Father's and Sons part 2

Yesterday we looked at Saul's rashness and willful disobedience to God, but what of his son Jonathon? It would seem Jonathon inherited some of Saul's rashness and dislike for sitting around idle. Keeping it secret from his father, Jonathon made up his mind to cross over and climb up to the Philistine garrison. Unlike his father, Jonathon acted in faith, trusting God to work for them, 1 Samuel 14:6.

The way to the garrison was difficult but Jonathon was not fazed by the difficulties for he trusted God to help them. Jonathon acted but only so far, as he then expected the Lord to guide them about their next actions.

Jonathon needed to be sure he was acting in the Lord's will. He did not want his rash actions to be against the Lord as his father's was. Jonathon expected God to guide him and to confirm that he was doing right.

Do we, like Jonathon first ensure that what we are doing is God's will and trust him to guide us when we need to make decisions?

The words of the Philistines would provide the necessary sign whether they were to continue toward the camp or not. The Philistines urged them to come up. At this point Jonathon knew the Lord would give them into his hands, verse 12. Despite the odds stacked against them Jonathon had complete confidence in God's ability to protect them and give victory. God indeed gave the victory to Jonathon and his amour bearer. God honored Jonathan's faith and trust.

This is the first difference we see between Saul and his son. Saul continued to show his disobedience to God's commands, I Samuel 15 so that God chose and anointed David to replace Saul as king, I Samuel 16. It is after the anointing of David that we most notice the differences between Saul and his son Jonathon.

Saul's heart was filled with suspicion and jealousy , hate, and murder, I Samuel 18: 6-12,15, 21, 25-29, 1 Samuel 19:1, 9-18. Jonathan was just the opposite. His heart was filled with love for his friend, 1 Samuel 18:1-4, 1 Samuel 19:2-7, 1 Samuel 20:1-42. Whereas Saul wanted to kill David, Jonathon sight only to protect him.

Jonathon went to David while he was in the wilderness and 'encouraged him in God,' 1 Samuel 23:16. Jonathon bore no bitterness towards David that he was going to be king. Instead he supported and encouraged him, 1 Samuel 23:17.

God works in mysterious ways, it is true. A godly son comes from a disobedient and rebellious father. There have been numerous examples of children from non Christian homes who have become faithful followers of God, devoted to Him. Similarly, there have been those raised by godly parents who have turned from God's ways. It seems children either model their behavior on parents or deliberately choose to do the opposite,

Does this mean as parents, what we say and do, the example we set, is not important and has no influence? No it does not. Next time we will look at ways that Christian parents can encourage and bring their children up in God's ways.

Father's and Son's part 1

Does the son become like the father? When we look at some people in the bible we see that a godly parent does not necessarily translate to godly offspring. We only have to look at Eli and Samuel to see that. Both their sons abused their positions and did not follow God, see I Samuel 2:12-17 and 1 Samuel 8:1-5. The opposite can also be true, where a godly parent has a godly son. Take the case of Saul and Jonathon

Saul's problems started almost at the beginning of his reign. Samuel told Saul to go to Gilgal and wait for him to come and offer burn offerings and sacrifice, 1 Samuel 10:8. At this time Samuel would tell Saul what to do.

Saul waited but by the seventh day when Samuel had not appeared, impatience got the better of him. He decided he could wait no longer for God's appointed priest and prophet to offer the sacrifice. Saul looked at the circumstances and was afraid that the men would leave him if he didn't act immediately, so he rashly took matters into his own hands, 1 Samuel 13:8-9.

Sometimes like Saul we may be tempted to try and force the issue, when what God wants us to do is wait. Waiting is not our favorite sport. In fact waiting makes some of us miserable. But God has a plan and does it beautifully.

But Saul chose not to wait for God to act and took matters into his own hands. No sooner had he acted, than Samuel appeared. Saul tried to make excuses for why he had done what he had and blamed Samuel for not coming earlier, 1 Samuel 13:11. Saul's eyes were on the circumstances not on God.

As a result of his flagrant disobedience to God in offering the sacrifice himself, Samuel declared to Saul that 'your kingdom will not in endure....... because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you,' 1 Samuel 13:13. Saul acted rashly and incurred God's wrath.

Tomorrow we'll look at and compare Jonathan's behavior with that of his father.

