And a 6-Six Year Old Shall Lead Them...

Check out this remarkable story of Deamonte Love. What grace of God! You have to wonder about the back story of the parents of these children. What happened to them?

Marching Orders

This is Deuteronomy 6:4-7 from the Amplified Bible.

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord [the only Lord].
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might.
And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then]
You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.

God's Word for Grown-up Men Today

"So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective." -- Colossians 3:1-2, The Message

You've been called...so serve!
You're in Christ...actively hunt out the good things where Christ reigns!
You're a man...walk boldly!
You're God's man...be alert to where your Commander in Chief is at work!

Katrina and Intelligent Design

John Piper has an excellent short reponse to Daniel Schorr's demand that the "Bush's intelligent designer answer for Katrina." Read this. Let's strengthen our understanding of the sovereignty of God, of sin, of grace and mercy.

Another question for family discussion

Why is there looting, rape, and murder in New Orleans and not Biloxi? Why were there not reports of these sins after hurricane Ivan in Florida?

Learning Lessons from Katrina

The dreadful situation in New Orleans is bringing out the best and worst in people. I suspect the media is magnifying the evil behavior, but they aren't making it up. People are looting stores. People are shooting at rescue helicopters and police.

Many more are quietly, unselfishly helping one another and remaining orderly.

So dad, is there an opportunity here to talk with your family about spiritual realities? You bet.

This is a great story on the nature of sin in people's hearts. Lawlessness becomes evident when the restraints are lifted. Does anyone have an excuse to be lawless?

Where is the providence and mercy of God? [You might consider that Katrina dropped from category 5 to category 3 just as it reached land. The destruction and loss of life could have been far, far worse. And with our satellite technology, hurricanes take no one by surprise. People have opportunity to prepare, to choose, to escape.]

Is there a difference between getting food, water, diapers, and medicines from ruined stores, and stealing TV sets? Train your boys to think through this -- what would you do to take care of your family, or the weak? How would you make it right with the store owner later?

How do you share with others about the love of Christ in this environment?

Rich stuff!

Satan's Strategy

Paraphrasing Gary Rosberg from his talk at CrossTrainers yesterday: "We know that Satan's main ploy with men is to isolate them. If he can get you alone, it's easier to lead you into doing something stupid."

Men need others, too. Let's help each other celebrate life, and finish well.

Mars Hill Church

How do we build churches on strong biblical convictions, and still appeal to the local un-churched culture?

How about your family?

This is a fun read. Just to get your going, here's a quote:

"Kate Justus recently professed her faith in a public way, getting dunked at sunset by pastors in wet suits as part of a mass baptism organized by Mars Hill Church.
The 22-year-old heard about the Ballard congregation through a friend who initially considered it "a really weird place," before telling her this: "It is actually very cool. They are OK with drinking as long as you don't get drunk, they are OK with dancing, and they really like sex as long as you are married."

Hold her hand

I was chatting with two of my favorite people, an 87-year old man and his wife of 58 years. I asked them for ideas about keeping a marriage going strong.

He reached over with his right hand, and patted her hand tucked into his left hand.

"This," he said. "Hold her hand a lot, whenever you can. It keeps you together, and keeps the man out of trouble."

That's pretty good advice for us, men. Let's work at hand-holding more often. Start today.

Next CrossTrainer Book

Those Young-uns Today!

For the last few years, folks at Beloit College have prepared a "Mindset List" for each incoming class of Freshmen. It's a good reminder, to me at least, of just how differently they perceive the world.

Some highlights:

They don't remember when "cut and paste" involved scissors.
Pay-Per-View television has always been an option.
Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker have never preached on television.
Pixar has always existed.
They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
They never saw Pat Sajak or Arsenio Hall host a late night television show.
Digital cameras have always existed.

Fight for Your Families

Great leadership from Nehemiah:

Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." (Nehemiah 4:13-14)

Notice that he posted them by families. And the families were armed against the enemy. (Do our families know how to fight the Enemy that seeks to destroy them?)

Nehemiah quells their fear. "Remember the Lord."
(Do our families have a gut-level understanding that Jesus is on our team?)

Fight for everyone in your family.
(Do we fight more for houses or for homes?)

You are the leader, Mister. Passivity = Cowardice. Ask your wife to pray for your courage and boldness.

Guarding our Speech

Pat Robertsen is getting appropriate criticism for his suggestion that the US Government should simply assisinate Hugo Chavez, near-dictator of Venezuela.

I am not supporting Pat Robertsen, except as a brother in Christ. President Chavez is a serious concern in the Western hemisphere, and the US government must not ignore what he is doing in Venezuela, in Columbia, and with Cuba. Robertsen probably gave words to the thoughts that others have had, but in publicly doing so he just gave Chavez a significant weapon of leverage. Chavez will use this as further justification of his military build-up and control. I believe it is not possible for Chavez to generally improve the internal situation in Venezuela, and so he has (like so many dictators before him) built up a false image of an external enemy to consolidate and reinforce his personal power base.

Why am I writing about this issue here? Because we're men, and men need to guard their speech.

Jesus said, "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken." (Matthew 12:36)

Let me be more cautious and quote the larger section of Matthew 12:

33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

So what we say is really a heart issue that needs the grace and discipline of Christ to change.

We will be held accountable, men. Even for careless words.

I often joke with people that I can be a "babbling Brooke." But it's not a joke, it's a serious issue.

Let's help one another to use our speech to build others up, especially within our families. Bold and gentle speech is the way.

This Dad Speaks for Me

I appreciated this tender-hearted dad, writing about the loss of his son in Iraq.

No Nosehairs Scissors on This Flight, No Sir!

From the Federalist:

"America's skies are safer today, aren't they? Even U.S. troops being deployed aboard chartered aircraft must undergo the same security screening as your average passenger. When the National Guard's 48th Brigade Combat Team deployed from Savannah, Georgia, to Iraq, the unit's commander, Lt. Col. John King, reluctantly instructed his soldiers to surrender pocket knives, lighters and nose hair scissors, in compliance with FAA anti-hijacking regulations. Having so complied, the soldiers were allowed to keep their rifles, combat shotguns, pistols, bayonets, helmets and body armor. Here we might suggest that the policymakers at the Federal Aviation Administration deploy their oxygen masks ASAP—they've definitely got their heads, err, in the clouds."

