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Five Attitudes to Untie for a Person’s Anger Knots


 

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1. Become soft and tender with the person.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15). When a person speaks tenderly with another, the tone literally halts the actions of others. This kind of action shows care and concern—sometimes softness alone can melt an anger-hardened heart.

2.     Understand, as much as possible, what the other person has endured.

peaceofgodWe must seek to see another point of view.  If can walk a mile in their shoes, it helps us to gain a perspective which can open doors instead of close them.

3.     Admit the person has been wounded and admit any wrong in provoking the hurt.

Some of the most difficult words we can express are those words “I am sorry” or “I made a mistake in the way I handled that situation.” A survey confirms that teens know how hard it must be: their number one complaint in a recent survey about their parents could be summed up in five words: “They never say I’m sorry.”

Sometimes we may not think we’re wrong, but our attitude may be. Or we may have acted offensively. If my spirit is critical and angry when I tell my child about a legitimate problem, I’m still wrong.

James 1:20: “….for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

Proverbs 30:33: “For the churning of milk produces butter, And pressing the nose brings forth blood; So the churning of anger produces strife.”

4.     Touch the person gently.

When people handle themselves properly, with love and patience and kindness, the physical and emotional distance can be bridged quickly.

5.     Seek forgiveness – and wait for a response.

Try to elicit a positive response from the person before you turn away; but if you need to, start with the first loving attitude of being soft and work your way back to forgiveness. Remember, too, don’t just respond to your loved one’s words. If you’ve deeply hurt someone, that person may verbally retaliate to hurt you.

 
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Posted by on July 26, 2014 in Article

 

Learning to Properly Handle Our Anger


William Stafford: “Individuals or whole peoples can gnaw on old grievances, remembering them again and again, renewing them obsessively until the shape of memory and desire is permanently warped along the lines of anger.”

Dr. Gary Smalley, in addition to listing honor as the number one need in our homes today, also suggests that forgotten, unresolved anger is the number one poison – the one thing that is causing more divorce than anything else.

Whether we agree with that assessment or not, we certainly can agree that we simply must learn to deal more effectively with the anger we have in order to have the peaceful homes we need, desire, and deserve.

We think it’s forgotten, or that it has disappeared…yet it comes to life again because anger is usually ‘buried alive’ and it keeps on growing. It is made up of hurt, frustration, and fear. We should not welcome unresolved anger, because that allows it to linger and settle in, bringing harm not only to ourselves but also to those around us.

Anger has three deadly results:

1.     Anger creates distance

Anger almost always creates an unhealthy distance between the parties involved. Do you want to stay or run away from angry people? People are not comfortable being in the presence of any angry person; they won’t want to interact with you; the won’t want you in their room.

If you are married to anConflict-Resolution angry man or woman, he or she will usually try to create distance between you. You may want to get close, but the offended one will pull away. Angry people refute closeness. Improve the relationship, and they will sabotage it. Call it black – they will call it white, just to keep you at arm’s length.

We each have to face out past and check the level of our own anger. We can stop what sometimes becomes a generational pull (we find ourselves acting like our parents!) of ruined relationships by taking responsibility for reducing the level of anger within ourselves.

2.     Anger pushes us into darkness

Ephesians 4:26-27: “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, {27} and do not give the devil an opportunity.”

Have you ever found yourself awake in the middle of the night in a hotel room – and you can’t find a light switch? You need to answer the telephone, turn down the air conditioner, or locate the bathroom, but you find yourself groping in inky darkness – walking into a table, knocking the clock off the nightstand, banging your shin on a chair or tripping over the shoes you left on the floor.

Unresolved anger does that in our lives. It rips away our perspective and throws us into chaos. We don’t know where we are. We can’t think logically. We don’t realize what we’re doing to ourselves and those we love. As we blindly lurch and stumble, our families become candidates for serious, possibly permanently, injuries of the heart.

Is it surprising that if unresolved anger puts us at a distance from each other that it might have the identical effect upon our relationship with God?! There is usually a certain correlation between anger and faith; it seems that the greater a person’s unresolved anger, the more difficulty that person has in developing a meaningful spiritual life.

Walking consistently in darkness prevents us from being sensitive or loving toward others. It also kills any interest we have in studying God’s Word and lays any desire to pray into the deep freeze. Further, it robs us of any desire to please and honor Him or to experience His joy, contentment, and peace.

When Satan secures a foothold in a life, it’s no laughing matter. Deception and chaos come through the door with him. Unbelievable pain and destruction follow. Anger trickles into the emotional heart of a relationship, chilling feelings of warmth or attachment. No wonder Paul said:

3.     Anger ties us into knots

Like few other emotions, anger restricts and binds us, tying us into internal knows. Forgiveness, on the other hand, sets us free from those bonds, untying the knots that hold us captive.

The Lord Jesus gives us a powerful word picture of forgiveness: Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). The word used here in the original language literally means to “release fully, to unbind or to let go.” It is the only time in the New Testament that this word is translated “forgiven.” It is usually found to be “release” or “free.” (see John 11:44).

