Sunday, November 21, 2010
War Within Self
Some days feel like all out war - even having nightmares of being over taken by cats. I'm reading a devotional book that was written for our men in uniform during World War Two. One particular devotion said in order to stop war we must stop fighting for what "I" want. It took me to the 23rd Psalm - I SHALL NOT WANT. Why? Because He is my Shepherd. OK then, I'll allow myself to be broken while warfare goes around me and seek what He wants. Will this stop the flying debris? No, but I'll enter the eye of the storm and be at total peace.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Raising a Modern-Day Knight
From the book: Raising a Modern-Day Knight
by Robert Lewis
Manhood:
Don’t Let Your Son Leave Home without it
Sam Rayburn was arguably the most powerful politician in America. Sam remained Speaker of the House for many years.
Later in life he was asked about his most memorable moment. He said it occurred at a railroad station in East Texas.
On this particular day in 1900, Sam’s Dad had hitched the buggy and driven his 18-year old son to town. The boy was going off to college and would be leaving the family farm. Father and son quietly waited for the train. Sam’s suitcase, some clothes bundled with a rope, lay at his feet.
Then when the train arrived and Sam was prepared to board, his father reached out and placed a fistful of dollars into his hand. Twenty-five dollars. Sam never forgot that, he talked about that twenty-five dollars the rest of his life.
“Only God knows how he saved it. We earned only enough to live. I often wondered what he and my mother gave up and sacrificed.”
With tears in his eyes, Sam turned to board the train. Again his father reached out and grasped his hands. The four words he spoke would echo forever in the boy’s memory. He said, simply, “Sam, be a man!”
by Robert Lewis
Manhood:
Don’t Let Your Son Leave Home without it
Sam Rayburn was arguably the most powerful politician in America. Sam remained Speaker of the House for many years.
Later in life he was asked about his most memorable moment. He said it occurred at a railroad station in East Texas.
On this particular day in 1900, Sam’s Dad had hitched the buggy and driven his 18-year old son to town. The boy was going off to college and would be leaving the family farm. Father and son quietly waited for the train. Sam’s suitcase, some clothes bundled with a rope, lay at his feet.
Then when the train arrived and Sam was prepared to board, his father reached out and placed a fistful of dollars into his hand. Twenty-five dollars. Sam never forgot that, he talked about that twenty-five dollars the rest of his life.
“Only God knows how he saved it. We earned only enough to live. I often wondered what he and my mother gave up and sacrificed.”
With tears in his eyes, Sam turned to board the train. Again his father reached out and grasped his hands. The four words he spoke would echo forever in the boy’s memory. He said, simply, “Sam, be a man!”
Monday, March 16, 2009
Life You've Always Wanted
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.
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.
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.”
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Wild at Heart
We started the book Wild at Heart by John Eldredge at Honor Bound on Saturdays. Man needs adventure.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Parental Vision
Parental Vision
Gary Smalley writes about vision for a child, in his book, “The Blessing”. He writes this, seeing a special future for a child is like building him a campfire on a dark night. It draws him “toward the warmth of genuine concern and fulfilled potential - instead of leaving a child to head into a dark unknown.Every day you have an opportunity to paint a bright future for you child. It’s so much better drawing a child into an area then trying to drive him. Drawing takes much less effort than driving.
A law in physics says that water can not rise above it’s source. The same is true, in a sense, for your child.
Gary Smalley writes about vision for a child, in his book, “The Blessing”. He writes this, seeing a special future for a child is like building him a campfire on a dark night. It draws him “toward the warmth of genuine concern and fulfilled potential - instead of leaving a child to head into a dark unknown.Every day you have an opportunity to paint a bright future for you child. It’s so much better drawing a child into an area then trying to drive him. Drawing takes much less effort than driving.
A law in physics says that water can not rise above it’s source. The same is true, in a sense, for your child.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Thinking process of Firemen
Some recent studies of the thinking process of firemen raised some starling conclusions. The researchers were trying to determine how these individuals were able to make critical decisions in the heat of crisis, at blinding speeds. What they found out was that the firemen only had one option on their minds, verses a multitude of thoughts. It reminds me of the verse that said, "They were all of one mind and one accord." When we stick really close to the Father we're going to instinctively do his will. We will have only one option -his will.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Absolute Power
Absolute Power does not corrupt absolutely. Absolute power reveals what is in the heart of a man. Jesus had absolute power. What did he do with it? Did he use his power to make his earthly life more comfortable? Absolutely Not.
