Hey Parents,
Wow, what a busy week we have at FBCG this week....we had a great night at Moss-Wright for the Pumpkin Fest last night, we have BIGNITE tomorrow night for our students, and then we have our annual women's event on Friday night...a lot of stuff going on! So you're getting a very BRIEF Sunday School update today! The students looked at the first 12 verses of Romans, chapter 14 so let's take a quick look at what the students talked about!
Romans 14:1-4
Paul encouraged believers to accept one another without criticism despite their differences over lesser issues. The ground for mutual respect among Christians was God's gracious acceptance of them all.
Romans 14:5-9
The apostle went on to illustrate the debatable differences that could exist, including differences over what was acceptable to eat and the observance of various religious festivals and traditions. Paul called on Christians to find unity and respect for one another centered on their sincere mutual commitment to the Lord.
Romans 14:10
Paul questioned why any Christian would feel it was OK to criticize or look down on another believer. After all, Christians are spiritual brothers and sisters.
Romans 14:10-12
The apostle reminded both stronger and weaker Christians that ultimately all will give account of themselves to God.
Have a great Tuesday and tomorrow we'll share what's going down at BIGNITE!
Heffe
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
IGNITE is TONIGHT!
Hey Parents,
Tonight is IGNITE....we got some music with the worship band, our final episode of The Outdoorsman, a sweet game of Ninja and our final Bible study in our Labyrinth series....gonna be great! Make sure to get your kids there at 5:45!!
Here's a breakdown of what we're talking about tonight:
Where should I go to college? What happens after I graduate? What if I miss out on something this weekend? Will I ruin my chance to date that guy or this girl? We all have detailed questions about the different decisions we have to make - decisions that feel like they will make or break the direction of our lives. And while we would all like to have a Magic 8 Ball to shake every time we have to make a decision, life doesn't work that way - and neither does God. Instead, God gives us a grid through which to make our decisions: Love. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. If you look at your decisions through this lens, you're on the right track to living in God's will. Imagine the possibility of living in freedom as opposed to fear!
See your kids tonight!
Heffe
Tonight is IGNITE....we got some music with the worship band, our final episode of The Outdoorsman, a sweet game of Ninja and our final Bible study in our Labyrinth series....gonna be great! Make sure to get your kids there at 5:45!!
Here's a breakdown of what we're talking about tonight:
Where should I go to college? What happens after I graduate? What if I miss out on something this weekend? Will I ruin my chance to date that guy or this girl? We all have detailed questions about the different decisions we have to make - decisions that feel like they will make or break the direction of our lives. And while we would all like to have a Magic 8 Ball to shake every time we have to make a decision, life doesn't work that way - and neither does God. Instead, God gives us a grid through which to make our decisions: Love. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. If you look at your decisions through this lens, you're on the right track to living in God's will. Imagine the possibility of living in freedom as opposed to fear!
See your kids tonight!
Heffe
Monday, October 24, 2011
Reading Romans
Hey Parents,
Well we're closing in on the close of our "Reading Romans" series....today we're taking a look at what your students hit on this past Sunday when they took a look inside chapter 13....so let's dive in!
Can You Be Counted On As A Citizen (Romans 13:1-7)
As harsh as Roman rule could be sometimes, Paul never entertained the idea that Christians should resist or attempt to undermine the government. Instead, the apostle affirmed that God established government and assigned it a vital role and authority for people's benefit.
I'll be honest, we didn't spend a lot of time on these verses with the students Sunday, simply because it doesn't exactly hit them in this time of their lives....paying taxes? That's totally foreign to them right now...unless they have a job!
But for us as adults, theses verses are a little bit more impacting. In these verses Paul reminds us that Christians are commanded and empowered by the Spirit to keep on being submissive to the governing authorities. God expects His people to be model citizens and to relate to the government in a respectful, obedient way.
