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?
]]>Jesus said in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Based off of [...]]]>
Jesus said in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Based off of that, Chambers suggests the following:
“It is far easier to die than to lay down the life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling.”
And, “It is difficult, and thank God it is difficult. Salvation is easy because it cost God so much, but the manifestation of it in my life is difficult.”
Frankly, it doesn’t sound that exciting or motivating to lay down my life. And I agree with Chambers that daily laying my life down is difficult. But then Jesus said in verse 15, “I have called you friends”. The Creator calls me His friend, and it’s not because He needs me. God loves me. And I get to be His friend today.
On that note, I leave you with the popular & hilarious “Jesus Is My Friend” by Sonseed.
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.”
]]>First off, “Yes”, I definitely recommend this book. Especially if you work with children, teens, college aged, adults…wait, that’s everybody. With great humor, Biblical examples, and personal life stories, Andy Stanley introduces a very simple yet profound principle [...]]]>
The Principle of the Path: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
First off, “Yes”, I definitely recommend this book. Especially if you work with children, teens, college aged, adults…wait, that’s everybody. With great humor, Biblical examples, and personal life stories, Andy Stanley introduces a very simple yet profound principle that applies to all. And it’s a quick read as well.
Each of us are on our own “happiness quests” seeking to fulfill our wildest dreams. So we make decision after decision telling ourselves that the decision we’re currently making is set apart and unrelated to the rest of our life. If we were on a “truth quest” instead, we would see that all of life is connected and that we cannot separate one event from the rest. We daily choose a path to follow, and every path has a destination. But are we headed towards the right one?
“The Principle of the Path” is an incredible tool for marriages, parents and student ministers alike. Stanley strongly encourages the reader to listen to wise counsel, pay attention to the signs, and to ultimately submit to God’s will. To get where we want to be spiritually, relationally and financially, we must follow the right path in order to live a life of legacy.
I recommend this book because if taken seriously and applied it can have great impact. Plus, there’s a study guide in the back to go even deeper. Bonus!
]]>What I gathered [...]]]>
In the first chapter of his book, “Raising a Modern-Day Joseph”, Larry Fowler introduces the concept of the “Most Difficult Moment” in parenting. The catch is that there is not necessarily just one MDM, but potentially several for each family. The easiest example of an MDM is sending your baby off to college.
What I gathered from Fowler’s book is that an MDM is really any moment when a parent has a loss of control. No matter how big or small of a loss it is, it’s still frightening for parents they feel the grip of control slipping from their hands.
How do we as a church help parents walk through these difficult moments?
And if the church doesn’t have the answers, where will they turn?
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