Teaching Children Discernment

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This morning during my time with the Lord, I was pouring out before Him my desire to be fully whole. I do long for the day of my resurrection. I long for the day that I can forget sin; not just be freed from its power, but freed from its presence and free from its memory.

As I poured this out before my Lord He took me to Romans 6 – 8 in my heart and reminded me that it was coming. Then I responded with yes, I know Lord, but why did You allow me to be surrounded with so much regret? And in my heart He reminded me, that it was not without a purpose. My past regrets fuel the desire to teach the children He has placed in my life to discern. Hindsight is 20/20 and I indeed see clearly now.

As I began to ponder teaching the children my mind returned to our Day One VBS lesson. During this lesson I shared several photos and asked the children who was good and who was evil…

As I placed up on the power point pictures of Batman and the Joker, Superman and Lex Luther, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Perry, I asked who is evil and who is good. The kids all shouted out loudly and confidently who was evil and who was good.

Then I placed up a picture of these two…

tom-jerry-2

I asked who was evil and who was good… and the kids just sat there. Some quietly chose a side, but no one shouted loudly or confidently. They simply were not sure.

I used this as an opportunity to share how sometimes it is easy to discern what is evil and what is good… but many times it is not.

We moved on after this, as I then began the lesson of teaching about the two kingdoms on this earth, and who rules them.

Today I want to go back to Tom and Jerry. One of my jobs as a parent is not simply to encourage my children to read the Bible, but to teach them how to wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, the Bible. One of the best and easiest places to do this is with using the Word to discern what they put before their eyes and in their ears.

Don’t just tell them they can’t watch something… show them in the Word why you take that stand. Don’t just tell them this is good and this is evil. Show them in the Word of God. This teaches them to use the Word of God to define their standard.

Use God’s Word, not just yours… because one day you will not be there. One day you will mess up. One day they might doubt you… but God’s Word never changes.

So let’s use Tom and Jerry as an example.

How do we discern who is good and who is evil as we look at the two cartoon enemies.

Let’s go to the Word…

I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”

John 10:1-11

Now let’s the discern the facts of Tom and Jerry.

Both Tom and Jerry live in a house.

Neither Tom nor Jerry own the house nor did they build the house.

They are in someone else’s house. Now of Tom and Jerry which one enters in the door of the house as a guest of the owner? Yes, Tom. Which one sneaks in another way? Yep, Jerry.

Which one is there to protect and honor the owner of the house? Yep, that’s right… Tom. Which one is there to steal from the owner of the house? Yep, right again… Jerry.

Which one is allowed to freely move about within the house with the full knowledge of the owner of the house and is there to help protect the owner and the house? Yep, Tom. Which one hides in the walls of the house and only comes out when the owner of the house is away? Yep, Jerry.

So according to the facts and the truth of the Word of God… who is evil and who is good?

Now as we watch the cartoon which one does the cartoon attempt to convince you is evil?

Do you see what I am getting at?

Do you see how important it is that your child can wield the Sword… not just look at it?

We live in an upside down world… and it is only going to get worse as the end of the age draws closer. It is imperative that our children can discern what is true and what is a lie, what is real and what is deception, what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil… for the line is getting more and more blurred in the world around us.

 

My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment.
    Hang on to them,
for they will refresh your soul.

Proverbs 3:21-22

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Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of theLord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.

Hosea 14:9

 

 

Lost Island Review

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Genesis Devotion by Nicole Halbrooks Vaughn

reviewed by Sara at Lost Island of Book Reviews

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Over the years I have read many different devotion books, from the standard short paragraph ones with a question and verse at the end, to the in depth ones where you are searching the Bible in detail.

What I found with this devotion is a fresh new perspective. This devotion is different from other ones I have read. There are no questions to answer, but a lot of verses throughout and wonderfully worded prayers at the end of sections. They are great reminders to always be in prayer.

Each section is filled with worded illustrations of the stories in a way that makes it easy to relate to. They show how the stories in Genesis are still relevant today. I loved the personal touch the author added which gives the material a relatable aspect.

