Judge orders 'gay' agenda taught to Christian children

The courts continue to push the 'gay' agenda in public (government) schools. See the article here.

In the Instruction of the Lord

I have spoken to a few of you recently who were concerned about your children's public school and your child's attitude toward education. You felt trapped in a school environment and wished you could afford a private school. Ouida and I believe that home education is a great approach. But, not everyone feels they can do it. Here is another alternative that you may not have seen: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com/

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

A child's training is primarily his parent's responsibility. May God give us wisdom how to fulfill it.

The Eager Bridegroom

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

Frequently, we hear of struggling marriages. News reports bring stories of marriages collapsing and other relationships being formed. Ex-spouses say that their love is gone. How does love fade away? Relationships consist of conversations. As we stop conversing in one relationship, it will fade and disappear. New relationships start with casual conversations that gradually become more personal. Relationships are defined one conversation at a time.

If we say that we have a relationship with a person but never listen to or converse with him then it is an almost non-existent relationship. In exactly the same way, the strength of one’s relationship to God grows and shrinks as we each converse and commune with Him. God will speak to us as we read and meditate on His Word and we tell Him our fears, needs and joys. We can and should have frequent conversations with the Lover of our soul.

We hear the voice of the World all around us and our natural impulse is to embrace the World’s message, goals and values. But, if we will daily give our life to God through Jesus and converse with God often then our mind and desires will begin to change. Who we listen to and talk to defines our true relationships and direction.

Would you or your wife like a relationship where you get together for sex once or twice a week and never speak to each other otherwise? Do we think that going to church once or twice a week makes a good relationship with God? Let’s don’t fool ourselves. Jesus called us to a radical and intimate relationship. The Church is His bride. Join me in repenting of a too shallow relationship with God and too much time in wrong relationships. Let’s expand our conversation with our First Love, and deepen our relationship with our Bridegroom. He is eager for us to commune with Him.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

(Matthew 4:4)
(John 15:5)
(Revelation 2:4)

Kevin and the Rock

Recently, on an airline flight, I met Kevin. He is in his middle thirties. As we talked, he spoke of his wife, one small son and another child on the way. Our conversation turned to heaven. He felt that it existed and was a gift to children but that adults got there by being “responsible”. Church was an experience that he had a few times as a child. Kevin admitted that he had a need in himself and his family. By the time we landed, he had promised to get a Bible and begin reading the New Testament with the goal of doing what it said. I'm praying that he keeps his promise because, if he does, there will be a new warrior and his family in God's Kingdom.

And why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Am I only hearing Jesus teachings or am I actually doing them?

Whoever comes to me and hears my sayings, and does them, I will show you to whom his is like: He is like a man which built his house,

My family is my house.

And dug deep,

Do I genuinely dig deep into God’s Word? Do I actually read Scripture daily and beg God to reveal how it applies to my own life?

And laid the foundation on the rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house,

One or more tragedies and crisis’s will come into the life of every family. Mine is no exception. The flood will come.

And could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. (Luke 6:46+)

Let's build on the rock of hearing Jesus and doing what He said.

May God give us hunger for every Word that proceeds from His mouth and grace to put it into practice. (See Matthew 4:4 and Luke 4:4)

Eyes -- but Blind, Ears -- but Deaf

"Continue in prayer."-Colossians 4:2

It is interesting how large a portion of Scripture is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;" and just as we are about to close the volume, the "Amen" of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob-there a Daniel who prayed three times a day-and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas.

We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it. So deep are our needs, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray. Do you want nothing? Then, I fear you do not know your poverty. Have you no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord's mercy show you your misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honor of a Christian. If you are a child of God, you will seek your Father's face, and live in your Father's love.

Pray that this year you may be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter more often into the banqueting-house of His love. Pray that you may be an example and a blessing to others, and that you may live more to the glory of your Master. The motto for this year must be, "Continue in prayer."

The above paragraphs from C.H. Spurgeon reminded me of the focus on prayer that occurs throughout Scripture. And, it encouraged me to personally refocus on prayer. A prayerless or prayer starved life is also powerless, sightless, deaf and dull. The more I pray and seek God, the more I find myself outside my comfort zones discovering unanticipated opportunities, adventures and blessings. Prayer enables me to see beyond myself and to begin to see and hear others. Without a heart for prayer and seeking God, we have eyes but are blind and ears but are deaf. Lord, give me sight!

Project:

• read Revelation 3:14-22
• Let’s ask to God expand our desire and focus on prayer.
• Let’s change our personal schedule to have more times of prayer and explicitly seeking God in His Word and in meditating on His Word.

