17 February 2009

What a pleasure it was last weekend to have the opportunity to hear the Botkin family speak. And in addition to that getting to meet many, many like-minded families. It was truly a joy!

These are some of my notes, most likely reworded as I was jotting them down as quickly as I could while still trying to hear what they were saying next.

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The home is a place of stimulation and delight . . . and a greenhouse for budding Christian leaders.

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The family is a crucial part of God’s creation. How can we expect to succeed and get along well with others if we cannot get along with our siblings.

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If we get annoyed or upset with someone, we are in the wrong. We must get the log out of our own eye before we remove the speck from our brother’s (Matthew 7:4-5).

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Work builds the workers together. In the same way working together as a family builds the family together.

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As adult children, we need to:

• Grow up
• Be responsible
• Take initiative
• Seek God individually
• Put ourselves behind the family vision and contribute as thinking adults
• Communicate openly and honestly (it is very important)

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Earth is our battlefield. A soldier is eager to serve in the greatest capacity he can. We must be eager to serve the Lord in the greatest capacity.

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There are only two services in life: serving self and serving God. Who are you serving?

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Make the most of every minute, take every thought captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

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The most loving thing we can do to an unbeliever is share the Gospel with him.

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The Bible does not say you “should,” but you “must.” A command demands precisely what is to be done. God has given us commands and we must do them.

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Be willing to lower your name and bring up your parents’ honor (i.e. don’t say “Well, my parents won’t let me . . .”). Don’t blame, slander, share, or reveal your parents’ sin. Instead of thinking, “What can my parents do for me?” think, “What can I do to serve them?”

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Learn the interests of your parents, understand why they are interested, and develop those same interests. This applies to sibling’s interests as well – become interested in what they are interested in, show them you care.

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An attitude of disrespect can easily rub off — do not spend time with friends who are disrespectful and dishonoring to their parents and authority. Choose your friends wisely.

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Our honoring of our parents and elders is linked to honoring God. If we cannot honor our parents, how can we honor God?

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Our parents were selected by God before the beginning of time. To dishonor them is to suggest that God made a mistake.

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Anna Sofia and Elizabeth talking with other young ladies after their session on Dominion Oriented Femininity.

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The Pilgrim women cared more for those who they would never meet (the future generations) then they cared for their own comfort. May we do the same.

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We are living in a generation where women have lost and forgotten what femininity means. The next generation will be looking to us to see what femininity is. What will they see?

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We need to invest in the family that God has blessed us with. When we are investing in the family that we have now, we are practicing what we will one day be doing with our own family.

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A dominion woman embraces a hard life and loves it.

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Be selfless, not selfish. We need to think of how we can help and serve our father or husband. Look for ways to help and encourage.

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The state of the nation is determined by the state of the home.

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The first priority is to train and raise our children. The housework comes second.

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Those are just a few of my notes. While typing these out and re-reading them I noticed that they would all be great post topics! I just might end up writing about a few of them. I hope you enjoyed reading over the notes.

The Botkins are hoping to have a few conferences across the county, so you might get the opportunity to go to one. I was greatly encouraged and challenged by the conference, it has changed our lives!

Categories: Conferences, Encouragement, Family, Inspirations, The Home