The 'What If' Child

We have a child that is a deep thinker.  He is always asking a 'what if' question.  In the photo above, he asking himself what is really going to happen when he fights Darth Vader, will my parents find me in this crowd when I am done, will I use a real light saber  . . . .   Really, all kids get the worries from time to time and want to know 'what if.'  For a deep thinker, the world can be a never ending place of fear.  They think too much for their own good.  Their heighten awareness spawn one scenario after another.  Our children should know that worries and fears are normal, that everyone has them, and we need to show them what we do with worries.

Our children's 'what ifs' are a great chance to make clear to them basic Biblical wisdom.  It is easy to forget when our minds start spinning.  I tell my child, simply and bluntly that,

• "You can handle anything that happens to you WITH GOD."  
• "Life will keep you busy enough with real things that happen to you, don't waste your time with 'what ifs'."
• "Don't keep 'what if'ing your self because they never end.  They will just go on and on."
• "What ever happens, you will just deal with it.  God has a plan, there is no need to worry.  He won't give you anymore then you can handle WITH Him."
• "You need to deal with what is happening right now, at this moment."  
• "No matter what happens, stay calm and pray to God for wisdom.  He will show you what to do."

Another exercise that is good to do is to ask them, "What are you afraid of happening?"  Or, "What is the worse that could happen?"  For example, if the child says they are afraid of the house catching on fire, you would help them see that they would leave the house and the fire department would come and put the fire out.  This exercise may be too hard for a child who lacks the ability to reason, meaning a child on the spectrum or with delays.  The point of the exercise is to show, what ever happens, you will just deal with the situation.  

Death may come up in your 'what if' conversation, but you need to deal with it honestly, while only giving them simple information that they need to know.  It is best to be calm, steady and sure of yourself in your delivery.  If you don't believe it completely, your children will see that, and they won't believe either.  As Christians, we have no fear of death.  If your child is persistent, but not yet mature enough, I tell them they will learn more as they get older, but now is not the time.  They need to grow more.  

Having an environment where your child can come and talk to you about what is on their heart plays a major role in providing that teachable moment.  If we have our child's heart, if they feel loved and safe with us, they will let us into their most personal thoughts.  Our children need us to talk to.  They need to be reassured by us.  During these talks with my children, I always remind them that it is our (their mother and father's) job to take care of them and help them though any events that might happen.  Even when they are by themselves, God is ALWAYS with them, watching over them. No worries.  It is a good reminder to the us as well, because where do you think their deep thinking brain came from?  

Adopted For Life ~ Book Review

Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore was a book I read last year and loved it so much, I bought one, so I could highlight my favorite passages. It is about the priority of adoption for Christian families and churches. Besides being about adopting children, it is also about us being adopted by God. So, it is not just a book for couples who are thinking of, are or have adopted, but any Christian. One thing it is not is an informative, how to book about adoption. Here is a quote that sums up the book:

The gospel of Jesus Christ means our families and churches ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans close to home and around the world.

One of my favorite parts in the book is when Moore tells a story of an adopting white family that was told by a relative that he wouldn't have a black child in his family tree. In addition to relating that this was sinful behavior, the couple explained that Heaven wasn't going to be just white people. Perhaps if our churches reflected the true diversity of Heaven, perhaps people would understand the beauty of various races in the church body or in a family. Actually, during a conversation about adoption with a family member, they whispered in my ear, "You are going to get a white baby, right?" I am serious. Coolly, I replied that we are very open in the matter of race. Adding, "they are all the same inside." She sweetly agreed and was very pleasant with me. We are all so good at being politically correct, or maybe not so correct, but this adoption has really opened up a hole new view of people's feelings about race.

While I have no idea what our baby will look like, we will have to deal with the unpleasant reality of people's opinions. However, after reading this book and with the support of my friends, I no longer feel that I am selfish. I had felt that in my deep desire for another baby, that it might not be fair to adopt child of "color," if they were placed with white parents because of society's strong feelings on race. This book help me realize that I have God on my side, and all children are a blessing. It is not selfish at all, but completely biblical.

Finally, I would just like to add that the book does a good job of painting a realistic picture of adoption. It is not all roses. It is not charity. It is a reflection of God's adoption of us as his children.

Here is one final quote:

When we protect and welcome children, we're announcing something about Jesus and his kingdom.

Oh, and by the way, we have handed in our paperwork, and are officially onto the homestudy phase!

