CBF Kids Ministry

Your Worldview Changes Everything, Part 2

2011-08-15T22:48:00.003-05:00

In part I of this posting, I gave you a basic understanding of what a worldview is and how it can seriously affect one’s thinking, attitudes and actions. In this posting, I am going to show you some examples of how deeply entrenched the non-Biblical worldview is today, and show you that there are some people who will never accept the truth no matter what the evidence says.

What glasses do you wear?

The way a person views their world can be thought of as seeing the world through a filter or set of glasses. The filter you view the world from will change how you interpret the world around you. For example, if the glasses you wear have a colored tint to them or are slightly out of focus for you then everything you see will have that tint or you may not see all of the details clearly. If the glasses you wear are clear and in sharp focus then you will see things as they are. Your actions, attitudes and values will be driven by the filter you see the world from.

What about the facts?

Facts can be very important things, but two people wearing two different sets of glasses can look at the exact same facts and come to completely different conclusions. When you are talking to people about your faith, the facts alone are not enough to win them over. You have to show them why their worldview is wrong. In some cases showing someone that their worldview is wrong and that the facts speak against their worldview will not matter. Let me give you an example of this.

Several years ago the youth group lead by Shaun LePage (some of you know how long ago that was) went to a worldview conference in Colleyville, and I was able to go with my oldest son. There was a person there giving a talk on the facts of creation, and he told us about giving the same talk at a very liberal college. After his talk, a biology professor came to him, and they had a conversation similar to this (paraphrase as best I remember):

Professor: Your evidence for creation is very compelling, and I can see where some of it makes sense. But I am still going to teach evolution to my students.

Speaker: Why? You have just admitted that the evidence for creation makes sense. Why would you still want to teach something that you know may not be true?

Professor: It is quite simple; if I accept the facts of creation, then I have to accept the fact that there may be a creator. If I accept the fact that there is a creator, then I have to accept the fact that he makes the rules, expects me to live my life a certain way and expects things from me. I want to do things my way.

When I heard this I think it was the first time I had a clear understanding that the argument is not about facts but about what people want to believe or what people have been taught to believe from very early in life (remember we lose a lot of our kids by middle school or earlier.) The world today has forced a set of non-Biblical glasses on our children and they are very hard to remove.

How do you talk to someone who has a different worldview?

As you can see from that conversation above there may be nothing you can say to some people to show them they may be wrong, but you should not let that stand in the way of talking to people. Our job is to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks of the faith within us (1 Peter 3:15). It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict them.

Proverbs 26:4-5 says

4) Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. 5) Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes.

At first glance these two verses appear to contradict each other. What this is really telling us is to not use the same standard (non-Biblical worldview) or you will be just like the person you are talking to. Verse 5 tells us to answer the person according to his own worldview so that you can get them to see how wrong they are and that ultimately their worldview is actually based on Biblical principles.

As you can see from the figure above, if we use the same standard as the person we are talking to, we will end up looking just as foolish as they do. If we do not compromise on our Biblical worldview then we will be able to show that person that their worldview does not make sense. Most of the time you will find that people do not see the logical conclusion their position will take them to or they do not understand where their position is really based on Biblical principles. There is one thing to note here. These verses are saying that people with a non-Biblical worldview are fools. Scripture talks about a foolish person (or a fool) as one who has willingly turned his back on God or does not want to know the truth. Do not think that this is trying to demean the unbeliever in any way.

Don’t answer, Answer strategy

How do you get people to see that their worldview does not make sense? A strategy you can use is the “Don’t answer, Answer” strategy. This will help you to show the other person why their worldview is wrong and where it can lead. For example, you will sometimes hear people say something like “Creation is not true, and it is not right for you to lie to children and tell them it is.”

The “Don’t answer” part of this would be something like:

“I do not agree that creation is not true and we are not lying to children about creation.”

With this kind of a response you do not have to go into details of why creation is true and getting side tracked from the real issue as that is what the other person is expecting (or hoping) you will do. Unless you are well prepared to argue the facts of creation you should try to avoid doing so. Also, if you get into some of those arguments it will be easy to get side tracked by the other person, and your frustration level will rise making it very hard to respond in “gentleness and reverence” as we are instructed to do in 1 Peter 3:15 (I am speaking from personal experience).

The “Answer part” could be something like this:

I do not agree that creation is not true, and we are not lying to children about creation. But for the sake of argument, according to your worldview why would it be wrong to lie to children? Lying is wrong because it is contrary to God’s character, but from a non-Biblical worldview on what basis is it wrong to lie? Especially if it benefits me or make my chances of survival better. I understand that you agree that is wrong to lie, but knowing that lying is wrong would not be possible if the Bible were not true.

What are we saying here? You are respectfully telling the person that you do not agree with their position that teaching creation to children is lying, but if what they are saying were true, why would it be wrong? Based on what authority? What you are trying to show the person is that their position is ultimately based on Biblical principles. This is a somewhat simplistic example, and I will address this in more detail in future posts. As you deal with people who have a non-Biblical worldview, you will hear statements such as “what is right for you may not be right for me.” This is moral relativism, and it can be a very dangerous position for someone to take. A simple response to this could go something like this:

I do not agree that what is right for one person may not be right for others. There are absolute standards that everyone has to live by. But if what you are saying is true, then I am going to kill you then take your money and your car.

What do you think a person’s response to something like that would be? Maybe “You cannot do that” or “it is wrong to kill someone and take their stuff.” Your response would be “that may be right for you but for me it is OK because I need a car and some money.” While again this is an extreme example, it will help to show the other person where their thinking may lead and that outside of the Biblical absolutes (Exodus 20:13, Exodus 20:15) they have no grounds to stand on.

Summary, Part II

In part I you saw how a person’s worldview can affect the way they think, act and treat others. In part II you saw that the type of glasses or filters you have affects your worldview and that for some people no facts are going to change the glasses they wear. You also saw that the facts alone will not convince people. It is helpful to know the facts to help your position, but ultimately you have to show that person that their worldview is dependant on Biblical principles and where the logical progression of their worldview can lead.

This can be a hard concept to master but with some practice it can be done. For more information on the “Don’t answer, Answer” strategy please refer to the Fool-Proof Apologetics article on the Answers In Genesis website (that is where some of this information came from). There is also a great video series and articles on the “Ultimate Proof of Creation” that helps you to better understand what to listen for and how to respond to people using the Don’t Answer, Answer strategy.

Your Worldview Changes Everything, Part 1

2011-07-25T11:07:00.000-05:00

In my previous posts I talked about how the church is losing our children at a very early age to the world. If you recall from the first posting many of the young people indicated they walked away from their faith because they could not get solid answers about God, the Bible and today’s social issues.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us

“…, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” NASB

In this post and the future posting, I am going to try and provide you with the information that will help you to be able to make that defense of your faith. If you read the context of this verse (3:13-3:16) you will find that it was talking about being ready to give an answer even when people want to ridicule or even harm you for your faith. I cannot stress enough that last part of “yet with gentleness and reverence” no matter what people are saying to you. If you get in someone’s face and try to “one up them” with the facts or tell them what they believe is wrong in a harsh tone you will probably lose any chance of them ever coming to Christ. It is that kind of “Bible thumping” Christian that does more harm to the cause of Christ, especially in today’s Acts 17 world (see previous post).

The Four Questions of Life

At some point in almost everyone’s life he will ask the following questions (or something close to them):

Who AM I?

Why AM I Here?

What happens when I die?

Why is there death and suffering?

Your Worldview will dramatically change the answers to those questions.

The Two Worldviews

To better understand why the answers to these questions will be so different, we need to first have a basic understanding of what the two worldviews are. In future posts I will be doing a more detailed comparison of the worldview focusing on Biblical and non-Biblical worldviews.

Evolutionary (non-Biblical) Worldview

Evolution teaches that about 13 or 14 billion years ago a “big bang” happened from nothing and from that explosion of time and matter, the stars, solar systems and eventually planets and earth formed. After the earth formed it “cooled down” for billions of years and water vapor was created from the cooling effect. The water began to collect and evaporate which caused it to eventually rain down on the earth. About 4 billion years ago the first cell formed from the “prebiotic soup” (water that collected after raining down on the rocks and spreading minerals while it was cooling) and it began to split and create more cells. Over time the cells began to randomly mutate and the mutations began to form different cells which eventually began to evolve into various life forms (plants and animals). Over millions of years the life forms began to evolve into higher forms of life which eventually ended up with what we have today including the most advanced animal, man.

Biblical Worldview

The Bible provides us with a much different worldview than evolution. If you remember the 7 C’s of history (see previous post) you see that the Bible teaches that in the beginning God created all things, seen and unseen, visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16). God planted a garden (Eden) and put the man in the garden to “dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2:15) and later God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them (Genesis 2:19-20). Genesis 1:26 also tells us that God created man to have dominion over the earth and to take care of it. God loved the man that he created, but true love has to be a choice not a pre-programed condition or response. We love because we choose to love. How many times have you heard someone say “I do not love them anymore”? They must have chosen to love the other person at one time but now choose not to.

