Biblical Worldview

Written on May 17, 2013 by in The Family Workshop

I am teaching a Bible study that began this week and will run for six weeks.  It is so exciting to open the Word of God with new friends.  And yesterday, someone was asking me for a book recommendation.  I listed a few of my favorites, especially the ones I have used to prepare for the class I am teaching.

But what came to me was this: I have learned a lot of things from a lot of really good books; but I have learned the most from the Good Book.  

When I think of it, I have spent years and years reading the Bible.  Some here, some there.  Some years more than others.  Sometimes doing memory work, sometimes reading and just listening…waiting to hear something, something that was meant for ME.

And there were times I did reading plans, Bible studies and all those countless sermons I’ve heard.  I always take notes.  Funny, I do not keep the notes.  But, if I don’t write it down, I can’t keep it in my head – this is why I write – because it makes things stick.

All that time, I was looking for glimpses of…evidence of…Him in my life.  And somehow in all that looking, I found Him.  You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).  

The Word has come alive for me in the sense that it is like a family member, like an old friend, like my favorite teacher.  It has become part of me, as I have come to know it.  And I have seen it for what it is: an invitation to know Him – the Great I AM, the Triune God, The Creator/Elohim…the One who exists outside of time because He created time.

Taking the Word into my heart has transformed my Worldview…the way I see life.  I have found that when God’s Word became my compass and my measuring stick and my lens, this began to happen: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2, NLT).

Having a Biblical Worldview makes you different than many people.  A lot of people in this life don’t put much stock in God’s Word.  Believing it can make you stick out like a sore thumb.  I can even think of some churches where I felt that way!

I feel convinced, now more than ever, that this feeling of  ”otherness”, the being “other” than those around us – as one called and set apart from the World…this is what I am supposed to teach my children.  Here is what Jesus taught His disciples: If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:19).

I don’t mean we should teach our kids to pull away from the world…just that we should teach them not to be swallowed up by it.  Because we were made in His image and when our lives do not reflect Him, we have lost sight of our purpose.  

So now, we read the Bible together voraciously.  We talk about the connections we see – how the ideas fit together, how the larger story (of the love of the Father and the rescue mission of Christ) is woven throughout the books.  We do our memory work together.

We look for Him in our lives.  We try to do things the way He teaches us to do them – this is how we know Him.  And when we start looking, we see Him everywhere and in everything.

Tell me, where have you seen Him lately?

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Family Wisdom. Proverbs 3:3-4

Written on May 15, 2013 by in Family Wisdom

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
    bind them around your neck;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
    in the sight of God and man (Prov 3:3-4).

I love this verse!  It is followed by one of the most famous proverbs – which will examine next time – so it can be easily overlooked.  That’s a teaser for next Wednesday, but if you can’t wait you can find the “famous one” here. ;)

The first line is covenant language.  Faithfulness (trustworthiness/Truth) and steadfast love characterize God’s behavior toward His people.  And in return, since covenants are reciprocal, His people are expected to return faithfulness and steadfast love to Him.  Whenever you see covenant language, remember that the analogy God uses to teach us about covenants is marriage.  As a husband shows love and faithfulness to His wife, so a wife should show love and faithfulness to her husband.  God is the husband and His people are the wife/bride.

His faithfulness results in our trust in His character; knowing Him allows us to put our faith in Him.  Putting our faith in God is life changing!  Trusting in God’s character means that, because we know Him, our allegiance is with Him.   Because our allegiance is with Him, we desire to please Him and honor Him above others.  Because we desire to please Him, we will obey, walking in His ways.  This is the life-changing part – the Holy Spirit grows our love and faith and trust in Him.

And our love, faith, and trust in God should be obvious to others, like a beautiful necklace which would adorn our necks (v. 3).  This reminds me of another Proverb: Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Prov 31:30).  This is another time where we cannot chase the product (in this case approval of others).  Instead, as we live a life pleasing to Him, this is perceived as something precious and beautiful, that can seen by all.

I LOVE this image: write them [steadfast love and faithfulness] on the tablet of your hearts (v.3).  Maybe this appeals to me because I am a writer.  I love words!  Writing makes meaning, creates connections.  And writing something on your heart means (1) it touches you deeply, (2) you are marked by it, and  (3) you will always remember it.