We learn the great stories of the beginning, with the reminder that God will never leave us. The rainbow after the flood shows his love for us. Another important thing I came away with was the fact that our salvation is personal. We can’t save anyone else. It takes a personal obedience to Christ for it to be real. We can put our faith and trust in God for everything.

With the authors honest writing and ability to weave all the great truths into a book that is easy to read and understand, I look forward to reading more devotions on other books!

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Sara is a wife and homeschool mom who resides in Orlando Fl with her family. Check out her blog Lost Island of Book Reviews for more information on authors and their writing.
To experience Devotions From Genesis, It’s Not Just Ancient History for yourself go here to get a paperback or ebook edition! Purchase on Amazon and leave a review.
Devotions From Exodus Part One, Learning to Live in Freedom is also now available for pre-order here: Pre-Order Devotions From Exodus.
The official release date is October 1, 2013
Devotions from Exodus Cover

When Your Child Questions Their Salvation

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Our church used Answers in Genesis’ Kingdom Chronicles for our VBS this year.

I loved this curriculum.

It may be the “2013 VBS”  curriculum, but I would still recommend it for your church next year or maybe choose to use it as a Wednesday or Sunday night class as we are doing with the GoFish Guys Gotta Move VBS curriculum. Just adapt it to fit.

Kingdom Chronicles began in Genesis. It began with the introduction of two kingdoms. Then it began to explain how the two kingdoms came to be and it explained who the rulers were of these two kingdoms. Next it explained that everyone is in one of these two kingdoms. On Day Two it asks us to examine ourselves and see which kingdom we are in.

I challenged all the kids during the Bible lesson on the first day to ask God one question. I challenged them to ask it when they got home that night… to pray about it through the next day… I asked them to ask “God, whose kingdom am I in?”

The next day, VBS Day Two, God put it on my heart to offer an invitation.

I reminded the children of the question I challenged them to ask… and then I asked the children to raise their hand if they did not know whose kingdom they were in… hands went up all over the sanctuary.

At least seventeen children were transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Light right then… God chose to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me (Jesus).’ (Acts 26:18)

It was at least 10pm that night before I had things cleaned up enough to leave for the night and head home… as I was walking through the church cutting out lights, my nine year old was walking with me… as I cut the light out in our preschool hall I looked back to grab her hand as we walked down the hall in the almost dark and I saw that she was on the edge of tears.

I asked her what was wrong..

She began to cry and said she was afraid that she was in the bad kingdom and that the prayer that she prayed when she was 4 years old was not real…

We stopped right there in the hall and I knelt down in the floor and pulled her into my lap… and I prayed silently for wisdom.

You see I learned a long time ago that I was not to tell someone they were saved when God just might be telling them they are not. I had rather err on leading someone to seek God further and harder and pray for salvation again as opposed to giving someone a false assurance…

 “So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord God. It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace.”

Ezekiel 13:9-10

I prayed for wisdom and I pulled my little girl close to me and I told her that God has a whole book in the Bible that was written and recorded just so we could know that we were indeed saved or not… and I told her when we got home her Daddy and I would sit down with her and we would read it and we would see if what she prayed when she was 4 years old was indeed real. God would let her know.

So as we rode home I could see she rode home in concern… her heart broken… her mind searching her heart. My heart still aching as I prayed… God give us truth.

My husband had already came home with our twelve year old and he was out in the backyard watering our garden. I walked outside to tell him what was going on and he came in the door with me… and there was our Bekah sitting on the couch, her Bible open and turned to the book that I had told her about, waiting for us…

We began with…

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

1 John 1:1-4

We began reading through the entire book of 1 John. Stopping at every “If we…” and asking her to address “if” as a question…

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

Do you know that you sin and do you recognize it as sin?

 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

When you know that you have sinned do you confess it and ask for forgiveness from God and from the one you sinned against?

 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:10)

Do you admit that you are a sinner?

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. (1 John 2:3)

Do you believe that the commandments of God are good and do you try to keep them?