The Anger Inventory

To take the inventory, simply rate each statement below, on a scale from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), for how much it applies to you.

___ 1. I have frequently recurring minor problems.

___ 2. I tend to have difficulty remaining close to people. Others have even said I am “cold.”

___ 3. I continually fail to see the pitfalls in business deals.

___ 4. I have little interest in religious matters.

___ 5. I have many doubts about the existence of God

___ 6. I tend to see religious people as “a bunch of hypocrites.”

___ 7. I tend to be judgmental or overly critical of people.

___ 8. I have a general inability to see my own shortcomings.

___ 9. My image is very important to me. What I wear and drive are big concerns.

___ 10. I often struggle with feelings of low self-value.

___ 11. I often fail to see that my words or actions hurt the feelings of others.

___ 12. My parents divorced before I turned eighteen.

___ 13. I think one or both of my parents drank too much alcohol.

___ 14. My parents seemed addicted to drugs or other substances.

___ 15. My parents abused me.

___ 16. My parents seemed too distant or neglectful to me.

___ 17. I felt that my parents were too controlling of me.

___ 18. I often struggle with feelings of discouragement or depression.

___ 19. I seem to be at odds with several people for long periods of time.

___ 20. I tend to be overly controlling of my mate, children, or friends.

___ 21. I have general feelings of anxiety; I can’t put my finger on what it is that I’m uneasy about.

___ 22. I have sometimes thought about suicide.

___ 23. I have had a hard time forgiving others when they hurt or frustrate me.

___ 24. I have a hard time confronting others when they hurt me, and I know that I’m not that good at getting my anger out.

___ 25. I find myself overly busy most of the time.

___ 26. I find it easier to blame others than to take responsibility for my mistakes.

___ 27. I often overreact to what others say or do to me.

___ 28. I feel I am motivated far too often by fear of failure.

___ 29. I often wish people who have hurt me could be punished somehow.

___ 30. I frequently think that I’ve been cheated out of important areas of life.

___ 31. I get into fights with others that sometimes result in physical aggression, such as throwing things, slapping, or hitting.

___ 32. I don’t really trust anyone other than myself.

  • Now add up the 32 numbers – your waiting…….My total score: _______
  • If your total score is more than 100, there is some help for you offered in available books. If your score is more than 200, see a counselor.
 
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Posted by on July 23, 2014 in Article

 

Some ‘do’s and don’ts’ for bringing up a child


RULES FOR BRINGING DOWN A CHILD
1. Let him have plenty of money to spend as he likes.

2. Permit him to choose his companions without restraint or guidance.
3. Let him spend Sunday hours on the street or with companions with low ideals as to the Lord’s day.
happy-fathers-day-quotes4. Allow him to go out at night as he pleases and return when he gets ready.
5. Make no inquiry as to where and with whom he spends his leisure time.
6. Teach him to expect pay for all help at home and for all services to others.
7. Allow him to think that good manners are a good substitute for good morals.
8. Do not trouble to interest him in the Bible or to win him to Christ.
9. Let him see that you think church attendance is not important.
10. Never let him hear you pray, especially not for his salvation.

TEN SELECTED RULES FOR BRINGING UP A CHILD
1. Make home the brightest and most attractive place you can.

2. Make him responsible for helping in some daily duties at home.
3. Never punish him in anger, nor to relieve your own feelings, but only in love and for disobedience.
4. Do not ridicule his ideas; talk frankly on matters in which he is interested.
5. Encourage him to invite friends to your home and table.
6. Impress upon his mind the fact that service and honesty are more important than making money.
7. Live Christ before him so that you will be able to talk Christ to him.
8. Let him see your enjoyment and profit from Bible reading and prayer.
9. Set an example in faithful church attendance and interest in the work.
10. Be much in prayer for his salvation and spiritual growth.

 
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Posted by on July 15, 2014 in Article

 

Children’s Day, 2014 – Basic Needs of Children


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In Man in the Mirror, Patrick Morley tells of a group of fishermen who landed in a secluded bay in Alaska and had a great day fishing for salmon. But when they returned to their sea plane, they found it aground because of the fluctuating tides. They waited until the next morning for the tides to comes in, but when they took off, they only got a few feet into the air before crashing back into the sea. Being aground the day before had punctured one oHappy-Childrens-Day-Wallpaper-FB-Whats-App-Creative-1f the pontoons, and it had filled up with water.

The sea plane slowly began to sink. The passengers, three men and a 12-year-old son of one of the men, prayed and then jumped into the icy cold waters to swim to shore. The riptide was strong, but two of the men reached the shore exhausted. They looked back, and saw the father with his arms around his son being swept out to sea.

The boy had not been strong enough to make it. The father was a strong swimmer, but he had chosen to die with his son rather than to live without him.

Every object of God’s creation has special needs of its own and, in every case, God has provided a method for satisfying those needs.

