Building Faith Families With Steve Demme

When I watched the movie ‘Frozen’ I couldn’t tell you what was the central message, but I liked the song. I find myself singing it frequently, to myself day to day events. Instead of commenting on the actions of others, I am learning to “Let it go, let it go”(you supply the tune!)According to Proverbs 17:9 “Whoever covers an offense seeks love,” and in 1 Corinthians 13, we learn that love “keeps no record of being wronged.” God help us, in the spirit of love, to learn when to simply “Let it go”.

This episode was not released as it should have been following Podcast 74 on Personalities. I apologize for the snafu and hope the topics we discuss here will help in understanding more about the importance of understanding the way we are wired and how birth order can be another resources to building each other up in the Lord.

One of the most important and least discussed attributes, is the attitude of honor that emanates from the heart. We are to honor the Lord, our parents, widows, the elderly, pastors, and the emperor, but how do we do it? What is honor, how do we embody it. How do we pass this attitude on to our children? What does it look like? Join us as we explore more about this important set of heart and mind.

On September 20, 1976 I began reading the scripture every day with the goal of reading through the bible in a calendar year. This has been the best investment of my time and the most productive discipline I have engaged in as a Christian. In this episode I discuss the benefits of reading “every word that comes form the mouth of God” and doing so “daily”.

One of the reasons I first began talking about understanding each other came from the information we learned about personalities. I had the opportunity to learn about how we are wired and it was a wonderful resource for understanding my wife and children. We all took the tests and studied the strengths and weaknesses of our particular bent. This knowledge helped us understand each other.In recent years I have been learning about the difference between introverts and extroverts. This new information has been wonderfully enlightening. But anything we learn that helps us understand each other is a plus. For while we are all created in the image of God, we are all unique.

When I consider speech that does not crush the spirit of the listener, I think of Jesus who is described in Matthew 12:20, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench.” One of the main ways to build each other up is to create a safe place where each party is able to speak and be heard without fear of being crushed or quenched.In this episode we are discussing godly communication as an essential part of understanding each other and building each other up.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,”In this episode we will seek to learn from Jesus. How was Jesus loved by God? How was He helped to deny Himself and die? What examples has did He give us while He ministered to His disciples? How was He helped to use His authority for serving and building up the brethren?

The heart is the real man. It is the essence of a person. Although we often hide our inward man, when all is stripped away, it is who we are. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23Life changes occur when our heart is turned to God and to our families. “He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers.” Malachi 4:6When is this critical mass achieved? When does permanent life-altering change begin to occur in the heart of a father? When do Dads stop wishing they were different and begin wanting to have their hearts turned to God and then to their family?

In this episode, Steve and Scott discuss the dynamics of being at a convention, from the talks that are given to the interaction with the kindred spirits who attend.

David had a heart after God’s heart which is why God chose him to be king of Israel. But when Samuel anointed him, the Spirit came upon him in a new way. The Spirit helped him worship, play the lyre, and fight God’s fights.

David loved God’s word. He loved the truth. There is a strong connection between loving God and loving His word. Jesus is the word, made flesh. May God help us to be lovers of the words of our good God.

David was a man after God’s own heart. In this episode we explore what it means to love God with all our heart and have God search our hearts and turn them to himself.

David was not only a warrior, protecting his sheep from lions and bears, and the nation of Israel from Philistines and giants, he was also a worshiper. Where did he develop his skill with the lyre? When did he have time to write the hymns, aka psalms that we love today? Was he really alone in the desolate pastures of Israel, or was he deepening his relationship with his God?