A Call to Improve Prayer

Posted on December 7, 2011 by PS

prayers“I believe that prayer is the measure of the man. Spiritually, in a way that nothing else is, so that how we pray is as important a question as we can ever face”? – J.I. Packer

DA Carson has a wonderful, but not widely touted book called A Call to Spiritual Reformation.  In it, he teaches how to pray based on the prayers of Paul throughout the Epistles.  The following paragraphs are his thoughts about prayer followed by recommendations of ways to improve our prayers.

When it comes to knowing God, we are a culture of the spiritually stunted. So much of our religion is packaged to address our felt needs—and these are almost uniformly anchored in our pursuit of our own happiness and fulfillment. God simply becomes the Great Being who, potentially at least, meets our needs and fulfills our aspirations. We think rather little of what He is like, what He expects of us, what He seeks in us. We are not captured by His lowliness and His love; His thoughts and words capture too little of our imagination, too little of our discourse, too few of our priorities.

In the biblical view of things, a deeper knowledge of God brings with it massive improvement in the other areas mentioned: purity, integrity, evangelistic effectiveness, better study of Scripture, improved private and corporate worship, and much more. But if we seek these things without passionately desiring a deeper knowledge of God, we are selfishly running after God’s blessings without running after him…. Just as God’s Word must reform our theology, our ethics, and our practices, so also must it reform our praying.

Ways to improve our prayer life:

  • Keep the goal of prayer in mind as outline by Paul’s prayer: “the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him” (II Thessalonians 1:12a)
  • Plan to pray using set times for consistency at times when you’re most alert and least distracted
  • Avoid mental drift by journaling prayers, praying out loud, pacing and/or praying through Scriptures by praying about what you read during the day or using biblical prayers as models to pray for others
  • Pray and learn from prayers of others (e.g., Puritans in Valley of Vision, pastors)
  • Create prayer lists with specific requests and answers
    • Permanent list: family, close friends and church/work place on the topics of spiritual state, character, friends, health, protection, current problems
    • Changing list: Short term for current situations including world events, Christian leaders, pastors, government leaders, colleagues, neighbors
  • Follow a structure such as ACTS
    • Adoration: Praise God for who He is and what He’s done
    • Confession: Confess your sins of commission and omission
    • Thanksgiving: Thank God for His provision in your life.  What we most frequently give thanks for betrays what we most value
    • Supplication: Tie requests to Scripture passages to align them with the will of God.  We must ask our heavenly Father for things because He has determined that many blessings will come to us only through prayer. Prayer is his ordained means of conveying his blessings to his people. That means we must pray according to his will, in line with his values in conformity with his own character and purposes, claiming his own promises
  • Pray until you come to delight in God’s presence, rest in His love and cherish His will

If you’d like to explore the topic of prayer further, see what Jesus had to say about prayer.

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Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday and Does It Matter?

Posted on December 4, 2011 by PS

Every time Christmas rolls around the topic of whether Christmas is a pagan holiday and if Christians should even celebrate it comes up in some circles.  Below are answers from several pastors and theologians:Is Christmas Pagan?

  • John Piper tells us to sanctify the day and celebrate Jesus birth even if the date was originally related to a pagan holiday
  • RC Sproul answers that December 25th was a pagan holiday, but he believes that God is pleased when we celebrate Christmas
  • The Christian Research Institute (CRI) has a reasonably detailed statement about Christmas including the use of Christmas trees and the tradition of Santa Claus.  Elliott Miller, from CRI, concludes that we should be guided by Romans 14:5-6, 10 where we can choose to not observe it if we wish, but shouldn’t judge someone who does celebrate Christmas
  • John Ankerberg’s staff believes that it’s good to celebrate Christmas and we can celebrate any day as long as our conscience permits.  Despite the history of the date, it is the current meaning of the day and symbols that matter as we use them to glorify God
  • RC Sproul weighs in with the statement that ‘he can’t think of anything more pleasing to Christ than celebrating his birthday every year’.
  • The Biblical Archeology Review provides a history of how December 25th became the day we celebrate Jesus’ birth
  • For what it’s worth, the History Channel provides its view on the history of December 25th and its relationship to Christmas concluding that Christians chose the date to compete with a pagan festival and ‘baptized’ other pagan traditions like the tree in order to replace them as Christian symbols.  On the topic Christmas trees, it also has an extensive article on their history including references to Luther and the Puritans

