Fun on the Run: 7 Ways to Take Back Your Schedule this Year
By prioritizing, your family can have fun without feeling they always are rushing from activity to activity. After all, running should be part of the fun, not the way you get there.
Consider these family friendly principles for prioritizing your schedule.
1. Family Mealtimes How often do you choose fast food because you have not planned ahead? Plan ahead which evenings will be restaurant or drive-through evenings and which will be cook-at-home nights. Stick to the plan.
2. Downtime. Without downtime, you will burn out quickly. God did not create people (including children) to be on the go nonstop. Plan time to be at home without structured activities or responsibilities. Refresh, recharge, and get reacquainted with those you love.
3. Church Activities Stay involved in worship and Sunday School. Pray about which other church activities will best help your family grow in their relationship to Christ.
4. School and Community Activities Consider a reasonable amount of involvement for community and school activities. Many parents of young children find that one extracurricular activity at a time per child is a good limit.
5. Family Outings Plan time for short outings (one or two hours or a whole day).
6. Special Occasions Strive to keep special occasions special. You may have wonderful memories of homemade cakes and elaborate meals. Continue the tradition with your own family.
7. Chores The laundry, dishes, and yard work can be part of a schedule. If there is a planned time to do the laundry, then it is more likely to get done. If not, it becomes an emergency operation in an already-too-packed schedule. n
Article from Lifeway.com.
Get a Mental Makeover
The Bible offers insight into the way God designed our minds and how He can transform our thinking, enabling us to make positive improvements in our habits and choices. To get a mental makeover, use these Biblical strategies:
- Take every thought captive. "We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Holman Christian Standard Bible). To overcome the continuous pattern of negative thinking, listen to your thoughts and realize when they do not match up to the truth of God's Word. Write down the negative thoughts and ask God to show you His truth that counters it. List the truth beside the negative thought and when that thought comes to mind, replace it with the scripture or truth you have discovered. Avoid trying to conquer every thought at once. Begin with one negative thought and when you have replaced it several times with the truth, move to the next one.
- Release condemning thoughts. "Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1, HCSB). Thoughts that belittle are destructive and compound the negative conclusions we draw. Avoid condemnation by admitting mistakes and errors that are common in life. Remember, only Jesus was perfect. Ask for forgiveness when necessary from God, others and yourself and move on without continuing to belittle or berate yourself.
- Realize you are powerless to change on your own but you can change through Christ's power working in you. "I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13, HCSB). Ask for God's help in making these mental changes. Seek help from another qualified person that can also help you work through the negative thoughts. A Christian counselor or your pastor may be helpful in making changes in your mind, attitude and habits. A trusted accountability partner that understands your struggles can help to keep you on track.
- Renew your mind. "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2a, HCSB). Negative thoughts are developed over many years and often a lifetime. Many times these thoughts began from someone else's comments that stuck and made an impression on you. Other outside influences to our thoughts are television, books, magazines, pictures, advertisements, and music. Transform your mind by learning and meditating on God's truth. Commit to turning off the outside influences that most strongly impact your thinking.
- Think on these things. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise - dwell on these things" Philippines 4:8, HCSB). Test your thoughts against this check list. If your thoughts do not match up to the criteria God has provided, release the thought as unworthy of your mental energy.
Changing your mind will not happen overnight. But, as you gradually realize and change the way you think about yourself, you will change your attitude and then your actions. Even with a mental makeover there will continue to be mental work. Trust God for the consistent renewal of your mind and reap the benefits of an attitude and action adjustment.
For the complete article, go to LifeWay.
Moral relativism - the 'troubling' future of America's children
A new study compiled by the Josephson Institute -- a California-based ethics organization -- highlights the problem of dishonesty among America's school-age children.
More than 29,000 students were randomly surveyed for the study -- and Dr. Bill Maier, clinical psychologist at Focus on the Family, says the results are troubling. The study reveals that 64 percent of those surveyed said they had cheated on a test, 36 percent claimed to have used the Internet to plagiarize their school work, 42 percent lied to save money, and overall 93 percent claimed they were satisfied with their personal ethics. On top of that, 30 percent admitted to shoplifting.
"I think this is very troubling, and it's just one more indication of how relativism has infected our society and negatively influenced the behavior of young people," Maier notes. "[W]e've seen over the last generation or so a move to question absolute truth and certainly to question biblical truth -- and it really doesn't surprise me that now we are starting to see the result in the behavior of our young people."
