King David had one awesome group of army commanders. In fact, the Bible calls some of these men his “Mighty Men”. Pretty cool name, huh? Two of David’s leaders were Joab and Abishai. And in two different places in the Old Testament – 2 Samuel 10 & 1 Chronicles 19 – it records Joab saying to Abishai, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.”
Joab and Abishai had a brotherly love for one another. Proverbs 17:17 says, “a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” As these men were headed into battle they essentially told one another, “I’ve got your back!”, “I’m your friend & brother in these hard times and I will fight with you, and for you.”
I’ve got your back! Who needs to hear these words from you today?
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Passage Parenting. However, Mr. Moore says it better:
“…you will pay the price for parenthood. You will pay the price of the time and effort it takes to develop self-reliant children. In fact, if you are not willing to pay this price as you go, you will pay it for the rest of your life. You will pay because your children will continually lean on you to raise their children, pay their bills, take care of their needs – and never become truly responsible.”
Wow!
He goes on to say, “You have a choice about which kind of parent you want to be: the kind who pays now and enjoys the fruit of his labor as his children grow or the kind who pays later and spends years trying to salvage their lives.”
I hope and pray that I’m willing to do what it takes to pay up front. When will you pay the price?
]]>The China Daily newspaper recently released family planning statistics once considered secret that only boggle the mind. Here’s the article from the Associated Press.
The newspaper reported “that about 13 million surgical abortions are performed in Chinese hospitals and 10 million abortion pills are sold every year.” The surgical [...]]]>
Pray for China. No really. Pray for China.
The China Daily newspaper recently released family planning statistics once considered secret that only boggle the mind. Here’s the article from the Associated Press.
The newspaper reported “that about 13 million surgical abortions are performed in Chinese hospitals and 10 million abortion pills are sold every year.” The surgical abortions alone are equivalent to aborting the entire current population of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Nebraska in a single year.
The most heart-breaking fact, however, is at the end of the AP article that states: “The government says its family planning controls — sterilization, contraception and abortion — have prevented an additional 400 million births over the past three decades.” And that would be aborting the entire United States since the ’70s. Hard to even comprehend.
I’m at a loss for words, so I’ll simply and strongly say again, “Please pray for China”.
]]>The best quote of the [...]]]>
Tony Dungy, retired NFL head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, recently wrote an article for Sports Illustrated that blew me away. Tony visited the recently released Michael Vick while the quarterback was still in prison serving his sentence for dogfighting. Unlike many others, Tony is not giving up on Michael Vick.
The best quote of the article included a comment about a recently drafted college quarterback from Kansas State by the name of Josh Freeman. It is important to note that Josh comes from a solid and stable family.
The quote: “What if Michael, who says his father was not a positive influence on his household when he grew up, had had the same family support system that Josh had? Would he have ended up in this situation? I really don’t think so.”
The power of a father’s influence is on display for all of America. I just hope that all of the father’s who watched Vick’s story unfold understand this fact.
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“I believe in you”. Such powerful words.As I minister to numerous children from various styles of parenting, one of the desires of my heart is for them to hear those words over and over again. The phrase “I believe in you” accepts their flaws and recognizes their mistakes, but moves past them. “I believe in you” shows trust, excitement, anticipation, and respect for who God has created them to be. Oh, if we could only catch a glimpse of the great plans and desires God has for them! It would transform us.
So for today, please embrace your child with your words and tell them with conviction…
“I BELIEVE IN YOU!”
I came across this video on another blog, you might have already seen it, but: What does this mean for our children’s futures? How do you think this will impact children’s ministry? Parenting? Personally?
]]>I came across this video on another blog, you might have already seen it, but:
What does this mean for our children’s futures?
How do you think this will impact children’s ministry? Parenting? Personally?
In Andy Stanley’s book, “The Principle of the Path”, he shares a great prayer that he and his wife pray over their family. It’s so good that I just have to share it. First though, it’s helpful to know where it originated from, which is Proverbs 27:12 – “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” Great verse, huh?! Reminds us to slow down and watch for the warning signs in ours and our children’s lives.
Here’s the prayer:
“Lord, help us to see trouble coming long before it gets here. And give us the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it.”
]]>As I was reading 1 Samuel 1-2, there were some things that stuck out to me about Samuel’s relationship with his mother. [...]]]>
If you’re a mother, mommy, mama, or mom, let me be the first to say “Happy Mother’s Day”! Also, this post is for you! But…if you’re not a mom, then please continue as well.
As I was reading 1 Samuel 1-2, there were some things that stuck out to me about Samuel’s relationship with his mother. First off, his mother Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord as an infant. This meant that Samuel was taken to the temple to be raised as soon as he was weaned from his mother. I can’t even comprehend that emotion, and it’s not just because I’m not a woman!
So what do Samuel and Jesus have in common? Check out these two verses below. The first is 1 Samuel 2:26, and the second is found in Luke 2:52.
“And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.”
“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Woah! Pretty similar, huh?
What is one of the common threads between Samuel and Jesus? They both had mother’s that had dedicated their child’s entire life to the Lord. Both Hannah and Mary knew that even their own children weren’t truly theirs. Their children belonged to the Lord.
]]>The thought that’s been going through my mind over the past month is this:
“Based off of my actions, how am I teaching my children to worship God with their bodies?”
Since my body is a [...]]]>
The thought that’s been going through my mind over the past month is this:
“Based off of my actions, how am I teaching my children to worship God with their bodies?”
Since my body is a temple and their body is a temple, they are going to learn how to worship God in the same ways I act out my worship. What kind of facial expressions should God’s temple make? What tone of voice? What words? How do I physically treat God’s temple?
It’s humbling every time I get a glimpse of how powerful my choices are to those who are watching me.
]]>Anyway, here’s my question for you, “What do you wish you knew before you turned 30?” What [...]]]>
Well, tomorrow is my 29th birthday, which I’m excited about only because it’s the last year to be in my 20’s. I’m ready for 30. Not sure why, it just sounds fun. Maybe it’s because I have 3 kids.
Anyway, here’s my question for you, “What do you wish you knew before you turned 30?” What life lessons do you have to share?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on life, parenting, adulthood, marriage, love, finances, church, and well…anything else.
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