Just 15 Minutes a Day

Did you know that you will spend an average of 5 years of your life waiting in line? 6 of those months will be at stop lights! That’s not all. You’ll spend an average of 8 months opening junk mail, one year looking for things you misplaced, two years trying to call people back on the phone, four years cleaning the house, and six years eating. (Source: Priority Management Pittsburgh, Inc.)

The point? I don’t think we realize how much time we waste every day. It’s time to stop and ask, “What do I WANT to do with my time?” If we aren’t intentional with our time, it will waste away.

Here’s a good reminder: Everyone has the same amount of time in a day. True, some people live longer lives, but we each have 24-hour days. Have you noticed that the older you get the faster time goes? Boy I have. It seems to zip by. Since time keeps zipping by faster and faster, I need to spend my time doing what I WANT to do - with intent.

Edward Griggs said, “Fifteen minutes a day devoted to one definite study will make one a master in a dozen years.” Here’s the challenge. Let’s start with 15 minutes a day and intentionally do what we WANT to do. Pick something that will make you a better parent. Start now!

Love the Lord your God part 1

Deuteronomy 6:5, Very important, the Bible says this. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your strength.” Love your God. With how much of your heart should you love God? Notice, the scripture does not say with some, or with a little bit, or with a percentage, but we are told to love God with all of our heart. But wouldn’t you agree that many, if not most of us, we love God with a little bit of our hearts, and one of the most dangerous things that we can do as parents is expose our children to just a little bit of God.

Let me explain to you why. Whenever I go to get a flu shot once a year so I don’t get the flu, and inevitably, the nurse knows me and gets to see that I am a weeny when it comes to getting shots. I try to act all brave and she pulls out the needle, like, “Okay, try not to shake.” She gives me the shot, and what did she actually put into my body? To keep me from getting the flu, she gives me what? A little bit of the flu. Just a little bit, which makes me immune to the whole thing, and I would argue that as parents, so many parents unknowingly give their children just a little bit of the things of God, making them immune to all of His goodness and glory and power and majesty. They find themselves knowing just a little bit about God, but not knowing God personally and intimately in a life-changing way.

Scripture teaches us we should love God with all of our heart. Now, the problem is, let’s just be honest. In the world that we live in, there are a lot of things that can distract us from loving God with all of our own heart. You know, as parents, as a dad, you know, I want to provide for my kid, and so many of us, we think to ourselves with good intentions, “If I can just give my kids more than I had growing up, then that will be very valuable for them.” So, we work so hard pouring ourselves into our careers trying to get more things when yet, we are not giving our children what they really need, which is us and a deeper relationship with the only One they need to really know ultimately is God, and God alone.

We want to provide them the best opportunity, so we get them in soccer, and ballet, and in gymnastics, and all of a sudden, we organize their schedule so they are so busy. And we work hard so we can have a nice car to transport them in, so they will be safe, and their little booties will sit in leather seats. And then, when they are sixteen, we want to make sure that they can get a car because not having a car at sixteen would be like borderline child abuse for our children. Right? Yeah. And then we want to save up so they can get the greatest education, and before long, if we are not careful, we become child-centered parents rather than God-centered parents. Our lives revolve around our children rather than revolving around God.

Does your life revolve around your children or does it revolve around God?

What happened at church?

Yesterday at children's church your children learned about the dangers of temptation and how to stand up against it.

Kit and Andi had their own problems with temptation this week. Andi saw an opportunity to attack some nearby monkeys and retrieve all of the stolen items from previous weeks. Kit cautioned Andi against this idea explaining that this was the monkeys' territory and attacking them would only make things worse. Andi had a choice to make; do the right thing and listen to Kit or do the wrong thing and ambush the monkeys anyway. Andi gave in to temptation and was soon captured by the monkeys. Eventually, Andi was allowed to return but not before being tied up and covered with banana peels. Kit found the Temptation Stone and puzzle and the newly humbled Andi helped explain the Bible story.

The Bible story for today in Matthew 4 tells the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan. The Story begins with Jesus out in the wilderness, fasting and praying to God. He'd been fasting for forty days nad was extremely hungry. Satan comes to Jesus and tempts Jesus to turn some rocks into bread. Jesus says, "no" and quotes scripture as his reason for refusing. Next, Satan tempts Jesus to jump off the roof of the temple, saying God will send angels to rescue Him. Once again, Jesus refuses and quotes scripture saying that we should not test God. Finally, Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and tells Jesus that he will give all of it to Him if Jesus will bow down and worship him. Jesus refuses again and quotes scripture saying that we are to worship God and God alone.

