God's definition of authority

This past weekend at the men's retreat we talked about Godly authority. My pastor summed it up to say that authority means taking responsibility. In our homes we don't take control or govern authority, we walk under it. We take responsibility for our family. We serve our family. We wash the dishes and let our wives go to bed. We work with our children when they do their chores. We serve without expectation of anything in return. In church we take authority by taking responsibility there. If we see things that need to be done, we do it. If there are children running amok, we stop them and take them to their parents. I have learned so much from this past weekend. We don't lead in authority, we lead under authority.....God's authority.

The value of men

I love the 'men of Hope'. I just returned home from a mens retreat at Jeanette Lake in northern Saskatchewan. Wow is God ever good. We laughed, we cried, played some shinny, soaked in the presence of God and loved each other. Wow it is extrememly special when you see a man bare his heart and openly weep for another man. There was one time on Saturday night where four or five men were trevailing (wailing audibly on behalf of the person being prayed for). It was so refreshing to see God use men to minister to each other. There was breakthrough and deliverance. I saw my pastor raise up and teach with greater boldness and authority. And the realtionships....oh my goodness. I don't know how it was for the rest of the guys but I tell you......It was very refreshing. Did I meantion that I LOVE THE 'MEN OF HOPE' ????

Back to the basics

When I first started going out for coffee with God, It was a sweet time of personal fellowship with my God....over a great cup of coffee. I envision at some point writing a book titled Coffee with God and entering the things that I have recieved over the years. I have built up quite the archive now. I am currently praying about going back to that place. You see I have not been going for coffee with God for quite some time now and I am starting to miss it. The purpose of this blog in the beginning was to be a place where I would come and share the things that God has put on my heart while out for coffee with him. I do enjoy rambling, but it needs to be intertwined with little nuggets of truth. I believe that I am moving towards that end. I am trying to define this blog so that it is unique in it's focus.....Coffee with God.....so stay tuned, As I work to get back to the basics of this blog.

God's definition of healthy

Tonight I was with a great freind of mine. We were talking about healing and he mentioned that he really felt that God was going to make a certain person healthy. I challenged him on that and asked him to consider what God's definition of healthy was. I then went on to explain that when my wife was pregnant with our firstborn son, we found out later in her pregnancy (around 25 weeks) that our little baby was very sick. We prayed about it as well as our church family. I heard in my spirit "He is going to be healthy" So I prayed in faith that my little boy would be healed. At 32 weeks my wife delivered him and he was put on life support. This was very confusing and tramatic as we watched life being taken from our little son. the doctor finally decided that it was time to let him go as his heart rate was rapidly dropping.......as I cradled my lifeless son in my arm's I heard again in my spirit "Now he is healthy". That was so healing for to me hear.
I then came home to my wife tonight and before I shared my evening with her she directed me to a FiveChildren: Who am I? I read this daddy's post and was very moved at the fact that God was still ministrering to my heart for my beautiful boy. God is so amazing...I love him for his mercy and grace to move on.

Priority check

Five years ago God started me on a journey of reshaping priorities in my life. I want to share with you what I have personally experienced myself. It will be in the priority that God is currently working on.
My Priority list in life
1. Cultivating my relationship with God.
Years ago I believed that ministry & church were all coined together with my #1 priority of having God #1. I now realize that was wrong. I believe that we as Christians make that simple yet vital mistake. I would get involved in ministries, and do a whole bunch of 'righteous'' things while my family watched from home.
My number one priority is not getting involved in godly thing nor ministries, nor church 'stuff' It is what I do in relation to my relationship with God. Spending time in his wonderful presence, resting in quietness, reading his word, praising him, learning who he is and how I can be more like him.
2. Minister to my wife
This is so dear to my heart. I am at the place in my life now where I would rather offend someone for not committing to a ministry opportunity or whatever in order to honor my wife (in a healthy way). It is my God given responsibility to love her, cherish her, seek the heart of God for her....(Wow this is a huge one. I believe the greatest thing that I can do for my beautiful wife is to seek the heart of God on her behalf) If I get an inkling into what the heart of God is for her, then I can release the gifts that are in her that will cultivate her God given design. I need to know the word of God in order to shower her with the washing of the word.
3. Love my children
God has given me 5 beautiful children and they are all very unique. It is my number one job to again seek the heart of God for each of my children. I need to raise them in the way that they should go. I also need to make decisions based on them. When it comes to a ministry opportunity, I always make my decision based on how it will affect them.....Will it take me away from my house for long periods of time....Is it something that they can be involved in..Etc.

I am going to stop there tonight, but I do have a few things on my heart to share before I end this post.
God has taught me that if these three things are not in place then I am out of synch with his design for my life. So often we get caught in the lie that 'other' things in our lives are our ministries, yet we forget the most vital part of our ministry.....Our family.
.......Preacher CWG coming out here.....Everything that we do in our life is based on the foundation of these three things. And it is so easily linked back. I found that if my marriage was struggling, it was because I was struggling in my relationship with God. If my relationship with my kids were rocky it was usually due to the fact that my marriage was rocky, which meant my relationship with God was rocky......And so on.
I will stop at nothing to provide leadership and ownership of the fulltime ministry that God has called me to....And maybe when I am able I will do more.