40/40 Prayer Vigil
While many Americans claim to pray on a daily basis (nearly as many don't), the bigger question is who are they praying to and are they getting a response?
With the results of a recent study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life now available, it is estimated that 58 percent of Americans pray on a daily basis but only 19 percent say they receive an answer "at least once a week."
Among evangelical church members polled in the Forum's Religious Landscape Survey, 78 percent say they pray daily, but only 29 percent hear from God. Nearly 40 percent (38 percent) of evangelicals told the researchers they received answers to their prayers only "several times a year" or "seldom or never." Read More
Bring Your Family Together at Meal Time
When my husband, Bill, and I were raising three children in our cozy little home, our happiest times were dinner times. Our goal was to serve super suppers that hit the spot after long school days. We would laugh, tell stories, pray, sing hymns, dance the conga around the table - and eat, of course. During those meals, we were developing our family's culture and emphasizing our beliefs and values. Combining fun and learning, we taught our children the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer around the dinner table. Sometimes we'd go around the table, each person saying the next word of a commandment. Or Bill would repeat a line of the Lord's Prayer, leaving a word out, and the kids would guess the missing word. We also shared the mundane and profound details of our day. It was our time to reconnect in a safe, comfortable place.
With a little planning and focus on priorities, this kind of fellowship is attainable in even the busiest households.
Religious Rights in School
All Children are exposed to unchristian influences at some point, and children who attend public schools may be exposed to them sooner rather than later. But that does not have to be bad. It gives parents many opportunities to teach their children to be in the world but not of it, and it lets public school students learn that lesson while they are still living within the shelter of a Christian home.
In order to be an effective teacher, you need to know what the law says about religion in public schools. When can your child pray? When can he talk about his faith? Unfortunately, the law is not always clear. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has decided some cases about religion in schools, it has not addressed every situation. Until it does, schools are bound by the law in the Federal Circuit where they are located, and the law can vary from one Circuit to another. You also need discernment to determine which issues are worth fighting about and which are not. But use every situation as a teaching opportunity, even if it is simply a lesson in discernment and love.
Faith & Politics
If the results of a recent study are at all accurate, most Americans don't consider the precepts of their faith when they make their decisions on which political candidates to support.
In a recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey, fewer than one in six respondents (14 percent) mentioned their religious beliefs as having the most influence on their political views. If an individual's faith has an impact, it apparently is indirect and is wrapped up in the amalgamation referred to as "personal experiences" by the pollsters. Most of those who were surveyed (34 percent) said it was those personal, life experiences that most informed their choices. The news media was cited by 19 percent of those who were asked about the primary influence on their political thinking.
Yet the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's iVoteValues.com initiative holds that not only should an individual's faith drive their Election Day decisions, it should also compel a person to be involved in the nation's civic affairs.
Full article here...
Baptists Respond to Growing Hunger Crisis Around World
IMB missionaries are working alongside Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist international relief and development organization, to help people in places like Zimbabwe and other areas of the world – some of which can't be mentioned for security reasons.
In recent months, Baptists have provided about 1,000 packages of food – rice, dry beans, wheat flour, cooking oil, salt, powdered milk, canned corned beef, sugar and tea – for Zimbabwe. Another shipment of 3,900 packages is on the way.
Helping Students Overcome the Hurdles of Adolescence
The hurdles teens encounter during their four years of high school are big challenges for teens and their parents. How adults handle these challenges can make a big difference in a teenager's transition to adulthood. Youth need opportunities to learn on their own. The following are a few hurdles that all teens face that can produce growth experiences. Share these with the parents of your students to help them better understand their teenagers.
Boom in Baptism at Tennessee Church Goes Against Trend
While baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention continue to decline, reaching their lowest point since the 1980s, Long Hollow Baptist is having a baptism boom.
The Sumner County church baptized 515 people last year, more than any other congregation in the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
Factors:
One is favorable demographics — the church is located in a growing area, with many young families. "The average age of our congregation is 30 to 35," said Jeff Lovingood, the church's student pastor.
Having many young families means the church is swarming with kids, Taylor said. That's important, he said, pointing to a 2004 study by the Barna Group, a California research company that studies evangelicals. According to the study, "two out of three born-again Christians made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday."