By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:5-6)

Do you try to walk like Jesus walked? 

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. (1 John 2:12)

Do you know and believe that it is only through Jesus that you can be saved? Do you believe that when God said “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Romans 10:9) He meant it? 

As our Bekah answered these questions… we looked at her and said, well according to the Word of God and your own confession, the truth is in you, and who is the Truth? She answered “Jesus”.

You have admitted that you are sinner, you are not lying about that, so according to the Word of God and your own confession, the word is in you, and who is the Word? She answered “Jesus”.

You have admitted that you try to keep the commandments of God and your father and I can testify on your behalf that this is true, because we see it in you every day… so according to the Word of God and your own confession, you know Him.

We then asked her if she believed God kept His Word. She answered “Yes”.

So we encouraged her to take a minute and talk to Jesus herself… and she closed her eyes and silently prayed…

And well me being the nosy mother wanted to know what she prayed… so I asked her. She said, “I just told Jesus that I loved Him, and I thanked Him for loving me”

We hugged her and sent her upstairs to change into pj’s and get in the bed… then God being God and so very good to us as I tucked her in and we read our bedtime devo… it ended with “real alive faith is about loving Jesus with all we got”

The final assurance to this precious heart that just wanted to be sure that she was with Jesus for the rest of her life and all eternity.

When Do We Get It

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Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly

and sinners against the Lord.

Genesis 13:13

Yesterday I read an article… a heart breaking article. The act, the reactions, the reality of it all is gut wrenching to me. It makes me want to stand up in the middle of our nation and shout “WHEN DO WE GET IT!” 

If it happens in a small town in Colorado… men… grown men who have abdicated their position of manhood by leading the family, the nation, by defending the weak and helpless… WHERE ARE YOU? Where are your sons? Do you even know? Right now. Do you know? Do you know where they are physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally? Do you know?

High school boys are trying to prove their masculinity to each other by humiliating younger boys because that’s what they think manliness is all about, said William Pollack, associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School.

“We keep saying to the boy: ‘Be a man,’ and a boy is not a man, so that’s not possible,” said Pollack, who is also director of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass.

In at least four cases of sodomy hazing last year, the coach or supervising teacher was alleged to have known about it, ordered it, witnessed it or laughed about it, according to police reports and court filings. 

(Denver Post)

This is not manhood. Nothing about it. This is the spirit of Sodom… Genesis 13, plain and simple, yet add in Ezekiel 16…  However, America is indeed worse. Much. Much. Much worse.

As I live,” declares the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me.

Ezekiel 16:48-50

America is worse… much worse… much worse because our witness has been great. Had Sodom had what we have… had Judah had what we have… a church on every corner… at least one Bible in every home and hotel room… the Word of God proclaimed over the airwaves in every city and state… yes America… the more we hear… the more we reject… the deeper our rejection goes because we have rejected so much.

I read this and my heart no longer cries restore our nation. My heart cries judge this nation. Oh God judge this nation for the sake of the poor and the helpless and the needy and the weak, for the sake of the souls of the children, judge this nation before we fall deeper into the depths of our depravity and all be lost and destroyed.

When small town America mocks the rape of young boys. When in small town America young men rape the weak to prove their manhood and old men approve… When the men in the cities of our nations are the largest buyers and supporters of young children being kidnapped and sold into sex trafficking because instead of rescuing they destroy…

WHEN DO WE GET IT?

When do we get that the sexualization of our culture is destroying our souls? When do we get that the perversion of the holy and sacred leads only to destruction. When do we get that what we put in our minds feeds our heart and controls our hands and feet and mouth.

Women when do we stop trying to wear the pants and step back and let men be men? Women when do we teach our sons to embrace manhood by respecting the men in our own lives. By letting good men teach our boys to be men instead of keeping them spoiled momma’s boys? When was the last time your son opened the door for you, carried your bags, protected you from any coming disaster even if it be a spider in the house… does he only see you as the woman who meets his own selfish needs or as he grows into a young man are you teaching him to honor you and protect you and others?

