I have a 20 month old and a 5 month old.  I have no greater responsibility and privilege in this life than to work toward their conversion for the glory of God.  As my wife and I have felt the weight of this, we have been struggling with this question, ”How do we be Gospel-Centered parents with little ones?”  This is the question that every Christian parent of toddlers and infants should be seeking to answer.

My 5 month old can’t talk.  He is learning to sit up and scoot around, and he knows our voices and faces, but still communication is ultra-limited.  What can I possibly do to give him an understanding of the Gospel?  My 20 month old can only say a couple dozen words.  He is learning colors, shapes, and letters, but he can’t even read, “See Spot Run”, much less the Holy Scriptures.  They have not the ability to understand 2+2=4, so what hope is there in their understanding the propitiation of Jesus Christ (I John 4:10).  How could we practically give the Gospel to our children when they are so young? Read More »

To most Christians this question probably seems ridiculous to even ask, but there are two very good reasons to ask and answer thoughtfully: the question, “Should we teach our children to pray before they show evidence of saving faith?”

1. Because there are some very learned and devout Christians  with sincere hearts of love for Jesus and their children, who are asking this question.

2. Because most of the Christians who assume that the answer to the above question is an obvious, “Yes.”, really have not thought through it enough and are thus not adequately prepared to answer those who question them about it AND also are not as passionate as they could be about teaching their children to pray.

Before we answer the question of, “Should we teach our children to pray?”, I think most of us need to ask why this is even a question.  The argument for not teaching our children, before we are sure they are genuine Believers, to pray goes something like this:

– Since the Bible is clear that praying with insincerity and without faith is wrong (Matthew 6:5-8; Romans 14:23 and Hebrews 11:6), and

– Since the Bible is clear that God will not listen to the prayers of those living in sin (Proverbs 15:8, 29; 28:9; Isaiah 1:12-17; Jeremiah 11:11, 14), and

– Since unbelieving children are living in sin, without faith, and have a heart of insincerity,

– Therefore, it is not right to teach them to pray to God.

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I started reading “The Culturally Savvy Christian” last week.  From the book, there is one major issue that is resonating in my heart.   As Christian families, we must learn how to minister in this culture without being consumed by this culture.   At the point where we are consuming more of culture than we are of Christ and His word, we are at risk of allowing a lost world to guide us (either consciously or subliminally) in our family’s beliefs, attitudes, and actions.  I believe Staub is right when he argues that, “So much theology is derived from popular culture that many argue that it has replaced religion.”  While it is often subtle, a reality show title like “American Idol”, a character like “Cinderella’s” fairy god mother, or a promise that Disneyland is the place where “dreams really do come true” can have far reaching influence on our minds and the minds of our maturing children.  Do you spend more time consuming the Word than you do consuming PopCulture (magazines, tv, movies, internet, etc)? What about your children? Do they spend more time in front of the television than they do in Bible reading, singing praise songs, and praying combined? If so, is it possible that our sinful world could be a greater influence on our attitudes, actions, and beliefs than the sovereign God who created and sustains us? An excerpt from the book states that “A thoughtful person knows that superficial pop culture is the cultural equivalent of junk food; it looks, feels, and tastes good but is often utterly lacking in nutrients… “  Are you thoughtful enough to know this, or have you been deceived too? If we ever hope for our families to become culture-creators rather than culture-imitators, it will begin with a fulfilling diet of Jesus and His Word.  Let’s limit the junk, and give ‘em the good stuff.

…Fight For It!

We all know people who, although they grew up in good Christian homes, do not know, trust in, or love Jesus today.  To them, the Gospel is now nothing more than a story; a history lesson; or merely “church talk” that they grew up with.

We should never assume that just because our kids are growing up in a Christian home (maybe even a more distinctly and passionate and Biblical Christian home than we did), that they will inherit eternal life.  We must fight with prayer and the Word, daily!  We must be burdened by the weight of their eternal destiny.  We must be seriously intentional about giving our children the Gospel, so as to point them to, show them, and give them a thirst for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But let us not trust in our means of fighting for their Lives: being good Christian examples, praying with faithful fervancy, instructing and disciplining with the Word of Life, taking our family to church every week, doing family worship, and so on.  We must do these things, but only because we trust in our sovereign Savior of grace to draw them, change them, and save them to the uttermost.

