Ephesians 4:31 & 32 are seldom used as parenting directives. This is unfortunate. There is a powerful dynamic of grace here to help shepherd your children towards Christ. Read these words slowly: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Because of the gospel grace shown to you, Paul is directing you to rid your thoughts and your speech of the angry words of relational combat. The deceitfulness of our flesh entices us to justify our anger. So when a child, a teenager, a spouse, or a friend wrongs or hurts you, you feel […]
Yearly Archives: 2018
128 posts
Will my child honor God when I am not with him? This one question is the weighty challenge that every parent faces. It is unsettling because you won’t know until the moment comes. This is humbling, you are confronted with your limitations as a parent and as a Christian. When the moment comes it will be between your child and God. You won’t be there, you won’t be in control. Scary. How can you protect your children in these critical moments? The answer is: you can’t! But God’s truth can. In Proverbs 6:20-22 Solomon tells children that God’s instruction given through their parents will guard their lives. This truth is priceless; it is to be regarded as if it were […]
In this video, author Brian G. Hedges explains what it means to be with Jesus. With Jesus, takes us on a tour through Jesus’ life to show us how we can find our place in the story of Christ. Christianity is not a only a faith founded on facts, but also a deeply personal experience of God’s transforming grace in Christ. While our hope is rooted in history—the events of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension—the Scriptures also teach that every believer is included in these events. From the manger to the cross, from the empty tomb to his glorious throne, Jesus acted for us. And the mystery and wonder of the gospel is that we are crucified, buried, raised, […]
Proverbs 16 has important direction for anyone in authority, especially parents. These insights help to establish authority and strengthen your parental authority. Here are some selected Proverbs from this chapter: Commit to the LORD whatever you do and your plans will succeed. (Verse 3) This is the starting point. The commitment indicated here is totally to the Lord Lord because of your love for him is the focus of life. This is not so much about achieving a single objective as it is about committing all of your life to honor God. In parenting, this means a commitment to use God’s methods to accomplish God’s purpose. Authority without this commitment to God is destructive! Honest scales and balances are from […]
What kind of correction works best with teenagers? This is a generational quandary! What is the best way to positively address the areas in their lives where they need growth and direction? The time-honored favorite method of correction is consequences! But, the issue is what kind of consequences? If consequences nourish and build up a young person, this is a good thing and qualifies as biblical discipline. In case you are questioning where the idea of nourishment comes from, look with me at Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The English words “bring them up” are a translation of the greek word which means […]
With Jesus takes us on a tour through Jesus’ life to show us how we can find our place in the story of Christ. Christianity is not a only a faith founded on facts, but also a deeply personal experience of God’s transforming grace in Christ. While our hope is rooted in history—the events of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension—the Scriptures also teach that every believer is included in these events. From the manger to the cross, from the empty tomb to his glorious throne, Jesus acted for us. And the mystery and wonder of the gospel is that we are crucified, buried, raised, and seated with him. The story of Jesus rewrites our stories.
There is a huge difference between punishment and discipline. Since children are born wanting to go their own way, every parent engages in some form of correction. That correction will either take the form of punishment or discipline. Punishment is about retribution, payment for wrong doing. Punishment produces insecurity and fear. Biblical discipline on the other hand produces security and peace. The reason for the difference is that biblical discipline is motivated and controlled by love, the love of Christ. Only the love of Christ can remove punishment. As I John 4:18 says, the perfect love of Christ drives out fear, and replaces it with the blessing of the gospel. Thus, if your correction is not directly connected to the […]
There is an oppressive darkness that hangs over our country. We have our moments of hope but they are quickly extinguished by the darkness of the human heart. The Winter Olympics offered glimpses of hope. On Valentine’s Day love was celebrated. But, then, in an eye blink, evil tore at the heart of Parkland, Florida. High school students were gunned down. Lives were lost and changed forever. Families will never be whole again. There is no ease for the anguish of the parents who sent their children to school not knowing it would be for the last time. Ecclesiastes expresses the trauma of human darkness this way: “Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place […]
Adam was designed by God from the inside out to trust his heavenly Father. That trust was so complete that it defined Adam as a person. He was totally secure in God’s presence even as he stood naked before the holy King of the universe. But the instant Adam gave up that trust, he became a pathetic coward who in shame and fear refused to protect his wife and honor his God. Adam went from security to fear in a heartbeat. He became a creature he was never designed to be. Adam knew fear, doubt, worry, and anger instantly. Instead of being a creature of trust he morphed into a blame shifter. He traded the beauty of innocence for the […]
No one accomplishes anything apart from the express will and plan of God. We seldom think of God with that amount of reach and power into our personal lives. However, James gets it right when he says: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15) This is why humility is not a popular idea […]