My Turn! | Catherine

Hi Friends,

This is Catherine posting.  I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little better through the following questions. :)

What am I reading?

 In the Bible, I'm going through Deuteronomy right now.  It sounds like a dry book to read, but I loooove Deuteronomy!  It's actually filled with quite a lot of drama and woven throughout is the amazing faithfulness of our God. 

For fun, I'm also reading my camera manual (yes, I think that's fun!) and anything and everything related to photography!  Check out I Heart Faces and ILP for some great photography forums.  You can also visit my blog to see my latest photo shoot.

What can my children do instead of watching TV?

We're not a no-TV kind of family.  I do permit them to watch one show in the morning and one show in the afternoon.  But when they're not doing that, they can do chores!  Seriously!  The more I involve them in doing chores along with me, the happier they have been.  It sounds strange, right?  But there has been less bickering, more joyful attitudes about helping Mommy (not so at first!), and I just enjoy their company. 

What am I grateful for?

I am grateful for all the little things I take for granted each day.  Healthy children, a roof over my head, food and water, heat when it's cold, and clothes that we're literally swimming in (and have bought literally none of it).

What have I done for my marriage lately?

We're going through Love Dare. :)

Room for One More

The Christmas season brings to mind the Scripture that details Mary and Joseph's search for a room in Bethlehem to shelter them from the night. Though they knocked on many doors, they only received the reply that there was no room for them. Finally, they found a place that made room for the expectant couple. It recalls to me the birth of my own children and makes me ask myself, do we have room for one more?

There was a time when my husband and I thought we would have a specific number of children, a kin to objects you plan to acquire in life. "How many children do you think you will have," is a question often asked of couples. God has changed our hearts not to see our family as a specific number, but of questioning ourselves if there is room for one more. It leads us to be open to what God may have for us. Now, we take it year by year, child by child, just having our hearts open to another child.

One reason for this was seeing children as a gift, a blessing from God. You can search all of Scripture and not find any evidence that children are a curse, though the demand of day-to-day reality easily leads people to think differently. In fact, children, in the generic term, are always referred to as a blessing in the Bible. The idea that children are an inconvenient drain is completely a worldly notion. While being a lot of work, children are also very valuable. The work they require is really an opportunity to serve and grow in God. Now, that does not mean you have to have 16 children to be deemed truly righteous. It simply means, that whether you have 2 or 20, you are blessed to have children. It also means as a church family, we are blessed to have children in our congregation.

Parents are not the only ones who need to view children as a blessing. While the parents are called to disciple their children*, the church plays many important roles in bringing up the next generation too. One way is by seeing children as a gift to our congregation, celebrating each addition of a new child to our fold with joy. The attitude of the Church on this matter will determine the direction of its members. It is amazing what a little encouragement can do. The cards and presents we received after the birth of our 3rd child gave me tangible evidence that he was a blessing to be celebrated, not a misfortune as the world may think. So, when we meet a family of 6, instead of being shock and feeling pity for them, we can comment on their great blessing.

If the Church does not see the addition of children as a "good thing," then believers will see a family of more than 1.8 children as a misfortune. Making room for one more will not even be on the radar of options. Encouraging adoption will be difficult, or it will be seen as charity at best. Picking up on our negative response, the next generation's perfect family size will shrink and they will not know to delight in children.

Personally, getting a Biblical attitude adjustment towards seeing my children as a gift has made one of the biggest differences in me being able to delight in my own children. By delight, I mean that I truly enjoy spending time with my children, not because I ought to or because they are "good," but because God has changed my heart. So, yes, we have room for one more. There is a lot more to be said on the subject, but the point is that children are a gift from the Lord.

Scripture:
*You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deuteronomy 6:7

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127:3-5

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 136:13-16

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. John 16:21

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10

It's a Fine Line

There are certain decisions we make as Christians about the way we live our lives that fall into a murky gray area. The Bible does not specifically speak on that micro modern detail, and we are left with to use the wisdom of God found in the Bible, wise council and the Holy Spirit to determine what would honor God. If that is not hard enough, in the Bible Paul talks about how God may convict one person not to commit one act, but it is perfectly o.k. for another, such as kosher eating.