The major differences in the worldviews are simple. One says that we are product of random chance over time and not much more than pond scum (from the prebiotic and primordial soup) that evolved into what we see today. The other says that we were created for a purpose, that we are loved and there is a better day coming.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the two worldviews here are how the two different answers to those questions.

Question	Evolution Worldview	Biblical Worldview
Who AM I?	You are nothing more than a product of random chance and changes over time and have become nothing more than an highly evolved animal	A Child of God. Created to be loved and to have fellowship with your creator
Why AM I Here?	No specific reason. As a product of random chance you are basically here for yourself. Nothing or no one else really matters	Your first purpose is to love God and serve him by putting others first. God also put man in charge of all of the earth and asked him take care of it (God gave him a specific job to do)
What happens when I die?	When you die you simply cease to exist and your body turns back to dust and decay or becomes a meal for the “other wild animals”.	Many places in the Bible tell us that someday Jesus will return and we will have a new heaven and a new earth to live in and that we will spend eternity with God. For those who do not put their full trust Jesus as savior, they will also live forever but will be eternally separated from God.
Why is there death and suffering?	There is no reason for suffering and death. It is all part of the random chance of things. If the “chances” would have been more in our favor we may never die or may never suffer physical or emotional pain.	The Biblical worldview tells us that God created everything perfect and there was no suffering and death. When Adam sinned that changed everything. Sin corrupted everything and God removed some of his sustaining power and thus we have the second law of thermodynamics (everything goes from order or perfection to disorder or imperfection). We understand from the Bible there is a reason for suffering and that the day will come when it is all removed for those who trust Christ.

Depending on your worldview and how YOU answer those questions you can better understand the world around today and why some people behave the way they do.

If people believe in the evolutionary worldview that they are nothing important, they have no purpose and they are nothing more than an evolved animal, is it any wonder why people (especially younger people) behave like animals these days? When you are taught over and over that life has no value and that you are nothing more than an animal (get rid of spare cats, get rid of spare kids) then how are you going to behave? You will be more likely to kill, steal and treat one anyone with contempt, especially if they are different than you. After all, “if life has no real value and killing others helps me survive, why is it wrong?”

If people believe that they have a purpose and meaning, that they were created and loved and that a day will come when all will be perfect you will see people taking care of each other and respecting life. Instead of killing unborn babies, the sick and aged, they will strive to preserve life at all stages but will also understand that there are absolute moral standards and rules. Hence, when someone breaks those rules there is a punishment that must go along with it.

Summary, Part I

It is easy to see why the world is in the shape it is in today. We are consistently being bombarded with the “evolution is how we got here” and anti-God type of messages. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death. How quickly can you kill a person’s self-esteem by always telling them they are worthless, have no purpose in life or that they have no hope of things getting better? In some cases the “power of the tongue” will drive a person to kill themselves, abuse drugs and alcohol or just be in such pain that life has no meaning which can lead to harming (or even killing) others either directly or indirectly.

In my next posting I am going to show you some examples of how deeply entrenched the non-Biblical worldview is today, and that there are some people who will never accept the truth no matter what the evidence says.

Are You Speaking the Wrong Language to Your Kids?

2011-07-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

First, I want to apologize for not keeping up with the blog. I had some personal things going on for a while and simply did not realize it had been so long since my last posting. I am planning to get ahead a few posts in the future so we will still be able to update on a more regular schedule. As a refresher you may want to review the first two posts of Have you already lost your children and Why you may have already lost your children.

As in every generation, if the parents find it hard to understand or speak the language of their kids this may leave them with a serious communications gap. When this happens the kids are going to turn to their friends for answers and will not respect their parents. This is also true in the way Christians today try to reach the world. We have a huge communications gap, and it is another reason as to why we are losing our children.

In Acts 2, Peter stood up in front of the men of Israel and delivered a short concise gospel message. Over 3000 people were “added to the church” in one day and others were being added to the church on a regular basis.

In Acts 17, Paul stood before the people of Athens and gave then a more detailed and specific message of the gospel and only a few people believed.

Why would a short, concise gospel message bring so many people to Christ while a more detailed and specific message only reached a few? On the surface it appears that Peter was a huge success and Paul was not. Is that really the case? The answer lies in the difference in those two societies (or worlds).

Acts 2 world

The Acts 2 world already knew about God, who he was, and what he expected of them because they had:

· the Mosaic Laws

· a written history of creation

· an understanding of what sin is and its penalty

· written prophecies about the coming messiah from the prophets

This is what America (and others around the world) used to be:

· We had prayer in schools

· Most people attended some kind of church

· Many people believed in the literal six days of creation

· When you spoke of God almost everyone knew which God you were speaking of

Acts 17 world

The Acts 17 world was quite different in the following aspects:

· They worshiped many gods

· They had an evolution based society

· They believed in and tolerated many religions

· They did not know about the one true God who created all things

This is what America and most of the world is today:

· Evolution is the “religion of the state”

· We are forced to tolerate other religions

· Even with much scientific evidence to support creation most do not accept the one true God who created all things. They choose to turn to man’s ideas and his ways of doing things.

How does this relate to how we speak to our kids? If your family is like most, the parents and grandparents grew up in that time when America was the Acts 2 world while our children are growing up in an Acts 17 world. In the past the Billy Graham’s of the world could deliver that short, concise message and thousands would come to Christ. You preach that same message today and people will laugh at you and call you foolish, stupid, and narrow-minded. Why? The world today does not have that same foundation. They are taught that there is no one true religion or God, that evolution is the way things came about and thus, are omitting or limiting Gods role in the creation of the world.

How can we speak the same language?

We have to accept the fact that in most cases the parents and grandparents are the Jews and have somewhat of a foundation and knowledge of God and that our children are the Greeks being taught everything but the truth and pulled farther and farther away from God.

In order to reach our children today (and most people in our world) we have to take them right back to Genesis 1 and give them the foundation they are missing. You are probably asking how in the world can I remember everything from Genesis 1 and be able to tell people about that? I am going to give you a brief outline of the “7 C’s of history” to help you remember this (please refer to AinswersInGeneis.org for more details on the 7 C’s).

Creation

In the beginning God created all things seen and unseen and at the end of the 7 days of creation everything was perfect. Genesis 1:29-31 tells us

29) Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

30) and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.

31) God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

God said, “And behold it was very good”. What does God mean by “very good”? He meant that there was no sickness, pain, sorrow, suffering or death. People and animals ate fruits and herbs so animals did not kill and eat each other and people did not eat animals (this was not permitted until after the flood). Man and animals lived peacefully together and it was not until after the flood that animals had a fear of man.

Corruption

God told Adam that he could eat of any tree in the Garden except for one. God told Adam that if he did he would surely die (Genesis: 2:17). I think we all know what happened next. The serpent (Satan) tempted Eve and she told Adam, and they both ate from the tree that God told them not to. From that moment on perfection became imperfection and sin (disobedience to God) entered the world causing all kinds of problems for mankind.

Catastrophe

After the corruption took place, people began to multiply and do many evil things which greatly displeased God. This grieved God so much that he determined to destroy everything that had the breath of life including all people and animals (Genesis 7:23). God sent a catastrophic flood that wiped out all life except for Noah and his family. This was the penalty for sin and corruption.

Confusion

After the flood God told the people to multiply and spread out across the earth. The people decided to gather in one place and build a tower (Tower of Babel) that would bring the entire world together and to make a name for themselves. This was the opposite of what God told them to do and he was very displeased. In order to get the people to spread out across the world as he originally commanded, he confused the language of the people so that those who spoke the same language had to band together and to move off to different parts of the world. This is why we have different nations, languages, and customs today (there is only one “race” of people).

Christ

God required a perfect sacrifice to pay for sins of man. When Adam sinned God killed two animals as a sacrifice and used their skins to be a “covering” for Adam and Eve (physical and spiritual). God gave the law through Moses, but Gods standards were so high that breaking one law was the same as breaking all of the laws. God promised to send a sacrifice suitable to pay for all of man’s sins. That sacrifice was Christ Jesus.

Cross

The first man Adam sinned and brought death to all people. Christ came to the earth as a man but did not sin. This made him a perfect and suitable sacrifice for all sins of all people past, present and future. The last Adam (Christ) paid the price on the cross of suffering and death so that all we have to do is to say yes to that free gift of salvation that Christ paid for on the cross.

Consummation

The Bible tells us that there will someday be a new heaven and new earth. Just as God originally created things to be perfect, he will once again create that perfect place. We will be consummated with God and live forever in that new heaven and earth.

In summary

Was Paul a success to the Greeks? I think so. He had to undo years of false teaching and beliefs in a few minutes so the fact that anyone believed was a success. We live in that Acts 17 world today, and if you try and talk to people as if they are in the Act 2 world they will think you are being foolish just as Paul said how the Greeks reacted to his message. Because so few people have a good solid Biblical background we cannot simple tell them things like “Trust in Jesus” and “God has a wonderful plan for your life” because they do not understand the perfect place God created and how sin and death came about. You must take them back to Genesis 1 and explain about these things before they will ever understand who the one true God is and about his plan of salvation.