Lord, give me more desire to know You and to hear Your voice whispering in my heart.


/-------------------------------

Healthy Children

Child Health Care
Ouida and I started out following very medically conservative procedures for childbirth and early childhood health procedures. This included Ouida almost being knocked out with gas during delivery and on a later pregnancy she received an epidural. But, as more children came along and our knowledge and experience grew, we discovered that it was not necessary to treat pregnancy, childbirth and every childhood illness as a potential major medical emergency. The following website http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/birth.htm#chems points out some of the possible long term dangers of currently standard medical practices. It also provides alternative ideas for healthy births and babies. Several of the sources listed on this website are doctors who are speaking out. Some of the practices that are standard in the United States are not standard in other countries. Many countries have better health statistics for births, babies and children then the U.S. The reasons behind standard medical protocols can be complex and sometimes have more foundation in legal concerns than in medical issues. The ideas discussed on this website and standard medical practices should both be carefully researched by parents concerned with giving the best in medical care to their children. Gather some questions and quiz your doctor. But, even though it's his responsibility to be knowledgeable on standard procedures, alternative treatments and their related issues and to be able to communicate it to you, his hands may be tied when it comes to any possibility of recommending a treatment outside those recognized as standard protocols.

Child Discipline
A Love and Logic child discipline class will be offered at RE on Tuesday nights beginning in January. We've heard some of the material and highly recommend it.

We live in a complex world but we are promised wisdom if you ask for it in faith. Wisdom is definitely needed in the care and raising of our children.

Housework cuts breast cancer risk

Riding Forth in Tremendous Power

He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. (Revelation 19:13,14)

Too many times, I’ve responded wrong when my authority as a father was challenged by one of our older children. My natural response was to get angry and to demand obedience and respect. Yet, this response will cause a natural reaction on their part of losing respect and, at best, pretending obedience. The opposite approach, when I’ve used it, has yielded much better results. This approach is to calmly try to more fully understand their perspective, pressures and concerns. We may end up still expecting obedience but they should feel like we understand where they are coming from. To not respond naturally, I need a power outside myself.

Anyone who is a follower of Jesus is a warrior in His army. We are to be led by the One who shed His blood for us – the living Word of God. We are to be white and clean with every sin cleansed by His blood, being constantly purified and going into the battle mounted on a white horse. There can be no hidden sin that we carefully keep covered and deny. Hidden sin will eventually bring forth its fruit – weakness and Death. This is not necessarily an early physical death. But, it can often mean death to ministry, death to relationships, and death to faith. Hidden sin will almost always force us into wrong responses.

The image of all Jesus' followers being mounted on white horses speaks of the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. When I respond to circumstances according to what comes naturally, I’ve gotten off the horse and I’m trying to advance in my own strength. This is like using a wet noodle for a sword. I can really mess things up. In contrast, when I pause and pray for God’s way of responding and ask His grace to have the right attitude, I have more of a chance of embracing God’s power and love in my response. His ways are often totally different than my natural response.

If I take time to analyze my natural direction and then consider what the opposite direction is, I often discover a surprising and healing way. Ask God now to remind you the next time you are tempted to immediately react to a situation. Ask Him to remind you to take a few moments to consider the opposite response. Whatever it is, you won’t want to do it. You won’t feel like doing it. But, if you ask for God’s grace and power, you can do it. If you do this, you will be mounted on a white horse and riding forth in the tremendous power of Love.

Gold in the Trashcan

He who gives attention to the word will find good,
And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. (Proverbs 16:20)

There have been many times when I listened to the Truth but did not hear it and read the Bible without genuine comprehension. A truth is not fully heard and understood until it causes one’s life to change. Sometimes truth is not even recognized when it appears because it might be the answer to a question that we are not yet asking, it may be outside our “box” of what we consider valid possibilities, or we may just be distracted.

But, life in this world has a way of eventually “getting our attention” and making us sensitive to the truths God wants us to hear and apply. Anything that gets us to hearing, changing and walking in the truth of God’s grace, love and rightness is a good thing even if it seems to be a bad circumstance. Deaths, accidents, illness and relationship problems are some painful circumstances that get our focused attention. But, there are easier ways.

