Slow Down Time…

Last night KATV news ran the first of a three part series about the busyness of families today. The article, as well as the rest of the series, can be seen on the nightly news at 10pm tonight and tomorrow here (http://katv.com/news/local/how-much-is-too-much-ar-families-talk-about-extra-curriculars). In light of graduation season and our upcoming promotion Sunday on June 5th, I want to take a moment and share some reminders about the value and importance of time and especially for families today. 

The news special talks about the ramifications of busy family schedules today ranging from, physical, time constraints, as well as financial aspects. The writer makes some extremely valid points concerning all three and I would encourage you to both read and watch it. But, I would also like to highlight the spiritual side as well. We have a limited amount of time on this earth and we cannot gain or lose any of what we are given. We can only invest and enjoy the moments God blesses us to be a part of each day, week, month and year. 

I recently was able to grab ahold of an amazing illustration of this very notion. I have in my office a bag of 936 marbles, that is precisely the number of weeks that any given family has from the time a child is born to the time they turn 18 years of age and enter “adulthood”. If you were to empty the marbles into a clear container and remove one for each week that passes and place it back into the bag, you would visually be able to see the dwindling amount of time a family has with a child. At first it may seem as though there are plenty of marbles in the jar, but it is quite startling as time progresses how much faster the marbles seem to be escaping the jar. Honestly if we appeased our selfish appetites we would like to skip a week or two or twenty and hold onto that precious child/children as long as we possibly can. However, we know the fallacy of this thought. We cannot slow down time, it progresses precisely as God intends and all that we can do is to make each week, each moment count. 

I recently had the privilege of attending my daughter’s elementary school graduation. The speaker for the children was the graduating valedictorian of Sylvan Hills High School. She made one remarkable statement that I know resonated with me and I pray it did with the parents and students overflowing the room that day. “Make the most of every moment,” she said. “Make mistakes and move on, try new things, never regret trying something new, if it does not work then keep trying and never give up.” As parents, grandparents and families today, we need to be trying new things, make the most of every moment and if it does not work then we do not need to give up. We do not need to stress over past failures or mistakes or even fret about tomorrow, but we need to enjoy each hour, minute, moment, month and even year God gives us. 

You may have heard us use the expression or equation 1/168 before here at Faith. That is representative of the amount of time the average family spends in church each week. One hour a week is simply not enough to make an impact on the lives of children and families today. It is the responsibility of the church to equip families for the other 167 hours they are inevitably going to encounter each and every week for the 936 weeks and beyond. Our staff at Faith likes to take that one step further and look at the breakdown of how an average week works out. On any given week a family could spend as much as four-eight hours in church or church related communities. That leaves 50 hours per week for school/work functions on average. The overwhelming remainder of the time is spent at home or normal life functions, 110 hours per week on average. 

When we look at the week in this way we are able to see the value and importance of life at home. If you have 936 weeks in the life of a child and 110 hours per week, albeit some of that is spent sleeping, so for conservative estimating purposes we will say 50 hours a week to invest in the life of your family before they are gone. That gives you 50,940 hours to make a lasting impact. Again that seems large until time progresses and those hours seem to move quicker than they once did, they are not by the way, there are just less of them (remember the marbles in the jar). 

So, what are you doing with that time? If your kids never miss a practice or rehearsal but church attendance is optional or occasional what will your family grow up prioritizing? If dinner is done on the fly more than at the table, will your children grow up to prioritize time and busyness or value family time? I recently had the opportunity to talk to a high school teacher and she shared with me a statistic about students who received National Merit Scholarships. In spite of diverse upbringings, social or various economic factors the only common denominator among recipients was that they grew up in a household that had a family meal time, together around a table 5 out of 7 nights a week growing up. That is time well invested. 

Craig Groeschel recently said that the key to effective time management is not in scheduling your time, but rather scheduling your values. Place in high priority on your schedule the things you value most and then let the times fall where they may. Take a review of your weekly schedule and see how you spend your time. Whether you are a parent, single or married, grandparent, or children’s worker here at Faith, this generation is in need of an example of prioritizing, valuing and investing time.

Why did God have to choose Father?

Of all the ways God reveals Himself, Father is one of the most intimate terms He could use. The word itself invokes intense emotion in all those who hear it, regardless of culture, nationality or gender. The role of being a father is of the utmost importance in the lives and development of families and relationships. God reveals Himself in this way to relate to man in such a fashion that all who hear it can know and understand His heart for them. 

“It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of dad.” The Huffington Post, a secular news source known for it’s pulse on pop culture more so than it’s breaking headlines, wrote this in an article titled, The Important Role of Dad, in June of 2014. They also said in the same article, “Studies show that if your child’s father is affectionate, supportive, and involved, he can contribute greatly to your child’s cognitive, language, and social development, as well as academic achievement, a strong inner core resource, sense of well-being, good self-esteem, and authenticity.” If an earthly father has this much sway in the development of a child, and he does, imagine with me for just a moment the impact of a heavenly father. 

A father affects the decisions of a child all the way to the end of life not just while raising them. A son will will emulate his father when he becomes a man. A daughter will look for the character traits of her father in a future spouse. God knew this when He spoke of the faith of a father impacting generations to come, “We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done” (Psalm 78:4 NKJV). Again, if this is the role of an earthly father, imagine how much greater a Heavenly Father is at being imitated and of worthy character to search after. What better role model to look to than God Himself. 

