This Week's WOW 7/28

Parental Blind Spots

Every parent has blind spots. Here are a few blind spots I have seen in myself or in other parents.

1. We want to be liked more than we want to parent: This does not mean being a jerk. It means we parent and make decisions led by the Holy Spirit even when they are not popular with our children. It means our children may not understand or like every decision that we need to make, but we are still willing to do what is best for them and for the family in spite of not being popular.

2. We do not see potential problems quickly: Many of us end up in a jam and solving a problem that could have been avoided.  Molehills can turn into mountains if left unchecked. Often times we think the problems will just disappear on their own, so we choose to ignore the problems and the potential confrontation with our children.  If you want to waste a lot of time, constantly let potential problems turn into big problems by doing nothing.

3. We do not parent strong on the front end: If as a parent I am weak in my parenting on the front end (especially when my children are young), there is always a mess to clean up on the back end.  I have learned that I would rather start a little more firm and loosen up later on rather than starting loose and then have to get tough later on.  With most children, if you give them an inch, they will take mile, and then we have a dilemma on our hands.

This article was adapted from an article “Leadership Blind Spots” by Herbert Cooper lead pastor of People’s Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

This Week's WOW 7/15

 Stop Praying
by Pastor Donnie

 

I recently finished a book entitled "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  Here is an excerpt:

"What if I said, "Stop Praying"? What if I told you to stop talking at God for a while, but instead take a long hard look at Him before you speak another word. Solomon warned us not to rush into God's presence with words.." 

What caught me was the phrase "talking at God."   So often when we pray we merely talk at God which means that we could hold the same dialogue with a brick wall and walk away feeling just as good.  We need to be in communication with God.  We need to stand in awe of who He really is in our lives and realize that when He speaks into our lives we need to be listening because His words are power!

This Week's WOW 7/7

“God’s power flows primarily to people who pray.”

            The scriptures are riddled with passages teaching that our almighty, omnipotent God is ready, willing and able to answer the prayers of his followers. . . . God’s power can change circumstances and relationships. It can help us face life’s daily struggles. It can heal psychological and physical problems, remove marriage obstructions, meet financial needs—in fact, it can handle any kind of difficulty, dilemma or discouragement.

            Someone has said that when we work, we work; but when we pray, God works. His supernatural strength is available to praying people who are convinced to the core of their being that he can make a difference. Skeptics may argue that answered prayers are only coincidences, but as an English archbishop once observed, “It’s amazing how many coincidences occur when one begins to pray.”

From “Too Busy Not to Pray” by Bill Hybels pg 10-11