Touching Families: September 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

31 Days - Giveaway & Intro

Introduction Part II

Welcome to Touching Families and the 31 Days to a Biblical Worldview with Your Kids.

Below you will find links to each day's entries as they are made ready for you. If you have not had a chance to read part I of the introduction, feel free to click on it, too. Also be sure to check out the rest of the 31 day participants at The Nesting Place.

Please share this blog with friends either through your blog, Facebook, Twitter, email, word of mouth or whatever other way you communicate! To make it more exciting, let's have a give away—a $10 gift card to Wal-Mart. How about two cards?

For the first gift card, you get

1. One entry for each blog entry from Oct. 1-31 for which you post a comment—but only one comment per blog post is eligible. For example, you post a comment on the "Day 1" blog; you get one entry. The next day you post a comment on "Day 2" and then think of another comment for "Day 1." You would get one entry for Day 2 but not for Day 1 because you already had an entry for that day. Your computer is down the day Day 3 is posted, but the next day you read both Day 3 and Day 4 and make comments on both posts. You get two more entries; one for Day 3 and one for Day 4. There is one catch: your comment has to be connected some way to the content on that post. Otherwise that comment will be disqualified.

2. One entry for each person who makes a comment and gives your name as a reference to finding my blog. (Each new person can name only ONE referring friend.) You get a maximum of one entry per person who uses you as a reference. If that person comments on all 31 days, you still get only one extra entry for that reference. (There is not a maximum on how many people can say you are the person who referred them to Touching Families.) In addition, if either of you win on the day he/she gave you as a reference, the person whose name was drawn gets the $10 gift card, but the other one will receive a $5 card.

3. One entry for following me. On the day you start following me, leave a comment saying you are now following me. If you are already following me, pick a day in October and comment that you are already following me. You only get to enter one time for this option, and if your name is picked for following me, you will need to give me your Username or Blog Name when your name is chosen to verify you are following me at that time.

For the second gift card, you get

1. One entry for each day you comment regarding that day's blog on my Touching Families Facebook page. (a maximum of one entry per corresponding blog entry for commenting on Facebook)

2. One entry for each person who makes a comment and gives your name as a reference to finding the Touching Families Facebook page. (Each new person can name only ONE referring friend.) You get a maximum of one entry per person who uses you as a reference. If that person comments on all 31 days, you still get only one extra entry for that reference. (There is not a maximum on how many people can say you are the person who referred them to Touching Families.) In addition, if either of you win on the day he/she gave you as a reference, the person whose name was drawn gets the $10 gift card, but the other one will receive a $5 card.

3. One entry for "liking" Touching Families on Facebook. If you already "like" it, then you already have one entry! (You get a maximum of one entry for "liking.")

Just remember: your entries for the drawing do NOT start until October 1 and they end October 31. Check back on Monday, November 5, 2012, to see if you are one of the winners. If you are a winner, you will need to follow the instructions on that day to receive your gift card.

I apologize for the unorganized links below. I haven't figured out how to control them yet!

Introduction Part I

Day 1--Where does true beauty lie?

Day2--Expecting What
You Deserve?

Day 4--Are we there yet?

Day 3--Did you hear the one about. . .? Gossip

Day 5--Vampire Worries

Day 6--Be like Richie, not McDuck

Day 7--Is the Sabbathworth discussing?

Day 21--Sowing & Spreading Truth, Part I

Day 22--Beauty Amid the Storm

Day 25--More Significant than the Debates

Day 23--Be still

Day 24--When Good is Bad

Day 26--This is the Day

Day 27--Don't Let Your Guard Down

Day 28--Object Lessons

Day 29--If you blink, you
will miss it

Day 31--Where do you go from here?

Day 30--Throw Caution to the Wind?

