![]() Josh McDowell, "Helping Your Kids to Say No," Focus on the Family, October 16, 1987. The most meaningful activities in a family are often those simple interactions that build lasting connections between generations.ġ. It was when Dad got on the floor and wrestled with them.2 That's the way children think. ![]() ![]() Was it the vacations they took or the trips to theme parks or the zoo? "No," they answered. Howard Hendricks, once asked his grown children what they remembered most fondly from their childhood. And yet, these interactions are sometimes more appreciated by kids than are expensive toys or special events.īeloved author and professor, the late Dr. They want to hear the same story or the same joke until Mom and Dad are ready to climb the wall. Children love daily routines and activities of the simplest kind. A lifelong connection often emerges from simple traditions that give meaning and identity to families. I know not every family can afford to ski when children are growing up, but building relationships doesn't necessarily require large amounts of money. Shirley broke her leg on the slopes at Vail, Colorado, but she suffered gracefully, knowing that raising good kids always requires a few sacrifices. This is how we got our kids through the challenges of adolescence. At dawn the next morning, we were back on the ski lifts and headed to the summit for another great day. These experiences were almost always interesting and lasted up to two hours per night. After a full day on the slopes with friends from both generations, we ate a good dinner and then engaged each other in meaningful devotions and Bible studies. That was the most wonderful decision we made. As the kids got older, we budgeted money to make skiing our centerpiece. We fed them pizza and played games and watched clean movies. There was always a buzz of activity during the teen years. Our children's friends were welcome, and some of them almost lived with us. She and I played volleyball and Ping-Pong and croquet in the backyard. In Isaiah 54:5 God said to Israel For thy Maker is. But he pictures his relationship to his people as a group as that of a husband and wife. As individuals God pictures his relationship to us as father to his children. Throughout the Bible, God pictures his relationship with us in one of two ways. Shirley did girly things with Danae throughout childhood. The Biblical Case for Domestic Discipline. Ryan and I hunted and fished together, which bonded us together like Gorilla Glue. But it takes time- about which my dad said, "cannot be given if it is all signed and conscripted and laid on the altar of career ambition." It is the only formula I know to combat the dangers that stalk the land. The tricky part is to establish friendships while maintaining parental authority and respect. The construction should begin early and include having fun as a family, laughing and joking, playing board games, throwing or kicking a ball, shooting baskets, playing Ping-Pong, running with the dog, talking at bedtime, swimming together, participating in sports, getting kids in great churches with good youth programs, being a sponsor of the school band, and doing a thousand other things that tend to cement the generations together. We have to build bridges to them from the ground up. With all the temptations buzzing around our kids, simply saying no a thousand times creates a spirit of defiance. He said, "Rules without relationship lead to rebellion."1 He is absolutely right. However, the Bible is not silent on the inequality that exists.Author and speaker Josh McDowell expressed this principle in a single sentence. Nor did God create women to be subordinate to men. All peoples come from Adam, and he is the Father of the human race. God did not create a different patriarch for the different races. No physical or financial trait changes the way God sees that person, treats that person, and loves that person. Jesus, our perfect example of a righteous man, welcomed all with open loving arms, and he commands us to do the same. Teach these Bible verses to your children and future generations so that the love of God for man's equality can be respected and treasured! Jesus preached about discrimination and judgment based on outward appearances. We can look toward the Bible to learn how to love and serve everyone no matter what their age, color, or ethnicity, gender, or nationality. God's word is very clear in telling us that all men are created equal and every single person can be a child of God, receiving the full inheritance of heaven.
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