Coming before the Living God in corporate worship is a blessing secured for you by Christ’s death. If your desire is to see your children truly worship God, then show them that corporate worship is a profound privilege. Don’t conform to the world and critique the worship of God because things in the service may not have gone as well as you think they should have. Because we are sinners there will always be times when we fall short. A sermon that you think could have been better is no reason not to be in awe of God. Even when men fail, God remains holy. Renew your mind in worship as your encounter the power of the trinity. Pray that […]
Search Results for : christ formed in you
157 results
Ephesians warns fathers not to exasperate their children. To be sure, there are a number of ways to exasperate children. But, I believe one of the most subtle and discouraging ways of doing this is the wrong use of explanations in disciplining children. Explanations can become damaging when they are based on attempts at persuasive argumentation, rather than training based upon Scripture.
Law student Sandra Fluke has become a national media figure (for the moment, at least), and an apologist for the unreality of God’s law and rule. She has not accomplished this with vituperative rants, but with “civil discourse” that “reflects reality.” On camera, Sandra Fluke’s even demeanor and business casual appearance hardly appear to make her a champion of evil. Parents, this type of “reasoned” calm argumentation is all the more dangerous because of its subtlety. These are the attacks on Christianity for which you must prepare your children. While they are young, while they are still at home, they must learn how to deal with such challenges. Just what are the comments that Ms. Fluke has made? What has […]
Before anyone misunderstands me—let me say that this post is not about pre-marital instructions for children, at least not explicitly. Neither is this post about arranged marriages! No, this post is about friendship and its connection to marriage. In Tim Keller’s excellent book, The Meaning of Marriage, he draws out the importance of friendship in marriage. I believe Keller has made an important observation, both for those interested in becoming married and for parents seeking to train their children to live for God. Christians are not to think or act as the world does. We are to be transformed, not conformed, in our thinking. We are to take thoughts captive, not be taken captive! But that’s a bit tricky, isn’t […]
Listening is a skill of wisdom that can only be acquired by a heart that has been changed by the gospel. Your listening, to be effective, must be gospel-centered. I’m sure someone is asking, “What in the world is gospel-centered listening ?” It is listening to others with the heart attitude of seeking to understand what they are saying so that you can respond to them in a manner that honors Christ. There are two sides to serving others in this way: first, you must listen well, and second, you must speak well. Proverbs 18:2, 13, 15, & 17 address listening, and Ephesians 4:29 addresses speaking.
Two children plus one favorite toy on equals trouble. No, this is not the beginning of new math word problem. But it is a scenario that leads to disruptions in families every day. Two children each want the same toy. In this case, this toy was a recent gift from Grandma. On this particular morning, Andrew is the first one to claim possession. Lydia knows this means that she will not be able to play with this toy for at least several hundred years. So Lydia, with tears welling up in her eyes, goes off to find Mom to inform her of this great injustice.
Shepherd Press is pleased to announce that we will be partnering with Covenant Eyes. Covenant Eyes provides a unique resource for addressing internet pornography. Their creative approach not only deals with stopping this particular sin, but it also has the potential to build relationships between teenagers and their parents. It is this feature of the Covenant Eyes program that is particularly attractive to Shepherd Press. I have asked Luke Gilkerson of Covenant Eyes to write a post which will introduce their approach to our readers. We are looking forward to working with Covenant Eyes. More information about our partnership will be available shortly. Here is Luke’s post. Teaching Your Kids to Make a Covenant with Their Eyes She sat across […]
As Paul says in I Corinthians 15, if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But we do have hope in Christ for the life that is yet to come. It is this joy, that can only be known by those whom Christ has called, that transforms weariness into peace. This is why the words of Christ in Matthew 11 resonate with God’s people. Parents when you are overcome by weariness remember and rejoice in these precious words: “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 […]
Easter Week is a great time to talk about weariness. Christ’s words in Matthew 11:28-30 were given to offer encouragement to weary aliens living in a hostile world. Following Christ was never meant to be trouble-free–but it is meant to be restful. Let me explain!
News headlines are the most immediate indicators of cultural drift. While they are inconclusive in themselves, they provide insight as to what issues make an impact on people’s thinking. Headlines become the topic of water cooler and even playground discussions. That is why it is important for Christian parents to pay attention to headlines. Media headlines are written to attract attention, and they do. Your children will be exposed to headlines and sound bites because these are what people catch on the run as they rush through their day. Children will hear people asking what do you think you think about Tiger? And, of course, they will begin to find out about what people think from their friends at church, […]