Human beings have their special needs. Some of these needs are elementary in nature and are easily satisfied. Man needs oxygen, so God created him with lungs which automatically draw oxygen into the body and make it usable for body needs.

Some needs of humans require more effort on man’s part for their satisfaction. For example, man needs water and may have to drill a well in order to find it. He needs food and in order to have sufficient amounts of food he may have to plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables from a garden.

Humans also have spiritual needs and they cannot be provided by automatic responses of the body or by any other entirely physical effort. These spiritual needs have to do with man’s personality, disposition, relation to other humans and his relation to God.

But, as in every case, God has provided a source of satisfaction for these needs. In this case, the source is the home. The home is God’s instrument for satisfying the basic needs of human beings!

Insofar as the needs of children are concerned, parents are the primary providers. Someone has suggested that since God is a spirit and cannot be physically present in all places, he provided every child with a mother and a father to see that his/her needs are satisfied.

1. Children need the security of a stable home life.
Children need to have a firm ground under their feet for proper development. Any parent knows that newborn babies are terribly frightened of falling. And when the baby is frightened by any sudden movement, the best way to calm him is to pick him up and hold him very firmly. This need lasts for a lifetime!

Children need the security that comes from the knowledge that mother and father love each other very much. Quarreling between a child’s parents is like an earthquake which threatens to take away his firm footing.

A child is very sensitive to tension and hostility. Make him grow up in an atmosphere charged with discord and he will be insecure for the rest of his life.

A child also needs to know that he is loved by his parents. There is no way to know how many scores of children are unwanted. Sometimes you hear of a baby who was abandoned by parents who didn’t want him. There is a sense in which this abandoned child is better off than an unwanted child who is kept by his parents and tolerated but not loved!

2. Children need the confidence of their parents.
Children want to be trusted and, in most cases, they will be trustworthy if given the chance to prove them-selves. Teenagers are especially sensitive to a lack of trust by their parents/teachers.

Some parents are constantly questioning their children and indicating that they expect the worst from them. Keep up those suspicious looks and questions and your child will probably decide that it isn’t worth the effort to try to win your confidence and will live up to your lesser expectations!

You should let him/her know that he has your confidence and then he will likely live up to it.

3. Children need the companionship of their parents
Not all the gifts of money and “things” in the world can make up for the failure to give one’s self. A great many “good” men and women have utterly failed as parents because they withheld themselves from their children. Trying so hard to provide a good living and some of the “little extras that we never had,” they lost their children.

One of the saddest stories in the Bible is of Samuel and his sons. They were anything but godly, though Samuel was a true man of God. Why? Because Samuel spent so much time with the “congregation and its problems” that he lost his own family!

4. Children need instruction from their parents.
Children get their information from various sources and, on the basis of the information they are given, they build a life.

We trust our public and private schools to give a general education to our children, and these schools are doing an adequate job (depending upon who you talk to). But there are at least two special areas of instruction where parents have a particular responsibility–sex and religion.

These two areas are the most difficult of all in many ways. Because they are so difficult, some parents simply side-step their responsibility and leave their children to pick up whatever information they may be able to come by on their own.

Because much has already been said about the need for Biblical training on the part of the parents in other lessons, we’ll spend our time here on the subject of sex education.

Some ‘do’s and don’t regarding sex education
· Don’t make your own feelings of shame the basis of instruction

· Don’t avoid warnings about masturbation, homosexual activity and social diseases. Avoid minute details and horror films.
· Don’t think “a young man must have his fling”
· Don’t try to prevent adolescents from becoming interested in the opposite sex
· Don’t try to make cold beings out of young people by being mostly negative
· Don’t accept supersitious beliefs about sex yourself
· Don’t expect to solve all of the child’s problems by sex instruction
· Don’t fail to warn children against persons who use smutty language, tell filthy stories, or who become too familiar in their conduct. Avoid them!
· Don’t treat sex sins as unforgivable

5. Children need to learn to obey.
There is more significance to this than meets the eye. But suffice it to say that Paul commands children in this crucial area: Ephesians 6:1: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

The self-discipline which comes by obedience to commands by wise parents is in complete harmony with the will of God, and the common sense of it is clearly seen in the affairs of men.

The first six or seven years of life upon this life can virtually determine eternal destiny! Young children can be taught basic principles and attitudes. They include respect, obedience, and cooperation.

6. Children need the love and fear of God.
Proverbs 14:27: “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”

The child needs to know how much God loves them and how He sent His only begotten Son for their sin. This fear is not trembling, but better called respect.

7. Children need examples from their parents.
What you are will mean more to your children than what you say. To really be an effective parent, saying and being will have to be consistent with each other.

8. Children need discipline.
Solomon wrote: Prov. 23:13: “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.”

Discipline isn’t always spanking! The word has as its root to “teach.” Our reducing the word to mean only punishment is a great disservice to it.

God’s word is clear on this subject:
Genesis 18:19: “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

Heb. 12:9-11: “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! {10} Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. {11} No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Anything we can say or any fair method which can be used to teach children proper rules of behavior should be used.