The consensus from the articles is 1) December 25th was a Roman pagan feast day called Sol Invictus (the birth of the unconquered sun) 2) No one knew Jesus true birthday, so Christians chose to replace the existing pagan day of celebration with a celebration of Jesus’ birth 3) though the date is pagan in origin, no pagan ideas continue today in our celebration 4) Romans 14 provides us the freedom to celebrate on a date of our own choosing if our conscience is clear about it

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What the First Christmas Day Was Like

Posted on December 4, 2011 by PS

Merry Christmas!  Hopefully you’re celebrating Jesus birthday through worship at church.

ManagerSince we’re celebrating today, it might be helpful to get an accurate understanding of what the first Christmas ‘celebration’ was like.  There are many misconceptions about the birth of Jesus.  These myths were created through movies and songs that add to the information provided in the Gospels about Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and Jesus’ birthday.  Read through this list and decide which are part of Jesus’ birth story as told by the Gospels and which aren’t.

  • The angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph to inform him that Mary was with child
  • Mary traveled to Bethlehem on a donkey
  • The Bible says that three wise men came to to the manger to worship and give gifts to Jesus
  • The wise men were kings from the Orient
  • A bright star appeared in the sky and led the shepherds to the manger
  • A bright star appeared in the sky and let the wise men to the manger
  • The shepherds and the wise men were present on the night of Jesus’ birth
  • Mary, Joseph and Jesus shared space with donkeys, camels and sheep
  • An innkeeper told Mary and Joseph that there was no room in the inn, thus Jesus was born in a manger

The answer to all of the items is ‘False’ because of the items underlined do not appear in the Scriptures.  They are assumptions like the inn keeper, traveling via donkey and Gabriel visit to Joseph or legends like the number of wise men (based on the number of gifts). None of them are part of the birth story as told by Matthew or Luke.  Reread the Gospel accounts yourself in Matthew 1:18-2:18 and Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-40 and note the following facts:

  1. Mary and Joseph were engaged, but not married.  They lived in the city of Nazareth in Galilee.  The angel Gabriel told Mary that she was ‘with child from the Holy Spirit’ who will be called the ‘Son of God’ (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:26-38)
  2. An angel (we don’t know who) appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Mary as his wife (rather than divorcing her) and that she will have a son named Jesus who will ‘save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:19-25)
  3. A registration of all people was declared by Caesar Augustus requiring Joseph and his soon to be wife Mary to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem because Joseph was in the family of David
  4. They arrived in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus.  She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid them in a manger because there was no room at the inn (Luke 2:1-7)
  5. The shepherds were in their fields in the same region and an angel of the Lord appeared to them in the glory of the Lord to announce the birth of the Savior.  The angel told the shepherds that they’d find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.  A multitude of angels appeared praising God (Luke 2:8-14)
  6. The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to see Jesus and found Mary and Joseph along with baby Jesus in the manger.  The shepherds told them of the angels message.  They returned to the fields praising God (Luke 2:15-20)
  7. (Some undefined time later) ‘Wise men from the east’ come to king Herod in Jerusalem and asked where Jesus, the baby King of the Jews was.  The had seen a star and came to worship him (Matthew 2:1-2)
  8. Herod was troubled along with all of Jerusalem, so he assembled the chief priests and scribes to explain where the Christ was to be born.  They told him that He would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:3-6)
  9. Herod asked the wise men back to find out when they’d seen the star and then sent them to Bethlehem to find Jesus.  He asked them to return to Jerusalem to tell him where Jesus was (Matthew 2:7-8)
  10. As the wise men set out toward Jerusalem, they saw the star again and it lead them (‘came to rest over the place’) to where Jesus was.  They went into the house and found Mary and her child, Jesus.  They worshiped Him and gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:9-11)
  11. The wise men were warned in a dream to return to their home country along a path that avoided Herod in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:10-12)
  12. On the night the wise men departed, Joseph the angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt.  They ran away at night and stayed in Egypt until Herod died (Matthew 2:13-15)
  13. Herod discovered that the wise men weren’t returning and had all of the male children under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding region killed (Matthew 2:16-18)

