These posts are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, Todd spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.
Correct Priority #5 – Social Health- Immediate Family-Children (Spiritual Health)
Goal Set – November 2012
Goal:
Goal:
Develop a detailed family spiritual plan to better ground my three girls in God’s word. Specific elements of this plan include the items listed below.
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Develop a plan to help each girl identify Christian books to read.
Goal Status
Completed
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Thoughts – Updated
The week after Christmas I rounded up the entire family and we drove to Omaha to Parables Christian Bookstore. It is a nice store and they have a large selection of Bibles and books.
I tasked each of my girls to find one book to purchase. My only stipulation is that had to be a book that would spur their spiritual growth.
Amy & I walked them through the different parts of the store and helped them identify sections and types of books they might like. After looking around for a while they all made great book selections.
Teagan selected the book Live To Give by Austin Gutwein. It is biography of a teenager who turned a love and passion for basketball into a non-profit organization with 40,000 members and has raised over $3 million for AIDS relief in Africa. I love that Teagan’s faith is active. Her love for God inspires her to make a difference in the lives of others.
Colsie chose the book From Blah to Awe: Shaking Up A Boring Faith by Jenna Lucado. It is a non-fiction book written for teen girls. It talks about how to have a vibrant and radical faith while navigating the challenges of middle school and high school. Colsie just entered sixth grade and is learning how to navigate challenges that didn’t exist in elementary school.
My little Avery was more ambitious. She picked a book called The Secret Power of Joy. It is a FaithGirlz Bible Study on the book of Philippians. While it is written for children it is a pretty intense Bible Study involving reading Bible passages and then answering a set of questions based on what was ready. Avery seems pretty excited about it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she needs some help getting through it. I will monitor her progress and work through it with her if she needs extra motivation.
{Looking for books and hanging out at Parables}
{Love my girls}
{Money well spent}
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Thoughts – (previous post that spurred on this November Goal)
I spent a great deal of time over the past year planning our family Florida vacation. This planning paid off with an amazing trip. It may have been the best two weeks of my life.
But in the process of planning this vacation I neglected many other things, including being a good parent. I have been convicted since returning from out trip that I need to dedicate more time and do a better job in a variety of areas that are far more important that vacation.
One area in which I know I need to improve is being the spiritual leader of our home and doing what I can to better ground my girls in their faith. Each time they step out of our home they enter a world where many despise the gospel of Jesus Christ. They enter a world that is hostile to God’s word.
When my children our older they will have to decide for themselves what they believe. But there is zero chance I will stay silent while they are bombarded with messages contrary to what God wants for them every day of their life.
My first responsibility is to model for them what it means to live a Godly life and be sensitive to His will. My next responsibility is to make sure they know what is true and right. I will not ignore either of these responsibilities.
Amy’s Thoughts –
I think back on this fun family day trip to Omaha with fondness. We ate out at 5 Guys (Todd’s fav) and hit up my fav (Starbucks) on the way home! I was really proud of the choices my girls made in books. I love the pic of Todd holding up his purchases with a twinkle in his eye…we both know it is investment that will not return void.
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Foundation Post
Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1
Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts
Amy T
June 20, 2013 at 5:02 amGood books and a trip to Starbucks….you can’t go wrong! Good work! I love that the kids all picked various types of books based on their interests and the one chose a challenge. It’s great to know you guys are really trying. I see so many “takers” and not a lot of “givers” these days and am grateful to see that you’re teaching your girls to be givers. 🙂