Tag: addictions

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I Child-Proofed my House-and They Still Get in

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We have been sharing excerpts from my new books “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” This book is perfect for those on your Easter list that you have search for something encouraging to give them.

This book reaches out to those who may be suffering from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

Just click on the “Bookstore,” tan above to check it out. It is also on a special sale.

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Today’s excerpt is about Father’s Day and the importance of loving your children.

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Chapter 56

 

I Child-Proofed My House—and They Still Get In

 

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.

John 17:25–26

 

When Father’s Day nears, I’m glad I’m finally old enough to have all the neckties I need, so no one gives me one as a gift. Instead of another tie, I get to share time with my children and grandchildren. What could be a better present than that? The answer to my question is that the very best present I ever got on a Father’s Day was that my daughter DG was born on that day. Top that one!

Father’s Day is a time for men to think about their roles. Men, we are to be the leaders of our families (not in an “I’m the one in charge here” sort of way, mind you) and should play the role of hero to our children.

We as men sometimes think that on Father’s Day we should be treated to a day of watching sports or doing whatever we want—that would be the “manly” thing to do. I once thought that myself. Sports came first. I got irritated when I got disturbed by the rest of the family. God changed that for me, and I have a totally different outlook on Father’s Day.

On Father’s Day in 2003, my son, my granddaughter and I went to church together. I enjoyed the day very much. The sermon was based on John 17:25–26. It is about Jesus praying to God just before He was betrayed by Judas.

As I read verse 26, I could see that it was perfect for us as fathers. Just go through verse 26 along with me. It reads: “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Every father needs to say this prayer! We should be making God known to our children, just as Jesus made Him known to all of His children. Pastor Scott Nelson ofMorningstarCommunityChurchinSalem,Oregon, made this very true statement: “A father needs to live the Word of God, not just teach it.” We need to be the hero in our children’s lives.

We dads may often feel we have failed as a father. We didn’t play catch with our children as often as we should have when they were little. We didn’t take them to the park as often as we think we should have. And sometimes we’ve put material things ahead of our children. You’re not alone. There is not one father who has not felt some guilt in this situation.

But we can’t let this cause us to think we’re a failure as fathers! Satan loves to try to pull us down by causing confusion in our lives. As a matter of fact there is often a battle going on with the devil because of the circumstances God has allowed into our lives.

Yes, God allows things to happen to us. Why would He do this? Why wouldn’t He just protect us all the time?

I have learned that God uses these situations in an effort to teach me something. When I feel up against it, I really need to ask myself these questions: “What is God trying to teach me? What should I learn from this trial? What has God planned for me from this situation?”

Let me make something very clear: God wants us to depend on Him. He wants to flood our souls with His love. He wants us to seek adventures (often cleverly disguised as adversity) and let Him guide us. It may be difficult at the moment to see adversity as God breaking you and shaping you during a trial, but that is what He is doing.

I went through that in my life. I finally gave up and let God take over my life. I went through many trials and adversity before I finally let Him take charge and guide me.

There is a song that talks about God knowing my name and my every thought—and even about each of my tears that fall.

Realize that He is with you always! He even knows your name! Our children need to learn this truth from us. They need to know that they have not only an earthly father they also have a heavenly Father. They need to know they will always have someone to turn to.

My challenge to each of you is: What are you doing to make sure your children know God? Today is the first day of the rest of your life. If you feel you have had a battle going on in your life and you haven’t spent enough time teaching your children about God, start now! I don’t care if you just become a father and have a newborn, or you’re a grandparent. You are still the father of your children until you go to be with the Lord. Show them by example what it means to follow God. Talk to them about how God has blessed you. They will see the love you have for not only them, but for God.

 

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and

when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7

Further Adventures

June is Father’s Month. It is the month that we as fathers get a little press in our home. It should make you feel good and help you feel wanted. But that is not always the case. Are you a single dad who won’t even see your children on Father’s Day? Have you decided to abandon your children so you won’t ever see them again?

