Helping Children Understand Authority

Helping Children Understand Authority
Dr. Tedd Tripp
Last night in our Vertical Parenting class we focused on respect for parents and authority. This morning a link to this video was sent to my twitter feed via Pastor Mark Driscoll's blog. Dr. Tripp came to High Point
Church in November of 2007 to teach this very material and it is EXCELLENT!


Grab a cup of coffee and your dessert of choice and take an hour well spent to watch this video preferably with pen and paper in hand to take some notes. Enjoy!

16 Daddy Christmas Tips

16 Daddy Christmas Tips

Mark Driscoll, Preaching Pastor at Mars Hill Church

’Tis the season for Dad to drop the holiday ball, stress out as the money is being spent for presents, and miss yet another providential opportunity to lovingly lead his family. So, this blog is intended to help dads not fall into the same old rut of holiday humdrum, sitting on the couch watching football and eating carbs, but rather intentionally plan out the upcoming holiday season. Our children grow quickly and if we miss the sacred moments God opens up for us to connect with and bless our families, everyone suffers and we set in motion generations of missed opportunity.

Dad needs...

1. a plan for the holidays to ensure his family is loved and memories are made. Dad, what’s your plan?
2. to check the local guides for what’s going on to make fun holiday plans for the family. 
3. to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is your calendar ready for December?
4. to not let the stress of the holidays, including money, cause him to be grumpy with Mom or the kids. Dad, how’s your joy?
5. to give experiences and not just gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?
6. to manage the extended family and friends during the holidays. Dad, who or what do you need to say “no” to?
7. to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt and bless?
8. to schedule a big Christmas daddy date with his daughter. Dad, what’s your big plan for the fancy daddy date?
9. to schedule guy time with his son. Dad, what are you and your son going to do that is active, outdoors, and fun?
10. to help Mom get the house decorated. Dad, are you really a big help to Mom with getting things ready?
11. to ensure some holiday smells and sounds. Dad, is Christmas music on the iPod, is the tree up, and can you smell cookies and cider in your house?
12. to snuggle up and watch some fun shows with the kids, especially the little ones. Dad, is the DVR set?
13. to take the family on a drive to see Christmas lights while listening to music and sipping cider. Dad, is it mapped out?
14. to help Mom get the kids’ rooms decorated. Dad, do the little kids get lights or a small tree in their room?
15. to read about Jesus and pray over his kids. Dad, how’s your pastoral work going with each of your kids?
16. to repent of being lazy, selfish, grumpy, or just dumping the holidays on Mom. Dad, are you a servant like Jesus to your family?

A Worthy Goal

"Our goal in parenting is to train our children to become independently dependent upon God."
                                                                                                                                ---Francis Chan

Are You Prepared???

1 Peter 3:15b
...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; 
ESV

If you had to right now could you share the Gospel with someone? As the scripture says, are you "prepared to make a defense" for the hope that you have? Do you truly believe that apart from Christ a person has no hope for eternity?

Penn Jillette, a strong atheist from the famous duo Penn and Teller said in a recent blog, "How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them?" He then goes on to say, and I am summarizing here, if I saw a truck barreling down on you and was about to crush you at some point I would have to tackle you and get you out of the way! Pretty profound comments from someone who says that he is convinced that there is no God!

If we truly believe that there is a heaven and a hell and if a person does not repent and put their faith in Jesus then what is stopping us? Hell is much worse than getting hit by that truck...and it's forever! The fact that it could be socially awkward should not be a reason to hold back. I believe fear plays a big part here. I can say that because fear has held me back before. I still struggle with it. One thing has helped me in overcoming that fear and that is being prepared!

There are many quality resourses out there that will help you to give an accurate presentation of the gospel. One of my favorites is found at www.wayofthemaster.com. You may recognize Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains and more recently the movie Fireproof. I encourage you to take the time to watch the video that starts when you go to the homepage. Then click on "1", "2" and especially "3" where you will hear the message "Hell's Best Kept Secret." 


Another good resource is Sharing Jesus Without Fear which can be found at http://www.lifeway.com/e3/shop/?id=005170871

Take some time and get yourself ready. Know your scriptures, prepare a plan and let God do the talking. Present the facts and with God's help you will bring someone to a point of accepting the truth or rejecting it. Keep in mind It is not our job to sell someone on Jesus. It is not our job to convince people. That's God's job! (John 6:44) The power is in the message! We are just the messengers and it is our responsibility to KNOW and bring that message!

Go and share your faith...while you still have time!

The Fruit Fly....Revisited

I had a chance to go back and re-read a previous post on the fruit fly and how we can use something that God created to better explain God's omnipresence to a child. It is a FACT that everything that God has created was created for one purpose and one purpose only. That is to glorify Himself. Everything He has made points all of mankind back to Him. Just read Psalms 19:1 and Romans 1:20. 


