Weekend Kindness
Reaching Others Through Kindness

Sometimes you get more from your teller than your cash or deposit.  Sometimes you get little words of wisdom like:

If you get a lollipop from a girl, make sure you get one for your wife.

Interesting thought.  To me it brought to light the thought of the guy that comes home with lipstick on his collar– even though he did nothing wrong.  It’s not that his wife doesn’t trust him, it’s the question “did you think of me?”

So, in that moment where I got 3 lollipops instead of 2, I was reminded that we as husbands need to make sure we take the time to think of our wife when we’re out, and not just think about our kids.  Our wife needs to be a primary focus, whereas our kids a secondary.

Yesterday on my blog we discussed California’s latest attempt to ban spanking, and the conversation naturally flowed to something that’s difficult for all parents– disciplining our children.

One of the most difficult things, I think, to remember to do is to always remember why you are disciplining your child– the end goal– and try your hardest not to get caught up “in the moment.” 

To that end, I suggested that you plan what the punishment for a particular “crime” will be before you get in the situation, and that you also enforce your requests.  The last thing that a child needs it to wonder if mom or dad “really mean it this time…”

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My mom and dad are both first born children, so you think that they’d understand– but they don’t.  You see, I love my brother and sister, I really do.  But they need to understand that I’m the smartest, the tallest* and the best looking!

They need to realize that when I want a toy, I want it now, and that I shouldn’t be expected to share– that’s why I put things I like in my pockets so that my pants look like they’re falling down!

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Today I would like to share portions of a paper my daughter wrote last year concerning finding a spouse. I hope you enjoy it and are encouraged.~~

Finding a spouse is a very important topic. Most youth don’t realize the importance of this topic or understand the steps that need to be taken to find a spouse. My mom has taught me a lot on this issue.

My desire is to follow the Lord and trust in his plan. At this point in my life, I honestly don’t know if I want to get married. If the Lord has someone for me to marry then I will follow him in that. If I get married these are the steps I will take.

First of all, I will court and not date. If someone asks me to go on a date with them I will simply say that I do not date. If they are interested they must speak to my father.

Secondly, before I enter into a courtship I will pray with my parents about it and ask for their guidance. I know this sounds like I am saying this because that’s how it is supposed to work. That is not the case; this is how I want it to be.

Thirdly, after accepting, if that is what God is leading us in, we would talk about how the house is to be run and what it is that we will believe as a family. We would discuss things such as financial handling, schooling, jobs, where the wife should be during the day, what God says concerning having children, and so on. Beliefs are something that must be taken seriously or your relationship will fall apart.

Fourth, if God is still leading in the direction of marriage there should be serious prayer.

Let me share my standards. The person must be a Christian. They must be respectful and honest. They must stay pure until marriage. They must love me and not look to any other. Their apparel is also important, the must dress modestly. This is to avoid attracting others’ attention just so they will want to know them because they are cute or handsome. In Matthew 5 it says if you look at someone with lust you commit adultery. They must have a relationship and be walking with the Lord. They can’t just say they are a Christian. They must want to get closer to the Lord.

One thing we must remember us that our spouse isn’t going to be perfect. If you wait for a perfect person you will be waiting your entire life. You will always be single. For the Bible says that all have sinned.

Like I said before, I don’t know if I will ever marry, I probably will. It is up to the Lord and if he wants me to marry I will follow him. If he tells me to stay single I will. It is up to the Lord and I will be content with his will for my life.

So, the girl of your dreams is sitting across the room from you in youth group and you don’t know what to say?

Weekend Kindness is here to help you with the Top 7 Christian Pick Up Lines brought to you by Small Steps to Glory:

1. “I believe one of my ribs belongs to you.”
2. “Hey.. I would work 7 years for your sister.. but I would work 7 more years for you.”
3. “You’re totally depraved but I’d still like to go out with you…”
4. “I’m interested in full time ministry, and not only that… I also play the guitar.”
5. “Have you died before? Because that looks like a resurrection body to me..”
6. “Hi, I’m Calvin. You were meant to choose me.”
7. “The Word says ‘Give drink to those who are thirsty, and feed the hungry’; how about dinner?”

Yes, you too can ask a girl out using these tried and true lines.  So what are you waiting for– there’s a girl out there waiting to be the Ruth to your Boaz, that you would be willing to slay two Goliaths for, and who has the same favorite Apostle as you do!

One of the things that always stuck with me while I was dating was a guideline my father gave me about physical intimacy.  He told me that there is an obvious boundary, but with each new physical thing you do (holding hands, hugging, kissing, etc) you want the next thing because of how good it makes you feel.

It was this knowledge that kept me from kissing a girl, until the girl before the woman I married, and it proved that guidelines– when taken to heart– are good to help us to do what we know with our heads is right.

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The greatest relationship that we can ever have is that which was offered to us by God through His Son– the living Word– as revealed in the written Word.  And yet it’s hard to keep up this relationship, not because of the availability of God, but because of the things that we let get in the way of this relationship.

I was reminded, reading Anna’s post on Daily Devotions, just how important it is to get into a routine, not just because I want to do it in a wrote way, but because I need my relationship with Him to be more important than any other relationship in my life:

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