May 17, 2012
There's an old saying in churches that "20% of the people do 80% of the work." I've heard it all my life and, worse yet, watched churches slowly die as a result of its truth. Thankfully it is very obvious to anyone that looks around Harvest Pointe that this cannot be said of our church. So many people faithfully give of their time and talents every Sunday that we are certainly not the "norm" when it comes to serving percentages.
There's another saying I have heard most of my life but seems to be getting more prevalent in churches (not to mention society in general). It goes something like this, "We are looking for some really great programs for our kids."
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by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: family, kids, parents, Orange, church, 1 Cor 13, serve, volunteers
May 9, 2012
Do you want to help your kids?
This might seem like a silly question. You might be thinking that I've lost my grip on reality for asking something so inane and obvious. But, I think there is greater depth to this question and the answer than we might know. In fact, there is a possibility that you are doing more to harm your kids than help them.
Of course every parent wants to help. There is something in every parent (well, nearly every parent) that innately desires to do everything within our power to help our kids. This help looks different for every parent and child of course, but we all want to help.
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by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: family, kids, parents, generations, Orange, faith, 1 Cor 13, help, hinder, development
May 5, 2012
Generations Ministry: Parents & Family
by Nathan A. Cherry, 04/17/2012
Your kids need another voice in their life besides yours. That statement might cause you to hyperventilate, or it might be a breath of fresh air; it's all in how you look at it. You need to know that your voice will always be the most important in your child's life (though you might wonder at times), but that does not diminish the fact that kids need another voice besides their parents.
Let me see if I can illustrate this for you.
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by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: family, generations, 1 Cor 13, Orange, truth, kids, parents, lives, speaking, adults
April 24, 2012
Generations Ministry: Parents & Family
by Nathan A. Cherry, 04/17/2012
Have you ever been out in public and saw some kids behaving in a way that made you want to grab their ears, twist, and "teach them a lesson?" To emphasize her point, my mom used to grab my ear, twist, and proceed to show me exactly what it was I was supposed to be doing, or not doing. To say I was "all ears" would be an understatement.
Or maybe you've had an experience like this one where you end up hiding from your own kids because you've concluded that they are aliens sent to destroy you and take over the planet. And more often than not you sit back at the end of a long day, sigh (or perhaps cry) and wonder aloud "how did it get this bad?"
Well, the truth is that kids don't "end up bad." They are not pre-programmed to be out of control, rude, misbehaving delinquents. The truth is, if they are that child that they were allowed to become that child…by you! Yes, we as parents are the culprits behind our children's behavior issues.
Discipline is a hot button topic for many parents these days. I've had a lot of conversations about parenting and discipline recently, so when I came across a couple of articles I couldn't help but think God was nudging me to write about the topic (believe me, it's just as much for my benefit as anyone else).
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by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: generations, Orange, family, parents, discipline, kids, teens, Bible, Proverbs, HPCC
April 11, 2012
It takes literally minutes for a girl to have a bad reputation that she may spend years rebuilding. So it is gravely important for parents, particularly dads, to invest heavily in their daughters. Our #1 priority dad is to model exactly what type of man we want our daughters to seek as a husband. If they can't look to us to set the example they will look elsewhere, and that is a bad idea. Our #2 priority is to speak truth into the errors and lies the culture routinely spews in their direction. By imparting biblical wisdom and values our daughters will derive a self-worth that is based on who they in Christ, and His opinion of them. This is worth far more than anything else we could accomplish. ...Read More
by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: family, parents, generations, Orange, father, 1 Cor 13, teenage, girl, ten, things, truths
April 11, 2012
There's an old saying I've heard all my life which says, "If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy." This sly strategy has effectively rendered the life of many Christians null and void. While inspiring authors like John Piper say "Don't Waste your Life," and visionary pastors like David Platt call us to be "Radical," and respected leaders like Francis Chan push us toward a "Crazy Love" for God; Satan pushes us toward the breaking point with a calendar so full it rivals presidents and pop stars. Click here for 5 characteristics of a hurried life....Read More
by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: family, parents, generations, 1 Cor 13, training, Orange, faith, service, kids, life, hurried, hurting, schedule, calendar, busy, priority
April 3, 2012
The last couple of weeks have reiterated the importance of father's being actively engaged in the life of their kids. Unfortunately most dads are simply present, doing the necessary things, but never truly becoming fully engaged and involved in the lives of their kids. The effect of this terrible pattern is astounding. It has been proven time and again that absent father's contribute to poor academic performance, the likelihood of drug and alcohol use and abuse, sexual immorality and trouble with the law. ...Read More
by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: family, parents, generations, Orange, dad, kids, boy, shave, engaged, involved, lives
March 28, 2012
The truth is many kids are kind, caring, and tenderhearted. And many adults are not. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood a change happened that caused these once kind, caring, tenderhearted people to grow hard, calloused, and self-centered. With this in mind it becomes critical that we as parents not only enjoy the tender moments with our kids but focus on continuing to develop them as Godly adults. There's a few ways we can do this:...Read More
by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: kids, parents, generations, Orange, 1 Cor 13, invest, qualities, selfish
March 28, 2012
As a 5-year old child I can vividly remember asking my parents if we had enough money to pay bills, and get food. Not because we ever lacked the ability to pay our bills or buy food, but because things were tight and I had enough sense to be concerned about our financial matters. Now, people who know me best often joke that I still have the first nickel I ever earned saved somewhere for a rainy day.
One thing is for certain; I don't want my kids to grow up without the ability to be savers and givers, and the responsibility of teaching kids proper stewardship falls squarely in the lap of parents. This is a responsibility that, sadly, many parents neglect and conclude their kids eventually learn.
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by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: money, kids, parents, generations, 1 Cor 13, Orange, wise, steward, biblical, principle
March 20, 2012
Generations Ministry: Parents & Family
by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/20/2012
We live in a society where the family structure has changed dramatically from what it was even just 50 years ago. There are far fewer homes with a father and mother and their biological children. There are many more homes with second marriages, step-children, and singles parents. We can sit and debate the pros and cons of this social paradigm shift all we want, but the fact remains that as the church we need to stand ready to love and support every family that walks through the doors.
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by: Nathan Cherry
| Categories: Generations Tags: Paul, Titus, older, younger, generation, parent, spouse, 1 Cor 13, invest, help, support, counsel, wise, Godly
