purnrg

I as well am an Apostolic Christian by faith and culture (Greek Orthodox) and I believe that religion has a positive influence on our lives, though we cannot change anyone’s mind about their beliefs, we can maybe just help them to understand those beliefs and how to apply them to their lives better (lead by example).
Since the religions I have studied (the 3 main monotheistic faiths, Sikhism, Hinduism and B'hai) all have unusually similar belief structures, I will never criticize any belief.
We as men know what responsibilities we have in our lives and we as people know the difference between what is right and wrong, however it is what we as people choose to do rather than what is right to do that can be addressed.
I would prefer to spend my time with my family (great wife and 3 great smart kids), having them experience the things that I enjoy and in turn experiencing the things that they enjoy.
This way we spend quality time together learning, having fun and making memories of and with each other.

That’s my 2 cents worth

It's funny that every time I offer my 2 cents worth someone always gives me change back (lol)


[IMG]local://upfiles/225/9D16EAC6451E41A19EB307972956DBAA.jpg[/IMG]

RLSH700

I'm sorry to hear that deranged. I pray that someday your father will change. Every one deserves to have a complete family.

purnrg, I admit I have not met too many of your beliefs. I look forward to hearing about your beliefs. Where did you take that photo by the way?

purnrg

That Pic is of my youngest Alexander "The Great" as he calls himself, my background is Macedonian but I am 3'rd generation, my grandfather came to the US in 1902 then to Canada in 1906, both he and my father returned and fought in WWII in the Greek resistance against the Germans and during the Greek revolution against the communists.
We are for the most part Apostolic Christians (our priests can marry but not our bishops), similar to Roman Catholic but not quite as literal in biblical interpretation in fact we are sometimes referred to as Eastern Catholics, oh I forgot we also celebrate holidays by the Julian calendar, Christmas is 2 weeks later and Easter, the more important holiday for us (we BBQ a lamb on a spit after our 40 day fast), closer to the Jewish Passover.
The Church of the Holy Sepulture (a Greek Orthodox Church) is built where Christ is supposed to have been entombed.
Even though I am a Christian I am very understanding of others beliefs and if you think about it real hard (I would also suggest that those of you that are interested read the Torah and the Koran) all 3 of the monotheistic religions are very very similar.
The Hindus have an interesting concept of God, they believe in only one God but that he shows himself in different forms (each form relates to specific groups) to different people hence the impression (and it is only an impression) of a plethora of deities.
If you eat in resaurants you have probably met Greeks and Macedonians, it seems most went into the resaturant business.
Hope that helps.

CoolestChallenger873

amen to all of this praise be to God and our lord Jesus Christ!

Jeremiah 29:11

Point Man – Week #2 A bible study on a man leading his family based on the Steve Farrar book.

Last week we talked about how one of the enemy’s goals is to neutralize the males. Many men today
have no idea that their job is to save the boys who will become men someday. This is exactly what
is happening in our culture. By moving the males from their God appointed positions of leadership and family
responsibility Satan is destroying the boys by neutralizing the males.

How many males have fathered children and then never married the female? The male children do not have
male role models to learn from and see an example of a loving husband and father, to have a work ethic, the importance
of sexual discipline and responsibility, the need for education etc. Then as those males grow up, the cycle repeats again.
How sad is that? Then the family unit suffers and so does society. We wonder why we have so many criminals in prison
and crime on the streets. Boys love gangs because they have an inert need to belong and be loved and the gang replaces the family unit
that is missing from their lives.

I have mostly been talking about saving the boys but we also have to save the girls. Our job as fathers, is to provide an example for them, of a man
able to take on the responsibility of life and marriage. If men do not know what to do to lead a family then the subsequent generations suffer.
Children learn from their parents examples of how to raise the next generation. When a man leaves the family, how is a boy supposed to learn what it
is to be a man when there is no example to follow? We are not just to raise our children, but to also enable them to be child raisers themselves.

