Obama. He was born in 1918 and served as a sergeant in the US Army during World War II, enlisting just after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Stanley and his wife Madelyn raised Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii. He died in Hawaii in 1992.

2010-02-08T10:08:00.000-06:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions
by George Barna
(Barna is a research group)

Barna Research shows that a minority of parents of young children believe that they are doing a good job of shaping the moral and spiritual beliefs of their youngsters - a perspective confirmed by more that 4 out of 5 adults who observe the performance of those parents.

Reasons Given:
Lack of ability complexity of modern life the inescapable negative influence of the media
the distorting views and behaviors of their children's peers the warped perspectives taught in the schools
the lack of trust children have in their parents' moral and spiritual perspectives

The cultural reinforcement of umbilical thoughts and behavioral patters the ingrained nature of the politically correct movement
Essentially, parents have used these reasons to convince themselves that they cannot do any better than they are doing because they are overmatched

President's Family

2010-02-01T12:35:00.000-06:00

George Washington spent most of his adult life avoiding his mother (Mary Ball Washington), though he made a few, attempts to reconnect with her, especially in the latter years of her life. When he came home for Christmas he would spend a few minutes with her and go to stay with friends only to spend a few more minutes with her before moving on.

Let's look at Mary's own childhood. Mary's mother (Mary Johnson) married young and her 1st husband died soon after the wedding. Mary Johnson was a housemaid of Joseph Ball, a 60 year old Potomac tobacco planter. When Ball's wife died, he took the young Mary Johnson as his wife. Family and neighbors rejected the marriage in spite of the old man's attempt to buy them off. The marriage produced only one child: Mary Ball (George Washington's mother).

When Mary Ball was 3 her father died, leaving her with a lot of land along with Mary's mother. Mary' Mother tried to make connection with family to little avail. She then married again and he would soon die as well.

The little Mary Ball lost 2 fathers and then, unexpectedly, when she was only 12 years of age, would lose her mother as well. She was an orphan and was taken care of by George Eskridge, a friend of the family. During this time, her fears and insecurities combined with her strong will, promoted erratic and unreasonable behavior.

At 22 she was considered past the marrying age. So, however fearful she might have been on intrusive changes that marriage represented to her, the interest of Gus Washington was likely viewed as her last chance. Gus married Mary simply for the inheritance that she had. George Washington was born the following year. (He never spoke much about his childhood. It was a stressful time for him, having a fearful, strongwilled and controlling mother.)

2010-02-01T12:34:00.002-06:00

Jewels from Barna

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

ADVISORY

Fewer than 10% of parents who regularly attend church with their kids read the Bible together, pray together or participate in an act of service as a family unit.

Most families do not see this as disturbing for 2 reasons:

1. They are following the precedent that was set for them. No matter how much church leaders preach about the need for parents to personally invest in the spiritual growth of children, adults tend to revert to what was modeled for the, noting that caring the kids to church and occasional religious events is sufficient.

2. Most churchgoing parents are neither spiritually mature nor spiritually inclined and, therefore, they do not have a sense of urgency or necessity about raising their kids to be spiritual champions.

by George Barna

(Barna is a research group)

2010-01-25T09:12:00.003-06:00

President's Family
George Washington
George did not have a good relationship with his mother. At some deep level, Washington, the little boy, (as a man) harbored a deep need for approval from the powerful, willful, emotionally disturbed woman who had owned his childhood and still ruled some part of his psyche.
Mary Washington, George's mother began cashing in on her son's fame by receiving "gifts". Washington wrote his siblings, urging her to stop it, to no avail.
In 1780, when the balance of the colonies held in the balance, Mary took public action against George. Her purposeful, willful attempt to discredit her son caused Washington's political enemies to rejoice in his public humiliation. Mary petitioned the Virginia legislature for a pension as the mother of the commander in child, on the grounds that her children had neglected her. General Washington easily proved that his mother was well taken care of.
It is quite possible that George Washington's love of military life and soldiering was developed as a challenge to his mother's protective nature. Indeed, some see his whole leadership role in the American rebellion as an extension of his fight with this authority figure from childhood.
Some historians see Washington as sometimes slipping into his mother's mold. James C. Rees, sees both mother and son as strong, no-nonsense kids of persons, with very demanding personalities. Neither had many close friends, and both were hard workers till the last days of their lives. Washington's letters to the Continental Congress, are an eerie echo of his Mother's letters to him.

