God’s Love Energizes Believing

Something got me going on this topic again. I don’t know what it is, but I feel that this is perhaps the most important topic a Christian can study. If a Christian learns to walk in God’s love, his life is changed. God’s love gives wings to life. His love sets a man free.

Recently I saw a verse in Galatians that got me thinking.

Galatians 5: ⁶For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

The word faith here comes from the Greek word pistis- which means believing in this context.

The word worketh is the Greek word  energeō  which means- to put forth power, be at work, to be operative. Our English word energize or energized comes from this word energeō.  ENERGIZED I like this word.

Love is the Greek word agapē- which is God’s Love.

Let’s put this in simple terms, believing is energized by God’s Love. If our believing is energized by God’s love, then isn’t this the most important topic a Christian could focus on? All of life is based on believing. We are either believing positively or negatively in our daily life. When you walk in God’s love your believing is energized and brings about positive result.

1 Corinthians13: ¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. ²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. ³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.  ⁴Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  ⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; ⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; ⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. ⁸Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. ⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. ¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. ¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The word charity in this chapter is the word agapē.

Agapē-

can only be manifested by a person who has received the gift of holy spirit from God. This chapter deals with works that born again believers can do.  With out God’s love all those works are nothing. Spending time in God’s Word and learning HOW to walk in His love is the most important thing a person can do in life.  

Recently I read something that peaked my interest in learning more about this topic. The writer mentioned that an atheist could partake in the divine love. In truth an atheist can receive the divine love via God’s Word, but an atheist could never manifest God’s love. An atheist does not have the spirit God gives to the person who believes Romans 10:9&10. An atheist is strictly a body, soul person who cannot know God. Though God’s divine love is available to the atheist via His Word a true atheist rejects what God says in his Word. Therefore an atheist could never manifest God’s love. Only a Christian believer can manifest God’s love.

Ephesians3: ¹⁶That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
¹⁷That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
 ¹⁸May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
 ¹⁹And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
 ²⁰Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
 ²¹Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

 In God’s love (agapē

) you can comprehend the breadth, length, depth and height and be filled with all the Fulness of God. It’s in walking in love that the greatness of God’s Word will truly come to light for you. That love passes knowledge. Remember, knowledge puffeth up. Without the love that God makes available that  person is a sounding  brass or a tinkling cymbal.

Look at how much God loved us. He allowed his only begotten son to be put to death so that we could be saved. Could you give up your son or daughter so that the world could be saved?  God is the biggest giver I know. He is the largest supplier of love in the world.

John 3: ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

So we know how much God loved us. We can see by the Word what Love is not, and we can see by the Word what it is, and what it does it does for us.

Here is a list of the things that the love of God is not.
1.   A sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal
2.   Nothing
3.   It envieth not
4.   Vaunteth not itself
5.   Is not puffed up
6.   Does not behave itself unseemly
7.   Is not easily provoked
8.   Thinketh no evil
9.   Rejoiceth not in iniquity.

God’s Love:
1.   Suffereth Long
2.   Is Kind
3.   Rejoiceth in truth.
4.   Beareth all things
5.   Believeth all things
6.   Hopeth all things
7.   Endureth all things
8.   Never Fails

Since this post could exceed over 10,000 words or more with the depth of this topic. I’m going to write in sections. This article is designed to get you thinking about God’s love and working God’s Word and researching  it yourself.  In my next article I’ll be writing about how to walk in God’s Love.

The Truth about God, and the Chris Henry Tragedy

It always hurts my heart when a person dies, whether it is prematurely or at an advanced age. Death is no friend. When the wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, Chris Henry was the victim of a tragic accident this week I was naturally shocked to hear of his death at such a young age.  I was even more hurt to hear the one true God get blamed for the killing. It seems to happen quite regularly. A person dies and a person of prominence declares that God was involved. This time Chad Ochocinco made the comment, here’s what he said.

“Chris was a very good, very good friend of mine. We were extremely close. It’s sad to see that it’s come to this point.He was doing everything right. He’s been doing everything right. My grandma always says you never really question the man upstairs on decisions he makes because he never makes mistakes, but … (holding back tears) I don’t see how Chris was supposed to go already. Especially when you’re on the right path.”

