I Deserve... God's Best

In Your Face!

Isn't this the way Christians are often critiqued?... Rudely, ignorantly, brashly, arrogantly (in your face!) dismissing the beliefs of others. But what if we traveled a new path of humility and wisdom, prepared and equipped, both as adults and children, to reasonably engage in discussions of faith.

A great resource to prepare you for this path is "Tactics" by Greg Koukl. In it you'll find simple, compelling ways to engage folks without belittling them. You'll have confidence to begin to point people down a path that leads to Christ.

Click on the image below for a link to this great resource.

Parent Rap- Hidden Wisdom

What is the world did they say about Jesus? 1st-5th graders

 

What the children at Fairview UMC Sunday School said they would want someone to know about Jesus if they were witnessing to them (our 1st-5th graders): 

He's God's Son, He is real, He'll be by your side, God can do many things, He died for us, God made the earth, He heals people (even when an ear's been cut off), God controls everything, God lives in Heaven and the Holy Spirit lives in us, you can be reborn when you believe in Jesus and ask Him into your heart, Jesus helps me to be different and better with the Holy Spirit, He walked on water, He stopped a storm, He rose from the death (aka- came back to life), He saved many lives, He brought other people back from the dead, He made a blind man see, He fed 5000 men with 2 fish and five loaves of bread, Jesus loves you, I can be brave because He is with me, He always gives us more than one chance, He is always with you, He is helpful, You can always go to Him, We love Him, He believes in us, He forgives us, He'll never let you down, He knows what is best for you, He is awesome, He is powerful, He is strong, He forgives our sins, He is freeing, He is our Father, He died on the cross, He can be like a mother to us at times, He fills our heart, He will come for each of us, with Him we never die, He always has a plan for us.

Goal #1 as Parents

Click on the picture below.

Wonder

 

Wow, I highly recommend this book, Wonder by R.J. Palacio that helps you see into the world of what it's like to live looking so different from everyone else. It will sensitize you, and your kids (if you share the journey with them), into a whole new world.This is a powerful, powerful novel. It's not a Christian book, but teaches powerful truths from Christ.

The Green Pencil Sharpener Challenge to help the children of Paraguay

It started off with a Green Pencil Sharpener and now we have 2 Decorative Cermaic Tiles from a famous local artist, Robert Tino.

Hi, my name is Wil Davenport, and the purpose of this "Green Pencil Sharpener" is to start with a green pencil sharpener and trade for something better. All proceeds will ultimately go to help children at the New Horizon School in Paraguay (http://www.paraguayschools.org/v3/). Who will trade me for these Robert Tino decorative ceramic art tiles. Then after that we trade and trade and trade until we get to the goal of raising $5000 children in Paraguay!!!

My Mama Mouth

September 30, 2013 Me and My Mama Mouth Karen Ehman

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." (Proverbs 31:26 ESV)

The other day my son, a smart preteen, was up to the challenge of washing the dishes. He didn't give me an attitude when asked. He wasn't disrespectful. He didn't drag his feet. So why was I battling the urge to harshly point out how he was doing it all wrong?

Because he wasn't doing it my way.

He started with the grimy pots, then moved to the plates and silverware. Finally, he had to bubble up more water to spit-shine the glasses. While working, he stacked plastic cups in a pyramid.

Irritation welled up. An unkind reaction was itching to come out. I could easily have let my momma mouth take over: It uses way more water to wash the dishes in that order. Plus the water is filthy now! Stop playing with those cups while you work. You're so slow.

I wanted to be a control freak. I wanted to fire off the unkind words hidden in my unspoken thoughts: The only way to do the dishes is my way. I see different as wrong. I interpret a preteen being a preteen—with a slight distraction of fun—as "slow."

But when I unload on junior, or anyone, it has the potential to damage our relationship and plant mental seeds of his mom's view of him, whether verbalized or implied (lazy, wasteful, distracted, and slow). It does not, as Proverbs 31:26 states, come close to resembling a woman who "opens her mouth with wisdom and speaks with kindness on her tongue."

It's better if these potentially frustrating scenarios play out differently. So let's replay that scene with a Spirit-controlled response.

As I see my son doing the dishes, I can make a mental note to explain how to do it next time in a way that will save water, money, and time. I can praise his efforts, keeping in mind his age and abilities. I can acknowledge his unique method. I saw the clever way you stacked those dishes. You always make work fun.