18th Anniversary

We were married 18 years ago today. I remember being fine and confident and thrilled until mid-way through the service, when I had to light the unity candle and my hand started shaking. But a look at my beautiful bride settled that down! I definitely married up.

We're better together for God than we are separately. May the Lord continue to bless our marriage!

Great Word Picture

“The Word of God is like cool water from a canteen. During the most difficult times, it brings relief and a feeling of renewal that allows us…to accomplish any mission set before us.” -- retired Marine Corps Commandant Charles C. Krulak

The danger of trying to make everyone happy

Inside I secretly wish I could avoid all conflict and make everyone happy. I intellectually know this is run-off from the chicken coop, but it’s a wish that haunts me now and then.

That’s probably why I really liked this comment from Tony Morgan, pastor of Granger Church in Indiana: “We learned long ago that to try to make everyone happy, you have to be comfortable with this ‘zone of mediocrity.’ It’s a place where there are few critics but it’s also a place where few people become really passionate about ministry and their relationship with Christ.”

Oh, Lord, help me to be Hot for you in all the right ways, not cold or lukewarm. (Revelation 3:15-16)

Get Your Family to Church on Time

You just have to see this. http://familymanweb.com/top_ten.htm

Back to Basics

We never get away from the basics, men.

“Peter’s word to us about [refreshment] is: ‘Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.’ Acts 3:19 Repentance is not just turning away from sin, but also turning toward the Lord with hearts open and expectant and submissive.” -- John Piper

Leadership Principles that Still Hold

Eric Mack rediscovers some outstanding leadership principles from Edward White Benton, a former Archbishop of Canterbury.

Real leaders don’t complain

Hey guy, pay attention to this. Marshall Goldsmith recently said, “Real leaders are not people who can point out what is wrong. Almost anyone can do that. Read leaders are people who can make things better.”

Think about that for your family.

Let’s make things better.

Great quote

“Can you imagine if Christians actually believed that God was trying to rescue us from the pit of our own self-addiction?” -- Donald Miller

What a perfect illustration of our sin – “the pit of our own self-addiction.” Wow. Just let that image roll around in your mind for a while.

The Real Thing

The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn't even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn't want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten.

The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.

John 1:9-14, The Message

Quote of the Month

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "WOW--What a Ride!" -- Kenneth P. Bowles

Sobering money facts

More Americans will declare bankruptcy this year than graduate from college.

The average credit card debt per American household is $8,400. On most cards, the "minimum payment" strategy will cost you $24,000 over 25 years.

39 Things I Bet You Didn't Know

This makes for fun dinner conversation with your family.

1) Debra Winger was the voice of E.T.
2) Pearls melt in vinegar.
3) It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for ayear's supply of footballs.
4) Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating arealready married.
5) The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, andBudweiser, in that order.
6) It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.
7) Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms oftheir hands.
8) Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale ofvodka.
9) The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," usesevery letter in the alphabet. (Developed by Western Union to testcommunications)
10) The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating aletter is uncopyrightable. Stewardesses is the longest word that istyped with only the left hand.
11) No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver,and purple.
12) "I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
13) Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.
14) A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
15) The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days ofwhen the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on theground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.
16) The name of the Don McLean song.)
17) Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king fromhistory. Spades - King David; Clubs - Alexander the Great; Hearts -
Charlemagne; and Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
18) 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
19) Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down-hence the expressionto "get fired."
20) Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th:John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2,but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
21) Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes themlooks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
22) An ostrich's eye is bigger that its brain.23) The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.
24) The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army forthe"General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.
25) The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point inColorado.
26) Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
27) If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have$1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without beingable to make change for a dollar.
28) The only two days of the year in which there are no professionalsports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the dayafter the Major League All-Star Game.
29) Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
30) The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" wasactually a Captain Kirk mask painted white.
31) If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floatingto the top and sinking to the bottom.
32) Snails can sleep for 3 years without eating.
33) Actor Tommy Lee Jones and vice-president Al Gore were freshmanroommates at Harvard.
34) The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from
scene.
35) Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th."
36) James Doohan, who plays Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott on Star Trek,is missing the entire middle finger of his right hand.
37) The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in everyfive must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstripsin times of war or other emergencies.
38) There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
39) All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.

It's the Little Things

Is there anything harder than being a good husband and good father -- consistently?

(Being a consistently good wife and mother is probably at least as hard :-)

I find it instructive to hear women praise their husbands or children praise their fathers. They don't mention the diamond ring, the big vacation, the bouquet of roses, or coaching the championship game. It's about the little things every day, every week, every month. Smiles and hugs, encouragement, bringing them coffee or treats, short notes and phone calls to check on them, the "I'm home" kiss, filling up the cars with gas, taking out the garbage, a $1 bill slipped to them at the store when they needed it, a wink across the crowd, the hand signal that says "I love you."

What's one little thing that you can do more consistently today?

Next week, add another one. C'mon it's not hard. We just have to do them.

Short hiatus

I will be taking a week or so off from posting, while I turn my attention to other things. Be bold, be gentle!

What if you were arrested...for studying the Bible?

Here's a good thought exercise for you, and perhaps for your family. What if the police arrested you for studying your Bible, or talking about Jesus with others?

It's not preposterous. It happens regularly in China (see this recent news story).

What would you say? How would you act? What Scripture passages would give you comfort, and direction? What might greater purposes might the Lord have for your arrest?

Lord, don't look past me!

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." 2 Chron 16:9

Mike Swaim challenged the men of CrossTrainers yesterday to meditate on this verse and then pray, "Lord, don't look past me!"

What do you need to do today to have a prepared heart?

Your Life Song is for the Lord

Casting Crowns is releasing a new album later this year. The album and feature track is named "LifeSong." I had an opportunity to hear this while driving to the visitation for a friend's dead mother.

The refrain is "May my Life Song sing to You."

Eternal life has already begun for believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. Our Life Song will not be interrupted by physical death. The echoes of our Life Song remain in this world, affecting the generations to come after us. But we will continue singing our Life Song forward in heaven, for the praise of Jesus.

By God's grace may we all sing loudly, clearly, and on key!

Lance's Best Next Move -- go home and play

Congratulations to Lance Armstrong on his extraordinary achievement, winning the grueling Tour de France again. It's great that he can retire at the top of his game.

