Archive for the ‘Family / Parenting’ Category

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

I would imagine that we all had one.

It might have been a different color, shape, or size, but more than likely as a child we had something. For Andy, from Toy Story, it was a best friend named Woody. For Linus, from Peanuts, it was a soft, blue blanket. For Radar, from M*A*S*H, it was a cuddly, brown teddy bear. For me, from childhood, it was a combination of all three: a best friend, soft, cuddly, blue teddy bear that I loved.

So far as I remember, he didn’t have an official name. I think I just called him…

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10 Biblical Axioms for a Healthy Home

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

(To hear the full sermons of these 10 axioms, download Part One here and Part Two here.)

Marriage and family are good gifts from a great God.

Sadly, we see many, many problems in marriages and families today. Broken home…rebellious teens…sky-rocketing divorce…

Why is this the case?

The reason I think we see this in our culture, society, and even in our own homes, is not because something is wrong with God, or because there is something wrong with marriage as an institution, but because there is something wrong with the human heart.

When you put several sinful human beings under the same roof you will eventually have problems.

What we need is to return to the Word of God and the God of the Word as our guide for marriage and family.

How do we do that? Let’s start with a basic theology of marriage and family. Here are…

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Putting the “Fun” in Dysfunctional Families

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

This last Sunday I began preaching a new sermon series entitled, “Family is a God Idea”.

Over the next few weeks, we will see from Ephesians how we can transform the household we have into the home that God wants.

At the outset of this series, each person needs to admit that marriage and family can be tough sometimes. Every family has its problems and issues. We may not talk about them or admit them openly, but we do have them. Why is that the case? It’s because,…

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“Rub-A-Dub-Dub, Thanks for the Grub…”

Monday, February 16th, 2009

One of the busiest and most hectic times for any family can be meal time. Between setting the table, washing hands, and preparing the food, by the time the whole family sits down it seems that everyone is ready to eat.

The Word of God tells us that food is

“to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” (1 Tim 4:4)

In other words, we should say “Grace”. If we’re not careful, though, the frenzied nature of meal time can cause us to short change our prayers of thanksgiving.


Prayer

I’ll be the first person to admit that I find myself from time to time mindlessly repeating the same phrases over and over at lunch or dinner. Sometimes I mean it. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’m concentrating more on the gift (e.g. lasagna or chicken nuggets) than the Giver (e.g. God.) I’m not saying that it’s right, I’m just being honest and admitting that sometimes it’s true.

Recently, I was reading an article about family prayers which brought this tendency to my own attention. I began to question, “Should I really…

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Posted in Bible, Children, Family / Parenting, John Piper, Prayer, theology | No Comments »

Banned Pro-Life Superbowl Commercial

Monday, February 9th, 2009

So, apparently NBC approved this TV commercial to show during the Superbowl but pulled it off the schedule just days before it aired.

I personally think it makes a very interesting (albeit incredibly ironic) point.

CatholicVote makes some good pro-life commercials and video spots.

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Pro-Life Truths for Real Life Issues

Monday, January 19th, 2009

Today, churches throughout the country will focus their attention on it being “Sanctity of Life” Sunday. This week marks the 36th anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s Roe V. Wade decision which legalized abortion on demand in America. While we are certainly not celebrating Roe. V. Wade, we can celebrate that there are prolife crisis pregnancy centers all over this nation encouraging and pleading with women to choose a viable and favorable alternative to abortion.

4d Ultrasound

There are 249 such centers associated with our own North American Mission Board. Last year, as a result of their efforts, 4,300 babies were spared and 3,100 women accepted Christ. As awesome as that is, 4,300 lifes saved is but scratching the surface compared to the average 1.2 million abortions each year. (Although, that is the lowest number of abortions since the Supreme Court ruling was made.)

There is much more work to be done in defending the defenseless and helping the helpless. As we think of this vital issue, consider these important pro-Life truths…

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Like Father, Like Son…

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

***WARNING***
Sappy fatherhood story ahead!
***WARNING***

The other day Rebecca and I were looking at a book with Sam that had pictures of different jobs and occupations. He particularly, like most boys, enjoys anything Emergency Service related…fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, etc.

While we were looking at the pictures, one of asked Sam, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” He put his finger on his lip so as to show that he was thinking about it. He thought for a moment. We were sure he would answer with a fireman or police officer. But he didn’t. After a few more seconds of thought. He finally said, “I want to be…Tyler.”

Moments like that sure makes a dad proud.

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Family-Driven Faith

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Several people have called and asked me about the book that we gave to the families for Baby Dedication yesterday on Mother’s Day.

For those interested, the title is “Family Driven Faith” by Voddie Baucham.

Voddie is an excellent expositor, theologian, preacher, and father – all of which gels together and has enabled him to produce a Biblically based, Christ-honoring, God-glorifying, practical, and readable book on parenting. 

As I said Sunday, it will certainly challenge you to “stop doing family as usual, and to begin doing family as worship.”

There is a website for the book where you can read reviews, purchase a copy, and find more information.

For another great book on parenting, try reading “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” by Tedd Tripp.

Posted in Book Reviews/Recommendations, Family / Parenting, Uncategorized | No Comments »