You know what? Sometimes people (I) get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, and have to be reminded to do essential things like: count my blessings, remind myself of where I was before God bought me into His family, ask "How can I be better today than I was yesterday?", praising my wife, eat a homemade chocolate chip cookie, etc. You know--the really important stuff!
Well, sometimes I don't have to be reminded. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed, kind of like Mike Tyson just hit me in the gut while I was sleeping, or like the Incredible Hulk just used me for one of those squeezy, stress ball things.
Well, that's how I feel about my dutiful, tireless, effervescent, supportive, loving wife. We are going through some serious stress as a family--not in a bad way, but in the natural way, like when the stress of the earth transforms coal into diamonds.
And through the stress, Heather has been the glue keeping us all together. I won't go into detail. I just feel compelled to proclaim from the rooftops, from every hilltop(we are in Florida, and we don't have mountains here...fyi) and valley, from every speech I give, to every pleo post I write, how my wife has been like five wives to me.
And try as I may, I currently feel ill-equipped to adequately praiser her and express my gratitude. I try, but to no avail.
I don't know... I think that "has been like five wives" might not be a good thing (^_^) I get your point, and it's certainly good to praise our worthywives!
That is so wonderful that you feel the way that you do about your wife. You (and your wife) set a great example for the rest of us trying to have Christian marriages and how we all need to love our spouse in such a manner and to hold them in such high regard. A person never gets sick of too much praise and love!
How sweet, it's the greatest feeling when we as wives know how much our husbands appreciate us. I am sure that she appreciates all that you do as well. I know that I always realize how much I truly appreciate my husband in the stressful times.
Freddie...I just posted over 200 books from my library for sale...There are several commentary sets in there. Let me know if you are interested in any.
You know..I think of you almost every time I see a chocolate chip cookie...I know, it's weird. I think it started when Kylie Vaughn made you cookies one time after you taught our class.
Thank you for your heartfelt comments on my blog. They always lift my spirits.
And PLEASE stop apologizing about the retreat work. It was my joy! Honestly, it was. I wish we could come. Maybe you should have one in Texas one year:)
Hey, Frederic! Long time no talk! :) I'm SO excited about the more family-oriented stuff we're doing right now - we're also having Saturday morning family bible studies, and we're doing a kids "bible drill" before Sunday evening services, that's getting people to services that haven't been coming otherwise! It's really energizing to see the church doing tangible good in the lives of its families! :)
Hey, Frederic! I know you know a lot of people from all sorts of backgrounds, so i am wondering if maybe you can help me. I have a dear friend who is adopted. She needs her biological parent's medical history. She does know their names and a few other facts. My friend is not able to do this research herself at this time, she has asked me to try to do this for her. Obviously I have NO CLUE how to even start, I am not the most computer savvy person in the world. But if you knew how, or could hook me up with someone who would know how to go about getting this info, I would be VERY grateful! This is Aprile, by the way! LOL. Thanks!
Thanks. It is a great grief to me that Christians have basically accepted the philosophy of Moloch in so many areas. But sometimes I am embarrassed because I think I say too much.
hey! my little brother will be down there fall '09 so i am assuming i will go down to scout out the girl situation for him and approve or dissaprove before he starts in! ;)i also want to plan a trip to Disney then! BUT, we'd love to come for lectures this coming year, naturally! it is my sis-in-law's reunion and they'd like us to come then, too so we will see!
Mom is much better, thank you for your concern! How about you and Heather? Well, I was asking for Robin Champion. She i adopted and has been having some health issues, as you may know. I have since come up with a few ideas, and i have a lawyer friend who may be able to help me. Anyway, now you know why I have to do it, and she can't.
Hey there! I'm so glad you found me. How are you and your family doing? I pray all is well. I'll be home next weekend so I'll look forward to seeing you at church. Have a great weekend!
