Are You Crazy? Francis Chan Challenges Us to Eternal Thinking

Posted on October 27, 2011 by admin

I enjoy reading books that make you think deeply and question what you really believe.  I am currently reading Francis Chan’s Crazy Love.  I thought I would simply restate some of his words that have challenged me in my busy little world.

If one person “wastes” away his day by spending hours connecting with God, and the other person believes he is too busy or has better things to do than worship the Creator and Sustainer, who is the crazy one? – p 136 Crazy Love

How much of your time is dedicated to pursuing your life and your goals, and how much is focuesed on God’s work and purposes? – p 145 Crazy Love

Joy is something that we have to choose and then work for.  Like the ability to run for an hour, it doesn’t come automatically.  It needs cultivation – p 146 Crazy Love

When I returned from my first trip to Africa, I felt very strongly that we were to sell our house and move into something smaller, in order to give more away.  The feedback I got was along the lines of “It’s not fair to your kids,” “It’s not a prudent financial choice,” and “You are doing it just for show.”  I do not remember a single person who encouraged me to explore it or supported the decision at the time.  We ended up moving into a house half the size of our previous home, and we haven’t regretted it.  My response to the cynics, in the context of eternity, was, am I the crazy one for selling my house?  Or are you for not giving more, serving more, being with your Creator more? – p 136 Crazy Love

Do you want to see God more than you desire security – p 113 Crazy Love

We like finding refuge in what we already have rather than in what we hope God will provide. – p 123 Crazy Love

The critical question for our generation – and for every generation-is this:  If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there? – p 100 Crazy Love quoting one of my most favorite authors John Piper

Chew on these quotes and savor the flavor of the depth of their meaning and seek to comprehend the depth of these quotes and questions.  Does it challenge you?  Does it inspire you?  Does it depress you?  It does that and more for me.

As parents and leaders in our families, businesses, communities and churches I challenge you to always have a book that you are reading to inspire you, to think deeper, to go further, to appreciate and love God more, to know and to appreciate the love God has for you, and to challenge the way we live every moment of every day that God has blessed us with.

Ephesians 3:16 – 19 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” – Amen

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Christians Celebrate the of Feast of Tabernacles

Posted on October 16, 2011 by admin

Leviticus 23:39-43

Did you know that it has always been the desire of God’s heart to dwell in the midst of His people?

As God led the children of Israel out from Egypt into the wilderness where He cared for their every need, He instructed Moses to build Him a Tabernacle where He could live in the middle of their campground.

In later years, He instructed David to build Him a dwelling place in Jerusalem as a house of worship of Him.  David’s son, Solomon, built a glorious Temple where His Divine Presence dwelt in their midst.

About 1000 years later, as the Christmas story tells us in John, the Word became flesh and dwell-ed or tabernacled among us.  Jesus, the Word of God, took on human flesh and lived on earth with His people.  Before Jesus was crucified, resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven, He told His followers that He would never leave them nor forsake them, but would send His Holy Spirit to live within the heart of every believer.

So, as Christians, we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles to look back to when God dwelled in the wilderness camp, to when His shekinah glory filled the Temple, and to when He lived in the flesh among us in Jesus.

We celebrate His living within the heart of every believer through the Holy Spirit today, and we look forward to the time when He will come again to set up His kingdom here on earth as our Messiah, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

God commanded His people to celebrate 7 feasts during the year.  The word for feast is “mikrah” which means dress rehearsal.  As we celebrate our dress rehearsal tonight, we are giving witness to the joy that is within us, because He is dwelling within us today, and we look forward to His coming again soon.

Guest blogger – Carla Applegate (Mom)

Leviticus 23: 39-43  39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’”

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Intentionally Preparing Your Children and Those You Lead for Difficult Times

Posted on October 8, 2011 by admin

Colt McCoy Rose Bowl Interview

We had the opportunity this week to hear Brad McCoy speak at a charity fund raising dinner.  Brad is the father of the former University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy who led his team to the national championship Rose Bowl game in 2010.  During the game Colt was injured and unable to return to fulfill his dream of wining the National Championship game.  In the locker room while realizing his injured shoulder was not going to allow him to return to lead his team Colt told his dad that he “had them“.  He knew what they were going to do before they would do it and was on his way to winning the game.  And then it happened, his dream and his ability to lead his team to victory was over.  How do you prepare your son or daughter for these moments?

