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?
]]>
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?
]]>1. Mashable – if you like to keep up with techy news…they rule!
2. Mint.com – great for personal budgeting and finance.
3. DailyMugShot.com – if you have a webcam, then you [...]]]>
Hope you’re having a great day! Thanks to a great idea from my good friend Casey, I thought I’d share some great websites that I like:
1. Mashable – if you like to keep up with techy news…they rule!
2. Mint.com – great for personal budgeting and finance.
3. DailyMugShot.com – if you have a webcam, then you must use this site. Click HERE to check out my MugShow!
4. Pandora – your very own personal radio station online. Pick your favorite artists and enjoy! (Great for work!)
5. Xtranormal.com – you or your kids will love making your own 3D movies! Just type what you want your character to say and watch the magic!
6. YouVersion – great online Bible. Type in your own notes and learn from other users as well. The App is also available for iPhone.
7. Examen.Me – online Bible study, journaling, and prayer journal.
]]>
One of my 14-month old daughter’s favorite activities is a simple game of chase. She can be so overcome with joy and laughter that she loses any shred of physical control and just plops to the floor. As I was chasing her this evening I told her out loud, “You are so much fun to chase, Allie”.
Not only is it fun to chase my children, but they are also worthy of the chase. I take just as much joy in the pursuit as they do in the chase.
And during the chase tonight I was reminded by God of how much He takes pleasure in pursuing me. And how I should take great pleasure in pursuing Him in return. As a father I pray that my children will take delight in the fact that the God of the heavens and earth is in constant pursuit of them.
Other thoughts:
- I pursued Pat until she became my wife, and I continually pursue her. Am I pursuing Christ even more?
- I believe my daughters are incredibly valuable and worthy to be pursued only by the most incredible young men in their futures. It’s an honor to know that God sees even greater value in them than I could imagine.
- Am I encouraging my wife and children to pursue Christ?
- Awareness of God’s pursuit brings the reality that I am constantly in need of conforming to His will. And His will is so much better than my own.
The title of the article is “10 Ways to Be a Better Dad”, and I found it very helpful and worthwhile. Most of it is affirming what you already know, but it certainly is nice to be reminded.
Follow the link above or click [...]]]>
I recently ran across a great article online from the National Fatherhood Initiative.
The title of the article is “10 Ways to Be a Better Dad”, and I found it very helpful and worthwhile. Most of it is affirming what you already know, but it certainly is nice to be reminded.
Follow the link above or click here.
]]>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.
]]>It is an incredible reminder that I am NOT the sole or even close [...]]]>
One of my favorite t-shirts at the moment has “1/168″ on the front, which represents the typical amount of hours in a week that I get to spend ministering to a child. 1 hour out of 168. And IT IS NOT ENOUGH!
It is an incredible reminder that I am NOT the sole or even close to the most important Children’s Pastor in each child’s life. It is their parents. Dad is the chief pastor to his children as the spiritual leader of the home, and Mom is the powerful pastor-helper. Both shepherd, both minister, both give of their lives for their children. And both have an overwhelmingly larger impact on their children’s spiritual growth than I ever will.
So parents, how can I help you? I won’t take over for you, but how can I minister to you as you minister to your children?
]]>
“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.”
]]>