Finally, in verse 4 (So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man), we are reminded of one of God’s basic principles: Sowing and Reaping (Gal 6:7-8).  He is telling us that if we obediently covenant with Him, we are choosing the path that leads to favor and good success.  God is teaching us, for our good, how He set things up in the world.

To me this is something very powerful about the Word.  So in this proverb (in both verses 3 and 4), He is demonstrating that by seeking after (sowing) relationship with Him, we will find (reap) favor with Him and the change that is wrought in our lives will bring us favor with others.  This is NOT “quid pro quo”, not transactional, not “I scratch your back and you scratch mine”.  We don’t see this everyday, in every situation, immediately.  Instead, this is a guiding principle that orders all life: reconciliation with God brings peace.

That is the Good News!  This is in keeping with what Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33).  This is something to tell everyone about – especially our children!  I hope you can ponder this is your heart to day and find peace.  :)

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Memory Verse Monday: May 13

Written on May 13, 2013 by in Memory Verse Monday

Our family Memory Verse this week is Matthew 22:37-40:

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I have found that if you want to live a life pleasing to the Lord, it can be very frustrating!  On the one hand, here Jesus has said there are only two things to worry about.  That seems easy enough.  Yet, He also said that all of the laws and the prophets hang on these two things…so these are not small things!  How do we do this??

Searching the Bible for answers can reveal so many “good” things to do.  It seems there are  endless words of wisdom in the Bible for us; and then it can be very overwhelming when we turn to look at our own pitiful attempts to lead a “good life”.

Me?  I am often just one computer glitch or traffic jam away from pulling my hair out…where is my patience?  At the end of too many days, I have a bowl of Blue Bell ice cream and – truth, here?  I am not training for a marathon – I don’t need the calories and I am not truly hungry…where is my self-control?  When I struggle to keep a good attitude because things don’t go according to my plans…where is my joy?

But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  I used to chase the Fruit of the Spirit, rather than the Spirit.  And a verse like this would be my measuring stick for the day.  And I always fell short.  This led to discouragement and despair, and with good reason: we were not made to do this on our own.

As Paul reminds us “None is righteous, no, not one…no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10, 12).  In fact, Christ says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in [your] weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9) and Paul agrees, saying “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10).  Knowing our weakness, demonstrates our need for Him.

I think that the second part of Jesus’ answer tells us what it looks like when we love God above everything else.  Loving God, enables you to: Love your neighbor as yourself (v. 39).  We simply are not able to love others (which often requires love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) without God.

Too many people “love”, expecting something in return (like respect, honor, love, mercy, affection, kindness, etc.).  This is not love because love is not transactional.  Love is an action and a free gift.  We know this because we see how Jesus loved.

I used to chase the Fruit of the Spirit, rather than the Spirit.  But then I learned, the hard way, that He was right all along.  I can’t do anything good without Him.  And so, as for me, the nearness of God is my good (Psalm 73:28).  

How about it?  Can you feel the Lord singing over you (Zeph 3:17)?  Do you feel Him leading you beside still waters (Psalm 23:2)?  Remember how He redeemed your life from the pit (Psalm 103:4)?

He is good for us, and to us.  He is Worthy…worthy to receive praise and honor and glory (Rev 4:11)…and worthy of our love.  And loving Him, enables us to love others.

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Teaching the Word (part2)

Written on May 10, 2013 by in The Family Workshop

family mission stmnt memory versesAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Last Friday, I shared how our family created a Mission Statement and list of Values; then developed a group of 12 scriptures which supported our goals.  This became our scripture training program.  Here’s how we did it:

  • Monday mornings, we read that week’s verse and talked about its meaning.
  • We thought of ways the Word applied to our daily lives.  When I used the New Living Translation for Phil 2:3-5, this caught Gracie’s attention: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.  She remembered “that boy Jake” who dared her to sneak off the preschool playground; she got in trouble because she was trying to impress him.  People, she was four then!  Thankfully, she is not so interested in impressing boys these days.
  • We practiced each morning.  We repeated the verse four or five times at breakfast, and then a time or two in the car, as I drove Gracie to preschool.  We took one verse per week.
  • I have a terrible memory for the citations of verses.  I can tell you a verse – but not where it came from.  So I drilled the kids on this; they practiced knowing the verse if I asked the citation.  They also had to know the citation if I asked them the verse.
  • We regularly reviewed the previous weeks’ verses too (two-three times per day).

