Family Helps

Terrie will never let me forget our first couples retreat at Lancaster Baptist Church. Trying to save on cost, I rented a large house by a lake, rather than reserving hotel rooms. And I was such a rookie pastor that I literally had the men sleep on the first floor and the ladies on the second floor.

I remember as a young father hearing stories about pastors’ kids not turning out and being afraid that my children could be among the statistics. I wanted with everything in me to love and nurture my family while at the same time to be faithful to God’s calling on my life for the ministry.

To train means “to narrow,” conveying the thought of marking a clear path for our children by removing the unnecessary and focusing on that of lasting value—setting biblical boundaries (Proverbs 13:6). Many parents unwisely encourage their children to experiment with various philosophies of life.

The summer has flown by, and the beginning of a new school year is just around the corner. Although kids are still enjoying the summer moments, wise parents will make a few basic preparations that will ready their children for a profitable school year.

As we pause this month to celebrate Mothers’ Day, I think of the influence that each and every mom has over the lives of her children. Qulaities like love, patience, care, tenderness and faithfulness flood our minds when we think of our mothers. The affection of friends and family may ebb and flow, but the love of a mom is always there.

One of Terrie’s early, unspoken expectations of marriage was that I would help around the house. Shortly after we were married, we had invited company over for dinner. I noticed she was stressed with the preparations and offered to help. I was pleased with how delighted she was at my offer and silently congratulated myself on my sensitivity and kindness.

A—Acknowledge your need for the Lord in the training of your children. B—Begin each school day with prayer before leaving your home.

Here are 15 tips drawn from biblical principles to improve your home that I have found helpful and trust will be a blessing to you.

One of the easy traps for parents to fall into is having shortsighted goals for their children.

Being a parent is a tough job. And in today’s broken society, it sometimes seems that there are 1,001 forces working against you. But parenting is not only tough—it’s vital. It’s the highest of callings, and it’s important that you succeed in raising your children to follow the Lord as adults. So how are you to win in this endeavor?

Do you ever tremble at the incredible responsibilities on your shoulders as a parent? On one hand, you are called to protect the tender hearts and minds of your children, and on the other, you are trying to do so in a terribly perverse society and while exercising faith in God. How do you balance both?

Just a little over nine years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the funeral service of Dr. Lee Roberson, a giant of the faith. Dr. Roberson was a preacher of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ for 79 years and a pastor for 50 years.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day this year, many of our hearts and minds are filled with wonderful thoughts and memories of our own mother. The Bible is filled with examples of great mothers: Hannah, Elisabeth, Mary, the Shunamite woman, Eunice and Jochebed. I am thankful for each of these ladies as well.

Technology has changed the way we parent. It has become a force for good and evil. On one hand, we now have access to the largest library in the world. On the other, we have unprecedented access to unlimited evil.

A marriage that endures through the decades is the result of God’s grace through two people who are committed to one another. Sometimes as I counsel couples, I’m reminded of how important it is when it comes to marriage to keep the basics in mind. If we forget the basic truths about biblical marriage, we easily make assumptions that, over time, undermine the marriage relationship.

Assumptions are powerful for two reasons: first, because we often don’t recognize our assumptions (by definition, we accept them as fact) and second, because they do, in fact, shape our actions. In almost thirty years of pastoring and counseling, I’ve discovered that many Christian parents hold false assumptions which they don’t recognize and which they base their parenting decisions upon.

Parents are responsible not only to teach God’s Word to their children but to “teach them diligently.” Deuteronomy 6:7 describes the level of persistence with which we are to teach our children: “and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Many of us found that the daily routines we had established in the spring, went out the window on Memorial day. Now that school is back in full swing, it may be wise to step back and assess your daily routines. In our family, we have found that developing morning and evening routines helps us be able to get up at a decent time without stressing over whether or not we have time to prepare for the day.

Two of the questions that I’m often asked is how a spiritual leader can keep his family a priority in the ministry and how we can encourage our children so they don’t feel resentful toward the ministry.

There’s no question about it: the home is under attack today. And I’m not just talking about subtle attacks that cautiously undermine biblical values. I’m talking about a full on, vicious, satanic attack that is shaking the very definition of the family itself.