How to Treat Your Children so That They Have Good and Right Thoughts about God

Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds points out wise advice from C.J. Mahaney on how to parent in a way that shows the gospel to his children

•You have the privilege of introducing them to God the Father and describing the ways in which he is different from you, different from all sinful fathers, and how in any way you are like him it’s only because of grace that you reflect him. See Luke 11:11–13.

•Your honest confession of your sin to your children will protect them from having hard thoughts about you or God.

•Communicating your affection for them—and joy when you are with them—promotes both good and accurate thoughts about God.

•Initiate time with them at both planned and spontaneous times. Don’t leave them with the impression that they get most of your attention when they disobey. Let them know you are so grateful for them and love being with them as much as possible.

•Bless your children with many gifts in many forms! See Luke 11 again. Study your children in order to discern what gifts would genuinely bless them and then purpose to surprise them as often as possible.

•Requiring appropriate obedience does not promote hard thoughts about God. This only happens when we do so in self-righteousness or anger. See point 2 again.

•Frequently preach the gospel to them (and not at them). Reveal to your children just how far God has gone to show his love for sinners like us.
See the whole post for a link to his two-part sermon on Jude where he touches on this theme.

You can see the whole post at the Sovereign Grace Blog

Young Men Dissapearing From College Campuses

An alarming trend has been growing on college campuses. Women are outnumbering men,some estimates are that 60% of undergraduate students are women. This should cause us to ask more than a few questions. First, is this significant, should we care if our young men are not seeking higher education? Second, why are our young men not going to college? Third, what will be the long term significance of this growing trend? Of course there are no easy answers to any of these questions. However, what is clear is that there is a pervasive growing trend across our society where young men are simply not engaging.

Albert Mohler writes insightfully on this subject here, following are highlights from his article:

"Biblical manhood requires that young men grow up, assume adult responsibilities, and prepare for leadership and service in the home, in the church, and in the larger society.

This much is clear -- if this trend is not reversed, the college campus will not be the only place these young men are found missing."

"The numbers point to the problem, but do not explain it. Explanations for the phenomenon of missing young men point to the fact that girls outperform boys at every level in grades K-12, and are thus more ready for the college experience than the boys"

"Christian parents and all concerned with the coming generation should look closely at this phenomenon and ask the hard question -- why is it that so many young men are falling behind in educational attainment? What are we doing that allows or encourages boys to exit formal education at their earliest opportunity? Why do we accept at face value the fact that boys fall behind girls of the same age in maturity and educational level? Why is college now an aspiration for far more young women than young men?

These are hard questions, but the answers will be even harder. We have allowed the development of an elongated boyhood and delayed adulthood. We frustrate them in school and then wonder why they bolt at the first exit from the classroom. We allow boys and young men to forfeit their futures."

Totally like whatever, you know?

Here is a poem by slam poet Tayler Mali. While humerous the poem speaks to a real problem of one generation's inability to commuicate with definite clarity. God has revealed himself through words and Christianity is communicated through clear verbal and written communication. Heresy is not the only way we can loose the gospel. The gospel can just as easily be lost by losing the medium it is communicated through.

Part of our being created in the image of God is our ability to use language to communicate. God used words to speak the world into being and God used words to reveal himself to us and John opens up his gospel by revealing Christ as the Word (John 1:1). We need to help our teens speak and communicate with clarity and force because the message of the gospel must be communicated with clarity and force.

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

“Like the Air They Breathe” — The Online Life of Kids

The fact that children and teenagers now spend a good deal of their lives connected to electronic devices is hardly news. We are now accustomed to the knowledge that teenagers are seldom seen without wires in their ears and a cell phone in their hand as they multitask their way through adolescence. Now, however, there is good reason to believe that these young people are far more connected than we have even imagined.

The Kaiser Family Foundation has just released a new study on the online lives of children and teenagers, and the statistics are simply astounding. America's children and teenagers are now spending an average of more than 7 1/2 hours a day involved in electronic media.

