This came from a Sunday School take home paper at church.
1. Think before you speak.
2. Listen to what the children have to say.
3. Discipline lovingly and justly with the goal of teaching.
4. Praise your children often.
5. Support your child through the good and bad.
6 Put your child's well-being before your job or anything else that can get
in the way.
7. Be an example worth copying.
8. Say what you mean and mean what you say.
9. Help your child reach their full potential.
10. Point your child to Jesus and pray for him / her often during the day.
This Sunday I will be preaching from Ephesians about family relationships. There is an interesting verse just before the "wives submit to your husbands" part which all of us husbands love to quote. Ephesians 5:21 says to submit to one another out of reverence to the Lord.
Commandment #6 above has sparked in me because lately my children have been making comments like, "I know Dad is helping alot of people but..." But the problem is they want ME, not just an example of someone who is ministering to others.
Submitting to others also means that I realize that one of my family's needs is ME, and I submit to that need by making them a top priority. I am not saying that everything else is thrown completely out. Everything must have its proper order and balance. Family is one of the things God created me for; I should be doing my best for them out of reverence to God.
Bryan
Thursday, 19 July 2007
Monday, 16 July 2007
Ways children make us proud
There is one thing better than catching your own children doing something right, and that is someone else catching them and telling you about it! It seems so easy for us to notice every wrong thing and scold them for it. We have all read lots about praising their every good effort, so they can see that we are pleased with them as well.
So, Sunday afternoon Luke tells Dawn that he helped Miss Eva clean up the room after Sunday School. Dawn asked him if Miss Eva asked him to help, and he said that she did not ask, he just wanted to help. Today I was talking to Eva and she tells me how helpful Luke was after Sunday School. Well, I probably do not have to tell you that I was more than proud.
Dawn has recently been going through a book with the kids called Getting Rid of the Whining and Complaining in You and Your Kids. It is really about honoring each other in the family and others as well. It was a perfect chance for Dawn to reinforce how pleased she was with him for honoring another.
How else can we show honor for the people in our families? We can do things like make a bed or leave a note anonymously. How about telling the whole family how proud we are of one of them? Do not forget to do that for each one along the way. Leave a comment of ways you have been honored or how you have honored another, so we can all do better.
Next time I want to share a list of TEN COMMANDMENTS for parents.
Blessings
Bryan
So, Sunday afternoon Luke tells Dawn that he helped Miss Eva clean up the room after Sunday School. Dawn asked him if Miss Eva asked him to help, and he said that she did not ask, he just wanted to help. Today I was talking to Eva and she tells me how helpful Luke was after Sunday School. Well, I probably do not have to tell you that I was more than proud.Dawn has recently been going through a book with the kids called Getting Rid of the Whining and Complaining in You and Your Kids. It is really about honoring each other in the family and others as well. It was a perfect chance for Dawn to reinforce how pleased she was with him for honoring another.
How else can we show honor for the people in our families? We can do things like make a bed or leave a note anonymously. How about telling the whole family how proud we are of one of them? Do not forget to do that for each one along the way. Leave a comment of ways you have been honored or how you have honored another, so we can all do better.
Next time I want to share a list of TEN COMMANDMENTS for parents.
Blessings
Bryan
Confessions
I just thought that I would confess something to you. It' is easy in cyberspace to always put your best forward which can begin to look like we never have any issues that need working on. I confess that I began this blog to help me identify the needs in my own life and family. It seems that I have always been one to want to share my journey with others in order to figure out my journey.
Anyway my prayer is that along the way, as I find God teaching me, that someone else might gain something too. We are not so different you and I, and our journeys run parallel, sometimes our paths will cross. I thank God for our connections with you. I must also confess that I need you too.
Please feel free to email me at the address at the top with ideas about being intentional in your family relationships. You can also subscribe at the bottom of these posts so these posts will go straight to your email inbox. Lastly, comment on the posts if you have additional thoughts, so we can all gain from each other's experiences.
Blessings,
Bryan
Anyway my prayer is that along the way, as I find God teaching me, that someone else might gain something too. We are not so different you and I, and our journeys run parallel, sometimes our paths will cross. I thank God for our connections with you. I must also confess that I need you too.
Please feel free to email me at the address at the top with ideas about being intentional in your family relationships. You can also subscribe at the bottom of these posts so these posts will go straight to your email inbox. Lastly, comment on the posts if you have additional thoughts, so we can all gain from each other's experiences.
Blessings,
Bryan
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