Look what was buried in the Fox News story:

President Bush called to congratulate his fellow Texan
for "a great triumph of the human spirit," saying the victory was "a testament
not only to your athletic talent, but to your courage."

Armstrong's 5-year-old son, Luke, delivered a
different message. "Daddy, can we go home and play?" the boy whispered to him
as he stepped off the podium.

Improving Test Scores, or Education?

While I have some concerns about the Bush Administration's Leave No Child Behind campaign, there are some positives:

1. It draws attention on a critical issue
2. Test scores are improving

I still believe the federal department of Education is unconstitutional; governement oversight of education is not explicitly given to the federal level, and is therefore reserved to the States.

Read this Fortune cover story on America vs. China for some great reasons why we need to work at our education system.

But dads, we can't be focused entirely on test scores and grade-point averages. We need our kids to develop skills to be good citizens of the Kingdom. Schooling is just one element of their true education.

Murderers Must Die

Dennis Prager has another clear-reasoned article in his series on Judeo-Christian values. This one covers the value of human life, and the death penalty. It's interesting that taking the life of a murderer is the only law given in all five books of the Penteteuch.

Humor...sort of

Todd Wilson presents this top ten list.

You know your not the most caring husband in the world if you’ve ever said this to your wife:

"That’s a pretty good gash on your hand, Dear. As soon as the evening news is over I’ll run you up to the emergency room."
"Hey, can you tone down the crying? I’m trying to read here."
"What’s the big deal? I got you an anniversary present a couple of years ago didn’t I?"
"What’s wrong with our curtains? They were good enough for my grandmother and my mom weren’t they."
"What’s the candle light for? You afraid I won’t eat this stuff if I can see it?"
"What do you mean you have nothing to wear? You just went to the mall 8 or 9 years ago."
"A date? Alone? What for?"
"You want to watch that movie? It’s just a sappy romance without a single shoot out."
"You want me to read a book about how to be a better husband? Babe, how can I improve upon perfection?"
"You’re packing your bags?...so does that mean I'll have to make my own dinner tonight?"

And you've just got to click on this link to see a hilarious collection of photos.

Foreign Policy analysis

Charles Krauthammer is a national treasure. I occasionally disagree with his ideas, but he is always worth reading.

His seven page analysis of the US foreign policy shifts in the post-Cold War era is insightful, and eye-0pening. I recommend it.

But read it prayerfully, men. Ask the Lord to give you insight in how He has been shaping and using the affairs of nations. "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." (Proverbs 21:1)

Divorce rate down, but marriage rate down

From World magazine: "The ratio of married US adults has fallen to its lowest since 1960, to about 55 percent from 69 percent, according to "The State of Our Unions" study. Other startling statistics from the study: More than half of all married couples live together before tying the knot. The ratio of US households with children has been dropping since 1960, when it was almost half. The figure dropped to about 33 percent in 2003 and is expected to fall to 28 percent in 2010."

A friend mentioned last night that in his observation, "divorce is war at the family level."

So people avoid war because they don't get married. In the words of comedian Brad Stine, "Cowards!"

Actually, I suspect it is because the Baby Boomer generation has given a fairly poor model of what a biblical marriage is like. Covenant? As a generation, we haven't done covenant well. Let us each work to be exceptions, and win back families.

Promote Bible reading

By now several million people -- of all ages -- have read the latest Harry Potter book. Many of them read it in the first twenty-four ours. They sat transfixed, absorbed, putting off sleep or food or other distractions to focus on the prize. They turned page after page, hungry with desire to see how the story works out.

You don't see this happen with the Bible very often.

But the Bible is far, far superior to a Harry Potter book. It's God's very Word to us. It's a love letter from the Lord to us. It's the message of hope in this world, the most wonderful story of redemption ever told!

I remember reading the whole New Testament in three days after being challenged to actually read what I was criticizing. I was transfixed, absorbed, astounded, and awed. This Jesus was not like what I had imagined. And later, after accepting Christ, I read verses like John 16:23 and ran into my roommate's room to wake him up I was so excited. "Do you know what this says? Wow!"

I think there are two (and a half) reasons why few people get excited about reading the Bible like millions do for a Harry Potter book.

1. The majority of people -- even Christians -- perceive the Bible is hard to understand and dull. Let us repent of how we as contributed to this perception! Dads, pastors, and teachers all need to give the children and adults in their charge an accurate picture of the Bible. We frequently voice concern about "dumbing down" Scripture, and we should. Let us be careful about making the Bible seem like a book only experts and weirdos would enjoy.

2. Very few people have models or coaching on how to read large amounts of Scripture, in order to develop breadth. Nearly all Bible studies push for depth. Which is important. But love for the Bible also should lead us into breadth of study. We celebrate people who read the Bible in a year, or even a chapter a day. That's good. But we would also do well to challenge people to read the Bible over and over again. I outline specific strategies to help people read the Bible in 30-40 days in my book, Teach the Bible to Change Lives. I get gasps of "you've got to be kidding" when I lay out this challenge. But people (of all ages) who take up the challenge consistently tell me it has transformed their view of the Word, and of God. Dads, pastors, and teachers need to lead the way and model this.

The half-reason is that Satan cares not a whit if people read Harry Potter or watch CNN or clean their garage. He just wants to steer people away from the Word of God, and from prayer.

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will work powerfully in the hearts of His people, and give them an unquenchable desire for His Word. May it begin with dads, pastors, and teachers everywhere!

The Bible is the coolest, most wonderful book in the world. Settle that fact in your heart, and everything else will fall into place.

Encouraging story from Zambia

Check out this encouraging story from Zambia. Look for this line: "But when the choice is made, the joy is great."

Why Islamofascists Despise Democracy

Useful insights, via a Larry Elder column:

How can one "solve" the problem of Islamic extremism? The problem is this: to Islamic extremism, democracy is toxic. Al Qaeda-affiliated Abu Musab al Zarqawi, just before the January Iraqi elections, gave a speech in which he listed seven reasons to condemn democracy: Democracy requires obedience to man, not Allah; democracy allows freedom of religion, even to convert from Islam to another religion; under democracy, the people, rather than Allah, rule and pass judgment; democracy's freedom of expression would allow condemnation of Allah; separation between religion and state calls for secularism, totally inconsistent with Islam; democracy's freedom of association would allow one to join an unacceptable party; and finally, that majority rule is "totally wrong and void because truth according to Islam is that which is in accordance with the Koran and the Sunna [i.e., the tradition of the Prophet], whether its supporters are few or many."

