I hate that we're missing the sermon series from Grace Church (Greenville, SC) this summer, on excerpts from the book of Proverbs. But are glad that we can get the teaching series online -- audio, video, and notes.
In particular, the past two weekends have been great topics -- on parenting and Biblical femininity.
Disciplined Parenting
In a culture where 80% of Christians say they put their faith in Christ by age 14, and where 85% of Christians leave the church before their sophomore year in college, we know we have a problem. For Christian parents, Passing on Your Faith must be more than a one-day-per-week event and a bunch of knowledge about God. Information (about God) must lead to transformation. God has to be the biggest thing in our home, every day -- not just on Sundays and before meals.
On the Grace Church Pastors Blog is a summary of the teaching. Besides some recommended resources, there is a list of 8 principles that disciplined parenting must include:
- Supremacy of God
- Intentionality
- Consistency
- Authority
- Community
- Centrality of the Gospel
- Practicality
- Individuality
I highly recommend you listen to the full sermon, or watch it below:
The Excellent Wife
The previous week was a sermon by Bill White, on Proverbs 31, the most famous passage in women's Bible studies. One important principle to remember is that being married is only a season in a person's life. Marriage is not a woman's (or a man's) identity.
The following teaching has been helpful for me to understand Joanna. She is my partner, and is a nurturer to the core. That is, she gives her power up for the sake of making others powerful. She is a nurturer for me, our kids, and (more recently) for the children in the after school program where I work and where she serves.
Likewise, this teaching has been helpful for Joanna to understand her own identity in Christ.
Now What?
I need wisdom. I need to grow and learn. I need to read through Proverbs (again) for my own sake. After all, the message of the gospel is all throughout the book of Proverbs. God, in His graciousness, reveals the way that humanity should live.
And I know that my kids need wisdom, and they need me to help them get it. So, I started reading through the book of Proverbs with my kids. You would think that's an obvious thing, but it took me hearing that from two or three people in the past month before I decided to heed that advice.
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