Your Family's Mobile Classroom

Article by Steve Watters

I learned a big chunk of life while riding along in vehicles with my parents. Our blue and brown Pinto station wagon was a mobile classroom of sorts for me and my brothers as our parents drove along the country roads surrounding our hometown in Washington, NC, including the 10 mile stretch into town and the 20 mile trek to church. Whether it was our full-spirited family conversations or the many times that my brothers and I would just listen in on our parents talking, we were a captive audience to observations about life, work, challenges, relationships, and faith.

Sometimes I think about those rides with my parents when my family is out and about in our Toyota Sienna. And I consider what our kids are learning from our time together in our mobile classroom. This weighs on me increasingly as I think about the Deuteronomy 6 call to teach my children, talking about the Lord’s commands “when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.” Just as it was with my parents, a lot of our “walking by the way” happens in a vehicle, and that is a significant setting for which we are accountable for shaping our children’s knowledge of the Lord.

That struck us a couple of years ago when were driving to Arkansas for a family camp. As we rolled down I-40, Churchill, who was 5 at the time, piped up with a question about a word that was new to him from the audiobook we were playing. “Mom, Dad, what’s baptism?” he asked. We weren’t planning a conversation on baptism for that trip, but we realized this was a prime “when you walk by the way” opportunity and so we paused the audiobook and made an effort to explain baptism to a kindergartner.

As we thought about that unexpected conversation, it dawned on me that Churchill’s question could have been quite different. It’s so easy in today’s media-packed vehicles to offer up music, movies and games to our kids in order to buy moments of peace, and also so easy to slide in paying attention to what exactly they are observing in their rolling classroom. “You know,” I said to Candice at the time, “we could have easily drifted in our van-time media options, and Churchill’s question could have been, ‘Mom, Dad, what’s a butthead?’”

It challenged us to think about how we view our time in the vehicle–especially in a day when entertainment options make it possible for families to spend endless miles on the road together with only limited conversation about snacks and bathroom breaks. What’s happening to our ‘along the way’ opportunities as children’s media fills up our minivans?

This has motivated us to be more intentional about those many hours in our van—about initiating conversations and being intentional about any media we use. Even the lightest of questions, such as “What summer activities are you looking forward to?” can keep conversation flowing and can make it more natural to weave in discussions about thanking God for His provisions or trusting Christ in the face of various challenges.

Leaving church, we often ask our children what they could apply from the sermon or from their Sunday School lesson. At other times, we’ll review scriptures we are memorizing. We’ve also found that sermons, audio dramas, podcasts (like Ask Pastor John), and Christian music mixes can give us stretches of concentrated engagement and spark good conversations.

Here are some Truth78 resources we recommend for getting more spiritual nourishment out of the time you have available in your family vehicle:

• Fighter Verses memory recitation—either the printed pack or the app

• Fighter Verses songs–word-for-word Bible passages set to music (with varied styles including folk, jazz, pop, doo-wop and even Gregorian chant).

• Growing in Faith Together (GIFT) pages–reflection on application points from Truth78 Sunday School lessons, either from printed pages provided by the classes using them or through the GIFT app.

We anticipate at least a thousand or so more hours of driving time with our kids over the next few years. Alongside the thousands of hours we have with them around meals and at bedtime, we have plenty of opportunities to be faithful to Deuteronomy 6:7. We pray we won’t waste those hours, especially the time that can so easily get lost “along the way” in our mobile classroom.

This post was adapted from an article that originally appeared on CBMW.org.

Written by Steve Watters

Steve Watters is the Truth78 Communications Director. Before joining Truth78, he earned an M.A. in family discipleship at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he served as the Vice President for Communications. He and his wife Candice co-authored the book Start Your Family: Inspiration for Having Babies. They have four children.

Posted at: http://blog.childrendesiringgod.org/your-familys-mobile-classroom/?fbclid=IwAR0Rb-VgdeLXdnj38bTe-9wv9JycZYMNixVQDU1x5foz_CLHa8JXRQ5UcfQ

The Fifth Commandment: Root of Honor

by Kevin D. Gardner

In Romans 1:28–32, the Apostle Paul goes through a litany of offenses committed by those who don’t see fit to acknowledge God. Many of the charges make sense, including that such people are “full of envy murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness” (v. 29). Yet there is one offense that might seem out of place: they are “disobedient to parents” (v. 30).

This phrase tended to make an impression on the teenagers with whom I used to work. It’s easy to say that we are not murderers or filled with malice. We might protest that we are not “gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil” (vv. 29–30; although we might have a hard time credibly denying the first two). But who has never disobeyed his parents? We might think that disrespectful children are a uniquely modern phenomenon, but the problem certainly existed in Paul’s day. The law of Moses even prescribed death for intractably rebellious children, a penalty that seems unspeakably harsh to people today (Deut. 21:18–21).

Clearly, the Bible takes obedience to parents seriously. The fifth commandment tells us, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Ex. 20:12). Let’s explore why this commandment is included among the Ten Commandments and what it means for us.

The fifth commandment is the first on the so-called second table of the law. The first table has to do with our duties toward God, while the second table has to do with our duties toward our fellow man.

It may seem strange that a command to honor one’s father and mother is the first of the commands regarding man. But it makes sense. The first commandment begins the first table of the law by telling us that we are to have no other gods before God (Ex. 20:3). God is setting up a structure of authority: He is God, and we are His people. We are to have no other Gods. We are to recognize His authority alone and to act accordingly. In the same way, God has set up authority structures on earth, and so He begins the second table of the law by addressing the most basic of these structures, the family—one man and one woman for life, together with their children. In this context, children learn what authority is, and they learn to obey. In the same way that we are to recognize and abide by our heavenly authority, we are to recognize and abide by earthly authorities.

As God is due honor by virtue of His being our God, so our fellow man is due honor by virtue of His being God’s image bearer.  SHARE

Recognizing this parallel, the Westminster Standards expand the meaning of the fifth commandment to encompass our duties in all of our relationships. The Westminster Shorter Catechism says that the commandment requires “the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors or equals” (WSC 64). The reference here is not to superiors and inferiors in terms of dignity or value but in terms of authority. The Westminster divines understood that while fathers and mothers are the first and most basic authorities in our lives, they are not the only ones. The divines also included authorities in the church and the state; we might add authorities in the classroom and the workplace.