One way is to admit our deafness, blindness and cold heart and ask God for ears to hear, eyes to see His light, and the heart of a seeker. A seeker will approach the hearing or reading of God’s Word and truths with the idea that he wants to find a golden nugget that will change his life. These are often little nuggets that cause little but vital changes. It could be something “little” like David writing down his prayers or daily practicing with his sling or his harp. Or, it could be something seemingly bigger as when Daniel decided to stand on a conviction about his diet. The change could be of earthquake magnitude as when Abraham left his county and people to go wherever God led him. The truth became golden nuggets in the life of these boys and men. We know their names and stories because God's Word had an effect in flesh and blood. What are we missing in our own lives?

If we are not daily reading or hearing then we are not particularly interested in looking for God’s gold for our lives and God will work to get our attention refocused. In contrast, committed lottery players may spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars hoping to eventually hit the jackpot. They carefully check the numbers on their tickets and are cautious to not throw away a winning ticket. If we could see with God's eyes the riches that God lays before each of us, we would be shocked and overwhelmed. But, we really are blind and often do not recognize genuine riches until they are lost. When we hear truth without it affecting our life, we are essentially tossing a nugget or even a life-transforming bucket of gold into the trash bin.

Project:

• Daily read Scripture with a notepad to record something that, by God’s grace, you will change in your life.
• Listen to sermons with the diligence aim of getting a truth that you will apply.
• Immediately after sermons or lessons, discuss with others what nuggets were heard and will be applied.
• Pray frequently for God's power to seek, hear, see and do.
  

For with you is the fountain of life: in your light shall we see light. - Psalm 36:9

Lord, grace each of us that read this with desire and ability to become Seekers of Truth and Doers of your Word. Give us a heart thirsting for your ways.

Unconditional Respect???

Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5)

A few years ago, a woman I know at work mentioned that she had said to her husband that he could have a big screen TV once he got some of the rooms in their house painted. Her words and attitude painted a picture of a competent Mom getting her lazy son to help out. In reality, her husband was and is a highly respected engineer.

Many of us live in two types of worlds: a business world where we are competent and move in relationships of respect; and a family world of love based relationships where we often face challenges outside our training and competencies. Often men do not understand how to live and communicate love as well as their wives. On the other hand, some women have difficultly with the command to respect their husband and may, instead, tend to love their husband in a way that communicates that he is just a big child.

Does Respect Trump Love?

It has been said and history seems to confirm that men understand respect and even put a higher priority on being respected than on being loved. Wives are often more competent than their husbands in caring for, understanding and raising the family. Why should they respect their husbands?

Husbands are given responsibility for which they will be held accountable. They are to be providers who give food, shelter and clothing. Fathers are to understand, teach and discipline the children. They are to lead the way in seeking God Kingdom and His righteousness. These are grave and heavy responsibilities for which each of us fathers will be called to give account. Even though no husband completely fulfills these responsibilities, every husband should be respected because of his calling and his efforts to fulfill any of them.

How Can We Show Respect?

While genuine love means laying down our lives, respect means to lift up. Children are not naturally respectful. They learn much about it from their mothers. Wives are called to lift up their husbands before their children and friends. A husband may lacking in many ways and may even seem to be little more than a boy at heart but he should be respected because he is called as a leader toward Jesus, a teacher of future generations, a provider for his family and a warrior against evil.

Being respectful means praying for them, working to help them find success in their responsibilities, and speaking highly of them to friends and children. Our culture tends to make fun of boys and men and to belittle husbands and fathers. Demonstrating respect for husbands and fathers has become counter-cultural. But, it is a key ingredient in a successful marriage and family.

The Cost of Disrespect

A few years ago, I was at retreat for Christian men. We were in a small group where challenges and needs were being shared. One very successful man was almost in tears as he told of how his wife usually expressed disdain for his ideas and goals.

A man who is not respected by his wife will be tempted to find respect outside of his marriage. He may become a workaholic, he may find another woman who seems to respect him, or he may just give up and drop out. Disrespect may undermine the very goals that are most important to a wife. Don’t wait to show respect for your husband or father until he has earned it. Express respect for him because of the position he is in and the responsibility he bears even when things don’t seem to be going well.

Finding Power To Give Respect

From the perspective of a wife's responsibilities, the success of her marriage and family may depend more on respect than love. This does not come naturally from Self. The ability of a man to give unconditional love and the ability of a woman to give unconditional respect depends on them emptying themselves and receiving God's perspective, guidance and power to give love to the unlovely and respect to the incompetent.

Project:

• Consider who is in a position of authority over you.
• Ask God for grace to show respect to them
• Pray for them.
• Pray for and Seek ways to help them achieve their responsibilities
• Find ways to lift them up before others