Building Bridges

The Gospel: What Our Children Need to Hear

2012-01-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Your Father so loved you that he sent his Son to rescue you from the punishment that was due you for your sins. These are the sins you committed when you were a child, the sins you committed before you became a believer, and the ones you've committed today. He has seen all your sin: your selfishness, anger, laziness, and pride, and he has loved you. To rescue you, his Son was sent from heaven, his home, to be born as a human baby, live a perfect life, suffer in shame and humiliation on Calvary, rise again after three days, and then ascend to the right hand of his Father, where he watches over and redeems every facet of your life, including your parenting. He has promised to use everything in your life for your good and his glory. This is the kind of watchful, fatherly love he has for you. He is the parent, and this record of perfection has been transferred to you, if you have put your trust in him. Your children’s salvation doesn't depend on you any more than your own salvation did. He’s a wonderful Father. You can rest in his everlasting arms—now.

Elyce Fitzpatrick - Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With The Love of Jesus

Mark Driscoll says, "Be a Man!"

2011-03-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

Parenting By The Book

2010-09-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Heritage Baptist Church in Owensboro, Kentucky has posted videos of their Parenting by the Book seminars. This is a great resource for parents. Tim Hoak says, "Parent is kingdom oriented, God-honoring, joy-saturated, heart-engaging, heart-changing, self-sacrificing, and blessedly fulfilling, calling from God."

Down Syndrome Football Player Scores Touchdown

2010-09-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Awana at Wynne Baptist - It's a Blast!

2010-09-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Great New Resource From Crossway

2010-09-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Published in partnership with Concordia Publishing House, this full-color children’s Bible combines the complete ESV Bible text with more than 120 new, vibrant illustrations of major Bible stories. Accompanying each full-page illustration is the Bible story itself, clearly and accurately retold for young readers—and for the parents, grandparents, and teachers who read to them. Each story includes a Key Bible Verse to memorize, Additional Readings for discovering more of the story throughout the Bible, and simple Reflection Questions to help children begin to understand and apply God’s Word. Colorful icons make it easy for young readers to see where each story is found in the Bible text and to locate the illustration that goes with it.

In addition, dozens of Bible characters are profiled throughout the pages, and color call-out sections provide illustrated facts about important Bible objects, structures, and places. Each Bible book begins with a child-friendly introduction, highlighting the important characters and themes found in it.

The ESV Seek and Find Bible is the ideal first “real” Bible for pre-readers and young readers, ages 5 to 10, to grow up with. It is also a wonderful resource for parents to use in family Bible reading and for teachers who teach the Bible to young children.

More than 120 full-page, full-color illustrations
Simple Bible story retellings for each illustration
Age-appropriate introductions to each Bible book
Key Verses to memorize
Illustrated profiles of more than 60 major Bible characters
Illustrated facts about Bible objects, structures, and places.
Reflections Questions for children, parents and teachers

Pre-Order it here

Greg Matte on 'Remote' Parenting

2010-08-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

The stage is set for a great father/son moment as we watch the first three outs and they break to commercial. Then the bottom drops out. Words like Cialis, Viagra, and ED roll through the air before I can find the mute button. Now the sound is off, but we see an image of individual bathtubs with a couple in their late 50s sitting in them, outside nonetheless, holding hands and giving us a glimpse of that “right moment.” Now, instead of fielding questions about the infield fly rule and my little league super stardom, I’m on the hot seat. “Dad, what is ED? Do people really take baths outside together? What does the “right moment” mean?”

Super Music for Kids: Jesus Came to Save Sinners

2010-05-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

This album is short but it is SWEET!. It comes out of the preschool ministry of The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. Here are the songs:

Jesus Came to Save Sinners
God Is Good
God Is in Charge of Everything
God Wants to Talk with Us
God Made Everything

Check out the description:

"Jesus Came to Save Sinners" contains five original songs that teach children about the character and nature of God and His plan to save sinners through Jesus Christ. These songs correspond with the five foundational truths - Jesus Came to Save Sinners, God is Good, God is in Charge of Everything, God Wants to Talk with Us, God Made Everything - taught each weekend in our preschool ministry, The Little Village. The mission and vision of The Little Village is "to partner with parents to build a firm spiritual foundation for their children." Our hope is that these songs will be an effective tool in engaging your children with the truth of who God is as you endeavor to obey the biblical call to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

You can download the album for free from the The Village Church Music and Worship Page. You can also get it at Amazon.

Helping Your Child Understand Death

2010-05-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight our community is experiencing the horrible tragedy of the death of a precious 5 year old boy. We are praying that God's great love would surround the mother and father as they experience unimaginable grief.

While at the hospital tonight I talked to a mother of a little boy who was friends with the boy who died. For her, the thought of telling her son that one of her best friends had passed away was almost overwhelming. Below, I have posted some links to some resources that may help those of you that may be dealing with this issue. I hope it helps.

John Piper answers the question, How should we teach children about death and eternal life

John Piper: How can I explain God's love to a suffering child?

