A Night with Raggedy Anne

Here are a few pictures of our family that we made tonight. I think that Amy did a really great job making Alora's "Raggedy Anne" costume.

Biblical Depth

Youth need much more than pizza, ping-pong and a splash of scripture. We must give them real biblical substance. In a recent blog entry, Al Mohler reminds us of this very point. And surprisingly, TIME has noticed this trend too. Read his blog entry here.

Groceries, Grapes, and a World of Learning

A few days ago, as Amy and I were standing in the fresh produce section of the grocery store, a woman came by and plucked a grape from the display and ate the grape. Soon after, the woman's daughter did the exact same thing. Unknowingly, the mother had just given her daughter a lecture in ethics. Unfortunately, I do not think that most parents realize how much they influence their children, for good and bad.

As parents, we are constantly before our children's eyes. As we live, they learn. We are the teachers and they are our students who soak in every lesson. Daily life provides us with the classroom, our words and actions serve as the lecture. Let us pray that our lectures are founded on curriculum of God's word, so that we can lead and exhort them to love and serve the Lord in faith. If our curriculum is based on any other foundation, then we are in the processes of educating fools.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (ESV): 1 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. [1] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deconstructing Defeater Beliefs

For those of you who heard Jimmy's sermon this morning (and also for those who didn't) I thought that you may be interested in reading the article by Tim Keller that he referenced. The article is titled, "Deconstructing Defeater Beliefs: Leading the Secular to Christ," and it is available here and here (in pdf form). I read this article a few months ago and found it to be very helpful.

My Favorite Price is Free

I recently recieved a free audio cd from American Vision, entitled, The Worldview War. I really enjoyed listening to it, and if you'd like to get a free copy for yourself, go here. Here's a description of the lecture:

The War between Christian and Anti-Christian worldviews is raging all around us. In this CD, you’ll learn that America’s moral and cultural crisis is the result of Christians not applying the Christian worldview to every area of life. Discover why there is no such thing as "neutrality." While Christians stand by and do nothing, the other side is working feverishly to implement their godless, humanistic, destructive worldview. Which worldview will ultimately prevail and how will it affect your family, the Church, and America?

Also, if you don't mind signing up for their email list, they'll also throw in a free copy of Biblical Worldview Magazine. Go here to get both the cd and the magazine.