I’ve saved and used this wonderful list from Partnership magazine for years. I hope that the alphabet of blessings that follows gives you some great ideas for Father’s Day and throughout the year:

Amorous words are not outdated. Write your hus­band a poem, sing him a song, buy him a roman­tic card. Honor his efforts as a father with your words.

Bake his favorite dessert and let him enjoy the leftovers all for himself.

Compliment him – on his looks, his dedication to the Lord, his way with your children.

Drive the next time the two of you go somewhere, and let him relax and enjoy the scenery.

Enumerate his fine qualities, using this modified line of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s: “Why do I love thee? Let me count the whys.” Tape the list to his mirror.

Fish, golf, hunt, swim with him – or at least read up on his hobby and give him time to enjoy it.

Give him the gift of time: do a job usually his.

Hide encouraging scripture verses or personal notes in his coat pocket, his wallet, his sock drawer, or on the pulpit.

Indulge him with the luxury of breakfast in bed – served on a decorated tray.

Join him for a day at his work – in his office, class­room, parishioner visitation.

Kiss him goodbye when he leaves for work. It’s easy to get out of the habit in the rush of life.

Learn more about him. Do you know his favorite childhood memory? The best Christmas present he ever received? His favorite music? The time he was the most afraid?

Meet him for lunch. Use coupons if you’re on a tight budget. Or pack a sack lunch to share.

New photos of the two of you can make the ordi­nary a day to remember. So get out the camera and frame the results.

Old, cherished wedding pictures can help you remember when your love was new.

Prepare his favorite meal.

Quips and cartoons can lighten his day. Cut them out and give them to him on a day he needs a lift.

Read a book together. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is a tie between men to have read the same book.”

Smile when you see him.

Thank him for the routine things you tend to expect him to do.

Uphold him in prayer.

Valentines aren’t just for February. Give him a little gift – a pen, a magazine he likes, a favorite candy bar – along with a love note.

Wash and wax his car.

Xercise to keep yourself looking good.

Yes, let’s do it! Make that your answer when he suggests things to do – a walk, watching a game, taking a day trip, whatever.

Zzzzz. Let him take a long in disturbed nap while you entertain the children elsewhere.

A Prayer to Pray:

God, let me be a great treasure to my husband, family, and You. Keep my ways godly, and help me in small and big ways honor my husband’s service to our family.

Find more encouragement for a woman’s soul in my book, A Woman’s High Calling.

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Gentlemen, start your engines…

When I returned “home” spiritually I had a wife and two small children, two-and-a-half years old and one-and-a-­half. We were off and racing through life before I knew what had happened. I was now to be the spiritual head of my family and I didn’t have a clue as to where to start. I thank God that I at least realized I needed to get my family to a good Bible-teaching church where we all began to be fed and get direction for our lives. Church is a great place to ignite your spiritual engine!

Ready, set…

Once I arrived at the church, I started looking and praying for someone who could give me some help, some guid­ance, anything that would assist me in being a godly husband and a loving, caring father to my girls. And the Lord answered my prayers. I found a church elder who was able to give me some biblical direction. He imparted to me some valuable principles from God’s Word and from his own life experiences. These insights, along with those from godly parenting books Elizabeth and I studied together, were a constant source of input for the next 25 years of my own life as a parent. Seeking wise counsel can point you in the right direction!

Go! 

Here is the goal: Behavior is heart driven. There­fore, correction, discipline and training—all parenting—must be addressed to the heart. The fundamental task of parenting is shepherding the hearts of your children. Author Tedd Tripp says it best:

…parenting is concerned with shepherding the heart. You must learn to work back from the behavior you see to the heart, exposing heart issues for your children. In short, you must learn to engage them, not just reprove them. Help them see the ways that they are trying to slake [satisfy] their soul’s thirst with that which cannot satisfy. You must help your kids gain a clear focus on the cross of Christ.

Your children are given to you by God, and their hearts are your stewardship from God. He expects you to do your part in raising them to know and love Him.  And He has given you all you need in Him to accomplish his purposes. The heart is the best place to start!

A Verse to Recall:

Love the Lord God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).

For more encouragement pick up a copy of A Man After God’s Own Heart by Jim George.

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Have you ever thought of your life as being like a battery that needs to be recharged on a regular basis? Likewise, when you plan in time for your­self to grow spiritually, to develop your spiritual gifts, to define and refine your talents, and to grow as a person, you are recharging and unfolding. You are preparing yourself to bless others. If you want to have an influence on others, plan time for yourself.

First, be sure you are scheduling time to allow you to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). There is nothing that will sustain you, grow you, and prepare you for life’s activities than life-giving time with the Lord.

