HUSBANDS/FATHERS - MAKING MY FAMILY ROCK

  • Thursday, March 29, 2007
  • It would be foolish of me to think I can express biblically to men how you are to carry out your responsibility of headship in your home better than Pastor John Piper. This past Sunday he preached "Lionhearted and Lamblike: The Christian Husband as Head." As he can masterfully do, Piper first gives the doctrinal argument so our thinking will be biblically correct. He then gives an outstanding practical section as a means to live in this doctrine. He closes his sermon with this statement, "When a man joyfully bears the primary God-given responsibility for Christ-like, servant leadership and provision and protection in the home - for the spiritual well-being of the family, for the discipline and education of the children, for the stewardship of money, for the holding of a steady job, for the healing of discord - I have never met a wife who is sorry she married such a man."
    Check out the entire article or listen to the sermon yourself at http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2007/2022_Lionhearted_and_Lamblike_The_Christian_Husband_as_Head_Part_2/

    Is It Rock or Gravel?

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  • Wednesday, March 28, 2007
  • It has been encouraging to hear from many who attended the forum that they are examining their own life and the activities of the family in terms of rocks and gravel. It is apparent that the distinction is not always easy. Here are 3 elements to consider in determining the size of the stone so as to see if it is perhaps gravel or indeed a rock.
    1. Is your heart set upon it? When you involve yourself with this item, does it energize you with a level of passion? Does it seem to have an important purpose? Where does your passion for God fit in the picture of this item?
    2. Do you do this repeatedly? Do you take it responsibly? Do you really consider it important? Why? Does it glorify God and advance His kingdom?
    3. What difference does it make to do this or not to do it? Is it something that really does impact you and/or your family? What are the other choices you have in place of this item? Are they more useful? Does it profit your soul?

    What we love, we follow. What we value, we will obey. Our words and deeds when combined with the resources of our time and money show what we really love. When we are seized by God and have a passion for a life that expresses the heart of the Gospel, we avoid a life set by our own agenda, preferences and that expresses our independence. This path is hazardous and has proven disastrous for most. You can change the size of your stones by increasing the value of God intentionally in what you do.

    Rocks of Conflict - "Church Time" verses "Family Time"

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  • Saturday, March 24, 2007
  • Dr Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville wrote an article titled, "The New Family Trump Card" -- Family Time vs. Church Time" The article addresses a study of 490 pastors and their responses to how church life and family life were conflicting. Dr. Mohler comments on the findings. Read the article at http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=899

    Parents and Kids of Faith

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  • BUILDING THE STRATEGIC HOME
    (or finding some family "rocks")
    Part 2
    “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. ”Proverbs 22:6

    In continuing with the theme of the last Parents and Kids of Faith along with what I covered at the Faith Family Forum, this article is to present questions for your consideration as a family. It is to help establish what is important in your family in regard to priorities and attempt to align them with God-centered purposes. If we do not assess what is preoccupying our time and interpreting what we are doing, we risk being controlled by activity that is meaningless and decreasing the value of a Christ-centered home.

    The following questions are designed to help unify your family, remind you of what is important, setting a pattern of a Christ-centered home, reducing conflicts, providing barriers of security for your children, and freeing you from the “tyranny of the urgent.”

    1. How would you answer the question: What is the purpose of our family?
    2. What do you want your family to look like in the near future and a bit beyond?
    3. How do you define the role of husband/father, wife/mother, son, and/or daughter?
    4. What spiritual values do you hold dearest as a family?
    5. How is everyone to treat each other in the family?
    6. What virtues of character are considered of “most” importance to you?
    7. How is conflict to be resolved in your family?
    8. How do you want to spend your “leisure time?”
    9. How are finances to be managed by you and taught to the children?
    10. What are the guidelines to ensure good health in your home?
    11. Where do the activities of the family fit in your priorities so conflicts of scheduling can be resolved?
    12. What big decisions do you see down the road to be making for your children that you can be proactive with now rather than later? (Dating? Driving? Modesty rules? Academic performance and activities? Activiites versus other priorities?)

