TheOldMillRoad.com

1) Successful parents don’t expect perfection either from themselves or their children.

Parenting is an art, not a science.? Successful parents understand that, like themselves, their children aren’t perfect either.? This frees them to love their children unreservedly.

2) Successful parents don’t fear occasional failures.

They understand that mistakes are a normal, even healthy, part of parenting.? They make the best decisions they can and when they’re wrong, they learn from their mistakes and try to do better the next time.

3) Successful parents don’t expect to have smooth sailing.

Children have their own opinions, personalities and preferences. Inevitably, they cause us to say "Where did THAT come from" or "What WERE you thinking" Our responsibility to provide them with limits and guidance will sometimes clash with their growing desire for independence. Successful parents aren’t surprised by them; they expect them. But successful parents understand that their responsibility to their children is not to always please them or make them happy – it’s to make the hard decisions that will be for their best in the long run.

4) Successful parents don’t go it alone.

Successful parenting means trusting yourself, but not being a Lone Ranger. No one has the experience or answers to every parenting challenge. But each of us has some of the answers and, together, we’ve got them all. So successful parents aren’t reluctant to seek out the wisdom of others. They know that, at the end of the day, the decision is theirs, but before they get there, there is plenty of wisdom along the way waiting to help them.

5) Successful parents try harder.

They face the same pressures we all do – demanding jobs, spouses and children who need them. But they live by this rule: "You get back what you put in." They have a clear sense of priority for their family and are willing to put in the time to achieve it. They give more than the "average parent" so their children will be more than just "average children." These parents work at nurturing and developing themselves to be the best parents they can be.

6) Successful parents enjoy being parents.

They enjoy parenting not because it’s easy or instantly rewarding, but because of the sheer joy and privilege of cooperating with God in shaping another unique and precious life. Any parent of grown children will tell you "they grow up so quickly." Successful parents remind themselves of that and try to savor every day with their children. They immerse themselves in their children as much as possible and just enjoy them – even the days of dirty diapers, illness and disappointments. They don’t just LOVE their children, they LIKE them and look forward to spending time with them.

7) Successful parents strive to be the person they want their children to become.

There are no formulas for parents. You can’t just "program" children like a computer and be guaranteed of the result. But children are great observers and imitators. They watch, listen and absorb values and habits from the people who have the greatest influence on them – their parents. So successful parents resolve that they will set the best example they can for their children.

John DeButts was the CEO of AT&T just prior to its breakup in the 1980s. At the zenith of his power, he had more than 1,000,000 employees around the world. DeButts retired very wealthy. Not long after that, he needed to have a leg amputated.
He later said, "In spite of all that money, power, prestige and influence, do you know that as I lay there in my hospital bed, not one person came to see me, called me on the phone, or dropped me a card?  But there at my bedside, tending to my needs day-by-day, was the woman I had ignored for 30 years."
If you haven’t let your wife know lately how much you love and appreciate her, send her an e-mail or text right now.  Better yet, stop by a flower shop on the way home tonight.

This is a quiz for people who know everything! These are not trick questions. They are straight questions with straight answers.
1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?
4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine, it hasn’t been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters "dw" and they are all common words. Name two of them.
7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?
8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.
9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter "S."

Answers To Quiz:
1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. Boxing
2. North American landmark constantly moving backward. Niagara Falls (The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute..)
3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. Asparagus and rhubarb.
4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside. Strawberry.
5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.
6. Three English words beginning with dw. Dwarf, dwell and dwindle. (Isn’t "Dweeb" a word?)
7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.
8.. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh.Lettuce.
9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with "S".
Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