We need to be clear-thinking men on the issue of combating terrorism. We are fighting to defend our families, and to project liberty for an ever-larger number of people in this world.

One of the interesting comparison things to note about Islam is the extreme de-emphasis on the Genesis account, that we are all made in the image of God. Imageo Deo undermines those who prefer hate to love.

Taking courage

You'll sometimes hear people say, "Take courage."

Question: "From where?"

Answer: Jesus.

Take courage from Jesus Christ, men! There is nothing before you that He cannot handle in you, through you, and for you.

Quote of the Week

"It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him."
-- John Steinbeck (1902-1968)

Training the Mind is Important

John Piper has some excellent thoughts here. He is talking about training children to read and think critically, which I applaud. Keep in mind that many adults today have not really learned how to read well and think through Scripture. (This wasn't something they emphasized on Sesame Street.) No matter what age, nor current skill level, we all have room to improve. 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' (Matthew 22:37)

I've reproduced the FreshWords article here; you can get a copy at Desiring God. (Better yet, sign up to receive Pastor Piper's sermons and writings by email each week -- no charge.)


Thoughts on the Significance of Reading
July 13, 2005

I was reading and meditating on the book of Hebrews recently, when it hit me forcefully that a basic and compelling reason for education—the rigorous training of the mind—is so that a person can read the Bible with understanding.
This sounds too obvious to be useful or compelling. But that’s just because we take the preciousness of reading so for granted; or, even more, because we appreciate so little the kind of thinking that a complex Bible passage requires of us.

The book of Hebrews, for example, is an intellectually challenging argument from Old Testament texts. The points that the author makes hang on biblical observations that come only from rigorous reading, not light skimming. And the understanding of these Old Testament interpretations in the text of Hebrews requires rigorous thought and mental effort. The same could be said for the extended argumentation of Romans and Galatians and the other books of the Bible.

This is an overwhelming argument for giving our children a disciplined and rigorous training in how to think an author’s thoughts after him from a text—especially a biblical text. An alphabet must be learned, as well as vocabulary, grammar, syntax, the rudiments of logic, and the way meaning is imparted through sustained connections of sentences and paragraphs.

The reason Christians have always planted schools where they have planted churches is because we are a people of THE BOOK. It is true that THE BOOK will never have its proper effect without prayer and the Holy Spirit. It is not a textbook to be debated; it is a fountain for spiritual thirst, and food for the soul, and a revelation of God, and a living power, and a two-edged sword. But none of this changes the fact: apart from the discipline of reading, the Bible is as powerless as paper. Someone might have to read it for you; but without reading, the meaning and the power of it are locked up.

Is it not remarkable how often Jesus settled great issues with a reference to reading? For example, in the issue of the Sabbath he said, “Have you not read what David did?” (Matthew 12:3). In the issue of divorce and remarriage he said, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” (Matthew 19:4). In the issue of true worship and praise he said, “Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have prepared praise for yourself’?” (Matthew 21:16). In the issue of the resurrection he said, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’?” (Matthew 21:42). And to the lawyer who queried him about eternal life he said, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” (Luke 10:26).

The apostle Paul also gave reading a great place in the life of the church. For example, he said to the Corinthians, “We write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end” (1 Corinthians 1:13). To the Ephesians he said, “When you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:3). To the Colossians he said, “When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea” (Colossians 4:16). Reading the letters of Paul was so important that he commands it with an oath: “I adjure you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren” (1 Thessalonians 5:27).

The ability to read does not come intuitively. It must be taught. And learning to read with understanding is a life-long labor. The implications for Christians are immense. Education of the mind in the rigorous discipline of thoughtful reading is a primary goal of school. The church of Jesus is debilitated when his people are lulled into thinking that it is humble or democratic or relevant to give a merely practical education that does not involve the rigorous training of the mind to think hard and to construe meaning from difficult texts.

The issue of earning a living is not nearly so important as whether the next generation has direct access to the meaning of the Word of God. We need an education that puts the highest premium under God on knowing the meaning of God’s Book, and growing in the abilities that will unlock its riches for a lifetime. It would be better to starve for lack of food than to fail to grasp the meaning of the book of Romans. Lord, let us not fail the next generation!

Hold her hand

A few years back I heard an older man talking about what makes for a successful marriage. He was counseling a young guy about what habits to start early in marriage. Frankly, I only remember one of them:

"Hold her hand when you pray together."

I've become consistent on this one, guys, and it really helps. Just don't squeeze too hard :-) And be prepared to be happy when you get a few 2nd-looks from strangers.

"All hat, no cattle"

I was amazed to learn that Bob Geldolf's Live 8 concerts were intentionally suppressing fund-raising for people in Africa. They had all this attention, all this self-promotion, all this noise, expressly to put pressure on the G8 leaders to give more money to Africa, and forgive loans.

The Texas phrase "All hat, no cattle" came to mind immediately.

We've done the "forgiving loans to 3rd world countries" experiment many times . It does not help. It encourages corrupt money-stealers to continue ungodly ways, and props up evil governments.

If we're going to sing, let us sing to the Lord and encourage everyone to live righteously. That is the path to peace, and blessing.

Feelings need to be acknowledged, but mastered

Some months ago someone complained to me about how hard it was to have a regular quiet time. “I’m not like you Glenn, I don’t like reading the Bible all the time.” My response: “I feel like getting in the Word about two mornings a week. I feel like praying about one day out of ten. My feelings can’t be in charge.”

I feel like exercising, oh, one morning out of fifty. I feel like eating a Big Mac, Doritos, and a Mountain Dew several times a day.

I nearly always feel like being passive and avoiding confrontation. I feel like letting others take out the trash, clean the kitchen, and drive the kids around. I feel like criticizing politicians and the newspaper editors, but I rarely feel like praying for them. I feel like shrinking back and rationalizing when others provide “helpful” criticism about my actions (or inactions).

My internal “committee” of whiners has a lot of feelings.

Feelings need to be acknowledged (we are flesh and blood, and our emotional life is very strong), but mastered.

