• Never encourage junior high or high school young people to date.
• Siblings should not be used by parents as chaperons for boy/girl friendships of another sibling.
• Adult men should always wear dignified ties - no need to be juvenile.
• Dad needs to be the one who teaches his son(s) how to be a man.
• If a boy does not have a saved/godly father, men at church need to be encouraged to mentor him.
• Mothers need to dress their boys from the eyes of a man.

• Pay off your credit cards each month.
• Never travel during church services.
• As a general rule, never move further away from the church; instead, move closer.
• Families should strive to always have dinner together.
• Parents: know how to distinguish between childish and rebellious acts, and teach your children the difference.
• Never allow your children to sit behind you in church. (Hint: you don't do that by sitting in the back yourself. Duh!)
• Never lower your standards while on vacation - dress standards, questionable places to go, etc. (That's assuming you have Biblical standards to begin with.)

The Spirit filled life is not a destination it is a journey. We aren't commanded to "sit" in the Spirit, but to "walk in the Spirit."

• It is not necessary to be loud or obnoxious to take a stand. No one noticed the three Hebrew children until everyone else was bowing down.

• Other people can stop you temporarily. Only sin and self can stop you permanently.

• Parents who think they need to sit toward the back of the auditorium when their children are small, should move closer when their children are at the later elementary age.
• Parents should never sit in the back of the auditorium with their teenagers.
• Parents should never let their teenagers sit any further back than their parents do.
• As a general rule, members should sit no further back than half way or 2/3 back (depending on the size of the auditorium and size of the membership). Leave room for visitors and late-comers. - By the way, members should not be habitually late to the services.
• The closer you are to the front, the better you will pay attention to the services - less distractions. People tend to put more into their worship and therefore get more out of it.

• The child of God is forbidden to be yoked with anyone in any endeavor who is not yoked to Christ. II Corinthians 6:14

• Every person in the home should be accountable for their whereabouts.

A husband should not meander home an hour late from work. It is rude and disrespectful to his family. A wife should not be wandering all over the place shopping and coming home an hour late. This kind of behavior breeds mistrust. Children should also be taught to be responsible. They should not be allowed to come and go at all hours of the day or night. When school is dismissed, children should go home immediately, unless they are involved in after school events like sports.

• A team sport generally helps a young person more than an individual sport.

Team sports enrich a young person. For instance, a young person on a basketball, or baseball team learns teamwork with others. He learns how to practice, play, win, and lose together with his fellow teammates.

• I do not advise a young man to get married before the age of 21.

• Always go to church while you are away on vacation. This includes Sunday school and Wednesday evening.

• A young person should not date a person without the consent of godly parents and their pastor.

• A young person should not date while in high school; at least wait until college age.

• Never take a job that requires you to have lunch or dinner, or to travel alone with someone of the opposite gender.

• A woman should never take a job that requires her to travel.

• Never move simply for financial gain.

• Never go into business with a person who is not a Christian.

Introduction to "COUNSEL"

There is much to be said about the subject of counsel. The word counsel means "advice." In the Old Testament, we find that the Hebrew definition of counsel is the word guidance. When we say we need counsel, we are saying that we need advice or guidance in our lives.

There is a difference between the word counsel and the word counseling. Counsel is rarely sought and often very quick. It is not an ongoing process, whereas counseling is ongoing.

 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established - Proverbs 15:22  This verse speaks about purposes without counsel.  Our purpose can be defined as our plan, vision, desire, or direction for our lives.

 The content of this blog is meant as counsel that is based on principles that I have learned from studying the Word of God down through the years. I will share thoughts and ideas on a number of topics that I have taught and preached over the past 18 years.  Some of the posts will be one to two sentences in length, while others may contain extra thoughts and/or short lists.

 I hope these nuggets of counsel will be a blessing to whomever reads them.

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