In a few weeks I will officially have a preteen! I have to confess it seems like those first 2 or three years kind of slowly crept by and then all of a sudden life hit warp speed! Then, to ponder the thought that I have another one behind him in a short seventeen months…ouch. Life is truly like a vapor! I want to take this moment to encourage all of you with preteens in your house to read “Age Of Opportunity” by Paul Tripp, it is on our book table and it is allows you to see things in light of being a steward over our children. There will be a gamut of emotions that you go through in reading this book - from deep profound conviction of your weaknesses and failures, to a rejoicing that there is a foundation in the life of your child that you have worked hard on and prayed for God’s grace to establish in him/her. As the author points out, during the teen years it is not the time “to accept a culturally dictated generation gap.” But the main idea early on in the book is that God can use this time not simply for our teenagers, but as a time to help in OUR sanctification. A statement in the book that brought me to prayer was “It is a waste of time for us as parents to think about strategies for parenting our teens without first examining ourselves.” As I walked thorough Chapter 2, I realized how easy it is to bow down and hold to my idols - I get so consumed with my comfort that too often I miss wonderful teaching moments with my boys even now. I am hoping that through the grace of God that He sanctifies me daily and I grow better as they grow older.
We live in an incredible day, a time that there are more resources at our finger tips that enable us to parent biblically than there has ever been. We have to remember that “To whom much is given, much is required” I was raised in a home that loves the Word, married to a wife who loves the Word, and am attempting to teach my boys to love the Word. What I have that my parents didn’t? - Men and women of God who are biblically sound and equip me - not with a “how to get your kids to jump through the hoops to make your life easier” but really take the Word of God and allows you to examine you with it, which will allow me to better use it to teach my children. When I disobey the Word, my family will be the first to notice it, however when I am living in accordance to His Word they can be some of the first to benefit from it. Those areas that we become stiff-necked in are the ones that our children tend to pick up rather quickly. An extreme illustration of this happened several years ago; Michele had counseled with a lady who said she couldn’t spank her little girl because she would “lose control.” Well the issue in this lady’s life wasn’t a spanking issue, it was a self-control issue. As you watched her life, she couldn’t control her tongue, her anger, she stayed in constant rebellion to her husband and would sit in wonder as to why her child was out of control. Again, one of the greatest themes of “Age Of Opportunity” it is more about the grace of God working in my life so that I can be a better parent to my teenager…. It is more about the heart, than it is the behavior, but as we know the heart is the key!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Just Say No
In February I posted this blog http://holding2truth.blogspot.com/2010/02/just-say-noa-new-perspective.html and several weeks later I received a response from a young lady (she gave her first name, but it is not important here - what is important is what she said):
I'm 17, and I have to 100% agree with everything that you said. It really struck me when you mentioned the emotional loss in relationships that break up, even if there was no sexual loss.
Personally, I've gone too far in every sense, and I'm aware of it. I regret it wholeheartedly, and am only now, a year later, beginning to be able to rely on God to fill me up again.
If I could have been taught one thing about relationships, it would have been everything that you just mentioned. God should come first, in every sense. It saves a lot of heartache.
My heart and prayers go out to this sweet young lady and I really hope she is a member of Trinity - that she has the opportunity to sit under the teaching of the Word of God in our worship - and also to sit under the leadership and teaching of Bro. Brad Walker, who teaches and partners with parents to give a biblical perspective of parenting and how relationships of believers should differ from those of the world. In the coming years, we at Trinity have an opportunity to set an environment or expectation of what relationships with the opposite sex should look like for our students. We have incredible books like “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” by Joshua Harris that will allow us to get a biblical perspective of how we should view relationships and what we should encourage and discourage. How refreshing it would be in the future, when our children hang out with one another, regardless of which family’s house they are in (if they are members of Trinity) we can rest assured that there is a very consistent biblical expectation of them and their interaction with one another. May God use the testimony of this sweet young lady that wrote on my blog, to call parents out of their slumber and move them into interacting, leading and teaching their children how to biblically interact with other believers of the opposite sex. This is a responsibility that far too long we have watched happen, rather than working to accomplish.
I'm 17, and I have to 100% agree with everything that you said. It really struck me when you mentioned the emotional loss in relationships that break up, even if there was no sexual loss.
Personally, I've gone too far in every sense, and I'm aware of it. I regret it wholeheartedly, and am only now, a year later, beginning to be able to rely on God to fill me up again.
If I could have been taught one thing about relationships, it would have been everything that you just mentioned. God should come first, in every sense. It saves a lot of heartache.
My heart and prayers go out to this sweet young lady and I really hope she is a member of Trinity - that she has the opportunity to sit under the teaching of the Word of God in our worship - and also to sit under the leadership and teaching of Bro. Brad Walker, who teaches and partners with parents to give a biblical perspective of parenting and how relationships of believers should differ from those of the world. In the coming years, we at Trinity have an opportunity to set an environment or expectation of what relationships with the opposite sex should look like for our students. We have incredible books like “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” by Joshua Harris that will allow us to get a biblical perspective of how we should view relationships and what we should encourage and discourage. How refreshing it would be in the future, when our children hang out with one another, regardless of which family’s house they are in (if they are members of Trinity) we can rest assured that there is a very consistent biblical expectation of them and their interaction with one another. May God use the testimony of this sweet young lady that wrote on my blog, to call parents out of their slumber and move them into interacting, leading and teaching their children how to biblically interact with other believers of the opposite sex. This is a responsibility that far too long we have watched happen, rather than working to accomplish.
Monday, May 24, 2010
How Does A Lost World Know?
I thank the Lord for the evangelistic opportunities he give us. There are times we have the glorious privilege to present the gospel in casual conversation with a virtual stranger, there are other times we can share the gospel with a family member or co-worker that we have been building a relationship with for some time. However, one of the most unique ways we have of presenting the Gospel has come recently; I call it the 1st Jn. 4:20-21 way. We have a church member who has developed a relationship with a precious young lady - this lady simply started coming to our church because some church members were kind to her child. Then, she began watching people in our church interact with each other - her response was: “It is really strange here - you guys act like you really love each other, and you act like a family.” This is what can happen when a church…well, acts like a church. When the world examines our love for one another, our fellowship with one another, as they watch different people of different ages with different backgrounds interact, they have no logical, worldly way of explaining this. This lady discussed a previous “church experience” where the people just went to church and went home - but she was impressed by the way Trinity liked to be together.
