The Chad Vest Family

We bought Tyler his first sippy cup this morning, and, my, but he loves it! I think I put the pictures in backwards this time, but I don't want to start over, so...oh, well. You have upload the pictures opposite of how you want them to be seen. In other words, the first picture I put in will be the last picture seen, but I get so confused every time. This time, I lost it! ;)

Our church is having our Mid-Winter Revival this week, and Bro. Darrell Cox from North Carolina is here preaching. We had the privilege of taking him out to eat last night before the service. He is just about my dad's age, and I really enjoyed just listening to him and Chad talk. All of his children are grown and married now, all serving the Lord, and I just soaked in everything he was saying. He never had one bit of trouble with his children.

He preaches a sermon entitled "Why Proverbs 22:6 Doesn't Work." In case you are unsure, Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." We focus so much on the training, training, training the we forget about Proverbs 23:26, "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." If we first get the hearts of our children, then we can train them, and they will want to please us. Furthermore, that first says, Let me have your heart and then watch me and do what I do.

Back in the 60's the Beatles stole the hearts of America and created the hippie movement in the process. If we can get the hearts of our children, they will want to be just like us. Chad and I have watched several young people completely turn their backs on their parents, church, and God. We always discuss it and ask ourselves why. Of course, each person has their own free will to choose, but I can't help but think that the kids wouldn't desire to turn away if their parents and God and the church had their hearts.

Over the past couple of years, I have lost my own "heart" for being a wife and mother. I haven't been putting much heart into what I'm doing, and I certainly have not been focusing on tying heart strings with my children, something that Michael and Debi Pearl teach. If my husband and children have not had my heart, then something else has. What is it? I'm not really sure at this point, though I do plan on investigating it some more. For now, I am going to be content to give my heart back to my first loves -- God, my hubby, and my children.