Priority: Family

Caleb taking his first of 3 breathing treatments for the day.

It’s late right now.  This won’t post until the morning, but right now I’m sitting in a recliner next to a hospital bed in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital while Caleb lays asleep in it. This is the best sleep he’s had all day as he fought sickness. He has seen 5 different doctors today and has had an oxygen mask on 3 times. He’s experienced something I’ve never experienced yet–an ambulance ride!–and has been given many medications.

When you’re child isn’t breathing right you tend to panic a bit. Breathing is important, so you go to whatever length you need to go, not worrying much about the bills that will crowd your mailbox soon (you see I’ve already thought about them!). My family travels with me when they’re able as I do the work I need to do. We were in the Polaris area, me working and they shopping. But Caleb’s simple cold was just getting worse. When he began struggling to breathe, making strange noises and coughing with strange sounds, we had to do something. After my visit to the SCBO office, we looked up the nearest Urgent Care center and took him in.

They immediately started working on him, but couldn’t stabilize his oxygen level or heart rate. So they told us it would be best if they transported him by ambulance to Children’s Hospital so he could get the care they couldn’t give. Of course we agreed, and here were are.

Family Life Marriage Bible– Great Family Resource!

I wish I had this resource before now!  I had the opportunity to review the Family Life Marriage Bible that is edited by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.  It is a full Bible in the New King James Version, and I am certainly not reviewing the Biblical content, but focusing on the “extras” that the editors included.

This Bible would be a great resource for any family to have.  I could see it being used for family devotions, for devotional readings, and as a practical resource for advice in specific situations.

Here’s what I love about it:

• The Introduction.  Seriously?  Yes, because the Raineys detail exactly how our lives and families must be built on the foundation of God’s Word.  It’s an excellent intro to know what you’re getting into with this Bible.
• The Family Manifesto.  This is almost like a statement of faith at the beginning of the Bible.  It details Biblical beliefs that the extra content of this Bible adhere to.  This is perfect for families to understand scripture in light of topics like The Bible, Family, Marriage, Husbands, Wives, and more.
• Romantic Quotes.  These are practical sections on many different topics of relationships that are full of Biblical application.  There are also Romance FAQ’s throughout the Bible that discuss some topics that might be on someone’s mind but not think that God has answers for it all.
• Intimate Moments.  Nestled away in some of the pages are these surprising ideas!  They don’t even appear to be linked to any Biblical text, but are just incredible ideas for a couple to be loving to each other.  An example:  feed your wife chocolate covered strawberries that you prepared yourself (p.561). Wouldn’t it be incredible to read the Bible and come out of it with some ideas like that too??!!
• Parenting Matters.  This is where this Bible is like a practical guide book for parents.  The index for the parenting matters section is in the back of the Bible, so parents can quickly find Biblically-based advice on many topics.
• Biblical Insights.  This Bible would not be a good study Bible, but the Biblical Insights sections throughout different parts of the Bible are nice explanations of the text you’re reading.  They are devotional in nature, but might make more sense of the scripture you are reading.

 

I often will give away a book that I review if I don’t think it will play an active role in my library.  But this is not one of those resources!  I think I’ll be using it quite a bit over time, and I think you should too.

———————————————————————————–
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Family Camp @ Seneca Lake

taken from the SCBO website for this event

Our state convention of churches has a great facility in Seneca Lake.  I’ve never been yet, but I hear great things about it.

And for families looking to do something a bit different with a summer week, they should look at Seneca Lake’s Family Week.  Where else can you spend a week with your family in a beautiful setting, with Bible activities for children and adults, with worship services each day, and afternoons to simply have fun with your family, only for $106/person for a family of 4 (prices can vary based on childrens’ ages) including food and lodging?!?!?

Look at the SCBO website to find more information about this event.  I hope I’m right in saying food is included because that’s an incredible price for a week like this.

So do something different with your family this summer July 4-8.  Registration ends March 31.

Parents: Please Consider “Faith Launch”

I came across an online resource called Faith Launch that I think is fabulous!  I hope parents will consider following some of the ideas in this plan.  Here’s a quick overview of Faith Launch from its website (through Focus on the Family):

You’re about to discover a fun, easy way to do one of the most important things in the world. It’s FaithLaunch: A Simple Plan to Ignite Your Child’s Love for Jesus by John Trent and Jane Vogel.

