Inspiring Confidence

Inspiring Confidence

A careless encounter with barbed wire had my friend, Jeff, in the emergency room. "I’m afraid this is going to take some stitches," the doctor said. To the pain and blood could now be added fear.

When the doctor approached him with a needle to numb the pain in the wounded area, Jeff cried out. "Dad!"

"I’m right here, son. I won’t leave you." Throughout the ordeal on the table my friend’s dad was right there with him, holding his hand, speaking comfortingly, and giving the 11-year old some peace of mind.

Years later Jeff still tells this story of how his dad inspired confidence in him. "That’s what a dad does," Jeff adds.

Fathers inspire confidence at key junctures in their kids’ lives. In a hospital. Attacking their studies. Persevering in sports. Facing defeat. Trying again. Earning a living. Being a gentleman. Being a lady. Being a Christian. Functioning as man/woman, a husband/wife, a father/mother.

"I’m right here, son."

The lessons a father teaches his sons and daughters live long after the moment. They reside in their hearts all the days of their lives.

Warren Baldwin

Spiritually Homeschooling Our Children

What does the statement:

"Home school your children, spiritually." ... say to you?

Beth Moore is the author of that statement from her Believing God Bible Study video session. I remember hearing her talk about it the first time I did Believing God. Now, after 4 years of teaching that Bible study over and over again - this statement never gets old.

She reminds us that we have to be very careful not to allow others
to raise our children for us. While it is good to take our children to
church, SS or send them to Christian Schools [as I did mine] whether
lower level or even Christian colleges, homeschooling them
spiritually is a parent's job [and often a grandparent's as well].

• Beth makes a statement in that series that I believe is worth repeating
  here:
  
  "Be care that you don't send your children to Christian school in hopes that they will learn a 'little something' about God... or they may just learn that God is a 'little something'."
  
  [read THAT one more time]
  
  2 Timothy 1:5
  I have been reminded of your sincere faith,
  which first lived in your grandmother Lois
  and in your mother Eunice and,
  I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
  
  Deuteronomy 6 [selected]
  Love the LORD Your God
  1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all His decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.
  6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. [emphasis added]
  
  In our present culture with all the pressures that our children face in a fallen world, what are some of the ways you 'home school them spiritually'?
  

In Prayer? In Bible Study and Memory [not just reading]? In Music? In Worship? In Service? In Giving? In Awe and Wonder?

If we do not selectively and intentionally TEACH these things to our children and grandchildren, spiritually, they will learn from the world instead. The 'world' is always teaching them 'something'. It is our job to teach them and show them that GOD IS REALLY SOMETHING and SOMEONE to KNOW and LOVE!

I leave you with some intentional questions in this post in hopes that you might implement something here to enhance or 'step up' your level of homeschooling your kids spiritually.

• Do you teach them to PRAY? [by allowing them to hear your sincere adult prayers]?


• Do you get them excited in studying GOD'S WORD together, encouraging them to memorize Scripture as a tool and weapon of spiritual warfare?


• Do you keep their ears filled with Christian MUSIC [old hymns or current praise songs] from time they are small?


• Do you lead them into a place of WORSHIP - giving them a prayer closet before the Lord or some other Sacred Space to be alone with Him?


• Do you take them to SERVE an elderly neighbor and let them rake leaves or bake cookies or take a meal to someone who is sick - sharing in those tasks with you?


• Do you teach them about God's command to TITHE what they earn - from the time they receive an allowance - getting them excited about GIVING to God?


• Do you walk along the way - in the park - noting and sharing in all the WONDER of God's creation - teaching them to give Him thanks and praise for all He has made - like the stars, the sunsets, the moon at night?

Whatever you ARE NOT doing - begin something TODAY.
Whatever you ARE DOING - do MORE!
Give them the GIFT of LIFE in Christ Jesus -
TEACH them SPIRITUALLY at home!

Choosing JOY,

In Case I'm Not There ...