Also, look to your physical and emotional life as well. Are you getting the proper amount of sleep and healthy nutrients? Are you endeavoring to exercise a little each day? Do you need to pick up the phone and call to enroll in a special class or a Bible study or to make a doctor’s or haircut appointment? Do you need to purchase a book you’ve been wanting to read? Into the daily schedule these worthy endeavors go.

As you can see from this week’s devotionals, scheduling is a necessity in our busy and demanding world. Pray over your day of potential. And pray through it. And pray at the end of it. How desperately we need God’s clear direction and assistance our each and every day!

A Verse to Recall:

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

Learn more about the beauty, simplicity, and power of a life lived according to God’s principles in Small Changes for a Better Life by Elizabeth George.

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Next there’s your manner. A schedule helps to bring more discipline into your life, which better enables you to walk in the Spirit and produce spiritual fruit. When there’s no schedule and no plan, stress, frustration, and even rage can characterize the gift of 1,440 sparkling minutes God gives to you each day.

Here is a step by step guide to creating a schedule that will help you manage your days:

Step 1—Ask this question first thing each and every day: What is “the one thing,” the most important thing, the cen­tral focus, the most brilliant “flower” of my day? Once answered, create and build your day around it. For me, the definitive bloom is God. My spiritual life is the one thing that makes all the difference in my day. Without setting aside time to cultivate and nurture the all-encompassing priority of your relationship with God, there will be no bold life lived for God.

Step 2—Next ask, Who are the people in my life? When it comes to your schedule, schedule family first… then other people. How can you serve them and tend to them? What will you do for them? And when will you do it? Write your plans down and place them into specific time slots on your daily schedule.

Step 3—Take into account the future. Look ahead and plan for the tasks that you know are up-coming and the preparation that they require. Also, prepare for the unexpected. It seems contrary to say that, but we likely all know by now to expect the unexpected. I confess that here’s where I fail regularly. But, I’ve learned to leave margin in my days, weeks, and months to make adjustments to the Plan B’s that God allows in our lives.

None of this is possible in our culture unless we learn to eliminate. We must ask: What can be eliminated from my life at this time that is not a priority? As Solomon observed in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, life has its seasons. The point is, priorities change. So today, in whatever your situation and season, eliminate those things that don’t contribute positively and constructively to God’s plan and priorities.

Our job is to be ready, prepared, and even eagerly awaiting each day with our Lord, with our loved ones, and with those He bring into our lives. Don’t miss the opportunity (and yes, peace) that a few moment of scheduling can bring into your life!

A Prayer to Pray:

God, what needs to go? What priority am I neglecting? Guide me as I live this day and love those who are walking aside me.

For additional practical help, read Small Changes for a Better Life by Elizabeth George.

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As Julie explained to me regarding the masterpieces she creates, some flowers are more brilliant in color, more demanding on the eye, and more important to the visual effect of the bouquet. These major blossoms must be cut tall, stand upright, and be inserted into the arrangement first. Other flowers are softer in color and come next, surrounding the more exciting blos­soms. Still others are filler, while some are used for their fra­grance. Each bloom, Julie patiently explained, has a place and a purpose.

This is similar to managing the different priorities in our lives. Our daily schedules need to be treated in the same way and with the same carefulness required in creating a breathtaking floral arrangement. You can have a “bunch” of things you need to do that you stick and stuff into God’s gift of 24 hours. Or you can lay out and consider all the different tasks you need to take care of, prepare for, and finish, and then thoughtfully and oh-so-painstakingly prioritize and place them in the perfect position in your schedule.

Don’t you think this second way is the better way? As a woman on a mission to live out God’s plan for you, you must seriously and prayerfully consider the value of each task and the best time for it… including the value of each minute and the best way to use it. Making this one change in your approach to your day and your duties will better your life.

A Prayer to Pray:

Jesus, let me be steadfast in the pursuit of Your priorities. Help me to pause at the beginning of each day to best prepare for what awaits me. Help me honor this life You’ve given to me and enjoy the blessing of family and faith.

For more encouragement for managing your priorities, read Elizabeth George’s book,  Life Management for Busy Women.

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Choosing Friends Wisely

You may be one of those guys who’s never met a stranger. Maybe you can talk to just about anyone and make friends eas­ily. Or maybe you have a longtime childhood friend and the two of you are inseparable. But for a lot of guys it’s not easy to find a good friend. So whether you have many friends or a few, I’m sure you will agree that friendship is a two-way street. If you want a good friend, you have to be a good friend.

In the Bible, God gives guidelines on how to be a good friend:

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

“He who covers over an offense promotes love, but who­ever repeats the matter separates close friends” (Prov­erbs 17:9).

“Do not forsake your friend” (Proverbs 27:10).

