We sacrifice a lot for our kids: time, money, personal space, etc. If God asked you to sacrifice your kids, would you? I'm not suggesting that God is going to direct you to kill your kids or anything like that so don't get me wrong.  Please don't get me wrong there!  But there are other ways that He will ask us to give our kids back to Him and are you willing to let go of control in your parenting?  With so many books, podcasts, and peers out there telling us what to do, it's hard to know where God's voice fits in sometimes.  Spend time in His Word and learn to discern His voice from others and you'll know how He wants you to partner with Him in this wonderful parenting journey.

Scriptures from Today's Podcast:

Genesis 22: 1-19

Proverbs 3:5

Psalm 37:5

If you are blessed by today's episode, would you please take a few moments to rate, review, and share it? This is how others will find it and, hopefully, be blessed also.  Let's band together to encourage everyone to spend time in the Word every day and continuously pray and praise God for all of His blessings.

As parents, we are naturally inclined to worry about our kids.  Whether it's about their past, present, or future, how it all comes together to make or break them is the ultimate concern for all of us.  Some of us also wonder whether we should have started a therapy fund for them years ago to make up for the damage we're probably causing by having no idea what we're doing sometimes.  LOL!  However, we serve a perfect God Who loves them even more than we do.  So why are we worrying if we know that He has the best for them?  Let's continue to raise them up in His truth and trust that He will fill in the gaps where we fall short.

Scriptures in this Episode:

Matthew 6:34

1 Thes. 5:17

Bless you for loving your kids enough to worry about them.  Replace that worry with hope because if we are in Him, we have hope for the future.  He has good plans for us and our children.  Fear not, friends.  Those whom He holds in His hands cannot be grasped from it!

Friends are the family that we choose. Who are you surrounding yourself with and what does it mean to be a good friend from God's point of view?

This episode is LOADED with scripture so in case you were driving while listening and couldn't take notes, here are all of the Bible references:

Iron sharpens iron: Proverbs 27:17

Choose wisely: Proverbs 12:26, 1 Cor. 15:33

Why do we need friends? Psalm 133:1, Prov. 18:24, Prov. 17:17, Prov. 27:9

How to be a good friend: Job 2:11, 1 Thes. 5:11, Ecc. 4:9-10, Job 42:10

Colossians 3:12-14

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

I know that you never complain about your kids.  You're never impatient.  Everything just flows along swimmingly.  Right?  

WRONG-O!!

But God has provided a way for us to lament and express our impatience and frustrations.  Check out today's podcast to learn more.

For an easy inexpensive meal idea, check out our Facebook page.

Have a blessed week!

Do you ever get frustrated because your kids keep making the same mistakes and you're not seeing any growth in their character no matter what you do?  Are you wondering when they are going to grow out of some behaviors?  Don't you wish they would just do what you say?  Me too.  But in my experience, when I partner with God and trust that He is faithful, I know that He is.  As long as I keep Him at the center of my parenting and raise my kids up in the way they should go, He will honor my faithfulness to that goal and fill in the gaps where I fail.  

So pull up your boot straps, imperfect parents!  Continue to grow them up to know God and spend time with Him, and the fruit of your faith will emerge.  I have seen it to be true even when I thought it was hopeless.

Memorial Day weekend is a time that America sets apart to specifically honor those who have sacrificed their lives during active military service.  It is a time to recognize the glory in serving our country with everything they had.  I am in awe of those who are willing to step up and give their all for me, an insignificant American citizen so that I can maintain the freedoms and rights afforded to me by my government and forefathers.  Having national freedom is a temporal opportunity.  

The One Who sacrificed it all to save me from eternal damnation is the one that I want to honor every single day.  I am beyond grateful for what Jesus did for me on the cross.  He defines love as laying one's life down for our brothers and sisters.  It got me thinking.  Do I do that in my own home?  Do I show true love to my family in all that I do and say?  Do they feel loved by me and am I setting the example of love like Jesus did?  Luckily, Jesus also left us with some valuable information and a Helper to guide us as we fumble through trying to live out this type of love.  Come Holy Spirt!

Scripture in Today's Episode:

Philipians 2:3-4

John 15:13

John 10:11

1 John 3:16

Recipe of the Week:

The weather is getting warmer so here is something you can make to have on hand when you want something refreshing and delicious:  Head over to our Facebook page and grab the recipe.  While you're there, be sure to Like and Follow it.