Creative Real LIfe Student Stories

Three things are eternal: God, His Word, and People.  This video encourages me to continue to invest in people until the end!

John 15:1-5 Love this video illustrating Abiding in Christ

Fathers Shepherd Your Family Spiritually

This morning I was studying the idea of Shepherding the flock among you from 1 Peter 5:2. While I am in full time ministry and this relates  to my specific role, it also reminds me of my responsibility as a father.  I am to be a shepherd of my family. Paul puts it this way: "And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 5:4)  How are you doing in this area? How am I doing in this area?  I have made great progress yet need to excel still more.  If you are a father of young children, I would recommend the following devotionals that will help you lead your family spiritually. When our four children were younger, we had a family night once a week. And while I first thought I would be using an overhead with detailed notes, instead I found a series of devotionals that are  simple to use.  The series is called the Family Nights Tool Chest. The first book is entitled: "Introduction to Family Nights Tool Chest."  They also have Family Nights Tool Chests for Holidays, Science projects and many other topics. If fathers want to finish well, we need to be leading our families spiritually.  I have two listed in my what "I Recommend" panel.  So, let's lead our families well by shepherding them spritually!

The Test and 4 Stays...

1 Peter 4:12 says, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you , as though something strange were happening to you."

The word test means to "makes someone do something wrong; temptation; enticement."  As I desire to finish well, there are many "tests" that have come my way and will continue to come my way.  Peter says to not be surprised. They will come.  Steve Farrar gives 4 practical tips to  finishing well. I am going to adapt these to the four ways to avoid the enticement to not finish. He talks about "4 Stays". First, he says that we need to Stay in the Scriptures. This is obvious yet so easy to neglect.  Do you have a plan to get in the Word on a consistent basis? Second, he says to Stay Close to a Friend.  The greatest challenge for men in particular is to have a friend. We need men in our lives to process life.  Third, Stay Away from Other Women. If you are not married, stay away from tempting situations. No matter what situation you are in, you need to stay away from other women. This is not to say we are to be rude to women. Instead, we need to be wise with how we spend time with women who are not our wives.    One of the key enticements I will face is the enticement of another woman.  Fourth, Stay Alert to the tactics of the Enemy. It might seem obvious, but Satan longs for you not to finish well. He uses tactics and strategies to trip you up.

My hope is that I will work hard in these practical tips so that I could finish well.

Finishing Well with our daughters...

I have one daughter who is in 6th grade and 3 sons in 12th, 10th, and 8th grades.  One of my problems is that I forget that my daughter is different then my three sons.  She is not just physically different, but she is emotionally different as well. In fact, she has emotional needs that my boys will never have.  The following radio program reminded me of 2 really important needs my daughter and every daughter needs.  First, I need to encourage my daughter's character more then her external characteristics.  Secondly, I need to connect with my daughter with affection. This week, I plan to make the adjustments.   Check out Dr. Meeker's comments. She is the author of Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.  — FamilyLife Today (A Father's Role: Providing Boundaries - Dr. Meg Meeker)

My First Post Ever

So, I am very new to the entire blogging deal. But I thought I would post some introductory comments of what I want to accomplish through this blog. First, I never really thought I had much to say that anyone would ever want to read. (This still could very well be true.) But as I have reflected on this, I  am convinced that I ma not be the most profound thinker, but I have some thoughts that could help anyone who desires to finish life well.  Secondly, this blog will help me process  my own journey in finishing well. Ever since I can remember, I have desired to finish well. Yet, so many people I have known never make it. Ultimately, I believe it is the grace of God that will sustain me and allow me to finish well. I hope to point you to resources that will help you on this journey.  Lastly, the statistics are startling.  Steve Farrar in his book, Finishing Strong says that " One out of ten men finish strong."  It doesn't take long to look around and see this reality for yourself.  Dr. Robert Clinton has been studying leaders since 1982 and in his study he discovered of the 100 leaders that Scripture gives enough information about, there is only enough information to know how 49 finished.  Clinton identified 4 types of finishers: "Cut off early" Abimelech, Samson, Absalom, Ahab, Josiah, John the Baptist, and James; "Finished Poorly" Gideon, Eli, Saul, Solomon; "Finished so-so" David, Jehosophat, and Hezekiah;  "Finished well" Abraham, Job, Joseph, Caleb, Samuel, Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, John, Paul and Peter.  This blog will focus on how to "Finish well". And I am not presuming that I will be able to finish well. But prayerfully, by God's grace and through this journey we could see the statistic grow from 1 out of 10 finishing strong to maybe 3 or 4 out of ten. That is my prayer. That is my hope.