Author: Aaron Zook

2nd Essential Quality of Leadership

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{Vision} Training Boys to be Future Leaders, Part 3 What do you see? The second essential leadership characteristic for boys is vision. Vision is looking beyond the current situation to a future goal or end-state. In order to see in this fashion, your boy must move from the concrete world around him to the abstract world of concepts and visualization of the future. Imagination plays a significant role in the development of a new vision. When I was young, my Mom and Dad encouraged me to think, create, and play. Parents have a great impact on a boy’s ability to… Continue reading

What are your goals in life?

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Scripture: “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscious and a sincere faith.” 1 Tim 1:5. What are your goals in life? Paul had definite goals for his ministry of the Gospel to those who became his disciples. Paul’s goals were centered on spiritual things. And Paul did not set his goals up to be unattainable or unreachable to those he ministered. They are goals that every believer can achieve. Love from a pure heart – a heart not motivated by ulterior urgings or fleshly, selfish pleasures A good conscience – one… Continue reading

THE Way

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Scripture: “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6 NASB Have you ever asked anyone for directions? How about using MapQuest or Google Maps? I’ve learned the secret for using Google Maps on my iPhone when I am driving. Plug it in to a charging port or the phone will be dead by the time you get to your destination! Why use Google maps? Because I don’t know the fastest and easiest way to get where I am going. However, with Google maps, I… Continue reading

Safety From a Fall

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Scripture: “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” Ps 37:23, 24 NASB Do you remember when you were young and your mom or dad held your hand when you walked with them? My parents used to do that quite a lot, especially from the time I began to walk until I learned to hear their call and obey. If you grow up in an Amish community, you can see the men walking… Continue reading

1st Essential Quality of Leadership

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{Discipline} Training Boys to be Future Leaders, Part 2 Am I Raising a Boy or a Future Man? Parents often focus on raising boys and not on raising a mature man. However, the end result desired in this process is a man capable of handling the world’s challenges, not a boy unable to cope. To reach this goal, your boy must take on responsibilities that will make him a man. External discipline will help develop internal control. Teach younger boys to put away toys, clean rooms, and help with chores (inside and outside the house). Be creative and make learning… Continue reading

Training Boys to be Future Leaders

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Introduction Who’s In Control? The media controls our minds and our lives. True or false? Unfortunately, for many this is a true statement. But it doesn’t have to be true for you or your children. A leader, a mature man or woman, can take charge of the media and all other factors in their lives. Spiritual Leadership Using J. Oswald Sanders book, Spiritual Leadership, I’ll spend time laying out his time-honored principles and how we can apply them to the raising of our boys in today’s complex environment. Why not girls? Do the principles apply to them as well? Of… Continue reading

It’s in the Bible isn’t it?

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“Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Ps 119:11 NASB Speaking of memorizing scripture, have you put any of God’s Word in your heart permanently? It’s amazing how different having God’s Word stamped on your heart can be than just knowing the verse is somewhere in the Bible. “Well,” you say to yourself, “I know what it says. Sort of. Kinda. Well, you know, it’s in the Bible isn’t it? Why do I need to memorize it?” Often when we are in conversation with others, if we have to refer to our… Continue reading

It’s like mixing together ingredients to bake a cake

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 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” Matt 7:21-22 When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our heart is united with His. It’s like mixing together ingredients to bake a cake. Once you put them all into the bowl, mix them together and then bake them, they are united together and you can’t separate them. You have cake, not water, flour, oil, and other separate ingredients. Once your heart unites with Christ, you can’t separate the… Continue reading

Set Our Eyes on Things Above

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Scripture: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Ps 34:1 NASB Israel had a tradition of memorizing scripture – to them the first five books of the Bible or Torah. Therefore, when a rabbi spoke the first part of a scripture passage, like one of the books of the Bible, it was a reference to the whole passage. Jesus is thought by many scholars to have done this when he quoted the first verse of Psalm 22 from the cross. In today’s passage, the first verse is just the beginning of… Continue reading

The Sacrifice is Great

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“Greater love have no one than this; that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 Jesus spoke about this as a reference to His impending death. Many in our nation lay down their lives for their friends in the foxhole, vehicle or unit they serve with while having also committed to this sacrifice for the nation itself. The sacrifice is great, the ultimate a human being can give. As we honor those who have made that sacrifice for our nation and its principles, let us honor also the King of Kings who gave His life so that… Continue reading