2010-01-25T09:12:00.001-06:00

Jewels from Barna
from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

by George Barna(Barna is a research group)
Appropriate Responsibility

Barna's national surveys have shown that while more than 4 out of 5 parents (85%) believe they have the primary responsibility for the moral and spiritual development of their children, more than two out of three of them abdicate that responsibility to their church. Their virtual abandonment of leading their children spiritually is evident in how infrequently they engage in faith-oriented activities with their young ones. For instance we discovered than in a typical week, fewer than 10 percent of parents who regularly attended church with their kids read the Bible together, pray together (other than at meal times) or participate in an act of service as a family unit. Even fewer families - 1 out of every 20 have any type of worship experience together with their kids, other than while they are at church during a typical month.
The most disturbing fact: We found that this is not disturbing to most of them.
Two reasons why:
1. They are merely following the precedent that was set for them.
2. Most churchgoing parents are neither spiritually mature nor spiritually inclined and, therefore, they do not have a sense of urgency or necessity about raising their kids to be spiritual champions.

2010-01-25T09:10:00.001-06:00

More—Breaking the Code
Of Internet & Texting Lingo

MYOB– Mind Your Own Business
NOYB– None of Your Business
WAJ– What a Jerk
2G2BT– Too Good Too Be True
IOMH– In Over My Head
BRD– Bored
IDK– I don’t Know
DKDC– Don’t Know, Don’t Care
IMO– In My Opinion
AFAIK– As Far As I Know
NM– Never Mind
BTW- By The Way
FYI– For Your Information
FWIW– For What It’s Worth

BRB– Be Right Back
AFK– Away From Keyboard
LOL– Laughing Out Loud
ROTFL– Rolling on the Floor Laughing
K– Okay
J/K– Just Kidding
SLAP– Sounds Like a Plan
PLZ-Please
TY or THW– Thank you; Thanks
YW– You’re Welcome
NP– No Problem
G2G– Got To Go
BFN– Bye For Now
TTFN– Ta Ta For Now
LBR– Later
CYA– See You (Later)
CYT– See You Tomorrow

2010-01-18T09:53:00.000-06:00

President's Family
George Washington's Father
Augustine was a man of great physical strength and ferocious determination. His son, George Washington, described him as "tall,fair of complexion, well proportioned and fond of children." But Augustine did not make decisions easily, and the more important the issue, the more likely he was to procrastinate. If not quick-tempered - a fact that gave him some degree of pride - he was far too prone to litigation, which often only complicated his life unnecessarily.
Augustine, had a tireless effort to advance the Washington name. He was described as a man totally committed to his work and relentlessly focused on improving his lot. Yet his best efforts were not enough. In 1730, after a business trip to England, he returned home to learn that his twenty-eight-year-old wife had died the previous November.
Augustine, or Gus as he was called, married Mary Ball. He acquired several thousand additional acres of land. George Washington was born on February 22, 1732.
On a stormy, chill, April day in 1743, Augustine Washington was caught in the open in a downpour. He was soon in bed with a severe cold. On April 10th he took a turn for the worse and died. from "The Raising of a President" by Doug Wead

2010-01-18T09:52:00.000-06:00

Jewels from Barna
from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions
by George Barna(Barna is a research group)

THE CHALLENGE
The church exists to support family in their efforts to raise children in ways that honor God and advance His kingdom. We cannot legitimately pawn off our kids on a church and expect it to do the job we as parents have been given by God. However, we can partner with the church to compensate for our own areas of developmental weakness or inability so that our children mature into dynamic followers of Christ. Working in tandem with other believers is one of the marks of a healthy Christian and a healthy community of faith.
Helping our children to develop spiritually is a journey of faith, not a destination we can expect to reach by some predictable or designated point in time. When Paul wrote that we must fight the good fight of faith, he may well have had the raising of spiritual children in mind, knowing that it's harder to stand fast for what is right and true than to settle for what is easy and popular.

