I spend a great deal of my time flying around the country. I speak at churches and conventions and symposiums all across our great nation. I address issues that affect families and parents and the level of risk that our kids face—risks that you and I didn’t even know could, let alone would, exist. There are some simple conclusions that I’ve come to in the last few years. Let’s take a look at one of these…

The Quest for Perfect

Many times husbands and wives cringe when their spouse asks them to go and look at furniture, or ‘new homes,’ or worst of all: designer wallpaper. The reason is that men and women are bombarded with programs and literature and magazine ads that push and tug at visual improvements. I’m not saying this is a ‘bad’ thing in and of itself. What I’m saying is that in this culture in contemporary America, this whole thing seems to be over-the-top.

The push for perfectionism is everywhere. The tug and nudge to spend and improve and update seems non-stop. The desire to meet the standard of ‘best’ or ‘better’ swarms around every single family. As a long-standing pastor of this community, I see the impact and effect of this kind of focus.

Let me state my intent here as clearly as I possibly can: Much of the time we don’t need the things we buy. Your home is fine. Your present car—as long as it is running and capable of getting you and your team from Point A to Point B is fine and useful. What is not useful is purging yourself of what you have and constantly looking to replace and update and improve.

I have a friend who is a contractor. He frequently finds himself in the uncomfortable position of playing marriage counselor. He said that sometimes the words and the language and the ill-feelings of whether or not to ‘redo the downstairs bathroom’ can be brutal.

Think: is your life going to be all that much ‘better’ if you change out your downstairs carpet and replace it with a brand new laminate floor?

The Most Important Things

The Bigger Picture is that your family needs spiritual guidance. Your family needs spiritual mooring. Your family needs the comfort, care, instruction and wise counsel of local people who will walk with you through good times and not-so-good times.

Stated simply: you and your family need a spiritual home. Do yourself a favor, ping me. Let’s Get Coffee! I’d love to get to know you. I’d love to find out who you are and swap life stories. I’d love to introduce you to some of our community’s best and brightest people. I’d love to share insights from God’s Word and the accumulated wisdoms of the Scripture.

One thing is a given: there’s a time coming when you’re going to need such a community. Calvary Chapel Living Hope is your place where contentment radiates forth. Let’s find time to connect and get to know one another this week. In fact, I’m teaching this Sunday. Come and join me.

 

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Ed Miller coaches the Hamilton As baseball team that went on to the USABL World Series Championship. He also attends Calvary Chapel Living Hope. Here’s what Ed says:

I love being part of a larger family at Calvary Chapel Living Hope. We worship, serve, learn and have fun together. There are many challenging issues in the world today. This is a place where we can wrestle and struggle together as we seek to live out Christian principles in every-day life.

Here’s what one of the dads of a player says:
Little does he know the importance of having such a fine man and mentor as his baseball coach. It’s truly amazing how in life special people come into our lives! This man gives of himself many hours teaching boys the game of baseball, which is really a byproduct of what he’s actually teaching them about is life itself. He’s a man of God, leading by example and we couldn’t be more blessed!

Thank you Ed Miller for representing Christ on and off the field!

We have a lot to be proud of in our community and our heritage is rich. Let me just tell you one piece of our history. Mercer County is named after Hugh Mercer, a General in the Continental Army. General Mercer was stabbed during a battle for Princeton. He refused to abandon his troops. General Mercer leaned against and propped himself up with a giant oak of Mercer County as crutch and support chair.

The Mercer Oak became the emblem of courage and determination and the very symbol emblazoned upon the seal of Mercer County. Mercer County’s history can be traced to one man who refused to abandon those in peril.Watch movie online The Transporter Refueled (2015)

A different kind of danger to our community now concerns me. Families are under tremendous pressure today. The work needed to protect a marriage and raise a family is immense with pitfalls at every turn. I have committed my life to strengthening families, identifying and nurturing the necessary ingredients that will make a family strong.

Some people mistakenly believe that if they can help the individuals in the family be successful, then they’ll have a successful family. Dad and Mom might be doing well in their businesses, kids may excel at music and sports, grades might be good, and finances managed. But if the family as a unit isn’t nurtured, then those successful people tend to drift apart. Relationships become tense and closeness becomes illusive. In fact, many people believe that to be normal and expected.