Christianity Today: When Children Grieve

Crosswalk.com: Talking With a Child About Death

The M.I.S.S. Foundation

Helping Your Child in "Big Church"

2010-05-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

Bringing your child to "big church" can be a daunting task for parents. It can also be a great privilege. There is nothing greater we can do for our children than teach them about the greatness and majesty of God. Robbie Castleman in her book Parenting in the Pew says, "Teaching your children to worship...is entering the house of your heavenly Father and saying, 'Daddy, I would like you to meet my children.'" Worship is seeing your Father's smile."

Below are some links to helpful tips and suggestions you can use when bringing your child to worship.

Desiring God's Together in Gods Presence

Doug Phillip's Blog at Vision Forum

The South Carolina Baptist Convention's Children Ministry Division

Don't Leave Jesus in the Manger!

2009-12-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today, Al Mohler posted some great thoughts on the importance of telling the Christmas story in the context of the entirety of God's word, specifically the Old Testament. He says:

Why is this so important? Put simply, if we get the Christmas story wrong, we get the Gospel wrong. Told carelessly, the Christmas story sounds like God's "Plan B." In other words, we can make the Christmas story sound like God turning to a new plan, rather than fulfilling all that he had promised. We must be very careful to tell the Christmas story in such a way that we make the gospel clear.

You see, as secularized as our world has become, a majority of people are still excited about baby Jesus at Christmastime. We see nativity scenes in amongst all the other decorations and sing songs about the "Sweet Little Jesus Boy." All this is good. However, this excitement quickly fades after the lights go out and our refuse raises the lid on our trash can in salute of our consumerism. It's as if we leave Jesus in the manger and never come close to grasping the significance of the incarnation.

For the last few years several wonderful public school teachers in our church have invited our staff into their classrooms and tell the Christmas story to their students. It's a great privilege. In telling the story, I begin with creation and the fall and then proceed to Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus, and the shepherds. After I get the passed the the wise men, I ask the kids, "Do babies stay babies?" They always answer with a resounding "No!" I usually say something like, "Of course not. You didn't stay a baby, did you? No. You got bigger, stronger and taller. Jesus didn't stay a baby either." I then fast-forward to the crucifixion and explain the Jesus was punished and died for the wrong things we have done.

You see, the Christmas story has no significance apart from the cross. And, only in light of the cross do we understand the true beauty and wonder of the nativity.

I want to encourage you to give your kids the best gift and tell them the whole story of God's word. From creation, to the cross, to His coming again... All of His-story.

We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

Psalms 78:4

Merry Christmas

Tim Challies Interview with William P Farley

2009-09-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

Today, Tim Challies posted an interview with Bill Farley, the author of Gospel-Powered Parenting. You can read Challies' excellent review here. In today's post Farley answers questions about the centrality of the the gospel in the area parenting and educational choices that parents make in light of the gospel. Here are some excerpts:

Why the gospel? Why is the gospel the key to empowering parenting? What is the connection between the words “gospel” and “powered?”

Paul tells us that “the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). We hear this verse and think the pulpit or witnessing, but parents should hear this and think family devotions. Parents convinced that God’s power is latent in the gospel center their families around the gospel. They are convinced that it provokes new birth, that it will knit their children’s hearts to God, and motivate godly behavior. Our children receive the “imperishable seed” of new birth through the message of the gospel (1 Pet. 1:23). Often parents don’t center their parenting in the gospel because either they don’t really understand the gospel, or they don’t believe that God’s power is latent in the gospel.

The gospel also protects parents from “moralism,” the idea that well-behaved children are the main thing. New Birth is the main thing. The morality of Christ imputed to your children is the main thing. It is not what our children do for Christ but what Christ has done for our children that is the main thing. Ironically, without aiming at it, gospel centered parents get godly behavior from their children.

In addition, the fear of God is the key to attracting God’s favor upon our parenting. Many think that the fear of God is an Old Testament concept. But the main place we get the fear of God is at the cross of Christ—the heart of the gospel.

We want to affirm, of course, that it is well within the rights of any Christian parents to homeschool their children. We want to affirm that this is often a wise decision for parents. Yet in Gospel-Powered Parenting you explicitly mention that your five children, all of whom are believers, went to public schools and state colleges. You emphasize the importance of an offensive mind-set. Do you find that, at least for some Christian parents, homeschooling is really just one aspect of a larger defensive mind-set?

Many things motivate home-schooling—a desire for a better education, the longing to mingle the gospel with academic subjects, the desire to cast our children in a biblical mold, and a longing to protect them from evil influence. What I am saying is that if protection is the main thing, or the only thing, we might be in trouble.

Let me be clear. I am all for home-schooling and/or private Christian education. Although my children all graduated from public High School, my two oldest daughters went to a private Christian school for several years, and we home-schooled my youngest during his Junior High years. None of my fourteen grandchildren are in public education today. My oldest daughter taught in a classical Christian school for twelve years. I am not against home-schooling: I am against a fear-oriented, defensive mindset. Home schooling does not necessarily presume this mentality.

What does an offensive mind-set look like in parenting?