Why does God love you and me so much?  Why did He send His Son to die such a horrible death for us on the cross?  It is not because you and I are so wonderful; it is because God is so wonderful (Deut. 7:6-9).  The Scripture clearly tells us "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  Love is a BIG part of His nature.      
God chose to love us regardless of who we are or what we do.  Because it was a choice of God, it is not dependent on you and me.  Talk about getting off the performance-based acceptance train!  Here is truth to put in your heart: There is nothing you can do to get God to love you any more than He already does, and there is nothing you can do to get God to love you any less than He already does.  HE JUST LOVES YOU!   
Our job is to receive His love and rejoice in His love.  Obedience to His commands comes when you realize that everything God tells us to do or not to do is for our greatest good.  The God who loves me tells me "yes" to some things and "no" to other things.  His commandments are not given to deprive me; they are given to bless me because every one of them is given in love.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13

"Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." Jonah 2:8

I am a consumer who needs to carefully start to look at my possessions in light of the realities of the world, the Church, and the Kingdom of God. We live in a consumer culture. We consume goods, endless cups of coffee, worship services, sermons, Bible studies, church programs, food…the list is endless.

I’m convinced it’s time to move from being a consumer to becoming a giver. I challenge you to join me. Instead of trying to get more things, how about if we decide, starting today, to concentrate on giving more…loving more…reaching out more… and looking at how the Kingdom of God can touch people’s lives through us?

Jesus calls us to be givers rather than consumers. Remember, he said, “Freely you have received. Freely give.” (Matthew 10:8)

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them” ~George Bernard Shaw

The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.  Psalm 6:9

Ever are the Lord’s ears aroused to hear the pleas of His people. He is faithful to hear your cry and to answer your prayer. Take joy in the lovingkindness of the Lord and give glory to His mighty name even as He answers your pleas with peace and comfort.

I just stumbled across this awesome series of articles on parenting by James Dobson and Focus on the Family.  In particular the articles focus on how to be an effective man of God for your family.  I promise you God will bless you if you take the time to read these articles…

“Raising healthy, well-educated, self-disciplined children who love God and their fellow human beings is, I believe, the most challenging responsibility in living. Not even rocket science can approach it for complexity and unpredictability. And of course, the job is even more difficult today when the culture undermines and contradicts everything Christian parents are trying to accomplish at home. Fortunately, we are not asked to do everything perfectly as moms and dads. Our kids usually manage to survive our mistakes and failures and turn out better than we have any right to boast about.”

Continue reading…

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting_stages/the_involved_father.aspx

This list is a little lengthy, but I could not pass up the chance to share it with everyone…

Whether you’re bored out of your mind at the office or don’t have an office to go to, there’s no reason to sit around idly when there’s so much you could potentially be getting done. With the web at your fingertips, you can find numerous ways to keep your mind and body engaged and active. These 100 tools will help you get busy doing just about anything from organizing your DVD collection to planning your potential future, giving you no excuse to be bored or unemployed for long.

Organizing Your Life

If you’ve got nothing else to do why not organize your life? These tools will help you manage everything from chores to your fitness routine.

Backpack: Whether you’re organizing business prospects or just your own personal affairs, this tool can help manage schedules, documents, discussions and more.
Mindomo: If your mind is buzzing and you can’t seem to get a clear picture of an idea that is forming, try out this mind-mapping tool to lay out your thoughts and get them organized into a coherent picture.
Stuffopolis: With this site you’ll be able to organize and track just about anything you own.
Chore Buster: Make dividing up the chores in your household easier with this helpful tool that keeps track of who’s in charge of what.
Inbox Organizer: Is your inbox full of spam, junk and other flotsam and jetsam? This tool can help you clean it up and get you organized.
Manage My Ideas: Use this site to keep track of all your moments of inspiration so when it comes time to use them you’ll know just where they are.
Daily Plate: Without a job to keep you busy it can be easy to fall into unhealthy eating habits. This site will help you track and monitor what you’re putting into your body and how much activity you’re doing.
MyHomePoint: Check out this tool to organize your home and your family in one easy place with schedules, calendars and much more.
GiftBox: Have a million birthday and holiday wish lists? This tool will help you organize them and make sure everyone gets just what they want.
We Gotta Eat: With this tool you’ll be able to record and share all your recipes for easy access and the ability to generate shopping lists to match your cooking needs.
SimplifID: Here you can create an account and use it to log into all of your password-required sites, making your life a lot simpler.
What Bills?: Make sure you never forget to pay a bill again with this tool that tracks and helps you to pay everything from your mortgage to the electric bill.
OurWeddingDay: It’s hard to imagine being bored if you have a wedding coming up, and this tool can help you make sure that everything is planned, ready and wonderful for the big day.
LibraryThing: Enter in your entire library to this site and you’ll be able to track, make notes and share your favorite reads.
allmythings: Use this tool to make a list of all the things you own. You never know when you might need it for insurance purposes.