These scriptures were our own personal, and modern, version of Deut 6:4-9:  We talked about them when we were at home and when we were on the road, when we were going to bed and when we were getting up.  We looked for application of the Word in everything that we put our hands to, and in everything we thought about.  We posted the memory verses on the refrigerator and hung them on the bathroom mirrors.  We brought them in the car via flashcards and sticky notes on the dashboard. All of this was teaching, intentionally.

But God always provides other wonderful opportunities to teach about His Word, in the midst of living.  I read in Lou Priolo’s book, Teach Them Diligently, (my favorite book on biblical parenting) about the term “teaching in milieu”.  It means teaching “in the middle of” or “surrounded by” life circumstances.  He says:

[address] from the Scriptures the actual situations your children are facing morning, noon, and night…discuss with your children the relevancy of Scripture not only to all of life’s situations, but while you and they are actually in the midst of those situations  (pg. 16).

Some people call these types of events “teachable moments”.  I used to call them my “last straw” or my “getting on my last nerve” moments.  Then, I learned to de-personalize.  I began to see teaching appointments and opportunities to apply scriptures we learned, to problems or other life events.

This was a stunning realization: God was providing me with opportunities.  My outlook on “behavior problems”, “discipline issues”, and “character development” was forever changed.  Knowing God plans my parenting and gives me specific opportunities so I can teach (or learn!), has given me more patience than I ever had before.

This knowledge shifted the focus off the kids, and me, to Him.  And it reminds me that, in every situation or encounter, I am accountable to Him.  Parenting my kids was shaping my character!  This was an epiphany for me: God’s age-old plan of parents teaching children about Him is meant to draw the whole family closer to Him.

Next time we’ll talk more about the application of Scripture.  But now, tell me: how is God drawing you closer to Him now?

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

 

 

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Family Wisdom. Proverbs 1:32

Written on May 8, 2013 by in Family Wisdom

Whoever listens to Me will dwell secure
    and will be at ease, without dread of disaster (Proverbs 1:33).

Here, “listens” comes from the Hebrew Shama meaning: to hear, listen to, to obey.  Doesn’t it always come to this?  When we obey the LORD, we draw near Him.  We acknowledge His right-ness (His righteousness) and our un-righteousness – this is walking in His way.

In a life of walking with Him, we feel the security of His presence.  When we face difficulties, we are are not facing them alone.  Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  Notice He doesn’t promise peace and security due to the absence of trouble – but in the midst of it!

In the Fall of 2011, there were two times I experienced peace in the midst of extreme difficulties, because I felt the presence of Jesus:

  • When my mother was unexpectedly diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer, I was very sad, but strangely at peace.  I was not worried about her.  I knew that times ahead would be hard, and could end her life, but her tremendous faith meant she was already in the arms of Jesus.  What a gift she gave her family – her faith enabled her to dwell secure, at ease, without the dread of disaster (vs. 33), which was a comfort to the rest of us

Now, about a year after the end of her chemo treatments, she is doing very well.  Today, some sadness lingers for me, because we have moved about 2000 miles away from her, and expect to be here for 4 more years.  But I know this is God’s will and when I feel sad, that comforts me.

  • When my son Josh had a terrible bout with asthma, that was exacerbated by GERD, he constantly carried a trashcan.  Every time he coughed, sneezed, or cleared his throat, he would gag or vomit.  This was all day and all night.  I slept in his room for 2 months, before we got the right diagnosis and treatment.  When I had to go to the store and run errands, he carried an emesis bag.  It began to feel like a horrible “new normal”.

This was different than my experience with Mom.  While I had peace in knowing that Josh was in God’s hands, I still lived in constant dread.  While I knew that God was in control, I felt responsible for fixing the problems since the doctors were failing us.  It was terrible, but I was never alone.  Such a gift!  I cannot imagine walking through that time without Him.

I still fight worry – about relationships, about choices, about my loved ones’ health, and more…  But worry is the absence of faith.  Faith believes and hopes.  Worry doubts and fears.  Faith knows God is powerful and good.  Worry says that God can’t or won’t help.

