Say Goodbye to Whining...

Look this book up on Amazon and you will be overcome by the hype! The reality is that the book has a great perspective and several good pointers for restoring honor to your household....but don't expect an "out-of-the-box system" that will fix all the problems you are facing.

I enjoyed the book and was able to extract many ideas and tips that I could use in my family. Also included are a few family time activities. However, if you are looking to this book to present an easy, fail-proof system you will be disappointed. I am learning over time that nothing replaces the hard work of parenting your kids with consistent, loving correction.

Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining, and Bad Attitudes in You and Your Kids
Author:	Scott Turansky, Joanne Miller
Publisher:	WaterBrook Press
ISBN:	0877883548
Genre:	Religion & Spirituality/Christianity
Recommended:	Yes
Score:	7 out of 10

Dad the Family Shepherd

According to their site, Dad the Family Shepherd has been in existence for over 20 years to inspire and train dads to live out their fathering responsibilities. The ministry seeks to support the local church by motivating and equipping men to live the Biblical values of fathering.

Conferences have been held in every state and 11 foreign countries. Over 100,000 men have attended these events. Small group resources help men to maintain accountability at a grass roots level. Events are presented live and through video tape.

Check it out at:

http://www.dtfs.org/

Father/Son Quest

This father/son retreat website captures the essence of what Warrior's Hand Ministry is all about...believing there is unique power in marking key milestones and making lifetime memories to help our boys in their journey to manhood.

Designed for fathers with sons 12 years of age and older, this getaway encourages the deepening of relationships between a father and son in a rustic north woods Minnesota setting. It’s a special three-day weekend of godly fellowship and character-building activities in a personalized, one-on-one discipleship mode.

Find out more at:

http://www.fathersonquest.com/

Follow Me Boys

Finding wholesome entertainment that everyone in our family will enjoy is hard. I have to admit we are getting a little tired of all the over-the-top CGI animal movies with "witty" banter and slap stick humor. So, we have gone back to some of the many live action Disney films that I remember from my childhood.

One of the more obscure and least "sugary" is Follow Me Boys!, a drama/comedy that has leading man Fred MacMurray as an honorable, wise, knowing figure, who as a scout leader is very much a role model to the boys in a small town.

We all loved this movie so much we bought the DVD and take it out every few months.

One of the biggest side benefits is the great hiking/marching song that the scouts sing throughout the movie. We have used it on many a family hike. I have attached a link to the lyrics.

http://conklins.googlepages.com/followmeboys.txt

A Grieving Father Speaks

The tragedy at Virginia Tech made me recall the stirring words of the father of one of the Columbine high school shooting victims from 1999. I believe it is apropos.

Spiritual influences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historic fact.

What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God and in doing so, we open the doors to hatred and violence.

Full text is here:

http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/testimonies/darrell-scott.htm

And here is an opinion article on how such a thing can happen:

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/teen-rage.htm

Shield of Faith

It can be hard to find meaningful gifts that hold spiritual significance for your kids as they get older.

For my oldest son's 12th birthday I gave him a pendant to remind him his identity is based in Christ. The Shield of Faith pendant is a reminder that God is with us no matter what we face and is made from 100% lead-free pewter.

On the back is an inspiring inscription of Joshua 1:9.

Check out all of the "Shield of Faith" and other products at:

http://www.bobsiemon.com/

Be a Man of Purpose.

Be a Man of Purpose.

F. B. Hole.

(Extracted from Scripture Truth Vol. 41, 1962-64, page 165.)

The Apostle Paul in his epistles revealed himself to be a man marked by intensity of purpose. Being filled and controlled by the Spirit of God, he embraced the purpose of God. Here in the actual words of scripture are some of the deep longings of his heart.

'That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death' (Phil. 3: 10).

'That I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus' (Phil. 3: 12).

'I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some' (1 Cor. 9: 22).

'I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established' (Rom. 1: 11).

What are the objects that we set before us in our lives? Are we anything like the Apostle Paul? Or do we fritter away our lives, pursuing little objects of pleasure, or of present and temporal gain in the world? Let us each seriously consider this matter.

Rescuing the Drowning Marriage -- Stuart Scott

Recently Dr. Stuart Scott spoke at our church about Biblical counseling for marriage problems. I have been wanting to check out his book The Exemplary Husband for awhile but have not had a chance yet.

In the meantime here are some study notes from one of his conference appearances. Looks to have some interesting points, verses, and diagrams:

Rescuing the Drowning Marriage -- Stuart Scott

Pocket Mod

The PocketMod is a small book with content on each page that is meant to be used as a cool little personal productivity tool. Page templates, combined with a unique folding style, enable a normal piece of paper to become the ultimate note card.

I have found it is great for making "fun booklets" for my kids as well. The PocketMod builder at this site has templates for kids games, or you can download the "PDF to PocketMod Converter" to turn anything you want to tell your kids into a mini-book.

It is hard to describe just how incredibly useful the PocketMod is. It's best that you just dive in and create one.

http://www.pocketmod.com/

Passed Thru Fire

Take the “Wild at Heart” concepts of John Eldredge and combine them with the rites of passage framework of “Raising a Modern Day Knight” and you get this book: a Youth Pastor’s wake-up call to churches of the importance of reaching, and sometimes reclaiming, the "young lions" of the teenage community in their midst.

Importantly, the author states at the beginning he came to these concepts without prior exposure to either of the aforementioned books. Perhaps a confirmation that this generational awakening is from God?

Passed Thru Fire
Author:	Rick Bundschuh
ISBN:	0842376348
Genre:	Religion & Spirituality/Christianity
Recommended:	Yes
Score:	7 out of 10