Now I don’t fault Chad Ochocinco for making this statement. He is really saddened at the loss of his friend. A person can only speak from his own understanding, and he can only speak from what he has been taught. The man upstairs thankfully is not the one to blame for the loss of his friend. So let’s see if we can straighten this out and determine where the blame really lies.

God in his Word has some great verses that will help to clarify where the fault truly lies.

^{Hebrews 2:14}Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;  ¹⁵And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Here we have a verse that makes it quite clear who  had the power of death. (The reason why it says had is because death is defeated in Jesus Christ. This does not mean that people are going to stop dying. It means that those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and believe in their heart that God has raised him from the dead will be saved (have eternal life). Until the return of Christ,  the gathering together, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgements, the devil is still killing people.

^{John 10:10}The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

It says the thief (which is to say the devil) comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus Christ came that we might have life more abundantly. These two verses that I have shared totally contradict the thought process that God kills or takes people for his purposes.

1 John: ¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; ²(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) ³That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our f ellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. ⁵This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

God’s desire is to have fellowship with man. He wants man’s joy to be full. If there is no darkness in God at all, then I don’t think that he is taking people who are on the right path.

Over the next number of weeks let’s all pray for Chris Henry’s fiance, family and friends.

 Finally God’s desire is that ones joy is full. It seems to me that a God who wants your joy to be full would be falling far short of that mark by killing. In truth isn’t God all Love.

1 John 1: ⁷Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. ⁸He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. ⁹In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  ¹⁰Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

God clearly love us and wants us to love Him and one another. Let’s never forget how much God really love us. He is always there to care for our every need.

Let Go, Making Love Last

How do people do it?  They make commitments for life, but only keep them for a few months or years. I don’t see where the wedding vows say until divorce do you part. It’s death do you part, and I haven’t seen
where any people have died during divorce. Although some people probably wouldn’t mind their spouse dying during the process. Why don’t people let go and make love last?

My wife has had the disney movie Enchanted playing in our house over the past few weeks. There is a song in the movie called That’s How You Know, that  I find interesting. I know it’s a movie but the lyrics make some points that could help make love last.

Here are some of those tips.
1. Leave her notes to tell her she is on your mind.
2. Send flowers when the sky is gray.
3. Find a new way to show her everyday.
4. Each day do something to need her.
5. Find Little things to do for her to bless her.

I love these little tips. Yeah they are from a movie, not a professional  marriage counselor who is trained in helping people but, if you look at relationships and the courting process you will realize that these are all things that men usually do before they get married. It’s once a couple is married that these tend to fall off.

The key to keeping your relationship sweet is to keep these things going after you are married. After kids have arrived, after you’ve been married for a few years, and after the initial romance of newly weds is through.

Love is work, relationships are work, it just depends on how willing people are to make their lives together a loving life where the couple continues to care for each other. It’s the little things we do for each other that will make that relationship stay sweet.

When I was single it was all about me. When I got married it became all about us. When kids came along it became us and the kids. There’s plenty to do when you’re taking care of so many people.  So a couple needs to prioritize what is most important. Kids are not first, you didn’t marry them. Your relationship needs to remain first. It’s the little things that you do for each other that will keep your marriage sweet.

Ladies your man needs repect. If he is loving you the way every man should then, your respect is absolutely necessary. If a man is loving a woman, but doesn’t get back that repect, he will soon grow weary of doing his part in the relationship. Respect and love require communication! Without communication it is impossible for a couple to stay sweet on each other.  In some ways I think that there are to many distractions for people to stay sweet on each other. When I was child there were no cell phones, there was no internet, television did not have five or six hundred channels. Maybe it’s time to turn the TV off, shut your cell phone down, and unplug the internet for a night. Now stare into each others eyes and share how much you love and respect each other. 

I noticed that one of the tips on the list is find a new way to show her every day. Guy’s do something totally unexpected and different become unpredictible in your methods of loving her. You will keep her guessing whats next, and bring an excitement to the relationship that will truly help to make love last.

