Are We Raising Children Or Adults?

Wednesday, 10 August 2011 17:07

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

- Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Even though I did not grow up on a full fledge farm, I did live in farm country. My house was surrounded on two sides by corn fields. Spring and Fall were welcomed by the scent of manure being spread on fields. My brother raised a number of animals and livestock, including; but not limited to, chickens, guineas, ducks, geese, and pheasants. My sister owned a horse. I just watched where I stepped!

When my brother was asked what birds he was raising, he never answered, “Chicks.” or “Ducklings.” To be sure, he usually had one or the other or both. However, he wasn’t raising a chick; he was raising a chicken. When you asked the neighboring farmer what he was currently growing in his field, he never answered, “Seedlings.” Or “Saplings.” The crop may have even been seedlings at the time, but he’d say he was raising corn or hay. A chick and a seedling are not the goals. The goal of the farming is a chicken or crop of some sort.

The same is true with parenting. Although people say it all the time, we are NOT raising children. Parents are raising adults! Our mission is to prepare our children for adulthood; so that, when they “leave the nest,” they have become a fully developed man or woman physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. God gave us our kids not so we can keep our children happy. Nor is He ultimately concerned with your child’s achievements in sports, school, or social circles. He has given us children with the expectation that we will teach and guide them toward adulthood.

Since this is our goal, do your parenting decisions line-up with this final product? Are you keeping your son happy or are you teaching him how to find joy even in the midst of trouble? Are you trying to solve all of your daughter’s problems instead of teaching her to rely on God and follow His leading? Do we cultivate a future adult who is patient, loving, confident, God-fearing, and Kingdom focused? I encourage you to evaluate your parenting in order to achieve God’s desired goal in your child.

Why Married Men Should Date!

Tuesday, 15 February 2011 12:27

Men, did you know it is easy to see what your priorities are by what questions we ask when we meet others? When you meet peers in our golden years, we ask “How are the grandkids?” When were parents, we ask each other, “How are the kids?” When we are married without kids, the question is, “How long have you been married?” If you can remember when you were in the dating scene (which for some of us is not a given!), we can remember are friends asking, “Who are you dating?” or “Who is your girlfriend?”

Why do I bring this up? What’s my point? My point is to show why many married couples lose that romantic, attractive “spark” in their marriage. Because somewhere between marriage & kids, we change from being “boyfriends and girlfriends” to “parents.” If not careful, our relationship moves from the intimate to the practical. It moves from “What are you doing this weekend?” to “Where are the diapers?” It is easy to do, but it is a costly mistake. Your relationship as husband and wife suffers, and we lose touch with being attracted & enamored with our beloved.

Husbands, God tells us in Proverbs 15:18-19:

“May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. ¹⁹ A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.”

How can you be intoxicated with her love if we are entangled in our everyday issues? Ask you wife out on a date, and make it a priority. Get dressed up, make it a big deal, buy her a flower for the occasion, and anything else that will take you (and her) back to when you had those butterflies in the stomach. Dating should never end with marriage; it just means you are dating someone exclusively….for the rest of your life.

By Pastor Justin

Bigger Is Sometimes Better!

Thursday, 02 December 2010 10:09

As the renovation projects are coming to a close, it is exciting to see the church move from a construction zone to more of a finished project! Last week, it was the sanctuary media’s turn for a renovation. Upgrades to the sanctuary video & sound include:

Larger projector screen (From a 8' x 6' to a 13.5' x 8')
New & brighter video projector
Video monitor for the stage
Addition of choir & piano microphones

With these improvements, the screen should be easier to see, the worship team & platform speakers can see what is on the screen, and special events & programs will be easier to hear. Again, thank you to everyone who has and/or is contributing to the Building Fund; so that all of these needed renovations can be done. Your sacrifice for the Lord’s house is extremely appreciated!

Carpet and Fixtures and Blinds...Oh My!

Thursday, 12 August 2010 19:15

As renovations continue here at Parkside, the pace of work hit a crescendo the last two weeks. The church building was a bee hive of activity! Plumbers, contractors, flooring workers, carpet layers, sound techs, and more filled the building all week. Here is the work accomplished so far:

- New window blinds throughout the entire building

- New carpet in sanctuary & lobby

- All new bathroom fixtures & plumbing

- Replaced & upgraded lobby furniture

- New bathroom flooring laid

- Sound system & sound room improvements

- Sanctuary, lobby, & bathrooms completely repainted

- New boiler for sanctuary / lobby

- Enlarged the platform in sanctuary

Whew! That’s a lot of work done! However, there is more to come. Thank you to all of you who have been giving to the building fund to help with the $ 100,000 renovation project for the sanctuary & bathrooms. Your generosity is helping these improvements to our facilities to become reality.

Stay tuned for pictures to come! Until then, may God bless your day.

Phase 1

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 09:46

We are blessed to have about 16,000 sq ft of space to utilize in conducting our ministries.
Presently, we are in Phase I of our facilities plan which is renovating our existing building. In Phase II we are going build a multipurpose facility that will provide us with much needed space for our ministries. Phase I includes the following:

Upgraded lights
Extended stage
Fresh paint
New carpeting
Sound upgrades
Media upgrades
Remodeled bathrooms
New ceiling tiles
New landscaping
New heating

Detailed plans are forthcoming for Phase II. If you would like to make a donation to the building fund you can make your check payable to Parkside Bible Church, 491 Eastern Blvd., Watertown, NY. 13601. Write building fund in the memo of your check.