10 Things to Remember While Disciplining Your Child

Here are 10 things to remember when your child(ren) is disobedient:

1. You disobey the Lord…and He is the perfect Father.

2. His kindness leads us to repentance.

3. God disciplines those He loves.

4. Your child’s disobedience does not measure your value any more than his obedience showcases your achievement.

5. Your child’s disobedience teaches you dependence on God.

6. And sometimes it’s more than dependence He’s after, it’s complete desperation for Him.

7. Your child is clearly a sinner, and needs to hear the truth of the Gospel, and see it lived out through you.

8. Times of correction serve to remind, or establish within your child, his own sense of need for a Savior.

9. It’s not good behavior you really desire…you want his heart.

10. Your child is a person, not a project.

Thankful for My Children's Baths and Beds

At my staff meeting this morning, Wes Church, our college minister, challenged each of us to share what we are thankful for this time of year. I had just been thinking the other day of how thankful I am to live in a country that is ideal to raise children in. For instance, any time my young kids are sick my wife and I just pack up and go to the doctor, or hospital if needed. While we complain about the medical bills, we know that our children are getting most certainly the best health care that the world has to offer. Thankfully, in His manifold wisdom and providence, God has chosen to place my family in a blessed part of the world.

Most of the world does not live this way. In fact, an estimated 97% of world families make less than $30,000 a year. Many more make only dollars a year.

Lost in all of the media's coverage of trying to save our planet by "going green" and worshiping the earth we don't even think about the the fact that all around the world children are living like this.

Kids live in abject poverty in many parts of the world. The pictures that I just linked to you are shocking when you see toddlers laying on the ground by themselves with a turned over empty bottle - or the heartbreaking image of kids bathing each other in contaminated sewer water. The world clearly does not care about children. Why? Because what benefit can the world have from caring about children? Worshiping the earth makes sense, because if one doesn't believe that God is ultimately in control of everything, then the earth itself is the supreme object of worship because without it man cannot exist.

The fact that Jesus loved children is another aspect of what makes Jesus' incarnation so remarkable. He not only came for the lost adults but for the helpless children who are bathing in fecal water and sleeping on the ground, abandoned. Through the promise of Jesus we can also take hope that one day all will redeemed and there will be no more crying and suffering.

And that means no more bathing in sewer water.

This Thanksgiving take time to thank God for allowing you the privilege of living in a country where your children are cared for - and for serving a God that sent his Son to die so that the suffering of helpless children, among other things, will ultimately cease.

Eight Great Date Nights for You and Your Spouse

Marriagepartnership.com has a great list of Eight Great Date Nights for you and your spouse. Here they are:

For the original article click here

1. Take in a local show or concert. Your town is probably teeming with gifted and creative performers at the local high school or college. So check to see what's playing. It's less expensive than the "professional" versions and often just as fun. At the end of the evening, share your favorite moments of the performance. Then "go back in time" to your own high school or college days and reminiscence together about your favorite school event or memory and why it was so special. Or see if you can guess some of the clubs or activities your spouse was involved in.

2. Read a book of short stories out loud to each other. Try different voices for the characters even! You can pick up a book at the library (so it's a free date!), go to a park, a coffee shop, or even just hang out at home. Each of you gets a chance to read. Then talk about what you liked about the story or what you didn't like. Was the writing strong? Did the words flow smoothly? Did the dialogue seem realistic? Which character in the story would you like to be or not be? Why? Then take a turn at rewriting the story and tell each other how you would have changed it.

3. If you have children, ask them to plan your date! Earlier in the week, ask your kids (or friends, if you don't have children) to think of something fun for you and your spouse to do. They get to choose the restaurant and the activity. Then after your date, you and your spouse can give a "report" back telling about the funnest, funniest, or most special part of the evening.

4. Make it a three-course progressive dinner. Rather than going out to eat at one restaurant (how boring!), choose one restaurant for your appetizer, a different one for your main dish, then a third one for dessert. Share one course each if you're low on cash. If you have trouble deciding which restaurants, write down several options for each course, put them in a hat, and pick. As you drive to each, discuss the type of restaurant you would open and what types of each course you'd choose to serve and why.

5. Give an encore performance! Think back to one of your favorite dates or activities you two had before you were married, but that you don't get to do anymore. Was it to go antiquing? Book shop hopping? Hiking? Playing board games? Decide to do it again. While you're on the date, talk about why the date or activity was so special and what it meant to you. What did you discover about your spouse during that time that attracted you? Tell your spouse!

