by John Ortberg
My comments: Dallas Willard notes that spiritual disciplines can be placed in two categories - disciplines of engagement and disciplines of abstinence.
Engagement - involve my intentionally doing certain things: worship, study, fellowship and giving.
Abstinence - involve my intentionally refraining from doing things: fasting, solitude, and silence.
If my problem is something I'm doing then strengthen my abstinence muscles and vice versa.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Life You've Always Wanted
From the book by John Ortberg
When people look at a Christian do they say, "Wow! I didn't know that a life could look like that."
This is the "pearl of great value" of which Jesus spoke, for which any sensible person would sell everything.
If my problem is that I am doing something I ought not to do, I need to practice a discipline that strengthens my not-doing muscles.
When people look at a Christian do they say, "Wow! I didn't know that a life could look like that."
This is the "pearl of great value" of which Jesus spoke, for which any sensible person would sell everything.
If my problem is that I am doing something I ought not to do, I need to practice a discipline that strengthens my not-doing muscles.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Weekly Bulletin
Emotional Development of Children by Focus on the family
1. Be purposeful in guiding your child's emotional life. Focus intentionally on his emotional needs. These needs are just as important as his cognitive, physical and spiritual needs.
2. Build a strong bond by spending quality time with your child. Experts agree that parents who interact regularly with their children beginning in infancy develop stronger bonds.
3. Stay emotionally in tune. Connect with your child on an emotional level. Attempt to understand what she is feeling. When she is happy, be happy for her; when she is sad, cry with her.
4. Model healthy emotional relating. Your children will mimic the way you handle emotions and the way you relate to others. By managing your own emotions in a positive way, your children will learn to do so as well.
5. Teach children how to handle negative emotions. Doing this well does not come naturally. Children need to be taught how to handle defeat, deal with conflict or be angry in a healthy way. Children who are taught these skills early are better able to handle negative feelings as adults.
1. Be purposeful in guiding your child's emotional life. Focus intentionally on his emotional needs. These needs are just as important as his cognitive, physical and spiritual needs.
2. Build a strong bond by spending quality time with your child. Experts agree that parents who interact regularly with their children beginning in infancy develop stronger bonds.
3. Stay emotionally in tune. Connect with your child on an emotional level. Attempt to understand what she is feeling. When she is happy, be happy for her; when she is sad, cry with her.
4. Model healthy emotional relating. Your children will mimic the way you handle emotions and the way you relate to others. By managing your own emotions in a positive way, your children will learn to do so as well.
5. Teach children how to handle negative emotions. Doing this well does not come naturally. Children need to be taught how to handle defeat, deal with conflict or be angry in a healthy way. Children who are taught these skills early are better able to handle negative feelings as adults.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Frog & Toad Story
In the Children’s Book Frog & Toad Together, two central characters discover the limits of mere trying when Frog bakes a batch of cookies. “We ought to stop eating,” they say, as they keep eating. “We must stop,” they resolve, as they eat some more. “We need willpower,” Frog finally says, grabbing another cookie.
“What is willpower?” asks Toad, swallowing another mouthful. “Willpower is trying very hard not to do something you want to do very much,” Frog says.
Frog discusses a variety of ways to help with willpower—putting the cookies in a box, tying the box shut, putting it high up in a tree—but each time Toad points out (in between bites) that they could climb the tree and untie the box. In desperation, Frog finally dumps the remaining cookies outside on the ground: “Hey, birds!” he calls, “Here’s cookies!”
“Now we have no more cookies,” says Toad sadly.
“Yes,” says Frog, “but we have lots and lots of willpower.”
“You may keep it all,” Toad replies. “I’m going home to bake a cake.”
“What is willpower?” asks Toad, swallowing another mouthful. “Willpower is trying very hard not to do something you want to do very much,” Frog says.
Frog discusses a variety of ways to help with willpower—putting the cookies in a box, tying the box shut, putting it high up in a tree—but each time Toad points out (in between bites) that they could climb the tree and untie the box. In desperation, Frog finally dumps the remaining cookies outside on the ground: “Hey, birds!” he calls, “Here’s cookies!”
“Now we have no more cookies,” says Toad sadly.
“Yes,” says Frog, “but we have lots and lots of willpower.”
“You may keep it all,” Toad replies. “I’m going home to bake a cake.”
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