Parenting, Sin, and Ezekiel

I often feel helpless in my feeble attempts to reach my kids' hearts. Can you relate? If so, Kim Ransleben has some great wisdom for us:

"Again, we know this parable in our own lives and in the lives of our children. So often, we’ve seen them walk through the motions of a gospel-centered life, doing what they “know” is right, but without the power of the Spirit. They have the appearance of life and all the right structures in place, but the heart is not beating. . . . 

God, being rich in mercy, promised that he would restore Israel. He would give them life, fill them with his Spirit, make them his people. Isn’t that all we really want for our kids? We want their hearts to be his, not just their motions. We want God’s kingdom to come in them and through them. We want them to treasure Jesus above all things. 

And what was true for Ezekiel’s day is still true for ours. The life for which we long comes by speaking of the words of God — by sharing, again and again, the word of Christ. . . .

Go into the chaotic, death-filled valley of your kids’ sins and walk amongst it all because you know that every raindrop that falls on the earth today shows his mercy toward those who’ve rejected him (Matthew 5:45). Serve them with peace and humility because you can smell the breakfast cooking on the beach for a man who, three times, denied even knowing Jesus (John 21:9–19). . .  .

Do not fear the death you see in their lives. God knows what to do with it. After all, dry bones are all he’s ever had to work with in his people."

Read the full article, Parenting in the Valley of Dry Bones.  

"Going" on Mission

 

It's the most-cited passage of missionaries (and missions committees) everywhere:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:19-20)

But have we missed the point? Have we focused so much on the first word, that we have misunderstand the core command?  

In the original Greek, there is one strong verb -- one command -- from Jesus: make disciples. The other verbs are participles, describing what it looks like to make disciples:

• going 
• baptizing 
• teaching 

Note that a better translation of "go" is "going." This is not a command to go anywhere, but to make disciples as we are going through life, everywhere and every day.

Helpful Questions as Your Children Go

In Sharing Jesus as We Go, Brian Dembowczyk explains that this means "as you go" or "as you are going." He explains:

"Realizing that the verb that begins the Great Commission can be translated “as you are going” should give us a different perspective of how we are to live it out. This verb phrase positions the Great Commission as a task in our daily lives, not just on mission trips.

As I go to work. As I go to the store. As I go to school. As I go to the ball field.  As I go through my daily routine, whatever that looks like, I make disciples."  

Then he gives four helpful questions we can use to guide them to think about how they can share Jesus as they go, not just when they go on mission trips:

1. Where do you go? 
2. Who do you know?  
3. How do you grow?  
4. What can you show?

Of course, these same four questions will help us also live on mission for Jesus and the gospel. Be sure to read the full article.

"Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."  (I Peter 3:15)

Related Links:

• What's So Great About the Great Commission?
• Simple Ways to Disciple Your Kids on Mission   
• United and Sent 
• Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?  

**image courtesy of coloniera via rgbstock

The Gift of Encouragement

My wife and Gary Chapman agree: my "love language" is words of affirmation.

I'm not sure if my daughter, Hannah, knows that. But something she did recently filled my "love tank" to the full.

On my birthday (earlier this month), she gave me a beautiful handmade card. But the best part of the present was the gift of her encouragement.

Want to learn more? Check out my latest post on the Family Matters blog.


Then check out these related posts:

• The Beauty Under the Bridge 
• Reflecting God's Image in Her Optimism   

Free-Range Parenting: Have We Become Insane?

I couldn't resist sharing this article: Seven Reasons We Hate Free-Range Parenting.

"Why has America gone lunatic on the subject of unattended children? Parents hover over their kids as if every step might be their last. If they don't hover, strangers do, calling the police to report any parent who leaves their child to run into the store for a few minutes. . . ." 

"I don't think there's one easy answer to why we've become insane; rather, there are a lot of forces that are pushing in this direction. But that doesn't mean we can't push back."

Be sure to read the full article.

Am I crazy for liking these thoughts?

Common Core Math, Explained

I shared this on social media last week, but I believe it is worth sharing here. Vox explains why Common Core math look weird, but why this number sense forms a crucial foundation to build on in mathematics.



It strikes me how so many people complain about how much our education system is "failing," or how teenagers can't do simple math reasoning, and yet those people are resistant to the type of teaching shown in this video. And I can tell you (as someone who has been teaching middle school math the past few months), that there are a lot of generally-smart children who don't have a basic number sense.

Maybe I'm biased, because this is how I do mental math when I add or subtract. (And maybe I'm biased because I believe Common Core is NOT the Common Problem.) So let's here from you:

Do you understand math problems like this? Or even if not, does this video help explain why elementary students are getting "weird" math instruction?

Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter. 

Also, please consider sharing this post (or the video itself) with others. It’s easy – you can just click one of the buttons below. 

We need to clarify this issue!!

