Amazing Grace - Chapter 4

1. What are you consciously doing to give your children, whatever their age, glimpses of grace - and what specific actions might you add to your repertoire?

2. What sin in your children are you not correcting because you, yourself are guilty of it and don't want to be accused of being a hypocrite?

3. The magical attitude of "Thank You" can be sprinkled throughout your home in a variety of ways. Add tot he following list some specific ideas:

a) just say it!

b) Random Symbols of Gratitude

c) Thank-You Notes

d) A sense of wonder

The Most Important People, The Most Important Place

1. What can you do to make every family member who walks into your home believe that his or her arrival is the best moment of your day?

• Could it be from words of affection or encouragement, a hug, a big smile, or just giving them your attention.

2. The basics of a Christian Home are simple enought -respect Dad, love mom, and nurture kids, but you have probably found that they aren't always easy to implement.

• Mom, what keeps you from respecting Dad - and what are you going to do about it?


• Dad, what keeps you from nourishing and cherishing your wife? What changes could your answer prompt you to make?


• Parents, what keeps you from nurturing your kids - from loving, disciplining, affirming, correctine, and providing tenderness? Remember that when it comes to attitudes, conduct, or instruction of every kind, you go first. Also, your goal as a parent isn't perfection; it's transparency.

Chapter 2 - Part 2

A God Place

You can make God more a part of your family life - more present in your home - when:

1. You got to church. "Assembling together" is God's idea, and it's essential to Christian health and growth for individuals and families (Hebrews 10:25).
2. Every family member has a Bible. Why would anyone be without his or her own flashlight in this dark world of ours?
3. Family members read the Bible and memorize Scripture. The Bible alone provides the only antidote for the greatest problem our children will ever face - the poison of sin (Psalm 119:11)
4. Your home is bilingual, and one of the two languages is God talk. Such statements as "Isn't God amazing!"; "Thank Your for this food"; "The Lord willing"; and "What did God say to you today?" are part of everyday conversation.
5. You have family devotions (study a book of the Bible, memorize Scripture, learn all the verses of a classic hymn) - and never let on that these family devotions are anything but great fun!
6. You pray together@ After all, prayer is the glue that affixes your heart to your heavenly Father. So...pray at bedtime. Choose some prayer roads (see page 40). Identify some prayer hooks (page 42). Colossians 1:9-12 is a good starting point for paying for your kids.

Book Club: Chapter 2 - Part 1

A God Place

God Lives in Your Home.

What does this mean?

I broke this discussion down in to two parts because this chapter is kind of in depth. Wolgemuth begins this chapter saying that Christian Homes should have a certain smell. That you should smell God when you enter a Christian home. And when you leave that smell should follow. Similar to the incense burnt as a part of a Roman Catholic worship service.

He states that filling a house with a simple aromatic God-sense happens by following simple steps.

1. Going to church is not an option.

Hebrews 10: 24-25 (NLT) states : Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other."

- Is going to church an option in your home?

In another section Wolgemuth writes about how important it is to get a bible in your childs hand at an early age. He says that it is imperative that you give them the word - one of their very own and then read to them from it. How else can you teach them that "Thy word is a lamp unto my path and and a light unto my feet"

- Have you made it a priority to teach your children to rely on the Word of God as their guidebook?

- Have you given them their own Bible?

- Is Scripture Memory a priority in your home? - How else are they going to be able to "Hide his Word in their heart that they may not sin against it?"

Next week we'll discuss the remainded of Chapter 2

We'd love to hear about what you thought about the ABC Bible Verses. I know my children will start making our own ABC Book soon!

Book Club: Chapter 1

Why A Christian Home?

