Happy Birthday, Rachel Dougherty

I wanted to say a special Happy Birthday to Rachel Dougherty.  Rachel and her daughter Emily started coming to our church about two years ago back in August 2008 when we first began meeting at the Broomhill Hotel.

They have been very faithful ever since and are a real blessing to our church.  Rachel is willing to do anything that needs done from serving in the creche and cleaning the church to helping with work days and serving food. 

William her husband has been a real blessing to us as well.  On this special day, I hope that you will let Rachel know how much we appreciate her and her family today by sending her a text or commenting on this blog and I will pass it on to her.

7 Key Elements of Mentoring Your Children

This comes from Family to Family by Dr. Jerry Pipes and Victor Lee:

1. Modeling (Deut. 6:6, 1 Cor. 11:1)
2. Be there – emotionally and mentally, not just physically
3. Affirm them – don’t just correct (Luke 22:32)
4. Pray with them and pray for them (Luke 11:1, Phil. 1:9-11)
5. Be transparent
6. Empower your children – do things “with” them not just “for” them (John 14:2)
7. Make the Word of God central to what you do (Deut. 6:4-9, John 1:8, Hosea 4:6)

Be Content

Luke 3:14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

 Here John the Baptist answers the soldiers when they demand of him what they shall do.  He tells them to not do violence to any man, to not accuse any falsely, and to be content with their wages.

I doubt that his words went over that well with them.  I imagine that they were probably angry with John, but John was not the kind of guy who backed down or sugar-coated the truth.

I wonder how many of us are really “content with [our] wages?”  Are we happy with what God gives us?  Are we thankful for His blessings?  Notice what the Bible says about contentment:

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

• We should learn to have the attitude of Paul, who was content in whatsoever state he found himself.  Are you content in whatever state you find yourself?
• Paul said knew how to abound and to be abased, how to be full and how to be hungry, how to abound and how to suffer need.  Do you and I know how to do that?

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

• If we have a relationship with God and are content with just knowing Him, we are extremely wealthy – we have great gain.
• Are you content with just knowing God?  If so, you are more wealthy than the richest man in the world!
• Why should we be happy with just knowing God?  Because in 1 Timothy 6:7, the Bible tells us, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” The riches of the world are really dust and ashes in light of eternity.

1 Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

• We should be content and satisfied with having food and raiment.  Anything above and beyond clothes to wear and food to eat is a blessing and extra. 
• Are you happy with just having food and raiment?

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

• We are to live our life (conversation = behaviour) without covetousness. 
• We are to be content with such thing as we have.
• We should just be so happy that He has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  If all we have is the promise of Jesus’ presence, then we should be happy and want nothing else.

God has been so good to us.  He has taken care of us.  There has never been a day that we went hungry or without clothes to wear, but are we happy?  Are we content?  We should be!  Let’s change our attitude.  Let’s get the right focus, and realise that knowing God is the greatest treasure we could ever have!