“WOW!”  That was my only response.  “WOW!”  That, and I was moved to tears.

Like “big church” does each Sunday, Pastor Derek offers a chance for kids to turn in any prayer request they would like prayed for, and that’s what my daughter Mariah turned in.  Again…WOW!

This is one of those moments as a parent I live for.  SHE GETS IT!  Her prayer?  “More people to come to know Jesus and come to element church!”  Nothing like the heart of your child to convict the parent.

Her prayer makes Mark 10:15 come to life  “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

What do you say?  Will you join my daughter in this prayer?  I think it’s THE MOST important thing we could pray for.  “More people come to know Jesus…AMEN!”

Praying,

Jeff

P.S.  And I LOVE she put her name “Mariah Maness” and then added “Jeff’s daughter”.  YES SHE IS…and I’m PROUD to say it!  And by the way, she prayed that prayer Sunday and FORTY PEOPLE acknowledged to us they accepted Jesus as their Savior.  YES!!

Well, this past week was Jonah’s dad time, and over the course of the past couple months we had been working on writing a rap together.  Jonah is a NATURAL writer.  He LOVES writing songs, poems, or just journaling his thoughts.  After several cumulative hours of working on the rap (Jonah dreams of being a performer), it all came to fruition this past Saturday when we recorded it at Pastor Adam’s Triple Pane Studio.

So without further adieu, here is the OFFICIAL release of Good Times by Jonah Maness (Download lyrics HERE)

Generosity is not something many of us are natural at, but it IS something we are called, even COMMANDED to be.  Now, giving is a spiritual gift that I think many people have and if they have it, it is OBVIOUS by the way they live.  My daughter Makalah, has been given the gift of giving and generosity…and I LOVE it!

Makalah LIVES and LOVES to give.  Not many days go by without me receiving something from her that she has made or found.  When we were at Disney World this past month, she used some of the money WE had given her to use as SHE wished to buy a gift for her sister.  What seven year old does that? Makalah wants to go to the Childrens Hospital for Chrsitmas and buy gifts for the kids who are sick, instead of GETTING gifts for herself.  WHAT?  And this past week, she did something that again blew me away.

Each week, one of our children gets a daddy date with me.  (For Jonah we call it Father/Son hangout time.  His idea…and I’m cool with it. HA)  This last Thursday, Makalah had her date.  I LOVE taking my girls on dates and my son on some hangout time and they look forward to it every month.  Sabrina and I have budgeted money for each week so I can do that and the kids get to choose what we do, up to a specified dollar amount.  As soon as it was Makalah’s week I asked her what she wanted to do, and she said “I want our daddy/daughter date to go buy a gift for somebody.”  I told her “You understand that if you use your money to buy a gift, that’s what we’re doing for our date?”  She said, almost with a “DUH dad” kind of response.  “I know!”

So that’s what we did.  I came home from work, had dinner with the family and took my amazing daughter on a date.  I actually had a Starbucks giftcard that was given to me, so we used it to go sit down, have a donut and drink before she bought a gift for her mom.  We headed to Walmart, and I walked the aisles hand in hand with Makalah as she smiled from ear to ear, living out the LIFE of generosity.  She used every penny of her money to buy some things for her mom that SHE wanted to get her.  It was amazing.

We ended our date by going to the mall to check out the dogs in the pet store and see the guniea pigs, snakes and lizards.  (I like going down the snake aisle with her cause she holds my hand even tighter.  Daddy trick)  As we walked out of the mall and headed to the car, I unlocked her door and opened for her.  She looked up at me before she got in the car and said “This was the BEST daddy/daughter date EVER!”

God just spoke to my heart, and I thought “MAN…If I were as generous as a SEVEN year old I’d make a much more SIGNIFICANT impact.“  Makalah LOVES to give, and I LOVE affirming that gift in her.

Friends, we belong to a RADICALLY generous God, may we be RADICALLY generous people…like my seven year old.

