There once was a boy filled with exuberance and life. Everything he committed himself to he did with gusto. There was a major flaw behind his blue eyes and million dollar smile, the boy did not obey his parents.
But this boy had a powerful ally called mother.
In middle school the playful, party loving boy was exposed to the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Had he obeyed his parents he could have been spared the incredible struggle that was to weigh him down from those days on.
Yet his ally would not give up. She sent him to special discipleship programs and on missions trips, all in hopes that a loving God would get a hold of the exuberant boy. Due to his ally’s persistence and prayers, one day the boy prayed and asked God for salvation.
From that day on there was a hope deep within him, but his former disobedience clung to him causing his new walk with the Lord to be a daily battle.
Some days the boy would win the battle and live in freedom. Some days he would lose the battle and live in defeat.
But the boy’s ally would not give up. She prayed. She advised.
She removed him from friends who were poor influences. The boy’s daily battles continued, yet his ally never gave up.
The boy’s battles are now over.
They ended at the age of 17, coming to an end late one evening while riding in a friend’s car. While his story is full of what ifs and if onlys , one thing is clear. This boy had a mother who loved him and never gave up.
Her persistence paid off. Despite his inner battles and the consequences of poor choices he was able to come to a saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. It was a battle to the end.
I don’t know why he struggled so much, never able to gain complete freedom while here on earth. But this I know, had it not been for the persistence of a loving mother his untimely death may have been all the more tragic. Thanks to a persistent mom he has freedom today.
Never give up, never, never give up. (Winston Churchill)
The law of the Lord is a fountain of life. Proverbs 15:27
May God’s grace and peace be with you,
One of the building blocks of an excellent education is reading.
It opens up an amazing world of action and adventure. Breathtaking journeys have been undertaken, uncharted areas of the globe discovered, magnificent new friends met, all through reading.
Unfortunately, many children sit on the sidelines unable to read fluently enough to participate in these wonderful adventures.
If your child does not devour books, fear not there is hope, try these strategies to entice them. Fluency comes from practice.
First, expose your child to carefully chosen books.
If your child needed to gain weight you would not place dull, bland food in front of him. Instead you would fill his world with tasty and inviting food. Not only should you choose well written and well illustrated stories, you should match your child s interests with books that coincide with those interests.
Next, read to your child. Nothing develops a better love of books and the stories and adventure contained within them than joint participation. It is up to you to read the book in such a way that heightens the author s work.
When reading to your child, express your surprise and excitement. Ask your child to guess what will happen next. Talk about why certain twists and turns surprise you.
Talking through the story together helps your child create categories in his or her mind which strengthen comprehension and increase the joy of reading.
Always model reading. If you desire to entice your child to read you will need to do the same!
Your child will learn by example. Be a good example by reading yourself. Talk about the books you are reading, express your pleasure or disappointment in the stories and material you read.
Finally, create specific reading times. Make a family reading time when you turn off all media distractions and read together. Additionally, in our family we rewarded our children for getting into bed on time by allowing them to stay up an extra thirty minutes to read.
Each of my children learned to love this extra reading time.
All four of my children learned to love reading. While two seemed to naturally devour books, two needed extra prompting.
Using these simple strategies you should be able to pass on the joy of reading to your children just as my wife and I were able to do for our children.
Today, at staff devotions here at Delaware County Christian School, several teachers were reflecting on the “daily blessings” they hear parents pronounce on their children. When parents pull up to the curb of Delaware County Christian School, our teachers often open the doors and help the students out of the car.
This gives them an opportunity to hear the last words parents say to their children, most say “I love you” or something similar to that. However, a few pronounce a blessing, typically the same blessing each and every day! “Be an eager learner”, “Be a blessing to others today”, “May God make you a lighthouse today, shining His love” are among the daily blessings children hear.
How do their children respond to these blessings? Some smile, others seem to ignore them. But the teachers notice, if ever a parent forgets, nearly all children will ask their parent for the blessing!
What are your daily last words to your children? I know you are likely careful to say “I love you.” Each child needs to hear those precious words many times a day.
However, you can be purposeful in passing on a blessing to your child. A simple, daily blessing pronounced over your child as they get up, are on their way or go to bed can build on what God is doing in your child’s heart and life. I encourage you to bless your children!
May God’s grace and peace be with you!
Another way to be a blessing is to place sound, biblically based books, movies and other materials in front of your children. Check out our sponsors who offer many wonderful materials.
As many of you know I was saddened when the companies that cleaned up movies, making them suitable for family viewing, were forced out of business by US courts. Since then I have been looking for alternatives. I have recently come across several alternatives.
First is a company called Christian Cinema Movies. It has a very large collection of Christian and moral movies. You should check them out!
Next, a company our family purchased several movies from when our children were young, Nest.
Finally, a DVD player that is programmed to smoothly skip profanity, sexual scenes and more. It can be updated for new movies.
Protecting our families does not mean we should hide ourselves or abstain from all media. We just need to be wise. Purchasing suitable movies or using tools that remove objectionable material helps protect the ones we love!
Your children are precious. The time spent teaching and training may be great and take a serious commitment on your part, but it is worth your effort! One quality that does not occur naturally in children is that of thankfulness.
Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, Jesus, Master, have pity on us!
When he saw them, he said, Go, show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? Then he said to him, Rise and go; your faith has made you well.
Even for adults it is not natural to return to say thanks !
It takes purposeful effort. Let me encourage you to make thankfulness a part of your family s routines. This Thanksgiving is a great time to empahsize being thankful.
Did you know that you can use Bible Gateway to help you study Scripture? Simply type in the word thank in the form below and find out how many Scriptures come up with thank , thanks , thankful and thankfulness . You will see that we are to give thanks for God and His righteousness.
Thanks should be given for His love, which endures for ever. As you scan down the list of Scripture you will notice Psalm 107 and Psalm 136 which emphasize thankfulness. You will see several Scriptures giving thanks for others.
Jesus gives thanks for food and for communion.
Why not try for yourself? Type thank in the form below.
Read over the Scriptures and begin to share them with your children.
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