Breaking the Code

2010-01-18T09:48:00.001-06:00

Breaking the Code
Of Internet & Texting Lingo
POS—Parent Over Shoulder
PAW– Parents Are Watching
P911– Parents in Room (Alert)
AITR– Parents in Room
TPTB– The Powers That Be
KPC– Keeping Parents Clueless

A/S/L– Age/Sex/location
MorF– Male or Female
BFF– Best Friends Forever
BMAY-Between Me and You
LUV U—Love You
LYSO– Love You So Much
TOY– Thinking of You
H&K– Hugs and Kisses
QT– Cutie

ADDY– Address
A3– Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace
WH5– Who, What, When Where, Why?
F2F—Face to Face
IRL– In Real Life
WK– Week
WKD– Weekend
2Nite– Tonight
OMW– On My Way

WRUD-What Are You Doing?
RUOK-Are You OK?
PTB– Please Text Back
DKU– Do I Know You?
TMI– Too Much Information
411– Information

JFK

2010-01-11T08:42:00.002-06:00

President's Family
Joe Kennedy expected his firstborn son Joe, Jr., to have a public career but never John, the sick one, too shy to speak publicly, the writer. There was amoment when Jack first ran for Congress when Joe Kennedy sat in a car with alongtime colleague, watching his skinny, frail, shy son John shaking hands with factory workers. Joe would tell his friend that he had never thought his son had it in him.
From: "The Raising of a President" by Doug Wead

Barna

2010-01-11T08:42:00.001-06:00

Jewels from Barna
from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

by George Barna(Barna is a research group)

We've looked at 5 of the 6 pillars of Christian formation: worship, evangelism, discipleship, stewardship, service and now we'll look at community.

COMMUNITY
The final practice that we must facilitate for our children is that of engagement in a community of believers, where they are accepted, instructed, encouraged, supported and held accountable. Assisting children in connecting emotionally and spiritually with other children and in accepting the rules of the community in relation to faith principles is an invaluable discipline. In a culture in which moral anarchy is increasingly the standard, immersing our young people in an alternative system of relationships and responsibilities is one of the most important challenges we face for their personal health, the good of the Church and the hope of the nation at large.

2010-01-01T08:08:00.003-06:00

President's Family
George Washington was openly embarrassed and irritated by his controlling, egocentric mother, who lived to be eighty-one. In his thousands of papers he rarely mentions her name. When George was a youth, Mary was obsessively protective, and when he was grown she constantly sought his attention. Indifferent to his successes and absorbed in her own fears of impending poverty, she persisted in her demands, but George Washington kept coming back for more. Washington may have been irritated by his mother and she may have been too selfish to often express her love, but she was certainly very strong and stubborn, unwilling to bend or retreat or listen to reason. None of her great son's towering achievements intimidated her in the slightest.

And Thomas Jefferson allegedly despised his mother, who died while he was writing the Declaration of Independence. Commenting on the fact that Jefferson's voluminous writings seldom mention her name, his biographer Merrill Peterson suggests that the president's mother represented a "zero quantity" in her son's life.

from "Raising of a President" by Doug Wead

2010-01-01T08:08:00.001-06:00

Jewels from Barna
from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

by George Barna(Barna is a research group)
Stewardship
Training children to be good managers of the resources God entrusts to them - the process typically referred to as stewardship - may be a broader task than expected. The resources over which we have immediate dominion - money, relationships, ideas, skills, spiritual gifts, time and possessions - are so pervasive that our training in the dimension of stewardship may need to be more diligent. Most children indicate that they receive teaching and encouragement concerning how to use their money but that they are rarely challenged in terms of how they manage God's other resources. We would serve children well by providing them with a more intentional focus upon how to effectively administers all resources for God's purposes and in accordance with His principles.
Service
One of the best ways for people to develop their faith is by serving people. It becomes unhealthy for Christians to get in the routine of attending church events and taking spiritual resources from those activities while failing to give away whatever they have received. (Flow in, Flow out.)