As explained in the first few postings it is very important that we talk to our children and be able to answer their questions about the Bible and God. It is important that our children know WHAT they believe, and it is just as important that they know WHY they believe it. Just because the Bible says so is not a valid reason. To be able to answer a lot of the questions you will hear, it is important that you know what the world believes, what we believe, and what the differences are. In my future postings I will provide some of that information so you and your children can be well equipped to deal with the “fiery darts” the enemy will throw at you.

Hope is the Reason for the Season

2011-04-19T20:21:00.000-05:00

The reason for the season? I thought it was Easter, not Christmas. Well before you get too concerned it is Easter, and Easter is a time of hope. When a tragedy strikes such as what we have seen in Japan, or when a personal tragedy such as the death of a family member, loss of a job or serious health issue strikes us directly, we start to ask a lot of questions about God and what he is doing to us.

Some of the questions that people tend to ask in times like this are:

• Is God punishing me or my family for something we did?
• Why would God allow thousands of innocent people die in a natural disaster?
• Why would such a loving God allow people to suffer like those in Japan or that family member that died from a long, painful battle with cancer and yet, let people who do not care about anything or anyone live so long?

These are some of the types of questions that people ask in hard times and they can be very difficult to answer. You may be asking some of these kinds of questions yourself, and in the process you may be questioning your own faith in God over the things you see going on in the world today or over some personal tragedy in your life. If that is the case I want to try and provide some answers for you. I also want to provide you with some hope and try to help you understand that things are not as they always seem.

The true believer
The true believer who wants to serve God and put Him first is always asking God to use them to reach out to other people and to draw them closer to God. In many cases this means putting others first and doing the right thing no matter what the personal cost is (money, public ridicule, loss of job, loss of friends). Even though this is what the true believer may have asked for, they may not understand why something bad happened when all they wanted to do was serve God and help others.

Is God punishing me or my family for something we did?
Why would such a loving God allow people to suffer?
It is very hard to understand why bad things happen, and when it happens to our family or someone close to us we tend to get angry at God because it leaves such marks on our lives. To better understand these things you have to go right back to Genesis chapter 1. At the end of the six days of creation God said that everything was very good, and he had given the fruit of the trees for people and every green herb of the field for the animals for food (Genesis 1:29-31). This meant that there was no death, no suffering, no disease, no pain, no animals killing each other for food and our bodies did not wear out because of God’s sustaining power. This is the way God intended for everything to be, but Adam and Eve decided to break the one rule that God gave them. As a result He removed some of his sustaining power and things have gone downhill since then (i.e. second law of thermodynamics). The day will come, however, when everything is restored back to the way it was (maybe even better).

When Jesus was asked “Who sinned? This man or his parents to cause him to be born blind?” Jesus answered them simply that his blindness was not because of anyone’s sin but so that God would be glorified by it. We have to remember that life is not about us. It is about God and his glorification. He has graciously allowed us to be a part of it. In times of tragedy we can touch more people than we may ever touch if we live an uneventful life for another 40 or 50 years. In today’s world with social networking and electronic media your family’s story can be told around the entire world in a matter of hours and not just to your friends and neighbors. Have there been any situations like this that has brought you closer to your own children, family and even God? Remember what the true believer, trying to serve God asked for? Now the question is what will you do when these things enter your own life? Get angry at God or draw closer to Him and “lean not unto your own understanding” but trust that He knows what He is doing?

Everyone prayed so hard for our situation but it still turned out badly, why?
This is a question that many people struggle with, but the thing that most people do not seem to understand is that those who were praying so hard for healing or relief in some way may have gotten exactly what they prayed for. Just not in the way they wanted it, but God did answer that prayer. Human nature is to want someone healed immediately so that we can have them back in our lives, and we no longer have to live under the stress of what that person is going through. The hardest thing that anyone will go though is to watch their loved one suffer for a long time and then die after everyone prayed for them. For the true believer, while painful, we have hope that we will see those loved ones again. For that believer who died, they are in better health, more at peace and happier than they have ever been in this life. That is what the prayers were for - healing, peace, etc.

So, where is the hope you talked about?
In regard to those who have died, the hope comes from the Bible. In I-Thessalonians Chapter 4 starting in verse 13 we read:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. NASB

When Paul talks of those who have “fallen asleep in Jesus,” he is referring to the true believers that have already died. He goes on to say that we should not grieve like those who have no hope. All of us have seen the stories on TV where someone lost a child or other family member, and they are in so much pain that they cannot function. You will sometimes hear those people being interviewed, and they talk about never seeing their loved one again and are very saddened by that. These are the people who simply have no hope, and in some cases when there is no hope, there is no reason to live. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. Because we have hope in Christ that does not mean that we do not grieve, but we do not have to grieve as long or as hard as those with no hope. This is what I held on to when my mother passed away from cancer a few years ago.

Even when less tragic events happen in our lives we can still have this kind of hope. For example, losing a job is hard, but when we have our hope and trust in the risen Christ, we do not have to worry so much because he cares for us. In my experience when I have lost jobs there was always something better around the corner. No, the better things did not happen overnight, but they did come. If we have our hope in Christ then we do not have to worry about these kinds of things. Romans 8:28 says that God works everything “to our good” not that everything “will be good”. We may never see or know what worked to our good because God may have been keeping us from something far worse in the future.

Do you have the hope in you?
One thing we can say for sure is that if we are true believers and know that we are part of God’s forever family we will see those people again if they too were true believers. I like to think of it as having to move across the country with no access to phone or mail to talk to those we love. While I would rather be with them or at least be able to talk to them I know that this is a temporary thing, and that if I am still alive when Christ returns then he will bring those people with him to usher me into God’s presence. If I die before that day then I will come to meet those I left behind and will help usher them into God’s presence. Either way, what a wonder day that will be!!

Do you have this hope in you? Can you say for certain that when you die you will be reunited with those who have gone on before? If you can say yes then do you have other family members that you are not so sure about? If so, pray for them. Live the example before them. As we have seen with things like in Japan, life can end quickly and unexpectedly. Life is short, and time may be running out for yourself or those you love.

Why You May Have Already Lost Your Children

2011-04-01T23:17:00.002-05:00

In my previous post, I provided some rather shocking statistics on when our children are “checking out” vs. when most parents think this is happening. In that post I had also challenged you to talk to your children and ask them if they think everything in the Bible is true and to ask them about specific events in the Bible. Were you surprised by the answers they gave you? Were you able to tell them the truth?

In this post I want to try and put a little reasoning as to why we are seeing the mass exodus from the faith by our young people.

Like most things in life we are not losing our children overnight. It is a gradual process that starts as early as kindergarten (i.e. cubbies) and continues as our children grow (AWANA, Trek, Jr. and Sr. High). The problem starts with the way we are telling our children “Bible Stories” and not telling them that the Bible contains actual historical accounts of real and verifiable events. When these children grow older and go off to school, they are repeatedly told about the “facts of evolution” and that the Bible is great for literary reading because of its “stories/fables” and allegories for spiritual growth. There are two examples that come to mind where we are inadvertently actually building a foundation that will help move them away from God and the Bible as they grow older.

Noah’s Ark

When you ask the younger children to draw a picture of Noah’s Ark and the animals you will see something like figure 1 when the truth lies more along the lines of figures 2 and 3 below.

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

While Figure 1 is cute and appeals to children, it is setting them up to more easily walk away from the “stories” they learned earlier on. As the children grow older, if they have not been told the actual facts as seen in figure 2 and figure 3 (pay close attention to the animals in Figure 2) they will remember the stories and pictures they saw first and will discard the truth because they most likely have not seen or heard the actual truth.

Creation and Dinosaurs

One of the biggest things that will cause children and youth to walk away from the Bible is not telling them the truth of creation and how dinosaurs were part of the original creation who also walked the earth with man. I do not think you will find many pictures of Noah’s Ark that shows dinosaurs on the ark, but they were there. Children are taught in school from the very beginning that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and all died millions of years before man “evolved”. Almost any children’s book about dinosaurs will start out with something like “Millions of years ago…”. The Bible is quite clear that all things were created in a literal six days. If you interpret scripture with scripture you will see that all other places in the Bible that talk about a literal 24 hour day uses the same words and basic phrases of those in Genesis 1. Why would we accept it 400 times to mean six days and replace the meaning in Genesis with millions of years? Do we believe that the entire Bible is true or just parts of it? If only parts, which parts? Is Ephesians 2:8-9 or Romans 10:9-10 true? How do you know?

Can you answer their questions?

Remember this from my last posting?

Would you say that questioning was the beginning of your doubting the Bible?

Yes 55.61 %

No 31.12 %

Don’t know 13.27 %

55% say that they had questions and could not get them answered in a truthful and logical way. Most people would answer the hard questions like this:

The Old Testament and the creation “story” are not important. Just trust in Jesus. He loves you and has a plan for you. Do not worry about the other stuff.

