Anne Marie Ezzo writes: “As believers we should reflect on the event of Easter everyday, not just once a year. It is because He is the risen Christ and is alive that we have life. Once again Denise shares with us thoughts to ponder and As God pleases, dispose the day….”

“Psychics are busy trying to give people hope with a glimpse of the future,

while Christians who have hope live as this world was all there is.”

In Jude 1:3 believers are called to “contend earnestly for the faith’. The word “contend” in this statement is an athletic term, which comes from the root word “agonize”. It is a picture of a devoted athlete stretching every nerve and muscle to win. It reminds me of Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he says “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). The apostle Paul uses athletic metaphors often when talking about the believers walk. As believers we aren’t to meander haphazardly to the finish line but we are to “press”, to buffet our bodies, not looking to the left or right, but striving for the goal. Paul always emphasizes the goal.

As believers, when we look around at our church locally and nationally, we don’t see a lot of “athletic Christians”. More often you see an exhausted saint spinning in circles on the middle of life’s race track. In fact from their perspective the race track is more of a convoluted maze with no means to find the end. They are so focused on where they are at that moment that they have lost sight of the goal. The goal scriptures mention is the glory of Christ’s return. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Our citizenship is in heaven and we should eagerly wait for Christ’s return (Philippians 3:20). There are actually more references to Christ’s second return than there were to his first coming in scripture. Why? Because, the ability to run the race successfully is determined by our focus. In the end we want to say as Paul did, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (II Timothy 4:7-8).

How would the lives of today’s saints look like if they “loved His appearing”? If believers focused on the glory of eternity, instead of their few years on this sin marred earth, then they would live with eternal purpose. Each generation of believers carries the responsibility of Christianity. St. Augustine stated this centuries ago, when he argued against the monastic movement, saying if believers locked themselves away, that there would be no light to the lost and thus Christianity would die out in one generation.

If eternity was the focus of Christians, then as parents, they would not just struggle like crisis managers, merely trying to survive each new phase (troublesome twos, rebellious teens…), but would see that they were training and equipping those who would replace them in the furtherance of the gospel. They would understand that they were passing the baton for the survival of Christianity. They would see the necessity of teaching their children how to do quiet times, and study the Bible and how to handle life situations Biblically and live righteously. Parents today seem more concerned with their children’s safety, comfort and happiness than their character and holiness.

If believers lived in the expectation of Christ’s return, they would be less likely to hang on to sin, thinking they had plenty of time to repent later. The urgencies of today would lose importance in the realities of eternity. People would become more important than self and things. The wealth and acquisition of goods they spend so much time stockpiling would take their correct importance as the transitory things that they are, which will only become the possession of another person, or line the walls of some Salvation Army store after they are gone. They would be more concerned with the preciousness of others, knowing their opportunity to show them Christ is short. There isn’t any aspect of our life that would not be altered if we saw our daily life through the eyes of a bride on her wedding day in Glory looking back to today and seeing the things that needed to be done before her Bridegroom calls her to His home.

Lord, as Easter approaches we look back to nearly 2000 years ago, when you betrothed yourself to us with the bride price of your blood. Now, as the decades pass, take our wandering hearts and give us a new anticipation of your return. We do not know the hour or the day, but help us to live as if it were coming shortly. “And the Spirit and the Bride say “Come”. (Revelation 22:17)

As God pleases, dispose the day © 2009 is an electronic devotional by D. A. Brewer. All Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Version, © 1993 Lockman Foundation and used by permission. The title “As God pleases, dispose the day” is a quote from Henry V by William Shakespeare.

The following is another wonderful response received from long time friend and ministry partner, Scott H. My request was sent to parents of ‘older’ boys, asking for input regarding the necessary preparation to help a ‘young man’ keep his way pure? [Ps. 119:9] Given the sensitivity of the topic, I’ve done some minor editing and thank Scott for permission to share what follows.

Scott wrote: I guess I fit the description you are looking for, having three teenage sons, 19, 17 and 15. My 15 year old is just starting into puberty, with temptations still largely revolving around mischief and pranks. He is just now getting to the point where girls are no longer repulsive.

The older two are doing very well in handling the temptations that come with ‘becoming young men’. My 17 year old likes girls, but has no interest in “dating” or having a “girl” friend. He is friends with all the girls at church (our youth group is only about 20 teens), and has his focus on school and his hobbies. Our eldest has had two episodes where he was concentrating on a particular young lady with great interest but backing off after finding they were not quite what they where presenting themselves to be. He wrestled with the last one for several weeks feeling he had been deceived. These were tough lessons, but he did finally acknowledge that dad’s advice was pretty good and think he will be more careful to follow it in the future.

