The Power of Praying for Your Children

When I think back through life, I can see so many exits and off ramps that would have taken me away from Christ. One of the primary reasons I believe I am continuing to follow Christ and grow in the Lord is my mom's faithfulness to pray for me over many, many years. When I was two years old, she made a commitment to pray for an hour every day. That was almost 42 years ago, and she continues to pray faithfully.

Do you know how to intercede for your children? Are you doing so faithfully? Watch this video about the critical role of prayer in Helping Our Children Become Self-Motivated. This is part three of a series. 

Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash

A Boy at the Cross-Roads of Life

As a boy in middle school, I was right on the edge of heading in the wrong direction. There was a great battle going on for my mind and spirit. Then one critical day I hit a cross-roads. The Lord spoke to me and called me to follow him. You can hear the story of what happened in Part 3 of the video series How to Help to Help Your Children Become Self-Motivated.

We have all experienced this battle. Your children will too. What can you do to help them? What can you do to facilitate a one-on-one encounter with God for your child? 

In this video, we will explore the important difference between discipline (using external motivation) and discipleship (developing internal motivation). You can learn to successfully transition from discipline to discipleship and help bring about a true heart transformation in your children.

Can you remember a crossroads like this in your life? Can you remember the people in your life that helped you move in the right direction? Leave a comment below and tell us about it. 

Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash

How to Get Control of Your Anger

On the very day I was working on a video on How to Get Control of Your Anger, I came across a video from Prager University on Anger Management. I usually like what Prager U puts out. However, in this video the main piece of advice given is this:

"No matter how angry you get, restrict the expression of your anger to the incident that provoked it." 

There are some good thoughts in this video on communication strategies. But that statement as the bottom line for anger management is . . . well, pitiful. Especially in light of a worldview that includes God and how he made us and how he satisfies our every need. 

Why do we become angry? What does our anger tell us about our needs and struggles? Instead of only trying to manage our anger, how can we get to the heart of our desires and learn how to trust God and follow his will regarding those desires? 

In this short video, I share what I have learned about my own anger and what it is telling me about my need for God. The insights that I share are from my dad's book, The Message in Your Emotions [Wayne McDill]. The book addresses many negative emotions that help us understand our need for God. In this video, I am referring to chapters 7-9 on Anger and Authority. 

Please comment below and let me know how these insights help you. Share and tag a friend who has anger problems. Just kidding! Just share it with all your friends. Most of them have anger problems anyway.

Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash

Have You Discovered the Ultimate Goal of Parenting?

What we are aiming for as parents has a major impact on how we relate to and raise our children every day. Have you discovered the ultimate goal of parenting from God's point of view? It is easy for us to get distracted by all sorts of other parenting goals and motives that will not produce the outcome we are really looking for. 

Here is Part 2 of my video series on How to Help Your Children Become Self-Motivated. [Hint: Helping your children to become self-motivated is not the ultimate goal of parenting!]

How to Help Your Children Become Self-Motivated Video Series

Last week I spoke to a local homeschool group on How to Help Your Children Become Self-Motivated. I have presented this talk in a set of ten videos. Here is the first one! I hope you are inspired! If you find it encouraging, please share it with others. If you have a question or comment, please leave it below.  

Are You Teaching Your Kids About Personal Finances?

"Parents cannot abdicate the teaching of finances to the schools, because the schools aren't teaching it. It's astounding to think that you can get through elementary school, high school, and college and still not know how to balance a checkbook, or buy a home, or decide what kind of insurance you need. But, unfortunately, that's the norm."

You will find this paragraph in the introduction of the Money Matters for Teens Workbook by Larry Burkett with Todd Temple. For those of us who have children in public (and probably even private) school, this is a helpful reminder that we cannot depend on the schools to prepare our children for life. In addition to teaching practical matter of life (like finances), Christian parents have to remember that God has given us the responsibility to disciple our children (Deut 6:4-9; Eph 6:4). We cannot depend on others to fulfill this role in our children's lives (not even the church!). 

For those of us who homeschool our children, this norm only confirms our reasoning for home education. But it is probably still worth asking home educators: Are you making sure to include personal finance in your teaching plan? We are using this workbook as a part of ours. 

One more reason that teaching personal finance to our children is important: "It's sad that half of all marriages today fail and, overwhelmingly, the major factor is the mismanagement of money." 

[Photo by Olly Joy on Unsplash]

The Story of the Missing Wallet

I have created a new YouTube channel for Truth to Freedom! Check it out, subscribe, and share!

Are You Looking for an Awesome Way to Partner in International Missions?

This summer my three oldest children and I went with William Church and his family on a short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic. It was awesome! We went with a ministry called LoveServes. The more I learned about LoveServes during the trip, the more impressed I was. They primarily work in the Dominican Republic, but are making plans to expand into other countries. Here is their primary ministry strategy:

"LoveServes International coaches pastors to develop healthy churches
that equip the Church members to meet their communities’ greatest needs
through the love of Christ."

Our family has chosen to partner with LoveServes. It is a joy to find a ministry that is founded on biblical principles and strategies! Here are the aspects of LoveServes that are important to me.

• Christ-centeredness - Jesus Christ is the only answer for every human need.

• Relationship with God - We do not desire to spread religion or any legalistic version of Christianity. The greatest commandment is to love God. He desires a relationship with us.

• Building God’s kingdom - Our desire is to build God’s kingdom and the church, not to advance any particular institution or denomination.

• Discipleship - Discipleship (in terms of intentionally helping believers learn how to follow Jesus) is an important kingdom building strategy. Our goal is to help people love and follow Jesus, not simply grow attendance or activities.

• Relationships - The best way to grow ministry partnerships, coach pastors, and make disciples is through relationships.

• Local leadership - LoveServes helps equip local leaders to lead, instead of bringing outsiders or foreigners in to lead.

• Local church ministry - The call to make disciples is given to the church. While parachurch organizations do good work for the kingdom, the local church is the most effective and powerful entity for building God’s kingdom.

• All believers are ministers - God calls all believers to ministry, not just vocational ministers. Church leaders are not called to do all the ministry, but primarily to equip the church for the ministry (Eph 4:11-12).

• Pastor training - Since pastors are responsible for equipping the church for ministry, then coaching local pastors in how to do this is an effective way of growing the kingdom of God.

• Biblical training - God has revealed the right and most effective strategies for ministry in his Word. All ministry training and discipleship must be based upon Scripture.

• Evangelism - The Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) includes bringing people to Christ (“baptism”) and discipleship (“teaching” - as mentioned above). Bringing people to Christ is an essential mission of the church and is a main focus of the ministry for which believers are being equipped.

• Love and service - The most effective way to reach people for Christ is to develop real relationships with them, and to show them the love of Christ by serving them and meeting their needs.

• Breaking the cycle of poverty - As we try to meet people’s practical needs in Christ’s name, and train others in ministry, it is important that we learn to break the cycle of poverty instead of perpetuating it (see the book When Helping Hurts).

• Heart for the world - While God has been doing a wondering work in the Dominican Republic through LoveServes, our heart is for the church everywhere in the world to learn and practice these simple biblical strategies for ministry. We are available to do so in any way the Lord provides and leads.

• Family focus - Missions and ministry is for the whole family. It is better to work with family units when possible than pulling out just teens are other parts of the family.

If you are in the Boone area, we will be hosting a meeting with one of the Dominican pastor coaches on Monday, Oct 23, 7pm @ Home Builders Plaza, 755 NC Hwy 105, Boone, NC. You will be able to learn about what God is doing through LoveServes and how to get involved.