Caden figured out the WEBCAM today.. HUUULK!

Families Raising Christian Kids

Raising children to be faithful Christians is the parents' sole responsibility. The church is an instrument used to help you accomplish this very important task.

Ephesians 6:1-3 says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." "Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Wow! Does that speak volumes to you? It should. Paul is telling us that if children obey their parents, God will be pleased with them and they will enjoy a long life on earth. Of course, a child will not know this is a promise for them in the Bible, if no one ever tells them where to find it. The verses go on to say in Ephesians 6:4, "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." This is telling earthly fathers not to irritate their children, not to cause them to become bitter and angry. But, instead they should train and instruct their children using the Bible as their manual. God has clearly given parents the responsibility to raise their children as faithful Christians.

What is happening in our society today that causes parents to lay the responsibility of teaching their children about Christ on the church they attend? Of course, the biggest issue is time constraints. Busy work schedules, homework, extracurricular activities, and social events are soaking up all of our time, leaving very little time to teach our kids about Christian values. Another issue is fear. Many parents long to be the ones teaching their children about Christian values, but they feel inadequate to do this. They feel like they do not know enough about the Bible to take on this responsibility. And, a third issue is just plain lack of responsibility. Parents may feel that as long as their children are going to Bible/Sunday School, they are doing their role in teaching their children Christian Values. This is a sad situation for the parent and child relationship.

Time Constraints. This situation is easy enough to resolve. If being your child's teacher about Christian values is a priority to you, here are some tips that may make it easier for you and your family to spend some quality Bible time together:

* Make reading and discussing the Bible a nighttime routine. Instead of reading storybooks at night, read the Bible for 15 minutes and discuss what you've read for 5 minutes.
* Have everyone in your household eat dinner together. A sit-down meal is a great place to do a Bible devotion and have a family discussion. The dinners do not have to be fancy, everyone just needs to be there together!
* Listen to Christian radio stations in the car. Use the lyrics of the songs to prompt discussion and what the words mean. Most Christian lyrics are heartfelt and have a real meaning to them.

Fear. In all honesty, not very many people know the Bible cover-to-cover and what God says for every situation. That is why the Bible is our blueprint or manual. It is meant to be with us always. We refer to it as needed for all of our needs. Tell your children that when they have a question to ask about anything, whether pertaining to Christianity or social situations, to let you know, and you will help them find out what God has to say about it in the Bible. Most Bibles have concordances that will let you know where you can find exact verses for many different situations. You can use the Internet, as well. Bible Gateway is an awesome resource for looking up the Bible online. Remember that God is with you and you are who He commands to teach your children. Your church will jump at the chance to aid you with resources, whereby you can handle the task of teaching your children and gain some wisdom yourself.

Lack of Responsibility. This can be a discomforting issue to bring up, but the truth be told, it is a serious misconception or miscommunication that the church is responsible for raising your children with Christian Values. This issue has different facets, the first being the belief that if you go to church every Sunday, you will get to heaven. The only way to heaven is through Jesus. Jesus himself says in John 14:6, "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." You, nor your children, will see the Kingdom of Heaven without having acknowledged Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Just showing up to church every Sunday with your children is not completing the task at hand. Reading the Bible daily and having engaging discussions will show your children that Jesus is important to you, and, thus, should be important to them.
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Another reason parents lay the task of teaching their children Christian values is that teaching themselves is not a priority in their life, and just assume that someone else do it for them. The church is an instrument used to prepare us to tell others about Christianity. It equips us with the tools we need to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). It is a wonderful thing when a church provides a Children's Ministry to teach kids about the Great Commission and the values that they should possess to be faithful Christians. Children may not know they are being groomed to spread the Good News otherwise. But, no where in the Bible does it say that the church is necessarily responsible for this teaching. On the other hand, it does clearly state that parents are responsible, as stated above (Ephesians 6:1-4).

