Delightful Gift Pen For Graduates

This will be a fantastic gift pen for your loved ones be it for male or female.
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Packed in a honoury keepsake gift box with Scripture reference "For I
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on image to give it as a present.

Finding A Mentor For Single Parent Child

One of the best contributions a single mother can make for a young son is to find him a mentor. In her book, Mothers and Sons, Mrs Jean Lush talks about the challenges all mothers face in raising sons. The ages of 4 to 6 are especially important and difficult. 

The boy still loves his mother, but he feels the need to separate from her and gravitate toward a male image. If he has a father at home, he’ll want to spend more time with his dad apart from his mother and sisters. But what if the mother is raising her son alone? It’s difficult for any parent to admit to limitations, but a mother can’t expect to meet all of her son’s needs at this time of his life. Her best option is to recruit a man who can act as a mentor to her son, spending time with him and providing a role model of mature masculinity. 

Of course, mentors can be difficult to find. Single mothers should consider friends, relatives, or neighbours who can offer as little as an hour or two a month. Or you could engage the help of a mature young adult who likes kids. 

Certainly, single mothers have more than enough demands on their time and energy, but the effort they put into finding a mentor is a worthwhile investment in the well-being of their sons.

Suggested reading

Mothers and Sons: Raising Boys to Be Men - Jean Lush, Pam Vredevelt

David

How To Create a Daily Devotional Plan

Many new Christians view the Christian life as a long list of “do’s” and “don’ts.” They haven’t yet discovered that spending time with God is a privilege that we get to do not a chore or an obligation that we have to do. Getting started with a daily devotional simply takes a little bit of planning. There is no set standard of what a daily devotional time should look like. These steps will help you incorporate the basics elements of a solid devotional into the custom plan that's right for you.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 30 days

Devotional planning start Now!:

Decide On a Time.

If you view your time spent alone with God as an appointment to be kept in your daily calendar, you will be less apt to miss or skip it. There is no “right” and “wrong” time of day. I prefer having my devotions first thing in the morning as this is the least likely time of day for an interruption.
I seldom receive a call from a friend at 6:00 a.m. Whatever time of day you choose, let it be the best time of day for you. Perhaps a lunch break fits better into your agenda.

Decide On a Place.

Finding the right place is key to your success. If you try to spend quality time with God lying in bed with the lights off, failure is inevitable. I decided to make a place specifically for my devotions. I chose a comfortable chair with a good reading light. Next to it I put a basket with all of my "tools" - my Bible, pen, journal, devotional book and reading plan. When I get up in the morning, I simply go to my place and everything is ready.

Decide On a Time Frame.

Once again, there is no standard time frame for personal devotions. You have to decide how much time you can realistically commit to each day. Getting started with 15 minutes a day can quickly develop into more. Some people can commit to 30 minutes, others an hour or more a day. Start with a realistic goal that you feel you can meet. If you start with a plan of 2 hours a day, failure to meet the goal will quickly discourage you.

Decide on a General Structure.

Spend some thought on a general structure for your devotional and how much time you’ll spend on each element of your plan. This would be like an outline or agenda for your meeting, so you don’t wander about aimlessly in thought and end up accomplishing nothing. The following four steps will cover some of the typical elements you can include.

Choose a Bible Reading Plan or Bible Study.

This may take some time, but choosing a Bible reading plan or study guide will aid you in having a more focuses time of reading and study. If you just pick up your Bible and start reading andomly each day, you may have a difficult time understanding what you read, or applying it to your daily life.

Plan to Spend Some Time in Prayer.

Prayer is simply two-way communication between you and God. Talking to Him, telling Him about your struggles and cares and then listening for His voice. Some Christians don’t realize prayer includes listening. Remember to give Him time to speak to you in His still small voice {I Kings 19:12, (NKJV) }. Also, one of the loudest ways God speaks to us is through His Word. Spend some time meditating on what you read and letting God speak into your life.

Consider Spending Some Time in Worship.

God has created us to praise Him. I Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people ... belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (NIV)

You can express your praises silently or declare them in a loud voice. There is no right or wrong way. You may even want to sing a song of worship in your devotional time.

Consider Spending Some Time Writing in a Journal.

Many Christians find that “journaling” helps them stay on track during their devotional time. You can journal your thoughts and prayers, providing a valuable record. Later you will be amazed and encouraged when you go back and note the progress you’ve made or see the evidence of answered prayers. Journaling is not for everyone. I suggest you give it a try and see if it’s right for you.