Sounds a little sad, doesn’t it? This is way too common in our society. The broken home rates are getting higher each year. It is much easier to leave a marriage than try to save it. Sounds simpler to just pack up and leave—that will make your life much easier. Not so. The first thing that you as a father need to do is think not only about your marriage, but also about your children. They are in the middle. Your leaving is certainly is not their fault, but they may think it is.

This next Father’s Day, think about where you are in your relationship with your family. Have you tried to reconcile with your wife? Have you done everything you can to have time with your children? Do you care about what happens to them? If you say no to any of these questions, it is time to do a U-turn! Put your family first! It may be a broken family, but do whatever you can to help your children live a happy and normal life. There is nothing more rewarding than that as far as your children go.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how often we get upset with our children, but love them so much?

 

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I’m Not a Snob; I’m Just Better Than Yoo

 Thank you again for all of your who have been signing up for our RSS feed. A total of 190+ of you have done that recently. This helps us move up in the Google Search Rankings. Help us climb even higher by signing up today if you haven’t already. Just click on the icon right after the title to do that.

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We have been sharing excerpts from my first book called, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” This is a perfect book to use as a gift for Easter, which is only a week or so away.

This book reaches out to those who may suffer from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects. It is on a special sale right now.

Just click on the “Bookstore,” tab above to check it out.

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Today’s excerpt talks about how we sometimes look down on others, and feel we are more important than they are.

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Chapter 55

 

I’m Not a Snob; I’m Just Better than You

 

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:11–13

 

Sometimes you and I forget what is important in our lives. We want to be important. We sometimes look down on people than rather than looking up to them.

There is a part of my hometown of  Salem,Oregon, that is called Nob Hill. When I was in high school we called it “Snob Hill.” We thought all the rich people lived in that area so they didn’t have to mix with us.

Some of the kids in my neighborhood walked with a shuffle. They carried themselves with their heads down to avoid eye contact and their shoulders drooped. They thought they were poor, so they acted poor.

My mother would not allow my brother and me to act that way. She was a single mom and had a job that only paid $1.35 an hour. We didn’t have much, but she found a way for us to have a home, somehow making the monthly payments. We had food on the table even though my brother and I had to fix it for ourselves many times. (We were some of the original latch-key kids.)

There was only one high school  in Salem at the time, so all of us went to the same school. I realized those kids from Nob Hill weren’t all that different from the rest of us. They didn’t act any differently than any other high-school student. What they had were good clothes and money to buy things that some of us couldn’t afford.

But that was a big difference! I knew I was one of those guys who didn’t have very much money and couldn’t afford the nice clothes that some kids could. I was one of the have-nots.

That was the first time the word “poor” hit home. I realized I was a poor kid! I didn’t have many fancy things like others have.

Then I began to think about my home life. I had a roof over my head. I had food to eat when I was hungry. My mother even bought a TV set when we were in high school. She knew we couldn’t afford one and did extra work so we could have it.

My mother let us go to the Hollywood Theatre every Saturday. It cost a dime. They had contests on the stage like bubble-blowing contests and there were prizes. (I won a prize one time.)

They also had a serial movie. That was a movie where at the end of each episode it looked like the hero was going to die. You had to come back the next Saturday to see if he made it. Now we call that kind of thing a soap opera. You know, like “The Young and the Rest of Us.”

As I look back, I realize my mother provided for my brother and me just enough to keep us from knowing we were poor. We didn’t feel like we were being looked down on. We didn’t walk with a shuffle or with our heads down. We were happy kids.

I was a member of Young Life at my high school, and that is where I was able to feel self-worth. All the kids forgot what clothes others were wearing and fellowshipped together.

How about today? Has life sent some of us a lemon? Do the bills keep coming faster than we can put money in the bank? Do our children maybe not have the best clothes in the neighborhood? Some of us might even fight depression because we feel we’re not providing for our loved ones.

We can’t let Satan pull that trick on us! He’s out to fool us and make us think we’re not worth much. The old saying is, “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.” I’m telling you right now that each one of us is important. We can’t let Satan make us think otherwise again. We can call on God for comfort. He has all the wealth in the universe, and He wants to share it with each one of us.