Women, when do we say no to Hefner, Hollywood, Hardees, and even to the eyes of our own hometown… when do we say no, the heart of my son and the respect of my daughter is more important than your money, its more important than your idol worship of this body on your screen, in your pages, at the beach, even at this local pool…

I know the lost cannot see. I know those that do not know God cannot understand. I am not speaking to them.

Christian men and women, American church. I am speaking to us… is it not time to wake up? What are we promoting and supporting by what we put before our eyes and in our ears and in our mouth…

I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.

Psalm 100:2-4

Christian men and women, American church. I am speaking to us… What do we have knowledge of yet we have chosen to hide, to cover, to ignore, to not get involved…

Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
‘They are fat, they are sleek,
They also excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper;
And they do not defend the rights of the poor.
‘Shall I not punish these people?’ declares the Lord,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’

Jeremiah 5:27-29

Christian men and women, American church. I am speaking to us…

Hands in the Air Now

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For the material they had was sufficient

and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.

Exodus 36:7

I am in recovery from VBS 2013. VBS concluded for me around 3:30pm on Saturday and before 6pm I was home and packed and back in the car with husband and children headed toward South Carolina. My husband said I was asleep before we hit the interstate and I just woke up today around 8:30am.

The chaos of VBS never ceases to hit, no matter how prepared you think you are, no matter how early you get there, there is never enough time…

I carry such a weight concerning the presenting of the Word of God that I prefer to go over a lesson at least a hundred times and especially right before it’s time to teach it… the thought of misteaching the Word of my God and taking His Word out of context and teaching it wrong to ears that are there to hear terrifies me.

So alas, I had great plans to get all VBS prep accomplished and then sneak off to my office, freshen up, and go over my lesson on my face in prayer… but that didn’t happen… not once that whole week as a matter of fact.

That first night of VBS I began my panic attack and my husband saw it coming and just grabbed me and pulled me into himself and held me tight and reminded me that everything would be fine.

Then I made it into the sanctuary to begin our introduction and get the worship music started and then the songs began and as I sang with the children I sang…

“there’s a verse for every season, hide ’em in your heart, put ’em in your brain, pick a verse, learn the words, that’s the way you train… hands in the air now… better be prepared now… the battle is the Lord’s now…”

Right then is when I heard my God say, “Breathe Nicole, my Word is hidden in your heart, you are prepared. Now hands in the air, this is My battle. Either you trust Me or you don’t… did I not say that I would bring to remembrance all that you needed when you needed it?

So that’s what I did.

I breathed.

I chose to trust.

Then this morning my first verse from the Lord for the day was Exodus 36:7, “For the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it.”

We worry about the wrong things so many times. We worry if we have the right crafts, if we picked the right games, if we have enough t-shirts, if the decorations are sufficient, if we will have enough volunteers. We stress when the flagstone bulletin board paper didn’t make it in this shipment after you spent 10 minutes sitting in the parking lot waiting on the doors to open so you could make sure it didn’t get gone on you. We worry if the water-slide is going to work in the parking lot because the water spickets at the grass are all clogged, and good-grief you forgot to make sure there were water hoses…

We worry, we stress, but God promises that the material we have is sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to perform it. It is always sufficient because He is always sufficient.

He is the One who takes five loaves and two fishes and feeds thousands with baskets left over. He is the One says “Peter, I know you have fished all night and caught nothing, but trust Me, just throw your net over to the other side…

He takes what we have, He takes what we know, He takes where we are, and He performs miracles. That is our God.

So I don’t know if your church has done VBS yet, but if you are still in the prep works, remember to keep the Main Thing the main thing. Remember that Jesus is just flat out amazing all by Himself . And like I said to the poor man at the store who felt so terribly bad that the flagstone bulletin board paper didn’t come, even after digging through all the inventory three times and offering anything else I thought could work for free… the gospel was preached before there was bulletin board paper. Jesus didn’t need it to teach the children to come unto Him… and well we don’t either. 

It’s nice to have and all, but Jesus in all His awesomeness is always quite enough.

