To be honest I am really looking forward to having a quiet Christmas this year. I am sure on the day I will miss those we normally see though.

Part of me is longing to put Christmas back in the right perspective for me spiritually. I want it to be about celebrating Jesus’ birthday.

Yes we are going to give a few presents. Yes we are going to have a family meal. But I am looking forward to stripping away a lot of the extras that often go with Christmas.

Already the lead up to Christmas feels a lot slower and more relaxed. We don’t have to think about packing the car up for the drive or preparing the house for visitors.

I am not sure what we will do next year for Christmas, but this year I am going to treat Christmas like a Sabbath. I am going to reflect on the Baby Jesus who came to save the world from their sin.

God Bless,

Dave

Since we started we have used a variety of resources from different sources to help, but most have been in book format.

One of the resources we have just started using for homeschool Maths is www.mathsonline.com.au. We had heard about it before, but recently started using it to try it out for next year.

So far it looks pretty good. Here’s some info from the website…

“Maths Online is a high quality, independent online maths tutoring program based on Australian state curricula for Years 7 – 12.

Maths Online was developed by experienced Australian teachers. The program features hundreds of fully animated and narrated maths lessons with over 15,000 exam-style questions to test a student’s mastery of maths….

Benefits of Maths Online

• Gives student the freedom to study without stress, at home, in their own time, at their own pace.
• Students can catch up on lessons they missed or concepts they have not fully understood.
• Because maths concepts build upon each other, sometimes it’s necessary for students to go back and revise a particular concept before moving on to a new topic, this can be done as every student has access to the entire Year 7 to 12 program curriculum.
• Students can preview lessons at home before they take them at school.
• Students can gain understanding and confidence especially in areas where they struggled previously.
• Students can complete the worksheets to test their understanding. All of their results are recorded so that their progress can easily be seen.
• Maths Online is FREE, and it’s available whenever and wherever you need it.
• Above all, it works!”

So far it looks promising for us and our next years of homeschool Maths lessons. At this stage I think we will use it to supplement our book work.

If you are interested you can find a video demonstration here http://www.mathsonline.com.au/demo/

God Bless,

Dave

We started with Proverbs which we read one chapter a day. Then we moved on to Matthew reading one heading and passage with the footnotes a day. Now we are reading one heading a day in the Book of Acts with the footnotes.

It has been really nice to read the Bible daily with my wife. It is a great way to start the day in God’s Word. I find our Bible knowledge has increased and talking about the Bible has increased a lot too.

It is a really positive experience and one that has brought us closer together too. I would really encourage you to do it if you can.

God Bless,

Dave

Our weekend started on Friday night by going to a special event here in Merredin. We had a visiting evangelist come into town for a healing ministry event. We went along to that and were really encouraged. My wife was prayed for and received a great prophetic word that confirmed many of the things we had got from God privately.

On Saturday morning we drove down to Perth and did some shopping and spent some time with my Mum. The shopping side was hectic as usual, but the time with my Mum was really nice to stop and relax.

Sunday morning we went to C3 Hepburn Heights and caught up with one of my blogging buddies John Finkelde. It was great to attend his church  and see how they go about church. We were really encouraged by the worship, message and friendliness of all of the people. My kids are still raving about it!

After church we got to chat about our church plant with John and he was able to pray for us and encourage us with his wisdom and experience of being a Pastor for 30 years. It was really uplifting and encouraging. John has really encouraged me via email and Facebook over the last couple of years so it was good to meet in person.

I also feel that in the midst of all of the last weekend that God has been speaking to us about the next things for us and our church. We have been praying for the next things and God is bit by bit giving us a glimpse of some of the things that lay ahead. It is very exciting.

As a couple we are planing to have a weekend off every couple of months. This is so we can recharge our batteries and have some time away as a family. I think it is important to set things like this in place for the long term good of both the church and its leaders.

God Bless,

Dave

I think the thing I enjoyed the most was hearing Larissa’s insights into the various passages. She has read the Book of Proverbs many times, so she has picked up a lot of good stuff over the years. It was also good to start our day together in the Word of God too!

Tomorrow I am going to start re-reading the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew chapters 5-7. I am going to read one heading a day in my New Living Translation study Bible that I got a few weeks back. I am looking forward to the readings and the footnotes.

If you would like to join me in reading the Sermon on the Mount, you can find it here on BibleGateway.com. As usual I will share any insights I find here on my blog.

God Bless,

Dave

We read it first in the New International Version (NIV) which my wife uses and then we read it in the New Living Translation (NLT) which I use for my devotions.

We then look at the different words used in each others version. Comparing them to try and get the full meaning of the text.

We then look at any footnotes that the versions have. My NLT study Bible has lots of footnotes that are almost like a small Bible commentary.

I have really enjoyed this month so far. It has been good to discuss the Bible with my wife and draw from each others knowledge and understanding.