So let go and make your love last. You will find that, it’s worth it.

Let Go, 2012 Is not the End

The world is getting all hyped up on the prophecy that the end of the world is coming in 2012. I’ve been asked by several people if I think that this will happen. The only way I can think of to answer, is to go to the Word of God and let it speak.

In the book of Acts before Jesus Christ ascended the disciples were pressing him to know when the kingdom would be returned to Israel. He made an interesting statement.  Here’s what he said:

 Acts 1:⁶When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?  ⁷And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

 Jesus Christ told his disciples that it is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Lord has in his power. Note it says that the times and the seasons are in God’s power. This of course is not talking of the end of the world as we know it. However Jesus Christ told his faithful follower that it is not for them to know the times or the seasons which the Lord has in his power.

There is even more information in 1 Thessalonians 5 ¹But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  ²For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. ³For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  ⁴But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  ⁷For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  ⁸But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

See if the day of the Lord is going to come as a thief in the night then the unbelievers of the world are not going to know about it before hand. Here’s my take on the end of the world predictions. If someone tells you that the end is going to come on a certain date in a certain year at a certain time, you are guaranteed that it will not happen then. No one knows the day time or hour that the Lord has put in His power.

The key is to get born again of the spirit of  God (Romans 10:9-10) and put on believing and love. We are not to be asleep spiritually but sober and vigilant in seeking God.  Those who are living God’s Word will be ready when the day of the Lord comes. Folks we are not appointed to wrath, but to salvation by one Jesus Christ. So live love and enjoy doing it. God’s abundant blessing are coming your way as you believe His Word.

We don’t live in fear of the future but we look forward to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now that’s a great way to live and think.

Let Go, God’s Healing Wholeness

My heart’s desire is to see each and every  person healed, healthy and whole. Life is not always fair and every one at one time or another is going to go through health challenges. It’s easy for the healthy to encourage those who are sick. After all the healthy are not feeling the pain. For those who are sick the challenge can seem to be insurmountable. They are the ones that have the hurt. They feel the pain and at times they may question, am I going to recover from this illness? Those that are not feeling well need our love and support. They need Christian believers to encourage them with the Word of God. The Christians that get  healed in life are the ones who can push their minds to believe God for the healing that they desire. That’s a simple statement that can be a challenge to do when you are in severe pain. So lets get started digging the Word to see what we believers can do to get healed.

I recently read on a blog the chronicles of a person with a life threatening illness. Seeing this blog post caused me to remember the importance of God’s Healing Wholeness. The knowledge of God’s healing is invaluable to those who care to know.

I’ve written a couple of posts about believing and healing but none to the extent that will be shared on this post. As a starting point lets go to:
 

Psalm 107:25  He sent his Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

The children of Israel listened to the Word of God via Moses and God protected and healed them. Even as Egypt went through the plagues Israel was protected by God. When God’s people left Egypt there was not one sick person among the 600000 men, which does not include the women and children who  also left with the men. (Exodus 12:37).  Wow do you believe that? That’s Amazing!

Psalm 105:  ³⁷He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

There was not one feeble person among this humongous group of people. The people believed God, and the Word that Moses shared with them.  They left Egypt totally healthy. The Word is for your healing. For those of you who are sick, why don’t you get the Bible on CD and listen to it over and over again. Spend time reading it every day. Find verses that apply to your situation and confess them over and over again until you believe that what you are saying will come to pass. There are a number of verses on believing and healing here are some of those promises you can claim.

Mark 11:23-24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  ²⁴Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

3 John 2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Psalm 30:2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

Philippians 4:6-7  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ⁷And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

1 John 5: 14-15  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Finding a promise you can claim is so vital to claiming the healing each one of us deserves. There are over 900 promises in God’s Word, the question is how many do you know.  If you know one verse that applies to your  healing need, and you believe it then God can heal you.