So breathe… and hands in the air now… the battle is the Lord’s.

A Man’s Greatest Compliment

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This coming Sunday is Father’s Day. With that being the case there has been a lot of focus on the radio about fathers. My girls are usually in the car with me listening, I rarely go any where without them. As we have listened to these father focused radio bits in the car there have been two moments that have stuck out in particular.

The first occurred last week….

We were driving home from church listening to my least favorite radio personality and she began sharing some statistic study about mothers and daughters taste becoming more and more alike in certain areas as the daughter aged. She shared several areas and one of the areas was that the mother and daughter begin to share the same interest in men. The radio personality honed in on this and began to rant about how awkward and weird that was…

Then my Shelby gave her father what I believe is a man’s greatest compliment.

Shelby, obviously aggravated with this woman as much as I, expounded from the backseat of the car, “Why is she saying all that, shouldn’t every girl want to marry a man like her father?”

My heart warmed as she said these words. I took them, as a “Mary moment” (Luke 2:19) and treasured them and pondered them in my heart… saving them to share with my husband.

In the real world of marriage and family, life gets ugly sometimes. We see our own faults magnified and we often feel like we will never be more than complete failures at life. That’s a lie though. Satan likes to lie to us.

I am thankful to be married to a man who is willing to grow, willing to change, willing to love, willing to sacrifice.

My husband and I started this marriage thing with a whole lot of baggage between us and no Jesus in the middle of us. Our girls have been there to witness us through the growing pains of grace.

They have seen us struggle, they have seen us fight, they have seen us cry, they have seen us pout, they have seen us doubt.

They have also seen us rest, they have seen us forgive, they have seen us laugh, they have seen us smile, they have seen us assured.

Most importantly they have seen us not give up.

They have seen us fight the good fight of faith… faith in God and faith in Christ and faith in covenant love.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

The truth.

My husband and I are not always patient with each other, we are not always kind to one another, we are sometimes jealous, we do sometimes act unbecomingly, we do sometimes seek our own interest first, we do sometimes provoke one another, and we do sometimes pull out the old record book that records every hurt and wrong ever done and caused… but here’s where it ends… neither one of us rejoices in this.

We do not walk away from these moment rejoicing in these actions. We are not pleased with ourselves when flesh and sin take over for these moments to happen. When the dust settles and clears we see them for what they are… an attack of the enemy against our covenant with one another and the image of God that the covenant displays.

We see the lies that the enemy used to instigate, manipulate, fabricate, and fuel the flames of self, flesh, and sin. We see these and we choose to rejoice in the truth and repent… to God and each other.

It is here that we truly love.

When we choose to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things… because we know the truth… the truth that love never fails.

Love never fails, because God is love (1 John 4:8) and God never fails.

When we we choose to live out the Word of God in our marriage, to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12) in our homes not just out for the world to see… it is then that we see daughters who can look at the way their father’s love their wives and say, “…shouldn’t every girl want to marry a man like her father?”

So to my husband, Patrick Vaughn, the father of my daughters… this Father’s Day know that you have received the greatest compliment that any man could ever receive… to be a man that his daughters see as an example of what a future husband and father of their own children should be.

We both know that our kids know that we are far from perfect, yet I believe with all my heart that they do know they are perfectly loved and they know that we perfectly love one another. Because perfect love is loving one another amidst all the imperfections… yet still pursing perfection all the while.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

Philippians 3:11-13

I love you, my husband!

Happy soon coming Father’s Day!  

 

Father’s Day Special

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Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,

but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Ephesians 6:4

 

The National Center for Biblical Parenting’s June Promotion is a Father’s Day Special. They’re offering the The Christian Parenting Handbook and Companion Guide as a package set for 30% off. The Companion Guide is a tool designed to assist in the application of the principles presented in each chapter of the handbook. It’s a wonderful tool. There are also 5-minute audio tips from Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller that go along with each chapter.

