Please Pray for our Big Meeting today!

Hey, StrongFamilies friends,

After months of prayers and planning, I'm at Focus on the Family today for a huge meeting. From this meeting could come a partnership between StrongFamilies.com, The Institute for the Blessing, and Focus on the Family, to take the message of The Blessing to a whole new generation of parents. If you'd like to read more about this, I've included the StrongFamilies Prayer Team Special Prayer Update below for you to read. Of if you've just got a moment, we'd ask for your prayers for the Lord to open the door for us to work together in sharing this life-changing Biblical message!

I'll post in the future about how the meeting went -- but thank you so much for your prayers today!
JT

StrongFamilies Special Edition Prayer Request!
August 31, 2010

We’re only a day away from our September prayer request email, but after months of all of you praying for us – today is the day!

I wish you could pull up a chair with us in the main boardroom at Focus on the Family (next to what used to be Dr. Dobson’s office). Today we have our major, and supposedly our final meeting with folks from StrongFamilies, The Institute for the Blessing, and Focus on the Family. After months of discussion – this is the “decision” meeting regarding all of us working together to take the message of The Blessing to a whole new generation of parents and people!

In the room will be a “who’s who” of FoF folks. If they decide to move forward after this meeting, the next thing would be for Dr. Wheeler and I to fly to New York City in September to launch the partnership with a national radio broadcast (in front of a huge live audience). But before that “launch” comes – comes this huge meeting and the decision to move forward together or not.

Tomorrow we present 11 areas where we could work with Focus to spread the message of The Blessing to others. (From working together on a “Blessing Institute Book line, to online classes on the Blessing, to seminars, to radio programs, to sharing music that “Blesses” others, to passing out a million “Blessing coins” and more.). I’ll send you a “What happened at the meeting!” update, along with a very busy September Prayer list on September 1st. But months of prayers these past months will end, and we pray, begin with tomorrow’s meeting here at Focus on the Family.

Here’s my prayer, “Lord, thank you that as we walk into that huge Boardroom tomorrow, we know You’re walking beside us – and that You’ve been there ahead of us as well. We know the word “life” means movement – and we ask for your guidance and favor as these ministries consider moving forward together to better share Your message. We ask if this strategic alliance could further Your Kingdom, then every door would open tomorrow. Lord, we know there are so many hurting families and individuals out there. And we know as well that Your concept of The Blessing jumps off the pages of Scripture and can bring love, hope and healing to men and women who need help so much. So Lord, we humbly ask that all our prayers and months of working toward this one meeting will end up with many thousands more “living the Blessing” in their homes, churches and communities, for Your glory and honor.

Amen and thank you for your prayers! JT

John Trent, Ph.D.
President, StrongFamilies.com
Founder, The Institute for the Blessing at Barclay College

Note: If you're not already on our prayer team and would like to be, please shoot us an email at friends@strongfamilies.com and we'll be happy to include you.

Win an Autographed Book!

Don't forget about our drawing to win an autographed John Trent book when our StrongFamilies Facebook page reaches 500 "LIKEs". We're inching closer and closer to that magic number. Remember, everyone who recommends it to their friends will be in the drawing along with your friends.

We'll also do another drawing when we get to 1000 "LIKEs" so keep up the great work!

Click here for more details about the contest.

Slight Change of Plans for the Half Marathon

So it looks like I'll be running the half marathon in Scottsdale instead of Chicago this Sunday. Let me fill you in on how that has all come about.

Frankly, we've been facing some tremendous challenges with my wife, Cindy. For those who haven't heard, Cindy experienced some serious chemical burns on her hands. Even though her hands have healed on the outside, the nerve pain continues unabated (picture your hands on fire and from there, overall pain shoots through your body and makes it terribly hard to sleep). We've been to a number of doctors, and are extremely grateful for all the folks who have been praying. We have seen some improvement, thank the Lord. However, we just need her brain to start saying "There's no reason to hurt anymore!" and for the pain to stop! (Not being able to sleep for more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time makes everything in life more challenging).