What is happening at Trinity is not a mystery; it is not a secret…and not shocking. It is what happens when God’s people make an attempt to deal with one another according to the Word of God. It is what happens when 1st Jn. 4:20-21, 4:11; 1st Jn. 2:8-9; 1st Jn. 3:18 are put into practice among the people of God. When the lost watch the church in action, it should be evident that something is different, that even when we have differences we deal with them in a biblical manner. I attribute this change at Trinity only to the working of God’s grace among His people…He has used books like “The Peace Maker” and other instruments that point us to His Word. I don’t know of a week that has gone by that I have not received an e-mail or had a conversation about the changes that are going on in the lives and homes of our fellowship! I want to encourage you to “not grow weary in well doing.” Our purpose is to bring glory to our Lord, to exemplify as a church what God’s grace can do in our lives, and that our only bond is the love of Christ and His grace at work in our lives. In saying all of this, now that we have people that enjoy being at Church, they enjoy worshipping our Savior and fellowshipping with one another, we must battle, work, endeavor to keep the unity. Paul exhorted believers to do this, and we must exhort one another to do this. I thank God for the grace at work in our fellowship, but we must never take it for granted!
What is happening at Trinity is not a mystery; it is not a secret…and not shocking. It is what happens when God’s people make an attempt to deal with one another according to the Word of God. It is what happens when 1st Jn. 4:20-21, 4:11; 1st Jn. 2:8-9; 1st Jn. 3:18 are put into practice among the people of God. When the lost watch the church in action, it should be evident that something is different, that even when we have differences we deal with them in a biblical manner. I attribute this change at Trinity only to the working of God’s grace among His people…He has used books like “The Peace Maker” and other instruments that point us to His Word. I don’t know of a week that has gone by that I have not received an e-mail or had a conversation about the changes that are going on in the lives and homes of our fellowship! I want to encourage you to “not grow weary in well doing.” Our purpose is to bring glory to our Lord, to exemplify as a church what God’s grace can do in our lives, and that our only bond is the love of Christ and His grace at work in our lives. In saying all of this, now that we have people that enjoy being at Church, they enjoy worshipping our Savior and fellowshipping with one another, we must battle, work, endeavor to keep the unity. Paul exhorted believers to do this, and we must exhort one another to do this. I thank God for the grace at work in our fellowship, but we must never take it for granted!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
What Really Matters?
On very rare occasions, I “re-post” another person’s blog, but in April I came across this blog and saved it. I saved it because it is good for me to remember and reread things like this. It is not profound - but it serves as a wonderful reminder about what, and who are the really important people in our lives, and the passion that all of us should have to make an impact upon others for the glory of God. Below is the link to the article, and then I have copied the article itself from Randy Alcorn.
http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2010/04/can-you-name-them.html
Can You Name Them?
Being a hero is something entirely different than being a celebrity. Fame is one thing. Virtue is another. The two aren't even remotely related. In fact, the more famous you become the harder it is to cultivate and retain virtue. Celebrities are just people with good looks, talent, money, and the ability to draw attention to themselves. Heroes are people who stand courageously for what is right, often against the tide of public opinion, and at great cost to themselves.
Fame is deceptive, isn't it? There's lots of school teachers and nurses and people who work with kids, and old women down on their knees praying. They aren't going to be in the news. It takes a lot more sacrifice to be a hero than to be a celebrity.
The following quiz, which illustrates that point, was adapted by my friend Doug Nichols, founder of Action International Ministries.
Take this quiz:
1. Besides Bill Gates, name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman (football) trophy winners.
3. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
4. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
5. Name the last five years' World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday even though these people are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
5. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier? Yes! The lesson: The people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
So let’s make sure we are ones who care for others, not just that we will be remembered, but that God will be glorified!
Randy
http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2010/04/can-you-name-them.html
Can You Name Them?
Being a hero is something entirely different than being a celebrity. Fame is one thing. Virtue is another. The two aren't even remotely related. In fact, the more famous you become the harder it is to cultivate and retain virtue. Celebrities are just people with good looks, talent, money, and the ability to draw attention to themselves. Heroes are people who stand courageously for what is right, often against the tide of public opinion, and at great cost to themselves.
Fame is deceptive, isn't it? There's lots of school teachers and nurses and people who work with kids, and old women down on their knees praying. They aren't going to be in the news. It takes a lot more sacrifice to be a hero than to be a celebrity.
The following quiz, which illustrates that point, was adapted by my friend Doug Nichols, founder of Action International Ministries.
Take this quiz:
1. Besides Bill Gates, name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman (football) trophy winners.
3. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
4. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
5. Name the last five years' World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday even though these people are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
5. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier? Yes! The lesson: The people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
So let’s make sure we are ones who care for others, not just that we will be remembered, but that God will be glorified!
Randy
Monday, May 17, 2010
Apples and Oranges
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/februaryweb-only/17.41.0.html
The link above is to an outstanding article from Christianity Today that responds to a recent survey regarding the friendliness of Churches. One of the key questions in the poll in short, asks if “Churches are the friendliest places in town.” What should be a surprise to none was that the answer was that bars and restaurants are friendlier. Now, I agree with Mr. Galli, the writer of this article, when he pretty much points out that this should be alarming to…NO ONE. I want to give a few quotes from the article and make a few comments on them:
This finding puzzled Kimberlee Hauss, the Religion News Service writer who summarized the findings. She asked, "Why would people choose a restaurant or bar over a church?" The hidden assumption here, of course, is that churches should be as friendly as bars.
Chris Howley, director of research of Group Publishing, replied that many people feel "compelled" to be in church. They go out of a sense of obligation and therefore have no spiritual motivation for attending. In contrast, he said, the social atmosphere of a pub or restaurant draws people in without the feeling of obligation.
Either Ms. Hauss is extremely naïve to ask such a question or greatly misunderstands the biblical concept of what a church should be. The question “Why would people choose a restaurant or bar over a church?” can be answered very easily; because they love the things of the world more than they love the things of God. We have people who use flawed, blinded, carnal reasoning when it comes to the things of God – reasoning that they would never apply to any other area of their life! How many times have you heard someone use the tired excuse of “I don’t go to church because I have been hurt” or “I have had a bad experience.” If they were to use that excuse in any other area of their life they would never go out to eat – after all, I am sure they have had a bad experience in a restaurant, and we will give up eating out if we have had a bad experience, right? Please! They have probably still gone back to that SAME restaurant! The countless Little League coaches who you may have had a bad experience with certainly never stopped you from allowing your child to participate in Little League. I could go on with more illustrations, but the truth is that many people rather go to a bar, restaurant, stay at home, go to a game or countless other things rather than go to church because if we get gut-level honest, the things of God bore them to tears. They have no love for God or His people - they go simply out of obligation. Why? Well, Paul makes it pretty clear in Ephesians 2:1 when he is speaking to believers about their life before Christ and he points out that they were “…dead in trespasses and sins.” They don’t care because they are dead to anything spiritual! Should we be shocked that they would rather drink a beer and watch a ball game than learn about the most-high God? Should we be shocked that they know the starting twenty-two players on their favorite football team, but can’t explain the difference between justification and sanctification? Yet, many churches will freak out that they aren’t as friendly as the bar down the street. So, what is our response? We will have churches go out door to door and survey those who are dead, asking what we could possibly do to make the church more comfortable for them. Now, while most good ole boys won’t say this, let me save those churches some time. Here’s an idea--- Don’t preach truth, hang a nice plasma TV up, instead of singing “Before The Throne Of God Above” do a little karaoke to “I Got Friend’s In Low Places”, don’t talk to them about dying to self, the crucifixion, hell or anything else that brings their minds to the things of God and you have a chance of getting the crowd in the doors. The interesting thing is, the church will ask the lost “what must we do to get you in” but the strip clubs never ask God’s people “how can we make this more comfortable for you, so we can get you in here.” The reason - the strip clubs are geared towards lust, sex and the flesh. They know who they should be catering to… many churches on the other hand have forgotten that we gather to Worship God! It is not about me, HE IS OUR AUDIENCE, HE IS OUR TARGET. OUR GOAL IS TO BRING HIM GLORY!