THCPH-Fathers-Day-Special

 

This package makes a great present for the father in your life. I know you’re thinking, “Most men don’t read.” You’re actually right about that usually. But The Christian Parenting Handbook was written with busy dads in mind. Each chapter is just 4-5 pages long. That means that even a busy dad can start reading as he’s pouring his Cheerios in the morning and finish the chapter before he finishes the last spoonful.

And, if he really doesn’t read more than his email and the sports page, here’s what you can do. Buy the set and have him load the audio tips on his cell phone or iPod. This gives him 50 days worth of parenting input in 5-minute bite-sized pieces.

I guarantee that one or more of the tips will grab his attention and you can then work through the Companion Guide together for those chapters. Doesn’t that sound like a great strategy?

This Father’s Day Special is too good to a pass up. Place your order now and we’ll get it to you in time for Father’s Day!

Order Here: Handbook and Companion Guide

Ahhhh Worship!

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A morning of worship.

Can I just say that I love hearing the Word of God sung and spoken in rhythm…

 

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

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Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’                                            

Ezekiel 37:4

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Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having beenraised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:8-11

When was the last time you had the opportunity to quiet the world around you, to block it all out, and just close your eyes and worship?

Ahhhhh worship!

Worship in spirit and truth… not for show… not programed… just you and the Lord… being poured out and poured in by Him.

Sweet… sweet… sweet worship.

May worship be awakened in you today.

I Am Not That Children’s Minister

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There it is. The land mark that says you have almost made it. The sigh of relief slowly eases out of your nostrils as you look down to your phone to check the time (because I know you no longer wear a watch because who has the time to go into a store and buy a battery and wait for it to be put in… at a glass counter… really, do these people not know that glass speaks to little hands… beckoning them to see how it tastes and how many slobbery sucker sticky fingerprints they can slide across it).

You run-walk in the door no longer making eye contact with your husband because the last time he said what’s taking so long, are you not ready yet, was your breaking point… or he is on shift today and you have been on your own and so far you have settled three fights, picked out six different outfits that your child says just don’t feel right, and you are beyond frustrated at them and finally say, fine just wear your pajamas, I really don’t care at this point! Yet, the reality is you are frustrated because you know exactly how they feel because every outfit you own is already in the closet floor or on the bed… because nothing fits right today and you secretly wish today really was pajama day so you could just wear yours.

Now the heap of guilt is washing over you… because you promised yourself last Sunday that you would be better prepared next week… you would not be late… you would not leave crazy and angry… you would all have breakfast and prayer and would walk out the door smiling and singing Jesus Loves Me and loving each other and peace like a river would fill your car and heart all the way to church…

But it didn’t happen.

Now you are thinking all the way there that your kids will never attend church after you quit dragging them there because you have made Sunday morning such a miserable experience. I mean really the only time you ever yell at them is on Sunday morning… right?

You finally make it in the building and you can feel the stares of the greeters boring down into your soul and then their is the children’s minister and heat embarrassment rises up in your neck and you try not to make eye contact because you just know that behind those stares must be the words, yep there they are again… they are ALWAYS late… I bet they make it to school on time, I bet they manage to make it to work on time… I bet they are not even ever late for a sports practice… 

Well, stop and know that I AM NOT THAT CHILDREN’S MINISTER… and I would most likely bet that your children’s minister is not either 🙂

This Children’s Ministry Director understands. I know that if it can go wrong, it will go wrong on Sunday morning. If it can spill, rip, tear, scream, fall, drop, break, get lost, not start, be forgot… it will happen on Sunday morning.

The fact is Satan could care less if you make it to work on time. He could care less if your kids make it to school or ball practice on time. He has no qualms with keeping you from those activities… he usually is there in the background encouraging them… because the more time you are spending there the less time you are spending at church and in the Word…

But now Sunday morning… that’s a different story. He doesn’t want you there and sure as hell (yes, I said it) doesn’t want your kids there.

He will even use your kids as your excuse to not be there.

Here’s the deal with this Children’s Ministry Director. If your late… I understand. I am just glad you made it. Because I know what the shoes in your hand and the ponytail or bun on top of your head means. I know what the cereal in a bag with the sippy cup in hand means. I know what the jeans and t-shirts and extra body spray means. I know what the diaper bag without the diapers means. I know what the tear stained, sleepy in the eyes, unbrushed head… (and I am not talking about the kids)… means.