There is some truth in this line of thinking because our salvation does not depend on whether we believe in six days or millions of years. However, the Bible text is very clear and can be validated by any true Hebrew scholar. Yet we still tell our kids that science is correct and the Bible is wrong (sometimes more by what we do not do and say.) In so doing, we undermine the authority of the entire Bible and set our kids up to walk away because they do not know what to believe anymore.

What kinds of questions are the kids today asking?

You might be surprised to find out the kinds of questions being asked. I recently had a conversation with some of the youth at our church and the first question from one of them was, “Why does the Bible say it is OK to stone your kids when they misbehave?” As the discussions went on, another question was along the lines of, “Why do we not do the things that the Old Testament tells us to do and only do what the New Testament says to do – are they not both from the same Bible and God”?

Can you provide an adequate answer to these questions? (If you have paid attention to the sermons lately you can answer one of them.) I have actually heard these same kinds of questions from other youth at various times. If they are asking hard questions like this, they must really be searching deeper than “just trust in Jesus and everything will be OK” truth. Here are some other things you will hear asked by youth and adults alike:

· If God is loving and caring why does he allow so much pain and suffering?

· Why does God let the bad people live a long time and take the young believers who are in the prime of their life and living for God?

· How can a God so big care anything about me? I am so insignificant he could not love me.

These kinds of questions are some of the biggest reasons why people walk away. (Charles Darwin and Ted Turner are good examples.)

I would encourage you to put your answers to these questions in the comments section of the blog and discuss them with other readers and your families. You may be surprised at what you learn from the experience.

Have You Already Lost Your Children?

2011-03-08T21:34:00.000-06:00

I am Scott Harris, and my family and I have attended CBF for almost eight years. Over the past year or so I have been studying creation and apologetics and have been teaching apologetics at our life group. Through this study I have discovered some very alarming things regarding our children. CBF has graciously allowed me to use this blog to share some of the things I have found. I will be updating the blog at least once a month (hopefully more often) with new information and perhaps to help with any discussions; hence, if you find this posting of interest, check back from time to time for more information. With that said, let’s get started….

The next time you are in church take a look at around at the youth and children. Over 2/3 of them will walk away from their faith and God by the time they are out of college. I have heard about a few times but did not pay much attention to it. As a parent of a son getting ready for college I started looking at this in more details because I have always thought that it is college life that is making our children walk away from what they were taught when they were younger. NOTHING COULD BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH!!

A joint survey with Answers In Genesis (AiG) and the Americas Research Group shows that we are actually losing our children much, much sooner than their college years. The survey interviewed over 22,000 young adults between the ages of 20 and 29 and additional 2000 teenagers. The survey focused on 1000 people who had been active in church for most of their life. The survey also focused on more conservative churches so the numbers are probably even worse than the survey shows.

Here are some of the questions and answers from this survey:

IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE – when did you first start to have doubts?

High School 43.6 %

Middle School 39.77 %

College 10.57%

Elementary 4.37 %

Don’t know 1.61%

Do you believe that all accounts of the Bible are true?

No 44 %

Yes 30 %

Don’t know 18 %

Would you say that questioning was the beginning of your doubt in the Bible?

Yes 55.61 %

No 31.12 %

Don’t know 13.27 %

As you can see from the statistics above that our children started having questions about their faith and the Bible were not answered properly (or not at all in some cases) which was the main factor that started them to question their faith. When they could not get answers they began to doubt the truth of the Bible in some areas and eventually walked away completely from their faith. You can also see that the normally accepted idea that we are losing our children in college is not true. We are losing most of them during their middle school and high school years while they are still under our influence.

You are probably thinking something like “Not my children. We have taught them well and they are being raised in church. It has to be someone else’s children”. Remember the statistics taken from the survey were from young adults who were raised in the church most of their life also. You may be losing your children and may not be aware that it is happening.

When they come to us as parents we have to give them a better answer that “I do not know” or “Bible history is not important to us today” and to “just trust in Jesus and everything will be OK”. If we as parents cannot answer their questions and live it out in front of them we will be the ones pushing them away their faith as they grow up.

What are the questions they are asking and what is causing them to doubt the authority of the Bible? I will answer those questions in future postings but for now, talk to your children. Ask them if they think everything in the Bible is true and ask them about specific events in the Bible such as the six days of creation, Noah’s flood, tower of babble, resurrection, etc. The younger children will probably say yes but if you really get your middle school and high school kids to talk about their true feelings you may find that they are not sure about some things and not sure how to find the answers they are looking for.

Thank you

2011-03-03T17:49:00.000-06:00

Dear CBF Parents,
    “Bittersweet” is the best word to describe how my wife Nikki and I feel right now. When Nikki and I began leading Grapple, we realized God had given us a passion for youth ministry, and we began to pray about this together. We shared this desire to the elders, and they have supported us through prayer and encouragement as God led us through this journey. It was not an easy decision for us, but we feel that God has led us to accept a student ministry position at a church in Plano.
     There is one last challenge I would like to share with parents at CBF. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” My last question for parents is “are you taking time to be still with God as a family?” No, the prayers before bedtime and a meal do not count! When do you as a family just stop, spend time with God together in prayer and reading His Word?
     Many parents say they do not have the time between school, soccer practice, church events, birthday parties and the list goes on and on. I am not saying that these activities are bad, but in our society today, families are more devoted to attending these events than they are to following God. I fear that many parents are more loyal to extra-curricular activities than they are to God and the church. The scarier thing is that your children recognize it.
     After this verse shares about being still, it states that God is going to be exalted among the nations and in the earth. It does not matter how busy you are, God’s name is going to be exalted. You can either stop and dwell with God through prayer, His Word, singing, or listening to praise music; or you can get too busy with life and miss God. Parents, are you spending daily time with God through his Word? Are you striving to “pray continuously?” Are you making a joyful noise unto the Lord? If you are not, then where are your children going to learn it from?
     Here is the question I have for parents who go to church today. Are you more worried about providing your child with a safe, fun, comfortable life, or training your child so they can be empowered to be a believer who aims to glorify God? Parents, let me encourage you to slow down and enjoy the years you have with your children. Model for your children what it means to love God with all you are and model for your children what it means to be a godly spouse.
      It has been an honor and pleasure to serve the families here at Coppell Bible Fellowship the past couple of years. Nikki and I have enjoyed our time here and will miss all of our dear friends, our church body, and the children we have come to care for so deeply. We are excited about the new ministry opportunity and what God has in store for us there, but it is hard to leave our church that has become our family here in Coppell. This Sunday will be our last Sunday at CBF. Please pray for us during this time of transition and as God uses us in a new ministry. Thank you again for all the love and encouragement you have shown us.

Jeff Hunt

Family Valentine's Opportunity

2011-02-04T15:30:00.001-06:00

Valentine’s Day - what a great concept. It is a day where the whole point is to show the one you love how much you love them. Children at school bring a little card called a valentine to hand out to other kids in their classes. Really, what is there not to love about this holiday? We ask kids and everyone around them to show love and care for others on this day. There are some people who have a hard time on Valentine’s Day because they do not have someone special to share it with or have memories of someone they have spent time with on past Valentine’s days.
On Saturday, February 12th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., there is the unique opportunity for your family to minister to the residents at Hearthstone Assisted Living for Valentine’s Day. During this time, we will be handing out valentines to the residents and visiting with them. Please take advantage of this teachable moment as your family serves the community together.

The Christmas Lie

2010-12-17T11:04:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away! If you are like me, you may wonder what has happened to this holiday season. Personally, I made every intention of slowing down this year and soaking in the holidays and focusing on Jesus’ birth. Then Thanksgiving hit and the holidays took off like a speeding bullet! There were the Christmas parties, errands to run, and I cannot remember what else I had to do, but it all seemed important at the time. Unfortunately, I bought into the lie this culture has taught that Christmas is all about buying presents, going to Christmas parties, and spending time with family.

As you face this last week before Christmas and start to make your long “to do” list, just stop! Ask yourself, what message am I sending to my children about the Christmas holidays? Are you teaching them that the holidays are about parties, presents or family? This stuff is all good, but becomes a problem when it takes our focus away from the true reason for the season. Remember, children are going to model what you do, not what you say. Are you taking time this Christmas to slow down to talk about Jesus’ birth and the incredible significance of this, or do you only slow down to think about it on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

As you come up on one week left until Christmas, let me challenge you to SLOW DOWN and focus on the true meaning for the season. To assist your family with this, this Sunday, we will be handing out a week-long family Christmas devotion booklet to do with your family. Each day consists of a brief reading, Scripture reading, a prayer and a fun family activity. Be sure to pick up your copy this Sunday, or men, you can come to the Men’s Breakfast this Saturday at Fat Daddy’s to pick up a copy. Dads, this Christmas, take the opportunity to lead your family spiritually. This is what your wife and your family are craving and need. It is the best Christmas gift that you could give your family.

