<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">	<channel>
		<atom:link href="http://d6family.com/rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<title>D6 Family</title>
		<link>http://d6family.com</link>
		<description>The official site of D6 Family.</description>
		<language>en-us</language>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2013 14:14:21 -0500</pubDate>

		<lastBuildDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 09:43:35 -0500</lastBuildDate>
		<generator>D6 Family</generator>
		<managingEditor>info@anthologycreative.com (info)</managingEditor>
		<webMaster>info@anthologycreative.com (info)</webMaster>
						<item>
			<title>Limited Church: Unlimited Kingdom Book Review</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/limited-church-unlimited-kingdom-book-review</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Amanda Tollberg)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[    
Limited Church: Unlimited Kingdom&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;Uniting church and family in the great commission
&amp;nbsp;By Rob Rienow
Review by: Heidi M. Hensley
As I sat down, tea in hand, I was prepared to read and absorb, or so I thought. I will honestly say after reading, once isn&apos;t enough. I plan to do it again! The amount of information in this book is amazing. In review, the design of this book is well done. It puts a significant amount of thought provoking information in a bite&#45;sized section, and then pauses for reflective questions. I appreciate this, so many times an author will twist and turn through a verbal journey and when you arrive, there is no sense of how you got there. The book flows nicely and builds on itself from one section to the next, while constantly referring to Scripture.
Content! &amp;nbsp;Rienow begins with what most would consider to be obvious information, the Bible is sufficient. Then moves to challenge with the reflective question &quot;To what degree does your church use the Bible as a sufficient guide for making ministry and programming decisions? How often is the Bible referred to when making ministry strategy decisions?&quot; Not only does the beginning of the book speak to general ministry, I personally believe every young adults pastor needs a copy on hand.&amp;nbsp;
Rienow suggests that the biblical doctrine of jurisdiction has been largely lost in today&apos;s church. &amp;nbsp;Dr. Rienow consistently reminds us that God has given us the information in the Bible to carry out His mission, everything from what He wants done, how He wants it done, and who He wants to do it. Rienow does well in laying out the four foundational realms of authority, areas of jurisdiction in society&amp;mdash;the individual, the family, the local church, and the government. &amp;nbsp;He focuses on the local church and the family while covering each area based upon the sufficiency of Scripture and repeating the framework God has given each one according to His Word. Those committed to loving God and others advances God&amp;rsquo;s mission through a godly marriage, godly children, a godly local church. &amp;nbsp;
Limited Church: Unlimited Kingdom&amp;nbsp;is definitely a tool to be used by family ministry leaders, children&apos;s ministry leaders, and young adult leaders as well. The first read through is great, but I plan on digesting it with my team in a section by section format.&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
Heidi Hensley serves as the Director of Children and Family Ministries at Quail Lakes Baptist Church in Stockton, CA.&amp;nbsp; She has been in ministry for seventeen years and enjoys spending time with her husband Jason, and sons L.J. and Jonah.&amp;nbsp; Heidi attended the D6 Conference in 2012 as a guest blogger.&amp;nbsp; You can check out her blog and ministry tips here; http://www.heidimhensley.com/
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;

&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2013 09:43:35 -0500</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/limited-church-unlimited-kingdom-book-review</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>A Mother’s Love; A Vision for Biblical Motherhood</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/a-mother-s-love-a-vision-for-biblical-motherhood</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Amy Rienow)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[    
Many years ago I made a promise to God that if He ever wanted me to share with others the things He was teaching me, I would do it, even if it was embarrassing. I do not have it all together, but God has graciously been using His Word to teach me and guide me toward becoming the woman, wife, and mother He created me to be.