In each of these contexts, we have various relationships. Sometimes we are superior, sometimes inferior, and sometimes equal. In each case, we have various duties and are liable to commit certain sins, and the Westminster Larger Catechism expands at length on these duties and sins (WLC 123–33). In so doing, the Larger Catechism unfolds the meaning of honor as paying what is due to them—to superiors, reverence, prayer, obedience, imitation of their godly virtues, maintenance of their dignity, and bearing with their infirmities (WLC 127); to inferiors, love, prayer, instruction, rewards, correction, and protection (WLC 129); and to equals, recognition of their dignity, deference, and rejoicing in their advancement (WLC 131).

To fail to honor those around us, whether superiors, inferiors, or equals, is to engage in rebellion against God. Especially in the case of our superiors, casting off earthly authorities is tantamount to casting off our heavenly authority, the One who placed those earthly authorities over us. This is why rebellion against parents was such a grievous sin under the old covenant and why Paul included disobedience to parents among the grave offenses committed by the ungodly.

As God is due honor by virtue of His being our God, so our fellow man is due honor by virtue of His being God’s image bearer, and so also our superiors are due honor by virtue of their having authority “by God’s ordinance” (WLC 124). When we honor our fellow men in their several relations, we honor the God who placed us all where we are.

Rev. Kevin D. Gardner is associate editor of Tabletalkmagazine and a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. 

Posted at: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2019/02/fifth-commandment-root-honor/?fbclid=IwAR3qBVKPGVQsCzgJXXCZ6TVo3SdYnr_jHC2JlkKk8PLL2EInIlVLPpxl9vo

The Parent's Daily Commute

Erik Raymund

I awoke recently to a nice, fresh snowfall. Curious to see how much we received I ventured outside to take a look. It was a modest amount, maybe 3 to 5 inches. It was early, and I noticed the sidewalks had yet to see any foot traffic. I made my coffee, resolving to shovel after doing some reading. Soon I went outside and there several footprints in the freshly fallen snow. Neighbors and others living nearby had made their way out, venturing to work or to take their dogs for an early morning walk. The soft blanket of snow had been disturbed by the shuffling of feet.

As I went out to shovel our steps and clear the sidewalk, a word picture emerged reminding me of the parental privilege and priority of prayer.

Think of each day when you awake as a fresh snow. There are no tracks. All is quiet. Then you get up and bring your petitions to God for your children. You pray for their salvation. You pray for them to honor Christ. You pray for their studies in school. You pray for their potential spouses. You pray for them to serve in Christ’s church. You pray for them to grow in their understanding and love of the Bible. You pray for them to be faithful. You pray for God to supply a rich gospel legacy. You pray for them to steward their lives and the gospel well. You pray for them.

Think of this parental praying as making new tracks in the fresh, previously undisturbed snow. You are, as their parent, bringing your petitions to the throne of grace. You are interceding for them. You are begging God that you would not do anything that would hinder their love for and faithfulness to Jesus. You are making a lot of tracks as you commute to the throne of grace. This is a privilege given to believing parents. We are instructed to pray for our children. We are blessed with the opportunity to do so. What a privilege!

But this is also a priority. They need us to pray. What happens if we get lazy as parents? If we presume upon God’s grace, then we won’t pray. If we minimize the danger of sin, then we won’t pray. If we undervalue the joy of holiness, then we won’t pray. If we overestimate our ability to parent them, then we won’t pray. This troubled me. It convicted me. I was unsettled a bit as a parent. To not pray for our kids is not to do one of the best things we can do for them. To not pray for our children is to neglect their souls. It is to fail to do them spiritual good. We may rightly impugn those who ignore their children’s most basic needs (food, shelter, clothing, time, development, and so on). However, how indicting is it Christians, if we remain we fail to make tracks to the throne of grace? What if we are mute at the bench of petition on our kids’ behalf?

Parents have the privilege and priority of making the daily commute to the throne of grace for their kids.

If you are a parent, think about what the “snow” looks like in front of your child’s house. Is it smooth and undisturbed? Or, have you been making fresh tracks commuting to the presence of God on their behalf?

Parents, if we don’t pray for our kids, then who will? It’s good to feel this burden. And, it’s good to know this privilege. Put together then, Christian parents should have a priority of daily praying for their children.

Be grateful, then, that God hears your prayers through the merit of Jesus. Know that he is gracious to imperfect parents like us. Be reassured that he is both sovereign and good; whatever he has decreed will come to pass. And so pray—and make some tracks in the snow.

Posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/parents-daily-commute/

APPROACHING THE FINAL EXAM OF MOTHERHOOD

Article by MARISSA HENLEY

Posted at: https://www.risenmotherhood.com/blog/approaching-the-final-exam-of-motherhood

This fall I watched my little boy grab his backpack full of thick textbooks, his lunchbox, and his trombone and walk into his first day of 9th grade. He’s a thoughtful boy, and he comforts me by wrapping his arms around my shoulders in a hug. (Did I mention he’s taller than me?) I have a high-schooler. And I’m terrified.

He’s been a delightful child and teenager so far. But it feels like the final exam of motherhood looms ahead, and I’ll soon find out if my parenting has been stellar or a disaster. It feels like the stakes are high, and my failures could impact the rest of his life. A verdict is coming on how well I’ve performed my most important task, and I’m hoping for a perfect report card: an A+ child, an A+ reputation, and an A+ motherhood GPA. Nothing less is acceptable to my anxious heart.

But when I look at my son as a final exam to ace rather than a fellow sinner being sanctified, I’ve forgotten the gospel. My fear stems from unbelief.

Maybe you’re right there with me, stepping out onto the swinging bridge between childhood and adulthood with your teen, worried that your identity and godliness hangs in the balance of your child’s choices. Maybe you’re wiping little noses and bottoms, but you’re already looking ahead nervously to the day your child will go make his or her own choices. Maybe your children are grown, and you look back at the teenage years and wonder what you could have done differently.