All that we do in this area must be done in fairness. Fairness within the family circle is catching to children. Partiality has long been a cause of family strife and complexes of inferiority and superiority in children that harm and rule their lives. Jacob and Esau and his brethern stand as eternal examples of the inevitable strife generated by parental partiality.

Happy-Childrens-Day-Creative-Wallpaper9. Children need recognition of their achievements.
Parents are quick to notice and long in remembering the mistakes and failures of their children. Fortunate is the child whose parent is as delighted with his successes and achievements as he is disappointed with his failures. We all must have praise and appreciation.

10. Children need to be given responsibility.
The Bible says, in Lamentations 3:27: “It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.”

That simply means that it is wise for parents to teach children a sense of responsibility. This is one reason why giving an allowance to children is an effective teaching device. They also need to have some jobs which are part of being in the family and also learn the importance of keeping one’s promises or to finish an assigned task, etc.

11. Children need to be given a measure of freedom.
Some boys and girls are literally smothered by over-protective parents! Some mothers insist on driving their 12-to-13 year old boys to a Scout meeting and sitting there the whole time until the meeting is over,

watching everything that goes on. They are afraid for them to ride a bicycle or go with a group of their church friends.

While it is important that we use good common sense and check out the places and people they are spending time with, we must also realize that we don’t want weak and timid teenagers who can’t stand on their own two feet! They must be encouraged to try new things. They need to use their imaginations. They need some privacy and freedom. And what better place to have our children when they are in environments where there is proper control and chaperones.

12. Children need unconditional love.
A parent is very foolish indeed who says, “now if you want me to love you, you mind me.” Life is insecure enough without the threat of love being denied within the boundaries of our own family! Children need to

feel their parents’ love through demonstration. They need to be told and shown that they are loved.

13. Children must have the opportunity to grow.
The child must grow mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially. When we grow in favor with God, we are developing spiritually. When we grow in favor with man, we are becoming well adjusted in society.

 

 
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Posted by on July 14, 2014 in Article

 

The Danger of Excluding God


No decision is wise if it’s made independently of God.  In Joshua 9, the people of Israel made a terrible decision because they left God out of their plans, and had to live with the consequences of a decision which God did not approve:

Decision and risk analysis“Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things – those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon…came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.

“However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.  The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes.  All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy.  Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.”

“The men of Israel said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us.  How then can we make a treaty with you?” “We are your servants,” they said to Joshua. But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?” They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God.  For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan…. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’  This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you.  But now see how dry and moldy it is.  And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are.  And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.”

The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.  Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. — Joshua 9:1-15, emphasis added

The Israelites gathered data (vv. 7-14), but they missed a crucial step in the process.  “The men of Israel…did not inquire of the Lord” (v. 14). 

Ronald Reagan is credited with saying, “America was founded by people who believed that God was their rock of safety.  He is ours.  I recognize we must be cautious in claiming that God is on our side, but I think it’s all right to keep asking if we’re on His side.” 

If we assume that God is always on our side, we will fall headlong into foolishness. 

We should search ourselves regularly to make sure our thinking is in line with His will. 

We should strive to develop the character and conviction to make decisions that are products of our relationship with God.

 

 
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Posted by on July 13, 2014 in Sermon

 

Train Up a Child


Train up a child……easier said than done? Solomon said it best in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

The word “train” there speaks to a process whereby we instill into our child the desire (thirst) to do what is right. Training consists of two steps that involve three major activities. The first step is teaching; after teaching comes discipline.

 1. Teaching. Teaching covers two of the three activities. The first thing one does in teaching is to show what or how a thing is done. Then the teacher tells or explains the details of the lesson. After a child has Picture2been taught by being shown or told, he is ready for the last step in training – discipline. The word discipline comes from the word disciple, which means “a follower of.” The child is now ready to practice for himselfherself what the teacher has taught. For a child to be trained, he/she must follow what the teacher does and says.

For example, suppose you want to start training your two-year-old to put his toys away. First, you will show the child how to pick the toys up and how they are to be stored in the toy box. You will talk to the child as you go through the process of showing him all about putting his toys away.

 “Now, Jimmy, you put this toy away,” you direct him. The child goes and puts the toy away, following what he saw you do and heard you say. You have taken Jimmy through a process that can be repeated, but each time he is asked to put his toys away “please,” he will know exactly what to do.

    2. Discipline. Here it is important to point out two types of discipline: a. Self-discipline. This is when a child follows you willingly, doing what you show and tell him to do. He does it because it is something he wants to do. His will and yours are in agreement. When a child exercises self-discipline, training is most enjoyable. b. Inflicted discipline. This is when a child decides he doesn’t want to do as he has been told, and you must compel him to follow your lessons. You will accomplish this only by inflicting discipline upon him. If you are a new parent, please don’t get your hopes built up and form a false optimism that your child will always exercise self-discipline with regard to all of your teaching. Be fore-warned: obedience won’t just happen! There will be multitudes of times you will have to inflict discipline upon your little one in order to train him….and the sooner you do this to make him follow, the more quickly your child will develop and exercise his own self-discipline and good judgment.