That being said, when our children come to us with questions about God our first response should ALWAYS be to go to His VERY OWN WORDS to see what he says about Himself. It has to start there! We must teach our children that the bible is the very breath of God and one of the reasons He gave us His Word is to teach us. (2 Timothy 3:16) 


After re-reading the post it was obvious that it was void of what God says about His omnipresence so I thought it was important to revisit the question and let God speak for Himself! "Daddy, How does God hear and see everything at the same time? How do I know that He hears me?" Because He says so in His Word! Let's see what He has to say!



Hebrews 4:12-13
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
ESV

Psalms 139:1-12

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is high; I cannot attain it

7  Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

 If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,"

12  even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you.

ESV

Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
ESV


Deuteronomy 4:39
know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
ESV

Jeremiah 23:23-24
"Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.
ESV

Two-Thirds Gone

Eph 5:15-17

15  Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16  making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 

ESV

We are in Pittsburgh for the Thanksgiving holiday and we are staying at my mother-in-law's house. It is a smaller house so my 3 girls are sharing a bedroom. It's a little tight so the first night it didn't take them long to get irritated with each other. I used it as a chance to remind them that in 6 short years the oldest of the 3 could be on her way to college and they wouldn't always have the chance to do fun things like this because she might not be living with us anymore.. Well that made one of my girls cry. (I have to admit it was nice to see) Then it hit me. That applies to me as well. She will be 12 soon which means she is two-thirds gone if she goes to college at 18. Talk about a sobering moment.

So, when our kids say, "Daddy, come play with me." or "Daddy, will you read to me?" ask yourself if what you are doing is really that important. When they want to talk but you just want them to go to bed, be thankful that they still want to talk. If they aren't getting attention from you, know that they WILL eventually find it elsewhere.

So, have you been telling yourself that you were going to make a better effort at reading the bible to your children or doing family devotions or praying together with your wife but the days, weeks and months go by and nothing changes? What is getting in the way? Ask yourself this question.

This time next year, what would you like your child to be?
a) a better athlete
b) a better student
c) closer to God and love Him more.

If you had to chose one and ONLY one which would it be?

Did you choose?

Most likely it was 'c'. Be closer to God and love Him more.

Now ask yourself, did the way you spent your time in 2009 move your child towards that goal? If not what can you change?

Ask God to show you the things in your life that are getting in the way of what is important then ask Him to help you remove those things from your life.  Then ask Him to give you the power and the desire to do the things that will make an ETERNAL difference in the life of your family. 

I personally can do a lot better. We pray a lot as a family and I am happy about that but  I've made a commitment  to do a better job of teaching my girls what we believe and why we believe it. This is no New Years Resolution. By God's GRACE It's a LIFE Resolution. It starts now. Who's with me? 

Let's hold each other accountable. 

"Our Duty in Serving Christ Lies Always Near to Our Hand."

I have had many conversations recently with other well meaning Christians about never forgetting the PRIMARY ministry that God has called us to. I was blessed and convicted by this Grace Gem. I hope you are as well.

Stay away from the church service! 

(J. R. Miller, "Serving and Following Christ" 1903)

Serving Christ is something very practical. Some people seem to think it is something aside from their common life, something that belongs only to Sundays, something that can be done only in certain holy moments. But serving Christ is really one's very life--or it is nothing. It does not consist merely in acts of worship. There are times when one's first and most sacred duty--is to stay away from the church service! 

A young mother was regretting that she had been able to attend church so rarely during the six months since her baby came. But if the baby really needed a mother's care all those months, she would have been unfaithful to her Master--if she had neglected it even to attend church services.

A pleasant story tells of a dying mother, who left her young daughter in charge of her little sick sister. All her days and nights were filled with this care of love. She could not attend church services nor take any part in Christ's work outside of her little home. It grieved her, for she loved Christ and longed to be of use in His service.

One night she dreamed that the Master had come, and she stood before Him, painfully explaining why she had not been able to do any work for Him, because all her time and strength were required in caring for her suffering sister. "That child is Mine!" said the Master. She could not have served Him better--than in tending this little one of His that needed her care and was her special charge. If she had failed in this duty, even in order to attend church services, if she had neglected this sick child in order to help others outside her home--the Master would have been grieved!

Our duty in serving Christ lies always near to our hand. It is never someimpossible thing that He wants us to do.

There was an artist who wished to leave behind him some noble work that would live through all time. He sought for material fine enough for his dream. He traveled to distant lands and journeyed far and near in vain quest for what he sought. He came home an aged man, weary and disappointed, and found that from the common clay beside his own door--his old apprentice had made marvels of loveliness which were praised by all who saw them, and had won him fame.

Just so, many people longing to do noble things for Christ, look far offfor the opportunities, missing meanwhile services which wait for them close by their doors. Nothing is grander for us any day, than . . .
  the quiet doing of God's will,
  simple faithfulness in common duty,
  making the best of what lies close to our hand!