As the report states:

As anyone who knows a teen or tween can attest, media are among the most powerful forces in young people's lives today. Eight-to-eighteen-year-olds spend more time with media than in any other activity besides (maybe) sleeping -- an average of more than 7 1/2 hours a day, seven days a week. The TV shows they watch, video games they play, songs they listen to, books they read and websites they visit are an enormous part of their lives, offering a constant stream of messages about families, peers, relationships, gender roles, sex, violence, food, values, clothes, an abundance of other topics too long to list.

Online, All the Time

The report is the third conducted and released by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Just five years ago, the foundation released a second study that indicated young Americans were spending an average of nearly 6 1/2 hours a day with media. Now, young people have found a way to devote another hour to media use, catching the researchers by surprise. As Donald F. Roberts, a professor emeritus of communications at Stanford University, remarked: "This is a stunner." He told The New York Times, "In the second report, I remember writing a paragraph saying we've hit a ceiling on media use, since there just aren't enough hours in the day to increase the time children spend on media. But now it's up an hour."

And it's not just that these kids are devoting 7 1/2 hours of their daily lives to media immersion -- their multitasking means that they somehow consume nearly 11 hours of media content in that 7 1/2 hours of time. Over the last ten years, young people have increased their consumption and use of every type of media with one exception -- reading. As the researchers make clear, the vast increase in the amount of time teenagers are able to access the media is due almost entirely to the fact that their mobile phones allow an online life that can be carried in the pocket (and in far too many cases, taken to bed). "The mobile and online media revolutions have arrived in the lives -- and the pockets -- of American youth," notes the report. "Try waking a teenager in the morning, and the odds are good you'll find a cell phone tucked under their pillow -- the last thing they touch before falling asleep and the first thing they reach for upon waking."

The report indicates that 66 percent of kids now own their own cell phone, while 76 percent own an iPod or other MP3 player. Interestingly, these kids are using cell phones as mobile media devices, rather than as telephones. Young people spend an average of only a half hour each day talking on their cell phones, but their use of these devices for the consumption of media consumes far more time.

The report also offers a portrait of the media-saturated character of the average American home. That home now contains an average of 3.8 televisions, 2.8 DVD or VCR players, at least one digital video recorder, two computers, 2.3 console video game players, and assorted other media devices ranging from CD players to radios. In an amazing percentage of these homes, the television is on virtually every waking hour.

Media in the Bedroom

Even as the family home is populated with various media devices, the bedrooms of America's children and teenagers are virtually saturated with media. "More and more media are migrating to young people's bedrooms, enabling them to spend even more time watching, listening or playing," the researchers report. An amazing 71% of all children from age 8-18 have their own television in their bedroom, and half have a video game player and/or access to cable. These kids have computers, too. Almost a third own their own laptops and the majority have easy access to a computer, usually with broadband Internet connections.

In most homes, parents are setting few rules for media use -- or no rules at all. The majority of teens and tweens reported that their parents have set no rules about the type of media content they can use or the amount of time they can devote to media consumption. When parents do set rules, they are far more likely to set rules about the type of content that can be accessed, rather than the amount of time that is devoted to media use. A good percentage of parents who do set rules, often leave them unenforced.

Parents should note this statement from the report: "Children who live in homes that limit media opportunities spend less time with media. For example, kids whose parents don't put a TV in their bedroom, don't leave the TV on during meals or in the background when no one is watching, or do impose some type of media-related rules spend substantially less time with media than do children with more media-lenient parents."

Media Use, Grades, and Personal Contentment

Another important section of the report indicates that the young people who spend the greatest amount of time with media report lower grades and lower levels of personal happiness and contentment. The researchers stated that their study "cannot establish whether there is a cause and effect relationship between media use and grades, or between media use and personal contentment." They added: "And if there are such relationships, they could well run in both directions simultaneously."

All this should serve to awaken America's parents -- and all who care for America's young people -- to the level of media saturation that now characterizes the lives of American youth. As The New York Times declared in its headline, "If Your Kids are Awake, They're Probably Online."