&amp;nbsp;
What Biblical Motherhood Is Not&amp;nbsp;
Before we talk about what biblical motherhood is, we need to get rid of a few myths. First, biblical motherhood is not perfect motherhood. God is not looking for Super Mom. I am not the &amp;ldquo;I&#45;have&#45;the&#45;perfect house&#45;and&#45;beautiful children mom.&amp;rdquo; Nor will we discuss my personal favorite, the &amp;ldquo;I&#45;am&#45;the&#45;mother&#45;of&#45;five&#45;but&#45;still have&#45;the&#45;figure&#45;of&#45;a seventeen&#45;year&#45;old&#45;and&#45;still&#45;work&#45;out&#45;six&#45;days&#45;a&#45;week mom.&amp;ldquo; It is easy to laugh at these caricatures, but as mothers they reflect the pressures we often feel. We feel as if we have to be perfect and take responsibility for everything that is not perfect around us. Slowly we begin to believe the lie that we should be able to raise perfect kids. I can remember a time when the kids and I were visiting at my mom&amp;rsquo;s house. One of the kids was misbehaving, and I was becoming increasingly frustrated. I had been too frequently addressing the same behavioral problem. The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, 
&amp;ldquo;Amy, do you know any perfect people?&amp;rdquo; 
&amp;ldquo;No, Lord.&amp;rdquo; 
&amp;ldquo;Amy, are you perfect?&amp;rdquo; 
&amp;ldquo;Absolutely not!&amp;rdquo; 
&amp;ldquo;Is Rob perfect?&amp;rdquo; 
&amp;ldquo;Again, no.&amp;rdquo;
&amp;ldquo;Then why do you expect to raise perfect kids?&amp;rdquo; 
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; It was true. There was a part of me that really did expect them to be perfect. Why was I surprised that my children, who are naturally sinful, continued to sin? I would never have verbalized such an irrational thought, but much of my parenting was driven by this hidden expectation. I envisioned that I could train selfishness out of my children, even as I struggled with selfishness myself. The Lord needed to show me that my children will grow into imperfect adults. He has called me to guide them, love them, and walk with them as we grow together toward the image of Christ.
&amp;nbsp;
Ordering Our Loves&amp;nbsp;
So if biblical motherhood is not perfect motherhood, then what is it? A biblical mother is a woman who has rightly ordered her loves. The first love of a biblical mother is her love for God.&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;
Our Love of God&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Although this may seem backward, I want to point out a portion of Scripture that shows us the opposite of biblical motherhood. It is found in 2 Kings 17:27&amp;ndash;33. In this passage, God shows what happens when we mix faith in God with idols of our own making. The people mentioned here became so deceived, that in order to show their devotion to idols of stone, they sacrificed their own children in the fire. Because their love was not for the Lord alone, their children suffered.&amp;nbsp; I first read this passage after Rob and I had a big argument. I do not remember what the argument was about, but he was not responding the way I wanted. He went upstairs and I stayed downstairs to sulk. However, after bringing my emotions and anger to the Lord, He led me to this text. Parents in those times were no different from parents today. What would have possessed a mother to do such a horrible thing? How could a mother be so deceived that she would kill her own child? I was angry at these parents who would do this for a stupid idol. Then the Lord spoke to my heart. &amp;ldquo;Amy, you are no better.&amp;rdquo; I was shocked. What on earth did God mean by that? God was trying to tell me that in a sense I, too, had sacrificed my family for my own idols. Suddenly, the argument with Rob came into a completely different light. I realized that I had treated him terribly because I had been serving my own idol of pride. At that time in my life, I cared deeply about the praise of others. If Rob did something that, in my mind, tarnished that praise, I was not pleased. I sacrificed my children to my idol of pride as well. I occasionally made parenting decisions out of a desire to please others and to earn their good opinions. When I was in public I sometimes handled discipline situations differently, to show others what a good mom I was. When people would give me advice about my marriage or my parenting, I sometimes followed it just to please them so they would think well of me. I was sacrificing my family to my own idol of pride. If God is not our first love, we risk sacrificing the things that matter most. A few years ago, I was talking with a friend who ran a day care center in her home. At that time she was caring for a two&#45;year&#45;old girl and began questioning whether it was in the girl&amp;rsquo;s best interest to be there. She shared her concern with the mother who replied, &amp;ldquo;Well, I could stay home with her, but I love shopping too much.&amp;rdquo; There are certainly situations where day care is needed to provide financially for the family, but for a love of shopping? That woman may one day look back and see that she sacrificed something she cannot regain. As parents, it is possible to worship God, yet at the same time to serve our idols, which ultimately invites our children to follow the same path. Ask God to search your heart. Is there anything in your life outside of Him that you are counting on for your sense of meaning and significance? Idolatry is trying to meet our deepest needs apart from God. Ask the Lord to show you the things you may have put in His place such as possessions, children, husband, physical fitness, social status, or even food. Thankfully, God invites us to come to Him and confess that our hearts are divided. His forgiveness and power to change us are boundless. A biblical mother is passionate about God and desires to keep Him first in her heart. This is the first and most important step toward passing a love for God to our children and grandchildren.
