Leadership and Alumni Parenting Conference

Cleveland, OH

Thursday July 16 - Saturday July 18, 2009

Childcare Now Available!!!

Our conferences are a place where new education takes place and new ideas are shared. This year’s conference has three key goals:

• Equip Growing Families leaders to disciple parents in biblical parenting principles.
• Provide Growing Families alumni parents new teaching and application on raising children reflective of Godly virtue and wisdom.
• Introduce and equip leaders to meet the parenting challenges in a post-modern society.

Whether first-time facilitator, parenting alumni, or seasoned leader, all will gain new skills for discipling, encouraging and pointing parents toward God-centered parenting in a post-modern world.

List of Workshops

Cleveland Conference Flyer

Child Care Flyer

Online Registration

• Think For Yourself: Okay, this isn’t my personal reason. This is from Toddlerwise. “The less skillfully you think, the more others will think for you” (page 63). There is a lot of knowledge available out there. There are a lot of differing opinions on how to raise children. No two systems are the same, obviously. If they were, there would be no need for both. When you read several different theories, you run the risk of confusing yourself and creating inconsistencies in your parenting. However, reading different theories can give you a deep pool of knowledge to draw from. You will be most successful at this if you understand your Beliefs and Goals (Toddlerwise) (found in this chapter) and can problem solve using those beliefs and goals (see Problem Solving Using Beliefs, Goals, Why, and How ). You must be able to discern what is right for you and your family. No book can tell you that. If you rely on a book, or several books, you will all be confused.
• Children Are Individuals: I have three children. While they all have similarities with each other, no two have been the same. When I had my second child, I had to consciously tell myself that she was not my son. She didn’t have the same preferences he did. For example, he hated to be cold. She hated to be hot. I could not treat her as the same baby that he was. My third child is, naturally, also an individual person. I haven’t had to remind myself to treat her as an individual now that I have been skillfully practicing that for over two years, but I have recognized that she is her own self. No book can successfully tell you what to do with your individual child unless you write it yourself, and by then it will be after you have problem solved and gotten to know your child. You need to learn how to think so you can take the principles you agree with and want to apply to your family and turn them into reality for your individual child.
• Books Are Short: No book can possibly cover every scenario you will ever encounter. You wouldn’t be willing to pay the price for that book–it would cost too much :). If you know the “why” behind what you are doing, you can tailor things to your child as an individual. If you rely on “if X then Y” statements, then you will find yourself in a panic when X happens and the book didn’t cover it.
• Children Are Human: Your child is a human, not a math equation. She has emotions and physical pain and a mind of her own. Perhaps “If X then Y” is often true for your baby and for most babies. But along comes a moment when “If X is not Y”–it is actually B, or more accurately, some obscure letter you have never heard of before. Yes, this happens. If you rely on a list of equations, you will often be applying a remedy that is not going to solve the problem. And, interesting to note, that as you progress in mathematics, the problems become abstract. I don’t have personal experience with this as an English major, but my husband, the engineer, tells me this is true. So even advanced math is not as simple as “If X then Y.” Your child, the human, is more complex than any math problem.
• Bumps Are Normal: Without a doubt, even the easiest baby will come to bumps in the road. As I said, babies are human. Humans are not perfect. Your baby is no more perfect at being a baby than you are at being a parent. If you have bad days, if you make mistakes, rest assured your baby will too. Sometimes bumps are something predictable like a growth spurt. Sometimes bumps might just be because your baby is having an off day for a reason you will never know. The reasons for bumps are as varied as children are themselves. No book can predict all bumps and therefore it cannot tell you what to do in every situation. You need to know the why behind what you are doing so you can access the situation and handle it appropriately.

I hope I have effectively convinced you to learn how to think. If you haven’t done so, get your hands on this chapter, The Land of Good Reason, and read it. I think it is even valuable for a parent of a one month old. It will help you see the bigger picture of what you are doing and help you avoid becoming legalistic in your parenting.

