June 2010 Archives

You live in a world that wants to take you and your children captive.  The goal of this captivity is to have Christians follow the ways of Satan rather than the ways of Christ (Colossians 2:8 and Ephesians 2:1-3). In the book, Instructing a Child's Heart, Tedd and Margy Tripp give a strong warning about being captured by the surrounding godless culture.  Parents, your children are being raised in a hostile world. For Americans, this hostility has been obfuscated by the past influence of Christian thought.  But this influence has been steadily eroding.

In a recent post I raised the question about God's involvement with the oil spill in the Gulf. There are at least two perspectives from which to consider this question. The first perspective is to consider if God is actively involved and if he is, to what extent. The second perspective is to consider whether the human agents that are part of this spill could have benefited from considering relevant biblical principles. A related issue is how to follow the direction of Deuteronomy 6:4-7 in talking about the spill with your family.

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Our authors are servants in ministry who have first been tested in battle.  Each of these authors has  a proven track record of applying biblical truth to life and ministry.  All of them are parents who have known the challenges of shepherding their children toward Christ. Their writing flows from actual life experience where God's word has been a light for their path. That is what makes this conference special. These speakers know what it means to trust Christ in the heat of battle.  If you are a parent, teacher, pastor, youth or childrens worker this conference is for you.

Oil is gushing from a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum (BP) has thus far failed to cap the oil flowing into the Gulf. The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the situation. In an address from the Oval Office the President said that he is upset and wants the problem solved. In the meantime fish, birds, and other wildlife are being coated with an oily film. This film is also beginning to cover beaches and wetlands all along the Gulf Coast. Tourism and fishing, vital to this region, are also threatened. The finger pointing is increasing. Questions abound on the economic, political, and ecological fronts. What is to be done about the oil?

One thing that Christian parents can agree upon is that we want our children to come to faith in Christ. But what does this saving faith look like?  It is difficult to urge your children to something if you are not sure exactly what that something is. There are at least two components of what saving faith practically looks like. Hebrews 11:6 says that "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Now, you have an opportunity to tell others how Shepherd Press products have helped you shepherd your family towards Christ. Just click on this link to upload your own video testimonial to a special viewing platform on YouTube. We will take a look at your submission and if it is one of the first 10 that we use we will send you a coupon for $50 to apply to your next purchase from Shepherd Press. There is a limit of one coupon per family.

You won't need an expensive camera or production software. Just use your own video camera or the webcam in your computer. We want to hear your story as you tell it. The video should be three minutes or less. Once your video is finished just follow this link to submit it. You can also see a sample video here to give you some ideas.

Once you have submitted your video, please contact us at info@shepherdpress.com so that we will have your contact information. Please subject your email as "Testimonial Video Submission"

Organization that is glorifying to God requires more than just effective time management.  Biblically, time is a commodity that God wants us to spend for his glory and purpose. Psalm 139:16 says "all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." This is an intriguing understanding of time. Time is a finite commodity; each of us has just so much and no more. No amount of human maneuvering or planning will change this. This reality is one of the truths that God wants impressed upon the hearts of your children as you lead them along life's path (Deuteronomy 6:7).

This story that follows is written by Shepherd Press representative Richard Riggall.  This story is a powerful example of a Christian being aware of God in everyday life. Instead of routinely going through motions of another landing, Rick used this opportunity to think first of God and his ways. As this story illustrates, our lives are always in God's hands.

My head pressed against the window as the plane banked to line up for the runway, just last month on my way to Together for the Gospel. As the plane leveled out for its final descent, our shadow slid into view, straight below, just off to the side. The shadow rustled over the tree tops, across a freshly plowed field, through rolling fields waiting for the plow, growing ever larger, darker and more clearly defined. Crossing a small lake we extinguish the sparkle of the morning sun, emerging on the far shore without shedding a drop; I am mesmerized by my shadow. I can see that my shadow is about to intersect a major highway, busy with the morning traffic. Will we...? Yes; my shadow flits fully over a speeding pickup truck. Did the instant of sudden shadow cause the driver to think of the brevity of life? Do other people suddenly think about the brevity of life? Is it only me? My shadow enters a new, expensive looking neighborhood; clean gray roofs sit atop large rambling houses with multi-car garages on rich green lawns on gently winding streets and tidy cul-de-sacs. There are no cars parked on the drives, or laundry flapping in the breeze or children playing in the yard. On through neighborhoods, shopping areas, industrial parks, congested roads, railroad yards, vacant lots, my shadow growing ever larger. The silent journey of my growing shadow seems to become ever faster even as the dimly perceived rumble of the plane around me tells me that in reality we are slowing down. Our landing is imminent. I meet my shadow as the wheels skid on the runway, and I think; "These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Col 2:17)

Why do we so easily become more mesmerized by the shadow than the reality which is in Christ?

May God grant to all of us to make real "the reality which is in Christ". 

No, I don't have a defective calendar. My wall calendar clearly states that May 31^st is Memorial Day. And Memorial Day certainly is a day to remember those who have died in service to our country. We owe much to those who willingly placed themselves in harm's way so that the benefits of liberty could be passed on from one generation to the next.