As a high school football coach and father of 3 boys Brad had trained many young men and watched many parents in their efforts to prepare a smooth path for their children.  He also saw these same children blow up and make tragic choices when circumstances and life presented them with bumps in the path.  Brad and his wife Debra have made it their goal to:

“Prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child” – Brad McCoy. 

Brad and Debra were intentional in finding daily teachable moments to prepare their boys for the path that life would bring.  The cumulative result of these teachable moments prepared Colt for this courageous and God glorifying statment in the most difficult and disappointing moment in his life.

In our home life raising our kids or in our business life leading and managing our companies, being intentional and spotting teachable moments to coach your family and co-workers requires discipline.  It requires discipline to prepare your mind to think higher thoughts, see through others eyes, hear through others ears, and have the spirit to speak the right words and wise counsel that the moment requires.  As a mom, dad or manager you must prepare yourself for these moments.  I am writing to suggest a few things to do to put yourself in a position to recognize and take advantage of these teachable moments.

  1. Give yourself some margin  – You must have time in your day to refuel and gain perspective.  This is impossible if you run too hard and have no down time.  Carve out some time daily, weekly, or quarterly as is right for you to step away reflect and recharge.
  2. Be disciplined to fill yourself with knowledge, wisdom and ideas –  Give yourself the advantage of learning from others.  Read books, listen to speakers, go to seminars and fill yourself with the knowledge and wisdom learned from others so that you are prepared and have the tools in the moment.
  3. Spend time with those you wish to develop – You have to earn the right to be heard.  This comes with knowing the life, circumstances and gaining the trust of the person you are developing
  4. Pray – Earnestly seek wisdom and pray that God would open your eyes to be sensitive to the moment.  Pray that you would see with God’s eyes, hear with God’s ears, and be filled with God’s spirit to have the right words to say or when silence and a reassuring hug is best.
  5. Love – In all you do to develop and lead do in love.  When words are not enough or when there are no words to say love will cover all.

It is my prayer that you will lead your family and your organization with love.  In many ways we prepare a smooth path, but we also must be disciplined to prepare ourselves, our families, and our organizations we lead for the rough patches that surely come in our path.

I Thessalonians 4:6 – Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

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Saying Grace in Public Places: Leading Your Family by Doing the Right Thing and Sharing a Powerful Testimony of Faith

Posted on September 26, 2011 by admin
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Since young children often say what they think, they can be great reminders when we as parents stray from our practices.  We have a custom at home of praying prior to our meals to pause to recognize God’s grace as our provider and give thanks for His blessing.  One time we were out with our young children at a restaurant and the wait staff brought our food to the table.  After the food was placed before us I began to eat and all three of our children were quick to notice that a prayer was not said and were not bashful to speak up and remind me that I had forgotten to bless our food.  I admit that when out at a busy restaurant with a client, vendor, or mixed group that I may not share a prayer or pray to myself.  My children were the first to convict me of my double standards by saying “Daddy you forgot to pray”.  I have also been challenged by another Christian businessman and fellow deacon at our church to never have a meal without a proper blessing regardless of the company you are with.  He encouraged me to simply state that it is my custom to bless the food prior to eating and invite them to share in the blessing.  He said only one man has ever declined the invitation and that following the thousands of prayers offered deeper conversations and relationships have formed because of his courage and openness to share his faith.  I was reminded of this again this week as I have been beginning to study the book of Romans with a group of men.  Romans 1:16 says it all.  “For I am not ashamed of
the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  The good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to cover our sins and make us right with God is for all men.  I should not be ashamed or bashful to express my thanks to God in a public venue.

Many years have passed since being called out by my children for not praying prior to eating at a public restaurant and we have shared hundreds if not thousands of meals together in public places.  Subway, McDonalds, baseball team parties, the local diner, and occasionally at nice restaurants when sharing a meal together our family always bows our heads to thank God for His provision.  These prayers are brief and do not call attention to ourselves, but they also do not go unnoticed by the wait staff or other patrons.  It doesn’t take much to be a witness and share your testimony by quietly and privately thanking our God for His Grace and His mercy on us.  It is often said that leadership is doing the right thing.  As Christian parents and role models we have a great privilege to lead our family in doing the right thing.  I challenge you regardless of the company you are with to never share a meal with your family without taking a moment to bow your head and express true gratitude for the provision, mercy and saving grace that God has given you.

