Which of the following are similar to the ways you've served Christ in your family? [check all that apply]
• Taught your kids to see God's glory in nature
• Washed the dishes without being asked
• Played a board game with your kids
• Encouraged your wife to finish her master's degree
• Attended a child's open house at school
• Worked fewer hours to be with your family
• Set an example of a godly prayer life for your children
• Held a crying child
• Swung on the tire swing with your daughter
• Told your wife why you're still in love with her
• Told your son he's got what it takes
• Coached soccer
• Let you child correct you now and then
• Fixed the vacuum cleaner
• Taught your sons to ride a bike
• Listened patiently to a complaint of your wife
• Taped your child's artwork to your office wall
• Admitted to your kids that you were wrong
• Told your children how Christ entered your life
• Cleaned up vomit
• Taught your children to love books
• Been romantic without expecting sex
• Told your daughter she's smart/beautiful
• Set standards for your kids and stuck to them
• Dealt graciously with a busybody neighbor
• Peeled carrots
• Watched movies together
Downsize? Theme of the Week: March to a Different Drummer Friday, December 13, 2002
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November/December 200256Downsize?Theme of the Week: March to a Different Drummer Downsize? Theme of the Week: March to a Different Drummer Friday, December 13
Key Bible Verse: If your wealth increases, don't make it the center of your life (Psalm 62:10). Bonus Reading:Matthew 6:31–33
In a coffee shop on New Year's Day, we were talking about our plans for the year, like vacation and how to pay for the children's education. Out of the blue Jo said, "Would you be open to selling our house and buying something smaller?"
I asked why she wanted to move from our three-story dream home with a view of the Colorado front range. She said that climbing up and down the stairs hurt her knees. But more importantly, "We've talked about someday, when the children are grown, being free to work in other countries as God provides opportunity. Now the tax laws allow us to sell our house, buy a cheaper house, and if we put all the equity into the new house, there's no capital gains tax. We can get a significantly lower mortgage, and if we accelerate payments, we can be completely debt-free in a few years. Then we'll be flexible to go wherever, and do whatever, God wants us to."
Jo's thinking was brilliant! I felt this was the Holy Spirit guiding us. A year later, we moved into a smaller ranch-style home that saves wear and tear on Jo's knees. It doesn't have the view I so loved, yet we're content—evidence that God is guiding us.
—Al Janssen in The Marriage Masterpiece
My Response: How open am I to guidance about my lifestyle level?
Thought to Apply: I will place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of Christ. —David Livingstone (Scottish missionary, 19th century)
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