A Father is something you choose to be, not something that comes naturally. The Huffington Post even said it this way, “While almost any man can father a child, there is so much more to the important role of being dad in a child’s life.” If a secular news source can grasp such a critical concept then as followers of Christ how much more so should we be keenly aware of the importance of a father. Christ, God Himself in the flesh, expressed the intimacy of relationship between a father and son in His prayer in John 17 and especially in verse 26, “I made Your name known to them and will make it known, so the love You have loved Me with may be in them and I may be in them” (HCSB). God as the Father shows perfect love and that trait is worthy of following after. His example as a father shows those of us here on earth the conscious choice it takes to love those that rebel against Him. In spite of our failures, rebellions and shortcomings His grace, love, patience and forgiveness is unending. 

God is a perfect father unlike any of us on this earth. That is exactly why He relates to us in this way. We need the love of a perfect father. Our earthly father will fail us at some point, but there is a father whose love will never fail us. For those who do not know or have never had an earthly father, there is a God in heaven who longs to love us the way that you have been missing. God expresses Himself in this way so that no matter what perspective you may bring to the table God far and away exceeds it. “For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (HCSB)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-gail-gross/the-important-role-of-dad_b_5489093.html

Finding Fulfillment in things other than Jesus…

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:17-27 ESV) 

There once was a man that was searching for God. He personally intersected his life with Jesus. He had heard the rumors about Jesus. He had obviously heard that Jesus was a good teacher sent from God.  Being a good Jewish man he knew that he needed to make sure he was still in good standing with God. 

Jesus’ responses are intriguing. Knowing the man’s Jewish heritage, Jesus asks simple questions concerning the law. Keep in mind that Jesus is God and knows and can discern the hearts of men before the young man even contemplates his response. Once the man answers these simple things, declaring his devotion to his religious system, Jesus then poses a more challenging question that went deeper into the man’s heart. What about your wealth and possessions, Jesus asked him? The man came looking to assure his entry into eternity and left dejected. 

What is it that God is teaching us today about this story? We know the money is not inherently evil but the love of it is (1 Tim. 6:10). We know that Jesus did not want to turn anyone away from gaining entry into eternity with Him (2 Peter 3:9). We know that other not yet discipled men were not told to sell possessions or do something special but were told to just follow Him, and “Come and See” (John 1:35-42). Looking back is always easier to see the principles or lessons learned rather than feeling the sting of the conviction in the midst of life. 

Jesus knew a few things about this man that we see modeled in this story. One that he was a Jew. Jews sought righteousness in the sight of God via the Law of Moses. If this mans primary question was centered on eternity then Jesus knew that the young man was banking on (pun intended) his access being granted based on the merit of his good works, deeds or self imposed righteousness. Once Jesus set the standard for this man in adhering to the law, then He proceeded to swing for the fences, having set the man right where He wanted him. Jesus got to the heart of the matter for this young man. It wasn’t his ability to follow rules that gained him access into heaven but rather the underlying principle in all the laws that the Jews had set and that God had previously ordained. 

The fact of the matter is the the laws were put in place to show that humanity cannot live up to them. They were unrealistic expectations. Having great wealth or possessions was not a sin, but loving them more than God was and still is. If these great possessions kept this man from the supreme commandment, then he was missing the point, “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”’ (Matt. 22:37 ESV). 

What about you? Is there something in particular that stops you from being satisfied with Christ alone? Is there baggage that you have been carrying in life that you believe is making you right in the sight of God? Jesus told the rich young ruler then and is telling us today, that if there is something that you do or have that is more valuable to you than He is, then it’s time to let it go. When the things God generously and graciously bestows upon us in the first place, take first place or priority in our lives, then they are idols. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17 ESV). I want to encourage you this week to look to Jesus first in your life. Find in Him all you need for daily living. This will be the most fulfilling, satisfied place you will have ever been in life. Of course you could follow the example of the rich young ruler, but we all have seen how that turned out. 

It starts at home...

The focal point of the early church was the Gospel, the good news of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, ascension and imminent return. The primary place that it took place though was in the home. At times they gathered all together in one place and brought worship, a real sacrifice (Acts 3,4; Romans 12:1). However, primarily the setting of the Book of Acts was in homes. 

The western mind begins to envision lavish mansions with many rooms but this was not the case. The average home in Jerusalem at the time of the New Testament consisted of one large room with two divisions, one of which was used at night to house animals for warmth and protection. There may have been an outside courtyard that was fenced or enclosed that was considered part of the home as well but in no way were these dwellings lavish or large. They were built with efficiency and economy in mind not for large public gatherings or for hosting parties. Here is a good example of a model first century Jewish home. 

Yet this seemingly minuscule, for today’s standards, dwelling is the prime location for the majority of what we see taking place in the book of Acts. This leads us to some interesting observations. In this small space, dozens of people crammed in and around one another to hear more about The Christ and what He did. Children heard the hum around the place daily with constant discussions of Jesus and what this meant to their lives. Families gave up their all in order to share with others. Meals were no longer a place of solitude from the world but were constantly abuzz with more news of this Jesus who was no longer dead, nor around anymore but promised He would come back again some day. 

Moms, and Dads and families today can scarcely relate to the busyness that ensued as a result. Their neighbors and friends were selling their homes and possessions in order to provide for the needs of others, some were even being run out of their homes and inheritances as a result in their newfound faith in Jesus. We tend to see tragedy in this, but the believers of that day seemingly had a different perspective, “But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went” (Acts 8:4 NLT). 

What can we learn from this today? First, it is important to thank God for the great provision He has given us. Not many, if any, of us live in two room homes. This is due in large part, if not wholly, to the blessing of God on our lives. We live in a time, for now, of relative peace and immense prosperity. The homes where we live today can accommodate many people with relative ease and comfort for our families and any visitors. In gratitude for this provision, how are we using this blessing of God to grow His kingdom? Is your home a high walled castle meant to keep others away? Or is it a place of refuge for the hurting and needy? Is it a place constantly buzzing with the Good News of Jesus Christ, His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and reminder of His imminent return some day? 