Here’s an example of my family believing God  to get healing and claiming  God’s promises. When my son was around five years old he was diagnosed with severe allergies and asthma. To hear him cough was perhaps the worst thing I ever had to listen to. The cough was very deep and hurt him tremendously. He was on a nebulizer every night before bed, and usually hacked and coughed through the night. As parents our hearts hurt to see our own flesh and blood having such a tough time just living day to day. We determined in our minds that we were going to win in this situation and see our son’s deliverance from this horrible situation. So we came up with a plan to see his healing come to pass.  We picked out verses that we claimed.  The first verse we claimed was Matthew 18:19. We needed to be like minded.

Our Lives Make a Difference Teaching

Our Lives Make a Difference 

 Stop and think right now what believer has made the greatest impression on your life? 

Who do you most want to be like?

Perhaps it’s their care and concern for you, maybe it’s the Word that they know and live. 

Why don’t you take a minute right now and write down who that person is. Put down what you like about them? What makes them an example to you? Is it their willingness to serve or their love of the Word? 

 1 Thessalonians 1:2-9 ²We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; ³Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;  ⁴Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. ⁵For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.  ⁶And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.  ⁷So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.  ⁸For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.  ⁹For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;

Look at what Paul says to and about the Thessalonians. I listed eight items below that he mentions!

1. Work of believing
2. Labour of love.
3. Patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
4. Gospel came not in Word only but also in power and the holy spirit.
5. Became Followers of us and of the Lord.
6. For from you sounded out the Word of the Lord.
7. Faith to God-ward is spread abroad.
8. Turned from Idols to serve the living God

What a Difference these Thessalonians must have made on the lives of others!!  Look at the list of incredible things the Apostle Paul says about them.

What about you?

You also make a difference in the live of others!

Look at the Work of Believing

As you believe and grow in Christ it’s important to recognize how important you are to God. Your work of believing will be recognized by those who care to see. 

 Before I go any further let me share with you the great believing my wife has to be healed. “In the winter this year she came to me with a sore throat and asked me to pray for her. With believing I ministered to her and she got instantly healed. About three days later she came to me and said that she did something to her foot and asked me to pray for her. Again I prayed for her with the same results she got healed. About a week later she came to me with a sore throat and requested that I pray for her. So I ministered healing to her again and she got healed again. The woman has great believing, and love which energizes that believing.”

My believing and her work of believing together are an incredible combination. It makes a difference. 

 Labour of Love

As a parent I can fully relate to this labour of love. There are some things I’ve done for my children that I certainly would not have done if I didn’t love them.  

We believed God, and nurtured our son back to health when the doctor said he had asthma and allergies forever. At a very young age my son was on a nebulizer. Today he is healed and healthy.   For a parent nothing hurts more than to see your child with major health problems.  When your child gets sick in the middle of the night and the parent has to clean it up that’s a labour of love.

As a fellowship coordinator for many years I recognize the labour of love and care and concern, a fellowship coordinator has for each believer in the fellowship. Overseeing individual lives is a work of love.

Patience of Hope

Romans 8:24-25

 ²⁴For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

 The Thessalonians had the hope of Jesus Christ’s return always in the forefront of their thinking.

Do You?

Every time a believer speaks in tongues it is absolute proof that Jesus Christ is coming back. So walk by the spirit on a daily basis and speak the Word with boldness. Look forward to that blessed hope with great anticipation and believing.

 Gospel came not in Word only but also in power and the holy spirit.

Wow and double Wow. A believer walking the Word and operating the gift of holy spirit walks in POWER.

A very dear friend of mine was at a backyard picnic when a child broke her leg. It was so bad you could see the bone sticking out the skin. My friend prayed for the child. As she prayed the leg snapped back together and the child was healed instantly and went off and continued playing.

Tell people of your victories, how God has blessed you. Walk on the Word and in the power of the holy spirit God gave you. It will leave a lasting impression

The importance of your life can never be underestimated. Each one of you is so vital to God.

Our Faith to God-ward is Spread Abroad.

Years ago I was involved in the out reach of the greatness of God’s Word with three wonderful friends.