Self-mastery is key. Self-leadership should occupy a lot of your energy, and then leading others (including your family) falls into place. It’s very true when we say “It’s not about you.” But this issue – mastery over yourself for the sake of maturity and bearing fruit for the Lord – is COMPLETELY about you.

“Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” – 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

Learning from Robert Murray M'Cheyne

You would do well to print off these quotes from Robert Murray M'Cheyne, and ponder them for a few minutes today. Let me highlight two:

"I am tempted to think that I am now an established Christian,—that I have overcome this or that lust so long,—that I have got into the habit of the opposite grace,—so that there is no fear; I may venture very near the temptation—nearer than other men. This is a lie of Satan. One might as well speak of gunpowder getting by habit of resisting fire, so as not to catch spark. As long as powder is wet, it resists the spark; but when it becomes dry, it is ready to explode at the first touch. As long as the Spirit dwells in my heart, He deadens me to sin, so that, if lawfully called through temptation, I may reckon upon God carrying me through. But when the Spirit leaves me, I am like dry gunpowder. Oh for a sense of this!"

[What a terrific image -- we're always subject to explosive failure in sin!]

"The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness."

[Our families need to set the spirital pace, brothers!]

Good insight

"Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state lives at the expense of everyone." --Frederic Bastiat

Dependency?

Dependency on God is a good thing -- humility is praised, and it's realistic. In the real world God is sovereign and providing everything we need. Every breath is grace from God.

Edwin Feulner writes about a government dependency index. It's curious to be reminded of how quickly Americans have come down this path -- in less than 3 generations, really. I'm not sure the 5th or 6th generation will come down the same path. A friend mentioned to me that he can't find the USA anywhere in Revelation.

Let's coach our children and lead our families in dependency upon the Lord God Almighty. That's timeless. That's for ever generation.

A Commercial, A Family Laugh

My kids found this incredible video documenting how I became a supervisor at work.

http://www.StupidVideos.com/?VideoID=792

We all had a good laugh watching it. I used to do fight workouts to this tune :-). Of course, now I'm off caffeine entirely.

May God bless America, and have mercy upon us!




The Declaration of Independence:
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -

-That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refuted his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

--And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Preparing Our Girls

Doug Giles has some blunt advice for our older daughters. Girls need their dads to explain how to handle themselves with ungodly men.

Communication, communication, communication

A lot of husband and father success is wrapped up in communication. I believe that the Fall corrupted communication deeply. Sin created separation from

• God
• Nature
• One another
• Ourselves

So until the Lord completes the Restoration of what He originally created, communication is going to be difficult.

Persevere at it. Do not get discouraged. Keep trying, keep going.

And occasionally some humor helps. Even communication "experts" (that would be marketers) blow it. Here are some brand names that some well-intentioned person selected that didn't do as well as they hoped:

Spunk - Danish sweet bar
Zit Lemon-lime - Greek soft drink
Colon Plus Liquid - Spanish detergent
Polio - Czech detergent
Krapp - Swedish toilet paper
Homo Sausage Beef jerky - Japan
Mucos - Japanese soft drink
Pansy - Chinese men's underwear
Fockink - Dutch liqueur
Pshitt - French soft drinkChevy
Nova - Spanish for "it doesn't go."

Appropriate Reading for July 4th

If you'd like to help your family celebrate this July 4th appropriately, remind them of God's providence in the founding of this country. The story of the Continental Army's miraculous escape from the British at Brooklyn Heights is worth retelling.

A good source to check is
http://www.npl.com/~tkrell/writings/bible/american-heritage.html

A few points to add to this telling of the story:

1. Before he announced his plan, George Washington had spent several hours in private prayer.
2. The wind shifted and prevented the British from bringing their ships up the East River.
3. George Washington was in the last boat. The British soldiers recognized him when the fog lifted, but he was outside of musket range.
4. General Howe asked his chaplains what sins they had committed that caused God to be against them.

Praise God for saving the Continental Army and giving all of us a historical touchstone to build up our faith!

Useful to Remember

Nearly all the Founders of the United States of America in 1776 were heavily influenced by the Great Awakening.

What are you praying for?

A Purpose Driven Death

For several years now I've had a vague discomfort with the popularity of The Purpose-Driven Life and The Prayer of Jabez books (and derivative products from bracelets to bumper stickers to videos).

I read Nick Jackson's A Purpose Driven Death and several things clicked into place for me. I'm pumping my arm and saying "Yes!" to this one. Read it and I think you'll see why.

The Next CrossTrainer book

I'm looking forward to the next CT book. Check it out!

Holy Ambition: What It Takes to Make a Difference for God

By Chip Ingram / Moody Publishers


God wants us sitting on the edge of our "life seats," leaning forward to pay attention to His Word. To really live this Christian life "on the edge," Pastor Chip Ingram teaches that we must be eagerly anticipating what God will do next, ready and willing to fully participate. Drawing wisdom from the life of Nehemiah, Pastor Ingram masterfully leads readers through six key components to achieving a life lived with a biblical perspective and an eternal purpose:

1. Developing a dislocated heart
2. Experiencing a broken spirit
3. Practicing a radical faith
4. Creating a strategic plan
5. Exercising personal commitment
6. Growing a courageous soul

Think of being a husband and father as being an Artisan

I just wrote a post titled "Teaching is a Craft" on my teaching blog. Read this and think about how your role as father and husband are a craft.

This calls for patient endurance.

Enjoying your Wife

During a business trip last week, I mentioned to a co-worker that I was missing my wife. His response caught me off guard: "Well, it's better when me and my wife are together less than 30% of the time." (He's a scientist, very analytical.)

This is a sad idea. An ungodly idea.

If you and I don't enjoy being around the precious wife of our youth for long periods of time, we need to go back to Ephesians 5 and check out our love level. We are not loving her as Christ loved the church. No, it's not her fault -- don't let that thought have any power, men.

Guy Perks

A friend sent me this list -- your wife may enjoy it even more than you do!

1. The garage is all yours.
2. Wedding plans take care of themselves.
3. Chocolate is just another snack.
4. Car Mechanics tell you the truth.
5. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
6. Wrinkles add character.
7. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
8. New shoes don’t cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
9. One mood all the time.
10. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
11. You know stuff about tanks.
12. A 5 day vacation requires only one suitcase.
13. You can open all of your own jars.
14. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
15. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
16. The same hairstyle lasts for years, even decades.
17. Your belly usually hides your big hips.
18. One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.
19. You can wear shorts no matter what how your legs look.
20. You can “do” your nails with a pocket knife.
21. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
22. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is too icky.