Wherever you’re at, take heart because the gospel changes the way we parent our teens.

Wanting an A+ Child

I’m terrified of the mistakes my teen will make. I dread the difficult conversations and disappointing consequences. But those who believe they’re healthy have no need of a doctor; those who believe they’re sinless don’t get to embrace Jesus.[1] When our teens come face-to-face with their sin, God’s gospel of grace shines.

No one wants a child like the younger brother in the parable of the prodigal son. I don’t want my child to be broke and broken, sitting in a pigsty because he’s made a mess of his life.[2] I pray my son will escape the ensnarement of sin, but I know his inevitable failures will be part of his sanctification. He won’t be perfect, and I hope his love for Christ grows as he sees his need for a Savior.

Wanting an A+ Reputation

If I’m honest, I worry most about the failures others will see. I’m tempted to think I’ve crafted a great reputation for our family, and this kid better not ruin it. I’m not only concerned about how my son’s choices will impact him; I’m concerned about how they will reflect on me.

But which would best display the glory of God: a strong family who seemingly has it all together or a weak family who loves and depends on a strong God? I want to say with the apostle Paul, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9b, ESV).

I pray our family’s choices bring glory to God, but I know our failures can also be used by the Lord to put his strength on display. We won’t be perfect, and I hope our love for Christ grows as we run to him in our weakness.

Wanting an A+ Motherhood GPA

I desperately want to ace motherhood. I often tell younger moms, “God is sovereign over your mistakes,” but I’m not sure I believe my own words. I’m eager to prove myself worthy to the Lord and others by my efforts, and I want to be the mom who nails every assignment.

The truth is God loves my son even more than I do. He proved his love by sending his Son to reconcile us to himself.[3] Our heavenly Father also has the power to work all things together for my son’s good and his growth in Christ.[4]

I pray my parenting choices bear fruit in my son’s life, but I know nothing can thwart God’s purposes for my little boy.[5] I won’t be perfect, and I hope my love for Christ grows as I rest in his grace for me and his sovereignty over our family.

When my unbelief says, “Your teen must be perfect,” the gospel says, “Your teen has a perfect Savior.”

When my unbelief says, “You better impress others with your righteousness,” the gospel says, “Let your life point others to the righteous one.”

When my unbelief says, “I hope you got this right as a mom,” the gospel says, “You’ve made mistakes, but his heavenly Father is sovereign over all.”

When our fear meets the gospel each day, God’s grace gives us the confidence for the high school years. We can stop putting our faith in perfection. Instead, we can pray that our children will grow in dependence on and devotion to the one who was perfect for them, who clothes them in grace-given righteousness, and who can set them apart for God’s glory.

1. Matthew 9:12-13

2. Luke 15:11-32

3. Romans 5:8

4. Romans 8:28-29

5. Job 42:2

Be Good for God's Sake

Article by Jen Wilken

“Be good.”

How many times did I say it as I walked out the door, leaving my kids in the care of another? Spoken in that context, it expressed a parting wish that the little one to whom it is spoken would, at bare minimum, not do anything bad, and at best, be a source of help and joy to the caregiver in charge.

When the kids were small, it was hard to find sitters brave enough to take on all four of them. It was harder still to find money to make it worth the sitter’s time and still be able to afford dinner out. When I told the kids to be good, I needed them to be. It was code for “Please don’t drive off this teenager, whom I really need to have a positive experience.”

You know the rules. They are for your good. For our sake, please abide by them. Until your parents return, be good.

Jesus spoke a similar word to his disciples on a mountainside:

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matt. 5:14–16)

Be good. Others will see it. You’ll be a light causing others to glorify the Father of lights.

GOOD AS HE IS GOOD

But what does it mean to be good as his children? As those who are the recipients of the good and perfect gifts of God, goodness toward others means generosity. It means we recognize that God gives us good things not so that they might terminate on us, but so that we might steward them on behalf of others.

The tenth commandment forbids coveting because doing so denies the goodness of God. Jesus speaks against hoarding because doing so denies the goodness of God. Coveting implies a lack in God’s present provision and hoarding anticipates a lack in God’s good provision in the future. Neither mindset will translate into generosity. Generosity flourishes only when we do not fear loss.

Possessing the good and perfect gift of Christ, we can count all generosity as affordable loss. God gives good things to us generously, risking no loss in doing so. We, too, should give good things to others generously, recognizing that we, too, risk no loss in doing so. We can be generous with our possessions, our talents, and our time on behalf of others because we see these good gifts as a means to bring glory to their Giver instead of to us.

AN EARTHLY PICTURE OF HEAVENLY GOODNESS

Generosity is not strictly for those who have material abundance. Because Oseola McCarty recognized this truth, the world is a better place. Born in 1908 in rural Mississippi, she quit school after sixth grade to support her ailing aunt, spending the rest of her life as a washerwoman. She never married, lived quietly in her community, and attended church regularly with a Bible held together with Scotch tape.

Throughout the years, the people of Hattiesburg paid her in coins and dollar bills to keep them looking freshly pressed. She found immense dignity in her work, noting that hard work gives life meaning. “I start each day on my knees, saying the Lord’s Prayer. Then I get busy about my work.”[1]

In 1995, at the age of eighty-six, she contacted the University of Southern Mississippi to let them know she would be donating a portion of her life savings to fund scholarships for African- American students to receive the education she had missed—a sum of $150,000. “More than I could ever use. I know it won’t be too many years before I pass on,” she said, “and I just figured the money would do them a lot more good than it would me.”[2]

Oseola McCarty, child of poverty and child of God, wanted to do good, and generously so. Praise God. Those who know good awaits them in heaven can afford to be generous on earth. They lose nothing in the giving of what has been given to them.

Generosity is the hallmark of those who are determined to be lights in the darkness as children of their heavenly Father. It is the calling card of all who are recipients of the generous good news of salvation through Christ.