From childhood, worry has been my constant companion, but now it is more like that old friend who was a bad influence – someone to be avoided.  I know that, in spite of circumstances, I must always obey God.  I must hear and do this: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7).

How about you – do you fight with worry?

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Memory Verse Monday: May 6

Written on May 6, 2013 by in Memory Verse Monday

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. 1 Cor 13:4-8

In Family Mission Statement and Values, the first Value was Above All Love and Honor God; last month’s Memory Work was taken from the supporting Scriptures from this Value.  The next Value on our family chart is Love Others.

Our first two Values coincide with Jesus’ description of the greatest commandment:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matt 22:37-40).

Jesus weaves these two commands together – because we cannot do one without the other.

But, looking at the “Love Chapter”, 1 Corinthians 13, we see many areas where we can stumble.  To do all of these is complete love, and isn’t that what we all want?

Yet I know people who are full of envy and pride – they are so hard to love.  And I know people who frequently put themselves first, they can be hard to love.

I am hard to love sometimes.  I have struggle with keeping a record of wrongs.  It goes along with a history of knowing those difficult people, the ones who were hard to love, and not knowing how to deal with their behaviors. They were people who took advantage, who manipulated, who were careless with my heart.

And I had a hard time forgiving those who were supposed to protect me, but didn’t.

Our broken ways of living and loving make it impossible to always trust and hope – and then – love does not persevere.

But God’s way in loving is the opposite of the World’s way.    We are commanded to love; this is not optional.  A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35).  And even this: But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt 5:44).

So here is the shift that helps me when my mind goes back to dark places – our love of other people is not for them, not for us, but for Him.  To choose another way is to rebel against Him.  Jesus commanded – there is no real wiggle room here.  And that may not be the warmest, fuzziest place to go – but it really frees you from the feelings that imprison you.

So my personal feelings aside, here is how this helps me when I deal with my children: I am teaching them that they must forgive and show respect to others out of their love for God and that being unloving to others is a sin against God, first.

I am teaching them that their feelings can be the enemy that drags them down, into sin.  So they should compare their feelings to scripture and see if they match up…if not, then they must remember the goodness of God’s love, the authority of God over all aspects of our lives, and the loving sacrifice of Jesus for all of us and then…they must obey Him.

 And if their heart still rebels against Him – we go to the Word and read about the Perfect Way and we pray.  The Holy Spirit, in concert with the Word, can do miraculous change in our hearts.

Loving difficult people is how God teaches us about His love for us, His difficult people.  And loving difficult people is how we practice loving – and learn to love, God’s Way.  If we remember that, we can see that they are in our lives for our good.  Tell me, are you like me?  Do you ever have a hard time loving, God’s Way?

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Teaching the Word

Written on May 3, 2013 by in The Family Workshop

family mission stmnt memory verses

Last week I posted about using a Family Mission Statement to guide the teaching of the Word to our children.

Here is how we did this, in our family.  We started with a statement: The Lafont family seeks to glorify God in all that we do, remembering that each thought, word and action is our offering to God.  My husband and I wrote this.  Maybe if our kids were older at the time, we would have gotten their input, but they were 3 and 5.  This took some negotiating.  What resulted was a compromise we could both support.  We knew the LORD was at work in the process too.

Then, we made a list of important values that supported those statements.  They were very simple:

  • Above all, Love and Honor God
  • Love Others
  • Pursue and Demonstrate Excellence
  • Practice Gratitude 

We listed 3 supporting scriptures under each Value.  I am posting about each scripture on Mondays.  These verses were the very things we wanted our kids to know.  We love all of the Word – but you have to start somewhere!

By applying the Word to the specific areas where we saw a need for growth, or where we had an important goal, we were addressing behavior problems, heart issues, and wrong thinking patterns that we had observed in our children (and in ourselves).

I stumbled onto this “method” out of necessity, but I am sure that many others have done something similar, some where, some time.  As we all know, What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9).

In order to track our progress, I made the checklists in the pic above.  We used the flashcards to carry with us in my purse or to have out at the table for breakfast.  At 3, Josh was not a reader yet, so I was really quizzing both of them together.

Initially, I did not expect Josh to learn Scripture very easily, since he could not read yet.  My expectation was that he would pick up parts and get the general idea.  I was amazed that he was able to memorize just as well as his older sister.