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Knowing Truth is the Foundation for Teaching Your Family to Make Good Decisions

Posted on September 18, 2011 by admin

Jesus "If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32

Knowing truth is the foundation upon making good decisions.  However in the world of educated relativity that we live in truth has become accepted as truth interpreted by the wisdom of man.  I believe that God has ordered the world and has made His truth to be universally known.  The apostle Paul tells us Romans 1:18- 23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”  And in Psalms 19:1 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.  Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”

There are others that do not believe in God and professing to be wise distort, deceive, and dilute the truth to fit their needs and make truth appear to be something debatable.  Truth is not up for debate and does not change with society or time.  Our society may not like truth, but that does not make truth less true.  As parents we have the privilege of communicating and living out truth that God has given to us through his Word in the lives of our families.  As leaders in our businesses we have the responsibility for making right decisions governed by God’s truth.  We use truth to recognize lies and we testify to the great wisdom and blessings that are the fruit of trusting in and following the truth.  Paul also says to the church of Colossae in the letter to Colossians 2:8 “See to it that not one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

Men and women, parents, and leaders of organizations God has revealed truth to us and this truth does not change.  Standing on this truth, making decisions according to truth, teaching truth, and leading our families, co-workers, and organizations in truth is our great privilege and responsibility.  Do not let your heart and mind be taken captive.  Worship the God who established truth, read His word, sharpen your mind, fellowship with others, and prepare your minds to discern and defend the truth.

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Room Improvements Make Great Dad and Daughter Memories

Posted on September 11, 2011 by admin

Dads and sons have many natural opportunities through sports, outdoors, and hobbies to find opportunities to spend time together.  It is often more difficult to find opportunities for Dads to spend time sharing an activity with their daughters.  Let me give you an idea.  Girls love to make their rooms their little nest or private retreat, but are not that adept at building and heavy lifting.  Helping your daughter re-arrange, decorate or update their rooms is a great opportunity for dads and daughters to spend quality time sharing their vision and working together to make it a reality.

My daughter, Summer, is 10 years old and she has a vision for decorating her own room.  We have been moving furniture, painting, and hanging accessories.  After looking all over for a desk, I found all the furniture to expensive, made of cheap pressboard, and poorly made.  I suggested we find a nice used desk and paint it ourselves.  No it was not the most convenient path, but it has been the most rewarding.

We bought the desk from a friend whose daughter had left for college and hauled it home.  It is a nice solid wood desk with solid wood drawers and very well made.  Summer and I sanded, primed, and painted the desk over the labor day weekend and finished it up the following weekend.  I probably have 10 – 12 hours into the desk and Summer joined me for at least half of the time.  She learned to use the orbital sander and was very patient in applying the primer and paint.  We listened to the radio, talked, and had hours together working on her project.  She recognized and appreciated the effort to do a good job and will have the perfect desk for her new room.  This morning I touched up a few last spots, replaced the hardware, and installed the new drawer pulls she picked out from Pottery Barn.  She was so excited to see the finished product and was not only proud of the work she did, but gave me a big hug as she connected the love I have for her with the time and effort to make it just right.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Our lives are packed full of responsibilities and activities, but simply taking the time to do a project together the old fashioned way is a memory and treasure never forgotten.  I expect she will spend many hours at this desk and it will be a special place for her where she can remember the work she did to restore it, the time we shared together, and the love I have for her.  What projects do you have?

