We Will Dance!

By MAD21

In the midst of the insanity that life is sure to bring us, there is always one sure thing. Our longing for home, and all that word means. To be at our home with the family and friends we love and all things familiar. It brings us rest, rejuvenation, elation, security, joy and comfort.

But what I am talking about here is our home. Our true home. The one that comes after the struggles of living this life. Take a moment to think about it. This world wants to water down what it means to "go to heaven."  The world talks of it being just that sweet wonderful place in the sky people go when they die if they are good. But no! It's SO much more than that!

Can you wrap your mind around it? We get to be in the presence of HIM. Not just some famous guy who will give you an autograph in your book and shake your hand. But the ONE. The creator of all things. The creator of your most passionate feelings and emotions. The creator of all things that bear descriptions beyond our ability. Can you fathom feeling the overflow of emotions that are too overwhelming for us to feel in our human forms?

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One Word At A Time: Remember

By MAD21

For our bi-weekly post on One Word At A Time, the group decided on: Remember. I know, for me, this is actually something that's very important. I admit, sometimes to the point of obsession. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I am actually afraid of forgetting.

This is something that became very apparent to me when I became a mommy. I so thoroughly enjoyed being a mom with young little babies. Yes, there were some very hard times and lots of crying on my own part. But really, I loved celebrating all the firsts, no matter how small and unimportant the firsts were to others.

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What Is The Greatest Gift We Can Give Our Children?

By Kevin (Shooting the Breeze)

The greatest gift we can give our children is ourselves or more specifically our time and our attention!  Sadly, too many parents think that as long as they give their kids everything they need and want materially that their children will be satisfied.  The truth is that this does NOT work.  This may work temporarily BUT it will NOT work for the long haul.  Our children want us first and foremost.  They want our attention.  They want our time.  Here’s a general principle, whatever we pay attention to is going to grow. If I pay attention to my garden, it’s going to grow. If I pay attention to my kids, they’re going to grow. Here are two simple ways we can give our children our time and our attention:

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Why It ALL Matters To God And Should Matter To Us

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

Several years ago, Richard Carlson wrote a book called, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff... and it’s all small stuff! In this little book, he espoused a carefree, detached sort of lifestyle. A year later, Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz answered with God is in the Small Stuff and It ALL Matters. Bickel and Jantz were giving a distinctly Christian answer to Carlson’s essentially Buddhist philosophy. These two little books represent two different approaches to life and the difference between the two makes all the difference indeed!

Last night, my wife and I were watching a Paul Tripp DVD series on marriage called, What Did You Expect? In the first session, Tripp recalls an incident in their married life when he was giving his wife a hard time about running late for a church breakfast. His nine year-old son politely asked if he could ask something and then came out with, “Dad, do you think this is the way a Christian man should be speaking to his wife?” Ouch! Paul Tripp’s reaction, after he calmed down and collected himself, was to be amazed that God would care enough about this mundane moment in their lives to confront him with such a blunt reminder of truth.

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When I Fail... Again

By MAD21

The last few weeks have been a learning experience in our home. I'm not sure which one of us is being stretched more; my kids, who are adjusting to being students and classmates, running and being tired all the time (moods reflecting it); or myself. As a parent you dream of doing what's best for your kids, teaching them to make good choices, and love one another. You try your hardest to do and say the right things all day everyday, all the while keeping your cool when they make all the wrong choices. You are, of course, the biggest influence of who they will be when they grow up. No pressure at all.

I have been failing all over everywhere all week. It's been a real mess. The harder I try to do the right thing, the harder I fall when I don't live up to my own expectations (there's a hint for ya). The harder I push my kids, the harder they push back. It did finally get to the point when I just had to stop and say... SERIOUSLY? The peek of my week I'll call, "The day of POO," but I'll discuss that in a post another day.

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