Satan focuses on luring the man from his wife and tempts him with other women. When he succeeds the family unit breaks down and this becomes
the example of what it means to be a man when the boy grows up. As a result, many children never had a father or had friends with fathers.
For thousands of years, men raised their sons and equipped their sons to function as adult males and function as fathers. As a result, there was family stability.
There was no such thing as a male identity crisis.

So what changed……the Industrial Revolution? Back in the “old days” man spent a huge portion of their time with their sons on the farm working side by side.
Now the man spends less time at home and more time at work providing much less influence on his children.

So, how do we save our boys? Well, by giving them a role model to follow. They will learn to be the father and husbands they are supposed to be, only
if they have an example to follow. In general, girls learn from their mothers and boys learn from their fathers. Mothers tend
to do a better job of teaching daughters than fathers teaching their sons. One thing a man does teach the daughter, however, is the love and care he shows
to his wife and his daughter will see those traits and seek those in the man whom she will marry.

Key goals for saving the boys:

1. knowing and obeying Jesus Christ
2. knowing and displaying godly character
3. knowing and loving your wife
4. knowing and loving your children
5. give of your strengths and abilities to help the lives of others

One thing you have to do is be around and make yourself available as a father. Go to the school plays, watch them play baseball, read books to them, etc.
Be involved in their lives. If dinners are usually a hurried time due to hectic schedules, plan a time to have a family dinner together and see what is going on
in their lives and do it with no television turned on.

What is more important to you, climbing the corporate ladder and sacrificing your children’s time or spending time with your children so they can become
productive people in society and great parents that will be raising your grandchildren someday? We must tell our kids (and wiv

purnrg

I think you hit the point on the head when you said "family dinners"

RLSH700

Very important lesson, Jeremiah. People live by example, not by words. If a young boy watches his father walk out on him and his mother & siblings, this sends a powerful negative message. You can tell children until you are blue in the face what is right and wrong, but if you are not living up to your own words, they will know that the father is all talk.

My family tended to get along better when we had time for "family dinners," which meant in the later years, we seemed to be more distant with each other. However, during the early half of the year, it was close to impossible for my father to have dinner with the rest of us because of his accounting work. He wasn't trying to get ahead, he was trying to keep the company above water (due to some lazy workers who didn't carry their share of the work).

I can't complain about the example that my father set. He taught my brother and I at a very young age about waiting until marriage and staying only with your wife, and it has worked for both of us. He would lecture us anytime there was a friend of ours who's parents where living together, that if either one of us did this, he would be very disappointed in us. He explained how if you do not wait, you will have heartache and an attachment to the first girl for the rest of your life. He explained about the moral implication (which was enough reasoning for me alone), he gave examples in scripture about when people in scripture did not obey this rule and how they suffered from it. He warned of pregancy element, and he warned us that if we got someone pregant, he would not allow us to try to get out of supporting the child. If we made the bed, we were going to lay in it. I'm waiting for the right person to marry first before I go ahead.

I think the thing that makes my father such a strong father figure is the fact that he grew up on a farm. He has a lot of his father in him. My father lived by example, not by word. He gave me the structure on how to be a strong father (I just need to remove the excessive temper part of his structure is all), now I just need to find the right girl.

One thing I have noticed is that in life, it appears that sex can be as addictive for some people as drugs. The saying is "the easiest drink to turn down is the first." I believe that would also apply with sex. If you don't know what you are missing, you don't miss it.

Keep these lessons coming Jeremiah!

Jeremiah 29:11

Guys, thanks for all the kind words and I am glad you are finding these helpful.

I will try to post another this weekend. I am currently on travel right now but I am
checking this website.

RLSH700

God's blessings and protection be with you on your traveling.

deranged

Yes the family dinners are very important. Ours are Wednesdays and Sundays. Both boys are expected to be home these evenings. We all touch base and talk and share.