Christmas Traditions!!

I am sure you all can remember back when you were a child. Do you remember going to get your tree, decorating it, making cookies and fudge, and Christmas morning? Whether you were excited about Santa or old enough to just anticipate what you were going to open the next morning, Christmas Eve was always a great night.
I can remember going to my PaPaw's house every Christmas Eve. We would celebrated as a family and sing songs and open presents. Then right as it was time to go, we would turn on the TV to see the Santa report. We had to find out where he had been tracked on the radar and how long we had to get home and in the bed. I remember tossing and turning in the bed as a boy and telling my brother to be quiet so I could listen for Santa. The tradition at our house was (and still is) that Christmas morning was started with the "Hallelujah Chorus." This was played as loud as the stereo would go and was our sign that we could come out of our room and to the Christmas tree. When we heard it, the door flew open and we took off.
It is fun to think back and recall those special memories. I hope all of you spend time with your families this week. I pray that in all of the traditions and joy of giving and receiving that we all take time to remember the true reason for Christmas. "For unto us a child is born. Unto us, a Son is given."

Are You Making a List and Checking it Twice??

Okay this blog is not going to be about Christmas and Santa although I thought the title was appropriate. This is about a different kind of list. As we have been studying about parenting and disciplining our kids, I was struck by the fact that so many times we get frustated by the moment. It could be our pride, anger, or just total bewilderment but in the discipline moment we tend to forget the ultimate goal of directing them to the understanding that they have sinned against God and that they need to be reconciled to Him. In that moment, we tend to forget that the scriptures are "profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." So here is my idea, why not start a sin list? This would be a simple list that has the sin (e.g. lying) with verses that you can refer to as you talk to them about the sin and what God says about it. While you have sent them to their room prior to the punishment and they are waiting and you are cooling down, you can refer to your sin list. How would your kids feel if Mommy or Daddy came to the discipline session with not just the paddle but the Bible?
Here are some passages that may help you start your own sin list:
· Ephesians 5:3-7
· James 3:13-18
· James 4:1
· James 4:4
· Ephesians 4:29

How about letting this season inspire us to make our own list, however, I bet we will have to check it more than twice.

Turkey On Fire!!

Well, it has been a while since I have had the chance to write. I took the week of Thanksgiving off thinking this would give me all kinds of time to relax and get caught up on things. It never quite works out that way.

This holiday was fun for me. We had my family over to our house to celebrate Thanksgiving. Shay had found a new recipe for the turkey and ask me to cook it on the grill. Despite my reluctance of putting the traditional meat and main dish on my shoulders, I bravely accepted. We thought about doing a trial run before the big day but decided to wing it. The turkey breasts (no one in my family likes the dark meat) were thawed and marinated the night before and now it was time. It began simple enough and since you have to grill it with the lid shut, I was periodically peeking and all was well. Then from the kitchen window Shay spotted flames and quickly notified me. I opened the grill to find flaming turkeys. As I removed them from the heat and beat them against the grill surface to put the flames out my mind was thinking, where can I get meat at 2 o'clock on Thanksgiving day. All was not lost however, I lowered the heat put them back on the grill and let them continue to cook not sure how they would turn out. When they were done, the charred skin peeled off like a coat and the juices had been locked inside giving the turkey a very juicy good flavor.

What a memory and it made for fun dinner conversation. What did I learn, besides the netting may survive an oven but not a grill? Well I was reminded that it is not about the quality of the food (even though it was great), but the blessings of the family and friends that God has placed in our lives. May we not just say thank-you once a year but demonstrate it every day to those we call our family and friends.

Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.-- Author Unknown

Do We Talk Too Much??

Okay, I have never been one that has been accused of talking too much. Usually my wife says I don't talk enough. I am pretty good at answering a question with a direct answer, but am working hard on expounding for my wife to get to the details. For instance, if I am asked "How was work today?" I am fine with the answer - "good." I am learning that the real heart of the question is, "Will you tell me about what happened to you at work today since I have been by myself all day and need adult conversation?"

However, when it comes to disciplining, I have found that I do way more talking than listening. I could relate to the illustration in this week's lesson of the son saying, "Dad, we really didn't have a good talk, because I didn't say anything." Sometimes we feel that we have accomplished something and all we have done is vent to our kids. As parents, many times we are guilty of the extremes when it comes to discipline. Either we react out of anger and discipline right away without communicating at all or we lecture about the issue and accomplish nothing except making ourselves feel better.

I look at parents of teenagers who talk freely and openly with their kids and there is a mutual love and respect. They do not have that relationship because of a lack of discipline but because discipline was always combined with two-way communication. That means asking the right questions and letting them tell me what is in their heart. How else as a parent will I know how to guide the heart?

So, do you talk too much? For all of you parents of children under 3, practice now with the multiple choice questions. Once they have that full vocabulary and can talk back and talk back and talk back, you will wish you had not been so reactive but proactive.

Football, Parenting & Life

Okay, I know what some may be thinking, "Football!! I hear enough about this from my husband and I don't care." Well, hear me out anyway. Last night was Monday night football, San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals. As a fan of neither, I was watching the game because, well, because it is football and that is what we men do (Arr, Arr, Arr). Anyway, I digress, the game was a back and forth game and came down to the last play. Arizona has the lead by 5 points and the 49ers have the ball on the 2 yard line. The whole game comes down to this play. If they stop them from scoring, Arizona wins the game. The play was called and the 49ers ran the football up the middle to try to score. The Cardinals' defense surged ahead to stop the ball just short of the goal line to win the game.
As I read the final outcome this morning (since I went to bed before it finished), I was reminded of some things I heard Sunday during our group discussion. This parenting thing is tough and as hard as we try sometimes it feels as if we are failing. Sure, we have little successes that give us encouragement, but a lot of times, all we see and hear are the issues. (Insert name) has been ... And sometimes it gets to the point where you feel like a failure.
Let me encourage you to stand on the line and defend the end zone for your kids. I know it seems at times as if you have been playing the game forever and you are tired and weak. Keep defending the line. Keep directing the hearts of your kids to the Lord. So much more than the outcome of a game depends on it. This may be the time when you begin to see real change, not in just behavior, but in the heart.
"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another." - Walter Elliott