Christian parenting

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How did we get there from here?


Webster’s Definition of TOLERANCE

1: capacity to endure pain or hardship :endurance, fortitude, stamina
2a: sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own b: the act of allowing something :toleration
3: the allowable deviation from a standard; especially: the range of variation permitted in maintaining a specified dimension in machining a piece
4a (1): the capacity of the body to endure or become less responsive to a substance (as a drug) or a physiological insult especially with repeated use or exposure
As parents, grandparents; neighbors, employees; voters, bystanders … we have taken tolerance as an excuse to become apathetic.   We are tired, we do not want conflict, we just want to live and let live.  We do not want to be bothered.  We all have a reason for allowing things to just be.  With each year we just throw up our hands, turn away, give up and sit.  Hoping it all will go away, or “IT” will get better on it’s own.  “IT” can be many things in our lives.  People, situations, habits = “IT”.  Our attitude towards “IT” did not happen over night.  With each generation of neglect, apathy, or however you want to label the response to “IT”, we strengthen “IT” until it is insurmountable to overcome and take back control.  We do not like labels, society does not tolerate labels.  So we do not call “IT” by what it is.  The truth is, “IT” was, and always will be SIN.  When we first tolerate SIN and turn away, we strengthen SIN and begin to be tolerant.  Slowly we quit naming it SIN and create “IT”.  Unnamed and harmless.
I hope my ramblings are not confusing.  To best sum up my thoughts I offer this quote:

“One of the penalties of sin is our acceptance of it. It is not only God who punishes for sin, but sin establishes itself in the sinner and takes its toll. No struggling or praying will enable you to stop doing certain things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it, until you finally come to the place where you no longer even realize that it is sin. No power, except the power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, can change or prevent the inherent consequences of sin. ‘If we walk in the light as He is in the light. . .’ (1 John 1:7). For many of us, walking in the light means walking according to the standard we have set up for another person.” ~ Oswald Chambers

I think Chambers sums it all up nicely.  So what do we do?  We acknowledge we turned away.  We stop denying and return to the truth.  As Chambers says, only the Holy Spirit can do this work in our lives.  Yes, we pray but we pray specifically for the Holy Spirit to renew us, to open our hearts to the Word we read each day.  We ask for discernment and we ask:

Psalm 51:10 (ESV) “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Philippians 4:8 (NASB)  “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

At the risk of repeating myself, JUST DO IT (previous blog).  Stop and call “IT” by the right name, SIN.  Tolerance by Bible standards = love thy neighbor as they self.  You can love someone and not love what they do.  We should not let anything that the Bible calls SIN become “IT” simply because we have become desensitized by the world and we do not want to deal with “IT”.

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Myths, Urban Legends, Mom Said …


Working in a Christian Bookstore you hear so many interesting “truths”.  People come in wanting to find a plaque, or a bookmark, or maybe a book containing certain sayings or facts.  I often want to say, “well, if it is in the Bible, why not find it there?”.  The truth is, most do not know what is really in the Bible.  It is just something they heard someone tell them and that made it so.

This past week a woman came in and wanted a plaque that said, “when God closes a door, He opens a window.”  She was shocked we did not carry someone like that.  Of course you know me, I jumped right in with my “take” on the subject of God and His using only the FRONT DOOR (previous blog).  It is surprising how many times we say we only want to get to know Him better.  We want to know His will.  Yet, somehow, we never look to the obvious source for that information.

I have a grandson named Noah and working in a Christian bookstore, we have plenty of books and items with Noah depicted.  Through the ages people have taken what God’s word says  about Noah and the animals in the ark, and changed it to say only two of every animal entered the ark (2×2).  But, look at what God’s word really says:

Genesis 7:2-3 (NASB) “2 You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female;    3 also of the birds of the sky,by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.”

That is FOURTEEN, not two!