Maybe instead of trying to make the lost as comfortable as possible, we just worship biblically, hold to the Word of God and bring the gospel to a lost and dying world out there. Our goal as we worship isn’t to make the lost comfortable, it is to lift Christ up in His glory. I conclude with another quote from the article that should haunt us:
Could it be that the culture no longer takes the church seriously because we don't take ourselves seriously? Could it be that the more we strive to be as friendly as a bar, the more we'll be viewed as seriously as people view a bar?
Why is it ok for the church and bar to even be comparable? Aren’t we worshipping The Great I AM? Shouldn’t there be fear and reverence, love and patience, grace and truth as we worship? It is commanded that the Body gather together - there is no command for the bar, the grill, or club. It is an “apples and oranges” comparison for those of us at Trinity and for that, I thank the Lord.
The link above is to an outstanding article from Christianity Today that responds to a recent survey regarding the friendliness of Churches. One of the key questions in the poll in short, asks if “Churches are the friendliest places in town.” What should be a surprise to none was that the answer was that bars and restaurants are friendlier. Now, I agree with Mr. Galli, the writer of this article, when he pretty much points out that this should be alarming to…NO ONE. I want to give a few quotes from the article and make a few comments on them:
This finding puzzled Kimberlee Hauss, the Religion News Service writer who summarized the findings. She asked, "Why would people choose a restaurant or bar over a church?" The hidden assumption here, of course, is that churches should be as friendly as bars.
Chris Howley, director of research of Group Publishing, replied that many people feel "compelled" to be in church. They go out of a sense of obligation and therefore have no spiritual motivation for attending. In contrast, he said, the social atmosphere of a pub or restaurant draws people in without the feeling of obligation.
Either Ms. Hauss is extremely naïve to ask such a question or greatly misunderstands the biblical concept of what a church should be. The question “Why would people choose a restaurant or bar over a church?” can be answered very easily; because they love the things of the world more than they love the things of God. We have people who use flawed, blinded, carnal reasoning when it comes to the things of God – reasoning that they would never apply to any other area of their life! How many times have you heard someone use the tired excuse of “I don’t go to church because I have been hurt” or “I have had a bad experience.” If they were to use that excuse in any other area of their life they would never go out to eat – after all, I am sure they have had a bad experience in a restaurant, and we will give up eating out if we have had a bad experience, right? Please! They have probably still gone back to that SAME restaurant! The countless Little League coaches who you may have had a bad experience with certainly never stopped you from allowing your child to participate in Little League. I could go on with more illustrations, but the truth is that many people rather go to a bar, restaurant, stay at home, go to a game or countless other things rather than go to church because if we get gut-level honest, the things of God bore them to tears. They have no love for God or His people - they go simply out of obligation. Why? Well, Paul makes it pretty clear in Ephesians 2:1 when he is speaking to believers about their life before Christ and he points out that they were “…dead in trespasses and sins.” They don’t care because they are dead to anything spiritual! Should we be shocked that they would rather drink a beer and watch a ball game than learn about the most-high God? Should we be shocked that they know the starting twenty-two players on their favorite football team, but can’t explain the difference between justification and sanctification? Yet, many churches will freak out that they aren’t as friendly as the bar down the street. So, what is our response? We will have churches go out door to door and survey those who are dead, asking what we could possibly do to make the church more comfortable for them. Now, while most good ole boys won’t say this, let me save those churches some time. Here’s an idea--- Don’t preach truth, hang a nice plasma TV up, instead of singing “Before The Throne Of God Above” do a little karaoke to “I Got Friend’s In Low Places”, don’t talk to them about dying to self, the crucifixion, hell or anything else that brings their minds to the things of God and you have a chance of getting the crowd in the doors. The interesting thing is, the church will ask the lost “what must we do to get you in” but the strip clubs never ask God’s people “how can we make this more comfortable for you, so we can get you in here.” The reason - the strip clubs are geared towards lust, sex and the flesh. They know who they should be catering to… many churches on the other hand have forgotten that we gather to Worship God! It is not about me, HE IS OUR AUDIENCE, HE IS OUR TARGET. OUR GOAL IS TO BRING HIM GLORY!
Maybe instead of trying to make the lost as comfortable as possible, we just worship biblically, hold to the Word of God and bring the gospel to a lost and dying world out there. Our goal as we worship isn’t to make the lost comfortable, it is to lift Christ up in His glory. I conclude with another quote from the article that should haunt us:
Could it be that the culture no longer takes the church seriously because we don't take ourselves seriously? Could it be that the more we strive to be as friendly as a bar, the more we'll be viewed as seriously as people view a bar?
Why is it ok for the church and bar to even be comparable? Aren’t we worshipping The Great I AM? Shouldn’t there be fear and reverence, love and patience, grace and truth as we worship? It is commanded that the Body gather together - there is no command for the bar, the grill, or club. It is an “apples and oranges” comparison for those of us at Trinity and for that, I thank the Lord.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Family Worship - from Bro. John Conger
Wow! I asked John Conger to let us "Peek in" on their Family Worship Time and I am so glad that I did! What a comprehensive look at how the book of Deuteronomy (chapter 6) describes keeping the Word before our children when we walk, rise up and lie down...I thank God for Bro. John and his willingness to share with us how he and Susan "live out" the Word before their children and their striving for consistency in every area. I pray that you will be blessed and challenged for having taken the time to read and ponder what he has shared.
Family Worship - by Bro. John Conger
It is with the greatest of humility that Susan and I are sharing insight into how we conduct Family Time/Worship in our home. First, we would like to begin with a definition of “Family Time/Worship” from our perspective. Family Time/Worship is not the same as Personal Quiet Time – especially with children. If you try to force Family Time with children to be the same as your Personal Quiet Time as an adult, you will become very frustrated and will not display any of the fruits of the Spirit as you try to enforce compliance of a desired standard.