My Blog: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/

The following is a timely reminder from our friend ‘Pastor Joe’ - with summer approaching and a ‘vacation’ mindset in place, it’s easy to slip away from our daily devotional time and spiritual feeding. As a Mom we can fall back on, the ‘kids’ take up so much of my time. Well, how about including the kids! Find an age appropriate bible study or using one of Joe’s suggestions below, read from the book of Proverbs during the summer. If your children have been struggling with a particular character issue this past year or you know that the next school year is going to present some new challenges for your children, find scripture that applies to the situation so your children can see and learn God’s perspective. Use the ‘extra’ time provided during the summer to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think everyone would agree that we’re glad God never takes a ‘vacation’ from caring for us, so no matter the season, as parents the example we are setting in demonstrating our continual dependence on God and the importance of building our relationship with Him - will provide healthy fruit. With Blessings! Anne Marie

It is hard to believe the incredible weather that we are enjoying right now in the Pacific Northwest. The last ten days or so remind me of the fabulous weather we usually get in August. The hot spell means that we need to be more vigilant watering our lawns, gardens and plants. It is time to water!

Thinking of the blessing of the weather from the past few days I was reminded of the spiritual danger that often accompanies God’s blessing in our lives. The danger of what happens when we fail to spiritually water our lives with God’s truth. In Proverbs, Solomon, the wisest guy that has ever lived passes on some essential instructions to his son. He encourages him to be careful to water his spiritual life. He does this by the personification of wisdom. “Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech:” Proverbs 1:20-21 In doing so he encourage his son not to neglect his spiritual life!

I want to share with you four insights that illustrate your need to water your spiritual life. The first danger is that there is always something else to do. Watering the lawn on a regular basis takes time, and it seem like there are always more important things to do. It is easy to rationalize “I will do it tomorrow.” Wisdom cries out ““How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?” Proverbs 1:22 Wisdom’s challenge to us is “Why would you neglect what is right?” It has been said that “we often sacrifice the best on the alter of the urgent.” Or as another saw says, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil.”

That leads to a second insight. When the grass turns brown it is too late to start watering. Yes, your lawn can be saved at that point but it takes a tremendous invest to reverse the damage done. The same is true in our spiritual lives. All too often we try to get “wisdom” when it is too late. Listen to lady Wisdom’s words about consequences. “If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.” Proverbs 1:23 She then goes on to mock the foolish, “since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—” Proverbs 1:25-26

Something else happens as the summer heat sucks the vitality our of your lawn… the weeds take over. The greatest danger in your spiritual life, just like your lawn, is a lack of health. The neglect of days past eventually takes its toll and that brings us to our last insight.

The outcome of neglect is certain death to our lawns, plants, gardens, spiritual lives and relationships. Psalm 1 which might possibly have been written by Solomon as an introduction to his father David’s psalms reminds us that the godly person” is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Psalm 1:3 NIV

Let me offer some practical suggestions on how you can water your spiritual life this summer. Read a chapter of Proverbs each day of the month. Better yet, get the Bible on cd/dvd/mp3 to listen to while traveling. Read a book on Christian Living this summer. Audio books also work great for trips. Make it a point to attend church each Sunday this summer when home and away. It’s time to water!  Pastor Joe Parkinson

What are you celebrating this Memorial Day weekend? I am sure that you will be celebrating a three day weekend. You will probably be celebrating the coming of summer (at least those of us in the Northwest.) What I am wondering, is when I mention Memorial Day do you think of the purpose for this holiday?

Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day, dates back to May 30, 1868 when it was enacted to honor Union soldiers that died in the Civil War. The 30th of May was set aside as a time to visit and decorate the grave to honor those that had fallen. “Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries. Many Americans also use Memorial Day to honor other family members who have died.” (www.wikipedia.com, Memorial Day)

It was after World War I that the commemoration was expanded to include all fallen soldiers from any war or military action. The alternative name, Memorial Day, was first used in 1882 and would be more commonly used after World War II. It became the official name by Federal Law in 1967. The Uniform Holiday Bill passed on June 28, 1968 moved Memorial Day (President’s Day and Veterans Day) to a fixed Monday to allow for a three day weekend. Memorial Day has been celebrated on the last Monday of May since the law took effect in 1971.

