DID YOU TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT YESTERDAY’S SERMON?

Posted by Pastor George

Monday, February 28, 2011

A position about parenting that I hold, fight for, and will defend my turf on (but will surrender at the point of death because it is not an issue of the gospel) is that children should be with their families, if possible, during the worship service time. I will not get into all the reasons here but I have put together a booklet titled, “Worship With the Greatest in the Kingdom” which gives my argument and tips on how to make it work. You can get a copy at the church or email me and I will send an electronic copy to you.

Pastor Joe Holland has provided an excellent summary, which I will add to my booklet, on talking to your kids about the sermon. I hope Pastor Joe's tips will serve you well.

8 TIPS FOR TALKING TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT THE SERMON by Joe Holland, Pastor at Christ Covenant Church, Culpeper, Va.

They sit there next to you and their feet don’t even hit the floor. You’re thinking, “What, if anything of this guy’s sermon is sinking into my kid’s head?” And with that little thought you’ve already decided not to engage your child about the sermon. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Let me introduce you to the most important rule when talking to your kids about the sermon:

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THIS IS A LIFESAVER FOR US MEN!

Posted by Pastor George

Friday, February 25, 2011

A must have for men ... my order is in. With the "fem-logic processing chip" all my communication problems with Deb are now going to be solved. Join me men and get the romance back into your marriage by purchasing

Parents & Kids of Faith

Posted by Pastor George

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Question:  What is the reason added to the fifth commandment?
Answer:  The reason added to the fifth commandment is a promise of long life and prosperity (as far as it shall serve God’s glory and their own good), to all who keep this commandment.
Scripture:  Ex 20:20; Eph 6:2, 3
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HOW DEB HELPED ME UNDERSTAND FOOTBALL
(Maybe this really happened)

Deb grew up in a small town in Wyoming and had really not had much exposure to football before I met her at the University of Wyoming, where I was on the football team. To help her understand the game, I took her to a Denver Broncos pre-season game before our first game at Wyoming, in order to take the chance to explain football to her. I was able to get great seats right behind the Broncos’ bench so we could hear what was going on. I stayed pretty quiet to let her soak it all in and then afterwards asked her how she liked the game.

“Oh, I really like football but I really don’t understand why they were trying to hurt each other over 25 cents.”

Dumbfounded I asked her “What do you mean?”

“Well,” she replied. “They flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game all they kept screaming was ‘Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!’ I’m thinking to myself … Hellooooooo? It is only 25 cents!”

(Deb has come a long way since then)
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DAZZLE YOUR TEEN: Part 1
By Tedd Tripp

Teenagers need grand and glorious things in their lives. They are idealists and need grand and ennobling things for which to live. But parents too often focus on the do's and don’t's of daily living together and fail to point teens to the truly great things in life. If we are to be successful in influencing our teens in a godly manner, we must keep things (even the struggles) in their place and focus on the big picture that God gives us. Struggles of both teens and parents look different and play out differently when we keep them in perspective.

In this article, we’ll consider ways to give our teens biblical ways of understanding and interpreting their world. We will put the big picture of God’s glory in front of them.

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A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE OF GOSPEL-CENTERED PARENTING

Posted by Pastor George

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Our brother to the east, Eric Raymond of Emmaus Bible Church in Bellevue posted this piece on his website, Ordinary Pastor http://www.ordinarypastor.com/

It is a great example to you as to how to bring the gospel to your children in the events of their lives. Though it seems shocking, I remember running into similiar situations with my kids years ago. I did not handle it as well as Eric and say that regretfully. Learn from his example. (I did insert a short comment in the middle of it as he did not communicate one concept clearly which he later clarifies in another document)

What Do You Say to your 15 Year Old Son When He Sees Two Dudes Kissing at School?

As Christians we claim to have a worldview that is hefty enough to interact with and explain life in a consistent, clear, and logical way. We should not shy away from giving an explanation or an answer to what we see.

Therefore, when my son gets home and tells me he saw two dudes making out in the hall, I had better have something to say. It is time to put the gospel insoles in and actually walk the walk. What follows is a quick summary of where I went recently as I tried to impact and instruct my son (and my own heart!) with the gospel.

Listen and Learn: First and foremost I was glad that he talked to us about this. I wanted to hear what he thought and how he responded. I wanted to hear his commentary and editorial. This helped me to learn a bit about my son. You don’t get opportunities like this every day. The events of the day force a reaction. What is it? This is parenting gold.

Be Disgusted: It is probably of little surprise that my son was disgusted. Even if you made it past the title without breaking out the ‘bitter beer face’ you probably remain disgusted by the thought. It is right to be repulsed by sin.

Diagnose the Issue: The best question to ask is “why?” Why is this happening? The Bible has answers to these questions. All sin, including homosexuality, is a result of The Fall. We live in a post-Genesis 3 world. Sin is rebellion against God. But notice there is a broad net that is drawn, even in Romans 1, to show that the heart of rebellion manifests itself in many different ways. In my view, before going any further, it is important to note that the issue here is sin. This gives us the proper redemptive context.

