Category: Faith

Who Is God?

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Just who is God? And can I really know Him? Could there be a more significant question asked? Is there anything more noteworthy to dwell on? Does a more important question beg to be answered? No, the question of “Who Is God?” is of upmost priority. Why? The answer is because it is imperative that we know the Creator of all things and understand His plan and purpose for mankind.

Jesus said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36. To seek after wealth, pleasures, happiness, personal fulfillment, or earthly treasures cannot compare to seeking after God and His truth. Eternity is at stake. Our very souls cry out for an answer. Our conscience bears witness. And creation reveals God and leaves man inexcusable. (Read Romans 1:18-20.)

John Hay and David Webb have put together a series of books from Apologia Press called “What We Believe”. The series sheds light on having a biblical worldview of God and Truth. I received the first volume, Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him? to review. The quality of the book first grabbed my attention. It is a beautiful hardback of 252 pages. When I first flipped through the book the pictures immediately captured my interest. It was hard to put it down. But having a beautiful cover and striking artwork means nothing if the content is not superior. However, over the weeks of reviewing this product with my children I have not been disappointed. This book addresses some very important questions.

  • Where am I building my life?
  • How can I know what is true?
  • What is God like?
  • Who are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
  • If God created the world, why isn’t it perfect?
  • Why did God create me?
  • Will God meet all my needs?
  • Why does sin keep me from knowing God?
  • Is Jesus the only way to God?

In a clear and concise format, this book makes a great Bible curriculum for the entire family. We have thoroughly enjoyed it. My one and only complaint is that the authors use a variety of Bible translations (NIV, NLT, NASB, NKJV, ESV, NCV, and NRSV) throughout the book. For consistency sake I do not like this. But most negatives can be turned into a positive. So I simply took our KJV’s and had the children looked up the verses as we came to them.

You can purchase this book for $39.00 from Apologia. Don’t let the price dissuade you. The truth is that you get what you pay for. And with this book you get your full $39.00 worth plus much more. The Apologia website contains additional resources to help you teach this course. To see a sample lesson, click here. To see what others are saying about this product click here. This is a book we will hold on to for many years. And hopefully we will be able to purchase the remaining volumes in the future.

Volume 2 – Who Am I? And Why Am I Here? Addresses the Biblical worldview of self-image.

Volume 3 – Who Is My Brother? And Why Do We Need Each Other? Addresses the Biblical worldview of servanthood.

Volume 4 – What on Earth Can I Do? Addresses the Biblical worldview of stewardship.

Disclaimer: As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received Who Is God? And Can I Really Know Him? from Apologia Press in exchange for an honest product review. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

“I Don’t Like That Contemporary Music!”

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Music stirs the soul.  God created music for that purpose.  It will either stir your soul toward spiritual things or toward fleshly things.  It will either draw you to God or away from Him.  Music will help you in your spiritual growth or greatly hinder you.  Music either brings honor and glory to God or it wholly dishonors God.

The type of music that is listened to and sung plays an important role in every person’s life.  It plays an even more important role in the believer’s life.  Therefore, the question that must be asked is, “Why type of music should be our standard?”

Someone made the comment to me the other day about not liking contemporary music.  One person even referred to contemporary music as “devil’s music”.  The irony behind the statement was that the contemporary song being played, at the time of that statement, was an old hymn redone by a contemporary artist.  I have heard counter comments just as often.  “I don’t like the hymns.”  “They hymns are boring and hard to understand.” And so on. 

Here is what I told the person who made the comment about “contemporary” music.  “Doesn’t it amaze you that at one point in time someone heard the song Amazing Grace and said, ‘I don’t like that new contemporary song!’”    You see, at one point in history Amazing Grace,  I’ll Fly Away,  The Old Rugged Cross, and all the other great hymns of our faith were new, contemporary songs. In fact, if you will do some research on the history of hymns you will find that when hymns first became popular there was great opposition to them.  The church sang the Psalms prior to singing hymns.  Does God live in the 16th Century?  Does God live in the 19th Century?  Or, does He live in the 21st Century?  Why do we think that God prefers one style of music over another?

 People have preferences.  I personally do not like the twangy, country Christian songs that remind me of something that could be played out of a juke box.  I just don’t like that style.  I am not crazy about bluegrass music either.  So when I hear a Christian song of that style I focus on the words.  I praise God through the words that are spoken.  I have known people who will sing a hymn that is unbiblical in doctrine just because it is in their songbook.  Likewise, people will sing praise and worship songs that are not biblical just because they like the style.  I don’t believe the style or type of music is as near as important as the message it portrays. 

