Where do you start ?

You can study how to manage your family and not put it into action, so here I am going to list the things that have been put on my heart when it comes to managing my family.

1. Set up life insurance. This is not a weak faith in God, I believe it is wisdom to have my wife and five children cared for if something happened to me.

2. Set up RRSP's. Again this is not a lack of faith. I was meeting with my pastor, sharing some of these things with him and I realized as I was talking that God has given us resources, and the day will come when he will ask me to give account for that. I believe that if I did not prepare financially for my future, God will be sitting down with me and say " I will take care of your needs because I love you but what did you do with the money I gave you over the past 40 years".

3. Set up an alarm system for my house. For me this was a step of obedience as I felt that God was asking me to do this.

4. Learn as much as I possibly can about financial budgeting and wise investing. It is fully on my heart for God to use me to fund the kingdom of God. He has been showing me the past 6 months that I cannot partake in funding the kingdom until I know what I need for my family. (I will write more on this at a later time) Not that I cannot give but if I cannot manage my own families money, I will not be able to manage money that God may choose to give to me for the benefit of others.

5. Set up RESP's. The bible talks a lot about parents saving for their children. I may not be able to send my kids to Princeton but I want to model faithfulness to them and be able to bless them in the right time for their education.

6. Stay out of Debt. It has been a gift from God that My wife and I are out of debt. In fact we paid off the rest of our debt, the month before we moved into the house that God willing we will buy in three years. I still need a lot of wisdom in this area. Even today I was praying and asking God "your word says let no debt remain outstanding, does that mean that certain debt is acceptable providing we are faithful to pay it off?"

7. To be the leader that God has called me to be in my home.

8. To promote the gifts that are in my wife, seeking out ways to help her use them.

9 To understand my unique children's bent so that I can effectively train them up accordingly.

Okay that's enough for now.....sheeesh looking at that list makes me think that I will be learning to manage to the ripe end of my days. Well I hope this is an encouragement to all of you or at least the two I know that read this :')

Managing key to a healthy marriage

The more that I understand managing, the more I realize the utter importance of it. In a marriage relationship if a man is functioning as God's ordained leader and leading his family based on biblical principles, his family will be released to move into their role in the family. I am not a woman but I can imagine that a woman's greatest desire in her marriage is that her husband would rise up to be the man that he was called to be within the home. A well managed house will provide peace and harmony as everyone will be functioning in their roles in the home.

managing key to effective parenting

I was talking with a friend tonight and we were talking about managing. We were talking in regards to parenting and God started speaking to my heart as w ewere sharing things with each other. Throughout the week I expect certain things from my children and have not realized that I need to be leading them by example. If I ask my kids to clean their room while my house is a mess, I am not teaching them good principles. If I am not willing to do the same task that I am expecting then I had better not say anything at all. I then started to realize that 1 Timothy talks about how a man must manage his own family 'well'....not only manage but do it well. I am beginning to realize that it was strategic that God asked a man to manage his family first. It sets the stage for him to bring his children underneath his management. If a person can get to the place where they can manage their family, then they can teach their children to honor them with 'propper respect' God is so wonderful and I thank him for his goodness.

Learning to manage

Hey everyone

(I say everyone although I may be writing to myself.) This years blog will have a certain theme to it. 2005 is going to be a year where Ilearn to manage. Manage my lfe, my family, my finances, my leadership position at work etc.
1 Peter talks about how a man must manage his family well and it is my desire to find out what that means. What does it mean to truly manage your family? It is my intention to find that out this year with God leading the way. So I want to bring you with me as I learn. My desire is that I would track the entire year focussed on this one thing.