Learning from my daughter,

Jeff

I’ve made it a habit to pray for my kids each day before they leave for school, or before I leave for the office, whichever comes first.  I started doing that a few years ago and see it as a VITAL role of me as a parent…to pray over my children.  I want them to KNOW that I pray for them, and for them to HEAR me pray over them.  I LOVE the fact that it has become such an important part of our morning that I don’t even ask if I can pray for them anymore.  They find me before they take off across the street to school and say “Dad, will you pray for me before I go to school?”  I LOVE that!

Well, a few weeks ago I gathered all three of the oldest kids in the kitchen to pray for them before they left.  I typically pray the same prayer every day, and did that day as well:  “Lord, I pray you would ENCAMP your angels around Jonah, Mariah and Makalah.  I pray you would protect their hearts, souls, minds and bodies.  Help them to be leaders for you!  I pray they would have an awesome day and to do their best.  In Jesus name, Amen.”

As soon as I said Amen, Mariah looked at me and said “Angels go camping?”  At first I wasn’t sure what she said, so I was like, “Huh?”  Mariah asked again “Do angels go camping?”  I replied “Why would you ask that?”  “Dad, you prayed for angels to be camping around us.”  I about lost it!  In the middle of my laughing I explained to Mariah that I didn’t pray for angels to be camping, but that God would ENCAMP them around her.  “What does ENCAMP mean?”  I then explained that it means we’re asking God to put angels ALL AROUND us to protect us throughout the day.  Like kids often do she said “OH” and bounded off to the playground at school.

I didn’t think anything of it until last week at family devotions.  We had finished reading the Bible and everyone had shared their prayer requests they would be praying for.  We went around the table praying and came to Mariah.  I don’t even remember who or what she was praying for, but she prayed one of the most mature prayers I’ve ever heard her speak.  And in the middle of her prayer, in the proper use, she prayed “And God, I pray you would encamp your angels around them to protect them.”  WHAT?  Did she just pray that?  ABSOLUTELY she did.  Wanna know why?  Because she heard her DAD pray it!

Hearing her pray that prayer only FURTHERED my firm belief in what Donna Reed said during our panel discussion on Sunday:  “Much more is CAUGHT from us to our kids, than it is TAUGHT!”

Parents?  What are your kids catching from you?  Are they hearing your prayers?  Seeing you read your Bible?  With you when you serve?  Do you let them put the tithe check in the offering and then have the JOY of explaining to them why you give that much money to God?  Don’t be fooled.  Your kids are watching, listening AND learning from what you do!

Do angels go camping?  Not that I know of?  But with that one question, my daughter learned a VALUABLE lesson in prayer and spiritual warfare.

Hoping they catch it,

Jeff

I came home from work the other day and Makalah (our 6 year old) said “I haven’t given you a Care Bear hug yet today.  Can I give you one?”  (Care Bear is my nickname for Makalah) And immediately the Holy Spirit spoke to me and got me thinking on a spiritual issue.

You see, several months ago I asked Makalah for a hug, and she proceeded to give me the biggest, warmest hug she could muster.  I LOVED it.  All I did was comment on it one time.  I said “Kalah, you give the BEST Care Bear hugs ever!  I love them.”  And from that ONE comment, it became her goal to offer me Care Bear hugs as much as possible.  She began offering them more often.  Then she began to offer them daily.  As her dad, through one comment, one commendation, one word of encouragement, I gave her the DESIRE to do something for me and EMPOWERED her to do it again.  Now I don’t have to ask for a hug, she OFFERS one ’cause I told her how much it pleased me and how good she was at it.

I wonder if our response to our Heavenly Father should be the same?  Philippians 2:12-13 says “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the DESIRE and the POWER to do what pleases Him.”

I think so often we tend to view our relationship to God as trying to avoid the things He doesn’t want us to do, when in actuality He’s trying to REINFORCE the things He DOES want us to do.  We’d be more comfortable if that verse said “Giving us the desire and the power to avoid what displeases Him”.  But that’s not how God works.  As a child of God, He is working IN me, GIVING me the desire AND the power to do what pleases Him.  “Jeff, I LOVE it when you do that.”  “Jeff, it PLEASES me when you pursue that.”  “Jeff, I DELIGHT in you when you say that.”  God is more into the business of giving us desires and empowering us to do them, than He is condemning our mistakes and holding us over them.