So that leads me to the change of venue for the race.

If you've seen earlier posts or visited our website, you'll remember that I was supposed to go to Chicago this weekend and run the Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon. That's our big summer fund-raising event for StrongFamilies, with people sponsoring me per mile, and all the funds raised going to build strongfamilies. However, with Cindy in such tough shape, I've had to cancel trips last week, and I can't fly out to Chicago this week as well.

So, Cindy came up with a great idea (I think).

This Sunday at 5:00am here in Phoenix (the same time they step off in Chicago), I'm going to run the "Cindy Trent is Going to Get Better Scottsdale Canal 1/2 Marathon!" Meaning, I'll just use the Nike+ GPS on my shoe (which posts to our StrongFamilies Facebook page), and will run the 13.2 miles here in town so I can be with Cindy this weekend.

I'm going to send out an email to all those who have already agreed to sponsor the race in Chicago, to explain the situation. I simply can't leave Cindy right now, so while people can certainly pull their sponsorship, I'm still going to run the 13.2 for StrongFamilies.

If they'd like, or if you'd like to help the ministry, then just email jefft@strongfamilies.com (that's Jeff Thibault, our director of training for StrongFamilies) and let him know you're in for the "Cindy Trent is Going to Get Better" run as a sponsor!

As a ministry, all gifts are tax deductible and go directly to helping us help couples, singles and families!

Thanks for your prayers and understanding!

John Trent, Ph.D.

Sponsor John as he runs for StrongFamilies!

There are so many couples and families who need encouragement, hope and help! Join the Team that’s helping to sponsor Dr. John Trent as he runs the Rock & Roll Half Marathon on Sunday August 1st, in Chicago!

How do I sponsor Dr. Trent?

1. Just pick an amount, ($1.00, $5.00, $25.00, $100 or more) that you’d like to pledge “per mile.” A half-marathon is 13.2 miles.
2. Email Jeff Thibault (our Director of Operations and Training at StrongFamilies) at JeffT@strongfamilies.com (That’s Jeff “t” for Thibault at StrongFamilies.com) with the amount you’d like to pledge and your mailing (snail mail) address. (That way we can send you a donation receipt after you send in a check or go online and donate your pledge online).
3. We also have a special gift for all of our sponsors! A signed book from our online bookstore! Just visit StrongFamilies.com and go to our bookstore and pick out the book you’d like. You'll find more details about how on the sponsorship page here as well.
   

How do I know how John did at the race?

It’s a pretty sure bet that John won’t win the race – but he is persistent and barring a huge piece of space debris falling on him or some other unlikely catastrophe, it’s likely he’ll finish the race! Whatever happens – you’ll know exactly how far (and how slow) he ran as Jeff Thibault will be sending you an email when John lands in Chicago to get ready for the race, then another email on that Sunday morning that gives you his start time, split time (the half-way point) and his finish time! All runners at the Rock & Roll get a “chip” that goes on your shoe. Jeff will actually get email updates sent to him as John passes each point in the race! Is technology amazing or what!

You can find more details about the race and how you can sponsor John by visiting the StrongFamilies Sponsor Page.

So please join us as we support and encourage healthy and StrongFamilies!

Calling all sponsors!

Sponsor Dr. John Trent as He Runs for StrongFamilies®! ...and get a signed book to help Strengthen Your Family!

There are so many couples and families who need encouragement, hope and help! Join the Team that’s helping to sponsor Dr. John Trent as he runs the Rock & Roll ½ Marathon on Sunday, June 6th in San Diego and/or again on Sunday August 1st, at the Rock & Roll 1/2 Chicago!

How do I sponsor Dr. Trent?

A half-marathon is 13.2 miles.

Just pick an amount, ($1.00, $5.00, $25.00, $100 or more) that you’d like to pledge “per mile.”

Email Jeff Thibault (our Director of Operations and Training at StrongFamilies) at jefft@strongfamiles.com (That’s Jeff “T” for Thibault at StrongFamilies.com) with the amount you’d like to pledge and your mailing (snail mail) address. (That way we can send you a donation receipt after you send in a check or go online and donate your pledge online). You'll receive one book per sponsor after your donation is received, and please let us know in your pledge email what one book you’ve picked.