The truth is that our preferences really don’t matter.  When it comes to music the only question is what God and His Word says.  Ephesians 5:19 gives some insight.  “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”   There are three types of music listed here- psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. 

 The psalms are the same Psalms we find in our Bible from God.  The early church would put the Psalms to music and sing them word for word.   I love singing the Psalms because it helps to hide His Word in my heart.  You cannot go wrong singing a song that is God’s own Word.

Hymns are songs that tell others about God.  Many of our hymns do just this.  “On a hill far away, stood an old rugged cross…”  This tells a story about God.  Hymns teach doctrine.  Hymns strengthen our faith.  Hymns bless those around us.

Spiritual Songs are songs that are sung to God.  We would call them Praise and Worship songs.  “I love you Lord and I lift my voice to worship you, Oh my soul rejoice…..”  Spiritual songs strengthen our personal relationship with the Lord.

 So you see, we should be singing all types of songs. We should be singing songs from God, about God, and to God.   And they should be sung with a pure heart; “making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  God is always concerned with our heart.

 If Christian people would put aside their own preferences and focus on the truth, the issue of music would be null. God would be praised.  His name would be lifted up.  His truths would be sung.  His Word would be declared.  Brothers and sisters in the faith would be united in song.  And God would be worshipped in sprit and in truth.

 “Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.”  Psalm 47:6-7

How Does Your Garden Grow?

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Ladies, spring is just around the corner and before we know it people will start planting their gardens.  Everyone wants to see their plants healthy and growing.  For that to happen, plants need food, water, sunshine, fertilizer, and some tending to.  Without one or more of these key ingredients plants will die.

Plants are not the only things in life that grow.  People grow too or at least they should.  Growth is healthy.  People get very concerned when a baby does not physically grow.  Likewise, people get very concerned when a child does not mentally grow.  But, what about a child of God who does not spiritually grow?

Just like a plant depends upon food and water, so do we.  Without either we will not survive.  But, what about our spiritual food?  A child of God will spiritually wither away without daily feeding upon the Word of God.   If you only ate once a week you would be starving.  How many people are starving spiritually?  They go days, weeks, or months without feeding their spirit.

Fertilizer is also very beneficial to the healthy growth of a plant.  Fertilizer is a little extra boost of nourishment every now and then.  That extra nourishment in a Christian’s life comes in the form of weekly corporate worship.  When we come together to pray, praise God, and hear His Words proclaimed we are nourished in our faith.  Without it, or when it is sporadic, our spiritual growth will become stale and stagnant.

Plants also need tending to.  Sometimes we need to give plants extra support or they will fall over.  Sometimes we must pull out the weeds that are choking them.  Sometimes plants need to be transported to a better location.  God has created us to need tending to as well.  In order for us to spiritually grow we need extra support and encouragement from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Without it we might fall over.  Sometime we need someone to come alongside us and point out the “weeds” growing in our lives and help to “pluck them out.”  Sometimes, we need a helping hand to bear our burdens because the environment we are in is detrimental to our spiritual life.  But a person who does not fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ will not be tended to as they should.  Many people miss blessings and opportunities for God to work because they are not involved in the local church, fellowships, and activities.

Ladies, how does your garden grow?  Are you healthy?  Are you strong in the Lord?  Are you spiritually growing in your faith?  Do you need some sonshine?  If so, read your Bible daily.  Be faithful  to the Lord and His church.  Be sure and fellowship with your brothers and sisters as often as possible.  When you do all of this, you will bloom!  You will flourish!  And you will find yourself healthy and thriving for the Lord!

Self-Esteem (Or is it Esteeming SELF)

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The other day I was listening to the radio when the most beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace came on.  It was sung by a choir of children.  As their angelic voices rang, I paused from cleaning the kitchen.  I listened to them sing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a child like me…”  Being that I have heard this song sung my entire life, this stood out because the original version of the song says, “that saved a wretch like me.”  As I asked myself why they changed the words, I already knew the answer.  We cannot have children calling themselves wretches; it might hurt their self-esteem. 