I can ask myself questions that will help keep my mama mouth in check. Questions like: Does it matter now or will it matter tomorrow? Will it affect eternity? Is God trying to teach me something? Can I pause and praise instead of interrupt and instigate? Is this really an issue that needs addressing? Am I being a control freak? Do I need to let it go?

The interaction wouldn't damage; it would nurture. It would be wise. Kind. And there would be no lost time, regrets, or need to call in the United Nations peace-keeping forces for intervention.

This mama would be less control-freakish and more Proverbs 31-womanish. It might not come easily—trust me, it usually doesn't—but with the Holy Spirit, it is possible to speak with kindness.

Dear Lord, may I purpose to temper my words with Your Holy Spirit as I interact with my family today. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Related Resources
Can you think of a time you blew up at your child and wished you'd had a friend to turn to for advice? Our brand new Encouragement for Today book is just that—a trusted friend sharing God's peace, purpose and perspective with you in 100 devotions.

Today's devotion is a sample straight out of Encouragement for Today: Devotions for Everyday Living by the Proverbs 31 Ministries team. Click here to purchase your copy.

Visit Karen Ehman's blog for more encouragement.

Remember
My mouth can be a powerful tool of encouragement or a weapon of destruction.

Reflect
Which of the questions posed in the devotion (Does it matter now or will it matter tomorrow? etc.) do you most need to ask yourself when tempted to over-control?

Respond
Think of an incident from the past where you did not use your words in a way that was kind or loving. Revisit the situation. How could you have spoken in a way that would honor God? Could you have used a different tone of voice? Word choice? Timing?

Power Verses
Psalm 139:4; Psalm 37:30

Taken from Encouragement for Today: Devotions for Everyday Living by Renee Swope, Lysa TerKeurst, Samantha Evilsizer and the Proverbs 31 Ministries Team. © 2013 by Proverbs 31 Ministries. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com.

https://snt146.mail.live.com/m/messages.m/?mid=m6c972f33-29a0-11e3-941a-002264c17d04&mts=2013-09-30T07:18:01.980Z&fid=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&iru=%2fm%2ffolders.m%2f%3fid%3d64855&nmid=m8e8dede1-2745-11e3-9ed6-00237de49d36&nmts=2013-09-27T07:22:28.640Z

Great Parents Gross out Your Kids

By Doug Fields

Here are 10 things that I know my kids have observed from my marriage with Cathy over the years:

1. Affection: Cathy & I are very affectionate and I like having my kids see me holding their mom’s hand, hugging, kissing, cuddling, etc… as often as I can.

2. Saying, “I’m sorry”: I want to be quick to use this phrase and I want my kids to hear me say it (and I have to say it a lot more than Cathy).

3. Affirmation: this is my primary love language so it’s easy for me to dish out encouraging words. My kids get a lot of verbal affirmation, but they also hear me directing it toward my wife (which is really easy).

4. Attraction: I think Cathy is hot… and, I make it known around our family. I’ll regularly say, “Isn’t your mom beautiful?”

5. Time: our kids know that we like to spend time together. When they see us steal time away to sit in the backyard and talk, or go in the hot tub, or go on a date night, or sneak away for the weekend…that’s a good message I want them to see.

6. Laughter: we laugh a lot in our house and my wife’s cute sense of humor cracks me up. I like having my kids see that my wife makes me laugh.

7. Respect: opening the door for Cathy, saying “thank you” and “please” and showing her simple signs of respect.

8. Faith conversations: we’re not always praying in front of our kids, but they hear and see our faith conversations and know that we’re always talking about Jesus and what it means to be a follower.

9. The value of friends: our house is well worn from the traffic of friends in/out of our house. We love having people over and the Fields’ house is a regular hangout for some incredible friends.

10. Servanthood: I know my kids have had a better example in Cathy than with me because she’s the ultimate servant. Always asking, “How can I help? What do you need to make life better?” Serving one another is seen in the daily, little things and there’s many opportunities to serve.

Kids are watching their parent’s marriage & yet too many marriages underestimate the power of modeling! Children are taking daily recordings of what a marriage looks like & those recordings are definitely influencing & shaping their view of marriage.

Cell Phone Ground Rules for your Kids

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The Porn Free 30 Day Challenge

Freedom One Day at a Time! Click the Picture above!