Eastland eBulletin 7.30.06

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Area Meetings
. July 30-August 4 - Central (Shelbyville)

Potpourri
. Elders & Deacons meet today at 4:00.
. Remember the kid's bulletin in the foyer.
. Sermon notes for today's lessons are in the literature rack. Today's
speaker is Cloyce Sutton.
. The August calendar is now ready. The duty roster should be ready today or
Wednesday.
. For anyone who is interested, there is a calendar available in the
literature rack that shows all the significant school dates for all of the
school districts in this area, including U of L and UK.
. As a reminder, Chuck Barnett has reserved a pavilion at Vet's Park in
J'town for Saturday September 16 at 4:30. We will have the annual chili &
soup dinner then. See him for details.

August Duties
. Transportation: Gorick, Crowder
. Lord's Supper: C & M Wilson
. Meals: A Sutton, K Mindel, N Pardue
. Deacon: J Gorick
. Usher: E Shields
. Sound: B Blain

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The Perpetual Problem
By Reggie Robarts

The problem of child rearing remains in the forefront of every parent's mind
for at least 18 to 20 years. That's a long time to have to grapple with
something that often causes conflict, frustration, anger, shouting, and all
kinds of ugly encounters. Every since the child rearing experts started
giving parents "by the book" advice about raising children the modern way,
the problems have exacerbated. If you are a parent, take a look at the
following and maybe you can find a solution to problems you are facing with
your children. There is some really good advice here that demonstrates the
resolve that parents must have to be good parents.
_________________________

I am engaged in an exhaustive and exhausting debate on the best way to raise
children, but unfortunately it is not with my husband or even my mother. It
is with my children. I am not sure exactly when this happened, and indeed it
might have been just a slow loosening of my grip on the reins of power, but
my children have come to believe that they should be equal partners in the
business of bringing them up. And for a while I have indulged them. For the
sake of those precious lines of communication we keep hearing about, for the
sake of their self-esteem, I have listened to their complaints and criticism
and their cries of unfairness.

During each argument, I have carefully restated their concerns in a
non-judgmental way to let them know I have heard them and that I accept them
for who they are. (As an aside, I should say that this approach, called
"active listening in Parent Effectiveness Training, did not work well. After
about three minutes of my repeating everything he said, my son exploded in
frustration. "Is there an echo in here, or are you just deaf?"

As part of my child-rearing debate with my children, I have been unfavorably
compared to every other mother on the planet-and to their father, who brings
candy home from the office and presents home from business trips-but I have
been patient. NO MORE! I HAVE HAD IT!

When my son said, "Even Bill Clinton says children should be able to divorce
their parents," something like a grenade went off inside my head, and I have
been barking like a dog every since. When my 11-year old son demanded, yet
again, to be allowed to rent violent video games and R-rated movies like
absolutely everyone else he knows, I dispensed with my usual speech-the one
about his being a beautiful flower and my need to protect him from an early
frost. Instead, I said: "Forget it. This is not a discussion. There is no
debate. I don't want to hear your side of this, because I don't care what
you think. These are the facts: I'm the one with the driver's license and
the video card. And until you have your own apartment with your own
television, you're trapped inside my value system. End of discussion."

When both children whined-yet again-they did not want to go to Sunday
school, that it is boring and their lives are already too busy and why
couldn't they watch cartoons on Sunday morning. I dispensed with my usual
speech about how an hour of their time is not too much for God considering
all that He has done for them, especially in the worldly possessions
category. Instead, I said: "Forget it. You skip school; they only keep you
back a year. You skip Sunday school, you go to hell. Now get your books and
get in the car."

When bickering erupted between my children I told my daughter to quit being
a wimp, and told my son that if he continues to bully his sister, she will
grow up expecting abuse from a man and will marry badly. Besides when their
daddy and I are gone they will have only each other and they need to learn
how to get along. My son howled at the unfairness of the suggestion, said it
was child abuse and he was going to call 911. "Go ahead," I said smugly,
"What do you think will happen? Do you think they will take me away in
cuffs? That's not the way it works, pal. They remove the child from the
dangerous domestic environment. That means you'll be hauled off to a foster
home, where you will sleep in a room with nine other boys. And me? I'll be
at the movies."

As you can see, the waters have crested in my house. I am done listening to
the demands of children on how they would like to be raised. This child
rearing by committee is not working, especially when two members of the
committee are children.
(Susan Reimer, Baltimore Sun)
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The Good Book is the guide parents need to follow if they want to raise
godly children. It does not present parents as "buddies" to their children.
It tells parents, "And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath,
but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord." Love and
discipline are ingredients of successful parenting, not compromise and
concession!

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A Parable About the Body's
Author Unknown

Fred Somebody, Thomas Everybody, Susan Anybody, and Joe Nobody were
neighbors. All four belonged to the same church.

Everybody went fishing on Sunday or stayed home to visit his friends.

Anybody wanted to worship but was afraid Somebody wouldn't speak to him. So
guess who went to church - Nobody.

Really, Nobody was the only good member of the four.

Nobody did the visitation. Nobody worked on the church building. Once they
needed a Bible class teacher. Everybody thought Anybody could do it. Anybody
thought Somebody should do it. Do you know who did it? That's right -
Nobody!

It happened that a fifth neighbor, a non-Christian, moved into the area.
Everybody thought Somebody should try to win him to Christ. Anybody could
have made the effort. As it turns out (surprise!), Nobody converted him!

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