In an effort to build up children, some people have stopped keeping score during sports activities.  The reasoning is that if one team loses they will develop poor self-esteem.  Giving every child a trophy at the end of a sport’s season is along the same line of thinking.  I have heard of teachers who do not give F’s anymore to students.  They instead give U’s for unsatisfactory or I’s for incomplete.  We don’t want a child to know they failed.  When we placate to an already self-centered nature that is ingrained in all children, we foster in them a deeper selfish attitude.

There is a lot of talk in even Christian circles about self-esteem.  For example, Christian’s are terrified to point out sin in a brother’s life.  Even though the Bible clearly says that we are to admonish one another.  The justification for this is that we might hurt their feelings.  We might make them feel bad.  We might crush their self image.  But consider for a moment exactly what we are saying when our only concern is “self-esteem”.  We are saying that we should esteem self.  We must build people up in that we don’t damage their ego.   However, when we build up ego, we essentially Edge God Out.  In all of our concern with self has anyone stopped to consider how God feels in it all?

Can I suggest that this is the problem with our society?  We are too concerned with “self”.  For the last few generations people have not been taught correctly from the Word of God about the condition they are in prior to God’s grace.  In an attempt to build up self we have become blind to the truths of Scripture about the state of mankind.  “Well, we’re all just sinners”, many will say placing themselves in the same category as the rest of the world.  But let me submit that it was not until I stopped looking at everyone else, focused upon my own life, and fully came to grasp with what a wretch I was, that I could I fully understand God’s amazing grace.  Until I saw myself as filthy and undone could I accept the righteousness of Christ.  Until I truly saw myself as lost and without hope could I become saved with complete assurance.  Until I could cry out like the publican, “God be merciful to me a (the only one) sinner” or until I could say like Paul that I am the chiefest of all sinners did I truly understand my position before God.  Until I repented and turned from my sins could I be made right.  Until I realized that I was sick in sin could I be healed.  “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” Mark 2:17.

 My children are precious and as a parent I naturally want to build up their self-esteem.  But a building of self, while soothing to our sinful nature, is to their eternal detriment.  The best gift I can give them is to show them how they stand before a Holy and Just God.  It is when a child understands this and accepts God’s salvation then they have true worth, God’s grace is truly amazing, and their esteem is in Him alone!  “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man,” Psalm 118:8.

She Bears, Open Sin, and Church Discipline

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“Indeed I have sinned against the LORD…I saw…then I coveted…and took…” Joshua 7:20-21.

 I was reading in the book of Proverbs this morning that is it better to face a she bear that has lost her cubs than a fool in his folly, (Proverbs 17:12).  Foolish men are dangerous men.  They are dangerous to themselves. “A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul,” (Proverbs 18:7).  And they are dangerous to all those around them. 

 Do you remember the story of Achan?  When the Israelites conquered Jericho they were warned to not take anything from the city. “And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it,”(Joshua 6:18). Yet Achan disobeyed the Lord and took a garment, some silver, and gold. Then he hid it under his tent.

 When the children of Israel went to fight their next war, they were overthrown and thirty-six men were killed.  Joshua and all the elders fell on their face before the Lord to enquire why God was not with them.  God told Joshua to get up.  He said there was sin in the camp that he needed to deal with.  It is impossible for God to bless when sin abounds. 

When confronted, Achan told Joshua that he saw the goods, he coveted them, and he took them.  Achan was a fool in his folly.  Achan’s sin did not just affect him.  His sin caused thirty-six women to lose husbands.  His sin caused many children to become fatherless.  His sin caused Israel to lose a war.  His sin caused God’s name to be blasphemed.  But that was not all.  Achan’s sin destroyed  him and his entire family.  “And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan …and his sons, and his daughters,… and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones,” (Joshua 7:24-25).  Only when the sin in the camp was dealt with was the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger.

 God hates sin.  God is not mocked.  God punishes all sin. 

 But now, thanks be to God, those that are saved live under grace!  But does that mean that God ignores sin today?  Does He just overlook it?  Will sin go unpunished?  Paul said, “God forbid!” (Romans 6:15-16).

 The New Testament is filled with chastisement, punishment, and discipline upon children of God.  “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth,”(Hebrews 12:6).  In fact, God will only chasten those He loves.  Can you imagine a world without discipline?

 Let me ask, what kind of child would you have if you always told him to obey, taught him rules, and then NEVER corrected him or punished him when he did wrong?  Would you want to spend one day with a child like that?

 What would the school system look like if the children there were never given consequences for misbehavior?  Would you want your child going there?