Secondly, you need to realize that in light of the Great Commission, “Family Time/Worship” is not limited to a specific time. It is a continuous, on-going process. The ultimate goal of the process is to “make disciples.” So often we think of the word “Go” in the Great Commission as a command when in the original text it is a participle meaning “As you go” or “Having gone.” The implication is as you live where you live, as you perform your daily routine tasks, making disciples should be a natural part of your daily life. You shouldn’t have to think about it or plan to do it, it should be something you do as naturally as breathing or as familiar as driving to the grocery store.
The first question that has been asked is, “How do you conduct your family time?” For our family, the concentrated devotional time occurs at bedtime. Some people say that devotional times should be the first thing in the morning as you give the Lord first priority or of the first fruits of your time. Others support devotional time in the evening as the last thing you hear is what your mind meditates upon and processes while you sleep. For the dynamics of our household, the best time is bed time. The important thing to remember is that there is a designated devotional time. For our devotional time, we use the 365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories (ISBN 1-55748-264-0). Even though it is a single-page story, the Scripture reference of the complete text is provided along with two or three questions to ask at the end of the story. I view it as a children’s one year Bible.
The second question that has been asked is, “What are we doing?” Apart from the devotional time, here are a few things that we are doing to “train our children in the way they should go.” Prayer is a major emphasis spontaneously throughout the day in order to teach “praying without ceasing.” If we hear of someone who is sick (either within our family or someone else), we will pray for them with the children. With Susan homeschooling, she prays with Paul each day before beginning his studies. She incorporates the AWANA memory verses into the homeschooling process. She uses Windows to the World (a children’s version of Operation World) to study world geography. In the area of discipline, obedience has a three-part meaning. To obey means 1) doing what you are told 2) doing it when you are told to do it 3) doing it with the right attitude. Discipline doesn’t necessarily always mean a spanking. There have been times that I have sent Paul to his room while I prayed about how to discipline him. God revealed to me some passages of Scripture which I shared with Paul and guided Paul in confessing his wrong to God. We emphasize sincere apologies. They have to say, “I am sorry because…” When the apology is rendered the sign of acceptance and forgiveness is a hug. Susan and I are VERY guarded in what our children see and hear. We do not have cable or satellite TV. Our computer/internet access is in our den. We use the TV screen as the computer monitor so that everyone can see what we are doing. I remember one time when Jim Brown shared a devotional with me. I do not recall who the author of the devotional was, but here is the penetrating question that was asked: “How many flies have to be in your soup before you won’t eat it?” Here’s the application: How many words, statements, scenes have to be in a movie/TV show before you turn it off? We canvas our neighborhood (70 plus homes) at Easter with our children to share the Gospel with our neighbors. When we go visiting, we have each of our children’s Sunday School roles along with our 3rd grade role divided geographically. We take our children with us to visit the children. Our children are with us practically everywhere we go. They see our responses/reactions to life’s circumstances. That is true disciple-making – when someone observes you in your weakest moment. We sponsor Rahul who lives in India through Compassion International. When our son turned five, I searched the Compassion International website (www.compassion.com) for a boy who was born in March 2003. I plan to take our son to visit Rahul in 5 or 6 years. We also plan to sponsor children from different continents for our others when they turn five. It gives our family a global focus.
The third question that has been asked is, “What are the challenges we face?” Oh my, where do I begin? Devotional time is usually a three ring circus. One, if not all three are experiencing a meltdown moment. Somebody’s crying. Somebody’s wanting to talk. Somebody’s playing with a toy. Somebody’s walking off to another room. It’s a hoot! That’s part of the fun of having a 7 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old. Susan and I used to get SO discouraged with it all until one day mom told Susan how much it reminded her of my brother and me. Mom said she didn’t think it was doing any good until one day we quoted John 3:16. Another day we quoted Psalm 23. Mom’s testimony was a great encouragement to Susan and me. There are some nights when I finish reading that I ask a couple of questions about what was read and nobody has a clue. Some nights I try to review previous night’s readings without any success. On a personal level, there is usually pure exhaustion. It takes a disciplined effort to train your children on a consistent daily basis. There are some days that we fail to have devotional time. You know, people can tell you what you need to do, they can demonstrate to you how to do it, they can yell at you and smack you around for not doing what you know you should; but if you do it for any of those reasons, it’s not really doing it to bring honor and glory to God. You’re doing it simply out of a legalistic ritual. Everything that you do in the Christian life should be done for the sole purpose of allowing Jesus Christ to live more fully through you by the power of His Holy Spirit. It’s Christ in you the hope of glory. One of the hardest struggles I have faced as a parent is the decision about toys. We have banned Pokémon, Power Rangers, Transformers, Bionicles, and Bakugans from our house. You may ask “Why? It’s just a toy.” That may true, but when you read the storyline, there is a whole lot of false religion, false doctrine, and false theology that is presented in a seemingly innocent toy. Philippians 4:8, Ephesians 5:1-16, Colossians 1:9-17 are our theme verses. If we get unwanted toys in kid’s meals, we purchase an approved toy to replace the unwanted toy with. Based on Matt 12:43-45, we try to replace evil with good in order to fill the void.
The fourth question that has been asked is, “What are the joys we have had?” Oh my, where do I begin? LOS (lots of smiles) There are nights that I almost avoid the devotional time but then one of the kids will ask for the Bible story. There are some nights that, when I ask about the reading, one of them recalls the minutest detail of the story that I have to go back and re-read it to see that it actually said that. There are some nights I can simply mention a character, and our oldest can tell me the whole story from what he has learned from Sunday School or other lessons. One day someone gave the children some toys. In the midst of the toys was a Pokémon character. Paul told the individual that he couldn’t have it because it represented false religion. The individual told Paul that it was so small he could just sneak it in and I would never know. The individual went as far as to say Paul could paint it purple. Paul confronted the individual with, “Isn’t that lying?” When Paul came home, he showed it to me and told me of the conversation. In order to reward Paul for having said and done the right thing, Susan and I discussed the situation in private and concluded to allow Paul to keep it until the Holy Spirit convicted him about it. A few days later Paul was showing the Pokémon character to Susan’s mom and talking to her about it when he decided to throw it away.
I never really stopped to realize how much we do and the growth we have seen until Bro. Chad asked us to share our life with you. We pray that you have been blessed and encouraged by reading these comments. In closing, the goal of our “Family Time/Worship” is that our children will not grow up in the traditional mindset of Christianity that we did. Our prayer is that they will truly be world-visionary, world-impacting, reproducing disciple makers on a mission with a vision to fulfill the Great Commission to the ends of the earth until the end of time.
John and Susan Conger
Family Worship - by Bro. John Conger
It is with the greatest of humility that Susan and I are sharing insight into how we conduct Family Time/Worship in our home. First, we would like to begin with a definition of “Family Time/Worship” from our perspective. Family Time/Worship is not the same as Personal Quiet Time – especially with children. If you try to force Family Time with children to be the same as your Personal Quiet Time as an adult, you will become very frustrated and will not display any of the fruits of the Spirit as you try to enforce compliance of a desired standard.