I know.

It means that Sunday worship is important to you.

It means that your children learning the Gospel and studying the Word of God is important to you.

It means that you knew that if you didn’t get even just a little Jesus time in today you were not sure you would ever be able to survive next week and your kids definitely might not even survive the rest of the day.

So when Sunday comes… go for it. Come as you are. Just as you am.

Know that the church t-shirts are made for these days!

 

 

 

 

 

The Shaking

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And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Hebrews 12:26-27

There are things we experience in life that shake us to the point that it may seem we will never be able to stand again.

Tornadoes and hurricanes rip through our towns bending and twisting once proudly standing buildings and trees, volcanoes erupt and lava spews forth covering once green lush grass with hot dark lava and ash destroying buildings, earthquakes literally shake the ground from underneath our feet cracking open the earth and destruction and death tolls and injuries rise.

Jobs that we have worked at for years, steadily able to count on to provide an income to support our families, suddenly close the doors. Health that had been ours to claim all our life is ripped away from us in one routine check-up as the words come out of the attending physician’s mouth. Loved ones that had always been there to offer us support and encouragement move away or pass from this earth. Families that had always appeared to be strong and solid crumble and divide and those inside the family as well as those on the outside watching the destruction now fear the same outcome for their own.

Yes, there are things we experience in life that shake us to the point that it may seem we will never be able to stand again. Shakings that don’t just shake the earth but shake us to the very core of our souls.

These shakings come… yet they are not without purpose.

The shaking is to reveal to us the things that we should never try to stand on. It is in the midst of the shaking that we realize that we had put so much trust in something that could be shaken.  It is after the shaking that we see what and Who remains.

 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

1 Corinthians 13:13

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for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 

Hebrews 13:5

After the last Oklahoma tornadoes my nine year old asked, “Momma, does God cause the tornadoes?

For a moment, my human thinking of “good” almost took over and I almost desired to say “oh no, honey God is good and loves us and He had nothing to do with the tornadoes” but what does that answer leave my daughter with?

It leaves my daughter with the wrong view of her God. It leaves my daughter with a god that sits on a white, fluffy, clouded throne wringing his hands and rubbing his forehead walking around with an “oh dear me what am I going to do now” look on his face.

That is not her God.

So to my child I replied, God doesn’t have to cause the tornadoes. Tornadoes and hurricanes and other storms are all a result of the fall and sin in the world. Remember that sin did not just enter Adam and Eve, it entered the whole world. Only God knows if He caused the tornadoes, but we can always know that He does have to allow them. We just have to remember who God is and know that if He allows them He has a purpose. One purpose is that He uses them to remind us that this world is dying. He uses them to remind us why we need Jesus. Destruction and death is a result of sin, but God is able to take these and use even them for good. 

Yes, the shakings come.

My husband and I had a Japanese Maple once in the front yard of a house we used to own. One day this Japanese Maple out of no where shook all its leaves off. We thought it was dead.

You see, it had been being attacked by Japanese beetles and my husband had put poison on the tree to protect the tree from the beetles that were trying to kill it. The tree’s response to the poison was to shake all its leaves off. The tree stood there naked with all its leaves off and dead around it and the tree itself appeared dead to us. In our attempt to save the tree from its enemy we thought we had killed it.

However, that was not the case. Within a week the tree burst forth with new buds of life. The tree sprouted new brighter stronger leaves and now its enemies were gone. The tree continued now to stand tall and beautiful in our front yard.

What appeared to be death and defeat to us was actually victory and life.

Sometimes God sees enemies that we don’t.

Sometimes His poisoning of those enemies cause us to shake all our leaves off in response.

Sometimes we appear to be standing there with all the destruction and defeat and death around us… but in reality we are about to burst forth in new life and stand stronger and taller that we ever imagined we could.

 for we walk by faith, not by sight—

2 Corinthians 5:7