    Next week I will begin a series of examples of how you convert the answers to such questions to a plan of action for your family. Take time before then to chew on these questions.

    More Testimonies from the Faith Family Forum

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  • Friday, March 23, 2007
  • Wanted to let you know that Theresa and I really enjoyed the family forum. I thought it was a great atmosphere, met some new folks and had some supportive dialogue at the table. I really appreciated the object lesson with the rocks and gravel. That is something I can apply right away. I look forward to the next forum - thanks for all your work.

    Dave Dilley

    Great job on Friday night with the Faith Family Forum. Also, a big thanks to everyone who helped out and served the body of Christ in this manner. Have begun working on living intentionally, identifying my rocks, and eliminating some of those pebbles. This is a great way to build the Faith community and Kristin and I are looking forward to the May event.

    Mark Powell

    A Few Pictures from Friday Evening

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  • Tuesday, March 20, 2007
  • Mixing it up with an ice breaker

    Alexa Arbogast and Tim McEwen leading worship

    Matt Hollenbeck and Bill Wegrzyn were highly entertaining with their "Priority Man" skit

    Tyler Engel dishing out some door prizes as emcee

    Pastor George teaching us about priorities with his rock illustration

    Over 100 attendees participated in discussion and dessert

    THOUGHTS ON THE FIRST FAMILY FORUM

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  • (Tim and Tina Miller share these thoughts with you on their experience last Friday night)

    The lights were turned down, there was candlelight and cheesecake at every table, and then Bill Wegrzyn jumps on stage in Pastor George's old wrestling uniform...needless to say, the forum was a time of laughs and learning for us. Sometimes we can get caught up in our group of friends and never take a step out to meet others in the church community, but this night was about doing just that. We were assigned tables with people we were not familiar with ( a scary thought, we know). But, little did we know, stepping outside of your comfort zone can be a very enjoyable experience.

    At our table, we spoke to people from different stages of life than our own, all able to bring something different and valuable. With subjects including; the dangers facing families today, why church and community at church is vital, and the importance of a Word centered home, discussion was bound to be fruitful. And it was!!

    Pastor George's discussion on priorities (the rocks in our lives) really hit home on how we are managing time in our own lives. Since the forum, we have chosen to identify the rocks in our lives. In doing so, we are more apt to ensure the rocks (those things God calls us to do) take priority over the gravel (those things that take time away from our rocks). So what does this mean on a personal level? We've made a commitment to hold each other accountable to ensure the rocks come first.

    The FLOCK we are involved in is focusing it's attention on building close relationships and developing accountablity within the group. The Faith Family Forum took these same goals to a whole new level. Here we are, developing personal relationships with people we've just met and enjoying, and learning from it. Don't you think, this type of community building at Faith Bible is worth becoming one of your priorities (rocks)?
    We look forward to the May forum!!

    Tim and Tina Miller

    PUTTING THE ROCKS IN PLACE

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  • It is Tuesday morning, 7:30 A.M. and I am sitting at Bagels and Joe sipping a cup of Ethiopian coffee having just met with Robb Rexilius for the last hour. Tuesday is the beginning of my “work week” and I am putting the finishing touches on setting the rocks in place. Here is what I do: Yesterday morning I took out my calendar and gave a first look to the week ahead to see where I will put the important items for the week. When will I do devotions? Where do I see Deb and I doing our Bible reading together? Who do I need to meet with this week and when? What important meetings are ahead? What do I need to prepare for?

    Being careful not to over schedule, I know that most days have some air to air combat missions where I cannot predict what will happen and will call for moment by moment responses. So here I am finishing my coffee, getting ready to head to church taking one last look at the calendar. Ten to fifteen minutes from yesterday and today will probably save me hours of chaos and keep my heart from some unnecessary anxiety. It will be easier to focus on the sovereign work of God in my week. God will measure and give me the rest of the things that fill up my calendar. Bring on the gravel!

    What A Great Night!

