Monthly Archives: April 2010

If your child knows geometry better than he knows the Proverbs, then you have a problem with your priorities. – Kevin Swanson

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“I love you with all my heart” – simple words but they come with a lifetime of impact. I am not sure I can describe what hearing these words from my Grandfather means to me. He is the Patriarch of our family. A man who has, as best he knew how, led us as he has followed Jesus. A deep thinker with wisdom won from a less than perfect life lived in the constant awareness of the presence of Almighty God who was working even the terrible things in his life for his good and God’s glory. A man who at close to 50 uprooted his household to follow the leading of God into a 15 year ministry in one of the hardest areas of the country. Only to be abused, beat up, maligned, and slandered by those he was called to serve. All the while he loved them, served them, wept for them, prayed for them and guarded their souls. He is a man who has modeled to us Christ-like love and sacrificial servant leadership for his bride for over 50 years. He has been a father to the fatherless in our family. He has passionately loved and rejoiced in each child with which the Lord God has blessed our family. Some of my earliest memories are of Papa lifting high in the air each of the Grandchildren, smile on his face and his deep rumbling laughter rolling out of his big heart. From the “secret” good-bye rituals he taught each of us grandchildren to his attentive ear he was quick to give each of us, he has spent his life communicating to us we mattered, we were special to him and he loved us. Even when each of us have been our sinful-selves, he has loved us and prayed for us. He is a 3 John 4 kind of man.

3 John 4 ESV

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Lord, may I be a cause for Papa’s joy and not sorrow. Please allow me to maximize the impact of the godly heritage he is leaving us daily. May you give me wisdom not to squander the opportunities to learn from and be around him. Thank you for allowing me to be loved by such a godly man. In the might name of Jesus who is the Christ, Amen. 

Could it be measured in the exhaustion at the end of a full day when you have given all you knew how but still laid your head down on your pillow knowing you were completely inadequate? Could it be measured in the inability to pick your head up off your hands so you could attempt to rise and put your weary body into bed? Could it be measured in the sweat produced by moving from one task to another while never making it to the end of the list? Could it be measured in the fight to keep your emotions in check when your mouth really wants to snap at the person you love? Could it be measured in faithfully administering discipline out of fear of the Lord and love for your child when every bone in your body cries out for rest and peace? Could it be measured in rejoicing over the life growing within you, for which you have prayed many long years, even in the midst of being unable to keep the smallest meal down? Could it be measured in desiring the blessing of children in spite of the health issues and pain it brings? Could it be measured in helping a child wrestle with their need for a Savior and what it means to live for Him?

Lord please empower me so you could find me to be faithful!

Micah 6:8 (ESV)

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

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

We are so excited at the Pauper’s hovel to be welcoming another blessing from the Lord into our household. We have been praying for the Lord to bless us with more children for over 3 years and we found out a little over 2 weeks ago that he had graciously answered our cries. So with out further delay let me be the proud papa and show you pictures!

Psalm 127 (ESV)

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

1) Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2) It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3) Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4) Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5) Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.[1]

[1] The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001.

Oh bless me indeed Oh God of Jacob! Enlarge my gates! Give me a heritage and reward us greatly! Make great your Name through godly seed! Give me many arrows to launch for your kingdom and your glory! May you be praised in all the Earth! Amen!

Boys like to kick over rocks because you never know what will scurry away when the light shines. There are often fascinating creatures hiding from the sun under there and for those brief seconds you get to see creatures that you normally would not.

As you grow up you learn that there are other types of rocks under which things hide. Unfortunately the creatures lurking under these rock are not so nice or fascinating. Often under these types of rocks are entities waiting to devour you and your children as causalities of the cosmic battle between our Loving God and the loathsome usurping snake who currently plays at being king of this realm. It is never easy or pretty to look these loathsome creatures in the face but as a believing father I must if I am going to be the Protector God has called me to be. That is why I am thankful for men like Dr. Bruce Shortt who do the research and kick over the rocks to expose what lies beneath. I often do not want to hear what he finds but hear it I must if I am going to be found faithful as a watcher over souls both in my house and in the House of God. In his latest edition of “The Continuing Collapse” Dr. Shortt points out what many have known for years but is now just dawning on the leftist education establishment:

DOTH MINE EYES DECEIVE ME?

(A LIBERAL THINK TANK CASTS DOUBT ON THE ABILITY TO REFORM SCHOOLS)

The Brookings Institution has always stood ready to supply public policy rhetoric for the left. In an unaccountable recent fit of candor, however, Brookings released a study that says what many “non-experts” have known all along: Nobody knows how to fix our broken government schools. Click here to keep reading

Have you heard about “The Day of Silence” that is about to be observed in a public school near you? This despicable exercise of “free speech” (if you can call it that when you don’t say a word) is sponsored by students and allowed by administrators for the express purpose of advancing the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Trans-gender) agenda. In this day of protest students and TEACHERS are allowed to remain silent during the instructional portions of the day (did you catch that! Your child’s TEACHER would be allowed to remain SILENT during instructional time! And they say that their concern is for the well being of your child. If that were true they would not be wasting your child’s time during the school day – wait a minute they already do that with their curriculum! but I digress) in protest of the muzzling and oppression of those choosing to live a lifestyle of abomination in direct rebellion to God. That’s right your child’s educational day is being hijacked to engender compassion and sympathy from your child for this “oppressed” “people group”. If you think that the public schools are not trying to win the hearts and minds of your children away from you and your values, you are kidding yourself!

