Posted by
Pastor George
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Parents and Kids of Faith
The Gospel Alphabet by Timothy Keller
D is for Depth
We do not move from the milk of the Gospel to the meat of something else, but from the milk of the Gospel to the meat of the Gospel. Even Paul, concluding his exposition of the Gospel and preparing to move on to its implications for life, closes his argument in awe and wonder: “Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Rom. 11:33).
The wonder of how deep and powerful the Gospel is– especially as it works its way into believing hearts– is well articulated in this Puritan prayer:
Blessed Lord Jesus,
No human mind could conceive or invent the Gospel.
Acting in eternal grace, thou art both its messenger and its message,
lived out on earth through infinite compassion,
applying thy life to insult, injury, death,
that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.
Blessed be thou, O Father, for contriving this way,
Eternal thanks to thee, O Lamb of God, for opening this way,
Praise to thee, O Holy Spirit,
for applying this way to my heart.
Glorious Trinity, impress the Gospel on my soul,
until its virtue diffuses through every faculty;
Let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt.
WHY DEB WILL NOT SEND ME OUT SHOPPING THIS SEASON
(Maybe this really happened)
My wife, Deb, was not feeling well last week and to help her out, I volunteered to go to the supermarket for her. She sent me off with a carefully numbered list of seven items to buy.
Returning shortly and being very proud of myself, I unpacked the grocery bags. I had one bag of sugar, two cartons of eggs, three hams, four boxes of detergent, five boxes of crackers, six eggplants, and seven green peppers.
She is making sure I stay away from shopping without her this season.
Some Suggestions and Deals for the Family This Holiday Season
My favorite advent readings are from a book titled, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus; Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas” edited by Nancy Guthrie. These are 22 articles that express the focus of the gift of Jesus Christ by a variety of classic theologians and contemporary communicators of the Word. This can be purchased at Westminster Bookstore along with the Bibles mentioned below.
Through Tuesday, November 29, Westminster Bookstore has its children’s Bibles on sale for 45% off. This is a great opportunity to get some of my top picks for kids:
For a small child – “The Big Picture Story Bible” by David Helm
For 4 years old and up – “The Jesus Storybook Bible” by Sally Lloyd-Jones
For readers (First grade on up) – “The ESV Children’s Bible”
SUCCESSFUL PARENTING
By Ed Welch, Christian Counseling Education Foundation
Everyone who has children thinks about the question: How can I be an effective or even successful parent? I have yet to meet a parent who simply wanted to pass children off into the next stage of life with basic physical health intact but nothing more. (Reminds me of the time I babysat a friend’s goldfish while he was on vacation– simple survival- that was my only goal.)
Posted by
Pastor George
Labels:
Parents and Kids of Faith
The Gospel Alphabet by Timothy Keller
C is for Contextualization
Paul was determined to “become all things to all people” for the sake of the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:19-23). He knew that the Gospel could and should take on different cultural forms in different cultural settings. Yet when we export the Gospel to others, we may be guilty of confusing it with our own cultural trappings. For example, we know that some missionaries have been guilty of imposing their Western cultural forms on those to whom they carried the Gospel. Though this error could be conscious and express cultural imperialism, it is more often unconscious and reflects a lack of discernment about which aspects of our own Christianity are truly Gospel-driven and transcultural, and which are culturally driven and therefore variable. To help us avoid such an error, it is critical that we continually study the heart of the Gospel so that we may better distinguish the treasure we bear from the jars of clay in which we bear it (2 Cor. 4:7).
THANKSGIVING IN ENGLAND
(Maybe this really happened)
I grew up in a very British home in New York, where we often had family guests from England and Ireland. One year at Thanksgiving we had several guests from England at our home for the celebration and, out of curiosity, I asked if Thanksgiving was celebrated back in England. “Yes,” replied my relative, “but we celebrate it on the 6th of September.” “Why?” I inquired. He answered, “It is the day the Mayflower launched from England and you chaps left.”
THE TRUE THANKSGIVING STORY
by Dennis Rupert
It seems that every year we are treated to articles attempting to disprove the "myth of Thanksgiving." In these articles we are told that:
- the Pilgrims weren't the first people in America to hold a thanksgiving
- the first thanksgiving had no religious significance at all, but was merely a harvest festival
- our traditional Thanksgiving dinner has nothing in common with the Pilgrim's meal
Some of these accusations are not a serious concern. After all, who cares if the Pilgrims served cranberries or not? But what seems to lie behind some of these articles is a desire to devalue the religious nature of our present Thanksgiving holiday. This is unfortunate since Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays on the America calendar that is not swept away with commercialism or mixed with pagan elements.