Sending kids off to school everyday and having teachers in school may lull some parents in the comfort that they do not need to teach their kids about Christian values because they have "teachers" in Bible/Sunday School, as well. Kudos to Bible/Sunday School teachers, who are more than likely volunteers who have a serious commitment to telling children about how Jesus wants them to live. Just remember that nothing can replace the joy a child feels when their parents take time to tell them something as important as being a Christian. It brings families closer and warms God's heart to see this. Some churches do not have children programs or perhaps families only attend a mass or service and do not attend Bible/Sunday School. Who is responsible for teaching children at this point? Think on that. Will it be you?

Just for clarification reasons, the church is an important part of your child's and your Christian walk. Gathering with other Christians provides strength, wisdom, and teachings that we need in order to live a Christian life every day. It is just as important that you, as parents, are teaching your children about a Christian life every day, too.

Love Languages

What are the Five Love Languages?
Affirmation, gifts, acts of service, quality time and physical touch can enhance any relationship.


A discussion of Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages for Singles.

What do you think your primary love language is? Supposedly we each have one distinctive one that we must receive in order to feel truly fulfilled in our relationships.

The first love language listed is words of affirmation. The language we hear, be it positive affirming words or negative language and feedback, drastically effects our developing personalities and therefore our behaviors.

The second love language listed is gifts: "A gift is a tangible object that says, 'I was thinking about you. I wanted you to have this. I love you.' . . . A gift by its very nature is not payment for services rendered. When a dating partner says, 'I will give you . . if you will . .' the partner is not offering a gift, nor is he expressing love. The person is simply striking a deal."

The third love language the book lists is acts of service. For instance, "I know he loves me because he always checks my car over before I leave on a business trip. He checks the oil, the tires, and makes sure I have windshield washer fluid, etc."

The next love language is quality time. This love language is about the experiences we share with our loved ones. How do you spend your time together? Quality time does not involve you in one room surfing the internet while he is in the other room watching ESPN!

Read more: http://dating.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_are_the_five_love_languages_#ixzz0W3kJDNOh

Passion

What does living with PASSION really mean?? To me, living with passion means expressing all of the positive energy in everything you do. Exploding into something without letting anything stopping you. It means living every moment as important. And most importantly, it means finding joy in your everyday life.
Not too long ago I started pursuing living with passion. I tried to be joyful in everything I did, and I always had energy. When people asked me how I managed, I told them that I put my heart into everything I did. "Everything is worth doing with all the love in your heart," I told them, and I meant it. Even my worst days couldn't drag me down because I put passion into with positive attitude.
Then I hit a rough spot in my life; living passionately faded away as I struggled just to live happily. For a while the passion was gone from me. In its place was boredom and sadness. I finally sought help & really looked into God‘s promise for me and began to look with eyes full of life and vibrancy. I also had the help of my two little boys that live with love every day & not a care in the world & they are what give me the push to live with passion.
So what's my formula to living passionately now….hmmm?
No excuses. If I want to, or need to, do something, all I need to do is go out and do it this was a lesson ingrained in me with tears and a lot of tough times . There are no excuses for not doing something. I must be constantly motivated to live. Although I first grumbled about this policy, it has since allowed me to be enthusiastic about any task or not scared out of taking on new things.
Smiling. Lifting the corners of my lips was not easy at first; now it has become a regular habit. There is a sense of euphoria, a release of chemicals in the brain, when you smile. Smiling, even when things seem tough, brings a sense of calm back to the situation. From that calm, you can reach inside your heart and share your passion again.
Everything to its fullest. This is a short way of the philosophy I had a few years ago, in which I told people to do everything with all the love in your heart. All of us possess passion and love in our hearts. It isn't romantic love; it is an overwhelming love for the EVERYTHING, for life, for existing. By putting that loving energy into everything I do, I find that everything can be done with passion and others can thrive off that passion and find the same joy. I feel like God feels me everyday & has giving me this passion once again.
Finding my spiritual supporter, comforter and Father has given me a reason to live passionately & do things for people to my fullest. Go out confident that life has nothing but love to offer is my greatest suggestion.