Secondly, you need to realize that in light of the Great Commission, “Family Time/Worship” is not limited to a specific time. It is a continuous, on-going process. The ultimate goal of the process is to “make disciples.” So often we think of the word “Go” in the Great Commission as a command when in the original text it is a participle meaning “As you go” or “Having gone.” The implication is as you live where you live, as you perform your daily routine tasks, making disciples should be a natural part of your daily life. You shouldn’t have to think about it or plan to do it, it should be something you do as naturally as breathing or as familiar as driving to the grocery store.
The first question that has been asked is, “How do you conduct your family time?” For our family, the concentrated devotional time occurs at bedtime. Some people say that devotional times should be the first thing in the morning as you give the Lord first priority or of the first fruits of your time. Others support devotional time in the evening as the last thing you hear is what your mind meditates upon and processes while you sleep. For the dynamics of our household, the best time is bed time. The important thing to remember is that there is a designated devotional time. For our devotional time, we use the 365 Read-Aloud Bedtime Bible Stories (ISBN 1-55748-264-0). Even though it is a single-page story, the Scripture reference of the complete text is provided along with two or three questions to ask at the end of the story. I view it as a children’s one year Bible.
The second question that has been asked is, “What are we doing?” Apart from the devotional time, here are a few things that we are doing to “train our children in the way they should go.” Prayer is a major emphasis spontaneously throughout the day in order to teach “praying without ceasing.” If we hear of someone who is sick (either within our family or someone else), we will pray for them with the children. With Susan homeschooling, she prays with Paul each day before beginning his studies. She incorporates the AWANA memory verses into the homeschooling process. She uses Windows to the World (a children’s version of Operation World) to study world geography. In the area of discipline, obedience has a three-part meaning. To obey means 1) doing what you are told 2) doing it when you are told to do it 3) doing it with the right attitude. Discipline doesn’t necessarily always mean a spanking. There have been times that I have sent Paul to his room while I prayed about how to discipline him. God revealed to me some passages of Scripture which I shared with Paul and guided Paul in confessing his wrong to God. We emphasize sincere apologies. They have to say, “I am sorry because…” When the apology is rendered the sign of acceptance and forgiveness is a hug. Susan and I are VERY guarded in what our children see and hear. We do not have cable or satellite TV. Our computer/internet access is in our den. We use the TV screen as the computer monitor so that everyone can see what we are doing. I remember one time when Jim Brown shared a devotional with me. I do not recall who the author of the devotional was, but here is the penetrating question that was asked: “How many flies have to be in your soup before you won’t eat it?” Here’s the application: How many words, statements, scenes have to be in a movie/TV show before you turn it off? We canvas our neighborhood (70 plus homes) at Easter with our children to share the Gospel with our neighbors. When we go visiting, we have each of our children’s Sunday School roles along with our 3rd grade role divided geographically. We take our children with us to visit the children. Our children are with us practically everywhere we go. They see our responses/reactions to life’s circumstances. That is true disciple-making – when someone observes you in your weakest moment. We sponsor Rahul who lives in India through Compassion International. When our son turned five, I searched the Compassion International website (www.compassion.com) for a boy who was born in March 2003. I plan to take our son to visit Rahul in 5 or 6 years. We also plan to sponsor children from different continents for our others when they turn five. It gives our family a global focus.
The third question that has been asked is, “What are the challenges we face?” Oh my, where do I begin? Devotional time is usually a three ring circus. One, if not all three are experiencing a meltdown moment. Somebody’s crying. Somebody’s wanting to talk. Somebody’s playing with a toy. Somebody’s walking off to another room. It’s a hoot! That’s part of the fun of having a 7 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old. Susan and I used to get SO discouraged with it all until one day mom told Susan how much it reminded her of my brother and me. Mom said she didn’t think it was doing any good until one day we quoted John 3:16. Another day we quoted Psalm 23. Mom’s testimony was a great encouragement to Susan and me. There are some nights when I finish reading that I ask a couple of questions about what was read and nobody has a clue. Some nights I try to review previous night’s readings without any success. On a personal level, there is usually pure exhaustion. It takes a disciplined effort to train your children on a consistent daily basis. There are some days that we fail to have devotional time. You know, people can tell you what you need to do, they can demonstrate to you how to do it, they can yell at you and smack you around for not doing what you know you should; but if you do it for any of those reasons, it’s not really doing it to bring honor and glory to God. You’re doing it simply out of a legalistic ritual. Everything that you do in the Christian life should be done for the sole purpose of allowing Jesus Christ to live more fully through you by the power of His Holy Spirit. It’s Christ in you the hope of glory. One of the hardest struggles I have faced as a parent is the decision about toys. We have banned Pokémon, Power Rangers, Transformers, Bionicles, and Bakugans from our house. You may ask “Why? It’s just a toy.” That may true, but when you read the storyline, there is a whole lot of false religion, false doctrine, and false theology that is presented in a seemingly innocent toy. Philippians 4:8, Ephesians 5:1-16, Colossians 1:9-17 are our theme verses. If we get unwanted toys in kid’s meals, we purchase an approved toy to replace the unwanted toy with. Based on Matt 12:43-45, we try to replace evil with good in order to fill the void.
The fourth question that has been asked is, “What are the joys we have had?” Oh my, where do I begin? LOS (lots of smiles) There are nights that I almost avoid the devotional time but then one of the kids will ask for the Bible story. There are some nights that, when I ask about the reading, one of them recalls the minutest detail of the story that I have to go back and re-read it to see that it actually said that. There are some nights I can simply mention a character, and our oldest can tell me the whole story from what he has learned from Sunday School or other lessons. One day someone gave the children some toys. In the midst of the toys was a Pokémon character. Paul told the individual that he couldn’t have it because it represented false religion. The individual told Paul that it was so small he could just sneak it in and I would never know. The individual went as far as to say Paul could paint it purple. Paul confronted the individual with, “Isn’t that lying?” When Paul came home, he showed it to me and told me of the conversation. In order to reward Paul for having said and done the right thing, Susan and I discussed the situation in private and concluded to allow Paul to keep it until the Holy Spirit convicted him about it. A few days later Paul was showing the Pokémon character to Susan’s mom and talking to her about it when he decided to throw it away.
I never really stopped to realize how much we do and the growth we have seen until Bro. Chad asked us to share our life with you. We pray that you have been blessed and encouraged by reading these comments. In closing, the goal of our “Family Time/Worship” is that our children will not grow up in the traditional mindset of Christianity that we did. Our prayer is that they will truly be world-visionary, world-impacting, reproducing disciple makers on a mission with a vision to fulfill the Great Commission to the ends of the earth until the end of time.