An offensive mindset targets the child’s heart not the child’s external environment (friends, music, school, etc.). In order to reach their child’s heart effective parents focus on their relationship with the child. Rather than fearing the world’s negative influence, they focus on the gospel’s power to influence their child. This parent worries more about their example to their child rather than the world’s example. This parent waits patiently for New Birth rather than assuming it because a child was baptized, or made a confession of faith at a summer camp.

How can a parent guard against moralism? Isn't there huge temptation, perhaps especially when we are within view of other Christians, to judge parenting by the outward shows of immediate obedience and other potentially-moralistic standards?

Moralism is the assumption that we make ourselves acceptable to God with good behavior. It is the deadly enemy of Christianity. It is the one thing that all non-Christian religions share in common, and the rejection of moralism is one crucial doctrine that sets Christianity apart. The Bible says God accepts us because we believe, not because we perform.

Read the whole interview...

It's Never Too Late

2009-06-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

Have you talked to your kids about...?

HT: Forward Progress

Did you hear about...?

2009-05-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Gossip is probably one the things that destoys the most, but is addressed the least. Author, speaker and Southern Seminary distinguished professor Mary Kassian addresses this issue on her new blog Girls Gone Wise.

I once saw an advertisement that enticed people to buy cell phones so they could engage in more “gab, blab, and gossip.” Are you a talker? Do you enjoy gabbing, blabbing, and gossiping? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying good conversation, but the Bible warns that excess speech is often accompanied by sin. “Where words are many, sin is not absent…” (Prov. 10:19, NIV)

The sin that those with the gift of gab need to guard against is the sin of tale-bearing. In the book of Leviticus - which was an extensive guide for the people of God on how to practically live out the Ten Commandments - Moses seemed to indicate that the command against bearing false witness encompassed more verbal sins than just lying. He gave the people strict instructions against tale-bearing: “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people!”(Lev. 19:16, NKJV). Tale-bearing is a term that includes lying, gossiping, slandering, whispering, speaking ill, and in some cases, even seemingly innocent blabbing. [more]

John Piper's Questions on God's God-Centeredness

2009-05-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last Night at the Children Desiring God 2009 National Conference John Piper spoke on The God-Centeredness of God. Below, John talks about his strategy in getting people to understand this concept.

My simple strategy for making sure that people get it when I talk about being God-centered is that I make sure to focus first on the God-centeredness of God. Then I start to see people saying, "That does not sound right."

So at that point, when I get them shaking their head, I like to push on them with a little quiz:

What is the chief end of God?
Who is the most God-centered person in the universe?
Who is uppermost in God's affections?
Is God an idolater?
What is God's chief jealousy? To be known admired, trusted, obeyed.
Do you feel most loved by God when he makes much of you, or when he enables you to enjoy making much of him forever?

This last question is a very threatening question. It takes people off guard. The first half feels good, it feels like love. But then the second half suggests that that may be a problem. And it's a shocking thing to them.

Don't Waste Your Sports

2009-03-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

I ran across a message by C.J. Mahaney the other day titled "Don't Waste Your Sports." He offers a great God-centered perspective on a subject that can easily get a family's schedule and priorities spiraling out of control. Mahaney says:

"Participation in sports must be informed by the knowledge of God. We have a tendency, when considering the topic of glorifying God in sports, to proceed immediately to practical application and to prematurely consider specific ways we are called to glorify God in sports. But any practical consideration must first proceed from a theologically informed understanding of the character of God as revealed in Scripture and the person and work of Christ. We must begin our consideration of this topic—of every topic!—with God. Until we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ we cannot accurately or authentically glorify God (2 Cor. 4:6). Before we play sports for the glory of God we must behold the glory of God. … And this morning I have asked Puritan theologian John Owen to assist me:

"Because he is—that is, an infinitely glorious, good, wise, holy, powerful, righteous, self-subsisting, self-sufficient, all-sufficient Being, the fountain, cause, and author of life and being to all things, and of all that is good in every kind, the first cause, last end, and absolute sovereign Lord of all, the rest and all-satisfactory reward of all other beings—therefore he is to be adored and worshipped. Hence are we in our hearts, minds, and souls, to admire, adore, and love him. His praises are we to celebrate. In him we are to trust and fear, and so to resign ourselves and all our concerns unto his will and disposal, to regard him with all the acts of our minds and persons, answerable to the holy properties and excellencies of his nature. This is to glorify him as God.

No doubt some are asking, 'What does a 17th-century Puritan (who didn’t have game) have to say to the modern athlete? How does this relate to my soccer game or cross-country meet?’ Here’s why: When I behold the glory of God prior to playing sports, my heart is affected and transformed. This makes all the difference when I step out onto the field or court. This knowledge of God positions me to glorify Him and not myself. Our participation in sports must be informed by the knowledge of God in order to keep us from turning sports into something ugly, rather than beautiful. This knowledge of God’s glory will keep us from wasting our sports.”

I would highly recommend this message to parents whose kids are involved in any kind of organized sports. You can download and hear the rest of Mahaney's message here.

