Rick’s New Release

Here’s Lightwave Publishing’s release notice about Rick’s latest book.

We are please to announce the release of the latest book from best-selling Christian Parenting Author Rick Osborne.

‘The Seven Mistakes Parents of Toddlers Make’ is a much-needed book for the parents of young children. The parents who’ve learned and used the Biblical parenting methods in this book have seen their children and homes transformed.

As Rick Osborne explains, most problems in the home and with our children are easily solved with the consistent application of some very simple parenting secrets. Many households have lost their peace, because most parents just don’t know what to do to turn things around.

Do your kids fight with each other, disobey you, throw tantrums and/or just not listen? Are you experiencing the ‘Terrible Twos?’ Do you find yourself fighting with your spouse because of the kids, yelling and/or just feeling frustrated? Would you like to have a peaceful home with cooperative, obedient children? If you answered ‘YES’ to any or all of these questions, let Rick Osborne show you some simple, Biblical, step-by-step parenting ideas that can transform your family.

Every parent, grandparent and anyone planning on being a parent should read this groundbreaking book.

Here’s an early reader review:

“Rick Osborne gets to the point, explains the mistakes we all tend to make and offers practical solutions that are so simple to implement that it made me wonder why I didn’t think of them myself. I used his suggestions and was astounded how quickly the atmosphere in our house changed.

My kids don’t fight anymore and they listen and cooperate. It’s amazing.

This book doesn’t preach, it helps. It’s a simple map to great parenting.

I highly recommend 7 Mistakes. It’s a must on every parent’s bookshelf. This book will change your home.” Romana O

To purchase this book, please visit www.christianparentingdaily.com or click here.

The ‘Original’ Singing Bible

THE ‘ORIGINAL’ SINGING BIBLE

The demand for this product has been huge and therefore I’m pleased to announce that this best-selling children’s classic, The  Original Singing Bible, has been digitally remastered and is now available on CD and for digital downloads!

Over 50 songs and narration make for an exciting 160-minute ride through the Bible.

The Singing Bible has been called a, “Christian classic,” “A must have for every Christian family” and “The best Bible song series for kids ever made.

This indispensable resource was designed to help kids learn God’s Big Story from creation to Jesus second coming, to learn about their Bibles, the books of the Bible, the Good News, the key memory verses of the Bible and on and on the list goes. Children learn while they sing along and enjoy.

Here is a reoccurring comment we hear from parents, “Our Kids love it and want it played over and over again, which for once, is okay. Unlike some kids cds, it doesn’t drive you crazy because the songs and music are so well done. We like it too.”

Ideal for every member of any family with kids 2 – 10 years old.

This product in only available at www.christianparentingdaily.com. Click here to purchase this product.

My time with God

MY TIME WITH GOD

This book was designed to help parents transition their kids from a Bible Storybook to a whole text Bible.

If you have children ages 8 – 12 and you want them to be reading their Bible and praying this books for you.

Some devotionals supplement the Bible and can be read on their own. This book avoids that and instead directs children to and through the Bible and in prayer.

This little book has helped tens of thousands of children start the journey of their own personal Time With God.

Buy Now

The Ten Commandments for Christians on FaceBook and Twitter

In a very short period of time, social media websites like MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter have begun to change the way the world connects and socializes, and for Christians, the way we fellowship and even minister to others.

Tens of millions of users log into these networks daily. According to Wikipedia, FaceBook has over 132 million users and MySpace over 117 million. Twitter, one of my favorites, is only about two years old and already has well over three million users and it’s growing exponentially.

