daddy4ms

We are excited about our Gospel Party tomorrow at Hesston MB Church (610 W. Randall) from 6:15-8:00 p.m. What is a Gospel Party?  It is a time to celebrate God and what He has done.  The party is open to all children 4th grade and younger and their families (parents, grandparents, siblings).  Anyone in the Hesston area is invited.  If your child attends, please send an adult with them. Schedule: 6:15-6:45 p.m.-Free meal provided by the church 6:45-7:15 p.m.-Singing, Lesson, Prayer 7:15-8:00 p.m.-Craft Projects One of the projects is pictured below.  I hope to see you tomorrow night!

My post is appearing over at 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting Today.  It is for husbands to encourage their wives.  Check it out here

Here are my "highs" from the past week: Shopping for Valentines for my wife & kids Family Worship about Valentine's Day Lunch with my Valentine on Tuesday Delivering Valentines to Villa with fuzion on Wednesday night Day off on Friday to go shopping with the family Watching Mitchell play in MAYB tournament and watching Mitch & girls for indoor soccer Movie night with the family Worship & Sunday School at Hesston MB

On Wednesday night, our fuzion group (5th/6th grade ministry) delivered Valentines to our local nursing home.  This is an active group of students, but they always rise up to serve in God honoring ways.  I was so proud of them and the smiles they gave and received.  Enjoy a few pictures from the night below.

A few years ago, Bethany and I attended the Song of Solomon Conference in Springfield, MO.  Mark Driscoll was the speaker.  He did a great job and it was a great experience for us.  One of the things Mark said to husbands was, "Your wife is your standard of beauty."  That quote has stuck with me.  Too often as men we are distracted by the plethora of women we see in magazines, TV or movies.  We can start to compare our wives to these other women.  If my wife looked more like _____________.  We then set the standard of a perfect 10 with these women.  Driscoll's quote was right on.  My perfect 10 is Bethany and no one compares to her.  But as I was driving today, I started to wonder about romance.  With Valentine's Day over and all these romantic movies being released, do women compare their husbands to the great movie actors?  Is a wife disappointed because her husband didn't act like a character in a TV show or movie?...

Here is a simple idea for families to do on Valentine's Day. Have an adult open in prayer. Then sing a song about God's love for us.  We picked "More Than Conquerors" by Seeds Family Worship. Read one of the many passages of Scripture that talk about God's Love for us.  Here are a few: John 3:16,        1 John 4:7-11, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Have the kids make a Valentine to God.  On it, have them list the reasons that they love God.  Or they could also list how they know God loves them.  Another option would be to have them make a Valentine for someone they think might not receive one and then go and deliver it.  Ideas would be an elderly neighbor or someone at a local nursing home.  Close your time in prayer. Note: I ended our time of family worship by giving my wife and kids their own gifts for Valentine's Day.

Tonight is our last family night for the year.  Last year, this one was canceled due to weather.  I hope we can gather together as families to eat together, learn together and serve others.  I am excited about our theme which is love.  This is not a revolutionary idea since Valentine's Day is quickly approaching.  However, it never gets old talking about love especially when we base this love on God.  I have prepared a place mat with activities for the kids to do after they finish eating such as a memory game, Valentine heart hunt, word search, Valentine from God, and even some Tic Tac Toe. We will then gather together and read 1 John 4:7-11 together.  After reading God's Word, we will talk about how we share love as parents or children and how to share it with others.  We will conclude our evening by making Valentines for the Villa as a practical way to show God's love to others. I hope you will join us as it will be a fun & rewarding e...

Hesston MB is excited to be providing The Art of Marriage conference on Feb. 10-11 at the church. The times are Friday from 7-9:30 p.m. & Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.  The Art of Marriage is based on the popular Weekend to Remember sponsored by Family Life. It is DVD based and includes 6 sessions over the weekend. The topics are listed below. So, who should attend Art of Marriage? YOU. There is something for couples at all different stages. It would helpful for seriously dating couples and newlyweds as they anticipate or begin their lives together as a couple. Couples who have been married for several years can be encouraged to continue growing as a couple or make some necessary changes if certain bad habits have developed. Couples with teenagers might need a chance to renew or restore the intimacy that they once had that has seemed to fade. Empty nesters can benefit from learning new information as well and evaluate the legacy they are leaving. The Art of Marriage is very wel...

Last year, I wrote a post about how much I hated the movie, Valentine's Day. This year, I did not see a movie for this day we celebrate love. However, I would like to suggest something different. Our small group is currently going through a study by Chip Ingram called, "Experiencing God's Dream for Your Marriage." I would suggest that the best gift you could give your spouse this Valentine's Day is a commitment to your marriage. This means working hard daily to do the things that strengthen that bond including communication, conflict resolution, intimacy, and understanding differences. Also, it is a great help to join a small group to encourage and challenge one another in marriage. (I enjoy our times- Burkholder's , Jantz's , Hiebert's & Frary's ) This provides accountability and support. One thing Chip Ingram suggests is doing one thing each day for your spouse from their care list. To learn more, buy the series or put together a s...

No, this is not a post about the holiday, but instead about the movie. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go on a date with my beautiful wife. We went to Wichita and ate at our favorite restaurant, Carlos O'Kelly's . We had not been to a movie on a date in a long time so I really wanted to go. I chose the movie that everyone has been talking about, Valentine's Day, which included many top names in Hollywood. I will make it clear what I thought. I HATED THE MOVIE!! Spoiler Alert: I will tell what happens in the movie to prove my point because I hope you will choose not to waste your money or time. This movie, which came out on Friday, and which Hollywood hoped would bring in many romantics because of the holiday, is not good. First of all, it is not funny. Second, it is depressing and not romantic at all. Third, if this is what Hollywood thinks love is then our world is worse than I thought. This gives a horrible picture of love. Why? Only 2 of the couples in this...

Tomorrow night, we will again have Family Night at our church. These nights have become some of my favorite nights because the entire family gathers together for a meal and then have fun together through learning and service. It is great seeing parents and kids talking about faith together. It is fun helping families have these conversations. This month, my focus in love. How brilliant! We will eat our meal together and then sing a few songs together. I have requests for Jesus Loves Me Rock and the Hippo Song. Then I will read from 1 John 4:7-11. I will discuss God's love for us and how we need to share that love with others. Following that we will play a quick game of hug tag and get started making Valentines. Who are the Valentines for? I cannot take credit for this idea, but we will be making Valentines for residents of Schowalter Villa ( Hesston's local nursing home). Our goal is a Valentine for each person. I look forward to sharing these cards with the resid...