Monthly Archives: January 2015

20 posts

Tedd Tripp On Talking About Wisdom and Foolishness

Talking About Wisdom & Foolishness by Tedd Tripp Imagine that your young son has been influenced to participate in some act of vandalism or disrespect toward others. You could have a conversation like this. “You know that what you have done is wrong, don’t you?” “Yeah, I guess.” “We will have to talk about what you have done and how you can make restitution, but I want you to think about this first. There are two kinds of people in the world. Do you remember who they are?” “The wise man and the fool.” “You’re right; I knew you’d get it. How does the wise man get so wise?” “The fear of the Lord?” “You’re right, the fear of the […]

It hurts! Did I do something wrong?

This morning, January 29th, in the hospital OR a nice nurse put a mask over my nose and mouth and told me to take some deep breaths. I remember doing what she said and thinking this is not helping me go to sleep. I also remember the constant but bearable pain in the left side of my neck. Next I remember another nurse asking how I was feeling and the pain in my neck becoming more powerful by the second. Apparently, the nice, smiling anesthesiologist had done his job well. Next in my thought process was why I was hurting so badly. Had I done something wrong? Another door in my mind suddenly opened and I remembered that while I […]

Daniel’s answer to pride

There are times in life when God graciously causes me to realize there are things beyond my ability to reason or prepare for. Being placed under anesthesia is one of those times for me. So I get to either believe that God will do exactly as he pleases and rest in that alone, or believe I might feel better if I knew what God was going to do. Silly choice really! Thankful that God has no need to consult me about how he will work in my life. Daniel has good words here! 34 “After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one […]

Super Bowl Ads – $150,000 Per Second

The Super Bowl is important to you as a Christian parent. The game tells you a great deal about the world your children inhabit. Advertiser’s will pay $150,000 a second or 4.5 million dollars for a 30 second commercial! And this is just for the air time. Millions more go into the production of the ad and market research. That is a lot of money to encourage you to buy a potato chip. The companies who sponsor these commercials spend a considerable amount of money and resources to attempt to learn what motivates people. It is safe to assume that these sponsors don’t see an America that is primarily motivated by a desire for holiness. Literally hundreds of millions of […]

What Kind Of Wisdom Do You Practice?

Struggles in relationships just don’t happen, they come from somewhere. If you think the cause of relational problems lies primarily in other people, think again. James 3 talks about 2 kinds of wisdom: wisdom from below and wisdom from above. One leads to discord, jealousy, fights, etc. The other leads to peace. James urges you and me to desire and practice wisdom that comes from above. Look at verse 17: But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. Let’s break this down. Wisdom from above is: Pure Here pure means a single minded purpose. Wisdom from above wants what God wants. This means motives are […]

I Don’t Like Correction!

I don’t like correction. There I said it. I like to be right. More importantly, I like it even more when you think I am right. By openly admitting these things I have also shown a propensity for stupidity. This is but another reminder of the danger of being wise in my own eyes. If I care most about being right, I care most about myself. This is not wisdom but stupidity. If I am to learn, I must first love discipline and rebuke. When I recoil at the correction and rebuke of those closest to me, I make myself weak. Instead of trying to find a way to challenge a rebuke, God wants me to first learn from that […]

Do Your Kids Know This Truth?

It is important to educate and train your children. The question, of course, is what do you teach them and when. Here is one truth that is seldom taught because it something that people don’t like to talk about, especially with children: We live and die at God’s pleasure. It is good and necessary to teach children skills that will last a lifetime. It is also good to teach children that life is unpredictable for humans. As the Psalmist says our days are like grass and wildflowers. There is a burst of beauty and then the flower is gone. This truth must not be avoided. Children must be taught that we are not to live for ourselves, we live for […]

Tedd Tripp: What Your Children Need Most

What Your Children Need Most by Tedd Tripp If you want your children to have a reason to sing on Sunday, give them a glorious God. If you want your children to have a reason not to sin on Monday, give them a glorious God. If you want them to think of nobler things than the latest, mind-numbing video fantasy game, give them a glorious God. If you want them to dream grander dreams than illicit sex or more money or more stuff, give them a glorious God. If you want them to have a reason for confidence when life seems to spin out of control, give them a glorious God. When friends are offering the pleasures of sin for […]

Thought for the Lord’s Day

Worry or Wait What is the opposite of worry? Simply answering not to worry is empty. People tend to worry about what is uncertain. But being certain about what will come is also not helpful. Because once we figure out what will happen then we worry about that. The opposite of worry is waiting. If you learn anything in the Bible it is that tomorrow is uncertain. No one knows what tomorrow will bring in terms of events and circumstances. But what God’s people do know is that God will be faithful to do what he has planned promised. So while I do not know the particulars about tomorrow, I can wait in eager expectation that God will be faithful […]

The Tug-of-War of Middle School

Being in middle school is like being in a tug-of-war with both sides evenly matched. On the one hand there is the pull of the teenage years. On the other hand are the benefits of being a young child. Or a middle schooler could dread the coming of youth while wanting desperately to be done with being a child. It is important not to miss the particular struggles your middle schooler might have. He is beginning to function without the immediate and constant supervision of his parents. He does this even though new and sometimes dangerous influences enter his life. Should he listen to Mom and Dad or to the kids that are telling him that there is more to […]