Parenting Archives

6 Characteristics of the Perfect Father

Kayleen Dreesman on June 19, 2020

By Pastor Raymond Wicks

Father’s Day reminds us to honor our earthly fathers, perfect or not. Take some time to think about and thank your earthly father for his influence in your life. Remind him of the good things you have learned from him. It will do you both good.

We are instructed in the Bible that once we are saved, we are to pray to God the Father. Our Heavenly Father is the ultimate example of fatherhood! Let’s honor Him as well this Father’s Day! Here are a few characteristics of our perfect Father. Read them and thank God today for being the perfect Father. What would you add to this list?

1. He Cares for His Children

1 Peter 5:7, Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

2. He Supplies all Our Needs

Philippians 4:19, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

3. He Forgives His Children

1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

4. He Disciplines His Children

Hebrews 12:5, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.

5. He Comforts His Children

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

6. He Listens to His Children

1 John 5:14-15, And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Happy Father’s Day!

Honoring Mom

Kayleen Dreesman on May 5, 2020

By Pastor Raymond Wicks | May 2020

This Sunday we will give recognition to some of the most special people in our lives, our mothers. My heart is filled with wonderful thoughts and memories of my mother; she passed away almost nine years ago. The Bible clearly teaches us to honor our parents. Ex. 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” As we approach Mother’s Day, here are a few practical tips to help us honor our mom.

Brag on her

Your mom does something better than anyone else you know. What is it? For example, my mom made the best pineapple sauce for ham and pork chops! My fiancée (now my wife) got the recipe and has now passed it on to our children. Every time we use it, memories flood back to those special meals with Mom. Let others know about your mother’s amazing chocolate chip cookies or her sweet comforting smile or her incredibly soft hands. Maybe she is the most faithful, hard-working person you know. Maybe her selfless deeds for others should be recognized. Take a few moments right now and think about ways you can brag on your mom. Give her some well-deserved accolades.

Listen to her

Early on I realized that there are only a few people that genuinely love us and have our success in mind. For many, that person is called “Mom.” With that in mind, she certainly deserves our attention when she tries to teach us, correct us, or guide us. Don’t be too cool to listen to your mother. In Prov. 1:8 the Bible says, “hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” Prov. 15:20 continues, “a foolish man despiseth his mother.” Listen to her. She is trying to help you. She probably has your best interest at stake.

Stay out of trouble

Prov. 10:1 says, “a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.” Even as a young boy, I remember wanting to please Mom. I wanted her to be happy with my decisions and my life. One of the reasons I hired our current Youth Pastor is because he had a reputation of wanting to please his mother, even as a teen. Spare your mother from a lot of
heartaches and embarrassment by simply doing right.

Be a success

Give your mom a son or daughter she can be proud of. Make her child-rearing efforts worthwhile. My mom is now gone from this life, but she can look down from heaven and see four successful children who owe a great amount of honor to a wonderful lady we called “Mom.” She deserves honor.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom!

Moms Make a Difference!

Kayleen Dreesman on May 5, 2020

By Pastor Raymond Wicks | May 2020

An old Spanish proverb says, “An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.”

Moms should be honored

Prov. 30:11 “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.”

Don’t let that be you! Instead give her some well-deserved accolades, for her sake and yours.

Ex. 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

Brag on her! Her cooking, faithfulness, kindness, and beauty.

Communicate with her with calls, cards, and notes. Let her know she is appreciated and special to you.

Be a success and stay out of trouble! Prov. 10:1 “…a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.”

Moms should be helped

She is not your personal slave! Help her with the daily chores. Ease her load, or at least try not to be the load.

Find her greatest need and help her with it. Does she need encouragement? A hug? An “I love you?”

Moms should be heard

Prov. 1:8 “…hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.”

Prov. 15:20 “…a foolish man despiseth his mother.”

Listen to her. She loves you and has your success in mind.

Happy Mother’s Day to all those who have put up with all of us!

How to Pray for Your Family by Pastor Raymond Wicks

Kayleen Dreesman on February 7, 2020

Following are some lists to help guide you in praying for your spouse and/or child.

Praying for Wife

God would help me as her husband to be what I need to be.
God would help protect her spirit.
God would help with her physical needs.
God would help her spiritually.
God would grant her desires.
God would help her to see her worth—as woman, wife, and mother.
God would help her with her greatest need.
Give thanks for her.
Holy Spirit to help in areas we don’t know about.

Praying for Husband

God would help me as his wife to be what I need to be.
God would help him spiritually—fear of God, faith, humility.
God would give him wisdom and understanding.
God would help him with his work.
God would help him with his physical needs.
God would help him with his greatest need.
God would grant his desires.
Give thanks for him.
Holy Spirit to help in areas we don’t know about.

