Why don't we MOURN more?

"You created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalms 139:13-14

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." - Jeremiah 1:5

You may or may not be aware, but today is the 39th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. In some circles it will be praised, and in others it will be scorned.

Today, if I'm really honest, I'm having a hard time. It's hard not to mourn the 50 million boys and girls, created by God, over the last 39 years who were never given a chance. That number is staggering to me, and I just can't shake it this morning.

[Note: Before you get angry/emotional about one side of the argument or the other, I want to say that I'm not judging here. That's not my job...the JUDGE will judge. All sin gets PAID for...it's either paid for by you or it's get's paid for you by faith through the blood of Jesus Christ on your behalf.]

I'm simply mourning a massive and incomprehensible loss...

...and I'm wondering why we all don't mourn more.

Friday Media...

Everyone knows how to "memorize" things. I can prove this because all of us can immediately pop off a whole slew of music lyrics right now. There's something about music that helps us memorize things forever. In fact, there are music lyrics from 20 years ago that are still in my head to this day.

So, one of the easy ways to combine memory and Scripture is to put Scripture to music. Luckily the folks at Seeds Family Worship who have done this for us. If you like it and think your kids will like it, there are lots of CD's available at their website.









Pretty catchy...I'm singing a couple of them right now!

Christmas is BIGGER...

...than simply a baby born and put in a manger. It's one of the climactic moments of God's entire redemptive plan that was set in place before the creation of the world...a redemptive plan that is not finished...YET!


This might be a great video to watch with your kids...take the 12 minutes to watch it together and see what kinds of conversations form, what questions are asked, and what they truths they might be able to connect!





Enjoy!

Friday Media

How are you leveraging this time of the year to talk about the things of God? There's so much more out there than just taking 20 minutes to read Luke 2 right before you open gifts. Have you given any thought to the teachable moments that might exist this time of year that don't normally happen.

Here's a link to an audio clip to help you get in the right frame of mind...


What Are Some Ways to Talk About the Meaning of Christmas?

Good luck...and enjoy!

Friday Media

What does the Gospel have to do with parenting? It doesn't always seem like those two go together...but they DO!!!

The Gospel and Parents - David Platt

If you have a commute or enjoy listening to podcasts while you work out, make sure you grab this one.

Friday Media...

Last week's "Friday Media" was geared around the memorization of Scripture. Well, I figured that we would continue the theme. Everyone knows how to "memorize" things. I can prove this because all of us can immediately pop off a whole slew of music lyrics right now. There's something about music that helps us memorize things forever. In fact, there are music lyrics from 20 years ago that are still in my head to this day.

So, one of the easy ways to combine memory and Scripture is to put Scripture to music. Luckily the folks at Seeds Family Worship who have done this for us. If you like it and think your kids will like it, there are lots of CD's available at their website.









Pretty catchy...I'm singing a couple of them right now!

Friday Media...

"I have hidden Your word in my heart...that I might not sin against God."

The author of the Psalms helps us connect the reality that memorizing Scripture is critical to living a life where sin is decreased and following God is increased. That is just as true then as it is now. There is a powerful link between knowing, memorizing, and storing God's Word in our hearts that helps us in the Christian life.

Ever wanted to think about how to get your kids to memorize scripture...well, below is a link to one prominent pastor's thoughts on the matter...

How Can Parents Help Their Kids Memorize Scripture?

There's your Friday media...enjoy!

Right On Time

Yesterday, I had one of those moments where I really enjoy being a pastor to the next generation. Here's the scenario. One of our families at church has three sons, and they have been inviting me to their community pool for weeks and weeks and weeks. I told them at the beginning of the summer, that I was going to come at some point during the summer months. Well, up until that point with camp and VBS preparations, I hadn't made it to the pool yet (or at least in the time frame they wanted). As you can imagine, there little brains had a hard time fathoming why I hadn't done it "YET"! I know this, because Sunday after Sunday, they would ask me, "when are you coming to the pool"? And each Sunday, I would respond..."I promised to come this summer, and before the summer is over, I'll be there. It could happen any day. One of these days you're going to be swimming at the pool, and I'm just going to show up...so you better be ready to be dunked and such."

Well, yesterday was the day that I showed up out of the blue...

As I got to thinking about it, it sounds really familiar. It sounds a lot like what Jesus promised when he said he would come back for those who have trusted in Him. And yet, month after month passes...year after year passes...and He hasn't shown up yet. The Bible talks about how no one knows the day or the hour that He will, but He has promised to.