I ask that question of myself all the time, regarding my wife and children. Do I have their hearts? Do they have mine? I desperately want to win their hearts, and continually so. You see, the heart of a human being is ever-evolving...thus the efforts to win that heart must be ongoing.
In leadership, whether it's leading a family, a congregation of baptized believers, a business, a non-profit organization, a school, a class, or even a Marxist revolution, if a leader is to most effectively lead, he MUST have the hearts of his people.
When a leader has the hearts of his people, he gives the benefit of the doubt more, and micro-manages less. He empowers and trusts more, and second-guesses and criticizes less.
The opposite is true as well. When the people know they have the heart of a leader, they assume his words are backed by noble intentions, rather than thinking he is "all talk." They will follow in faith, rather than offer scrutinizing questions.
The great leaders in business, religion, and the family, all had the hearts of their people, and they gave their hearts to the people as well.
God even wants our hearts. (Matt. 22:36-38) And He gives us His. (Jer. 42:40-41)
Furthermore, I find it noteworthy, and awe-inspiring, that the last prophetic words of God before a 400 year prophetic silent period, and the first prophetic words immediately after that period, have to do with turning the hearts of fathers back to their children.
WHY is this SO IMPORTANT???
There are SO MANY reasons why, and I leave you to peruse your own thoughts on this.
Well, many of you know that I am hosting a Father-Daughter Retreat in the fall. Info can be found at the following website. If you read all the info, you'll learn some things about me that not even my best friends in the world know.
www.FatherDaugherRetreat.com
I am so excited at what God has done already with this retreat! I just received another sign up from someone I don’t know. (and I have no idea how they found out about the retreat!) That excites me, because it means people think enough of it that they are sharing it with people they care about.
I have already heard from men who are not even coming to the retreat, but have recently been inspired by the retreat to increase their resolve to step up their fatherly love and influence with their children. Praise God!
So far, we have people coming from Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. I am prayerfully asking God to richly bless this event. I respectfully ask your prayers for that as well.
Want hear something that I find fascinating???
It appears to me that the people who initially respond with the most enthusiasm about this retreat are moms/wives. I have heard from more than one family who is coming, and the impetus was the wife explaining to the husband how important this kind of thing is. I think that is because wives/moms understand, with first-hand experience, better than anyone else on the planet how much impact a father’s love has on his daughter’s self-image, marriage, relationship with God, etc. What do you think about that?
Another amazing thing God has done, is that He has moved someone to give me enough money to give someone a “scholarship” to the retreat. How AWESOME is THAT!!!!????!!!
That has actually prompted me to start a non-profit agency so that people will receive a tax benefit for such “donations.” (If you are interested in giving someone a “scholarship” for this event, please call me and we can talk about some VERY worthy people that ANYBODY would LOVE to send to this event. My cell is 813-298-6678)
As I said, I am so very excited at what God has done with this event so far. While I am excited to see who else is still coming, I am not foolish enough to measure this retreat purely by numbers of people who attend. I know that father-daughter relationships will be enhanced and strengthened by this retreat, but as I mentioned earlier, countless people have already been inspired to elevate their commitment as fathers. And THAT is cool!
You see, I believe there is a revolution going on, right now! A revolution in America is happening as we speak, and it involves families seeking out
God’s word to more accurately embody God’s design for the family.
Are you a part of that revolution? I desperately want to be the best father and husband I can be, helping to create a multi-generational spiritual legacy. There are some seriously unhealthy and evil multi-generational Satanic habits in my ancestry. I won’t bore you with them…just know that there is NO LIMIT to what I will do for my family’s spiritual wellness and health.
Please pray for this retreat…The Fathers of Faith and Daughters of Excellence Father Daughter Retreat.
We are doing well. School starts in about ten days, and we are getting geared up for that. I'm in a play this summer in less than two weeks, so I've been busy with that. Seems like the summer has past us by! Tim is headed to China in the fall with my uncle Wilson... he's starting the process of applying for a visa and whatnot. He will be gone for a little over three weeks.