So how are Christians responding? In FaceBook, many groups have been created to reach and help Christians network. There are way too many to mention, but a few examples are;

• 100,000,000 Christians Worship God (over 700,000 members)
• Christian Bloggers Network
• 1,000,000 Christian Parents Raising Disciples For Christ
• FaceBook For Pastors
• Pastors and Ministry Leaders
• Culture Shapers on Digg

The number of Pastors who are now connecting with their congregations and communities through FaceBook and Twitter is growing rapidly. Whole congregations and groups within them are using these sites to increase communication, extend ministry efforts and even to plan events. Social networking has become a valuable social tool that is being used by ministries, churches, Christian authors and bloggers and individual Christians around the globe.

The purpose of this blog isn’t to challenge the validity of Christians using social networking sites. I believe that anyone who’s used them can instantly see how these tools can be tremendously beneficial. Nor am I here to decry the abuses of these tools. No matter how beneficial something is, some people will misuse it. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. What I’d like to do is sound a different alarm.

This is a blog to all Christians everywhere who are using social networking or who are looking into it and my message is simple; please look at your social networking strategies and methods through the lens of scripture and Christian character before you implement them.

Let me explain, when you approach a stranger on the street or a newcomer at your church, there are certain things that you do to make sure that you are perceived as a polite, considerate, nonthreatening individual. Most of us know how to do this because we’ve practiced face to face conversation in our homes and in public for years. Unfortunately, many Christians who dive into social networking don’t know how to do that same thing online. Why? Because although common sense, kindness and good manners are always necessary, the rules for approach and interaction are different in the online world and also different on each social networking site. Without this understanding, we can end up unknowingly offending others and making some or all of our efforts ineffectual.

I have observed and learned a few things through trial and error and by watching others more experienced than myself, and I would like to pass them on. Hopefully, my efforts will help more Christians be more effective and less abrasive while using social networking sites to reach and connect with others. Once you’ve read my tips and ideas, feel free to comment and add things that you’ve learned. When we’re Kingdom building, we can all work together and help each other.

The Ten Commandments For Social Networking Christians

1. Thou shalt not worship and/or social network on too many sites.

When I first started social networking (SN) I went and joined every SN site I heard of and/or read about, Amazon Connect, Xing, Linkedin, FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon and others. I would have joined even more but I ran out of room in my life.

Here’s what I learned, in order to do well on a SN site, you need to actually jump in, learn about the site, play by their rules and become part of the community. If you don’t, then to the people who are regulars on these sites, you’re like a complete stranger who’s walking through their neighborhood expecting attention without investing anything of yourself. At first you’ll be watched, as everyone politely waits for you to learn and get involved, but if you keep it up, you will be ignored and perhaps even resented. That does not reflect well on you as a Christian.

Here’s a suggestion. Google information about the different SN sites. There are a ton of blogs out there that will tell you what each site does, who uses it, how it’s good for networking, and what the best ways are to get involved and see results. Once you’ve done your homework, pick two or three that will work for you and start getting involved, learning and investing yourself in them.

I decided to focus on FaceBook and Twitter. I find them enjoyable and a great way to network with other Christians and to get exposure to my blogs. I’m also still involved in StumbleUpon, Amazon and Linkedin but only as supports for my FaceBook and Twitter efforts. Your plan and choices will probably be different than mine because what you do, what you want to accomplish, and what you will enjoy may all be different.

2. Thou shalt not make your mission an idol.

God has called us to make disciples and that’s about people. For God so loved the world that he gave… so that… Ever notice that John 3:16 puts ‘people’ first, ‘giving’ second, and ‘purpose’ third?

I’ve caught myself running into my social networks with one thing on my mind, get traffic to my blog, find parents to minister to etc etc, running headlong, ignoring people to supposedly accomplish God’s purpose. When I find myself doing that, I stop and get off my computer and pray. Not only should our hearts be right, but social networking is not nearly as effective if you don’t stop to connect with others, listen to them, talk to them, check out what they’re doing and show genuine interest in them. If you don’t demonstrate that you care, you will be seen by many as just another spammer and/or narcissist and your witness and efforts will be ineffective.

