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When is Good Enough… Good Enough?
Imagine that the Christian life is like learning to walk on a balance beam. The Gospel helps us to mount and stand on His promises. Staying in balance is only possible because of Jesus. Colossians 1:27 Fall to the right and be immersed in a sinful endeavor to be good, to keep all the law of Moses. Striving for perfection and trusting in the ability to get it right. It is legalism, faking it until you feel you are making it. Working harder, self-righteousness, arrogance, pride, and delusions of glory. Here, ideas of being good guide us and our self-righteousness rules us. Fall to the left, and struggle with blatant…
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“Grrrr”-umbling or Trusting?
Lessons from the OT book of Exodus. Children have a hard time processing time. They invariably ask “When? or Are we there yet?” They are not unique. Take the life of Moses and the Israelites from Exodus. Waiting is harder than hard. When we ask children to do a task they often respond just like Moses (and us if we are frank.) God calls us to His work and we say: I can’t, I can’t. I can’t! Moses said: I can’t speak eloquently; send someone else or why me? God wanted Moses to trust He would equip him but no amount of persuading make him say ok. For Moses, God…
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2 Pieces of Biblical Wisdom for Our Current Religious & Political Climate
Every day it feels like the divisions in the Christian and the political spheres stretch wider. Here are 2 pieces of biblical wisdom to help guide us.
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History is Awesome!!!
Who out there is a history buff? I love to watch, read or listen to history shows, books or lectures about history. What we do and have done as people fascinates me. The human race has been so good and yet so bad. From the fall of man to present day, history proves that God’s prized creation is simply sinful and flawed. Decisions made by man throughout history have always proven to be less than perfect but perfectly human. The reason, I’m bringing up history is because unfortunately, history is something the younger generation has no concept of and that’s so sad. It’s also not good for this country, the people in it or the kids…
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Making The Bible Real!
We make plans to take our children to Sunday School and church because we want them to learn about Christ. Taking children is one thing but going with them is another. Children and adults need to share in this experience so that they become familiar with the Bible, not just as a book but as stories God has for us to learn about Him. It takes work to not just read about the people and places in the Bible but to make them come alive. People long ago had the same needs as your toddler and your grade-school child and your teen have today. My third graders studied the geography…
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Do you have a Christmas Heart?
Advent Series: 1Peter 3 to 5 Do you have a Christmas Heart? Are you busy untangling Christmas lights, shopping and wrapping gifts for others? There are only a few days left to prepare! Beyond that busyness are you taking time to read and meditate on the words of scripture that your heart might be prepared to celebrate the birth of the Christ-child? We all get busy at this time of year and find that often our hearts are more “Grinch-like” than “Christ-like.” We find ourselves busy with lights, decorations, Christmas programs at church and more. Take time each day to read selected portions of scripture that your hearts might be…
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Searching for Advent
On our way to church I asked my children, “What is Advent?” One child said “I don’t know,” and the other, “When we get ready for Christmas.” Part of me felt like a failure as a “Christian mom.” But then I realized, I’ve been searching for Advent since their birth. What is this season for? I came to faith in a modern Christian expression that lacks tradition. So my first Christmas as a mom—I had no clue what spiritual traditions to share with my children. I turned to my information resource—the internet. And therein I found hundreds of ideas on Advent calendars and Christmas season activities. Bake sugar cookies. Read…
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2 Questions to Ask to Know How to Use Your Time
Time seems to sprint while I try to catch up. Like running a race with my older brother as kids—I always fell a few paces behind. No matter how much I pumped my arms and stretched my stride, he’d beat me to the finish line. How we walk (or run) in our timed life on earth impacts eternity—and the lives around us today. As Tish Harrison Warren talks about in Liturgy of the Ordinary, how we live our one day—after day—after day, is how we live our lives. So, how should we use our time? The New Testament teaches us two definitions of time: Chronos: used to express the idea…
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Teaching Tip #4
God’s amazing grace is the heart of the Gospel message. From Genesis to Revelation grace weaves its way through every book of the Bible. Every time we see God act, we are viewing a glimpse of His amazing grace. What greater gift can we give our children than to guide them to accept God’s grace, let it empower them to overcome sinful habits, and teach them how to live out of the grace they have received becoming generous givers of grace. Grace giving or receiving does not come naturally to the human heart. Parents are inclined to teach better conduct by keeping and enforcing rules, rather than teaching a need…
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Teaching Tip # 3
Relationship! Relationship! Relationship! From the Garden to the final judgment, God is all about relationship.Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect relationship. When God walked in the evenings with Adam and Eve in the Garden, He didn’t come to check up on His creation, He came with a desire to fellowship with the only aspect of His creation made in His image. As parents and teachers, we need to start as early as possible teaching our children to have a personal relationship with their Father God. It is too easy to teach children what they should and should not do as though they can do something to…