Commit to Follow Your Daily Devotional Plan.

Keeping your commitment is probably the hardest part of getting started. Determine in your heart to keep it up, even when you fail or miss a day. Rather than beating yourself up when you mess up, just pray and ask God to help you. And, be sure to start over the next day. The rewards you will experience as you grow deeper in love with God will definitely be worth it!

Be Flexible and Willing to Make Changes to Your Plan.

If you get stuck in a rut, try going back to step #1. Perhaps the plan you’ve chosen is not right for you. Change it up until you find the perfect fit.

Tips:

Keep working at your daily devotional plan for 30 days. By then it should become a habit.

Pray for God to give you the desire and the discipline to spend time with him each day.

Don’t give up. Eventually you will discover the joys and blessings of your obedience.

What You Need:

A Bible
A Pen or Pencil
A Notebook or Journal
A Bible Reading Plan
A Bible Study or Study Aid
A Quiet Place

Suggested Reading - click to read more info and excerpt

Fresh Grounded Faith: Devotions to Awaken Your Spirit - Jennifer Rothschild

God Calling Devotional Journal (Updated) - A J Russell

 

Naming Your Child Sensibly

COULD you imagine what it’s like to be named after Adolf Hitler, the German dictator best known for systematically murdering more than six million Jews?

Well, a little three-year-old boy in the United States found out last month just what it is like being Hitler’s namesake. The toddler, whose German-American father named him Adolf Hitler Campbell, was denied a birthday cake because the bakery refused to write the offensive name in cream. Is a name just a name, or is there more to it? Should the boy feel obliged to identify with his name, especially as he was named after a historical figure?

The boy’s parents might have hoped he would, for whatever reason, but I pity the child, to have to carry on his shoulders for the rest of his life all the emotions, images and tragedies associated with his name.

Every parent has a duty by his child – a duty to provide and safeguard. Adolf Hitler Campbell’s parents have clearly defaulted on their duty. By so naming their child, they have marked him out for a lifetime of ridicule, to say the least.

An example in the bible is stated in Genesis 32:28 (NIV), Then the man said,
"Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with
God and with men and have overcome." From the scripture, a person name have
to be changed to reflect the major milestone achieved in a person's life. How
much more important when it comes to naming a child.

Suggested Reading

Bible Names For Your Baby - Joy Gardner, Paul Gardner

 

In other part of the world, parents, too, have been known to give their children “unique” names. Let me give you a modern example: A close friend of mine was named after a particular delicacy, because her mother had craved it more than other food during her pregnancy. Today, 35 years on, she is still explaining to every new acquaintance why she had been so named. Why do parents do such things? How do they decide on a name, anyway? I posed that question to my parents once, and their answer was illuminating though, I would argue, misplaced on hindsight: Hope. They had hoped that my name would confer on me certain qualities, or characteristics, that will give me a smooth passage in life.

A name can represent what you are, in 1 Samuel 25:25, it said "May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent."

But, seriously, the thing for parents to remember is this: A name is a person’s first possession. It is not something that is lightly received, and should not be lightly given. By the time the child is old enough to change his name, the damage might have been done.

In Adolf Hitler Campbell’s case, this would probably translate into growing up without friends. It’s a shame that should not befall any innocent child – and every child is innocent.

Suggested Reading

Best-Ever Christian Baby Name Book: Thousands of Names and Their Meanings -Nick Harrison, Steve Miller

 

 

David

Did you know about William Tyndale?

William Tyndale (sometimes spelled Tindall or Tyndall; pronounced) (year od living 1494 – 1536) was a 16th-century Protestant reformer and scholar who translated the Bible into the Early Modern English of his day. While a number of partial and complete Old English translations had been made from the seventh century onward, and Middle English translations particularly during the 14th century, Tyndale's was the first English translation to draw directly from Hebrew and Greek texts, and the first to take advantage of the new medium of print, which allowed for its wide distribution (it is worth mention that some scholars claim he made this translation from Latin[citation needed]). In 1535, Tyndale was arrested, jailed in the castle of Vilvoorde outside Brussels for over a year, tried for heresy and burnt at the stake.

Much of Tyndale's work eventually found its way into the King James Version
(or "Authorised Version") of the Bible, published in 1611, which, as the work
of 54 independent scholars revising the existing English versions, drew significantly
on Tyndale's translations.

24/7 NLT: A One Year Chronological Bible Hardcover - Tyndale House

William Tyndale's translation of the Bible introduced new words into the English language, such as Jehovah, Peacemaker, scapegoat, and beautiful. 

