In training your children, it is important for you to understand what makes language inappropriate. If you focus only on what is wrong you will miss the mark of bringing honor to God. For example, you compile a list of words that are “bad.” In their place you have a list of words that are acceptable alternatives. For example, words like darn, shoot, heck and doggone it, are seen as acceptable alternatives to their similar sounding bad counterparts. So, when you can’t find your keys, instead of using an unacceptable word, you use the corresponding acceptable word to express your frustration. But does the substitution of words rise to the standard of doing all that you do in the name […]
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You may think you know exactly who your enemy is. Your enemy is your unhappy spouse. Your enemy is your stubborn teenager. Your enemy is your ungrateful boss. Your enemy is your friend who said something you don’t like. Your enemy is the economy or the job market. Your enemy is your sickness. In short, you may think life is your enemy. You think you know who you enemy is. Christianity is about hand-to-hand combat. It is important that you identify exactly whom it is that you are fighting! You are likely to believe the enemy is the people and circumstances you encounter. When this happens your energy is spent fighting the wrong target! You need God’s wisdom to identify […]
Father, grant me the courage to love you for who you are and not for what I want you to be. Grant me the peace to honor you for what you do and not for what I want you to do. Grant me the power to live for what adds to your reputation and not to my own. Grant me the compassion to long for people to know you and not to know me. Grant me the humility to speak well of you and not of myself. Grant me the discernment build your kingdom and not my own. Grant me the wisdom to say what praises you and not what makes me look good. Grant me the vision to live […]
God is good because of who he is. He is not good because we like our circumstances. He is not good because we deserve his goodness. He is not good because we have good health. He is not good because we may live in apparent safety compared to others. He is not good because it is a beautiful day. God is good simply and profoundly because his own being and character defines goodness. God is good even when our lives are torn by despair. God is good when a storm brings destruction. God is good when those we love become sick and we see the awful plague of death. God is good in ravages of war. God is good when […]
Instructing a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp provides a crucial foundation for the principles in Shepherding a Child’s Heart, teaching parents the importance of developing and shaping their children’s thinking. This “formative instruction” is not discipline or correction; rather, it is intentionally building a biblical culture of thought and understanding in our homes. In these 13 half-hour sessions, parents will learn how to give their children a biblical framework for approaching all of life. Rent & Stream through Vimeo On Demand for $24.00 Click on the image find out more!
What is the opposite of worry? If worry is destructive, then what can be put in its place? You tend to worry about what you think is uncertain. But being certain about what will come won’t help. First, because no one can be certain about what the next minute or hour will bring. Then, secondly, if you did know what was going to happen next you would probably worry about that. We still need a replacement for worry. God says that the opposite of worry is to wait on him. If you learn anything from the Bible, it is that tomorrow is uncertain. No one knows what tomorrow will bring in terms of events and circumstances. But what you do […]
A loving friend is one who cares about you enough to say what is true. This truth may be about dangers you face and even character issues that you need to examine. But failing to be truthful may also have an aggressive, nasty, secretive component of which to be aware. God has provided a way for you to be able to recognize enemies disguised as friends. Proverbs provides the insight you need to protect yourself and your children. Proverbs 27:5-6 combines two real life examples to help you discern between friends and those who would hurt you. Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy. In verse […]
Life is full of drama and upset. Relationships may be filled with tensions and disappointments. The cultural landscape and the world’s political climate are unsettling at best. The noise of life is everywhere. Sometimes hope appears out of sight, other times the relentless drama of life can make it seem as if your mind is about to explode. Where is peace? The Holy Spirit speaks comfort into your life. He uses evocative images to speak to you. In Psalm 46 he says: So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. That’s challenging! Earthquakes and mountain crumbling into the sea are drama personified. Earthquakes, even with all of our sophisticated scientific advances, are not […]
Confidence in God’s truth is something you can’t do without. Otherwise, temptations will overwhelm and ensnare you and your children. Lack of confidence in God’s truth will make your teenagers sitting ducks for the attacks of Satan and the world. Jesus, Joseph and David confidently, boldly confronted temptations. Imagine if Jesus had said to Satan, “I’m not sure,” or “I will have to think about it,” when he was tempted. Of if Joseph had told Potiphar’s wife, “let’s talk about this.” Or if David had said to Goliath, “we need to find a compromise.” Christ spoke confidently of the truth of God’s word. Joseph was confident that God must be honored at all costs. David was confident that God’s power […]
Human technology, our ability to do the unthinkable, has always fascinated us. History is full of these accomplishments. The great pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are just two examples of doing the unimaginable. However these great feats can lead us to or from God. Man either worships God or himself. Life is not neutral. After the flood, after the devastation and after the raw power of God was displayed man turned again to himself. Humans gathered together in one spot. They knew the command of God was to occupy and subdue the whole earth. But the folks in Babel had another idea: Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the […]