Younger minds are primed to learn language and memorize words – what a perfect time to plant the Word!  For some difficult verses, I selected the wording from a “kid’s version” of the real Bible, the NIrv or I used the New Living Translation.  These versions explain the Word to kids in language that they can understand because it is more like we talk in our everyday interactions.

I know some people disagree with using “simpler translations” like this, but I loved the result.  It freed me from trying to paraphrase everything that I read to them while using the “real Bible”!  And before that, we had Bible story books for them, but they needed to learn what the Bible had to say.

Then to mark the achievement of learning to read, each got his/her very own Adventure Bible For Early Readers, NIrV, with a little inscription on the inside from me.  They loved getting a Bible of their own!  It was a really big deal. They have spent hours reading it for fun. They always have it in church. This year, they each received an ESV Student Study Bible, because they are more mature readers.

Next Friday, I will share about the specific techniques I used to teach the kiddos!  How about in your house – do your little ones have a Bible yet?  What version of the Bible do you prefer for them?  For you?  Do you own more than one version?  Please do share!

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

 

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Family Wisdom. Proverbs 1:29-31

Written on May 1, 2013 by in Family Wisdom

Because they hated knowledge
    and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
would have none of my counsel
    and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,
    and have their fill of their own devices. (Proverbs 1:29-31)

Today’s passage is spoken by Wisdom, personified.  In Proverbs, Wisdom calls out, daily, in the streets to those who will hear her.  Some respond to her, while others reject her.  Proverbs are meant to instruct.  So here is what the LORD is teaching me today:

  • We must not despise knowledge.  Knowledge here is translated from the same Hebrew word, Da’at, that is used in this verse: For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).  This is not a “head knowledge” but the sort of deep, intimate knowing that exists in the covenant of marriage, between husband and wife.  Despising intimacy with God is rejecting Him, personally.
  • We must choose to fear Him.  We’ve talked about having a “healthy fear” of the LORD recently.  To fear Him, is to remember that this is how He speaks of His enemies, “I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them” (Ez 25:17).
  • We must respond to the counsel and reproofs of Wisdom.  The Holy Spirit and the Word act, together, to teach the believer.  In order to grow in Wisdom, we must hear the Word, and do it.  Our hearts are remade in His image as we conform to the Word.  The Holy Spirit enables this to happen.  Intimate relationship with the LORD, changes us.  We cannot come close to God and remain the same – encountering the Holy One rescues, renews and repurposes us.
  • Rejecting the LORD and the gospel, means God will give us over to the consequences of our own choices.  For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries…For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:26-27, 30-31).

God gives us His Truth and His Wisdom, because He loves us and wants to instruct us so that we can know Him better, so that we can glorify Him and so that we can participate in His plan of reconciliation.  Growing in the love and knowledge of Him brings us the peace and hope that rise above the noise of this life.  Isn’t He good to teach us His ways?

What is He teaching you today?

Hugs,

Britta ~ justAgirl…just like you!

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Memory Verse Monday: April 29

Written on April 29, 2013 by in Memory Verse Monday

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31)

This Bible verse is the last one listed under our (first) Family Value: Above All Love and Honor God.  As I said last week, starting with a Family Mission Statement helps guide our family memory work and the teaching of our children.  But our goals and values are not just for the children, they are for the parents too!

Today’s verse, reminds us all to glorify God in the small and big things.  The original context of the verse has to do with Christians eating with pagans.  Paul is admonishing the Corinthian church, to be aware of their behavior in their “mission field”.  This is still true for us today.  Others are looking to us – to see Christ.

For me, my primary mission field is in my home, to my husband and kiddos.  Yours may be at your job, in your neighborhood, or in your church.  At our house, we  try to remember the old saying “YOU might be the only Bible that some people ever read.”  So…whatever we do, it should glorify, or reflect the accurate image of, Christ.

But do any of you have those days…those days when you feel defeated by life from the moment you wake up?  As for me, it is usually when I am trying to do too many things, in too short a period of time.  Then I start to fall behind, and I feel overwhelmed.  Sometimes I have a “hangover” of this feeling from the day before…when I wake up to kids’ shoes in the foyer, a dishwasher full of dirty dishes that I forgot to run, clothes that need to be folded, mail that has yet to be sorted…

Right then, it helps me to remember that my primary purpose in life is simply to reflect the image of Christ.  It is a small thought that has a big impact and can turn my day around immediately.  I can make “progress”, where there was none, simply by pursuing the mountain of tasks with a humble, obedient, loving heart.  That way, before hubby leaves for work and when the kiddos get up, I can be as Christ to them… because whoever says [she] abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked (1 John 2:6).

