Remember your Fathers

Ephes. 6:2-3
“Honor your father and mother.” This is the first of the Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.  And this is the promise: If you honor your father and mother, “you will live a long life, full of blessing.”

No matter what our age, this commandment applies to us.  Appreciate your Dad this week; make him feel special.  If your Dad is no longer living on earth, remember him in love  as you tell your children about their grandfather.  My Dad has been in heaven for 18 years now, so I will ask God this Father’s Day to tell him how much I love him and appreciate the heritage he gave me and my children.

My Dad was such a friendly man; he never met a stranger and would greet anyone he passed on the street with a friendly ‘Hello, how are you?’ People don’t do that much anymore – we walk past one another and don’t even acknowledge anyone is there – but not my dad – I think of him every time this happens.

He was an entrepreneur, always trying something new. He liked to say that he was a ‘jack of all trades and a master of none’.  But that’s not true – he mastered being a dad above anything else!!!  I could talk to him about anything. He was always kind and patient.

He loved his family.  He would tell anyone that would listen about his children and grandchildren.  And he had such a tender heart for his pets.  He even taught our dog to stand up and pray 🙂

He became a Christian when I was 12 and immediately delved into the scriptures and became the men’s Bible teacher in our church for a while.  I have so many fond memories of him, but one is particularly special – we had just gotten some good news from my Mom’s doctor and as we left the hospital, walking arm in arm, we sang, “Let’s Just Praise the Lord”!!  One day we will do that again!

I wish every child could have the childhood I had.  Thank you God for my Daddy, Marion Eugene Head.

I’m thankful my children have had that kind of childhood.  Check out the excellent audio sermon series this month about Fathering and Family by the wonderful father of my children at http://www.dudleybaptist.org/

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Help – my preschooler hit me!

This is definitely something you want to nip in the bud!

Here are a few things you might try:

Talk to your child about the fact that God gave us hands to love, help, pray, etc.

Sing “Be Careful What You Do Little Hands.”

Share 2 Timothy 2:24 – “Be gentle to all”.  Make up a song using the verse and naming who or what we should be gentle with:  be gentle to your friends, your pets, your books, etc.

Demonstrate a gentle touch.

Find pictures of children hugging or touching an animal gently.

Pray with your child, asking God to help him be gentle to all.

You might try putting him in his crib to isolate him.  Tell him he can come out when he learns to control his hands and be gentle.

Read Under Loving Command (Children Fun or Frenzie) for some really helpful discipline pointers.

Don’t give up! Be consistent and pray.  You will see the fruit of your labor – the fruit of gentleness which is one of the 9 fruit of the spirit!

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My Mom

Screen shot 2011-05-09 at 5.53.26 PMIdell Pratt Head
5/9/1919 – 12/12/1997

There have been many great moms throughout history and I tend to quote Susanna Wesley more than any, but the mother who has affected my life the most is my own mother.  She only had a 9th grade education and worked in a cotton mill, but she was a superior mother and grandmother.

When I was growing up, Mom was always busy taking care of her family and never taking time for herself.  She was happiest when she was doing something for her husband, her children, and her grandchildren.

She loved God and took me to church regularly, even though my Dad didn’t get involved in church until I was 13.  She read the Bible to me and prayed with me every night when she tucked me in bed; this set the example for me to do the same with my children.

Whenever I had friends to spend the night, she would buy us anything we wanted to snack on and would spend time with us telling stories from her childhood or just talking with us.  Our home was always open; Mom loved to have people stop by to visit.  This greatly influenced me as I am most in my element when my home is full of people.

Mom loved to give to others even though she didn’t have much.  She loved to bake pies and keep them in the freezer just so she would have something to give to someone who might come by – everyone left with a homemade pie.

Mom developed a lot of physical problems later in life and it makes me sad that my children did not get to know her like I knew her or the older grandchildren knew her.  She died of lung cancer in 1997.  I still miss her very much and wish I could have a long talk with her.  I thank God for her leading me to Christ, giving me such a happy childhood, and setting the example of what a mother should be.

My cousin wrote me a few years after her death and said that he still missed my mom and that he never met a women as good nor will he ever meet a woman as good as my mom!!

Whenever I get to longing for Mom or Dad, I ask God to tell them that I love them and am thinking of them.  So . . . God, please tell Mom “Happy Mother’s Day from her baby girl”.

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Don’t Give Up

WD-40 has always been around our house and seems to be as valuable to a man as superglue is to a woman. But what does WD-40 stand for? I just found out from a post at Our Daily Journal that it literally stands for ‘Water Displacement 40th attempt’. “In 1953, chemist Norm Larsen was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion—a task which is accomplished by displacing water. Larsen’s unyielding tenacity and persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.”  I thought that was so awesome to see that the name of the product is a reminder to don’t give up.

I also found out from Our Daily Journal that chutzpah (khoot-spuh) is a Jewish/Hebrew word for headstrong persistence, unyielding tenacity, bold determination, and raw nerve. Right now my husband and I have several things concerning our children that we are imploring the Lord for with intense chutzpah. We will not give up until we see God answer. There are several examples of this in scripture and God was pleased with it.

In Genesis 32:24-29 Jacob wrestled with God and said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”  And God blessed him!

In Matthew 15:22-28 a woman comes to Jesus concerning her daughter’s possessed condition and she refused to leave Him alone until He healed her daughter.  Jesus commended her faith.

In Luke 11 Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray and told a story about being persistent in asking.

God is pleased when we trust Him so much we come to Him with chutzpah.  Keep petitioning God on behalf of your children!!!

Listen to this song and sing it with your children as you resolve to  Don’t Give Up (Royal Tapestry Records, 1985)

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