Andi learned first hand the danger of giving in to temptation. Through the Bible story we learned how to stand up against temptation by using scripture. Knowing what the Bible has to say will help us in any tempting situation we come across. Remind your children to make a habit of reading their Bibles and memorizing verses. Even this week. Read the Bible together and find a verse to memorize as a family that helps you when faced with temptation.

Faith-Nurturing Family Activities

Here's a great article I just read this morning by a guy named Keith Johnson

Family devotions are notorious for giving migraines to parents and causing children to groan. Formal family devotions at home can range from breakfast Scripture readings, bedtime prayers, or even "sermonettes for Christianettes from the dinette." But even these can come across as irreverently artificial, canned, and hokey, further creating a gap between church and home. Christian parents realize the value of time at home spent with God -- but how do we do it? Family faith-building need not always be structured to be effective. Whether the setting is formal or impromptu, the purpose is a conscious effort to strengthen communication, to experience communion, and to build community.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 suggests the best way to meet these goals. Moses says that "these commandments...are to be upon your hearts." We are told to "impress them on [our] children." How? By talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." WOW! Here's movement; crafts (gee, we should even write on our doorframes -- get out those stencils!); conversation; and creative, hands-on teaching at its best -- all to be done with our children.
Activities that are natural yet directed, routine yet imaginative, personal yet spiritual, nurture faith at home. A spiritual home will produce a spiritual child who matures into a spiritual adult. Here are specific activities to help parents build their children's faith at home.

Worship Preparation -- Prepare for formal "at church" worship before you leave home. Wake up earlier than your kids so you're not rushed. My mom diffused the Sunday-morning-rush stress by waking us up to the soft sounds of Christian music. Music sets an emotional tone wherever it's heard. It worked for King Saul, and it worked in our madhouse also.

Prayer -- Have you ever passed by someone broken down on the side of the road but you just couldn't stop? Why not pray aloud for that person? Or when you spot an ambulance or squad car speeding to the scene of a problem, pray for the people involved, their safety, and their relationship with God. You'll find that children fight over who gets to pray. Another time for prayer is just before kids run off to school. My wife commits our children to the Lord and challenges them to stand up for the things that are right and against the things that are wrong.
Bible Reading/Study -- Read a key verse at breakfast. Read or tell a Bible story in your words before bedtime. Bible reading should be a social, bonding opportunity, not a dry discipline devoid of purpose. Remember: Short passages for "short people," long passages for "long people."
Meals Together -- Mealtime is family together-time. Even if you regularly don't eat meals together, you can still create activities that nurture faith during mealtime. Assign table-setting chores and the before-dinner prayer to different family members. My daughter loves to have everyone pray with her when she prays. Encourage conversation. I like to ask open-ended questions at the table. Ask each person, "What's the best thing that happened to you today? the worst?" Instead of asking, "What did you do at school today?" get specific: "Who did you play with at recess? Who did you sit with at lunch and what did you talk about? Who was your friend today at school?"

Family Fun -- Television, the newspaper, Nintendo, shopping, and the telephone can interrupt or effectively eliminate opportunities to build faith. Pull the plug on these things. I like to join my daughter in cleaning up her room. She and I have a great time singing the cleanup song and sharing. Or set up craft or coloring books on the kitchen table as kids get home from school. This will give them an opportunity to be creative and will give you an opportunity to talk with them. Board games have become one of our family's favorite activities. Around the Monopoly board, we dream about what our homes will look like someday on the inside and outside.

Celebrations -- Birthdays in our home are all-day events. One child is special, and we emphasize that. On holidays we try to focus on giving to others. We encourage each child to learn the value of giving by picking out a gift for siblings. On Easter we decorate together and invite another family to help. We tell the stories that make the holidays meaningful and focus on others in practical ways. Traditions are powerful ways to bond and cement what's important. My grandfather would tell the story " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" each Christmas morning. Before packages are opened, we read the Bible's account of Jesus' birth.