When a man came up to us and adamantly disagreed with us, and the Word we were sharing. He was so forceful and upsetting that we had to dismiss ourselves because there was no meekness in his heart. As we walked home and talked the Word and what happened amongst ourselves. This elderly woman who we did not know came walking over to us and said, “I think what you boys are doing is wonderful.” We thanked her, she walked away and we never saw her again.   God sent this woman to minister to us. It made me realize that our believing faith was being spread abroad and this woman recognized that what we were doing was important and she let us know. We made an impression on her.

Which brings me to this record in 1 Corinthians!

1 Corinthians 12

 ¹²For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. ¹³For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. ¹⁴For the body is not one member, but many. ¹⁵If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? ¹⁶And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?  ¹⁸But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. ¹⁹And if they were all one member, where were the body?  ²⁰But now are they many members, yet but one body. ²¹And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. ²²Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:  ²³And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. ²⁴For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked.  ²⁵That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. ²⁶And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. ²⁷Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Don’t ever discount yourself or your importance to God. It’s so vital to realize that each believer in the body of Christ is the apple of God’s eye. No one person is more important to God than any other. You are the center of His attention, and where you are placed in the body pleases God. No other person has your exact qualities, skills and abilities to minister. What you say to another may be just what they need to hear to get healing or eliminate some fear that they have. Remember the person that ministered healing to Saul (Paul) was a regular disciple just like you and me.

 So do not compare yourself with others in the body. Recognize who you are in Christ and walk out on believing, and Love, and God will be with you every step of the Way. He loves you more than you will ever know.

I know that I did not hit all of the eight items. I left some for you to work and enjoy. There is much more that I could write,  but if I added the detail I could add, this twenty minute teaching could turn into hours.

I sure love you!
Bless Rick

You Didn’t Marry Your Kids

Not long ago I found out some people I’ve known for years had decided to separate and get a divorce. It was shocking because this family was the all American dream family, three nice children a nice home, two cars. They always seemed to get along and they are well liked in the community. So what’s the deal with the divorce? How can two people who seem to have it all get a divorce?

I thought about this for a time and realized one of the problems may have been the fact that their kids were first. They had their children in to many activities between boy scouts, sports, and clubs in school to be quite honest the parents were running around like chickens with theire heads cut off. Parents get so caught up in making sure they take care of their children that they forget about each other. They are so worn out by the end of the day that they don’t even talk. The TV goes on and they watch a show or they go to bed and conk out without even an I love you. Folks You Didn’t Marry Your Kids.

Years ago my wife and I decided that we would allow our kids to be in one activity at a time. My son was, and still is in baseball, and my daughter is in girl scouts. Now I only have two kids (which is plenty for me) some people have four and five kids. I think if I had  four or five children I would only allow a couple of children at a time be involved in an extra curicular activity.  Anyway people get so carried away with their children that they forget about each other. They forget about romance they forget about dating each other they forget about spending one on one quality time with each other. All the romantic things the man used to do when they were dating  stops. The relationship goes stale in the day to day monotony of keeping up with the childrens activities. 

Parents it’s time to date again. Years ago some friends of ours suggested that having a date once a week would be helpful in keeping our marriage sweet. We listened to this wise counsel and have never regretted it. I know if you have five kids that can be difficult to do, and yes sitters can be expensive. So here’s a tip, hook up with another family that has children your kids ages, and do swaps. When you have the other family watching your kids go out   and have a good time. Perhaps you can take turns choosing what you are going to do.  There’s the movies, going out to dinner, going to a play, to the beach (if your near water), hiking, etc. Some nights our date is sitting out on patio and talking while sipping on a cup of coffee. Men we’re responsible to keep the fire in the romance burning. So fan the flames.

I think sometimes men are from the old school of thinking. For instance many kids who were raised back when I was raised had parents where the mom didn’t work so she did most everything around the house. Made the meal washed the dishes did the laundry cleaned the house took care of the kids etc.  Today is a different time where most wives are working as long and as hard as the men.  It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that the woman does most everything when she gets home. Makes the meal, does the dishes and takes care of the children. Guys that’s going to wear your wife out and frustrate her. Give her a break!  Why not do the dishes after supper. If you have young kids put them to bed some nights. The more a couple works together to handle all of the household responsiblilitys the more blessed the household will be. It’s caring for one another and recognizing when a spouse needs a break.