A Spiritual Home Check Up

2009-03-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

I went to the dentist the other day for my six-month check up. What that? Cavities? Nope, not a one. My mom would be proud. By the way, Mom, thanks for the braces. The dental assistant complemented me on my straight teeth. But anyway, from time to time we all need to get a check up on the various areas of our lives, whether it be our teeth, health, finances, ect. I recently found a Spritual Check for the Home at Transforming Grace. These questions are humbling but are very valuable in evaluating our own effectiveness as spiritual leaders. Here is the first few questions:

What am I like at home?

Do those who know me best, believe in me most?

Am I thoughtful for those who are serving me everyday?

Do I criticize the Church and other Christians in front of the children? - heedless or careless that it is nearly the most damning thing I could do for them. [more]

2009-03-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Check out Life Together. They did a great post last week on Mark's Discoll's ideas for using dinner time as a way to do family devotions. If your family struggles to get everyone together for home worhip, you might appreciate these insights.

A Mother's Influence

2009-02-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

DG Blog has an excerpt from the book Selected Shorter Writings: J. Gresham Machen. Machen speaks of his mother's encouragement during a time of spiritual "shipwreck". It reminds me of the vital role we play in our children's journey of faith.

My mother [spoke to me] in those dark hours when the lamp burned dim, when I thought that faith was gone and shipwreck had been made of my soul. "Christ," she used to say, "keeps firmer hold on us than we keep on him."

My mother's word meant...that salvation by faith does not mean that we are saved because we keep ourselves at every moment in an ideally perfect attitude of confidence in Christ. No, we are saved because having once been united to Christ by faith, we are his forever. Calvinism is a very comforting doctrine indeed. Without its comfort, I think I should have perished long ago in the castle of Giant Despair

[more]

A List of Good Books for Kids

2008-12-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Andrew David Naselli and Jennifer J. Naselli at Themelios have compiled an exordinary list of great, God-centered books for younger children. Any of these would be great to read to you kids before they go to bed or possibly a morning devotion at breakfast. Check out what they have to say:

Many people have an opportunity to teach children about God, including parents, grandparents, older siblings, babysitters, and Sunday school teachers. Teaching theology to children is a joyful yet sober responsibility that many seem to take lightly. It is not as easy as one may suspect. It is challenging to communicate truth about God and his creation to children in an accurate and easily understandable way.

1. Communicating accurately requires a grasp of the Bible's storyline and how all the little stories contribute to the one big story. It requires a sound biblical hermeneutic that does not promote the trivial, extrapolate illegitimately, read between the lines, miss important nuances, or focus on people rather than God. ...

2. Communicating in an easily understandable way requires clarity, conciseness, imagination, creativity, excitement, and appropriateness (e.g., in word choices, length of teaching, level of detail, and means of conveying spiritual truth).

This is hard work. Thankfully, some fine theology books for children are available. (And they are edifying for adults, too!) Without pretending to be experts on theological children's literature, we have sorted through recent theology books for younger children and compiled a short list of outstanding books. Other books are undoubtedly worthy of mention, but these are our favorites. What follows organizes them in three categories and ranks the books in order, beginning with our top recommendations. [check out the list]

What makes a "Merry" Christmas?

2008-12-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

As a part of our weekly staff meetings this year our pastor, Matt Pearson, has been reading from John Piper's book The Passion of Christ - 50 Reasons Why He Came To Die. As we read the last chapter on Monday morning I was reminded of the need to watch what we communicate to our children during this season. Piper says:

Our happiest moments have not been self-saturated moments, but self-forgetful moments. There have been times when we stood beside the Grand Canyon, or at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, or viewed a stunning sunset over the Sahara, and for a fleeting moment felt the joy of sheer wonder. This is what we were made for. Paradise will not be a hall of mirrors. It will be a display of majesty. And it won’t be ours.

If this is true, and if Christ is the most majestic reality in the universe, then what must his love to us be? Surely not making much of us. That would not satisfy our souls. We were made for something much greater. If we are to be as happy as we can be, we must see and savor the most glorious person of all, Jesus Christ himself. This means that to love us, Jesus must seek the fullness of his glory and offer it to us for our enjoyment. That is why he prayed, the night before he died, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory” (John 17:24). That was love. “I will show them my glory.” When Jesus died to regain the fullness of his glory, he died for our joy. Love is the labor—whatever the cost—of helping people be enthralled with what will satisfy them most, namely, Jesus Christ. That is how Jesus loves.

Christmas is generally a time when our thoughts are turned to things such as joy, gifts, happy children and peace on earth. All these things can be good if put in their proper place. On the other hand they can be dangerous if they are the "end all" of Christmas. "Dangerous?" You might ask, "How can these be dangerous?"

When we carefully evaluate the "Christmas" messages our children are hearing from the world, they can easily deduct that Christmas is mainly about them. There happiness. Their joy. In short, we lead them put themselves on the throne of their lives, a place that only belongs to Christ. Left unchecked this will lead them down a road of destruction.

It is not enough for us to simply tell our children the Christmas story and expect this counter-balance the self indulgent messages of the world. We have to be very purposeful and passionate about making sure that our kids not enthralled with themselves but Christ. Do we really love your kids? Do we really want them to be happy and have a Merry Christmas. If we do, we will make much of Christ.

Have a very Merry Christmas

Happy Mother's Day!!