Chapter 1 talks about why the Christian Home is the most important place on Earth. Wolgemuth states that our homes should be the place where dreams come true. Why can't that be the case? He writes about an afternoon thunderstorm that came in fast and quickly flooded the home where his mom lived. His father was out of town on a business trip and the waters were rapidly rising. He tell that his mom raised her hands and cried out... "Precious Heavenly Father, I love you very much. Please stop this rain! " and it stopped. What an amazing act of faith! Wolgemuth says that the next morning when he arrived to check on her, there was the house he was raised in standing in the middle of a pond. Incredible.

Do we pray with that kind of Faith?

Wolgemuth states that his home was the "different" home. That his friends would wait on the lawn waiting for him to get finished with dinner in order for him to be able to play outside. In their family dinner time was for catching up with each other, prayer, Bible study, and family worship.

He says his friends knew there was something different about his home.

Is there something different about your home?

Wolgemuth offers a statistic about a talk that is given to prisoners. Bill Glass a former Defensive end for the Cleveland Browns speaks to those who are currently in prison. He says when he speaks he always asks "How many of your parents told you you'd end up here someday? "

He states the amount of those that raise their hand is staggering.

This point proves the amount of power we as parents have to influence our children. How powerful our words can be in building up or breaking down.

You only get one chance at the home making deal, and time is not on your side - but the message is not shame and blame. It is instead urgency, focus, purposefulness, intentionality, and care. Why is it easy to lose this sense of urgency and a sharp focus on the importance of our home-building efforts? What can we do to prevent that shift away from the essential?

The ingredient that makes a Christian home special and different in a good way is grace, and grace means salvation, forgiveness, hope, genuine happiness, purpose, and power. What evidence of grace do you see in your home? Ask everyone who lives there for specific answers.

New Book Club Starts Today!

The Most Important Place on Earth

Our new book "The Most Important Place on Earth" by Robert Wolgemuth is now available! You can order it from Amazon or pick one up at Gardendale-Mt. Vernon UMC children's department. We are excited to introduce to you and your family this new book! Robert is author of many books including "She calls me daddy" and "Pray with me, Daddy" along with many other books. He has been an author and publisher for over 30 years.

I cannot wait to go through this book with you! It is truly a wonderful experience. Today we are discussing the Introduction. The book's introduction begins with a comparison of this book to a cafeteria line. He says that there is all kinds for "appetizing things you can pick and choose from." In no way are you expected to take everything from the book but you can pick and choose what would work for your family and use that. He also lays out that fromt the title of this book, you can tell it is told froma distinctly Christian perspective. He states that from research for the book, he found studies that say that very little of what we believe is reflected in our lifestyle. That is an alarming statistic!

Our Homes Should Be Like FlyPaper

Wolgemuth says that as a child he remembers visiting his grandparents home in Pennsylvania. He remembers flypaper everywhere in the house. He says our homes should be like the flypaper of the neighborhood. That we should be the home people are drawn to. Children shoudl be drawn to our yard, our neighbors should feel comfortable coming to ask for a cup of sugar, or borrow a couple of eggs. People basically should be able to look at our Christian homes and think "wow, there is something different about that home."

Do our homes represent that in our neighborhoods?

Are we willing to put the time and effort into making our homes reflect Christ?

Join me as we journey through this book to see what exactly a Christian home looks like and why it truly should be "The Most Important Place on Earth."

Mary Did You Know?

We've all heard the song, "Mary Did You Know" but do we really stop and think about that. Did Mary really know. That night when the angel spoke to her and told her she would be the vessel for the Christ, the Savior of the World, did she know? When she went to see Elizabeth and the baby in Elizabeth's womb leaped for joy (Luke 1:44). Did she know?

I think the real question is, does it matter? Whether she knew the enormity or not she obeyed. She was open the plan God had for her. I was over at http://www.incourage.me/ reading the other day and found this blog http://www.incourage.me/2010/12/why-a-true-christmas-might-be-painful.html. It is titled "Why a true Christmas Might Be Painful. " Please take the time to read it if you can. She writes about what it really means to be a womb for Christ.

May we all be open to becoming a vessel for Christ this Chritmas.