Secondly, this is a reminder to us all that one thing we could stand to emulate from first century Christians is their hospitality toward others, but also a place where our families should be reminded of the sacrifices of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The pressing topic of conversation should be centered around the fact that our Messiah is a coming king to which not only we will bow to down but one day all will have to submit to (Phil. 2). It is our joy, let alone our responsibility, to share this news with fervor to those around us. We can start with our own husbands, wives and children but it can’t stop just there. 

Finally, instead of isolation, the Christians then, as we should be today, lived a life of involvement. How can we integrate our faith into everyday moments? One vitally important way to do this is to open our homes to those around us. Whether it be a hurting friend or family member from church or lost friend from work or school, our homes are the front lines for the ministry to which we are all called today. Proclaiming good news can seem inconvenient to our routines and schedules but I submit that this is a misappropriation of value on privacy and isolation as opposed to the biblical model of involvement. Even Peter for example found God revealing Himself to him on the rooftop of what most Jews of the day would have considered a most unclean place that any respectable Jewish man, let alone leader, would not be caught dead in (Acts 10). 

Our homes are one of the greatest assets God has given us. We can live a life of isolation and separation from the sin filled world around us or we can use them to grow the Kingdom of God here on Earth until His return. The choice is ours. That is the beauty of free will and grace. God gives us the chance to use all that we have, all that we are for His glory and the growth of His kingdom. 

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. " (Col. 3:12-17 NLT) 

Original photo found at: http://www.womeninthebible.net/2.1.Mary_of_Nazareth.htm

The Conclusion of the Matter

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes the author, Solomon, comes to some interesting and vitally intriguing conclusions. The New Living Translation gives an easily understood example of an early conclusion in the writing of Solomon, Ecclesiastes 3:9-13 NLT

The conclusions came at the expense of the experimentation of Solomon, some of which was good and other of which was and is ill-advised. Solomon uses the beginning of chapter two to explain some of the things which he did in order to come to these conclusions.
Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 ESV

Solomon seemingly anticipated the end of this experimentation before it began based on verse one. The New American commentary concurs with this thought, “He introduces his experiment by a dialogue with his heart. He proposes a test, the goal of which is to determine if pleasures provide an adequate justification for human existence. But he anticipates the results of his experiment—all the joys were fleeting.” After expending this time in his life Solomon observes that the time lost would never be regained (Ecclesiastes 2:11 ESV). He says the time spent in this style of life with no regard toward God was a vain attempt and made him feel as if there was nothing to be gained this side of eternity in living life in this fashion. Again the New American Commentary provides insightful wisdom concerning Solomon’s period of experimentation, “Throughout the book the Teacher will recommend enjoying life, but here he warns that partaking of pleasure does not of itself give meaning to existence.”

After spending much time, possibly his entire life coming to a singular conclusion, Solomon says this, “That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Eccl. 12:13-14 NLT). But the preceding verses lend further credence to this statement. Eccl. 12:1-7 ESVIn the beginning verses of Solomon’s conclusion he tells the reader to remember God while you are still young. Don’t wait to come to the end of your life to come to this same conclusion. Solomon encourages finally and ultimately that following God is the chief end of man, but don’t wait to expend your entire life to come to this conclusion as he had, but rather learn this as a young man.  

Garrett, Duane A. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. Vol. 14. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993. Print. The New American Commentary.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001. Print.

Tyndale House Publishers. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013. Print.

Consistency is key.

One thing I can’t seem to get away from in every aspect of life recently is this principle, consistency is key. Whether we are talking about learning a new skill set at work, doing family devotions at home, or building a stronger marriage, consistency is the key to making it work. Let’s take a look at a few examples. 

When learning to ride a bike or teaching your children to do so, you don’t ever tell them to try it once and then if that doesn’t work just give up. Absolutely not! Even just saying that out loud sounds ridiculous. Rather, you encourage your child to pick themselves back up, shake the dirt off, even wash off the scrapes and bruises they get from the fall, and to try, try again. You know that consistent attempts, even though failures may occur, are the only way to stay up on the bike and ride. Also, knowing that once they have mastered the balance and pedaling that it is likely one skill set they will never forget, hence the expression, “It’s just like riding a bike.” 

Just like riding a bike, the same consistency and perseverance are required in this thing we call life, and in particular our spiritual journey. One does not simply decide to read the Bible and get started in Genesis, maybe make it to the book of Leviticus and decide this is impossible, give up and never try again. Yet, this is the plight of many today. They say they can’t get through it all, it’s too hard to understand, etc. Consistency is key. W.E. Hickson is credited with the popular proverb, “Tis a lesson you should heed, try, try, try again; If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” 

In one of the evening services last week in Conway, the speaker, Rob Leonard, posed the question, “Why should we read our Bible?” He then went on to say when you love that special someone you desire to spend every waking moment with them. You talk to them as often as possible. All this because you love them and want to be as close to them as possible. You see God still speaks today, maybe not in an audible voice from a mountain top as before but through a book on the shelf or coffee table of over half of all Americans today. Maybe it’s in the back window of your car or on the desk at home. Wherever it is for you, God is desiring to speak if you would but pick up His Word and listen. Don’t give up! Consistency is key. 

However, it does take time to be consistent today. Lysa TerKeurst said it best when I heard her at a conference last year, “We have to find the ‘us’ in the middle of the ‘rush’…” I hate to say this but The Rolling Stones may have been wrong when they sang their hit song “Time is on my Side”. Time as a matter of fact the only thing we are losing by the second. Life is a rush and constantly moving faster it seems, you can not try and slow down time but rather find yourself and what is important in the midst of it. 