Resume and Job Search

Not a fan of being unemployed? These tools will help you to spend your new found free time more productively searching for a new source of income.

Gramlee: Make sure your resume and cover letter is free of spelling and grammar errors by submitting it through this site first.
Side Job Track: Just because you don’t have full-time work doesn’t mean you can’t work on the side. This tool will help you keep tabs on your work and who knows, maybe small jobs could turn into a big career.
Worksolver: With this site you can network, manage your resume and other important information and keep track of interviews.
JibberJobber: This site is designed to help you manage all aspects of your career, from finding a job to keeping great connections.
Virtual Job Coach: Here you’ll find a job search engine, resume builder, contact management, to-do list and much more to keep you on track.
PayScale: Do you know how much your job skills are worth? Check out this site to find out just how much you should be making.
Career Value Tool: Give this site a visit to learn what it is you value most in your career. It could help point you in the right direction.
Indeed: Search for jobs in your area using this tool that scours multiple other sites for the best listings.
JobPile: This site will make it easier to search for a job, with aggregation of numerous job boards for the best positions available.
Juju: This job search engine is sure to streamline your job search.

Socializing and Networking

Whether you want to make connections that can help you get a job or just want to keep in touch with those distant cousins, these great tools can make it fast and easy.

LinkedIn: This site is a great place to make career contacts and get in touch with old coworkers and people who may be able to find you work.
BigContacts: Check out this tool to better manage your business contacts, keep track of clients and ensure you never miss an appointment.
Skype: Chat with friends, family and potential employers with this web-based calling tool.
MyFamily.com: Here you can build your own private website so that your family can share photos, memories and more without it being public.
Ning: Whether you want to network with other recently unemployed individuals or just keep in touch with old friends, this site is perfect for creating a customized social network.
Amiglia: This site serves as a virtual family tree, photo album and great way to keep in touch with all those you love.
Socializr: If you’ve got nothing else to do, why not plan a family picnic or a get together of old friends. This site makes it easy and efficient.
Zvents: Check out this site to find out what’s going on in your area so you can stop being bored and get out of the house.
Facebook: With Facebook, users can create a profile that will allow them to manage personal contacts or get their business name out there.
MyHeritage: Sign up for this site and you’ll be able to build a family tree that will allow you to keep in touch with all of your relatives, close and distant.
Ryze: This business networking site can help you make new contacts and reconnect with old ones.
Fast Pitch: Have a great idea? This tool will help you get in touch with businesses and potential investors so you can sell your idea and start making money.
Xing: This global site is designed to help professionals connect and may be able to help you find a new job.
GroupLoop: Whether you want to keep your family in touch or your ultimate frisbee team, this site makes it easy to chat, send messages and arrange meet ups.

Hobbies and Fun

Book lovers, crafters, golfers and more will find great ways to stay active in their hobbies and leisure activities with these tools.

CraftMemo: With this tool you’ll be able to list and keep track of the supplies and finished products you have on hand, ideal for everything from beading to making birdhouses.
TripHub: Taking a trip doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and this great site makes it easy to plan for a getaway with lots of other friends.
team snap: Organize your recreational teams, whether you play soccer, baseball or kickball, with this helpful tool.
RubyChip: Spend your free time planning your next big poker night with the help of this online tool.
GoodReads: List and share your literary favorites on this site. You’ll meet others who share your passion and find great suggestions for new books.
WhatshouldIreadnext.com: Check out this site to find a suggestion for a great book to read to pass your time.
LivingSocial: This site can help you catalog everything you do from your favorite ski spots to the beer you like to drink. You’ll be able to read what others posted as well and maybe get some ideas of new things to try.
TournEase: If you love to play golf, this site makes it a whole lot simpler to set up a tournament, whether for your favorite charitable cause or just for fun with the guys.
DOPPLR: Learn more about cities around the world and how you can visit them through this site.
Closet Assistant: Unsure what to wear? Want help putting together great outfits? This site can help you through, step-by-step so you’ll look great for a date or a day at the beach.