That's not as easy as it sounds these days....not that I'm worried that all of you guys are out breaking laws left and right, but rather we may light of and joke about our government all the time! (Watched a Saturday Night Live lately??) God has called us to be respectful followers of those who are appointed to office....we have to remember that God ALLOWS them to have these posts so we must do our best to give them the honor and respect they deserve! As Paul points out in the very first verses of the chapter that there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.
Can You Be Counted On As A Neighbor (Romans 13:8-10)
Paul reminded the Christians in Rome that as Christians they were to exhibit a higher quality of life than mere good citizenship. Being good citizens by obeying the law was important, but even more important was fulfilling the law of love as expressed in the divine to love one's neighbor.
Now to clear one thing up...In verse 8, we do not need to interpret the command as a ban on borrowing of any kind. Paul essentially repeated the directive he stated in verse 7 that Christians must pay their debts, but he did so in this case for the purpose of highlighting the one debt that we can never fully repay. We aren't to neglect paying this debt; rather we pay its interest daily while the principal remains due and payable.
The ongoing debt that we as Christians owe is to love one another. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. When we treat our neighbors with love by the power of the Holy Spirit, we truly fulfill God's law!
Can You Be Counted On As Times Require (Romans 13:11-14)
Ultimately, the apostle urged Christians to live exemplary lives in light of the certainty of Christ's return. Each passing day gave a fresh urgency for believers to discard worldly living and to live as children of light. This type of lifestyle would be a strong witness of Jesus Christ to their neighbors and fellow citizens.
This is where we camped out for most of Sunday morning....this idea of waking of from sleep. A lot of our students are living life with a "sleepy faith". The view the Christian life as something they can deal with or worry with later on...."I'll deal with that when I'm older" or "I'll deal with that once I get through school". Our students live in a culture driven by technology...they are connected to each other, the internet, music, movies, TV, sports, etc...at almost every waking hour. As THE BIBLE challenges us and them to live lives apart from the world, we are facing a lot of opposition.
I encourage you as parents to help your students see that Scripture doesn't put a "time-line" on the life of a Christian. Once we accept Christ we should WANT to start living differently...we should desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord. I'll be honest in that we have some concern about the way that many of our students are living....there's no passion to live for Christ....which may lead to a tough thought for some of us to stomach.....maybe some of our students don't have a passion to live for Christ because they don't know Him personally!
Over the next several weeks we're going to be presenting the GOSPEL weekly....on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, Sunday nights...the more your student is exposed to the Word of God, the more the WORD has the opportunity to soak into their hearts and minds....and life-change can happen only through the power of the Holy Spirit of God!
Please be in prayer for your kids and the rest of our students as we pray for God to do some major life-change through the reading of His Word over the upcoming weeks!
Next week we're going to focus on the first 12 verses of Chapter 14 so check it out!
Heffe
Well we're closing in on the close of our "Reading Romans" series....today we're taking a look at what your students hit on this past Sunday when they took a look inside chapter 13....so let's dive in!
Can You Be Counted On As A Citizen (Romans 13:1-7)
As harsh as Roman rule could be sometimes, Paul never entertained the idea that Christians should resist or attempt to undermine the government. Instead, the apostle affirmed that God established government and assigned it a vital role and authority for people's benefit.
I'll be honest, we didn't spend a lot of time on these verses with the students Sunday, simply because it doesn't exactly hit them in this time of their lives....paying taxes? That's totally foreign to them right now...unless they have a job!
But for us as adults, theses verses are a little bit more impacting. In these verses Paul reminds us that Christians are commanded and empowered by the Spirit to keep on being submissive to the governing authorities. God expects His people to be model citizens and to relate to the government in a respectful, obedient way.
That's not as easy as it sounds these days....not that I'm worried that all of you guys are out breaking laws left and right, but rather we may light of and joke about our government all the time! (Watched a Saturday Night Live lately??) God has called us to be respectful followers of those who are appointed to office....we have to remember that God ALLOWS them to have these posts so we must do our best to give them the honor and respect they deserve! As Paul points out in the very first verses of the chapter that there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God.
