Today we launched our 82 second video called, “Would Your Kid Say This?” It is one of the most tender-hearted projects I have ever worked on, and I have been especially blessed by seeing how this little video has already touched so many lives.
Two years ago, when we first started the whole Thumbuddy idea, we talked about making a difference in the lives of children everywhere. We also asked ourselves the question, “What if we only made a positive impact in the life of one child?”
After spending thousands of hours and a lot of money to get Thumbuddy going, the answer to that question becomes more and more apparent: If we make a positive impact on just one child – your child or mine – it is worth every ounce of effort.
I don’t think there is any reward, amount of money, or anything more valuable than blessing a child with the love of God – shown and taught through the love of a parent. I know that loving, growing and bonding with my own children has taught me more about the love of the Father than any book, school or religion could ever even attempt.
So I hope that you truly enjoy our video and share it with your friends! But above all, I hope you’ll take a precious and special moment to tell your children you love them.
I’m so excited about launching our video of little children on August 25th. These sweet and tiny voices will touch your heart as they talk directly to you – and remind you that we all need to be loved. (I wish I could show you the video right now!)
Family time is so precious!
We’ve had a small audience preview our 84 second video, and it touches me with the large number of people who have become teary eyed and even openly cried. And then I want to cry with them, even though I’ve seen the video a hundred times.
In just 84 short seconds, so many adults are reminded of their own desperate need to give love to their own children, and their own desperate need to receive love from someone else.
To give and receive love. This is really what it is all about.
The Bible says, “God is love.” It also says, we were created in God’s image. Isn’t our creator amazing that he made us so that we have such a capacity to love!
Let’s stop reading this message right now. Pick up the phone, and call someone you love and say, “I love you!” This is what we all need to hear.
On August 25th we are going to launch a precious and powerful video of little children speaking the truth about what they so desperately need. And mostly they need love. The amazing thing about this video is the undeniable truth that we all need love whether we are age 4 or 44 or 84.
These little children speak in soft, gentle and tiny voices, and as we watch this video it draws us in with all the innocence of a child.
When I am honest with myself, I desperately want and need all of these things that these little children say. I am just like them. I need to be told I’m special. I need to be held – even though I am 50 years old. I need these just as bad as I need to breathe air.
Michael and Mark Arens enjoy a wonderful moment!
I think that all of us are really just like these little children. We were all born to be loved and to give love. I know you will be deeply moved when you see this video. And I hope it will inspire you to drop everything, and call the people that you love and say, “I love you” with all your heart.
I met a man who had enormous passion and his voice got progressively louder as he told me, “I’ve talked with my boy, I’ve begged him to listen, I’ve yelled and then I’ve yelled even louder. My boy refuses to listen to me.”
Their relationship is getting bitter – not better.
Now is the time to make a decision
So let’s ask a few simple questions about your relationships, and especially about the communication inside your relationships.
1. What is working for you?
2. What is not working so well?
3. What exactly is your “plan”?
Most of the folks I’ve met don’t have any “plan” for getting better. Instead, they keep on doing the same things that they have always done, and somehow hope for a different result. I remember a childhood friend whose dad repeatedly grounded him, and every grounding got longer and longer as if the boy might finally “get it” if he was punished just a little harder.
The dad must have reasoned, “If I just work my plan a little harder, my boy will get it.” Yell louder, make them go to bed hungry, swear a little, or perhaps get really upset.
I think it is obvious that these kinds of “plans” don’t work, so the real question must be, “How can I have a good plan?”
First we must begin with a picture of the end result we want to achieve. It is just like getting in your car and knowing your destination. For example, I see my family living in harmony, laughing together, working together and experiencing joy in every aspect of life.
Second, we must make a firm decision as to how important it is for us to achieve our vision. Is our destination really going to be “Harmony Lane,” or are we simply jumping in our car for a temporary little joy ride that brings us nowhere? For example, suppose my children interrupted me while I was in the middle of writing this very important article which you are reading right now. I am on a writing roll, in the groove, making it happen – yet my children interrupted me. So what is my real priority in my life? Is it my writing or my relationships with my children? I must decide.
These first two steps are the most crucial steps anyone can take. We cannot change our lives until we first examine who we are and decide who we want to be. Without a thorough examination and a decision on your part, you will almost assuredly go back to your old ways.