I'm not a father, but I play one on TV

Fathers still aren't portrayed well on TV, according to watchdog groups. Brent Bozell says "Hollywood has taken the typical image of Dad from Ozzie Nelson to Ozzie Osbourne."

1776 -- Character and Providence

I'm reading David McCullough's excellent history 1776. Great so far. It's helpful to learn about history, to see more accurately what people went through and how their decisions shaped their lives and the nation. You also see God's hand in history. (It could not be clearer than in the story of the retreat from Brooklyn!)

Check out this good interview with David McCullough.

Amazon has the best price.

What John Piper learned from his father

Here's a list of things John Piper learned from his father, based on his fabulous tribute to him. May God help us live so that our children rise up one day and give us similar tributes!

1. There is a great, majestic God in heaven, and we were meant to live for his glory not ours.

2. When things don’t go the way they should, God always makes them turn for good.

3. God can be trusted.

4. Life is precarious, and life is precious. Don’t presume that you will have it tomorrow and don’t waste it today.

5. A merry heart does good like a medicine and Christ is the great heart-Satisfier.

6. A Christian is a great doer not a great don’ter.

7. The Christian life is supernatural.

8. Bible doctrine is important but don’t beat people up with it.

9. Respect your mother.

10. Be who God made you to be and not somebody else.

11. People are lost and need to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

What will you pass on?

If you read 1 Chronicles 22-29 you will see an amazing picture of David actually being a father to Solomon. He gives Solomon a challenge to fulfill God's plan to build the temple. He lines up all the leaders to help Solomon, and provides nearly all the materials and a detailed plan. David ends his life well by passing on a legacy of faithfulness to his son.

There is no such record for Solomon at the end of his life. In 2 Chron 9:31 we read "Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Reheboam his son succeeded him as king."

Solomon began well, completed the temple, but then made daily decisions that took him farther from the heart of faith his father David had. He had great understanding and wisdom, but not obedience. Review Deut 17:14-20 and you will see that Solomon failed to follow the clear instructions for kings of Israel.

One of the important lessons here is that you cannot pass on to your children what you do not yourself possess. Take measure of yourself, dear father, and see where you need to build up your faith and perservance.

EMP and families

This excellent speech by Frank Gaffney about America's unpreparedness for an EMP attack on our electronics infrastructure is worth reading for two reasons.

First, as men and leaders we should take heed his warnings about preparedness and preventative measures. A number of America's enemies are pursuing ballistic missiles with fervor.

Second, consider this vulnerability not only as electronics dependence, but as a lack of family leadership. Were an EMP attack to be successful, and much of our electronics infrastructure wiped out, how would we do as family leaders? How could we hold our communities together? What would become important, and not important?

Given your meditation on this, what do you need to do differently?

Nature Must Not Be Worshipped

Check out this good Dennis Prager column about the distinctive difference between worldviews. This is an important concept to make sure your children understand.

"It is almost impossible to overstate how radically different Old Testament thought was from the thought of the rest of its contemporary world. And it continues to be, given how few societies affirm Judeo-Christian values and how much opposition to them exists in American society, the society that has most incorporated these values. Among the most radical of these differences was the incredible declaration that God is outside of nature and is its creator."

Biblical Marriage

Check out Marvin Olasky's fine column on "Strong Marriages"

"[the] Bible clearly shows the error both of feminists who claim no differences between men and women, and of sexual segregationists who argue that women are to be concerned only with marriage and motherhood.

Being Still

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

There is very little in our culture that promotes being still. But my cultural environment isn't the biggest problem to being still. I am.

There is very little in me that wants to be still. I want to be busy (even though I complain about it). I want some , but not too much, noise in my life. I want to have thoughts churning at 2000 miles per hour, and am too content to let 96% of these be about things that will not last into eternity.

O Lord, save me. I am yours.

Quote to Remember

"There is only one quality worse than hardness of heart and that is softness of the head." -- Theodore Roosevelt

Sobering information on fatherhood in America

An estimated 40 percent of our nation's children are living in homes without their own father. (Source)

How this must grieve our heavenly Father!

Let us be dads that stick!

Acquiring Self-discipline

I wrote below about self-leadership. Yesterday I saw this quote from Mark Twain:

"Do something every day that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain."

Sounds like a good plan!

Every Day Is Father's Day

Ok, I know it's not. But fathers are needed every day. I liked what Rebecca Hagelin said in her recent column:

"Dads, you know you can expect some nice gifts from your families when Father’s Day arrives on the 19th. And from homemade artwork to the inevitable tie, they will be things you treasure. But nothing compares to what you can give them all year long -- the gift of faith. "

Remember the last words of Hugh Latimer, burned with Nicholas Ridley at the stake for heresy at Oxford on October 16, 1555. (They refused to endorse Queen Mary, a Catholic, claiming that she was an illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII, born after he married his late brother’s wife, Catherine of Aragon.)

"Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out! "

Every day in your home is a day when you can play the man. And may the Lord fan into bonfires the flames of love that begin in our children's heart!

Self-leadership

"Everyone thinks of changing the world and no one thinks of changing himself." -- Tolstoy

Please note the title for this posting is NOT Self-help, but Self-leadership. Our narcissistic culture is fixated on the wrong perspective. Self-leadership is taking charge, accepting responsibility for your self (your genes are not responsible), and disciplining yourself into maturity.

Yes, maturity. That's a good thing. Staying young "forever" is not an objective. We should want to grow up and be mature, to seek out more responsibility.

Terry Storch has a great insight about self-leadership: we are only as accountable as we want to be. This short blog-posting is worth checking out.

Post-Jonathan

I'm working on a study of the life of David. One interesting observation: David makes most of his mistakes after Jonathan dies. He never seems to have a friend like Jonathan again.

It underscores how important our friends are, and the friends of our children.

How are you doing in the friend department? Are you working to make sure your wife and children have good friends who are good influences on them?

Quote of the Week

"There is not one square inch of life of which Jesus Christ does not say, 'It is mine!' "
-- Abraham Kuyper

How's Jesus doing with the square inches you occupy?

