Partners in Parenting

“It can be a scary world out there!”

Do you know what that is a picture of???  Would you like to live there??  What movie do you think it could be in??  Does it look scary??

Sometimes life can be pretty frightening for kids…and adults too.  There is too much sin in the world to have life on earth be a “bucket of bliss” or “basket of roses.”  Life is just plain hard sometimes, and when it is, it is so important to have faith in Jesus Christ.  Faith in Jesus allows us to know that there is victory amidst the difficulty, joy amidst the sorrow, and strength amidst our weaknesses.  Faith in Jesus is the firm foundation that will sustain us when the trials of life come.  Life can be scary, but faith in Jesus should provide us with all the comfort needed to be at peace in the trials of life.  Having peace during trials is important because there will be lots of trials in life.  Sometimes I equate having peace with having faith in Jesus.  I hope you think about it the next time you face a trial or challenge in your life.

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock [Jesus].”  Matthew 7:25

                                                          

Family Discussion Points!

Everyone share one thing of which they are afraid.

Everyone share about a high point of your day.  Then, everyone share about a low point of your day.  Can you have peace during both events?  Through whom??

Want to know where I took the picture?  That is a picture of downtown Mt. Clemens last Wednesday morning when all the fog rolled into town.  I was driving East on Cass Ave.  The traffic light in the picture is Southbound Gratiot.  I honestly thought there must have been a horrible accident and chemical spill of some kind.  Nope, just fog.

Partners in Parenting

Who You Align Yourself with Really Matters! 

This summer, I attended a Detroit Tigers baseball game at Comerica Park.  The Tigers were playing the Texas Rangers, and I was enjoying the game sitting next to my son, Evan, on my right.  Now on my left was a nice young family with their son, Ryan, sitting right next to me.  We were sitting right behind the Texas Rangers dugout.  At the end of every inning, the Rangers would come off the field after the third out against the Tigers.  Typically, the Rangers’ shortstop, Elvis Andrus, would carry the baseball off the field, and he would select a fan to give a game ball.  Now Ryan, (who is sitting on my left), would disappear from his seat at the end of every inning in hopes that Elvis Andrus would give him a game ball. 

BUT, Ryan did an incredible thing…he took off his Detroit Tiger hat and put on a blue hat with a big “T” in front (just like the Texas Rangers’ hat) before going down to ask Elvis Andrus for a baseball.  I believe it was in the 5^th inning, Elvis Andrus points at Ryan over the roof of the dugout and throws him a baseball.  My son, Evan, and I watched this all happen.  We watched Ryan come running back to his seat all smiles about getting a baseball.  Then we watched Ryan pull off his blue hat with a T on the front, and quickly, he replaced it with his Detroit Tigers hat again.

Two things came to mind:

1. Man, that kid is smart!
2. Elvis, you’ve just been fooled!

Ryan aligned himself with the Texas Rangers to get the benefit of a baseball from a Major League game.

This reminded me of how important it is to remember, as Christians, that we have aligned ourselves with Christ through faith in Him.  Since we are aligned, or united, with Him, we will receive the benefits He provides.  Paul puts it this way in the book of Romans:

“If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.”  Romans 6:5

We have been united with Christ through faith, so we will get the blessing of everlasting life someday.  Turns out, Ryan was pretty smart to align himself with someone that who could provide him with something very important.  I don’t have a baseball, but I do have eternal life coming someday!

 

Family Discussion Points!

Parents, ever trick someone or play a prank?  Tell your kids about it.

Is it important to you to align yourself with good people in your life?  Every family member answer that question starting with the oldest person in the family and explain why!

Talk about temporary great things we want and eternity in heaven.

Everyone share which baseball team is their favorite!            

Partners in Parenting

“Surprise!  And you thought it was beef!”

Yesterday, we had some family members over to our house for Mother’s Day.  We cooked shish kabobs on the grill, and enjoyed a great day eating outside.  Just before eating, my son asked my sister-in-law if she liked venison or not.  She said, “No, I won’t eat that.” 

My wife immediately motioned for him to be quiet because (you probably guessed it) there was venison on those shish kabobs.  Sure, there was chicken, onions, mushrooms, and peppers on there too.  I felt a little bad for my sister-in-law being tricked by her own “flesh and blood” like this.  UNTIL…

Completely unsolicited, she suddenly said, “This beef is really good, Julian.  What did you marinate it in?”  I told her about the ingredients I used, and I let it go.  A few minutes later, she restated her opinion, “This beef is really good.  Don’t you think so, dad.”  Well, her dad decided to have some fun with her, and he asked what kind of beef she thought it was.  She said she didn’t know, but that “it tasted really good.  Is there some more?”  (That’s her 3^rd proclamation of great tasting “beef”)  He laughed and said he thought it might be Black Angus beef since she probably hasn’t had that in a while. 

So, about that time, the whole family is pretty much stopping the “laughing on the inside” and starting to chuckle out loud.  Then, she turned to me and asked a question with a look of disgust on her face, “Julian, is that venison?”  Silence!

My brother-in-law spoke up with a great question:  “What does it matter if it’s venison?  You think it tastes great, right?”  Once again, silence!  In the end, we had a great time together as a family, and that is what really matters.