IN CASE I’M NOT THERE ...

Moving from Florida to Wyoming was a big decision for us. Cheryl and I were 30 and we had two small children. We experienced a wide range of emotions ranging from excitement at a new home to deep grief at leaving the home and people we loved. But we felt a call from God and followed through on the move.

My children were too young to understand our reasons or motives for moving, but I wanted them to understand. I knew that someday it would be beneficial for them to know so they would have some content to draw from for their major transitions in life. So, I started to journal about our move.

It dawned on me that if I was not around at some major change in their life, reading this journal might be beneficial to them. So I expanded on it and wrote about other things that were important to me - my reasons for being a Christian, faithfulness in marriage, debt and money management, telling the truth, etc.

I prayed that God would allow me to live until my youngest child was 18 (and she is now 17!!!). I figured if he would give my wife and me 18 years with each child we would be able to instill a basic value structure within them. But, if I was not blessed with that much time, I would have the journal to do some of the teaching I didn’t get to do in person.

I kept the journal up for a few years. For some reason I eventually put it aside, but I still have everything I wrote, and will someday make it available to the kids. But, I did continue to write in other formats so my kids would have a record of my thoughts, values and reasons for doing certain things. That was actually part of the motivation for the book, "Roaring Lions, Cracking Rocks, and other Gems from Proverbs."

Dads, you have a set of values and convictions that guide you everyday. Are you passing them on to your children? Yes, you are, by the decisions you make and actions you take. Everyday. Your faithfulness to your wife, your work to support your family, leading your family in worship, paying your bills, and a host of other important daily tasks are making important impressions upon your children. Everyday.

But consider taking one more step to ensure the complete transmission of your ethical system to your children: write. You don’t have to be an accomplished writer. You don’t need a mastery of English. You just need to have a burning desire to use every available means of passing on your faith and values to your children. I think you’ll find the experience not only enjoyable, but quite rewarding. And don’t be surprised if your efforts result in a book!

Warren Baldwin

Handling the Word of God

When my daughter was growing up she believed most anything she heard on commercials. She was always telling me which were the best products to buy and why they were the best, When I would ask her how she knew, she would say because they said so on the commercial. It's sad to realize that you must expect an element of deception in advertising and be on your guard for it.

While most of us have wised up about the reliability of commercials, many adults are still quick to believe something simply because another person says (or writes) it's so. Countless emails get passed around cyberspace claiming to be a warning of some sort that will protect you from harm and urging you to pass it along to everyone you know. There are places on the internet where you can verify if that information is correct or not but few people either know where to verify it, how to verify it, or take the time to verify it.

When it comes to scripture we should not simply take another person's word (or written work), for what the Bible says or means, and we should be teaching our children not to either. We should be in the habit of verifying scripture ourselves, and teaching our children how to do the same, prayerfully researching it out. A concordance and bible dictionary are very useful tools for helping to understand scripture as well. We gain more insight into and understanding of God's Word when we look at the original text and it's meaning.

And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:11 (emphasis mine)

Why is it important to know scripture for ourselves? First and formost is that studying God's Word for ourselves is the best way to develop a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.

Another reason is that there are those who would deliberately teach wrong doctrine to draw us and/or our children into their "religion" or cult. The best way to spot a counterfeit is to know the original.

Even with people we can trust, our friends, parents, pastors, reputable authors, etc, we need to remember that they can make mistakes. We are imperfect humans and we all make mistakes. As teachers of God's Word, we are held to a high standard to teach it accurately. So it is important that we use reliable references, research out what we are being taught, and teach our children to do the same. We need to keep in mind that popularity and opinion are not proper guages for reliablity, accuracy is.

One way to teach children to develop the habit of verifying scripture is to have them verify the scriptures and meanings you are teaching them. Who knows, they might come back and teach you something you didn't know.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (emphasis mine)

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. James 3:1

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 (emphasis mine)

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Titus 2:1 (emphasis mine)