 What would your workplace look like if those who cheated, lied, and acted lazy were never fired?   Would you want to work there?

 What kind of society would we live in if there were laws in place yet the police never enforced them?  Would you want to live in a society like that?

 The answer is an obvious no.  We want rotten children spanked.  We want mean, bullies at school to be dealt with.  We want unethical and dishonest workers to be fired.  We want murderers, thieves, and drunk drivers in our society to be locked away and punished.

 So let me ask this.  What kind of church would we have if the pastor always preached on sin, repentance, and living holy.  Yet, no one ever exhorted one another.  What if the church disobeyed the Scriptures and never disciplined its members?  What if we had the attitude of the first murderer and said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Would you want to be in a church like that?

 But, what if sin, repentance, and holy living was preached each week and the members exhorted one another daily (Hebrews 3:13)?  What if we carried our brother’s burdens and restored those who were overtaken in a fault (Galatians 6:1-2)?  What if we went to those that were sinning and confronted their sin (Matthew 18:15)?  What if we truly made a difference in the life of a brother or sister pulling them out of the fire (Jude 1:22-23)?  What if the church disciplined those who refused to repent (I Corinthians 5:9, I Corinthians 5:11, 2 Thessalonians 3:14, Matthew 18:17) in a loving effort to win them back? 

 If this happened God would bless. He would add to a church like this (Acts 5:13-14).   The church would be a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but it would be holy and without blemish, (Ephesians 5:27).  The church would have a good testimony in the community (Matthew 5:14-16).  The membership would be a peculiar people who glorified God (I Peter 2:9).  Each person would be striving for the high calling (Philippians 3:12-14).  God’s name would be lifted up and the members would be zealous of good works (Titus 2).   Who wouldn’t want to be in a church like that?

MOST (and DVD give-a-way)

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How does one even begin to extol the message of the glorious gospel? How do we even begin to comprehend the good news that has been given to us? How can we fully grasp the meaning of what God did for mankind? Sometimes I can’t. I believe it with all my heart but I do not understand it.

The Bible says, “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” (John 15:13). That I get. I can truly understand giving your life for those you love. I would not hesitate to give my life for one of my children or my family. I would like to think that I would even give my life for my friends. But God did not just give His life for His friends. He gave His Son to the world. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, (John 3:16a).

Our Creator made us in His image, perfect and righteous. Yet, by one man sin entered the world and death came by sin, (Romans 5:12). We were ungodly, unrighteous, and enemies of God, deserving hell eternal. But God sent His beloved Son that, “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16b).

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:6-8).

Can you imagine sacrificing your only son, who you cherish and love, for those who do not care? Can you imagine allowing your child to die at the hands of the wicked? Can you imagine giving up an innocent child to save the undeserving?

Last night, my family and I watched a 21st Century modern parable that gives us a small glimpse into what this sacrifice might look like. MOST – The Deluxe Edition DVD, beautifully illustrates the story of a father, his beloved son, and a great sacrifice that takes place at an open drawbridge. MOST, the Czech word for “The Bridge,” will stir your heart. It was most compelling and most intriguing!

MOST was filmed in Eastern Europe and is spoken in Czech with English subtitles. (It is translated into 18 subtitled languages, making it a great outreach tool). However, the language barrier did not hinder the message in anyway. Instead it created a timeless effect that brought the meaning of the message to full focus. MOST: The Deluxe Edition arrives at Christian stores and online retailers on March 1, 2011. It includes:

• MOST (33-minute film)

• Making of MOST (32-minute feature)

 • Bonus Scenes

• Extended Ending

• Introduction and Commentary by Luis Palau

• Study Guide

• Scoring Session (1-minute featurette of Symphony recording session)

I am also pleased to offer MOST – The Deluxe Edition DVD to one of my readers. Just leave a comment and I will draw one name on Friday, February 25th. The DVD will be shipped directly to the winner. For additional entries you can subscribe to this blog or spread the word about this giveaway (blog, facebook, emails, etc) and leave separate comment for each.

Also, be sure and check out the website and watch this heart wrenching trailer.

Disclosure: I received MOST – The Deluxe Edition in exchange for an honest product review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, part 255.

The Modern Church

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 “I don’t like those people!”

“I refuse to go to that church!”

“The people there are hypocrites!”

