Some find it hard in this day and age to parent their children. Dilemmas like how do we discipline, how do we handle this, what should we do about that keep parents from standing firm in disciplinarian tactics. This swaying back and forth causes a doublemindeness from the parents, resulting in confusion in the child which in turn becomes aggrivation in our children. We need to have set boundaries, rules, regulations, rewards and punishments. We also need, as Pastor Steve relates in the text below, to feed our children's spirit man, to create a hunger in them for God and His word.
"Touch Your Child's Spirit
Most parents want to be good parents; they just don't know where to start! Good parenting can be overwhelming. Now you can become your child’s spiritual guide in steps. The goal is to gain so much more than your child’s obedience—but to gain their heart. Gray reveals how to begin:
Realize your child is more than a body. He or she is a spirit being with a personality who lives in a body. The inner spirit is the center of life and must have guidance.
Become the authority by earning your child's respect. Have a standard and stick to it.
Change your child's appetite and create spiritual hunger by adding spiritual things to his "diet." "
Pastor Steve Gray, Kansas City, MO.
Pastor Kevin has been preaching the same thing to us at our church and it is working. We are seeing single moms with little or no parenting skills come in and apply these teachings to their children and we are seeing these families transform before our very eyes! We are seeing parents who are simply just struggling with the how's, why's, should I's and shouldn't I's and applying this to their parenting skills is bringing about results like they wouldn't have believed.
It is a process to get out of old mindsets and old habits but you just have to keep on keeping on. Don't give up or get discouraged! Remember process is all about stages...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Things I have discovered since my last post
* My teenage daughter's worst behavior is way better than most teenagers best behavior (according to what I saw today when I was out).
* I am very, very excited to welcome a new family member into the ranks...don't go thinking ahead of me! My brother is getting married!
* I am the very proud mom of the best ever pot!!! Jellybean was in a play and she was the pot in "The Skipping Pot".
* I am trying very hard to not hate our car but somedays I have discovered that I am failing miserably! No one can figure out why it keeps stalling; we need to get new tires on it and a new CV joint before we can go anywhere other than work and church and I am missing out on several things I am not happy to have missed!!!
* I really enjoy my new job!
* I miss some of my old friends-a lot! It has been ages since we have been able to get together with some of them.
* I love going to school and writing essays (go ahead; call me a nerd...)
* I love playing volleyball.
* It doesn't take that long for you to get back into the swing of playing-even after 18 years. (has it been that long?!)
* It has, apparently, been a long time since I was in high school. It doesn't really seem that long though.
Time to make supper and off to church...perhaps more later.
* I am very, very excited to welcome a new family member into the ranks...don't go thinking ahead of me! My brother is getting married!
* I am the very proud mom of the best ever pot!!! Jellybean was in a play and she was the pot in "The Skipping Pot".
* I am trying very hard to not hate our car but somedays I have discovered that I am failing miserably! No one can figure out why it keeps stalling; we need to get new tires on it and a new CV joint before we can go anywhere other than work and church and I am missing out on several things I am not happy to have missed!!!
* I really enjoy my new job!
* I miss some of my old friends-a lot! It has been ages since we have been able to get together with some of them.
* I love going to school and writing essays (go ahead; call me a nerd...)
* I love playing volleyball.
* It doesn't take that long for you to get back into the swing of playing-even after 18 years. (has it been that long?!)
* It has, apparently, been a long time since I was in high school. It doesn't really seem that long though.
Time to make supper and off to church...perhaps more later.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Ah the innocence of youth...and the singing of what one hears...
Today I was singing a song with Jellybean & Bug, one that we had learned at church. It goes, "Take the limits off. Take the limits off...release me" etc., etc. As I was listening to the kids Bug says "Take the minutes off. Take the minutes off" and something following that was too mumbled for me to hear.
I started to explain to him that those weren't quite the words when Jellybean piped up and said, "Ya! It's 'Take the minutes off. Take the minutes off...Belief me...'."
It reminded me of a time when we were small, coming home from Tae Kwon Do and my brother sang a song with some pretty goofy wording in it...don't know if he'd be mad if I said or not, so I chose not but...
...I almost burst a blood vessel trying not to laugh(at the kids or the memory of my brother)...almost.
I started to explain to him that those weren't quite the words when Jellybean piped up and said, "Ya! It's 'Take the minutes off. Take the minutes off...Belief me...'."
It reminded me of a time when we were small, coming home from Tae Kwon Do and my brother sang a song with some pretty goofy wording in it...don't know if he'd be mad if I said or not, so I chose not but...
...I almost burst a blood vessel trying not to laugh(at the kids or the memory of my brother)...almost.
The Pied Piper
Jellybean is in Grade 3 this year and I am sure most parents know what that means...recorder time!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am just kidding, somewhat. I think it is great that they have the opportunity to learn music and to feel a sense of accomplishment and I think it's great that I bought stock in Advil a LONG time ago...just kidding again.
Yesterday on our walk home from school Jellybean perfomed for us her vast knowledge of the recorder (how to make it sound like a bird) and Bug decided that he was going to use it as a shofar (sp?). Needless to say we walked home one after the other like we were following the pied piper but the city workers who have been digging, bumping, grinding, beeping and filling the street in front of our house thought it was great.
