In a relatively new book out by Deepak Chopra titled War of the World Views, Chopra argues that there must be an intelligent architect behind the creation of the universe. At the end of his interview with Bill O’Reilly ( November 2, 2011 ), he also mentions that the world-renown physicist Steven Hawking has stated that it is impossible to scientifically conclude that there is no God, and that it is equally impossible to understand why there are “laws of physics” in the universe to begin with.
In the last couple issues of Sky and Telescope which I subscribe to, there are multiple news stories about completely baffling scientific discoveries which have been recently made. One discovery was of a star which has a ratio of hydrogen to helium that was believed to be completely impossible…thereby demanding a complete astrophysics theory re-writing of how stars are formed. Another discovery is that not only is the universe expanding, but the galaxies at its furthest perimeter are actually accelerating further…again, turning everything we (think we) know about the creation of the universe on its head! Indeed, there is more and more evidence in almost every branch of science which underscores how little we actually do know, and how amazingly complex and intricate all of creation really is! “No God,” some would say; poppycock!
The obvious question that you must be able to answer from your kids is this: “What do you believe (Mom or Dad), and what evidence do you have to back it up?” What about dinosaurs, and evolution, and the big-bang theory? Even if you are not a scientist, you must have intelligent well thought out responses to these questions if you are to pass your faith on to your kids!
One of the very best books I have read in the past 5 years about God in science is Show Me God by Fred Heeren. There are certainly many other books available, including a whole raft of titles from the Creation Science Foundation. I prefer, however, to read books written by practicing scientists in their field of expertise who are also Christians because their information tends to be more accurate and up to date. Regardless Mom & Dad, you must be able to answer your kids’ tough questions if they are going to embrace what you believe!
Years ago, my oldest boys were in 4th and 6th grade and I had them in the Sunday school class which I was teaching. I was not inclined for them to hear about Noah’s arc for the 45th time, so I wrote all of my own class lessons. At the time, all of the kids were getting hit with a boat-load of evolution stuff in public school, raising a lot of questions and doubts with the kids. As a result, I spent the next 8 weeks going through evolution with the kids in the class from a Christian + science perspective. Talk about enthusiastic! The kids loved it, learned a great amount, and I know first-hand that the impact on my own two sons will last their entire lifetime!
My challenge to every parent is this, be able and prepared to show God to your own kids, giving a well thought out defense for the Gospel and your own faith while they are young. Young actions will impact multiple generations as well as your own!
When I was a junior in high school, I distinctly remember having a new student-teacher for my English class. She was all peppy like most student-teachers, but she was also all business. At the beginning of our 3rd or 4th class time, she distributed a quiz to everyone in the classroom. It was a long quiz! As I recall, there were about 25 single-spaced items that filled the page. She told us that the purpose of the quiz is to see if we could follow directions. The items were things like “1. Draw a straight line 2 inches long beginning 1/2 inch from the left side of the page and 1/2 inch from the top of the page.” At the end of her explanation, she distinctly said, “Make sure that you read through all of the items in the quiz before you start doing any of your work.”
About 7 minutes into the quiz, I couldn’t help but notice that one kid got up to hand his quiz in to the teacher. I was shocked! How could anyone have finished all of these tedious items so quickly? A few minutes later, another student turned their quiz in to the teacher. A bit of panic set in as I was still hurrying through things. Then another student! Now I was really in a panic and realized that I had to be doing something wrong.
Sure enough, my answer was in the last item which read, “Disregard all of the previous tasks on this page, sign your name in the upper right-hand corner of the page, and turn your work in immediately.” Yikes, I was caught not following her directions. I obviously never forgot this lesson as this took place many many years ago.
There are a lot of people trying to take shortcuts in life these days, and there are even more who refuse to follow any directions at all. (I will do my own thing, thank you very much!) But as I look back now on what most certainly is more than half of my would-be life on this earth, I see very clearly what is important and what isn’t. A lot of people are trying to go through every item in the quiz of life when in fact they would be much the wiser to read ahead to the end and fully grasp the last item on the page, because doing so would affect everything else they attempt to do in the quiz.
Steve Jobs’ final words, “Oh my, Oh my, Oh my,” certainly come to mind. As a Buddhist, he put his faith in his own good works, but whoever thinks that is the price of entry into eternity in heaven has deluded themselves.
We visited Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo this past weekend; what a beautiful weekend. While the Northeast was enduring a record-setting early snow storm, we were basking in temperatures in high 70′s to 80′s.
One of our side trips took us down to the water, specifically at the Pismo Beach pier. In spite of taking a couple of needed days off, my true inner-thoughts rushed to the surface when I saw the signage “Don’t Feed the Birds” painted on the railings.
