Rewarding Children

Matthew 25:23...His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

We serve a God of rewards, thankfully! Rewards of a fruitful and thriving life are the reason for God's commands. The Bible describes spiritual fruit as love, joy, peace, goodness, thankfulness, etc. For example, if children obey their parents, there is joy in their relationship. In the example of the Holy Father, we should reward our children...for doing chores without being told, for memorizing that list of Bible verses, for reading the Bible without being prompted, for being kind to their brother. Just like Jehovah God, rewards show how much we love them.

One reward idea I really love is a trophy. For some reason, our girls LOVE trophies. Trophies are inexpensive, starting at usually $5, and act as a reminder of good things accomplished. Our girls express a great sense of accomplishment when showing them to others. Kids these days receive them for being a good ball player or making that perfect tumble. Why not give them one as a reminder of godly behavior? It serves as a great conversation starter about God's rewards, the fruit of the Spirit. Check out John 15 and Galatians 5. And, you never know what friend of theirs might be impacted when they see it!! Isn't that how spiritual fruit works? It multiplies!

Weekend to Remember

OK...1st recommendation...drum roll please............We LOVE the Weekend to Remember marriage conferences hosted by Family Life Ministries!! We love them and their purpose so much that we became group coordinators. I think I would become a missionary for this purpose with Family Life if James would agree!! It is not for now, so this blog will suffice! :) We attended one a couple of weeks ago in Jackson, MS...it was classy, funny, full of godly wisdom, and very informative about how to improve your walk with God, your marriage, and your family life! We highly recommend them to anyone wanting to take their marriage to the next level. If you want more information, feel free to email me for group discounted rates!! They are held all over the world and especially the U.S. My email is jkturnage@aol.com. Be sure and put Weekend to Remember in the subject line!

A New Journey

I am really excited about this blog being a resource for marriages and family. James & I feel marriage and family should be a primary responsibility of the body of Christ & have decided to provide a peek into some of the resources we use to keep Christ the focus in our home. Our prayer is that God will receive the glory and that marriages and families will be equipped to stand strong against the 'enemy, the ruler of this dark world' who seeks to destroy all God meant for good! May you be blessed by our recommendations as much as we have! Kim