Can You Be Counted On As A Neighbor (Romans 13:8-10)
Paul reminded the Christians in Rome that as Christians they were to exhibit a higher quality of life than mere good citizenship. Being good citizens by obeying the law was important, but even more important was fulfilling the law of love as expressed in the divine to love one's neighbor.
Now to clear one thing up...In verse 8, we do not need to interpret the command as a ban on borrowing of any kind. Paul essentially repeated the directive he stated in verse 7 that Christians must pay their debts, but he did so in this case for the purpose of highlighting the one debt that we can never fully repay. We aren't to neglect paying this debt; rather we pay its interest daily while the principal remains due and payable.
The ongoing debt that we as Christians owe is to love one another. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. When we treat our neighbors with love by the power of the Holy Spirit, we truly fulfill God's law!
Can You Be Counted On As Times Require (Romans 13:11-14)
Ultimately, the apostle urged Christians to live exemplary lives in light of the certainty of Christ's return. Each passing day gave a fresh urgency for believers to discard worldly living and to live as children of light. This type of lifestyle would be a strong witness of Jesus Christ to their neighbors and fellow citizens.
This is where we camped out for most of Sunday morning....this idea of waking of from sleep. A lot of our students are living life with a "sleepy faith". The view the Christian life as something they can deal with or worry with later on...."I'll deal with that when I'm older" or "I'll deal with that once I get through school". Our students live in a culture driven by technology...they are connected to each other, the internet, music, movies, TV, sports, etc...at almost every waking hour. As THE BIBLE challenges us and them to live lives apart from the world, we are facing a lot of opposition.
I encourage you as parents to help your students see that Scripture doesn't put a "time-line" on the life of a Christian. Once we accept Christ we should WANT to start living differently...we should desire to live a life pleasing to the Lord. I'll be honest in that we have some concern about the way that many of our students are living....there's no passion to live for Christ....which may lead to a tough thought for some of us to stomach.....maybe some of our students don't have a passion to live for Christ because they don't know Him personally!
Over the next several weeks we're going to be presenting the GOSPEL weekly....on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, Sunday nights...the more your student is exposed to the Word of God, the more the WORD has the opportunity to soak into their hearts and minds....and life-change can happen only through the power of the Holy Spirit of God!
Please be in prayer for your kids and the rest of our students as we pray for God to do some major life-change through the reading of His Word over the upcoming weeks!
Next week we're going to focus on the first 12 verses of Chapter 14 so check it out!
Heffe
Friday, October 21, 2011
Raising Adults
Hey Parents,
A Friday thought for you....
Raising Adults
You've been through it again in the last two months. A school year has begun, and you've likely played the "I can't believe he/she is in grade _________" looped tape in your head for at least a short season.
It doesn't matter whether it's preschool, or middle school, or graduate school, most of us find the fall to be a sobering reminder that another year has slipped by. Maybe you experienced it when you drove your 15-year-old to their first day of 10th grade or maybe you just sent your 18-year old off to college.
Here's the question: How do you feel in that moment?
I know I've felt a creeping sadness - a sense that time is moving too quickly. Which is a bit of a reversal isn't it? We seem to celebrate every milestone in their first few years (first smile, learning to crawl, first step, first words, etc.) but then we begin to resist the fact that they're growing up.
Why is that?
I can't remember who said it, but someone pointed out that while we speak about raising children, we're actually not doing that. We're raising adults.
The goal of parenting is to prepare your children for life. To move them into a place where they have the worldview, skills, faith and heart to face life on their own. To release adults, not children.
It seems a lot of times parents seem to miss the reality that their children need to become independent. If we're not careful, our kids move into life not ready to face its challenges and complexities, nor often is their faith large enough to integrate into life on their own.
So think about that.....we're actually raising adults, not kids.
