Tag Archives: read

What if My Children’s Other Parent Won’t Take Them to Church on Easter?

Co-parenting is not always easy. It is inevitable that you and your ex will have varying opinions on a variety of issues, from discipline to education to religion. However, religious differences can really come to a head around holidays, such as Easter, when one parent feels that it is important the children attend a religious service, while the other parent does not. If your children will be spending Easter with a parent who does not share your views on the importance of attending church on this sacred day, there are some things you can do to take action. First, try … Continue reading →

Easter and Marriage

Easter means different things to different people. As I’ve read a couple of other blogs I see some of those different traditions in families come out. To some people it means Easter bunnies and Easter egg hunts. To others it means church. Sometimes there is a combining of the two. In our marriage and those of our son and daughter and their spouses, it means church,remembering the first Easter and what Easter is all about – the death and resurrection of Jesus. One couple I know who are still on their L plates in their marriage has started a tradition … Continue reading →

Church-Going Cherub

The week before Easter brings a marathon of church-going for Christians. There’s church Maundy Thursday, with communion; church Good Friday; and a variety of Sunday-morning services to celebrate Easter. Since I was a child, I’ve attended church Thursday, Friday, and gone to one service on Sunday morning – the Easter Sunrise Service. Yep, we got up, put on our Sunday finest, and drove (sometimes walked) off to a service that started at 6:00am. We’d sit in church, singing hymns, listening to the joyful Easter sermon, and catching whiffs of the delicious Easter Breakfast aromas floating up from the church kitchen. … Continue reading →

Vocal Power

So… my son has figured out that he has a secret power over his parents and that power is the ability to produce a LOUD VOLUME in quiet places. He now happily talks to himself or his shadow as he plays with his toys or tries to fit something that had been discarded onto the floor into his mouth (his recent favorite is unused tissue paper). This babbling has broken into a new found vocal power that he unleashed at us while we were at church this past Sunday (while out of town). Luckily my son is cute. This stops … Continue reading →

Reading to Baby

I know how important it is to read to a child every day. I went to college to be a teacher. The importance of reading out loud to children on a regular basis was drilled into my head. I know that it improves a child’s vocabulary, helps them speak and write correctly, and teaches them the mechanics of reading and writing (reading/writing left to right, top to bottom, etc.), to name a few. The benefits are countless. And yet, I don’t read to my 8-month-old very often. I always thought I would, but it hasn’t turned out that way. Some … Continue reading →

How to Handle Disagreements – Part 1

Whether it’s in marriage, friendships, family, church relationships, community organizations or neighbors, disagreements will happen from time to time. The reality is just because we become a Christian doesn’t make us perfect. It doesn’t make those in our marriage, church or neighborhood perfect either. We still have that human nature to contend with Sometimes it is simply that someone has had a bad day, and the pressure has built up as things have gone wrong till finally they snap. Sometimes it is words misunderstood or misheard. Sometimes it’s because one person isn’t listening. This is often caused by one person … Continue reading →

What a Difference it Would Make

Today I’m going to look at more practical advice from Romans 12. If you remember, last week I looked at what it means to be a living sacrifice. I’d like to suggest now that if we are a ‘living sacrifice,’ putting other’s needs and the needs of God’s kingdom above our own, if we are concerned with these things and pleasing God, we are less likely to become conceited and puffed up with our own self importance, Romans 12:3. There is another side to having sound judgment about ourselves. As well as not being conceited, it also means not putting … Continue reading →

Baby Taken from Church Nursery: What Would You Do?

In Gaines Township, Michigan, an infant was taken from a church nursery. The infant was discovered missing when her mother went to pick her up around noon. Nursery volunteers did a check of the children against the nursery roster and discovered that the baby was gone. The church officials checked the security camera and confirmed that it was a nursery volunteer who took the infant. Fortunately, the 12-month old little girl was was found two hours later, safe at the home of the volunteer who abducted the child. The volunteer was arrested. According to local news reports, the parents were … Continue reading →

Working Together

Church was always intended to be a number of people working together, using their gifts and talents for the common good, 1 Corinthians 12:4-31. Sadly this is often not the case. Too often a few people are left doing too much. And then sometimes too, people refuse to delegate or let go of jobs, allowing others to do them but want to keep control. It’s a situation that can work both ways. Notice how different the picture is in Nehemiah 3. Each family group had their own specific area of work and expertise. They all knew what was required and … Continue reading →

Beware of Sending the Wrong Signals at Church

Recently I saw how easily people can send the wrong signals to others at church. After church we meet together in the hall, verandah s set up with tables and chairs and in the grounds of the church under the shady trees, to share a cup of tea or coffee and talk. This is a valuable time for getting to know people. Sadly, some people don’t take advantage if it. As soon as church is over they are out the door and into their car, giving people no chance to befriend them or get to know them. Another situation I … Continue reading →