2008-05-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

I thought all you "super" moms would get a kick out of this idea for a survivor series from Girl Talk. Enjoy.

The next "Survivor" series:

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care...more

Make a Joyful NOISE!!!!

2008-05-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Al Menconi Asks an Important Question

2008-05-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 6:7 indicates how God would have us teach our children to love Him. The previous two verses (6:5-6) are commands that we should love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and that the commandments of God should be in our heart. Then in 6:7 we are told to "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

This verse is a COMMAND for us to teach our children at four specific times: (1) when we sit down as a family, (2) when we are walking together, (3) when we lie down, and (4) when we rise up. Is that what is happening in your home? If you are like most Christians, you are probably doing just the opposite! Think about it.

When your family is sitting at home, what is usually taking place? You are probably watching television/DVDs, playing video games, or eating; or doing all three -- often at the same time. That's right, when we are sitting at home, the television or video games are probably doing most of the teaching, not Mom and Dad. And the worst part, research has shown that these sources of entertainment are also very effective teaching tools that are probably teaching values that are against the commands of God. more...

A Much Needed Word About Modesty

2008-04-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have heard it said many times, "If you want to be successful at ___________, listen to people who are successful at ________." With this in mind, if it's my desire to raise a daughter who loves, treasures and worships God more than everything else, I am going look for someone who has "been there and done that."

C.J. and Carolyn Mahanney have navigated the tricky waters of raising daughters - three of them! And, with all things considered, it seems they have done quite well. On his blog, C.J. has posted an excerpt from his upcoming book Worldliness. If you have a daughter, you will benefit from his insights.

Any biblical discussion of modesty begins by addressing the heart, not the hemline. We must start with the attitude of the modest woman.

This emphasis on the heart is front and center in 1 Timothy 2:9. Note the phrase “with modesty and self-control.” All respectable apparel is the result of a godly heart, where modesty and self-control originate. Your wardrobe is a public statement of your personal and private motivation. And if you profess godliness, you should be concerned with cultivating these twin virtues, modesty and self-control...[more]

The Words We Never Want To Hear

2008-04-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

John Piper has begun a series on a vision for raising children. In one part of his first message, Let No One Despise Your Youth, he speaks of the words we never want to hear. Let these words spur us on to care for the souls of our children.

We do not want to hear our children say when they are thirty what the rich young ruler said to Jesus after Jesus listed the commandments, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” Here is the great commandment keeper. Here is the compliant kid who did what he was told. He kept the commandments.

But when Jesus put him to the test and said he lacked one thing: “Sell what you have, give it to the poor, and follow me” (Mark 10:21), he couldn’t do it. He had no heart for Christ. Rule-keeping? Yes. Treasuring Jesus? No. He was dead. He had no affections for Christ. He was simply a good rule-keeper. And he said that it goes all the way back to his youth: “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” His parents said do, and he did.

Parents, successful parenting is more than compliant kids. It is gospel-saturated living and teaching. Show your children how Christ, crucified for our sins, and Christ, raised for our justification, and Christ, showing the Father’s love, and Christ, guaranteeing the Spirit’s daily help—show them how this gospel is not just something that begins the Christian life but empowers it and shapes and sustains it. Pray and love and teach your children until Christ breaks in on their hearts and becomes their Treasure.

May God give us a vision for the next generation that glorifies the gospel of Christ, and leads thousands of young people to the cross where they find forgiveness of sins, and broken-hearted humility, and Christ-exalting courage to rebel against low expectations and “do hard things.”

Help Your Kids Love Missions

2008-04-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

Take a look at these 10 Ways to Help Your Kids Love Missions on the Desiring God Blog.

"You Can't Play!"

2008-04-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Pretend for a second that you are the coach of an baseball team. It's an incredible team - the best you have ever seen. They field well. They bat great. Everything they do is impeccable.

However, there is another team across town. They have been crowned city champs for years and almost everyone you talk to says they're the best. Of course, you want to play this team. It seems only natural that a game is in order to see which one is really the better team.

One day you call up the coach and say "I hear you have a good team." He says, "Yep". You say, "My team is pretty good too and I would like to schedule a game to see who is the best." An arrogant voice on the other end says, "Well, that would be fine, but we don't allow any other teams on the field when we play." You say "What? No other teams on the field? That's ridiculous!" The other coach responds, "Sorry, that's just the way it is." And then he hangs up on you.

That's pretty absurd, isn't it? Well, that is exactly what is happening in schools and universities when the topic of origins comes up. The "theory" of evolution rules the field of play and they will not allow any opposing view on the field.

This academic prejudice is being challenged by Ben Stein in his new movie/documentary Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed. I encourage you to go see the movie when it opens on April 18th. Check out the website and watch the trailor. You will find it very entertaining and very informative.

A Prayer for Our Children

2008-04-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Last year, at the Children Desiring God National Conference they ended one of the general sessions by singing the song One Pure and Holy Passsion. Although the song is written as a prayer for oneself, the words were changed, making it a prayer for children. It was an incredible time of worship.