&amp;nbsp;
Amy Rienow is wife to Rob Rienow, author of Visionary Parenting. This article is an excerpt from the chapter of the book that Amy wrote. You can purchase the book at randallhouse.com.

&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2013 12:49:55 -0500</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/a-mother-s-love-a-vision-for-biblical-motherhood</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>The Boy Who Gave Up His Dinner</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/the-boy-who-gave-up-his-dinner</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Kara Johnson)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[&amp;nbsp;
When I get hungry, I get desperate and difficult. If anyone steps in between me and my snack, you can be sure it won&apos;t be pretty. If you ask me to share, I might give up a small bite, but internally, my nice gesture is playing tug&#45;of&#45;war with a growling tummy. Although each character in the biblical account of feeding the 5,000 teaches an indispensable lesson, I empathize most with the boy who gave up his dinner.
Jesus feeding the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four of the gospels. It presents layers of crucial spiritual insight and eloquently illustrates the fact that when individuals practice selflessness and obedience, a massive display of God&apos;s power and provision can be cultivated. It is fascinating to think about the web of variables involved. Had the individual players not cooperated, things would have turned out differently.
Before we get to the boy, we must first look at a few other key figures. Jesus asked His disciples to join Him for a boat ride to a desolate place across the lake of Galilee (John 6:1). They were tired and dirty from days on the road, hungry from being too busy to eat, and emotionally devastated because they had just witnessed the death of a close friend, John the Baptist. All they wanted to do was rest and find a few quiet moments to recover at Jesus&apos; feet. Just as they approached the shore, those dreams of silence vanished into a buzz of needy, noisy people promising yet another long and chaotic night. The multitude was moving&amp;nbsp;en masse&amp;nbsp;to Jerusalem for the yearly Passover feast and had followed along the shoreline hoping to catch another glimpse of Jesus&apos; supernatural healing.
For many years, I worked as a summer camp counselor for young girls. Physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion was no stranger. Someone was always homesick, needing attention, or getting into mischief. The noise level was at a constant high and the workload was never finished. I can identify with the disciples as I think about wanting nothing more than to lie down and close my eyes for a few minutes. My body can still remember feeling every nerve fiber aching in a craving for rest. So I can only imagine the strain of catering to the thousands of hungry, weary travelers in our story.
Instead of turning the people away, though, Jesus welcomed them to His side (Luke 9:11). He set aside any desire for rest and passionately poured into the waiting crowd. Ultimately, He was showing His disciples&amp;mdash;and with them, us&amp;mdash;the importance of gaining strength from His heavenly Father, while using every opportunity to further His gospel message.
As Jesus&apos; teaching continued, a bit of uncertainty filtered through the disciples. I can almost hear them nervously whispering. Here they were, out in the middle of nowhere, drained of energy, and having no place to find food for a very hungry crowd. I picture them tiptoeing up to Jesus, tapping Him on the shoulder, and hoarsely suggesting that He finally send them away. What a shock it must have been when Jesus simply turned to His disciples and told them to give the hungry crowd something to eat (Mark 6:37).
Behind the scenes, we get to see that Jesus was only testing them, &quot;for He himself knew what He would do&quot; (John 6:6). But, to the disciples, feeding this many people so far out of town was an impossible feat (John 6:7). This wasn&apos;t a mean joke. Jesus was presenting His beloved disciples with an edge&#45;of&#45;the&#45;cliff situation to illustrate the end of their strength. He was equipping them to carry a legacy of confidence, and a leadership of strength and power. At that moment, though, they were helpless, destitute, and needy. They were no longer serving, but were standing in the shoes of those who needed to be served. Ever the gracious teacher, Jesus offered them a chance to see the miraculous effects of obedience and faith in action.&amp;nbsp;
Now, we can appreciate the actions of the little boy. Jesus sent the disciples into the crowd to see what they could find. This brought them to a boy who had a small ration of bread and a few tiny fish (Mark 6:38). The Bible doesn&apos;t say, but sometimes I wonder if the boy hesitated when asked to part with his food. Did the disciples approach him with an attitude of fear or intimidation? Did they put him in a headlock, or try to bribe him? Was the boy afraid because he could feel thousands of hungry, irritable men breathing down his neck?