There is no turning back from the digital revolution. It is not realistic for most families to declare a principled disconnection from electronic media and the digital world. Nevertheless, this important report serves as an undeniable warning that America's young people are literally drowning in an ocean of media consumption. There is every reason for parents to be concerned about dangers ranging from the content of this media, to the way digital saturation changes the wiring of the brain, to the loss of literacy and the reading of books, to the fact that many teenagers are far more connected to their friends through social media than to their own families in their own homes. Teenagers are forfeiting sleep and other important investments of time because they experience panic when they are digitally disengaged for even a few moments.

What is the impact of all this media saturation on the soul? Of course, that is a question that must be posed to America's adults, as well as to our children and adolescents. At the same time, parents bear a responsibility many are clearly forfeiting.

The Courage to Disconnect

Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital Boston and director of the Center on Media and Child Health, told The New York Times that the media use of America's young people is so pervasive, it is time to stop arguing over whether this is positive or negative. Instead, he suggested that we should simply accept media as a constant part of children's environment, "like the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat."

This is advice Christian parents cannot follow. We cannot simply accept that constant media saturation is now a fact of nature and a matter of constant need. These technologies and devices have their places, but the role of parents is to establish rules that protect children and teenagers from being dominated by technology and an army of digital devices. At the end of the day, parents must find the courage and wisdom to know when to disconnect.

Posted: Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:10 am ET at www.albertmohler.com

I am always glad to hear from readers and listeners. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow regular updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AlbertMohler.

Help for Parents to Discuss Spiritual Things at Christmas

Christmas is a great time for parents to have extended times of conversation with their teens. Donald Whitney has put together a useful tool to direct conversations at any Christmas gathering. I would encourage parents to use this with their families as a way to focus our attention on Christ.

Ten Questions to Ask at a Christmas Gathering

Many of us struggle to make conversation at Christmas gatherings, whether church events, work-related parties, neighborhood drop-ins, or annual family occasions. Sometimes our difficulty lies in having to chat with people we rarely see or have never met. At other times we simply don't know what to say to those with whom we feel little in common. Moreover, as Christians we want to take advantage of the special opportunities provided by the Christmas season to share our faith, but are often unsure how to begin. Here's a list of questions designed not only to kindle a conversation in almost any Christmas situation, but also to take the dialogue gradually to a deeper level. Use them in a private conversation or as a group exercise, with believers or unbelievers, with strangers or with family.

1. What's the best thing that's happened to you since last Christmas?
2. What was your best Christmas ever? Why?
3. What's the most meaningful Christmas gift you've ever received?
4. What was the most appreciated Christmas gift you've ever given?
5. What was your favorite Christmas tradition as a child?
6. What is your favorite Christmas tradition now?
7. What do you do to try to keep Christ in Christmas?
8. Why do you think people started celebrating the birth of Jesus?
9. Do you think the birth of Jesus deserves such a nearly worldwide celebration? 10. Why do you think Jesus came to earth?


Of course, remember to pray before your Christmas gatherings. Ask the Lord to grant you "divine appointments," to guide your conversations, and to open doors for the gospel. May He use you to bring glory to Christ this Christmas.

Copyright © 2003 Donald S. Whitney.

Copyright Disclaimer: All the information contained on the Center for Biblical Spirituality website is copyrighted by Donald S. Whitney. Permission granted to copy this material in its complete text only for not-for-profit use (sharing with a friend, church, school, Bible study, etc.) and including all copyright information. No portion of this website may be sold, distributed, published, edited, altered, changed, broadcast, or commercially exploited without the prior written permission from Donald S. Whitney.

For more short, reproducible pieces like this, see www.BiblicalSpirituality.org

Special Speaker on Sunday

Parents

On Sunday, December 20th after the worship service during Adult Bible Communities the youth ministry will have a special speaker:Sam Burba. Sam is going to share about his drug abuse and how it was the power of the gospel which finally freed him from his addiction. We are delighted to have Sam encourage us in the gospel. Sam has spoken to several thousand teens sharing his story and the gospel in public schools throughout Phoenix, Arizona.


We not only want our teens to hear Sam and his story, we also want all parents of teens to come as well. This will be a tremendous opportunity for parents to use Sam's testimony as a platform to speak with their teens about drug abuse and any other addictive behavior (video games, TV, sex, pornography) and how the power of the gospel can break the power of sin. Please join us as we will have good food and good coffee and most important we will all be encouraged in the gospel of Christ.