This is all of the detail that we have about the first Christmas.  Everything else has been added through extra-Biblical sources.  Just take a look at the manger images on Google to see examples of illustrations with animals, star on the birth night and The birthday story itself really ends after #6 and the Bible isn’t even clear as to whether the shepherds found Jesus the same day he was born.  The wise men clearly didn’t see Jesus until some time later (possibly up to two years given Herod’s decree) because Mary and Joseph moved into a house and Jesus is described as a child rather than as a baby when the shepherds found him.  Not to ruin the classic picture any more, but one more point to note is that the Gospel stories make no mention of animals in the space where Jesus was born.

One the more positive side, some cultural background will help paint a more accurate Christmas story for you:

  • Mary was likely between 12 and 15 and Joseph 25 when they were engaged.  Engagement was the official legal bond rather than the marriage ceremony, which is why Joseph considered a divorce
  • Joseph could have Mary stoned to death (since they were legally married) as a punishment for unfaithfulness
  • They were poor as indicated by the offering of doves at Jesus presentation at the temple (Luke 2:22-24)
  • The census was likely issued in 8 BC, but did not make it to Israel until 5 BC
  • The wise men were likely from Arabia which was known for its frankincense and myrrh
  • Killing all of the children under two was within Herod’s character.  He had his favorite wife killed because he suspected that she was going to betray him

For more details on the fact and fiction of Jesus birthday see common misconceptions about Jesus birth and nativity scene misconceptions.  Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey and In the Fullness of Time by Paul Meier are good resources on this topic.  They are the source of cultural background information.

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The Fatherhood of God – Russell Moore

Posted on December 3, 2011 by PS

Father GodDuring this summer’s Connecting Church and Home conference at Southern Baptist Seminary, Russell Moore talked about the need to convey fatherhood of God in our families and churches.  He used Psalm 89:20-37 as the basis for his message.  The following thoughts were most helpful (times are approximate):

  • 7th minute – Every fatherhood is a copy of God’s Fatherhood
  • 9th minute  – Every boy is designed to be affirmed by his father.  A woman is designed to see herself affirmed by her father in a way that is seen as glorious to her father in that quiet and dignified spirit of 1 Peter 3.  The problem is that women are too submissive.  Scripture doesn’t call women to submit to men, but to her husband only.  Too many women are trying to appeal to men generally, rather than just to their husband.  The root of this is a loss of understanding of what it means to relate to God has Father.
  • 13th minute – The Fatherhood of God in identity.
  • 16th minute – We need to cultivate in our children and congregations what it means to be a son or daughter of God and that he is well pleased with us.  When we separate generations a the congregation, the next generation loses the ability to see our identity as children of God from elders who have been through more trials.
  • 21st minute – Discipline is the whole processes of shaping someone toward maturity.  Jesus was disciplined/taught/mentored by what he suffered.  He grew in wisdom and obedience.  The danger we face in that we are trying to communicate the gospel is that the we don’t have a sense of what it means to restrain our appetites.  We don’t understand what it means to take small appetites when our children are small and teach them to crucify those appetites.  Parents and mentors normally ask if a sin is catastrophic enough for to be deal with, but Scripture teaches us to hunger for God and his word in all things.
  • 29th minute – God’s commitment shows His faithfulness.  When people see spiritual fathers and mothers abandon a church because of criticism or difficult situations…   if parenting is about showing the faithfulness and fidelity of God and it is based on what is best for me at the moment.  There is an eclipse of understanding for what it means when God says, “I will keep My promise to you even when it seems like everything else in your life is falling apart”  in many of our congregations we have orphan making ministries.
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Highlights from The Sinfulness of Sin by Ralph Venning

Posted on December 3, 2011 by PS

There’s so much sin in the world that we often overlook it’s seriousness before God.  The Book of James teaches that if we break one law that we’re guilty of all.  Without our redemption in Christ, our one sin condemns us before our holy God.