You can find more information on the sponsor sheet here.

Two more ways you can help...

First, please print out or email the link to the Sponsor Sheet and hand/send it out to friends and relatives who want to help couples grow in their love for each other and the Lord, and who want to help parents build strong families and become the spiritual trainers in their home! The needs of families are great and your gift is tremendously helpful to us as we reach out to families across our country.

Second, are you already running the Rock & Roll ½ Marathon in either San Diego or Chicago?
If so, consider joining the StrongFamilies running team and get people to sponsor StrongFamilies on your behalf! Right now, our “team” is just John – but if you know someone who’s running or are running yourself and want to help out a great cause, email Jeff at JeffT@StrongFamilies.com!

A 2-degree Suggestion to Bless Your Child

Take sticky notes to their school!

It’s hugely important to give our child our Blessing. (Genesis 27:34, Esau cries out after missing his father’s “blessing, “Bless me, even me also, o My father!”).

Here’s a small, 2 Degree suggestion on one way to do just that the next time you go to your child’s “Open House” or end of the year activities at school! When our girls were in grade school (and all the way through high school actually), I always took “sticky notes” with me to their “Parent/Teacher” nights. Ahead of time, I’d write lots of positive statements like, “Praying for you!,” and “You’re an awesome kid!” and “You’re an even neater kid then we prayed for!” and “You are a really good friend to others.”

Then we went from room to room (or stayed in the same room in grade school), I’d open up their desk, take a book, folder or notebook, and slip in a sticky note. One of the five “elements” of the Blessing is “spoken message” and a second is “attaching high value.”

The next day, when your child is at school and opens their notebook or book and finds a note of “blessing” from you – you’re making their day and blessing their heart! (Suggestion from The Dad’s Everything Book for Daughters, John Trent, Ph.D., Zondervan books)

Enter to win an autographed John Trent book of your choice!

Are you a StrongFamilies Facebook Fan?

Here are some questions that could win you an autographed book to help strengthen your family!
• Have you been impacted by Dr. John Trent's ministry to families over the years?
• Have you read one of the books he's authored and co-authored, like The Blessing, The Two Sides of Love, The 2 Degree Difference or The Treasure Tree?
• Have you been to a Strongfamilies seminar that Dr. Trent has taught or heard him on the radio?
Here's the last question!
• Have you joined Facebook as a way to stay up to date on the latest news, and information about family, friends, ministries, and causes that are dear to your heart?

If so, we encourage you to become a fan of Strongfamilies on Facebook by clicking the "LIKE" button at the top of the page. By doing so, you'll be entered for a chance to win ONE of TEN Dr. John Trent books we'll be giving away. Plus he'll personally autograph it for you!

Once you're a fan, you'll receive Dr. Trent's latest blog posts, event and book announcements, as well as ongoing communication with the Strongfamilies community all on your Facebook page. It's one of the easiest ways to stay in touch. And it's easier then you think to win a free signed book from Dr. Trent.

Here's how!

Contest Rules
• Visit the StrongFamilies Online Bookstore to decide which book you'd like to receive if you win.
• Click this link to go to the StrongFamilies Facebook page.
• Click on the "LIKE" button to become a fan.
• In the "What's on your mind?" box, tell us the book you've chosen and briefly one important aspect of having a Strong Family.
• That's all you need to do!
• Then when we reach 500 Fans we'll have drawings for 10 of you to each receive your choice of one free autographed book from the StrongFamilies online bookstore...and the winner could be you!
• Are you already a Facebook fan? Don't worry, you'll still be included in the drawing from the first 500, then 1,000 fans.
• But don't forget to spread the word, so we can have the drawing as soon as possible. Once we reach 500 soon - we'll round up the names and choose a winner! Remember that special book could make a great Mother's Day, Father's Day, wedding, birthday, baby or graduation gift.

We look forward to seeing you on Facebook!