Family Quiet Times

My wife and I wanted to give our kids the opportunity to establish a closer relationship with God without making them feel like we were forcing it on them. We decided to have family quiet times 7 days a week for 20 minutes every night and 1 hour every Sunday night. We all went to the local Christian book store to find devotionals for us and both our children to read and explore the bible. We all sit together during our quiet times, and we provide answers to questions the kids may have as they explore the bible. We feel this is a good way to build family closeness as well as getting to know God and learning more about what God wants for our lives.

My daughter has especially been excited about getting closer with God. Her daily devotional verse came from Deuteronomy 6:18,

Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight...

I asked her if she new what "the Lord's sight" was. Then I asked, "Can the Lord see you when you are under the covers at night? Can the Lord see you when you are at school and no-one is around? Can the Lord see you when you are alone at the house and Mommy and Daddy are outside?" She replied yes to all of these. So I told her that what the verse is really telling her is that she needs to do what is right and good ALL THE TIME, because the Lord can see her all the time.

Explaining verses to children in a way that they understand is not hard, just requires a little immagination. Children understand them very well. Spend time with your children in the Word, you will be surprised at how much God will speak through you to them.

God Bless!

Christians: Pray For Our Nation!

II Chronicals: 7:14 says:

And if my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my presence and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and revive their land.

After a day of contemplation and soul searching, I have decided to reach out to my friends and relatives and ask you to do something that has been troubling me for a long time.
Our nation is/has been on the slippery slope away from God for a long time. If you look around you will find corruption, greed, moral decay and a steady move away from the things that made us great. The principles upon which this nation was founded are no longer our backbone.

However, we can reverse this trend.

In God's word he states, "if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

I am convinced that we must pray for our nation and its leaders and ask for forgiveness. So I ask you to join me in this plea to our lord. Would you please take 10 minutes every night at 9:00pm and ask God to forgive us as a people, as a nation, and ask for His guidance. Pray everyday at 9:00pm. I have sent this note out by email to everyone I know. Imagine if every person who reads this note prays all at the same time, what the impact that would be to God. We will lift up millions of prayers everyday day to our creator. He will hear us and in faith will answer.

Let me just add a quote from Ronald Reagan - "if we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." I truly believe this is why the United States of America is in the shape we are in today. Most people have forgotten that we are one nation under God! Let us as Christians stand up and remind people of this. ~ Have a blessed day!

Listen: This is My Plan For You

Teaching a young child to listen to God can be a very difficult thing to do. Unless you know what you are listening for, it can be an arduous task even for most adults.

Today in Sunday School, I gave the kids an example of why it is so hard to hear God talking to us. I told them that I had found a website on the internet that claimed to have a 1 in 3 chance of winning the lottery. The gentleman that owned the site had had a track record of hitting the lottery once every three times he played it, and he shared his secret on his site. I told the kids that I had the numbers for the next lottery drawing and for them to get their pens and papers out so that I can read them the numbers. I told them that winning the lottery could change there lives drastically. (I did not tell them for the better or for the worse.) As soon as I began to read the numbers off, I blasted the radio up full blast until the last number was read, then I turned it off. "Did everybody get that?", I asked excitedly. Obviously the answers resounded "NOOOOOOOOOO!". So I read them out loud again, again turning the radio up full blast.

Our lives are much like that example of the radio blasting in our ears. God has a glorious plan that will change our lives drastically, but our lives are so busy, and filled with so many distractions, we never hear God speak.

I was talking with my father a while back, and he told me that God speaks, but ever so softly. He said that if I wanted to hear God speak to me, I needed to focus on Him, and then listen intently, with no distractions. He said, "If you would just listen, you will hear God speak." I think those are very profound works that apply to all of us, but are so hard for most of us to do. Which leads me to my next thought.

Some kids have often asked "Why doesn't God answer their prayers or requests?" I have often thought the same question as an adult, and had a difficult time trying to realize the answers. Again, in a conversation with my father, he made it very clear to me. He said, "Son, it's like this: If your father has asked that you do something, maybe a chore or a task, and you ignore him time and time again. Then you come to him later with a request of your own, do you think that he will grant that request? Or will he ignore the request until you learn to obey him?"

Suddenly, things became very clear. God speaks very clearly. We need to listen very intently. God has asked that we spend time in the Word, and in James 1:22 it says that God wants us to not only listen to the Word, but to do what it says. If we get ourselves into this type of regiment in our lives, I believe that God will bless us in unimmaginal ways. Kinda like winning the lottery, God's plan for our lives will lead to great joy and happiness, if we would just listen!

Encouragement from a Child

I became a Christian in 1978 at a teen’s Christian Camp called Windy Gap in the mountains of North Carolina. For years after that however, my walk with God had been sporadic at best. Like most, I seemed to gravitate towards God only when times were bad and there was no-where else that I could go. Even so, God was always there for me. As I grew older, the emptiness in my heart that could only be filled with God’s love became more apparent to me. I began to talk to God during all aspects of my life, good or bad. The joy that He brings to me on a daily basis is far more than I have ever expected. He is there all the time for me, and I can feel His presence when I talk to Him. It is sad that I did not come to know Him at this level when I was much younger, but am eternally grateful that He never left me alone.

My son, Travis, became a Christian and was baptized this passed year, something that I am extremely proud of him. Even though I have been a Christian for years, I had never been baptized as an adult. My son's leap of faith encouraged me to do the same and yesterday, March 8th, 2009, I was baptized. It was a moment that I will cherish for all my life. I want to publicly display my commitment to God and my commitment to be the spiritual leader of my family. Furthermore, I want to re-affirm to God that I will follow Him with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. (Luke 10:27)

What Will You Give For Lent?

I was talking to the kids the other evening, having our family quiet time, when the topic of Lent was raised. First the question was, what is Lent? Then the discussion evolved to the history of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting, praying and being tempted by Satan. And finally my son said that the kids at school were trying to figure out what they were going to give up for Lent.

I asked him what he thought he should give up. He said that he didn't know. I asked what the other kids thought that they should give up, and again the answer came back, he didn't know.

I thought this was a great opportunity to suggest to him to talk to the other kids at school, that God just doesn't want you to give up one thing or another, what He wants is for you to give up ALL things to Him. I told him the next time the kids ask him what he is going to give up for Lent, tell them that he is giving up control of everything in his life and handing it to God.

So, what will you give up for Lent. God doesn't want just for you not to eat meat.....God wants all of you....everything. God wants you to give up everything and give your life to Him!