Denver Post Reports on Sexting

Here is an article which showed up in last week's Denver Post. In the article a teen who has been involved in sexting is interviewed his response is astounding, "I just don't see it as that big of a problem, personally."
Parents should read and be aware.


Sexting Among Young People More Common Than You Might Think

Written by Libby Quaid

WASHINGTON — Think your kid isn't "sexting"? Think again.

Sexting — sharing sexually explicit photos, videos and chat by cellphone or online — is fairly commonplace among young people, despite sometimes grim consequences for those who do it. More than a quarter of young people have been involved in sexting in some form, an Associated Press-MTV poll found.

That includes Sammy, a 16-year-old from the San Francisco Bay Area who asked that his last name not be used.

Sammy said he had shared naked pictures of himself with girlfriends. He also shared naked pictures of someone else that a friend had sent him.

What he didn't realize at the time was that young people across the country — in Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania — have faced charges, in some cases felony charges, for sending nude pictures.

"That's why I probably wouldn't do it again," Sammy said. "(But) I just don't see it as that big of a problem, personally."

That was the view of nearly half of those surveyed who have been involved in sexting. The other half said it's a serious problem — and did it anyway. Knowing there might be consequences hasn't stopped them.

"There's definitely the invincibility factor that young people feel," said Kathleen Bogle, a sociology professor at La Salle University in Philadelphia and author of the book "Hooking Up: Sex, Dating and Relationships on Campus." "That's part of the reason why they have a high rate of car accidents and things like that, is they think, 'Oh, well, that will never happen to me.' "

Sexting doesn't stop with teenagers.

Young adults are even more likely to have sexted; a third of them said they had been involved in sexting, compared with about a fourth of teenagers.

Those who sent nude pictures of themselves mostly said they went to a boyfriend, girlfriend or romantic interest.

But 14 percent said they suspect the pictures were shared without permission, and they may be right: Seventeen percent of those who received naked pictures said they passed them along to someone else, often to more than just one person.

Criminal charges aren't the worst consequences of sexting. In at least two cases, sexting has been linked to suicide. Last year in Cincinnati, 18-year-old Jessica Logan hanged herself after weeks of ridicule at school; she had sent a nude cellphone picture to her boyfriend, and after they broke up, he forwarded the picture to other girls.

And three months ago, 13-year-old Hope Witsell hanged herself after relentless taunting at her school near Tampa, Fla. She had sent a nude photo of herself to a boy she liked, and another girl used his phone to send the picture to other students who forwarded it along.

Other teenage suicides have been linked to online bullying, also a subject of the AP-MTV poll. Half of all young people said they have been targets of digital bullying.

The poll, conducted Sept. 11-22, involved online interviews with 1,247 teenagers and adults ages 14-24. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

The Associated Press
Posted: 12/04/2009 01:00:00 AM MST

Does God Care How we Parent?

All parents have a particular style or principles by which they parent. Yet how many of us have considered what God says about parenting. In this sermon Randy Stinson gives us a basic overview of what a Biblical understanding of parenting might look like. Dr. Randy Stinson is the Dean of the School of Church ministries at SBTS and Randy also serves as president for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. (Once you press play the video quality is very good)


Part 2

Modesty Pushing Back Against A Sexually Charged Culture

From Denny Burk's Blog

Nightline ran a story last week called “Girls Gone Mild” about a program called “Pure Fashion” that encourages young girls to dress modestly.
You can watch the video here or read the text version here.

If parents raise their children according to the Bible, does God promise to bring them to know him?

The Desiring God website has a useful section, Ask Pastor John, where John Piper answers many questions. Piper's answers are always grounded in the Scriptures, thoughtful and stimulating even if you disagree with his answer. I think this is a great resource for parents many of the answers are in a video format and are about 3 to 4 minutes in length. In this video Piper answers a question that is on every Christian parent's mind.

How well does your teen know the gospel?

When was the last time you and your teen discussed the gospel? Can your teen explain the gospel to you in a minute? Better yet, can you explain the gospel to your teen in a minute?

