Timonspodcast

Welcome to another fun conversation. I sat down with my friend Aaron Weeks. We talk about his journey from California to Indiana. What a wild time, I definitely enjoyed this convo I hope you enjoy it as well.
 
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Please enjoy this conversation Book a massage now at quiet river massage and revival
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Live long and prosper. 

Welcome back to another dadcast. Audio didnt turn out so well, I did try and make it sound better. For all inquiries reach out to timonspodcast@gmail.com
Act 15 The Jerusalem Council1But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia andSamaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”The demand for salvation through circumcision was from Pharisee converts. This group became known as Judaizers. They taught that Gentiles had to become Jewish proselytes, following all the Mosaic laws, before they could receive salvation. They had a compelling argument because in Genesis chapters 12 and 15 God established an everlasting covenant with Abraham. Later in Genesis 17 God added the rite of circumcision to this earlier covenant. Circumcision was given to Abraham and every male descendant of his house forever. Look at Genesis 17:7 & 13-14: And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you... both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with yourmoney, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”Notice that this sign is given to men only. However, this sign does not correlate with personal salvation. Remember, Abraham was righteous in God's sight before the covenant of circumcision was ever implemented (Galatians 3:6). The sign of circumcision was to accompany a heart that obeyed God. Circumcision was a national sign for the men of Israel, a mark to remind them of their commitment to serve God alone and no other. In the Old Testament, wives and daughters were set apart as unique because they were connected to a family where the men were circumcised –they were set apart along with their fathers and husbands for God's purposes.Circumcision made Israel different than all the nations that surrounded them. And this unique quality is what the Judaizers wanted to preserve. They insisted that circumcision remain obligatory, that all male Gentile believers must be required to keep it.The fact that Gentile believers were bypassing the Mosaic codes was perplexing and odious to the Pharisee converts. They felt that Paul was forsaking the Pentateuch and circumcision altogether. But Paul, who was trained as a Pharisee, disagreed with their position. He had been preaching salvation through faith in Jesus, not through the Mosaic Law. Look at what he proclaimed at Antioch in Acts 13:38-39:Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man [Jesus] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.And in Galatians 2:16:yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
And in Romans 2:28-29For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not bythe letter...Paul knew that circumcision did not necessarily birth salvation. Consider Israel'ssordid history. It produced a myriad of circumcised males who rejected their own God. Salvation had always come to both men and women through a personal relationship and commitment to God. So what was circumcision even for? As I hinted earlier, it was a physical mark that reminded a man that he and his family belonged to a unique faith community. That community was supposed to train it's own populace to know and love the Lord and invite other nations to seek the Lord with them. Each Israelite man and his family had a God-given task to remain faithful to the Lord and their national calling. Butit was up to each individual to choose to participate in that calling.Now let's tackle baptism. But why throw baptism into the mix? Because Paul argued that in the New Testament, baptism worked in a similar way that circumcision worked in the Old Testament. Look at Colossians 2:11-12:In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.First note, that believers are circumcised with a “circumcision made without hands.”
This event occurs spiritually, inside a believer's heart. Second note, the circumcision of Christ frees us from our flesh, our sinful nature. It is very important to understand that it is not our commitment to Him; but, it is His commitment to us that brings salvation. He initiated the relationship. Third note, baptism symbolizes the war that Jesus won in Sheol: we are buried with Christ in the grave and we are raised with Christ into theheavenly realm. 1Peter 3:18-22 has much more to say about the connection between spiritual warfare and baptism. To put it another way, baptism is a non-physical sign that proves the “inner circumcision” of our heart. It is the New Testament sign of the Old Testament sign of circumcision. John the Baptist, Jesus and his disciples all baptized people as a sign of an inner working of faith residing in their hearts. Note also that baptism is not gender specific, both male and female believers were baptized. Again, circumcision and baptism do not save you, but they are supposed to be a representationof what you already believe. They are a membership card, so to speak, that you belong to Christ.
Recap: 1 – Circumcision in Christ is an inward, spiritual event 2 – Circumcision in Christ brings freedom from the sinful nature 3 – Baptism relates to the burial and resurrectionof Jesus from Sheol.
6The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe (he is referring to Acts 10 where Cornelius and his household received theHoly Spirit about 10 years earlier). 8And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith (their hearts were cleansed by faith, not the law). 10Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of thedisciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”12And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done
