Teaching Boys To Be Men!

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Living on a farm gives me wonderful opportunities to teach my grandchildren to work. I feel it is an important part of being their Grammie. To instill in my grandkid what it means to work is a privilege. There has not been a time when we haven't had a lot of fun. I said in the morning that we had a weed problem and that I needed help. They were all excited to help! I took them out to the garden to show them the weeds. They were waist high on them, but since it had rained they were going to be real easy to pull. Off went the flip flops. I heard one of them say. "I love the dirt, it feels squishy on my feet and the dirt going between my toes." They got so dirty! Another said, "I like coming here to the farm, it is fun to work!" We were picking up hundreds of little weeds and he was telling me it was fun! I don't like to set them out to do a job by themselves. I want to work right along side with, because when I do I get to know them so much better. We talk, laugh and always have such a special time. They said things like, Grammie, do you know that, "Jesus is going to come back and reign on the earth for a 1000 years? He is only 8 years old. We talked about that if you don't work you don't eat!

2 Thessalonians 3:10 "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

We pulled some weeds that were huge and had long, long roots. I told them that we can have weeds in our life, that are our sin. That when our sin grows it can be just like the weeds we were pulling. If we tell one lie and tell more lies it will grow in our life just as the weeds that were right before us. It was wonderful to be able to instill in their impressionable little minds, the truths of God's word.

I shared with them how the paper kept the light off the ground and then when they put the straw on it, it would keep the weeds from growing again. They took it all in and I hope someday they will want a garden for their own family. They worked so hard. It was hot outside. It wasn't easy, but they did it. We also believe that work needs payment, so each of them were paid. It was a rich time spent working together. I am thankful for the opportunity that the Lord gave me. Memories, you can't beat them! I also told them that if we got all the weeds removed we would plant some cantaloupe. They loved that.

I have loved this verse ever since we were young Christian parents. We were always learning what it was to raise our children in a Christian home. We were hungry to live a new life. We had made a lot of bad decisions during the 70's and some friends came into our lives that loved the Lord with all their hearts. Mr. Phil and I made a commitment to live a life that would please not ourselves, but the Lord. We read everything in the word about family, we went to every Christian Sunday School Convention, so that we could learn what it was to have a Christian home. Now we go to Homeschool Conventions. There is so much to learn about the home at them. Even if you have your children in the public school, you will be so blessed to go to them. Mr. Phil says that all children are Home schooled. If you think about it, that is so true. One of our favorite speakers is Voddie Baucham, you can read part of one of his books here, Family Driven Faith. He loves the family!!!!!!!! He is real radical by today's standards, but so right on! We are asking the Lord to bring Father's back to the home. To be the spiritual leaders of their children. Please pray with us!

Here is a website that you can find some good books for raising young men and young ladies. Click here Great tools for the family! Another interesting interview you can listen to is with Bob Schultz being interviewed by Kevin Swanson, Teaching Boys to Delight in Work. Our boys had the privilege of working along side their Grandma Jo and Grandpa Jack on their farm as kids. They learned to do their work and they had to do it right. It has helped them today with their jobs We are seeing work being lost in our culture today. We need to ask the Lord to come with a fresh touch on the family!

Please take the time to read this scripture. It changed Mr. Phil's and my life when we were taught the responsibility that was set before us as parents. That we were the ones to teach our children. This scripture is about Israel, but it is also for us as well. I want to say, that we did not do it perfectly, we had our own failures, but we did try. It was left up to our children later on in lifeto decide who they were going to serve. I am grateful that they have decided to walk with the Lord.

Dueteronomy 6

Love the LORD Your God

1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 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. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates............

10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said.

20 In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?" 21 tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the LORD sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

Blessings and hugs from the farm!