Wisdom In Raising Children — It costs to acquire wisdom, but it’s worth it! It isn’t enough to own a study Bible and read books about the Bible, helpful as they are. It’s one thing to know about the Bible and quite something else to hear God speak through His Word and teach us His wisdom so that we become more like Jesus Christ.

   We should keep in mind two things: 1. Life is short; and 2. Our eternal existence is greatly influenced by how we live during this short life. It is imperative, then, that we not waste our time through rash and foolish decisions which not only jeopardize our eternal destiny but can also make this life miserable.

 The value of wisdom is especially seen in family relationships: “He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind.” (Prov. 11:29). Life is too short and families grow too fast for us to raise a family through “trial and error”

Consider what many people think is most important in providing for a family Many would say it is the Picture1“necessities” of life such as food and clothing, and a place of shelter. Most would feel that other things are also necessary such as the “finer things” (luxuries) for the children, which parents never had as children. A good “education” for the children,
so they too can be affluent.

  1. Instilling a fear of the Lord  (reverence and awe) Proverbs 15:16: “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.”
  2. Giving them love. Proverbs 15:17: “Better is a dish of vegetables where love is Than a fattened ox served with hatred.” Providing an environment where love reigns is more important than providing material abundance. Troubled children come from homes where “love” is lacking, not money!
  3. Providing a peaceful family life. Proverbs 17:1: “Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it Than a house full of feasting with strife.”

    What can be done to insure adequate material provisions for the family: Be righteous! Proverbs 20:7: “A righteous man who walks in his integrity– How blessed are his sons after him.”
    Today that means putting the kingdom of God first in your life. Then God will watch out for you and providentially see that your needs are adequately met! Children of righteous parents are truly blessed! But parents who fail to put God first go through life without God’s providential help, and their children may suffer as a result! Inspired wisdom is explicit in the proper use of “corporeal punishment.” Used properly, it is a demonstration of true love. Proverbs 13:24: “He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

Proper discipline has proper objectives Proverbs 22:15: “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14: “Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol.”

Proverbs 29:15: “The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.”

Proper discipline has its rewards Proverbs 29:17: “Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He
will also delight your soul.”

Proverbs 19:18: “Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.”

It is to be applied before the situation gets of out hand (“while there is hope”). It is also to be applied under controlled circumstances (“do not set your heart on his destruction”). i.e., do not put it off  until you strike in anger. There IS a difference between proper “spanking” and “child abuse”!

Look at these important points when you discipline your children, you’re acting like God discipline is a function of love, and appropriate punishment is not something done to a child but for the child spanking before 18 months of age is not wise and after 12 years of age is not effective it should be reserved for times of defiant or rebellious behavior when love is abundant at home, proper discipline (even a spanking) won’t be resented children are gifts from the Lord but between 15-36 months they don’t want to be restricted in any way. They are the most self-centered, manipulative, and controlling things on the planet…parents must be adults and be in charge.

James Dobson: “The proper time to begin disarming the teenage time bomb is 12 years before it arrives. “Children thrive best in an atmosphere of genuine love, undergirded by reasonable and consistent discipline. In a day of widespread drug usage, immorality, sexually transmitted diseases, vandalism, and violence, we must not depend on hope and luck to fashion the critical attitudes we value in our children. In those situations when the child fully understands what he is being asked to do or not to do but refuses to yield to adult leadership, an appropriate spanking is the shortest and most effective route to an attitude adjustment.” (The New Date to Discipline, page 28, 7, and 60-61).

Life is too short and families grow  too fast for us to raise a family  through “trial and error.”

Man’s domestic problems begin when he departs from God’s counsel regarding the home. This study is vital because our understanding of Christ’s relationship to the church is dependent upon His conception of the home. A reminder about Satan The first attack Satan made was against the home: he invaded Eden and led the first  husband and wife into disobedience and judgment.

He is called the “deceiver” and wants us to center our mind upon him, to make us  ignorant of God’s will in our life. He uses lies…Jesus tells us that “Satan is the Father of  all liars…that he cannot tell the truth because it just isn’t in him”….our defense is God’s Word!

He’s also called “the destroyer” and uses suffering in this world to make us impatient with God’s will…we need to remember the unmerited, unending grace that God bestows upon each of us when we choose Jesus and make Him Savior and Lord of our lives!

If he can’t get us through these means, Satan works on our pride and hopes to make us independent of God’s will.  Or he uses accusation as “the accuser” to work on the heart and the conscience to bring an indictment by God’s will.