Read Dr. John Piper’s similar word in blog post on An Encouragement and Precaution to Parents.  And remember, Don’t Assume Life… Fight For It!

Part II: Good Point! But I’ll Have to Think About It Awhile… Maybe Tomorrow

All of these insights accomplish absolutely nothing unless our strength, which is the sum of all our ability to influence events around us, is exerted at the moment of decision.  You look at that list of stuff you have to do and you decide, “I’ll do it now.”  Faith without works is dead.  Good intentions are not enough.  Saying “Yes” to God without following through only heaps up more guilt and shame.  “Later” is not guaranteed.  You may not live to see another day.  And in a sense, “later” will never really arrive because we must always take action in the moment that is present.  We live forever in a place called “now”.  That is why the author of Hebrews pushes the point, “Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”  All action must be taken “today”.

Be Strong! Take Action!
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Part II: Time Management Basics for Teens

“Rise up, O men of God! Be done with lesser things; Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.”

This first verse of W. H. Walter’s classic hymn sums up beautifully the Greatest Commandment restated by Christ in Mark 12:30.  It points to the need for a distinctively Christian theology of time-management.  To “rise up” demands throwing off the chains of sloth, lethargy and procrastination.  To “be done with lesser things” implies establishing a criteria for evaluating our priorities.  To “give heart and soul and mind and strength” to serve God requires purposeful, zealous, intelligent and forceful action—all four components of the human personality working together.  Simply put, loving God as we should requires us to manage our time differently.
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If you haven’t heard yet, FamilyCamp made an exciting announcement last month: Darrin and Amie Patrick from The Journey in Saint Louis will be teaching at FamilyCamp this year!

Darrin founded The Journey in 2002 with a desire to plant a church in the heart of Saint Louis, Missouri.  He is Vice President of Acts 29 Church Planting Network, and serves as the executive director for another church planting movement called 360-St. Louis, a network which joins the church and the business community in planting gospel-centered churches.

Today, The Journey runs six services across four campuses, and continues to aggressively plant churches in St. Louis and beyond.  Having 3 children of their own, Darrin and Amie have a huge heart to see families centered around Christ so that the church can be reformed and the world can be reached.

While at FamilyCamp, Darrin and Amie will lead the Saturday morning breakout session titled, ‘Enjoying your Marriage’.  Then on Sunday, Amie will lead, ‘Being a Christ Centered Woman’.  Finally, on Monday, Darrin will give us the closing charge to be missional agents of change as we Reach the World and Reform the Church by Restoring the Family.

Friends… this camp will be God-glorifying and life-changing.  We hope that you will join the movement and get registered today!

Part I: “Cut Me Some Slack!”

It’s Monday morning.

You’re up, but that’s about all. There are five different things you were supposed to do last week that are all staring you in the face. School work. Chores. Projects incomplete. So what do you do? Just thinking about it makes you tired. So you decide to take a break, finish that novel, or maybe catch up on your sleep. You can hit everything hard later this afternoon.

Yeah, right.

It’s called procrastination. And it gets everyone some time or another. But when it moves in to stay, when it becomes a part of your character, part of your personality, you, my friend, are a slacker, or what the Bible calls a sluggard. You are just plain lazy, or, to use the old English term, you’re a sloth. Read More »

For a couple of days this past week God graciously gave me more free time. I could’ve spent it engaging in good communication and fun activities with my wife and kids, but I unfortunately did not take advantage of them while I had the extra time.

Instead, I took advantage of them, especially my wife, in a wrong way by viewing and using my extra time as an opportunity to get more “stuff” done.  At the end of the day, I knew that I had deceived myself into thinking that the other stuff was either more important, more urgent, or would make me feel better about having things checked off of my to-do list.  I didn’t feel better and I knew that my wife and boys needed that extra time with me.

So, here I am confessing, repenting, resolving to be more considerate and wise with how I manage my time, specifically my “extra” time, and exhorting you to do the same.

Has there ever been a time during your family worship where you felt like the entire family was distracted?

I know in my house, this has happened on more than one occasion.  It doesn’t matter how animated I become or how creative I tell the story, sometimes my family seems miles away. Read More »