A Lovely Father and Daughter Event

There is nothing more important than a daughter knowing the love her father has for her. A wonderful way for fathers to spend time with their daughters is to attend a special father daughter event. My husband will be escorting our three daughters to this wonderful Father Daughter Dinner with speaker Norm Wakefield. If you are in the Illinois/Indiana area you might want to check this out:



(Dinolfo's Banquet Hall)

***Christian Heritage Church is hosting a “Father and Daughter Dinner” at DiNolfo’s Banquet Hall, located at 14447 West 159th Street in Homer Glen, Illinois.

Godly womanhood is under attack in our culture. International Bible teacher, conference speaker and author Norm Wakefield will address this issue in a message titled: “A Father and Daughter: Affirming Godly Womanhood.” Norm will offer some practical ways a father can affirm his daughter in her womanhood and prepare her to be a godly wife and mother.

Our prayer is that God would use this evening to unite the hearts of fathers and daughters and lay a foundation for future generations of faithfulness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Fathers, you will enjoy a delicious gourmet dinner together, followed by father and daughter games, Norm’s message, dessert, and an optional slow dance with your daughter. As you leave, a picture portrait and a surprise gift to remember this special night await you.

Event Itinerary:
5:00 - 6:00 pm ~ Registration and Photos
6:00 pm ~ Begin Seating and Soda Bar
6:30 pm ~ Dinner is Served
7:30 pm ~ Father and Daughter Games
8:15 pm ~ Opening Comments
8:30 pm ~ Norm Wakefield
9:30 pm ~ Optional Father/Daughter Slow Dance
10:00 pm ~ Farewell and don’t forget your photo

~The Cost is $20 per person, which includes your photo~

To Register, visit the church website at www.chcop.org***

Be sure to register soon the date is right around the corner!

March 15, 2010


***Update: Registration has just closed for this event***

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A Mother's Priorities

"I am sadly concerned that thousands of mothers are so over-burdened that the actual demands of life from day to day consume all their time and strength. But of two evils, choose the lesser: which would you call the lesser--an unpolished stove or an untaught boy? Dirty windows, or a child whose confidence you have failed to gain? Cobwebs in the corner, or a son over whose soul a crust has formed, so strong that you despair of melting it with your hot tears and fervent prayers?

I have seen a woman who was absolutely ignorant of her children's habits of thought, who never felt that she could spare a half-hour to read or talk with them--I have seen this woman spend ten minutes in ironing a sheet, or forty minutes icing a cake for tea, because company was expected.

When the mother, a good orthodox Christian, shall appear before the Great White Throne to be judged for the "deeds done in the body," and to give her report of the master's treasures placed in her care, there will be questions and answers like these:

"Where are the boys and girls I gave thee?"

"Lord, I was busy keeping my house clean and in order, and my children wandered away."

"Where wert thou while thy sons and thy daughters were learning lessons of dishonesty, malice and impurity?"

"Lord, I was polishing furniture and making beautiful rugs."

"What hast thou to show for thy life's work?"

"The tidiest house, Lord, and the best starching and ironing in all our neighborhood!"

Oh these children, these children! The restless eager boys and girls whom we love more than our lives! Shall we devote our time and strength to that which perishes while the rich garden of our child's soul lies neglected, with foul weeds choking out all worthy and beautiful growths? Fleeting indeed, O mother, are the days of childhood, and speckless windows, snowy linen, the consciousness that everything about the house is faultlessly bright and clean will be poor comfort in that day wherein we shall discover that our poor boy's feet have chosen the path that shall take him out of the way to all eternity."





--Author Unknown

(Elisabeth Elliot shared the following essay written many years ago by an unknown mother in one of her newsletters ( Elisabeth Elliot Newsletter, P.O. Box 7711, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107-7711 -$7 yr.) She says while not too many women iron sheets these days, it is still possible to let many other things take precedence over the primary task.)




Thank you Brenda @ The Family Revised for sharing this!









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In The Gates of the City

Proverbs 14:19, "The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous."