To answer the question regarding the ability to “find a way of escape”, that I attribute to their walk with the Lord. Every other thing we have done only augments what we have tried to instill into them about being holy above all else. We have a lot of theological discussion in our home about handling all aspects of life. Teaching them to respond correctly to temptations while they were young and instilling into them a sense of responsibility as done in the GKGW series well prepared them for the new temptations they would face, as they became young men. We read a lot of books out loud while the boys were growing up and those always sparked good discussion about living a godly life in practical terms.

My wife and I have followed the advice given in the Moral Innocence series from an early age, added to that concepts of courtship instead of dating (as in Josh Harris’ book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye) and similar materials. (We have taught them to be a FIG (Friend In God) instead of a date). These all emphasize teaching the boys to treat girls with great respect from an early age and to become their protectors. They have taken to heart the Biblical roles they are preparing for as godly young men. In addition, we have given them some “rights of passage” along the way to mark their progress. The Making of a Modern Day Knight has been helpful in this. At age 16 we ask 8-10 godly men from the church to share with our sons what we believe their responsibilities are to God, family, women, society, peers, driving and facing fear, all of which are part of being a man.  We then commit ourselves to holding them accountable to learn and meet these responsibilities.

In our family we talk about nearly everything around the dinner table and topics of male/female relationships have been common, especially as they have seen their friends get hurt / stumble. When our family doctor told us our boys were entering puberty, I took each of the boys out and talked to them privately explaining the physical changes they would be experiencing as well as how to cope with the changes and also, my expectations of them. Thankfully, I have a very strong and open relationship with all three of my sons, but that has taken work on both sides. I have learned to change my schedule to take advantage of those times when each son wanted to talk and needed to talk, as well as being pro-active in pursuing them when they seemed to be getting a bit distant.

From the protective side, we have been careful about what they have been exposed to through the various media and in relationships. We chose to home school all three boys, providing exposure to the world in bits and pieces as they were ready for it through sports, Boy Scouts, employment and in college (Our eldest started at the local Community College at age 16, but was only allowed to take certain classes until we believed he was ready to handle the perversions of history and morality presented in the social science classes). Their worldview had a solid foundation laid before allowing it to face the full brunt of the storms of secular society.

Those are some initial thoughts. Not having any daughters (nor did I have any sisters) I am without any experience in that area. Son’s (and brothers) I know well and believe I am blessed beyond measure in observing how our two oldest son’s have become upstanding young men who have already taken leadership positions in their generation to help their peers walk with God and to resist conformity to this world.

The following newsletter came today and after reading it, thought about all the dedicated parents who are part of our GFI family and the ‘difference’ you and your children are making. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like much and you may even think, ‘is it all worth it? Yes, our family is ‘different’ but are we making a difference?’ The fact that as parents and children you are committed to ‘putting on Christ’ each day, being that ‘living epistle’ that Paul speaks of, light in a dark world. Remember, none of the people we read about in the Bible [except Jesus] were aware of the difference they would make for millennia to come. They were ‘ordinary people, used by God to do extraordinary things for His Kingdom sake’ Be encouraged and continue being a ‘difference maker’ in your home and community, God will take care of the rest. Blessings, Anne Marie

We all appreciate “difference makers”. The hope held by the American people is that our newly elected president and his team will make a difference! Those of you that are into football are watching the activities of free agency and wait for the big April event, the NFL Draft, with the hopes that their team will select a “difference maker”. So the question is, are you a “difference maker”?

We should not be surprised that many of the “difference makers” both in the real world and the Bible are/were common people. Several years ago, I heard a statement about the world being run by “C” students. As I teach through the Bible in our Real Bible Institute, I’ve been impressed with all the common people that made a difference for God! Luke has impressed me this past week, as we are studying his gospel. While some may have a more difficult time relating to him due to his professional manner (as a doctor), he was still a difference maker.

In many ways, Luke was an outsider and didn’t really “fit the mold”. The fact that his parents were Greek made him the only Greek writer of a New Testament book (In Colossians 4:10-14 he is not identified as one of “the circumcision”, or as a Jew). His heritage would also have made him an outsider during much of the first century Judeo-centric church. In addition, he did not possess a Jewish/Christian pedigree, and while we believe that he was similar in age to Jesus and Paul, it is doubtful that he was born into a believing home. Thus, it is very possible that Luke was an adult convert of Paul’s ministry.

Here are two lessons from Luke on being a difference maker:

He ministered. Luke did not allow himself to focus on his limitations; he just did it. He did not get hung up on who he was. He did not allow other gospel accounts to keep him from writing to an influential gentile friend, Theophilus. Neither did He allow his lack of pedigree keep him from writing a two-volume work on the life of Christ and the expansion of the church. The Gospel of Luke and Acts came to comprise 28% of the New Testament, his gospel being the longest work in the New Testament. He was also responsible for more New Testament content than any other author.