If you were to ask anyone older than you what they would change about their life looking back, you would consistently hear responses centered around the idea of how they spent their time. Time can’t be taken back or slowed down but it can be invested. What is it that you consistently do each week? If you had a crystal ball and could look into the future, and you could see your future self, having invested the same amount of time in the things you are currently investing your time in each week, what would you look like? Would you be pleased? If at this point you are feeling slightly defeated then don’t fear, there is a solution, and consistency is the key. 

It has been said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Whatever it is in your life right now that you want to change, I challenge you to take the next 21 days and begin this process of forming new habits, but remember consistency is key. Whether you need to strengthen your relationship with God, or maybe your spouse, kids, or grandkids, maybe all of the above, then try these simple steps. 

1. Begin by praying each day that God would help, but don’t stop there because we know that faith without works is dead (James 2)

2. Search the scriptures. Listen to God and find out what He has to say about your particular struggle. I’m crazy enough to believe the scriptures when they say:

You know that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:15-17

3. Start Simple. It’s great to have big dreams and grand goals but every flight to the moon began with a simple first step. Don’t put pressure on yourself to change overnight. Remember it’s hard to ride a bike the first time you sit on it. 

4. Consistency is key. Whether enhancing your marriage, modeling Christlike behavior to your wife and kids or reading through your entire Bible for the first time, you’ll have to keep up the hard work and realize it’s going to take time. Don’t feel defeated after you fall off the bike. If at first you don’t succeed try, try again. 

God Bless, 

Pastor Grant

How diversified is your investment portfolio?

Disclaimer: No financial advice is intended in the writing of this article. I am not a financial advisor. 

When seeking financial advice we typically seek out those with a proven track record. Not often do you seek out the novice in investments and money management. On the contrary, we look for a person who we trust due to their longevity in the field, their list of clientele, and in conjunction with a past precedent of successful investments. Most of us have a basic high school level economics class. This gives us a cursory knowledge of an appropriate way to spend our money with the highest potential for return on investment.

For example, if we brought our hard earned money to an investor and they encouraged us to put the lump sum into one area, i.e. the stock market, we would approach their advice with a bit of fear and skepticism. That’s a risky investment. Putting all we have into one high risk investment, that may or may not yield results, is quite a dicey endeavor. Rather, the advice we anticipate is a diversified investment strategy, one where they would take our investment and spread it out amongst many areas, i.e. real estate, IRA’s, bonds, stocks, etc. This maximizes our return potential. Our goal is for our little amount of money to grow.

This seems to be common sense in our world today and yet we fail to translate this principle to other areas of our life, namely our spiritual life. This principle has a biblical basis. If our only investment into our spiritual portfolio comes on Sunday mornings, our portfolio is rather weak, with little to no chance for growth. Rather, we are to be spreading out the investment of God’s word in several areas of our life, so that we can maximize the potential investment of God’s word in our lives. I am not saying that means that our spiritual investment is gauged on our Sunday night and Wednesday night attendance. Rather, what I am saying is that everyday you should be making a investment in your spiritual portfolio. Here is the kicker, though. The purpose of growing spiritually is not just to be more spiritual but to have a depth of spiritual knowledge so that you can invest in others close to you. Let me show you from God’s word what I mean. 

You are not to continually invest in yourself only but to grow in the grace and knowledge of the word of God. For example, Hebrews 5:12-6:1 says, “Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity…” God’s desire for spiritual growth of the believer is echoed throughout the Word of God, not just in Hebrews. The type of spiritual growth seen throughout the the scriptures is not attainable from a Sunday morning church service. It’s only from a continual steady investment in the riches of God’s Word. The apostles and the early church in Acts were even accused of breaking bread and breaking open the word daily. God desires you to invest in others also.

As husbands you are to invest in your spouse also. Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus had this to say about the matter. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:25-26). The last part of that statement is crucial in the health and longevity of a marriage let alone in the spiritual life of a believer. The investment you make in your spouse has far more value than just within him/her. By investing in your spouse spiritually you prove your belief in the scriptures. You also show your children the value of God’s Holy Word in your daily relationship with your spouse, their parent. In addition to our spouse God’s plan includes investing in our family.

As a father you are to invest in your children. Deut. chapter 6 shares with us the grand design of a creator God, in particular how God plans to propagate faith in Him to a future generation. “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (vv.4-9 HCSB). Take note of the audience, your children. God desires that you and your children could share a common faith. Then He goes on to share His plan on how to make that happen. How can you share your faith with your children in a Sunday morning only scenario? The short answer is you can’t and nor is that the desire of God. You must be receiving deposits in your account on a regular basis and in turn using the day to day moments of life to transfer that faith to your children or even grandchildren. 

This is the heart and desire of God, the ultimate advisor in all things spiritual. He has given you an investment guide on where to receive instructions. He desires that you use every opportunity to delight in His word (Psalm 1:1-3), then make an investment in those closest to you. Of course none of this is possible without the application of our scripture from Sunday morning 2 Tim. 3:14-17. If you don’t know or realize that God’s breathed word is crucial for daily living that is where you must begin your investment strategy. Daily doses will prove to be the best investment you ever make.

Leadership Matters

Does leadership really matter? A question that depending on differing contexts can bring about a myriad of responses. It also depends on what positions that you see yourself in on a daily basis whether or not you have strong feelings about this question. I would like to share with you some examples, biblical and extra biblical as well as some personal experiences that bring light and maybe an answer to this question today. 