Intro. to 31 Days of a Biblical Worldview with Your Kids Part I

Introduction Part I

Consider blog entries over the next 31 days as thought stimulators and conversation starters. In no way do I want to portray myself as a Bible expert or theologian. I know I will miss some "key Scriptures" on some the topics I will be presenting; that is why you should consider my blogs a starting point for your own investigation and conclusions. I do believe there are right ways and wrong ways to evaluate a topic and make conclusions, so I am not saying, "Believe whatever you want to believe." However, I am saying that I do not have all the answers—maybe I don't even have any of the right answers. The next 31 Days are not about my declaring what is "right," but about what God—through the Bible—declares to be right. Then I encourage you to talk to your children about your conclusions. Hopefully, I will give you some good starting points for topics that touch your family.

The most important part is that you start these conversations with your children. Pare them down into very simple terms with your very youngest and challenge your teens (or even adult children) to have a serious discussion on the implications of the world's view on a subject versus a Biblical worldview. Even at very young ages—even by age 3—your children are picking up on behavior and attitude clues. True, you have no control over some of those influences—neighbors, cousins, and even children's educational programming.

Not surprisingly, many of the most influential signals are coming from you. Do you have your attitude in check? Where did your ideas come from? Regardless if you know these answers or not, your children are watching you nonetheless. Thus, the first place to start is with a self-evaluation. Second, work on discovering a true Biblical worldview on the topic.

Then talk to your kids—even if you are not to the place you want to be. They will see the changes in you. Think about how powerful that is going to be! You—actually living out your life based on a Biblical worldview. Realistically, they are probably going to see you fail to live up to those standards from time to time. Even so, be sure to show them that you will not give up on the truth and that you are willing to start again to do what is right. Your perseverance despite setbacks will be a wonderful example for your children and may even touch your family more positively than if you were successful with your first start..

Pray for me the next 31 days to bring to you the topics you need when you need them. In turn, I pray that those who are reading this blog and who are searching for the truth will find it. I also pray that those who find the truth will live it out in their lives in such a way that their families will be blessed by it.

See Part II of the Introduction for instructions on how to enter the GIVE AWAY.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

It's almost time for 31 Days in October

31 Days of a Biblical Worldview with Your Kids

How does that sound for a theme for 31 days in October? Well, that's the plan. When I figure out (that means get help) how to make the little "button" or icon that needs to go with the theme to participate with the other bloggers, I will add it here.

Cross your fingers and stay tuned. I hope I don't let you down.

Friday, September 21, 2012

It May Be a Matter of Conviction

It appears I have fallen off the face of the earth. No, that's not it. Probably like your family, our family has been touched by the beginning of the traditional school year. Now, I am buried under lesson plans, teaching, and trying to do my own homework so the kids don't get too far ahead of me. :-) (And keep up with other obligations as well.)

Sometimes I don't know how little I know until I try to show my kids what they should know; then I realize I don't know as much as I should either.

For example, math. Why did I need to take geometry? Why did I need to take anything higher than Algebra II? Because one day I would have to teach my kids those subjects! (Now it looks like I should have taken those subjects.)

Then there's Latin. Who in the world studies Latin these days? Guess who? Yep. Don't ask me any questions about Latin. I can barely keep up with beginning Latin myself. :-)

I guess I'm never too old to learn; I just might have to approach it a little differently. At least I am a living example of what I tell my kids: "Be a lifelong learner. You never know what God might have you do next, and as long as you are willing to learn and to follow Him, you will be ready."

If some people have enough dedication to turn
little drops of watery tree sap into delicious maple
syrup, surely I can blog for 31 days. Or maybe not.

Cross your fingers for me. In the back of my head, I thought I might participate in the 31 Day Challenge started by another blogger to be done annually in October. For the challenge, bloggers pick a theme and post an article everyday for the 31 days of October. Right now it looks like an impossible feat for me. Let's see what happens.

We are all busy, and I want the time you take to read my blog to be worth your effort. I do not expect that I can personally say anything that will improve your lif
e, but I pray that what I say will touch you (and your family) in a way that will trigger you to make the changes in thought or action that you need to make.

So, for my part in this journey, I can either add to my lifelong learning skills by finding a way to incorporate the 31 Day Challenge into my already busy day or let my blog become one of the many blogs that lack consistency and dedication.

Hmm, that last sentence is rather convicting. But then, conviction is what it will take.