Yesterday I had the fun opportunity to share a bit about my Dad during our Father’s Day service at church! On Thursday, my pastor sent me an email, so I agreed to share and then started writing down my notes, but I could NOT for the life of me get it all to flow! So, I did what any panicked little girl would do, and I called my Daddy for help.

I have briefly shared this before, but just as a little background, I’m the second of 10 kids. (That’s us at my little brother’s wedding last month.) My parents have been married for 37 years, and my Dad was a pastor most of those years. He is currently the President of an International Adoption Agency that my parents started over 20 years ago, and he loves teaching Sunday School classes (he’s phenomenal!) and is currently leading close to 100 people through the Bible in 90 Days. He’s often been asked to speak on all kinds of topics of interest to him, and one of those fun and interesting topics is how he raised so many kids without messing them up! (Well, that’s my take, anyway!)

My wonderful parents!

My little “talk” yesterday was a major hit at church, and several people have asked for copies of Bob’s Laws, so I asked my Dad if I could post them here, and he agreed!

I’m just going to copy and paste, so here ya go!

When Pastor Guy asked us to share some practical examples of how our Dad’s brought us up in the training and instruction of the Lord, I admit that I panicked a little. How do I sum up all that my dad taught me in only 2 minutes?

Well, after agonizing about it for a couple of days, I finally just called my dad and asked him for his notes on a talk that he gave about parenting a few years back. I’m going to briefly share a few of the main points with you.

He titled his talk:

Laws in the The Kingdom of Bob

 

Bob’s Law #1 – We will eat dinner together.

• I had no idea that many families didn’t eat together until I was in Jr. High! The dinner table is where we shared thoughts and feelings, learned how to chew with our mouths closed and our napkins on our laps and learned how to use correct grammar!

Bob’s Law #2 –You will respect my wife and my sons and daughters.

He says:

• She may be your mother, but she’s my wife and you will treat her like the queen she is.
• They may be your siblings, but they are my kids, princes and princesses of King Bob.

Bob’s Law #3 – The consequences for misbehavior will be swift and decisive.

• There will be no counting to 3, but rather, we will employ Shock and Awe
• Sometimes he would even give us a lickin’ – where he would literally lick us all over our faces.

Bob’s Law #4 – You will go to college.

• Which meant that we had to have the grades to be able to get into college.
• And, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t afford to go.

Bob’s Law #5 – There will be no dating until age 16.

• We weren’t allowed to call boys.

Bob’s Law #6 – You will marry someone better than me.

• My dad LOVES the man I chose!

Bob’s Law #7 – There are no secrets in my house.

• Doors stayed open, music was monitored, there were no phones or televisions in the bedrooms, and the computer was always in plain sight.

Bob’s Law #8 – No son or daughter of mine will be allowed to leave the house wearing clothes that advertise that the are “looking for business” or that they are “open for business.”

Bob’s Law #9 – We will always tell the truth. I will never ask you to lie for me, and I will never lie for you.

Bob’s Law #10 – In the Kingdom of Bob we will honor God and I will make every effort to provide all the spiritual training necessary to raise you with values that bring honor to my Lord and King. You will be raised with a can-do spirit with the expectation that you will be a World Changer.

Mitch and I want to raise World Changers, so I loved his conclusion:

He says: “My simple advice to parents who want to raise world changers is to be deadly serious about leading your families toward God’s standard of success.

Moms, Dads, you are older, wiser – you have more experience than your kids. You are the kings of your homes. They are not! You are raising future kings and queens, leaders in the church and in society. But they won’t be all they can be without your strong leadership, attention, love and respect. Rise to the challenge, moms and dads. Be the families God created you to be. Lead your families.

You are the kings of your kingdom. Rule it in a way that will bring glory and honor to your King, The Lord Jesus Christ.”

I know, I know. I have a cool Dad, and an awesome family that I am very proud of.

Thank you, Dad, for all that you have done to mold me into the person I am today!! I love you very much!

Be Sociable, Share!

•