OCTOBER 2014 Letter LIVING WELL

Because of YOUR support and encouragement, we can continue to go to trainings for strengthening marriages and building marriage and family ministries in churches. We just got back from the D6 Conference (name comes from Deuteronomy 6).

While there, we received a booklet 11 Ways to Give Your Kids a Heart for the Nations. We were intrigued by the ideas. Then, we began to realize that if the parents don’t have a heart for the nations, it is unlikely that their children will either.

Do YOU have a heart for the nations? 

Do YOU want a heart for the nations?

Frankly, we did not when we were young parents. And some people have already quit reading this letter because of the topic. Having a heart for the nations begins by having a heart for YOUR nation and YOUR neighbor. That is where the LORD started with us.

What can YOU do right now to respond to God’s call for the nations? 

YOU can educate a child in Africa. When you do that, your involvement becomes very personal. 

YOU can teach your children/grandchildren about another culture - where they live (geography), what their conditions are (gratitude for what we have), what they eat, how they play, and about their religions. YOU can teach them to pray specifically for needs there, not just globally “for all the starving children in Africa.”

Right now we have a great need to add another teacher at the school. We raise 100% of the funds to operate the school. The school needs to add one more grade; the school needs a teacher who has training with older kids. WE NEED YOUR HELP!

To learn more about educating a child at WISDOM Community School, please go to the school website. For $25/month or $300/year, YOU can educate one child. For $225/month or $2700/year, YOU can sponsor one teacher.

Thank YOU for YOUR continued support! We love and appreciate YOU and YOUR support of what God is doing!
Our love in Christ,

Donna and Ed Edwards

P.S. Please pray for our dinner and the needs of WCS.

The water that I will give him will

 become in him a well of water

springing up to eternal life.

John 4:14b

Living Well is a life source, not a life style.

THE CENTER

Have you noticed that when a child is born, they become the center of attention?

Besides the fact that we love them, they can’t do anything on their own. A baby becomes the center of the life of the family.

We want to make sure that we feed him for nourishment so he will thrive. We bathe, change the diaper, and wash clothes to keep her clean. We put him in bed, hoping he will sleep. When they cry, we attend to their needs.

A baby naturally thinks he is the center of his universe. He is…for a time.

What happened?

Many people in the Baby Boomer generation had parents consumed with making a living, providing a nice home, cars, etc. for their families. After all, those parents grew up during the depression and the War.

So, Baby Boomers vowed to pay more attention to their kids. Those children are now adults having their own children.

Guess what? They are no longer the center of their universe. They are trying to do it all for their children. 

How does a person cope?

How long do we make our children the center of all that we do?

We are about to make some people mad, but here goes.

Many good, Christian parents are working hard at making sure that their children are happy and successful in life. In the process, that child’s extra-curricular activities and interests take precedent over everything that happens in the family.

• The family throws their time, money, and energy into the kids’ music, sports, etc. 
• Sitting down to eat as a family is not a priority.
• Sports tournaments take precedent over church. 
• Getting the kids to all of their activities becomes the top item on their agenda, regardless of the needs of the rest of the family.
• The marriage takes backseat. 
• The child’s spiritual training is left for the professionals and volunteers at church.

When the kids are grown, where is the marriage?

What will the child believe is the most important - 

• his own wants and desires
• others’ needs
• worshiping the Lord?

Is there a problem ….

None of us want to raise a self-centered child. A child is born self-centered. In the early years, we reinforce that idea to take care of the infant. To move away from being self-centered requires deliberate teaching and training.

We want to teach them to be other-centered and, most of all, God-centered.

Self-centered people see themselves as the center of the universe and judge everything as it relates to them. “Everything that happens (or doesn’t happen) in my world is about me.”

Some warning signs that your home may be child-centered:

• Your child complains that she is bored. “You are in charge of keeping me entertained.”
• Neglecting your needs, household work, or job to entertain, cater to, or indulge your child in his desires.
• Neglecting time with your spouse to be with your children.
• Cooking/meals revolve around children's likes/dislikes.
• Sacrificing your sleep or intimacy with your spouse for your child to sleep when/where he wants.
• Your child is angry when she doesn’t get her way. She dictates what the family eats, TV/movies they watch, or activities they do/don’t do.
• Your child is a demanding when others take care of him.
• Your child doesn’t take responsibility for his attitude or actions. It’s always someone else’s fault.
• You intercede in situations when your child is upset, uncomfortable, or gets her feelings hurt.
• You give in to a child's demands for a phone, other electronic devices, video games, car, etc. even when you know that it's not the best for them, you can't afford it, or that they aren't responsible enough to take care of it.

*We are talking about average American kids; we are not talking about abnormal situations involving physical/emotional disabilities or neglectful/abusive situations.

Coming soon: The God Way and Where to Start