Great idea on the Father/Daughter weekend. My dad and I have always been close. I'm convinced that is the reason I was pretty smart about who I dated. Dads have a huge responsibility to both their sons and daughters. Too bad we only have sons... guess Tim won't be attending your event!!
I love the idea of your retreat. I'd love to come, and if we lived in FL, GA, or AL, probably would. Since we live in OH, that adds a whole other level of cost to the equation. It sounds like a phenomenal event and I hope there are repeats so I can attend when my girls are a little older (5.5 & nearly 3 now).
And thank you for your comments on my post. I don't know details about the abortion/birth control stuff, but did catch some of it from Ben Stein's Expelled. Pretty shocking stuff.
Of course we can!!!!! I miss you!!!!!! I can't go to bed cause you're not here. But when you are here I can't go to bed either cause I'm always doing something!!!!! Some things never change!
One last Noelani funny...tonight after you left the song Eye of the Tiger came on the radio. I told her it was one of your and Papa's favorite songs. She called my mom to tell her it was on the radio and she said "Mimi I just heard Hi Says the Tiger on the radio for the first time" I almost ran off the road!!!
That is really awesome. I'm glad for you. You know, i've never heard you preach, only song-lead/teach bible class. I know you're an excellent preacher though.
Hey! Thank you for finding my blog. We are doing great! Still in Bowling Green. Two great boys and Ten years of marriage. Beautiful girls! Congratulations, it looks like you have a wonderful life!
I'm so glad that you had a great experience up there! I miss IL so much. (I do love attending a big church though) Did Sonja happen to cook for you? She is outstanding at that!
My daughter Noelani, age four, is amazing. She remembers dates for everything, as if her head is a walking calendar.
I mean, I have always had a pretty good memory. Until recently, when the "brain fog" of over-indulging in way too many bowls of ice cream has caught up with my brain, I have always felt that for the most part, I could remember every day of my life. (the important stuff)
Earlier in my life, I do remember recalling dates with ease, but not with the freakish mastery of my four year old daughter. I mean, it's just creepy. Let me explain.
One time her two Bible class teachers on a Wednesday night were asking each other what the day was going to be on Sunday. All the children were writing. They said that in the midst of them asking each other, before they could figure it out, Noelani blurted out, "the sixth," and then resumed working on her project. She was right.
So, on Saturday, our father-daughter day, I made a reference to a local congregation that I preached for. She replied, "you mean the church you preached at on the 13th?" Taken aback, I had to think for a second. "Yes Noelani, that church." Whoa.
So I decided to test her.
Me: "Noelani, when we go to church on Wednesday, what will the date be?"
Her: "The 30th."
Me: "When did we go on vacation?"
Her: "The 15th...of June."
Me: I asked her every birthday of every relative she has that I know, on Heather's and my sides...she got them all right.
Me:"When was the first time we sang, 'Freely, freely' at church?"
Her: "April 30th."
I stopped there, being utterly freaked out.
I think I might start using her as my portable, walking diary.
that's cool. Shades of "Rain Man" come to mind. ha ha! I'm just kidding but that is what it reminded me of. I've always done pretty good with dates too (birthdays especially) but that is neat that she does that at her age!
That is insane! I used to be like that when I was younger, but I dont remember to that extent!
You should see Jesse Lester. He pretty much memorized the "old" songbooks. If you ever need to know what page number a certain song is on in the Hyms For Worship book (which I dont necessarily know why you would need to), ask him. Also, he knows pretty much every. single. band/song from the 80's/90's and who sang them. It's incredible.
That is crazy and really cool. I have a knack for remembering certain things that almost make it seem like I'm stalkerish, but it's just how my mind works.
Thank you for your encouraging words. I just know your father/daughter retreat is going to be....indescibibly wonderful. Can't wait to hear all about it. :)