I had the distinct pleasure of attending an elective course offered by Faith Bible Institute and hosted by our church this last weekend. It was approximately 5 hours long spread out over two days and jam packed with principles, and examples of Biblical leadership, it's process, it purpose and it’s importance. It has made me really take time and think about the areas of my life where others see my leadership, whether or not I see or admit it, and assess where I am at, where I am going, and where I need to be. Sometimes seeing that we are leading others can be a stumbling block for us, in that we don’t take ownership of the fact that others see us and are following. 

There are some times in our lives where we don’t realize all those around us, whether in the next room or in the next state are looking to each of us and the examples we set. Therefore you are leading someone, somewhere whether you like it or not. There are others who know and see clearly the influence we have on others. Whether you are a father, mother, grandmother or grandfather, boss, teacher, preacher, manager, deacon or any other position in the world, God has given you a chance to influence and change others. Yet He has not left you empty handed trying to figure it out on your own. 

There are several examples in God’s Word of good and bad leadership. Some stories are there for us to see how to lead, others on how not to lead. How to be a good father can be clearly found in Deut. 6, Ephesians 5 and others. We have been preaching and teaching through the history of Israel through 1 and 2 Kings and Chronicles lately. Some kings are considered great leaders in the history of Israel and yet were not great leaders in their own homes. Our worship Pastor Luke Carney made an astute observation this week when he said, “As we have been studying the kings of Israel over the last few months at Faith and also thru my seminary classes, I have come to realize that many great men and what we consider to be great godly kings made for very lousy fathers.” He concluded with these fine statements that I have paraphrased. Certain kings may have won the battle and lost the war. We need to choose to be the pattern at home. God gives all leaders a hand book, a road map to follow on how to maximize our leadership ability and potential. When looking for answers there are many books on how to be a better leader, but let us turn first to God’s word for direction. How do we assess where we are?

The elective course offered an answer this weekend. Larry Fincher said, “The success of a leader is in how our successor does.” Did we lead others in such a way that they are able to teach others the same thing?  Another quote from Larry Fincher spoke to this very concept in our FBI elective this weekend when he said, “The success of parenting is not in the children, but rather in the grandchildren.” For then we see whether we lead our children to be good leaders of their own children. In our country we see the success of our leaders based on the longevity of their reforms and they bare the blame for the good and the bad. Does leadership matter? When it comes to our country we are quick to say a resounding, “YES!” However when it comes to matters of faith, family, or our jobs, we quickly shift blame and responsibility to others. 

God gives us all responsibility to lead others. Lead them to Him, lead coworkers, lead children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters in the Lord at church. So my question for you is, who are you leading, and where or what or whom are you leading them? Does leadership matter? Yes it does, and if so, you first need to figure out who you are leading, who looks up to you? Second you need to figure out if your example is worth following? Lastly where are you leading others? As we have seen from the kings of Israel, you can win the battle and lose the war. Are you fighting the battle or looking at the war?

God Bless, 

Pastor Grant

“I don’t wanna grow up!”

For some of you reading this, the words that immediately come to mind are: I’m a Toys’R’Us kid! For years we have sung this song and even passed it down to a generation below us who may or may not have heard it personally. This song represents a paradox in our world today and particularly to the generation we are raising right now. 

To some degree we don’t want our children, and grandchildren to grow up so quickly, that is true. With the advent of technology today we have the computing power unthinkable generations ago, right in the palm of our hands. For those of you wondering, it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon or at all. With this comes a tremendous resource but also a significant danger. It is forcing our kids to grow up sooner than ever before. The average age of first exposure to any form of pornographic material is 8 years old! The statistics used to be heavily weighted toward the male end of the spectrum but are nearly equal today between males and females. Addiction cases are not uncommon as early as 11 years old in both boys and girls. Children are exposed to violence, drinking and drugs at staggeringly younger ages than ever before as a result of readily available technology. So, what do we do? With technology becoming a normal part of everyday life, how do we handle the situation? We don’t want our kids to have to grow up so soon and see and be exposed to these things. So do we advocate abstinence from technology and the outside world? 

Sorry to burst your bubble but that’s impossible. Today it’s a requirement in almost all forms of education even down to the Kindergarten level. For those of us thinking we can shelter our kids from all forms of harm we are at risk of grandiose delusions. Jesus even spoke of this in His earthly ministry, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NLT) If we cannot avoid trouble then how have we responded to the problem?

As a result of our disappointment in the robbing of our children’s innocence many have decided that perpetuating their childhood/adolescence is the best solution, treating them as young children and adolescents well into adulthood. A recent survey I read said that a majority of young adults today have no plans to get a job or move out on their own after college graduation and are completely content in living with their parents until their late 20’s or even 30. This was unheard of even one but definitely two generations ago. I have two books in my office on the topic if you want more info: Accelerate: Parenting Teenagers Toward Adulthood by Richard Ross, and The Legacy Path: Discover Intentional Spiritual Parenting by Brian Haynes. So what should we do?

I have seen and am in the middle of experiencing three distinct stages in the development of children and families. I have come up with these three names and descriptions to help understand these stages. The first being the Principle Based Learning stage. From the ages of birth to 7 years old, the foundations are being built upon which all children will base future choices and decisions. It is during this time that children learn from what their parents say, and teach. The second stage is the Practical Based Learning stage. From the ages of 7-14 years children seem to notice and observe the practical applications of what you taught them in the first 7 years. One staggering quote I received from the D6 Family Ministry conference I attended last year was, “Children wake up believing on their 14th birthday, what they believe when they die.” The third stage I like to call the Practice Based Learning stage. From ages 14-18 children (essentially young adults at this point, whether we choose to admit it or not) practice what they have heard, been taught, and have seen modeled by their parents. 