Browsing the Web

For those who prefer to spend their free time a little more lazily, there’s always web browsing. These tools will help you do it as productively as possible whether you want to buy a new suit or leave yourself a note about potential entrepreneurial endeavors.

Google Reader: Organize all your favorite RSS feeds into one easily-accessible place so you can waste time more efficiently.
diigo: Sign up for this site and you’ll be able to highlight and sticky the web. Better yet, you can access your notes on any computer or iPhone.
Delicious: With this site you can not only keep up on what others think are newsworthy, interesting sites, but add your suggestions own as well.
NetVibes: Make your web browsing easy by creating a catch-all start page with this site that allows you to access all your important stuff at once.
iPaper: With this tool you’ll be able to read .doc files right from your browser.
MyStickies: Leave yourself virtual stickies all over the web with this fun and easy-to-use tool.
Notefish: This tool is a great way to do research on the web, whether you’re trying to find a new job or plan a trip to somewhere exotic. You’ll be able to save, annotate and organize all your data and keep it stored in one simple place.
Pocket Manila: Check out this online notebook to jot down your ideas, sketch out art or anything else you can think of.
SecondBrain: This site combines the content you create from over 20 social networking sites into one easy and searchable mass of data.
PriceScan: Make sure you’re getting the best deal possible on anything you’re buying on the web by checking this site before hitting purchase.
Coupons.com: Find out what coupons are out there for just about every product you could want.

Creativity

Since you don’t have anything else to do, why not embrace your inner artist? These tools will help you create art, write and even share your work with the world (and potential employers) when you’re done.

Zhura: This free software will help you start writing that play, TV show or movie you’ve never gotten around to writing.
Aviary: With vector editing, image editing, and visual laboratories, this site is a great place to explore your creative side and create great images.
Issuu: Check out this site to publish your own images, documents and writings and see what others are putting up as well.
WordPress: With a little free time on your hands why not start blogging? WordPress is a free and popular place to start.
Audacity: This tool allows you to mix, edit and tweak your audio files.
Coroflot: Use this site to publish your portfolio and find potential clients.
ComicLife: Jazz up your photos and get creative on the Web with this fun tool that lets you add text, create stories and more.
GoAnimate: If you’re interested in animation, why not create your own with this awesome online tool.
Writer: This tool acts like an online typewriter, storing and saving what you write as you write it so you don’t have to worry about losing an afternoon’s work.
NaNoWriMo: Think you can write a novel? This site challenges you to do it in only one month. You won’t be alone as thousands work at this challenge every year.

To-Do Lists

If you’ve got nothing to do, why not make a list of the things you want to do? You can lay out the steps to finding a new job or just fun things you’d like to do in your free time.

Remember the Milk: Divide your tasks up into work, personal and study to keep track of all aspects of your life that need doing.
Nutshell: With nutshell you can search the web, take notes and manage a simple to-do list all from one place.
OrchestrateHQ<: This task manager makes is easy to keep track of everything you’d like to get done this week, month or year.
Ta-da List: This easy list tool can be a simple way to make and share your to-dos, goals and desires.
The Online CEO: Manage your life like a business with this easy-to-use productivity tool that gives you points for completing tasks.
TaskThis!: Create tasks, add notes and publish them in an RSS feed with this tool.
Toodledo: This to-do list can help you get organized, motivated and get more productive with access to your data from anywhere.
ListPool: With list pool you can not only create lists of things you want to get done but share them with others as well.
Todoist: The simple interface and built in calendar of this tool makes it a great choice for keeping track of all your tasks.
Nozbe: Keep track of everything you’ve got going on with this tool. You can take it mobile as well, for task tracking on the go.