In John 21: 15 and following, Peter states his love for Jesus three times.  Not too many days earlier, Peter had denied even knowing Jesus three times.  Peter probably felt like a traitor, but Jesus makes him a very significant leader in the early church.  Surprise!

Family Discussion Points!

Have you ever been surprised by someone with a gift showing you their love?  How did it make you feel?  Share an example with your family.

Have you ever been tricked into doing something, eating something, etc. without knowing it?  Share with your family.

What surprises you most about what God??  Talk about something that is very surprising to you about God, but that you really like.  (example:  how the human body works and God created it that way)

Partners in Parenting

“Sharing is Important!”

Yesterday, my family went to meet some of our family members for lunch and an afternoon together.  Two of our relatives just got new puppies.  Abel is a yellow Lab.  Lela is a Golden Retriever.  Here is a picture of them playing with a stick one of them found.  They love to play with it together.  They really shared very nicely!

Now take a closer look at the picture.  In the upper left hand corner, you can see the end of my Chocolate Lab’s tail.  My dog didn’t care to share at all while the two young puppies just loved sharing.

Watching this reminded me of how kids can be so accepting and generous with their “stuff” while adults can be less likely to share the good things they have.  It is amazing that two puppies reminded me of the importance of sharing the good things we have in life.  “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  Philippians 2:4

Family Discussion Points!

Talk about why sharing is so hard sometimes.

Do you think it is easier to share when you are younger or older?  Why?

Have your family look around you and see someone with whom you’d like to share something.  Then share with them!

Partners in Parenting

Partners in Parenting

“Against the Wind!”

I went for a bike ride yesterday afternoon.  I took the same path Jen and I usually take when we go for a bike ride.  We don’t go that often, but we typically do the same 14 mile trip.  We go 7 miles in one direction before turning around to come back home.  The wind was blowing so hard in my face during the first half of the trip that I actually considered turning around and going home.  My legs felt like they were on fire as I tried to maintain a steady, but rather slow, speed.  The ride quickly became a chore, and it was not even in the ballpark of something I’d consider to be fun.  I wanted the ride to be enjoyable, but it was not.  I wanted to go faster, but I could not.  I thought about turning back toward home, but I did not.  I just kept pedaling and ignoring the pain in my legs. 

Now, the return trip was a completely different experience.  I pedaled along just fine without any pain in my legs.  I settled in to a comfortable pace, and I was “flying” toward home with little effort.  I actually had to use my brakes to slow down on a few of the curves on the path.  It was a pleasant relief from the first half of the trip.

I thought about how life can be like that sometimes as well.  Days, months, etc. of life can be supper difficult and almost unbearable.  Days, months, etc. of life can also be fairly easy and enjoyable.  It is part of the ups and downs of regular life.  As I considered this, I was only thinking about my own life, but I later realized that it is true for our spouse and kids as well.  Everyone’s life can feel like everything happening is like riding a bike “against the wind.”  Our lives can also feel like everything happening is like riding with the wind at your back.  Both experiences are good in their own way, but maybe experiencing life “against the wind” can help us grow in faith more than experiencing life with the “wind at our back.”

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  James 1:2-3

PS. Did any of you parents read the title above and immediately think of the Bob Seger’s song??  If so, you are getting older --- just like meJ

Family Discussion Points!

Parents, share a story or two with your children about a hard time in your life.

Kids, share a subject, chore, or sport that is hard for you and feels like you are riding “against the wind.”

Talk about how hard times develop perseverance.  Is that a good thing to have??

Partners in Parenting

Partners in Parenting

Some of you may remember the television show “Unsolved Mysteries” from a few years back.  I don’t think it is on any longer, but I don’t know for sure.  I have one going on at my house!!! 

In the picture to the left, I have my mailbox post (brown) with some mulch around it.  The curved cement is the cul-de-sac.  The cement at the bottom of the picture is my driveway.  You can see grass on most of the lawn, but the corner of my lawn was driven on over and over all last summer.  Now, as soon as the snow melted, someone started driving over it again.  So, I decided to dump a whole bag of potting soil in the hole that was over a foot below the rest of the grass and four to six inches below the level of the cement.  I even staked the area with 3 green stakes to mark the space and let the grass seed I had planted grow without being disturbed.  I woke up Sunday morning to see one of the three stakes broken off and lying on the ground, a new hole formed, AND A TIRE TRACK LEADING AWAY!!! (see the dark cement on the cul-de-sac)  Yes, I’m yelling!!!  Holy smokes!! Who keeps doing this?  I’m so frustrated, and I can’t believe it keeps happening.  WHY?????  What part of “drive on the road” is someone unable to understand??!!  Seriously, this is hard to fathom.

As I put the stake back up and leveled the dirt again, I thought about how parenting can be a series of unsolved mysteries.  Mostly because all the mysteries aren’t worth the energy to solve:

Whose cup has been on the coffee table for 2 days?

Why are the kids’ socks always in a ball in the laundry? 

Who tracked mud through the house?

Why is the refrigerator door all sticky?

Unsolved mysteries can drive you crazy (like my driveway), or they can simply cause you to marvel.  Here is the mystery I hope always causes you to marvel:

“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.’”  Matthew 28:5-6a

Family Discussion Points!

Can you think of some unsolved mysteries from the past week?

Who in your family usually gets the blame for unsolved mysteries in your house?  Does the dog ever get blamed?

Is there joy in the mystery of the empty tomb?  Why??