Now…how we got to that messy house is a different story…we have picked up some bad habits and are working to replace them with good ones.  But that is a story for another time!

This week’s memory verse  challenges us to be intentional in our living, and to be mindful to show Christ to others in everything we do.  Because our actions speak louder than our words and they should “tell” others about Him.  Today, join me as I picture Jesus asking me, “What about you?  Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20).

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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A Handy Tool from The Family Workshop

Written on April 26, 2013 by in The Family Workshop

I was talking to a friend at Bible study last night about the difficulty of finding Christian parenting books that provide good practical application of scripture to family life.

There are lots of great books that minister to us when we HEAR what they have to say…but it can be hard to find one that give suggestions on what to DO differently.

So when we need a “parenting book”, where is the best place to go?  To the Word of God.  It is all there:

  • The Truth about how to live with one another in a family…You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being…He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross (Phil 2:5-8 NLT).
  • The Truth about how to address “behavior issues”…Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life (Prov 4:23 NLT).
  • The Truth about how all of the family members have the same problem.  And solution…There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22-24)
  • The Truth that God’s Purpose must guide our every decision…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us (2 Cor 5:17-20, NIV).
  • The Truth about our accountability as parents…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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 (Deut 6:6-7).

So the Bible is a big, big book, right?  Well, I do think there are simple tools that we can use to apply the Word to our hearts – and this is the purpose of The Family Workshop.  For example:

  1. Composing a Family Mission Statement and list of values, with supporting scriptures, can be a wonderful tool in the shared pursuit of holiness within your family.  Think about the individuals in your family, and their needs, as well as God’s purpose for all of you.
  2. Then apply the Word by way of Memory Verses.
  3. As you learn the verses, you talk about what they mean – this is godly instruction.
  4. The Word is a powerful change agent. The Holy Spirit uses the Word to help conform us to the image of Christ.  Godly instruction leads to correction shortcuts – family members understand God’s standard and, eventually, can see on their own when they have fallen short of it.
  5. Putting the Word in your hearts creates a shared biblical worldview.
  6. Using the Word as your foundation, demonstrates living under its authority, and therefore the authority of Christ.
  7. Drawing near to God, as a family, means He will draw near to you.  And that is when all kinds of good things happen!

Learning to live according to the Word of God is a process, a race with no finish line, because it is about living in relationship with the LORD.

One side note: I think it is very important to use God’s Word in the correction of children…but (1) with a heart that desires to instruct (2) mostly, using passages that have been taught when the children are not “in trouble” – this is why instruction in the Word should be constant.  Next Friday, we will talk about some specific ways to instruct in the Word!

For now, tell me, is the Word at the center of your family’s purpose?  If not, do you think composing a Family Mission Statement could help you focus your efforts?

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Family Wisdom. Proverbs 1:8-9

Written on April 24, 2013 by in Family Wisdom

Listen my son to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 

They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck (Prov 1:8-9).

In last week’s Family Wisdom, we saw Solomon counsel that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 1:7).  Matthew Henry’s Commentary says that fear of the LORD is the “Alpha and Omega” of wisdom (the beginning and the end of it).  Today we see that the second step toward walking in wisdom, after fearing God, is to listen to the godly instruction/teaching of your parents. Here we see the word “listen” comes from the Hebrew Shama, which is translated as Hear AND Do, understand AND obey.  So for today’s purposes, let’s see “listening” as its intended outcome: obedience.

Interestingly, fearing the LORD and obeying parents are the topics of the first half of the 10 Commandments, Commandments 1-5.  The second half, Commandments 6-10, deal with how to avoid sinning by treating other people badly.  Presumably, if you feared the LORD and obeyed the teaching of your parents, then you would avoid violating the latter half of the commandments.  Ok, that is not meant to be some sort of theology, just an interesting thought!