Once you have made your decision, you must say it out loud, “This is who I want to be in my relationships….” This is how I will react to others. This is my stance, my position, my foundation. Hopefully you have written it down in detail.
Next we must become a disciple of our decision. When we are a disciple it means we are a devotee and follower of an ideal. It is your decision of who you want to be, so now it is purely a matter of putting your decision into action. This begins with discipline.
The word discipline and the word disciple have the same root meanings. They mean that you will do whatever it takes to reach your goal. In short it means:
• You will follow through.
• You will tell others about your decisions and ask them to help you.
• You will read about your ideals, study and do whatever it takes to achieve your end.
Simply put, it means you are going to surround yourself with words, people and activities that will help you put your ideals into practice. We’ve all heard, “You are what you eat,” yet I believe we are truly what we put into our eyes and ears and thoughts. Garbage in equals garbage out. If I want to have great relationships with my family and friends, then I need to learn from others who have already studied these topics. Perhaps I need to ask my minister for a recommendation on several good books.
Having a strong plan and being a disciple of good relationships may not be easy. But the alternative is so much harder and uglier. Unfortunately, the bottom line says: If your child does not feel the right kind of love from you, they will find it somewhere else – perhaps in drugs, sex, pornography, alcohol or violence.
Your children desperately want to be loved – by you. Today is a great day to start your new plan. ThumbPeople.com can help.
Yesterday my 3 year old son and my 2 year old daughter both ran to me for absolutely no reason and whipped their little arms around me and held me in a bear hug that lasted a whole minute. There were no ulterior motives, no needing cookies, ice-cream or even a drink of water. Just a love hug.
I’ll bet you can imagine how I felt. Like superman! I smiled, laughed and later, I cried to think how precious it is that my babies love me so much.
And I’m not a perfect dad by any means. Sometimes I get my eyes locked in on a ballgame and I don’t even hear my kids as they say, “Dad, Dad, Dad… Dad, Dad, Dad” as they vainly attempt to get my attention. Sometimes I love my kids because of my own selfishness, because I simply want them to love me back.
On the other hand, our Father God always pays attention to us. He always loves us and is always with us. There is never a ballgame, or a movie or work to get in the way of his amazing love for us. There are no conditions, no exceptions, and no “what have you done for me lately” comments from God.
So I can only imagine how God feels when we love him the way that my kids loved me… When we raise our arms to heaven and hug our Father with all we’ve got… When we say thank you with our hearts no matter what is happening in our lives.
And you know what God loves just as much? It is when we love others the way that Jesus loves us. Jesus said that true religion is when we come to the aid of those in need. True religion is when we love our children, our weak, our lonely and frail. It is when we spread God’s love to those around us, simply in thanksgiving to God. It is a love hug.
I hope this message is a love hug – from me to you!
When you hear the name “Michael Jackson,” you probably have two different thoughts: “incredible performer” and “very strange person.”
I personally think that history will largely remember his legacy of memorable songs, videos, and dance numbers. But it is sad that he’ll always be tagged with his ghostly images, the dangling of his baby from a balcony and his reclusive lifestyle.
I think if we took a real autopsy of Michael Jackson, we would see that he truly died from a broken heart. Whether it was drugs or a heart attack is irrelevant, because he died feeling unloved, lonely and out of place. Even thought he was surrounded by people who catered to his every need, he truly died alone.
After producing “Thriller,” the biggest-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson buried his incredible brilliance into a self imposed imprisonment from society. During the prime of this man’s life, at the height of his creative talent, he became invisible all because he felt unloved, unheard, and misunderstood.
So here’s my question: What if Michael Jackson had known that he was truly loved. Not “adored” by screaming fans, but loved just for who he was? What if the little boy, Michael, would have grown up in a home where his mom and dad showed their love for him with their words, gentleness and caring? What if Michael would have known the love of God our Father deep inside his heart?
Can you possibly imagine the unseen talent that was forever buried when they buried that man?
More importantly, what kind of message do we give our children every day? Do our children know that they are loved all the time, or only when they perform? Do our children hear the love in our voice, in our look, in our inflections? Do our children know how precious they truly are?