  1. Satan uses religious leaders today to forbid marriage (1 Tim. 4:1-3). Singleness is a Christian’s option but for most people, marriage is the will of God. Satan’s approach is to convince the person that marriage is sinful. Any teaching  that claims greater spiritual virtues and blessings for the celibate than for the married is of the devil and not from God.
  2. Satan seeks to reverse the headship in the home (1 Tim. 2:11-13; Eph. 5:22-23).  He wants man to be concerned with dictatorship and forget the model of Christ as
    the head of the church; the husband ought to be the head of the wife in a living, loving
    relationship.

What is the answer to life’s difficulties and to Satan’s attacks on our homes? God!! It might be of some comfort to realize that the world has always been a difficult  place in which Christians must live. It has always been opposed to God’s values and God’s will. Satan longs for the soul of any age person who will reject good, right, and truth and turn to his way of thinking. Christians must daily remind themselves of the clear, simple words of Jesus, from Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.” {14} “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.”

 
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Posted by on July 10, 2014 in Family

 

God’s Ten Most Wanted Men


 

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1. The man who puts God’s business above any other business.

2. The man who brings his children to church rather than sends them.
God Created Man

3. The man who is willing to be the right example to every person whom he meets.

4. The man who thinks more of Sunday school than of Sunday sleep.

5. The man who gives what he should to the church and lives on what is left.

6. The man who goes to church for Christ’s sake rather than for himself or someone else.

7. The man who has a passion to help others rather than to be helped himself.

8. The man who has a willing mind rather than a brilliant one.

9. The man who can see his own faults before he sees the faults of others.

10. The man who is more concerned about winning persons to Christ than about winning worldly honors.

 
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Posted by on July 9, 2014 in Sermon

 

A Celebration of Family — Do I Really Make A Difference?


I’m not sure I can adequately express how excited this event is for Terry and me. We are getting to meet some of you who have family members worshipping here at Sunset Avenue … and we’ve already heard some of the stories about you!

Where does it begin? Psalm 127:1-5 (NIV)
1  Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2  In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat– for he grants sleep to those he loves.
3  Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
4  Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.
5  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

There are some people in 21st century who do not feel this way…a modern version might sound more like this: Lo, children are a burden from the Lord; and the fruit of the womb must be his way of testing us. As the source of endless work and continual aggravation, so are the children of one’s youth. Unhappy is the man who hears his neighbor ask, “Do all those kids belong to you?”

We can understand why folks might feel that way. Some children are rebellious, disobedient, disrespectful — not very pleasant to be around. Some young couples have decided not to have any at all.

In those families, what has gone wrong? Where might we lose God’s perspective? The first verse of Psalm 127 may provide us with a clue. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

pic1Stable and successful homes are built by God. He’s the architect and the general contractor. He’s drawn the blueprint, and He wants to provide the direction and give the orders. All He needs are some laborers–husbands, wives and children–who will study the blueprint provided in His Word, then follow His di­rections. Any other procedure is going to result in frustration and failure. It’s because of this simple fact that many in foreign countries that otherwise do not believe in God…are interested in learning about God…because they see couples who have great homes!

Some folks think there are other ways to produce a happy home. For example, “Work, work, work, as hard as you can. Provide all the material things of this world for your children. Maybe that will make them happy.” If dad doesn’t make enough money to do it, mom goes to work too. Read on in Psalm 127. 2  In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat– for he grants sleep to those he loves.

The bread of sorrows is simply bread secured through toil and trouble. Food is essential, but God can provide it without tak­ing fathers and mothers away from their children day and night to pursue that elusive and almighty dollar. God has no time for laziness. He blesses honest work, but he can supply the things we need without anxious efforts and ceaseless self‑activity. The Psalmist says God provides for his beloved ones, literally, “in sleep,” the idea being in calm, restful, confident trust in him.

Every new child born into a Christian home is a gracious gift from God, a lovely legacy from the Lord entrusted to our care to be loved, cherished, provided for and properly molded for his glory. “The fruit of the womb is his reward.”

A husband and wife ought to give their child to God even before he is born. And they should pray together after the birth of the child, willingly dedicating themselves to train him as God directs.

 “Happy is the man who hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.”

Wives, submit yourselves (vv. Ephesians 5:22-24).

22  Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
23  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
24  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

He gives two reasons for this command: the lordship of Christ (Eph. 5:22) and the headship of the man in Christ (Eph. 5:23). When the Christian wife submits herself to Christ and lets Him be the Lord of her life, she will have no difficulty submitting to her husband.

1 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV)
3  Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Husbands, love your wives (vv. 25-32).

25  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26  to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27  and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
28  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29  After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-30  for we are members of his body.
31  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
32  This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church.

The husband is not to “use” his wife for his own pleasure, but rather is to show the kind of love that is mutually rewarding and sanctifying. The marriage experience is one of constant growth when Christ is the Lord of the home. Love always enlarges and enriches, while selfishness does just the opposite.

As he loves her, he is nourishing her. How many people have confessed, “I am starved for love.” There should be no starvation for love in the Christian home, for the husband and wife should so love each other that their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met.

If both are submitted to the Lord, and to each other, they will be so satisfied that they will not be tempted to look anywhere else for fulfillment.