How can you choose friends that last? As I said earlier, devel­oping the right friendships starts with you—you need to be the right kind of friend. Here are some choices you’ll need to make if you want to be a top-notch friend.

1. Choose to Be Yourself

Don’t try to impress others by saying and doing things you think will make them like you. And this goes double if your ac­tions would be contrary to God’s Word in any way. Remember, you are looking for a friend who isn’t phony—who isn’t pretend­ing to be one person when he’s really someone else. So choose to be what God wants you to be. You will be genuine. And when you are comfortable with who you are, then others will also feel comfortable when they’re around you. They might not share your beliefs, but they will respect you for what you stand for.

2. Choose to Be Honest

Trust is essential in any relationship. If you want to have friends who are honest with you, then (you guessed it) you must be honest with them, even if it means having a difficult conversation. Honesty is one of the benefits of a true friendship. The Bible puts it this way: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted… and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel” (Proverbs 27:6, 9).

3. Choose to Be Loyal

Have you ever heard of a fair-weather friend? I’m sure you know exactly what this means. It’s a so-called friend who bails as soon as something goes wrong. They’re great friends as long as they are not challenged in any way. Usually the friendship is one-way. Loyalty is essential in any friendship. Therefore, you must become a loyal friend yourself. In the Bible, David and Jona­than’s friendship was characterized by loyalty even in the midst of severe adversity (1 Samuel 20:14-18).

As you read through these verses, think about your friendships and determine whether you are trying to be the kind of friend God describes. How genuine are you with your friends? How honest are you? How loyal are you? Are you “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24) and don’t you want your friends to be the same!

A Young Man’s Guide to Making Right Choices by Jim George is the perfect gift for the graduate in your life. Young ladies will enjoy A Young Woman’s Guide to Making Right Choices by Elizabeth George.

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God Is Available to You 24/7

We hear the sounds of cell phones ringing every day, don’t we? Everyone seems to have a cell, and there are very few places where you can’t receive a signal. In many ways prayer is like a cell phone. You can pray anytime you want, anywhere you want, for as long as you want. But unlike a cell, prayer has no fees. You also never have to scroll through a directory to find God’s number. You have a direct line to the God of the universe 24/7—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. How’s that for technology? Divine tech­nology, that is!

Prayer is a spiritual activity, and it takes a heart decision and requires effort. So if you’re not praying—or not praying very much—run through this checklist:

Check your desire. Prayer will never become a wonderful habit or spiritual discipline if the main ingredient—desire—is missing. The verses below should help strengthen your desire. But, if there there’s something that’s quenching your desire or causing a barrier between you and God bow your heart and admit it to God. Ask Him to help you do whatever it takes to deal with the obstacles that stand between you and a loving, open relationship with Him.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know,” [says the Lord] (Jeremiah 33:3).

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with con­fidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

“If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God… and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray” (James 5:13).

Check your lifestyle. What… or who… is influencing you? Are you being influenced positively for the things of God? If not, it’s out! Nothing and no one is important enough to endanger your relationship with God and your willingness to talk to Him in prayer.

Check your schedule. Every action takes planning. And oftentimes our prayer time gets pushed to the end of our priority list. Or, it turns into nap-time! Sleep experts report that 85 percent of teens are chronically sleep-deprived. So, check your schedule and create a realistic “to do” list for the each day. Set out your Bible and prayer notebook in a place where you will have your quiet time the next day. And then go to bed—early—so you will be best prepared for your day and with your time with your heavenly Father.

There’s certainly a lot going on in the life of any young person. So, remember, something is better than nothing. Any prayer is better than no prayer. Some prayer is better than none. Start with a choice to pray a few minutes each morning. Graduate little by little to more time spent in prayer, and you will be on the path to making right choices in your life.

Give a copy to a graduate in your life of A Young Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus or A Young Man After God’s Own Heart to help them choose for themselves a life of faith and maturity. Younger students will enjoy A Young Woman’s Guide to Making Right Choices and A Young Man’s Guide to Making Right Choices.

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Whether you stay at home or plan a vacation, set aside a special time for your family to slow down, reflect, and connect. Give everyone plenty of notice, especially if teens are involved. If you’re not a parent, get friends together. When the time comes around, prepare a festive meal, cook-out, go out to dinner, or order in!

Later, gather around and have everyone share what they’ve done in the past three months that was fun and meaningful. Share what plans they have for the next three months.  Encourage each person to share a goal or a dream… and be supportive. Dreams aren’t always based on current reality.

Talk about the childhood antics of the kids, how you grew up and spent your summers. Share your faith experience… and let others share theirs. End your time together by drawing people’s names out of a hat and committing to doing two nice things for that person this summer.