Given my attitude toward hunger, I know that if I were the boy, I would have said something like, &quot;No, you can&apos;t take my dinner, you should have known better than to leave home without travel snacks!&quot; Again, I wonder if perhaps he pouted for just a moment before parting with his dinner. Somehow, this child conquered a feat I struggle with today. He gave up personal comfort for the sake of others, and cast off immediate gratification for the hope that something significant would transpire.
&amp;nbsp;His act of surrender gave the disciples something to bring to Jesus, which in turn, opened a window for abundance to flow into a feast for the entire multitude. Like the manna that nourished the desert&#45;bound Israelites generations before them (Exodus 16:31), these people were given a glimpse of heaven that illustrated eternal fulfillment through the tangible taste of bread in an empty stomach (John 6:35).
The disciples followed Jesus&apos; example of placing people over personal comfort, but my admiration for the boy reaches an apex when he banished any notion of age&#45;related significance and contradicted every excuse of limited resources. Ultimately, his small contribution catalyzed an event that remains a legacy even today.
For the crowd, the Passover feast was shadowed for decades to come with a memorial of the day Jesus showed them His ability to create abundance out of absence, and showed them the importance of everlasting sustenance. For us today, it demonstrates the necessity to selflessly contribute to the needs of others, and portrays the importance of persistent faith and practical obedience. It offers a reiteration of the power held by an almighty God when met by the insufficiency of humanity, and shows us the magnitude that Christ can create from our minor acts of submission.
Kara is a freelance writer living in Boise, Idaho.&amp;nbsp;She&amp;nbsp;is a mentor for&amp;nbsp;high school and college&#45;aged&amp;nbsp;girls, and she and her husband&amp;nbsp;both share a passion for singles ministry. She is a writing student in the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, and her articles have appeared on Michael Smalley&apos;s&amp;nbsp;Crashintolove&amp;nbsp;website, The Lookout,&amp;nbsp;Treasure Valley Christian News, and Gobigtoday.com.
&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:37:59 -0500</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/the-boy-who-gave-up-his-dinner</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>D6 Conference Price Break</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/d6-conference-price-break</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Amanda Tollberg)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[&amp;nbsp;
The next price break for our D6 conference is fast approaching. &amp;nbsp;May 7 is your last day to get the lowest prices for both Dalls and Louisville. &amp;nbsp;
Register your team today!&amp;nbsp;
http://d6conference.com/registration

&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/d6-conference-price-break</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>D6 Price Break Approaching!</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/d6-price-break-approaching-</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Amanda Tollberg)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[    
The next price break for our D6 conference is fast approaching. &amp;nbsp;March 5 is your last day to get the lowest prices for both Dalls and Louisville. &amp;nbsp;
Register your team today!&amp;nbsp;
http://d6conference.com/registration

&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:15:02 -0600</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/d6-price-break-approaching-</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>Walls</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/walls</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Dianne Sargent)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[&amp;nbsp;
Proudly they stand, bordering a walkway, hedging a garden, defining the outer boundaries of an estate, and even lining the sides of a country lane. Some are made of rough&#45;hewn stone loosely stacked while others are constructed from kiln&amp;ndash;fired brick mortared together with the finest craftsmanship. Hours forging iron with hammer and red&#45;hot flame produce the finest wrought iron, creating black spires that reach for the sky. The sun sparkles off glass walls, some transparent, some opaque. Then there are those of lesser degree made from planks, poles, and odd pieces of lumber, painted to add dignity where none exists. No two walls are alike, yet each serves the same purpose&amp;mdash;to protect from the intruder, whether it is a wayward step or something more sinister.
Walls present few choices for reaching the other side. Still the challenge remains. People have devised numerous ways to get past walls. Grappling hooks with ropes attached are thrown over the top of the wall and a skilled climber is easily up and over. Those with more time and less imagination dig down and under the foundation of the wall, thus reaching their destination. The more agile simply take a stroll and walk the length of the wall, getting past its obstruction. But the most insidious wall is the glass wall. The need to get past the wall does not exist. One merely looks; all is revealed. And yet it, too, remains a barrier.