Personally, I am filled with so many questions~ I went to a Paul McCartney concert, did that dishonor with God? We let our children trick-or-treat a little, is that righteous? Can I walk through the Art Museum, there are some immodest works? I would never ride a motorcycle, but is it o.k. for a Christian to be a biker? The line between living righteously and living like a Pharisee can get blurry. How can I tell when I am living by man made rules? How do I know when Satan and the world have tricked me with their slick ways? I know the Scripture says to live in the world and not of it, but how does that translate to all those thousands of little choices?

Reading our Bible and praying often is our best defense against the world. It is what keeps us close to God. True fellowship with other Christians who are serious about their faith is another essential. With those items I like to add a set of questions. A sort mental flow chart to prevent me from being either a Pharisee or an offense to God:

• Am I throwing the baby out with the bath water? There is some pretty bad music out there, but I am not going to ban all music from my life. Nor am I going to say I am only going to listen to Christian music. What about Bach? Instead I am going to take it song by song. Once you say a certain area is safe, you let your guard down against the Enemy. You also do not want to throw the good out with the bad. So I might listen to some of the Beatles songs, but not all of them. I might go to the movies, but not just any movie. We might have a TV in our home, but we do not have cable, not even basic.
  
• What it's rating? G or PG, or is it PG13 or R. Personally, I usually only watch G or PG movies, so I extend that to the rest of my lifestyle. If a TV show or a conversation would get a PG13 or R rating, I would not participate in it either. If I go to a rock concert, it needs to get a G or PG rating. I give Paul McCartney a PG :-) Serious, a very clean show.
  
• Am I making it a hard and fast rule for all Christians? I don't drink alcohol. I feel uncomfortable around it. However it is not wrong for a Christian to have a glass of wine, it is only sinful to get drunk. So while it might not be for me, I am not going bring judgment on others for my man made rule. As long as it does not go against the orthodoxy of Christianity (Gospels, Ten Commandments, etc.), there is room under the tent for all of us and we should leave the judgment to God.
  
• Can I do this with Jesus present? Can I wear this with Jesus present? This is sort of a trick question because Jesus is always with us. God sees and knows all. Of course if Jesus was physically, visually present with us, we would behave in a different way. An outfit that seems perfectly acceptable would become an embarrassment. If I can't wear it in front of the Lord, they I do not wear it. If I can't watch it with Jesus . . . you get the idea.
• Is it poison? Poison is poison no matter how small. I would define poison as sin deceptively packaged. It is behavior not in line with a Christian walk. It is a large dose of temptation, not necessarily in a large size or amount of time. It can be as short as a commercial or as long as an evening of taking in the clubbing scene. It can be as innocent as a bikini on a little girl or it can be as harsh as husband bashing fest with your girlfriends.
  
• If I magnified this, would it then appear sinful to me? An example of this would be, if I took a pen from work, I would not "feel" like I was stealing. However, if I stole a computer, then I would. When, really, they are both examples of the sin of stealing. This would not work on everything. I mean I could eat one slice of pizza sin free, but if I ate the whole pie, that would be gluttony. It works on the "small" sins that people do not feel guilty for, when really there is no small sin.
  
• Is this hindering my Christian growth? If we are too concerned with the things of this world we will miss the overall point of our life - to glorify God. Weeds can come and choke our faith. We have to ask ourselves where this path is leading to? If it is not toward God, it is not the right path. This can be hard to discern honestly because our flesh is weak and we can quickly convince ourselves it is not a problem.
  

It is important not to use any one question by itself, but to ask them all together. We do have to live in the world and interact with people living a sinful lifestyle. No one would ever come to Christ otherwise. If I held others by the Lord's standards, I would not be able to work for a secular company or even have my extended family around me. We cannot stay in a Christian bubble, ignorant of the world outside. It is a dangerous place for a Christian, but we must venture out . . . . just remember your armor.

The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood - Chapter 1

Hi Ladies,

John Piper's goal in the first chapter is to clarify the ultimate meaning of true womanhood, and to motivate us to embrace it as our highest calling.

What shapes you?

We are constantly bombarded by various messages on womanhood each day.  Who or what shapes you, your values, and the way you understand the world?  What voices do you listen to?  TV?  The internet?  Magazines?  Friends and family?  Are you, like Eve, being seduced by lies?  Are you being led astray from what is good and wise?  Or do you look to God for truth and bend your ear toward His voice of Wisdom?  Do you believe that He is full of grace and truth and that His ways are truly best even when they don't make sense to us?  Are you God-centered or self-centered?

