On this Monday morning, why not try to tackle each of the following “mother” tasks at some point during the coming week?

1. Tell each one of your children that you love them.  Not an impersonal “I love you,” but a “look ‘em in the eyes and make sure they know you mean it” I love you.
2. Address one unattractive habit that has mastered your child.  From biting their nails to saying the impulsive ‘Oh my God,’ your children need specific guidance when it comes to those issues that are uncomely, unholy and/or unflattering.
3. Think of one particular area where your child excels and make a point of complimenting them.  Don’t overlook a single thing and make sure your flattery is genuine.
4. Consider which of your child’s all-important character traits needs correcting…and correct it!  Maybe they’ve fallen into a pattern of lying; perhaps their disrespect for you has come to a head; maybe unkindness is dictating their manner of speech or perchance laziness has become their best friend.  Whatever the issue, the training of character falls solely on you (and your spouse).  And if you’re lax, they’ll be lax.
5. Subscribe to their dreams and get to know what really makes them tick (not what you hope will make them tick).  Maybe you’re hoping for a piano player but your child is making great strides in the world of photography.  Maybe you’re pushing them toward the field of medicine but they are passionately headed toward the mission field.  KNOW what drives them and help them pursue it.
6. Make the decision to correct a failed disciplinary strategy.  Whether it’s counting to three or ineffective timeouts, nagging or yelling idol threats, your home will never be at peace as long as your child does not have a healthy fear of you and the godly standards you’ve established.   Remember, the only consequence that really works is the consequence your child dreads receiving.
7. Engage your children in spiritual discussions.  Whether they are little ones learning Bible stories or teenagers learning abstinence, fill them up with godly truth and sound, Biblical advice (yes, you’ve got to spend time with the Lord yourself in order to fulfill this goal…).
8. And finally – pray, pray, pray!  Pray for them, with them and about them.  Pray before they wake up and then pray with them before they go to bed.  Pray as a family, pray as marriage partners.  Teach them to pray individually and always pray together at mealtime.  Pray in a restaurant, pray for every big decision and lay hands on them in prayer before they walk out the door.

See if you can accomplish at least one of each of the above duties.  Each one is Biblical; each one works.

As we opened Psalm 105 to prepare our hearts for prayer (I randomly opened to that passage), we heard an enormous accident take place in our garage.  We didn’t know what it was, of course, but we could tell it was bad.  Upon arrival, we discovered that the massive shelf holding our chain saw, our extra tool box and ALL our assorted left-over paint cans from over the years had plummeted to the floor from at least 9 feet above.  Consequently, paint from approximately 15-20 gallons was seeping across our newly re-surfaced garage floor as well as the front of my husband’s car.

As we sprang into action while the tension mounted between us, God brought to my mind 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  Immediately, I set out to try to figure out how to be thankful a midst this disaster.  Here’s what I came up with at the time that calmed my heart:

• Thankfully we own a power washer (and my husband is here to haul it up from the basement)…
• The warm weather will help dry out the garage…
• I have plenty of disposable gloves…
• It’s a good thing we are home otherwise the paint would have dried and the power washer would have been pointless…
• The garage needs a good cleaning anyway…
• I love not needing to save anything from that top shelf (…it’s all going into the trash and we’re not going to miss any of it!)…
• Only the power washer can clean this floor mat that’s been hanging around in the garage needing my attention (…and while I’m at it, I’ll clean the other seven mats from both our cars…wow, they’ve never been so clean!)…
• I’ll take this opportunity to power wash the spiderweb-covered garage windows.  I don’t think they’ve ever been cleaned…
• Because I recently laid down this vinyl covering on my floor (that’s cleanable), the paint, with much effort, IS coming up.  If it had fallen on the regular floor, we would not be able to get it up…
• Wow, my husband and I are working as a team even though we should be cranky and irritable…
• I’m not sure where I’m going to make up the time this cleanup is taking, but I DO know I trust God and his sovereign control over my life…

Two and a half hours later, my husband and I resumed praying.  Determined to defeat the Enemy and prove to him that he was not going to succeed in steeling our prayer time, we opened once again to Psalm 105 and began reading.  It said, “Until the time came to fulfill his word, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.  Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free” (verse 19-20a).  And as we realized our character was being tested as well, we thanked God for always fulfilling his promises - “…you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now.”

So, what should serving the Lord look like in the family unit?

• Consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. – Hebrews 10:24
• Husbands love your wives and never treat them harshly. – Colossians 3:19
• Fathers, don’t aggravate your children.  If you do they will become discouraged and quit trying. – Colossians 3:21
• Give generously…not grudgingly, for the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do. – Deuteronomy 15:10
• Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. – Colossians 3:18
• Do not keep a record of when you’ve been wronged. – 1 Corinthians 13:5
• Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. – James 5:16
• Do not be irritable or easily offended. – 1 Corinthians 13:5
• Children must always obey your parents, for this is what pleases the Lord. – Colossians 3:20
• Honor one another above yourselves – Romans 12:10
• Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as, in Christ, God forgave you. – Ephesians 4:32
• Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.
• Agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. – 1 Corinthians 1:10

Practice these basic biblical precepts and watch your family unit transform before your eyes.

Only three Thursday’s left L…I hope you’ll be able to make each one of them.

As stated in an earlier email, this week we’ll conclude our book by discussing the author’s definition of subtle Worldliness.  The following week, Thursday the 19^th, we’ll have a time of Q&A – an opportunity for you to ask questions, gain clarification on issues of concern and further discuss any topic of interest with regards to our study.  And finally, on April 26^th, we’ll gather at Amy’s home for our annual brunch/sharing time.  Please, please try to join us for each of these important dates.  The summer is long and it’s always good to build-up reinforcements!

A few reminders:

• Remember to send your prayer requests/updates to Paula (paulalkh@aol.com) so we can spend maximum time in prayer for each other on Thursday.
• Come prepared to discuss our desire to participate in a community outreach effort.
• Why not take a half an hour and update your note cards?
• Beside reading this week’s chapter on “Worldliness,” consider the “Take it to Heart” section on page 85 in your discussion guides.

I hope to see you all this Thursday…

Blessings

At the end of his song, with his successor Joshua at his side, Moses concludes by saying (verses 46-47) “Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions.  These instructions are not empty words—they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan River.”

I love this:  These instructions are not empty words – they are your life!  It’s so true!  When we take the Bible off our shelves, study it, and then apply what we’ve learned to our day to day situations, we discover the wisdom, love and grace contained in its pages.  We begin to truly distinguish right from wrong, we recognize truth and fight against error, we’re able to pioneer humility and give others a glimpse of Christ-likeness.

Yes, the instructions in God’s love letter, the Bible, are life!  They give life, they create new beginnings, they help us discover solutions and they destroy death.  My advise?  Learn them, know them and put them into practice today.