Fathers in the US

Ken Canfield wrote in a recent email that "in the U.S. there are approximately 62.5 million fathers."

Let that number sink in a bit.

62.5 million men who need help every day to love and serve and discipline and train their kids.

62.5 million men whom are charged with passing the baton to the next generation.

Will you pick just one today to encourage and help? Give him a call, drop by, share a verse to encourage him.

Instructions to the King

It's worth meditating on the instructions the Lord laid out for kings in Deuteronomy 17 (here, from The Message translation):

14When you enter the land that GOD, your God, is giving you and take it over and settle down, and then say, "I'm going to get me a king, a king like all the nations around me," 15make sure you get yourself a king whom GOD, your God, chooses. Choose your king from among your kinsmen; don't take a foreigner--only a kinsman. 16And make sure he doesn't build up a war machine, amassing military horses and chariots. He must not send people to Egypt to get more horses, because GOD told you, "You'll never go back there again!" 17And make sure he doesn't build up a harem, collecting wives who will divert him from the straight and narrow. And make sure he doesn't pile up a lot of silver and gold.
18This is what must be done: When he sits down on the throne of his kingdom, the first thing he must do is make himself a copy of this Revelation on a scroll, copied under the supervision of the Levitical priests. 19That scroll is to remain at his side at all times; he is to study it every day so that he may learn what it means to fear his GOD, living in reverent obedience before these rules and regulations by following them. 20He must not become proud and arrogant, changing the commands at whim to suit himself or making up his own versions. If he reads and learns, he will have a long reign as king in Israel, he and his sons.

Two observations:

Egypt is a picture of sin that we have been rescued from. How often do we go back to Egypt?

Studying the Word every day is critical. The Word, not your own version. How well do we learn from the Bible?

Terrific Book about Fathering Sons

If you have sons, get this book: King Me: What Every Son Wants and Needs from His Father , by Steve Farrar.

You'll be tremendously encouraged, challenged, and get some practical ideas about connecting with and mentoring your sons. Their natural state (let's just call that 'sin') is lack of discipline and self-centeredness. But that path leads to misery. Dads, you and I are called to strengthen our sons and build them up into self-disciplined, responsible men.

This is also an excellent study of the OT Kings.

The Lord brought this book to me at just the right time, and I think you'll find great blessing, also.

Get it:King Me: What Every Son Wants and Needs from His Father

Love from a Kid's Point of View

Not sure of the source, but this is good. Is your kids name safe in your mouth?

What is love, from a kid's point of view?

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
"Love is when someone hurts you, and you get so mad, but you don't yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings."
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is okay."
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."

Fear the Law-giver, not the Law-yer

I saw this quote recently: "Legal fear has become a defining feature of our culture." —Philip K. Howard.

I think this is true from a secular perspective, and much more so from a Christian worldview. Promoting fear of the Lord, rather than fear of litigation, would create much more good in the world.

Bible stories are the basis for wisdom

Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do -- and when and how to do it. Wisdom is also about recognizing the wrong thing, and calling it by its right name. (There is an interesting Chinese proverb: "The beginning of wisdom is to call a thing by its right name."

The Bible gives us a wonderful set of stories to help us live wisely. Read this John Piper analysis of part of Jude (bolding is mine), and consider how you're doing as the spiritual leader in your home:

The little letter of Jude teaches us something about the value of learning
history. This is not the main point of the letter. But it is striking.
In
this next-to-last book of the Bible, Jude writes to encourage the saints to
"contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the
saints" (verse 3). The letter is a call to vigilance in view of "certain persons
[who] have crept in unnoticed . . . ungodly persons who turn the grace of our
God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ" (verse
4). Jude describes these folks in vivid terms. They "revile the things which
they do not understand" (verse 10). They "are grumblers, finding fault,
following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for
the sake of gaining an advantage" (verse 16). They "cause divisions, [and are]
worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit" (verse 19).
This is a devastating
assessment of people who are not outside the church but have "crept in
unnoticed." Jude wants them be spotted for who they really are, so that the
church is not deceived and ruined by their false teaching and immoral
behavior.
One of his strategies is to compare them to other persons and
events in history. For example, he says that "Sodom and Gomorrah . . . since
they, in the same way as these, indulged in gross immorality and went after
strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of
eternal fire" (verse 7). So Jude compares these people to Sodom and Gomorrah.
His point in doing this is to say that Sodom and Gomorrah are "an example" of
what will happen when people live like these intruders are living. So, in Jude's
mind, knowing the history of Sodom and Gomorrah is very useful in helping detect
such error and deflect it from the saints.
Similarly in verse 11, Jude piles
up three other references to historical events as comparisons with what is
happening in his day among Christians. He says "Woe to them! For they have gone
the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam,
and perished in the rebellion of Korah." This is remarkable. Why refer to three
different historical incidents like this that happened thousands of years
earlier - Genesis 19 (Sodom), Genesis 3 (Cain), Numbers 22-24 (Balaam), Numbers
16 (Korah)? What's the point?
Here are three points: 1) Jude assumes
that the readers know these stories! Is that not amazing! This was the first
century! No books in anyone's homes. No Bibles available. No story tapes. Just
oral instruction. And he assumed that they would know: What is "the way of Cain"
and "the error of Balaam" and "the rebellion of Korah"? Do you know? Isn't this
astonishing! He expects them to know. It makes me think that our standards of
Bible knowledge in the church today are too low.

Goals vs. Desires

I don't know about you, but there seem to be a LOT of things in family life that generate frustration and anger.

This blog post, by pastor Bruce Johnson, is worth reading, and re-reading.

Johnson points out that we get frustrated and angry when we make our desires into goals. But many of our desires can't be goals, because we cannot control everything. Only make a goal of something that you can completely control. Allow the rest to be desires.

Good perspective on Stem-Cell Research

The popular media generally reduces complex issues down to sound-bites and buzzwords. There considerable [hooey] in the press about "the Bush Administration's ban on stem cell research."

I recommend this WSJ editorial if you'd like to read something useful.

Also, keep in mind that adult stem cell research -- which does not require destroying or manipulating embryos and is generating very positive results -- is what gets the private investment money. Private investment money goes towards what works.

Getting back into the swing of updates!