We also know that Luke was faithful. He rolled up his sleeves and got involved. He was a man who kept ministering through the ups and downs of life and Christian ministry. His use of “we” and “us” in Acts (16:10-ff) indicate that he joined Paul on his second missionary journey in the early A.D. 50’s, and continued to minister with Paul for the rest of his life, (almost 15 years; 2 Timothy 4:11).

What a testimony! Think of the people that have made a difference in your life… Chances are, they were just like Luke. What a challenge! How often do we fail to make a difference because we do not even try? How often do we give up or move on before God has a chance to work! You and I are no different than Luke or even Mark. Some of us have been raised in Christian homes and others of us came to know Christ later, but we can each make a difference. How will you make a difference this year?

- Pastor Joe

On Becoming Babywise II discusses the difference between childishness and foolishness on page 86. Childishness is on accident. It happens because your child doesn’t know or understand the rules. It is not because your child is directly disobeying you. Foolishness is on purpose. Your child knows the rules and disobeys anyway. It is important to evaluate if actions are out of childishness or foolishness because your response should be different in each case.

Babywise II explains it this way: Foolishness is a heart problem while Childishness is a head problem (page 87). The head problem simply needs information. The heart problem is a bigger deal because your child is choosing to do the wrong thing–choosing to disobey. Both require correction, but different methods of correction.

This might seem simple to determine, but if you have a child who is makes both childish and foolish decisions, you know that you as the parent often evaluate the situation incorrectly. Usually you are wrong in that you assume a childish action was done in foolishness. This can happen if you assume your child knows rules that haven’t been explained. You might assume your child should make connections that he just isn’t capable of connecting. Or you might be telling your child to do or don’t do something and he just doesn’t understand what you are saying. He lacks the vocabulary.

For example, you might tell your child to not run. First, does your child know exactly what running is? Even if he is running at the moment you instruct him not to, you can’t assume he will know what running is. He will think through what he was doing and try to figure out what you meant by “run.” Many will try to reenact things they were doing when they were told to not run in order to figure that out, especially if they don’t know how to say, “What does run mean?” Your toddler will be in the preschool years before he really can use words to clarify something like that. So be sure your child knows what it is you are asking of him.

You will see a lot more of the misunderstandings in the younger months. When your six month old blows a raspberry and splatters food all over you during lunch for the first time, you might touch his lips and tell him “That’s a no, you keep your food in your mouth.” The look on your face and tone in your voice will tell your baby he has done something wrong, but he won’t necessarily know what it was. Some might get it right away while others won’t. Those who don’t will usually repeat the action like a little scientist, trying to figure out exactly what wasn’t okay about what he just did. If you stay consistent, he will figure out more quickly what he did wrong. Your child will continue to be a scientist throughout his life as he grows up and tries to figure out exactly what is expected of him.

One morning we were in our church hurrying to our meeting. Our son Brayden was trying to hurry also, and started to run. I instructed him to not run. He was at an age where he knew just what I was talking about, so he didn’t run. He walked really quickly–you know that pace where they are so close to the run–, which wasn’t what I considered to be reverent enough for the church either. I might be able to expect an older child to know that if I tell him not to run that means he must also not walk quickly, but definitely not of a child this young. Also, I had made the mistake of telling him simply what not to do rather than adding in what to do. Further explanation helped him to know what it was I was asking of him. His quick walking in this situation was not a defiant action. He didn’t think, “I’ll show her; I’ll just walk quickly then.” His quick walking was a childish action. He did not yet know exactly what was appropriate and what wasn’t appropriate in the church.

Sometimes you will assume an action that is neither childish nor foolish was foolish. For example, a few days ago my daughter Kaitlyn (22 Months) was sitting on the potty. She reached out and unrolled some toilet paper. This is not something I have ever addressed with her. Brayden never touched it, so it hasn’t occurred to me to talk to Kaitlyn about it. This action was childishness. I told her we don’t play with the toilet paper. She told me “okay Mommy” then immediately reached up to it again. I started to give her my Mommy Glare and tell her that was a no when I realized she wasn’t reaching to play with it; rather she was rolling it back up as it was before she unrolled it in the first place. She was attempting to correct her wrong action. It is good to wait a moment to know exactly what your child is doing before you jump to your conclusion and start to discipline and correct.

In general, a childish act should get a verbal response from the parent. Tell the child no, explain what was done wrong, then instruct on what to do instead: “That’s a no. We don’t touch the toilet paper. Keep your hands in your lap.” You can certainly add things. If the child made a mess, you can have the child help clean it up. You can have the child correct any wrong that may have been done. Even if something is an accident, it still needs to be corrected. People don’t just get to walk away and say, “Oops.”

