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#36: WORDS (Part 10)
AFFIRMING THEIR LOOKSAffirming our children’s physical appearance from birth helps them to stop comparing themselves unfavourably with others, particularly during their teenage years. In affirming their looks, we are helping them to distinguish between what they can change and what they cannot. So we might well encourage children to wash their hair, or provide a…
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#33: WORDS (Part 7)
WORDS OF PRAISE 3. Praising AchievementsOur aim should be to commend our children more often than we criticize them. But what if our children do not seem to excel in any arena? They are not athletic, they struggle with school work, and they have neither musical nor dramatic gifts. In this case our words of…
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#28: WORDS (Part 2)
WORDS OF AFFECTION1. Expressing Our LoveThe three words “I love you” have great power. Parents need to speak frequently of their love from the earliest months of their children’s lives all the way through the teenage years. The words “I love you” might be part of the bedtime ritual when they are younger, or the…
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#27: WORDS (Part 1)
As parents we can say things to our children that will affect how they think about themselves for the rest of their lives. Our words also have the power to crush. The way we talk to our children can become a habit – for good or bad. We can easily become fixated on our children’s…
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#65: “Dates”, Common Interests & Other Good Times
I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)Friendship requires a commitment to spend time together, enjoying one another’s company and finding common interests. Without that commitment, the friendship will never develop any real depth. Very late in Christ’s earthly ministry, He…
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#64: Strength In Gentleness
Let your gentleness be known to all. (Philippians 4:5)I’ve heard it said that words hurt like punches. When we first hear that said, we feel regret because we realise how many “punches” we have hit each other with over the years when we spoke mean or insensitive words. We have thrown many a sarcastic remark…
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#61: By What Authority?
Speak these things and rebuke with all authority. (Titus 2:15)True exhortation is grounded in God’s authority – the Scriptures. Pushing my opinions or advice on my spouse may be giving advice or even nagging, but it is not exhortation. “Exhortation with all authority” as it is stated in today’s Scriptures, is becoming familiar with the…
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#59: Diet Coke Wars
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4) Many of our fights are over trivial selfishness for e.g. over cool drinks, what to order at a restaurant, how to…
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#58: What To Say When We Don’t Want To Talk About It
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Proverbs 25:11 ESV)Let’s face it. Sometimes we’re just grumpy. Things didn’t go well with our boss or our kids. We had to fight traffic on the highway or in the car parking not finding a place to park. A coworker said…
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#56: Receive Grace, Then Share It
From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. (John 1:16) Grace can’t be earned or deserved. It can’t be demanded or claimed as a right. It is a gift, freely given by a Giver who has an endless supply. Gratitude is one telltale sign of a recipient of grace,…
RBW FAMILY MINISTRIES 