I wonder how much effort I waste trying to avoid MY list of the things I’m NOT supposed to do, instead of focusing my efforts on the things I know HE wants me to do?  Things that PLEASE the Father.  Which by the way, if we’d focus SOLELY on the things that PLEASE the Father, we’d naturally avoid the things that don’t!  We just need to LISTEN to what the Father is saying.

Makalah started focusing on that thing that pleased me, and she was empowered to do it again and again.  Maybe I should do the same.  Where has God spoken into your life saying “I LOVE it when you do that!”?  Then DO it!  What is your “Care Bear hug”?

Hugging my Father,

Jeff

E:kidz takeover services coming July 10th!

We’re going to try something we have never done before @ Element Church! On July 10th we will cancel our normal e:kidz programming to have combined family services during each of our 3 Sunday morning services. Our volunteer team will present a kid friendly & family oriented lesson so mom’s and dad’s can catch a glimpse of what a typical Sunday looks like for their children in e:kidz. We are counting on our kids to make sure mom and dad participate in this fun family experience.

We are also busy recruiting KIDS to take part in presenting this unique Sunday program. If you would like your child to participate (5 & up please) please contact Pastor Derek right away.

Kids will be assigned to the following roles: music/motions, audience coaches, ushers/greeters.

Two “training/rehearsal” times are required to be in our program: June 26th practice (during Sunday services) and July 7th for live rehearsal (6-830PM build your own ice-cream sundae social included). Children will perform what they learn LIVE during Sunday morning services on July 10th!

Contact Pastor Derek today: derek@elementweb.net or call 635-1316 today!

Well, a few weeks ago I gathered all three of the oldest kids in the kitchen to pray for them before they left.  I typically pray the same prayer every day, and did that day as well:  “Lord, I pray you would ENCAMP your angels around Jonah, Mariah and Makalah.  I pray you would protect their hearts, souls, minds and bodies.  Help them to be leaders for you!  I pray they would have an awesome day and to do their best.  In Jesus name, Amen.” 

As soon as I said Amen, Mariah looked at me and said “Angels go camping?”  At first I wasn’t sure what she said, so I was like, “Huh?”  Mariah asked again “Do angels go camping?”  I replied “Why would you ask that?”  “Dad, you prayed for angels to be camping around us.”  I about lost it!  In the middle of my laughing I explained to Mariah that I didn’t pray for angels to be camping, but that God would ENCAMP them around her.  “What does ENCAMP mean?”  I then explained that it means we’re asking God to put angels ALL AROUND us to protect us throughout the day.  Like kids often do she said “OH” and bounded off to the playground at school.

I didn’t think anything of it until last week at family devotions.  We had finished reading the Bible and everyone had shared their prayer requests they would be praying for.  We went around the table praying and came to Mariah.  I don’t even remember who or what she was praying for, but she prayed one of the most mature prayers I’ve ever heard her speak.  And in the middle of her prayer, in the proper use, she prayed “And God, I pray you would encamp your angels around them to protect them.”  WHAT?  Did she just pray that?  ABSOLUTELY she did.  Wanna know why?  Because she heard her DAD pray it!

Hearing her pray that prayer only FURTHERED my firm belief in what Donna Reed said during our panel discussion on Sunday:  “Much more is CAUGHT from us to our kids, than it is TAUGHT!”

Parents?  What are your kids catching from you?  Are they hearing your prayers?  Seeing you read your Bible?  With you when you serve?  Do you let them put the tithe check in the offering and then have the JOY of explaining to them why you give that much money to God?  Don’t be fooled.  Your kids are watching, listening AND learning from what you do!

Do angels go camping?  Not that I know of?  But with that one question, my daughter learned a VALUABLE lesson in prayer and spiritual warfare.

