COMPLAINING
Definition to Look Up:
complain:
Verse(s) to Memorize:
Philippians 2:14-15:
Scripture to Read/Study:
The Life and Attitude of the Israelites as they Wandered the Wilderness:
After the Israelites, who were God’s chosen people, were miraculously freed from Egyptian slavery by God via Moses, they went in search of the Promised Land, but they were forced to wander in the Wilderness for forty years because they would not quit complaining against God.
Exodus 15:23-24:
23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter.
Therefore, the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
Exodus 16:2-3:
2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt,
when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full!
For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Numbers 21:4-9:
4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom;
and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses:
“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?
For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”
6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten,
when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole;
and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Questions to Answer:
Who were the Israelites?
Give some examples of times they complained.
Give some examples of their punishments for complaining?
Application to Plan:
What is the key thing you learned from this lesson?
How can you apply what you learned from this lesson?
Prayer to Pray:
Friday, July 23, 2021
Thursday, July 22, 2021
Be a Student of Your Children
Now you may be looking at the title of this blog entry and thinking, "Be a student of your children? Aren't my children the students?" Yes, they are the students in many ways. They look up to you to teach them everything from how to eat to how to walk to how to read to how to drive a car. But, I believe we are also to be students of our children.
One of the most quoted verses when it comes to parenting is Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Upon further study of that verse, I have learned 2 things:
1) It is a principle, not a promise, and
2) It doesn't just mean to train them up in the LORD (which is the most important thing), but it also means to train them up in their special and specific callings and giftings from God.
What I mean by it being a principle and not a promise is that we do not have a 100% guarantee that if we train them up in the LORD that they will always follow Him. That in no way means that we should not train them up in the LORD (see Deut 6:4-9 and Eph 6:4).
Again, we should train them up in the LORD, but we also need to train them up in their special callings and giftings from God. How do we know what those specific callings and giftings are? By being a student of our children. This means that we are actively involved in their lives and watching to see their God-given bents, interests, gifts, and callings. If we see that our child shows more interest in history than math, we should help them look into a path that involves history (ie teacher, lawyer, politician) and not push them into engineering just because we are an engineer and think it is the best career ever. If we see that our child is more into music than athletics, we should encourage and equip them in music and not push them into football just because we are a die-hard NFL fan. These are simple examples, but so many parents make goals for their children that have nothing to do with each individual child.
Be a student of your children and train them up in the LORD and in the bents, interests, gifts, and callings He has given them, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.
One of the most quoted verses when it comes to parenting is Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Upon further study of that verse, I have learned 2 things:
1) It is a principle, not a promise, and
2) It doesn't just mean to train them up in the LORD (which is the most important thing), but it also means to train them up in their special and specific callings and giftings from God.
What I mean by it being a principle and not a promise is that we do not have a 100% guarantee that if we train them up in the LORD that they will always follow Him. That in no way means that we should not train them up in the LORD (see Deut 6:4-9 and Eph 6:4).
Again, we should train them up in the LORD, but we also need to train them up in their special callings and giftings from God. How do we know what those specific callings and giftings are? By being a student of our children. This means that we are actively involved in their lives and watching to see their God-given bents, interests, gifts, and callings. If we see that our child shows more interest in history than math, we should help them look into a path that involves history (ie teacher, lawyer, politician) and not push them into engineering just because we are an engineer and think it is the best career ever. If we see that our child is more into music than athletics, we should encourage and equip them in music and not push them into football just because we are a die-hard NFL fan. These are simple examples, but so many parents make goals for their children that have nothing to do with each individual child.
Be a student of your children and train them up in the LORD and in the bents, interests, gifts, and callings He has given them, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.
Friday, July 16, 2021
Object Lesson - Cookies
I love cookies! To me there is almost nothing better than a homemade cookie, whether it be the classic chocolate chip or a seasonal gingersnap or a snickerdoodle. I love pulling out my trusty red Kitcheaid mixer, measuring cups and spoons, spatula, and ingredients and whipping up a batch of deliciousness, especially with my kids.
The other day, I read a great devotional from Proverbs 31 about life and how even the hard things are an important part of it. The author used this great analogy, so I cannot take the credit, but it was too good not to share. I am hoping us parents can use it with our kids. I've added more details to make it easier to do.
Pull out your mixer, measuring cups, and spoons, spatula, and ingredients, and grab your kids for this great object lesson.
Using the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, start with 2 sticks of softened butter. Talk to your kids about how butter is a fat and how sometimes we go through "fat times" which are times of plenty and blessing. You could share some times that you have seen God provide.
Add 3/4 cup of white sugar and 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Talk to your kids about how the sugar is like the "sweet times" which are times of super blessings. You could share some times that you have seen God do some sweet things. Mix that all up.