The Sinfulness of Sin by Ralph Venning seeks to correct our nonchalant view of fallenness.  It’s far to difficult to plumb the depths of this book (I’d end up copying the whole thing), but here are the highlights from section two:

  • Ralph VenningNow the law not only forbids the doing of evil, whether by bought, word or deed, but also commands the doing of good.  So to omit the good commanded is sin, as well (or ill) as is the doing of the evil that is forbidden.
  • Whatever then, transgresses the law of God – in whole or in part (James 2:10) – is therefore and therein a sin, whether it break an affirmative or a negative precept i.e. whether it is the omission of good or the commission of evil.
  • Sin is a transgression of God’s law, which is not only holy and just, as made and given by a holy and just God, but also good, as it respects man, for whom God made it, according to our text and its context, and as it is in Deuteronomy 5.29 and 6.24, and many other places. I say, sin being a transgression of God’s law, which was made for man’s good, the sinfulness of sin must needs lie in this, that it is contrary (1) to God (2) to man.
  • The sinfulness of sin not only appears from, but consists in this, that it is contrary to God.  Indeed, it is contrary and enmity itself. Carnal men, or sinners are called bv the name of enemies to God (Romans 5. 8 with 10; Colossians 1. 21); but the carnal mind or sin is called enmity itself (Romans 8. 7). Accordingly, it and its acts are expressed by names of enmity and acts of hostility, such as, walking contrary to God (Leviticus 26.21), rebelling against God (Isaiah 1. 2), rising up against him as an enemy (Micah 2. 8), striving and contending with God (Isaiah 45. 9), and despising God (Numbers 11. 20). It makes men haters of God (Romans 1. 30), resisters of God (Acts 7. 51), fighters against God (Acts 5. 39 and 23. 9), even blasphemers of God, and in short very atheists, who say there no God (Psalm 14. I).
  • In short, sin is the dare of God’s justice, mercy, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power, the contempt of his love, as one writer prettily expresses this ugly thing. We may go on and say, it is the upbraiding of his providence (Psalm 50), the scoff of his promise (2 Peter 3. 3-4), the approach of his wisdom (Isaiah 29. 16).
  • Shall I be seduced by you to grieve the God of all my joy, to displease the God of all my comfort, to vex the God of all my contentment, to do evil against a good God, by whom I live, move, and have my being? Oh no!
  • Now since sin is a separation between God and man, an interruption of this communion and conformity, it must needs be prejudicial and hurtful to him.  Besides, the commandment of which sin is a transgression was given not only for God’s sake, that he might have glory from man’s obedience, but for man’s sake, that man might joy the good and benefit of his obedience, and find that in keeping the commands of God there is great reward. These two were twisted together, and no sooner is the law transgressed but God and man are joint-sufferers, God in his glory and man in his good.   Man’s suffering follows at the heel of sin, indeed, as he suffers by sinning, so in sinning; suffering and sinning involve each other.  No sooner did sin enter into the world, but death, which is a privation of good, entered by it, with it, and in it, for sin is the sting of death.
  • Man no sooner begins to live, but he begins to die; and after a few days, which are but as a span, and pass away more swiftly than a weaver’s shuttle, sin lays all in the dust, princes as well beggars. Sin has reduced man’s age to a very little pittance, from almost a thousand to a very uncertainty, not only to seventy, but to seven, for among men no man’s life is valued at more. Man’s time is short and uncertain: he that is born today is not sure to live a day.
  • Sin has made men worship either (1) a false God, which is idolatry; or (2) God falsely, which is superstition.
  • Is no less a power than that which raised Christ from the dead, that makes men willing to believe and obey the Gospel (Psalm 110:3; Ephesians 1.19).
  • In this world there is a door of hope, a day, an offer, and means of grace, space for repentance, a Mediator in Heaven a patient God, and a possibility of being blessed. But once damned, the door is shut and it is in vain to knock.  The day, offers, and means of grace are at an end. No room is left for repentance. God’s long suffering will suffer no longer. The mediation of Christ Jesus is over. There is no possibility of mending one’s condition. We should hear the words of the wise: ‘Whatsoever they hand find to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work (no working out salvation) in the grave, where you go’ (Ecclesiastes 9. 10). Think of it, poor sinner, think of it in time before it is too late; for if you die in your sins, though you should weep out your eyes in hell it will do you no good.
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Christmas Advent for Children

