Praying For Our Kids to Love God's Word

[Editor's Note: I am so excited to bring you the first contribution to a new wonderful series we are doing on praying for our children. I firmly believe that as parents, it is part of our responsibility, and an honor, to pray to our Father in heaven on behalf of our children. As we work our way through this series, we will talk about teaching work ethics; salvation; love; purity; respect; self-control; perseverance; a love for God's word; and other virtues and life lessons. I pray you are blessed and encouraged by the words of these posts and that you will join me in my passion for growing strong, confident, loving, honorable and faithful children of God.]

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By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

"More to be desired are they than gold,
   even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
   and drippings of the honeycomb." Psalm 19:10

"Oh how I love your law!" Psalm 119:97

When someone really treasures something, it's not hard to tell.  Whether it's the Ravens fans who always wears purple or the young man in love who can talk about nothing but his beloved, people generally show their true affections plainly.  

If you talk to my boys for long, it's not hard to figure out what they treasure.  Right now, it's Legos and Matchbox cars.  I like Legos and Matchbox cars, too, but you can probably guess that my boys' love of their toys sometimes leads them to fight with each other. 

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Tasty Bites: Seared Sea Scallops with Grilled Stuffed Peppers

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

This was a hurry-up dinner that turned out to be wonderful because everything was so fresh and tasty! I used leftover rice and pantry staples for the peppers. You can use any color of pepper to stuff, and if you’re serving a crowd, it’s fun to mix the colors as they make a beautiful presentation.

The combination of whole grain, fresh vegetables, and lean protein makes this a healthy meal with lots of nutrients and healthy carbs. Since I think every plate needs a little more green, I grilled some asparagus (tossed in olive oil and garlic powder) for a couple of minutes next to the pepper packets just until it was charred and crisp-tender.

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YOB: International Adventure 2010 (Part 3) Olympia/Mycenae/Athens

By Lara

We woke up in Olympia in order to see the site of the ancient Olympics... and the former site of one of the ancient wonders of the world. There isn't really much left of Olympia. There are ruins of gymnasiums and bathhouses. The famous temple of Zeus and the temple of Hera. The remains of the Olympian stadium comprise a patch of dirt and a stone gate. Several members of my group took the obligatory crossing the finish line photo. I did not. Pshf. I don't RUN. Not even for pretend in pictures... Unless I was running for my life, but even then...

Karen had promised us that Olympia was flat. I seem to remember walking uphill for quite some time to get back to the bus. It wasn't "the sheer cliff on a mountain" steep, but it was not flat. Olympia was nice, though. I have some lovely "ruins" pictures. We also saw a lizard. He ran away before I could photograph him, but he was very cute.

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Down The Slide!

By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)

Last week the nation was transfixed by the JetBlue steward who had enough of his job and made a dramatic exit from the plane and his career. In his side of the story he got fed up with a passenger and once the plane landed he opened the emergency exit, deployed the slide and slid down into infamy. Regardless of whether his side of the story is true or not people rallied around him and cheered his actions. He became a cult hero for his actions. To many he represented the person we would like to be. The person who finally has had enough and then in a dramatic fashion tells the world and makes a difference.

I know that their are many times in my life that I would just love to do the same. Working in a customer service environment I can understand the frustration that he encountered. I can easily say that the majority of calls that I handle are by customers who are angry and want to lash out. It certainly does not matter to them if I am at fault...I represent the company therefore it is me that bears the brunt of their anger. I must admit it can be tiring at times. However I would never dream of just telling a customer off and walking out. That is too far off the spectrum for me.

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Faith Through Times of Struggle

By Pat
 
My husband and I are struggling financially right now, a situation we didn't think we'd find ourselves in again after many years of our business doing well. We are worried about how to pay certain bills, and we realize that at 51 years old, it will be difficult to find new work, possibly even new careers. And yet, despite the current hardships, I cannot help but continue to feel blessed. I see the world around me, and I am made aware how much worse it could be. As I look around the dinner table at family, smell the food I have prepared, I feel blessed. I feel rich.

I am forced at this time to re-evaluate myself, my gifts, my talents, and for this time of reflection and seeking God's guidance, I am grateful. Perhaps God will lead us into something which provides greater service to Him. Perhaps our business will pick up. We don't know. But what we DO know is this; God is in it, and blessings abound! We may be struggling now, but the love of family, the caring prayers of friends, the faith that wavers but yet remains, and the promises of God in the Bible remind us daily that we are, indeed, very rich!

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.