Family Driven Faith
As most of you know I’ve been taking a little (long) break from the craziness of online life to figure out the best way to focus and proceed. It’s been very hard mostly because I’ve missed being connected to the gals I’ve built friendships with online - some really good friendships. I’ve been able to stay somewhat connected but it’s very different. I know it’s good - just hard.
One of the things I’ve been doing while reflecting is reading this book:
Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God
I remember telling my friend Nik as I started pulling away - “I’ve to stop ignoring my kids so much.” I’m still not there but I picked up this book to really get my focus back there again - to my family. Not to the screen, not to making more passive income, not to building up my team in direct sales even more, but my family.
It’s funny that while I’ve been doing this, the Lord has seen fit to mix things up a bit in our life. Each week during this break of mine, I’ve had these expectations, written and unwritten, of how things were going to go. The girls and I planned out their summer school schedule which looked really good, etc and we were ready to jump in on Monday with gusto. Sunday night one of my friends calls and tells me that she’s been in the hospital for 4 days and would my girls be able to come and be mommy’s helper for a day or two while she tries to get her life back in order with debilitating headaches that won’t go away. Of course I won’t say no to a sister in need like that and the girls served her well - and I’m glad. But our plans went down the tubes that week.
This week hubs got the tomato salmonella poisoning (we think) that was running rampant through the country so everything changed here as well. So far my plans for change are still on paper and not in action but that’s ok. G-d is good and HE knows what I need to be doing moment by moment, not me. The nice thing is that I was “free” from the dependence and schedule that I had imposed on myself with my online stuff and could be available for these emergencies without feeling like I was missing appointments there. I can smile about it now but, again, it’s been hard.
Ok, back to the book I was reading. Can I just tell you - if you are a Christian parent you MUST MUST MUST read this book. I’ve always been impressed with Voddie Baucham since I first heard his hard hitting sermon that he gave at the Uniting Church and Family Conference that hubs attended a few years ago. The man doesn’t hold back but he shares with such love and tenderness at the same time even though he’s hard hitting, you know you’re loved through it. He also comes from an “I’ve been there” perspective. This is not a man who had it all together - he felt the heavy hand of G-d on him as his children started growing up and he and his wife made some very hard decisions to change the way they “did” family.
The book isn’t long - it’s VERY easy to read as Mr. Baucham’s style is very conversational and fun even though it’s serious stuff. One of my favorite lines in the book is in the section where he’s talking about the priority of the husband/wife relationship and how you present that to your kids, as well as marital purity. He says, “I’d rather have a sandwich with Brigette (his wife) than sex with another woman.” Throughout the book he honors and cherishes his wife and shares how her actions toward him show that she loves and respects him completely as well. It’s inspiring.
Get the book - Get the book - GET THE BOOK. Here’s a little intro from the author himself:
CLICK HERE to buy the book on Amazon.
6. June 2008 at 8:09 am :
Annette,
Thank you for this post. I too have been convicted to pull back some and give time to family. I think that my own selfishness in not seeing or admitting to what was going on in our home is a part fo the reason why my oldest son is now staying with my mom in Oklahoma until we get there. No, it was not all my fault (it was a whole family issue), and, no I am not to place so much effort into being mom that I neglect to be LaTara. However, I realized that not only was I really neglecting me but my family as well. I was not going to bed on time, I was in my cyber office for far too long through out the day and I was ignoring my boys, even if I did acknowledge them and take them out of the house once or twice during the week.
Yeah for AJ is was easy to get out to the home because he was 15 then but Brehane is only 4 and so he needs more of me because he can’t do all those things alone.
So I have taken steps to make Vegan Family Living more blog rather than site focused and I am putting a hold on the podcast until we move to Oklahoma. I am no rushing to complete report after report or another information product. I am focusing more on posting and using affiliate links. I am not taking on 10 clients per week for my writing business. I am only taking about 3 to 5 per week and it depends on what the want done. Some may have to wait a week or two or I can refer them elsewhere.
I am going to bed between 10 and 11 each night with 10 being my goal bed time. I am making sure to thank my husband not always with words but in action as well. I take Brehane out of the house everyday and call AJ twice a day.
If you notice the key word here is “I”. I must take the steps necessary to encourage change in my life and that of my family. So I am.
I will be getting this book, and reviewing it on my mom blog.
6. June 2008 at 8:59 am :
Great post, Annette, and great comment, LaTara! I’m curious to read the book myself because I feel like we’re all spread out, going our own separate ways and doing our own things. Which is nice sometimes it’s almost like we have to learn how to be together again, without the attitudes and impatience that is so common.
Finding that balance is really tough, much tougher than I ever expected. I finally have found work that I love doing and yet I’m so distracted by it. I guess that’s just part of the journey.
9. June 2008 at 9:12 pm :
Good for you, Annette. I backed away from being online and my business about 3-4 months ago and haven’t looked back. It has been so freeing and wonderful and the kids are better for it.
11. June 2008 at 10:11 pm :
LOVE THIS POST. All I have been through this last year, I too had to realize what was best for my family. I was spending way too much time on the computer and trying to dig myself deeper online, when I really wasn’t that passionate about what I was doing. So I pulled away from online world and yahoo IM.
I couldn’t be more happier where I am at in my life right now.
15. June 2008 at 10:04 pm :
Awesome post Annette. It’s kind of funny how when we set all these schedules and have everything all planned out things happen and there goes our plans. But you are right, God knows what we need minute by minute. Your post reminded me that I really need to start connecting more with Caleb. Thanks for sharing this Annette!
17. July 2008 at 7:13 pm :
Wow! I’m in tears here and am going to get this book right now! Thank you so much Annette and others for your posts and helping to push me back towards where I need to be and where God wants me to be! ((HUGS)) to you all!
17. July 2008 at 7:45 pm :
[...] my friends is why God lead me to this post where Annette talks about the book Family Driven Faith: Doing What it Takes to Raise Sons & [...]