Posted by Hello
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Monday, March 21, 2005
Effective Men's Ministry Chapter 9
Servant Leaders: The question is not: How are they helping me accomplish my vision? But rather, Am I serving them to accomplish the vision that God has given to them or to us a group?
In our relationships we...
learn to risk sharing our weaknesses.
say hard words tin love to a brother.
let someone really know our temptations and faults.
enter into someone else's pain.
care about the person and not the objective.
True servants see the needs of others and meets those needs.
In our relationships we...
learn to risk sharing our weaknesses.
say hard words tin love to a brother.
let someone really know our temptations and faults.
enter into someone else's pain.
care about the person and not the objective.
True servants see the needs of others and meets those needs.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Effective Men's Ministry Chapter 5
It's important to access what men need. Not only on a individual level but a local and global level. Although the individual level is the most important it's also important to seek information on the other 2 levels. Men on a global level will not seek advice on parenting (women tend to seek out the information) much the same way the men don't ask for directions. How can this be training be done? It's a question to continually ask until the answer is found.
Randy
Randy
Friday, March 18, 2005
Effective Men's Ministry
I'm in the process of getting my sword. I'm now reading "Effective Men's Ministry". I'm in the area talking about process. We need to develop a plan and then work out that plan.
Michelangelo was asked how he was able to carve a magnificent masterpiece. He said, "I simply have to ship away what does not belong". We need to continually chip away at what does not belong.
Randy
Michelangelo was asked how he was able to carve a magnificent masterpiece. He said, "I simply have to ship away what does not belong". We need to continually chip away at what does not belong.
Randy
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
6 Traits of the Masculine Man
1. Men equate personal distance with safety and security.
2. Men communicate through questions.
3. most men are gola or challenge oriented.
4. Men tend to focus and compartmentalize.
5. Men choose rules over relationships.
6. Men are hesitant to express emotion.
2. Men communicate through questions.
3. most men are gola or challenge oriented.
4. Men tend to focus and compartmentalize.
5. Men choose rules over relationships.
6. Men are hesitant to express emotion.
Fighting Sexual Sins
Learn the pattern of your sin. When? How? Where? Why?
Then change that pattern. It may be a fight at first but it will diminish over time. A man is a conqueror. We can be champions, conqueroring everything that is against Christ.
The best way to fight sexual sins is to be full of the right stuff. Let's say that you want to cut down on what you are eating. The best way is to fill up on water. You will not want the food when your stomach is full. It's the same with sexual sin. If you are full of good word and you will not seek something that is bad for you.
Then change that pattern. It may be a fight at first but it will diminish over time. A man is a conqueror. We can be champions, conqueroring everything that is against Christ.
The best way to fight sexual sins is to be full of the right stuff. Let's say that you want to cut down on what you are eating. The best way is to fill up on water. You will not want the food when your stomach is full. It's the same with sexual sin. If you are full of good word and you will not seek something that is bad for you.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Personal Holiness
Victory No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man, but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also be made thee way of escape, that you may be able to hear it (1 Corinthians 10:13)
1st tool - Know where you're at physically, mentally & spiritually
2nd tool - Victory comes by breaking your temptation patterns
What day of the week does temptation usually come?
What time of the day does the temptation?
1st tool - Know where you're at physically, mentally & spiritually
2nd tool - Victory comes by breaking your temptation patterns
What day of the week does temptation usually come?
What time of the day does the temptation?
Man's Greatest Temptation
Sexual sins are man's greatest temptations. The Bible says that in a marriage the wife doesn't have authority over her body or the husband doesn't have authority over his. A couple must cleave to each other. A man must be loving and affectionate towards his wife at all times.
....less Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. The drive in a married man must be satisfied in his wife. Each person must learn to control sexual desires. How do you do this? 1. Precommit -Standards
2. Plan of Action
3. Partners in accountablity
4. Don't take advantage of anyone else
5. Think of punishment - fear God's discipline
6. Live a holy life - depend upon the Holy Spirit
1 cor 6: 13 Now the body is not for sexual immorality - it is for the Lord. Holy Spirit is in your body. Responsiblity to glorify God Ritual
....less Satan tempt you because of your lack of self control. The drive in a married man must be satisfied in his wife. Each person must learn to control sexual desires. How do you do this? 1. Precommit -Standards
2. Plan of Action
3. Partners in accountablity
4. Don't take advantage of anyone else
5. Think of punishment - fear God's discipline
6. Live a holy life - depend upon the Holy Spirit
1 cor 6: 13 Now the body is not for sexual immorality - it is for the Lord. Holy Spirit is in your body. Responsiblity to glorify God Ritual
Randy
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