In all of these stages it is our responsibility as parents and families to be the primary influencers in their daily lives. We will not be unchallenged in this fight. Technology, friends, popular culture and ultimately Satan would love to fight for their affections and defeat our efforts and attempts. The Church can be a resource and source of equipping for parents, grandparents and families in this fight. This is Family Ministry, and this is it’s primary goal: To equip parents to make disciples of Christ in their own homes. 

The battle cannot be won on Sunday mornings alone or even Wednesday nights. The Church must equip parents in the everyday fight for the affections of their children’s hearts. We cannot perpetuate the immaturity of adolescence into adulthood, but rather must equip this generation, not IF they will encounter troubles but WHEN they encounter troubles, to find peace in Jesus. He is our source of hope in times of need and trials. Times of need and trials will come, Jesus said so Himself. We cannot shelter our children from the world but must equip them to be more than conquerors of it. We must teach our children not only to grow up but also HOW to grow up. 

God Bless, 

Pastor Grant

“You can’t take it with you!”

How many times in your life have you heard that phrase? At least once I’m sure. Well what happens to all the things we leave behind? That’s a good question. Seemingly the answer is simple. We leave it behind to those who are left behind in our absence. This spurs on the next question I have. Is what you’re leaving behind worthwhile?

God tells us the legacy we leave behind will affect generations to come. 

Psalm 78:1-7 says,”1 My people, hear my instruction; listen to what I say. 2 I will declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past 3 things we have heard and known
and that our fathers have passed down to us. 4 We must not hide them from their children, but must tell a future generation the praises of the Lord, His might, and the wonderful works
He has performed. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children 6 so that a future generation children yet to be born—might know. They were to rise and tell their children 7 so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep His commands.”(HCSB)

Speaking practically, what team do you root for? Who told you to root for that team? Is it because you randomly decided to like that team or did someone influential in your life encourage that behavior? What’s your favorite vacation spot? Who took you there for the first time? What memory is evoked in you when you smell that favorite food? Is it one of someone influential making your favorite meal and leaving a lasting impression? All of these are simple expressions of the impact of a person in your life who may or may not be around any longer. 

Think about some of the things you hope to never do or who you hope to never become. The legacy of that person is one you learned not to emulate. The impression left by some circumstances reminds us how not to behave or act. Always remember the things of this earth will not go with you but they will leave an impression behind. 

So you can’t take it with you, but you can leave it behind. Think of this scripture, and think about the legacy you are passing on to the next generation and not only that one but the one after that and so on. Some of you may be reading this and saying, “my kids are grown, it’s too late” and others, “I don’t have any kids to leave a legacy for”. This scripture isn’t relegated to those who have families at home. It’s value is just as great in those scenarios as well. God wants us to be cognizant of the fact that there are generations to come who can be impacted by the legacy we leave and the stories we have to tell. What legacy will you leave? What story will generations tell of your life? My prayer is the legacy that you leave will be a Godly one. Hopefully your is a story of faith, in the midst of trials, triumphs, failures, and victories. Hopefully you have a story of an unwavering faith and reliance upon Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross. Hopefully you have a faith that not only affects us for salvation sake but also impacts the way we approach life daily.

God Bless,

Bro. Grant

A New Kind of Love

“1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” Eph. 5:1-2 NKJV

Love seems to be the topic of the day, and a taboo one at that in certain climates. The love in reference here for the purposes of this article will be that of Christian love for others. Having experienced many opportunities this summer, with many students, adults and children, there have been many responses to the love shown by our groups and the groups we have been serving alongside this summer. Literally from one end of the spectrum to the other we have seen huge shifts in the way people receive the loving acts done through our summer missions programs this year. 

Some Christian groups are concerned with being too loving and not strong enough doctrinally/theologically. Prolific Pastor Andy Stanley refers to these two extremes as “Deep and Wide.” Some churches can be extremely deep theologically and very shallow in their showing of the things they know of/about God. Others can be very loving in their expression of God (wide) but not very deep biblically. I believe in light of our study of 1 Cor. 13 this last Sunday as well as the scripture at the beginning of this writing, God’s desire is for us to be both! 

God desires us to imitate Him, following the example He set. We are to be just like a small child who is like a shadow to his father, tracing every footstep, imitating every word, action, or move. We are to be like that child that yearns to be just like his dad. We are to be just like Jesus, who came down to this Earth, teaching deep theological truths that were equally balanced with a showing of what those truths looked like when lived out. You see, love is an action. God tells us to “walk in love” not sit in love, or look in love but to actually do something with the love of God. Jesus’ love provoked Him to action and even ultimately to the greatest action of love the world has ever experienced, death on a cross. 

God desires to speak the truth in love. He desires that His truth be delivered with a healthy dose of action as well. I think John C. Maxwell summed the perfect balance of love lived out and Biblical truth when he said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” God desires that we be both deep and wide, that we walk in love and imitate His example.

What does that look like here at our church? Maybe it means we do something we have never done before, or maybe it means we do something even better than ever before. Let us help kindle the fire that has returned from each of these summer mission trips. Let us learn from the acts of sacrificial service to communities they didn’t even know, and bring these acts of sacrificial service here to our homes, our cities, our communities and our families. Let it be said of our church, like Jason and others in Acts 17, that we turned the world upside down with the truth. My friend Joey Cook says it best this way, “This generation doesn’t need a new definition of Christianity, but a new demonstration of the Church.”   

His Grace is Sufficient for your Family

9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Cor. 12:9-10 NKJV

This verse has been running through my mind and quite honestly running me over of late. All too often life leaves us searching for answers from within ourselves and in our own strength. I sit guilty of this very thing, trying to do things of my own will and accord. I am wishing and hoping on my strengths, skills and abilities to overcome life’s problems on a daily basis. Does this sound familiar to anyone? 

