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| On Parenting and Praying for Your Children: Bad News, Good News, and Great News Posted: 27 Sep 2012 09:01 AM PDT Parents: Here’s some empowering news for your parenting journey, courtesy of Mark Batterson (parent, pastor, author of The Circle Maker). This post is an excerpt of Praying Circles around Your Children, which is free to download for a limited time — find out where you can download it after the jump. My deepest desire and greatest challengeI want to be famous in my home… Parenting our three children is far more difficult and far more important than pastoring thousands of people. Just the other day, I said to Lora, "I feel like we'll finally figure out this parenting thing the same day our kids leave home!" The truth is, we'll never figure it out, because children are moving targets. Just when you think you have them pegged, they become toddlers or teenagers or twenty-somethings, and you're right back at square one. All you can do is learn a few lessons along the way and enjoy the journey. I have discovered one thing, however, that makes all the difference in the world.
Make sure the heavenly Father hears about your kids daily! The Bad News, Good News, and Great NewsRight at the outset, let me give you some bad news, some good news, and some great news about parenting and praying for your children. The bad news first: You'll make a lot of mistakes. You'll lose your patience. You'll lose your temper. You might even lose your mind a time or two. If you feel like a failure at the end of most days, welcome to my world. My parenting ineptitude is epitomized by one shining moment when our oldest son, Parker, was a toddler. He had a fitful night full of tears, and I couldn't understand why. Then he crawled into our room in the middle of the night. I was too tired to take him back to his bed, so I reached down to pull him into ours. That's when I realized why he had been crying. A bare butt was the tip-off that I had forgotten to put a diaper on him when I put him to bed. It's amazing our kids even survive our parenting, isn't it? …. Now here's the good news: Your worst mistakes double as your greatest opportunities. How will your kids learn to apologize unless you model it for them, to them? Your mistakes give you the opportunity to teach them one of the most important lessons they'll ever learn — how to say "I'm sorry." I have a very simple parenting philosophy that boils down to just three words: please, sorry, and thanks. If all else fails, I want to teach my kids to be really good at saying these words. And then doing them. If they master these three words, they're well on their way to great marriages, great friendships, or great relationships with God. Finally, here's the great news: Prayer covers a multitude of sins. You don't have to do everything right as a parent, but there is one thing you cannot afford to get wrong. That one thing is prayer. You'll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent. Prayer is your highest privilege as a parent. There is nothing you can do that will have a higher return on investment. In fact, the dividends are eternal. Prayer turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destinies of their children, grandchildren, and every generation that follows… -From Praying Circles around Your Children by Mark Batterson (@MarkBatterson) For a limited time – download Praying Circles around Your Children for free.
Learn more about Praying Circles around Your Children: Find the Answers for Your Whole Life
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| Posted: 27 Sep 2012 06:45 AM PDT When you’ve failed, what comes more naturally to you — to deny your failure, or to claim it? Find out what Peter’s example shows us about how we can grow from failure. (This is an excerpt from the NIV Life Journey Bible by doctors John Townsend and Henry Cloud.) -Adam Forrest While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept. -Mark 14:66-72 Mistakes are not the endPeter had failed profoundly. Rather than stand up and publicly state his allegiance for his endangered Lord and friend, Peter denied knowing Jesus. And though this failure was significant, it was not final. Peter grew from his mistakes, and Jesus reinstated him [see John 21:15-19]. By all Biblical and historical accounts, the restored Peter was a tremendous leader in the early church. We need to embrace failure when it occurs. People who spend their lives trying to avoid or deny failure are also eluding maturity. The Bible is full of examples of faithful stumblers who through perseverance and love of God became mature people…
Perhaps that is why God decided to include people who failed as examples to us of faith. When we are growing, we are drawn to individuals who bear battle scars, worry furrows and tear marks on their faces. Their lessons can be trusted much more than the unlined faces of those who have never failed — and so have never truly lived. -From The NIV Life Journey Bible with notes by Dr. Henry Cloud (@DrHenryCloud) and Dr. John Townsend (@DrJohnTownsend)
Learn more about The NIV Life Journey Bible: Find the Answers for Your Whole Life Postscript: It strikes me that when Christ offers forgiveness to Peter, Peter had the option of rejecting it. Peter could have said, “No Lord, I don’t deserve to be forgiven or to be a part of your church.” But Peter did accept Christ’s grace… Is there an area of your life where you need to ask for and accept Christ’s grace? (Some styling in this post is a blog-exclusive feature not included in the text of the featured product.) |
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