The most important thing about a person is what they believe about God.  We should look to God's truth to shape our beliefs and values.  We should not do the opposite and look to our culture to shape our view of God!  As John Piper says in the first chapter, "Wimpy theology makes wimpy women.  Wimpy theology simply does not give a woman a God that is big enough, strong enough, wise enough, and good enough to handle the realities of life in a way that magnifies the infinite worth of Jesus Christ."  (p. 21)


Ultimate Purpose
When God created the universe and everything in it, His design was intentional, deliberate, purposeful, and beautiful.  Everything was made according to His plan, His idea, and His purposes.  Masculinity and femininity were not created as an afterthought.  They were created to teach us more about God.

Consider how marriage portrays a beautiful picture of Christ's sacrificial love:
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her... that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Again, we get a glimpse of Christ's relationship to the church, His bride.
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.  This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." (Ephesians 5:31)

Piper says that marriage is "meant to display the covenant-keeping love between Christ and His church... Marriage will display, as in a mirror dimly, something of the glory of the sacrificial love of Christ for His bride and the lavish reverence and admiration of the bride for her husband.

Intentional Design

Piper concludes that God made us male and female to more fully display the glory of Jesus.  If we were just genderless people, there would be aspects of Christ's nature that would not be known.  The very reason why males and females exist, why we're given in marriage at all, is because it points to something much bigger than gender and marital status.  If you thought your marriage was about you and your husband, it's not.  It actually points to Christ, the cross, and His relationship to the church!   Piper doesn't believe that God simply looked around and decided that marriage would be a good analogy to describe Jesus' relationship to the church.  It was all preplanned from the beginning of time.

Finding Fulfillment

If God was so intentional about manhood and womanhood, and if He uses it to describe something about Jesus, it's definitely a very important topic.  As we go through the rest of the series, I believe we will be most satisfied and most fulfilled in our roles as women when we trust the One who designed us this way.

Is your theology wimpy or do you believe He is all knowing, completely wise, and thoroughly intentional about the way He created us?  Believing the truth about God and who He is will help you see the beauty in His plan for you as a woman.

My next post will be on Chapter 2: From Him, through Him, to Him by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Love,
Catherine

Voices of the True Woman Movement - Intro

Hi Ladies,

God has placed a powerful vision on my heart for myself and other women.  To sum it up I desperately want to be a godly wife and mother and to spread the message of God's true design for us as women.  I consider it such a precious gift that He has revealed the true worth and value of womanhood and motherhood to me, for I did not always feel this way.  There was a time when I embraced the world's view of these roles, yet God has graciously allowed me to see the emptiness of the path centered on Self.  I have a desire to connect with like-minded women and a burden for those who are still trying to navigate through life the world's way.  I pray my next series of posts will encourage us to see the beauty in God's design for women.

I've wanted to blog about this subject for some time now, but I felt unqualified because I'm still learning and growing in these areas myself!  That is why I am so thankful for the wonderful folks at Revive Our Hearts.  They sent me a free copy of Nancy Leigh DeMoss' new release - Voices of the True Woman Movement: A Call to the Counter-Revolution.  The book is a collection of Christ-centered messages from the first True Woman Conference by John Piper, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Mary Kassian, Janet Parshall, Joni Eareckson Tada, Karen Lorritts, and Fern Nichols.  I'm so thankful to have a resource full of wisdom from these wonderful people!  I have agreed to blog about each of the nine chapters in the book.

Here is a sneak peak of the topics I'll be discussing on my blog, but I'll be reposting them here too:

PART ONE

Foundations of True Womanhood
Chapter 1: The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood - John Piper
Chapter 2: From Him, through Him, to Him - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

PART TWO

The Battle for True Womanhood
Chapter 3: You've Come a Long Way, Baby! - Mary A. Kassian
Chapter 4: For Such a Time as This - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

PART THREE

The Refining of True Womanhood
Chapter 5: A Woman after God's Own Heart - Janet Parshall
Chapter 6: Choosing Faith in Seasons of Change - Karen Loritts
Chapter 7: God's Jewels - Joni Eareckson Tada

PART FOUR

Reclaiming True Womanhood
Chapter 8: Leaving a Lasting Legacy through Prayer - Fern Nichols
Chapter 9: A Call to the Counter-Revolution - Nancy Leigh DeMoss

I hope you'll join me for this series and share your thoughts and comments! :)

Love,
Catherine

Debt Free

Dear Friends,

Hello! This is Catherine posting. :) Recently, my husband Matt's heart has been stirred to pay off all our debt (with the only exception of our mortgage). We're very close to reaching that goal... a little left on a car payment and a little left on a college loan. The closer we get to paying these off, the more freeing it feels.