John and Susan Conger
Monday, May 10, 2010
Family Worship from Guest Blogger....Bro. Scott Grisham
Scott and Anna Katherine Grisham have been a blessing to Trinity Baptist Church in their faithful service and their love for the people here! While we are certainly not looking forward to losing them, we are excited to see the way God is going to use them in their ministry in Vancouver, Canada as they help Bro. Jeff Phillips there. I am so excited that we, as a church, get to support their ministry and be a part of what is going on in Vancouver. I am thankful that Bro. Scott would be willing to share with us how he leads Family Worship in the Grisham household.....and keep their sweet family in prayer as they prepare to serve...
Now, Family Worship from Bro. Scott Grisham
“Be Careful, Jesus!”
Every night before we tuck our son in bed, we gather as a family in his room and pile on the bed to read a story from our Read and Learn Bible put out by the American Bible Society (thank you Wal-Mart-$14.99). Although we have a two and a half year old son and a 6 month old baby girl, we try to be consistent in our routine.
It’s all about the storyline of the Bible for us right now. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. We are now on our 3rd trip through this children’s Bible (so thankful that nothing EVER gets old to a 2 year old) and we are trying to explain more to him each time through. We are teaching him basic truths: God created everything, Jesus is God’s son, Jesus had to die on the cross. Occasionally, we will read to him from one of our Bibles (he gets a kick out of this and usually listens better). So much of what we do is to show him the importance that we place on reading the Bible and praying. It’s not always easy and we would sometimes like to skip out, but we know that God will honor our efforts.
The following is an example of a typical night . It is one of our son's favorite stories that gets read almost weekly, per his request.
1.) Daddy reads Bible Story: Jesus Walks on Water
*Bible Verses: Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21
Even though the passages are usually short, I get him to repeat some of the words that I read to keep his attention.
2.) Daddy and Mommy reinforce Truth
Example 1:
Text: “The men were terrified and started screaming.”
Daddy: “See, we don’t have to be afraid because God protects us.”
Example 2:
Text: “He looked like he was walking on the waves!”
Mommy: “God made the wind and the waves. Look at Jesus ! He is walking on the water!”
Our Son: “Be careful, Jesus!” (Because we got a good laugh out of that one the first time he did it, now he says that every time we read the passage.)
3.) Prayer Time
Daddy begins the prayer praising God, thanking God, and incorporating the night‘s passage in some form. We make it very simple so that they will know it’s something they can do too. Anyone who wants to pray during this time is welcome (never know what he will be thankful for or how long he will pray). Most of the time, he doesn’t want to pray, and we don’t make him. Sometimes he repeats my words, which is awesome.
4.) Song/Worship
This is the last step in the process because it also helps wind down. We usually let him choose the song - so we’re typically singing Christmas songs such as: “Silent Night”, “Away in a Manger“, or “Joy to the World”. We all sing together most of the time, except for the occasional request that only mommy sing. Can a 2 year old recognize a singer who is tone deaf?
After we put him down, we each spend a few minutes praying over both of them. Most nights we use the books, Praying God’s Will for My Son and Praying God’s Will for My Daughter, to pray specific scripture passages over them. This has been so rewarding already and is a great way to end the day.
Now, Family Worship from Bro. Scott Grisham
“Be Careful, Jesus!”
Every night before we tuck our son in bed, we gather as a family in his room and pile on the bed to read a story from our Read and Learn Bible put out by the American Bible Society (thank you Wal-Mart-$14.99). Although we have a two and a half year old son and a 6 month old baby girl, we try to be consistent in our routine.
It’s all about the storyline of the Bible for us right now. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. We are now on our 3rd trip through this children’s Bible (so thankful that nothing EVER gets old to a 2 year old) and we are trying to explain more to him each time through. We are teaching him basic truths: God created everything, Jesus is God’s son, Jesus had to die on the cross. Occasionally, we will read to him from one of our Bibles (he gets a kick out of this and usually listens better). So much of what we do is to show him the importance that we place on reading the Bible and praying. It’s not always easy and we would sometimes like to skip out, but we know that God will honor our efforts.
The following is an example of a typical night . It is one of our son's favorite stories that gets read almost weekly, per his request.
1.) Daddy reads Bible Story: Jesus Walks on Water
*Bible Verses: Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21
Even though the passages are usually short, I get him to repeat some of the words that I read to keep his attention.
2.) Daddy and Mommy reinforce Truth
Example 1:
Text: “The men were terrified and started screaming.”
Daddy: “See, we don’t have to be afraid because God protects us.”
Example 2:
Text: “He looked like he was walking on the waves!”
Mommy: “God made the wind and the waves. Look at Jesus ! He is walking on the water!”
Our Son: “Be careful, Jesus!” (Because we got a good laugh out of that one the first time he did it, now he says that every time we read the passage.)
3.) Prayer Time
Daddy begins the prayer praising God, thanking God, and incorporating the night‘s passage in some form. We make it very simple so that they will know it’s something they can do too. Anyone who wants to pray during this time is welcome (never know what he will be thankful for or how long he will pray). Most of the time, he doesn’t want to pray, and we don’t make him. Sometimes he repeats my words, which is awesome.
4.) Song/Worship
This is the last step in the process because it also helps wind down. We usually let him choose the song - so we’re typically singing Christmas songs such as: “Silent Night”, “Away in a Manger“, or “Joy to the World”. We all sing together most of the time, except for the occasional request that only mommy sing. Can a 2 year old recognize a singer who is tone deaf?
After we put him down, we each spend a few minutes praying over both of them. Most nights we use the books, Praying God’s Will for My Son and Praying God’s Will for My Daughter, to pray specific scripture passages over them. This has been so rewarding already and is a great way to end the day.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A Blog on Family Worship...from Guest Blogger, Bro. Jeff Cole
For the last several weeks we have been highlighting different staff members and how they conduct "family worship" with their families, and many of you have let me know how much this has meant to you and how it has helped you as you seek to lead your family in worship. Well, on the heels of that, I wanted some of you to share with each other the highlights (and pitfalls) of family worship in their homes! I appreciate Jeff Cole being willing to kick things off and share with us how he leads his family...
**As you read this blog, please be praying for Jeff and his sweet family. He is dealing with some health issues this week that are definitely concerns and stress for this precious family.
Cole Family Worship Time
As a husband and a dad to three kids (ages 7, and 5 year old twins), I have been challenged, as have many others at Trinity, to lead our family in worship in our home. I am learning daily that our worship, our response to God, is not confined to the four walls of Trinity, but is always with us. As a dad, I am responsible for ensuring that my family is grounded in the gospel. Like many other Trinity dads, I grew up with a good dad, but not a Godly dad. I want to change that legacy for my family. As a sinner, I fail miserably, but God’s grace allows me to get back up and try again.