Let’s consider a few lessons that we find in our verses today. Listen my son to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck (Prov 1:8-9):

  • Living as one under authority. Obeying parents requires that children learn that they are not in charge; they are not equals with adults; they answer to others.  These are important concepts to accept, in order to be in peaceful relationship with God.  If a child cannot submit to an earthly parent, they are unlikely to submit to their Heavenly Parent.  Part of the job of parenting is to model our own submission to God.  We are to teach our children to know Him and follow Him.
  • The high calling for parents. Parents find themselves in a difficult spot.  I know have, time and time again.  In order for our children to learn godly wisdom and instruction from us, we must teach it, properly.  Sounds simple but, to teach it properly, we must:
    • Avoid being hypocrites – we must do what we ask them to do.  We must put our things away, not yell at others, use our time well, be respectful to everyone in the family…anyone else fail here from time to time?
    • Embrace our failures.  God knows we will fail.  This is part of His plan too.  He uses everything.  In this way, we can teach, very well, what humble repentance looks like!
    • Speaking of being humbled…maybe some of you are in the same boat with me: biblical parenting has been mostly on-the-job-training.  I didn’t grow in godliness till I was “just right” and then have a child.  Very humbling.  I didn’t know how much I needed to grow, until I started trying to teach biblical principles to my kiddos!  When I saw myself, reflected in their eyes, sometimes I wanted to look away.  Which bring me to the last point…
    • God teaches parents in this way too.  As we parent our children, we see our own deficiencies.  And Our Heavenly Father is parenting us in this way, helping us to grow up in grace, helping us to be conformed to His image.
    • Remember that teaching and instruction are the key to correction and discipline (more on that in The Family Workshop on Friday!)

BTW, I love how the directives for children to obey parents are often accompanied by hopeful promises.  Paul said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land‘” (Eph 6:1-3).  In Proverbs 1:8-9, we see the promise that when children listen, and obey the godly teaching of their parents, it is as crown on their head and a chain on their neck.  This is sowing and reaping.  If we learn godly instruction then we trade beauty for our ashes.  Instead of living as lost and fallen people, we live as children of the King.  When His wisdom crowns us, we are distinguished by that wisdom.

What are you teaching your kiddos this week?  We are working on perseverance and diligence – God has shown me that, the kids and I, we all need a little more!

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Memory Verse Monday: April 22

Written on April 22, 2013 by in Memory Verse Monday

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight  Prov. 3:5-6

Today’s Memory Verse is my son’s favorite verse.  It is my husband’s favorite too.  They came to these conclusions independently of one another; I think that is pretty cool.  :)

In terms of our Family Mission and Values, this verse falls under the first value that we wrote: Above All, Love and Honor God.  We feel like this is the place to start when setting your family on a path to follow God.

When we choose to trust the LORD and lean not on our own understanding, we are acknowledging that He is more than we are: more wise, more powerful and more good.

  • Have you not known? Have you not heard?  The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable (Is 40:28).  Because He is the Creator, the Designer, He is ultimately wise and His wisdom is so far and above us that we cannot understand it.  If you cannot accept this, your pride is getting the better of you.  If you can embrace this, there is peace.
  • “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jer 32:27).  God is all-powerful, omnipotent.  He is able to accomplish all of His plans.  He is more powerful than any evil.   When events in the world seem to say that evil has gotten the upper hand, or when prayers seem to be unanswered, we must remember that He is not like us; He cannot be overpowered.  His ways and means are inscrutable to us at times, but we can trust that He is in control.
  • The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Ex 34:6-7).  The LORD is our covenant keeping God.  He does what He says He will do – He is faithful and good.  His love is continuous.  He is merciful and forgiving to those who belong to Him.

Our Creator established the World by the breath of His mouth; and everything He made was very good (Gen 1:31).  His Creation is a reflection of His goodness.  Sin corrupted God’s Creation, including us.  But God’s ultimate plan is wise, and powerful and good – His plan is Emmanuel, God with us, or Jesus.

God has come to live among a sinful people in order to demonstrate His love and faithfulness, His power over evil, and His wisdom and understanding.  And as The Messiah was able to raise Himself up on the third day, so can He raise us up from sin and fear and doubt.  Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26).

Are you facing in “impossible situation”?  Do you need to trust in God more?  Tell me, where is your faith growing?