• Jehovah (from a transliterated Hebrew construction in the Old Testament; composed from the Tetragrammaton YHWH.
  
• Passover (as the name for the Jewish holiday, Pesach or Pesah)
• Atonement (= at + onement), which goes beyond mere "reconciliation" to mean "to unite" or "to cover", which springs from the Hebrew kippur, the Old Testament version of kippur being the covering of doorposts with blood, or "Day of Atonement".
• scapegoat (the goat that bears the sins and iniquities of the people in Leviticus, Chapter 16)

David

Christian Basics: How To Pray

What Are the Basics to Prayer?What Does the Bible Have to Say About Prayer?Have you struggled with prayer?Does prayer seem like an exercise in eloquent speech that you just don't possess? 

Prayer is not a mysterious practice reserved only for clergy and the religiously devout. Prayer is simply communicating with God - listening and talking to him. Believers can pray from the heart, freely, spontaneously, and in their own words. If prayer is a difficult area for you, learn these basics principles of prayer and how to apply them in your life. 

What Does the Bible Have to Say About Prayer?The Bible has a lot to say about prayer. The first mention of prayer is found in Genesis.

Genesis 4:26And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD. (NKJV)

What is the Correct Posture for Prayer?
There is no correct or certain posture for prayer, the main thing is your heart. If your heart is at ease even when you are lying down, go right ahead. For me to lie down, it is a comfortable to our body but do you do that when you are talking to someone?

In the Bible people prayed on their knees (1 Kings 8:45), bowing (Exodus 4:31), on their faces before God (2 Chronicles 20:18; Matthew 26:39), and standing (1 Kings 8:22). You may pray with your eyes opened or closed, quietly or out loud -- however you are most comfortable and least distracted. 

Should I Use Eloquent Words?
Your prayers need not be wordy or impressive in speech. Matthew 6:7 

"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again." (NLT) 

Ecclesiastes 5:2
Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (NIV)

Matthew 6:7 
"When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again." (NLT) 

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (NIV)

Why Should I Pray?
• Prayer Develops Our Relationship with God.

If we never speak to our spouse or never listen to anything our spouse might have to say to us, our marriage relationship will quickly deteriorate. It is the same way with God. Prayer - communicating with God - helps us grow closer and more intimately connected with God.

Zechariah 13:9
I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.' " (NLT) 

John 15:7
But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! (NLT)

Zechariah 13:9
I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure, just as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'These are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.' " (NLT) 

John 15:7 
But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted! (NLT) 


• The Lord Instructed Us to Pray.
One of the simplest reasons to spend time in prayer is because the Lord instructed us to pray. Obedience is a natural by-product of discipleship. 

Matthew 26:41
"Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!" (NLT) 

Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. (NIV)

Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV)
(See also - Matthew 7:7 and 1 Timothy 2:8) 

What If I Don't Know How to Pray?
The Holy Spirit will help you in prayer when you don't know how to pray.

Romans 8:26-27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. (NIV)

Recommended book on prayer

Prayer Storm: The Hour That Changes the World - James W. Goll

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Are There Requirements for Successful Prayer?

Yes, there are some requirements found in the Bible for successful prayer.

Successful prayer requires:

• A humble heart

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)

• Wholeheartedness
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (NIV)
 
• Faith
Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours. (NIV)

• Righteousness

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (NIV)

• Obedience

1 John 3:22
And we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. (NLT)

Does God Hear and Answer Prayer?

Yes, God hears and answers prayer. Here are several examples of this promise
from the Bible.

Psalm 34:17
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. (NIV)

Psalm 91:15
He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. (NIV)

Recommended book on prayer

Lord Teach Me To Pray In 28 Days (Expanded) - Kay Arthur

---

Why are Some Prayers Not Answered?

Sometimes our prayers are not answered. The Bible gives several reasons or causes for failure in prayer:

Secret Sin -

Psalm 66:18 (NIV)
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

Unmerciful Heart -

Proverbs 21:13 (NIV)
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

Bloodguiltiness -

Isaiah 1:15 (NIV)
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood;

Stubbornness -

Zechariah 7:13 (NIV)
'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the LORD Almighty.

Prayer according to God's will

Sometimes our prayers are refused. Prayer must be in accord with God's divine will.


1 John 5:14
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according
to his will, he hears us. (NIV)

Recommended book on prayer

Prayers For The Faithful - Mary Ann Bridgwater

Have a great time talking to God!

David

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