Finally finished our Gotcha Day video… Enjoy
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The Magic of a Dry Erase Marker
With facebook, texting, emailing, twitter, blogs…do you ever miss an old-fashioned hand written note? You know…getting a card in the mail or hand passing notes like we did in junior high? There is something special about seeing your loved one’s handwriting. It’s theirs and only theirs. A small gift to you from them.
Here’s an easy TIP to pour into our marriage or parenting:
”THE MAGIC OF A DRY ERASE MARKER”…simple and easy…check this out…
I read this somewhere and thought it was brilliant! We keep a dry erase marker in our bathroom and every once in awhile jot a hand written love note to each other on the mirror. It is so fun to wake up or to come home from school or work to a small hand written love note. Simple way to pour into your marriage or into your kiddos! (And it is easy to clean up…wipes right off with a dry cloth.) Note: Don’t use it for reminders for your husband, wife, or kiddos…it kills the mood….ha!
WARNING: DO NOT USE A PERMENANT MARKER! THAT WOULD BE ONE EXPENSIVE LOVE NOTE! MAKE SURE YOUR KIDDOS KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MARKERS…JUST SAYIN…HA!
Now go get yourself a dry erase marker!
Datenites…make dating your spouse a priority
Joe and I go out twice a month on a hot date! Yes, after 15 yrs of marriage, 18 yrs together, and 20 yrs of knowing each other, we still date! We know relationships take work…hard work, so we carve out time to spend together. Alone. Without the kiddos. (Moms…this one can be a hard one for us at times and not so hard at times, esp when we are stir crazy to get a moment of just being, but still carve out that time…IT IS WORTH IT!) Sometimes we go for walks on our bike path, sometimes we just chat over a cuppa Starbucks, sometimes we play! He truly knows how to make me laugh and I love to spend time with him! We are the type of couple that when we are apart, we miss each other. We also have realized that if we don’t pursue one another our love tanks become depleted.
Dates don’t have to kill your budget. This took some creativity on our part, but we trade with close friends for our date nights. We watch their kids one Friday and then they watch ours the next. We keep the trade off the same every month. They go out first weekend of the month and we go out the second. This way we know that we can’t make plans because we have a commitment to each other. So we encourage you all to “Date” your spouses! Next to your relationship with the Lord, it is the most important relationship you have and it will continue long after the kids leave the house. A good marriage is one of the best gifts you can give your family! Each day this week, do one thing a day to show your spouse you love them! Write them a love note, take the time to sit and talk over coffee, bring home their favorite chocolate or food just for them, initiate sex, get a babysitter and go on a date, complete a task they’ve been asking you to do, send them something at work telling them you miss them when they are gone, brag on him/her in front of your friends, text them and tell them you LOVE them, thank them for something they do for you! Pursue each other and find out what meets the other person’s needs!
Share with us! What are some ideas that have worked to make datenites a priority in your marriage or relationship?
Wanting to focus on your family this year?
Guest post by my amazing wife…
My husband and I are passionate about the “Family”. We have spent the last decade in full time ministry working with children and their families. Our hearts desire is to encourage husbands and wives to focus on growing closer together as a couple and raise their children to live lives that are pleasing to God.
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God is doing great things through the Family Road Map! Each time we send a shipment out, I pray that one more family or church ministry is helped or encouraged through it. Just wanted to share a comment from one family who has worked through the Road Map, “We keep working through the Family Road Map. Really fun. Went to Chili’s for dinner on Friday night and talked through it a bit. Then on Saturday, we talked about a few pages for a couple hours! It’s an awesome tool.” Love getting these emails! Thank you to those whom have shared a little of your story of how God has used it in your family!
We want to share a snippet of our family values with you. These values help us to focus day in and day out what were all about as a family. Our children know them by heart and we integrate them in how we parent and why we do what we do. They help keep us on track or bring us back on track for that matter. The Family Road Map was designed to help you determine the purpose and direction of your family along with mile markers and yearly tune-ups. It walks you step by step in how to pinpoint your own family values and how to integrate them into everyday life.
