Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts

Forgiveness, Patriotism, Heritage, and the Gospel


I love our family meal times. Not every meal time involves a serious discussion, but almost every Saturday morning I have been trying to focus my family on the Bible.

One of the themes that we've focused in on this past year is "Love God, Love Others." Some recent current events presented a great opportunity to explain Biblical forgiveness.

A few weeks ago, as I'm sure you know, Dylan Roof shot and killed nine people at a prayer meeting in Charleston, SC. Unfortunately, senseless murder is not too uncommon nowadays.

However the response by the remaining family members was striking. They offered forgiveness and prayed for God's mercy on him.



As a family, we discussed how we would feel if someone killed one of us. Sad. Angry. Upset. And those feelings are all valid.

Then I read Ephesians 4:32:
"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." 

Paul makes it clear that our actions should not be dependent on our feelings. Our actions should flow out of our relationship with Christ. That is, our love for God is directly connected with our love for others. And love for others should know no bounds, even if those bounds involve hate-filled murder.

More Thoughts on the Charleston Shooting

Brandon Smith writes in Reflect Christ, Deflect Satan:
"The gospel frees us from our own interests. Christians have an obligation to love God and love others well precisely because of the cross."
And my friend Jim Taylor, before he preached a sermon that I really needed to hear, shared thoughts on the Charleston shooting:



 

On a Related Topic . . . 

If you've been following the story of this shooting (and probably even if you haven't), you know that our country is awash in a Confederate Flag controversy. Again. (Yes, I know that the flag is technically the Confederate Battle Flag.)

A few days after it began, I tweeted this late one night:

And then I followed up a few days later with a 1500-word expansion on that thought.

Now, as we are about to celebrate our nation's independence, I want to expand on that thought even more. It's not just "Southern Heritage" that Christians need to be careful of. We can put any other identity issue in that tweet as well.

Here are a few other variations you can try on for size:
Any Christian who puts his Patriotism over our identity and unity in Christ, tramples on the gospel.

Any Christian who puts his family ancestry over our identity and unity in Christ, tramples on the gospel.

Any Christian who puts his work or ministry over our identity and unity in Christ, tramples on the gospel.

Any Christian who puts his ethnic group over our identity and unity in Christ, tramples on the gospel.

Any Christian who puts his hobby over our identity and unity in Christ, tramples on the gospel.

Any Christian who puts his (________) over our identity and unity in Christ, tramples on the gospel.

Examine your heart. What could you fill in this blank with?

Remember, Christian, any freedom you have in your heritage is trivial compared to the freedom Christ brought for you.

These posts may help you think through why our Christian identity should matter so much:

Final Thoughts and Related Links

I encourage you to spend some time reading one or more of these links:

**image courtesy of melodi2 via rgbstock
on 7/03/2015 0 comments
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[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.
on 5/12/2015 3 comments
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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:

on 5/05/2015 0 comments
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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.

@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 
on 5/01/2015 0 comments
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Marriage: Friendship and Co-Working


Since I've had a goal to love my family better this year, I'm continually hunting down resources that can help me do that. And I'd like to share those helpful articles with you, too.

From Ed Welch, Three Relationship Rules:

  1. If something bothers you, give it to the relationship. Talk together, as opposed to making pronouncements. The key is putting the relationship first.
  2. When one person is working, the other person should be working too. Big one for me.
  3. If the other person asks you to do something and you can do it right away, then do it right away. Another big one for me.

From Michael Hyatt, How to Become Your Spouse's Best Friend [podcast and video]:

Lots of great tips in this video and podcast, including these three practical steps:
  1. Make a list of what you want in a best friend.  
  2. Become that person for your spouse.  
  3. Keep sowing the seeds until the relationship blossoms.  

From Tim Keller, You Never Marry the Right Person:  

"Why would it be easy to live lovingly and well with another human being in light of what is profoundly wrong within our human nature? . . . So the biblical doctrine of sin explains why marriage—more than anything else that is good and important in this fallen world—is so painful and hard." 

