FAD DIETS AND OUR FAMILY

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  • Wednesday, December 29, 2010
  • This is how the Lockyers and Wegrzyns worked off all the food and trimmings of Christmas. A rousing game of hockey on the farm pond does wonders. It also rearranges joints and gets the blood flowing (sometimes spilling).  Happy New Year!

    'O HOLY NIGHT' BY DAVID PHELPS

  • Friday, December 24, 2010
  • Don't know anyone (other than I suppose the angels themselves) who sings and expresses this song better ... enjoy on this Christmas Eve

    GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY TO YOU

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  • From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Joy Born At Bethlehem," delivered December 24, 1871


    The joy which this first gospel preacher spoke of was no mean one, for he said, “I bring you good tidings” — that alone were joy: and not good tidings of joy only, but “good tidings of great joy.” Every word is emphatic, as if to show that the gospel is above all things intended to promote, and will most abundantly create the greatest possible joy in the human heart wherever it is received.


    Man is like a harp unstrung, and the music of his soul’s living strings is discordant, his whole nature wails with sorrow; but the son of David, that mighty harper, has come to restore the harmony of humanity, and where his gracious fingers move among the strings, the touch of the fingers of an incarnate God brings forth music sweet as that of the spheres, and melody rich as a seraph’s canticle. Would God that all men felt that divine hand.

    MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM PASTOR GEORGE AND DEB

    "...and behold, a great multitude.."

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  • Tuesday, December 21, 2010
  • Revelation 7:9-12 is a "I can't wait" event. A taste of what it is going to be like happened in Nigeria where over 2 million people came together and this is what it sounds like when they break in praise ...

    CHRISTMAS AS ONLY A MOTHER CAN UNDERSTAND

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  • There is a part of the Christmas story that I can somewhat relate to as a father but not in any way to the same degree that a mother can. My daughter is one tough woman- always has been (her mother taught her) and now living with 7 men-boys (husband + 6 boys)- but this song brought out the tender mother in her when she first heard it. So for you moms, if you take the time to watch this video of Jill Phillips singing "Labor of Love" (from the Andrew Peterson Behold the Lamb of God album) with scenes from the film The Nativity, make sure you are braced for the emotion that the song tends to bring forth.

    PARENTS OF TEENS: HERE IS A MUST READ!

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  • Monday, December 20, 2010
  • Ran across this article this morning and it hits home since I have had this kind of conversation with several parents lately. If you are the parent of a teen or even close to that age, this is a great read and the questions are spot-on and should be asked.

    David Murray is the author and a professor at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and is President of Head, Heart, Hand Media; a Christian film company. He writes:

    I’m far from an expert on this, but I thought I’d share some thoughts about my first few years of parenting teenagers. I hope that some of these reflections might help some of my fellow-strugglers.

    From what I have experienced, and also witnessed in pastoral ministry, there seems to be three tensions that define the teenage years.

    HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY DECORATING

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  • Wednesday, December 15, 2010
  • SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS OVER THE HOLIDAYS

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  • I am right where many of you are... the hardest people to share the gospel with are those in our family. They all know me too well and even as a "paid, professional holy man" as I am, it is still awkward.

    C.J. Mahaney has commented and opened up a great sermon by Spurgeon on this very topic. Here is C.J.'s introduction to the sermon, and then if you would like sound counsel on how to share with your family, take the 10-15 minutes to read the sermon. It is inspiring and practical.

    C.J. writes:

    On Sunday morning, December 21, 1856, Charles Spurgeon preached a sermon to prepare his growing church for the coming Christmas season. He titled it “Going Home,” and the aim of the message was to encourage each member of his congregation to humbly, wisely, and appropriately find opportunities to share their personal testimony with family and friends.

    Spurgeon had become the pastor of New Park Street Church in April, 1854. At that time the church had 232 members. By Christmas of 1856 the membership had risen quickly to around 4,000. A large number of newly converted Christians needed to be prepared for their return home for Christmas.

    ANDREW PETERSON CONCERT - DOWN TO THE WIRE

  • Wednesday, December 8, 2010
  • If you are looking for a great concert for Christmas, I once again recommend Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb" concert this Friday at Berean. Still plenty of seats available at 15 dollars a pop. Here are a few songs from what is the biblical storyline of Christmas. The second one is my grandson's favorite titled "Matthew's Begats." You can purchase tickets at Lincoln Berean Church



    JEWISH HISTORY WITH A BEAT FIXED

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  • Tuesday, December 7, 2010
  • If you tried the video to the post about Jewish history .. try it again. The video is corrected and should work now. It is worth the watch and you will have the song in your head the rest of the day.

    MEMORIZING TITUS: ARE YOU UP TO IT?

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  • I was thinking of my own discipline for memorizing God's Word and thought I would next try to tackle the book of Titus since Pastor Tom is preaching it. Have you ever memorized a whole book of the Bible? I have done a few and find it especially enriching as passages of Scripture are suddenly understood in their context and the richness of the language comes alive.

    Titus is only 46 verses and if you break it down into 3 a week (except 4 the last week), you can have it memorized in 15 weeks. Pastor Tom will still be preaching it in 15 weeks. So even if you start January 1, you will still likely beat him to the end.