Ephesians 6:1-4 (NIV)
1  Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2  “Honor your father and mother”–which is the first commandment with a promise–
3  “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

4  Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Let the audience see what exasperation looks like!

THE BEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR CHILDREN?

LOVE AND RESPECT (Ephesians 5:33)

33  However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

pic2The secret to the communication code is this:
1. Love is her deepest need and respect is his deepest need. I believe this based on the Bible.
Ephesians 5:33 “Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband.”

In other words, a wife needs to feel love and a husband needs to feel respect.

Without love she reacts without respect, and without respect he reacts without love.

Marital craziness is when we keep doing the same thing over and over. The topics change but the crazy cycle continues. Unless couples discover the secret that cracks the communication code, and learn how to get off the Crazy Cycle, things tend to stay a bit crazy! And it really gets crazy when a husband tells his wife, “Oh, stop feeling this way.” Or, a wife says to her husband, “Oh, stop feeling this way.”

The marriage book…and the dieting book.

Read the words from the I Love You card.

This is what I’m really saying every time I say I Love You…

I’m really trying to say so much more than just those three little words;

I’m trying to express so many wonderful feelings about you…

I’m trying to say that you mean more to me than anyone else in the world.

I’m trying to let you know that I adore you and that I cherish the time we spend together.

I’m trying to explain that I want you and that I need you and that I get lost in wonderful thoughts every time I think about you.

And each time I whisper “I love you,” I’m trying to remind you that you’re the nicest thing that has ever happened to me.”

Another card: I love you with all my heart. And my body generally goes where my heart does.

How Being a Strong Christian Will Help Us Have A Happy Marriagepic3

  • Christians are concerned about others.
  • Christians practice love.
  • Christians want the best for others.
  • Christians have a positive sexual ethic.
  • Christians can forgive.
  • Christians make good fathers and mothers.
  • Christians provide for their own.
  • Christians are kind.
  • Christians are unselfish.
  • Christians honor/respect each other

I believe that we are magic, that all things are possible, that life is precious, that peace is reasonable, that laugher is special, that blessings are divine, that love is grand…And that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you.

ADVISE

1.Make A Commitment
2. Make it a Priority
3. Make your marriage fun
4. Learn to communicate, talk, and fight (fair)

pic4My wife & I never fight . . . “But sometimes you can hear us reasoning things out for several blocks.”

5. Deal with your Demons!

  • Find out what you’re doing to harm your marriage and heal it.
  • Dictatorship?
  • Financial irresponsibility?
  • Temper?
  • Pornography?
  • Substance Abuse?
  • You name it…get help! I volunteer my services free of charge…and others here will, too.

“Buy Me a Rose” lyrics
He works hard to give her all he thinks she wants…A three car garage, her own credit cards. He pulls in late to wake her up with a kiss good night. If he could only read her mind, she’d say:

Buy me a rose, call me from work, Open a door for me, what would it hurt; Show me you love me by the look in your eyes. These are the little things I need the most in my life.

Now the days have grown to years of feeling all alone, And she can’t help but wonder what she’s doing wrong. Cause lately she’d try anything to turn his head. Would it make a difference if she said:

Buy me a rose, call me from work, Open a door for me, what would it hurt; Show me you love me by the look in your eyes. These are the little things I need the most in my life.

And the more that he lives the less that he tries To show her the love that he holds inside.
And the more that she gives the more that he sees…This is a story of you and me

So I bought you a rose on the way home from work, To open the door to a heart that I hurt. And I hope you notice this look in my eyes Cause I’m gonna make things right For the rest of your life. I’m gonna hold you tonight. Do all those little things …For the rest of your life.

 

 
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Posted by on July 5, 2014 in Article

 

Our younger generation needs to see authentic, genuine faith lived out in our lives all the time, every day


(I found this on the internet and thought it was important for our consideration)

A recent Barna survey explores ways of trying to better reach out to our kids and grandkids, our young adults and children.  Here are some results from some of their research on the “Millennials,” the largest generation ever in this country, born roughly between 1980 and 2002.

Almost six in ten (59%) who grew up in churches leave their faith or the church at some point in the first ten years of their adult life.  That’s way too many.  And when this generation is asked what has helped their faith grow, they say such things as prayer, family and friends, the Bible, having children.  What is conspicuously absent from the top ten—the church.  That’s right.  Church doesn’t even make it on a list of ten things that help their faith grow.

And this generation says something the older ones feel in an even greater way—that life seems complicated, that it’s hard to know how to live with all the information, worldviews and opinions they face in our culture and society each day.  We forget sometimes that our youth and young adults feel the same way we do about the craziness in our culture today.  And specifically what they are saying is even more telling:  that today’s church “does not offer deep, thoughtful of challenging answers to life in a complex culture.”  Our kids and grandkids are saying they need help making sense of life today!  

We must do better, and give them the serious, considerate, relevant help they need!  God’s Word and the church should be the source of such help!  If it’s not, that’s on us, not them.