Everyone understands that feeding the birds would result in bird mess everywhere. In the extreme, the birds would become dependent upon their human feeders rather than learn to fend for themselves. In some city parks, the pigeons get so fat that they can no longer fly! Somehow, we instinctively understand all of this and most people heed the signs.
But then we have this Occupy Wallstreet crowd that considers themselves above the law. They claim to want what is fair, but their version of “fair” really means “take” and “entitled.” True fairness would weigh in the plight of 3/4 of the world’s population that will go to bed hungry tonight, or fear for their lives from disease or lawlessness, wouldn’t it?
I asked myself, what happened to John F. Kennedy’s famous quotation from his inaugural address,
Ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country?”
This perspective of American history is not being taught in our schools; that much is for certain.
Sadly, many are indifferent to what the Bible would say about the Wall Street folks. There was a time not that long ago when these folks would have been boldly shouted down in light of the 10th Commandment (Exodus 20:17):
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
Don’t get me wrong here; there are unquestionably a boat load of things which are broken in Washington, D.C. and Wall Street. But stealing from the rich to give to the “poor” will accomplish nothing. I contend that one of the largest contributors to poverty in America, for instance, is the over-the-top divorce rate. As if owning one home per family is not expensive enough, breaking families in half and paying for two residences (plus lawyers) is doubly so. And the divorce rate has absolutely nothing to do with the economy (the divorce statistics during the Great Depression bear this out).
As I was reminded on Sunday in church, living in sin may seem exciting and fun for a time, but there is always a down-the-road cost. Too many think that sin is not sin unless you get caught doing it, but nothing could be further from the truth. The majority of the Occupy Wallstreet crowd are acting out on sins and bad choices of their past, including those of their parents. And the only real cure for these folks is the healing that comes from Jesus Christ alone. Many years ago I heard it said, “You cannot put water into your car’s gas tank and not expect to have serious engine trouble.” And so it is with life. There are many things that are similarly not supposed to be put into a human life.
There are many ways to help particularly young children learn these invaluable lessons, but as parents, we have to be pro-active. We should know where most of the up-coming bumps are in the road for our kids and have them prepared in advance. Even “not feeding the birds” can serve as an object lesson the next time you are the park with your kids if you will help them reason it all through.
I awoke this morning at 4:22 AM angry. On a Sunday morning no less.
Last night after church, we happened to have dinner with another couple who we have known for years. During our conversations, they shared that their daughter had recently taken an entry-level college english class where the subject for the term was to write in defense of gay marriage. Taking the counter position was not even an option, unless you wanted to flat fail the class. Talk about distortion! This college professor is abusing their authority to jam a semester full of garbage into the minds of a whole class of easily-influenced freshmen. I have been tempted on several occasions to enroll in a college class with the sole intent of being the dissenting voice in the classroom.
I recently began reading David McCullough’s book titled John Adams, a biography of this country’s 2nd President; what an outstanding book! When I reached the beginning of chapter 2, I was struck with the subtitle quotation from John Adams himself which read,
“We were about one third Tories, and one third timid, and one third true blue.”
He was writing about his colleagues in the Continental Congress which was the governing body of what was to become the United States of America during the Revolutionary War years! Amid his own ranks, one-third remained sympathetic to England, and one-third was indecisive and blown to and fro by the wind. I was shocked…do times never change? Isn’t that exactly where America finds itself right now— a third thinking that they want Socialism, a third who are almost indifferent, and a third who want to stand with the founding principles of the country. Wow. But then a second thought swept through my mind– one third was enough to birth an incredible nation, the likes of which has never been seen on the planet before.
It wasn’t that John Adam’s persuasion was in the majority, out-numbering the rest. No, indeed the true blue patriots were in the minority, not unlike Christians in this country today. Do we need more Christians to join our ranks; of course the answer is yes. But more than that, we need Christians to put on the full-measure of what it means to be a Christian through their deeds and actions rather than just increase the head-count. As it was true in John Adams’ time, as well as in biblical times, the righteousness of a cause and the convictions of its advocates far outweigh the numbers game.
But to do this, we are going to have to become honestly serious about how we live our lives day to day. If our lives look as messed up as everyone else’s in this world (e.g., divorce, disrespectful children, substance abuse, foul talk, laziness, impatience, always worrying, coveting), we will influence absolutely no one. Isn’t it time to once and for all put these worldly trappings away for good?
The recently released movie “Courageous: Honor Begins At Home” captures my thoughts well in this regard when it comes to being a Christian father. If men in America who call themselves Christians would abide by the resolution heralded at the end of this movie, our remnant, our one-third, would change this nation over night. At the end of the movie, the impassioned lead-character challenges all dads to live out the Resolution which I have copied below. May these words start a revolution in our homes and in our lives as we strive with God’s help to be set apart from the world and destined to eternity with Christ in heaven. Dads, please pass the salt.