I really started to grasp the importance of family worship time late last fall as Brother Chad was encouraging all the Trinity dads to step up and begin this important practice. Since my dad didn’t go to church on a consistent basis (my mom was the organist, so my sister and I both went with her), I didn’t have a clue what family worship time looked like. I asked Brother Chad for a recommendation and he quickly provided some ideas. Since our kids are young, we started with small steps that can hold their attention long enough for them to grasp God’s word. We started by using the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones that I purchased at the book table in the foyer at Trinity. The great thing about this Bible is that in every Bible story, the writer alludes to Jesus as coming (in the Old Testament) or Jesus as the Rescuer (in the New Testament). I try to do at least one story each evening before the kids go to bed. I have missed some nights and regretted that I didn’t ensure that we had our family worship time. However, our kids will be the first to remind me the next night that we missed the previous night. Our kids love these stories and usually ask that I read two or three stories each night. For me, the key is to be consistent. When you fall off, get back on as quickly as you can.
Since we are approaching the end of the Storybook Bible, I recently purchased Big Truths for Little Kids by Susan and Richard Hunt, somewhat of a pre-curser to Big Truths for Little Hearts. Although our 7 year old is probably ready for the Little Hearts book, I wanted to make sure we are all on the same page and got the Little Kids book. My plan is that when we finish the Storybook Bible, we will begin the Little Hearts Book. I am excited about this new upcoming book for us because it will keep the attention of our kids - it uses the interaction of the similar-aged characters in the book and it provides thought provoking questions on a kid’s level after every story. I am excited to see what God does through our family time in Big Truths for Little Kids.
Because I take our kids to school in the morning, we have an opportunity to praise Him in song by rocking out to some of our favorite songs on K-LOVE. There is nothing better than hearing your children sing/scream – “It’s a big, big house” (Big House by Audio Adrenaline) or “My God He was, My God He is, My God is always gonna be” (My Savior My God by Aaron Shust) or “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig and Dean). While listening to K-LOVE, I ask them about something God is doing in their life or something they need God to help them with. Most of the time, it’s something very simple like “not get in trouble at school” or “be able to run faster than ___”(some other kid), however, you’ll be surprised at the complexity of your child when your oldest tells you that “she needs God to help her stay balanced between her regular school work and SPOTLIGHT” (gifted program that takes her our of class).
My wife and I look for “teachable moments” that we can remind our kids, and ourselves, how big our God is. We recently started our garden in the backyard and had all the kids help us. It was a great time to remind them of God’s creation and how He allows us to plant seeds and sow them later just as we do when we share the gospel with an unbeliever. Another time, we were lying in the backyard counting stars. It was a great opportunity to remind them that God placed every one of those stars and there are millions more that we can’t even see. We both look for opportunities for prayer such as when we are driving and see an accident on the side of the road. We will ask one of the kids to voice a prayer for whoever was involved. It hasn’t been earth shattering things – just things we see around us in every day life. Those are the things we easily take for granted. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us to “impress upon your child as they sit, as they walk, as they lie down and as they get up”. We’ve found it’s very easy to simply notice the things around us that God does for us on a daily basis.
Because of my responsibility to my family, I have to be responsible in my daily walk as well. I can tell you for many years, that has not been the case and I woefully regret that. Because of this duty to my family, God has given me a desire to be in His Word daily. I decided that I need to ensure that I am grounded in the Word and figured that the best way to do this would be to start with the beginning. So, I started with Genesis 1. In doing this, I realized all the things I didn’t know before or forgot about as a child. In addition, I have begun to read some good quality books. I recently purchased Crazy Love by Francis Chan which, at least in the chapter I am in now, speaks to the enormity of God and how incredible it is that the God who created pine needles, caterpillars and E-minor, loves me and wants a personal relationship with me. I have also begun to use podcasts on my phone to listen to some well-known speakers – Francis Chan, John Piper, and Mark Driscoll – during my drive to work and back. I will be the first to tell you that I am a work in progress and won’t arrive until Jesus takes me home, but I am slowly, but surely working on sanctification.
As many of our ministers have already alluded to in their “day in the life” portion of the blog, the key to family worship is consistency. It’s so easy to get pulled away. The key for me is to remind myself that I am responsible for my family. However, when you hear one of your children pray at night and hear him say “Thank you Jesus for not letting me get nails in my hands and feet,” you quickly realize that he understands what Christ did for us...and that the time spent with them in worship was not in vein. You are indeed leaving a new legacy for your family.
**As you read this blog, please be praying for Jeff and his sweet family. He is dealing with some health issues this week that are definitely concerns and stress for this precious family.
Cole Family Worship Time
As a husband and a dad to three kids (ages 7, and 5 year old twins), I have been challenged, as have many others at Trinity, to lead our family in worship in our home. I am learning daily that our worship, our response to God, is not confined to the four walls of Trinity, but is always with us. As a dad, I am responsible for ensuring that my family is grounded in the gospel. Like many other Trinity dads, I grew up with a good dad, but not a Godly dad. I want to change that legacy for my family. As a sinner, I fail miserably, but God’s grace allows me to get back up and try again.
I really started to grasp the importance of family worship time late last fall as Brother Chad was encouraging all the Trinity dads to step up and begin this important practice. Since my dad didn’t go to church on a consistent basis (my mom was the organist, so my sister and I both went with her), I didn’t have a clue what family worship time looked like. I asked Brother Chad for a recommendation and he quickly provided some ideas. Since our kids are young, we started with small steps that can hold their attention long enough for them to grasp God’s word. We started by using the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones that I purchased at the book table in the foyer at Trinity. The great thing about this Bible is that in every Bible story, the writer alludes to Jesus as coming (in the Old Testament) or Jesus as the Rescuer (in the New Testament). I try to do at least one story each evening before the kids go to bed. I have missed some nights and regretted that I didn’t ensure that we had our family worship time. However, our kids will be the first to remind me the next night that we missed the previous night. Our kids love these stories and usually ask that I read two or three stories each night. For me, the key is to be consistent. When you fall off, get back on as quickly as you can.
Since we are approaching the end of the Storybook Bible, I recently purchased Big Truths for Little Kids by Susan and Richard Hunt, somewhat of a pre-curser to Big Truths for Little Hearts. Although our 7 year old is probably ready for the Little Hearts book, I wanted to make sure we are all on the same page and got the Little Kids book. My plan is that when we finish the Storybook Bible, we will begin the Little Hearts Book. I am excited about this new upcoming book for us because it will keep the attention of our kids - it uses the interaction of the similar-aged characters in the book and it provides thought provoking questions on a kid’s level after every story. I am excited to see what God does through our family time in Big Truths for Little Kids.
Because I take our kids to school in the morning, we have an opportunity to praise Him in song by rocking out to some of our favorite songs on K-LOVE. There is nothing better than hearing your children sing/scream – “It’s a big, big house” (Big House by Audio Adrenaline) or “My God He was, My God He is, My God is always gonna be” (My Savior My God by Aaron Shust) or “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty” (Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig and Dean). While listening to K-LOVE, I ask them about something God is doing in their life or something they need God to help them with. Most of the time, it’s something very simple like “not get in trouble at school” or “be able to run faster than ___”(some other kid), however, you’ll be surprised at the complexity of your child when your oldest tells you that “she needs God to help her stay balanced between her regular school work and SPOTLIGHT” (gifted program that takes her our of class).