By asking your teen to explain the gospel to you in a minute or less you may open up a great conversation with them about Christ's work. Futher, we all need to be ready to give a reason for the hope in us (1 Peter 3:15).

Just to help get the ball rolling here is a great definition of the gospel from
Together for the Gospel


The Gospel is the joyous declaration that God is redeeming the world through Christ (Matt 1:21; Luke 1:68; Eph 1:7; Col 1:20), and that he calls everyone everywhere to repent from sin and trust Jesus Christ for salvation (Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 17:30).

Each of us has sinned against God (Rom 3:23), breaking his law and rebelling against his rule, and the penalty for our sin is death and hell (Rom 6:23). But because he loves us, God sent his Son Jesus (John 3:16; Eph 2:4; 1 John 4:10) to live for his people’s sake the perfect, obedient life God requires (Rom 8:4; 1 Cor 1:30; Heb 4:15) and to die in their place for their sin (Isa 53:5; Mat 20:28; 26:28; Mark 10:45; 14:24; Luke 22:20; John 11:50-51; Rom 3:24-25; 4:25; 1 Cor 15:3; 2 Cor 5:21; Eph 5:2; Heb 10:14; 1 Pet 3:18). On the third day, He rose bodily from the grave (Mat 28:6) and now reigns in heaven (Luke 22:69; 24:51; Heb 8:1), offering forgiveness (Eph 1:7), righteousness (Rom 5:19), resurrection (Rom 8:11), and eternal blessedness in God’s presence (Rev 22:4) to everyone who repents of sin and trusts solely in Him for salvation.

Gender bending and blending.

Albert Mohler has an insightful commentary at his blog today regarding boys wearing skirts to school.

Perhaps the greatest challenge this generation of high school students will face centers around the definition of gender. How will they answer the question, what makes a man a man and what makes a woman a woman? The lines between genders is no longer just bending what we see now in the culture is that the two genders are blended together. Culture is working towards one gender. This of course is the work of the prince of the power of the air. In the creation account we see God creating two wonderful and complementary genders. The new gender blending is just one more way the world seeks to destroy the beauty of God's creation.

This is an important issue for parents to discuss with their teen.

I would encourage all parents to read Dr. Mohler's post and then use dinnertime as a time to discuss gender what they see at school and how they are thinking about gender.

How can God be loving and yet send people to Hell?

If your students are understanding who God is this should be a question on their minds. I would encourage all our parents to watch this short clip and then discuss it with their Teen during your family devotions.

The speaker D. A. Carson is certainly one of the most brilliant New Testament scholars of the last 100 years.

How can God be loving yet send people to hell? from A Passion for Life on Vimeo.

The Hypersocialized Generation

http://www.albermohler.com/
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009 at 2:08 pm ET

Jeffery Zaslow of The Wall Street Journal opens his article with the story of a 17-year-old boy sent to the vice principal's office after being caught sending text messages in class. The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy to pay attention to the teacher, not to his cellphone. Even as the boy nodded politely, Gallagher noticed something amiss -- the boy was texting about his discipline for being caught texting.

"It was a subconscious act," said Gallagher. "Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It's compulsive."

Zaslow calls the lifestyle of these young people "hypersocializing." As he observes:

Because so many people in their teens and early 20s are in this constant whir of socializing—accessible to each other every minute of the day via cellphone, instant messaging and social-networking Web sites—there are a host of new questions that need to be addressed in schools, in the workplace and at home. Chief among them: How much work can "hyper-socializing" students or employees really accomplish if they are holding multiple conversations with friends via text-messaging, or are obsessively checking Facebook?

There is an argument to be noticed here. Some assert that this generation of teens and twenty-somethings has developed an invaluable ability to multitask, to frame arguments with few words, and to stay constantly connected. Some, like Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies, go so far as to argue that these young people are so skilled at "multimedia socializing" that their social skills are superior to previous generations, rightly understood.

Others, noting the time spent obsessively checking digital devices, see a loss of community, a fog of constant chatter, and, for both employers and educators, a massive volume of lost time. As P. M. Forni at Johns Hopkins University observes, "There is a lot of communication going on that is futile and trivial."