[Review]: Cottonmouth and the End

Are you looking for an Narnia-like, easy-to-read book for your children? Do you want a book with a powerful message of hope and love? Then you must get the Cottonmouth series!

C. S. Fritz (see the parallel with C. S. Lewis already?!) has written a short and captivating story about Freddie Cottonmouth, broken up into three books:

1. Cottonmouth and the River. We meet Freddie and Tug, and learn about pain, love, and sacrifice.
2. Cottonmouth and the Great Gift. Freddie is sent on a mission, with a guide.
3. Cottonmouth and the End. Freddie continues the mission. Victory comes, but not by the hand of Freddie.

I highly recommend that you introduce your children to the Cottonmouth series. My kids called these stories "cool," "awesome," "mysterious,"
"adorable," and other positive adjectives. And I think your kids will do the same.

Your children will smile. They will think. They may even cry. (And don't be surprised if you join them.) And throughout the pages, you'll hear the Biblical message of redemption.

And you're in luck! You can win a free copy of Cottonmouth and the End by leaving a comment below, or on Facebook or Twitter. If you want to win, you must enter by Sunday, May 17.

Plus, you can win an original, signed piece of Cottonmouth artwork using the Rafflecopter entry below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Want another fun idea for your kids? Have them mail a letter to Freddie Cottonmouth himself! They'll receive a personal reply. Here are the details:

**Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of all three books in the series, in return for this unbiased review.

Motherhood and the Brain

From The Atlantic: What Happens to a Woman's Brain When She Becomes a Mother:

"Even before a woman gives birth, pregnancy tinkers with the very structure of her brain. . . .

"Mapping the maternal brain is also, many scientists believe, the key to understanding why so many new mothers experience serious anxiety and depression. An estimated one in six women suffers from postpartum depression, and many more develop behaviors like compulsively washing hands and obsessively checking whether the baby is breathing. . . .

"Becoming a parent looks—at least in the brain—a lot like falling in love. Which helps explain how many new parents describe feeling when they meet their newborns. At the brain level, the networks that become especially sensitized are those that involve vigilance and social salience—the amygdala—as well as dopamine networks that incentivize prioritizing the infant."

Like many other issues, this is not as simple as Nature or Environment. And it's yet another testimony to the wonder of the human body, and to God's image reflected in motherhood.

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!!!

13 Practical Ways to Love My Family

Some more thoughts on how I can better love my family, and how you can love yours, from All Pro Dad:

1. Be patient 
2. Show kindness 
3. Don't have jealousy 
4. Don't brag  
5. Don't be proud 
6. Don't discredit 
7. Be selfless  
8. Forgive   
9. Don't be easily angered 
10. Protect  
11. Trust 
12. Be hopeful for others  
13. Be faithful 

Read the full article here. 

Related Links:

• Loving My Family  
• Marriage: Friendship and Co-Working 
• How I Probably Need to Change as a Parent    

Favorite Tweets for April

Returned to Greenville after seeing family and friends in Savannah. After school programs growing. A weekend with 250 5th and 6th graders. Being almost doing with teaching.

It's been a good month.

Favorite Tweets From Others

@DalePartridge:  When you feel like quitting, think of why you started.

@MarkMerrill:  Your biggest confrontations in your marriage should not be with your spouse, they should be with yourself.

@RaviZacharias:  The Cross, more than ever, is necessary to bridge the divide between God and us and between ourselves. http://bit.ly/19OUEjN  #ThankYouJesus

@RayYarmatino:  What in our history of experience with 2D printers/copiers made us think it was a good time to graduate to 3D?

@mitchmillerme:  There is such a thing as over-churched and under-gospeled. 

@CreativeTypeDad:  "40% of Millennials still get money from their parents?" Nooo!!! http://usat.ly/1yNE140  @usatoday #parentingproblems 

My Own Top Tweets

3 reasons that school uniforms are a great idea. (Despite my daughter's protests.) http://buff.ly/1DKcl1T  #parenting

Excited for our @myleadacademy students touring and serving at @millvillagefarm today. #w… http://ift.tt/1DQ5WSQ  pic.twitter.com/j1kKYOq5f6

"He had a need, and I could meet that need. I don’t see why this is a big deal. It’s a no-brainer." http://buff.ly/1aO118s  #serve #love

"My flip flops are all disorganized." #firstworldproblems http://ift.tt/1FLy3jQ   

Camps are not important just for what our kids get out of them, but how they can bless others. http://buff.ly/1CArJIh  #parenting #camp

In just a few months, I will have been a Christian for 20 years. Here's my #gospel story: buff.ly/1PYjFuj

"The best way to become a better parent is to become a better disciple of Jesus." buff.ly/1K1uffD

The training for standardized testing made me nauseated. I believe I'll call in sick for the next 7 days. #teacherproblems 

How staff, leaders, & children from @gracechurchsc created a beautiful experience for an 11-year-old girl. http://buff.ly/1Kow6LF