What to do if your child is viewing porn?

This is one of the better articles on the subject that I’ve read.  It’s painful when your son or daughter has been lured into this habit.  You’ll be glad that you took a few minutes to read this.  http://bit.ly/A32UoT

Welcome our First Grandchild

Join us in our joy and thanksgiving for our first grandchild, Nolan, born this past Friday night our son and daughter-in-law, Andrew and Dana.  Mom and baby are doing great!  Dad is stepping up to the challenge of diapers!   We are thrilled to be a part of the grandparents club!

Andrew, Dana and Nolan

Nolan

Becky and Nolan

Nolan and me

Questions for your Bible Study

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (Psalm 119:18, NIV)

A Puritan Pastor prayed this passage of Scripture daily before he began his Bible reading.  It’s a passage that I’ve prayed for perhaps 25 years now when I begin my morning Bible study.  I ask God to forgive me of any known and unknown sin in my life.  Further it is important to humble ourselves so that a lack of faith, poor attitudes or prejudice would not hinder our ability to see and listen.  It’s also led me to pray that God would give me insight, discernment and help to carefully observe what I am reading from God’s Word.

Cities, rivers, fauna, animals and mountains are important to the story as well as the people.  You discover that God loves cities as well as gardens.  The city of God, Jerusalem is to be far different in culture and virtue especially as distinguished from the city of Babylon.  But we find then as today people live in the constant tug between Jerusalem and Babylon.

The stories of people in love and war, construction and destruction, wisdom and folly all pull us into the story of God’s love and grace.

Most of all the presence of the unseen and holy God!  That is until you get to the gospels and Jesus reveals what God is like!  Then the book of Acts, the unseen God manifests himself through the visible body of Christ the Church.  Then the epistles filled with how to apply doctrine to our lives.  For all of those critics of doctrine, life issues in the Scripture are first addressed by doctrine and then we are shown how to apply that doctrine to our lives.

Here are some questions that Dr. Howard Hendricks wrote that I use in my reading that help me see the wonderful things in God’s Word.

1. Is there an example for me to follow?
2. Is there a sin to avoid?
3. Is there a promise to claim?
4. Is there a prayer to repeat?
5. Is there a command to obey?
6. Is there a condition to meet?
7. Is there a verse to memorize?
8. Is there an error to mark?
9. Is there a challenge to face?

I hope this post helps to make your Bible reading fruitful and enjoyable.  Do you have some questions you would add to that?  What are some questions or life issues that you are dealing with?  What book of the Bible are you reading now?

Peace!

How to Successfully Commit to Reading your Bible

Tags

bible reading plan, devotional reading

“Pastor, I was reading in the Bible this morning and look at what it says …,”  I miss him coming and telling me that Sundays and Wednesdays.  Sometimes he would ask me what I thought.  Other times he would begin telling me what that passage meant to him.  I never heard him criticize. He encourage others, he blessed others , he smiled a lot!  His life had been difficult but he had come to know the Lord and once he began reading the Scriptures he could’t stop.  His Bible was worn and marked and full of notes.  His life was filled with joy.  I enjoyed visiting his home.  My wife and children loved him.  He was saturated with God’s Word.  When I preached his funeral I smiled as committed his body to the ground, he had gained what he longed for, heaven!

In January many people start a Bible reading plan!  I hope that you’ve made a similar commitment to do so.  It’s not as important, that you read it through in a year, but read daily, thinking about and applying the Scriptures your life will be blessed.  “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:25, NIV)

You’ll discover the joy and confidence that comes from discovering for yourself what the Bible says.  God’s Word abiding in your heart and mind brings true peace.  “Those who love your teachings will find true peace, and nothing will defeat them.” (Psalm 119:165, NCV)

Here are a few tips.

1. You can understand the Bible!  Your desire to read it and know it is evidence of God’s Spirit at work within you.  Don’t make it difficult, keep it simple.  Use a version that you understand.  For my daily devotional reading this year I’m using the NLT.  There are several others that I recommend, The Message, The Contemporary English Version, and the Amplified Version.
2. Use a brief devotional reading if it helps you.  Daily Bread or My Utmost for His Highest will get your mind in gear in the morning (coffee helps too).  Read in the evening, sometimes a devotional thought quiets your mind (no coffee then!).
3. Ready.  Set a Goal!  What do you want to gain from your Bible reading?  With that question in mind your reading becomes purposeful.  You are open to hearing what God says about that need.  Here are a few goals that I’ve had in the past.
   1. Intimacy with God.
   2. Strengthen your faith.
   3. Wisdom for your marriage, family, vocation or ministry.
   4. Guidance for a decision you must make.
   5. A relationship that needs attention.
   6. Health and Healing.
   7. Becoming a godly leader.
   8. Becoming a shepherd after God’s heart

Your goals will be different, but I promise you, you just become more attentive when you read purposefully.