From All Pro Dad, Difficult Things Men Need to Understand About Marriage: 

  1. Commitment is more important than love. 
  2. Being right is overrated. 
  3. Change is part of the definition of "alive." 
  4. "My hopes and dreams" must submit to "our hopes and dreams."
  5.  Denial is never a real-world solution. 
  6. It's not what happens to you, it's how you respond.

From Paul Tripp, Romantically Pulling Weeds:  

"A healthy marriage doesn't develop overnight; it takes the daily work of pulling weeds and planting seeds. We wish that with just a little sprinkle of romantic Miracle-Gro like Valentine Day's, our marriage would blossom, but that's not the reality."

For more, pick up the best marriage book I've ever read: What Did You Expect??

Related Links:
on 4/17/2015 0 comments
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Favorite Tweets for February

Every February brings National Signing Day, when high school seniors officially sign a commitment to play a sport for a particular university, in return for a scholarship.

Not being a great athlete, I never participated in this event.

Oh, well. At least I had these great tweets from the past month.


From Others:

@PlattDavid:  Worship is the adoring contemplation of God as he has revealed himself in his Son & in the Scriptures (Oswald Sanders).

 @AnonBaptist:  BREAKING NEWS: Patriots accused of sending Seahawks home with deflated egos.

@ChalmersCenter:  He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing- Deuteronomy 10:18

@adamon34:  Jesus made himself less. No person or task was ever beneath Him.

@MacNattie:  I have consumed 9 cookies today. Yolo.
 
@TheFatherEffect:  God gives us abundant Grace. Our kids need the same from us.

@reddawg82:  Props to Coach K for showing respect by wearing a Carolina Blue tie to Dean Smith's funeral.

CaptainObvious:  If you find yourself falling head over heels, you might be in love. You also might actually be falling, in which case you are in danger. 

FirstWorldPains:  I wish every day started with a “previously on” so that I’d know which of my life’s plot points were going to be important that day.

From Me:

I don't get what the big deal is, but here goes nothing...

How can you engage your community for the sake of Christ? It may be as simple as getting your nails done.

Person dressed as Statue of Liberty sorta' makes me want to get my taxes done. // But when that person is also wearing a black ski mask ...

My daughter sketched this after hearing Jabba the Hutt was a gangster. I need to introduce…   

Hannah: "I'll only marry someone who has a better sense of humor than you." Me: "I guess you'll be single the rest of your life."

God answered a HUGE prayer request for us, in an exciting way. I'll be a long-term sub at , again! 

Not all South Carolina school districts benefit from funding formulas, especially .

Tomorrow, my daughter has an interview for her 1st choice of high school. It will be a big change from homeschooling.  
on 2/28/2015 0 comments
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Disagree, and Love


I want my kids to be around people they disagree with.

No, I don't want them to feel the need argue with all kinds of people. I don't want them to try to always prove their case. But I do want them to be around people that think differently.

Why?
  1. To solve problems.  None of us have all the answers to life's problems. Being around people with different opinions, experiences, and perspectives is the only way to engage the big issues in our communities and country. 
  2. To be open to new ideas.  Going along with the first point, my children need their minds and perspectives broadened. I want them to see new places and hear new ideas, so that they can learn more about this wonderful world that God created, and about all kinds of people that He made in His own image. 
  3. To confirm what really is true.  This seems opposite to point #2, but stay with me. How can we really know what we believe unless we allow our beliefs to be challenged?
  4. To live out love.  I think this is the most important. If you only fellowship and talk to people that think just like you, can you show them Christ-like love? Remember, Jesus came to die for us while we were His enemies (Romans 5:8). He pursued us when we opposed Him. What better opportunity to show God's love than to love someone that you disagree with, or have little in common with?

Will you encourage your children to be around people they disagree with? Even more, will you seek to be around people who think and feel differently than you? Will you pursue opportunities to love with a Christ-like love?
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  (Matthew 5:46-48)

 Related Links:
on 2/13/2015 0 comments
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