through them among the Gentiles. 13After they finished speaking, James replied, (Notice that James, not Peter, is presiding over the council at Jerusalem. This is one reason, among several, why I object to the teaching that Peter was the first Pope.) “Brothers, listen to me. 14Simeon (his Jewish/Aramaic name) has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a peoplefor his name. 15And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ James is quoting Amos 9:11-12 here. “After this” means that after the exile, Godwill do three important things. First, God would raise up the Messiah. This correlates to “David’s fallen tent” because the kingship lineage of David had fallen into disarray after the exile. Jesus has corrected and fulfilled the ruins of David's kingship. Secondly, God would raise up a remnant of Israelites, who would seek God in truth. These are Messianic Jews; the 1st century Jewish prophets, evangelists and apostles that witnessed to the Gentile nations around them. This remnant of Jewish believers founded the Church and turned the world upside down. Third, God would raise up a new group of people that would follow the Messiah. This new group would consist of bothJew and Gentile believers. By the way, this refutes replacement theology which teaches that God has replaced Israel with the Gentile Church; not so, the “remnant” that became the church was a community of both Jewish and Gentile believers. In contrast, Jews and Gentiles who reject God, unbelievers, are the ones who fail to participate in God's purposes.Recap: 1 After the exile God would raise up the Messiah 2 – God would then raise up a faithful remnant of Jews who would seek the Messiah 3 – God would add to this group of Jewish believers a remnant of Gentiles who would seek the Messiah.19Therefore (James is still speaking) my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read everySabbath in the synagogues.”Verse 20 why does James list these four things in particular? Why not list all 613 Old Testament commands? Or why not list the really bad sins like a murder, adultery or stealing? Because James is recalling the “holiness codes” of Leviticus, especiallychapters 17 – 23. Like circumcision, these codes were given exclusively to Israel to make them different than the nations around them. But there are three particular places in Leviticus where God includes restrictions on Israelites and Gentiles alike. He prohibits both groups from idol worship (17:8; 20:2); He prohibits both groups from sexual abominations (18:26); and He prohibits both groups from eating meat with the blood and in it (17:10-12). The fourth thing that James points out is avoiding strangledmeat. I suspect that strangling an animal is prohibited because that kind of death would retain and congeal the blood of the animal inside of it. Which would be similar to consuming its blood[1]. These horrible practices were all connected to pagan rituals thatsummoned demons and fallen entities to that worship service. These rituals acted as a portal for the fallen realm to enter and inhabit the bodies and the physical territory of the worshipers. God wanted His people and His land to be a dwelling place for His righteous presence.So James' intention is to reiterate the long-term plans that God had for the remnant Jew/Gentile church long before its existence. A movement that had started after the Tower of Babel event. This was where the nations united against God, and then as a correction, He divided them. The nations were given over to angelic shepherds who ended up seducing them away from God, rather then shepherding them back to God (Deuteronomy 32:8-9). And so God raised up Abraham and his lineage to follow the Lord. Israel’s job was to live as an exemplary culture so that the lost and pagan world would be attracted back to God. And the nation of Israel was also to produce theMessiah Who would one day unite and rule over all the nations.
The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers22Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas (note that the church didn't vote. Unity was reached by church leadership). They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas,leading men among the brothers, 23with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia,greetings. 24Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,(Although the issue of salvation through circumcision was settled here, this faction of Judaizers will continue to opposePaul). 25it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. (Judas and Silas are sent along with the letter to the Gentiles asnon-biased, second witness to the decision of the council). 28For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and fromsexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”30So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35But Paul andBarnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Paul and Barnabas Separate36And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark (who wrote the Gospel of Mark). 38But Paul thought best notto take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work (Acts 13:13). 39And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas anddeparted, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.The outset of this chapter begins with disagreement: the Judaizers against Pauland Barnabas. This resulted in the first church council to correct faulty doctrine. The chapter ends with disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. Many commentaries side with Paul. But I don't think we need to side with either Paul or Barnabas. I think it's okay to live with disagreement among the saints. This is reality. Notice that Scripture neither condemns nor commends either man. Nor does the Holy Spirit step in and correct either man.
Let's wrap this up. In the Old Testament circumcision was the membership cardinto the Israelite community. The community was supposed to train you and nurture you in the things of God. The Judaizers insisted on continuing circumcision as a rite of entry into the Kingdom of God. Paul and the other apostles realized that God desired Jew and Gentile believers to have a “circumcised heart.” This was the fulfillment of Jeremiah's600 year old prophecy (Jeremiah 31:31-34). Entrance into the Kingdom was about inward faith, not outward symbols.In letters of Paul he points out that in the New Testament baptism was themembership card, so to speak, for believers. The job of the church was to train and nurture its members in the things of God. But it was also understood that neither circumcision nor baptism could replace one's personal faith in Jesus.Today, our job in this church is to continue the work that God began after theTower of Babel. God called Israel to be a light to the nations that had gone rogue. We are to be a remnant from every nation that has joined the family of God, grafted into that remnant of Jewish believers. Together we are to summon the nations back to the Lord.
JCN 2/24
Lord please reveal to us Your ways.Reveal to us Your ancient paths.Rip open the veil of darkness that has been cast over the nations.Let the fullness of the Gentiles come in so that Your house is filled with everypeople, tribe, tongue and nation.
1
[1]As a side note, eating steak rare is not consuming blood. The juices of a slice of meat are mostly water andmyoglobin. Myoglobin is a protein that turns red when exposed to oxygen.

