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It was 10:00 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving. In just a few hours the doors to our inner-city church would open, and we would host our urban neighbors, many of whom were Native Americans, to a free Thanksgiving dinner.

We were making last-minute preparations when we heard a loud knock at the front door. Another interruption, we thought as we trudged toward the door. When we opened the door, we were greeted by two delivery men from Sears.

“Will you sign for this?” one of the men asked as he shoved a clipboard my way.

“Sure, what is it?”

“A freezer,” he answered.

“We didn’t order a freezer.”

“Someone did,” he said. With that, he and his burly partner pushed past me and wheeled a full-length deep freeze up the steep steps and into our church.
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by Nancy Twigg

Benjamin Franklin had very definite opinions about debt, one of my favorites being, “Better to go to bed supperless, than wake up in debt.” What a stark contrast to the attitude many have toward debt today. Instead of something to be avoided, we have embraced credit as a friend—an easy way to bypass shortages of funds. If debt was once such a disgrace, why do we now see debt as a strange sort of blessing rather than a curse?

Part of the problem is our cultural mind-set that debt is normal. It’s as if you are somehow abnormal if you choose to avoid it. We face a fierce pressure to live as “everyone else” does—even if that means spending beyond our incomes. We want the same standard of living as our parents and grandparents, without all the hard work and saving they did to get where they are.
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You have read the stories of tremendous successes and insane income people have earned in a few short days on the internet. The reality is a few people do generate very good incomes on the internet marketing products.

The truth is most people fail in this business. The steps to failure are easy. That is the bad news. The good news is that in knowing how to fail will give you direction and guidance in knowing then, what you must do to succeed.

Failure in 7 easy steps:
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by Ruth Willms

Your child is special. There is no one just like him or like her in the whole world. Did you know that?

I hear that everyone has a twin somewhere. There may be someone who looks a lot like us, but we each have our own DNA and personality. It’s just a little bit of difference that makes us unique. I’m still amazed that of all the people in the world that have come and gone that are and will come, no one is just like my daughter and no one matches my son completely. And it’s their uniqueness that makes them so special.

We all ooh and ah over our newborns and look upon them as pretty special. But it’s when they grow older, and caring for them has taken a toll on us that we are tempted to put them aside a little bit. On days when a strong willed three year old enforces his ‘no’ by throwing your vase at the wall, or a five year old begs you to read ‘The Cat in The Hat’ for the umpteenth time, you may begin to take their specialness for granted.

But this is exactly when they need your unwavering love and affirmation. Good thing God loves us in our trying moments. He lets us know He loves us and He builds us up with His Word: He affirms us.

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There is not a human who has ever lived on this planet that has not encountered adversity in some form or fashion. Adversity is a given. Christ told us that we would suffer adversity. It is up to us as to how we react to what life throws at us. Solomon has some very specific advice for resolving adversity.

We each react differently when adversities confront us. Some run and hide, others hum and whistle and, trying to ignore the situation, others pretend that it’s not really there. The fact is that adversity is real and it can adversely affect our lives and the lives of others around us. Solomon tells us to stand up and face the problem head on.
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Understanding why something takes place is only part of the solution. Knowing how to deal with, resolve or avoid a conflict is the key to a successful resolution. Solomon has some very specific actions that need to be taken in order to deal with adversities, conflicts or arguments.
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When things get out of our control, danger lurks in the sidelines. Each of us has had situation occur where we seemed to have been tossed into the middle of a trial of which we had no control - a trial by fire.
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If we were to put all of the problems that we might encounter in a business, a friendship or a marriage into a pot and boil them down, what do you think might remain? The biggest factor in most failed businesses or friendships or marriages is ‘unresolved conflicts.’ Marriages have been ruined and family relationships ripped apart, brother against brother, because of unresolved conflicts. This is one factor that can devastate a business. When there is an unresolved issue between partners or employer and employee, often the entire business suffers. Knowing this, you might think that people would not leave issues unresolved. Theoretically that is sound but it is extremely difficult when neither party is equipped to handle problem resolution.
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Dedicated to My Father, My Husband, and My God.