Here’s a suggestion, on a sticky note write, ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care’ and stick it where you can see it while you’re on your computer. You don’t have to be everyone’s best friend, that’s impossible, but it doesn’t take much to stop, care and be interested. People first, giving second and purpose last.

3. Thou shalt not misuse the social networking sites (it gives God a bad rap).

This one is simple, play nice and play by the rules. Each SN site has rules about what you can and cannot do. Read the rules and stay within them. Others who follow the rules will think less of you for trying to bend them. Each site also has many unwritten rules or courtesies that have been developed over a period of time by it’s regular users. For example on Digg, you can Digg your own content but the regulars of Digg frown on it and may work to bury your content if you keep it up. Take it slowly at first and learn the rules. If you’re not sure about something ask, and when you’re told, do your best to fit in.

Having said that, SN sites are changing all the time because people change how they use them. Once you’ve been on a site for awhile and understand how it works, you may get creative ideas that work within the system and maximize your results. There’s nothing wrong with that, just be careful that others see it as a clever idea and not a way around the rules.

4. Thou shalt remember to relax and enjoy.

Remember, and this is important, social networking online is much the same as it is face to face and many of the same rules apply. For example, ‘All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy!’ When someone looks at your contributions, status updates, tweets, posts, notes etc and see that they are all (or mostly all) about business or ministry or whatever your purpose is, you become dull and uninteresting. You’re also unwittingly telling everyone that you’re only here for self promotion. Not good. Relax, let your hair down and have fun on these sites as well. I have so much fun on Twitter, sometimes my wife has to remind me that I should be writing. Be real, relax, have fun, be social, when people get to know you a little better they’ll be more likely to be interested in what you do.

A word of caution. One of my twitter friends (@jplosier) wondered if I was going to talk about being vulnerable and sharing personal things on SN sites, so I will. You should never pretend to be someone that you’re not and you should always be honest and transparent. There’s nothing wrong with saying you’re having a grumpy day and asking others to pray. However, as a minister of the Gospel, if you are having serious struggles, you should have mentors or peers who you go to for help. Turn your computer off and go and talk with someone face to face.

5. Honor your Father & Mother by remembering that they taught you to be humble.

My friend and Marketing teacher, David G. Johnson once told me that the most powerful word in marketing is the word ‘YOU.’ The Bible teaches that we should not be boastful and that we should not be focused on ourselves. So the most important word in ministry is also ‘YOU.’

There is nothing that will turn others away quicker (in real life and online) than someone who is, or appears to be, stuck on themselves. I don’t believe that I’m stuck on me, but I believe I’ve come across that way online at times and it’s somewhat understandable. When you’re networking, you want people to know who you are and what you’ve accomplished. So you put it out there thinking that it’s innocent enough because your motivation is to build trust and therefore be able to help more people. Unfortunately, it usually doesn’t work and you come off as a braggart. (I know, I learned the hard way.)

Here’s a suggestion, put your bio on your website and/or on linkedin and let others find out what mighty things you’ve done when they’re interested and go looking. The quickest way to get people interested in you, is to be interested and focused on them, do that and eventually they’ll wonder who you are.

Also, if you just signed a book deal or a million dollar business contract and you simply must share the news, craft your announcement humbly. There’s a difference between these two tweets or updates: “My agent just signed a HUGE deal with Harper Collins for my new book!” or “Wow, I’m blown away by God’s grace, he’s letting me write another book.’ Take the humble road and if other’s are interested, they’ll press you for more details.

Oh, also remember that it’s not just your words that show others your humility. Any action you take online that gives people the impression that you think that you’re more important then they are may result in them thinking that you are stuck on yourself. For example, if you use Twitter and someone follows you, follow them back. Having a lot of people following you while you’re only following a few doesn’t make you look important, it makes you look stuck on yourself. Jesus was the greatest person who ever lived. God in the flesh, and our example. He never once turned anyone away who honestly sought him out.