More famous quotes

Family:

He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds his peace in his home. -- GoetheWhen

you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are the family happinesses. -- Dr. Joyce Brothers

The children despise their parents until the age of forty, when they suddenly become just like them -- thus preserving the system. -- Quentin Crewe

Healthy families remind each other of their goodness; unhealthy families remind each other of their failings. -- Matthew Fox

I never envied Elvis his mansion and all that. Al those boys -- Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison -- they all lost their wives, their families. People say, "What happened to you, Carl? All of them went on to superstardom. Where’d you go?" I say, "I went home." And that’s a good place to be. -- Carl Perkins, Rockabilly singer (quote in Insight, Dec. 9, 1996, p. 33)

Fathers:By profession I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact, but I am prouder, infinitely prouder,to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentialities of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still." -- Douglas MacArthur, "Reminiscences"

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. -- Theodore M. Hesburgh

A son is a son ‘til he takes a wife,But a daughter’s a daughter for the rest of her life. Look up "father" in the dictionary. It comes right after "fathead" and just before "fatigue."

Batter up

I went for coffee with God to Montana's restaurant back on July 29/02

I would like to share with you what he put on my heart.

" Picture your family on a baseball field. Your family is on the bases waiting for you to go to bat for them. If you will not go to bat then eventually they are going to give up hope that you are going to bat and they will walk off the field. I need you to take hold of the bat and step up to your God given place, the batting mound. All you need to do is grab the bat and I will do everything else. When you grab the bat, I will flow through you and you will hit the ball and your family will advance. Everytime that you hit the ball, you will be bringing your family closer to home plate. The bat is a representation of prayer. When you pick up the bat of prayer, you will hit the ball everytime, as long as you hit it with prayer. There will be times where you will wind up and hit a grand slam. At times it will seem as though nothing is happening. You will walk up to the plate . The pitcher will look around and make plays with the back catcher. It will seem as though time is standing still. Then the pitcher will release the ball and you will see it coming and embracing the bat of prayer you hear CRACK. The ball is high and gone. The ball represents the trials that come your way. And Satan is the pitcher. So in all things make sure that you hit the ball on behalf of your family."

Tribute to dad....on a lighter side

My kids and I love this video. It is quite funny. I dedicate it to all the dad's that do their best to rule their roost. As well as a heart felt appreciation for mom's....YOU ROCK!!!!!
(click on "mr.mom)
Mr.Mom

video courtesy of www.winamp.com

Quotes on Children

Enjoy......

Children are strange possessions. We raise them so we can lose them. -- M. O. Vincent

Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children. Now I have six children and no theories. -- John Wilmot

Children are natural mimic who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners. Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said. Never play peekaboo with a child on a long plane trip. There’s no end to the game. Finally I grabbed him by the bib and said, ‘Look, it’s always going to be me!’ -- Rita Rudner

Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home. - unknown

Children who know they are loved, know they have a purpose, and know they have a hope are prepared for anything this world wants to dish up. -- Tim Kimmel

My job as a parent is a temporary responsibility with eternal consequences. -- Tim Kimmel

I take my children everywhere, but they always find their way back home. -- Robert Orben

Managing is so essential

I have been thinking a lot about things as of late and have come to the realization that it is absolutely curtail for a family to be functioning well before a person steps into ministry or a greater leadership position. It is almost like a probation period where God says Okay, you want to do this do you. Well I'll tell you what, I will give you a wife and five children to see if you truly are equipped for more things. During this time we reflect the fruit in our lives and it shows in our children and dear wives...Good or bad. You see I am very reluctant to accept ministry apprentices or leadership positions for that very reason. God has asked me to focus on one thing and by the mercy of God I will get there.

I am beginning to understand why God used the family as a testing ground.
1. Discipline....If we don't discipline our children when they are out of line, we will not discipline those in our spiritual care when they are out of line.
2. Honor....If we are not honoring our wives in the home, we will not be honoring those outside the home.
3.Finances...If we do not get a good grasp of how to spend and manage money that God has given us as a family to use, why would he give us way more to manage the financial affairs of his kingdom.
Leadership....It is so very important that we get this right. If a man does not take the spiritual role in his family, all will suffer. As well as the other members of the family have to move into roles that God never intended for them. Likewise if we are not taking spiritual leadership in our own homes, will we take lead elsewhere?
I am so very blessed that God is taking me through this time of my life. I pray that I will reap the rewards at a future time. I do know one thing it will give him honor and glory. And that makes it all worthwhile.

This is loads of fun

Fooling around on the web is lots of fun.
Specifically when you can create fun stuff for your blog.
It has taken a lot of research but I'm getting there.
Come to my blog on Valentines day!!!!
Have fun all.

Managing can be a simple process

I was praying last night and thinking upon managing. Most places that you seek for management speak of financial matters. This is good but I am seeking out the entirety of management. So I took that to God last night and he started speaking to my heart. He was saying that managing is in the everyday task and it involves the other area's of scripture that deal with families. For instance, The bible asks me to love my wife better than myself, Am I doing that? It says for husbands to wash their wives in the word. Am I doing that. It says to not exasperate your children. Am I working on that. Basically God was leading me to the greater parts of the bible that are all tied to family management. I also believe that the biblical description of a man's role and the woman's role are key to proper management. He was showing me the bigger picture I think. Basically saying. "You see Darcy you are focussing on one word, where I am focussing on a theme. It is the character issues in your life that I need to work on as these are the area's that you will see growth in. It is also in these things that you will begin to mange well"
So now I will go to the word of God and seek out his truths in regards to the family unit and where my duties/responsibilities fit.