Life Nuggets for the Instant Parent

Eight Key Principles

• Realize that becoming an instant parent is a challenging task that requires team work.

• Remember that you’re not replacing a parent. You’re creating new beginnings.

• Reinforce your commitment to the marriage first this will benefit the child.

• Regard your role as God’s example of what a marriage is intended to be.

• Rebuild a gradual authority system to function by Biblical guidelines.

• Reflect the love of God by providing security for the child. By offering a safe place to grow and mature.

• Refuse to judge or criticize the missing parent. This only damages the process of blending and healing this new family unit.

• Resist the temptation to withdraw emotionally if you are not immediately accepted.

• Resolve to pray for the child and for your marriage.

“Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)

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Give Thanks

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 1 Ch 16:34 ESV 

Love is the key ingredient to destroying  a hateful mindset.  As, you go through your day remember that people will be more thankful for the unconditional love you’ve shown towards them.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou

Christ in the mist

In the mist of your fiercest storm it’s easy to become overwhelmed.  Though Christ may delay His arrival to assist you, it is for the purpose of strengthtening  your faith.

We never know how much real faith we have until it is put to the test in some fierce storm. 

Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Surviving the Storm

 When you become overwhelmed by the storms of life don’t forget to break out your umbrella. 

Restoring Hope

(1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
In the phrase “faith is the substance of things hoped for,” Paul is not really defining what faith is, but rather he is showing what faith does in an operative sense: Faith undergirds what we hope for. Substance means “that which stands under.” Faith is the foundation for what we hope, the foundation for our relationship with God and everything that it implies within His purpose. Faith is the very beginning of everything that really matters spiritually.

By saying that it is the “evidence” or “assurance” (the word can literally be translated “title deed,” but “assurance” seems to be the best all-around word) of things hoped for, the author comes much closer to defining what faith is. In its simplest form, faith is merely belief. As our understanding becomes more complex and operative, when we begin to put faith to work, it becomes “confidence,” and finally, in its best form, when it becomes fully operational, it is “trust.” This trust, this full measure of faith, is alive and works within our relationship with God.
— John W. Ritenbaugh

A Crisis in Marriage

Every 45 seconds a marriage ends in America. With it ends not only a covenant of love, but also the stability of a home, financial solidity, and a model of committed love for children to take into their own marriages. Every 45 seconds, American loses more than another marriage. It loses another building block in the structure of what secures her future: strong, loving relationships based on respect, commitment and integrity. This year alone 1.2 million families will experience the rupturing and fragmentation of divorce. Hearts shattered. Children devastated. Hope lost.

Statistics say it all…

  1.2 Million couples across America file for divorce each year.

  $112 Billion is the annual cost of divorce to taxpayers

  4 Weeks of work time is lost during the first year after a divorce

  $150 Billion is the annual cost of divorce to U.S. businesses

America is only as strong and healthy as the integral relationships that make her grow and prosper. Committed marriages establish solid families which build strong communitites. Where marriages are committed to serving Christ and each other, relationships thrive.
There is hope in mist of your crisis, just make God your center peace.

Family Prayer

There is a pressing need for marriages today.

Marriage and divorce are both common experiences. In Western cultures, more than 90 percent of people marry by age 50. Healthy marriages are good for couples’ mental and physical health. They are also good for children; growing up in a happy home protects children from mental, physical, educational and social problems. However, about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce. The divorce rate for subsequent marriages is even higher.
Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Psychology

The book of Hebrews assures us that in Jesus Christ we have a high priest who sympathizes with us in our circumstances: Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need—Hebrews 4:16 (ESV).
Will you draw near the throne with us to lift up today’s families through prayer.