Paul was dealing with this same issue some two thousand years ago. The LORD spoke to him these words and he recorded them for the same purpose, to get us through times where we come up short for answers, words and works. It is when we come to the end of ourselves, and realize we can’t do it, we don’t have the right thing to say or do, it is at this time God is ready and able to use us. Instead of coming to that point of despair and giving up, He wants to use us. You see I intentionally left off the first part of this passage until now. Verse 8 says, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.” Paul begged God to remove the one thing he thought was stopping him from really being able to serve God. It was when Paul realized that he couldn’t do it on his own, but that he needed to be weak in order to rely on God. This is true in our lives today, when we are weak and rely on God, then God is made real to those around us.

I am asking fathers and families to engage in spiritual discipleship and training at home. The common responses so far: “I don’t know how to start a spiritual conversation at home”, “I just don’t have time to do those types of things in our house”, “I didn't know that’s what God wanted of me”. These are good starting points for all families in the church. If your heart is set toward God, and you’re not good with words, be confident that His grace is sufficient for you and your attempts to lead your family, remember when you are weak HE is strong. If you feel that you don’t have time to lead your family at home in spiritual conversations, remember the power of Christ rests upon you and your home, and he desires what’s best for your family, if you make time he will honor that, and speaking from personal experience and the testimony of others, if you make Him important and priority in your schedule you will find that you don’t miss out on anything else important. Lastly, this is God’s will and desire for your family that you lead them to Christ and don’t just drop them off at the door, but continue to teach, train and disciple them. If there is any doubt where God talks of spiritual training at home please visit and study these scriptures; Deut. 6:1-9; Psalm 78:1-8, Proverbs 22:6, Eph. 5:22-6:4. Col. 3. 

We all fall short and that’s the point. It is when we fall short, that God steps up and uses us. We have to come to the end of ourselves and rely on Christ, our Messiah, our Savior, His grace, that is sufficient for all circumstances, to do through us what we can’t do on our own. It is when I am weak then I am strong, not on my own but when I rely on Him, His strength and His all-sufficient grace. 

God Bless, 

Bro. Grant

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col. 3:16-17 (ESV)

I have been reading a fair amount recently. One of the problems that I keep coming across is that I want to share everything that I read to everyone of you. Reading seems to be a lost art in a world of high speed technology, instant gratification, and social media. Why would we read for 20 minutes the account of a biblical story when we can go and watch a 2 hour movie? Ok maybe a bad example, but for example a Christian research firm called Barna Research Group has recently followed this trend so much so that they are catering to this seeming epidemic in our culture today. People don’t feel as though they have enough time to sit down and read anymore. We are so busy that reading doesn’t seem to be a productive enough use of our time these days. Barna Research has started producing books that are no more than 100 pages in length so that people are not intimidated by the premise of completing a book. The purpose of saying all this is simply to say there are some valuable things to be gained by reading today. 

A book that has garnered great attention to me today that I would recommend for every believer in Christ is called, ”Everyday Talk; Talking with your children about God.” by John Younts. You may say but I don’t have children, that may be true, but this is a very practical guide to making God conversations out of everyday life to everyday people. I can’t make you read a book and promise your life will be more fulfilled as a result of it. One of the things that I would say is that there are a ton of resources that good Godly men and women have written that could be excellent tools in your toolbox. One of the key principles in family ministry and it’s future effectiveness at Faith, is our ability to train ourselves and others how to turn everyday ordinary situations into God moments. In essence, every word that we speak, every action that we take should be consumed with speech, emotions, and actions toward God. Hence the scripture reference at the onset of this writing. Sometimes people ask and legitimately so, do you really think we should do this? Does everything we do have to be pointing to God? It is my desire that, fathers in particular, parents especially, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces and church members especially, as representatives of Christ on this Earth, all that we do point to God. Whether we are teaching, admonishing, worshipping, corporately or at home, or really whatever we do, we would do in order to bring God glory. 

How can we do that? Reading resources that equip us to practically turn everyday conversations to God. Seeing God in situations, or circumstances that we ascribe to normal life and turning them around to give credit to God (who rightfully deserves the credit anyway). I would like for us to call these God sightings, and to pursue them in every aspect of our families at Faith, equip students and singles to see them now and highlight them in their future families, and to have our seasoned saints and empty nesters to adopt spiritual orphans (those who have no spiritual influences at home) and teach them to see God in spite of circumstances.

Thanks and God Bless, 

Bro. Grant

God Sightings

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we are doing we miss the beauty and majesty of God in our daily lives. It’s so easy to see an insurmountable set of tasks and to-do’s that we forget to work God into our schedules. 

Let me share this with you: 

Psalm 19:1-14 (HCSB)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. 2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. 3 There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. 4 Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a groom coming from the bridal chamber; it rejoices like an athlete running a course. 6 It rises from one end of the heavens and circles to their other end; nothing is hidden from its heat. 

7 The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous. 10 They are more desirable than gold, than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey, which comes from the honeycomb. 11 In addition, Your servant is warned by them; there is great reward in keeping them. 12 Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults. 13 Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule over me.Then I will be innocent and cleansed from blatant rebellion. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

This Psalm serves as a reminder to me to slow down and see God! That’s right I said SEE God. God made His handiwork visible to us for a reason. Sometimes I need that reminder that His glory is revealed in the bird chirping outside my window right now all the way down to the picturesque sunset in the evening, and the stars and moon in the sky at night. He is speaking, saying, “ don’t forget me, I’m right here, right outside your window”. If you have or ever have had children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephews, or even just been a babysitter before, then you have most likely experienced a child that doesn’t want to be left out or ignored or left behind. They just want attention, just want to be noticed, to be paid attention to. God wants that too. He could make the rocks cry out if He so desired. But as the ice and cold temperatures seem to both melt away. Let’s take notice of God. It happens in the everyday moments of life that God reveals Himself not some burning bush experience. (Although that’s what we are all seeking, some handwriting on the wall experience, even though I don’t remember that story working out so well in the Bible.) Use the moments God grants us as gifts to share about Him, about His plan, His story and His Son.  Maybe that subtle reminder of what God is doing, has done in your life or is going to do can come from an everyday experience that we all too often overlook. 