Welcome to podception. Longtime friend Erik Scott takes over the podcast and interviews me.
 
I had a great time talking about my time working with mission organizations. Enjoy our conversation.
 
 
A special thanks to our sponsor Quite River Massage and Revival.
Please enjoy this conversation Book a massage now at quiet river massage and revival
Plz follow @quiet_river_massage on instagram.
 
Timonspodcast@gmail.com for all inquiries
 
 
The Future Looks Bright

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Timonspodcast. Had a great time on the podcast with Jasmine. She is the owner of Quiet River Massage and Revival. She tells me her life story and how she got into the relaxation business.
Please enjoy this conversation Book a massage now at quiet river massage and revival
follow her on Instagram - @quiet_river_massage
 
You can get ahold of me at timonspodcast@gmail.com
 
until next time. Peace and love

Welcome back to another podcast. I had the honor to sit down with Matt from Matt buys Indiana Houses. We had a great conversation. I really enjoyed hearing about Matt's journey. 
 
You can find him on Facebook
Matt Buys Indiana Houses  
or his websitewww.mattbuysindianahouses.comA special thanks to our sponsor Quite River Massage and Revival. Plz follow on Instagram @quiet_river_massage
 
Timonspodcast@gmail.com for all inquiriesThe Future Looks Bright

Hey folks welcome back to another dadcast. In this episode, we talk about many things, including ancient gods of other cultures, Yahweh and much more. Please enjoy. 
 
You can get ahold of me at Timonspodcast@gmail.com

Hey guys welcome back to another cool conversation. I sat down with gxldsoulrebel and yungelder to talk about their new project.
You can find their music on all streaming platforms.
Look for their most recent song Baby Steps or on Apple Music
 Find them on all social medias @gxldsoulrebel and @yungelder_
 
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With fasted perspective. Truth and Love

Aiming for Biblical Families (AFBF). This is week 8's teaching of an 8-week series taught by my dad. We will only release 7 of the 8 episodes. When our children were young, I remember hearing something over and over. “Enjoy them while they’re young, because you are going to regret the teen years.” I mostly heard this from church people. And even though I had not yet experienced the teen years, I decided that this view was unacceptable. Consequently, I have enjoyed every stage that my children have gone through. And now they are old enough to be my friends. I challenge you to do the same with your children.
I know that in our present culture teens and older children are rebelling againsttheir parents at an alarming rate. This is a real problem. And our culture seems to encourage them to buck against every kind of authority. The culture of my grandparents and great-grandparents encouraged biblical values even though many were not authentic Christians. This is no longer the case; we live in a post-Christian society. But no matter what the culture says, our standard is the same: we are to raise up biblical and morally responsible families.
 
Teenage Rebellion
Since the 1970s parents have become more and more child-centered. Aconsequence of this is that parents have redefined teenage rebellion as a “phase.” It is not a phase, it is rebellion, no matter what age you are. You can’t show me a verse that defends teenage rebellion as a phase. This also negates the argument that teenage rebellion is due to hormonal change. It’s true that hormones are changing for a teenager; but, teenage rebellion is actually exposing problems that occurred in the younger years and haven’t been properly addressed yet. Now it’s going to be harder. If your child learned healthy boundaries when he was younger and was characterized by obedience, then he can handle less boundaries as he gets older. You don’t have to hover over him, or constantly prod him to do what is right. And he will enjoy the fact that you trust him to do what is right. Children should enjoy more and more freedom as they age because they are characterized by being trustworthy. If your teen is continually rebelling, you will have to come up with ways to enforce boundaries (remember, spanking is unacceptable at this point). But you also want them to know that if they begin to handle these boundaries, in a mature manner, they will gain more freedom. Their attitude is actually the key to their own freedom. Help them to see that they actually have the power to change their situation. Let them know this. Let them know you want to see them excel in gaining more freedom. That you are actually for them, not against them. Keep in mind what I said a couple of weeks back: younger children rebel against authority, teens often are rebelling against a broken relationship. Find out with your teen where that brokenness has occurred. Work it out together, this will resolve relational conflict. Now that we are talking about teens, I want to give you another tool.
 