Give them one pure and holy passion
Give them one magnificent obsession
Give them one glorious ambition for their life
To know and follow hard after You

To know and follow hard after you
To grow as your dicsiple in your truth
This world is empty, pale, and poor
Compared to knowing you, my Lord
Lead them on that they may run after you
Lead them on that they may run after you

Amen!

For Goodness Sakes, Let Boys Be Boys!

2008-04-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is Jonathan and me at the top of Pinnacle Mountain near Little Rock, Arkansas. Our family had a great time on our climb last month.

A recent article in Salvo Magazine highlights the movement in education and media to blur the line between what is masculine and what is feminine. This is an issue we should not only be mindful of, but do what we can to block it's effects on our families.

Hoff-Sommers goes on to note that "it's a bad time to be a boy in America. . . . Routinely regarded as protosexists, potential harassers and perpetuators of gender inequity, boys live under a cloud of censure.” The school curricula, she observes, are skewed toward girls' strengths and away from those of boys. That's why classes emphasize word problems in math class and writing essays in science class, for example...

The central characters of the new ABC show Big Shots exemplify this elevation of emotions over achievements. These men are the heads of four big corporations, and the hook is that although their businesses are doing well, their personal lives are a mess. One is enormously henpecked, another is divorced and has a young-adult daughter who openly hates him (or seems to), another is distressed by the close friendship between his wife and his mistress, and the other's wife has been cheating on him with his boss.

Get the irony? At work they're Masters of the Universe, but in the social realm they're ineffectual schlubs. Women can do whatever they want to them, and the men can't find a way to get control over their personal lives. They spend much of the program discussing their feelings about the terrible things that are happening to them...

Of course, something as natural as masculinity cannot be completely eradicated except by exterminating every man in the world, and thus many young men rebel against their indoctrination, consciously or otherwise. The culture is thus also replete with both real and fictional males who take masculinity to decidedly unattractive and even dangerous extremes.

Thus, the war against boys seems to have created three main character patterns for the adult male of our time: sensitive guys who want to please women; weenies and dorks who want only to be left alone to drink beer and play video games with their dork buddies; and thugs who, in rebellion against their unnatural education, are perpetually concerned with proving their toughness through increasingly loutish behavior. There are, of course, examples of decent, positively masculine males in the culture, but they are becoming increasingly overwhelmed by the products of educational and cultural feminization.

This movement in our culture is a stark contrast to what God intended in the beginning. As in every other area of life, real answers to the questions of our culture are found in God's word.

So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:27

Resources to help in this area:
Focus on the Family: Sexual Identity and Gender Resources
Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Answers in Genesis article on the new California Student Civil Rights Act - Scary!

The Monster Is Not Under the Bed.

2008-03-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month the New York Times posted a report on the effects of television sets in the children's bedrooms. It seems that if a child has a TV in his/her room they are more likely to:

Make bad grades
Have sleep problems
Be overweight
Smoke

Below is an exerpt from John MacArthur's booklet, Cultivating a Godly Child. We all should listen to these words of wisdom when considering the things we allow to influence our kids.
An old Chinese proverb says, "One generation plants the trees, and another gets the shade." You and I are still benefiting from the shade provided by trees planted by our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. We are shaded, to some degree, by their moral standards and spiritual commitment.

Now the spade is in our hands and the question facing us is, "What kind of trees are we planting to shade the future generation from what may well be the blistering heat of an Antichrist-dominated world?" Are we leaving our children totally exposed?...

God wants our families to reach their full potential and not be forced into the mold of the world. God desires that Christian families not fall apart. Wouldn't it be great if we had children who were happy, homes that were Christ-centered, where all these things were working out as God designed them? It is possible because it is promised by God! And when it really begins to happen, the world will take notice of us and of our Christ.

Below are some links to help you rethink the place of the TV in your home.

Focus on the Family - Tips for TV Use in Home

FamilyLife - Ten Things to do When You Are Not Watching TV

Jim Eliff - What They Did Before TV

HT: Al Mohler

A Sobering Thought From John Angell James

2008-03-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

We took a group to the Children Desiring God Regional Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee this past weekend. David Michael of CDG used this quote from John Angell James to remind us of the massive responsibility we have as parents.

Recognizing in your children beings placed in this world in a state of probation, and hastening to eternal happiness or torment, will you be contented to seek for them anything short of eternal salvation?

Do you really believe in the ruin of the human race by sin, and their recovery by Christ? ...in the existence of such states as heaven and hell? in the necessity of the life of faith and holiness, in order to escape the one and secure the other?

Then act up to these solemn convictions, not only in reference to your own salvation, but to the salvation of your children. Let a supreme concern for their immortal interests be at the bottom of all your conduct, and interwoven with all your parental habits.

A Christian Fathers Present to His Children. p.16-17

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" - Psalm 133:1

2008-02-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

A Challenge to Parent Biblically

2008-02-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

As parents we will address many and diverse topics from scripture with our children over the course of their lives. But every topic we address... must proceed from and be related to the cross. And every topic we address must be taught in relation to the cross.

We must never assume the cross. We must establish the relationship between whatever topic we are addressing and whatever text we are reading and the cross. In other words no topic you teach your children should be separated from His redemptive work and no topic should be emphasized more than His redemptive work.

