Bill Gates is a Smart Dude, BUT...

I ran across this quote from one of the richest men in the world.

"Just in terms of allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There's a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning." - Bill Gates

Below is my response to his quote...


Mr. Gates,

First of all, I love your products, and I am extremely impressed with the stories that I've heard of your philanthropic and generous endeavors. I agree with you in one sense. Time resources given to "religion" are not efficient. "Religion" the way many people in our world practice is useless. In other words, I think "religion" is a really lame hobby as well.

However, I would plead with you, Mr. Gates, to consider that a relationship with the God of this universe is completely different than "religion." I have become convinced with every fiber of who I am that humanity (even the best of humanity) is in need of "saving," and that God made a way to be reconciled to him through his son Jesus Christ. There is a huge differnce between "religion" and a "relationship" with your Creator.

Grace and peace,

Robert


FYI...I didn't really send this, and if I did, I would definitely expound more. Regardless, if church is your "hobby," it's a really lame hobby. If Christ is your passion...that's a whole different thing!

Family Rituals

The other day, I remembered one of the traditions my family had. After every Sunday night church service, my dad would take my sister and I to Taco Bell. We loved it. My dad loved it because he took us "out to eat" and the whole family could eat for around $12. Even in his frugality, my father was doing something very important...establishing family rituals. For my sister and I, we looked forward to it all week, and I'm sure he did as well. It was one of those things we did as a family. There were many more "rituals" in our family and each of them bring some fond memories.

I was reading an article on the Psychology Today website, and it was talking about the importance of family rituals.. The premise of the article was that these family rituals are simple, yet powerful gifts to your children. They listed a few characteristics that make family rituals so powerful.

Here are the characteristics it lists as:

• They are low-key that everyone likes to participate
• They allow time to talk and socialize, but they don't require deep conversation
• They need to be done regularly and predictably
• They need to balance regularity and flexibility.

Link to Article - Simple Gifts

A little humor for the weekend...

MOSES AND THE RED SEA

Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School.

'Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely.

Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.'

'Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?' his mother asked.

'Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!'

Enough to be scared...

"My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what's really going on to be scared." - PJ Plauger

When I first read this quote, it completely stopped me in my tracks. I've found this to be true in life. When I hear someone talking about how they've got something completely figured out, they've mastered something, or how easy something is...I'm usually very cautious towards that person.

So as I was reflecting on this thought, I remembered a story about Socrates my first college history professor told when he opened up his first class of the semester. Apparently, one day, Socrates stood up in the middle of the assembly in Athens and said these famous words:

"I am the wisest man in Athens...because I know nothing...yet I know that I know nothing."

In my own life, I've seen this play out more times than I care to admit. The more I know, the more I realize that I don't really know. For many of you, that may be how you feel about parenting. The more you find out about this thing, the more you realize you don't know much at all. The more years you spend doing it, the more times you realize you might not be that great at it. That can be very humbling to think about, but there's good news. Our God has promised to give "grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

Some of the wisest and smartest people on earth are often some of the humblest. There's a way to approach life with humility, and my prayer is that you would approach parenting with that same humility. An approach that begins with the realization that no matter where you are in life, there is still so much to learn.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

"A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor." (Proverbs 29:23)

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

"A Nation of Wimps"

What a title for a book. Over 5 years ago, there was an article written in Psychology Today about a growing problem. The author's basic premise was that the way the majority of parents parent in today's world, is creating a nation full of adults who don't know how to deal with the realities of the world. The author later compiled many of her findings in a book. This concept immediately garnered my attention, and I wanted to share it with you. Like anything, you should read and consider its worthiness and ask yourself hard questions.


The Original Article - A Nation of Wimps

E-Book - A Nation of Wimps

(E-book doesn't include the entire book, but you can read most of it here)

What do you think? What strikes you?

The "S" Word...Part 2

No, this one doesn't have four letters...it has three. You know the word I'm talking about, "sex." Most parents would confess to being nervous about talking to their children about sex. You may have young children right now, but eventually, it's a topic that's going to have to be discussed. I recently read a series of posts about talking to your kids about sex. I thought they were extremely well done, and so I decided to share.

These are the last three posts...


What to Talk About, Part 2

Talking about Sexual Attraction

Celebrate Sexual Purity

The "S" Word...Part 1

No, this one doesn't have four letters...it has three. You know the word I'm talking about, "sex." Most parents would confess to being nervouse about talking to their children about sex. You may have young children right now, but eventually, it's a topic that's going to have to be discussed. I recently read a series of posts about talking to your kids about sex. I thought they were extremely well done, and so I decided to share.

These are the first three of six...more coming tomorrow!


Talking with Your Children About Marriage and Sex

When to Talk About Sex and Marriage

What to Talk About - Part 1

You can learn this weekend too...

This weekend is our annual Kids' Winter Camp. It's always a blast and a chance for our kids to learn a little more in a "no-TV, less distraction, purposeful" environment.


This year, our theme is "UP," and we're taking a mountain adventure while talking "Life to the Extreme" according to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. I know what you're thinking, Jesus' mount wasn't really much of a mountain. I know it was more like a hill, but go with me on this.


Regardless, you might want to take the opportunity to read through this beautiful passage of Scripture (Matt. 5-7). Jesus lays it all out there about the kind of lives we should be living as believers in him, and every time I read it, it challenges me. Because it challenges me, I know it's going to challenge the kids this week. All this weekend, kids are learning about what it means to live life Jesus' way...life to the extreme.

Feel free to pray for us as well as we go...

Friday PM - Matt. 5:13-16 - When you live life to the extreme, people will notice!