4. Read the Bible!  Duh! You might think.  However, many people know what the notes in a study Bible or a book about the Bible says, but they don’t know their Bible.  I use a wide margin Bible without study notes.  It will become priceless to you as time goes by.

5. Write down your thoughts and prayer requests as you read.  If you have a wide margin Bible include them in your side notes and date them.  Twenty eight years later, Becky and I can share with you where we were and the Word we received that God would make us parents when we were told there was no hope.  Four children later and hopefully our grandson will be born this week, we were anchored in God’s promise and peace!  So don’t lose that moment, when God’s Word assures you!

6. Finally, be realistic with your time.  Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting an unrealistic goal for your time.  Trust me, once you commit to diligently reading, marking, writing and praying through God’s Word, your desire will increase.  So will the time you spend reading the Bible.

1. Are you a morning or evening reader?
2. What goals or needs should you approach your Bible with?
3. Do you journal your thoughts and prayer requests in your Bible?
4. Are you a part of a small group Bible Study?

Peace!

 

 

Looking in the Mirror

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Bible serves as a uniter across the generations according to a 2009 report by the Barna group.  The majority of the four generations (Mosaics, Busters, Boomers and Elders) believe the Bible is sacred and report reading it within the last week.  That is encouraging news!  As a dad and soon to be granddad, I want to take advantage of that!

The author of the devotional book I am using for my personal quiet time this year, encourage his readers, to skip the material he’s written, but whatever you do read the Bible.  Solid advice!

The Bible is God’s Word that encourages, reveals, convicts, teaches and so much more.  When we apply it to our lives God promises a blessing!

Reading the Bible prayerfully and daily is like looking at a mirror.  “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:22–25, NIV)

The mirror may show you what needs fixing, but you have to decide to practice the Word continually.  Most mornings I look in the mirror and go, “Wow!  I’m glad I got up before Becky.  I don’t want her to see me like this.”  A toothbrush, shower, shave, and a cup of coffee, I’m ready to go.  Wouldn’t it be silly to go downstairs and pray about it?  Just get a shower!

When I read the Bible, my poor attitudes, lack of faith, self-centeredness, my sin are revealed.  I know that I’ve been forgiven, but God shows what I need to turn away from and how to do it!  It would be silly of me to ask God to take my shower after he has already given his Son for me.  Instead, just act upon the “App” that applies to what you see in the mirror.  Life is incredibly better like that!

This week we want to take a look at reading and applying the Word of God in our lives.

1. How to successfully begin reading your Bible daily.
2. Questions to ask yourself while you read.
3. How to read the Bible.
4. How to retain what you read in the Bible.
5. Applying the Bible Apps to your life.

I look forward to sharing with you this week.

Would you answer these three questions, please?

1. How often do you read your Bible?
2. How long do you read your Bible for each day?
3. What version do you use?

Peace!

Finishing a New Beginning

New beginnings are exciting, but finishing what you started is even more rewarding.  However many people never seem to finish what they began enthusiastically.  The Apostle Paul once wrote a church to encourage them to finish what they started.  He wrote another church to inquire what had caused them to give up on what they started.  It is a common problem in marriages, raising children, spiritual disciplines, business or any other endeavor that people begin.  Don’t be hard on yourself when you feel like quitting but take yourself by the scruff of the neck and determine to finish what you started.

One of the secrets to finishing well is to keep imagining what your life will look like when you finished your goal or your race.  I often think about what will my marriage look like when Becky and I’ve grown old together.  What will the fruit of our ministry as a pastor look like?  What will my health look like if I am committed to healthy eating and exercise?  What will my relationships look like if I remain a faithful friend?

The vision thing is not nearly as difficult as some people make it.  It just takes time to sit down and prayerfully dream and imagine what if!  I think it was Robert Kennedy who once said, “Some people see things as they are and say why?  I dream things that never were and say why not?”  What are you dreaming about?  What are you willing to work for that is not existing anywhere but in your faith?

Tonight I prayed with my family, giving thanks to God for things that once were not but today are and for things that still are yet to be that one day soon will appear.  There is more to this life of serving Christ than we have experienced yet.  It is one of the reasons we pray, “Thy will be done as it is in heaven.”  Far too often the will of God is not done on earth as it is in heaven.  However if we cooperate with God, dream a dream of faith, and commit to finishing the race, there are things yet to be done on earth that have been settled in heaven.

Don’t make it mystical.  Simply be faithful!  God is glorified as we finish our lives together in marriage, raising our children, faithfulness in our vocations, shoveling the snow off the driveway or cleaning our home.   Faithfulness in reading the Bible, praying, worshipping together in church, encouraging one another and serving our communities is how we successfully see new beginnings through.

