Yearly Archives: 2018

128 posts

The Heart is Deceitful

On a beautiful Sunday morning there were signs. There were negotiations, there were warnings, there were plans, there was a grand scheme. There was deception. There was a belief things could be managed, that our country would be safe. There was also one missing component in the policy making of our country on that Sunday morning, December 7,1941. Like today, there was a refusal to believe what the Bible said about the human heart: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” —Jeremiah 17:9 I have no way of knowing what this December 7th will bring. But I do know that the reality of the deceptiveness of the […]

Awe and Humility

Humility and power are seldom connected.  Humility is associated with peace, passivity and keeping a low profile. A humble person is not considered a person to be feared. When your kids are out of control, humility is probably not the first thing you pray for. In our culture humility does not inspire awe. However there is a different way to look at humility.  The most courageous, loved, feared and hated man ever to walk the face of the earth described himself as humble. This man began his life on earth in a stable because there was no room for him anywhere else. But while his birth was ignored by people the heavens above erupted with mighty angels praising his birth. […]

Discipline is About Compassion, Not Retribution

This is part two of a series of posts contrasting discipline with retribution. In the first post of the series, I highlighted this consideration: Biblical discipline must not be seen as payment for the sins for which the discipline was administered. Retribution is not the goal of biblical discipline! In response, the question many of you raised was, “How does this work itself out in everyday family life?” This post will begin to address that question. In the first post, we saw how Psalm 103 provides direction on how to address the sins of your children. David calls us to compassion with these words: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. As a father […]

Discipline Is Not About Retribution

Instilling discipline is huge for your children. Discipline and structure are vital for any child to function well in life. Up to this point, I believe we can all agree that this is precisely what the Bible teaches about the importance of discipline.  However, here is one significant biblical insight that is just as important to grasp: Biblical discipline must not be seen as payment for the sins for which the discipline was administered. Retribution is not the goal of biblical discipline! Correct understanding of this truth is equally important for both parents and children. Only the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ can pay the penalty for sin. Therefore, to suggest that parental discipline is, in some way, payment for the […]

Psalm 100: The Spiritual DNA of a Christian

When God made you a new creature in Christ, He also designed you to be a creature fueled by thanksgiving. Only a Christian has the ability to express thankfulness from an eternal perspective. Gratitude for someone who does not know Christ is limited to the here and now. Anyone can be thankful for temporal things, but eternal gratitude is for those whom God has made to be his people. When you lack thanksgiving you are being contrary to the person God has made you to be. In other words without gratitude fueling your heart you will not understand how God designed life to work.  When God is not worshipped with joy, life no longer makes sense. From the visible signs […]

Dying To Worship

Would you risk your life and the lives of your children to come to church this Sunday? It is a serious question! For William Bradford, the answer was yes. Bradford was 33 years old. He was the leader of a group of people who sailed for a new life in the new world. The group experienced famine, cold and sickness. Yet, Bradford, called everyone together for thanksgiving and worship. 495 years ago, Governor Bradford proclaimed that Thursday, November 29th, 1623 would be a day of Thanksgiving and corporate worship. This day marked the third year since these pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Over half of their group died in the brutal first year of their new colony. Why did they […]

Nominated for book of the Year!

Black Friday Sneak Peak for our blog readers: Take 25% off  your order with coupon code THANKFUL Shepherd Press is excited to announce that two of our newest titles have been nominated for book of the year by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC)! Just click on the book images to learn more about the books and how to purchase them. Use the code THANKFUL to receive a 25% discount.   [hr]  

In Everything, Give Thanks

The Thanksgiving season is upon us. Next week will bring the busiest travel days of the year, families will be together, fantastic turkey dinners will be consumed, all done in the name of giving thanks. But then, almost immediately after Thanksgiving dinner ends, the crush and rush of Black Friday begins! The frantic race to Christmas is on. However, before the Christmas season begins, let’s take a few moments to consider why giving thanks is such an important part of life. In truth, every day needs to be Thanksgiving Day. Paul says as much when he says: Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. “In everything” is huge. Paul is not speaking metaphorically, […]

Talking to Your Children About the California Fires

It would not be surprising for your children to ask, “Why is God allowing these terrible fires to hurt so many people and destroy their homes?” You may even be asking yourself that same question!  Here are three possible attempts to understand these catastrophic fires ravaging California and God’s involvement in them. 1. The Fires are random circumstance The first way is to attribute the fires to a random collection of circumstances that sparked these fires and led to the awful results. In this construct, God had nothing to do with the fires and the destruction they caused. God’s role is one of consoler and comforter. We are left with God playing the role of a bystander observing the fires […]

A Promise to Combat Burnout 

If you are a parent, you can likely identify with feeling of being burned-out. Other terms such as exhaustion, fatigue, tired, and weary are also a regular part of parental vocabulary. What is the answer? Does being continually burned-out have to become the normal reality if you are a parent? Exhausted parents, Jesus calls out to you. Listen to his loving entreaty in Matthew 11:28-30: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Let’s take a closer look at […]