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         Bob & Charlyne Steinkamp Founders
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Archive: June 2007 Each day Charlyne communicates with you formally through "Charlyne Cares" and our broadcast programs. This is her way of communicating with you informally, so that you might be helped by reading what God is doing in her life. Entries will not be made here daily, but as the Lord leads Charlyne to share from the heart of a stander or returned prodigal. On other days, Charlyne’s husband, Bob, a prodigal husband who returned after divorce 20 years ago, will share what the Lord has placed on his heart. June 21, 2007 Over the summer I am home with our four kids, (Kayla and Kyle, age 7; Ryan, age 6; and Ashley, one) and we have to be creative to avoid the summer boredom that can strike at any moment. Here are some ideas that we have done to help keep the kids busy and most of them are things you can do on a budget. Even if you are a working parent you can do these special activities on the weekends or in the evenings for a special memory. * We are fortunate to have a pool so the kids spend a lot of time swimming. This year our county is under a mandatory water restriction so the usual activity of turning on the sprinklers or hose and playing in the water is out. You might also look for a community pool or a private pool with summer memberships. * Library- My kids love to visit the library. They recently discovered the DVD section so they are excited to see that they can even get a movie at the library. Please be careful, all books in the public library are not necessarily books that have the same values or morals you have. Before you send your kids off to read them you need to check it out for yourself. On a recent library trip my 7 year old checked out a children's book for his age group that talked about an inappropriate topic in the first chapter! * Board Games - Games are a big hit in our house and we play at least one a week. Because our older kids are starting to become proficient in Bible topics, they love to play Bible trivia games. It is fun and they are learning about the Word at the same time. * Movies - Taking your family to the movies can cost a small fortune, by the time you buy the tickets and snacks. Regal Cinemas is a nationwide theater and during the summer they offer a "Free Family Movie Festival." Each Tuesday and Wednesday they show a G and a PG rated family movie. You can go to Plugged In Online and check the review to make sure there will be no content in the movie that you don't want to have to explain to your little ones later. * Community Center - Does your city or neighborhood have a community center? If so, stop by and pick up a calendar of events. Most of the time they offer activities for the family for little to no cost at all. * Dinner at the beach - We are blessed to live close to a beautiful beach. Sadly, in this day and age we don't take our kids there during the day because we all may see more of other people than we need to see. In the evenings people are usually covered up and the weather is cooler. Pack a picnic a take some sand toys and enjoy an evening by the water. * Crafts - Go to your local dollar store and look for craft items. They are usually similar to what you pay double for in a regular craft store and you can get more for your dollar. * Family Movie Night - This is our oldest son's favorite event! We turn off all the lights and pop some popcorn, the kids drag their favorite pillow and blanket to the living room and we watch a family movie. So far, their favorite has been "Facing The Giants." * Walks or Bike Rides - This is our one year old's favorite! Taking six of us on a bike ride is a long trail but the kids love it and my husband and I are getting exercise in the middle of the fun. * Look at old pictures. I love to scrapbook and even work part-time for a scrapbook company. A lot of my pictures are in albums and the kids and I love to look through old pictures. It reminds us of when we did something fun or when somebody said something that was funny. Even if your pictures are in shoe boxes under the bed, dig them out and go through them. Your kids may even want to help you sort through them. Won't your spouse be surprised when they come home and all the pictures are in albums! Don't forget to take lots of pictures of your fun family events! I'm sure you have heard the saying, "Kids spell LOVE - 'TIME." That is true. Try and surprise your kids with one of these ideas and have some fun. God Bless, June 3, 2007 Last Friday night, our youngest grandson, Ryan, six years old, was having a "sleep over" with us. Bob had used Ryan's name in a footnote on that day's Charlyne Cares, and Bob was reading the anecdote to Ryan. Our grandson wanted to know what else we had written about him, so Bob showed Ryan how to search the Rejoice web site for his name. Ryan decided that we should pay him for every Ryan story. A "royalty" of 25 cents each was agreed upon. Later that evening, Ryan had a report to share with Bob about the antics of another grandchild, so he started with, "Now Grandpa, what I am about to say is not for the Internet." If a six year old can realize that some items are strictly family business, and not to be shared with the world, should not we be able to discern things about our spouse that are "not for the Internet?" The process of marriage restoration (and it is a process and not an event), involves a lot of back and forth between the couple, most of which should remain between the couple and the Lord. If a prodigal spouse, attempting to find their way home, knew everything they were saying was being posted on the Internet, don't you suppose they might say, like Ryan did, "Now honey, what I am about to say is not for the Internet." Bob and I read far too many identifiable and intimate details of prodigal behavior posted online, often with their spouse's name. Prodigal spouse know how to Google, and when a wayward man or woman finds their story detailed, the results harm the work toward restoration that God has begun. Bob has said often that if I had shared with the world all that he shared with me, he probably would not be home today. Many people know my "Zip the lip" saying. Today I am going to add a second word of advice for every stander: "Fold the fingers." Whatever the details are, tell them to God in prayer, not to the world on the Internet. Far more marriages would be restored if we standers could learn to "Zip and Fold." God Bless, June 1, 2007 A BOBSERVATION On Memorial Day our family had a cook-out. Our grandson, Ryan, age six, had on a pair of blue jean shorts and no shirt, with his hair cut short for the summer. Did it ever bring back memories for me of growing up. Fifty years ago, our gang could be out playing all day, with no cell phones or pagers. Every parent watched over us, and we knew they all had the right to discipline us, so we behaved. I knew that if a friend's parent gave me a swat on the south side, I had another spanking waiting for me at home. Today that would be child abuse. Life has become so complicated for our kids. Gadgets have replaced love as the barometer of happiness. The people kids are taught to idolize, both in and out of rehab, are Hollywood stars, not the good guys from our radio programs. None of my gang would have ever looked up to a sports star who was in trouble with the law, no matter how great his ability on the playing field. The clothes our kids want to wear today is not based on what parents can afford, but on what item Madison Avenue advertisers have convinced the crowd is trendy. Do you know what your kids really want from you this summer? Yes, they may talk about a dream vacation to an overpriced and overcrowded theme park somewhere, but what they really want is you. Buy a watermelon for a couple of dollars, and sit outside with your kids, eating watermelon and just listening to them, as it gets dark. Turn off the cell phone and the PDA's. Block out everything else and give the children around you memories that will last for a lifetime (If you don't carry on about being broke, they will never know it.). Regardless of what is happening in your marriage right now, please do not allow it to ruin summer for the kids. The memories your kids will have 50 years from now are waiting in your heart, not in your wallet. Open it and let them out, for the next generation to catch. Have a blessed summer. God Bless, Archived Posts:
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