Vacations -- The best part of a vacation is the memories it gives family members. Planning, packing, sitting in a car for hours on end, sleeping in a strange bed, and having unexpected breakdowns produce stress and conflict. But no sooner have we returned from a vacation than we're planning the next one. Why? Because of the intense togetherness of these excursions. My wife and I were surprised to learn that our children prefer driving to flying. Our children (11, 8, and 5) prefer driving because they have our undivided attention for hundreds of miles. To a child those dull stretches of highway look great when you have your parents all to yourselves. We play road games, stop for treats (a.k.a. potty stops), and have crazy conversations. Prayer for the journey is standard, but what about prayer at the restaurant so others will know that God is important? What do you do on Sunday away from your home? Try sitting together in a different church for the first time -- maybe even a church from a different denomination.
Service Projects -- It's been wonderful to hear my kids pray each night for the last four years for Mariamu in Zimbabwe. We sponsor this little girl and pray specifically for her food, water, education, and family. We feature her picture [rominently in our home. She has literally grown up with us. Visiting convalescents' homes as a family, helping a new neighbor move in, bringing lunch to Habitat for Humanity workers, or assisting in a park cleanup gives kids the valuable experience of seeing faith with works.

Sacrificial Giving -- Allowance time is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate sacrifice and giving. Set up three cups: one for God, one for saving, and one with your child's picture on it. Allow children to determine who gets what, and help them stick to it. Let their savings be for a specific project. Turn in their "God" cup once a month at church (once a week for younger kids).
Rest -- Spiritual nap-time? Sometimes a busy family needs a break. God knew we would fill our time with busyness and commitments. Rest doesn't come naturally, so God had to command that we take a break. A family pause is an ideal time to regroup, reconnect, and recharge.
Family Mission Statement -- Stephen Covey introduces an important concept in the life of a family by encouraging families to come up with mission statements. Covey writes that there's a "supreme value in the process of long-term thinking and planning in building strong families. Deciding as a family what your worthy purposes, worthy visions, and worthy values are will unite your family in ways you've only dreamed of. Your mission statement will embody principles everyone has participated in choosing and that everyone has committed to live, both publicly and privately." In the process of writing your statement, everyone gives input into the "big picture" of your family. God is placed at the center of your home not by chance, but because you've purposed it to be that way.

Family Conference -- We have family night every Saturday. We take turns planning an activity. If it costs money, then Dad has to be consulted to see if it's in the budget. We also have three or four family conferences each year to assess our assigned chores and responsibilities, to evaluate family nights, and just to connect in a formal way.

Conflict Resolvers -- Sometimes siblings can get on each other's nerves. What better way to redirect tension than to think about the good qualities of one another. Whenever someone in our family is mean-spirited to another family member, the offender has to say or write four things he or she appreciates about the other person. This makes us thankful for one another and tenderhearted. It's also fun to watch the other person take in the compliments. We conclude with all of us chiming in a good quality we appreciate.

Times when we have to discipline our children become great opportunities to share God's forgiveness and unconditional love. Last night my two boys had a water fight in the basement with their friends. They were in their rooms awaiting the punishment, and their contrite hearts melted my wife and me. They were truly sorry and said, "I wish I could take it back." What a wonderful time to share the forgiveness that resembles God's forgiveness.
Conflicts, as with all family situations, provide clear opportunities to put flesh to Jesus, put teaching into practice, and make Christ the center of our homes and therefore our lives.

-- Keith Johnson is a children's pastor in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Parent's Don't Frustrate your Kids

I think most parents understand the psychology of requiring obedience, consequences, and consistency. All of our pop psychology books are filled with these ideas. Even the Super Nanny has the naughty chair--a consequence for misbehavior.

If you have found yourself struggling to bring your child into obedience, I am going to suggest to you that perhaps you are missing the second part of Ephesians 6:1-4: 'Parents, don't exacerbate your children but instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

But I'm Doing That

"They know all the commandments, they memorize Scripture and it's still not working!" I have to pose this question, and I want you to think about it honestly: Are you focusing on the 'rules' part of God's instruction? Do your children think of God as someone who might smote them for an infraction? Or do they really know and sense the awesomeness and glory of God? Because you see, part of bringing them up in the training and instruction of the Lord is teaching them about God's character; His Glory; His Majesty and just how simply awesome He is. If they don't understand that, then obedience--even consistent obedience--is useless.

Communicating the Glory of God

I propose to you that if our children are failing to see the glory of God, it's because we've failed to communicate it to them. We've managed to give a picture of a relationship with God that's based on rules. . .rather than God's loving kindness. We've succeeded in showing God as Holy, but we've failed in showing God as Father.