Have you ever heard statements like these? Many of us have. Sadly, many times people who make these statements simply stay at home and refuse to participate in their church functions. They will not join another church either. Perhaps they feel justified because they have been deeply wounded. Perhaps they are just making excuses. But regardless, for some reason they are “forsaking the assembly” (Hebrews 10:25). This attitude is in every town, within every individual church, and has been around since the beginning.

Something that I have witness of late is the “home church” movement. This group of people is different than the ones described above. Often, they are among the finest and most devoted Christians. They rightly believe that it is the parent’s role to teach and train their children in the ways of the Lord. It is not the government’s role or even the churches’ role to teach their children. These committed parents are faithful in teaching the Bible and living a consistent godly life. They are faithful in protecting their children from the world and the evils in it.

Often these families were once very involved in a local church but something happened to discourage them. The reasoning for withdrawing is usually warranted.

“The church looks and acts just like the world.”

 “I shelter my children six days a week just to have them exposed to something immoral from the other children at church.”

“The church is not following the doctrines laid out in Scripture.”

These are all the comments I hear. And sadly, many modern day churches make it harder and harder for those who are striving to live by biblical principles to be a part of.

Consider these four examples.

1. Church one is a rather large church and probably the most severe case. Unfortunately, they are very worldly and known in the community for their divisions. The membership is divided between ministers within the church. One faction follows the leadership of the pastor and another follows the leadership of another minister. This division causes constant envying and strife among the believers. It has gotten so bad that members of the same church have been known to sue one another causing even more division. Recently, one family was torn apart because of sexual immortality between family members. The whole town heard of this. In addition, the church abuses its ordnances. The membership of this church often has trials and many are sick. It is apparent that God is judging this church.

 2. Church two is a wonderful church full of promise and potential. But there are two women in this church that cannot seem to get along. All the good qualities are overlooked in this church because of these women. Others have had to step in and try to resolve the issue. It is so bad the other churches know about this problem, therefore, the church has a bad reputation.

3. Church three has members within the church who teach lies. Entire families are being persuaded and have embraced these false doctrines. There are those in the community who slander and falsely accuse the church. The leadership of this church will have to eventually deal with this issue before it destroys the church.

4. Church four has a young pastor who is very faithful. But, this pastor has to deal with those who refuse to submit to his leadership because of his age. And unfortunately, like church three, this church also has to deal with false teachers. The teachers are known hypocrites who try to influence those who are weak in the faith. It is easy to see how the more mature Christians struggle with this and get discouraged.

These examples are from just a few churches. But if we were to pull back the curtain of hypocrisy and reveal the churches as they truly were, we would find that every modern day church has problems. The doctrines taught seem to be superficial, the worldliness abounds, and unqualified pastors often prey on their congregations for greedy gain. One can see why devoted Christians want to reject it all and worship God in Spirit and Truth in the safe haven of their home. Understandably, they want to be a part of a pure and holy church, somewhat like the first century church, who met in their homes. These early believers were filled with the Spirit. They prayed and fellowshipped together. They had one heart and one soul. They even had all things common (Acts 4:31-37). What a wonderful church to belong to!

However, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Nor, was the church better in the first century. You see, the four examples given were from the first century. Church one was the Corinthian church, Church two was the church at Philippi. Church three was the church at Crete, whose pastor was Titus. And church four was the church at Ephesus. Timothy is the young faithful pastor mentioned above. All of these were founded by none other than Paul himself during the first century.

So, let me ask this question. What would have happened to the church at Ephesus (or any of the others) if all the mature, striving Christians would have left the church? It is likely that Timothy would have been left fighting heresy all alone. The church would have continued down a path of wickedness, never learning the truth. Without the examples of the mature believers and the discipleship they give, the babes in Christ would have never matured. The remaining sheep would have been slaughtered by wolves and the goats would have rule. I see this very thing happening today. In the pursuit of a perfect church, many have given up the fight and turned individual churches over to Satan. Without support, the pastor is left feeling defeated and he too often gives up.

In addition, a family who pulls out from the church also pulls out from under the authority that Christ established within the church. When they forsake the assembly, they remove themselves out from under the authority of the pillar and ground of the truth – the church (I Timothy 3:15). Christ called His church (Matthew 4:18-21), Christ confirms His church (Matt 16:18), Christ loves and died for His church (Ephesians 5:25), and Christ will return for His church (I Thessalonians 4:17). He intended for the church (ekklesia) to be a called out, local assembly of baptized believers who covet together to carry out the Great Commission.