Saturday AM - Matt. 6:5-13 - When you live life to the extreme, prayer is REALLY important!

Saturday PM - Matt. 7:13-14 - Life to the extreme starts through ONE person, Jesus Christ! (The Gospel)

Sunday AM - Matt. 6:19-24 - When you live life to the extreme, you use money and stuff very differently!


We're looking forward to a great weekend. We covet your prayers!

The iGeneration

Apparently, it's technology week here at the Family Ministries Blog. Here's an article from USA Today about how this technology-savy generation will grow up in the world.

iGeneration

Enjoy!

Food for Thought #8

I found this article the other day, and although I knew how much time kids, tween, and teenagers spent "plugged in" to entertainment, the numbers really shocked me. I found this article by Albert Mohler to be extrmely informative and food for thought.

The Online Life of Kids


So, the question for us today is that despite the growing trend of media and technology in all facets of life, do you have times in your kids life where there is encouraged/forced/mandated times of "disconnecting." It's definitely something to consider.

Are you overprotective?

Many parents can fall become extremely "overprotective." I saw this book the other day, and although I haven't read it personally, it looked like a neat concept. I'd love to give it a read one day.

You can't protect your kids from everything in life...so let them have a little fun!

(I'm not endorsing the book 100%...just trying to have a laugh)

Sibling Rivalry in the Bible - #3

If you have more than one child, and they differ in age by less than 7 years, you have undoubtedly experienced a bit of sibling rivalry. It can take all kinds of forms and it can be rooted in all kinds of emotions, but it is there. It's as old as Cain and Abel, and the "problem" of sibling rivalry isn't going anywhere as long as Jesus hasn't come back. So, I'm going to begin a series of posts (1 each for the next couple of weeks) about sibling rivalry. We'll take a look at different instances of it in the Bible, and attempt to learn something together.


Jacob and Esau (Gen.25-27)

What really happened: Isaac and Rebekah have twins. Anyone who has twins knows that there are some times where twins can give joy like single children born separately can't. They also know that there are times when twins can cause pain and tension unlike children born separately. The Bible says that the two boys were "struggling within her before they were born" (Gen. 25:21-26). Eventually, they grow up and Jacob tricks his father and takes the inheritance from his older brother, leading to the separation of two nations who still to this day, dislike each other.

What caused it in their situation: I think the main clue to this particular case of sibling rivalry is that "Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob" (Gen. 5:28). In this family, there were obvious favorites.

The End Result: Two different nations are formed from these two brothers after Jacob "steals" the birthright from Esau and tricks his father into giving him the blessing/inheritance.

Be on the lookout: Make sure you are on your guard and watchful about whether or not parents have their own, personal favorite kids. Dad, if you're spending more time with one child while mom is spending more time with another, watch carefully. I know that can be difficult sometimes (especially if Dad coaches little league and Mom is the dance sponsor), but it may take a conscious effort to spend quality/special time with each of your children, lest you, unknowingly, develop "favorites."

What's the Takeaway: Well, the most natural takeaway from this story is that if you have twins, you should keep your eye out for certain kinds of sibling rivalry that can be exasperated by "twin-dom." Secondly, in this family, we see the obvious dangers of playing favorites.

The Myth of the Perfect Parent

Maybe you've seen them...you know that "perfect" picture of some family on a billboard or a commercial. They look so happy...and perfect...and downright sickening.

At least when I look at them, they look too good to be true...too perfect...and it does something to me. For years, many people have labored as parents under the dillusion that there is some perfect example of what parents should be.

Here's a news bulletin for you...the perfect parent(s) don't exist. Every family has pain, trouble, heartache, and, most assuredly, dysfunction. There are no perfect parents, because there are no perfect people (except Jesus Christ). So here's the good news...stop attempting to live up to the people on the billboard...be who God called you to be.

There's also another false idea floating out there. It's the idea that if you do the right things with your kids (i.e. go to church, watch who their friends are, only let them watch certain tv shows, etc.) then you can guarantee your child will grow up to know and love the Lord. That, too, is a myth. Those things are good things and are attempts to care for our children the best we know how, but the reality is that there are no guarantees (just in case you're wondering, Proverbs 22:6 isn't a promise or a guarantee, although it is generally true).

When I ran across this article the other day, I absolutely knew I had to share it with you. Please read it...it's worth your time and is extremely thought-provoking. I don't know that I agree with everything written in it, but it sure made me think about some of those "myths" floating out there.

The Myth of the Perfect Parent

The WHOLE Bible

One of the things "missing" with most children who grow up in church is often a sense of how the entire Bible fits together. Because of the nature of children's ministry, and having to be able to relate to kids on the entire spectrum (completely unchurched to churched all their lives), this is something that is extremely difficult to do on our end.

But what if you as a parent decided that you were going to take your shepherding responsibility seriously and attempt to give your children a "BIG picture" of the entire story of God. I think it's a noble undertaking, and one that I would encourage you to do.

It just so happens, that the creator of Veggie Tales has just started a new project that has the intention of giving kids the BIG picture. I think this is a very interesting project, and I am personally looking forward to seeing this come to fruition. Listen in to this sneak peak...

I'm back...

I'm back from my travels and looking forward to kicking the blog back off. Here's the one thing I learned in my time off celebrating with my new wife...everyone needs time to just "be." When's the last time you shut off the phone for a few hours or even a day. When's the last time you didn't check your email for a few hours/day. When's the last time you didn't check facebook for a couple of days. We all need time to get away and to enjoy just "being."

That's what I did my best to do over the course of my time away. I'd encourage you to find time like that...even if you can't schedule along vacation.