But God is gracious to us parents. Consider reading Job 40 and 41 as an awe inspiring account of God's mighty acts. The move over to Exodus and talk about how God saved Israel and brought down Egypt. Read the Psalms, and note how God named the stars and knows them by name, how he clothes the flowers in the fields, how He answers prayer. And who are we that He should be concerned with us? But He is. The truth is that I could write a thousand more pages, and still have barely scratched the surface with regards to the glory of God. Do your children know that?

School teachings Contrary to the Bible

While secular education is important and necessary Christians must enter the education system with a careful eye. There are many "accepted" teachings which are contrary to the Word of God such as teachings regarding the age of the earth and evolution. Christians must be aware of the types of teachings and be prepared to stand against them. How can Christian parents be prepared to stand against these teachings and prepare their children to stand against these teachings?

Educate yourself. I remember when I was a young child (I think I was in elementary school) being taught in school that oil formed below the surface of the earth millions and millions of years ago. I was fascinated by the teaching and promptly shared it with my mother when she picked me up from school. My mother was quick to refute such a teaching, telling me that although some people think that, the Bible does not agree with that particular teaching (the earth being that old). My mom was prepared to contest what I had been taught at school.

Educate your children. Just a few years ago I was of the mindset that I wanted to know nothing about evolution. I knew it was false and had no desire to know anything about the teaching. I cringed when the subject was mentioned in my biology classes, and although I had the opportunity to take the class of evolution, I declined because I did not want anything to do with the subject. However, I feel differently about learning about evolution now. I think it is important to know what is being taught about such things as evolution for several reasons. First, I will not be caught off guard by the teaching, especially if I am trying to speak about God to someone who believes in evolution. Secondly, by knowing about evolution, I am better prepared to defend against the teaching. If your children have knowledge of what is being taught and why it is not a good teaching they will be better armed against falling into the false teaching.
Maintain an active communication with your children. As you would do with any subject, make sure to keep the lines of communication open with your children about what they are being taught at school regarding things that might contradict the teaching of the Bible such as evolution. Hopefully by maintaining this communication your children will always feel comfortable asking you about things that are not congruent with the things they have learned about the Bible.

While I think that the three things I mentioned above are key to being able to stand against teachings at school which are contrary to the Bible, I also think it is important to mention a few others. For instance, this is something you can pray about. It is also important to continue to study the Bible. I also think it is also important to remain informed about the false teachings. Remember 1st Peter 3:15-16: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed."

Brownie anyone?

I like the quote that Edward, Duke of Windsor, said this about America. He said, “The thing that impresses me most about America is the way the parents obey their children.”

I want you to think about that for a minute. The thing that impresses me most is the way that parents obey the children. Parents, question: Are you leading your children, or are your children leading you? Think about that. You lead them spiritually, you set the tone. You are the divine authority in the household. You set the tone.

Now, you may say, “How do you lead?” Well, what I am not going to tell you is, “Here’s exactly what you have to do.” What I am going to do is tell you, if you are going to be an effective leader you must lead intentionally. Whatever that means for you, you seek the heart of God and you do it.

Let them know that they are not in charge, you are not child-centered parents. Just because everyone else does something, doesn’t mean that you are going to let your kids do that. Just because every other kid can stay out, teenager, until one o’clock in the morning, you may say, “No, at our household I am coming home, or whatever.” You set the standards.

I like the single mom who was struggling with knowing what to do with her teenager, who always wanted to see rated-R movies with his friends, and he says, “But, there’s just a little bit of bad stuff, just a little bit. It’s not that bad.” And the mom was praying, “God, what do I do?” And God gave her an idea, something that I thought was awesome.

She said, “I’ll tell you what. You can go see this rated-R movie, but first, you have to help me make some brownies.” And the teenager’s like, “Oh, I love brownies, as long as I can lick the bowl.” And she said, “Sure you can. What I need you to do to contribute is, would you go out and find some of our dog’s dog poop, and give me one spoon full of dog poop.” The son was like, “That’s nasty, mom.” “No, no, no. Just one small scoop. That’s all you need. Just bring that in, help me make the brownies, and you can go to the show tonight.” And the son was like, “Well, whatever,” and he came in with a spoon full of dog poop and he gave it to his mom, and his mom said, “Oh, that’s too much,” and she took a little knife and cut it in half and dropped just a little bit of dog poop down into the brownie mix and stirred it up.

