This week’s blog special! We hear a lot about freedom these days. But there is a difference between what the world means by freedom and what the Bibles teaches about freedom. Dr. Rich Ganz has written a timely and biblically insightful book on this subject. Shepherd Press is thankful to be able to offer you the book Free Indeed, a needed resource for God’s people. David Powlison, respected thinker and biblical counselor, says:
Shaping Influences
117 posts
Your children know everything about you. They see when you are sleeping, they know when you have been good or bad, they know when you pout and when you shout. Your kids know all of this without your ever having to say a word. When you stumble and ask God for help — they learn. When you stumble and snap or make excuses — they learn from that, too. If you value your relationship with God above all else, your children will know that as well. What does this have to do with being Santa’s helper? Just this: in Psalm 72:18 we read that “God alone does marvelous things.” However, at Christmas time, for little children someone else is portrayed […]
Parents are famous for telling their children what is wrong about a particular thing or activity. While it is certainly appropriate to warn about dangerous things, it is easy to be fixated on the negative. Inadvertently, this may lead to an inability to encourage positive goals. For example, Philippians 4:8-9 directs the thoughts of Christians towards those things and ideas that are excellent. Noble and praiseworthy thoughts are to dominate our minds. Yet often, when a particular course of action is considered or requested, it is the negative concerns that we focus on. Read Paul’s words carefully:
Toddlers are people. They make decisions about what they think they need. The Tripps’ observation that children interpret everything that happens to them provides powerful insight into the lives of toddlers. And it is their interpretation of their circumstances that determines how they respond to events. If a toddler suddenly perceives that a sibling has his favorite toy, his immediate interpretation might be that something is very wrong in his world. With that interpretation, the toddler may burst out crying or he may decide to retrieve his toy even if he has to fight for it. The response flows from his interpretation of his circumstances. In other words, he is evaluating life on the basis of what he thinks is […]
In the last post in this series, Joshua’s mom responded to his complaining attitude with a careful, thoughtful response that seems almost unrealistic. How could a mother respond this carefully in the middle of a busy afternoon? Obviously, this was a response that she had planned for. The communication between Mom and Dad was good. He was the one who remembered how hard it had been for him when one of his good friends moved away, when he was about the same age as Joshua. They had both noticed Joshua being more moody and complaining. The parents had been talking about this for a few days. They planned ahead to have family worship that focused on Philippians 2:14-16. They agreed […]
He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. Proverbs 12:11 Let's look first at how gaming can detract from a productive life. As we do, consider this: to the extent that gaming detracts from or lessens being productive, to that extent it must be avoided. Tremper Longman’s commentary on this Proverb captures the essence of the problem. Longman translates the phrase "…he who chases fantasies lacks judgment." with the phrase "…he who pursues emptiness lacks heart." …The emphasis here is not so much on lack of exertion, but rather that energy is misdirected.He goes on to say that what is pursued in this situation lacks substance. (Longman, 274) In his […]
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Psalm 139:13-17 I read the following comment on a blog that was […]
He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. Proverbs 12:11 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. Romans 14:23 Electronic gaming is another one of those activities that is not mentioned by name in the Bible. Such activities often cause problems for parents and children. We tend to want to find a verse somewhere that gives a thumbs up or down to our activities. We think it would be nice if Proverbs 35:10 said: It is okay to do gaming, but no more than 30 minutes a week, else you will be in […]
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:16-18 Here is the last installment of the series about preparing for the holiday season. Let's focus now on the attitude of the recipients of gifts. Christmas has become a season all about children. Culturally, Christmas is an exercise in benevolent escapism. This escapism is possible because children tend to trust their parents' view of reality. This is appropriate—as long as children are dependent upon their […]
He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame. Proverbs 18:13 This current series of posts is about getting ready for the holidays. The holiday season presents a challenge for parents. For the next few weeks the world will talk about Christ’s advent, but it will be in code. You may have already noticed that code in the first sentence of this post. That’s right, translate holiday to mean the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The problem is that no one wants to offend anyone, so it is politically incorrect to say anything but Happy Holidays. As postmodernism further infiltrates our culture, the meaning of Advent gets pushed deeper into the recesses of antiquity. […]