I have shared with you previously that God wants us to raise our children to be able to speak in the gates of the city. The "gates" are the legislative capitals where laws and decisions are made for communities, states and the nation. This is where we need justice to be set up again. God wants His name glorified in the gates of our cities and our land. He wants righteousness, integrity and justice to be preeminent in the gates.

The Word of God tells us that we are to...

POSSESS THE GATES

I love the blessing Rebekah's family gave when they sent her forth to be Isaac's bride, "Be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them." (Genesis 24:60) Read also Genesis 22:17. The word "possess" in the Hebrew means 'to seize, take possession of, to occupy, to become heir.' Don't you think it is time the righteous occupied the gates of our cities and nation? We can't have righteous laws without righteous men in government. We can't have peace in the land unless the godly rule. (Proverbs 11:10-11; 14:34; 29:2)

SPEAK IN THE GATES

Psalm 127:4-5 tells us that God wants us to train a "quiver full" of children who will rise up to "speak with the enemies in the gates." Do you notice that it says they will speak? We must train our children to contend and stand up for truth.*

PROCLAIM WISDOM IN THE GATES

We are not to hide wisdom behind closed doors. We must raise children who will one day be able to proclaim wisdom in the chief places of the city. Proverbs 1:20-21 says that "Wisdom cries in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she utters her words." (Proverbs 8:1-7)

ESTABLISH JUSTICE IN THE GATES

The prophet cried out in Amos 5:15, "Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph." We will receive the favor and blessing of the Lord when we have justice in the gates of the city and the nation.

DEFEND JUSTICE IN THE GATES

Isaiah 29:21 MLB talks about "the defender of justice" in the gates. How we need men today who will defend justice in the gates. This Scripture says there is a day coming when "the tyrant shall have vanished; the scoffer shall have ceased; and all those intent on doing evil shall be cut off, who for a word declare a person guilty, and entrap the defender of justice in the gate, and with empty arguments turn aside the person who is in the right."

We see this happening around us and even in our courts. Judges uphold evil. The media and the humanist love to trap and ridicule the righteous. But there will come a day when all this will change. God has also promised that He will give a "spirit of justice" to those who execute justice in the gates and will strengthen and give courage to those who battle to protect the gates of the city. (Isaiah 28:6)

ESTABLISH TRUTH AND PEACE IN THE GATES

Zechariah 8:16 says, "Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor; execute the justice of truth and peace in your gates..." Justice demands truth. When truth is upheld there will be peace. This is the foundation for ordering the home which continues throughout society, right up to the gates of the city and the nation. It is difficult to find men to execute justice and truth in the gates if it has not become ingrained in their lives from early childhood. This is the great task God has given to us as parents.

GUARD THE GATES

Nehemiah 11:19 talks about 172 men who guarded the gates of the city of Jerusalem.

Our cities and nation will be blessed when godly men rule in the gates. (Proverbs 31:23) I look toward the day when, "The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous." (Proverbs 14:19) And don't you think it would be wonderful for mothers and homemakers to be praised in the gates, rather than the feminists? This happened in Bible times. It can happen again. (Proverbs 31: 31)

Before these blessings come to the gates of our cities, it must come to our homes. It starts with parents who command their household in the ways of justice, who do not allow disobedience, rebellion, lies and deceit to go undisciplined. It will take parents who abhor evil and love righteousness and who teach their children to do the same.



Written by NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh God please strengthen me to raise children who will be able to inhabit the gates of the city and bring justice, integrity and truth to our land again. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

God befriend us, as our cause is just!
~ William Shakespeare

I personally know a godly son raised by a godly family who has set off to do just what this article is about. He was homeschooled and brought up in the Lords ways and now he has prepared himself to defend justice by running for state office. If you are in the South Bend area, be sure to vote for this young man--you won't be disappointed! And what a wonderful challenge to us parents to raise children who will one day defend and contend for the faith.







(Originally titled: Where Is Justice?)

Be It Ever So Humble

If we would have a true home,
we must guard well our thoughts and actions.
A single bitter word
may disquiet the home for a whole day;
but, like unexpected flowers
which spring up along our path full of freshness, fragrance, and beauty,
so do kind words and gentle acts and sweet disposition
make glad the home
where peace and blessing dwell.

