Perhaps the key to not treating your teenagers as their sins deserve is understanding the difference between influence and authority. Recall with me once again Tedd Tripp’s focal points for the three stages of child development found in Shepherding a Child’s Heart: Ages 0 to 5: focus is establishing biblical authority Ages 5 to 12: focus is on the development of godly character Ages 12 & beyond: focus is on internalization of the gospel You never want your children, especially your teenagers, to believe they are being treated as they deserve to be treated; nothing is more antithetical to living out the gospel. This reality must be grasped by parents and teenagers alike. As Psalm 103 teaches, […]
Teenagers
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Stay with me on this! Psalm 103 says that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. We have previously established that it is not good to treat your young children as their sins deserve. Instead, you are to graciously point them to bow to the authority of the King of the Universe. Also we have established that middle children should trained in the development of godly character instead of simply having their behavior corrected. So, this leaves us with teenagers. Are they the only ones who are to be treated as their sins deserve or does God have something different for them as well? Problems often arise with teenagers because the biblical objectives of the […]
Laodicea would have been classified as “red” city if it were around today. The city was a prosperous financial and trade center. It was known for its fine linens. It had a great medical school. It was a city of beauty, and the arts flourished there. In 60 A.D. an earthquake leveled the city. The citizens refused any assistance from the Roman government and rebuilt the city solely with their own funds. Laodicea would certainly make the top ten list of the most desirable places to live and raise a family. After all, a place like Laodicea provided all the opportunities for children to become involved in higher education, sports, the arts and community service. Laodicea also had a church. […]
In our first look at Psalm 78 I noted that it is essential to share the Psalmist’s passionate commitment to giving God’s truth and the wonder of his character to our children. As the Psalmist said, “We will not hide these truths from our children.” The impact upon children is to be so significant that their children will be impacted as well. If parents’ hearts are not consumed with attractively passing on God’s glory there is a greatly diminished likelihood that this same passion will grip their children. See verses 6&7 of the psalm: … so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would […]
Psalm 78 provides instruction about raising teenagers with soft, passionate hearts towards God. The Psalmist begins with a challenge to remember the lessons of the past, the lessons of ancient and recent church history. He wants God’s people to vividly remember the great deeds of God in redemptive history. Then, the Psalmist makes a pledge that children will hear of the great actions of God: We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. Note the emphatic language – “We will not hide these truths from our children.” The first step towards raising teenagers with Josiah’s soft heart […]
The story of Josiah comes as a surprise. But then, keeping us off balance is something the Bible does quite well. This is because we are reading the words of the Spirit of God. He doesn’t think like we do. He has a different perspective on life than we do. He is about holiness. We are about avoiding holiness. If your reading of the Bible has become predictable, if you are not surprised and frequently unsettled by what you read, you most likely are shielding yourself from the power of the text. The Bible is written to shake us internally. The Spirit’s words are alive and dynamic. His words are designed to take us apart, to cut deeply into the […]
Josiah became King of Judah when he was eight years old. Judah could not have been more of a spiritual and cultural disaster. Manasseh and his son, Amon, had just concluded 57 of the most perverse years of leadership that Judah had known. Manasseh set a new standard of wickedness during his reign and his son, Amon, picked up where his father left off. The temple of the Lord was desecrated by living quarters of the male shrine prostitutes. Provision had been made in the temple for the worship of Baal and his consort, Asherah and the starry hosts. Provision was also made throughout the land for the burning of incense Baal, Asherah, the sun and the moon, and the […]
Alex Chediak, author of the popular book Thriving at College, has some good words to say about Time for the Talk, by Steve Zollos. You can check out Alex’s comments here. For more information and how to purchase Time for the Talk click here. To listen to Steve talk about the value of this book with Paul Dean, click the link below. [hr]
Time for The Talk will help fathers walk their sons through one of the most important conversations of their lives. “The Talk” is much broader than just a talk about sexuality; it’s a conversation about manhood, about right decisions, about Christ. Time for The Talk will assist you in giving your son what he needs to steer through the moral and spiritual confusion of this world and make wise, godly, character-forming decisions. You will be equipping him to enter true manhood—a passage that many young men today never make. This book not only provides a complete framework for discussing the key areas of manhood that every boy should learn from his father; it also guides you into developing a relationship […]
Today we conclude our interview with Steve Zollos, author of Time for the Talk. I hope you have enjoyed this interview. Moreover, I hope that you will make good use of this excellent resource. There is a link for more information and sample chapters at the end of this post. When should a father give his son The Talk? Determining when to give your son The Talk can be a tricky thing. On the one hand, you don’t want to give him information that he is not ready for. On the other hand, you don’t want him trusting information from his peers, or the media. I write in some depth on this subject in Time For The Talk, and it’s […]