I was listening to an old Dobson pod-cast this week and heard the question “when you hear the term Family Devotions, what comes to your mind?” Apparently when most Christians think of Family Devotions they have negative thoughts. One word kept surfacing to the top: boring. Many Christian adults today, refuse to do Family Devos in their own home because they equate them with mysery as a child…listening to dad read verse after verse of Leviticus. How can we keep this from happening?

I thought to myself, “I can’t let this happen in my home!” The message of hope to the world is not boaring, so I better stay out of the way and let the exciting message do the work. But how can I keep this from happening? Read the rest of this entry »

The whole first day of kindergarten experience as a parent was a good one. Just over a week ago, we sent our oldest son off to walk the long hall alone. I was pretty emotional the day before (Sunday night church in particular), but I did OK the day of.

I have to be honest with you, my main concern is for his safety and protection. I am not necessarily talking about his physical body getting hurt or any thing like that, but more so about his spiritual protection. You know, “be careful little eyes what you see.” That kind of stuff.

I mean, who knows the kind of junk he will learn from the influence of other kids. I know what I learned…and my goodness. I am not usually motivated by fear, but I have said many a prayer in the last week for this very reason. And, to a certain degree, I think there’s nothing wrong with my motivation. After all, provision and protection are my honors as a father.

However, after listening to a friend of mine I gained a bit of a different perspective. He said that they went to pick up their daughter from their first day of school and the teacher said to them “Your daughter is an angel.” They replied “Thanks, we know…yadda, yadda, yadda” because she really is a sweet little girl! “No,” the teacher said “you don’t understand, a little girl entered the classroom today who was obviously having a difficult time separating from her mother. Your sweet little Angel, realizing what was going on, went over to the distressed little first timer and said to her ‘will you be my friend and come play with me?’” As he told me the story, I got a little chocked up.

What kind of an impact do you think she made in the life of that little girl? Do you remember entering into the cafeteria wondering “where am I going to sit?” or “If I sit down at this empty table, will anyone join me?” Man those are tough moments in the lives of developing kids and teenagers, and here this little kindergartner stepped out and made a difference. She is a champion!

How did she become that way? Her parents are outwardly focused, spiritual champions, and they spend regular time with her each day, teaching her to be a spiritual champion. No to mention, they have a lot of fun while doing it!

I really needed to hear that story. Sure, I still pray for my son’s protection (as we should), but I had a change of perspective. I want him to be protected, but what about all of those kids out there who need help? Kids who come from less fortunate homes? Kids who don’t hear the word of God at home, or may not come in regular contact with love, compassion, or truth? Even at a young age, my son can make a difference in their lives just like this other girl did.

May God protect the eyes and the ears and the minds of your children this week, and may He also use them to to reach out and love others in need.

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34

Consider becoming a D6 family or a D6 Church.

As a follow up to my July 26th post Jesus Junk, I would like to say hats off to a few Christian titles (other than the obvious – the Holy Bible) that have made a real difference in our culture the last 5 years. We need solid, biblical, relevant content that can lead readers to wholeness, completeness, healing, true life, action and love – all embodied in Jesus Christ. I think you will find that the following titles, from Christian Publishers, meet that criteria.

Our world has so many desperate needs. In some developing countries clean water, basic health care, and scriptures in their native tongue are urgent needs. In the developed/western world, it seems kind of selfish to say that we have real needs. However, if we are going to help the underdeveloped world, we need to strengthen up spiritually. The great thing about these recommended titles (although not an exhaustive list) is that they feed the need of where we are in our western culture. Make it your goal today to have a God honoring family, and a fun home so that you, your children, and your grandchildren can help others. I think that these books can help.

The Total Money Make Over by Dave Ramsey – Dave Ramsey is a colorful character. I love his abrasiveness, because I understand his motivation. 24-7 he is fired up about paying down debt, saving, giving and preparing for the future. Want to change the future legacy of your family tree? Read this book. Don’t see a connection between spirit filled living and finances? Read this book. One thing is for sure, you won’t be a little fuzzy about what Dave believes.

Every Man’s Marriage & Every Woman’s Marriage – My wife and I are reading these right now. Wow! Fantastic books. I have read my share of books on marriage books but this one beats all. If you were to ask me on the street, “what book should I read?” without a question, I would say Every Man’s Marriage. Why? Let me put it to you this way, only 14% of married men know (are practicing) the secret behind marital oneness (founded in scripture, BTW). 86% of us Christian men are walking around and our marriage is just barely surviving. If we really knew what our wives thought! Dude, you gotta read this book. If you are engaged, read this book. If you’ve been married 35 years read this book. It’s never to late to really become one with your wife.

Every Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker - I have not read this one yet, but it is the next on my list after reading Every Man’s Marriage. They say that 99% of men struggle with lust, and the other 1% are just lying. I have honestly met a few guys down through the years who don’t have a big struggle in this area, but let me place the emphasis on few. The thing is, it doesn’t matter your age, phase of life, background, etc. Lusting after women can eat a man from the inside out. We need help! Every Man’s Battle can help give you a game plan. Steve Greenwood has strongly recommended this one and I am about to dive right into these pages myself.

A Son Comes Home by Joseph Bentz -I am not a fiction reader, but you gotta check out this book. Talk about an interesting literary style! This book is a modern day telling of the parable of the Prodigal Son told from the perspective of three different characters. A beautiful story of redemption.

Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna – Check out Steve’s blog. He can say it better than I!

Bringing up Boys by James Dobson - This book became foundational for my wife and I as we read it before the birth of our oldest son. We laughed, we cried, and we cried some more. As a parent of boys, it is scary to think that the media, some of our twisted school systems, corrupt business, etc. are launching an attack to strip boys and men of our masculinity. I will be honest, the noise level in my house, and especially in our car, can drive me up the wall, but I will not attempt to strip my sons of their masculinity. Sure they are louder, dirtier, messier, and even uglier sometimes, but when raised up to be God honoring young men, passionate about serving Christ, they can and will change the world. Dobson explores this and many other issues in this book. It is a must have for parents of boys.

The Red Sea Rules by Robert J. Morgan – Have you ever felt like you were up against a major obstacle and the only way for you to get through it was for God to pull out some sort of miracle? Well so was Moses…and God did pull out a miracle! This book, birthed out of one of Rob Morgan’s best sermon series ever, is based on Moses Exodus experience. The book is short, powerful, and packed with biblical wisdom that will help any reader to maintain faith and confidence in the midst of any storm.

Simple: The Christian Life Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated by Robert J. Morgan – When someone visits your church, what do you have to give them as they are walking out the door, other than a firm handshake and a smile, that will help them understand the basics of the Christian faith? What about new believers? When they have questions about baptism, devotions, and questions about their salvation experience? What can you give them to help answer some of those questions? How about a copy of Rob Morgan’s Simple! This books answers many of those very important questions…it’s today’s top book for church guests and new believers.

Sometimes there is so much Jesus Junk out there that it can be discouraging trying to find a jewel among all the junk. So, my Hat’s Off to all of the authors and publishers of great titles like these.

There have been many others in past decades and recent years like Dare to Discipline, Thinking for a Change, Wild at Heart, The Purpose Driven Life, The Five Love Languages, Love and Respect, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Mere Christianity, My Utmost for His Highest, Heaven, and others.

Perhaps the next book to help shape us more like Christ is yours?