“To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.” (Revelation 2:26, NLT)

Opening the Door to the Scriptures and a brighter future

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

“Because I am a Christian, therefore, every day in which I do not penetrate more deeply into the knowledge of God’s Word in Holy Scripture is a lost day for me. I can only move forward with certainty upon the firm ground of the Word of God. And, as a Christian, I learn to know the Holy Scriptures in no other way than by hearing the Word preached and by prayerful meditation.”

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945)

What did you imagine yourself doing that would improve your life?  I suggested saturating yourself in the Bible.  The Scriptures have been an infallible and trusted guide for generations to live a godly and successful life.  “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.” (Psalm 19:7–11, NLT)

If you were to choose to make this year of saturating yourself in the Word this year, then above all make the Bible your main reading.  Too often people read books about the Bible rather than read the Bible.  Although, I would encourage you to read good books nothing can replace the reading and prayerful study of God’s Word.  Make time daily in your schedule to read and make notes about your reading.  As you read a page, stop, look up and recite to yourself what you just read without looking back at the page.  Your comprehension and memory will dramatically increase.

Yesterday, I suggested reading make note of promises to claim, warnings to heed, wisdom to apply, commands to obey and prayers to learn.  If you use a wide margin Bible it’s easy to make notes and date your reading.  If you are using a notebook or your word processing application then note the verses of interest.  I would strongly encourage you to commit to day your going to act upon a promise or proverb.  Track your progress for 30 days at a time.  If you do you’ll be encouraged to continue with the wisdom that will improve your life.

Above all kneel with your copy of the Scriptures and prayerfully meditate upon the selection your reading.  Ask God to give you insight, blessing and refuse to stand in the counsel of the ungodly.  Your comprehension of Scripture and your prayer life will improve.  You’ll learn to discern the voice of the Lord.

I learned this from my Uncle Ralph, while I worked with him my first summer break in college.  He would open his Bible on the side of his bed, take his notepad and prayerfully study the Word.  His example has remained with me as one of the best ways to study the Word.

Peace!

 

New Beginnings

I always look forward to new beginnings.  The start of a new project, tackling a new challenge, taking a new mountain or beginning a first time experience.  Evidently God likes new beginnings as well.  The book of Genesis was called by the Hebrews by a name that meant, “In the beginning.”  Sound familiar?  It should, it’s how the book begins.

At the start of a new year, think of how God, gives us new beginnings when we commit our lives to him, when we fail and he restores us or when he brings a new opportunity or relationship into our lives.

Instead of thinking of resolutions or goals this year, imagine what your life would be like if you simply began something new in your life?  Perhaps saturating yourself daily in the Bible this year.  What would your life look like?  Or committing to making your life a living prayer to the Lord  What would your life look like?  Consider this, imagine treating people the way God has treated you with love, patience, kindness and mercy.  What would your life look like?

Did you know God will give you the power to commit to and finish this new beginning in your life?  “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” (Philippians 1:6, The Message)

Come Quickly Lord Jesus!

Peace!

 

Second Saturday Prayer for December

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Preparing for our prayer service tonight at 6:00 brought grateful thoughts to mind for your partnership in prayer.  We are in good company when we gather to pray, Jesus is in our midst, the Holy Spirit will help us to pray according to the will of the Father, the apostles and the early church were men and women of great prayer.  One author studying the Bible found over 650 distinct prayers within its pages.

Why did they all pray?  Simply because prayer fills us with joy in the presence of our Savior, who overcame the world and gives us the courage we desperately need; that His  victory is ours!

The early church prayed with a fervent faith and a passionate commitment to the Scriptures!  Where Christ’s Word is preached faith is created, and faith brings an atmosphere of power and answered prayer!  Progress is made, breakthrough happens, signs and wonders and miracles of healing take place when the church prays according to the will of God!

It’s easy to forget that war has been declared upon the church. Some of the people we will pray for tonight we be healed.  Some who are confused and perishing will have the glorious light of Christ to shine in their lives.  They are unaware that Satan has blinded their minds!  But God will hear and answer our prayers! “If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:3–6, NLT)

So bring your Bible and a journal for prayer and join me for this hour tonight!

Peace and Joy in Christ!

 

A Prayer I’ve made my own!

I hope that you enjoyed a faith filled Thanksgiving holiday with your family!  As usual around our home, the air was fragrant with the aroma of a baking turkey, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes, vegetables and desserts!   For me the best was laughter with my family, phone calls and of course football!  My life is filled with so much love for wife, children, our families and friends!

Just a few years ago I became enamored with reading and learning from the prayers of those who have come before in us in faith.  One day I stumbled across a little black book of Puritan prayers, titled The Valley of Vision.  The book has become a constant companion along with my Bible.  I recommend it wholeheartedly for you or for a Christmas gift for someone.  Here is a Thanksgiving prayer I’d like to share with you!

O My God, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fulness before thee in ceaseless flow.  When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness. I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barrens soil; for the body thou has given me, for preserving its strength and vigor, for providing sense to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding; for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.  I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures.  Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.

Love, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit!