Monthly Archives: June 2017

Your Children are Impressed

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Were you amazed when you read of how Aaron built the golden calf and then lied to Moses about it? I was! What was Aaron thinking of?

I couldn’t understand why Aaron suffered no consequences for his actions (Exodus 32). I have to wonder, though, if that golden calf didn’t eventually cost him his sons, Nadab and Abihu. Later we read that Nadab and Abihu took censers “and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:1-2).

Aaron’s sons were learning well the lessons of disobedience to God that their dad “taught” them as they observed his actions. Their disobedience required their lives.

As dads, our lives are impressed upon our families. That impression will be for good or for bad. You choose the outcome by your thoughts, words, and actions. May your life be the best impression possible—the image of Christ.

“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” (Colossians 3:10).

Steve

What Will His Wife be Like?

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Raising godly children is a difficult, full-time job. It takes a great deal of time and effort. Will your future daughter-in-law be able to stay home with the children, or will she have to work full time? Will she want to homeschool the children?

The answer to those questions will likely be determined by how you raise your son and by the values you impress on his life. This affects the type of woman he is attracted to for his wife. In addition, it has much to do with the type of leadership he provides for his home. We must purpose to instill in our sons the desire to have their wives home nurturing their children. Now is the time to be working with our sons and developing them according to God’s Word and His leading. (excerpt from Preparing Sons to Provide for a Single Income Family)

“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD” (Proverbs 18:22),

Steve

Your Very Best Idea

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You are so excited when your son’s eighth birthday arrives, you can hardly contain yourself. Your son opens the small box you give him, stares at what is inside, then picks it up with his thumb and forefinger. “What’s this?” You explain that it’s a whole ounce of pure gold and is very expensive. He continues to look at it. Then he asks, “But what can I do with it?” You now realize this expensive gift was a total flop. You were planning on giving him one each year and were sure it would kickstart his saving for a debt-free house.

A month later, you see him happily riding a new bike. Puzzled you ask, “Son, where did you get that bicycle?” He cheerfully replies, “Joey sold it to me.” “Where did you get the money for it?” His response, “My birthday present. I gave him my gold for the bike. Isn’t it great?” Glug.

Most dads understand how difficult it is to teach children the value of money. However, to teach our children to treasure what is of greater value is a difficult undertaking.

There is something far more important than teaching our children to value money – teach them to value time. Time gets us money and other things of value. We can always get more money, but time is vastly limited.

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

Never Heard of Such a Thing

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New Zealand passed a new law that designates the Whanganui River, the country’s third-longest river, a legal person. That means the Whanganui has rights such as owning property, incurring debts and even petitioning the courts. We can be sure that rational, intelligent people made this decision, but for what possible purpose? It was done with the hope of preventing environmental damage to the river. A similar legal action has been carried out in India for the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.

History repeats itself as mankind struggles to place value where real value is due.

There have been times when basic human rights were denied:

The Jews in Nazi Germany,

African Americans in slavery in the United States 

Now, babies in the womb. 

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19).

Steve

The No-Regrets Summer

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I remember getting to the last week of summer break and wondering, “Where did summer go? What did I accomplish? What happened to those goals I had for all the extra time without school responsibilities?” I looked forward to many available hours over the summer before it started, but when it ended, I regretted not utilizing them to their potential.

When I was purposeful with my summer, I avoided those regrets. That means I prayed and thought about what the Lord wanted me to do with summer hours that weren’t being spent homeschooling. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23). With that leading, I planned my summer.

Part of my scheme involved a schedule. The schedule gave dedicated time not only to the basics of our life but also to the particular areas the Lord directed my summer to be focused on.

During the summer, I taught my children new chores. I gardened with Anna a couple of years. I played outside and inside with my children. I prepared for the new school year. I cleaned and organized. I read books to myself and others to my children.

What hangs over your head during the school year that you simply don’t have time to do? Use summer for it. Put it in your schedule so that it is being accomplished each day. Then when summer is over, you see what you have been able to do.

Through the homeschooling year, I kept a list of cleaning and organizing tasks that I wanted to complete, but for which I couldn’t afford the time. In my summer schedule, I allocated 1/2 to 1 hour a day for those jobs. I prioritized that list and started working on the first project. When my timer went off, I stopped. The next day, I picked up where I left off.

One by one, I crossed projects off my list, and each summer I managed to work through every task on the list. That gave me a huge sense of accomplishment, and all I dedicated for that part was 1/2 or 1 hour a day.

How about a productive summer for your children too? Have you considered discussing summer goals with them? Can you help them learn to be purposeful with their time? What would they like to do with summer hours? Perhaps they will learn a new skill, practice one they already know, gain more knowledge in an area of interest, or be involved in ministry. If you put time into the schedule to work on those goals, your child has a greater likelihood of achieving them.

“Purposeful, quality, directed, productive, excellent, goal-oriented” are words we like to describe summer when it is finished. Frustrating, unproductive, ho-hum, chaotic, wasted, disappointing–we prefer to avoid that kind of summer. You choose whether you float through June, July, and August or plan them. I believe that decision will dictate how you feel at the end of summer.

If you need any help with scheduling or chore planning this summer, I suggest Managers of Their Chores and Managers of Their Homes. Learn conversation skills with your children by reading Making Great Conversationalists and doing the projects. Read Sweet Journey and Sweet Relationships to grow in your walk with the Lord and your relationships with others.

Have a great, productive, no-regrets summer!

Trusting in Jesus,
Teri

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