The Appeal Process
There are different places in the Bible, where you see the appeal process beingused. Daniel chapter 1 is one of those places. Daniel and his friends (who were war refugees as young teens) knew that they should not compromise their faith by eating food dedicated to idols. But they were commanded by their Babylonian authorities to eat food from the king's table. So Daniel appealed to his immediate advisor to test them for 10 days. They would only eat vegetables so as not violate their dietary laws. The result was that Daniel and his friends excelled in their health. After this test, their supervisor allowed them to eat vegetables and not break their dietary laws. Daniel honored God, he also honored his authorities by appealing to them for permission to eat according to his conscience.
Here is an example: your son is in the middle of playing a video game with hisfriends online. You come and tell him that supper is waiting on the table and to come immediately. If he disobeys he is violating Ephesians 6:1 (children, obey your parents). If you force him to quit the game, you have frustrated him because you haven’t given him time to finish a task that was important to him. Now you are violating Ephesians 6:4 (fathers, do not exasperate your children).
In this case, your son can ask, “ May I appeal?” You would respond, “Yes.”And he would say, “I only have five minutes left of this game with all of my friends, would you be OK if I finished it and then came to supper immediately?” This gives youinformation you may not have been aware of. And if it seems like a reasonable request, you should agree to it. Notice how the appeal process is the bridge between Ephesians 6:1 and 6:4.
Note how the appeal process was activated. The teen initiated the conversationby providing new information to the parent. The parent needs to listen to the information and came up with an answer. The answer may be yes, no, or maybe. If it is no, or maybe, you need to give a good reason why.
This process prevents parents from becoming arbitrary or legalistic. It allowsthe teen to give information without being rebellious. And it helps teens to transition into self-government throughout the coaching phase of parenting.
As I said, earlier, our culture has become very child-centered. Interestingly, both permissive and authoritarian models produce teenagers who reject their parents. Permissive parents avoid conflict. This is why they bow to their children’s demands. As a self-centered child reaches the late teens and early 20's, the tension is often too much for parents. The parents typically detach or distance themselves from the relationship. And since the child has been trained to avoid resolution, they will probably act in a similar manner. This is the model they grew up under.
An authoritarian parent can force young children to bend to their will. But as achild gets older, it becomes harder for an authoritarian parent to force them to comply to every wish. The children begin to see the hypocrisy of a parent who demands every rule to be obeyed, while the parent can break any of their own rules. Teens hate hypocrisy and teens hate enslavement. They will reject the parent/child relationship and leave the home as soon as possible. They may even retaliate physically, if they have to, before they leave. It's never too late to try and correct your mistakes. If you have parented in either extreme, authoritarian or permissive, the first step is to realize it. Next, ask your children for forgiveness. Let them know you are working on your parenting skills and you will need their patience in this new adventure. I think you will be surprised at how willing most children are to give you a second chance, If the relationship is so broken that they reject you, do what is right anyway. You may see healing years later. If not, you are still accountable for your actions regardless of their response.
 
Build Your Family Identity
So here’s what I want you to do: build a biblical family identity. Deuteronomy11:19 tells us to speak about God’s word continuously. Read the word to your children.
Do daily devotions with them. As they become teens, teach them how to read the word for themselves. Encourage them be involved at church. And by the way, it doesn’t have to be at your church. As my children got older, I let them go to different churches, as long as they were plugged in somewhere. Teach them to take ownership of their own faith. They have to know that they have made the choice to follow God, they don’t follow Him just because you are a Christian. Also tell them what your purpose in the kingdom is and how you came to know about it. Tell them how you see God moving in their life, what God seems to be calling them to for the future. Let them know He will fill in the details as timegoes on.
Parents must provide a biblical family identity for their children. Sometimes thekids would say to me, “Such and such a family does it this way.” And I would say, “That’s OK, but you are a Nimtz, and this is how we do things.” This informs your children that the culture doesn’t define them. God, and you as the parent, define the family. Obviously, you need to be grounded in Scripture in order to form a biblical family identity.
I would also often tell the kids that if I had a chance to pick from all the childrenof the world, I would choose them. This is not to devalue other children, but my kids knew that they were more important to me than anyone else. They knew that they were unique. They knew that they belonged to me, and that our family had purpose in the Kingdom of God. Again, you don’t have to devalue other families to do this; but, they do need to know that God has specific plans for the family they have been placed into.
If a family identity is weak, the child will find their identity in their peers. Doyou trust your children’s peer group to mold their future? In the past, about three or four generations ago, parents could lean on the culture to help provide a biblical structure for their children. Our society back then wasn’t necessarily truly Christian, but it had tenets of Christianity woven into it. We no longer have that luxury. But look at it this way, the shallow veneer of a false American Christianity has been removed from our culture. So now is the time for you to raise up an authentically biblical family.
 