Then add 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla and mix. Talk to your kids about how we don't eat raw eggs and how sometimes we go through some pretty "raw times," that hurt pretty badly. You could talk about times in your life that hurt. You can also talk to them about how the vanilla represents "super sweet times". Share some super sweet times like your kids being born.
Then you add 2 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt. Flour, baking soda, and baking powder are not fun to eat plain. They are pretty dry and tasteless, even yucky. They represent the "dry times" or "yucky times". Talk to your kids about those times in life. The salt represents "salty times" Those would be the really hard times. Talk with your kids about those.
Last, but of course not least, add in a bag of semisweet chocolate chips and mix. They represent the everyday sweet things that happen. Hopefully there are lots of "semisweet moments" sprinkled into your days. Making cookies could be one of those "semisweet moments."
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy! Remind them that God works all things together for the good (Romans 8:28). He puts all the "ingredients" into our "recipe" and it turns out as a good thing.
The other day, I read a great devotional from Proverbs 31 about life and how even the hard things are an important part of it. The author used this great analogy, so I cannot take the credit, but it was too good not to share. I am hoping us parents can use it with our kids. I've added more details to make it easier to do.
Pull out your mixer, measuring cups, and spoons, spatula, and ingredients, and grab your kids for this great object lesson.
Using the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, start with 2 sticks of softened butter. Talk to your kids about how butter is a fat and how sometimes we go through "fat times" which are times of plenty and blessing. You could share some times that you have seen God provide.
Add 3/4 cup of white sugar and 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Talk to your kids about how the sugar is like the "sweet times" which are times of super blessings. You could share some times that you have seen God do some sweet things. Mix that all up.
Then add 2 eggs and 2 tsp vanilla and mix. Talk to your kids about how we don't eat raw eggs and how sometimes we go through some pretty "raw times," that hurt pretty badly. You could talk about times in your life that hurt. You can also talk to them about how the vanilla represents "super sweet times". Share some super sweet times like your kids being born.
Then you add 2 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp salt. Flour, baking soda, and baking powder are not fun to eat plain. They are pretty dry and tasteless, even yucky. They represent the "dry times" or "yucky times". Talk to your kids about those times in life. The salt represents "salty times" Those would be the really hard times. Talk with your kids about those.
Last, but of course not least, add in a bag of semisweet chocolate chips and mix. They represent the everyday sweet things that happen. Hopefully there are lots of "semisweet moments" sprinkled into your days. Making cookies could be one of those "semisweet moments."
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy! Remind them that God works all things together for the good (Romans 8:28). He puts all the "ingredients" into our "recipe" and it turns out as a good thing.
Monday, July 5, 2021
Family Meals
Family meals are crucial.
There are countless reasons why family meals are important, but I believe the number one reason is because it builds family relationships. All throughout Scripture, we see the value of "breaking bread".
Meals are not just about the food that's eaten, but about the fellowship that happens. It's about praying together, talking about our days, and extending love and respect to each other.
Whether it is a homecooked meal from scratch, a semi-homemade meal, sandwiches, cereal, takeout, or even eating in a restaurant, again, it's not about the food, but about being together.
Whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, a holiday feast, or a quick snack, it's not about the time of day, it's about the quality time.
Something fun that we like to do at our family meals is a game called "High/Low". Basically, you share the best part of your day ("high") and the worst part of your day ("low"). This is a simple yet deep game that gives everyone a chance to share what is going on with them. It also affords an opportunity to praise God for our "highs" and pray to God about our "lows".
We have also done devotionals at the table. A great resource for this is Adventures in Odyssey Meal Time Devotions.
It's great because it has:
A Mealtime Prayer
An Appetizer, which gets the topic rolling and asks a question
A Main Course, which is Scripture reading
Table Talk, which is more questions
Vitamins and Minerals, which is a Scripture verse (you could encourage them to memorize)
How do you prioritize family meals?
What do they look like?
Do you do anything fun or unique at meals?
There are countless reasons why family meals are important, but I believe the number one reason is because it builds family relationships. All throughout Scripture, we see the value of "breaking bread".
Meals are not just about the food that's eaten, but about the fellowship that happens. It's about praying together, talking about our days, and extending love and respect to each other.
Whether it is a homecooked meal from scratch, a semi-homemade meal, sandwiches, cereal, takeout, or even eating in a restaurant, again, it's not about the food, but about being together.
Whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, a holiday feast, or a quick snack, it's not about the time of day, it's about the quality time.
Something fun that we like to do at our family meals is a game called "High/Low". Basically, you share the best part of your day ("high") and the worst part of your day ("low"). This is a simple yet deep game that gives everyone a chance to share what is going on with them. It also affords an opportunity to praise God for our "highs" and pray to God about our "lows".
We have also done devotionals at the table. A great resource for this is Adventures in Odyssey Meal Time Devotions.