See your sweet little 3-year-old over there? That an adult you're raising. Your 10-year-old? In 8-10 years, he's pretty much grown up.
When we realize that we're raising adults, we remember that the goal is not for us to hang onto every fleeting moment of their youth, but to prepare them for the life for which God has created them.
Have a great weekend!
Heffe
A Friday thought for you....
Raising Adults
You've been through it again in the last two months. A school year has begun, and you've likely played the "I can't believe he/she is in grade _________" looped tape in your head for at least a short season.
It doesn't matter whether it's preschool, or middle school, or graduate school, most of us find the fall to be a sobering reminder that another year has slipped by. Maybe you experienced it when you drove your 15-year-old to their first day of 10th grade or maybe you just sent your 18-year old off to college.
Here's the question: How do you feel in that moment?
I know I've felt a creeping sadness - a sense that time is moving too quickly. Which is a bit of a reversal isn't it? We seem to celebrate every milestone in their first few years (first smile, learning to crawl, first step, first words, etc.) but then we begin to resist the fact that they're growing up.
Why is that?
I can't remember who said it, but someone pointed out that while we speak about raising children, we're actually not doing that. We're raising adults.
The goal of parenting is to prepare your children for life. To move them into a place where they have the worldview, skills, faith and heart to face life on their own. To release adults, not children.
It seems a lot of times parents seem to miss the reality that their children need to become independent. If we're not careful, our kids move into life not ready to face its challenges and complexities, nor often is their faith large enough to integrate into life on their own.
So think about that.....we're actually raising adults, not kids.
See your sweet little 3-year-old over there? That an adult you're raising. Your 10-year-old? In 8-10 years, he's pretty much grown up.
When we realize that we're raising adults, we remember that the goal is not for us to hang onto every fleeting moment of their youth, but to prepare them for the life for which God has created them.
Have a great weekend!
Heffe
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
IGNITE is TONIGHT!
Hey Parents,
Tonight is IGNITE!....we start at 5:45 up in The Attic and it's gonna be a good time tonight...we'll show episode 2 of our "The Outdoorsman" series...we'll play a game called "Who Am I" and we'll have our 2nd session in our Labyrinth series...here's an idea of what we'll be talking about:
Labyrinth - It's Not A Secret
Wishing on stars, looking in the clouds and scanning the horizon for a "sign" might work in movies, but how do we figure out what God wants for real people in the real world? As simple - and as crazy - as it may sound, we need to look no further than God's Word. While a sign might seem easier and much faster than actually reading the Bible, digging into God's Word is the best way for us to get the big picture of God's story and how we fit into it.
Hope to see your students there tonight!
Heffe
Tonight is IGNITE!....we start at 5:45 up in The Attic and it's gonna be a good time tonight...we'll show episode 2 of our "The Outdoorsman" series...we'll play a game called "Who Am I" and we'll have our 2nd session in our Labyrinth series...here's an idea of what we'll be talking about:
Labyrinth - It's Not A Secret
Wishing on stars, looking in the clouds and scanning the horizon for a "sign" might work in movies, but how do we figure out what God wants for real people in the real world? As simple - and as crazy - as it may sound, we need to look no further than God's Word. While a sign might seem easier and much faster than actually reading the Bible, digging into God's Word is the best way for us to get the big picture of God's story and how we fit into it.
Hope to see your students there tonight!
Heffe
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Reading Romans
Hey Parents,
It's time for a Sunday School update....last Sunday your students hit chapter 12 in Romans....and it is a jam-packed chapter! So let's take a quick look at what they talked about!
Give Yourself in Worship (Romans 12:1-2)
Paul starts chapter 12 off with urging the Romans to offer themselves as a living sacrifice. This would have been a crazy thought to the readers at this time...they had always understood that the sacrifices were only to be the first and best animals...but Paul was talking about a radically different type of sacrifice. Paul was encouraging believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices...harking back to the discussion of the body being dead to sin because of the life-giving presence of the Spirit (back in chapter 8). To live by the Spirit is to offer oneself completely and daily as a holy and pleasing sacrifice.
