If Sacrifice was Easy, it would be Called Something Else

Posted by Jenn Jones on May 16, 2014

Sacrifice. Noah Webster defined it as ‘to devote with loss’. To devote something means to give something completely. You give something up completely knowing that it will cause you loss, but ultimately it will benefit someone else.

Early Christians sacrificed their lives rather than denounce their faith. Our Founders were willing to sacrifice their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Why did they all do this? Because they knew it would benefit someone else.

The sacrifice of early Christians proved a faith in God that no one could destroy – and it paved the way for the rest of us.

The sacrifice the Founders were willing to make created the framework for our republic.

Duties of Parents to their Children by John Bunyan Part 1

IF thou art a parent, a father or a mother, then thou art to consider thy calling under this relation. Thy children have souls, and they must be begotten of God as well as of thee, or they perish. And know also, that unless thou be very circumspect in thy behavior to and before them, they may perish through thee: the thoughts of which should provoke thee, both to instruct, and also to correct them.

To instruct them as the scripture saith, and to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;" and to do this diligently "when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Eph. 6:4; Deut. 6:7.)

Now to do this to purpose:—

12 Values of Christmas

This is credited to the author Michael Opeka and is a Christmas message original from a 2010 post.

There are many stories and traditions around Christmas.  One special one revolves around the "The Twelve Days of Christmas".  The song was written in England as one of the catechism songs to help young Catholics learn their faith. It was a tool to help people learn the basics of their faith. Each of the gifts mentioned in the song have hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith.

The "true love" doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, but to God Himself.  The gifts mentioned in the song are gifts from God.  The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ.  Many of the other items are symbols as well.

As a self-governing leader you can take one of the Values listed below and starting on each new day, make it a priority in your life and the lives of your family. Meditate on the daily value and remind yourself and your loved ones what that value means to you. 

No More Fence Sitting

Posted by Jenn Jones on June 19, 2013

It has been heavy on my heart and mind for the last couple of days to write this post. I heard a message at church over the weekend that really spoke to my spirit and so I felt I needed to express it.

We live in a time of lies and deception. We are bombarded with a message that tells us that we mustn’t say or do things that others will be offended by. We are constantly told that we must be compromising so that everyone feels included and important. We are made to believe that when we express ourselves it must be in a way to appeal to everyone so that no one is turned away.

But it has occurred to me that we have been duped into believing that it is even possible to spread a message in such a way that everyone hears it and believes it and likes it. It isn’t. Did everyone listen to and believe Jesus when he was teaching and preaching? No they didn’t. There were some who were so threatened by his message that they had him arrested and put to death. There were those who just didn’t care to listen because they had other things that were more important at the time. But then there were those who were drawn to his message, listened to it, took it to heart and took action on it.

Beginning Learning Sharing

Posted by Lori P. | As a Mom on May 1, 2013

Text from a recent speech. Reprinted from the Spring 2013 issue of MinuteMom Magazine.

I was somewhat surprised and very humbled to receive a call to speak to [your group.] My first thought was “what on earth could I possibly have to share that would be of value to these women?” The amazing sisterhood you have already accomplishes so much. All of you vote and exercise all of your First Amendment rights, including freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Many of you have a concealed carry permit, you are involved in politics locally, statewide and nationally. I have much to learn from you.

It did occur to me that one of the reasons I was asked to speak is simply because I dared to begin something new. Today I would like to share what I have learned about the power of beginning, the power of learning and the power of sharing .  These powers are somewhat linked and are not linier steps but much like a circle or a group hug of powers.

All of us remember where we were the morning of September 11, 2001. I was laying on the couch on full bed rest while expecting my twin daughters. My oldest son, then three, finished watching a video tape with his one-year-old brother. The tape went to automatic rewind allowing me to catch just a glimpse of the Today show. It was just at that that horrifying moment that Katie Couric announced that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

If My People - Part 2 - Humble Ourselves

Posted by Jenn Jones on April 9, 2013

part of series click here to view previous

“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear them from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14

Why do you suppose God made this statement?

These were his conditions of forgiveness. If a nation sinned against God, there was a way to be forgiven and healed. Some may say this promise only applied to the nation of Israel and could not be applied to America today – I am not one of those people. I believe that as Christians – all of God’s promises of both blessing and justice – apply to us because of Christ.

So what do we do with this? How can this one verse in the bible hold the key to saving our nation?

Simple.

Return of the Manual Arts

Posted by Dr. Shanon Brooks on March 21, 2013   monticellocollege.org/

We have spent considerable space in these posts discussing education, particularly the liberal arts

This post is dedicated to the lesser known side of our curriculum—the manual arts.

Manual arts are not something that the average American thinks about in the 21st century.

But a hundred years ago, the vast majority of Americans were engaged in the manual arts everyday.

In fact, excluding the last 60 years of developed nations, manual arts were the reality for nearly the entire global population. Even now, most of the seven billion inhabitants on earth engage in the manual arts daily.