Parents, take advantage of this teachable moment to share with your children. If you are unable to make it this Sunday, please email me at jeff@coppellbible.org, and I can email you the booklet.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Family Opportunities

2010-11-11T09:39:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away! This Thanksgiving, there are a couple of ways your family can reach out and serve others.

Operation Christmas Child

Fill a shoebox with little goodies and send it to a child somewhere in the world. This is a great opportunity to teach your children about how much we have and that there are people all around the world who wake up every morning wondering if they will get to eat at all. A new feature Operation Christmas Child has added this year is that you can “follow your box” as it travels to its destination. This is a great opportunity to pray with your child(ren) for the box and the child who will receive it. For instructions on this go to https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/EZ_Give_Donations/. The final drop off date at the church is THIS Sunday, Nov. 14. Please bring your filled shoebox to the Summit. For any questions, please contact Kim Brown at mkjecbrown@verizon.net or Jeff Hunt at jeff@coppellbible.org.

Thanksgiving BasketsYour family can also reach out to the local DFW community by serving with Operation Relief Center’s Thanksgiving Basket Drive. Those of you who picked up baskets should return the filled baskets by Wednesday, November 18th. There is also an incredible opportunity for your family to distribute the baskets in South Dallas on Saturday, November 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information and to sign up to help, visit the Spoken For website at http://www.spokenfor.org/. This is an awesome, teachable moment and an opportunity to share the gospel as you distribute baskets. Can you imagine the impact on your child if they were to see you sharing the gospel?

Do not miss out on these amazing opportunities for your family to reach out to the poor in our community and around the world. Take full advantage of this teachable moment.

"The Ten" (Week 1)

2010-10-20T10:56:00.000-05:00

What is “the Ten?”

A few weeks ago Barkef started CBF on a journey in the book of Deuteronomy. He has reached the point in the book where Moses gives the ten commandments. Many of us have heard the ten commandments, but right now without looking, how many of them can you name? DO NOT TRY TO CHEAT, GOD IS WATCHING YOU! If you are anything like me, you still struggle to remember all ten off of the top of your head. In fact when I think of the ten commandments, I quickly see Charlton Heston saying in a deep voice, “Let my people GO!”

Starting this past Sunday, Barkef is going to be preaching on each of the ten commandments. This past week, he started with Commandments one and two. If you have not heard the sermon yet, you can go to the church website (http://coppellbible.org/493781.ihtml?OrderBy=3&OrderDescending=1) & listen or download the podcast from ITunes. Each of the following weeks, Barkef will tackle the commandments individually. Along with this, there will be a devotional guide with daily Scripture readings and a prayer thought for your personal time with God. There is also a “family resource guide” that has the passage side by side in the New Living Translation, the New American Standard and commentary notes take from the Bible Knowledge Commentary.

The challenge for the CBF congregation is to study these passages in your quiet time and take time as a family to talk about these verses. Recent statistics show that families discuss spiritual matters less than one hour out of the 168 hours in a week. One of the challenges that Barkef shared in his sermon is that we are supposed to pass these things on to the next generation. Think about how many hours a week you spend on homework, attending extra curricular activities and watching television! We wonder why children are walking away from the faith after they graduate high school. Less than one hour a week is not going to work. We need to change this number. I know you have to do homework to pass school but think about your schedule. Pray and ask God, “What could you move, change, give up so that you can spend time as a family and have these spiritual conversations?” Before you do that, be careful. God may ask you to give up something that you do not want to, so are you really up for the challenge? When you are ready to give up on the challenge, just remember 1/168!

How to use the family resource guide

The family resource guide is a simple tool that is used to equip you in your quiet time and help assist you with faith talks with your child. If you do not know where to start, then begin by reading the passages and make five observations. Then pray through and look through those observations. Now write down one way that you could apply that passage to your life. Take a moment to pray, confess to God if you have been neglecting to apply this to your life and ask for God’s help as you apply this to your life.

How do I do a family devotion?

I have painful memories of my parents trying to start family devotions when I was a kid. It seemed like my parents were trying to pull teeth out of all our mouths at once! When you feel this tension in your family, you have to press on through it. It is always hard to start a new habit. Here are a couple of other recommendations:

- Start with prayer

- Read the Bible

- Be creative (have family devotions at a child age level. There is not a 4 year old in the world who is going to listen to a 30 minute sermon on the first two commandments. Have them act out a Bible story, get on the internet and print out coloring pages for a passage, or apply a passage by doing something loving for your neighbor like bake cookies for them.)

- End with prayer

Extra Challenge (Couples Devotion)

Make a list of things that are most important to your family (or if you are single, make a list of your own personal important things) and briefly write down why they are important. For example, one that you could put is mom or dad’s job because it pays the bills and puts food on the table. If you have children, ask their opinion of what they think is important to your family. Take a look at your list and ask, “Where does God fit in this list?” Is He at the top, bottom or middle of what is important to your family? Maybe your busyness or your schedule has become your idol. You are so consumed with work, social activities, your child’s extracurricular activities or your television shows (that includes what you have on TiVo) that you are too busy for God. I have heard the saying several times over the last few weeks that “if the devil cannot make you bad, he will make you busy.” Instead of asking “where does God fit in your schedule,” ask “where does my schedule fit in with what God wants to do in my life (and your family’s life)?”

If God is not at the top of the list, evaluate your priorities to see what needs to change so that God can be at the top. You may need to stop participating in some activities, start praying with your spouse, or reading the Bible together as a family, or maybe all of the above.

One final thought...

2010-10-12T14:57:00.001-05:00

Goals are so easy to accomplish and to keep striving for. Wrong! It is extremely difficult to follow through on goals for one reason…LIFE! Just ask the people who set the same New Year’s resolution every single year. Each January they start out wanting to complete a noble task of losing weight, watching less television or spending time with God every day. Then something happens. Life gets stressful, and you do not want to go to the gym; you want to get away from life with the lull of the television or hit the snooze button too many times so that you are running too late to spend time with God. So, how can you expect to accomplish your goals when they craziness of life starts to ramp up? Here are three key concepts that I hope will encourage you with your goals.

Make a plan & be intentional
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:7-9
As you look at your goals, ask yourself, “how are we going to accomplish this?” If you set a goal, but you do not put down ways you plan to accomplish the goal, then nothing is going to happen. For example, if I set a goal to run in a marathon this December, then I would set out a daily work out plan so that I would be in shape to accomplish that goal. If I just show up and try to run a marathon, then I will fail. If you have set a goal of having your child be a strong believer who is developing disciples when they are out of college, then think through how that is going to happen. It is more than taking them to church on Sundays. It takes time praying, reading the Bible together as a family, doing service projects …basically it is more than Sundays. If you do not come up with a plan, then you will fall back into your old routine of life, and your goals will be long forgotten.As you look at Deuteronomy 6:7-9, it talks about impressing God’s commandments on your children. Then it says to talk about them when you sit & walk at home & along the road, when you lie down & get up; it even says to make it a part of who you are & where you live! As you implement your plan, you must be intentional on everything you do. When you are driving on the road, talk about God’s creation - how God made it and how God created and loves your child. Also, remember to have fun. Plan family nights where you play games or watch a movie. Just doing this act shows your child that family and relationships are fun and important.

Evaluate constantly
As you go through the implementation process of your goals, you are going to make mistakes and want to go back to your old routine. It is important as a couple to constantly be evaluating and holding each other accountable. How do you know if you are following your goals? Here are a couple of suggestions:
Pray together every dayThe Holy Spirit is good at convicting people about things. In fact, the Holy Spirit may even point out that one of your goals needs to be changed or completely done away with. He may even prompt you to add more goals or raise your goals to a higher standard.
Look at where you are spending your timeTake a look back at your week and see how many hours you put towards your goal. If you want your child to make good grades so they can go to college, you would see how many hours he spends doing homework or reading. If you want your child to be walking with God spiritually after high school, see how much time you actually spend investing in that. That includes “faith talks” that come up as you are driving down the road. Research shows that the average Christian family spends less than 1 hour out of the 168 hours in a week talking about spiritual matters. If you want your child to be walking with God after High School, that is not enough time!As you evaluate though, it is VERY IMPORTANT to be very gracious with one another. This could be a complete change in your lifestyle and can be very difficult, but it will become easier over time.

Live it out
As mentioned in the previous post, high school students who have attended church are leaving at an alarming rate once they graduate. Their number one reason is the hypocrisy they see especially at home. If you want your child to strive for the goals you set for them, then you must be living them out yourself. What does that look like? If you want your child to grow up and have a good family life, then you have to live that out in your life. Show your child what a Godly marriage looks like. Love your wife like Christ loves the church. Take her out on dates & show her that she is precious & an incredible gift from God! If you want your child to have a growing relationship with God after high school, then you need to model that for them. Spend time daily in the Word, pray daily, pray with your spouse daily. Your child is going to live out what you model for them, whether you want them to or not.

Press on!
This is not going to be easy. Jesus never said following Him would be, just look at Luke 14:25-35. You and your spouse will have to rely on God, and that is the only way you can accomplish this. Do you think that the evil one wants you to be intentional about raising your child? Especially, if you want your child to pursue Christ when they are out of your home? Remember Philippians 4:13,” I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

How are you doing?