It's great because it has:
A Mealtime Prayer
An Appetizer, which gets the topic rolling and asks a question
A Main Course, which is Scripture reading
Table Talk, which is more questions
Vitamins and Minerals, which is a Scripture verse (you could encourage them to memorize)
How do you prioritize family meals?
What do they look like?
Do you do anything fun or unique at meals?
Praying for Our Children
There is no greater impact we can have on our kids than prayer. There are countless books and resources on praying for our kids. I have no doubt read and used most of them throughout the years.
Some of my favorite resources are:
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt
Additionally, I just took our Family Mission Statement - https://mightyacorns613.blogspot.com/2021/07/a-family-mission-statement.html - and turned it into a Daily Prayer Guide.
Some of my favorite resources are:
The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian
Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt
Additionally, I just took our Family Mission Statement - https://mightyacorns613.blogspot.com/2021/07/a-family-mission-statement.html - and turned it into a Daily Prayer Guide.
I like this because it is specific to our family. Priscilla Shirer says, "Specific prayers get specific answers."
I would love to hear what resources you love for praying and how you pray for your children.
A Family Mission Statement
For years I have been hearing about creating a family mission statement. It always intrigued me because I am all about trying to find a focus for what I am doing and keeping my eyes on that. Anyone who knows me knows that I love acronyms. I prayed about this for a long time and decided that I wanted to use our last name, Webber, to create our mission statement using the letters in our name. I sat down and wrote every verb that I could think of that started with those letters that sounded like it would go along with something that could be a core value of our mission.
Wait, Walk
Educate, Encourage, Enjoy, Enter, Examine, Expect, Extend
Behave, Believe, Bless
Radiate, Raise, Rejoice, Remember, Reproduce, Remember, Rest
Then, I narrowed them down to these:
Walk with God
Enjoy and Examine God's Word
Believe that God Can Do the Impossible
Behave Like a Christian
Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving
Reproduce Other Believers in Jesus
After that, I found Bible verses to be the foundational truths of each part of the mission.
I typed it all up, prettied it all up, and printed out our Webber Family Mission Statement.
I am sharing it with you in hopes that it will motivate you to make yours as well. God Bless!
Wait, Walk
Educate, Encourage, Enjoy, Enter, Examine, Expect, Extend
Behave, Believe, Bless
Radiate, Raise, Rejoice, Remember, Reproduce, Remember, Rest
Then, I narrowed them down to these:
Walk with God
Enjoy and Examine God's Word
Believe that God Can Do the Impossible
Behave Like a Christian
Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving
Reproduce Other Believers in Jesus
After that, I found Bible verses to be the foundational truths of each part of the mission.
I typed it all up, prettied it all up, and printed out our Webber Family Mission Statement.
Redeeming Devices
One of the major modern parenting issues is technology and devices. There is an entire spectrum from "My kid will never have a device" to "My kid has unlimited devices".
This is not a post on if and/or when a child should or should not get a device. This is a post on how to redeem devices.
There is an amazing verse in the Bible that we actually have up in our school room as well as in the forefront of my mind.
Ephesians 5:15-16
So pay very careful attention, then, how you live. Don't live like unwise fools, but live like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity [Redeeming the time], because the days are evil.
I believe this verse shows us that we should make the most of every opportunity [redeem the time]. I believe this also includes devices.
One way that I have been redeeming devices with my 15-year-old son is by praying that God will give me a passage of Scripture to send to him each day. And God has been faithful every single day since I have started praying. I send him the Scripture with some insights and application and prayer and an "I love you" every day.
Here is what I sent him today:
2nd Timothy 3:14-17
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Stay faithful in and to God's Word, which you have known from childhood. Let it teach you, correct you, and guide you that you may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work that God has for you. Love you.
I pray that this is an encouragement and applicable thing for you. Let's go out and redeem the time. God bless!
This is not a post on if and/or when a child should or should not get a device. This is a post on how to redeem devices.
There is an amazing verse in the Bible that we actually have up in our school room as well as in the forefront of my mind.
Ephesians 5:15-16
So pay very careful attention, then, how you live. Don't live like unwise fools, but live like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity [Redeeming the time], because the days are evil.
I believe this verse shows us that we should make the most of every opportunity [redeem the time]. I believe this also includes devices.
One way that I have been redeeming devices with my 15-year-old son is by praying that God will give me a passage of Scripture to send to him each day. And God has been faithful every single day since I have started praying. I send him the Scripture with some insights and application and prayer and an "I love you" every day.
Here is what I sent him today:
2nd Timothy 3:14-17
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Stay faithful in and to God's Word, which you have known from childhood. Let it teach you, correct you, and guide you that you may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work that God has for you. Love you.
I pray that this is an encouragement and applicable thing for you. Let's go out and redeem the time. God bless!
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