God had a more ingenious way of getting to the other side of the wall. When the children of Israel followed Joshua to attack Jericho, God told them to march around the city once each day and on the seventh day they were to march around Jericho seven times; the priests were to blow their rams&amp;rsquo; horns, the people were to shout, and the walls would fall down. There were no grappling hooks, no ropes, no shovels. The people were simply to trust God to give them the victory. The walls built to prevent the intruder, the captor, from taking possession of the city failed to do their job. At the people&amp;rsquo;s shout on the seventh day, the walls fell down flat. They did not crumble or collapse, strewing the pathway with debris. Neither did they shatter and leave shards of glass for the unsuspecting traveler. Nothing blocked the path of the Israelites as they marched into the city, victors!
Sometimes people are like the city of Jericho, thinking they are hidden behind impregnable walls, safe and sound. Nothing can reach them; they are completely protected from any perceived threat or harm. Often people build walls so high even the most athletic climber cannot reach the top, so thick excavation is impossible. And to think of walking past the wall is unrealistic. Yet, God says to tear down those walls. He wants to get inside. Sometimes, He has to knock the walls down flat, making the pathway plain for all to see.
Recently, God brought events to bear on my fortified &amp;ldquo;city&amp;rdquo; that resulted in my self&#45;imposed walls falling down flat. People who have cared for me for a lot of years have painstakingly chipped away at the foundation of my walls. Some have even tried to circumvent the perimeter of my &amp;ldquo;city,&amp;rdquo; looking for any crack or broken place to squeeze through. Eventually most gave up, suspending all efforts, choosing to let me remain closed and hidden behind my walls of protection. Miraculously, these precious people remained my friends, loving me in spite of myself.
Then at just the right moment in my life and in God&amp;rsquo;s timing, God&amp;rsquo;s divine plan worked and the right person arrived who was able to do in a matter of months what others had tried desperately to do for decades. Unrelentingly, with the tenacity of a bulldog, she did not look back nor did she ever loosen her grip. She pushed, questioned, prodded, and loved. Slowly, as a flower opens in the spring, one petal at a time, the layers began to peel away and soon my soul lay open, raw and bare for all to see. There is no need for a skilled climber, any amount of earth&#45;moving equipment, or walking shoes. My glass wall has shattered, offering no resistance. Just step across and have a look around.
What lies on the other side of the wall? Freedom&amp;mdash;freedom to be myself, freedom to use all of my abilities and gifts, freedom to love and be loved, freedom to follow God&amp;rsquo;s call, and freedom to live a happy and contented life. Was it worth the pain of allowing God to expose the deepest recesses of my mind and heart, the secret places? You tell me. Have you looked at me lately? Then it&amp;rsquo;s time you did.
&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/walls</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>God Does Graffiti</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/god-does-graffiti</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Ron Hunter)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[&amp;nbsp;
You see it on overpasses, the sides of buildings, and on the occasional billboard. The person wanting their message or art seen has left his or her mark. Some marks are territorial; some are works of art, while others send a message. You can tell when you enter certain parts of a city that certain groups have a presence there and may have a strong influence on what goes on.
Using graffiti to mark territory by sending messages to those who pass by has been around a lot longer than spray paint aerosol cans. Back during the Egyptian empire tombs were filled with graffiti called hieroglyphics that told the story of the pharaohs. During the same years of those pharaohs, the children of Israel were their slaves and were delivered from Egypt by God. The night before the morning they left, their doorposts or door casings were covered in the blood of the Passover lamb, which delivered their firstborn from a death sentence. The next morning the families walked through that blood stained doorway. Later in the New Testament, Jesus became the &amp;ldquo;door&amp;rdquo; and the &amp;ldquo;way.&amp;rdquo;
Today, doors are the gateway to our homes. We enter and exit. We lock and secure our family behind strong doors and locks. We do this to&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;protect our family. We want to keep certain dangers away from our kids.