I am so honored and delighted by the sales of Teach the Bible to Change Lives and the signups for my weekly teaching tips. God is good, and may His Word work powerfully through teacher everywhere!

But I've been so busy writing up new tips and working with customers that I've fallen behind updating this blog.

Four Quick Jokes

A friend passed these four jokes on -- get a laugh start to your day!

1. A guy enters the monastery and he has to take a vow of silence, but once a year he can write a word on the chalkboard in front of the head monk. And so the first year, it's tough not to talk, but Word Day comes around and the monk writes, "The" on the chalkboard. And the second year is very painful — it's very difficult not to talk — and finally the Word Day rolls around. The monk scratches "food" on the chalkboard and enters his third year, which is excruciating, and the monk struggles through it, and when the day rolls around again, he writes "stinks." And the head monk says, "What's with you? You've been here for three years and all you've done is complain.

2. A man was praying to God. He said, "God!?" God responded, "Yes?" And the guy said, "Can I ask a question?" "Go right ahead," God said. "God, what is a million years to you?" God said, "A million years to me is only a second." "Hmmm," the man wondered. Then he asked, "God, what is a million dollars worth to you?" God said, "A million dollars to me is as a penny." So the man said, "God, can I have a penny?" And God cheerfully said, "Sure! Just a second."

3. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent and the serpent didn't have a leg to stand on.

4. Why didn't Noah go fishing that often? He only had two worms.

Let's work for a Life-Oriented Culture

Dennis Prager outlines some astounding contrasts between the Egyptian culture and how the Lord led the Israelites in his recent column . Great stuff!

A Must-Have Book

I highly recommend you add Thomas Brooks' classic 1643 book, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, to your library. Brooks was one of the great Puritan pastors. In this book he has laid bare the many schemes (devices) of Satan (see Ephesians 6:11 and 2 Cor 2:11), and the explicit "remedies" that God has provided us.

Great quote from C.S. Lewis

"We must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world -- and might even be more difficult to save. For mere improvement is no redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine." --C.S. Lewis

Dads, we must not fall into the trap of merely wanting our children to be nice. They need to be redeemed!

Teach the Bible to Change Lives is available!

I'm thrilled to report that my new ebook, Teach the Bible to Change Lives, is now available.

Check out this terrific resource at http://www.teachtochangelives.com. You won't want to pass up this opportunity for the ebook and three exclusive bonuses during this introductory price period.

If you would like to get a free 4-part minicourse on The Four Elements of Great Bible Teaching, sign up at http://www.teachtochangelives.com/4minisignup.htm

Also, you can sign up for a free weekly teaching tip at http://www.teachtochangelives/optin.htm

He is Risen!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

How to Pray for Your Pastors

Our pastors are treasures from the Lord, for our benefit. Let us be found faithful in prayer for them! The pastoral staff at Bethlehem Baptist have some recommendations on how to pray that will be good for your pastor(s) as well.

Good example

I didn't know Curt Schilling, Red Sox pitcher, was a Christian. If your kids like sports players, share this story with them.

Quote of the month

"The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts." --John Jay, the man whom George Washington appointed as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Gut test for Husbands

When was the last time you spent a solid 30 minutes talking with your wife about things she thinks are important?

Here's the challenge: tomorrow morning at 6am, you should be able to answer that question with "Yesterday."

Black Belt in Spiritual Maturity

David Allen (of Getting Things Done, which I recommend) has this definition of a black belt:

"You are a black belt when you have achieved a level of proficiency that allows you to train yourself when you get out of shape. That is, you have enough self-awareness to know you have fallen out of rhythm and sufficient master of the art to get yourself back to proper form."

Think about that in terms of a Christian disciple. Spiritual maturity (black belt) is when you have developed sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and know when you are not in step with Christ. And how to use the Word of God and prayer to get back into rhythm with Christ.

How are you doing at this men? And how are you helping your family to attain spiritual "black belt" status?

Practicing Mindfulness

My brain is usually flitting around on multiple ideas and tasks at once. (Some people talk about their inner voice. I have a whole committee in there, and half of them are whiners.)

One of the very best things I've been trying to do in the past couple of years is to sit down and just talk with my wife -- no interruptions, just asking questions, really focusing on listening, telling her about what I'm thinking (I have to work at using enough words for this!). Frankly, I'm still not very good at this, but I want to get better.

The key to progress, men, is to stop trying to multitask. We're really bad at it, anyway.

That's why I recommend you read this fun (and short 2 page) article "Your Brain on Multitasking." An excerpt:

"But imagine what it would be like if every time your co-worker, friend, spouse, lover, child wanted to say something to you and you turned and gave that person all your attention. End of story. No television sucking you into the event horizon. No glancing at the computer. No talking on the phone or checking your watch or reading a report... just 100% mindful, totally there, perfect eye contact, YOU. If you already do this now, that's awesome. If not, then if you try it--and I mean really try it--your family might think something's wrong with you. (One of those, "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" moments.) "

So try being more mindful today, men. You'll get more important stuff done right.

The Christian Response to Homosexuals and the Radical Homosexual Movement

There's an operating tension between levels of interaction. Individuals and small groups seem to operate one way, and yet something different happens in larger groups -- cities, states, nations. Macroeconomic perspective on unemployment, for example, says that 4% unemployment is wonderful -- celebrate! But in the microeconomic view, 4% unemployment means thousands of families are without work that want to work.

Something similar, I believe, is true for the issue of homosexuality.

At a "macro" level, the radical homosexual movement is undermining standards. They are defining deviancy down (and really, defining normal heterosexual marriage as deviant). They are coming after our kids, men. And the societal costs in the long run are enormous. See Ben Shapiro's recent column for more on this perspective. I believe the Christian response at the level of government must be to stand for God's standards.

At the "micro" level, where you and and interact with individuals who are homosexuals, we must also stand for God's standards. Our interaction must be telling the truth in love and with acts of love. This is the Jesus way, with compassion. On the whole we're doing pretty well with the "hate the sin" part and not very well with "love the sinner" part. See Ryan Zempel's column reviewing a new book, "Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would" for more on this.

For both levels, we need to tell the truth in such a way that they will respond.

Quote for the week

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." -- Helen Keller

Parent Job Description

Todd Wilson has posted a hilarious and largely true job description of a parent. Worth reading. And don' t miss out on his set of pictures if need a laugh.