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When your husband is insensitive, when the kids are selfish and squabble constantly, when your wife is disrespectful, anger stands ready to come to your defense. When others are not helpful anger is there to encourage you. When your pride is wounded, anger offers its healing power of retribution. When anger is embraced, God is cast aside. But what about righteous anger? That’s always the trap. Paul says in Ephesians 4:26 that in your anger you should not sin. So, since it is possible to be angry and not sin, it easy to welcome anger like a friendly ally when others sin against us. But Ephesians 4:26 is not all that Paul has to say about anger. Just 5 verses later […]
Most would agree that social media and the internet are places where dangers lurk. So it might be tempting to say the solution is to avoid cyber-space altogether. But that would be unwise. Consider this. Driving a vehicle is also fraught with dangers. There are unsafe drivers in abundance. Driving to places of temptation is always an option. One’s self-image and self-worth can easily attached to the type of vehicle driven. Lack of attention can cause loss of property, injury and even death! The unexpected is always around the next turn. And of course, a parent’s nightmare, the car is an opportunity for sexual immorality. Even with all of these negative possibilities we still encourage our children to drive. Why, […]
Franklin Roosevelt’s D-Day Prayer Each year I repost the prayer President Franklin Roosevelt made for the success of the D Day invasion on June 6, 1944. What is striking about this prayer is that FDR did not speak of many Gods or many faiths or many religions. He asked that the will of Almighty God be done. Today, we seek protection from a moment of silence offered to a god of our own choosing. We have become too proud to seek the protection of the one true God. June 6, 1944 My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies […]
Hypocrisy is something you cannot avoid. You tell your children not to fight and then your argue with your spouse. You tell your children God is in control and then you become angry or despondent about the presidential election. You tell your children to put God first and not be rowdy, and then you realize what you really wanted was just some peace and quiet. Focusing on outward behavior and hypocrisy go hand-in-hand. Your goal must be much more than outward compliance. Looking for quick results and outward compliance is a poor use of authority. This will not build relationships. A desire for quick results or mere outward compliance leaves the door wide open for hypocrisy to do its damage. […]
Biblical parenting is an exercise in faith. This means parental instruction begins with the commands of God, not with the behavior of children. Think about that. Deuteronomy commands that children be taught about the things of God at all times, not just when discipline needs to be administered. Parents are to bring the wonder of God to every corner of life. Ephesians 6 echoes this thought when Paul commands that children obey their parents in the Lord. This means faith is the cornerstone of parenting, not performance. No one can obey “in the Lord” on the basis of performance. No one can obey God in his own strength. The gift of faith is needed. This makes biblical parenting distinct from […]
There are times when memories seem as a curse. The pain is strong enough that you bless the minutes, the hours, the days when those memories are absent. Then there are the good memories, the ones you want never to forget. These good ones are etched in your mind. They bring joy. God made you this way, he made you to remember. Why? He made you to remember him. He commands you to remember who he is and what he has accomplished for you. It is the memory of God that keeps all of your other memories in perspective. The Lord will make right and wipe away the tears from all that is painful and destructive. His great goodness reminds […]
War is a bad thing. People die. Things are destroyed. To be proficient in war is to be proficient in devastation. Wars happen because humans must have what they desire, no matter what. War is a good thing. People die so that others may live and know peace. Instruments of evil are destroyed. Wars happen because people determine their lives are expendable in the struggle against evil. War is a mixed bag. It is an enthralling combination of the worst and best of humankind. But, ultimately, war is the cost of evil. Evil left unchecked would soon cover the planet in anarchy, tyranny and destruction. Proclaiming peace without the commitment to die for that proclamation is futility. It is this […]
Young children ask questions. Be thankful. As a parent, you want to keep the questions coming. No doubt someone is saying, are you crazy, all I do is answer questions! If you become exasperated with these questions, eventually they will diminish. While this may bring short-term relief, it will also result in a diminished relationship with your children as they become move towards the teenage years. To illustrate: children ask tons of questions. Parents become increasingly frustrated and annoyed with the question barrage. As children grow older they realize their questions are not appreciated, so they look else where. By the time the teenage years arrive, it is the parent’s who are asking the questions and it is the teenagers who […]