Appendix: being vulnerable.
Week 1: the curtain story.
We bought our first house in 1994. Timon was around two and Hadassah was anewborn. I was in our front room standing on a ladder, trying to install some new curtains. These curtains draped down to the floor, and down at the bottom of the ladder was my little toddler. He was yanking on the curtains while I was trying to install them. I was getting frustrated with all the things I had to do as well as probably things he had been getting into. None of his actions were actually rebellious. He was just curious. But I had had enough. I scolded him and yelled so loud that it scared him. His face flooded with fear and he ran away. At this moment I realized I was going to become a parent like my previous generations. And I cried out to God and said to myself, “This can’t happen.” It wasn’t long after this when the opportunity of taking a parenting class was presented. This class trained me to turn away from punishing out of anger or frustration and move to the model of biblical training. This was a lifesaver. It broke generations of parental ignorance. And I want to hold the same opportunity out to you.
Week 2: law vs principal.
When Allayah was in high school, she went to a garage sale. She got some items from the garage sale and they were in a red basket. The folks at the garage sale told her just to keep the basket for free, no problem. She actually liked the basket better than the items in it. When she got home, we discovered that the basket was from a CVS drugstore. I told her that we needed to return the basket because it was CVS property and it didn’t belong to us. Even though she didn’t steal it from the store, even though someone else may have stolen it, it still belonged to CVS. So we took it back and placed it in the store. Now the law is “Do not steal.” Technically, she didn’t steal. But by taking the basket back, we corrected a wrong that someone else had done. We satisfied the principal of restoring stolen property to its rightful owner. Nobody noticed that she had done what was right. She was not thanked by the store for doing good. However, God was honored by doing the right thing. That is the best reward.
Week 3
As the children got older, we became more busy and stopped practicing couch time.
My wife and I do talk about what we need to cover throughout the week; however, we don’t sit down on the couch at a certain time of day like we used to. So, maybe we need to come up withan alternative.
Week 4
I have suggested this to many people and I want to share this with you. Write a love letter to your child and every couple of years add a paragraph to it. I started doing this when my children were young because I wanted them to know how much they meant to me. I wanted them to know what God was doing in their life in case something happened to me. They needed to know from their Dad what I valued in each child, and what God was aiming them towards. I can’t tell you how much this means to your your children. Do it!
Week 5
The whole concept of using Mr. and Mrs. was foreign to me. I didn’t like it when I heard it. But I decided to do a little experiment. So I asked children to call me Mr. N. There were one or two sets of parents that didn’t like my suggestion, and they told their kids to call me by my first name. Since I was not their authority, I didn’t make it an issue. But what I noticed is that the children that called me Mr. N. had more respect for me. There was a healthy distance between me and them. I was an adult, I was not just another child in their peer group. Those that called me by my first name treated me with the same respect they gave their friend group. Imagine a 10 year old thinking that we were on the same level. And since their parents didn’t respect my wishes, I didn’t take it personally, but I did notice the difference between each set of children. I also purposely had as little interaction with those children as possible.
Week 6
I have observed parents who have moved towards each extreme. Those who are authoritarian now have children that don’t want anything to do with Christianity or the church.
They have even cut off ties with their parents. And yet their parents were very committed to church and to their faith. On the other hand, I have observed some parents who were very permissive. Their children have become very self-centered. In fact, one family has restraining orders against their own child. So, the law has had to step in because they failed to parent well in the early years. By the way, I was admonished by both groups of parents. One group said I was too strict, the other said I was too lenient.
Week 7
Sometimes you make a mistake in correcting your children. I have had to askforgiveness from my children. Sometimes I was too quick to punish when I didn’t know the whole story. Sometimes I let things go that should have been dealt with immediately. Don’t be afraid to ask for forgiveness, children are very forgiving early on. But, if they have had years of disappointment from you, it will be harder to amend the relationship. They may not be willing to forgive you. But don't give up on doing what is right.