BE GOOD FOR GOD’S SAKE

Be good. Be the person who seeks the welfare of others. Be the person who gives without counting the cost. Be the person who serves joyfully with no expectation of thanks or recognition. Be good employees, good next-door neighbors, good parents, good children, good musicians and public servants and artists and volunteers and caregivers and bankers. If you are, you’ll draw attention like a city on a hill at midnight in the desert.

But don’t expect that others will necessarily flock to your light in glad acceptance. The somewhat surprising thing about doing good is how often it meets with a negative reaction. Others may see your good deeds and give glory to God, but they may not. Cynics call the chronically benevolent “do-gooders.” Their exceeding goodness is indeed a light, and to those who love darkness, it’s also exceedingly unwelcome. It has a similar effect to that of sunlight hitting the crawly critters exposed under an overturned rock in the garden. Exposing the goodness deficit of others, the do-gooder meets with reviling.

Take, for example, the ultimate do-gooder, Jesus himself.

DON’T GROW WEARY OF DOING GOOD

“He went about doing good. . . . They put him to death by hanging him on a tree” (Acts 10:38–39). Peter’s words to the Gentiles about how evil responds to good instruct us. If we are to walk in the light as he is in the light, we will strive to be good and do good, and we should prepare to be treated as he was treated. There is no room among the children of God for any goodness aimed at securing favor with God or others.

Only a goodness aimed at expressing our gratitude to a good God will do. Only a goodness seeking to reflect him will suffice. Only a goodness bent on loving our neighbor will store up treasure in heaven. If our neighbor rejects us, so be it. We have done as Christ would have done. If our neighbor accepts us and glorifies God, we rejoice with the angels.

It will not do to “be good for goodness’ sake”—we must be good for Goodness’s sake—for God’s sake, whose goodness we daily enjoy. And we must persist in being good. Paul encourages us that goodness may be wearying, but that it yields a harvest: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).

The fight for goodness is one that will take time and effort. We may grow weary of our own internal resistance to growing in goodness, or we may grow weary of the resistance of others to our goodness lived out. But steadfastness in doing good will yield fruit in season. As it ripens, it will mark us out increasingly as the sons and daughters of the Father of Lights.

[1] Karl Zinsmeister, “Oseola McCarty,” The Philanthropy Roundtable, “The Philanthropy Hall of Fame,” accessed June 27, 2017, http://www .philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/hall_of_fame/oseola_mccarty/.

[2] Rick Bragg, “All She Has, $150,000, Is Going to a University,” The New York Times online, August 12, 1995, http://www.nytimes.com /1995/08/13/us/all-she-has-150000-is-going-to-a-university.html.

Content taken from In His Image: 10 Ways God Calls Us to Reflect His Character by Jen Wilkin, ©2018. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.

Jen Wilkin is a speaker, writer, and teacher of women’s Bible studies. During her seventeen years of teaching, she has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. Jen and her family are members of the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas.

Posted at: http://gcdiscipleship.com/2019/01/10/be-good-for-gods-sake/

5 Sure Fire Ways to Motivate Your Child to Use Porn

Article by Rick Thomas

Before I get into five surefire ways to motivate your child to use pornography, let me establish two critical points. The first is that no parent wants their child to become involved in pornography. We all agree on this.

The problem for many of us is that we do not understand the insidious allurement of pornography or how our behavior as parents, though unintentional, can help shape a child to crave something that can lead him to a lifetime of slavery.

There are always unintended consequences of our actions. We can’t act one way, good or bad, and expect our efforts to have no unintended consequences. Like a rock dropped into a lake, there will always be a ripple effect on our attitudes and our actions.

Secondly, pornography for a man is not primarily about the physicality of a woman. A woman’s appearance is an external magnet for the eye to enjoy, but the more significant problem for the man are the cravings of his heart.

Pornography is first and foremost about the theater of the mind where the man can enter into his virtual world and be king for a day, or in this case, king for a few minutes as he satisfies his mind with the “risk-free intrigue” of his cyber conquests.

Porn is a secret world that resides in the heart. It is lust, which feeds itself while in the darkness of a person’s mind. This reality makes what we do as parents all the more important because the mind of a child is not altogether discernible.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. – James 1:14-15

The seeds of lust can be planted in the mind of a child years before he or she is old enough to act out on what has been growing inside the heart.

The continuum of being lured and enticed by sin, to desiring and conceiving sin, does not have to happen in a rapid sequence. It can take years for this “sinful sequence” to bring sin and death to a person’s life.

In most cases, the allurement and enticement of the porn addict begin in his mind while still a child. This early and unintentional training has been a consistent pattern I have seen in counseling. A child can be in “porn training” long before there is an awareness from the child or the parents.

Non-Romantic Marriage

#1 – Porn Training – Only certain kinds of women are porn-worthy.

The Christian home should be a sexual home. God said sex was good and His first couple was not ashamed about their unique sexualities. It was only when sin entered their world that people became twisted about sex and sexuality.

One of the most significant unintended consequences of the non-romantic marriage is how it communicates that certain kinds of individuals are not “porn-worthy.” Before your mouth completely hits the floor, let me explain.

A significant characteristic of the “porn trained mind” is how some people are worthy to be lusted after, and others are not worthy. We all know who is worth our lust-filled attention.

Women certainly know what can draw the attention of a man. This awareness is why so many of them obsess over how they look, how much they weigh, what they wear, and the horror of growing old.

Though they would not connect this as being porn-worthy, and they shouldn’t, many of them want to be worthy of their husband’s attention: they want their husbands to desire them. While this is not wrong, it can be deadly, especially in a marriage where the husband does not desire his wife.

A husband who does not romantically pursue his wife can send a message to his children that she is not worthy of being pursued. She does not fit his criteria. She is not attractive to him.

Couple this with filling the child’s mind with sensual media like television, movies, and the Internet, it begins to establish a kind of “beauty” that is worthy of a person’s gaze—a beauty the Bible does not exalt.

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. – 1 Peter 2:3-4

An effective way to highlight biblical beauty is for the husband to pursue his wife. Lots of hugging and kissing between the husband and wife can establish biblical beauty for the child. Holding hands, dancing in the living room, hugging for extended periods, and smooching in front of the kids are beautiful examples of who and what is worthy of a man’s love.

