Resource for Families: Faith Matters in Divorce

Have you ever heard the saying  "If you say something enough it becomes true"? There's a slogan that has been going around Christendom for years that the divorce rate in the church is the same as that outside the church. It's quoted often in youth ministry circles. Here's a great article from the Baptist Press that challenges that exact notion and finds it false...

"The divorce rates of Christian believers are not identical to the general population -- not even close. Being a committed, faithful believer makes a measurable difference in marriage.

Saying you believe something or merely belonging to a church, unsurprisingly, does little for marriage. But the more you are involved in the actual practice of your faith in real ways -- through submitting yourself to a serious body of believers, learning regularly from Scripture, being in communion with God though prayer individually and with your spouse and children, and having friends and family around you who challenge you to take you marriage's seriously -- the greater difference this makes in strengthening both the quality and longevity of our marriages. Faith does matter and the leading sociologists of family and religion tell us so."

To read the entire article click here.

Thanks to Steve for the lead to this article.

Finger Darts = Fun Day in the Office

Yup our long awaited finger darts came in today. Let the mayhem commence...

props to Elizabeth Wheat for the pics.

Fun and Rewarding....

Dear Target,
      My afternoon spent putting together the desk and chair we purchased was neither "fun" or "rewarding" as the instructions promised. It did however provide us with a desk and chair that was tedious to assemble.
                            ~Dave

Not A Bad Way to Spend the Afternoon

Ahh sabbath...

Said One Demon to Another...

"Surely you know that if a man can't be cured of churchgoing , the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that "suits" him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches."

~C.S. Lewis "Screwtape Letters"

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

What I'm reading...

David Kraft in his book "Leaders Who Last" said that one of the key aspects of a leader is that they are always learning and always reading. One of the reasons the blog has been quiet lately is that I've been wonderfully barried in some great books. Here's a short list...

• The Smell of Sin: This was given to me for Christmas and has been a great reminder of how serious Jesus took the topic of sin. Don Everts does a great job, in this little book, at reminding us that the darker we realize our sin is the brighter our savior becomes. 
• For What It's Worth:  Simon Guillebaud is somewhat of a legend around my church. For years I'd heard his name dropped in conversation by people I greatly respect. So it was with interest that I heard he was coming off the mission field for two years and going to be working out of the office down the hall. I've gotten to know this radical man of God over the last few months and can attest to the fact that he does wear the term radical well. Simon is passionate about seeing lives transformed for the Gospel. His book "For What It's Worth" and the DVD series "More Than Conquers" (which in my humble yet accurate opinion blows the Nooma series out of the water. In both theology and content) have been very challenging in how I lead my family, ministry, and myself. 
• Rid of My Disgrace This has been the hardest book I've had to read in recent history. Not because it isn't written well or because is heady but because the subject matter is so difficult. This book is written to address the victims and those who work with the victims of sexual assault.  1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men are sexually assaulted in their life time. Much of it happens between the ages of 10 and 18. As someone who works with teenagers this book has been really helpful. 
• Teen Proofing John Rosemond wrote a great book about how to mentor your teenager through their adolescent years. The book is written with practical advice and great perspective. We'll be using this book as well as Wayne Rice's book Generation to Generation as some key texts to our GodParent class we'll be launching in March.
• Think A shorter book by John Piper outlining the importance of applying thought to scripture. Very challenging as to how I engage hermeneutics. 
• Radical Haven't started this book yet but it comes highly recommended and challenging to the American Dream. My church will be working through this over lent. 

Bible 2.0

I'm a big fan of the Bible. Seriously, it's how God the all powerful creator of the universe has chosen to reveal himself, his plan of redemption, and his great working through time to us. It's worth reading daily, committing to memory, and applying to every area of life. I've mentioned before on this blog some great websites that help get people into scripture. Here's another one worth book marking... www.EsvOnline.org  . Great study notes, a host of devotionals, don't like to read it'll read it to you, bookmark passages, and even save your own notes.  If you're really wanting to get into God's word this is a great resource.

Lift My Eyes

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

121:1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

Relationships are Key...

Read this article over on MoreThanDodgeBall.com about the connection between relationships and discipleship...

Discipleship is a cycle of leading and following that finds its life and vitality in one thing: relationships. Without relationships there is NO discipleship. No matter how savvy our programs, how extensive our small group curriculum, or how many ministries we have for students to get involved in, if relationships aren’t a part of it all…we fail. Now don’t get me wrong: small groups, student leadership, and Sunday school classes can be good tools to facilitate spiritual growth and even build some form of relationships. Oftentimes, however, we tag these programs with the umbrella of discipleship and they have nothing to do with relationships at all! It’s just another gathering to fill up time during your week, which in turn takes away from the relationships you should be building in the first place.

As we start our confirmation process its key that we emphasize the link between what can be a formal dry process and necessary relationships that speak louder then any sermon or teaching.  We help foster these by placing the younger students in table groups is older high school students. Every table has two table leaders who are plugged into not only our high school youth group but also our high school small group community. All of it is designed so that years from now when a student may not remember that one outstanding teaching I gave they will remember the relational picture their table leader painted throughout the process.

Guys, Girls, Relationships, and Jesus

Would you pray?

I know I've posted this before but it's a good reminder to be in prayer for the youth of this generation. Would you join us?

Confirmation Begins

Confirmation is a formal process where students own the faith that they were promised to be raised in at their baptism. Its a wonderful time of discipleship and something I really do look forward to every year. Last night began the the rather intensive process which includes a systematic teaching or the redemptive story, ecclesiology, missiology, pneumatology, as well as local service, and a study of the Gospel of Luke in it's entirety. We intentionally set the bar high and every year students surpass our expectations. One of the more exciting times is seeing high school students who act as table leaders to this mostly 8th grade class mature into leaders and be used by God. Here's to a great season of confirmation.

Between Confessing and Professing Christ

"If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

                                                                                 ~ Martin Luther    
 
As quoted by John Piper in his new book "Think." It's an excellent read on why Christiains should apply their mind when reading scripture. 

If You Teach This Should Rock Your World...