Convention Post 3: Ludy's When God Writes Your Love Story

All the information I note is available in their books.  I have been using the Ludy materials for years with my kids and I can honestly say, they are some of the best. I will list (at the end of the post) the ones I have personally read and own.  I must say, they are doing a great job with our youth!  They are causing them to really think about what they are doing (not just in the dating arena, but what they are doing-or not-for God).  Now after so many years, I have had the pleasure of hearing them speak, and am convinced that the Lord has one powerful call on their lives!

Session: When God Writes Your Love Story
Ludy's Website 

Eric spoke about how we, as Christians, [usually] will pitch our tent just past the line of demarcation [barely past the desert line] over on the Promised Land side-to then simply set up camp, and call it quits He stressed we should not quit, or settle just past that Promise Land entry.  Due to the expanse being so great, we shortchange ourselves by being content with stopping there.  Keep moving inside of it, toward the other side to see what God brings.  Great concept actually. This would make for a great convo with your teens for sure.

He also pointed out that we should never measure ourselves with everyone around us (worldly view on things) but rather compare and measure ourselves to Christ (to go deeper into our faith and walk with him).

Now I must say, if you have never heard Eric speak-well, he has the gift of preachering (new word there) like those old timers who would set up a tent and fire up the town with their message.  He is the "Love Brother Love Traveling Show" [Neil Diamond song there, in case you are wondering] kinda preacher!  Seriously!  He has that kind of anointing on him and it suits his personality well.  He definitely is passionate about what he lectures on and teaches, and it is a nice, refreshing change.  Then his lovely wife, Leslie is much more subdued and gentle.  It is nice to hear them both speak during the session so you can get a change up in presentation, as well as a male and female point of view.

Leslie got into the 4 points that allow God to write your love story (and again-all of this is noted in their book with the same title).  Ok, here is where it gets a bit muddled...they spoke so fast to cover the points, that I am not entirely sure which is which and if I have em right exactly.  Suffice it to say, I am slightly guessing but it sounds right (if my ole brain can recollect right).

Point 1:  Give God your pen.  IF you try to write your love story-it will come out a mess and can lead to well-nothing good.  (my words not hers) [Eric popped back into the chat with this ditty]...When God comes knocking we only let him in the front hall and a few rooms.  We need to allow him in all of our rooms, even the locked ones-so that He can lead our lives-not the other way around.  He noted that most of us cannot trust God because we cannot see His heart but by doing so-He can get into all the areas of our heart to make them ready.

Point 2:  Build your life around Jesus Christ.  I think that goes without saying.

Point 3:  Live in an Act of Faithfulness.  Be single in your mindset-that yes you are taken but not with a dude or chick-but with Christ himself. Live as you should-with a pure heart and mind.  Not to be a "somebody" or attract attention of the opposite sex.  I will save my opinion and preachering on this for another post someday (I am totally agreeing with them on this, in case you are wondering-and have brought our kiddos up to follow this point).

Point 4:  Draft a Winning Team.  Use your mom and dad to help you along in your story.  Have a good relationship with them. See their assistance not as a pain but rather as a blessing-esp. since mom and dad may have some inside info/feelings that you the prospective bride/groom doesn't.   You know you are in a Godly story when your relationship pulls you closer to God/Jesus Christ instead of farther away.  Use your mentors and such too-but (I don't recall if they said this exactly but it is a good way to live) always check your spirit (not your heart b/cuz it can be deceived) against the Word. This is one that you will have to work on (mom and dad) to help build that bridge of trust and respect.  Being overly involved to the other spectrum of taking a vacation to the moon, in regard to your child's life/love story, will not work-find the middle ground.  Pray for clarity and wisdom.