My wife and I watched our son the day he was old enough to walk out those same doors to catch the school bus that stopped right in front of our house. Was he prepared to leave us that day for his first day of kindergarten? More than his parents were ready for him to leave. Through those same doors our kids grew older coming and going and coming back again. From hours at school to overnighters with friends to a week away at camp or with grandparents, each of these prepared them for the day when the departure through those same doors will take them to college, marriage, and the establishing of their home.
So it is no wonder that God tells us to mark those doors as our kids come and go. Let them see the principles and values they should use when away from home whether for hours or years. The door is the place to pause long enough to reflect briefly on the lessons mom or dad must have taught. Routine leaving is done without thought, but when you leave a place for the last time to move on, you linger for reflection. So what is it that our kids will remember when they pause to reflect? God wants this time to remind them of the fact that their parents love God, love His Word, and have taught them to do the same.&amp;nbsp;Deuteronomy 6&amp;nbsp;says to use the doorposts to send a message to your kids. Graffiti? Hieroglyphics? Whatever you call it, send your kids a message and let it be done by your life and your home.
&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:37:53 -0600</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/god-does-graffiti</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>How I Went From Being an Obsessive Social Networker to Signing Off Permanently</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/how-i-went-from-being-an-obsessive-social-networker-to-signing-off-permanently</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Leah Beecher)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[&amp;nbsp;
&quot;She didn&apos;t even comment back. Come on, that was hilarious!&quot;
This was the mental dialogue I had with myself, bent over our computer desktop on a desk much too small to hold all our wired machinery, junk mail, and breakfast leftovers. Looking up from my monitor, I saw beams of sunlight coming through thin curtains, a corner of blue sky, and tips of trees that had swollen to tiny spring&#45;green leaves overnight.
&quot;What am I doing on the computer?&quot; I asked out loud, shaking my head to dislodge the social networking haze that was as heavy as spring allergies on my fuzzy brain. A few minutes later my three&#45;year old daughter and I were happily mucking about in the muddy but sweet&#45;smelling backyard. Lunch was an outdoor affair on the deck. The combination of too many Cheez&#45;Its and unaccustomed 75 degree weather had my daughter&apos;s blonde head bobbing over her favorite book.She slipped off into dreamland right on me. It had been a long time since she had napped on me and for a moment I experienced perfect contentment. But contentment and I are never chums for too long. A minute later I was struggling to reach my nearby cell phone to take a picture. Its desired destination: Facebook. My blonde&#45;haired beauty falling asleep over a book after a picnic lunch on the first hot day of the year was indeed prime Facebook fodder.
I performed the dexterous move of grasping the phone and clicking a picture, already thinking of the perfect witty caption. It was then that I heard it. Not audibly,&amp;nbsp;but in my heart I heard the unspoken whisper that only the Holy Spirit can speak to the Father&apos;s children.
&quot;You know, Tim would love this picture. You guys were just talking last night about how he hates the fact that he misses out on the cute stuff during the day&quot;.
A shift occurred. Suddenly, the shallowness of all those &quot;friends&quot; on Facebook loomed largely before me. The desire to keep connected to the one with whom I have the relationship status of &quot;one flesh&quot; was urgent.
That was six months ago. As of today I am off Facebook completely. My husband and I volley texts back and forth on our cell phones several times throughout our day.
But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me share how I went from being an obsessive social networker to signing off permanently&amp;mdash;not to make some sort of statement, but for the sake of my marriage.
Back on that warm May afternoon, I was already having misgivings. Nagging thoughts would stay lodged in my mind&amp;mdash;unsavory nuisances, like meat wedged between back molars. Why was I compelled to check who &quot;liked&quot; what? I was becoming preoccupied with what others thought of me. I was not staying connected to keep friends in the loop. I was updating to keep myself in the loop. I found myself having genuine feelings of camaraderie or dislike towards people based on how much of an ego boost I received from them via Facebook &quot;likes&quot; and &quot;LOL&apos;s.&quot;
King David described those who were ungodly in Psalm 12:2 as speaking with flattering lips and double hearts. Like a monster kept locked in the basement, I felt the worst part of me being fed and fattened up on the scraps that Facebook was obliged to throw me. I greedily supplied my social network with more and more updates: the mundane, silly, sarcastic, clever, and controversial to a growing number people who could not even tell me the ages of all my children.