Without the manual arts, most of what we enjoy almost unconsciously, would not exist.  In our high-tech, synthetic, and artificial world, we have reached a “roman” sense of existence—the only difference from then to now—we just have more sophisticated slaves.*

Whether we realize it or not, we are all home-schooling families

Posted by Theresa Camoriano on February 18, 2013

It is our responsibility as parents to ensure that our children get a good education that prepares

them to lead a healthy, successful life.  A good education not only includes reading, writing, math, science and history.  It also includes learning good values as well as critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management skills. It includes learning self-reliance, how to budget and balance a checkbook,  how to deal with people, and how to have a good attitude about life.  It also includes learning good health habits, including exercise, hygiene, and nutrition.  In order to be good citizens, our children also need to learn about economics and government.   They also should learn something about car maintenance, proper etiquette, and self defense, among other things.

When we consider everything that is involved in a good education, it is clear that we cannot hand all that responsibility over to a school, even if it is a very good school.  Even the best schools will not teach a fraction of what our children need for a successful life.  Like it or not, most of that education has to come from the parents and grandparents.  So, whether we realize it or not, we are all home-schooling families.

While being responsible for the education of  our children is an awesome task, we  should not be intimidated by it.  We do not need a Ph.D. in childhood education in order to do a good job.  We just need to recognize our responsibility and make a real effort to do what we are naturally equipped to do as parents and grandparents.

The Second Great Commandment

Posted by Dr. Shanon Brooks on February 18, 2013  monticellocollege.org/

“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said unto him, “thou shalt love the lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matt 22: 35-39

This is perhaps one of the best-known scriptures from the New Testament. But the quotation is incomplete.  The next verse is the real message:

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Service is not a new concept in our culture.  Lots of people engage in service and do a great deal of good.

But how many of us love our neighbors—as ourselves—and from the perspective that “all the law” hangs on our doing so?

Don’t misunderstand, in my opinion there is nothing wrong with the standard service project, a bunch of people getting together and raking leaves from an elderly citizen’s yard or painting a house or planting a garden.

These are good and we should do this kind of service often.  But loving our neighbor as our self is a deeper, less public, more personal form of service, and as it turns out, it is often needed more than a new paint job.

The Cubicle Survival Guide - Ronald McDonald Day VOL VIII

Posted by Justen Collins on January 18, 2013

As the New Year dawned recently, I decided against making any resolutions and instead opted for a different approach. Rather than set any specific goal or commitment for myself, I chose to simply make 2013 a year where I venture more often out of my comfort zones. We are such creatures of habit – especially those of us in a typical office world of work – that we can settle into regimented routines to a somewhat dangerous point. The cycle of “eat, work, try to spend some time with the family, then sleep” can start to steamroll and the years can go by in flashes.

In the span of a couple weeks, I have done my best to “shock” my system and throw several new wrinkles at my personal routines. My wife and I have completely overhauled our family’s dietary practices and introduced something called “Meatless Mondays” into the mix. Those who know me best know that this is a significant lifestyle change without question! If I can spend twenty-four hours each week as a vegetarian, believe me, anything is possible.

Even in an area where I have developed what I consider a “good” habit – going to the gym regularly – I could see myself stuck in a routine to some extent. In an effort to kill our comfort zones at the gym, my workout partner (and former tag team wrestling partner for my longtime friends) and I changed things up. We added a heavy “leg day” to our schedule and started going to an aerobics class called “Body Combat.” Imagine the two of us as the only males in a room full of women doing cardio kickboxing routines and looking way more coordinated than us in the process. The classes have done a number on my comfort zone – not to mention my aging joints.

"Would You Hire Your Own Kid?"

One of the most popular columns of the month here on the Brush Fire Forum has been one that Dr. Shanon Brooks posted entitled "Job Training Versus Character Education."  It is a great read, and if you have not already done so, click here and take a look at it now.

This topic reminded us of an article that was published back in 2010 by Tim Sackett over on the FistfulofTalent.com website.  Tim did a wonderful job of posing a question that so few of us as parents take the time to consider.  The original article is below and is certain to make you pause to consider some of the parental decisions you have made in the past.  You can find your way over to Tim's website by clicking here.

Would You Hire Your Own Kid? - Tim Sackett (via fistfuloftalent.com)

So really – would you hire your own kid? Now, I’m completely the most perfect person ever to answer this question. Yes, because I’m The Tim Sackett, but beyond that I was once hired by my mother – oh wait, I was twice hired by my mother. So yes, that makes me very qualified to answer this question. I’m not really interested in the Nepotism issue within if you would hire your own kid though – I’m more into would Anyone Else Besides You Hire Your Kid? So, what I’m talking about is workforce readiness. I know everyone has an opinion on “today’s” generation and “tomorrow’s” generation and how different they are, blah, blah, blah… this has been covered ad nauseum.

Wisdom Is

By Pastor Henry Mahan formally of the Thirteenth Street Baptist Church, Ashland, Kentucky

Wisdom is more than knowledge, information, and recognized education.  A person may have these and still not be wise.  Charles Spurgeon (nineteenth century English pastor) once said “Knowledge is the horse; wisdom is the rider who controls the horse and steers him in the right direction.

Wisdom is ~ the proper combination of truth and spirit

Wisdom is ~ the proper union of faith and conduct

Wisdom is ~ the discernment of heart and discipline of mouth

Wisdom is ~ knowing the will of God and yielding to it in spite of frowns or flattery, friends or foes

Wisdom is ~ the gift of God

“If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God” ~ James 1:5