It Takes A Village To Raise A Child, Part 2of2, Evans Olang

1Chronicles 22:1-5, vs. 5,”Now David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.”

David having learnt that his son Solomon was the one to build a house for the Lord, and also knowing he may not to live long enough to see his son grow up and become all that God wanted him to be, he prepared these 4 crucial areas for the benefit of his son. 1. Physical preparation, 2. Spiritual preparation, 3. Surrounded him with skillful workers, 4. Surrounded him with good spiritual leaders.

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child, Part 1of2, Evans Olang

1Chronicles 22:1-5, vs. 5,”Now David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.” So David made abundant preparations before his death”

I spoke to three young guys I met in a train while going and coming back from NYC a couple of weeks ago. I felt compelled to witness to them but first thing was to find a starting point (ice breaker). Their talk about schools became my entry point to start a conversation with them. I asked them what they thought of shooting in schools and high rate of suicides among young people plaguing our society. I asked them what they believed was the cause and how to fix the broken system. After sharing with them what I will share I believe is partly the problem, they agreed with me.

Investing In Your Children, Evans Olang

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it”

This is one of those scriptures I struggled to understand having observed what happens in homes including ours. One thing that bothered me was seeing children from even Christian homes go astray, walk away from God and go their way. They were raised going to church, in the word, parents prayed for them and this is what they turned out to become?

Teaching Our Young People To Trust In Who Provides, Evans Olang

2Kings 6:6-7,  “6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it”

River Jordan though dirty is a learning ground for faith. The Jordan is where John the Baptist bore record of Jesus as the Son of God and Lamb of God. In biblical history, the Jordan appears as the scene of several miracles, this was where the Israelites crossed dry land under Joshua (Joshua 3:15-17). Later the two tribes and the half tribe that settled east of the Jordan built a large altar on its banks as “a witness” between them and the other tribes (Joshua 22:10, 22:26). The Jordan was crossed by Elijah and Elisha on dry ground (2Kings 2:8, 2:14). Elisha performed two other miracles at the Jordan: he healed Naaman by having him bathe in its waters, and he made the ax head of one of the “children of the prophets” float, by throwing a piece of wood into the water (2Kings 5:14; 6:6).

What Defines How You Deal With Situations? Evans Olang

Proverbs 23:7, “As he thinks in his heart so is he…”

Nothing begins to tailors our lives life like how we think of ourselves. You will agree with me that how you perceive yourself has a way of affecting your life. I would say that what we think of about ourselves in Christ matters a lot. If you continue to see yourself defeated, sooner or later you begin develop those symptoms. What comes out your mouth is a reflection of what you have inside. Speaking defeat indicates you are harboring defeat inside. This boils down to, whose report will you believe? Either you are going to be like Joshua and Caleb who brought good report or the other 10 spies the bible does not even waste time giving us their names who brought a different report, report of defeat.

Commend All To God, Part 1of2, Evans Olang

1 Samuel 2:17-18, “17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. 18 BUT Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, …”

I believe parents have one of the most difficult challenges in raising children. The moment a child is born, the Christian parents raise their children the best they know how in light of God’s word. Still they do not know how their children will turn out to be as they grow older. I think parenting is exciting at the same time very scary. In as much as parents hope and pray that their children turn out right, there is a wonder and fear inside. I am not a parent yet but I am beginning to think and wonder, how will my children turn out to be when God blesses us with them? No one encounters with the end results, only the process.

Commend All To God, Part 2of2, Evans Olang

1Samuel 2:17, “Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.18 BUT Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, …”

It is interesting to note that the scripture takes time to address the behavior of Eli’s sons in bits then changes to addresses the young life of Samuel, then again Eli’s sons before it comes back to Samuel.

Honoring Parent(s), God’s Command, Evans Olang

Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you”.

I find it fascinating how God outlined the 10 commandments, He started with commandments in relation to Him, then right after that, He gives one that relates to parent(s) and then the rest that relates to others. Right where it’s placed gives me an indication how vital it is right after Him first. On top of the commandment that relates to parent(s), He adds an element of a promise and a threat (will explain the threat part). Take a close look at the 5th commandment in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you”.

From The Lips Of Children And Infants, Pastor Phil Sessa

Matthew 21:14-16, “14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,” `From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’ “, “…Because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2)

Sometime back on a Father’s Day, I had the wonderful opportunity to see both of my dads. Since I’ve blessed by a beautiful wife, I have gained another father as well, and he has gained a son.