Britt Hume on Tiger Woods

Above is a YouTube video from the O'Reilly Factor where Britt Hume, a Fox News anchor, is defending comments he made about Tiger Woods and how he would benefit from converting to the Christian faith. He says that Tiger is in great need of "forgiveness" and "redemption." He is exactly right and is making the point that Tiger's professed religion, Buddhism, offers no such redemption or forgiveness of sin. Hume has received a lot of flack from people about his comments, but I for one am proud that he is standing up for his statements.

You might be able to use this as an opportunity to show your children that there are indeed public figures who are Christians and who love and serve Jesus and stand up for the gospel. Be careful, though, that you don't idolize these types of people in your children's minds. We have all seen how very-public figures, who claim to be Christians, can desert their faith or at least practice a lifestyle that is totally inconsistent with the faith that they profess. If our young people's faith is upheld because they find comfort in the fact that celebrities, athletes, or pop-stars share their faith, then when such failures happen, their "faith" can collapse. Our children should trust and follow Christ because of how great HE is--not because how cool or great certain public figures are who claim to know Him.

One other note: I wish that Britt Hume would be more forthright in saying that Tiger Woods needs Christ Himself--not just the Christian religion. And I wish that all of us would learn to love Christ simply because of who He is and what He has done--not primarily for what we can get out of Him ("forgiveness" or "redemption" or "eternal life" or fill-in-the-blank.)

That said, I am proud of Britt Hume. And I hope that Tiger Woods does indeed turn to our Savior in this dark time of his life.

What are We Teaching Our Daughters (and our sons)?

Homemaking Internship by Carolyn Mahaney

I sent this article out in an email to all parents of our church, but I thought I'd post it on here as well. This is a relatively short article about the importance of teaching our daughters the lost art of "homemaking." I predict that some of you reading this will cringe at that thought--saying that we've entered into a more modern era where gender roles aren't what they used to be. So it's too "old school" to teach our daughters to care for children, make meals, serve their husbands, etc. And I can understand a bit of where you are coming from. But Mahaney--and myself--are not saying that it is immoral for women to work outside of the home or for men to do the dishes. What she--and I--are suggesting though, is that God has given women (and men) a unique role in the family. And we do not pull that idea out of thin air.

This is just one example of a biblical passage on the issue, but read these words from Paul to Titus in Titus 2:3-5--

"Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled."

I won't launch into an extended explanation of the text, but a few notes...Older women are to "teach" younger women how to be good wives and mothers. This most naturally would take place in the home...They are to "train" them, which implies that their instruction is to be over the long-haul rather than just one-time lessons...And whether we like the concept or not, Paul does tell Titus that young ladies should be taught how to "work at home" and "submit to their husbands." These are not just roles that chauvinistic men have imposed on women, but are part of biblical femininity. They are beautiful in God's sight and should be taught to our daughters.

Disclaimer: Can a woman work outside the home and still be a "homemaker"? Yes. Although, honestly, I don't know that this is the ideal if it is possible to avoid it. And can a man help with dishes, laundry, or dinner and still be biblically "manly"? Of course! I do those things....But the Bible does depict our genders as having different roles within our families. And I think we need to let Scripture inform our views more than our culture.

So...if you have a daughter, moms make sure you are following Titus 2 and teaching your daughters the beautiful honor of homemaking. Don't let them enter adulthood without any training or knowledge about these things. Our culture might frown upon trying to teach her such things, but God does not.

And of course, fathers you need to teach your sons the honor and art of leading, providing, etc.

So read the article linked above and let me know what you think!

A New Years Resolution To Consider...

One of my hopes for each of the families in our church during 2010 is that you will make family worship/devotions a priority in your house. Whether you have no kids, lots of kids, or your kids have moved out, I hope that everyone in your household can get together on a regular basis for a short time of prayer and Bible reading.

This doesn't have to be profound or formal...I'm talking about just spending time together as a family to read a passage, discuss it briefly, and pray together. This simple step can reap great benefits for your family. If we are really supposed to teach and disciple our children (Deut. 6, Eph. 6), it's vital that we take time frequently during our weeks to stop and focus in on that task.

One of my friends recently posted this on Facebook:

Devotionals with your kids are awesome! If you haven't started yet, let me recommend it, lots of growing on both accounts. Been able to hit it solid for a week, and wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything. Sorry I didn't start sooner guys.


If you're wondering about how you might be able to actually go about doing this, listed below are some simple suggestions from Mark Driscoll:

Step 1. Eat dinner with your entire family regularly.
Step 2. Mom and Dad sit next to one another to lead the family discussion.
Step 3. Open the meal by asking if there is anyone or anything to pray for.
Step 4. Someone opens in prayer and covers any requests. This task should be rotated among family members so that different people take turns learning to pray aloud.
Step 5. Start eating and discuss how everyone’s day went.
Step 6. Have a Bible in front of the parents in a translation that is age-appropriate for the kids’ reading level. Have someone (parent or child) open the Bible, and assign a portion to read aloud while everyone is eating and listening.
Step 7. Parents should note key words and themes in the passage and explain them to the kids on an age-appropriate level.
Step 8. Ask questions about the passage. You may want to begin with having your children summarize what was read—retelling the story or passage outline. Then, ask the following questions: What does this passage teach us about God? What does it say about us or about how God sees us? What does it teach us about our relationships with others?
Step 9. Let the conversation happen naturally, listen carefully to the kids, let them answer the questions, and fill in whatever they miss or lovingly and gently correct whatever they get wrong so as to help them.
Step 10. If the Scriptures convict you of sin, repent as you need to your family, and share appropriately honest parts of your life story so the kids can see Jesus’ work in your life and your need for him too. This demonstrates gospel humility to them.
Step 11. At the end of dinner, ask the kids if they have any questions for you.
Step 12. If you miss a night, or if conversation gets off track, or if your family occasionally just wants to talk about something else, don’t stress—it’s inevitable.

http://life2getherblog.com/2009/02/24/mark-driscolls-family-dinner-devotions/