While this event is not “sponsored” by the schools, it is allowed by administrators and it clearly advances our Safe School’s czar, Kevin Jennings, personal agenda. (see also here) So what do you think the net effect of this display of “free speech” will be? Do you really think that the 2-3 hours you will see your children at the end of this “Day of Silence” can undo the 8 hour “lesson” they watched from the teachers YOU have instructed them to respect and learn from?

Finally, how many Homeschools in your area do you think will be participating in this celebration of iniquity?

REMEMBER:

Luke 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (ESV)

Charles Spurgeon said this about discernment:

“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather, it is the difference between right and almost right.”

Many times as fathers we can miss that simple truth and we let what we have been taught or what others pressure us to do guide our conduct instead of the simple Word of God and the discernment it brings. We live in a world that is at WAR against us and the prize they are fighting for is the souls and minds of our Children. As Fathers we need to be engaged in this war and fighting with effective weapons according to the plan given by our King. If you don’t know what that plan is or what tools are at your disposal or even if you are an “old soldier” in this war who would like encouragement and strength from your brothers in arms, I highly recommend the mentoring sessions currently offered by the Western Conservatory of the Arts and Sciences.  It is not too late to join the conversation and answer the call to arms for your family, for your country, for your LORD!

Semper Reformanda!

A Christian Response to Earth Day

Here is a coherent, thoughtful and biblical response to this pervasive ecological high holy day.

How should a believer respond to Obamacare?

How should a christian “render unto Caesar” in light of health-care reform? Dr. Mohler issues a thoughtful challenge based on the scriptures.

Breast Feeding and Health-care Costs

Is it possible that the Creator actually knew best when he established the method for caring for infants? Fox News reports.

What’s a Girl to do? How should a believing young woman conduct herself after highschool

This is one of my favorite blogs on biblical living for young women. We could all learn to be Joyfully Content as this author suggests.

How to Read a Book

Tim Challies offers some great thoughts on how to read with intention and purpose.

All seems lost. The exhausting terror and noise of Friday has given way to the terrible silence of Saturday. Every footfall brings fear. What now? The despair, pain and fear is crushing. We can’t even run, it is the Sabbath and to flee on the Sabbath would attract immediate attention with the mob induced stoning the Law demands. So we wait behind locked doors fearing for our lives and wondering: what just happened? We had followed him for three years. We left our families, jobs, businesses and reputations. We all agreed with Peter that he was the promised one, the only one with the words of life and there was no where else for us to go. Last Sunday it looked as if the whole nation finally believed this as well. They shouted praises and quoted the promises from long ago. They made a carpet of their coats and shouted “Hosanna”. Maybe the kingdom was coming! It was a glorious week filled with Jesus teaching in the Temple to the growing crowds. The anticipation was palpable in the air. Even the religious leaders kept their distance for once. Relegating themselves to glowering in the periphery. Oh it was truly one of the best times I have ever known in Jerusalem.

But something changed after Judas left our Seder on Thursday. Jesus began to teach us and speak of the kingdom which was not new but he seemed to have an urgency and an intensity that was new. Then after singing a hymn we left the city and went to a garden just outside the city walls because Jesus wanted to pray. He left us to pray a short distance from where he, Peter, James, and John prayed. I tried to stay awake, I really did! But my eyes were sooo heavy. The week had been long and tiring and I could not seem to stay awake. I tried harder each of the 2 times Jesus awakened us but I still fell asleep. The next thing I knew Jesus was awakening us yet again and this time soldiers were coming! In my stupor it seemed an entire Roman Legion was bearing down on us! In actually it was just the Jewish Temple guards but we were still outnumbered and in my sleepy haze terror is all I could feel. After Judas kissed Jesus the soldiers went to seize Jesus and Peter drew his sword to defend the Lord. It was chaos with Jesus shouting at Peter to put the sword away then healing the man Peter had clumsily nicked in his attempt to remove the man’s head from his shoulders. Without the option to fight we could only run! And so we fled as they led Jesus away. Three illegal trials later we watched in horror as the same crowd which five days ago had hailed Jesus as their King now allowed the religious leaders to manipulate them into calling for his crucifixion. So the Romans flogged him beyond all recognition, forced him to carry his cross outside the city and then striped him naked and nailed him to a tree. I can’t even describe the horror of that day. It wasn’t even enough that they succeeded in getting the Romans to kill him but they continued to mock him and taunt him while he died. So grotesque was the scene that the Sun even hid its face. Finally, with a great cry Jesus gave up the ghost into his Father’s hands and died. Later they gave his body to Joseph of Arimathea who placed it in his own tomb and rolled the enormous stone over the entrance. So afraid of Jesus were the religious leaders that they persuaded Pilate to seal the tomb and set a detail of Roman soldiers to guard it. They could not even let his body rest in peace! Then as the sun set that terrible passover Friday evening the silence descended. Oh the deafening silence! And today I have been trapped with my thoughts, if you can call them that. I just want this nightmare to STOP! Have I wasted the last 3 years? Why did they kill my Lord? What threat was an itinerant Rabbi? I can’t get the images from yesterday out of my mind! Everytime I close my eyes I see his mangled form on that tree and I want to retch. He was innocent, I am the guilty one! I ran! I have many sins both public and private for which I deserve to be punished but he, he has done nothing! If he was the chosen one why did YHWH abandon him?

My words and questions ring hollow as the heavens are silent. The Sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest in which we have time to recount the deeds of YHWH and worship but this is the most awful Sabbath I have ever known. There is no justice, there was no rescue from heaven, no voice thundering to warn of impending doom to those who mangled the beloved Son, there is only silence.