And he said, “Mom, we can’t eat that.” She said, “Oh, sure.” She poured it into the bigger bowl and said, “Would you like to lick this bowl?” He’s like, “No, that’s disgusting.” And she said, “But what you don’t understand, son, is it is just a little bit of poop.” And all of a sudden, he realized that just a little bit of ungodliness is too much.

If your heart is wholly surrendered to Him, parents, you are in charge, and just because everyone else is doing something does not mean that it is the right standard for your family. You are not so concerned about your children’s immediate happiness as you are their holiness and full pursuit of God in every single way. So how do we lead them? Well, the Bible calls it training. There is a very well-known scripture in Proverbs. It says this about training. The Bible says that we are to train up our children in the way that they should go and when they are old they will not depart from that.

Turning the tables on your kids

Have your kids ever reminded you of one of your “sermons”. It’s quite convicting, especially if you are not practicing your own preaching. When this happens I feel like saying something like “It’s not your job to preach to me" but I usually end up eating humble pie.

Here's my point: When you preach the Word it forces you to be a doer of the Word. Why not turn the tables on your kids? Ask your kids to lead devotions from time to time. Let them decide what Bible Story to read. Let your kids do the preaching. It’s a little bit risky, but it’s worth the risk. Why? When your kids preach the word it forces them to be doers of the word, and you can have great fun turning the tables on you kids and challenge them to live their sermons.

Parenting and the word 'No'

Today we will see the difference between a person who is not used to hearing the word, 'NO.' and the one who has learned obedience.
In Old Testament times a barren women was told she would have a child Judges 13:2-3. He was to be a 'Nazirite to God from the womb,' verse 5. As God said, the woman gave birth to a son who was named Samson, Judges 13:24.


It's not too far fetched to suggest that after thinking they would never have a son, and then being given one, Manoah and his wife indulged this child and never learned to say 'no' to him. This is born out by Samson's behavior. Samson grew into a man filled with wrong desires that went against his calling. A Nazirite, Samson was set apart and consecrated to God. Yet we see in Judges 14 he wants to marry a Philistine woman and orders his parents to get her for him. His parents tentatively suggest he should marry from his own people. God commanded that the Israelites not intermarry with the nations around them, Deuteronomy 7:3. Samson was adamant. He wanted this Philistine woman for she looked good to him, Judges 14:3 and Samson was used to getting what he wanted.

On the way to visit the woman he killed a lion. On the way back he saw a swarm of bees and honey in the body of the lion. He ate the honey from the dead carcass. This touching of a dead animal, an unclean thing, was also against God's commands, Leviticus 5:2. Samson did not care. He saw something he wanted - the honey, so he took it.

Then he made a feast which was nothing more than a drinking party. When his intended bride was given to another Samson took revenge on the Philistines, Judges 15:4-5. He was used to getting what he wanted and reacted like a spoiled brat when thwarted in his desires.
Women were always a weakness of Samson. Later he saw a harlot and went into her, Judges 16:1. Then he met Delilah, who betrayed him to the Philistines, so that his strength left him and the Philistines captured him, Judges 16: 19-21. In the course of his life Samson broke all his vows as a Nazirite. To look at the restrictions placed on a Nazirite, see Numbers 6:2-8.

Surely his parents would have explained exactly what being a Nazirite entailed yet all through his life Samson disregarded those vows and disobeyed. Perhaps if his parents had learned to say 'No' and had disciplined him, he would not have grown willful and determined to follow his desires even when they disobeyed God's laws.

How different is the example of Jesus. When Jesus was twelve, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover and Jesus remained behind. When Mary and Joseph discovered him missing, they returned to Jerusalem and found Jesus in the temple. But after that he went home with them and the bible tells us, 'He continued in subjection to them,' Luke 2:51. He was not only obedient to his earthly parents, but also to His Heavenly Father. Jesus did not pursue His own desires but continually put his Heavenly Father's will above his own, John 5:30, John 6:38.

Jesus remained obedient even when his Father's will mean the sacrifice of his own life, Matthew 26:42. He knew this was God's plan of salvation for all who believe in Him, John 6:40. In Gethsemane Jesus asked that the 'cup' be taken from him if possible Luke 22:42. God the Father said, 'no.' This was God's plan of salvation, John 3.17.