Consider what this means for educators:

Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules. In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are adept at texting with their phones still in their pockets, says 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, the vice principal, "and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones."

As Gallagher concludes, asking students to separate themselves from social media for the school day seems futile. "It's like talking to kids about why they don't need air."

Jeffery Zaslow's article, published in the invaluable "Personal Journal" section of The Wall Street Journal, is directed mainly to the business community, where executives are hard pressed to know how much they should (or even can) restrict social networking among younger employees. But the issues he addresses go far beyond the business context. His article should be read by parents, pastors, teachers, and anyone who cares about the minds and souls of young people.

One thing is clear -- Zaslow is not exaggerating. Almost every parent of a teenager or twenty-something will recognize the truth of his diagnosis of "hypersocializing" among the young. If anything, the issues range beyond the concerns he identifies. Business executives are concerned about the financial costs and economic impact. Educators are rightly concerned about distractions from the learning process. But what does this hypersocializing do to the souls of young people?

As prophets of technological pessimism from Jacques Ellul to Neil Postman have reminded us, every technology comes with an effect on the soul. How does this digital revolution effect the souls of young people who quite literally sleep with cellphones on the pillow, lest they miss a text message in the night? What space is left for the development of flesh-and-blood friendships? How are they related to people who do not have access to text messages? Is their communicative ability now limited to 140 characters in a burst?

Among young Christians, what space is left for the development of a devotional life? Do their lives contain any space for extended quiet and reflection, for prayer, or for reading anything longer than a text message?

This is precisely where evangelical Christians need to invest serious thought and reflection. We should all be concerned when Steve Gallagher laments that these young people think they need constant access to social media the way they need oxygen for breathing.

Then again, maybe the real problem is much worse than Zaslow and Gallagher acknowledge. Is this phenomenon limited to the "hypersocialized" young? In the spirit of personal confession I must admit that I turn on my iPhone the moment the plane hits the tarmac on landing. I feel irresponsible if I do not post regular Twitter updates and check email and messages constantly. Colleagues, friends, and constituents expect "hypersocializing," and they now range across the age spectrum.

There is no going back -- at least not in terms of retreat. The social universe is a fact of life, and a missiological challenge for the Christian church. We are all Facebookers now.

The hypersocialized generation of teenagers and young adults needs to learn limits. Parents must provide those limits for their children and encourage them in older offspring. Educators and executives cannot ignore the challenge, but there is as yet no mechanism for determining proper balance in a world growing more hypersocialized by the day.

We are all looking for someone to figure this out and find the responsible boundaries. When this happens, let's hope they send a text message to the rest of us.

_____________________________

Jeffery Zaslow, "The Greatest Generation (of Networkers)," The Wall Street Journal, Wednesday, November 4, 2009.

Youth Group Cancelled

Youth Group is cancelled October 28th 2009 due to the weather

Stay at home and read your Bibles and think about how Christ has cleansed us whiter than snow.

Phill

Mohler on Parents Obey Your Children

Albert Mohler one of the most insightful cultural commentators of our day posted an article today titled, "Parents Obey Your Children." In his article Mohler notes the monumental shift in how both children and parents understand the parental role in curbing and disciplining a child's behavior.

From the article

"As Zalewski argues, today's young parents "learn that there are many things they must never do to their willful young child: spank, scold, bestow frequent praise, criticize, plead, withhold affection, take away toys, 'model' angry emotions, intimidate, bargain, nag. In other words, nearly all forms of discipline appear morally suspect."

Modern "experts" like Alfie Kohn now go so far as to argue that rewarding children for good behavior is virtually as injurious to the child as punishing children for negative behavior. Arguing against what he calls "conditional parenting," Kohn came out against everything from the "time out" to positive reinforcement."

Parents should read Mohlers article and be aware that cultural assumptions concerning parenting are in direct opposition to God's revealed will for parents (see Prov 13:24). This is just one more way that Satan and this present evil age are waging war against the Kingdom of Christ.

