Josh Whitehead » Kiddos

The 1/3’s with my kiddos

Josh — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:00:04 +0000

Last Friday morning I was having breakfast with my almost 3-year old daughter, Madison. I began to think about the time that we spend together and what that time looks like. First of all, when we’re together I want to have fun. We laugh and play a lot. But the time with my kiddos is split into 1/3’s that looks like this:

1/3 of the time is spent showing them I love them.
1/3 of the time is spent training them to be like Christ.
1.3 of the time is spent praying and begging God that they will honor Him with their lives.

These thirds just become the natural part of our time and days together. It’s not something that I spend hours planning for – it’s just what happens. And, most of the time I find myself praying and begging God in the quiet moments that I look at them in the rear view mirror or as they look into my eyes.

How do you spend the time that you have with your kiddos?

Princess Fridays

Josh — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:59:13 +0000

This past Friday morning, Madison, my soon-to-be 3-yr old, and I went on our weekly MiMi’s breakfast date. We call it Princess Fridays because we spend our time playing her favorite Disney Princess game (yes, I did just link to the Disney Princess web page) and talking about the ways that a Prince should treat a Princess. Sometimes we even bring along the Prince and Princess figures.

Why do this? Isn’t she only 3? In our home, we believe that building the foundation for our kids future began 10 months before they entered the world. We want them to understand who God is, His plan and purpose for their lives, and how they can best serve Him. One huge part of that will be who you marry. So, we talk about how the Prince treats the Princess to lay the foundation for the future.

If you are not discipling your kids and teaching them about the wisdom they will need for the future now, get busy! Kim’s mom tells us that you only have your kids for 3 periods of 5 years, so use that time wisely. One of ours will be 5 in April. We’re a third of the way there!

How do you disciple your kiddos?

More Snow Fun

Josh — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:31:44 +0000

We went back out this afternoon for more fun. After playing in the backyard, we went over to the drainage area in the neighborhood. That’s real sledding. Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Snow Fun

Josh — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:37:55 +0000

Honestly, I had the most fun playing in the snow today than ever in my life. As the kids have gotten older, things have gotten more and more fun. Enjoy these pics – we received about 3-4 inches at our house. It canceled church all weekend!

It’s not the church I knew

Josh — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:43:57 +0000

This weekend I thought a lot about the church that my kids are growing up a part of. It’s a lot different than the church that I grew up in.

Zoar Baptist Church

So, here are some of the things that hit me today that my kiddos will never know as a part of the church that I knew:

They will never hear an offertory song (lucky dogs)
They will never attend church training, youth choir or Sunday night church
They will likely never attend a business meeting, much less a monthly one
They will never vote on a budget
They will never attend “dinner on the grounds”
They will never hear about “the” deacons meeting (we do not have deacons or their meetings)
They will never tithe with a check
They will never sing from a Hymnal
They will never wonder why the pastors sit in special chairs on the stage
They will never know a time without multiple worship services
They will never see a choir robe
They will think that Saturday night is a “normal” church service time

My kiddos attend a church that I always dreamed of but never thought I would be a part of. I’m not knocking any church – some are just very different than the church my kids attend.

What are the differences that you remember about church you grew up in and the church you attend today?

Christmas Cookies

Josh — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:50:22 +0000

Kim took some great pictures of the kiddos making Christmas cookies today. Had to share them with you!

Hide-and-Seek

Josh — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:43 +0000

Last night we played an awesome game of Hide-and-Seek. When you are playing with a 4 & 2 year old, it get’s really interesting. As everyone knows, the goal of the game is not to be found. However, when you play with my kids, they want to be found. They hide in the same place every time and when you ask, “Where are you?, ” they say, “Right here!” It’s adorable!

As we were playing it hit me: the first game of Hide-and-Seek was played in Genesis chapter 3. Things were going great in the Garden of Eden until Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree that God had forbidden. Then, the game of Hide-and-Seek began. Look at what the Bible says:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9 (NIV)

I’m not sure about you, but at times I play the same game with God. For some reason, I actually believe that God cannot see me (or at least I hope He can’t). But, what’s amazing is that God desires for me to play Hide-and-Seek like my kiddos. Instead of running away, He wants me to jump up and say, “Here I am!”

Something may have happened that has caused you to attempt to hide from God. Try a new version of the game – jump up and shout in your heart, “Here I am!” He’ll come to you and restore your relationship with Him.

I wonder if…

Josh — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:24 +0000

We’ve been in an incredible series at church called Home Invasion and it has provoked me to think about a lot of things. Confession: I don’t always do a great job at just stopping and being thankful. So, here’s what I’ve been thinking.

I wonder if…I will ever understand fully on this earth what Christ did for me and serve Him as effectively as possible with my life. The more I learn, the less I feel that I “get” it. It’s amazing.
I wonder if…I will ever value and appreciate my family like I should. I have an amazing wife (Kim) and two adorable kids (Hayden & Madison). So often I blow it with my words and reactions, but they still love me!
I wonder if…I will ever understand fully how blessed I am to have the parents that I have. They have supported me in every endeavor in life (and financed most of them).
I wonder if…I will ever fully comprehend the awesome privilege it is to serve on staff at Faith Promise and why God allowed me to be a part of something so special.
I wonder if…

I. wonder. if. The list could go on and on, but I just needed to stop and say, “I am so grateful for the life that God has given me.” I wonder if I will ever even fully comprehend those words and what God has done for me.

What are you wondering about?

Life’s firsts

Josh — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:00:14 +0000

Life is full of firsts. Before we can even remember, we take our first steps. Then, we learn to ride our first bicycle without training wheels. We read our first book. We play our first sports.

When you become a parent, you relive all of the “firsts” with your kiddos. You see them roll over. They take their first steps. They are finally potty-trained. And, it seems that after no time at all, they are in school. And so it is with our four year old, Hayden. He started Pre-K this year and is having an absolute blast. In August, we experienced our first day of school with him and this past Wednesday we experienced our first teacher-parent conference.

It was awesome. We went to his room and sat in those tiny preschool chairs as we listened to Mrs. Stephanie talk about our little pride and joy. She told us about him, showed us the progress he is making, and even told us some funny stories about Hayden. It was a blast!

In our family, we love “firsts.” We’ll never forget our first trip to Disney with Hayden, followed by our first trip with Hayden and Madison. We always talk about our “firsts.”

What’s your favorite “firsts” memory?

The Kiddos: Trick or Treat

Josh — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:39:57 +0000

Even though yesterday was so busy with Sacred Storm: Home Invasion, I had a chance to sneak home and Trick or Treat with the kiddos. Some highlights:

Madison called herself, “Palace in Wonderland” instead of Alice.
Hayden decided to forsake his new policeman costume for his astronaut one.
Rain – we actually went to the neighbors only and it was very laid back – we liked it!

Kim took these great pictures:

I was able to capture these videos – I hate talking in videos.

Click here to view the embedded video.