Today at 1pm EST in the Abundant Life Blueprint we will continue the discussion on Building Healthy Families. 

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Today's topic is parenting. Here is some of what we will be discussing... 

When God builds he likes to build with stones rather than bricks. What is the difference? Bricks are made by man and they are all the same. Stones are made by God and they are all unique. The Bible says we are all like living stones(not bricks) being built into a spiritual house. 

The world wants to put pressure on your kids to conform into bricks. Our job as parents is to help them become the stone God made them to be. Teaching kids to handle pressure is one of the most important skills. 

Kids need a combination of challenge and consistent praise. Praise them through the challenges. 

If they are going to walk with God he is going to challenge them and push them out of their comfort zone and they must be prepared for this, while at the same time speak...

Today and tomorrow in the Abundant Life Blueprint at 1Pm EST there will be live training on Building Healthy Families. Today we will be discussing marriage.

Click Here to Join the Abundant Life Blueprint and join live + have access to the replays. 

Here is some of what we will be discussing...

• Your family knows how to push your buttons. 
• The goal of marriage: Two people who are continually looking to be a blessing to their partner and make them great. And build a life that is better than either could do on their own. 
• Love vs Cherish - Love puts up with your spouse while cherish seeks to keep them from pain and give them the desires of their heart. One of the ways you can do this is by spending a few minutes visualizing your spouses day looking for areas to be a blessing. 
• Connection is more important that communication. In all communication you can either be trying to connect or get away. 
• Spouses often have different opinions and perspectives but this is good because it help
...

Today is the feast of Purim. In the Jewish culture it is celebrated with fasting during the daylight hours today follow by feasting in the evening. This is to symbolize how quickly God can turn the tables and take us from fasting to feasting. 

Purim is the day when the tables were turned. In the Abundant Life Blueprint each area of life has what we call a Table Turner. The table turner is the number one thing to focus on, because it puts you in control and can turn around bad situations quickly. 

Here are some of the Table Turners...

Jesus is the most important table turner

Taking regular communion is a table turner

Grace and forgiveness are table turners.

The imagination is the table turner for your mind and emotions

Rhythm is the table turner for your energy.

Getting in agreement with your spouse is a table turner for your finances.

Submitting to authority is a table turner for order

Resting( especially mentally) a the table turner for your time

Scribing the Bible is a tab...

Tomorrow evening the feast of Purim starts. Purim is a reminder that Jesus is your table turner. 

Purim comes from the book of Esther and is the story of a quick turnaround. There was a law written that was going to destroy the Jewish people and in those days once a law was written it could not be undone. Queen Esther asks the king to write a new law that overrides the first law. This new law turned the tables and put the Jewish people in control. 

This event is symbolic of Jesus. He turned the tables by bringing in the New Covenant which overrides the Old. In the Old Testament to be right with God you had to keep a standard that none of us could keep. In the New Testament we can be right with God by simply believing in Jesus. 

In the Jewish culture tomorrow is a fast during the daylight hours followed by a feast in the evening. This symbolizes the quick turnaround from fasting to feasting. 

Take some time to meditate over the next few days on a couple of concepts....

1. Because of
...

In the quantum world of science there is a duality that matter can either be a particle or it can be a wave. It can take either form, but it is determined by the observer. If the observer is looking for a particle then it will be a particle. If the observer is looking for a wave they will see a wave. 

It all depends on what you are looking for. I think much of life is the same way. In your interactions with people if you are looking for the good then you will see the good. If you are focused on the bad then that is what you will see. 

It is hard to see both at the same time. Something I have found is that if you focus on the light(God) darkness fades away. Many bad habits and things that you have been trying for years to stop will effortlessly fade out of your life when you simply focus only on the light. 

What's New

Next week in the Abundant Life Blueprint there will be live training on Building Healthy Families, and the idea of focusing on what your spouse and children are doing ...

Every new month is like a fresh start and I like to work on developing new habits. 

One way I like to do this is by thinking about 2 areas....

• Biggest weakness
• Biggest strength

For your biggest weakness, what is the one area that is holding you back the most? It could be spiritual life, mindset, emotions, health, relationships, money, time, work, an addiction, etc? It's time to fix the leak. Begin to seek God on this area. 

The problem is you may not know what your biggest weakness is but Romans 8:26 says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We may not know what to pray for but the Spirit intercedes for us. If you will seek he will show you. 

Biggest strengths

What strengths do you have that if developed you could be world class at? What is your God given super power and what habit could you develop to help you practice more?

Once you know the strengths and weaknesses do the following...

1. Pray and ask for help developing that area
2. Take the first step and get started
...

Lately I have been pondering 1 John 1:7. It says " If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sins."

Recently I have been going for walks with God and he has been bringing to life scriptures about walking. When you go for walks with God, who is light, it seems to lead to better fellowship with people. It has increased my prayers for others and my feeling of connection with others. 

Another way of thinking about walking in the light is walking in total transparency with nothing hidden. As you do this it also increases your fellowship and connection with others. 

The other thing about this verse is walking in the light purifies us. Galatians says that if we will walk in the spirit then we will not satisfy the desires of the flesh. 

The key takeaways for today...

Go for consistent walks with God. ( Set an appointment time)

It will lead to better fellowship and relationships. And it will purify you wh...

Last month I had a goal to go for walks every day with God. Every night before bed I would evaluate my progress. But, a few weeks into the month there were a lot of zero's for walks with God. So I made an adjustment and set a consistent time every day to walk with him. 

Amos 3:3 says do two walk together unless they have made an appointment. 

Try setting an appointment time where you meet with God regularly. This is your most important meeting of the day. 

However, do not be surprised when life tries to make you miss your appointment. 

 What's New

Next week in the Abundant Life Blueprint there will be live training on Building Healthy Families.

Yearly Cycle Update

Purim is Monday March 9/10. It is a reminder that Jesus is the table turner and of how quickly God can turn bad situations around. 

Life is full of paradoxes and the truth is usually found in the balance of two opposites.

Anytime you are asking whether you should do one thing or another thing you are asking the wrong question and it will throw you out of balance. A better question is " how do these two things work together."

Here are some practical examples...

Should you eat plant based or animal protein... both

Should you do cardio or lift weights... both

Should you be strict or flexible... both

Should you be a specialist or generalist.. both

Should you focus on the little details or big picture... both

Should you go fast or slow... both

Should you be all in or take a gentle approach... both

Start thinking more and/both rather than either/or 

The feast of Purim starts the evening of March 9th this year and goes through the evening of March 10th. Purim comes from the book of Esther. There was a law written that was going to wipe out the Jewish people. In those days once a law was written it could not be undone. Queen Esther petitioned the king and asked him to write a new law that would override the previous law. The Bible tells us that the new law turned the tables and gave the Jewish people the right to attack anyone who was attacking them. 

Purim is the table turner day. The table turner is the one thing that puts you in control in life. When Jesus went into the temple he actually turned over the tables. Jesus is the table turner. The Old Covenant used to be in place. And it was eye for eye and tooth for tooth. If you did well you were blessed, but if you did bad you were cursed. Jesus turned the tables by bringing in the New Covenant. It does not do away with the old but overrides it. Jesus even said he did not come to ...