You can be sure an act was foolish when your child has already demonstrated an understanding for expected behavior in that situation. A foolish action will require more discipline. Exactly what you do and how you do it is dependent on the child. The child’s age, frequency of the offense, situational context, and the child’s overall behavior all factor in to deciding what to do (page 87). As the parent, it is for you to decide what to do.

Life with children is never cut and dry. Here is a story to illustrate. Brayden loves certain types of blankets. As he has gotten older, we have restricted where the blankets were allowed to be. At one point, they were allowed upstairs, but not on the main level. Then we decided it was time that they must remain in his room. I told him his blanket must stay in his room. He had a day where he left his room with it several times. This might seem foolish, but it was actually childish. He wasn’t leaving the room with it having decided to disobey, he just was in the habit and wasn’t thinking. The next morning, he left his room with it again. I told him that if he left his room with his blanket one more time, he was going to lose the blanket. I asked him if he understood, he said yes. I told him to leave his blanket in his room, he said “yes Mommy.” About 60 seconds later, he declared he needed a tissue and ran out of the room with his blanket in tow.

I knew that this was again a childish action. He wasn’t willfully defying me. But I also knew that something extreme needed to happen for him to have reason to remember the new blanket rule. I took the blanket as promised. I have never seen him so upset. He didn’t throw a fit, he was just emotionally upset at the prospect of losing his blanket. After a couple of minutes, he calmed down. He knew he had messed up and he was ready to take the consequence.

Later that day, I gave his blanket back. He was very grateful and told me he wouldn’t leave his room with his blanket any more. And he didn’t. So you can see from this story that childish actions still need correction. And just because the child understands something doesn’t mean it is automatically a foolish action.

Make the effort to figure out if your child is being childish or foolish. As you get to know your child, you will recognize cues like a certain glint in the eye when the child is knowingly disobeying. You will continue to misjudge. You aren’t perfect. I still misjudge Brayden, who is almost 4. But you will get better at it. Keep these things in mind as you determine if an action is childish or foolish:

• Don’t assume your child knows rules. Explain things to your child as age appropriate.
• Don’t assume your child will realize that if something is wrong, similar things are also wrong.
• Be sure your child understands what you are telling him.
• Be sure you tell your child not only what not to do, but what to do.
• Observe your child for a moment before assuming he is being disobedient.

.  .  .  to the Republic for which is stands .  .  .

In the Growing Kids God’s Way Epilogue, we put forth a belief that a fundamental relationship exist between parenting and the preservation or destruction of our society. The principles shared in Growing Kids and other places aim first and foremost to help parents glorify God through their families. Yet, the same principles governing family conduct are also investments in the preservation of our Nation.

The moral and political destiny of any society will always be in the hands of the present parenting generation. By that statement, I do not mean to imply that God is not in control, but rather that His sowing/reaping principles are at work (Matthew 7:17-20; Galatians 6:7). What children become in the future will largely be a reflection of what their parents believe today. So the Nation follows. The family is the values-generating institution of our society. Once it becomes philosophically humanistic, there is little likelihood that it will return to the values that once made our Republic strong.

Biblical ethics clarifies our purpose in life by defining who we are and our duty to prepare the next generation to morally influence society. There is little hope for our collective future without a biblical sense of otherness, fairness, compassion, honesty, and justice. Can a Republic survive without biblical ethics? Can biblical ethics influence a society without a strong Christian witness maintained by each parenting generation?

America at one time had a collective moral conscience and our citizenship lived within a moral consensus. Biblical values guided that accord. That does not mean we were a Christian Nation, but it does mean we allowed a God-centered world view to guide our morality by providing fundamental virtues and values that had their origin in life, not cosmic chance. The more we lose our moral consensus as a Nation, the more we splinter into subgroups, each vying for power or striving to form coalitions of power. To maintain social stability more and more external laws are needed to replace the vacuum created by the loss of common values ─ common values that were at one time, intrinsically part of our commonness.

Our country has one of the greatest legal instruments ever written by man-the United States Constitution. It guarantees individual freedom to live without government intrusion. As great as it is, the instrument quickly loses value if we remove the moral foundations on which our liberty is based. Alter any underlying principles on which the Constitution was constructed and you alter the meaning of the Constitution. If we redefine the moral basis on which our liberty is granted, we inevitably redefine liberty itself. As each generation redefines the values that forged the Constitution they change the public character of authority that represents the Constitution. When that happens, the very premise of what a “Republic” is gets lost or muted.

We believe any generation of children not giving a working understanding behind the values that make a Republic what it is, is destined to lose the gift of true liberty. When it comes to parenting and values, we can help. When it comes to teaching your children the meaning of “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of American and to the Republic for which it stands. . .” here is a resource to consider: Our Republic