Dear believer, we must not give up on the church that Jesus built. Remember, the church is a family of families. Those that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak. The mature needs to disciple the immature. Those on the meat of the Word need to be teaching those on the milk. Pastors need help from those families who are striving to live by biblical principles. This is what we are called to do. Christ said Himself that the wheat and tares would grow together until the harvest (Matthew 13:24-30). True believers must remain strong and true to the Lord’s church. Otherwise, no one is left to fight false teaching. No one is left to take a stand when it matters. No one is left to confront sin in the church. How Christ must grieve when this happens.

Of course, it should be noted that there are times when one must shake the dust off their feet because the people will not change. But this should be done with much prayer. In some cases it would be foolish to stay at a dying church. But if we have to leave one church it should always be to find another. 

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee,” Psalm 22:22.

Lift Up Your Eyes

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“Why are we helping people who are living in blatant sin?” I asked my husband. He had received a call from a young man who needed help. As my husband spoke with him, he discovered that he had a live in girlfriend. I believe in helping. There are those who are trying to live good lives and struggling in this world. Sometimes a helping hand can make a world of difference. I know we have been there in the past and God has used others to come along side and bless our family. But this was different. Wasn’t it?

“Go get some food out of the freezer, a loaf of bread, and a gallon of milk and we’ll add it to the box of food from the church.” He said. “I still don’t think we should help people who are fornicating.” I replied. He told me that we needed to. This would be an opportunity to talk to this man and woman about the Lord and their need of repentance. So I reluctantly went along.

It took us some time to find the place. We were looking for a house. What we found was some type of business which looked more like a junk yard. In the midst of the junk was a small trailer like you would hook up to a truck. It was a little smaller than my bathroom and it had an extension cord run through the window for electricity. My husband spent quite a bit of time talking with this young man and woman. He wanted to find out about their life. They were without a home, without a car, without a job, living in a borrowed trailer in exchanged for a little side work. They had no family, no way to get married, and no hope.

As my husband spoke to them, he told them about the Lord. He explained that God cannot bless them while they are living in sin. He tried to shed the love of God upon their lives and give them hope. He gave them the food. Then he prayed with them, got in the car, and drove away.

As we drove home and talked, God taught me a lesson that I pray I will never forget. You see, I live a very sheltered life. Sure, I know there are those who have it hard but this was not about “having it hard”. They were not struggling to make their car payment; they didn’t have one. They were not struggling to pay the cable bill; they didn’t have a TV. They were not facing foreclosure; they didn’t have a home. They were not having trouble at work; they didn’t have a job or a way to even find one. And even if they could find work they would have no way to get there. Even if they wanted to repent and live pure before the Lord where would they go? If this young man left this woman to make it right, where would he leave her? She had no family, no job, no home, nothing.

I had no answers for them. I could give them a few groceries but it seemed in vain. All the worldly wisdom that could be offered seemed futile. (“This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work,” James 3:15-16). Only God has the answers. It is His wisdom that this young couple needs. (“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace,” James 3:17-18). I pray that as we strove to point them towards God that we did it in a pure, peaceable, gentle way that was full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

This world desperately needs the Lord but sadly, many of God’s people have lost their influence. There are a number of reasons for this. The first is that we have stopped living a separated life style. We do not live holy lives; therefore, the church has been relegated to the corner of society. The second reason is because we have refused reach out. We are content to focus inwardly. Evangelism has ceased. As one old preacher use to say, “We have become fish tank keepers instead of fishers of men.” I believe that most pastors have a heart for evangelism. The problem is that they are so busy dealing with the woes of the congregation, the sins of the people, and irrelevant issues within the church that they simply do not have any time left for those outside. But evangelism does not fall to just the pastors. The Great Commission was given to the church (the people). So that falls to me and every other true believer. Sure I have a high calling of focusing on my home, my husband, and my children. But I am to also be light to a darkened world and salt to a wounded people.

Our Lord said, “Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest,” John 4:35. My problem is that I haven’t been lifting up my eyes. I haven’t been looking. Let me take that back. I have been looking but perhaps I need to stop looking in such a judgmental way and begin to look with compassion and love. Not with worldly compassion and false love that ignores sin but with godly compassion and true love that confronts sin and points sinners to their only hope – Jesus Christ.

I love this Bible curriculum!