I think biblical parenting involves seizing every opportunity to creatively and passionately communicate the gospel to our children.

C.J. Mahaney - Gospel-Centered Parenting - The Imperative of Instruction

Are You Taking Your Kids to Church or to Worship?

2007-12-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

In her book Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children Into the Joy of Worship Robbie Castleman helps parents to see the value of training their kids to worship. In the first chapter, Daddy, I'd Like You to Meet My Children Castleman says:

Training children to worship can attract parents as well as children to pay attention to what God is doing. Parenting in the pew helps you pay attention to the most important thing you can ever train your child to do: worship. Worship is the only thing we get to do forever.

As I read this book I began to ask myself questions like: "What do I really want my children to do during the worship service?" "I'm I satisfied with them just being quiet and not squirming too much?" Castleman goes on to say:

Parenting in the Pew is written to help parents train children in the only "proper behavior" for church: worship!

Parenting in the pew can be a hot battle or a holy triumph of grace. It can consist of whispered commands: "be quiet," "shhhhhh," "sit still," or it can contain the most intimate moments of life with God's family together in his presence. Sunday morning with children in the pew can be the longest hour of the week, or it can be provide the very best preparation for eternal joy.

Teaching your children to worship...is entering the house of your heavenly Father and saying , "Daddy, I would like you to meet my children." Worship is seeing your Father's smile.

What a great perspective on worship! This is a book packed with good, practical advise for parents who want to do more that just take their kids to church.

How About an Empty Cup of Primordial Soup?

2007-12-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

Much of the curriculum used in public schools teaches evolution as "fact" and not "theory." They are asked to accept as truth the belief that life on earth began a long time ago in a mixture of chemicals called the primordial soup.

What does a parent do to guard their child's heart and mind against the idea that everything we are, everything we see and experience are the results of millions of tiny accidents taking place over billions of years.

It is absolutely essential that we believe in the origins of the universe as put forth in God's word and teach it to our children. Why? Because of this frightful possibility: If our children begin to doubt what the Bible says in Genesis, there is no reason for them to believe Exodus through Revelation. They will question what the Bible says about the character of God, the effects of sin, and the saving message of the Gospel.

Jesus says in John 3:12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

Check out the articles below to equip yourself to equip your kids.

Gary DeMar of American Vision discusses seventeen reasons why evolution is impossible.

Terry Mortenson of AIG answer the question, "Why Shouldn't Christians Accept Millions of Years?"

Gillian Marie Middleton gives us Nine Tips for Christian Parents

Little Girl saying Psalm 23

2007-12-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

Do Our Kids Need Screens in Order to "Play"?

2007-11-30T08:11:00.000-08:00

On his blog, Al Mohler has posted an article about parenting tech savvy kids at Christmas time.

Here is a newsflash for you -- elementary school kids do not "need" adult laptops and will survive without digital entertainment products as well.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

2007-11-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

For many years the International Mission Board's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has been played a crucial role in spreading the gospel around the world. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents to teach their kids about the life of Lottie Moon and the importance of telling everyone everywhere about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Matt Pearson, the pastor of Wynne Baptist Church, has a great post about the Lottie Moon Christmas offering. He has links to the story of her life. Let Lottie Moon be a hero to our children.

Spurgeon on the Family

2007-11-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

I ran across this great quote from Spurgeon. I thought it would encourage all of us.

“The bringing up of families is a very great matter. This is too much neglected nowadays; and yet it is the most profitable of all holy service, and the hope of the future. Great men, in the best sense, are bred in holy households. God-fearing examples at home is the most fruitful of religious agencies.”

C. H. Spurgeon, “The Obedience of Faith” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, delivered August 21, 1890.

A Guide to Avoid Being a Clueless Parent

2007-11-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last week The Wall Street Journal came out with a story about the small Texas town of Argyle and its struggle with "Freak Dancing." This type of dance is popular among some teens and involves sexually suggestive bumping and grinding. One mother who chaperoned a high school dance decribes it this way:

"One boy was up close to a girl's back, bumping and grinding to the pounding beat of the music." "I thought, 'That's just dadgum nasty,'" ... "It really had me sick to my stomach."

The article goes on to explain the situation in Argyle:

...in Argyle, a once-sleepy farming community strained by explosive growth from an influx of well-to-do suburbanites, the controversy has gotten vicious. Some parents blame the newly installed school superintendent, Jason Ceyanes, 35, for ruining their children's October homecoming dance by enforcing a strict dress code and making provocative dancing off-limits. Disgusted, a lot of kids left, and the dance ended early.

Mr. Ceyanes says he fears current cleavage-baring dress styles combined with sexually charged dancing could lead to an unsafe environment for students.

"This is not just shaking your booty," he said. "This is pelvis-to-pelvis physical contact in the private areas...and then moving around."

Many parents support Mr. Ceyanes's actions. But another vocal faction has been harshly critical of the new superintendent, creating a deep rift in the community. These parents defend the children of Argyle as "good kids," and say they should be trusted to dance and dress the way they want.