My father was a First Sergeant in the Marine Corps, serving in the Vietnam War. He came home with wounds and purple hearts to show for it.

I was born during that time in November of 1967. He was there a few days after I was born but had to return to Vietnam shortly after. He may have come home another time when I was very little, but I don’t remember. I remember seeing him for the first time when I was about five years old.

I still remember the day he came home from the war. My mother, brothers and I were standing right outside on the blacktop where the planes landed, waiting anxiously for him to walk out.

Suddenly, a handsome young man dressed in a beige Marine uniform with medals swarming the side of his chest and wearing a sharp hat to match started walking toward us. I remember my mother bending down beside me, whispering in my ear saying, “That’s your father.” Without any hesitation I remember running up to him as fast as I could, opening up my arms and jumping right into his chest. He caught me in the air, hugging me tight, swinging me around laughing with the biggest smile I ever saw.

At that moment in time it didn’t matter that I didn’t know him; all I knew was he was my father and I loved him and he obviously loved me back. It was the beginning of a new relationship and I couldn’t wait to get started.

Our relationship never changed from that day. I was daddy’s little girl (and only girl) so I can honestly say I was indeed spoiled and my three brothers, Jaffa, John, and James can all testify to that fact, but they were okay with it being that I was a “girl” and all.

There’s something special about a father’s love that makes us feel secure, protected and grounded in who we are. Perhaps it’s because of their strong stature, their demeanor, or the fact that we know they go to work day in and day out to support the family, whether they feel like it or not. It’s not a conscious thought on our part, it’s just a sense of comfort and security knowing they are there.

There’s a quote by Billy Graham, a well-known Christian Evangelist who said, “A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.”

I agree with Billy Graham; fathers do so much, they mean so much and are valuable in our society, but are not given the praise and appreciation they deserve. I pray that this Father’s Day you would honor your fathers, husbands, brothers and any men you know in this important role and bless them with your words of affirmation, your actions and your love for all they do. While you are doing this, don’t forget you also have a Heavenly Father who loves you and is right there with you.

I would like to make a special dedication to my father, David Jaffa Solomon, my husband, Daniel Wiedenhoff, and my Heavenly Father.

My father is now in heaven but I know I will see him again. I just want to say, “Dad, I salute you with all my heart and I’m so proud of you. Thank you for loving me, my family and my country. I love you and I will see you again!”

To my husband, Dan, “Thank you for being a wonderful father; for all that you do, your hard work, labor of love and commitment to taking care of your family, even when you are tired or don’t feel like it. No matter what, you still get up and go to work every day to provide for us. We love you, appreciate you, and thank you for all you do!”

To my God and Heavenly Father, “Thank You for sacrificing Your only Son to give us eternal life. Thank you for Your unconditional love that never fails, Your consistent caring for us, and for never leaving nor forsaking us. There is nothing in this world I could give You to express my gratitude for all You have done for us and are still doing, except to say my prayer is that we could show You our appreciation by living a life which honors You and glorifies Your name. Thank You so much and we love You!”

To all you fathers, “Happy Father’s Day!” May you be blessed this day with peace, love and many blessings. We honor you and we appreciate you for all you do!

Filoiann Wiedenhoff is a pastor’s wife, woman’s biblical counselor, bible teacher, writer and columnist. You can view her website on www.filoiannwiedenhoff.com and sign up for her monthly newsletter.

I’d like to thank CWAHD for inviting me to their blog, to announce I don’t have one. I run jorimslist.com, a video game content resource site for parents. Believe it or not, there really is nothing exactly like it on the web. Nobody else I know of is playing through every game and making note of all the objectionable content in detail. But I think this is the best way to help parents make a decision about the games that are best for their kids, not just noting the ESRB’s little black box on the back of the video game cover.
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