How to be a Good Husband

Many of may not know but I spent several years of my undergraduate degree as a trumpet major. While studying music I discovered the power of music to inspire. So I would encourage all husbands to allow this video to inspire you.

Graphes Theles Is Calling All Women and Girls!

Single Women, Married Women,

Young Women, Empty Nesters,

Mothers of sons, Grandmothers,

Daughters, Sisters,

Mothers of girls,Teenagers, GIRLS, ……….

If you fit into any of the above categories,

You should join us for the Graphe Thelus on

Saturday, October 10th at 11:30 am in the chapel!!!!!!!

$2.00 FOR WOMEN AND $1.00 FOR GIRLS

CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE!
303-841-2273

1 Peter 3:3-4 “Do not let your adorning be external –the

Braiding of hair and putting on of gold jewelry, or the

Clothing that you wear- but let your adorning be the

Hidden person of the heart with the imperishable

Beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit, which in GodsSight is very precious.”

Men's Conference

Just a quick glance at most TV sitcoms and we learn that men are buffoons. They cannot be trusted with the smallest tasks because they will inevitably mess it up creating a circus of the situation. However, what is most damaging about this message is no the message itself, rather the hopelessness of it. The real message being sent is that it's okay for a man to be a buffoon; he can't help it.

Brothers, you and I were created in the image of God as leaders. It is time for the men of the church to wage war against the world by embracing God's excellent design for us.

Join us this weekend, October 2-3 at Faith Baptist Church as we hear from Dr. Randy Stinson as he shares his passion to call men to embrace God's design for biblical manhood.

Conference is $45.00 and $60.00 for a father and son to attend together and $20.00 for each additional son. *Scholarships are available* Cost includes breakfast and lunch Saturday plus a book.

Call the church office if you would like to register or have questions! 303-841-2273

Q and A wtih Paul David Tripp Part 2

Jeff Robinson
September 21, 2009
http://wwwcbmw.org

Following is the second part of a three-part interview with him. Read Part 1.
Paul Tripp is the president of Paul Tripp Ministries, a nonprofit organization,
whose mission statement is "Connecting the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life." He is on the pastoral staff at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pa., where he preaches on Sunday evenings and leads the ministry to Center City.

Gender Blog: How specifically do parents combat gender confusion? Do we insulate our children completely from the world?

Paul David Tripp: You ought to want to protect your child from that, but you will never successfully insulate your child. It's nearly impossible for a family living in Western culture not to breathe some of its air. When I think of isolating my children, I tend to think of it in one of two ways: it's sort of like the medieval monastery, which didn't work, or it feels like what Tom Ridge told us to do when there was some concern about a biological attack on America—‘Get a lot of plastic and duct tape.' I was thinking, ‘Are you serious, this is going to keep us safe?' Well, I think there is a whole lot of plastic and duct tape going on in Christian families. I think a better protection is just getting the topic on the table. Be honest with your children. Be honest early and don't stop being honest. Parents need to build relationships with their children where their children know it's safe here for me to talk about all my confusion and for me to ask embarrassing questions. I'll never be mocked. I'll never be made fun of. My parents will never respond in fear and end up grounding me or punishing me. This is a place of safety and grace and patience and we are going to talk our way through all of the confusion and all of the attack and all of the distortions and delusions that are out there. So that means you can't have just one talk about sexuality. You have to open that topic and keep it open and build relationships with their children where they feel safe and comfortable in both talking and listening.

Gender Blog: Is it ever too young to start teaching about gender?


Paul David Tripp: No. I think we would all say the greatest guardian for our children against falsehood is to enculturate them with truth. So, a boy who is taught God's design for a man, a girl who is taught God's design for a woman, will be taught honestly about the dangers and distortions that get all mixed up and blended and will also be taught about the dangers on the far end of a man being a chauvinistic arrogant blowhard—that's not godly—or a girl being so prissy and delicate that she becomes a diva that nobody can touch, which are distortions too. You have to do that in a way that is wholesome and balanced, but wow, we've got to do that. My son is 33 years old, but I would feel a much bigger burden to do that today than I did when he was coming up. That's how much things have changed. We did that, but it's a huge issue now.