Also-they touched on the fact that -we (mom and dad) need to be praying not only for our children, but our children's future spouses!  How awesome is that!?  God is so amazing and wants nothing but the very best for our kiddos-including our children's spouses!  :)

Ludy Books we use/have read and recommend:

When God Writes Your Love Story
When Dreams Come True
When God Writes Your Life Story
When Dreams Come True
Authentic Beauty
Set Apart Femininity
God's Gift to Women
Teaching True Love to a Sex at 13 Generation (this one is for the folks more than teens)
Bravehearted Gospel (new-still reading)
Wrestling Prayer (new-still reading)

Convention Post 3: Generations Past, Present and Future by James Muffett

**Please keep in mind that I am going by my notes and may not have it all 100% correct as stated, altho I am pretty sure I have the gist of it correctly.  You will need to decide if what is penned here agrees to your family's beliefs or not.

This session focused on how we need to be aware of future generations as we are focusing on every day life.  How our actions will directly change (for the better or worse) the lives of our children, their children and their children (and so on).

Mr. Muffett is the founder and president of the Student Statesmanship Institute, which is a wonderful program meant to teach our children all about government, how bills become a law and so forth. How it is vital that they become, and stay involved to help make changes in our laws, for the betterment of our state and country.  My two oldest did the summer program a few years back and truly learned a lot (not to mention they had fun and made a lot of new friends).  If you are in Michigan or one of the surrounding states, this is a worth while program to look into.


As the session progressed, Mr. Muffett stressed how God requires us to be story tellers, to teach our children about Him and his Word and our very history [lest we fall away..sounds like today's world doesn't it?] by using Deuteronomy 32:7 as confirmation of this-

 Remember the days of old; 

   consider the generations long past. 

Ask your father and he will tell you, 

   your elders, and they will explain to you.

But what kind of legacy are we leaving our children?  Are we teaching them the foundational basis of our country's beginning-based on God not man?  We should be raising a generation that is not afraid to shine and be the light of the world.  We have forgotten to look at our past with gratitude [well not all of it is worthy of that but most is-was until corruption set in and God became a passing fancy].  The genealogical, spiritual and cultural heritages we have been given all have molded and set precedence to where we (our country) are today.  

The most thought provoking moment was when he highlighted Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's* statement....

"To destroy a people you must first sever them from their roots."

Which is exactly what the undercurrent is in our country right now-the removal of God in our laws and the very fiber of our nation as we once knew it to be.  

All is not lost though, if we forge through the wilderness and teach our children the truth of our past (that many have attempted, and unfotunately succeeded at removing from our children's history lessons, or as Mr. Muffett noted-"huge chunks" of it) by using primary source documents as resources and other books which acknowledge the Truth.

Suggested texts:   

  

The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall

The Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan

America's Providential History 

by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell

*I do not believe Mr. Muffett agrees with or would care to promote much of what this man had to say about things. He simply found this statement to be most appropriate for his lecture.  Now, I know not of this Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn except what I quickly scanned off of Wikipedia. I can say from what I did read about him, I honestly don't agree with much of what he touted.  But I do agree-as Mr. Sozhenitsyn correctly reconfirmed, (after studying and researching why Russia had so many great disasters and hearing the old timers explanation for this) that "Men have forgotten God, that is why all this has happened." [resource:  Wikipedia.com] 

I wonder too, if that is why America has seen such a downward trend in all that is good and right.  I suspect it to be so.  You simply cannot remove the Lord from the very essence of a country without disastrous results.  

Obviously, this session gave my daughter and I some food for thought!  I hope these bullet points also cause you to research this some more as it certainly worthy of pursuing.  If you ever have the opportunity to hear Mr. Muffett speak-do so, as you will learn a lot!

I suggest the following

 history programs that do teach the truth:

Beautiful Feet Books Early American, US and World History Guides,  All American History I and II from Bright Ideas Press . I haven't used Sonlight [younger grades-we have the 20th Century World one that does touch on some AM. history, but it's been a while since I have gone thru it and I am not so sure how well it highlights the beginning of our nation as following God first...] or My Father's World histories for American studies, but am sure they follow suit and do teach it as HIStory.  If you have used those and can comment regarding them-please do so.  If I missed some, also leave a comment so others can find those curriculum programs that do stress GOD as our foundation.  Thanks.