The church's pastor and other leaders also stress the importance of relationship evangelism — church members inviting friends and neighbors to church.
Chuck Lawless, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., says that relationship evangelism has become more prevalent than crusades or revival meetings.
"When I became a Christian 30 years ago," he said, "my church had a week of revival meetings. That's doesn't happen much anymore."
The point is not to befriend people solely as potential converts. "It's loving them enough as a friend that you would be remiss not to share the good news with them."
Pop Culture & Teen Stars
Child-stars do not have a very good track record for navigating the path from adolescence to adulthood. And it seems the more fame the child achieves, the more treacherous the trip. Very few make it without some embarrassing episode being exposed for public consumption. Many don't even survive the trip.
Parents who whine about another child-star falling from grace have, in part, themselves to blame. Any parent who encourages his or her children to have a child actor/singer as a role model needs to think twice.
For the full article, click here.
Social Networks: A Way to Find Prospects and Keep Up with Members?
An online social network is a Website on which you enter your identity—your name, schools you attended, employment, or pictures. Your profile is then searchable by other people on the social network. As you find your friends, others also find you. It’s a place to build relationships and connect.
Social networks aren’t simply a newfangled technology fad. They represent places to find people, and they serve as a hub for friendships and relationships. Make it a point to set up your own social network account. As you begin to connect with old friends and others in the ministry, consider how your church can develop a social ministry mindset.
Move your teen toward a Biblical perspective on sexuality
Sexual identity topics dominate the tabloids on many newsstands. What’s more, today’s mixed-up cultural values constantly invade Christian households. While godly parents try to “teach a youth about the way he should go” (Prov. 22:6), ungodly messages shout to teens from every angle. The home has become a major front in the battle for purity and healthy sexual identity formation.
Talking to your child about becoming a Christian
As a Christian parent, you are involved in your child’s spiritual growth. Talking about becoming a Christian should be as natural as talking about the week’s schedule.
The following are some things to consider when talking to your child about becoming a Christian:
Ask open-ended questions, such as, “Why do you want to be baptized?” or “What does being a Christian mean to you?” Do not ask yes or no questions such as, “Do you love Jesus?”
Ask follow-up questions. “Why do you say that?” “What else do you know (think, believe)?” Open-ended and follow-up questions can help you determine where your child is spiritually.
For the full article, click here.
Five Biblical Purposes for Your Marriage
"...until you realize you and your mate were placed together for God's purposes, then your marriage will be difficult, complicated and exhausting. But once you understand God's plan, your marriage takes on new meaning."
Does God Use Me?
Evangelism is a process. Unfortunately, many people forget how important they are to the process. We often believe that if we weren't the one who actually invited the person to surrender his or her life to the Lord, we had no part in that person's salvation. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Resolutions from the 2007 Southern Baptist Convention
A number of important resolutions were passed at the recently held Southern Baptist Convention, including those regarding hate crimes legislation and protecting children from abuse.
Poll: Southern Baptists say 'don't drink'
A majority of Southern Baptist senior pastors and laity believe Christians should not drink alcohol and that using it could cause other believers to stumble, according to a new poll by LifeWay Research.
The survey asked Southern Baptist and non-Southern Baptist pastors and laity a series of seven questions about alcohol, ranging from their views on whether getting drunk is against Scripture to whether drinking alcohol is an example of Christian liberty.
For the full article, click here.
The Child-Driven Marriage
Too often, busy parents lose sight of what a healthy family looks like. Many parents place too much emphasis on the needs of the child at the expense of the marital relationship. So how do you keep your marriage a priority, and avoid letting Junior becoming king of the hill?
For the full article, click here.
The Burgeoning Modesty Movement
Move over Paris and Britney. Make room for the "mild girls." A recent Newsweek story described a growing modesty movement in which young women are learning they don't have to be what Newsweek calls "bad, or semi-clad."
It's a welcome backlash. Author Wendy Shalit calls it "a youth led rebellion" in her new book, "Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self Respect and Find It's Not Bad to Be Good." The book is filled with stories of girls who, often motivated by their faith, or just the innate desire not to be defined as sex objects, hunger to escape the sexualized culture.
For the full article, click here.
A Call for Christian Civility
Do we love one another? Do we love our pastors? Do we genuinely care one for another? Do we care for the lost? Obviously, the list could go on and on, but the question remains, "Do we love and care for one another?"
For the full article, click here.
Printer Friendly Format