Unless someone is obviously a spammer, or is trying to peddle pornography or something like that, follow them, befriend them, connect with them, return their messages, say hi. It doesn’t take much but it tells everyone that you care and that you believe that we’re all equal in God’s eyes. (And yes, I know that Jesus kept twelve close, seventy not as close and then the larger group of disciples a little less connected. However for the most part, SN is not about your closest group of friends, they’re the ones you see off-line.)

An exception to this is if you’re setting up a network for the purpose of communicating with your church or ministry group only. If this is the case and if the SN site allows it, ‘close’ the group (or spell it out in the bio line if you’re on Twitter) so others understand that it’s for a limited group and don’t think that you have an ego problem.

6. Thou shalt not try to murder trolls.

According to my son (who has to catch me up with the lingo from time to time) the word ‘troll’ used in an online context refers to someone who enters websites, forums or SN conversations with the sole intent of stirring up trouble, being belligerent and turning polite conversations into arguments.

Many times Christians get drawn into conversations with these people thinking that they can reach out to them and change their minds. Unfortunately, the more you enter into the conversation, the ruder and more opinionated the person gets. Finally, the Christian gets so agitated that they often become rude and/or condescending themselves. I’ve witnessed this many times and the testimony of it is not good.

Thus the saying, ‘Don’t feed the trolls’ was popularized. Which means don’t let them draw you in to the argument because they feed off controversy and their goal is to start a fight. Peter said that we are to be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us, but I think Peter was talking about sincere questions, not the rhetorical and adversarial ones that are posed by trolls.

If someone is sincere and interested, and even argues with an openness, and you have a Bible based answer, then engage. However, if you detect a belligerent person seeking a fight, be polite but disengage. One more point here, if you’re not ready and prepared (studied) to answer a question, just say so. Too many online Christians engage the trolls and they don’t even know how to answer the question or defend their Faith. The troll scores another point.

7. Thou shalt not commit social guffaws.

This one is simple, remember you’re an online representative for Jesus. Be mannerly, be polite, be thoughtful and be appropriate. Do not engage in any conversation with anyone that your Pastor couldn’t listen to and approve of. If a conversation with someone from the opposite sex starts to go the wrong way, politely end it.

8. Thou shalt not steal the ideas and/or content of others.

Another simple one, we who preach ‘though shalt not steal’ should not be stealing online. If you use someone else’s content, do it with permission and if necessary, with payment and always with proper credit. Let me push it a little further. An online friend of mine, Deb Burton (@debburton on twitter), did an awesome blog where she turned the 10 commandments on their head and wrote them in a positive way, ‘Thou shalt…’ instead of ‘Thou shalt not…’ So I’ll borrow her inspiration (with proper credit) and say, ‘Thou shalt respect the property, ideas and content of others and treat them in a way that you would like your stuff to be treated and also give honor where honor’s due.

9. Thou shalt not attempt to mislead others, even by omission.

Honesty is the best policy. Please, please be upfront about your mission and purpose with everyone. Whatever you’re doing, for whatever purpose, admit it right up front. If your purpose is to sell something, say so. If you’re looking for clients, say so. If you want people to read your blog, ask them to. You can still have fun and connect with people, but if you’ve been upfront about your purpose from the beginning, then when people get to know you and they need the service you supply, they’ll consider using you. So relax and have fun, truly care and be social but be completely upfront about your purpose.

10. Thou shalt not covet the sites, talents and traffic of others.

If when you read someone else’s material, or you look at their website idea, you start to feel like you wish you had come up with it yourself, stop. Or if look at their success and wish…, again stop yourself. Be glad for what God has given them.

If you want people to share your material with others, spend the time doing the same for them. If you have a share button on your site, I hope that you know how to use it on the sites of others. When someone else posts or Twitters a link to their post, go take a look and if you like it, comment and share it and Stumble it. If you’re not on StumbleUpon, I highly recommend it. It’s a great way to share content and drive traffic to your site and the sites of others. Unlike Digg, they have Christian categories.