It is helpful also to remember that all unbelievers are hungry and hurting without Christ. They are hungry because whatever they are trying to feed themselves on is not suited to satisfy them. Even if these things are created things they are not intended to bring the satisfaction and happiness that only God can bring. And they are hurting because there is guilt before God and pain before men. There is the guilt of sin and the sting of relationships. Life is fractured and it hurts.

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PARENTING THE INTERNET GENERATION

Posted by Pastor George

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

For me as a pastor often dealing with families, the Internet and problems that arise from its use has been like a tidal wave the past five years. You as a parent have before you a huge challenge in taking something that is amoral in itself and keeping it from being a tool of corruption in your family.


Do you realize that 93% of boys and 62% of girls have been exposed to Internet pornography before the age of 18? What do you do as a parent? You may be thinking, “That’s not my child!” Unfortunately, many of the precautions parents put in place aren’t enough to block all exposure to pornography. Even if you’re protecting your child, the statistics show that their friends are being exposed to inappropriate content online.

Covenant Eyes Accountability  is offering a free download titled “Parenting the Internet Generation.” It is a great step in learning more about the issues that you face as a family with your children going online.

This book will walk you through common Internet dangers and give you tips and tools to protect your children online. I have reviewed the material and highly recommend you download this to read and implement in your home.

To download, click on this site:  PARENTING THE INTERNET GENERATION DOWNLOAD

Parents & Kids of Faith

Posted by Pastor George

Thursday, February 17, 2011

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Question: Which is required in the fifth commandment?
Answer: The fifth commandment requires that we preserve the honor and perform the duties which belong to every one in their various roles as authorities, subordinates, or equals.
Scripture: Lev 19:32; 1 Pet 2:17; Rom 12:10; 13:1; Eph 5: 21-22; 6:1, 5, 9; Col 3:19-22; 1 Thess 5:12; Heb 13:7, 17
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NEW DEFINITIONS MY DAUGHTER BRITA HAS TAUGHT ME SINCE HAVING 6 BOYS

AMNESIA: Condition that enables a woman who has gone through labor to have a physical relationship with her husband again.

DUMBWAITER: One who asks if the boys would care to order dessert.

FAMILY PLANNING: The art of spacing your children the proper distance apart to keep you on the edge of financial disaster.

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A LASTING VALENTINES DAY GIFT

Posted by Pastor George

Friday, February 11, 2011

Though I am not afraid of hard work, I do often try to avoid it. There is a word for this and it is called laziness. I am guilty of it in many ways and the answer to laziness is to be committed to hard work. This applies to marriage as well where to have a great marriage requires us to work hard at it. Real love for my wife is a willingness to invest myself in acts of concrete love for her and the daily labors to make our marriage a great one.

Paul Tripp in his book What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage lists the following commitments of work that will make a marriage beautiful. To commit to these would make a great Valentines Day gift!

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Parents & Kids of Faith

Posted by Pastor George

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
Question:  Which is the fifth commandment?
Answer:     The fifth commandment is “Honor your father and your mother,
                  that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your
                  God gives you.”
Scripture:  Exodus 20:12

A Comment on the “Question of the Week”
Some people may wonder what the benefit is of using “catechism” type questions as a means to challenge and help our children grow in the faith. A response to that is given by T.F. Torrance in his book “The School of Faith,” where he states, "It is an important step in any branch of scientific research to learn to ask the right questions… Christianity does not set out to answer man’s questions. If it did it would only give him what he already desires to know and has secretly determined how he will know it. Christianity is above all the question the truth puts to man at every point in his life, so that it teaches him to ask the right, the true questions about himself, and to form on his lips the questions which the truth by its own nature puts to him to ask of the truth itself that it may disclose or reveal itself to him. Now the catechism is designed to do just this, and it is therefore an invaluable method in instructing the young learner, for it not only trains him to ask the right questions, but trains him to allow himself to be questioned by the truth, and so to have questions put into his mouth which he could not think up on his own, and which therefore call into question his own preconceptions."

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ANOTHER GREAT DEAL AND HUGE SALE

Posted by Pastor George

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

I try to keep you informed of special deals on great resources for your family and every February, Sovereign Grace Ministries has a huge sale. I stock up on things each year during this month both for myself and my family and to give away to others. They have a variety of items but here are some of my recommendations and the prices:

For Moms and Wives:
Feminine Appeal: 7 Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother - $6.65 This is on the top of Deb’s list of books. A great book for a mom to take her teenage daughter through. I even read it and learned tons.

For Dads and Husbands:
Sex, Romance and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know- $6.30. I first read this book somewhere around my 35th year of marriage and it helped reset some priorities and my understanding of being a husband.

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