Instant Gratification

#2 – Porn Training – Cyber women are downloadable and extinguishable.

It’s a bad idea to give a child whatever he wants. This parenting strategy makes him the perfect candidate for porn training. An integral characteristic of the pornographer is the immediate accessibility and extinguishability of the cyber girl.

A child who receives the desires of his heart when and how he wants them met is set up for a lifetime of instant gratification. When children run the home by easily persuading their parents to give them the desires of their hearts, there is virtually nothing to stop them from getting into porn if the opportunity arises, and the opportunity will arise.

According to Covenant Eyes (CE), porn addiction owns fifty percent of all Christian men and twenty percent of all Christian women. CE also says global porn revenues are down by half due to the amount of free porn online.

Porn is exponentially easier to access than it was just ten years ago. All a person needs to enjoy porn is a heart that lusts and access to the ubiquitous web.

If the child is set up to get his selfish desires met, it won’t be hard for him to be allured by porn. Instant gratification in a child breeds instant gratification when they are adults. We’re hiding our heads in the sand to think we can meet all the desires of our children’s hearts and expect them not to be that way when they are adults.

Non-Communicative Couples

#3 – Porn Training – Married couples communicate less and less, a requirement for porn enjoyment.

One of the common complaints I hear from couples in marriage counseling is the couple’s lack of communication; they hardly talk to each other. If they do talk, it’s usually about family events, mutual transactions, and marital business.

Non-communication is a prerequisite for the “porn trainee” because viewing porn is not a verbal endeavor. Pornography is enjoyment for the twisted heart that does not require verbal interaction.

Non-communicative parents train their children to devalue words, which also teaches them to devalue the opposite sex. A man who does not talk to his wife is sending a loud message–she is not worthy of my words.

Nothing devalues a woman more than pornography. The female is objectified only to be used slavishly to satisfy the putrid mind of a man. Talking is not part of that scenario.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29

Husbands, your children need to see the value you give to your wife by giving her your best words throughout your day. Those are words that build up, cherish, nourish, and adore your wife. Show the value you place on the woman you married. Exalt her in the minds of your children.

Talking well is not only valuing the person, but it’s exalting the use of words. The purpose of words is one of the most influential ways the Lord builds us up.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

No Consequences for Actions

#4 – Porn Training – Teaches a false confidence through a risk-free relationship.

A child who does not have to pay for what he has done wrong will learn how to get away with anything. No consequences for actions is the kind of thing that gives a porn addict a false confidence in a “risk-free” virtual environment.

Children need a comprehensive view of love, which means appropriate discipline when they do wrong (Hebrews 12:6). The spoiled child who suffers little consequences in life will have a low regard for rules and authority.

Porn has no rules, and it’s a low-risk habit. It doesn’t take much to do porn. It’s not like robbing a bank. A child who knows he can get away with things is easy prey for porn’s allurements.

Biblical discipline is a matter of respect and honor for God and His Word. There are rights and wrongs in God’s world. The porn addict does not have this kind of respect. The lines are blurred; a reality for him that did not begin when he first viewed pornography.

Many porn addicts have a low view of the law of God. They do not care because they have not been made to care. One of the ways you can discern respect and honor in your child is how he respects and honors his siblings or his mother.

Typically, a child will disregard his mother more than he will his dad. When children do this, they are transgressing the boundaries of honor, respect, kindness, and biblical love–all prerequisites for using porn.

Critical Community in the Home

#5 – Porn Training – Criticism and anger are the most common ways we devalue others.

Is your home a place of encouragement, praise, affirmation, and love or a place of frustration, impatience, criticalness, and self-centeredness? The porn world is a “refuge” where people go to escape the sadness of their lives. It’s a place where the addict can obtain personal satisfaction for his unsatisfying life.

A child is affected more by his home life than any other place on earth. Even the church cannot accomplish what the home can. If the home is not a shelter of encouragement, your child will be tempted to find refuge somewhere else. Porn is always beckoning the sad soul.

Porn will never criticize, condemn, admonish, discourage, or disappoint: these are the twisted lies of Satan. Porn “builds up” the hurting soul. All the addict needs to do is tweak his conscience to make it okay for his mind to do porn (Romans 2:14-15).

Once his conscience is appropriately hardened, he is home free–according to his self-deception (Hebrews 3:7). The best antidote for this kind of twisted thinking is to create a culture of encouragement in the home.

The Porn Trained Child

Porn training happens by abdication. Children are responders, and they will respond to what the parents give them. Their hearts are like open buckets, longing for their parents to fill them. It is the parent’s joy and privilege to cooperate with the Lord in directing the child to Him.

1. Parenting well does not mean your child is home free.

2. Poor parenting does not mean your child is predetermined to be bad.

A parent’s behavior does not determine the morality of the child; the grace of God does. However, your responsibility to biblically steward your children does matter. You should not presume on God’s grace (Psalm 19:13). The question for you to answer is, “How do I need to change to cooperate with the Lord in the parenting of my child?”

Posted at: https://rickthomas.net/five-sure-fire-ways-to-motivate-your-child-to-use-porn/?fbclid=IwAR3IRGu6BT8RVmHZyeAtzi1PMAZTUVsVkNI1eX-3olQO-PQFFCiFVy_cWao

9 Parenting Truths

John Piper addressed the question, Does Proverbs Promise My Child Will Not Stray? in a recent episode of Ask Pastor John. As you might have guessed, the question was based on Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Piper ended the episode by sharing these 9 truths for parents to remember and follow:

1) In general, bringing up children God’s way will lead them to eternal life. In general, that is true.

2) This reality would include putting our hope in God and praying earnestly for our wisdom and for their salvation all the way to the grave. Don’t just pray until they get converted at age 6. Pray all the way to the grave for your children’s conversions and for the perseverance of their apparent conversions.

3) Saturate them with the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

4) Be radically consistent and authentic in your own faith — not just in behavior, but in affections. Kids need to see how precious Jesus is to mom and dad, not just how he is obeyed or how they get to church or how they read devotions or how they do duty, duty, duty. They need to see the joy and the satisfaction in mom and dad’s heart that Jesus is the greatest friend in the world.