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  • Saturday, March 17, 2007
  • Deb and I had a wonderful time last night with about 100 of you. Tyler did a great job as emcee, Tim and Alexa provided us with great music and focus, and I spoke way too long! And what about that skit by Bill Wegrzyn and Matt Hollenbeck - P.M. Man?? The Conklins and Engels are to be given the work credit with Jerry and Ryan doing the sweat work. We learned a lot by some scheduling mistakes but we are trusting by the hand of blessing from a God who was honored, we will work out the quirks and provide an improved evening on May 11. As soon as I figure out how to post pictures we will put them on the site. The evening was recorded both by sound and video.

    Sooo, how is your family centered on the 3 hopes I spoke of in the first session? God's Word - the Gospel - and the church community? What adjustments do you need to start working on? Are you in a FLOCK? Do you need to discover how the Gospel will be lived out in your home?

    What are your rocks? Do your rocks have strong, God-centered purposes or are they items that are controlling you towards meaningless experiences without profit as Solomon declared about his rocks in Ecclesiates 2? I will be continuing the discussion about rocks in the weeks to come and look for more examples from others.

    We would sure like to hear from some of you from the evening. Please join in on this site by either logging on the comment section or send me an email at george@faithbiblelincoln.org.

    Here are a few comments (of course only the good ones) from some who attended:

    "It was awesome fellowship!'
    "Every church needs this ministry - meeting others and hearing about our struggles and victories."
    "Loved the discussion and the lesson"
    "It was good to have some of the 'older' couples there."
    "It was a fun night!"
    "Very profitable evening. Thank you."
    "Thank you. It was WONDERFUL!"

    Thanks again for all who helped pull off the evening and all of you who came. What a great evening!

    TOMORROW IS THE BIG NIGHT!

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  • Thursday, March 15, 2007
  • We know there are many reasons you may be coming to the Faith Family Forum, but hopefully many of you know that having a God-centered home is not just something that happens because we go to church. The Faith Family Forum is about helping us all build lives and homes by directing our efforts to God's Word and the help of the community of those with a common focus.

    We have a great night planned for you that will fill you with encouragement, instruction, and fellowship. We will start at 7:30 sharp! Don't be late! There is no childcare provided - this is meant to be a night out. Several couples are meeting before the event to have supper together and some night owls were even talking about pie and ice cream after the event. About 110 are signed up and there is room for a few more but we would appreciate a call to the church office by noon tomorrow so we can plan on them. See you tomorrow night!

    Why Come to the Faith Family Forum?

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  • Friday, March 9, 2007
  • 3 REASONS

    1. For the teaching of the Word. It is where we find our hope for the family in instruction. No other author or book offers the sufficiency of God's Word.

    2. For the hope of the Gospel for the family. Sin abounds in every family and where sin abounds, so may grace. God provides the Gospel as a means that we can learn to forgive and be reconciled as well as the power to change us. We need not be stranded in our sin.

    3. We need the community of the local church. Independence in raising our families and working through our marriages is a recipe for disaster. Growth for the Christian family is a community project. The local church and FLOCKs are ministries that we should be orienting our lives around. Faith Family Forums provides a venue for building this community.

    FAITH FAMILY FORUM ONE WEEK FROM TONIGHT!!!

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  • Be sure to sign up at the Faith Family Forum table this Sunday. Tickets are free and bring your ticket next Friday to be eligible for a doorprize. Bill Wegrzyn and Kevin Krausnick will introduce you to "PM Man." Pastor Tom and George will be speaking about the theology of the family along with setting priorities. Tim McEwen will be singing and right now at least 80 people will be joining you for laughs, fellowship, good cheesecake and encouragement in the Word.

    Parenting By Faith

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  • Building The Strategic Home
    “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
    Proverbs 22:6

    This is a continuation of the lesson sent two weeks ago so please review “Responsibilities to Embrace for our Children.”

    Does your parenting seem to be ruled by your nerves? I know how often I was so reactive to what was happening in my children’s lives and so my parenting became a series of stimulus and responses. There were days I looked like a video game! Where there is no vision, the will to parent biblically quickly shrivels.

    As much as I wanted to create the future for my children, a sovereign God rules. However, we can influence the future of our children for either good or bad. We know that God is good as He sees, supervises and leads us to His program for our family but we also live under His law that we will reap what we sow.