My wife and I look for “teachable moments” that we can remind our kids, and ourselves, how big our God is. We recently started our garden in the backyard and had all the kids help us. It was a great time to remind them of God’s creation and how He allows us to plant seeds and sow them later just as we do when we share the gospel with an unbeliever. Another time, we were lying in the backyard counting stars. It was a great opportunity to remind them that God placed every one of those stars and there are millions more that we can’t even see. We both look for opportunities for prayer such as when we are driving and see an accident on the side of the road. We will ask one of the kids to voice a prayer for whoever was involved. It hasn’t been earth shattering things – just things we see around us in every day life. Those are the things we easily take for granted. Deuteronomy 6:7 tells us to “impress upon your child as they sit, as they walk, as they lie down and as they get up”. We’ve found it’s very easy to simply notice the things around us that God does for us on a daily basis.
Because of my responsibility to my family, I have to be responsible in my daily walk as well. I can tell you for many years, that has not been the case and I woefully regret that. Because of this duty to my family, God has given me a desire to be in His Word daily. I decided that I need to ensure that I am grounded in the Word and figured that the best way to do this would be to start with the beginning. So, I started with Genesis 1. In doing this, I realized all the things I didn’t know before or forgot about as a child. In addition, I have begun to read some good quality books. I recently purchased Crazy Love by Francis Chan which, at least in the chapter I am in now, speaks to the enormity of God and how incredible it is that the God who created pine needles, caterpillars and E-minor, loves me and wants a personal relationship with me. I have also begun to use podcasts on my phone to listen to some well-known speakers – Francis Chan, John Piper, and Mark Driscoll – during my drive to work and back. I will be the first to tell you that I am a work in progress and won’t arrive until Jesus takes me home, but I am slowly, but surely working on sanctification.
As many of our ministers have already alluded to in their “day in the life” portion of the blog, the key to family worship is consistency. It’s so easy to get pulled away. The key for me is to remind myself that I am responsible for my family. However, when you hear one of your children pray at night and hear him say “Thank you Jesus for not letting me get nails in my hands and feet,” you quickly realize that he understands what Christ did for us...and that the time spent with them in worship was not in vein. You are indeed leaving a new legacy for your family.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Recap and Preview...
The visits to this blog have been overwhelming for the blogs about “Family Worship.” I know by the feedback that they have been very helpful – it is always good to see how other people conduct this time. As I read these posts, here is a summary of what we can learn (call me a “Master of the Obvious”).
• You need to have a plan. You don’t need to just read wherever your Bible falls open.
• You need to be flexible within your plan. Don’t make this some legalistic, check off my “to do list” event. You can not sit down and eat a full meal for breakfast, lunch and supper. Most of us are on the go - but regardless of my schedule I make time to eat. The same is true in our Family Worship, every time won’t be equal in length - nor equal in substance. However, we must make time and there must be some times of high spiritual nutrition.
• Enjoy the moment. Especially those families with little ones - enjoy the moments. It is not a “church service”…the kids do not have to be silent and listen to you preach. They may ask questions totally off the wall, and they may not remember what you taught last night. The truth is, we have many members who come back on Sunday night that may not be able to tell you what was taught Sunday morning. The important thing is I consistently keep truth in front of them, and I rejoice when they do get it.
• Be patient. I am so weak and sinful in this area. When my boys aren’t getting something that I have been teaching them for the past week, or they simply are not “as sharp” that evening, I can get so frustrated. I do a pretty good job (usually) of hiding it, but I must confess that I am very impatient. The truth is - these boys that God gave me know, and can articulate more truth at 11 and 10 than I knew going into college. It has taken me 37 years to get my mind around these truths, and I have the audacity to get frustrated if they don’t get it in their minds in a week or two. I am the worse of sinners in this area - regardless if I hide it or not. I have to keep reminding myself that sanctification is a process. In my life, and in their lives.
• Use the resources that are available to you. We have great resources on our book table, don’t struggle trying to figure out what to do. If you have questions talk to someone! Chances are someone in our fellowship is facing the same issue.
• Just do it. There is never going to be a better time to start this than NOW - each day that passes is a day that I miss the opportunity to pour truth into them.
In conclusion, I am going to extend this blog series for another week or so. I have asked a few of the men in our fellowship to describe their family nights. I am doing this so you can see the variety of families that are involved in worship. I also have tried to give you a variety of people that you can come to and discuss your challenges in this. I want to thank these men for being willing to write and give us a glimpse of the worship in their home. I pray that the next three blogs that cover this will be a blessing to you.
• You need to have a plan. You don’t need to just read wherever your Bible falls open.
• You need to be flexible within your plan. Don’t make this some legalistic, check off my “to do list” event. You can not sit down and eat a full meal for breakfast, lunch and supper. Most of us are on the go - but regardless of my schedule I make time to eat. The same is true in our Family Worship, every time won’t be equal in length - nor equal in substance. However, we must make time and there must be some times of high spiritual nutrition.
• Enjoy the moment. Especially those families with little ones - enjoy the moments. It is not a “church service”…the kids do not have to be silent and listen to you preach. They may ask questions totally off the wall, and they may not remember what you taught last night. The truth is, we have many members who come back on Sunday night that may not be able to tell you what was taught Sunday morning. The important thing is I consistently keep truth in front of them, and I rejoice when they do get it.
• Be patient. I am so weak and sinful in this area. When my boys aren’t getting something that I have been teaching them for the past week, or they simply are not “as sharp” that evening, I can get so frustrated. I do a pretty good job (usually) of hiding it, but I must confess that I am very impatient. The truth is - these boys that God gave me know, and can articulate more truth at 11 and 10 than I knew going into college. It has taken me 37 years to get my mind around these truths, and I have the audacity to get frustrated if they don’t get it in their minds in a week or two. I am the worse of sinners in this area - regardless if I hide it or not. I have to keep reminding myself that sanctification is a process. In my life, and in their lives.
• Use the resources that are available to you. We have great resources on our book table, don’t struggle trying to figure out what to do. If you have questions talk to someone! Chances are someone in our fellowship is facing the same issue.
• Just do it. There is never going to be a better time to start this than NOW - each day that passes is a day that I miss the opportunity to pour truth into them.
In conclusion, I am going to extend this blog series for another week or so. I have asked a few of the men in our fellowship to describe their family nights. I am doing this so you can see the variety of families that are involved in worship. I also have tried to give you a variety of people that you can come to and discuss your challenges in this. I want to thank these men for being willing to write and give us a glimpse of the worship in their home. I pray that the next three blogs that cover this will be a blessing to you.
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