6. House swap. Want a weekend or overnight retreat, but can't afford the cost of the travel or hotel? Why not swap houses with a friend or family member (maybe they can watch your kids too!)? Then you can relax and enjoy a different setting. Make sure to bring snacks, movies or games, and candles. Then just hang out together. (But make sure you both pitch in to clean up at the end of your stay!)

7. People watch. Go some place where you can watch people for a while. A park or a mall is a great place. Then grab a cup of coffee or a soda, sit, hold hands, and don't talk. Just watch people. Then after a little while, talk about what you noticed. How did the people treat one another? How did they talk to one another? Was it respectful? Joyful? Did one walk faster than the others? Then talk about what you learned about yourself through watching others: "Sometimes I get so single-focused, I can leave you behind. But I don't mean to." Or "I realized that the woman talked so harshly to her husband. I don't ever want to talk to you in that kind of tone." Don't make it a time to point the finger at what your spouse may be doing—keep it focused on what you've learned about yourself.

8. Check out the sights in your area. Throw out your map. Turn off the GPS. And just drive. Enjoy the adventure of going somewhere in your area you've never been. Talk about ways that you and your mate can incorporate more adventure into your marriage. What sometimes keeps you from doing that? What are some ways you can overcome those obstacles?

I think Emily and I are going to do #7 on Saturday night...

One Woman's Tragic Loss of Her Husband

Ever now and again I'll click the "next blog" button at the top of my blog to see what random site pops up. Usually its a blog in Russian or Japanese or some other foreign language and after about 4 or 5 clicks of that I move onto something else.

Until this morning. A diamond in the rough of a blog popped up - a blog about a 29 year old mother of four children who lost her husband last month. This woman's husband was put into the hospital because a case of the Swine Flu turned into pneumonia and then things went south quick. Horrifyingly, the day after the doctors released him from the ICU, and the day after his wife was so happy to have him back to normal, he tragically died.

This woman has been writing this blog for sometime. However, in the last month, her blog has turned into a journal of how she has been dealing with this extreme grief. The blog is definitely worth a read for every married couple - especially those with young kids.

Word of warning however: it is raw, passionate, human, unapologetic, and real. Therefore, I would not show it to your kids (for some bad language). Also, I have no idea what his woman's belief about Jesus is.

This is where you women and wives can come in. Read this blog - especially the posts from October until now. You'll picture yourself as her and imagine standing in her shoes as she so descriptively tells of her feelings. However, when you want the tears and sadness to stop, you can just turn off your computer and call your husband on the phone. She can't. Her tears never stop. There is unending grief. Perhaps you can reach out to this woman and eventually give her "good news" if she doesn't know of any.

Take time to thank God for your husband (or wife) and realize that we are not promised tomorrow with them.

How Not to Raise a Little Pharisee

Atheism: Unyielding Despair

Pastor Mark Driscoll on the sad reality of atheism...

Welcome Home

Prepare to tear. Thankfully, I get this every time I come home from church...without the tears, though.

The Spread of Prosperity

The prosperity Gospel is a form of Christianity that teaches that God's will for one's life is to be financially blessed and successful. I find that taught nowhere in Scripture - especially in the context of where said verses may occur. This teaching, which started in the affluent USA, has now spread to poor regions around the world - giving people false hope and ultimately possibly destroying their faith in God and cheapening the true power of the Cross.

The Prosperity Gospel from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

What is the Emerging Church?

What is the Emerging Church? Reclaimingthemind.org has a good definition:

"The “emerging church” is a representative designation for a growing ethos or way of thinking among many dissatisfied Christians (primarily those in Protestantism). While there is no primary leader or credal unity among those in the emerging church, there are certain characteristics that stand out among “emergers,” as they are called. These characteristics are not necessarily found in all emergers, but are representative of the emerging ethos.

1. Epistemologically, they are less optimistic about our ability to come to know “the” truth, but find value in many perspectives.

2. Theologically, they are prone to questioning traditional theological dogma.

3. Politically, they call for change and social activism and often a disassociation with the Republican party.

4. Sociologically, they call on the church to reach out to those in need with love and compassion.

5. Missionally, they focus on “mission” as the everyday role of Christians that should permeate every aspect of their life.

Emerging leaders are varied and diverse. Among some of the most prominent are Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, Scot McKnight, Doug Pagitt, and Tony Jones.

Read more about the emerging church here."

A Good Reminder for the "Religious"

As Christians, it is very easy to become "puffed up." It's very easy to look down on the world and become self-righteous as we compare ourselves to "sinners" - especially for those of us who have been believers for a long time. The Christian life is one of continual repentance and faith - it's a cycle. Unfortunately, for most of history "religious" people are the ones who do not repent. Here is a good reminder as to why we need to do so...