Paul explains that living as a holy, pleasing sacrifice was a believer's spiritual worship.....this is the logical and pleasing way for Christians to serve God.
Paul also urges his readers to reject worldliness and to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This was a continuing action...the transformation of our thinking and attitudes is an ongoing, lifelong endeavor.
The result of having our minds renewed by the Spirit is to grow in our ability to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. See, Christian living is not about emptying the mind, but rather about thinking intelligently and logically in accordance with God's ways.
Use Your Gifts (Romans 12:3-8)
Paul encourages believers to remain humble while seeking God's will for their lives. We have to work to keep our pride in check. As Paul begins to talk about spiritual gifts, he's well aware that the human propensity is to prize one type of gift one gets over the actual purpose of the gift.
Paul urges his readers to think sensibly about the faith they all possess in common. See, each believer possesses a measure of faith - at least one spiritual gift that gives evidence of his or her saving faith. Paul shows how, just like the parts of a body all function differently but all work together, all the different spiritual gifts function differently but work together for one unified purpose!
Here's a breakdown of each gift:
Prophecy - the gift of speaking God's inspired message
Service - the gift of serving in ways to meet the practical needs of others
Teaching - the gift of effectively instructing others, especially in scriptural understanding and moral living
Exhorting - the gift of coming alongside others to encourage and cheer them on toward godly living
Giving - the gift of contributing generously and effectively to help meet others' needs.
Leading - the gift of organizing and guiding Christians in cooperative ventures of service and spiritual growth
Mercy - the gift of acting with grace and cheerfulness to alleviate suffering and hardship, such activities as feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and tending to the elderly.
Paul wanted his readers to use their gift to benefit their local churches. We need all these parts to work together to serve the body of Christ.
Love Your Fellow Christians (Romans 12:9-16)
As a result of experiencing God's transforming love in Christ, believers are to exhibit Christlike love for one another. Paul describes 4 qualities of Christlike love:
1. It is without hypocrisy - we must not pretend or put on a show...but we need to genuinely desire the well-being of other Christians.
2. Love despises evil and clings tenaciously to what is good. It's not wishy-washy about right and wrong.
3. It's expressed as family affection - we should view each other in the church as brothers and sisters in the Lord.
4. It drives us to outdo one another in showing honor. It's constantly seeking to for ways to help, encourage, or celebrate others!
Paul exhorts that as believers we should be positive and gracious, not negative and vengeful. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. We need to learn to appreciate others!
Treat Enemies with Kindness (Romans 12:17-21)
So here's a tough one....Paul writes with a focus here on how Christians are to relate to people outside the church. Both within and outside the church, believers are to display an active, intentional, Christlike-ethic. We need to avoid reactionary, vengeful behavior. We need to make every effort to develop an honorable reputation in our communities.
This is basically an encouragement to live at peace with everyone. Sometimes conflict is unavoidable, but as believers we can control our attitudes and responses by the power of the Spirit living in us. When someone does us wrong, we can choose to put the matter in God's hands and trust in His sovereign judgement!
As you guys can see, chapter 12 is full of applicable truths for our students, and for us as adults as well! Next week we'll be looking at Chapter 13 so read up this week!
Heffe
It's time for a Sunday School update....last Sunday your students hit chapter 12 in Romans....and it is a jam-packed chapter! So let's take a quick look at what they talked about!
Give Yourself in Worship (Romans 12:1-2)
Paul starts chapter 12 off with urging the Romans to offer themselves as a living sacrifice. This would have been a crazy thought to the readers at this time...they had always understood that the sacrifices were only to be the first and best animals...but Paul was talking about a radically different type of sacrifice. Paul was encouraging believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices...harking back to the discussion of the body being dead to sin because of the life-giving presence of the Spirit (back in chapter 8). To live by the Spirit is to offer oneself completely and daily as a holy and pleasing sacrifice.
