Sound Pulpit | Ministry of Craig Houston

Posts Tagged ‘Daughters’

Strategic Friendships for Our Children

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

Much has been said about the importance of strategic friendships among men and women in the work of the Kingdom of God, to which I would whole heartedly agree. But what about strategic friendships for our children? How should this look? How should this play out?

In this article, I would like to take a different approach and look at the value of strategic friendships in our children’s lives, in a Biblically ordered church setting where peer culture and age segregation are not the norm.

The subject has been on my heart, so last week I sat down with my two oldest daughters, Naomi (17), and Anna (15), on separate occasions for a daddy daughter talk on the subject of friendship. I simply asked… who are your best friends? The answers they gave were both without hesitation, that their mother and one another were their best friends. This was a fact I already knew because it is both verbalized on a regular basis and demonstrated in practice daily.

My desire; however, was to get outside the walls of our home, to the other people that they considered close friends.

What happened next was a deep encouragement to my soul as a father. Both of my daughters lists of closest friends included 5 ladies ranging from as young as age 13 to two women over 50 and a few in between. I thought to myself, how wonderful that they both had godly young women whom they could treat as sisters and older women whom they could treat as mothers (1 Timothy 5:2) and receive the kind of influence that Titus 2 models for us.

I know that to some, what I have just said is weird and they may immediately think that surely my children need more friends their own age. On the contrary, I want to say how marvelous it is to be a part of a church family that allows for both young and old to grow in Christ and community together. A church where it is not abnormal to see a 17 year old praying with or visiting with a 13 year old or a fifty year old. Nor is it freakish to hear a 15 year old list off a woman who has three adult children as one of her dearest friends.

I believe that is the way God intended friendships to be. Older friends that can invest wisdom of years into the life of the younger, who in turn, are often encouraged and invigorated in their own lives because of the friendships that flourish with these younger ladies.

The reality of these kind of strategic friendships is that they are wonderful for both men and women, young and old. These friendships that flourish have also been a blessing to me as a pastor. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life to have other men of God, who are old enough to be my father, befriend me, challenge me, pray for me, and rebuke me on occasion. I also have friends that are young men, new husbands, and new fathers that desire to grow into men of God who lead well.

May God help strategic friendships to flourish in our Biblically ordered homes and churches.

Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 27:17

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Tags: Beauty, Church, Daughters, Family, Friendship

Daughters of Influence

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Daughters of Influence (Palaces)

The Psalmist in 144:12 concludes the picture of glorious womanhood that God has designed for our daughters with the importance of her influence. She is to be a cornerstone, polished after the similitude of a PALACE. The godly woman’s influence has the potential to be far greater then even a household, but over palaces which belong to kings. (now true enough every mans house is his castle but this speaks of more than that).

Think of Ruth whom God redeemed through Boaz, whose name means standing in strength and would later be the name a one of the pillars of Solomon’s temple. Who besides God was a key cornerstone of influence in the life of Boaz whom that pillar in palace was named after? Ruth! Did she only effect her husband, mother in law Naomi, and Obed? I think not for she is listed for generations to see that God placed this beautiful polished cornerstone in the linage of Christ. Now when you think about her background as a Moabite girl from a despised people it is truly glorious to see the wonderful grace of God use someone with whom no one else would use not only to influence a few, but to influence generations of people around the earth including you and I today.

The statement “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” is truly an understatement.

A Strong, Beautiful, Women in the hands of God will not just impact a single home but entire kingdoms of this World. Most importantly they have an amazing opportunity to impact the Kingdom of God.

Influence Kingdoms through helping fulfill the vision of your husband – The heart of her husband safely trust. Prov 31
Influence Kingdoms by raising children who are equipped in mind, body and spirit.
Influence Kingdoms by being a totally committed follower of Christ.
Women of great influence in the BIBLE
Ruth,
Sarah,
Queen Ester,
Prov 31 women who raised King Lemuel
Mary the mother of Jesus

God has Hopeful Expectations for each His daughters to fulfill. It is time to realize and embrace God’s call and plan for your life to be women of Strength, Beauty and Influence. Not for the plans of man, but the plans of your loving heavenly Father.

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Tags: Daughters, Family, Fatherhood, Parenting, Women

Daughters of Beauty!

Wednesday, December 8th, 2010

Daughters of Beauty (Polished)

The illustration of a godly women from my previous post does not end with her strength as a cornerstone, but it also says that she is like a polished cornerstone, which indicates that she is not only strong but BEAUTIFUL! You don’t polish dirt, but you do polish precious stones like rubies and diamonds because when they are polished it helps to bring out there radiance and glory. I think this should be the desire of every mother and father in raising daughters not just to get them ready practically to take care of a household, and to work hard, but that she would be made beautiful with her mind full of truth, her manner filled with grace, and her person well cared for both in her inward and outward adorning. Prov 31, Ruth.

Beauty should not be overlooked because it is “beautiful” and a gift from God. (Please don’t think that I mean merely someones outward attractive beauty) I mean someone who is a beautiful person in every way.

Confident, yet in submission, gracious, yet not a pushover, beautiful in appearance, yet not immodest in either attire or attitude, well educated, yet not high minded, a lover of hospitality but not just for those who are easy to care for in her inner circle, but also stretching forth her hand to the needy who have no means to repay.

May God help us to raise up strong, beautiful, women for the next generation to see the true glory of Christian women faithfully about the work of Christ.

Beautiful in Spirit – Submission to Christ, Father, Husband Eph 5:22-24; 1 Peter 3:5-6
Beautiful in Adornment – Carefully clothing the inside & outside – 1 Tim 2:9; 1 Pet 3:3-5; Ruth 3:3; Prov 31:21-25
Beautiful in her speech – Prov 31:26; Ruth 2:10,13
Beautiful as a women, wife and mother – Prov 31:27-28
Beautiful in Grace – A lover of God – Prov 31:30

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Tags: Beauty, Daughters, Parenting, Women

Hopeful Expectations for our Daughters

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Hopeful Expectations for Our Daughters

Daughter! To a father of five amazing girls, this is one of the most beautiful words in the English language. But truth be known it would be even if I were a father of only sons. (That being said, I am glad that I am not!)

Daughters are foundational to the family as well as to future generations to come and even to our civilization. Without women there would be no next generation, as God has chosen them alone to bring forth children. Not to mention the fact that our daughters and the woman in our life, bring such tremendous richness to our lives that a World without them would be absolutely bleak.

I have great expectations for my daughters as I believe all fathers should, and those expectations should be more than just getting them out of the house. I pray that my daughters will be mighty women in the service of the Lord. Of whom will make an eternal impact for the kingdom of God through their personal contribution, but also through the raising of a generation that raises a generation, that raises a generation, all of which serve the Lord.

When I think of the beauty of a daughter who honors the Lord with her heart, soul, mind, body, and strength, I could not imagine a more beautiful description than that which is found here in Ps 144:12