No matter how humble the abode,
if it be thus garnished with grace
and sweetened by kindness and smiles,
the heart will turn lovingly towards it
from all the tumults of the world,

and home,
"be it ever so humble,"
will be the dearest spot under the sun.









--The Golden Gems of Life


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Loving Daughters

The Bible tells us this about daughters in Psalm 144:12-13,
“That our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace: that our garners may be full.”

As corner-stones, polished after the similitude of palace, God desires that our daughters grow up to become strong and beautiful ~ and adorned with all the ornaments belonging to their sex. What are the “ornaments” that the Bible teaches belong to the female sex? Titus 2:4-5 describes them as: soberness, love for family, discretion, purity, excellent housekeeping, goodness, and submission to authority.

That’s a tall order, isn’t it? And the reason that it is so important that our daughters be taught and trained in these areas is because (as the Treasury of David so wisely puts it), “Daughters unite families as corner stones join walls together, and at the same time, they adorn them as polished stones garnishing the structure into which they are builded.”

Daughters are an important part of every family, and it is our duty to teach them how to be a blessing to our families now so that they will understand how to be a blessing to the family they will marry into later on.

Matthew Henry writes, “That our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace or temple. By daughters families are united and connected to their mutual strength, as the parts of a building are by the cornerstones; and when they are graceful and beautiful both in body and mind, they are then polished after the similitude of a nice and curious structure. When we see our daughters well established, and stayed with wisdom and discretion, as cornerstones are fastened in the building; when we see them by faith united to Christ, as the chief cornerstone, adorned with the graces of God's Spirit, which are the polishing of that which is naturally rough, and "become women professing godliness"; when we see them purified and consecrated to God as living temples, we think ourselves happy in them.”

So, how are we to go about accomplishing so great a task?

First of all, we must remember that daughters have a great need for love and security.

1. Daughters need to be treated with kindness.

2. Daughters feel loved when we are patient with them.

3. A critical spirit is a destructive thing to a daughter’s spirit ~ it causes her to feel insecure about who she is and what she is able to do.

4. Comparison also causes daughters to feel insecure about themselves. Daughters are in desperate need of acceptance in order to become the polished corner stone of the family that God desires them to be.

5. It’s a mothers job to identify the special needs that her daughter has and help her to overcome or practically accommodate them.

6. Mothers must be careful not attribute motives, nor take offense, lose patience, or take the ridiculous things that daughters do too personally.

7. Mothers must remember that daughters need to be raised in a happy, loving home in order to feel totally secure. No amount of love, compliments or kindness will make up for the fear that is brought into a daughter’s heart by marital strife or divorce.

Secondly, daughters need to be taught to control their emotions.

1. Whining, gossiping and complaining should not be tolerated. Make every effort to train your daughter to be sensible by teaching her how to be thankful, patient and kind as she deals with her every day issues of life.

2. Emotions must be taught to follow and not allowed to lead. The best teacher is example. Make it your goal to be a good example of this so that your daughter can “see” how this is done.

3. Daughters must be taught that they may not use their “hormones” as an excuse for sin!

4. Teach your daughter how to manage her tears. There is a time for tears ~ when they are hurt, when someone they know or see is seriously injured or dies. But crying is not something that should continue on and on ~ they should be short and brief. Even in the case of death of a loved one: there is a time to cry, and there is a time to cease from crying.

5. The same goes for silliness. Giggling and acting giddy is fine at times, but too much of it makes a girl ridiculous.

Thirdly, daughters must be raised to embrace their femininity.

1. Daughters should be taught to be home-centered. They should be encouraged to love working with their hands ~ both in housework and handiwork.

2. Daughters should be encouraged to wear dresses, fix their hair and want to look pretty.

a. However, we must be diligent to encourage them to be MODEST and pretty. The female body is a beautiful creation of God and modesty teaches them that it is a precious thing that must be saved for their future husband (and not the whole world) to enjoy.

b. We also must be careful not to raise our daughters to be too prissy or “primadonas” who only a mother and father is able to tolerate and love :).