There is inside you
All of the potential
To be whatever you want to be;
All of the energy
To do whatever you want to do.
Imagine yourself as you would like to be,
Doing what you want to do,
And each day, take one step
Towards your dream.
And though at times it may seem too
difficult to continue,
Hold on to your dream.
One morning you will awake to find
That you are the person you dreamed of,
Doing what you wanted to do,
Simply because you had the courage
To believe in your potential
And to hold on to your dream.

“Here I go again on my own”

So you know t that AT&T wireless commercial where the dad is always traveling and he takes along his daughter's stuffed monkey.  You know, the one where he takes pictures of the monkey while traveling and sends them to his wife and daughter? I have realized that the cute AT&T commercial is actually my reality…. Ha ha!

Steven is an engineer for a new up and coming international oil company that requires him to travel out of the state A LOT and FOR A LONG TIME. So I typically get one of two reactions to our situation –" I could not do that- how are you surviving- man that would make me go crazy"or
You're so lucky! I wish my hubby traveled! Can he work for your husband?"

Really our situation works for us (or maybe we are just making it work because we have to??).  Our time apart makes our time together even more exciting and I def value him so much more.  I like having alone time & set schedules & routines too.  I like doing things my own way that consist of order I guess and he doesn't so it works out ok in that way.  I have learned to be an independent person and more importantly independent mom. I can say that I am working towards the supermom label.  I can fix things around the house, take care of the yard, minor electrical problems and so on.  If there is a plumbing leak I can usually find a solution to it after researching. If there is a problem, I def don't look at it as an bad thing maybe just a challenge. I can drive his big manly truck with no problem now, and still dress up nicely in ones days work. I can multi-task and take care of myself, my husband, my toddler boys and all the messes & outbreaks they bring along( wow and there is A LOT). I take care of our financial situations like paying all the bills and keeping things updated.  And while I can get overwhelmed at times, I think I really thrive on it & setting those short term goals everyday makes me feel a sense of confidence at the end of the day.

As we hit this phase in our life, I just wondered " How will my husband's long traveling schedule fit into FAMILY LIFE?  How will I manage doing all of the above when there is 1.5 & 3.5 yr old attached to my hip and have no family to help?  And more importantly, how will I stop myself from resenting him?  He'll get to leave town, sleep in a quiet hotel in resort areas, eat on his company's money, drink fine wines & have margaritas? He gets to worry about taking care of no one but himself without hearing anyone. While I am having to learn new ways to cope with out a male in their life & mine. Having to hear toddlers all day long for weeks. Having no "adult time" or even "girl time" without my kids.

After really thinking & dealing with our situation by myself, I have learned to appreciate him & be thankful for what he provides for us. Learned how to stay in touch with myself as individual & to appreciate myself not just as a mom but as a whole.. I have learned to do things that I never thought I would have to do. I have learned to that communication can be a sensative thing & to value & watch what you say and never hold your feelings back. Time away has made me much more creative & to think out of the box. I have learned to never give up & to always try. I have learned that my role as a mom is very much needed. I have learned that I am such a strong person even when I had no idea of my inner strength.

As for Steven, I just hope he can redirect his thoughts when he comes home. This time he has been in Mexico really has changed him in such a good way, so I hope he comes with the same attitude and puts that towards his family. I hope he has had some realizations as well. He has surprised me with his thoughtfulness because being gone so long I think has made him care for us that much more. So maybe time away does help our relationship & family time. I mean it def is so hard after 4 weeks of being away from us because I don't get the opportunity to meet anyone. Its hard to haul 2 toddlers around & then have an adult conversation while my 1.5 yr old is running as far as he can from me and laughing looking back. Maybe something will work out where I can meet with other moms here and that will make my time better without him.. I am a young mom but I love & put all my attention into them, so I hope I can connect with other moms that are similar. All in all, a traveling husband has it downsides but ultimately I think it will bring us together & the boys will live a great life because of the hard work on Steven's part & the time & effort I give. So how can I complain about my situation?!! Instead, I should be grateful.

 

 

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