Promoting someone else’s material can be hard if that ’someone else’ is doing the same thing that you’re doing. The competition factor in our market driven society leads us all to hope that we’re the only ones doing our particular thing online for God, or that we’re somehow doing it better than everyone else. Ask yourself though, do you really want that pressure? I believe God has called me to help Christian parents pass their Faith on to their kids. If I was the only one God called to do that in my generation then I should expect God to hold me, and me alone, accountable for whether it gets done or not, worldwide. Ouch!

God has called many people to the same task and I want to work with them, help them, and promote their work and ideas. We aren’t supposed to be building our little kingdoms. We’re called to work together to build His.

Thank you for reading and considering my musings. If you’d like to connect with me on any of the following networks, I’d count it a privilege.

• Twitter (Rick Osborne)
• Twitter (ParentingTwits)
• FaceBook
• Linkedin
• StumbleUpon

Also, if you’d like to join the FaceBook groups I’m involved with, I’d love to see you there.

• 1,000,000 Christian Parents Raising Disciples For Christ
• Culture Shapers On Digg
• Christian Leaders On Twitter

If you’d like to network with other Christians, please leave a comment on this blog and add your urls (please cut and paste from your address bar so that the link is live) for each of the SN sites that you’re on and I’ll post them for others who want to network as well.

Please follow these four simple steps:

Step 1 If you’d like to Network with me, add me to the networks we have in common.

Step 2 Look at the previous comments to this post and add the others (who have requested to network) to your social networking sites (that way everyone will end up following everyone else).

Step 3 Cut and paste the urls from the address bars of your SN bios or home pages and list them in a comment to this blog for others to follow.

Step 4 Follow the 10 Commandments for SN Christian.

More about Rick on the Personal Side

As you know when God calls us to do a work, he trains us for that work and often takes us through things that prepare us for the task. Real life is a really great teacher. I do not believe that God authors all of our difficulties. For example James tells us that God does not tempt us with evil. (James 1:13)

However God will teach us and strengthen us while he guides us through whatever comes our way and he will work everything out when we are walking with him. (Romans 8:28)

Having said that, I believe that God has wonderfully (and by his grace) taken me through some big and small storms and through it all he has prepared me to help and encourage and equip other parents and families. Here is the brief story.

• I was raised in a religious home without knowing Jesus as my savior.
• My parents separated when I was six. My Mom (a single mother on social assistance) raised my three siblings and me.
• I stopped listening to anyone at the age of thirteen and became a rebellious worldly teenager.
• My mother married my stepfather when I was thirteen.
• My father had remarried earlier and I have two half brothers and a half sister.
• My mother committed her life to Christ when I was about 17 and started praying for her family.
• I gave my life to Christ and my life was changed forever just before my 19th birthday.
• Shortly after this I married my high school girlfriend when I was 20.
• We had three children.
• When the kids were still quite young, my wife left. (This was the most difficult time of my life.)
• Although the children’s mother saw them, they lived with me full time and I experience what it’s like to be a single parent.
• Even though I was free to remarry, I told God that I was willing to stay single and devote more time to my children and helping other parents.
• God had another plan.
• A friend of mine who also was friends with the owner of eHarmony was insistent that I should give eHarmony a try. Even though I ignored him, he kept it up.
• When others started telling me the same thing I started to wonder. Then when the owner of eHarmony emailed me personally (in response to a request from our mutual friend) and invited me to join, I felt that God was in it.
• Through a wonderful series of Godincidences I met Luba and five months after our first date we were married.

Although in the beginning I promised myself that my family would never break apart, I now have a second wife and my children have a stepmother.

These are the personal family details in a nutshell. I have shared this with you to show that I am just a normal guy walking through a bumpy life trusting God. All the while doing my best to parent God’s way, allowing him to strengthen, teach and guide me through all life’s ups and downs.