Setting Goals and Planning

Just because you don’t have anything to do right now doesn’t mean you want it to always be that way. These great tools will help you start planning for your future, whether that means setting goals for finding new work, planning your wedding, or just figuring out what to do next week.

Joe’s Goals: Whether you’ve decided today is the day you’re going to stop smoking or want to start spending more time on your hobbies, this site can help you stick to your goals and follow through.
43 Things: With this site you can list your personal goals and get support from others who have the same ones.
LifeTango: Check out the tools on this site to brainstorm, get motivated and set goals.
Ben Franklin’s Virtue Chart: Go old school and work towards having better virtues like temperance, silence, industry and frugality with this downloadable PDF.
eLifePlans: Set goals, get coached by others and find personal and outside motivation on this site.
Goals Together: There’s no reason to feel alone in working towards any goal as this site proves. You’ll get support from friends, family and other users no matter what you want to start or stop doing.
Goalmigo: Meet up with others who have similar goals and work together to meet them on this site.
SuperViva: A bit like a virtual "bucket list", this site will allow you to record them, meet others who feel similarly and check them off as you accomplish them.
MyProgress: Mark every day that passes on this great and visual tool for goal maintenance.
Don’t Break the Chain: This is an incredibly simple tool, but an effective one. If you’ve gone three weeks without breaking your resolution why start now? Here you’ll get motivation and help persevering towards your goals.

Learn Something New

Learning new things can be a great way to pass the time if you’ve got nothing to do and a great way to improve your skills if you’re in the market for a job. These resources can help you to learn a wide variety of things, from simple car maintenance to astrophysics.

iTunesU: Just download iTunes and you’ll be ready to get started with the lessons on iTunesU that range from language learning to lectures at world-class colleges and universities.
OCW Finder: OpenCourseware can be a great way to learn about college-level material without having to actually attend college. Check out this search engine to match you up with courses on subjects you’re interested in.
NanoLearning: Give these tiny learning modules a try when you want to learn more about something but don’t want to spend hours doing it.
Instructables: On Instructables you’ll find videos that will show you how to do a variety of things from the practical to the entertaining.
LiveMocha: For many, learning another language can be a valuable skill to add to a resume. This resource will allow you to try out your language skills with a native speaker, so both you and they can learn to speak more fluently.
VideoJug: Check out this how-to site to learn about simple things like eating ethnic foods correctly, styling your hair and even how to do well on college tests.
GoogleScholar: This site is a great resource for doing research or searching for more information on a subject that interests you. Best of all, all the results are scholarly materials so you won’t have to worry about credibility.
Library of Congress: Take advantage of those tax dollars by using the resources provided by the Library of Congress. You can read about American history, see photographs and thousands of source documents.
Newsvine: Just because you don’t have a job doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep up with what’s going on in the world. This site will give you frequent updates on the important news out there.
Project Gutenberg: Here you’ll be able to read hundreds of famous and widely-acclaimed books without ever leaving your chair.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, his answer had everything to do with the topic of love. Jesus said the most important commandment was to love your God with all your heart, mind and soul. He then said the second most important commandment was to love your neighbor as your self. The importance of the topic of love in the Bible and for Christians should be at the top of our list.

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #1- He loved us first!
1 John 4:9-10
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #2- He loved us first part 2
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #3- Love your enemies
Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #4- The Golden Rule
Luke 6:31
Do to others as you would have them do to you

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #5- The greatest is Love
1Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is Love.

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #6- Above all
1Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #7- Love drives out fear
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #8- Love your wife
Ephesians 5:25
Husband, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Inspirational Bible verse on Love #9- Love bind with perfect unity
Colossians 3:14
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live – Yahoo! News

Twittering in Church, with the Pastor’s O.K. – TIME

10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business – TIME