However, when my husband came home from work I found there was nothing to say. In the mad current of dinner, homework, and clean up, all those short pauses of life were crammed in the back of my brain. Our three&#45;year&#45;old falling asleep on me while reading her favorite story normally would have been mentioned in passing, followed by an &quot;Oh, that&apos;s sweet . . . Honey, is she supposed to have glue and toilet paper?&quot;&amp;nbsp;
Deliberate texting put a halt to what I feared was starting to happen. My husband and I were becoming what I had warned others to avoid: two people on close but parallel tracks. No intersection.
Tim and I had texted in the past. It was, however, more utilitarian.
&quot;Are you going to be late?&quot;
&quot;Don&apos;t forget she has practice tonight.&quot;
&quot;I think we over&#45;drafted again.&quot;
Things of that nature.
Making the decision to send that cute picture of our drowsy daughter was a deliberate intersection.
Slowly, as the leaves on the trees went from tiny spring&#45;green to full lush summer&#45;green, I obtained the desire to share the mundane, silly, sarcastic, clever, and controversial with my spouse&amp;mdash;the person with whom I have the most important relationship on this earth. Now, at five o&apos;clock we have more to talk about.&amp;nbsp;Because of the intersecting. The inside jokes. The updates. The prayer requests.
Short, present, and to the point. Texting is exclusive. Just between him and me. No one else reads about the joke I just cracked, the hideous outfit my daughter just put on, or the terrible moment I am having.
Do not get me wrong. Friends are a great blessing, and I would be lost without some of the females in my life. But it is the Christian marriage,&amp;nbsp;not Christian friendships, that is crashing and burning and destroying children&apos;s lives in the church today. There is no lack of fellowship or social get&#45;togethers in the body of Christ. There is, however, a starving empty void of intimacy in marriage in the body of Christ.
The writer of Ecclesiastes reminded us that the days of our marriages should be joyful ones spent with our spouse (Ecclesiastes 9:9). Those little pauses in your day are not much of anything, but when added up and shared with your spouse, they become something that brings joy.
A cell phone, a keyboard, a camera, and two minutes. It may just be the answer to your pleas of, &quot;God, how can we connect again, before it is too late?&quot;
&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:39:11 -0600</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/how-i-went-from-being-an-obsessive-social-networker-to-signing-off-permanently</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>D6 2013 Website</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/d6-2013-website</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Amanda Tollberg)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[Be sure to check out the D6 Conference website for 2013 for an updated list of speakers for both Louisville and Dallas. &amp;nbsp;Also under the &quot;Media&quot; tab you can find some cool videos giving you a great explanation of how our new Dallas One Day event works to reach your team at a more graduate level.
http://d6conference.com
For up to date speaker additions, price breaks, and lots of other valuble information &quot;like&quot; us on FaceBook
https://www.facebook.com/d6conference
and follow us on Twitter;
https://twitter.com/d6family
Everyone here at Randall House is excited for what God will do in 2013, please join us in our anticipation!
&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/d6-2013-website</guid>
		</item>
				<item>
			<title>5 Practical Tips to Help You on Your Way to Hearing God</title>
			<link>http://d6family.com/articles/5-practical-tips-to-help-you-on-your-way-to-hearing-god</link>
			<author>info@d6family.com (Ali Smith)</author>
			<description><![CDATA[&amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp;Maybe you&apos;ve been a Christian your whole life, but you&apos;ve never actually heard God speak directly to you. Or maybe you&apos;re a total skeptic and can&apos;t help but cringe every time someone says, &quot;Godtold&amp;nbsp;me this or that...&quot; Wherever you are at, make a decision today to at least be open to the possibility of knowing a God who really does speak. Imagine for a moment God Himself saying these words right to YOU: &quot;My sweet child, do not fear, do not doubt, do not be discouraged...I am right here with you and have so much to tell you about your future with Me...yes, YOU!&quot;
Here are five tips to help you on your way to hearing God, tuning out the distractions of life, and tuning into the powerful voice of your heavenly Father:
#1 Believe.&amp;nbsp;In order to start hearing God&apos;s voice in our lives, we must believe He speaks. Take a minute and read Isaiah 30:21; John 10:14, 16; and John 16:13.&amp;nbsp;
Are you convinced yet? Knowing God is more than following a rulebook of the Ten Commandments and trying to be the best person you can be. The God we serve is the same God who SPOKE to Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Jesus and many others who were led to do mighty things for the kingdom of God. The only prerequisite: simple faith that they were being led by the voice of their God! That&apos;s all that is required of you and me too. Do you believe?
