Christian Quotes - Parenting

Found a neat website of Christian quotes (http://christianquotes.org/.....with documentation). It has a great search feature by topic or author.... Here a few parenting quotes... "There are few principles of human nature stronger than that of imitation." -Lord Palmerston "The children will follow the example, instead of following the advice." -Lord Palmerston "Snow and adolescence are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough." -Earl Wilson "American youngsters tend to live as if adolescence were a last fling at life, rather than a preparation for it." -Author Unknown "For adult education nothing beats children." -Author Unknown "One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." -George Herbert "Serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit, and then, if your daily calling only leaves you cracks and crevices of time, fill them up with holy service." -Charles Spurgeon "Mothers are the most instinctive philosophers." -Harriet Beecher Stowe

Creation vs. Evolution

My little sister recently asked me a short, but difficult question: “What are your thoughts about evolution?” Here are some excerpts of my response: Whenever I have tough questions, http://www.gotquestions.org/ is a GREAT starting point. They usually give concise and biblical answers, point to scripture references, and direct you to good resources as well. Here is a list of questions they have answered on creation: http://www.gotquestions.org/search.php?zoom_sort=0&zoom_query=creation I would read the gotquestions answers before you go anywhere else. Dr. Mohler (president of my seminary, and nationally-known Christian commentator) wrote a good blog today about how Christians should regard/consider archaeological evidence. http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1184 Here are some other websites if you want to go even deeper: http://www.answersingenesis.org/ http://www.icr.org/ I used to use http://www.reasons.org/ and Hugh Ross as a resource, but John MacArthur pointed me to some very good points about his methodology in prioritizing general revelation through nature over God’s special revelation in Scripture. Things to keep in mind regarding Creation/Evolution discussions: 1) lots of discussion on evolution (like the end times) can degenerate into prideful/"I know more than you" type arguments 2) God's Word trumps Science over and over and over. The Bible is true and can be trusted for all things. The creation account in Genesis 1-3 is literal and not figurative. 3) You will never have all the answers in regard to God. He is infinite and we are finite/limited, to include in our academic/reasoning ability. Be careful not to limit God with human logic/reason and our own limited capacities. 4) Bottom line of creation: God created. Some of my specific thoughts to Christian responses to evolution (keep in mind I am limited in my understanding on these things...hence my usage of “probable”) Serious Doubts/Probably Unbiblical Interpretations: Day-Age, Framework, Old-Earth, Theistic Evolution, Gap Theory More probable/biblical: Mature Earth (created mature), Young Earth, 6 Literal Days Some good quotes from John MacArthur: "evolution was invented in order to eliminate the God of Genesis and thereby to oust the Lawgiver and obliterate the inviolability of His law” "Scripture, not science, is the ultimate test of all truth" "Absolutely nothing in the text of Genesis 1:1–2:3 speaks of evolution or long geological ages in the creation process" "In other words, what God made did not evolve. He gave the order, and it came into existence complete and fully functioning." THE BATTLE FOR THE BEGINNING: The Bible on Creation and the Fall of Adam by John MacArthur seems like a good reference for you if you want to go more in depth. I just finished skimming through it, and it is a solid, biblically-based resource. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses.Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.(Psalm 33:6–9)

True Needs - Earthly Poverty vs. Eternal Death

The extreme poverty I witnessed this past week was not a new experience for me. It was a reminder however that the greatest need in our lives is not for physical comfort, but for spiritual salvation and hope provided through a saving faith in Christ alone.

As Americans, our initial response to witnessing poverty is a conviction of how well we live and (hopefully) a compassionate response to meet those needs in a real and loving way.

When I returned home Sunday evening I was flipping TV stations and saw our version of a compassionate response to physical needs...Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. As wonderful as the things are that happen on this show, when you think about it, the efforts and money could be much better applied and distributed. The end result of every show is often a 2,000-4,000 sq.ft. palatial home that is overdone to every detail and luxury. Although the families are often needy and hurting, the excesses done to meet the "perceived need" in a home is indicant of a cultural problem in America and many other nations.

Many Americans contribute some portion of their incomes to charitable causes and to churches. As good as we feel about these contributions, the statistics bely that only about 2% of household incomes are given to charity (http://www.generousgiving.org/page.asp?sec=4&page=161)

Although an increase in financial giving and donation of time in service would be a helpful response, we must understand that humanity's true needs are not met in physical comfort. Humanity's true need is salvation from sin and is found in Christ alone. This need can be met by Christians sharing their faith boldly, courageously, and regularly. It is a free gift, but also the most-neglected in being shared.

If we begin to have an eternal perspective when looking at those around us (a perspective provided through the reading and studying of God's Word)...whether rich or poor... we will begin to have a passion for sharing Christ, the gift that can truly makeover people's lives in an extreme way that lasts for eternity.