2010-09-30T10:27:00.000-05:00

At the end of my previous post, I asked parents to come up with short term and long term goals for each child. As you look over your goals, I have one question for you to consider. How are your goals different from a non-believers goal? Is it bad to want your child to do well in school, to get into a good college, or to do really well in sports? No, it is not bad, but it becomes dangerous when those goals are more important than your child’s spiritual development. As you look at your goals, answer the following questions about them:

How many hours a week you spend on each of your goals?
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

Parents face tension because you have to do homework for school; you have to go to sports practices and all of the other events in your child’s life; so what is a parent to do? You are going to obviously have to spend more time on homework than you can on a family devotional every night. The question to ask is “what does my child think is of most importance in my mom or dad’s life?” What do you think their answer would be? Would they would say being involved in school, or doing well in sports, or being involved in church? Or would they say loving God with all your heart is the most important thing in your life? Do you even want to know? This may mean that you have to let your child be involved in less so that you can focus more on spiritual goal(s) that you have set for your child(ren). The Bible never said that being a disciple is easy. Just read Luke 14:25-35. You have the ultimate task as a parent to raise a disciple in your home.

How are at pursuing your goals in your own life?
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Most of you have heard the statistics that anywhere from 60% to 90% of teenagers who attend church are walking away from the faith within 2 years after high school graduation. The number one reason that people are giving for walking away from the faith is hypocrisy. They are not seeing faith being lived out in the home. Mark Holmen, author of Faith @ Home, shared at a recent conference I attended, some scary statistics.

Only 28% of children talk with mom about their faith
Only 26% of children talk with dad about their faith
Less than 10% of families pray & read the bible at home

Your child will do what you model for them. If parents do not talk to their child about their faith, pray with their child, or even read the Bible with their child, then how will a child know that their parent’s faith is important to them?

This week take your goals, revise them if you would like, then put down how you plan to accomplish your goals. If one of your goals is to have your child follow God, then put down how you plan to accomplish that. You could put down to take them to church, to pray together as a family daily in the morning, or to read the Bible together as a family on Thursday evenings.

Where is your family headed?

2010-09-24T08:45:00.009-05:00

At the end of my previous post, I asked parents “What are you goals as a parent?” This is the time of year where many families set goals and expectations for the upcoming year. Some examples might be for your child to make better grades, to eat dinner more often as a family, to go to church more. The beginning of the school year is when most churches have the highest attendance. Then Labor Day hits, and the well-intended goals that you made for God start to die off. The excuses that parents use are too much homework, sports practices, or another Bible study; basically, God did not put enough hours in the day.

Think about the goals that you have made in your life. Career goals may range from first finding a job to now it is time to work up in the company. Personal goals may include to eat better and exercise more or to even doing something crazy like running a 5k or marathon. (Trust me, there is no desire in me to do this!) Spiritual goals may include getting up earlier and reading the Bible more, praying more with your spouse, and praying together as a family.

And then of course family goals which begin with starting a family, but then what? Have you ever made goals for your family? It makes sense to have goals for your family and for your child. If you do not have something that you are striving for, then you can wander aimlessly. It would be like if my wife and I decided to go on a trip to New York City without a map or her Garmin. I know there is a highway that will get us there. Let’s just drive until we get there. We may arrive in New York City or California or Brazil or Alaska - almost anywhere. The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.”

Take some time this weekend or this next week to pray with your spouse and make some goals for each child. Make 3 to 5 long term goals by asking “where would I like _____ to be when they are 25 or 30?” Then come up with 3 to 5 short term goals by asking “where would I like _____ to be next year at this time?” Then pray over these goals and determine how you are going to implement your goals.

Some of you might think that the church should be making these goals for me. This is a bigger question to address later, but look at Deut 6:7-9. Ask yourself, “whose responsibility is it to disciple your children?” It is not the pastor or church’s responsibility to disciple your child; it is the parents’. The church’s role is to come alongside and support parents.

Why do I do Children's Ministry?

2010-07-27T11:57:00.007-05:00

One question that people often ask me is, “Why do I do children’s ministry?” Of course I do it to get to play with the latest toys & because I never want to grow up! These are my favorite answers to give right away just so I can see the reaction on people’s face. This is a great question though. Why do I work in the children’s ministry, but I think a better question is “What are your overall goals as a children’s pastor?”

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. “ Deuteronomy 6:4-9

This passage has my overall goals for the children’s ministry & is the key verse for the children’s ministry at Coppell Bible Fellowship. There is so much that can be taken away from this passage, but here are my three overall goals as a children’s pastor.

1. Love God with all I am (vs. 4-5). This section of verses starts off with stating that there is one God and that I should love him with my entire being. God deserves nothing less! Look at what God has done. First off God created me! He also loves me so much that He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for all the awful stuff that I have done! As a children’s pastor & as a believer, I aim to love God with all I am. To do this, I have to constantly ask myself, “Am I all in?”
2. Meditate & apply God’s Word (vs. 6). The context of this entire section is Moses had just reminded the Israelites of the Ten Commandments in the previous chapter. Moses tells the Israelites to have God’s commandments on their heart constantly. Just Ten Commandments and they are supposed to dwell on them constantly. I think that could get a little old. The key thing is that it is not only thinking about the commandments, but living them out. The question I ask is “How am I applying God’s Word to my daily life?”
3. Pass it on by living it out (vs. 7-9). I can see that many people read the last three verses thinking, God wants me to do what to my hands & forehead & put what on my doorframes! I am not going to recommend a remodel of your house or change your doorframes (husbands, you can thank me later). The point of this section is to model for your children the two previous points to your children. As I walk through the halls on Sundays, I often hear one phrase repeated over and over again, it is “to infinity & beyond!” (I have even heard a few 5th graders mutter this phrase.) Children model & repeat what they hear at home. The key question here is “What example am I setting for others?”

My goal as a children’s pastor is to love God with all I am, read & apply God’s Word in every area of my life & pass it on by living it out. By modeling all of this, I hope that children catch it. These are my goals as a children’s pastor. If you ever see me not doing this, please let me know. Hold me accountable.

It is now my turn to ask a question to the parents, “What are your goals as a parent?” When your child goes off to college what goals do you have for them? I have the privilege to teach your children approximately 40 hours a year. That is not enough time though for me to set an example for them. Parents, outside of sleep, school & work, you get about 3,000 hours with your children. What example are you setting for your children? What are the priorities in their life right now? What do you want their priorities to be when they leave your home?

A Dad's Survival Guide for Women's Retreat

2010-04-14T13:29:00.004-05:00

It is 48 hours and counting until you are on your own and outnumbered (in many cases) by them…your children. What are you going to do? How will you survive? There are some dads who are ecstatic, thrilled and cannot wait for this weekend. Then there are other dads who have been panicking for weeks and wondering “what am I going to do!” Here are a few ideas for activities to do with your children.
Friday night:
Have your kids pray for mom to have a safe trip out to the retreat.

Pizza & a movie.
Play a favorite board game.
Go for a walk with the kids.
Have your kids act out a Bible story as you read it. (David & Goliath, Jonah & the whale, Jesus feeding the 5,000, The parable of the Good Samaritan, etc…)

Bedtime:

Pray for mom to get to know other women at the retreat.

Read a book or favorite Bible story together.
Ask your children what was their favorite thing about their day.
Pray together.

Saturday morning:

Pray for mom to be encouraged as she learns from the speaker, Judy Hampton.

Big Breakfast or Brunch (Leftover pizza is not an option!)

Pancakes (lots of sugar, I mean syrup) Your children will give you bonus points if you make them into fun shapes. A circle is not a fun shape!
Omelets
If you are too outnumbered, then cereal definitely works
Benefit Activity: Clean-up- Oh, you can make this fun in so many ways. Have your children help dry dishes, maybe this is the time to teach your child to wash dishes (Not recommended for younger children.)

Go to the park
Yard work together

Saturday afternoon:
Pray that mom would enjoy some rest this afternoon and get to know other women.

Take a picnic to the park
Go for a hike in the woods
Play in the sprinkler

Saturday evening:
Pray for mom to get home safely tomorrow from the retreat.

Clean the house for mom.
Do “Mom Appreciation” activities

Draw a picture or write a note for mom telling her how much you love her and appreciate all that she does (This is a GREAT idea for dads to participate in too.)
Take Sidewalk chalk and draw pictures or write a message for mom for when she gets home.

Play a board game together

Sunday:

GO TO CHURCH!
Pick up the house if you have not done so already.

Take this time while mom is gone to enjoy time together. Most importantly, pray for your wife as she is gone to be encouraged, challenged, refreshed and develop some great relationships. Pray for her often while she is gone. Have a great retreat moms!

Mr. Jeff, Where have you been?

