Yearly Archives: 2018

128 posts

Love Beyond the Flowers

Valentine’s Day is here. It is time to show your love, at least that is what the ads are proclaiming with seemingly every web site, TV commercial, or magazine cover you see. Flowers, chocolates, jewelry, teddy bears and related items are the order of the day. But do these things really show what love means? The Holy Spirit’s gift of love costs much more than any of the items listed above. The Holy Spirit’s idea of love will cost you your life. Here are just a few examples of what selfless love looks like from I Corinthians 13: Love is patient Do you listen before you speak? Are you eager to give your time to your wife or husband? Do […]

Your Children Were Not Designed For Sin

Your children were designed by God for honor and glory. They were designed for a rich, full, satisfying relationship with God. They were designed for purity and significance. They were to designed to serve and not to be served. They were designed to delight in God and to have all of their deepest needs met in him. They were designed to work hand-in-hand with God to spread his dominion over the planet. They were designed to enjoy the gift of sex in the safety of marriage. They were designed for beauty, joy and wonder. But, then, sin crashed the party. Adam’s sin, your sin and your children’s sin combine to fuel the cravings of the flesh. The beautiful design of […]

Scolding: How Not To Love Your Children

Your day is busy, Things are running behind schedule. Amber, your six year old is not responding to your directions. She either responds slowly or not at all. But instead of addressing her disobedience immediately, you have fallen into a pattern of repeating your directions and scolding her for not obeying quickly. You find yourself wishing Amber would just obey so you wouldn’t have to become angry and fuss at her. Then all of a sudden, the light bulb comes on! Amber isn’t the problem, you are. You realize that by scolding and continuously repeating yourself, Amber has learned not to take your direction seriously, at least not for the first five times you ask her to obey. You realize […]

Can Your Children Trust the Bible?

As parents, many of us frequently say, “do this because the Bible says you should.” Then one day, your teenager asks, “why?” How do you respond? Let’s start with what the Bible teaches about how it was written (see 2 Peter 1:3-4; 16-21 Hebrews 4:12-13 John 16:12-15 2 Timothy 3:14-17 Ephesians 2:20): God gave his word through prophets and apostles to mankind through the direction, inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The writers of Scripture then expressed these words accurately and authoritatively, in their own voice, under the supervision of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit oversaw the collection of these inspired writings so that they became the Bible we have now. This, in short form, is what the Bible teaches […]

Connect

Kirk Cameron’s latest film, Connect, is about the world your teenagers inhabit. You see your children in the physical world of school, soccer practices, church, meals, homework and the daily rush of life. But, at the same time, you know that your kids are connected to somewhere else, to a world of thoughts and attractions you cannot reach. The reality hits: “my kids are connected, but not to God and not to me!” Connect meets this reality head on. Kirk and his wife Chelsea have 6 teenagers. He knows first-hand the powerful connection of the dark virtual world. So Kirk wanted to know why the virtual, online world has such power over our teenagers. Most importantly Kirk wanted to know […]

The Myth Of Independence, the Trap Of Dependence

Independence is a myth. Dependence is a trap. Can both of these statements be true? Not only are they both true, but failing to acknowledge these truths will result in struggles throughout life. Let’s see why. Independence is a myth. From the beginning people were created to be in a dependent relationship with God. This is part of the DNA of the soul of every human. Adam and Eve were dependent upon God to sustain life. God planted the garden for them. God placed the garden near rivers to allow for rich, fertile soil. God commanded Adam to guard and protect this precious garden. And then, finally, God provided a wife for Adam and gave directions about how families were […]

What About Tomorrow?

What about tomorrow? People live as if they know that tomorrow will come. However, God has not promised that tomorrow will come for you, for your children, for your country, for your planet. Yet, we live on, acting and believing that tomorrow will come. The truth is that the arrival of tomorrow is connected to the purpose and plan of God. Here is what Jesus says: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:25-26) Notice Jesus says we are unable to do a very little thing like adding an hour to our lives. Amazing. At the direction of the […]

Patience Is Not Natural

We often refer to patience as something that we can lose – as in “you are really causing me to lose my patience.” But how would it sound if you were to say “you are really causing me to lose my love for you?” If love is patient, then “losing” patience can be equated to losing love. Said this way the idea of losing patience is not a pretty one. Have you ever said something like this to your kids? “Sorry I was upset. You know that I love you, but I am just so frustrated right now!” The words, “I love you,” are buried in the middle of this defense of angry behavior. They may well be familiar words. […]

How To Encourage Children To Despise Themselves

It seems like such a simple thing. You ask your child to do something and in response, he quietly keeps playing with his toy. You decide to press on, so you ask again, this time a little more firmly, and then one more time. Your four-year-old grudgingly, slowly does as he was told. You breathe a sigh of relief, no harm done, at least he obeyed. But actually this little boy has taken a step down the road to self-hatred. Solomon warns that those who disregard discipline despise themselves. What appears to be an inconsequential delay is actually a step towards self-hatred. The Holy Spirit provides a wake-up call in Proverbs 15:31-32: Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home […]

Obeying Imperfect Parents

Parental authority has fallen on hard times! Authority is seen as something to question, not respect. Unlike our culture, however, the Bible makes a big deal about obeying parents. The Holy Spirit does this from two different perspectives. One is blessing. If children obey their parents as Ephesians instructs they will be blessed and do well in life on the earth. In contrast in Romans, being disobedient to parents is included on a list of sins that indicates intense hatred of God. This list includes sexual perversions, inventors of evil, and murders! Indifference to your authority is indifference to God. Your child’s well being is directly connected to his obedience to you! This may seem a bit unfair, since your […]