2009-12-28T06:39:00.001-06:00

President's Family
Sara Roosevelt, the mother of FDR, dominated her son to the point of obsession. FDR sought independence by marrying his cousin Eleanor, but Sara easily crushed the spirit of his new bride, who finally capitulated and allowed Sara to raise her children. FDR defied his mother by seeking a political career against her wishes, only to be crippled by polio and fall back into her clutches again. "Please don't make any more arrangements for my future happiness," Franklin Roosevelt once wrote to his interfering mother.

2009-12-28T06:38:00.001-06:00

Jewels from Barna
from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

by George Barna(Barna is a research group)

Evangelism
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." Matt 28:19-20
Discipleship
Disciplining children can be one of the more common and fun aspects of facilitating their development. In some ways, though, we are not sufficiently conscientious about the process. Often, kids receive spiritual teaching when it is convenient for parents or when on a regimented schedule (e.g., every Sunday), without a lifelong, moment-to-moments process. Our job is to lead children to develop a habit of continual spiritual disciplines. Some parents have learned that seeing themselves as their children's personal spiritual coach helps them to view common experiences and everyday circumstances as the training grounds on which to foster spiritual development. (From Barna)

2009-12-21T10:21:00.001-06:00

President's Parents

James Buchanan's mother was a brilliant, self-educated woman who could quote John Milton at length and who argued with her son "about everything." The president suggested that the habit contributed to his political skills. Early in his government career, she adamantly demanded that he refuse appointment to Russia. When her campaign failed, she employed guilt as a device, claiming that if he left here she would die before he returned. For the first time in his life Buchanan publicly defied his mother's will. He went to Russia, where upon she promptly died. Eight years later he became the fifteenth president.

"The Raising of a President", by Doug Wead

Barna

2009-12-21T10:20:00.000-06:00

Children need a mature believer who will help them discover the awesome reality of authentically and intimately connecting with Father God, by providing what He deserves, demands and delights in - heartfelt worship. This practice goes far beyond attending weekly events. Young people must come to understand their lives as a constant exercise of worship. Practicing and enjoying God's presence, while maintiaining a respect and awe for whom He is, is one of the enormous challenges we face in raising our children.

2009-12-14T10:10:00.001-06:00

President's Children

What a Presidential child experiences:
Christmas all year round. Lots of relatives and friends. Never a lonely moment. They will meet every famous person in sports, entertainment, art and science. They come and go daily from the sprawling WH-EOB compound. Mandela one day, Hannah Montana the next. They will have their own personal theatre with first run movies, their own team of chefs, all the cotton candy their mom and dad don't know about, travel, access to staff, and entertaining people. Christmas has not one, but a forest of decorated trees throughout the State floor and gingerbread houses that are masterpieces. Every gadget, every toy, every game pours in over the transom. For the younger kids? The parents will need the discipline of drill sergeants to keep it under control.

by Doug Wead

2009-12-14T10:09:00.001-06:00

Jewels from Barna
from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

by George Barna(Barna is a research group)
"Empowering" (Another Factor in Spiritual Growth)
While the term "empowerment" has been much abused in recent years, we can enhance the likelihood of children growing spiritually when they are confident of physical safety and interpersonal acceptance, and senses that the roles they play are useful and appropriate. We find that young people feel empowered when they are able to see themselves as significant human beings (based on a combination of positive self-image and their perception that others deem them to be important and valuable), are able to act in a self-governed manner and feel that they are a contributing value to their community. Adding value to their world is achieved by giving them opportunities to use their skills and gifts, enabling them to work as members of a team and facilitating meaningful interaction between mentors and children. Thus, the facilitator's role enables such perspectives and behavior to emerge.
A further condition that adults must facilitate for young people is a viable process of accountability.