Comparing ourselves to others is wrong as well—they are a mess too. We need to compare ourselves to God. That should be our goal because that is all that counts. We are made in God’s image. We are not crafted in a famous person’s image. We are not in the image of the richest man in the world. We are made in God’s image.

And bottom line, if God created you in His image to fulfill a specific purpose and you choose not to accept the mission, who is going to be you? If you’re not going to be you, who will be you? We were created in His image to grow more like Him and follow the course He laid out for us in eternity past.

Back to the good ole days: How did my brother and I keep up with the Joneses? We worked hard. I lived on a farm with my aunt and uncle during the summer and visited my mom on the weekends. I picked berries during the berry season, and helped my uncle work the farm the rest of the time.

 Have you ever planted potatoes while lying face down on the back of a tractor? I have. You drop one potato every few inches, and do it for several acres. I was very sore by the end of the day, but when those potato plants started coming up I was as proud as punch, my friend! Besides, have you ever had homemade potato soup? My mother made potato soup clear up to the time she could no longer live alone. We had potato soup many times over the years, even after my children were born. Each time we did, it brought back my childhood memories for me, and they were good memories.

My brother had a morning paper route. He had to get up early and deliver the papers before he left to go to school. He did it, and still got his schoolwork done.

He and I were not only able to buy our own clothes each fall, but we also learned the value of the little things. We took good care of the money we made, and we also had a fun and rewarding childhood.

It’s really not that hard to do. We don’t have to keep up with our neighbors or the people we work with, the pretext of most commercials. One shows a neighbor putting up some Christmas lights, and then the other neighbor putting up fancier lights. They keep up this insane competition until the whole neighborhood is dark from the overuse of electricity.

We can learn to be content with what God provides for us. We don’t have to look at the people on “Snob Hill” and feel dejected.

Remember:

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet, but He’ll ask how many you helped to clothe.

God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

God won’t ask what your job title was, but He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask how many friends you had, but He’ll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but He’ll ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but He’ll ask about the content of your character.

God won’t ask why it took you so long to seek salvation, but He’ll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of hell.

We can let God be the judge of how important we are. We can live off His love, not our paycheck. We can let Him calm the storm. We can let Him carry us when we’re tired. He doesn’t expect us to walk through life alone, and He is there for us whenever we call.

 

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

1 Timothy 6:6–8

 

Further Adventures

I have spent too many hours, days and years worrying if I’m accepted or not. I now know I do not need to go any further than to my heavenly Father. He loves me and that is all I really need. Sure, it would be keen if I was the most admired person on the planet with many followers bowing done to me. But I am not an idol. I am not made of wood or gold and don’t have people laying offerings in front of me. I am just another sinner. So I only need to be accepted by the supreme and only God. All other gods will bow down to Him. As long as you have that going for you, you have all the love you can handle flowing through your heart every day.  Keep that in mind. Strive to please God and He will be pleased with you and give you abounded amounts of love.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that the more we have, the more we want?

 

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Every Temptation is an Opportunity to Trust God

A big thank you to those of you who have been signing up for our RSS feed. There have been over 190 of you who have done that recently. This helps us move up in the Google Search Rankings.

 Help us go even higher by signing up today if you haven’t already. Just click on the icon right after the title to do that.

_________________________________________________________

We have been sharing excerpts from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.”  This book is a perfect book to give as a gift right now. Easter is only a couple of weeks away.

This book reaches out to those who may suffer from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, hopelessness, and the many other usual suspects.

_________________________________________________________

The book is on sale right now, so check it out by clicking on the “Bookstore,” tab above.

_________________________________________________________

Today’s excerpt talks about how we as new Christians will face many temptations. It guides us through the process of how to remain strong.

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Chapter 54

 

Every Temptation Is an Opportunity to Trust God

 

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

 

When someone becomes a Christian, Satan starts working overtime to try to pull that person away from God. He hates it that one more person has accepted the love of God into their lives. He will do whatever he can to turn the new Christian around, and head him or her back into sin.