5) Model the preciousness of the gospel. As we parents confess our own sins and depend on grace, our kids will say, “Oh, you don’t have to be perfect. Mom and dad aren’t perfect. They love grace. They love the gospel because Jesus forgives their sins. And I will know then he can forgive my sins.”

6) Be part of a Bible-saturated, loving church. Kids need to be surrounded by other believers and not just mom and dad.

7) Require obedience. Do not be lazy. There are so many young parents today that appear so lazy. They are not willing to get up and do what needs to be done to bring this kid into line. So we should follow through on our punishments and follow through especially on all of our promises of good things that we say we are going to do for them.

8) God saves children out of failed and unbelieving parenting. God is sovereign. We aren’t the ones, finally, who save our kids. God saves kids and there would hardly be any Christians in the world if he didn’t save them out of failed families.

9) Rest in the sovereignty of God over your children. We cannot bear the weight of their eternity. That is God’s business and we must roll all of that onto him.

Posted at: https://www.challies.com/articles/9-parenting-truths-from-john-piper/

Raising Future Husbands and Wives

Article by Matthew Miller

In 1997, Earl Woods coauthored a book with his son, Tiger, titled Training a Tiger: A Father’s Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life. Avid readers wanted to know the secret of how to turn their little ones into sports champions, just as Tiger Woods’ father had done.

We have since learned that Tiger Woods grew up to be a winner in golf, but his life is a different story. He failed miserably in an area where, as the statistics show and pastors know, most Americans now struggle greatly—marriage. But Earl Woods’ book is right in its basic premise—we should raise children with an eye toward what we hope they will grow up to be.

We can’t help but dream of seeing our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews grow up to become outstanding athletes, artists, or achievers of various kinds. We see their gifts surface at a young age and wonder to what heights those gifts might carry them. Perhaps to the big stage or to the Olympic Games or at least to a college scholarship? These prospects lure many parents into making endless sacrifices in the pursuit of the child’s “full potential.”

But when is the last time you looked at a little face and thought, “I would love to see him grow up to be a great husband or to see her grow up to be a great wife”?

THERE IS NO MAGIC MARRIAGE DUST

There’s a myth out there that is ruining marriages and probably reducing the number of marriages as well. It’s the myth that we can spend our childhood and adolescence putting our personal success before our need of personal character development and the needs of our future families. A selfless habit of mind will not suddenly appear in marriage. There’s a myth that if we meet Mr. Right or Ms. Perfect and exchange vows at the altar, magic marriage dust will fall upon us both, and we will walk out of that service transformed into selfless people, ready for the real-life demands of marriage.

There is no magic marriage dust. We walk out of the service with the same deeply entrenched habits and dispositions that were rooted in our heart when we walked in. Only now, we have so much more responsibility.

As parents of future husbands and future wives, perhaps we should think less about training up gifted standouts and focus more on training up men and women who will be prepared to succeed where Tiger Woods fell short.

GETTING PRACTICAL: DINNERTIME AND WORSHIP TIME

So, how might we train up future husbands and wives? Perhaps with dinnertime. Too often, parents make enormous sacrifices for their children without asking the children to make any sacrifices for the family. Dinnertime calls the individual members to seek—as well as enjoy—the good of the whole family.

That future daughter-in-law or son-in-law of yours would much rather you focus now on raising up a future husband or wife than raising up a future sports champ.  

In foregoing legitimate pursuits in order to be with the family at the dinner table, family members learn through hundreds of repetitions that the well-being of the family requires sacrifices. (The child also learns an important theological truth about human beings made in God’s image—that communion matters as much as function.) On the other hand, when the family table makes no claims on the child’s schedule, the child secretly learns that individual dreams and pursuits take priority over the well-being of the family.

As with dinnertime, so with church. Years ago, recreational sports teams did not think to schedule games on Sundays. Now parents face a choice: When the team’s call to play bumps up against God’s call to worship, who wins?

Our culture has so trained our hearts to prize sports that it’s hard for us to imagine that we could hold our child out of a game and still be a “good parent” (especially if pleas and tears are involved). But underneath that soccer uniform is the heart of a future husband or wife that is being trained in one of two ways. That heart is either developing the habit of putting God, family, and church before personal pursuits, or it is developing the reflex of putting personal pursuits before God, family, and church.

EARLY TRAINING FOR THE RACE OF REPENTANCE

Paul tells fathers to “bring [your children] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Just four verses earlier, Paul was writing of the high calling of marriage, in which the wife images the church and the husband images Christ Himself (5:22–33). Not every child will get married, but preparing every child for marriage will prepare them for real life in service to Christ, with its ten thousand acts of self-denial. Of believers, Calvin writes that “God assigns them the race of repentance to run during their whole lives” (Institutes of the Christian Religion 3.3.9). In Christian marriage, a man and woman are called to run that race of repentance together. Preparation for that race must begin in childhood, or it will be hard learned—if learned at all—in later years.

How children see themselves in relation to the family when they are young will carry over into how they see themselves in relation to their marriage—and in relation to their Lord—when they are grown. When we insist that some legitimate activities cannot be pursued because they will reduce the home to an overnight parking lot for busy, self-seeking individuals, we are not ruining our child’s future—we are investing in it. When we hold the line on the Lord’s Day and exalt public worship as more significant than the league office’s schedule, we are not ruining our child’s future—we are investing in it. We are training up a future husband or wife.

SOMEONE WILL BE TRUSTING YOUR CHILD’S “I DO”

As you ponder your child’s future and the possibility of their marriage, remember that more than your own child’s future is at stake. For somewhere across town, across the country, or on the other side of the globe is a little boy or girl who may one day stand across from your child and trust their lives to your child’s “I do.” And when they do, how prepared will your child be to steward that trust in this epic commitment of ten thousand acts of self-denial?

That future daughter-in-law or son-in-law of yours would much rather you focus now on raising up a future husband or wife than raising up a future sports champ.