Our Family Purpose and Values
“Our family exists to Live a Life that is owned by God.” I Peter 2:9
1. Authentic relationship with God: real worship, in the word, prayer, outspoken, missions, …not in a box Christianity
2. Family Time: fun, laughter, cuddling, enjoy life, vacations, hikes, camping, movie nights, family days
3. Family First: elbow to elbow, don’t take sides against the family, closeness
4. Grace: forgiveness, unconditional love
5. Integrity: truth, admitting downfalls, authenticity
6. Individualism: creativity, likes, dislikes, personality
7. Leadership: teachable heart, learner, manners, cooperation, respect, can stand alone, lead out
8. Power of Words and Attitude
9. Servant Heart: kindness, thoughtfulness, poor, orphans, widows, other’s first
10. Simplicity: contentment
11. Wise Choices: discernment
12. Good Enough: your best is good enough
So here are our values, who we are, and why we live how we try to live each day!
Categories: Marriage, Tool Box
Tags: Family, Family Road Map, Parenting, Parenting 101
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New Year Resolutions…again
Ok, we all make them… every year we make them. What’s yours? I have several, here’s a few of them:
1. Writing – My wife and I want to finish our Children’s Book on Adoption
2. Blogging – get my act together this year and really expand the influence.
3. Reading – 40 books (10 “classics”, 20 ministry related, 10 just for fun)
Give us a few of yours…
Influencing the Next Generation Part 3 –Roadblock
One practical roadblock to influencing the next generation:
1. Self-centeredness
Matthew 19:14 – Don’t hinder the children …
Here’s the deal with kids… the quality of the relationship determines the extent of Influence
When communities of faith spend too much time making decision based on how they feel, how they communicate, the style of music they like, etc. they can slip into a place where they place themselves at the center of their world and forget to take up the banner of leading a younger generation. We need to be so careful as to not miss out on reaching this generation simply because we’re too busy focusing on ourselves.
Categories: Engage the Culture
Tags: Influencing the next Generation, Roadblock, Series
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Influencing the Next Generation Part 2 – Influencing
I remember growing up in here in Ohio and sitting next to an elderly Chinese man name Ty Mao. We sat on the left hand side of the auditorium, about three rows back. Every few months, the pastor would open up the microphone for “open testimony”. Every time, Mr. Mao would tell of his escape from communist China in the 1960’s with his wife and daughter. He would tell of how he watched many of his friends taken to prison and even put to death. He would tell of a particular time when soldiers came into this workplace and put gun to his head in order to shoot him right in front of his wife and daughter… only the gun wouldn’t work, it froze. After a short time, the soldiers lost interest in left.
Every couple months, Mr. Mao would tie my pew, which I sat in into a bigger story of God’s protection and grace. As a result of people like Ty Mao, I grew up with a REALLY BIG GOD.
I Corinthians 10:6
6Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved.
Paul writes to a community in order to be sure they remember the past as the head into an uncertain future. I influence this next generation every time I tie my story with their story…into God’s story.
Influencing the Next Generation Part I – Teaching
This short 3 part blog series is taken from a message that I gave back in April on Influencing the Next Generation. As we head into the Christmas season, a time filled with school programs, parties, and family traditions, it’s a great reminder that how we live day in and day out influences our kids. Dad and mom, you ARE the primary influences in your children’s lives…(note: it’s not that you should be… you are!) You will influence your children one way or another. It’s up to you as to which.
Back in 1998 my wife and I spent the summer in Ireland. I was completing an internship for my mission’s degree. While we were there one of the missionaries, an elderly man (late 70’s) and father of the team leader, announced that his colon cancer was back and that the outcome didn’t look promising. He announced to the group that they had decided not to do surgery, but instead to just let it go… We we’re amazed at how calm he was. Here’s the thing: a couple months later we were back in a similar meeting when he announced in the same calm and collected way that his last doctor’s appointment revealed that the cancer was gone. There was no way to explain it, the doctors were dumbfounded, but he wasn’t. He simply said, “Huh, isn’t that just how God works sometimes.”
As we left Ireland a couple months later I asked the man if he has any advice to give a young pastor just starting out. Here’s what he said,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
Tom SHOWED me his belief in the God’s word. I saw his belief in action. We teach the next generation how to keep an eternal perspective by the way we live it out day in and day out.
Categories: Engage the Culture
Tags: Influencing the next Generation, Series, Teaching
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Parenting Sound Bites
Heard this story a little while back:
One evening a little child named, Billy, was allowed to sit in his father’s place at the dinner table while his father was absent. His slightly older sister asked Billy, “So, you’re the father tonight. All right, will you help me with my homework after dinner?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Billy replied nonchalantly, “No, I’ve got work to do. Ask your mother!”
Question: If your child(ren) were to give a few soundbites of you, what would it sound like?