The Barna research sees good news and opportunities in all this, giving several areas that we as a church and as caring older brothers and sisters in Christ can help develop greater connections with this group.  These include building deeper relationships (the number one thing this generation—and all of us—crave); teaching cultural discernment; two-way mentoring—building opportunities for the older and the younger among us to learn from and contribute to each other, helping them see the value in their career from the perspective of a spiritual and Christian calling; and facilitating more and greater connections with Jesus.anauthenticlife

What is especially key is for our younger generation to see authentic, genuine faith lived out in our lives all the time, every day.  That means at home, work and church.  That means when they hear us talk about someone or something they see and hear the love and spirit of Christ in our words, our tone, and our attitude.  That means they see our words and beliefs matching up consistently (though not perfectly) with our values and our actions.

And a hearty amen to this quote:  “Parents as well as church and organizational leaders should be open to learning all they can about Millennials in order to maximize their efforts to spiritually engage them.  However, they should take care not to idolize this emerging generation and in so doing create a form of age-ism.  Millennials should be a priority not because ‘youth must be served,’ but because this generation is trying to learn faithfulness in a rapidly changing post-Christian culture.  Millennials need the help of faithful believers from older generations if they are to make sense of it all and move meaningfully forward in their life and faith.”

And isn’t that what we want for them more than anything else in this world?

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2014 in counsel, Encouragement

 

Who will be going to Heaven?


 

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This article is given with the writer’s fervent hope it will help open doors of opportunity to study about Jesus together. Isaiah said: “Come, now let us reason together, saith the Lord…” (Isa. 1:18). 

Therefore, let us reason about the true source of authority. It does not matter what any group believes if they are not following God’s directions, as revealed in His Word. Whatever these churches (or any churches) believe had better be what the Lord Jesus commands! Peter said: “if any man speaketh, speaking as it were the oracles of God…” (I Pet. 4:11). 

good giftsThe church must be subject to Christ and His authority. Paul said: “And he is the head of the body, the church…that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18). 

There must never be church rules or creeds! One must never be required to satisfy the member of a local church. While some religious groups vote members in, the Bible teaches: “And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved” (Acts 2:47). If the Lord does the adding, no man must ever dare to do the subtracting (3 John 9, 10)!

Therefore, whatever churches of Christ believe must be handed down to them by Jesus in His word (John 16:13, 14). We must never render our opinions as if we are God! We must present the Bible as the message of God (Deut. 4:2; 2 Pet. 1:21). 

Again, the statement: “does the church of Christ believe,” indicates the wrong people are being asked! Jesus will judge us all by His word (Jn. 12:48). Jesus, not an elder, preacher, or member, “…is the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6). 

Who is going to heaven?  Must one keep a church’s rules to be saved? Must one join a particular denomination to enjoy salvation? Is one denomination better than another? Perhaps some of the difficulty with these questions is a misunderstanding of terms. The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia which means “those called out.” Remember Acts 2:47: “…And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.” 

In other words, those that responded to the gospel message (Acts 2:38, 41) were “called out” of the world and into Christ. They became a part of the church because the church is that body of saved believers. When one is baptized into Christ, he becomes part of His bride (Eph. 5:22-33, body (Eph. 1:22, 23; 4:4), or church (Matt. 16:18). Paul said: “For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body…” (I Cor. 12:13). 

Our Lord never wanted the religious division so prevalent in the world today. He prayed that we might be one (Jn. 17:17, 20-21). It grieves our Lord to see rules of men divide us. Why can’t we simply forget the rules of men, open our Bibles, and obey the Lord? When we do, He will add us to His church, not a denomination (Acts 2:47). 

There are various scriptural names for this church. “churches of Christ (Rom. 16:16), “church of God” (I Cor. 1:1), “pillar and ground of the truth” (I Tim. 3:15), “my church” (Matt. 16:18), “one body” (Eph. 4:4), “the bride” (Rev. 22:7), and on and on we could go. These are all descriptive names for the same church built by Jesus (Matt. 16:18; I Cor. 3:11). 

Also, this body of believers will obey the Lord without compromising His will (Gal. 1:6-9). People who obey Jesus (Heb. 5:8, 9) and become His by being called out of the world into the “called out ones” are saved (Gal. 3:26-27). 

Long ago, Solomon warned: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14:12). It may sound good, feel good, look good, but is it what Jesus said?  The apostle John gave this acid test: “And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (I Jn. 2:3, 4). 

How do you know Jesus? Has some man guided you with creeds, tradition, or extra-biblical “revelations?” Come to know Him the way King Jesus through the apostle John commanded. Let’s open our Bibles, and hear right from Jesus ourselves (Jn. 16:13, 14). Let’s “reason together.” 

It does not matter what churches of Christ believe nor any of their members. All that matters is the will of our blessed Lord.  Jesus and His word are always right. In the very words of God Himself at the Mount of Transfiguration: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him” (Matt. 17:5).

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2014 in Heaven