Growing up I remember that when there was a freak storm someone would say it was getting close to the end times because that is when the seasons would swap.  That myth came from Padre Pio, a Roman Catholic priest who was quoted as saying,  “You will know when that time is approaching because the seasons will change so the only way you will know the seasons is by the leaves on the trees.”  The Bible actually says the exact opposite in God’s promise to Noah saying He would never destroy the earth by flood again.

Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.”

Now you have all heard, “cleanliness is next to Godliness” right?  Not in there – you will not find it in the Bible.   How about, “God helps those who help themselves?”  Not in the Bible.  How many tribes were there?  13, not 12.  People say 12 because the Levites were not given land, but the tribes were made up of Jacob’s 11 sons and Joseph’s 2.

How many of you believe Mary rode to Bethlehem on a donkey or other animal?  Luke 2 Three Wise Men? Matthew 2  Or, how about the unicorns mentioned in the Bible?  The actual Hebrew word referred to a two-horned animal, but King James people thought one horn and put in unicorn (nine times in the O.T.).  Contrary to popular myth, they did not “miss the boat” (Ark).  What about the popular Mizpah jewelry symbolizing love and friendship and quoting Genesis 8:49, “The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.” ?   Actually, it was a covenant between Jacob and Laban based on their past differences, a warning that God was keeping an eye on their actions.

So my point is that we have a bad habit of listening to what others say, preach, teach, and take it as “gospel” when in actuality it is not IN THE GOSPEL.   As Christians  you need to know what the Bible actually says, teach and walk what it says, and not just keep passing on misinformation.  Make a point of knowing what you are talking about and not just being a puppet or minor bird , repeating what others say.  Make sure your kids are raised with what the Bible actually says.   I tell others to study APOLOGETICS – be prepared to give the reasons for what you believe.   In other words, know what you believe and why with NO APOLOGIES.   Make sure God’s word really said it, before you repeat it.

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Just DO IT!


A popular logo on sportswear/equipment uses the slogan,

The world sets standards and we push to prove ourselves to the world.  We think nothing of it as we strive to be better than the next person.  Our ego wants us to be better than them in all ways imaginable:  better car, better house, better looking, better kids, better at this and better at that.  The media pushes it at us from every direction; clothing, billboards, commercials.  It is subliminal sometimes and we buy into the mindset.

Yet, when it comes to our spiritual life we become wimps, milk-toast, wall-flowers.  Scared about what His word tells us to do.  Scared to take a stand.  We buy into satan’s* lies and hide.  We cannot DO IT!  We do not know how to DO IT!  Excuses, we have plenty.  The Holy Spirit urges you to spend more time with your family in His word, in worship.  You see a need and you think, “next time”.  That hurting homeless person on the side of the street you see gets a “quickie” prayer, “Lord help them.”  Your child’s classmates need shoes.  The elderly neighbor just wants someone to take time to talk with them.  The Spirit nudges and you keep moving, in the opposite direction … too busy to JUST DO IT.

We are so prone to talk about the things we are going to do when we have time.  A mission trip, the soup kitchen, the coat drive…. making up handouts for the homeless**. Jesus’ first miracle recorded  in John 2, tells of His mother asking for help.  She told the others, “do what He tells you to do”.  And they simply did as they were told.  It would be so wonderful if we would simply do as we are led.   Our cups overflow with His love through His gift of salvation.  He wants you to share His love.  JUST DO IT.

Start each day asking the Lord to use you in His will.  When He shows you a need JUST DO IT.  Do not stop and think you are not capable.

ROMANS 8:26-28  26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

He has a plan for your day.  Open yourself up to the possibilities.  As a parent, grandparent, co-worker, spouse … God uses each of us each day IF we allow Him.  We are not puppets and He is not a puppet master.  It is our choice.  Do not think about it, JUST DO IT!  No matter what He is asking you to do today, no matter what obstacles and trials He allows you to go through, it is for a reason.  He is there through it all, working it for GOOD.

NEVER forget that the day ahead of you carries no task or trial that is greater than the POWER behind you as a Christian.