Posted on December 3, 2011 by PS

As Christmas approaches, and gift buying ensues, it’s often difficult to maintain the focus on the coming of Jesus instead of the coming of presents.  The Jesse Tree is a meaningful way to create anticipation for Christmas while telling the story of creation, fall and redemption through the coming of Jesus.  The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean and The Advent Jesse Tree by Dean Lambert provide a story and devotional respectively to help you use this concept with your family.  Here are some other ideas for activities to do with your family during the advent season:

  • FamilyLife has a page dedicated to preparing for Christmas including books, recipes and fun activities
  • John Piper answers the question of how to keep Christmas Christ centered.  His wife, Noel, provides some ideas for how to use symbols to keep the focus on Jesus including manager scenes, advent candles and a shepherd’s pouch.  Noel also explains why the Piper household doesn’t include Santa in Christmas.  John offers some additional background about their use of a Jesse tree rather than a Christmas tree
  • If you have older children, you can listen to RC Sproul teach about the meaning of Christmas and/or the Messiah
  • Focus on the Family offers ideas based on your kids ages including making ornaments, caroling and making hand made Christmas cards.  They also have a program dedicated to making Christmas meaningful
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Disney World Tips

Posted on December 3, 2011 by PS

One of the most important parts of family is creating strong bonds through shared experiences.  Vacations are a great way to do this and at some point or another you may feel the need to take a vacation to Disney World in Florida.  If that’s the case for you, here are some tips for how to make the best use of your time and money:

  • Arriving early is key.  By arriving when the park opens, you can cover ~3x more ground than later in the day due to limited lines.  Hurry to the FastPass lanes to reserve an early spot at the most popular attractions.  Getting an early time allows you to get more FastPasses throughout the day because you can only get the next one at the start of the one hour time window for redeeming the Pass.  If you’re staying on site, take advantage of the 8 am to 9 am Magic Hours where you can squeeze even more in.  Use the early time to hit the short rides that have a long wait (e.g., Dumbo)
  • Don’t feel the need to arrive super early for the plays (Nemo) or stunt shows (Indiana Jones) unless you feel the need to have the best seat.  If you arrive on time, you’ll likely still get a spot and be able to use the time you would have spent waiting for the show to start
  • Use an app such as the Unofficial Guide to Disney to help you optimize the sequence of attractions and rides.  The app knows the best path based on the wait time history it’s gathered
  • Character Dinners sound nice, but they’re really just an expensive way to get autographs.  There are generally four characters at each meal and they spend about two minutes at each table.  You can meet the same characters at Character Spots in each of the parks.  If you arrive early, you shouldn’t have to wait more than 15 minutes.  Cinderella’s Castle is really the only one that has special mystique because it’s held in the castle
  • Food is very expensive.  It’s hard to find anything under $3, so pack as much of your own as possible
  • If you’re on a meal plan as part of your package, keep in mind that there’s no distinction between a child and adult meal for quick serve meals (there are for table service).  You can get an adult serving and split it among a couple of kids.  Note that your meals are based on the number of nights you stay, not the number of days you have park tickets for.  Snacks are generally considered as anything under $4, which could be a cup of coffee or a nice double scoop serving of Edy’s ice cream.  Snacks can also be found in stores as prepackaged foods
  • When you buy a quick serve meal, you’ll often get a 20% off coupon that can be used at the largest retail store in each of the four theme parks.  Though not every single item is sold in these stores, they carry the most popular.  Hold off on your purchases and then buy everything with the coupon.  The coupon must be used before noon, but the stores will hold your merchandise and forward it to the front of the park for pick-up on your way out
  • There is a lot of walking through the day due to the size of the parks.  A stroller for every kid under eight is recommended if you can manage it.  Double wides are very difficult to maneuver through the thick crowds and narrow store isles, so two singles or a front/back double is recommended.  If you can, bring your own because Disney charges ~$15/day to rent theirs
  • Tickets are very expensive for the first two days and then very cheap for extra days.  Consider spending more time to maintain a relatively leisurely pace.   One full day at Hollywood, Animal Kingdom and Epcot is adequate, and two if possible at Magic Kingdom as long as your kids are in a specific age range (i.e., if you want to do little kid things like some plays and big kid rides like roller coasters, you may want more than one day at each park).  If you have the time and not the money, it’s cheaper to add an extra day than to pay for the Park Hopper option, which allows you to go to more than one park in a day
  • Disney pushes their picture card, which is very expensive.  You can hand your camera to their photographers and they’ll take a picture or two for you
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Highlights from the Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