Time keeps on ticking, and seasons seem to go by in an instant! Be purposeful to pause and develop the relationships that will last a lifetime!

A Prayer to Pray:

Lord, You’ve given me a wonderful family and awesome friends. I delight in being with these people You’ve given me to cherish…and I especially delight in You. Amen.

To discover more insights into experiencing the peace and purpose of a committed and enduring faith, pick up a copy of my One-Minute Inspirations for Women.

The post Be Purposeful in Every Season appeared first on Elizabeth and Jim George.

I also know that the men and women who serve you and me in this way have each answered a “call” to serve, protect, and defend their country. With a lot at stake and with tremendous sacrifices, they have raised a hand, signed on, stepped across a line, all in order to fight for us and for our country.

Well, my dear sister-in-Christ, God is asking you to answer His call and join His army of prayer “warriors.” No, He’s not asking us to give our phys­ical lives… but He is asking us to give our spiritual lives in the service of prayer in order to fight for and serve, protect, and defend our families, friends, churches, nations, and His people on the battle line of prayer.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God… and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:10-18).”

God is asking us to answer His call to pray. He is asking us to make a deep, serious, spiritual commitment to pray, to raise our hand, to sign on, to step across a line, to fight for Him and His causes… through prayer.

God speaks in His Word of your “sacrifice” of “service” (Romans 12:1). And just as a soldier does not allow anything to hinder his or her commitment to serve, neither can you. That means that world­liness, busyness, or laziness must all be dealt with. These deterrents to prayer must not be allowed to come between you and your “service” of prayer to God and for your loved ones and others.

Prayer is a high calling, for sure. And remem­ber, our greatest service will come with the great­est sacrifice. But oh, what a high calling it is! Now, what will your answer to God’s call to prayer be?

A Question to Consider: What is something that you can sacrifice this week in order to commit a special time of prayer? Perhaps, you can forgo an hour of extra sleep in the morning, a favorite television show, or the musical entertainment you usually listen to while commuting or exercising. Use this redeemed time as a consecrated time of prayer for those in our military and “for all the Lord’s people.”

If you want to learn more about prayer, you will find a helpful guide in my book, The Heart of a Woman Who Prays.

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As Paul states in Philippians 3:13, purpose is paramount! I know I can’t do anything, including getting out of bed on time(!), without having a sense of God’s purpose for my life. Knowing my purpose— knowing that I am here to give my life in service to God and His people—is a driving motivator that keeps me keeping on in this race toward Christ-likeness called life.

I personally discovered God’s purpose for me—His call on my life—in a very special way when a woman handed me a small, flat package wrapped in muted pastels. The card read, “Thank you for your class on prayer,” and the package contained a leather-bound, silver-edged book that soon broadened my prayer life.

Unfortunately that tiny prayer volume is now out of print, but here’s what changed my life and polished up my purpose. Four questions were posed about our identity in Christ. Puzzled, I paused long enough to scratch my head and then went on. But the questions haunted me until one day I reluctantly tackled the questions—

Who am I?
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
Where am I going?

The beautiful little book changed my prayers and my prayer life. But, dear friend, answering these four questions changed my life! Before I answered them, I was greatly influenced by other people’s ideas about what I should do with my life and what my Christian faith should look like.

As “movement” follower and a “program” participant, I allowed other people to determine my purpose. But, praise God, these four questions helped me recognize the pur­pose of my life and gave me life goals to focus on. Today I know…

Who I am—I am a Christian woman, wife, mother, and grandmother;
Where I came from—I was “in [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Ephe­sians 1:4);
Why I am here—I am here to give my life in service to God, my family, and His people;
Where I am going—by God’s amazing grace and love, I am going to heaven!

Please take a few minutes to answer these four ques­tions for yourself. Your answers won’t be identical to mine. But they will help you grasp God’s great purpose for your life. They will give you a sense of direction as you set your goals and plan your activities.

You may be awed like I was by the realization that God has a specific purpose for you. For me, that realization has given me a better sense of mission (I am definitely more focused as a result of glimpsing God’s purpose for my life), a clearer understanding of my job assignment (I am to spend myself and be spent in service to Christ and His people), and an urgency as I go about my tasks (knowing that my time on earth is limited, I am frightfully aware of time wasted and time passing). I want to use my time and energy to achieve God’s purposes and, along the way, find rest and refreshment in Him. After all, it is He who ulti­mately makes things happen for the kingdom. I am just thankful that He has chosen to use me in the process!

A Prayer to Pray:
Lord, present to me a vision for what I am accomplishing as your child and servant. Pare away the unnecessary pursuits so that I can discern what is most important in Your eyes.

For more encouragement in answering these questions for yourself, read Loving God with All Your Mind.

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