Paul explains that living as a holy, pleasing sacrifice was a believer's spiritual worship.....this is the logical and pleasing way for Christians to serve God.
Paul also urges his readers to reject worldliness and to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This was a continuing action...the transformation of our thinking and attitudes is an ongoing, lifelong endeavor.
The result of having our minds renewed by the Spirit is to grow in our ability to discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. See, Christian living is not about emptying the mind, but rather about thinking intelligently and logically in accordance with God's ways.
Use Your Gifts (Romans 12:3-8)
Paul encourages believers to remain humble while seeking God's will for their lives. We have to work to keep our pride in check. As Paul begins to talk about spiritual gifts, he's well aware that the human propensity is to prize one type of gift one gets over the actual purpose of the gift.
Paul urges his readers to think sensibly about the faith they all possess in common. See, each believer possesses a measure of faith - at least one spiritual gift that gives evidence of his or her saving faith. Paul shows how, just like the parts of a body all function differently but all work together, all the different spiritual gifts function differently but work together for one unified purpose!
Here's a breakdown of each gift:
Prophecy - the gift of speaking God's inspired message
Service - the gift of serving in ways to meet the practical needs of others
Teaching - the gift of effectively instructing others, especially in scriptural understanding and moral living
Exhorting - the gift of coming alongside others to encourage and cheer them on toward godly living
Giving - the gift of contributing generously and effectively to help meet others' needs.
Leading - the gift of organizing and guiding Christians in cooperative ventures of service and spiritual growth
Mercy - the gift of acting with grace and cheerfulness to alleviate suffering and hardship, such activities as feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and tending to the elderly.
Paul wanted his readers to use their gift to benefit their local churches. We need all these parts to work together to serve the body of Christ.
Love Your Fellow Christians (Romans 12:9-16)
As a result of experiencing God's transforming love in Christ, believers are to exhibit Christlike love for one another. Paul describes 4 qualities of Christlike love:
1. It is without hypocrisy - we must not pretend or put on a show...but we need to genuinely desire the well-being of other Christians.
2. Love despises evil and clings tenaciously to what is good. It's not wishy-washy about right and wrong.
3. It's expressed as family affection - we should view each other in the church as brothers and sisters in the Lord.
4. It drives us to outdo one another in showing honor. It's constantly seeking to for ways to help, encourage, or celebrate others!
Paul exhorts that as believers we should be positive and gracious, not negative and vengeful. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. We need to learn to appreciate others!
Treat Enemies with Kindness (Romans 12:17-21)
So here's a tough one....Paul writes with a focus here on how Christians are to relate to people outside the church. Both within and outside the church, believers are to display an active, intentional, Christlike-ethic. We need to avoid reactionary, vengeful behavior. We need to make every effort to develop an honorable reputation in our communities.
This is basically an encouragement to live at peace with everyone. Sometimes conflict is unavoidable, but as believers we can control our attitudes and responses by the power of the Spirit living in us. When someone does us wrong, we can choose to put the matter in God's hands and trust in His sovereign judgement!
As you guys can see, chapter 12 is full of applicable truths for our students, and for us as adults as well! Next week we'll be looking at Chapter 13 so read up this week!
Heffe
Friday, October 14, 2011
Disqualified Parents
Parents,
A Friday thought for you today....this comes from a blogger named Carey Nieuwhof...
Disqualified Parents
"Because when you find yourself the villain in the story you have written
It's plain to see
That sometimes the best intentions are in need of redemption
Would you agree?"
-Death Cab for Cutie, "You Are a Tourist"
So Death Cab for Cutie is a band - just to be clear - one that's on my playlist a lot these days. As that song plays through my speakers, it hit me that is describes how sometimes you guys might feel as parents.
No new parent begins by saying "I hope I mess up my child's life." Who ever sets out to be the villain in the story? But at one point or another, we end up there, don't we?
