A conversation between a mom and her 12 year old daughter. “Hey, Mom.” “Yes, Erin.” “You have a minute?” “Sure, what’s up?’ “I watched another program on the Science Channel that was talking about how life began on earth. I’m good with what you and dad have told me, but I just want to make sure I have it down. Can you help me by going over things again?” “No problem, glad you asked! You remember that there are really only a few ways that modern science thinks how life could have begun?” “Yeah, uh, one is that over a long time, like billions of years, stuff that was all organic…” “Erin, I think you mean inorganic.” “Right, inorganic, that […]
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What is there about schoolwork that should point to the gospel? Their schoolwork is sent to them by God! Schoolwork is a wonderful opportunity to teach your kids how God is involved in the most intimate details of life. Therefore, schoolwork becomes an opportunity to call your children to faith in Christ. So, when your children are not motivated to do schoolwork, your first step is to encourage them to trust God. He didn’t make a mistake. He actually ordained that they would have this work to do at this time. Encourage your children to trust God’s wisdom in providing their work for them. God has not made a mistake in giving the assignment, even if the human teacher did! Encourage your […]
The human mind is not compatible with worry! Worry messes with your mind. Worry is anxiety about things that you cannot control. This comes, in part, from believing you are alone in life. In response to this, Jesus tells you not to worry about even the most basic needs of life. He even tells you how to pray so that you will not worry. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus instructs you to ask God for your daily bread. By reading the verses that come after the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6, we see that Christ was talking about more than just asking God for bread. Three times, (in verses 25, 28, and 31), Jesus commands that you not worry about […]
“Lord open his eyes.” The prophet Elisha spoke these words regarding a man with normal eyesight. He could see everything there was to see with human eyes. But, obviously, there was something important that his servant was missing. If you and your children believe that all of what is important is what you can see with your eyes then you will both be severely hampered in life. How much time do you spend talking with your kids about the importance of what they cannot see? What is unseen is of far more importance than what we can actually see. Do your children know that you believe that? Parent, it is your job to help your children understand that what is […]
Every December 31st, we become time conscious. But time is slippery, temporary. What will our time be like this next year? News shows, books, internet articles, friends tell us there is much to worry about in 2016: terrorists, the elections, the economy, the climate, social unrest. We are told any one of these things may impact the quality of life and how long we may live. But as Paul says, don’t focus on what is temporary, but focus on eternity. Faith has to do with eternity. This means that faith is rooted not in time and what happens in time. Faith is rooted in the person and character of God! Faith is not primarily about everything working out. Faith is […]
Why do you fight with your teenager? The answer is obvious, right? If your teenager was more respectful, if he would just do half of the things you asked, if she would actually listen, if you mattered half as much as the phone…? Of course there are some things that you need to work on, but the bottom line is your teenager specializes in making life difficult, right??? The problem with this scenario is that this parent is acting like her teenager is in control. Everything is dependent upon the teenager doing what is wanted or expected. The parent’s action is controlled by what the teenager does instead of what God commands. Really? Yes, really. James says that fights and […]
May each of you know Christ’s rich blessings this day. Thank you for your faithful support of the blog!
By now almost all of the gifts are purchased. The planning is about over. Now comes the actual giving. However, there is one essential gift that you cannot buy, but it will make the biggest impact of any gift that you give. This one special gift is giving God’s word to your children. The best way to present the this gift to your children is to have that Word dwell richly within you. A full, energetic relationship of Christ’s word dwelling in your heart is a magnificent gift to your children. See Deuteronomy 6:5-7 and Colossians 3:16. Love your children enough to do a personal evaluation of just how precious the Word of Christ is to you. Are you thrilled […]
With Christmas presents comes Christmas squabbles. All of the challenging things your remember from last Christmas, but over the course of 364 days have somehow managed to forget, are back. Topics like:time of possession, present hoarding, and ownership disputes, once again take center stage. Why? Greed. Ouch! Greed is a pretty strong word. Do we have to go there? Actually, we do. Sin is deceitful. Greed can masquerade as a desire for justice or fair play. But greed is when you want something for yourself without caring for someone else. Luke tells of an encounter Jesus had with a greedy person. A man from the crowd asked Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute with his brother. Christ ignored the who, what, […]
All that is good, noble, and excellent in life stems from the glory and goodness of God, not from any other source. If Jesus reigns, the only fitting response is one of joy. This flies in the face of conventional religion and wisdom, in which various circumstances determine our sense of well-being. This is the theme of the second verse of Joy to the World: Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy… God has done marvelous things. It is true that there is much darkness and sadness in our world, but because of the Lordship of Christ, we have hope. Things are not as […]