But there will always be more purchases, right? How long can we sustain being out of debt before the next thing comes along? We're at a crucial point where we need to make a decision... are we going to commit to managing our finances in a way that leaves us debt free?

With the impending arrival of Baby #3, we have some new purchases on the horizon. Namely, we have to take the plunge and buy a minivan. Our first clue that we will soon outgrow our current vehicle was when we tried to put a third carseat in there. We couldn't close the doors! :) We have a practical need and an important decision to make. Will we take on more car payments or will we search for a used van that we can afford without financing it?

Last night, Matt expressed that he would really like to do that latter. That means going without the latest bells and whistles and perhaps having to wait patiently until the right van comes along.

I haven't done a lot of reading up on living debt free, but as I've thought about it a little, I came up with the following list of benefits:

- It will allow us to wait patiently for God's provision.
- We will be more prayerful about the dollars we spend.
- When God provides, the thanks will go to Him. (James 1:17)
- It will be so freeing! Debt is always burdensome whether you owe the bank, parents, or friends.
- It will allow us to give more generously and radically.
- It kills covetousness and wanting things that are beyond our means. If we can't afford it, we can't have it.
- Our focus will be placed on kingdom building and things eternal. How much better will it be to store up treasures in heaven? (Matthew 6:19-20)

Matt sent me this John Piper video over email last week and it really made us think about our long term financial goals. What do we want to treasure?



If you live debt free, what advantages/disadvantages have you experienced from living this way?

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Image credit: Alan Cleaver

Life is Not a Photograph

Looking at a blog site today, I began to think - this woman's life looks like those pictures that comes with your frame. How does she get those bows to stay so neat and prim in girls' hair? Where is the mess? Where is the disobedient child? Where is the toilet left unflushed or worse?

It is easy to look only at pictures and see a perfect life that we do not have ourselves. Life in not a photograph. Do not believe Satan's lie that your life is so much worse when compared to others. No man is perfect except Jesus. Everyone is dealt a different hand. I very much doubt a women would post such pictures only to make others jealous and covet, that would not match the Godly statements that are so helpful and encouraging. While thinking the best in others, be ware of your own sinful thoughts. When negative thoughts pot up, squash them and chose positive thoughts and God's truth.

There is a difference between getting ideas for your own household and putting yourself down. We can view successes of others without being too hard on ourselves because only the picture is perfect. The photo was taken with the purpose to show the good side. No one has it ALL together.

Use Godly successes of other people to make chances in your own life, but remember patience, God's provision for you at this time, seek God's wisdom and apply it to your life. Again, remember not everyone is dealt the same hand. I must say, the woman from the blog mentioned above only has GIRLS, boys are so different. She has a large modern home, which is much easier to keep clean. Perhaps she lives in another state where taxes do not take up 1/3 of their mortgage payment. Or maybe they were determined to live without debt, and are able to afford so much more without owing others. On the other hand, they could be up to their eyeballs in debt too, though I hope not. Maybe she has a maid. You get the idea. I must admit, I really want to go back to the blog to look for an I don't have it all together post!

Once I heard a homeschool speaker talk about a photo taken of his family. It was a beautiful picture with smiling, well-behaved children. Then he told us that it was taken shortly after a huge family argument. There is always a story behind every photograph, and it is not always a perfect one.

The Myth of the Perfect Family Follow this link to an article on perfection that I stumbled upon while looking for a photo for this post.

Photo at top taken from here.

Half a Poison Pill

It's hard to blog when I can barely peel my face off my pillow and roll my fatigued preggo body off the couch. In fact, it's hard to do much of anything practical or functional. Little mountains have begun to pop up all over the house. Mountains of laundry, toys, dishes, and tumbleweeds of golden dog hair. Thankfully, I have a husband who has done a great job of playing Mr. Dad and Mr. Mom while I've been slightly out of commission so things aren't nearly as bad as they could be.

I haven't been desperate for a nap for three days now and I'm hoping it's a lasting trend. I am still pretty zonked by 8pm though and I'm perfecting the art of being an evening couch potato. I hate every minute of it.