    Our household (Deb and I) challenged Bill and Brit and their sons to do the same. (Asa who is 4 gets a break but still will do some of the passages.) At the end of the 15 weeks, we will have a Titus "verse" quiz at the dinner table and spontaneously someone will be picked to recite verses and then Grandpa will stop them at a point and someone will pick it up from there. If they all do it right, they will receive a reward. We will receive the reward of the blessing of hearing the Word from their lips praying they are treasuring it in their hearts.

    The way I memorize Scripture is I buy 3 X 5 cards on a spiral binding and write out the verses. I then do most of my memory work in the car. Even if I just do it coming to church and home each day, I will have spent 20 minutes on memorization. Doing it this way keeps my personal devotion time focused on other disciplines.

    If you want to hear or read a great message about Scripture memorization, here is John Piper's message Thy Word I Have Treasured in My Heart.

    PARENTING CHILDREN WHO MAY HAVE "CURSED GOD IN THEIR HEART"

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  • The following article is by Pastor Tahbiti Anyabwile of the First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman Island.

    “And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did continually.” (Job 1:5)


    It seems Job suffered for his children before he suffered for his children. Before the calamitous news of their death, Job worried about an even greater potential tragedy–their spiritual death.

    This righteous man longed for his children to love and honor God. It’s the desire of all godly parents.

    But Job lacked the one attribute most parents wish they had: omniscience. How could he know what his adult sons and daughters did when he was not around? How could he know what lie in the hearts of his children? Had they “cursed God in their hearts”? What a terrifying set of questions for any parent. This is why we don’t sleep until all the children arrive home safely. This is why we ask questions about friends we don’t know very well. This is why we sometimes inspect their rooms or ask searching questions while hoping not to offend. What if our children live double lives? What if they curse God in their hearts?

    How does this righteous man deal with the questions and worry? how does he deal with not knowing? He appeals to the One who does know, who sees all. The very God Job feared His children might have cursed is Job’s Great Ally in the war for his children’s hearts. Job wants what God wants–a godly offspring (Mal. 2:15). God, then, is Job’s Warrior in this battle.

    So, Job does two things. First, he consecrates his children. He sets them apart for God. His children do not belong to him; they belong to the Lord of life. If children are arrows in a parent’s quiver, Job aims His directly at the courts of God. One can only speculate about how much greater Job’s suffering and difficulty would have been if he maintained an idolatrous hold on his children. Certainly losing all his children in one day was as unimaginable a disaster possible. But would he have maintained faith and sanity had he prized his children above God, or built his life on his children, or found his ultimate joy in his children? Consecrating his children was not only right and godly, ultimately it provided a measure of protection. This is how Job could reply to his wife, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (2:10) Or, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

    Second, Job interceded for each of his children. Notice “he would rise early in the morning.” The earliest business of day was prayer for Job. He made his offerings to God on behalf of each child’s soul. For if they cursed God in their hearts, only God could renew their hearts. If their offense was against God, only God could relent and forgive them. They needed help from God, and Job the faithful father went to God early, interceding for their deliverance. Notice: “thus Job did continually.” Here’s a portrait of a persistently pleading parent. He conquers his helplessness by appealing to the Almighty.

    These things are written for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:6). How kind of God to leave us in His word such a compelling and clear example to follow. Let us set apart our children to the Lord, and renew our prayers on their behalf. Conquer parental anxiety with petitions to our covenant God who knows our children and renews the heart.

    JEWISH HISTORY TO A BEAT

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  • Monday, December 6, 2010
  • I grew up in New York where there are more Jewish people than in Israel. Part of my experience as a boy was to be exposed to the Jewish culture and Christmas time always reminds me of their Chanukah celebration. Our school programs were always one half Christmas and one half Chanukah so I learned not only the story but their songs. The story of Chanukah occurs between the Old and New Testament and is a glorious one of victory and sets up the Christmas story. You should find out about it and share it with your children and then this video will make more sense to you.  I found it quite fun. It brought back many memories of families sharing the lighting of the Menorah and playing games with the dradles. Enjoy and shalom.


    HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE ADVENT CALENDAR

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  • Thursday, December 2, 2010
  • Ever since I was a boy, I have been fascinated by astronomy. I used to know the night sky constellations like the back of my hand. I have since lost some of the touch but being that I have chores to do each night, I always give the night sky a look and seek out constellations and other happenings in the universe. If you share such a fascination, you will enjoy, along with me, the Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar where a new picture will be posted each day. Though some of the blurbs may be unbiblical, the pictures will be amazing and tell of the glory of God and declare the work of His hands. They pour forth speech and night to night reveal knowledge. (Psalm 19:1,2) The picture is an example from day 1. Enjoy what God has displayed.

    31 WAYS TO PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN

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  • Wednesday, December 1, 2010
  • As the new year approaches, many of us will start out with commitments to do things better. Here is a tool that may help you as a parent in praying for your children that you can start today. Bob Hostetler has 31 categories to pray for your children where you can focus on one each day. This is a great tool so check it out ..

    31 Ways to Pray for Your Children