Organized Simplicity
By Tsh Oxenreider
(Recommended by Ann L. & Jason K. of Morning Star Church)
Simplicity isn't about what you give up. It's about what you gain. When you remove the things that don't matter to you, you are free to focus on only the things that are meaningful to you. Imagine your home, your time, your finances, and your belongings all filling you with a positive energy and helping you achieve your dreams. It can happen, and Organized Simplicity can show you how.
Inside you'll find:
- A simple, ten-day plan that shows you step-by-step how to organize every room in your home.
Templates for a home management notebook to help you effectively and efficiently take care of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.
Recipes for non-toxic household cleaners and natural toiletry items including toothpaste, deodorant and shampoo.
Want to be able to breathe between tasks instead of constantly running from one thing to another? According to Jason, this book is a great tool for removing the purposeless "to-do" items from your schedule in order to enjoy quality time between important tasks.
Start living a more organized, intentional life today.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Real Value of Learning To Obey
Children need to learn to obey, but not merely to make their parents' lives easier. We don't teach kids to obey for our own convenience. We teach obedience because hidden within that character quality are a number of principles that will help children to be successful in life.
When kids learn obedience, they learn to consider the needs of others. They learn to be a little less selfish. They learn to fit into the agenda of those around them. They learn to submit to authority.
Obedience involves learning to do what you're asked even when you think you have a better way. The person who has learned obedience knows how to listen to an instruction, how to follow through without being watched, and how to report back when the job is done.
The children who learn obedience when they're young will make better students and better employees when they get older. Furthermore, they will be happier and enjoy life more.
We're not talking about blind obedience. We want our children to learn to evaluate instructions; but evaluating instructions is an advanced skill. First children must learn cooperation; otherwise they end up believing that every time they don't like a request, they’re justified to resist it. These children remain selfish and grow up to be whiners and complainers, not able to receive an instruction without an argument.
God knew what he was doing when he gave the instruction to children to "obey your parents." He knew that learning obedience when you're young pays off greatly as you get older.
This parenting tip comes from the book Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
This teaching is also available on CD or as MP3 downloads under the title, Eight Secrets to Highly Effective Parenting, live seminars taught by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.
If you'd like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.
Books:
Gospel-Powered Parenting by William P. Farley
A parent's ultimate goal should be the salvation of their children. The most effective parents have a clear grasp of the cross and its implications for daily life, implications that include fear of God, a marriage that preaches the Gospel to its children, deeply ingrained humility, gratitude, joy, firmness coupled with affection, and consistent teaching modeled by parents daily.
"It is important to love your children, but there is a fine line between healthy parental love and child worship. We know the latter has happened when we begin conpromising God's will for the sake of our children or their activities... Compromise always points to idolatry. It displeases God. He does not like competitors, especially when they are our children."
The great temptation for parents is to put their confidence in something other than the Gospel. They rely on a parenting book, the advice of their own parents, a Christian school, a youth leader, or their own wisdom and the fact that they are "trying to be a good parent". The effective parent, though, puts their confidence in the Gospel while cultivating a legitimate fear of the Lord.
Kid/Parent Apps!
Parent Cue - iPhone, iPad, Android
Ever feel like you need a cue card for life? The Parent Cue app does just that. It helps you engage your children during the simple day-to-day activities that you already do. It even has an area for parents that includes encouragement and resources.
Looking for a way to help your kids memorize scripture? Look no further. Adventure Bible is a great app to help kids gradually learn scripture. You can even record the verse in your own voice so kids can hear you speak the Bible!
This app provides clear objective reviews of movies with kids in mind. It's a really good resource to determine if a movie is suitable for the young minds in your family.
We love the fact that this book app runs on both iPhone and iPad. Children can have the book read to them or read it themselves. And, it's great for a wide range of ages! Noah's Big Boat includes games and a sing-a-long. What a fun way to enrich your child's knowledge of the Bible.
If you're looking for a fun way to engage your kids with the Bible, this app is the ticket. It's a trivia style game that can provide hours of interactive learning. Kids can test their knowledge by playing Beat the Clock or going head-to-head in a Battleship style contest.
No comments:
Post a Comment