Renew Your World

One of my very favorite chapters in the Bible is Romans 12. It has so much to help us in our day to day relationships. In fact, Dana and I have even led a few Couples Bible Studies based on the truth found in this message from Paul.  Right from the beginning, Paul recognizes that the world is steering us wrong; telling us lies; wanting us to conform to a societal norm that will pull us in the opposite direction of Jesus. Apparently things haven’t changed in the last 2,000 years!

In our current culture, we learn to look a certain way, to talk a certain way, to dress a certain way in order to be acceptable. We choose our own truth and our own path to follow. We must tolerate all things and all people so as not to offend. But what if “our truth” doesn’t align with someone else’s? What does that tolerance look like? How do I take a stand for truth when my truth doesn’t look like your truth? It is a big, hot mess to figure out.

Paul recognized that hot mess in the early church. It probably didn’t look like the 21^st century mess. Regardless, I am convinced that following the ways of the world will always lead you to death. And when we listen to the world, the decay begins. “Don’t listen to the world and the way they think about life and relationships and living in harmony with one another,” Paul begs his readers. “If you want to see God show off in you, change the way you think! Stop thinking about how your needs can be met and being angry and resentful when someone fails you. Stop trying to push the blame and force others to change. Work, instead, to honor others above yourself and serve them in love regardless of how you are treated.” That’s my paraphrase…

If you and your husband live the way that Paul describes in this chapter – and, incidentally, he learned it all from the teachings of Jesus – then your home will be filled with joy, tension would fade, love would reign, and your kids would be watching a wonderful example of what marriage was intended to be. They will learn how to treat others, how to be the person Jesus calls us to be.

Dads, your daughters are very likely to find someone who will treat them like you treat their mother. That might be good. Might not. But understand this… you are creating their “normal.” If you want them to expect more than rude, angry, sullen, arrogant, selfish behavior in a husband, then take those behaviors off the table and show them how a man should treat his wife. If you don’t know, read Romans 12. You will find loads of things to work on.

Moms, your sons, likewise, will be fine with someone who treats them as you treat their dad. It is the “normal” they see every day. If you pout, manipulate, degrade, yell, slam doors, and rebuff their affection then you are teaching your boys to find a woman who will mirror those qualities. If you want them to find a godly woman that will honor them and adore them, show them what that looks like. Sitting around bashing your husband with your friends has to stop and be traded for a good dose of building them up and showing respect and appreciation for them.

Dana and I have been on a mission to live out Romans 12 in our home for the past few years. It has begun to get easier and seem more natural as we have allowed God to reshape us by changing the way we think. We have learned firsthand that the way you think determines the way you feel and the way you feel determines how you act and react. Unfortunately, we didn’t discover the power of allowing God to change the way we think while we were still raising our family. But, it is never too late to be a good example. Never too late to allow God to renew and reshape your thinking. Never too late to see the ways you are conforming to the patterns of this world and determine that must stop. Never too late to allow God to change your thinking, which will change your actions and attitudes.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,

but let God transform you into a new person

by changing the way you think.

Then you will learn to know God’s will for you,

which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Romans 12:2

Twisted Parenting

How does your Parenting report card look? Are you doing okay? We see examples of bad, twisted, parenting in the news daily. We shine when compared with them! Up against God's standard, however, what would your grade be? How can we be an A student when it comes to raising our kids to serve Jesus?

Parents today are busier than ever before in history. We live in a fast paced world where many things demand our allegiance and we are committed to a variety of good things. We teach our kids to stick to an instrument or a team or a sport and commit themselves to developing the necessary skill to excel and push their team on to victory. We understand that, to be good at anything, means we devote our time and energy to it. 

We see parents that become really twisted in their thinking, wanting their child to become a superstar, pushing them beyond reasonable limits. Not good! Done well, with appropriate boundaries, however, it is good to push your kids to excellence in life. But, how is your knowledge and commitment to excellence translating into showing your children what it means to follow God? Do you ever think about that? 