THE RESOLUTION
I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15
The good Lord gives each one of us gifts to be used to bless Him and others. Here is one such example how even the smallest can be used for His Glory. It’s absolutely breathtaking!
Once you became a parent, there is no escape. Repeat — no escape.
Whether you think you are good enough, or not, whether you had good role models in your upbringing, or not, the moment your child took his first breath you became his teacher, instructor, coach, tutor, professor and trainer… all rolled into one.
Parent equals teacher; no advance degree required. However I strongly believe the world would be a much better place if parents would take a course or two or three on raising children. But that’s a subject of another post.
So to inspire and encourage you in your awesome responsibility of being a parent, below are wise words of encouragement for you, the most revered and esteemed profession of all — the teacher.
Words of Wisdom For Teachers…
The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher. Elbert Hubbard
There are three things to remember when teaching: know your stuff, know whom you are stuffing, and then stuff them elegantly. Lola May
The man who can make hard things easy is the educator. Ralph Waldo Emerson
The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives. Robert Maynard Hutchins
The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. Mark Van Doren
What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches. Karl Menninger
It’s what we learn after we know it all that really counts. Anonymous
The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superiour teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. William Arthur Ward
A teacher affects eternity: no one can tell where his influence stops. Henry Adams
Give a little love to a child and you get a great deal back. John Ruskin
Children love to learn but hate to be taught. Anonymous
The true aim of everyone who aspires to be a teacher should be, not to impart his own opinion, but to kindle minds. Frederick W. Robertson
Nothing you ever do for children is ever wasted. Garrison Keillor
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and gains understanding. Proverbs 3:13
The entire object of true education is to make people not merely to do the right things, but to enjoy them; not merely industrious, but to love industry; not merely learned, but to love knowledge; not merely pure, but to love purity; not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after justice. John Ruskin
Teaching that imparts is not head to head, but heart to heart. Howard C. Hendricks
The only thing children wear out faster than shoes are parents and teachers. Anonymous
Parenting is really a journey of learning good habits.
It’s not about reaching perfection.
It’s not about correcting past mistakes.
And it’s definitely not about projecting unfulfilled dreams upon children.
It’s about trekking through the mess of life with good habits in the hopes of raising children who will someday become adults that you are glad to know and proud to call your kids.
But it’s the messiness of life that so often weighs us down so we feel failure is ready to consume us yet once again.
Don’t listen to that small, weak, lying inner voice when you hear it.
You CAN succeed in creating good habits for life.
But it takes work. Hard work. One day at a time. One step at a time. Ok, even one thought at a time at your weakest point. Eventually good habits will become a part of your character, part of who you want to become and be proud of.
Start today.
What’s holding you back? ….that inner voice again. Banish it!
Good habits. The eyes of our children are watching us. Observing. Mimicking. Ouch!
Taking a little reprieve from life’s busyness to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow mommy bloggers. Don’t we all need a break and a bit of fun every now and then?
There are not many parent celebrities today that I would want to model my parenting skills after. Any responsible and sane parent needs to run far, far away from taking advice coming from the likes of Britney Spears, Dina Lohan or Charlie Sheen. However I was impressed with the wisdom of actor and funny man Jack Black. I think he understands a key element of successful parenting.
Honey, I Kept Up With The Kids
“The more sleep I get, the better dad I am. Parenting is 90% energy; if you don’t have it, then there tend to be some lazy TV-watching days with the kids, and that ain’t gettin’ it done. A great day with them–my sons are 4 and 2–is an energized adventure into the world. My best piece of parenting advice? Never try to make a happy child happier. Just leave it alone. When you try and kick it up to another level with a scoop of ice cream or whatever, it ruins everything.”
Telling stories awakens wonder and creates special occasions with our children, whether it’s bedtime, sitting around a campfire or merely a rainy day. As a teaching method, telling a story doesn’t require accuracy; it aims is to demonstrate a point, which makes it easier for children to understand and remember long afterwards.
When your son or daughter says to you “Mommy, what is sin?” “I don’t know why I misbehave” or “I can’t help myself”, what better time to tell a story to help them understand their behavior or the world around them.
A Cherokee Legend – Two Wolves
An old Cherokee told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all.”
The other is good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The boy thought about it, and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?”
The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”
What the Bible says…
Romans 12: 21 – Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
John 14: 16-17 – And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.
He was writing about his colleagues in the Continental Congress which was the governing body of what was to become the United States of America during the Revolutionary War years! Amid his own ranks, one-third remained sympathetic to England, and one-third was indecisive and blown to and fro by the wind. I was shocked…do times never change? Isn’t that exactly where America finds itself right now— a third thinking that they want Socialism, a third who are almost indifferent, and a third who want to stand with the founding principles of the country. Wow. But then a second thought swept through my mind– one third was enough to birth an incredible nation, the likes of which has never been seen on the planet before. 