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When it comes to what subject holds the highest priority with this Christian homeschooling family, none can compete with the Bible.  Long ago, my husband and I determined that Christ would be preeminent in not only our individual lives and our family structure but also in the education of our children.  To know God and to learn from His Word is the number one goal of home discipleship.  Second to that would be to get a solid, biblical education.  The reason, however, might surprise some.  It is not so that my children will be successful in life.  The reason we aspire to attain a good education for my children is so that God receives glory in all that we do, to be a living testimony of Christ, and to further the kingdom of God through our work here on earth.

As a reviewer, I am perhaps the hardest on Bible Curriculums.  The reason is because you are dealing with the precious Word of God.  To take that carelessly or out of context in my mind is a serious matter that should not be treated lightly.  I have high expectations for those who will attempt to expound on the Word of God.

I was given the opportunity to review a high school Bible curriculum by Positive Action for Christ called The Life of Christ from the Gospel of John.  From the moment I saw it, I loved this product!  I received a Teacher’s manual that included teaching strategies, background information, quizzes, test, transparencies disk, and other supplemental material.  I also received a beautifully illustrated, full color student book with activities, lessons, and thought provoking study questions. 

The Life of Christ puts the reader in Israel with Jesus during the years AD 29-32.  You learn about customs, geography, and dates.  “We point out the seasons of the year, the time of day, and even the weather to help the students relive those exciting days when Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, walked the earth and ministered to the people in Israel,” (taken from the teacher’s forward).  All of this makes the story of Jesus alive in the hearts and minds of the students.  Going through this study you cannot help but relate to Christ as a visible and personal Saviour.  It is clear that Positive Action for Christ desires to present the Lord as more than a mere historical fact. 

We want the students to achieve the following objectives:

  • To see His brilliance
  • To know His compassion
  • To thrill at His courage and power
  • To weep over His death
  • To rejoice in His resurrection

They sum it up in their mission statement.  Positive Action exists to equip Bible teachers to magnify the majesty of God.  (Christian parents, you are called of God to be your child’s Bible teacher.  The responsibility falls to you, not to a school, homeschool co-op, or even the church.  All of these can be good but they should supplement what you are already teaching in the home.)

As a homeschool curriculum I highly recommend this study.  Positive Action for Christ has online lesson samples for you to download and view. 

They also have Bible curriculum for every age group which is something this family will be looking into when we complete The Life of Christ.  One of the beauties of homeschooling is the versatility. While this curriculum targets 9-12 grades it can easily be adapted to use as a family devotional.

To see what others are saying about The Life of Christ click here.

Disclaimer:  As a member of The Old Schoolhouse 2010-2011 Crew, I received the Life Of Christ in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

UNSTUFF -A Book Review

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I just finished reading UNSTUFF – Making Room In Your Life for What Really Matters by Michael and Hayley DiMarco.  This book really surprised me.  I was not expecting to be challenged to this extent. 

I am not a fan of “self-help” books because we should not look within ourselves for help.  True help comes from the Lord and it is to Him that we should cling.  So honestly, when I first received this book I thought it would be just another shallow self-help book.  I have to admit that I was wrong.  The premise of this book is that everything in the universe falls into one of two categories – God and stuff. 

The DiMarco’s confront their love for stuff and take a journey to Unstuff their lives.  They spend three month driving across the country in a motor home visiting homeless shelters.  They share their story, their failures, their success, and the changes they made to simplify their lives so they could live more fully for God and for others.  They share reasons to Unstuff and challenge those who have ears to hear the truths behind Unstuff.  I believe their dedication sums it up:  “To the One who created all and knows our hearts.  May we worship You and not your creation (or the creation’s creations).”

Our society is built around commercialism.  We love our stuff.  We want more stuff, bigger stuff, and newer stuff. We want the stuff our neighbors and co-workers have.  And the truth is that we are so blinded by the idea that we deserve stuff that the tenth commandment seems irrelevant.  Unstuff takes a look at not just things that money can buy but also the stuff we put into our minds, stuff we put into our bodies, relationship stuff, worship stuff, and future stuff.  The reading is simplistic but the ideas are deep.  Do not pick up this book unless you want to be challenged.  The only strike from this reviewer would be the Bible translation used.  I prefer to use the KJV and it is somewhat inconvenient to stop to look up Scripture each time.  However, most will overlook this issue.   Thank you Tyndale House Publishers for the book in exchange for an honest product review.  It was enjoyable.