Posted on December 2, 2011 by PS

Jeremy Burrough’s The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment is one of the all time classic books.  It’s definitely worth your time to read through it.  Below are some of the highlights to whet your appetite:

  • Definition: Contentment is the free submission to and delight in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.
  • A truly contented man, though he is the most contented man in the world, is also the most dissatisfied man in the world; that is, those things that will satisfy the world will not satisfy him.
  • Contentment comes, not by way of addition, but by subtracting from desires, so as to make desires and circumstances even and equal.  Our contentment does not come by getting the things that we desire, but in God fashioning our spirits to our condition.
  • If God provides someone riches, no matter how great, but also gives him up to the pride of his heart, that person will never be contented.
  • We must have more than the peace of God; we must have the God of peace.  It is not life that I must have, but the God of my life.  Not riches, but the God of those riches.  I must have the cause as well as the effect.
  • When a Christian who has learned contentment has some wealth, he thinks of how he can serve God and do good with it.  If God takes the wealth away, he is satisfied enjoying God and serving Him in another way by showing His grace in suffering recognizing he has a much of God as before.  God is most honored when you can turn from one condition to another according to how He calls.
  • There is a burden in giving account for prosperous conditions.  Those who enjoy great wealth must give a great account to God.
  • Consider your relationship to Jesus.  Have you not enough in Him?  All the riches in Him are yours.
  • One of the most dreadful evils that can befall someone is to have God give them up to their own heart (Psalm 81:11-12)
  • God has put us in the present circumstance.  Think about fulfilling His will rather than being discontented about position.
  • There is a heaven within the souls of saints.  No soul shall ever come to heaven, but the soul that heaven has come to first.
  • In the midst of our many sins, we hope that God will accept our poor services.  Why then, should we not, in the midst of our afflictions, bless God for His many mercies?
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Family Discipleship Program Help

Posted on November 22, 2011 by PS

In his message titled Help! I’m New to this Discussion of Family Discipleship at the 2011 Connecting Church to Home conference at Southern Baptist Seminary, Jay Strother states that his goal is to create a church culture that values families and supports one another in transferring the faith to the next generation.  He starts out by explaining that when parents were surveyed their top priority is to get their children into a good collect, so that they end up with a good job.  Based on what he learned from talking to parents, he worked to rebuild the ministry of the church to focus on six Biblical charactericts that he wants all kids to have (starting at the 26th minute):

  • Love God
  • Love Others
  • Love the Church
  • Love Scripture
  • Love the Gospel
  • Love to Serve

To implement these priorities into the church’s culture he applied to seven ministry principles:

  • Synchronize teams by linking ministries
  • Communicate the message from all venues in the church – from the pulpit to one-on-one conversations with parents
  • Resource parents with materials to help them drive ideas into the home
  • Provide materials to send home with kids classes to help Dads lead the family at home because God does not allow us to oursource spiritual development of kids to pastors at the church.  Basic encouragement to talk about faith in the home
  • Launch events as a catalyst to equip parents in key areas – have a session for single parents, for grandparents and other special situations
  • Provide service projects for family to do together
  • Move to an inter-generational worship model to keep families together (age 5 and up) together during church

He says that seven questions that should be answered (though I only caught five) to guide implemtnation of the new model:

  • How does Scripture lead us to equip families?  Abraham, Moses and Solomon all focused on training children and passing the faith on to the next generation
  • How do we align staff and resources?  There’s a champion for it within the church, but staff and resources must be realigned
  • How do you communicate this message clearly?
  • Can we lead in this direction with authenticity?  Are you practicing family discipleship yourself?
  • How do you evaluate your progress?  Listen to their stories about modeling and teaching along with surveying the congregation and ask:
    • If you know how to talk about faith in the home?
    • Are you practicing spiritual discipline?
    • Do you know how to take advantage of a teachable moment?
    • Are you living on mission together as a family?
    • Are sharing their faith with another family?
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Teaching Kids about Thanksgiving

Posted on November 19, 2011 by PS

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.  Here are some links to help you and your kids understand Thanksgiving’s rich history and consider ways to be thankful:

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