We have so much fun each day just trying to make it through the day fighting off temptations. I mean this as a challenge and not as a joke. We face temptations constantly to do what God would not want us to do. He allows a different close encounter to approach us in the form of many temptations going through our mind every day. It could be something small like telling an off-color joke to others in an effort to fit in, or something more serious like deciding to take home a business camera that no one will miss.

Being tempted is part of being human. God does not protect us from temptation. He allows it into our lives so we can learn to depend on Him. The verse above promises that He “will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” It is our chance to build on solid ground for our eternal blessings. We are never free of temptations. It doesn’t matter how long we have been a Christian—Satan will tempt us. When we fall for the temptation, it’s because we have turned our back on the “way out” God has promised.

Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was offered a great deal of power in the world. He was given a chance to be king over all the kings. He was offered all the land He could see in all directions from the high place He was standing. He was tempted in every way you could think possible. This man called Jesus, who is the embodiment of how we should live on this earth, turned His back on all of the temptations! The way of escape for Him was falling back on the promises of God from Scripture.

We have the same power to not be caught by temptation by calling to mind God’s promises to us.

            We face temptations every day. (I am a sucker for Snickers candy bars, every time I see one in the store.) We need to concentrate on doing what is right each time we face a temptation. There is a very simple way to approach each and every temptation we face. Just ask, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” I mean, we can really ask that question each and every time we are tempted.

Example: Guys, a female friend asks you to help her put up a fence. About halfway through, she invites you into the house for something to drink. When you get inside, you see by what she’s wearing that she has other intentions. She comes close to you, and says that it would be OK to have a little fun. “No one will know,” she promises. What would Jesus do?

There is one thing you should do right away. You should run out of there like Joseph ran from the wife of Potiphar. You should run like you are being chased by a rabid dog looking for someone to bite.

Potiphar’s wife had tried for several days to get Joseph to sleep with her, and he refused. Then when he was close, and no one was around, she grabbed his cloak and ordered him to sleep with her. He broke loose and ran out of the house. He resisted temptation even though Potiphar’s wife tried so hard to seduce him.

Why did he run? Why should you run? It didn’t turn out well for Joseph. Potiphar’s wife became angry because he wouldn’t sleep with her. She accused Joseph of trying to seduce her. Even though he hadn’t touched her, Potiphar put him in prison for several years. Not a good situation for a young man that did everything he could to please God.

But there is a happy ending to the story of Joseph. In Genesis 39–50 we see how God brought Joseph through temptation and made him instrumental in His plan for the nation of Israel, giving him a place of prominence Joseph never could have dreamed would be his. It is one of the most wonderful stories in the Bible and I often wonder if the story would have ended as it did had Joseph not taken the “way out” God provided. Probably not.

Sometimes the “way out” may be simply walking away from temptation. Other times we may have to run as fast as we can.

As a child, I used to go to a movie in the downtown area of Salem, Oregon. It was within walking distance of my home. It was all right going to the movie, because it was still light. But on the way home it was very dark, and bushes lined the sidewalk where I had to walk. I knew there was a monster in those bushes and he was ready to grab me! I think I set some kind of record as I ran by those bushes. I was not about to be caught be some evil demon. I stayed in the middle of the street so a monster couldn’t grab me from either side.

All of us have monsters—real or imagined—in the bushes. Temptations are the real ones that we all face at some time in life. What is important is that each and every time we are faced with some kind of temptation, we ask, “What would Jesus do? What is the ‘way out’ He is providing me?”

 

[God’s grace] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions,

and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.

Titus 2:12

 

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 2:18

 

Further Adventures

Think before you leap! Always be on alert. Think of life as a war between God and Satan. You are on the good guy’s side. You need to be careful of the attacks from the guy on the other side. He will do whatever he can to destroy you. He will try to convince you that what you are doing is OK just this one time. No one will know. Stop! That is not the good guy talking. That is the enemy! Trust God, and God only. Everything else is the enemy.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny how some of us never hear the music before the song is over?