2010-03-25T08:58:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can finally take a breath. I have been meaning to share about what all is going on, but once an event ends, it has been time to start on the next one. So here is an overview of what all has been going on the past month and other events to mark on your calendar.
AWANA Bible Quiz
    On Friday, February 26th, the T & T team (3rd to 6th grade) had their annual Bible Quiz. This year, there were 12 children from the CBF AWANA group who were divided into 4 different teams depending on which book they are currently in. There were 8 other churches from the DFW area that competed at Countryside Bible Church in Southlake. Bible Quizzing consists of 3 parts. The first is a written test where each team member answers questions, and the 2 highest scores are added to the team score. Part 2 and Part 3 are a competition between the teams at their respective level. The first part includes multiple choice questions, and the second part consists of speed drills where the team that buzzes in first has the opportunity to answer the question.
    The team members spent several weeks preparing for the competition, and they all did an incredible job! There were two teams that placed in the quiz. The Book 4 team of Caleb Brown, Kaleb Gabbert, Jenna West and Emily Holland finished in fourth place. The Book 3 team of Madeline Osigian and Anni Williams finished in second place. Madeline Osigian and Anni Williams both received the Highest Honor Award. All the participants had a great time and are looking forward to next year!
Family Movie & Pajama Night- The Sequel
    The following Friday was the Family Movie & Pajama Night- The Sequel and it was awesome! Families came in fun, silly, and crazy pajamas to watch Toy Story. There were over 80 people crammed into the Summit with lots of popcorn and lemonade! Parents were also given a short devotional to do with their children over the weekend. Due to the size though, this event will be moved into the Worship Center. We look forward to seeing you at the next one.
Bible Clubs @ Golden Triangle (Spring Broke)
    Last week the youth at the church sacrificed a portion of their Spring Break to lead Bible Clubs over at the Golden Triangle Community. Each day they would play games, eat lunch, sing songs, do crafts, and youth would share stories and the gospel with the children. It was an incredible time watching the youth put their faith into practice and be pushed out of their comfort zone. There were about 50 kids who came out last week and heard the gospel. Also, the Witty, Fineout, Odom and Beless Life Groups provided lunch during the week. What an amazing witness of seeing the church body unite together to reach out to the Golden Triangle Community. If you want to hear more about how this week went, please talk to one of the youth who helped out.
Upcoming Events (Mark your calendar for these events next week!)

Route 56 Olympics (THIS Tuesday, March 30)
If you are in 5th or 6th grade, you do not want to miss out on the physical, mental, emotional and crazy challenge THIS Tuesday night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $5 for pizza, and parents, you are invited to come help out!
Easter Egg Hunt (Easter Sunday @ 9 a.m.)
Children from birth to 3rd grade are invited out next Sunday at 9 a.m. for an Easter Egg Hunt. Over 500 Easter Eggs have been lost on the CBF front lawn, and we need your child’s help finding them all. Bring your neighbors along and invite them to stay for the Easter Celebration Service. All you need to bring is an Easter Basket or something to put your eggs in. For safety reasons, there will be 2 different Easter Egg hunting areas so that the preschoolers do not get run over by the elementary children.

Hearthstone Report

2010-02-18T09:53:00.004-06:00

One thing that I have learned in my short time in children’s ministry is that children learn best when they get to practice what they have been learning. This past Monday, families had the incredible opportunity to together serve the residents at Hearthstone Assisted Living in Lewisville. There were 27 children and several youth and parents who showed up and sang songs, handed out valentines, and hung out with the residents.

In observance with Valentine’s Day, the children sang four songs that all had to do with love as they sang Love the Lord, Hallelujah (Your Love Makes me sing), O How I Love Jesus and I Love You Lord. The children sang loud and were AWESOME! Some of the residents even joined in at the end and had great smiles on their faces as they sang. After singing, the children went around and handed out valentines and a chocolate heart as well as chatted with the residents. It was a great joy for the residents and for myself. It was such an encouragement to see the children showing love to the residents.

In Deuteronomy 6:7 it says, “Impress them (God’s commandments) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” This service project was a perfect opportunity for families to witness their children reaching out to others as they served alongside them. Thank you to all that came out, and I look forward to the next time.

Note from Joy Beless:

"What a blessing to hear CBF's children sing at Hearthstone Retirement Home and witness the caring smiles as they eagerly handed out the home-made valentines to the residents there. The children sang the songs about love in a clear, loud voice with expressions that matched the message. I am very proud of them, not only for the beautiful sound they sang, but most importantly for understanding the message of what they sang. They knew this was not about them or a performance. Hats off to you as parents for transporting them and encouraging them to serve in such a gracious way."

Belize Report

2010-01-28T16:20:00.000-06:00

What an amazing week. Thank you all so much for your prayers last week in Belize. God did some awesome things and it was amazing to see the relationships that were started last year and how much they have developed over this past year. I almost did not get to go as I woke up Friday morning with an inner ear infection and the docs said that I should not fly the next day. During the week leading up to the trip, there was a lot of spiritual warfare on our team that week, one guy threw his back out picking up an empty trash bag, a couple others had major stuff come up at their jobs and almost did not get to go. On Saturday though, the pain was gone and I got on the plane (with some pain medicine of course). There were 10 men on our team (8 from CBF, 2 from Alabama).
On Sunday, our team met with a group of about 25 men who were from a couple different churches in Belize. I was able to present the gospel with the group and then give them a challenge to love God with all that they are and pass that onto to their family. It was an awesome time where we were able to encourage other believers from another country.

     On Monday, our team started construction work. We were in 2 different sites and I was sent to the Cayo Deaf Institute (http://cdi-belize.net/) that is located in a Mennonite community. On one of their buildings, we tore a roof off and replaced it and demolished a porch and put up a new one. The wood in Belize is much stronger than here in USA and we broke about 20 drill bits and bent a lot of nails. Our team was finally able to finish the job.
     The joy of the week though was playing with the kids after school and having lunch with them. Our team was doing construction for the institute, but we understood that the children were more important. On Thursday, our final day there, we handed a tract to the camp director and asked if we could give it to the kids. He skeptically looked through it and then jumped all over it and let us hand it to the kids. One of the kids had a lot of questions, so we eventually found an interpreter and Stewart Hardy and I had the amazing opportunity of seeing the child trust Christ. There is no better experience than this.
     Thank you for praying last week. There are so many more stories to tell and feel free to ask me about the trip.

Pray for Mr. Jeff

2010-01-13T17:50:00.002-06:00

Parents, I am asking for all of you to pray for me. This past Sunday I found out just before service that I am going to Belize THIS Saturday. There is a team from CBF meeting up with a couple of men from Alabama to do construction and outreach. Below is a list of prayer requests and Bible verses for while I am gone. These will also be handed out this Sunday in the Sunday morning classes. It may also help to pull out a map and show your child where Belize is. Please especially lift up our team on Sunday evening as our team partners with four churches in Belize to do a Men’s Barbeque outreach. That evening I will be sharing the gospel, and our team will challenge the men to lead their families. Thank you all so much for your prayers. I cannot wait to come back and tell stories about how God used us!

Saturday, January 16
Request: Pray for a safe trip for Mr. Jeff and the rest of the team as they travel to Belize.
Bible Verse: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

Sunday, January 17
Request: Pray for a large turnout for the Men’s Barbeque outreach. Pray for Mr. Jeff as he shares the gospel with all the men who come.
Bible Verse: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Monday, January 18
Request: Pray for God to give the whole Belize team strength, energy and endurance as they begin the construction work for the week.
Bible Verse: “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8

Tuesday, January 19
Request: Pray for God to protect Mr. Jeff’s wife, Nikki, and keep her safe while Mr. Jeff is gone.
Bible Verse: “The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I fear?” Psalm 27:1

Wednesday, January 20
Request: Pray that the Mr. Jeff and the whole Belie team stay healthy and do not get sick or hurt.
Bible Verse: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

Thursday, January 21
Request: Pray for extra energy and strength for the entire Belize team as we wrap up work at our construction sites.
Bible Verse: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Friday, January 22
Request: Pray for the entire team as we spend our last day helping out a church in Belize with manual labor and whatever else we can do.
Bible Verse: “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” 1st Corinthians 12:12

Saturday, January 23
Request: Pray for Mr. Jeff as he recovers and spends some time thinking about what all God has taught him this week.
Bible Verse: “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken” Psalm 62:1-2

Mary Rode a Donkey?

2009-12-21T09:36:00.001-06:00

Last week at the Route 56 Christmas dinner, I read them the Christmas story from Luke 2, and we talked about it. I asked, “Can you imagine going all that way to Bethlehem with a baby in your belly?” The kids responded, “Mary got to ride on a donkey!” I then asked them, “Where does the Bible say that?” They were stumped! There are many of you who now are questioning whether I am right. Go look in Matthew and Luke, the only two gospels that record Christ’s birth, and see if you see a donkey. Here is a great video to watch that will make you read Jesus’ birth very intently. Click on the following link: http://vimeo.com/2496836.

Remember, while the minor details of the story may not be the same, it is the eternal truth of Jesus’ leaving heaven and coming to earth that is the most important. Have a Merry Christmas!