I would like to challenge us to make verses7-14 our prayer this week. 

Seek His perfect instruction.

Trust His perfect words, making our hearts glad, our eyes light up. 

Fear Him. 

Follow His ordinances, and desire them more than the things of this earth. 

Ask for forgiveness, for we will fall short, not just the visible portions of our failure but the things only God sees as well. 

Finally may we pray specifically verse 14; May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. 

I hope that we can see God this week in our daily lives, spot Him in all His glory all around us and share it with others at home, at work, or at school. 

God Bless, 

Bro. Grant

Matthew 13:44-46 (NLT)

44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

It is important that great value is placed on the Kingdom of Heaven. It is worthy of giving up and forsaking all this world has to offer. It is important that we teach others that the most important thing you can obtain in this life is not the best degree from the best school, the highest paying job, the best looking spouse, the nicest car or anything else the world desires us to strive for. The most important thing you can teach your children, your Sunday school class or that new Christian at church is the Kingdom of Heaven is worth all that and more. Are those things wrong or inherently evil? Absolutely not! The problem lies when we act, teach or even infer that the things of this world are of any greater value than the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Did you notice the man in the verse 44 doesn’t just find the treasure and quietly slink away from the field with treasure in hand? He laboriously reburied the treasure, and then, get this, went to the trouble of selling all he owned all that he had, and bought the field with his earnings. All that just to find a treasure of such great value that he could have potentially just snuck away with in the beginning. That’s how important the things of God are! 

What about the Pearl Merchant in the second story? It was his livelihood to search for, buy and sell pearls. However there was something different about this pearl. Do you have something in your life that is of the utmost importance to you? One thing that you could put your finger on and say that’s my most prized possession. Visualize that one thing and then realize that the Kingdom of Heaven is of infinite more value than even that one thing. The Pearl Merchant did. 

How important is the kingdom to you? Are you willing to let everything go that you have worked for on this earth, in order to obtain it? Jesus told stories sometimes rather simple stories in an effort to get a point across. These two stories are actually tied together, not only sequentially but also thematically. We are capable of the very same thing, telling a story or stories that make sense in our time and place in our context that our children,  or students or friends or even coworkers can understand.

As parents, teachers, proclaimers of the Gospel and Christians sometimes it would be beneficial if we would take truths and convey it in a story that people could wrap their minds around. Have you ever noticed that some of the best memories, you may have, would be that one grandparent or family member or even your crazy “Uncle Si” of the family that could really tell a story? Sometimes we will remember that story or its lesson for a lifetime. Jesus really did know what He was doing by giving us great truth so that we could not only remember it but also show us how to transfer that truth to others. Maybe, just maybe we could stand to be better story tellers and convey God’s truth through our stories and help others to understand and relate to the real life situations they are going through. 

God Bless, 

Bro. Grant

Tis’ the Season! 

What a wonderful time of year! Who am I kidding? I can be one of the biggest scrooges this time of year. I guess I am probably a product of the environment in which I was raised. Every Christmas seemed like a perpetual battle. “Whose family are we going to see?” “On what days?” “How long will we stay at each family’s house?” “How quickly can we get to the next place without getting a ticket?” “Who all do we have to buy for?” “Which family was that for again?” “How much is this going to cost us?” “That cost HOW MUCH?!” And on and on and on it went. Does any of this sound familiar? It is this time of year that we get so wrapped up in the who, what, where and how much, that we forget what is going on around us. 

It is this time of year (and only this time of year), where you can go into most malls or department stores and hear music that you might even sing in church. It is this time of year where you can drive down the streets and see nativity scenes proudly displayed in all sorts of areas. It is this time of year where Christmas Carols proudly proclaim the coming of a Savior in a manger. It is also a good time of year to set in order family traditions. The things that you do one year with your children or grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and/or cousins, can become lasting, lifelong traditions that impact generations in the future of your family. 

Can I share a brief testimony? I recently got to spend some time with missionary Jonathan Johnson, where we discussed living intentionally for the gospel, family worship, and family traditions started around Christmas time. Strange assortment of topics, I’m sure. During this time we were discussing Advent Devotionals for families, (Advent simply means the coming of Jesus, no secular or ecumenical or protestant affiliations to be afraid of) and how many great free devotionals and even some very cheap ones that were great. He told me that’s what started their family worship time that is integral to their daily lives now. They started one December and did a short daily devotional each night of the month. It was great. Then came January. They sat around and looked at one another and said well now what do we do? 

They decided to continue on and do different devotionals every night not just for the month of December. You see this simple family tradition that started in this season became not just a holiday tradition but a lifelong legacy that this family started. It was through this family devotional time that their oldest daughter Mary Beth came to know Christ as her personal Savior recently,  that she shared with this church.

My family and I have picked up a free advent devotional and are hoping this is one tradition that supersedes this holiday season, and becomes a family legacy. (For the record we are not perfect we have already missed some days but no need to get discouraged, just pick it up and keep going.) 

So remember “Tis’ the Season” to start traditions and family legacies that may have an eternal impact on those around you. Keep that in mind as we near the celebration of our Savior, King, Eternal Hope, Immanuel, and Messiah who was and is and is to come! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 78:1-4, “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.”

Bro. Grant