As we consider the significance of Memorial Day (and several other National Holidays) for the follower of Jesus, it is hard to find a Biblical parallel; however, the Scripture do have much to say about “remembering” the past. In each of the passages that come to mind, we are called to remember God’s provision and deliverance (Deuteronomy 8 and Psalm 106), and even the leaders who have modeled a Godly life (Hebrews 13:7). We also know that all of the Old Testament Feasts served as a reminder of Jehovah’s provision in the past while pointing to a future fulfillment in the coming Messiah. Even the New Testament celebration of the Lord ’s Table (based on the Passover feast) remembers the work of Christ on the Cross while looking forward to His return (1 Corinthians 11:26). And in the seventh verse of Romans 13 the Bible also speaks of the importance for you as a follower of Christ to participate in holidays like Memorial and Veteran days. “”Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.” Romans 13:7 ESV

The purpose for this three day weekend is not to celebrate the beginning of summer, or even a time to get away, but to remember those whom have given their lives for our great country. You can honor those whom have given their lives by offering a prayer of thanks at one of your family meal times. It would be appropriate to send an email to a military widow(er), or parent, thanking them for the sacrifice of their spouse/ child. It would be even better to take a family field trip Monday to visit a local veterans’ cemetery. Memorial Day is a time to remember those that have given their lives for our country. Pastor Joe

Anne Marie Ezzo writes: “As believers we should reflect on the event of Easter everyday, not just once a year. It is because He is the risen Christ and is alive that we have life. Once again Denise shares with us thoughts to ponder and As God pleases, dispose the day….”

“Psychics are busy trying to give people hope with a glimpse of the future,

while Christians who have hope live as this world was all there is.”

In Jude 1:3 believers are called to “contend earnestly for the faith’. The word “contend” in this statement is an athletic term, which comes from the root word “agonize”. It is a picture of a devoted athlete stretching every nerve and muscle to win. It reminds me of Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he says “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). The apostle Paul uses athletic metaphors often when talking about the believers walk. As believers we aren’t to meander haphazardly to the finish line but we are to “press”, to buffet our bodies, not looking to the left or right, but striving for the goal. Paul always emphasizes the goal.

As believers, when we look around at our church locally and nationally, we don’t see a lot of “athletic Christians”. More often you see an exhausted saint spinning in circles on the middle of life’s race track. In fact from their perspective the race track is more of a convoluted maze with no means to find the end. They are so focused on where they are at that moment that they have lost sight of the goal. The goal scriptures mention is the glory of Christ’s return. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Our citizenship is in heaven and we should eagerly wait for Christ’s return (Philippians 3:20). There are actually more references to Christ’s second return than there were to his first coming in scripture. Why? Because, the ability to run the race successfully is determined by our focus. In the end we want to say as Paul did, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (II Timothy 4:7-8).

How would the lives of today’s saints look like if they “loved His appearing”? If believers focused on the glory of eternity, instead of their few years on this sin marred earth, then they would live with eternal purpose. Each generation of believers carries the responsibility of Christianity. St. Augustine stated this centuries ago, when he argued against the monastic movement, saying if believers locked themselves away, that there would be no light to the lost and thus Christianity would die out in one generation.

If eternity was the focus of Christians, then as parents, they would not just struggle like crisis managers, merely trying to survive each new phase (troublesome twos, rebellious teens…), but would see that they were training and equipping those who would replace them in the furtherance of the gospel. They would understand that they were passing the baton for the survival of Christianity. They would see the necessity of teaching their children how to do quiet times, and study the Bible and how to handle life situations Biblically and live righteously. Parents today seem more concerned with their children’s safety, comfort and happiness than their character and holiness.

If believers lived in the expectation of Christ’s return, they would be less likely to hang on to sin, thinking they had plenty of time to repent later. The urgencies of today would lose importance in the realities of eternity. People would become more important than self and things. The wealth and acquisition of goods they spend so much time stockpiling would take their correct importance as the transitory things that they are, which will only become the possession of another person, or line the walls of some Salvation Army store after they are gone. They would be more concerned with the preciousness of others, knowing their opportunity to show them Christ is short. There isn’t any aspect of our life that would not be altered if we saw our daily life through the eyes of a bride on her wedding day in Glory looking back to today and seeing the things that needed to be done before her Bridegroom calls her to His home.

Lord, as Easter approaches we look back to nearly 2000 years ago, when you betrothed yourself to us with the bride price of your blood. Now, as the decades pass, take our wandering hearts and give us a new anticipation of your return. We do not know the hour or the day, but help us to live as if it were coming shortly. “And the Spirit and the Bride say “Come”. (Revelation 22:17)

As God pleases, dispose the day © 2009 is an electronic devotional by D. A. Brewer. All Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Version, © 1993 Lockman Foundation and used by permission. The title “As God pleases, dispose the day” is a quote from Henry V by William Shakespeare.