As I stated in a previous post, "All good parents want their kids to be happy." I'm sure this is the true of the parents in Argyle. However, these clueless parents are making two fatal mistakes in what they are teaching their kids.

CLUELESS PARENT MISTAKE #1

Teaching their kids its completely appropriate to defy authority if you are not happy with their decisions.

An example of this is one angry mother who says "she spent $400 for her 17-year-old daughter's dress only to have her leave the dance after a few minutes because it was such a dud."

One fact of life we all have to understand is we are always under authority and submitting to authority brings success and happiness - in this life and the life to come.

How many of these teens will have a problem holding down a job because they refuse to accept an employers demands. How many will experience a painful divorce because they will not be able to bring themselves to submit to their spouse.

Will all the freak dancing teens in Argyle have issues like the ones described above? Probably not. But there is one thing that is certain. One day everyone will stand before God, the ultimate authority, and give an account of every act, thought and word. Although God is a Heavenly Father, because He is the perfect Judge, He will punish every sin.

As parents, we love our children the most when we set the example and teach them to submit to earthly authorities, whether they be government, education, church, or family. It helps them see the absolute necessity of submitting to their heavenly authority.

CLUELESS PARENT MISTAKE #2

Believing their children are "good kids."

Why is it that some parents think their kids can never do anything wrong? Is it because it would reflect negatively on them for anyone to think otherwise? Is it because the idea of disciplining their children frightens them so much it paralyzes them and their way of coping is denying their children's imperfections?

Again, let's look at this from an eternal perspective. We all want our kids to go to heaven. However, they are not good enough - no one is. The Bible defines "good" not as "better than most," but "perfect" in absolutely every way. Jesus said, "No one is good except God alone." (Luke 18:19) For our children to receive the gift of salvation they first have to understand they are not good, In fact, they must face the horrible fact that they are depraved, sinful creatures deserving God's wrath not his favor.

Is this harsh? Not at all. In fact it is one of most loving things we can teach our children. Only when they understand the depth of their sin are they able to see God's incredible love and grace in sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to be executed like a criminal, taking the punishment they deserved. They are then able to receive with thankfulness God's free gift of salvation.

HT: Al Mohler

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

2007-11-22T14:38:00.000-08:00

As you celebrate today you may want to read President Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. Lincoln reminds us of the many ways God has blessed our country.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

Happy Thanksgiving

Tip for Raising Happy Kids #1 - Read To Them

2007-11-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

It's plain and simple. Every good parent wants their kids to be happy. However, in my observation, very few achieve that goal. Why? The answer is that we parents can easily misunderstand what it truly takes to raise kids that are content.

Sure, we can give them the things they want. But do those things really make them happy? If they did, the United States would have the happiest kids in the world. This fact is I have seen much happier children in poorer countries.

I am beginning a series of posts I am calling simply "Tips for Raising Happy Kids." These suggestions will not be in any particular order. I will post them as they come to mind. Hopefully, these thoughts will help us all have kids that will put their hope in God.

TIP FOR RAISING HAPPY KIDS #1 - Read to Them

Few things will make your kids feel more valued than you spending time reading to them. Depending on the what you read, you can strengthen your child's faith in God. On his blog Al Mohler lists some great suggestions for reading to your children. Check it out.

Preparing Him for the Other Woman

2007-10-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

For a boy to become a man who loves and provides for his wife and family he must have a man in his life to "show him the ropes." But what can a mom do? And, what about a single mother?

My wife just finished a book by Sheri Rose Shepherd called Preparing Him for the Other Woman: A Mother's Guide to Raising Her Son to Love a Wife and Lead a Family. This is a great book for Mom's who are unsure about the role in their son's life. In the introduction Shepherd writes:
We are raising a generation of boys who have better relationships with their video games, iPods, televisions, and computers than they have with their families. Their world is one where pornography is no longer a hidden shame, but encouraged as entertainment...

...They are being bombarded by conflicting messages about what a real man is. Today's so-called heroes are exalted for selfish pursuits - pleasure, money and fame. It seems our sons are educated on every subject except how to love a wife and lead a family...

...God's intervention, combined with our prayers, training and influence in our sons' lives, will help us empower and equip the next generation of men, their marriages and their future families.

Ladies, you will find this book both a challenging and practical tool in helping your son navigate the maze of becoming a man.

B-ball Bob

2007-10-09T10:33:00.001-07:00

Bro. Bob is the man!!!

A Warning for Parents

2007-10-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book by Ken Boa and John Allen Turner called Hearts And Minds: Raising Your Child With a Christian View of the World. A paragraph in the introduction made me do some soul searching. Boa and Turner write:

Our goal is to help you train your children to think about and see the world in a certain way, and we firmly believe that their behavior will adjust itself accordingly. We are convinced that people usually act as they do because of what they believe. We're also convinced that parents who are overly concerned with external results (i.e., behavior) can turn out a lot of false positives - children who look great on the outside but whose insides are corrupt; children who do the right thing only until no one is is looking. We may think that our children are on the right track because they attend church and know their memory verses, but the truth about a person's character eventually reveals itself, often with devastating results.

What a great goal for parenting. Lets aim for the real thing, not false positives.