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Learning to Finish What You Start Even When The Project Doesn’t Work Out

Posted on August 28, 2011 by admin

Learning to Finish What You Start

This summer my son wanted to earn some money to purchase video editing software which cost about $300.  I told him that I would match any money he earned so that he could purchase the software.  We found a project to clean the scale from our neighbor’s pool.  The pool has several water features that over spray and mist left large white patches of scale on the wall.  My son bid the project and provided an estimate of $208 to remove the scale.  He used an acid to dissolve the calcium and a wire brush to scrub the
surface.  To our dismay after several hours over 2 -3 days, the surfaces of the pool actually looked worse than when we began the project.  We could not figure out why it looked so bad and did not feel comfortable continuing with the project.  We decided it may be time to bring in a professional pool repair technician to review the project and
offer his input.  My friend Shane who owns Moosehead Pools stopped by and reviewed the work.  He suggested that the surface was not natural stone, but a cast aggregate made to look like stone.  He also thought the chalky white material covering the surface was dirt, pollution and other materials that we released from the surface while cleaning and we should pressure wash the surface to see what we were really dealing with.

 My son was over his head and really would have preferred to back out of the project.  My neighbor and I discussed the situation and recognizing this was as much about teaching a life lesson to my son as it was about fixing the problem thought it would be good to push through the problem and work toward a satisfactory solution.  Knowing this would involve renting pressure washing equipment my neighbor offered to pay additional if we expanded the service from cleaning the scale to include pressure washing of all of the pool surfaces.  I certainly did not want to get this involved in the project, but knew my son needed help and would learn a great lesson if we could overcome the problem.
So off we went to Home Depot to rent a 3,500 psi pressure washer and to our
delight the chalky white residue came off.   However, much of the stone surfaces still had the original white stains remaining.  When we applied acid, there was no reaction confirming that it was not calcium.  So we had removed the calcium, pressure washed
the surfaces, and still had areas that were not going to be acceptable to the customer.  We came back with a pumice stone and wire brush and worked for several more hours seeing some improvement, but still not to all or our satisfaction.

I wish I could say that the project ended with everyone happy, but we came to a natural end where we had invested $150 in equipment rental and supplies, 11 hours of work, removed the calcium, put in many hours of additional scrubbing, but did not get all the white materials from the pool.  My son came back and presented an invoice of $294.99.  Our neighbor again used the opportunity to discuss the project and work on negotiation skills with my son.  It was uncomfortable for him as he was asked to defend the amount of the invoice.  My neighbor suggested that we all agree that the project did not turn out as we all had hoped and offered to split the difference between the original estimate of $210 and the ending invoice of $294.99.  My son promptly accepted which my neighbor pointed out the negotiation was too easy.  At this point my son needed some help so I
jumped in and explained that we felt my son had done what he was asked to do and expanded the project to include the pressure washing.  However, he wanted the customer to feel that it was a fair transaction and said he would accept this compromise if he felt good about it.  We agreed and called the project complete.

Many lessons were learned on this project that my son will take with him into life.

  1. Sometimes projects don’t go as we planned
  2. Keeping the lines of communication open with the customer is always good and especially when things are not meeting expectations
  3. It is OK to stop and ask for help from an expert
  4. Finish what you start even when it is not easy
  5. Be prepared to support your pricing, but make sure that the customer feels
    that they received a fair deal.
  6. Hard work does pay off

I am proud of the way that my son handled the situation and am glad that I got to support him and share in this learning experience.  On the way home, I was sure to tell him that I was proud of him and that I would make up the difference in the negotiated
amount and his quoted amount.  I know he will value his new software and the memory that we created that will last a lifetime.  In closing I am reminded of a saying my dad taught me and his dad taught him.  I guess I have now passed it on to the next generation.

“Once a task once begun, don’tleave it until you’re done.  If the task is great or small do it well or not at all.”

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How Can A Young Man Keep His Way Pure?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by admin

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

As fathers, mothers, and leaders of our family it is our responsibility to train our children to make good choices and know truth.  At Baylor University I pledged a fraternity where each member had a page of information about them that we were to memorize.  It included their hometown, major, fraternity family tree, and anything else that they wanted us to know.  We were constantly quizzed on these pages and had to know every word on every members page.  It so happened that most of the members also listed their favorite Bible verses and I learned more than 100 verses during my pledgeship.  What I found was these verses stuck.  They were at the front of my mind and impacted my thoughts, my decisions, and my actions every day.  Following my pledgeship I wrote my favorite verses into a notebook, added the many new verses that I had learned, and added new verses that I was finding each day that impacted me.  I began reviewing and repeating these to myself each morning so that they stayed in my mind.  Of all the things I learned during my pledgeship, memorizing scripture changed my life and continues to make a difference today.  As a member I had new pledges memorize Psalms 119:9 and verse 11.  Psalms 119:9 says “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word.”  Verse 11 says “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against you.”  As I met with pledges I would encourage them to use this opportunity to allow God’s word to penetrate their minds and change their lives. 