I believe that people become their very best when they know they are loved. When they feel the presence of our loving God in their lives, they want to respond by giving their all. They want to respond with their finest.
Oliver Wendall Holmes said, “Most people go to their graves with their music still inside them.” Let’s make sure that we are bringing the music, smiles and laughter out of our children, and show them our love – today.
Get started today. It’s obvious that tomorrow may be too late.
All the Best,
Mark Arens
One of the great things about living in our country is that we have the freedom to make our own choices. We get to make our own choice of worship, music, food, thoughts and more.
We’ve all heard the expression, “You are what you eat” but I believe we truly become what we choose. When we choose to put good thoughts words and ideas into our eyes and ears we become even better and vice-versa when we fill our minds with bad thoughts. Our actions become habits which in turn become our character.
Family picnics will be common on July 4th
So the question of Independence Day is really a gut check. It is profoundly important that we ask ourselves one big question: “Who do you choose to listen too?”
For example, whose voice do you hear when you’re right, when you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong, yet you have to be the one to apologize? Do you hear a voice that tells you that you are standing on the truth and righteousness? Do your thoughts and very demeanor become convicted on the principle of the whole thing, until you ask yourself one question only: Why should you be the one to apologize when you are right?
When we listen to this voice, we are listening to the father of lies, whose only interest is in hurting you, your attitude and your relationships. This lying voice is similar to a great fiction writer who, in the process of crafting a novel, tells the truth over and over again and then subtly imbeds a lie next to the truth so we don’t see it.
To use a biblical reference – let’s consider when the snake told Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. He told her that she would gain knowledge of good and evil – which was the truth. But we all know that it was not the whole truth.
When we choose to listen to the father of lies, we will hear that it is more important to be right, than to be in right relationships. The voice tells you to stand firm, because you are right. Unfortunately, the liar never tells you that your relationships will be broken and over time you won’t even remember why or what you fought over.
It is interesting to note that this liar usually adds a clever twist of deception by making us believe that we are fighting over who is right. That’s because the real question, the real thing we usually fight over is not about who is right, but instead we fight about who is not wrong.
We focus on not being wrong. Instead of our conversations moving toward a solution that would involve higher and better thinking, we defend ourselves. We become defensive, raise our voices, and shout at least in our own minds, “I didn’t do anything wrong!” To use a sports analogy, we become so entrenched defensively that we could not possibly score a goal, so the game becomes unwinnable.
The other voice we can listen to is the voice of the Father of love. It is a gentle voice that says, “I want to love you and see the best in you.” It is a voice that encourages us to say, “I want to have a good relationship with you.”
This voice says that you – and I – are both made in God’s image. This voice says that we are created, not just good, but very good. God’s voice says, “Before you were born, you were set apart.”
When we hear God’s voice, we know that you and I are both one-of-a-kind originals. As such, we are both incredibly valuable. We were created by the greatest artist of all time, and like an original painting from a great master, you and I are both priceless. God’s voice tells us that we are each a masterpiece. We are a piece of the master.
Try this experiment to see the truth behind God’s voice of love: Hold out your hand and look at your thumbs. Then wrap your thoughts around the fact that you are the ONLY ONE in all of history and the ONLY ONE out of six billion people alive today who has ever had your thumbprint. Even if you were an identical twin with the same DNA, you would have different thumbprints.
We would say that you are Thumbuddy. You are Thumbuddy special and so am I.
I wrote this article because the liar’s voice, the enemy, is hard at work especially in our families. We have to recognize this liar’s voice in order to stop it. It is the same way that the FBI and police spend millions of dollars and countless hours studying the criminal mind in order to thwart their efforts.
Every single day the liar’s voice tells little children terrible lies. When children make a mistake they are told that they are a mistake. Peer pressure tells them that they are not Thumbuddy who stands out like their thumb, but rather, they stick out like a sore thumb.
The liar’s voice tells children that they are just a finger, a part of the crowd, a drone. This master liar pressures kids to conform to be invisible like nobody, to blend in like anybody, to be just like everybody, or to be anonymous like somebody. This master liar tells people to know your rights and to stand on righteousness and defend yourself, because that’s what the rest of the world does. The end result is broken relationships, loneliness, anger, drugs, sex and violence.
