Do you really want God to be in control?

When God sends trials how do you respond? It can take me weeks (or years) to acknowledge the wisdom of God. Things like lost keys, broken toilets, and burnt spaghetti show what is really in my heart. In those moments my idolatry is exposed.

Here is a little article by Paul Tripp where he works out the same struggle. It helps me to see that God is working in life's trials. He shows that life's problems only reveal our deeper spiritual problems. He confesses:

But I've had to face the fact once again that I don't want God to be sovereign, I want to be. And there are moments when I don't want to be made holy. I would much rather have life be predictable and comfortable, thank you. I don't want to experience the hardships of uncomfortable grace even though I know I still need to grow and change.

So, once again I've confessed to the idolatry that is behind my anger. I've confessed how much I worship at the altars of comfort and control. And I've prayed that some day, by God's powerful and patient grace, that I'd be on the other side of the border where I'd treasure God's work of grace inside of me more than I treasure the ease of the world outside of me. I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was last year. How about you?

For more wise counsel visit Paul's blog here.

My Son - The Warrior

I teach my son to protect his momma. A man must watch out for his family. When a bug needs squashed – he does it. When a job must be done – he steps up.

At 10 PM on Wednesday my wife screamed. She was standing on the bed. It was our first mouse this winter. I called my two Jack Russell pups into the room and closed the door. “Get em’ girls,” I growled. They tilted their head as if to say “Huh?” After about ten minutes they caught on. So did my wife - she left the room. Then David, my five-year-old, came to help. He knew there was trouble. He was ready to step up.


I gave him a shoe. “If you squash it I’ll buy you a transformer. If the dogs get it we’ll give them a bone.” He was'nt scared. He was ready for action. For the next 40 minutes we chased that mouse from corner to corner. The dogs were no hunters. But my son was a warrior. He charged into the closet to flush out the enemy. He cornered it. Then growled to show the dogs how to do it.



We showed overwhelming force. The mouse had no chance. It played dead. The dogs lost interest. David asked, “Should'nt we just put it outside?” He was right. There was no honor in squashing a captured foe. I picked it up by its tail. “First, we need to show your momma.”

Daddy, I want to read the real Bible tonight.

This was what my oldest son began saying to us about two weeks ago. (Right before his fifth birthday.) We have been using various Children’s Story Bibles including the very helpful Big Picture Story Bible. But he always asked why some stories were left out of these Bibles. We would explain that God’s Word is really big and his kids Bibles were make to help younger children. While we often used my Bible for family devotions, we would use the story Bibles for bedtime reading.

To give a little background, my son is not a typical five-year old. We have tried to be faithful in teaching him God’s Word. But he continues to amaze me at his depth of understanding. I often joke that he was a better theologian at four then I was at twenty. I can only attribute this to God’s blessing. Question after question he challenges me to think clearly about God in ways that don’t really fit with developmental psychology. “Dad, I love God because he is a person and he is everything. Sin is only a power, its nothing compared to God.” Then sometimes he will be playing and I hear him making up little kid songs about Jesus wiping out sin. He seams to display a genuine love for the Bible as well. One day while he was playing, he stopped and declared, “I love the Bible because it really is God’s Word. It really is the best book.” Lately he has been saying, “I really want to read all the Bible, I don’t want to miss any of what God says.” His latest has been asking to read the real Bible only. He will sit in his bed and listen and watch me as I read aloud. Sometimes up to two chapters. We have been stopping because I get tired. He has not yet asked me to stop. He will interrupt me and ask for word definitions or ask me to clarify what something means. But overall he is content to simply hear the Word read.

Please understand that I am not just bragging on my kids. I believe that God brings kids along at differing times. I just want to encourage you to stay faithful. Pray for your children, love God’s Word yourself, make it your treasure and then share it like you would share all good things with your children. I have been asking God to smile on my son since he was born. This reminds me of 3 John verse four, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Will The Next Generation Treasure Christ?

Puppies and a Christian Worldview

For the last few weeks our family has wanted to adopt a dog. We have gone to look at several but none were just right for our family. After Worship today we stopped by a house that was advertising puppies last week. There were all adopted. So we came home a little disappointed. We assured our four-year-old son (David) that God had the right dog for us. He was even in control of puppies. We talked about God knowing everything and how he does the best for us, even when it makes us sad for a time. David was sure that God even knew the name of our puppy.

Later this afternoon my wife found some puppies listed on the Internet. They were about an hour away and we had time to visit them before the shelter closed. They were just right, so right that we decided to adopt the final two sisters. (Dogs need family too.) On the drive home David was double excited. He said, “I knew God had a dog for us, but I never thought he would have two!” We talked about how God can bless us beyond what we imagine. We and settled on “Rascal” and “Ruthie” for their names.

While driving home we prayed. We thanked God for the puppies. We asked God to help the puppies to not be afraid. We asked God to help us love and care for the puppies. We asked God to help the puppies grow and be healthy.

While driving we also talked. I asked my son, “Who did God let name the first animals.” He answered, “Adam.” Then we discussed the job God gave Adam and Eve. We can glorify God by how we care for animals. David was excited about his new job helping to take care for the puppies.

This was not a formal Bible lesson I planned for my family. There are some things I could have said better. We were simply living out our Christian worldview. Knowing God affects every aspect of our lives, even how we choose family pets. God-centered parenting is a natural outflow of living God-centered lives. These informal times and shared experiences of God’s faithfulness are priceless. We learn together as a family to trust God in all things. So whether it is traffic jams, or puppies, or pregnancy, or cancer: we can trust God in every situation.

Our family Devotions

Our family has been blessed by observing Family Worship. We began in earnest about two years ago when my son was two. At that time we also had about four to six foster children in our home as well. So our age ranges where diverse. I was not sure where to begin. So we prayed. Then we sang. We read the Bible and questioned the children. Soon we memorized the Ten Commandments and several other verses. Our worship times began to be the highlight of the kid’s day – and of mine.

The whole atmosphere of our family life changed. Discussing God was no longer an intrusion; it was as natural as talking about the weather. Our life situation has changed greatly in the past two years. We have moved. Have another baby of our own. We are unable to foster for now. But our family devotions are still essential. We dance and sing. Pray. Learn a catechism. Read and memorize scripture. It is the most natural worship experience I have ever known. We keep it simple, biblical and God-centered.

We define worship for the kids like this.
1. Hearing from God – Bible
2. Talking with God – prayer and songs
3. Obeying God – Living by faith and making Jesus our treasure.

God has been teaching me also. I now see the pastoral dimension of being a father. It brings me great joy to pray for our little flock. As I move toward vocational ministry I see myself first as pastor of my family. Serving in Christ’s Church is an expansion of that ministry.

Fathers, make this a priority. Don’t think of excuses! God has called you to the ministry of fatherhood. It is a high calling. He has given these children to your care.Mothers, teach your little ones to treasure Christ. Pray for the fathers and make Christ the king of your home.

For direction on family worship try Shawn Lynes blog and "The Heart of Family Reformation" by Jim Eliff. And no post would be complete without a link to Bethlehem Baptist Church see the article by Sally Michael Key Bible Themes to Teach Children.