It’s campaign season. Which means it’s promise-breaking season. But politicians aren’t the only ones who make promises that can’t or won’t be kept. The pursuit of pleasure promises freedom but leads to slavery. Hard work promises fulfillment but often leads to hard times and broken relationships. Possessions promise contentment, but often result in disappointment and envy. Education promises answers, but leaves us with more questions. King David believed the promise offered by his lustful glance at Bathsheba would bring him satisfaction. How did that work out for him? The modern world is not so different than the ancient world. This is the message that you are to tell your children. You must prepare your children for a world which […]
Culture
252 posts
Safe sex outside of marriage is a deadly oxymoron. There is nothing safe about any sexual activity outside of marriage! Extramarital sex, portrayed as liberating and full of pleasure is toxic quicksand. Episodes of pleasure and excitement are stupidly exchanged for a life of worry, insecurity and physical danger. Within one generation, the slide into immorality has gone from “Can I get her to kiss me on the first date” to “Can I get her to…” — you can fill in the blank. With one look David plunged his life, his family, his kingdom into sickening darkness. Jesus recalls this dark moment in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27-28): “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not […]
Your ten-year-old son picks up the daily newspaper left laying on the kitchen table. No one has had an opportunity to actually read the paper yet. Your son finds a front page article on sex and TV, complete with enticing photos, and reads about new shows with group sex and nudity. Try to put yourself in his place. Your son needs a game plan about how to handle this information in a way that pleases God and protects him. This situation is exactly what Proverbs 6:20-24 envisions when it describes what godly parental instruction should accomplish for your children. Here is what verse 22 says: When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. […]
Full disclosure: I am a big Star Wars fan. But that doesn’t mean one should watch Star Wars or anything else without discernment. All films have a behind-the-scenes agenda. For example, take George Lucas’ purpose for the Star Wars movies. He wanted to use Star Wars as a platform to introduce Buddhism to America. The “Force” represents the impersonal god of eastern mysticism. You don’t have to avoid Star Wars, but you and your children should be aware of its agenda. You should be able to articulate how using “the force” is different from how the Holy Spirit works in the life of God’s people. The Holy Spirit’s power comes from his membership in the Trinity and is distinct and […]
If you use the world’s standards of success, you will become exactly like the psalmist in Psalm 73. His overwhelming discouragement came directly from looking at life the way God’s enemies do. What is good cannot be found by looking at our culture. Christians have a different standard for goodness: “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” The ultimate good for God’s people: the nearness of God! The psalmist suddenly sees the foolishness of evaluating his life the way the world does. He finally realizes the world is interested in mocking God and ridiculing his wisdom. Because he had entertained such thoughts, the psalmist compared himself to an unthinking beast. If you use the world’s standards to […]
No doubt many will receive a gift of Adele’s music for Christmas. Her voice is strong, haunting, evocative. While her themes connect with life, they are mostly about life’s disappointments, life’s moments of almost happiness and what might have been. Her voice and style are new and stunning, but her words are time-worn and filled with the disappointment of the garden. You can almost hear Eve in the background longing for what might have been. In this sense Adele’s music is not new. Her message is that of the ancient Greek tragedies and of Shakespeare. It is the message of the blues and post modernism. It is a message of commiseration, but not of hope. Adele’s music stirs us to […]
Want to create some havoc in your home? Try cutting off the flow of social media to your kids. That’s right. Put all iPhones, Android phones, tablets and computers in a safe and lock them away. Then for good measure, disconnect any cable, DSL, satellite or any other internet connections to your home. Next, see what happens. There are many who think this would be the perfect solution to solve the relational issues your children struggle with. But does this really solve anything? Outside influence has always been in issue with raising children and, to be honest, for adults as well. Lot chose to live in an attractive city that had plenty of water for crops. It was well populated […]
Where can you go to escape from God? Of course, you have to believe there is a God before you can worry about escaping from him. Too many politicians, professors, and media pundits have made God the moral equivalent of Santa Claus. He is nice to remember once in a while, but no one takes him seriously. But God is for real. He is not to be ignored or taken lightly. This generation has turned away from God. How has that worked out? While people stumble over material wealth unimaginable just a few years ago, on each Black Friday crowds trample on folks lusting to have more. The thirst for stuff cannot be quenched. Extra-marital sex, otherwise known as sin, […]
The leaders of the G20 nations met and observed a moment of silence regarding the terrorist attack in Paris. At the beginning of each of Sunday’s NFL games there was also a moment of silence for Paris. Tragically, the main purpose of a moment of silence is not to offend anyone who does not believe in Christianity. Everyone can feel included. However, nothing is accomplished except to ignore and offend the Lord of the Universe. It was not always so. In 1944, Franklin Roosevelt led the nation in prayer for the Allied Forces for success on D Day against the “unholy forces of our enemy.” He began the prayer by addressing Almighty God and ended the prayer by asking that […]
Even if your child never sees any television or movies, he will still be exposed to the world’s concept of sexuality. He will hear it from the children that he plays with. Talk about sex is a part of every school situation. Suppose you attempt to cut your child completely off from the world? As unwise as that would be, there will still be contact. There is more than enough information in the form of short comments, quotations in books, pictures on billboards, stories and pictures in magazines and catalogs to influence your child’s concept of sex. Whether you like or admit it, your child is hearing from the world about sex. That is why God wants you to talk […]