Believers often claim that Jesus is their #1 priority. When that is truly the case, walking with Jesus is valued above all other commitments and is lived out in your daily life. Therefore, as a follower of Jesus, your primary objective in parenting is insuring that your kids know God. Obviously, you can’t make them follow Jesus, just like you can’t make them a superstar on the swim team, HOWEVER, you can make sure they attend practice, buy the special milk that will build their muscles, purchase the proper swim gear, participate in the fundraisers, pay the fees for the swim meets, align them with successful trainers, follow the coaches orders and cheer them on from concrete bleachers in a hot and humid natatorium several times a week. That is what we do when we are a committed and supportive parent.

How do we translate that kind of commitment into cheering them to victory on a spiritual level? If your level of commitment in that area is taking them to church with some regularity, you are leaving much to chance. That is like having them practice their instrument a couple hours a month and expecting them to play like Beethoven. Or buying them a speedo and expecting them to swim like Michael Phelps.

When we are already so busy with life that we find ourselves exhausted most of the time, how do we add a commitment to nurture our children’s faith? The prophet Isaiah helps us with that…

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

They will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

The Hebrew word used for hope or in this passage is KAVAH. “Originally, kavah meant to “twist” or “weave,” as strands of a rope, making a tool capable of holding a heavy load securely” (www.hebrew4christians.com). If there is a heavier load than the responsibility of raising children, I haven’t found it. Knowing that we are responsible for building the next generation of leaders in the world is profoundly overwhelming, but when we weave God and His plan into our daily lives; when we twist ourselves into His holiness; when we bind ourselves to Him, our strength is renewed and we are able to work smart…not just hard… and soar, allowing Him to be the wind beneath our wings.

If your prayer for your kids is that they will learn to soar with eagles, then twist more of Jesus into your daily life. The words you say, the decisions you make, the people you invest in, those who you allow to shape you, the way you spend your time and your resources will all begin to reflect that you have become part of God’s tapestry. You will find that you will be strong enough to raise your children with Godly values. You will be able to commit to reading the Bible and applying it to your life. You will be able to make decisions based on what God values rather than what society dictates. You will raise children who will value the God who has made you the person He created you to be.

Don’t stop the Weaver. Give Him the shuttle and allow Him to make your life and your home into a beautiful tapestry of His strength and goodness. Let His faithfulness and truth be twisted into your everyday life and be woven into Almighty God and His story. Now, that is the proper type of "twisted" parenting!

Waking With Truth

Recently I was challenged to recognize my first thoughts upon rising in the morning. The purpose is to determine how my thoughts impact my life. That challenge caused me to recall a time that I would often wake up thinking, “I am too tired to face all I have to do today. I can’t do it!” Now there is a recipe for a life of defeat! As I learned to let God change the way I think, my first thoughts of the day changed from defeat to anticipation. Now I am more likely to say, “Thank you, Lord, for another day filled with the blessing of knowing You are walking with me, giving me all I need to do to fulfill Your plan for my day.”

There is a Deceiver who will hi-jack our thoughts, like he did mine for years, and destroy the victory designed for our days if we don’t learn to identify the difference between God’s Truth and the counterfeit truth that we find in the world.

As parents, it is imperitive that we recognize the difference between real Truth and real deception. Often we look to the “experts” for how to accomplish that. When I was raising my first 2 kids, it was the era of Dr. Spock who touted the philosophy that children should be allowed to express themselves without being directed and shaped by adults. A decade later, when I was raising my next 2, Spock recanted his teachings, realizing we had raised a generation of self-centered, undisciplined people with no moral compass. I’m glad I knew the Truth back then!

My point is, when we look to people to show us truth we will not have a constant, irrevocable source of truth, because people change. Philosophies change. Societies change. Cultures change. The saying, “Hindsight is always 20/20,” should tell us that we don’t know squat about life without the Source of Universal Truth.