As parents we should model and encourage the same with our children.  There are many programs that your churches offer to help in this area.  I was particularly impressed with the Awana’s programs at our church and was amazed at the number of Bible verses our children knew before they even went to school.  We also had a verse for the day that we could simply read and review with our kids before bed.  As part of our rites of passage along with our families vision, mission and core values, I have our children memorize verses that led to these statements of direction and truth.  These are examples of a few ways that you can help your children to treasure God’s word.  These practices and not just for kids, but are even more important for us.  We need our minds to be saturated in God’s word to encourage, inspire, convict, and guide us in truth as we lead our lives in our businesses, community and families.  We must first attend to and protect our own minds so that we can lead our family. 

How can a young man keep his way pure?  Thy word I have treasured in my heart so that I may not sin against thee. Psalms 119 – 9,11

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How To Destroy a Nation

Posted on August 14, 2011 by admin
2 Chronicles 7:14 My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

In recent weeks we continue to experience the result of unchecked greed, poor policy, and inability to manage our finances as a nation.  This combined with a moral decline and diverging social culture have challenged America’s leadership position.  We only need to look across the Atlantic to England to see the future, yet we continue in our ways.  Last week I went to Rick Perry’s event, The Response.  It was well done and the content was presented well.  I was glad to see Rick Perry take a personal stand and am proud of him for that stand even though I recognize his role as Governor and representative of all in the state that may confuse his personal stand with the position of the State of Texas.  The real “elephant in the room” was the fact that half of the stadium was blocked off and the other half was only 60 – 70% full.  This tells me that as bad as it may be, our churches, cities and state are not mentally ready for change.  There is a remnant that is charged and ready to repent and turn toward God, but only a few.   If there was a genuine desire for change the stadium would have overflowed and been directed to overflow venues to accommodate all desperate for a change.  Unfortunately, most of us remain content to stay at home.

Over lunch this week I had the privilege of discussing the state of America with my boss who is 85 years old and is one of the Great Generation that fought to protect our nation and was responsible for building this great nation.  How quickly their efforts fade away.  The following are a few observations and points discussed that have lead our nation
to this point in history.  They are also a formula repeated in history as to how to destroy a nation.

  1. Become prosperous.  For many who have reaped the benefits of hard
    work and financial rewards, success leads to a growing appetite for more.  I am reminded of John D Rockefeller’s famous quote when asked “How much is enough?”  He replied “Just a little bit more.”  We get sucked into a life that craves the next deal and indulges in work to refuel on the self-satisfaction and pride that comes with success.  The priorities of life become out of balance and relationships suffer.  For our family we justify our choices by trading time with our family for the responsibility of providing for our family.  If we are really successful we are pleased leave our children without a need to work.  This privilege is often wasted and destruction is soon to follow.
  2. Destroy the family.  If you cut off the head the body will die.  There are many ways to “cut off the head or remove the father as the head of the family.” The pursuit of success keeps him at work and is easily justified because he thinks he is meeting his families’ needs. Let him realize financial success and distract his attention to enjoy travel, golf, pursue hobbies, or chase the lusts of the flesh.  Give him easy access to drugs, alcohol, and pornography to provide a temporary escape on a path that is a slippery slope to a tragic addiction.  Confuse his role and responsibility as the leader of the family.  Make it easy and socially acceptable to abdicate his responsibility as spiritual leader, moral compass, and role model to others.  (media, culture, celebrity, athletes, school/government)
  3. Eliminate religion and moral standards.  Convince the society that there are no moral absolutes and that free thinking and expression is to be valued above all else.  No one person’s ideas or morals are above another’s.  The result is a society that lacks self-governance and requires more laws and justifies more government involvement to determine what is socially acceptable.
  4. Educate to the lowest common denominator.  We cannot leave any child behind so we will slow down the progress and restrict the learning of all to accommodate those that are the slowest.
  5. Remove the incentive to work.  Convince the society that it is only fair
    that all men shall have a equal standard of living and it is acceptable to take
    from those with more to give to those with less. Creating a society that penalizes
    hard work and entitles the masses to accept a mediocre security over the risk
    of failure in striving to achieve higher aspirations. Once you have removed the
    incentive to work, hope of a better future will disappear, creativity will die
    with hope, and financial ruin will soon follow.