“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

2009-12-17T17:01:00.000-06:00

“Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” That is what Charlie Brown finally screams in the midst of trying to get a Christmas tree, directing the Christmas play, and managing all of the other madness of the Christmas season. Does that sound familiar? Especially with only 8 more days until Christmas! Christmas season seems to keep getting more and more crazy, and families have less and less time together over the holiday season. Instead our time is spent running to Christmas parties, shopping, and making our home look like Santa’s Wonderland!

Many families have the great tradition of reading the Christmas story as they put up the tree, on Christmas Eve, or on Christmas morning. That is a great tradition, but if it is the only time that you talk about the Christmas story then we are selling our children short. If we only talk about the Christmas story once over the holidays then you are decreasing the chance of the importance of the story truly impacting your child’s life. Many people say “Jesus is the reason for the season,” but unless we stop and talk about why this is true it is useless.
Maybe you are like me, and you feel stretched by all the Christmas activities that have been going on instead of focusing on Christ’s birth and the hope that He brought the entire world. It was Christ who came to save the world; that is the hope that we celebrate on Christmas as we anticipate His second coming. My challenge and encouragement for families over the next 8 days is to set time aside each day as a family and read the Christmas story. Then talk about its importance and come up with creative ways to show your neighbors how God loves them and sent His Son into the world. (Careful, this may require giving up another Christmas activity you were planning to attend) Here are a few examples:

1. Ask creative questions about the Christmas story. Such as, how do you think it smelled being born in a manger? How would you feel if there were no place for you to stay but a stable/barn? What is your favorite part of the story?

2. Bake and take. Bake and decorate some Christmas cookies (or another treat) with your family and take some to your neighbors.

3. Look at Christmas lights. Drive around and look at Christmas lights as a family. Talk about how you can be a light in your neighborhood and “shine like stars in the universe (Phil 2:14-17).”

4. C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S: Take the word Christmas and as a family write a characteristic of God next to each letter of the word. Example: C- Caring; H- Holy, etc…

Linus responded to Charlie Brown’s question by quoting Luke 2:8-14, “’And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ That is what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.”

What Would the Wisemen Bring in 2009?

2009-12-10T16:13:00.001-06:00

In 2009, there are so many cool toys to choose from for your child, and it is hard to figure out which ones are appropriate, fun, and will not get thrown to the side. If the wisemen had to choose today, which toys do you think they would bring along? Here is my crazy list of different things (and a Zhu Zhu pet is NOT one of them) that I think they might bring!
1. Seeds Family Worship: Great way to memorize scripture. It is Bible verses put to music, but it is done in a way that will not drive parents bonkers! It also comes with 2 CD’s, one for you and one to give to a friend! This is an awesome way to teach your child to think of others by giving out one of the CD’s. (If you give it to a non-believer, it is a great way to share the gospel)

Where can I get it: www.seedsfamilyworship.net/
Cost: $12.99
Age: Any age, but especially Kindergarten and up.

2. Devotional Books: Great way to start teaching your child about daily time with God. You can look at some at the local Christian bookstore, but here are a couple of websites that have been suggested to me. D6 devotional magazines (https://www.d6family.com/store/magazines), CBH Ministries (http://www.cbhministries.org/kfk/home.php)

3. The Bible: God’s Word, it does not get any better than this! Impacts lives in so many ways! Millions of readers cannot be wrong and it is so popular that they are trying to sneak it into some countries!

Where can I get it: Almost anywhere
Cost: Few bucks to a lot!
Age: Any age, but you will need to read it to younger ages

4. Apples to Apples (Bible Edition): This is a hilarious game that leads to great family time and discussions. One person lays out an adjective (green card), and everyone must race to lay out one of their nouns (red card). With the Bible Edition, it puts a unique spin on things and easily leads to spiritual conversations. This game promotes a lot of laughing (which burns calories too!) and is a great family game.

Where can I get it: Mardel’s, Amazon.com, Target (Sometimes), CBD.com
Cost: $25-$30 (Amazon.com- $19.86 + Shipping)
Age: 9 & up

5. Hillsong Kids (CD or DVD): Great music for your kids to listen to that will not drive parents nuts! What else could you ask for? Be careful the songs are catchy, and you may start singing along with your child. We also sing some of the songs in the Blast Off! (Children’s Worship).

Where can I get it: Mardels; Amazon.com; www.hillsongmusic.com;
Cost: CD’s- $8.99 to $12.95; DVD’s- $12.99 to 14.99
Age: Kindergarten to Adults

6. Little Praise Party “My Best Friend” CD or DVD: The CD or DVD is full of great songs that your toddler to preschooler will love. The DVD has great videos for the songs, and kids will love them.

Where can I get it: www.yancynotnancy.com
Cost: CD- $14.95 (20 songs); DVD- 24.95 (12 songs)
Age: Toddler to Kindergarten

7. Veggie Tales: Great movies that teach some great biblical principles to talk to your kids about. It is great stories that your kids will love and age appropriate humor that even adults will enjoy (Really, the title of “Lord of the Beans” is humorous enough!). Mardel’s has some for as cheap as $5 and up for the newest releases.

Where can I get it: local Christian bookstores, CBD.com, Amazon.com, Target, WalMart
Cost: $5 to $14.99
Age: Any Age

8. Nintendo Wii: Ok, this is by far the most expensive of all the gifts, but you know that the Wisemen would love the tennis, bowling and boxing (hitting in love of course!). Of all the video game consoles, this is the most family friendly. Parents love this as much as the kids. There are parents (who will remain nameless) who will invite themselves over to play Wii at night after their kids are asleep. The games usually require much more than sitting down with a controller and provide great fellowship for families and friends! Also, only on Wii Bowling, are you able to get a score over 200! This is a great gift to give the entire family!

Where can you get it: Target, Walmart, Best Buy, almost any electronic store
Cost: $199 or bundles at $269+
Age: 5 years old to 100+ years old

I have a majority of these things in my office if you would like to stop by and see them. Please email me if you would like to stop by. I hope that this helps some as you look into what to get your children. Please do not let the stress of dealing with crowds ruin your holiday. Remember the Wisemen, had to go a long way on foot to take their presents!

Thanksgiving Family Activity

2009-11-22T11:35:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago as I was flipping through the radio stations, I could not believe what I heard! It was CHRISTMAS MUSIC! Say it ain't so! Since the end of October, I have been bombarded with Christmas commercials on television and the news talking about early Christmas specials at stores. Often times it seems that Thanksgiving is the forgotten holiday. I want to encourage families this Thanksgiving, to really stop and take time to thank God for all the blessings He has given you and your family.

In a year where the economy is down and people are losing their jobs or getting salary cuts, there is still so much to be thankful. As a part of thanksgiving this year, I would like to encourage all families to participate in this activity. Parents, first do this activity without your children around. You can do this activity individually or with your spouse. Read Psalm 107:1 & 1st Thessalonians 5:18. Meditate on these verses for a little while. Then take 10 minutes and write a list of what all you are thankful for this year. Do not worry about a number, but just sit and make a list. It can be things as simple as the air you breathe. Pray and thank God for everything. If you did this activity individually, let me encourage you to share your list with your spouse.

Then sometime during the week of thanksgiving, sit down with your children, read the same verses and do the same exercise for 5 minutes. (For younger children, you can have them name 5 things they are thankful for, one for each finger.) You can make the list together as a family or individually and then share together.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Splink- What?

2009-11-18T09:17:00.002-06:00

Splink? Jeff, are you making up words again? Maybe this is another one of those crazy acronyms that pastors seem to have the gift of coming up with! Actually, “Splink” is not another USEFUL acronym.

George Barna shares in his book Revolutionary Parenting that the typical family spends less than one hour a week talking about spiritual matters. Only one hour a week! A question that some parents struggle with is how do I bring up a conversation about God?

Splink is a free website that equips you with creative ways of interacting with your children so that you can have more spiritual discussions. Some weeks it will have a fun craft, an interesting question, or a story. Click on this link (http://www.d6family.com/splink/) and you can sign up to receive weekly emails with these creative activities to do together as a family. There is also a link to it on the right underneath "Family Friendly Websites."

Family Thanksgiving Outreach Opportunities

2009-11-05T15:40:00.002-06:00

One of the greatest things that you can do as a family is to volunteer together. At CBF this Thanksgiving, there is a new outreach and service opportunity for your family to do together. This year, CBF is participating with Spoken For in "Operation Relief Center" (ORC) Thanksgiving Baskets. The goal at CBF this Thanksgiving season is to fill 50 laundry baskets full of non-perishable items and if possible, include a $20 donation for the turkey and pie. Your family can also participate with this opportunity by helping to deliver baskets on Saturday, November 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a great opportunity for your family to serve together, give back to other families and begin the discussion of what all you are thankful for this year.
Another opportunity this Thanksgiving is "Operation Christmas Child." If you would like to participate in this as a family, please contact Kim Brown (mkjecbrown@verizon.net), or you can go to the Samaritan's Purse website (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/) for information and the nearest drop off location. The collection dates are November 16-23.