And through it all, I believe one of the reasons he has taught me (and that I have gone through some of what I have gone through) is so that I could with grace, turn and help, strengthen, encourage and equip others who are facing the same and similar bumps.

My oldest daughter is now married to my awesome son-in-law and my first grandchild is providing me with more life experience to pass on. My second daughter is attending college and my teenage son (my inspiration for my books for boys) is still at home.

The Legend of the Christmas Stocking

THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING

Many Christian parents feel torn at Christmas time. Torn between allowing their kids to enjoy all of the colorful cultural fun and gift giving and instilling in them the importance of the real meaning of Christmas day.

The books in this series were designed to give Christian parents the tools they need to strike the balance by digging up the true Christian origin and meaning of some of the more fun and colorful traditions of the season.

Millions of families have successfully used these books, with their fun stories and classic illustrations, to promote both the celebration and meaning of Christmas.

Christian Parenting Daily did a great article called the Legends of Christmas – click here to read about the Christian origins of the Christmas Tree, Christmas Stocking and the Candy Cane.

Buy Now

The Legend of the Christmas Tree

 THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Many Christian parents feel torn at Christmas time. Torn between allowing their kids to enjoy all of the colorful cultural fun and gift giving and instilling in them the importance of the real meaning of Christmas day.

The books in this series were designed to give Christian parents the tools they need to strike the balance by digging up the true Christian origin and meaning of some of the more fun and colorful traditions of the season.

Millions of families have successfully used these books, with their fun stories and classic illustrations, to promote both the celebration and meaning of Christmas.

Christian Parenting Daily did a great article called the Legends of Christmas – click here to read about the Christian origins of the Christmas Tree, Christmas Stocking and the Candy Cane.

Buy Now

801 Questions Kids Ask about God

801 QUESTIONS CHLDREN ASK ABOUT GOD

The best time to teach anyone anything is when he or she asks a question. Why? Because that is the time when the questioner has a desire to learn. Unfortunately, when our children ask us questions about God, Heaven, the Bible etc. we are often not prepared with the answers and the moment passes. Or worse yet we do our best to answer without really knowing for sure what the Bible says.

This book is a compilation of the original 8 books in the ‘101 Questions Kids Ask’ series. It was put together to provide parents with a handy reference for help answering their children’s questions when they arise.

The big difference between this compilation and the original books is that only a small amount of the over 800 illustrations have been included and the ones that are included are very small. This is ideal if you want the handy reference but if you are looking for a family devotional for your young children (ages 4 – 8 ) or a personal devotional for your older children (ages 7 – 12) it is best to use the original individual titles. The illustrations draw the children in and keep them wanting more.

Ideal as a ready reference for families with children of all ages.  Buy Now

Fun & Active Devotions for Kids

THE ONE YEAR BOOK OF FUN & ACTIVE DEVOTIONS FOR KIDS

This One Year devotional was specifically designed for parents of elementary school-age children who want their devotional time to be a little more interactive.

This resource gives you simple related activities that will help the kids stay focused and help make the lesson more memorable.

Each day’s devotional also has an illustration, a reading and a key Bible verse.

This book is ideal for home-schoolers and/or families who like to have their Bible learning or devotions during the day or in the early evening. Buy Now

Kid’s Quest Study Bible

KID’S QUEST STUDY BIBLE

This best-selling whole text Bible is ideal for curious 6 – 9 year olds. Over 500 real questions that children actually asked with answers from the Bible and winsome illustration are appropriately placed throughout the Bible text to draw your child in.

This Bible is ideal when used in combination with the Amazing Questions Kids Ask books as a Bible/devotional combination that will help you move your child from a Bible Storybook to a whole text Bible when the time is right.

The Jason & Max characters and the Q&A format are common in both resources so that as your child moves back and forth both a seamless continuity and your child’s interest are maintained.

Buy Now

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