If the first 5 have not ruined your country then leave the borders open and let foreign languages and cultures blend in with your own and call it diversity.  Simply forget or take for granted the sacrifice that our forefathers made to win and defend our homeland.

Sound familiar?  Certainly there are too many factors to list contributing to the fall of a nation, but this is a pretty good list and history has proven these to be true.  It was interesting to hear Britain’s prime minister’s comments regarding the recent riots in London.  He said “I have said before that there is a major problem in our society with
children growing up not knowing the difference between right and wrong.  This is not about poverty, it’s about culture. A culture that glorifies violence, shows disrespect to authority, and says everything about rights but nothing about responsibilities.”

So what are we to do?  Don’t give up.  There is too much at stake.  This took a couple of
generations to get to this point and can be corrected.  Seek the mercy, grace, direction, and blessing of the almighty God in prayer.  As leaders of your family and community take personal responsibility for standing up for truth and teaching truth to your children. Consider and write down a vision or picture of  what a successful family and community look like and begin making decisions and taking the actions to lead your family and
community to that vision.  Fathers take back the responsibility and commitment to lead your family and much of the rest will follow.  The enemy set his sights on the family and has targeted fathers.  It is the fathers that can restore peace and unity to the family.  It is the fathers of our families that can teach right from wrong and lead a community, city, state, and country.  We can learn from many nations before us that once America blesses God by obeying His instruction, God’s blessing will be on our land. So what are you to do?  Start today.  Get yourself on the right course and turn from your old ways, seek God and His truth.  Then begin being the leader that God called you to be at home.

2 Chronicles 7:14  “My people who are called by My name humble
themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

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Using Unmet Desires to Teach Your Kids Patience, Creativity, Work, and the Value of a Dollar

Posted on August 6, 2011 by admin

Teaching Kids the Value of Work and a Dollar

In the age of easy credit we live in a culture that has the ability to get whatever they want whenever they want it.  What happened to the old fashioned piggy bank where you saved your nickels, dimes, and quarters when you found something you really wanted.  It may take weeks or months to finally save up enough money to buy that “thing”.  I remember finding the frame of a go-cart in the buffalo bayou.  I had always wanted a go-cart, but could not afford one.  I remember cleaning it up, making a few parts, and scraping together what money I could earn to buy the parts I needed.  Following months of piecing the go-cart together I remember I needed a centrifugal clutch and chain to complete the project and it cost $30.00.  Without transportation I not only had to save up the money, but find a time where my parents could take me across town to the lawnmower shop where I purchased the clutch. 

There is nothing better than an unmet desire to teach your kids the value of working for a dollar and patience.  Inspired by YouTube my son downloaded a trial version of video editing software, Aftereffects.  He really enjoyed playing with the editing software, but the trial would soon be over and the price was more than $300.  Wanting to earn money we discussed various projects that he could do to earn the money.  I told him that I would match whatever he earned, but it could not include allowance or birthday money.  I suggested that he put flyers together to clean calcium stains that many of our neighbors have around their swimming pools.  He put a really nice flyer together and offered to do free demonstrations.  While housesitting he noticed the calcium stains on a neighbors tile and took the initiative to clean a small section.  Upon their return he was hired to do the project.  The project will cover more than the value of the software and teach a valuable lesson.   Desire motivated creativity and effort to create work where he could earn money.  There are lots of valuable life lessons here.  Motivation, Creativity, Effort, Work, and Earning money.  Many of the things our kids need to learn. 

I know you love your kids and want to give them their every want.  Next time they have this “thing” they can’t live without resist the temptations to buy and use it as an opportunity to teach them life lessons of patience, creativity, work, and the satisfaction of earning the money to buy that “thing”.

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