Perhaps next time there is a month with 31 days you could do the same with your husband or wife?

God Bless,

Dave

Being a good Dad didn’t come naturally to me. To be honest I was very nervous when we were expecting our first child. I really didn’t think I was going to be able to do it very well, because I didn’t really have a Dad present to be a role model on how it is done.

Over time though I got used to the idea and started to learn what being a Dad was all about. So far things are going well and friends say I am a good Dad and they ask advice…so I must be doing something right!

Anyway here a few reflections that I have found on the journey.

1. I need to put God first – When I don’t put God first and I focus first on my family, my priorities get out of whack. Having a right relationship with God flows down and impacts my family positively. Putting God first brings a stability and strength to all you do.

2. I need to seek God’s wisdom – Many times when being a Dad I have not sure how to handle a situation. In these times I prayed and prayed and prayed. I asked for God’s wisdom because I know He knows the best way of dealing with things and He knows how things will turn out.

3. Loving my wife – A bit like I said in the post the other day about self esteem. Kids need to see a stable relationship between Mum and Dad. They need to see people talking things through, solving problems together, loving each other and working together as one.

4. Teaching them about God – As Dads this is very important. We have to bring our kids up in an environment of faith. We also need to teach out kids about the basics of life and what it is to follow Jesus. As a Dad I see it as vital to model a life of following Jesus and practising what I preach.

5. Being there for your kids – I make myself available to go to all of their sporting games, talk at most times of the day, be involved in what they are doing. Being there for your kids in vital if you are to be a good Dad. I also try to make space for personal outings to keep connected.

6. Learn from others – A key things I believe is to learn from others who are good Dads. Read books, watch DVDs and talk to people who you think are good Dads. Being a good Dad is like anything else, you can learn to be better and pick up tips from others.

7. Loving your kids – This almost goes without saying, but it is a good reminder. Sometimes we can get caught up in being a provider, a teacher or the one who beings correction. Ultimately though, being a good Dad is about loving and accepting your kids and encouraging them in all they do.

8. Look at Jesus – Lastly is my biggest way I learned to be a good Dad. Although Jesus didn’t have kids, the way He treated people was a great example. Jesus loved them, cared for them, respected them, corrected them, taught them, and ultimately He sacrificed for them. As I learned about Jesus, I learned what it is to be a real man and I learned what it is to be a Dad.

So there you have it. Some of my tips for being a good Dad. I deliberately bookended my tips with number 1 and 8 – putting God first and looking at how Jesus did things. These are ultimately what enables us to be good Dads. I hope these tips are a blessing to you.

God Bless,

Dave

As a parent now I determined to really build into my kids and help them to have a positive view on themselves. I wanted them to be confident and happy in their own skins. Here are a few of the things my wife and I have have tried to help in this process…

1. Give them a loving environment – nothing helps kids be happy and healthy mentally than providing a stable loving home life for them. It gives them a solid base to build from. Knowing their Mum and Dad love and support them unconditionally does wonders.

2. Created by God – when your kids know from a young age that they were created by God and for a purpose it changes them. They don’t see themselves as a mistake or here by chance. They look to God’s purpose for their lives and it gives meaning and self confidence to take life on.

3. Consistent positive messages – kids need positive reinforcement and not mixed messages. You can’t tell your kids you can do anything one day and then tell them they are useless or no hopers the next. Feedback needs to be positive and constructive and not aimed to tear them down.

4. Building skills – kids develop a positive self image through learning new things and mastering them. As they learn a new sporting skill, a new hobby or school concept their confidence levels and self image grows. There is nothing like doing something well and having a sense of achiement to help build you up.

So there you have it. Four things that I think have helped and are helping my kids grow a positive self esteem and self image. By no means is it an exhaustive list, but I hope you find them useful if you are a parent.

God Bless,

Dave

I was reminded of this again this morning. We received a “teen” magazine in the mail. It is one that is quite popular in Australia and has been around for years.

My wife and I went through it together to see if any of it was suitable for our girls (13 &11) to read. There was all types of dating advice, advice on dealing with STDs, lying to parents, horoscopes, advice on looking “sexy”, make up tips, adverts for horror books, langerie pictorials and real life stories of teen pregnancies.

In short it was a complete load of rubbish and there is no way I would let my daughters read it. Not even if they were 16 or 17. The only positive things in the whole magazine was a pattern to make a handbag out of an old pair of jeans! We tore this out and kept it…after we checked the adverts on the back of it!

I really believe as parents, and especially fathers, we need to filter the things that come in to our children’s lives. There are so many things on TV, the internet and in magazines that are really degrading to our kids and completely against the way God wants us to live.

As parents we need to keep an eye on our kids and the things that come into their lives. It is for their own good long term and I truly believe that this is what God expects of us as parents too.

God Bless,

Dave