Praying for Children

God would help me as their parent to be what I need to be.
God would help their heart to be tender towards parents, God, reproof, and right.
God would help them to be saved—thank God if they are.
God would prepare and lead them to the right spouse.
God would help them in spiritual growth—mature in character–know and serve God.
God would place hedge of protection and hedge of thorns as needed.
God would help them to know and do the will of God.
God would help them with any special needs.
Thank God for them.
Holy Spirit to help in areas we don’t know about.

Praying for Future Spouse

God would have His will with my marriage plans—who/when.
God would help our influences—parents, pastor, teachers, and friends.
God would give us protection from sin.
God would give us proper preparation.
God would help us to continue a godly heritage.

Why Don’t Your Children Behave?

adminfchurch on May 30, 2018

Have you ever looked at other people’s children and wondered why they’re so well behaved, while your children aren’t? Can you take your children to a restaurant and make it through a meal without being frustrated? Can you have a conversation with another adult without being interrupted? We’ve all been there, we’ve all been frustrated with our kids and struggled with how to make them behave.

I’ll let you in on a little secret… Everyone’s children misbehave. The trick is to TRAIN them to obey. Obedient children don’t happen by magic or accident. I can’t promise that training will always work, but I guarantee you, that it WILL drastically improve your child’s obedience.

Before they can understand why they need to obey, children must be taught to have a heart for obedience. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:1, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” In our home, our children love Jesus and they love being able to memorize bible verses. One of the very first verses that they learned was Ephesians 6:1. We repeat it often; this is because they need to understand that God wants them to obey their parents, just as He wants all of us to obey Him. Our obedience to God shows our love for Him.

Here are a few simple ideas to help you train your children to obey.

First, teach them HOW to LISTEN!

Children have to be able to LISTEN in order to obey. Have you ever heard of the concept of whole body listening? No? Me either, until a few years ago… If you google, “whole body listening definition,” it explains how one gives different parts of the body a specific job. This enables one to focus on what is being said and really absorb it. It uses parts of the body that the speaker can see (ears, eyes, mouth, and hands), as well as those the speaker cannot see (i.e. the brain and heart). Basically, you are teaching your child how to focus themselves on what you want them to do. I can easily incorporate whole body listening by asking my children to “Give Me 5.” This teaches them what I expect from them to show they are actively listening. This way, they’re not distracted, they can hear the words I say AND actually comprehend the direction given.

Once they learn how to listen, they need to practice! You want them to develop this skill well enough for it to become second nature. My favorite way to do this, is through games. We’ve all played Telephone before. That’s a great way to start. Another idea is to play the “Tell Me What I Said Game,” (directions: http://mosswoodconnections.com/activities/new-auditory-processing-activities/tell-me-what-i-said/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes)

Make it fun for them! All kids love games!

Then Teach them HOW to OBEY!

Once children fully grasp how to listen, they need to be trained to obey. If your children do not come to you when you say to come, they aren’t fully obedient. Think about this, if you tell your child to come to you at home and they don’t, no biggie, right? WRONG! If you don’t train them to obey while you’re in the home, what will happen when you’re in a parking lot, or in front of a car, but they run the opposite direction? That’s a scenario that no one wants to be in. So what’s the solution? Training! Kids love fun and games. So we train them to obey with fun and games!

The most successful way I’ve seen this accomplished is what I affectionately refer to as “Puppy Training.” Everyone knows you train a new puppy to obey with simple commands such as: sit, stay, and come. Not everyone knows that this works well for little human babies too! Teach your child to obey your command by standing a few feet away and telling them to come to you. When the child obeys, make a huge deal by lavishing them with praise. Repeat a few times and then back farther away. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat…. As many times/days/weeks as it takes. If your child learns, but then starts to forget, train them again! The ultimate goal is that your child should come to you whenever you call to them without any questions or hesitations.

Here is a link to other games that work well for teaching obedience.https://www.triumphantlearning.com/teach-child-obey-games/

The biggest issue with my children’s obedience is when I have adult company over. They want to join in on the conversation so badly they can’t stand it! Someone once gave me some advice on how to handle that (obviously she could see I needed help!) and it has worked wonders for me! Teach your child that while you’re speaking to another adult, and they need your attention, they should place their hand on your arm. You will acknowledge them by placing your hand on top of theirs so they know you recognize their need. When you get to a stopping place in your conversation, acknowledge their turn by asking, “What did you need to say?” After practicing this a few times, my children got the hang of it! Of course, we still need reminders every now and then, but their interrupting has gotten so much better!

Like I said, I can’t promise that your children will become perfect little angels, but I can promise you that these training tools have worked wonders for my little ones!

First Baptist