#2 Be in the Word.&amp;nbsp;In order know the voice of God, we must know who God is. In order to know who God is, we must read His Word, for it is the Book of Life, revealing His nature and character in dealing with His people. If we do not know the true heart and character of God, we can easily be deceived. The Scriptures warn us of false prophets and false doctrines that will come (Matthew 24:23&#45;27; 2 Peter 3:3; Jude 1:17&#45;18), many of which are out there now, disguising themselves as &quot;good&quot; and even &quot;godly&quot; things. But we must remain vigilant in guarding against falsehood by knowing the truth. Studying the real thing will help us know the reality of His voice when it comes, and spot counterfeit when it comes as well.
#3 Be Expectant.&amp;nbsp;One of my favorite verses is Psalm 5:3, which says that in the morning God hears my voice. I lay my requests before Him and wait in expectation. When we have a living, vibrant, two&#45;way relationship with the Lord, we must remember to turn on our &quot;spiritual antennas&quot; and expect to hear God speak to us. But notice what precedes the expectation:&amp;nbsp;laying requests before Him. Sometimes we do not hear from God because we do not ask specific things from Him. Jesus Himself said that everyone who asks will receive, everyone who seeks will find, and for him who knocks the door will be opened (Matthew 7:8). Expecting to hear from God without seeking Him first is like expecting your friends to come to your birthday party, even though you never sent invitations. We must devote ourselves to asking, seeking, and knocking on the door of our Father&apos;s heart, waiting in expectation for Him to answer.
#4 Be Ready to Respond.&amp;nbsp;We can&apos;t just say we&amp;nbsp;want&amp;nbsp;to hear God without the desire to&amp;nbsp;want&amp;nbsp;to obey what He says. When we truly train our spiritual ears to hear from God, the hard fact is this:sometimes He says things we don&apos;t want to hear.&amp;nbsp;It&apos;s true. He might say things like,&amp;nbsp;Apologize to your mom...Forgive the person who wronged you...Give half your salary to that needy family across the street...Ask your boss if she needs prayer.&amp;nbsp;Hearing God is an awesome privilege, but with it comes great responsibility. God is looking for those who will hear AND act, carrying out the directives He has spoken. In Luke 11:28 Jesus said that those who hear the Word of God and obey it are blessed. So be ready to hear...and respond! Otherwise you&apos;re better off leaving your earplugs in.
#5 Be in Community. There will be times when we are unsure whether what we are hearing is the voice of God or not. This is where Christian community proves invaluable. There have been times when I think I am hearing something from God and I will go to a trusted friend who knows me well and run it by her. &quot;I am hearing this...does that resonate with you?&quot; Thankfully, in these times God will speak wisdom and discernment through that friend and she will either say, &quot;Yes, based on what God has been teaching you this season, this does resonate with my spirit.&quot; Or, &quot;Ya know, these sound like negative words of condemnation and don&apos;t seem to be in line with God&apos;s character in His Word.&quot; And then we&apos;ll pray and ask God for confirmation or further insight. We were never meant to walk this spiritual journey alone. Proverbs 15:22 tells us that plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. There will be times when we need to lean on others for advice, wisdom, and protection to help us stay on the path God has carved out for us.
Go beyond imagining God could speak to you and choose today to believe He WILL. By taking practical steps of being in the Word, being expectant, being ready to respond, and being in community, you can be sure His voice will come! Rejoice, for God has special truth to reveal to you (Psalm 25:14). It&apos;s up to you to open your spiritual ears to hear. Will you?
Ali is the newest columnist for The Brink magazine. Check out her first column in the Spring 2012 issue of The Brink! You can find her other articles athttp://www.thebrinkonline.com/articles/author/alismith or by visiting her website atwww.alismithonline.com.
&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0600</pubDate>
			<guid>http://d6family.com/articles/5-practical-tips-to-help-you-on-your-way-to-hearing-god</guid>
		</item>
					</channel>
</rss>