About the author: Rev. Matthew S. Miller is executive director and adjunct professor of divinity at Erskine Theological Seminary’s campus in Greenville, S.C., and city director of the C.S. Lewis Institute in Greenville, S.C. He is translator of A New Day of Small Beginnings by Pierre Courthial. 

Posted at: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/2018/11/raising-future-husbands-and-wives/

Help for Parenting a LGBTQ+ Child

Article by Rick Thomas

We are totally depraved but uniquely fallen. Sometimes our unique fallenness can tempt individuals to give into the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. If you know someone struggling this way, this resource will help you to respond well to them.

The “reality of our unique fallenness” is why there is so much hope in the gospel. The Lord knew our struggles, so He gave us the solution (John 3:16). But connecting Christ to our need of transformation is not a simple process.

Think of sin like a dirty drop that you put in a clear bottle of water; it discolors the entire contents of the container. This illustration is a picture of how sin makes us “totally depraved.”

Sin comes into our system, so to speak, at conception and “totally defiles every ounce of us—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We are completely corrupt. There is no part of us that has not been affected by sin.

Each person gets a “drop.” And to complicate matters, each person is “uniquely fallen.” This consequence of fallenness is one of the mysteries of sin.

After you mix in the shaping influences of sinful parents and an anti-God culture, you will not know entirely what you will have until after the child matures into adulthood. Of course, there are many more shaping influences, all of which can send a person reeling for years.

Sexual Twistedness

For some of us, the perversion of sin’s tendencies has to do with sexuality. Whether it is inherent from Adam or through other shaping influences, some people struggle with gender-related issues. Their issues do not make them weird. They are ordinary—in the sense that we all struggle with fallenness.

The reason I do not look down on LGBTQ+ people is because I have my “version of twistedness.” It would be intellectually dishonest and biblically out-of-bounds to think my sin is a better or more acceptable strain of the devil’s poison. Which is worse:

• A man lusting after a woman?

• A man lusting after a man?

• A man lusting to be a woman?

• A woman desiring any of these things?

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. – Luke 18:11

Would any of us dare come to Jesus to compare our sin with someone else’s? We all have consumed the deadly poison from the devil’s vessel and have been uniquely affected by its twistedness. We are all in the collective stew, which will cook any goose if the miraculous saving power of Jesus does not intervene and persuade otherwise.

Loving Your LGBTQ+ Child

Perhaps you have a child who has embraced some aspect of the LGBT+ lifestyle. For many parents, this is their worst fear. Apart from death, there are probably not many situations that can wreak more havoc on a parent’s soul. If this is your situation, I’m writing to you.

I am going to give you six key things to think about if you are struggling with an LGBTQ+ child. These six things can apply to any wayward person. Perhaps your child is not struggling sexually. Still yet, you can benefit from these ideas.

Though they are not in any order of importance, as you read, ask the Lord to point out to you what is essential and what you need to take to heart. I also recommend you do not hide your hurt under a bushel. Find a friend—a trusted person you can spend time talking to and praying with about these matters.

Don’t Agree—We live in a world where everything must be accepted and tolerated. To speak against anything, other than Christianity, is not politically correct. You do not want to fall into this trap.

Jesus did not embrace our culture’s relativistic attitude and neither should you. Imagine with me, just for a moment, if Jesus did not want to offend or step on anyone’s toes. You are right: you cannot imagine it.

There are moral wrongs in our world, and it is imperative that you talk about what the Bible condemns. There are times when you must identify sinful behaviors. If not, how would anyone know the difference between right and wrong? Do not submit to the pressure of, “If I say something, I will offend him and he will never speak to me again.”

More than likely he will surround himself with people who will not critique his behavior. This posture will give life to his sin. When I sin, I have to move to the shadows because sinners love darkness more than light (John 3:19). You do not want to become part of his wickedness, but somewhere in his world, he needs to see the light. You be the radiance of Christ that he sees.

Always Love—Though you do not agree with his lifestyle, you must never speak the truth of God without the love of God (Ephesians 4:15). Season your words with grace. Never stop loving your child. While you do not want to fall into the trap of sloppy morality, you also do not want to fall into the ditch of meanness.

Stand for truth and love. Your child needs to know two things—the same two things our wonderful Counselor has told you:

• I love you so much that I will die for you (John 3:16).

• I hate your sin (Romans 3:10-12).

More than likely your child will reject you if you speak against his lifestyle. Do not let the potential of manipulation from him lure you from sharing your heart with him. When the Savior encountered the rich young man, He had to make a similar decision—

How can I love him and tell him the truth? I will love him by telling him the truth.

Discern Clearly—No matter how much he wants to convince you that’s he okay with his sin, somewhere down in his soul is a conscience that knows right from wrong (Romans 2:14-15). He has a “hidden morality,” and he’s in a trap (Galatians 6:1-2). Sin has captured your son, and he cannot extricate himself from it. The harder he tries, the more entangled he will become.

Perhaps he has hardened his heart by now (Hebrews 3:7; 1 Timothy 4:2), but don’t give up on loving him back to Christ. And remember that his problem should give you hope: his lifestyle will not fix him.

No matter where he goes or what he does, he will never be happy until he turns to God (Ecclesiastes 1:8, 12:12-14). You may be the only person in his life who holds the key to his problem.

People have tried since Adam and Eve to find happiness outside of God’s will. Ambitious leaders, dating addicts, money grabbers, and toy-centered children follow their temptations (James 1:14-15), just like the LGBTQ+ person, as they look for contentment outside of the Lord’s favor.

No matter how firm he makes his case or how sophisticated his arguments, you know the truth. You must keep your eye on what is real. Like a laser locked on its target, do not be persuaded by his worldview. It is not the truth at all. He is a hurting soul in search of wholeness through means that cannot deliver (Jeremiah 2:13).

Stop Blaming—Let’s go ahead and get this one out of the way—you were a “bad” parent. So am I. None of us are perfect parents. What parent can stand up and say, “I did it perfectly, and I know how to parent children well.” That is idiotic, and you know it.

If you are tempted to rehearse what you did wrong as a parent, I call you to repentance. We all have messed up. Could it be any other way? The person who over-focuses on where they messed up and wallows in regret has a small view of God.