*satan – I know people capitalize the “S” but, I don’t.  I refuse to give him any status of importance.  He’s a snake, so satan, devil, etc. are lower case, as he is one.

** Homeless handouts: NEVER give cash, but you can carry several 1 gallon zip lock bags (something they can use later when it is empty) filled with: Tuna packet, crackers, snack size nuts, etc..  Include: package of  tissues, comb, trial sizes of hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, etc.  You can put a New Testament or Christian track in there as well.

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“Walks like a duck, swims like a duck …” (a photo essay)


must be a duck … right?  What kind of  “duck” are you?

Camouflage duck…

 

Pretending to be a duck

Backsliding duck

Popular but hard to understand duck

 

Robot duck

 

Just along for the ride duck

 

Duck in hiding

Fanatical duck

Mere reflection of your old self duck

Bound by circumstances duck

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.” 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB)

 

What kind of Christian are you?  Are you a new creation, or another version of the old you?  Who do you reflect?

RBGREENDESIGNS.COM 2021

 

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Not Worth a Dime


Not Worth A Dime

Listening to the local Moody Radio broadcast this week during their fundraising time, I heard something that just made me go “WOW, never thought of it like that”.  Of course they are totally dependent on donations to run their public broadcasting ministry, but still … wow.  One of them said, “Jesus is not worth a dime to many people.”

Not worth a dime.  We use that phrase in reference to slackers or a product that does not measure up.  There is another phrase as well, “not worth a plug nickel”, which of course refers to a “slug” or fake coin the size of a nickel.  And still another Southernism, “not worth the powder and lead to blow it/him up.”    We generally use all three phrases for worthlessness.  When I heard them say, “Jesus is not worth a dime”, I turned up the volume to get the context.

Are you in effect saying to Jesus He is worthless with your giving of yourself, money, time and talents?

One thin dime, 10 cents, $0.10 out of every dollar.  Basically, they were saying if you had a dollar you would not give Jesus a dime of it … not worth a dime.  People hoard their money, their time and their talents.   Sometimes I wonder what we are saving up for … tomorrow is not ours, not even the rest of the day.

For someone who grew up with tithing, I get it.  I understand keeping 90% and giving back 10% of your money, time and talent.  But, when you put it like that … when you realize that you basically are saying to Jesus, “you are not worth a dime” that really just overwhelms me.  We do the same thing with our time and talent … 1 minute, 2 minutes (or NONE) spent in His word?  Time spent in His house worshiping?  Time given to help out others and the church?  How much time did you spend on FB, online shopping … but, you never have the time for Him?

I do believe tithing of your monies, time and talent  is a generational thing.  And although I do not have any studies to prove it, I would be more than willing to believe that givers beget givers.  We learn from our parents and we pass on to our children our habits, practices, theologies.  I think we really need to put more meat into our “passing on” and make sure we teach WHY and WHO we tithe our monies, time and talent.  I went over how to teach your children about tithe in an earlier post,  MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.  It SHOULD NOT BE A  ritual to practice or a good habit.  There is a reason for tithing and giving of offerings (what we give above 10%).   I remember my Mom and Dad always saying, “you cannot out-give God”.

Malachi 3:10(ESV) “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Tithe was the first check Mom wrote.  They were involved in so many ministries at the church and in the community.   I think we practically lived at the church.  The joke was we were there every time the doors opened.  It was understood that not giving back to God was treating Him shamefully.   There are so many great stories of men and women who “get it”.    I grew up hearing about such men and women of God.  I think the most memorable one was R. G. LeTourneau.   He gave 90 percent of his income to the Lord. He said,  “I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back to me – but God has a bigger shovel.” (He invented earth-moving equipment).

The Bible says:

Malachi 3:8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me! “But you ask, ‘What do You mean? When did we ever cheat You?’ “You have cheated Me of the tithes and offerings due to Me.”

You?  Your time? Money? Talents?  Where are you cheating God?  What are you passing on to your children?

Is He worth One Thin Dime? Ten minutes of your hour?