Love is like a plant, it has to be watered. Love grows when you tend to each other, when there is a genuine care and nurturing of your spouse. The romance should never go out of your relationship

Love Your Children

I noticed many moons ago that my children respond to love. It is interesting to see the difference in how they need to be loved. My son will be 16 in August and my daughter just turned 8. My son’s main response to most questions are I don’t know. He doesn’t like to be seen with his parents and often requests that we not talk to the other kids parents when we arrive at their house to pick him up. It’s like he is a secret agent who may get his cover blown if we happen to converse with the enemy parents. I’m  sure most parents can relate to this because they probably in some way did not want to be seen with their parents when they were teenagers. For me it is hard to remember that far back and all the garbage  I was going through with the hormones and the acne and the insecurities I had about myself. I do remember that my parents always loved me no matter what I did.

My wife and I do all that we can to bless and love our son. We endeavour to build him up and tell him how great he is.  We hold him to standards that he is expected to adhere to. Oh and we do talk to the other children’s parents when we pick our son up.  I spent most of the last four years coaching him in baseball in an effort to build his character and confidence. I’m a firm believer that every father should be involved in his child’s life.  (Have you seen the movie The Rookie. Jimmy Morris played by Dennis Quaid has a father who never had time for him when he was growing up.  Consequently the two never really developed a close father, son bond.  I have done whatever I can to help him through adolescence, and so has my wife. Believe me it would have been easier for me to do my own thing and not spend hours upon hours coaching baseball. I love my son and want the best for him I like spending time with him and, I will do whatever it takes to set him up for success not only now, but later in life also.

Love is not the lovey dovey mishmash garbage you see going on today where the parents allow their children to play video games all day and do whatever they want. To often  children have no parameters and end up holding the parents hostage with their disobedience and rebellion. Another mistake some parents will make  is to defend their children even though what the child did is totally wrong. Usually these type of parents have children that are totally unruly and constantly causing heartache and headaches for the parents and anyone else that comes in contact with the child.   Love is establishing standards and  then holding your children to the standards. I wrote a post not long ago called Discipline Your Child a Biblical Perspective which I would suggest you check out after reading this article.
Now not everyone is into the Bible and that is Ok, but what I’m sharing here is true whether you are into the Bible or not. Children Respond to Love .

Girls are so much different than boys. My daughter is miss love and miss demanding at the same time. She can be so sweet and tender and yet demand you do something in the same breath. She can also be very dramatic when she doesn’t get her way. I hate to say it but I usually end up laughing when she becomes the crying drama queen. I know thats terrible but when she gets going it is so funny. Of course me laughing only upsets her more. The key in loving her is not giving in to her crying, but hold her to the standard that my wife and I have set as a parents. Love is setting boundaries and holding your children to them. Love is caring  and being there when your children need you. The nice thing about her is she is quick to change her mind after the tirade.

My mom used to do something that I’ve never forgotten and I’ve utilized in raising our children. When I would get in trouble and my mom would get mad at me and discipline and punished me, she would always  come back to me after all was said and done, and hug me and tell me she loved me.  I believe this is a huge key in loving your children into obedience. Even though I was upset and reaping the consequences of my disobedience I always knew that mom still loved and cared for me. 

So rise up and love your children. Give them boundaries and hold them to the boundaries. Love them by going back to them and letting them know that you love them  after they have been disciplined. And above all spend time with them. Give them what they need a loving heart that cares for them.

Tasting Victory In Life

Tasting Victory came about from a book I started to write on sports. I coached my son in baseball for a few years and decided to begin a quest of helping coaches to improve in their coaching ability. I soon realized that tasting victory applied not only to sports but also to every category of life. We want to be victorious in love, relationships, marriage, raising children, our job, financial prosperity you name it, it applies. So I’ve dedicated this blog to writing about the different aspects of life where I feel I’ve been victorious and can help others.

Victory will come for you if you have a vision and you line your confession up with your vision and act upon it. I have a great friend who for years has had many things come to pass, he’s very successful. He recently started a new job selling windows and construction and within a few months won an award for the selling an abundance of work. I was over at his house not long ago and noticed he had large cork bulletin board with his vision for what he and his wife wanted to come to pass. I thought what a tremendous idea. So my wife and I immediately went out and did the same. We call it a Vision Board ( we did not come up wit the term). Click on the link if you’d like to put a Vision Board on your computer. (It’s Awesome)

 We put pictures of things we want to come to pass on our board and every day we confess and visualize these things coming to pass. When we have Victory we move the picture over to the Victory side of the board and put a V over it. My son made the high school baseball team so our baseball picture is on the Victory side of the board. Disney is already in the works and will be on the Victory side of the board soon.

 Now let me clarify something for you, we’re christian’s which is why greater spirtitual understanding is on the board. We pray for this stuff every day.  The principle involved here will work for christian and non christian the key is what action are you taking to bring to pass what you are believing for. If you want to go to Disney but you are not setting aside any money to go then chances are you won’t go. Having a vision involves determining what you are going to give in order to recieve.  It maybe you give of your time to go out and ask others for help. Remember Luke says give.

 Getting back to the beginning of this article remember I said I got started on this quest of helping others by writing a book about sports. Ultimately having a vision really lived for me during my coaching days. Biblically I’ve known about having a vision and have utilized visualization for years, but my greater understanding of this subject came from a little league team manager who I coached with.  When I first met this gentleman I can’t honestly say that I really liked him because my son was on his team and he wasn’t playing my son as much as I wanted him to. Yes I’m a typical parent I wanted my son to get more playing time than he was getting. Alltogether my son was on this coaches team three times. Twice his teams won the championship for our little league. The first time they won the championship was at the little league majors level my son averaged a couple of innings a game and that was it. So when he moved up to the junior level of play and went into the draft my wife and I were believing that my son would get picked by a different coach. When the phone rang that night it was this coach and he told me he had picked my son and then he shocked me by asking me if I would assist him with the coaching.

I said sure and this is where I learned much about mindset. If you don’t know what mindset is I will explain it to you. Mindset is what you are really believing for. It is what you are confessing in the inner depths of your heart.  I coached with about 6 or 7 different coaches over the years with equal talent that this coach was working with but the other coaches always seemed to focus get side tracked in their thinking by the players who were not that good. This coach no matter how many bad players he had  always confessed that his team would win and win we did. I realize that little league is not major league baseball.  Why should you take advice from a little league, AAU coach? (Thats right I coach AAU for a while) It’s simple the principles of winning and being successful are the same no matter what level life you are living. What you are confessing and believing in the depths of your heart you will recieve.

You Leave a Lasting Impression on Your Children

 Last night I stumble on to an article that was written by one of my children about loves true soul mate. It was a love story that rang close to being true to how my wife and I actually met and got married. 

 Over the years my wife and I have been totally in love with one another and we have exemplified that to our children. Love is something that children see and identify with, it’s something that every man woman and child desires. So when I came across this story I was amazed at the lasting impression my wife and I had on our young upstarts.

Think about this folks, what we parents do, has an impact on our children that is undeniable. For instance if my wife and I fought all the time we would have children that grew up in a home that arguing and anger would seem normal to them. They in turn would most likely act the same with each other and with their spouse when they got married.

My wife and I hardly ever fight or argue but when we do have disagreements and differences of opinion we tend to settle them quietly and generally not in front of our children.  Lets face it marriage is work that is not always easy, but the rewards for doing the work are great. Parents the mark you leave on your children will greatly depend on how you handle your personal home life affairs.  

My children see the love that my wife and I have for each other. They observe how we seldom quarrel. For them our relationship is the norm for how a couple should live life. Totally in love!!!

In retrospect I expect that the apple will not fall far from the tree. I’m believing that what our children learn from us they will apply now and when they get older and develop a romantic relationship of  their own.