For this reason we, as parents, must be students of the Word, because that Truth is eternal. It has never changed. It was written by 40 different people who lived on 3 different continents, writing in 3 different languages over the span of roughly 2,000 years. The authors range from shepherd to military leader to architect to physician to cup-bearer to poet to historian. It was written from palace, prison, wilderness and exile. The authors did not meet at Starbucks to compare notes or corroborate stories yet the same common theme runs throughout all 66 books that comprise the Bible.

The message we find woven through all of Scripture is the TRUTH that Creator God made us in love, with a purpose and we are to honor and worship Him by allowing His Truth to guide our lives. From Eden to 2017 the universal theme of humanity is to rebel against His Truth, create our own truth and go our own way, becoming a society of individuals who are confused, self-absorbed, hopeless, lost and defeated. The other thread in this Divine tapestry is GRACE that will do whatever it takes to reconcile His lost children to Himself.

Parents, will you begin 2017 finding the Truth that God longs to speak into your life? Will you let go of the deceptions that control your thoughts, decisions and relationships?  Perhaps we should recite the Truth in which God desires us to live each morning until the false ideas die away and our default is the Truth in which God created us to live. Try this as you start your day…

“This is a new day for me to walk in the Truth. I will make my time with God my first priority so that I can discover the Truth He has for me. I am a student of the Word of God and will dedicate myself to the Truth I find there. I will say “NO!” to the one who draws my thoughts away from the Truth. I will embrace the fact that I am a unique creation of Almighty God, made for a specific purpose and empowered by God to fulfill it. I will shine the light of Truth so my children can see the path God has for them. I will embrace God’s command to love my spouse and honor them with my words and deeds. I will be a beacon of hope to others because I am living in Your Truth. I will allow the joy of the Lord to be my strength as I walk through this day. I will grow in wisdom as I surrender my thoughts to You. I will live in the Truth of the many blessings You give me daily and I will have a thankful heart.”

"Do not live as the world lives, but let God transform you by changing the way you think."

Romans 12:2

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life."

Psalm 143:8

God Has A Plan

Today, January 4^th, is a very special day. It is 83^rd birthday of my father, Clarence “Frank” Franklin. It is special because he is special. But, it is also special because he is celebrating the third birthday since given a death sentence by the doctor. “Stage 4 Non-Hogkin’s Lymphoma,” they said. “Three to six months,” they said.

The wisdom of man is nothing when God has another plan. God wasn’t finished with my dad. There were more people to be blessed by him; more wisdom to be shared by him; more love to be given by him.

As the New Year begins, do you know God’s plan for you? Perhaps you have a broken heart.  God the Comforter, has a plan. Perhaps your bank account is dangerously low. God the Provider has a plan. Perhaps your health is failing. God the Healer has a plan. Perhaps you have lost your way. God the Redeemer has a plan. Perhaps you are alone. God the Father has a plan.

If you have lived to see another year, rest assured it is because God has a plan for your future. He will restore, refresh and renew you as you learn to rest in Him. You will grow strong and wise as you learn to hear His voice in the quiet places. You will be blessed and be a blessing as you lean into His promise for a full life. It may not look like the life you planned for yourself, but as you place your trust in Him, you will discover that His plan is far richer than you could have imagined.

Moms and Dads, make this year the one you will always remember as the one where you stopped listening to the world and started listening to God. Make this the year where you blocked out all the noise to find time with Him daily. Make this the year when you model the beautiful, selfless love God intends in a marriage. Make this the year when your trust is without borders. Make this the year that you apply God’s Word to your life and teach your children to do the same. Make this the year that you discover God is faithful. Make this the year of growth as you walk ever closer to Him.

Start each day with a prayer for God’s direction and an awareness of any deceptive thoughts that keep you from following Him. This prayer of David is a good beginning…

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

 for I have put my trust in You.

Show me the way I should go

 for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8