Imagine what a sorry state we would all be in if Jesus had not been obedient! What a contrast between Samson who was used to being indulged and getting his own way and Jesus who chose to follow God's way and was obedient even when it meant death, Philippians 2:8.

Proverbs 13:24 and 22:15 speak of the need for parents to train and discipline their child. This is showing love rather than by indulging them. By his behavior Samson brought shame to his mother, as Proverbs 29:15 says a willful child does. Jesus brought honor to His Father and was exalted because of His obedience, Philippians 2:9-11.

What happened on May 4th?

This week, your children were taught that Church is where they can come to learn about God. Even Jesus went to church as a boy so He could learn about God.

Kit and Andi’s journey got off to a rocky start today when Andi unwittingly took a bite of a fruit that takes away a person’s voice. Soon after, the two discovered the “Knowledge Stone” and its puzzle. Normally, Andi was the one who explained the Bible story and solved the puzzle, but without a voice it was impossible. For the first time on this journey, Kit had to read the Bible story and solve the puzzle.

The Bible story this week is found in Luke chapter 2 and it tells a story about Jesus when he was 12 years old. Jesus and His family had traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When the festival ended, the family started traveling back home. Jesus’ parents thought that He was with the rest of the group, but it turns out that He wasn’t. They didn’t know where Jesus was. Eventually His parents headed back to Jerusalem and looked all over the city for three days. They finally found Jesus at the temple sitting with the religious leaders, asking them questions. He was learning about God. He explained to His parents that he was supposed to be there. Jesus showed us that it is important to learn about God, and church is where we can accomplish that. Eventually, Andi’s voice returned and they set out on the rest of their journey.

Church is an extremely important part of your child’s life. It is here that your child will make friendships, have fun, and most importantly, learn about God. This will help them have the best life possible. Please make it possible for your children to attend church regularly.

Talk to your child about the reasons you choose to attend church personally. Talk to your child about the things that you learned in Sunday School and the worship service. Read the story about Jesus learning about God in Luke 2 and talk about it with your child.

Why should my child go to camp

Why should my child go to camp? This is a question I hear often. Maybe not in this exact phrase but something like it. I am a huge advocate for camp for several reasons.

Camp is a chance for the children to get away from the television, video games, and other things and have fun with their friends in a setting that is geared towards them. Kids will complain that they can't handle a week away from their video games but really, they can. Kids are always amazed at how fast the time goes by when they are having fun.

Second, Camp is a great opportunity for a child to develop a hunger and passion for God. Every day at camp kids have devotions as a cabin. Then in the evening kids service kids experience God in whole new ways. They spend time in worship, learning about God and praying at the alter. My personal greatest spiritual growth has happened at camp.

I know what you are thinking. My child doesn't do well away from me. I was the same way as a child. I believe it is so important for your child to be at camp that if they can't be away from you I would encourage you to go as well. My mom went to camp my first year because I was afraid to be away from her. I got called to the ministry my first year at camp!

Another obstacle to parents not encouraging their child to go to camp is the cost. Don't let the cost determine if your child is going. Find a way to raise the money needed for camp. Talk to relatives or those in the church to see if they can help. My parents always just thought about the food money they would save by getting me out of the house for a week.

Kids camp is only one week long, but the experience that your child has a camp will last a lifetime. Encourage your child to go to camp and make a way for them to do it. The relationships they build with others and the relationship they build with God will last forever.

How to get your Kids to be Doers of the Word

“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves,” James 1:22

According to Mr. Webster a "doer" is "A person who acts or gets things done"

If I go to church, listen to the preacher and read my Bible, but I never do what the Bible says I have deceived myself. The world is full of "pretend Christians" who think they are believers because they go to church and listen to the preacher, but they never change their behavior. They never actually do the word.

As a parent not only do I need to lead my family in devotions I also need to train my children to be doers of the Word, so I don’t raise kids who are “pretend Christians.”

How do I get my kids to be doers of the Word? I’m glad you asked. Here are some ideas. * Lead by asking questions. When you lead by asking questions it engages the hearts and minds of the people you are leading. During Devotions ask your kids “how can you act on this scripture today?” Have everyone write down something that they are going to do today to be a “doer of the word” (including Mom and Dad).

At the end of the day check to see if everyone did what they wrote down.Your kids won’t always do what you expect, but they will do what you inspect.