    The consideration of goals for our family and children are a means to make plans knowing that God will establish our steps. Proper goals will help lead our children and family to live in the Gospel that saves, to understand how the Holy Spirit continues to sanctify us, to learn service, and to teach our children how to suffer well.

    This lesson will give you some considerations and examples for goal setting. This is not just for parenting but the establishment of goals for your family are great tools as well. In the following weeks I will present a model of goal setting by one of our Faith Bible Church families who took this lesson to heart in the past and then what my wife, Deb, and I did several years ago for our household.

    Have you considered seriously what you want your child to look like when they are 18 years old? Here are a series of questions to answer:
    1. What is the greatest thing you want your child to know and understand?

    2. Choose 3 things from the book of Proverbs that you want your children to know?

    3. Using the previous lesson on ““Responsibilities to Embrace for our Children,” what are 3 goals you would have?

    4. How do you want your children to deal with the problems of life?

    5. How do you want your children to learn to deal with other people?

    6. How do you want your children to understand work?

    7. How do you want your children to respond to your requests?

    8. How do you want your children to respond to authority?

    9. How do you want your children to respond to sin?

    Examples of goals that answer these questions:

    1. To properly fear God – understanding the attributes of God such as almighty, holy, omnisciencent, etc;

    2. To understand what is a Christ-centered home not a child-centered home

    3. To understand that we all we stand before God and give an account, every word and deed

    4. To understand the effects of the fall of mankind upon us. They are prone to sin and I want them humbled by the grace of God

    5. To understand the danger of trusting our own hearts. To learn not to do things by feelings when God’s Word says to do something.

    6. To know how to seek answers to the problems of life – The Word of God

    7. To trust God for daily living. That they know that God’s mercies are new each morning, His grace sufficient every day to face whatever comes their way.

    8. To know the richest treasures of life are Jesus Christ and God’s Word.

    9. To know how to repent of sin and ask for forgiveness. This is what will bring wholeness, healing and restoration.

    10. To know how to know God through worship. The greatest joy we have is to enjoy God.

    11. To know how to express love to others through manners and acts of kindness. It is to fulfill the commandment to “love others as you love yourself.”

    12. To do their work diligently at home, school, or the workplace for God. To learn to do it with joy for it is a gift from God.

    13. To cheerfully obey their parents the first time. To find joy in obedience.

    14. To respect and honor their parents first and then all other authority over them. To learn this is so it will go well with them.

    15. To suffer the natural consequences of sinful and irresponsible behavior. To learn the natural and established laws of life.

    16. To protect themselves from bad influences. To learn to identify them and stay away.

    17. To understand that they will not always get their way so they will learn not to be so self-centered.

    18. To understand their given role of a man or woman. To learn that the roles are distinctive and not to conform to a confused secular view.

    John Piper's Series on Marriage

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  • Tuesday, March 6, 2007
  • John Piper has been recently doing a series on marriage that everyone should be reading, listening, or watching. Check out the site below to see what he has covered so far and still several to go. He did not preach last Sunday as he is at the bedside of his father who is preparing to go home to be with the Lord.
    http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/Category/8_sermons/

    10 more days until the Faith Family Forum

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  • We are gearing up for this event in the life of our church and we have at this point nearly 70 people signed-up to attend. Close to what I told the committee we would have but Jenny and Leslie believe we will have close to 200 – so where are you??

    Here is a preview of the evening. Pastor Tom will give a short presentation of the theology of the family. That will be followed by a time of discussion at your “round-table.” Pastor George will also give a presentation of how to navigate the competing roles and priorities in our families. You will discover what rocks have to do with this. Then there will be discussion again at your tables. The evening will also consist of music, drama, and great cheesecake. Bring your ticket and you will be eligible for door prizes. If you have not signed up yet, you can email us at the church or sign-up at the table this Sunday. Keep viewing this site for more information in the days to come.

    Faith Family Forum, Friday March 16. 7:30-10:00 P.M. at Faith Bible Church