2009-12-07T09:00:00.003-06:00

President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton's biological father, William Jefferson Blythe, was a traveling salesman from Texas. He married Virginia Cassidy 7 months before his divorce from his fourth wife. It would be his last marriage. He was in a freak auto accident a few months before the future president was born. His car turned upside down, and, trapped inside, he drowned in a puddle of water only inches deep.
In 1950, his mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe, married Roger Clinton, a Buick salesman from Hope, Arkansas. Roger was a alcoholic and wife beater who once fired a gun at his wife inside his own home. Bill Clinton was only a few feet away.
His mother, who would eventually marry five times, was a habitual gambler who worked by days and visited nightclubs by night.
Psychologist Chet Sunde says this about Clinton: "Clinton would be susceptible to seduction and flirtation by the opposite sex, and at some deep level of his psyche he would always be looking for a woman of adventure like Mom.

2009-12-07T09:00:00.001-06:00

from the book: Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

by George Barna(Barna is a research group)
Provision (Ways to Spiritual Growth)
The best way to spiritual growth is eliminating some of the emotional and behavioral obstacles. If children are consumed by fears and worries regarding safety and capacity, little growth can occur. (This is different in adults because of an adults ability to think abstractly.)
A key element to consider is emotional security. Various studies have shown that until children feel loved, accepted, affirmed and engaged, there is limited hope of seeing significant progress in their development. The family is the most important player in this drama. Conversation, activity and values that promote emotional security set the stage for spiritual development.
Next week we'll talk about another factor - "Empowerment"

2009-11-30T12:38:00.001-06:00

President
So many presidents lost their fathers and mothers at an early age.
George Washington was 11 when his father died;
Thomas Jefferson - 14 (Father);
James Monroe - 16(Father);
William Henry Harrison - 18 (Father);
Abraham Lincoln - 9 (Mother)
Andrew Johnson 3 (Father);
James Garfield - 1 (Father);
Grover Cleveland - 16 (Father);
Teddy Roosevelt - 19 (Father) - At 25 he lost his mother & wife within hours;
Herbert Hoover - 6 (Father); 9 (Mother);
John Tyler - 7 (Mother);
Calvin Coolidge - 12 (Mother);
Andrew Jacksoon - 14 (Mother)
Andrew Jackson, Rutherford Hayes, and Bill Clinton were not yet born when their fathers died.

Historians believe there is a connection between early death of parents and revolutionaries. Is it because of an unconscious rage at authority, represented by the father who abandoned them?

2009-11-30T12:36:00.001-06:00

Advice to Children from Parents
Do.....Keep father's instructions.Don't turn away from your mother's instructions.Tie those instructions to your heart.Put those instructions on like a necklace.
Then......When you walk, they will guide you.When you sleep, they will watch over you.When you wake, they will speak to you.
Because.....Your father's instructions are like a lamp.Your mother's instructions are like a light.And the training that corrects you leads to life.
Instruct your child so he will have the opportunity to be guided, watched over and spoken to at the right time.

Proverbs 6:20-23

2009-11-23T09:49:00.002-06:00

President
Leslie L. King Jr.'s mother feared for her sons life and left an abusive father. She obtained a divorce and married a gentle paint salesman from the Midwest. Leslie's new step father made the difference in his life. He gave the young boy direction and a sense of belonging. Years later he adopted Leslie as his own and wiped out the pain of the past. Leslie's name was changed as well. The little boy would become Gerald Ford, Jr., the thirty-eighth president of the United States, and he would help the nation after the trauma of the Watergate scandal.