Hoping they catch it,

Jeff

Trusting God with the answers,

Jeff

You see, several months ago I asked Makalah for a hug, and she proceeded to give me the biggest, warmest hug she could muster.  I LOVED it.  All I did was comment on it one time.  I said “Kalah, you give the BEST Care Bear hugs ever!  I love them.”  And from that ONE comment, it became her goal to offer me Care Bear hugs as much as possible.  She began offering them more often.  Then she began to offer them daily.  As her dad, through one comment, one commendation, one word of encouragement, I gave her the DESIRE to do something for me and EMPOWERED her to do it again.  Now I don’t have to ask for a hug, she OFFERS one cause I told her how much it pleased me and how good she was at it.

I wonder if our response to our Heavenly Father should be the same?  Philippians 2:12-13 says “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you, giving you the DESIRE and the POWER to do what pleases Him.”

I think so often we tend to view our relationship to God as trying to avoid the things He doesn’t want us to do, when in actuality He’s trying to REINFORCE the things He DOES want us to do.  We’d be more comfortable if that verse said “Giving us the desire and the power to avoid what displeases Him”.  But that’s not how God works.  As a child of God, He is working IN me, GIVING me the desire AND the power to do what pleases Him.  “Jeff, I LOVE it when you do that.”  “Jeff, it PLEASES me when you pursue that.”  “Jeff, I DELIGHT in you when you say that.”  God is more into the business of giving us desires and empowering us to do them, than He is condemning our mistakes and holding us over them.

I wonder how much effort I waste trying to avoid MY list of the things I’m NOT supposed to do, instead of focusing my efforts on the things I know HE wants me to do?  Things that PLEASE the Father.  Which by the way, if we’d focus SOLELY on the things that PLEASE the Father, we’d naturally avoid the things that don’t!  We just need to LISTEN to what the Father is saying.

Makalah started focusing on that thing that pleased me, and she was empowered to do it again and again.  Maybe I should do the same.  Where has God spoken into your life saying “I LOVE it when you do that!”?  Then DO it!  What is your “Care Bear hug”?

Hugging my Father,

Jeff

This week I find myself at an annual denominational conference in Bozeman, MT.  I travel several times a year for church stuff and I ALWAYS hate being away from my family.  Don’t get me wrong.  I have a GREAT time hangin’out with my pastor friends, with the guys on my staff (who are my closest friends).  I love learning and growing and being stretched.  But I HATE being away from my family.  But my wife does something for me while I’m way that has become the ONLY think I enjoy about being away from her.

Before I leave, I don’t know when or how she does it, but she writes little notes of encouragement, support and affirmation(some I WILL NOT share with you), and places them in my pants pocket.  It started several years ago when I spoke at a youth camp for a week.  I pulled out my first pair of jeans and reached in the pocket to find an encouraging note from her.  Now, she does it every trip I go on.  And I LOVE IT!  This week, I pulled out my pants on Monday and found this note:

I was talking with Kody about “our wives” as we sat at lunch yesterday.  We were talking about the value of what they do and “what a man needs”.  As far as I can remember, my wife has NEVER nit picked at me.  She has never been a nag.  She doesn’t complain about who I am or what I do.  She doesn’t “wish I would do this” or “wish I would do that”.  My wife is an ENCOURAGER.  She AFFIRMS me and BELIEVES in me.  And friends, THAT is what a man needs.  I CANNOT tell you how many Sundays, weekdays or WEEKS that the only reason I kept going is because I KNEW my wife believed in me.  Knowing that SHE believes in me, means the WORLD to me!  I don’t think she knew how important those notes would be for me…but now I look forward to them EVERY time I’m away.

Wives…encourage your husbands.  Wives…support your husbands.  Wives…respect your husbands.  Wives…BELIEVE in your husbands.  Trust me…THEY NEED IT!  They look to you for it.  They’re probably not going to tell you, but trust me, THAT is what they need!  I’m SO THANKFUL for a wife who gets it.  I don’t dread coming home each day from work.  Why?  Because SHE knows what I NEED and then gives it. Thanks babe.  I love you!

Blessed,

Jeff