Individuals who tend to wallow in regret are legalistic thinkers. What they are saying is that if they were different, their child would have been different. Can you perceive how foolish that is? A parent’s behavior does not determine the morality of the child. The grace of God does. The gospel declares,

You cannot do it. That is why I came. You are a failure. This news should not cause discouragement, but a recalibration of your sight-lines to look to the cross. Only in me do you have hope.

If you keep looking at yourself, you will be discouraged because you will never be able to do what I can do. If you need to do better, do better, but never believe that your good works will change a person. Will you trust me now?”

Keep Praying—The most powerful thing you can do for your child is to pray for him. (1) Adam has tripped him up. (2) You have tripped him up. (3) Your son has undoubtedly made mistakes. (4) And the culture has sold him a lie. It is the perfect recipe for the power of God.

Your position is never to stop praying for him. In Christ alone is your only hope. Yes, I know you know this, but I also realize that when things like this come to roost in our homes, we forget our gospel-moorings and our souls begin to drift.

It is hard to think clearly in a hurricane. There is a storm in your soul. So, let me be clear: pray for your son. You may also want to print this article and read it as often as you need to reorient your mind back to the hope that you have in the Lord Jehovah God.

Remember Heaven—Your goal and value are not in this world (Hebrews 11:9-10). You have set your affections on things that are above (Colossians 3:1-4). This blessed assurance is also the goal for your child. It is possible that you and your child will not enjoy the life you hoped for him.

Perhaps his journey will be hard. Maybe you will not get the relationship you wanted from him. Sin can do that to you. I know intimately well what it is like to have your dreams shattered when someone (or something) takes your children from you. Relationships broken and sacrificed on sin’s altars is a constant, reverberating pain in the soul.

Though sin will not allow all things to be beautiful on earth, this reality should not control your hopes or your strategies. Make sure your confidence is soundly in Christ, and you plan to help your child get to heaven.

Think with me for a moment. Suppose your child became a Christian (or is a Christian). He will eventually die and go to heaven. Though it is hard for us to think this way, there will come a time when none of this will matter. Carefully read these words:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. – Revelation 21:4

This future reality is what you want for your son–even more than “heaven on earth.” This hope was the thing that gave our great Lord persevering grace as He endured unimaginable hardships in His life. Let’s sing His psalm, as written by the writer of Hebrews:

Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:1-2

Different Sin – Similar Problem

You may believe an LGBTQ+ person is different from you. If you do, it will throw you for a loop when you think about them. Yes, it’s a different sin, but if you substituted their sin with any other captivating problem, you will see how they are similar as every person and how your thoughts of them should be similar to how you think of any other trapped person.

LGBTQ+ is not as confusing of a sin once you give up being repulsed by it and see how it is just as insane as the so-called workaholic or relationship junky or the person who obsesses about how she looks.

I realize that working through this problem is more challenging than many of our other problems, but it can happen. You do want to provide unique care for his unique fallenness, but there is grace for any person who wants to change their life.

In one sense, the woman who wants the prettier face is similar to the man who wants to be in a woman’s body. It is like the man who hates being poor and is jealous of those who are not poor, so he lives a life of anger and jealous discontentment.

The obsessing woman, transgender thinker, and the poor man do not like who they are or what they have, so they crave to be something different. They are dissatisfied with how God has made them or where they are in life, so they are using different means to fill the awkward void in their souls.

Any person like this will be depressed until they have a transformative experience with the thirst-quenching Jesus. Pray your son has this experience. Stand like a loving, truth-telling light.

Find him the unique care that he needs if he’s willing to receive it. Guard against “accelerating your care” of him according to your timetable. He is not you. Pray for the opportunities to help him redemptively. May the Lord God use you to give him this kind of encounter with Christ.

Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. – John 4:13-14

Posted at: https://rickthomas.net/my-child-is-gay-lesbian-transsexual-transgendered-help-me/

Self-Pity: the Subtle Sin

Article by Jay Younts, Shepherd’s Press

Your six-year-old has become so obsessed with wanting his brother’s new toy that he has convinced himself that he is being treated with extreme cruelty because he can’t have it. By allowing self-pity to grow this child’s parents are raising someone who will become a slave to lust. This is the reason the Holy Spirit warns against grumbling and complaining.

This  scenario does not seem as shocking as the story of a teenager obsessed with pornography. However, the attitudes that fuel the teenager’s lust and obsession are the same ones that control your six-year old. This point must not be missed. You must connect the dots of self-pity in your young children with the self-pity of teenagers enslaved by sins like pornography and substance abuse.

Don’t dismiss self-pity as a passing stage. Whining in young children is an early warning sign of a life centered around selfish desires. Left unchecked whining can grow into an ugly, deadly obsession. Our culture is fixated on sensuality. Basically, a sensual person is obsessed about what gives him or her pleasure. So the craving for the toy is replaced with a craving for self-pleasure or a cure for discontent.

Self-pity is the enemy of sensitivity. Self-pity will shift your child’s focus to sensuality. Sensuality means that I care about what is best for me regardless of what is best for you. Sensuality is never satisfied and continually cries out for more and more. (Ephesians 4:17-19)

Sensitivity, however, can be satisfied because you can obediently care for other people. Sensitivity, based on Christ’s commitment, is the first essential building block in having good relationships, both with God and others. On the other hand, self-pity will lead your teenager into bouts of discouragement and a craving for self-pleasure. Pornography is just one of the ugly fruits of self-pity.

When you see your six-year-old whining about something, add ten years to his behavior and ask yourself, “what will he be whining about, craving for when he is sixteen.” Lord willing, that will send a shocking dose of reality through you mind. Take the time to enter into his world and teach him life is not about feeding his desires. Life is about having his desires met in Christ.

Live a life of sensitivity with your children. Show them the selfless love of Christ.

Posted at: https://www.shepherdpress.com/self-pity-the-subtle-sin/?fbclid=IwAR3qEZ_rCyT93n_3we6Mg5_i5Sveb1QQS-q7xfhuDn5WFGFnhYr4vxmYYxI