FaithLaunch isn’t the only method for introducing your child to Jesus, of course. But it’s a good way to do it without pressuring your child, exhausting yourself, or upending your family’s schedule. Each of the 13 “Family Times” takes about 30 to 45 minutes; that’s 30 to 45 minutes of togetherness, not tedium. You might use one Family Time each week for 90 days — or bits and pieces over a longer period. You get to decide, becauseFaithLaunch is flexible.

The goal is to prepare your child to begin a relationship with God.

Here’s what I love about it,

New Family Resources Section on Church Website

Our youth minister recently added a section on our church’s website to promote family values!  He did a great compiling resources that will be helpful for families in the areas of family worship, marriage, and parenting.  You can find them by clicking on “Family” at the top page header on Central Baptist Church’s website.

Probably my favorite resource there (if I’m allowed to have a favorite–they’re all good!) is the D6 Family website where families can sign-up for free “Splinks.”  ”Splinks” are free, weekly ideas for family worship and can be a great way to begin or enhance worship in your home.  There are some great ideas in those!

Enjoy these links and help keep your family centered on what is most important.

One Reason Why I Love My Wife

The hardest question I had to answer in my pre-marital counseling was “why do you love Nikki?”

Should have been easy to answer, right? But it was hard because I couldn’t determine just one reason why I loved her.  And maybe it was hard because it’s difficult to express with words how much you love something or somebody.

But I know one reason why I love her (and there are many…).  Pastor’s wives live difficult lives because of what their husbands do.  They live in the scrutiny of many eyes like their husbands and families do, and they are often expected to do certain things that are “pastors wife-ly.”  Nikki is pretty quick to say something like “no, I don’t sing, or play the piano” when asked the typical question of what she does as a pastor’s wife!  And that’s one of the reasons I love her.

One reason I love my wife is because she is supportive of me in ministry and fulfills her duty as a pastor’s wife by raising our child in a godly environment. Nikki gave up her career to fully support my work and to take care of Caleb (and any others that come along).  She gave up her free time to constantly care for the needs of a one year old.  She has turned our house into a place where Scripture is displayed and read, and where she says “thank you, Jesus, for my food” in the same tone before Caleb eats every time he eats.

There are times where she would love to go to funerals and calling hours, and go visiting with me, or actually go to a Bible study or service at the church and be with other people instead of having to be off with Caleb and not seen.  Some people don’t see this struggle.  And some may even think negatively because she doesn’t show up to something, but she is taking care of Caleb instead of letting him be a distraction to the activity.

I am blessed to be in a church that values my family and my time with my family.  They actually know that my first responsibility outside of my relationship with God is to my family, not to them.  They would rather me take care of my family than go abundantly out of the way to meet the needs of everyone in the church while my own family suffers.  I love my church for this.

I hope this writing will encourage some pastor’s wives out there, as well as let some people know one reason why I love my wife.

Merry Christmas & New Traditions

I hope you had a great Christmas this year!  I hope it was a time for more than gifts and eating, but great times spent with family and a time to remember Jesus and worship Him.

This Christmas was great for my family.  In some ways, it is still happening because my family is on vacation visiting with our extended families in West Virginia and Maryland, exchanging gifts and sharing meals together.

But this was a Christmas of “firsts.”  This was Nikki’s and my first Christmas with a child.  This was our first Christmas in Ohio.  And our first Christmas season to celebrate with our church family.

Courageous- the New Sherwood Pictures Movie

Our friends at Sherwood Baptist Church, with their Sherwood Pictures ministry, announced the title and plot of their new movie this past Sunday night during an evening service. This is the church that brought us Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and the latest great movie Fireproof. All of this from a church too! It’s great to see people who have a desire to use their gifts to serve the Lord and have a vision large enough to see it come about.

The new movie is called Courageous. It’s about father rising up to the Biblical challenge of really beings fathers. It’s a timely message and I hope it has the same impact on dads that Fireproof had on married couples. They will begin filming in March 2010, and to my knowledge they have not yet named any actors.

It’s good to see clean movies, ones where you don’t have to fast forward through a part of turn off the movie completely. This will be one of them. Thank God for a church like Sherwood who embraces this vision and impacts many by using what has long been controlled by worldly companies- movies.

Read the article about the movie announcement here. Plot information can be found here as well.
Go to the Courageous movie website here.
Became a fan of the Courageous movie on Facebook here.
Visit Sherwood Baptist Church’s website here.

Have you seen the other films by Sherwood?  What did you think?