I’m convinced that a family can grow closer and be successful today. Blended families, single parent families, and adoptive and foster families all need the same ingredients to contribute to their success. At Calvary Chapel Living Hope we are committed to strengthening families.Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download

The family is the backbone of a community and it’s what makes our community great! I encourage you to stop by on a Sunday morning and check us out. We meet at the Pond Road Middle School at 10:00 am. Or, if you’d like, shoot me an email and let’s talk seroquel dosage.

Let’s Get Coffee!

Scott

3 Ways to Cope With the PRESSURE of Family Busyness

Families are under tremendous pressure today. Setting up and running a family is a HUGE endeavor. Once we get the kids enrolled in their activities, then we must outfit them, transport them, pay for it all, and attend their events. Not that those things are bad. We love our kids, but when you add those things on top of keeping food on the table and clothes in the drawers, or at least clean, and paying bill, then it all adds up to significant pressure. Some are able to handle it better than others, but we all would benefit from these three solutions as we plan, organize, and execute family life.

1) Plan Time to Rest and Enjoy Relationships.

If you don’t plan rest, it won’t happen. The Correll family did it this way. Dad and Mom with their 14, 10, and 8 year old decided they would block out Saturday evenings for rest and two evenings a week to eat together. They put those priorities on the calendar first. And, when it’s time to rest, it’s not just about everyone going to their own rooms or getting on the electronic media independently. It’s about spending time together and sharing life stories. It’s not always easy, but the Corrells report that their family is growing closer together instead of experiencing the fragmentation that pressure often produces.

2) Keep Long Term Goals in Mind But Enjoy the Moment

The urgency of the moment often causes us to miss the important things we want for our family. Our goal for our kids can’t be to make them happy. They need to develop character, responsibility and maturity if they are going to be successful in life. Those parents who indulge their children or deprive them of the privilege of working hard are often sorry in the end because their kids become soft and unable to face the challenges the real world provides. Those who are successful with family life are able to enjoy the everyday experiences while keeping the long-term goal of character building in mind.

3) Don’t Let Other People’s Expectations Cause You To Overcommit, Including Your Kids

There is a line that you cross where busyness exceeds your family’s ability to manage it. When you cross that line then relationships become tense, distance grows between the members, and family satisfaction takes a dive. Be strong enough to stand up to the Jones’ mentality that says all kids need to be in a particular program. Set aside your fears that if you don’t enroll your child in this event or activity, then they’ll be scarred for life. Sometimes it’s best to say to kids who have an insatiable desire for activity, “In order for you to add that to your life, you need to be doing well contributing at home, working at school, and treating family members well. Then we can talk about adding something else to your plate.

Of course one of the main ways to keep this balance is to have the support of a community. I’m the pastor of Calvary Chapel Living Hope. Let me remind you on this day, that there is a village nearby, just outside of your circle of knowledge that will support you and help you strengthen your family.

Calvary Chapel Living Hope suggests you center your life and home upon faith because faith works!

Let’s Get Coffee! Ping me. Let’s find a time and a place to sit, chat and get to know one-another. My life is centered in service to men and women and their families. I teach around the United States every week about strengthening families. I understand your struggles and believe that your goals are within your reach. Family life doesn’t have to be as hard as some allow it to be. Oh yes, it’s hard, but my mission it to make it a bit easier.

 

There seems to be a lot of bad news reported today in the media. Terrorism, violence, natural and not-so-natural disasters seem to happen continually. Even the weather report is often negative.Watch movie online The Transporter Refueled (2015)

When the news starts to breed anxiety and fear instead of courage and hope, then maybe it’s time to change the channel. I’m not suggesting that we bury our heads in the sand. It’s important to stay informed, but it’s also important to consider where we get our news feed.

It reminds me of a story in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers. Twelve spies were sent into the Promised Land to check it out before the Israelites would enter go to my site. 10 of the spies (We’ll call them Channel 10) reported about the giants in the land and predicted doom and gloom. Unfortunately, the people chose to listen to this news source and fear and anxiety was the result.

The other two spies saw the same things, but their report was different. “With God’s help we will win!” They too saw the giants but their perspective on the facts was vastly different because they included God in the equation.Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download

Our world is challenging today, but I believe in a God who helps us become victors instead of victims. He gives us hope instead of despair. Faith replaces fear. I too am a news reporter. And I want to regularly communicate the living hope that God provides for us.

If you’re finding that the news is getting you down, why don’t you check out 150 Pond Road on Sunday mornings. I’m Scott Turansky and I’m preaching this weekend! As always, I’ll be sharing a message of Living Hope!