Manup Moment - Jay Cookingham

I believe the goodness of God has everything to do with relationships. Since He values them so highly.

Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton said this about aptience “Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength” - Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton As a father, I sure need this strength, so I’m sharing 4 patience hacks today that help me tap into that strength!

I thought I share seven of my marriage proverbs and although they may sound humorous, I wrote them in King James verbiage to make them sound more important…If you follow these, I guarantee at least a strange look from your wife!

Father God is looking for men who sacrifice, who give of themselves, disciplined men who are willing to follow the example of Jesus in the way He lived and loved. You and I are called to be the husbands our wives need and the fathers our children need.

The Holiday season is here and the temptation is to become extremely busy and spend way over our budgets. Yet the one thing we need to budget wisely is the currency of time. Investing in our families is the best way to spend the holidays.

A lot of years were spent yearning for "full-time" ministry opportunities outside of where I worked, not seeing clearly that it was staring me in the face all the time

When did good storytelling become the deciding criteria for discerning questionable material/media/publications? When did we lose sight of this of this truth in Philippians 4:8?

It seems to me that Jesus wasn’t much of a “hang around” type of guy. His call to “follow me” is not meant for hesitate individuals or the “let me sleep on it” crowd. Jesus is going somewhere and He calls us to go with Him…now.

I believe with all my heart that we need passion on this journey with Christ but it must be channeled through the character He imparts into us.

We're all going through stuff, some more difficult than others, and there are days when our stuff seems to be winning over us. Can I encourage you (us) that the Father knows, the Father cares and the Father loves us through all this stuff. His son Jesus has overcome the world...can He not help us overcome the world of stuff that we face?

Good Dads provide so much more than food, shelter, etc (all important) Look at the word closely...PRO-VISION...we show our kids a vision that is pro-them...for them! This is what God imparts through us and I'm so glad He does!

Recently my daughter Becky and I went to fetch the health food known as Dunkin Donuts. Becky is my youngest (11) and although we share many wonderful qualities, acting crazy in public places is not one of them.

I know the battle is hard and many are trying to hold it all together, do the right thing and be obedient to our Lord. Please remember who you are today…you are His son! And you have been redeemed by the greatest heart the universe has ever known.

A man’s voice is so much more than the words that come from his mouth. What we speak about… who we speak about and how we speak, create ripples in life around us. We impart with our voice, we invest with our voice, we define with our voice, and we construct…or destruct….all with the power of our voice.

My eyes are weird, one eye is near-sighted and the other is far-sighted which does create some focus problems for me… but with the right prescription… things become clearer. It’s the same when it comes to being a man after God’s heart… we need focus

It brings God great joy to bring to us into His family. God’s adoption of us is a rescue of every creative part of our mind, body and soul.

I think maturity is nothing more than realizing the need to be free as the Father defines freedom.

In Acts 4:13 we read about a WOW moment… Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13

I have to admit to not seeing one episode of the HBO series Game of Thrones and I plead ignorant to the value of its viewing gratification. Although I have no desire to watch it, I find the title intriguing. Except…it’s no game.

I am a failure… but, before you rush to my defense, hear me out. There were times I choked under pressure and bailed big time when situations were tough. There were too many days when my heart vacated when it was needed most and just because my mind was filled with selfish thoughts, I chickened out.