Monthly Archives: October 2014

Bob the Builder or Dan the Destroyer?

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It takes months to build a house but only a day or two to tear it down and haul it away in a dump truck. It is so much easier to destroy than to build.

What consumes your thoughts—ways to build up and encourage your family and others or ways to tear them down? It takes no depth of character or life in Christ to be a destroyer. It is easy to criticize but harder to build up and encourage. One is fueled by pride (“I am so intelligent, spiritual and righteous, I can put you down”), while the other takes courage, strength, peace and security about “who you are in Christ Jesus.”

Criticism becomes easy. It’s the only thing some people seem to know how to do, and tearing down what others have built makes them feel good. “For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak” (Psalm 59:12). If you are a destroyer, repent—do something profitable.

If you have a destroyer troubling you, don’t give him a second thought. He isn’t worth your time. You have building to do with your time. Pursue the Lord Jesus with all your heart, soul, and mind, and be busy about His business. Be determined to build up your family in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Steve

Day of Reckoning

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Remember this Seriously article? Character/Spiritual Link Discovered

Today is evaluation time. A man will do what is important to him. Are you ready to find out what is really important to you? Are your heart and mind set on things above (things that matter for eternity) or things below (provide short-term gratification)?

How many days out of the past seven did you have a quality personal time of reading the Bible and praying in the morning?
How many days did you lead family Bible time?
How much time did you spend with your wife?
How much time did you spend with your children?
How many times have you lusted for other women?
How many times have you deceived or lied?
What did you spend your time on?

The easy choices are seldom, if ever, the best choices.

“Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.” Psalm 26:2-5

Steve

Are You a Reliable Guide?

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Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). If we encourage our children to follow our example, will they draw closer to Jesus or farther away? Would they read their Bibles more? Would they be more Christ-like? Would they have a greater concern for the lost?

Steve

 

You’d Be Surprised

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Sometimes on MOTHBoard (the forum for registered owners of Managers of Their Homes books to discuss scheduling issues), we receive some extraordinary information. That happened recently, and I wanted to share it with you. First you will hear from a mom who is having trouble getting her girls to do their scheduled chores. Then you will read about an unusual but extremely powerful solution. I think you will be challenged.

How I Encouraged My Children to Do Their Chores

“Hello, my issue is with my 11, 13, and 16-year-old daughters doing their chores. The 16-year-old will do them but not always when she’s meant to. The 13-year-old is very, very slow at doing them. The 11-year-old will stamp upstairs, mutter under her breath, scream and shout, etc. before she does them, and sometimes she won’t do them. I am at my wit’s end. Mummy”

“Hi, Mummy,
We did something very unpopular, but it has been very, very effective. We stopped all media. That means no television shows and no video games. The only Internet in our house is on my computer in the main area of the home, so it’s visually accessible to everyone in the home.

I know. Some families cannot even imagine life without a television, and that’s okay. But if I may share some of the benefits with you, one of them is that our daughters’ behaviors and attitudes improved by leaps and bounds that first year.

The other benefits would include how much more creative they have become in problem solving, their grades have improved, they’ve learned to do things like sewing and bike riding more instead of sitting stagnant in front of the TV. Most importantly, they aren’t exposed to as many sinful images. So their eyes (Jesus calls our eyes, or sight/vision, the “window to the soul”) are protected more. The result of that? They’ve had an increased understanding of God’s Word, and their relationship with Him is more precious to them. Plus our family is much, much closer.

Removing media from your home will not be an easy decision. Lots of stomping and snorting and complaining may follow from your children. If you and your sweet husband pray about it, however, and come up with a plan to implement that strategy, you will never regret it.

That’s just one idea. 🙂 It has improved our lives so very much, and I hope you won’t mind my sharing it.

Praying with you.

Lots of love in Christ,
Melissa”

Sometimes families battle with difficult attitudes in children without realizing there are influences that might be underlying those attitudes. We were quite impressed by the changes this family discovered when they chose to remove media from their children’s lives. It was impressive to hear about the changes that can occur in children’s attitudes and in their relationships with Jesus when media is removed. Doing chores is important, but there is nothing as vital to a life than a relationship with Jesus Christ. What would happen if you removed media from your home?

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Posted in: Mom's Corner

What’s With the Numbers?

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No doubt you’ve noticed the progression of numbers at the bottom of the last ten articles. I began with 3 numbers, 1, 2, and 8. The purpose was a visual demonstration of the reason why our country is now pagan.

The first number is 1 to the exponent x, second number is 2 to the exponent x, and last is 8 to the exponent of x, where x represents each passing generation. Each week the exponent was incremented by one indicating another generation passed.

Typically, we think of a generation as twenty years and so ten generations (exponent 10) would equal 200 years.

Now notice that the believer who reached and discipled just one other believer in his lifetime results in one believer actively sharing his faith in the tenth generation. The believer who reaches two others, with each having the same goal of reaching (and passing on) two more in their lifetime results in 1024 actively sharing their faith in the tenth generation.

However, the believer with a lifetime goal of reaching 8 others who would pass on the lifetime goal of reaching 8 more, in the tenth generation there would be 1,073,741,824 believers actively sharing their faith. That would have been more than the United States population of 350 million. In the next generation, the entire world would have been reached! Can we now see why the Christian faith has been imploding rather than exploding?

If God gave us another 200 years before Jesus’ return and we purposed to share our faith, can we see how things might be different?

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Note: My “2” column was one generation lagging beginning in the fifth generation and I corrected it in the tenth.

Steve

He’s a Hero to Me

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“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). A man recently wrote asking for help for his wife. Seriously, I was so touched by his love for his wife that I almost wept. He understood his place before the Lord to love and protect his wife by helping her or seeking help. What a guy!

Contrast this man to the guy who told his wife he was tired of her and wasn’t sure he was going to stay married to her.

How serious are we about our wife’s joy, peace, and success? How committed are we to seeing her successful in all she sets her hand to? How deeply will we love her?

Steve

1                       1024                               1,073,742,000