I've been too tired to read the mountain of books I'd like to read, so I've been defaulting to watching TV the past two nights. This is a pretty unusual thing in our home because we never turn it on in the evenings. I mean really, seriously never. (Ok, except for the seasons when LOST is on. Then it's on one hour per week! By the way, are you so psyched about the upcoming last season!? Are they going to answer all of my questions???? What is the smoke monster? And what else are we going to find out about Locke? Ahh!)

But anyway. To make my new couch potato status totally and completely worse, the cable company decided to bless curse us with free cable even though we don't want cable. It's all part of their evil scheme to get you sucked in to watching shows you don't normally watch. Then they take them all away with the hope that you will then upgrade your package. I keep telling Rachel, "Now hunny, the nice evil TV company is just letting us borrow Dora for a little while. You know what borrowing means right hunny?"

But truthfully, I don't think Mr. Dad is going to let this continue for much longer and I have to agree. Have you ever not eaten sweet foods for a period of time? And then when you taste something sweet again for the first time after a long time, it tastes insanely, sickeningly sweet? Well, our eyes and ears have been away from cable TV for a long time, and the reintroduction has left a bad taste in our mouths. And I'm just talking about the commercials on supposed "family" channels.

A few years ago I went to a conference and heard Joshua Harris speak on the topic of media and its influence. I remember being floored by what he had to say. It was so off my radar screen at the time. Confession: I was the girl who didn't go to the Christian Fellowship because Dawson's Creek was on at the same time. (I'm totally serious.)

Harris says, "The obvious problem for Christians is that much of modern media’s content ignores or even demeans Biblical truth. The less obvious problem for Christians is that our relationship to the media is not all that different than that of the unbelieving world. The mind set of many believers is “trying to figure out how much sinful content from media they can handle and still be okay.” He likens that attitude to taking half a poison pill. “When it comes to what we watch or read or listen to, we shouldn’t ask how many halves of poison pills we can take without dying. We need to examine the cumulative effect of our media habits on our attitude toward God and sin and the world.”

Harris then gives 3 questions based on 1 John 2:16 for examining the effects of media in our lives:

1. Cravings of man – Are my media habits encouraging me to want my own way?

2. Lust of the eyes – Are my media habits stirring up covetousness in me?

3. Pride of life – Are my media habits encouraging me to exalt myself and value such worldly things as social status, athletic achievement, fame or wealth?

This is so worth thinking about if you're a Christian. Even though what I watched last night falls into the innocent category (a National Geographic show on wild dogs - ha!), I could so easily slip right back into bad media habits and making a poor use of my time.

So hun, you were right. I resisted for two days, but I think it's time to call the cable company. :)

Modern Pharisee

Homeschooling or family Bible time alone does not guarantee salvation nor Godly character, your children need to experience the Gospel daily. They need to see you living for the Lord and applying the Gospel to everyday circumstances. All the other things are just means to end, they make it easier for us to teach the Bible to our children. We cannot be like the Pharisees, who simply wore the uniform on the outside. Whether that uniform takes form in homeschooling, Christian private school, or long skirts.

Sometimes a Christian can be like a Pharisee when they try to control what the "uniform" looks like. If you do not have a TV in your home, do not verbalize superiority on those who do. If a women feels called by God to dress more feminine and modest, do not get mad at her for wearing a skirt. On the other side, do not wear a skirt just because everyone else is doing it, and you want to appear the super Christian. If you know someone who homeschools, do not tell them that sending their children to "school" is better for them or that their children will be dangerously unsocialized. Nor if you are a homeschooling mom, do not tell other people homeschooling is the only way for a Christian to properly educate their children and build in them Godly character. If someone admires something about you, praise God for using you.

The point is not to pass judgement on others, we cannot see their heart. As long as it does not go against the orthodoxy of the Bible, just mentally agree to disagree. We do not need to think, "Oh my goodness, I can't believe they are doing that." I always love a good debate, I wish more people could participate in a friendly discussion without being rude or offended. Do not be offended by the way others feel called to live out their Christian lives, if they are acceptable Biblical ways. Thinking the best of people has really helped me in this area, with my strong opinions often come strong judgements! Show grace to other Pharisees because we have all been like a Pharisee at one point or another.

Very thankful to have many friends who do not behave like Pharisees to me. They always leave me feeling encouraged!