October 2009 Archives

The first volume of the Herein is Love series, Genesis is here, fresh from the printer. The text has been re-edited to make it even more accessible and useable. The power of God in creation is on display in the pages of these books. This volume will enhance and encourage your love for God's Word. It will lead you to a deeper appreciation of what God has wonderfully done. We are not here by happenstance, but by the design and purpose of the will of God. This volume and the others in this series tell of the wonderful plan of God with all of its intricacies. It is this rich story unfolding from the pages of Scripture that shows the futility of man's efforts to remove God from the role of Creator. Shepherd Press is thrilled and excited to offer this tool for your use and God's glory. Here are the words of one noted and respected biblical scholar:

"Where can one even think of finding such treasures as these fine commentaries on Bible books written for children? A tour de force in children's literature."

Derek W. H. Thomas, John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology, RTS

This headline is from a recent edition of the London Daily Mail online. The rest of the headline reads: Scientists create sperm and eggs from stem cells. Here are a few quotes from this article:

The U.S. government-funded research also offers the prospect of a 'miracle pill' which staves off the menopause, allowing women to wait longer to have a child.

Scientists at Stanford University in California found the right cocktail of chemicals and vitamins to coax the cells into becoming eggs and sperm. 

The American team used stem cells taken from embryos in the first days of life but
hope to repeat the process with slivers of skin. The skin cells would first be exposed to a mixture which wound back their biological clocks to embryonic stem cell state, before being transformed into sperm or eggs.

The double success, published in the journal Nature, raises the prospect of men and women one day 'growing' their own sperm and eggs for use in in vitro fertilization treatments.

In the last post we began to examine Tedd Tripp's third concern for parents today - communication. Tedd raised two principles that must govern communication in the home. The first is the advantage of using quiet words in instruction. The next principle is the advantage of using few words in communication.

In my recent radio interview with Tedd Tripp I asked Tedd to give four truths that he believes are important for families in today's world. The first two truths were 1) understanding the importance of formative instruction and 2) establishing a biblical view of authority. Next we will consider Tedd's third point:  communication. Communicating biblically is crucial if parental authority is to be effective in achieving God's objectives. It is one thing to establish that authority is needed. It is another to communicate that authority in a loving and engaging way. The parent who says in an angry voice, "You must obey me. God says so!" is not communicating in a helpful way. The Scriptures teach that pleasant words promote instruction (e.g. Proverbs 16:20-24). Loving, firm and confident communication is an essential aspect of parental authority.

In the last post we looked at how authority has been devalued in our culture. This is one of the factors that has caused Tedd Tripp to be concerned for Christian parents who have themselves grown up in this culture. The modern drift away from authority has had a negative impact on Christian families.

We are returning to a series that we began several weeks ago. The series is based upon on a radio interview I did with Tedd Tripp earlier this year. I asked Tedd to list four important truths that he believes parents should weave into their parenting, based upon his interaction and experience in teaching families all over the world. Tedd listed these four themes:

Ardi, short for Ardipithecus ramidus, is the newest star in the field of paleontology.  Both National Geographic and The Discovery Channel are promoting this discovery on their websites and television programs.  This announcement is the culmination of research and studies that began in Ethiopia in 1994. Ardi has supplanted Lucy, the previous record holder of the oldest fossil with direct links to modern man.  According to the National Geographic website:

If there is one thing that stood out during my recent visit to England, it is a deep sense of history. In Cambridge there are banners flying that celebrate the 800 years that the university has been in operation, from 1209 to 2009! At the Tower of London, we walked on cart paths and wide walkways that have been in use for a thousand years. London itself began as a village some 2,500 years ago. I spoke in a church that was 350 years old. In contrast, the university I attended began in 1926, and the town where we now live is less than 200 years old. My church began 14 years ago. England has survived through wars, famine, plague and conquerors for over 2 millennia. It is difficult not to be overwhelmed as the pages of history jump to life in the many venues of the United Kingdom.

In the last post we discussed the importance of having a standard to rely upon. The example I used was the Prime Meridian, which is the basis for navigational and time systems around the world. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if there were not a single, unique standard to use for finding our location and determining the time. Imagine if you had to have a new set of maps with different longitude and latitude references for each country that you traveled to or flew over. There could be 200 different navigational coordinates for any given location on a map. That would be chaos.