I saw myself for a brief moment in those boys...aching/desiring for our "long awaited" guest to show up on the scene like he had promised. I have been promising them all summer and warning them that I would show up at a moment's notice...and our LORD and Savior has done the same thing. I wondered to myself if the boys ever thought...you know, I don't think Pastor Robert is going to come to the pool this summer...and I also wonder what the joy was like for them when they realized that I had finally shown up!

• "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoptions as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:23-25
• "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God who has called you into his fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is FAITHFUL." 1 Corinthians 1:7-9
• "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." Titus 2:11-13
• "...for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." 1 Thessalonians 5:2

What would you do if you knew He was coming today? What would be different? We are told time and time again in the Scriptures to be READY at all times for that day. Are you READY?

"Following" Jesus!

Saw this from a friend the other day, and thought it was worth a post. What an interesting way to take the story of Jesus and place it in a modern context. If you have older kids that are already in the social media world and understand the lingo, this is a pretty cool little video!

Enjoy!

Devastation in Japan

The biggest news story of the weekend was definitely the large earthquake and resulting tsunami that hit the country of Japan. Last time I checked, the death toll had reached thousands.

As kids get a little bit older, and begin to see some of these "types" of things happening in the world, they can begin to ask a lot of good/reasonable questions about why this kind of stuff happens or why God didn't do something about it. Whether they realize it or not, they are really asking a question that has been asked for thousands and thousands of years. Why does bad stuff happen? How does God and suffering go together?

It's in that vein, that I offer up a few resources that might help you as a parent talk to your kids about these types of things. These are meant for your own personal development as opposed to giving them to your kids.

John Piper helps me tremendously with the way he handles this issue, here are some links to some resources specific to Japan and others from previous natural disasters.

• A Prayer for Japan
• How Can I Believe God is in Control When Something Bad Happens?
• Is God's sovereignty limited?
• Tsunami, Sovereignty, and Mercy
• Tsunami and Repentance
  

And finally, this last link is a little paper I wrote up about the "seeming" contradiction (because there is none) between a "mean" God in the Old Testament and a God of "grace" in the New Testament - Did God Change?

Hope they help!

Hide it!

One of the very first verses of the Bible that I memorized as a kid was Psalm 119:11.

"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

At Firewheel, especially in the children's ministry, we are convinced that kids should begin to learn how to hide God's word in their heart. There are all kinds of benefits to that, and I could probably write multiple pages about the benefits of scripture memory. Instead of doing that, I figured I'd share a couple of links that talk about "easy" verses for kids to memorize.

10 Easy Bible Memory Verses

30 Easy Bible Memory Verses


How can you incorporate these at home? I really hope you'll consider that question.

Are your kids excited about the Bible?

As a children's pastor, it can sometimes be pretty tough to try and get kids excited about the Bible. For kids who love books, it can be a little easier, but it's still tough. The Bible is God's word, and it should be exciting. Below are some helpful hints about how to get your kids excited about the Scriptues. Who knows, they may even re-ignite your own passion/enthusiasm for God's word.

10 Ways that you can build excitment about God's Word**

1. Let them see your excitement.
2. Hold your Bible
3. Teach them how to use it
4. Explain where it comes from and what it is
5. Give them a place to start
6. Show them how it can be useful for them
7. Encourage them to memorize it
8. Find out what excites them and show it to them in the Bible
9. Use it regularly
10. Pray

** Taken from www.ministrytochildren.com

For more descriptions about how to do each of these steps, follow this LINK

Scripture Memory...and Bon Jovi

What does scripture memory have to do with Van Halen or Bon Jovi or Fergie or Carrie Underwood (depending on your musical preference)? Let me explain.

I'm always amazed (and yet shocked) to know how many song lyrics I have stored in my head. The other day a 15-year old song came on over the sound system in a local store, and I immediately began singing every word. It was like all those lyrics were stored away in my brain, and I was able to recall them almost immediately. Music has this mysterious power to it. When you put something to music (especially if it's catchy), it has a way of staying in our brain.

One of the things most believers lack in their spiritual tool belt is scripture memory. What if music and scripture memory were combined for kids. Well, isn't it your lucky day. It is.

...and this is just a sampling of their material. You can find more at www.seedsfamilyworship.net

And it's even available in the iTunes store as well.