Friday, January 10, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Great Helps To Lead Your Family in Knowing Jesus
In the days long ago, it was common for parents to spend quality time with their children talking about spiritual matters. In fact, in the days long ago, grandparents would spend time with their children and their children's children talking about spiritual matters. The writer of the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy intended it to be so when he (under the inspiration of God) instructed the parents to talk about spiritual matters from the time they rose until the time they lay back down again.
Obviously that didn't mean no other subjects could be discussed. Nor did it intend that the conversation would be constant during all the waking hours. It is much like in the New Testament when we're taught to 'pray without ceasing'; it is an attitude of prayer. Our discussions of spiritual matters should flow naturally. We should be seeking opportunities to share those spiritual nuggets with our children throughout the course of the day.
Parents should be eager to share with their children the spiritual truths found in God's Word. We have the responsibility to teach and train them in what it means to have a relationship with God. We are not Christian because of a baptism into a particular church. We are not Christian because that's the blank we check when no other form of religion applies. We are Christian because of a personal commitment that we make to follow Christ. That commitment is one that is more likely to be made when we grow up in an environment of learning at an early age what it means to follow Christ.
Maybe you're a parent (or grandparent) who desires to bring your children up in an atmosphere of knowing
God, but you're a bit unsure or not quite confident in how to do it, let me pass along a great resource to help you. Visit www.randallhouse.com and begin to learn about the various opportunities they offer in helping you do just that. You'll find links there to download Bible studies or find books on a variety of parenting topics. You can also find links that say D6 or Splink. Click on any of those links for some invaluable assistance for you with ideas to help creatively share your relationship with Jesus with your child. You won't regret it! It is time well spent and the investment is far beyond your wildest dreams!
Three Guesses Why We Ask, "Where'd The Time Go?"
I think perhaps the obvious reason is during this time of year we have been trained to be more reflective. We reflect on what we wanted to accomplish in the past year. We reflect on whether we feel we succeeded at those goals. This is not a bad thing, by any means. We should take time occasionally to evaluate ourselves and what we've accomplished and the improvements we might need to make.
Did you make any New Year's Resolutions in 2013? If you did, how successful were you? I've heard this week only 8% of those who make New Year's Resolutions actually keep them. Are you in the Top Eight? Did you make any resolutions for 2014? How do you intend to make sure you end 2014 in the Top Eight? Will you be a part of an accountability group? Will you have the will-power to do it alone?
Another reason we perhaps tend to be more reflective is the media. New Year's Day was Wednesday. It seems as soon as Christmas is over, the newspapers are running feature articles on the events of the year. They remind us of the big news stories of the past year. They remind us of the notable deaths - and this year in England, the notable births. We are bombarded with reminders of sports stories, political scandals, and crime scenes of the past year. It's no wonder we are asking where did the past year go!
I think perhaps the most common reason we ask ourselves the question each January 1 is ~ drum roll, please ~ are you ready for it? Because grandma and grandpa did! We probably have inherited the dialogue because it was what was always talked about. We learn from our surroundings. We learn from our environment long before we enter a school room. That's not to say these are the best teachers, but they do influence us ~ heavily.
That could open a pandora's box of topics in and of itself, but suffice it to say, much of our traditions and conversations that tend to be based on traditions are most likely learned early on in life - at home. What a challenge about our spiritual heritage. Oh wait, that's another topic, albeit a good one to think about. Maybe that will appear in a later blog post.
Until then, Happy New Year - and Happy Reflecting!
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