daddy4ms

I have been a little behind in my reading of Prayer Coach by James Nicodem. We are using this book with our D6 Dads groups this year. Here are a few quotes that caught my attention today: "You don't have to save your praying for something really, really big." "What are you praying for these days, in vague generalities, that you need to express in more specific terms to God?" "We can-obviously, with God's help-put an end to fear and anxiety when they threaten us." "The second thing that praying does to my fears is take my focus off them and place it back on God." "We pray for open doors-opportunities to engage in spiritual discussions. We pray for open mouths-boldness to speak up about Christ when the time comes. And we pray for open hearts-responsiveness to the good news we share."

I am continuing to read James Nicodem's book Prayer Coach .  Chapter 4 is entitled, "Promptings."  I look forward to discussing this book with our D6 Dads' groups.  Here are a few quotes that struck me: "Whenever we find ourselves worrying about something a little alarm should go off in our minds. Time to pray! Time to pray! Time to pray!" "How often do I come up with plans when God wants me to come up with prayers?" "This Scripture (Philippians 4:6-7) plainly teaches that if something is big enough to worry about, it's big enough to pray about." "You can do all sorts of things after you've prayed. But you can do nothing of significance until you've prayed." "Temptation should prompt us to pray!" "Lord, I'm feeling the tug of sin. Would you please satisfy the desire that sin is promising to fulfill?" "We must cultivate the habit of immediately interceding for those who hav...

I am reading through Prayer Coach by James Nicodem.  His book starts by discussing the obstacles we face in relation to prayer.  Our D6 Dads groups at Hesston MB will be going through this book this school year.  Here are a few thoughts to help remove some obstacles in your prayer life. "We can't talk sweetly with God while we're growling at others." "it seems as if we pray somewhat casually." "Sometimes we forget that God is for us." "God wants us to always pray and not give up. If we throw in the towel too soon, we'll miss the opportunity to see what God would've done had we persisted." "make prayer a regular habit with your spouse." "One final way to make prayer happen with others is to initiate it on the spot with those to whom you've been speaking."

It's a D6 Dads week and I thought I would share a little from the book we are reading.  If you are a dad in the Hesston area, come and join us.  There are three times available to fit into your schedule: Tuesdays at 6:30 a.m., Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m., or Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. We are reading a book inspired by the movie, Courageous, called "The Resolution for Men" by the Kendrick brothers and Randy Alcorn.  If you have seen the movie (if you have not, you need to go), the book is based on the resolution the dads sign.  I am excited about how God will use this book to challenge us.  I am only two chapters in and I am already recommending it.  Here are a few quotes to get you thinking today. "God's Word commands husbands and fathers to lovingly lead their homes." "An all-out assault has been declared against you as a husband and father." "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and...

Yesterday, I blogged about Daddy Day and the realization I had as I took Molly to preschool. As a parent, when days are long and hard and kids are difficult, we wonder when we will have a break. But when you send your child off to preschool, kindergarten, middle school, high school, you realize that time is flying by. One of the greatest joys I have had in ministry was starting a group called D6 Dads. What is D6 Dads you might ask? Well, first of all, I "borrowed" the name from the D6 Conference www.d6conference.com put on by Randall House. They have t-shirts that say this. They got the name from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Go ahead and read these verses to get a better understanding about what the D6 Conference is and what the goal is for our D6 Dads' groups. But D6 Dads is a group of fathers who gather every other week. During these times, we pray together, read a book together, and discuss what it means to be a godly father. I have come to look forward to each an...

Our small group is going through a parenting study called, "Visionary Parenting" by Rob Rienow . It is a really great study. This past week, we talked about biblical fatherhood. I wanted to share a few things with you. Our main roles as fathers is to love our wives and spiritually equip our kids. Rienow used Ephesians 5:25-26 to show us that we need to Love our wives, Serve our wives, and Lead our wives spiritually. He said that Satan will definitely attack us as we try to lead our wives spiritually. We must do these things in order or they will not work. For example, we cannot lead our wives if we are not loving and serving them. This is helpful information, but it doesn't do anyone any good if we are not putting it into practice in our marriage. Husbands, ask God for help and the power to love, serve, and lead your wife! Our second role as fathers is to train and instruct our children. Rienow pointed to Ephesians 6:1-4 for this role. It is our Biblical j...

I haven't posted my highs for the week lately so here I go: Sunday Night Prayer Meeting Debriefing from D6 Conference Leading Children's Church last week D6 Dads on Tuesday and Wednesday Wednesday afternoon off and staying home with Mitchell so Bethany could go to Wichita Reading at the Perk Getting trained to mentor at the elementary school Lunch with my wife on Tuesday Phase 10 with kids while Bethany was at a meeting Family Movie Night on Friday Game of Sequence with the kids and Bethany on Saturday Everyone healthy again Spending time with my small group studying Visionary Parenting Quiet Times when I didn't hit the snooze My new blog series

Today's post is dedicated to God for his greatness. Last night, was our first "official" night of ministry for our 4 year olds through 6 th graders. It went very well! We had a great turnout for both Hide N Seek and our 5 th /6 th grade ministry. I want to give glory and praise to God for the whole thing because without Him none of this would be possible. God has provided wonderful volunteers to lead both of these ministries! God has provided a great facility and curriculum to make ministry possible! God sent His son, Jesus, to be our Savior to forgive us of our sins and therefore we want to share that good news with others. Thanks for all the behind the scenes work coming together. I also have had two of three D6 Dads groups. I have been blessed by each one. I am so excited to see dads seeking God for what He wants them to do and be. It is exciting to see a willingness to grow together and challenge one another. Thank you God for bringing each dad that has a...

This morning, I was up bright and early for my first D6 Dads gathering. I enjoyed our time together this morning at 6:30 a.m. As I was driving home to pick up the kids for school, I noticed the sun trying to break through the clouds. As we left home to go to school, it started raining. However, that was short lived as soon as I turned to drive to the church-the sun broke through the clouds and was somewhat blinding in my rear view mirror. At the church, I got out of the car and was amazed at the awesome radiance of the sun shining and how it brightened up everything. It immediately brought to mind the Scripture from 1 Peter 2:9 which says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light." Sin in our lives creates darkness, but we serve a risen Savior who deals with that darkness and brings us into His light. This verse challenges u...