All posts tagged: discipline

Are You Disciplining to Punish or Teach?

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About three years ago I wrote about how I use a belt to raise my kids. Since then, we’ve added two more kids to our family. I thought it was time to see how this practice has been working. In the post, I talked about how my children see how I am dressed physically and spiritually. Are they watching me put on my best? Am I leading by example? Like any parent will tell you, this is only one part of being a parent. You could model perfectly how to be an outstanding citizen or loving Christian and your kids will still be jerks at times. (Yes, I said my kids can be jerks and I stand by that statement.) I love my kids and, for the most part, they are really good kids, but they are human too and make mistakes. Discipline can be a difficult subject to talk about. Some parents lean to the strict side of discipline while others are more lax. But the Bible is very clear in that we should …

Unleash the Power of the Word

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Circuses are fun with the flying trapeze, people walking the high wire as easily as waltzing across the dance floor, the Globe of Death full of motorcycles, and acrobats building a human totem pole by catapulting one after another on top of an ever-growing stack of people. And every circus has its showcase of lions with their kingly manes, and beautiful tigers with their striking stripes. What makes having those ferocious creatures close by fun? Why do people leisurely walk around with their children, without a care in the world? Why aren’t they terrified when the big cats look at them and lick their chops? Because the King of Beasts is behind bars, and the rippling muscles of the tiger are stifled by a cage! What do you think would happen at a circus if the panels of the giant cage fell to the sawdust floor? There would be a frenzy of activity seldom seen in the lazy, carefree atmosphere of the Big Top. A sense of urgency sets in when danger is on the prowl. …

Looking forward to 2016

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Tomorrow begins a new year! Have you thought about your new year resolutions? Forty-five percent of Americans create New Years resolutions, but 38% of Americans never make resolutions. (Static Brain Research Institute) However, in Lamentations 3:40 we read, “Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.“ Paul writes in Philippians 3:12-14 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. While you may not create resolutions, I think we all consider how we want the new year to be different and better.  So as we enter in 2016, here are 4 tips for reaching your goals and …

Your First 5 Minutes

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How do you spend the first five minutes of your day? My alarm (which is also my phone) goes off at 6:00 each morning. The first thing I do is reach to turn it off… or hit snooze… and then I lay in bed a little bit longer to browse Facebook, Pinterest, or check emails. And you know what?? It is such a HUGE waste of time! The embarrassing thing is that even though I realize what a bad habit it is, it’s my routine… so I just do it anyway. Or at least I did. A few months ago, I was listening to the radio on my drive to work when the morning show host started talking about a new app. The First 5 is a free app created to encourage women to spend the first five minutes of their day in God’s Word. I instantly felt convicted about how I spent my first few minutes each morning. I downloaded the app and began using it the next morning. My alarm went off as usual (and I …

The Father’s Love

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I love lions. It may have a little to do with the fact that my alma mater’s mascot is a lion, but also I enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia, National Geographic, and the overwhelming similarities that God and lions share. Lions are fierce, brave, powerful, dangerous, mighty, and supreme.  But they are also protective, corrective, gentle, loving, and affectionate.  This is a perfect example of how God the Father’s love manifests itself in our lives. Our Heavenly Father is fierce, brave, powerful, dangerous, mighty, and supreme.  But He is also protective, corrective, gentle, loving, and affectionate.  As men, as earthly fathers, God shows us how to use both fierce correction and gentle affection in our parenting. Far too often, I see fathers miss the mark in administering discipline to their children.  On one extreme, fathers withhold correction because they are afraid to hurt their kids feelings and be hated by their kids. On the other extreme, I see dads dish out discipline harshly with no explanation to the child of why. Fathers, both extremes are bad parenting …