So here is "The True Thanksgiving Story." We have included references to primary sources which you can read for yourself. After reading I believe that you will still be able to eat your turkey with a happy stomach and a grateful heart to God.
Posted by
Pastor George
Labels:
Parents and Kids of Faith
NEW FEATURE: The Gospel Alphabet by Timothy Keller
B is for Belief
We must continually teach and learn the Gospel because even Christians struggle to believe God’s Good News. The message of the cross is both countercultural and counterintuitive. To the world it is foolishness and weakness. To our flesh it is simply too good to be true. And Satan, the devil– that accuser of the brethren– continually speaks a contradictory word to our hearts. He accuses us before God as surely as he accused Joshua the high priest (Zech. 3:1). Hearing all this we, with full knowledge of our failings, struggle to believe the truth of the Gospel. To believe it at an appropriately deep level, with an appropriate appreciation of all that it presupposes and implies, is a lifelong task. We must hear it again and again and ask God to seal its truth in our hearts. ”I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)
A THANKSGIVING COOKBOOK
by Mrs. Geraghty's Kindergarten Class
NOTE: Mrs. Geraghty will not be responsible for medical bills resulting from use of her cookbook
Ivette - Banana Pie
You buy some bananas and crust. Then you mash them up and put them in the pie. Then you eat it.
Russell - Turkey
You cut the turkey up and put it in the oven for ten minutes and 300 degrees. You put gravy on it and eat it.
Geremy - Turkey
You buy the turkey and take the paper off. Then you put it in the refrigerator and take it back out and cut it with a knife and make sure all the wires are out and take out the neck and heart. Then you put it in a big pan and cook it for half an hour at 80 degrees. Then you invite people over and eat.
Meghan H. - Turkey
You cut it into 16 pieces and then you leave it in the oven for 15 minutes and 4 degrees. you take it out and let it cool and then after 5 minutes, then you eat it.
Posted by
Pastor George
Labels:
Parents and Kids of Faith
NEW FEATURE: The Gospel Alphabet by Timothy Keller
After several years, we are done (for now) with the children’s catechism. For the next 26 issues of Parents and Kids of Faith, we will cover the Gospel Alphabet or the A through Z of the Christian Life.
A is for Alignment
We must continually teach and learn the Gospel because it is to be the “plumb line” for our doctrine and our living. We are to measure all our teaching to ensure that it is in line with– that is, conformed to– the glorious Gospel of God (1 Tim. 1:11). If our teaching about God, humanity, sin, salvation, the church, last things, and whatever other doctrines we may teach do not accord with the Gospel then they must be rejected. Likewise, our way of living must conform to the sound doctrines that flow from the Gospel. If, like Peter and Barnabas, we begin to act in ways that are “not in keeping with the truth of the Gospel” (Gal. 2:14), may God raise up for us a Paul-like brother or sister to confront us and correct us.
A VISIT TO THE NURSING HOME
(Maybe this really happened)
Our small group (FLOCK) does a monthly ministry to a nursing home in the city, and we try to minister to the residents who attend on other occasions as well. It has been a particularly rewarding ministry to do with our grandsons as they learn outreach and compassion.
On one of our visits with 3 of my grandsons to the residents, there was a bowl of peanuts on the coffee table and we all started to snack on them. When we were ready to leave, I reminded the boys to thank the man for his kindness to let us have the peanuts. So each boy did so very politely and the man replied, “You’re welcome. Ever since I lost my dentures, all I can do is suck the chocolate off of them."
MONDAY IS NOT ONLY HALLOWEEN
Teach Your Children About the Reformation
(Taken from The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World by Stephen J. Nichols)
Historians like dates. And one of the dates that historians like best is October 31, 1517. On that day one monk with mallet in hand nailed a document to the church door in Wittenberg. It contained a list of Ninety-Five Theses for a debate. The immediate concern was an indulgence sale to finance St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and the Sistine Chapel—Michelangelo didn’t come cheap. Martin Luther, the mallet-wielding monk, could keep silent no longer. He got much more than a debate, however. He and his list of Ninety-Five Theses triggered a Reformation that would sweep across his native German lands, across Europe, and eventually across the entire world. The world would never be the same. Luther’s act gave birth to the Protestant church, now nearly 600 million members strong. Luther’s act also brought the world out of medieval times and into the modern age. Little wonder historians like the date of October 31, 1517.