Yesterday on our walk home from school Jellybean perfomed for us her vast knowledge of the recorder (how to make it sound like a bird) and Bug decided that he was going to use it as a shofar (sp?). Needless to say we walked home one after the other like we were following the pied piper but the city workers who have been digging, bumping, grinding, beeping and filling the street in front of our house thought it was great.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Tidbits from Pastor Terry
Class this week has been interesting to say the very least. Last night I felt like I was in the midst of a fireworks display; the proverbial light bulb moments were going off faster than I could compute at times.
The course this week is "How to Study the Bible" and I must confess that before stepping foot into class I thought briefly, "how interesting can this class really be?" How fleeting that thought actually was because it came alive from the very first 5 minutes of class.
We were handed our brand new copy of Strong's Concordance and Vine's Dictionary, a little overwhelming in their weight and size initially but I think they have both become two of my new favorite books.
Here are some tidbits that really spoke to me from yesterday's class:
-most of the gospels are still considered Old Covenant because Jesus hadn't died yet and therefore, the authority in His name had not yet been given.
-I had always been taught that Old Testament doesn't "really" apply to us because of the new covenant brought through Jesus. I was told, "We aren't under the Law." but here is something to think about. Pastor Terry said that if the New Testament doesn't introduce a new law regarding something then the old law still stands (tithing for example).
Take a look at the 10 commandments. In Romans 13:8-10 we are given a new law that replaces the 10 commandements; we are no longer bound to follow the law of the 10 commandments. Why? Romans 13:8-10 provides us with a new law regarding that. The 10 commandments were intended to get people to walk in love but we don't need those rules as Romans 13:8-10 (Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”[fn1] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.) replaces it with this basic law: What would love do?
Love would not murder, love would not commit adultery, love would not steal...
The 10 commandments were intended to change the people from the outside in whereas Rom 13:8-10 changes people from the inside out. Therefore, I think Rom 13:8-10 raises the standard a fair bit for us as Christians today for it says in the Old Testament IF you commit adultery but in the New Testament it says if you even think about someone else or look lustfully or longingly at someone you have all ready committed adultery and according to Rom 13:8-10, you won't commit adultery if you are walking in love.
-We have also been learning how the meanings of our words has changed drastically throughout the years. We have been given a few examples and it sounds like we are getting more tonight.
Weird used to mean skilled in witchcraft
Nice used to mean foolish, senseless, stupid
One we all know...Gay used to mean full of joy.
Perfect did not mean flawless but wholeheartedly so when David, with all his mishaps said to the Lord "My heart is perfect before you." he didn't mean he was without flaw; he meant that he was there wholeheartedly.
This seems rather disjointed; I know but it is still running through my thoughts in such a way that I can not process it fluidly. I do know this; I have never had people present things to me in such a manner as to have them leap in my spirit like this...(except for in KC).
The course this week is "How to Study the Bible" and I must confess that before stepping foot into class I thought briefly, "how interesting can this class really be?" How fleeting that thought actually was because it came alive from the very first 5 minutes of class.
We were handed our brand new copy of Strong's Concordance and Vine's Dictionary, a little overwhelming in their weight and size initially but I think they have both become two of my new favorite books.
Here are some tidbits that really spoke to me from yesterday's class:
-most of the gospels are still considered Old Covenant because Jesus hadn't died yet and therefore, the authority in His name had not yet been given.
-I had always been taught that Old Testament doesn't "really" apply to us because of the new covenant brought through Jesus. I was told, "We aren't under the Law." but here is something to think about. Pastor Terry said that if the New Testament doesn't introduce a new law regarding something then the old law still stands (tithing for example).
Take a look at the 10 commandments. In Romans 13:8-10 we are given a new law that replaces the 10 commandements; we are no longer bound to follow the law of the 10 commandments. Why? Romans 13:8-10 provides us with a new law regarding that. The 10 commandments were intended to get people to walk in love but we don't need those rules as Romans 13:8-10 (Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”[fn1] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.) replaces it with this basic law: What would love do?
Love would not murder, love would not commit adultery, love would not steal...
The 10 commandments were intended to change the people from the outside in whereas Rom 13:8-10 changes people from the inside out. Therefore, I think Rom 13:8-10 raises the standard a fair bit for us as Christians today for it says in the Old Testament IF you commit adultery but in the New Testament it says if you even think about someone else or look lustfully or longingly at someone you have all ready committed adultery and according to Rom 13:8-10, you won't commit adultery if you are walking in love.
-We have also been learning how the meanings of our words has changed drastically throughout the years. We have been given a few examples and it sounds like we are getting more tonight.
Weird used to mean skilled in witchcraft
Nice used to mean foolish, senseless, stupid
One we all know...Gay used to mean full of joy.
Perfect did not mean flawless but wholeheartedly so when David, with all his mishaps said to the Lord "My heart is perfect before you." he didn't mean he was without flaw; he meant that he was there wholeheartedly.
This seems rather disjointed; I know but it is still running through my thoughts in such a way that I can not process it fluidly. I do know this; I have never had people present things to me in such a manner as to have them leap in my spirit like this...(except for in KC).
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