Growing in Grace

A friend loaned me the book "Raising Real Men" by Hal and Melanie Young. It was a really good read; one I did quickly and then read again and took notes on. The premise of the book is how to teach and train boys to use their natural tendencies for God's purpose and glory in their lives. The first chapter includes these words, "Yes, teenage boys can put away a startling amount of groceries. Young boys can be downright destructive. They tend to be noisy at any age. They seem utterly unconcerned with personal hygiene. The dog has a longer attention span for schoolwork. Worse, they seem to come forth at birth with a chip on their shoulder. They are combative, aggressive, arrogant. They seem obsessed with power - whether powerful machines, powerful weapons, or personal power they can exert over people and things. They love to build things but have a perverse delight in tearing them down, and if fire and explosion come into the mix, surely boy-nirvana is close at hand.&

The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 Today I find myself calling for radical parents who hold radical beliefs, who have radical purpose and who are committed to raising a radical generation that follows Jesus Christ wholeheartedly. Be challenged to embrace things like the following: *Radical selflessnes s - It's time for every Christian parent to prayerfully ask, Am I dying to self so that I can be the parent God wants me to be in raising the next generation ? *Radical objectives - Far too many parents are more concerned with their children's IQ than their CQ - their character quotient. I'm convinced that the primary reason children depart from the faith of their parents is that many dads and moms don't have this as their objective: to raise children who have a godly desire to love others and to live holy lives. *Radical modeling - Children are like tiny radar units. They lock on. Th

You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great . Psalm 18:35 NLT I love my kids, but I haven't always liked being a mom. . . I looked around at other moms who seemed to know what they were doing and wondered, What is wrong with me? . . . I felt like such a failure. Almost everyday, I would compare how I felt on the inside to other moms who looked like they had it all together on the outside. I held up my feelings of inadequacy and thoughts of insecurity in contrast to other moms who dressed their kids in matching outfits and adorned themselves with attitudes of grace and wisdom. I wondered how in the world they pulled it off with a smile. I just wanted to quit. . . I'd decided to turn in my "pink slip" to my husband when he came home from work that day. It was just too hard, and I was tired of feeling like I would never be "good enough" as a mom. But what I needed was a new place to start

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind . 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV We can't do it all every day. But we can ask God each day to grow our peace and perseverance for the times we feel paralyzed by our circumstances. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." When we hold tightly to Christ, he will grow those qualities in us, qualities that we need when we are overwhelmed. . . Fear and fatigue can obscure the comfort that God offers his overwhelmed daughters and even obscure his presence altogether. We fear we aren't enough, that we're not doing this mom thing right - certainly we aren't doing it like her - and how in the world can we do the next sixteen years if we can't do today ? We're biting off more than any mom can chew if we're worried about the future and comparing ourselves to others. W

Rejoice always. . . give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus . 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18 I too look at other gals, see the exterior of their lives, and desire what I see. From the outside my friend's husband, children, home, or job seems superior to my own. I see only the positives, like eyeing a bank account just after payday without subtracting the bills from it. The sum looks large until you notice all the expenses it must cover. My girlfriends possess amazing qualities. They have been blessed by God. However, when I look at them through the lens of jealousy I see only the deposits into their lives, none of the withdrawals from it. I need girlfriends. We all do. Mothering is a lonely road to walk without the encouragement and support of other women. When I walk linked arm in am with others, my journey as a mom is smoothed by their presence, prayers, and participation in my life. I want to be a woman who attracts friends. So how

Another year older. . . Lately life has felt a little chaotic. Some of this is just that several things have come up at once; but a lot of it is self-induced by my perfectionist, "need to please" personality. On the homeschool front I am always questioning myself with whether the kids are learning enough. I worry that we're behind where we should be; that we won't finish our curriculum by year's end. Some days there is a lot of grumbling from the kids which I really dislike. Other days I am anxious to finish because there are things I need/want to do. And as my kids are with me all day, I see their character good and bad. I chastise myself for not discipling them well enough. But then I am reminded that they are not at the end of their race; just the beginning. And I am not the Holy Spirit; only the one to direct them to God's Word. I am also saddened at times when I realize I have the same flaws and also need to seek God's help in molding me more into H

If the younger generation have never been told what the Christians say and never heard any arguments in defense of it, then their agnosticism or indifference is fully explained. There is no need to look any further: no need to talk about the general intellectual climate of the age, the influence of mechanistic civilization on the character of urban life. And having discovered that the cause of their ignorance is lack of instruction, we have also discovered the remedy. There is nothing in the nature of the younger generation which incapacitates them for receiving Christianity. If any one is prepared to tell them, they are apparently ready to hear. . . The young people today are un-Christian because their teachers have been either unwilling or unable to transmit Christianity to them. . . None can give to another what he does not possess himself . -C.S.Lewis

Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important. Defending the Faith We are to defend Christianity itself - the faith preached by the Apostles, attested by the Martyrs, embodied in the Creeds, expounded by the Fathers. This must be clearly distinguished from the whole of what any one of us may think about God and Man. Each of us has his individual emphasis: each holds, in addition to the Faith, many opinions which seem to him to be consistent with it and true and important. And so perhaps they are. But as apologists it is not our business to defend them . We are defending Christianity; not 'my religion'. When we mention our personal opinions we must always make quite clear the difference between them and the Faith itself. . . This distinction, which is demanded by honestly, also gives the apologist a great tactical advantage. The great difficulty is to get modern aud

Donald Perkins spoke at our church yesterday. I always enjoy his teaching as he is very logical in his presentation, knowledgeable about the topics on which he speaks and easy to listen to. Yesterday he spoke on reaching others for Christ here in the last days. Part of our church's mission statement is "every member a minister" based on Ephesians 4:11-12. As we leave the parking lot we are reminded that we are entering the mission field. We all have a sphere of influence to share Christ. Here are the notes I took on Donald Perkins' message. May we all understand the urgency in reaching the lost for Christ. Donald Perkins began with Matthew 28:19-20, the Great Commission - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. This is the foundation - we are all commissi