3. Daughters must be encouraged to play with toys that will encourage her to home-centered and not bedroom-centered.

4. Daughters must be taught and trained how to respond to the men around them.

a. Daughters have a God given need for male attention. Teach them when they are little how to love and serve Dad, so that Dad will enjoy being around them.

b. Teach your daughter how to respect her Dad and brothers. This is will prepare her to enjoy good success when she is married to her own man later on.

Mothers are the role models for their daughters, and it is important that we realize that we are teaching our daughters every day by the way we live. As Christian mothers, it is vital that we commit ourselves to living as the godly women that we would want our daughters to grow up to become. This is a tall order, but one which is certainly possible as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our loving God.

Another great article by Mrs. Julie Fink @ Lessons for Ladies

Visit her blog and be blessed by her Bible Studies!

Homeschooling Through The Winter Months

February is upon us! There is snow outside and we are steadily counting down the days until spring. If you have a houseful of little ones who are inside most of the time, it can be a challenge to even the most patient of moms. I personally look forward to the winters months because we are able to get more accomplished that we usually can't because the warm sunshine is beckoning us outdoors. Winter is a time for us to 'buckle down' from whirl of events from the holidays and to settle into a nice steady routine. I know that many moms can get cabin fever, whether you have big or little ones, so here are a few suggestions:

1. Make a list. Yes, a list. Write out all the things you wanted to do with your school--projects, crafts, lapbooks, art, science experiments. Be creative. Dream and dream some more and then add it into the months of January-March. Watch the months go by faster because you have things to look forward to that break up the monotony of the week.

2. Have a party and celebrate life. Pull out the streamers and balloons or just keep it simple. whether it be Valentines day or celebrating an accomplishment. You could bake cookies for them learning a new math concept or godly character or plan a tea party. You could plan a surprise party to bless dad and cook all his favorites while you honor him when he gets home from a long day of work. Be sure to take plenty of video-- children love making home videos!

3. Plan family field trips. Many museums are offer free days during the winter months, check your local listings. Go bowling, ice skating, sledding, visit the library, or just go shopping together to get some fresh air and fun. Just be sure to use hand sanitizer so you don't pick up any illnesses.

4. Plan some hospitality. Invite the grandparents and make some memories or that family you've been thinking about having over for months. Children love having company and you will be blessed by opening your home.


5. Don't take your school too seriously. There will be those days--you know what days I am talking about! Simply breath in and out, close your teachers key and do something the whole family enjoys. Break out the gameboard or even have them all go on a book time alone in their rooms. You homeschool will not collapse because you took a break for a day or two. In our big family we truly appreciate times of solace because there are so many of us--silence can be a rare thing. You could also call a craft day or home economics day and have them bake or cook to their hearts content.

I plan to tackle some sewing projects with the girls these months---yo-yo projects, aprons, costumes, etc. This is something that is harder to focus on in the warmer months because everyone wants to be outside. I am also going to have my older daughter plan out the garden by creating a garden journal for us this year so we will be prepared for the spring. She will be in charge of it all so she will have to study what can be planted with what and where using catalogs and books for research. It is good to teach older daughters how to run a home because this is equipping and preparing her for the future. Whether she is married or not she will still have to know how to run a home and cook and clean.

I also try to plan other important things into their schedule such as:

Music time: practicing instrument or piano/learning and singing new hymns as a family
Exercise time: working out to a video or playing outside in the snow
Reading time: books I have planned for them read for the year
Personal devotional time: every child who is reading in our home has their own Bible--the little ones have Bibles at their own level. It is good to start them in this habit of praying and reading early on so that it will become a life-time habit. We can help them by doing this by instilling good habits early on. Older children could be learning theology and a biblical worldview and much of that can be accomplished simply at the dinner table or through listening to sermons while they work or clean.
Character Studies
Typing
Computer

The days go by fast when the mother has a plan for the day. Whatever your plan is be sure to pray and ask the Lord what He might have you include. He might want you to 'hibernate' and focus on getting things under control at your home or maybe He is nudging on your heart to do something such as service projects as a family. Be sure to obey Him as you journey ahead making this winter a productive one for you and your family.





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