You leave for vacation but are yelling at the kids before you're even out of town.
You're at home most nights, but you're far too tired to engage.
Your kids repeated patterns of behavior drive you crazy, and you end up resenting them.
Your date night to nurture your marriage starts with an argument and ends with a meltdown.
You make empty threats to your kids that would make you wince if you heard other parents make them. But you are all out of tricks, so you threaten anyway.
And sometimes the temptation is to think that our failures should disqualify us as a parent. At least as a good parent. It must certainly disqualify us from being a godly parent.
But when you think that, you would be wrong.
What if that actually puts you in line with a great list of characters God used in significant ways? What if that actually qualifies you?
Peter was Jesus' best friend, but Peter betrayed Jesus-badly, You would think that would put you out of the running to be a New Testament hero. But Jesus built the church on Peter anyway.
Moses seemed like a fine fellow until he murdered someone. Shouldn't that push him off God's short list? Apparently not. God made him into one of the greatest leaders in the Old Testament.
Why? Why does God use people as flawed as that?
I think weakness puts us in touch with our need for God. It reminds us that God is God and we are not. That we need help. That there is a power greater than our natural brilliance (or lack of it) at work in the world. And that grace flows between the cracks in our lives.
God's strength is most evident when the people He's working with are weak.
What if the very thing you think is disqualifying you right now is actually qualifying you for a new chapter in your life in Christ? What if your weakness was a portal to new strength?
What if you are a parent turning in a brand new way to Christ's love and you were able to give your son and daughter a front row seat to the grace of God?
I bet your kids would never forget the change they see in you. And you could one day tell them how it happened.
Have a great weekend!
Heffe
A Friday thought for you today....this comes from a blogger named Carey Nieuwhof...
Disqualified Parents
"Because when you find yourself the villain in the story you have written
It's plain to see
That sometimes the best intentions are in need of redemption
Would you agree?"
-Death Cab for Cutie, "You Are a Tourist"
So Death Cab for Cutie is a band - just to be clear - one that's on my playlist a lot these days. As that song plays through my speakers, it hit me that is describes how sometimes you guys might feel as parents.
No new parent begins by saying "I hope I mess up my child's life." Who ever sets out to be the villain in the story? But at one point or another, we end up there, don't we?
You leave for vacation but are yelling at the kids before you're even out of town.
You're at home most nights, but you're far too tired to engage.
Your kids repeated patterns of behavior drive you crazy, and you end up resenting them.
Your date night to nurture your marriage starts with an argument and ends with a meltdown.
You make empty threats to your kids that would make you wince if you heard other parents make them. But you are all out of tricks, so you threaten anyway.
And sometimes the temptation is to think that our failures should disqualify us as a parent. At least as a good parent. It must certainly disqualify us from being a godly parent.
But when you think that, you would be wrong.
What if that actually puts you in line with a great list of characters God used in significant ways? What if that actually qualifies you?
Peter was Jesus' best friend, but Peter betrayed Jesus-badly, You would think that would put you out of the running to be a New Testament hero. But Jesus built the church on Peter anyway.
Moses seemed like a fine fellow until he murdered someone. Shouldn't that push him off God's short list? Apparently not. God made him into one of the greatest leaders in the Old Testament.
Why? Why does God use people as flawed as that?
I think weakness puts us in touch with our need for God. It reminds us that God is God and we are not. That we need help. That there is a power greater than our natural brilliance (or lack of it) at work in the world. And that grace flows between the cracks in our lives.
God's strength is most evident when the people He's working with are weak.
What if the very thing you think is disqualifying you right now is actually qualifying you for a new chapter in your life in Christ? What if your weakness was a portal to new strength?
What if you are a parent turning in a brand new way to Christ's love and you were able to give your son and daughter a front row seat to the grace of God?
I bet your kids would never forget the change they see in you. And you could one day tell them how it happened.
Have a great weekend!
Heffe
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