It is the opposite of being outstanding and set apart as Thumbuddy. It is the opposite of recognizing and loving the other person as Thumbuddy who is also special and precious, a miracle who is made in God’s image.
Can you imagine the wasted time of driving your car 100 miles in the wrong direction? This message is urgent because kids grow so fast and families have so little time to get it right. And today’s message is not about who is right, but about right relationships.
When we listen to God’s voice of love, it helps us to be our very best. It also helps us to see the very best in others. After all, I am a masterpiece and so are you.
We are all at a point of decision. We have to decide whose voice we are going to listen too. There is absolutely no time to waste.
Last night, my 3 year old son gave my 2 year old daughter an intentionally sharp push so she fell down and came a half inch from cutting her head on the edge of a table. Within a nanosecond after making sure that Anica was okay, I instinctively grabbed Michael by the arm and raised my voice telling him that it was not right to push people.
If you’re a parent, I’m sure you can relate.
It all happened instantly, and I did not, nor did I have any intent on hurting Michael in any way. But Michael is a very sensitive and loving little boy and my quickness in this moment of discipline caused him to cry and bury his head into my chest. I held him, and whispered to him that I loved him, and asked him to say, “I’m sorry” to Anica.
The reason I mention this very common type of incident, is because it would have been so easy to skip the “I love you” part of the equation. Michael could have gone through his entire night feeling bad, and remembering that Daddy got mad at him.
This is just one of the many reasons why Thumbuddy books and music are so needed and invaluable. At the end of the day, no matter what happened, I get a chance to read the positive Thumbuddy stories or listen to Thumbuddy music with my children and remind them that they are Thumbuddy precious and special. And this process also acts as a jog to my own memory of my commitment to always love them, while reminding me of all our lovely times together.
As parents of young children, we need to set this solid foundation of love and make it so strong that the winds and changes of our children’s futures cannot shake it. “I’ll Always Love My Thumbuddy” – no matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter what… It is a message that we cannot hear too often.
Yesterday my three year old son, Michael, and I went to our favorite place – the park. When Michael was just 18 months old, he astonished my wife and I when he told us, “I want to go to the P.A.R.K.” as he spelled out the word, park.
But yesterday’s experience at the park was disappointing because the park was filled with a dozen children who ran around and shot each other “dead” with their toy guns. They screamed, “You’re dead” as they continued a barrage of shooting and chasing, shooting and killing. Michael had no idea what the other kids were doing, but he sure wanted to play with them.
I’m telling this story because we have so little time as parents to teach our children the real truths about who they are, before the world gets hold on them. Truths like “I love you” and “You are precious” and “You are God’s child.”
These messages are the foundation that lies under the creation of Thumbuddy, and they are the foundational messages that we want our children to know, deep inside their hearts.
I’m so excited because ThumbPeople is ready to officially launch! Crossroads Church in Burnsville has joined us to do our three part sermon series called “You Are Set Apart” and I’ll be giving the first sermon on Sunday, May 31st, 2009.
This sermon series is going to be a whopper! It’s going to encourage, inspire, and teach about living abundantly – no matter what your circumstances are in life, and no matter what the economic conditions might be.
Just think about the word abundantly for a minute… Abundantly is not just “enough” but more than enough. It is when your cup runs over, and when your internal light is so strong that it shines into the darkness. It is living a big life. Jesus himself said, “I came that you would have life in abundance.” John 10:10.
In the same passage, Jesus also warned us when He said, “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy.” This thief is a relentless and smart enemy, who will never tell you when he is going to break into your home. Instead, he comes when we aren’t expecting it and he wants you to be afraid. He wants you to worry, and he wants you to live a small life of scarcity.
Abundance versus scarcity. What a choice!
Join me and our wonderful ThumbPeople team at Crossroads. Located at 14300 W Burnsville Pkwy, Burnsville, MN 55306 – one block south of County 42 on Burnsville Pkwy – and one block north of our office. For more detailed information or to sign up to view this event click on “Abundance”
Yesterday my 3 year old son and my 2 year old daughter both ran to me for absolutely no reason and whipped their little arms around me and held me in a bear hug that lasted a whole minute. There were no ulterior motives, no needing cookies, ice-cream or even a drink of water. Just a love hug.
Recent Comments