Hugs,

Britta~I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Teaching Them Diligently…

Written on April 19, 2013 by in The Family Workshop

Image credit: jwblinn / 123RF Stock Photo

As I mentioned in the most recent post for Memory Verse Monday, the kiddos and I are learning The Shema this week.

Shema Yisrael (or Sh’ma Yisrael)  (“Hear, [O] Israel”) are the first two words of a section of the Torah, and are the title (sometimes shortened to simply “Shema”) of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening prayer for [observant Jews]…It is traditional for Jews [and has been for thousands of years] to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night. (Thanks wiki!)

The Shema serves as a wonderful model for us in terms of how to teach our children.  Lois Tverberg, in her book Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, remarks that Jesus would have learned the Shema as a young child and would have recited it twice daily throughout His life.  Jewish children learn these words, as soon as they are capable – even before the age of reading.  Praying Shema daily, and accepting its content as Truth, shaped the identity of the Hebrew people, and still does to this day.  The Shema is a great model for our memory work.  Compare the tradition and cultural importance of Shema with our efforts to instill God’s Word in the hearts and minds of our children:

  • Shaping our worldview: hiding God’s Truth in our hearts tells us who we are, and Whose we are…this knowledge changes everything.  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies (1 Cor 6:19-20).
  • Providing an understanding of Who God is and what our purpose is: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God…God is love…We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:7-8, 19).
  • Partnering in our parenting: when the Word is implanted, it is both measuring stick and mirror so that children learn to compare their hearts to it and see when they have fallen short of its standard.  When children have grasped the Word, the LORD corrects them before we can. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Heb 4:12).
  • Working alongside the Holy Spirit to instruct our hearts: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).
  • Nurturing spiritual growth toward maturity: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).

God’s Word is to be the foundation of our lives.  We should learn it with our children; talking of it when we are at home together and when we go about our daily business, from morning till night.  And we should demonstrate the presence of the Word in our hearts so that it shapes the work of our hands and stays in the forefront of our minds.  Our homes should be marked by the presence of the Word and it should accompany us, wherever we go.  Shema = Hearing God’s Word AND Doing it!

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Family Wisdom: Proverbs 1:7

Written on April 17, 2013 by in Family Wisdom

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Do you have the fear of the LORD?  When we keep our eyes fixed on ourselves or on other people, we forget by Whom, and for Whom, we were made.  I don’t know about you, but this happens to me…daily.  <sigh>  But when I stop to I think about it, He Who holds my life in His Hands, takes precedence over everything else.

Fear.  When we fear anything or anyone more than God, it only leads to foolishness.  King Saul made this mistake in 1 Samuel 15 when he disobeyed the LORD concerning the destruction of the Amalekites.  God had devoted everything in Amalek to destruction, but Saul had chosen to preserve some of the people and animals.  His explanation to the prophet Samuel was this: I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people [of Israel] and obeyed their voice (1 Samuel 15:24).  

Saul wanted to please the people more than he wanted to please the LORD and, afterward, he was told: you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:26).

What or whom do you fear?  Does fear cause you to take your eyes off of the LORD? Jesus instructed His disciples, before he sent them out, saying, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28). 

So often, we are told to think of the LORD as our Abba, our Daddy.  And this is true about Him.  Yet we should never forget the whole of Who He is: let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29).  

Fear of God leads to wisdom because it reminds us of our place; it humbles us.  When we are humble, we are ready to receive wisdom and instruction from Him; we acknowledge that we need Him and we desire to be obedient.

Today, let’s all have a little “healthy” fear.  Let’s remember how big He is, and how small we are.  He remembers.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him;
for He knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:13-14).

Hugs,

Britta~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Memory Verse Monday: April 15

Written on April 15, 2013 by in Memory Verse Monday

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 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. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deut 6:4-9).

This week’s memory verse is an expansion on the one the kiddos originally learned when they were younger.  About 5 years ago, they learned “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut 6:4-5). 

We decided to add a little more to it this year for a few reasons.  First it was pretty short and very similar to last week’s verse.  Second, they are bigger kids now, and can handle a longer verse.  Third, adding the extra verses helps to keep the context of the passage, getting at the original intent of the Scripture more accurately. And fourth (now I guess that’s officially more than a “couple”), we are interested in the history behind the memorization of this passage.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is known as The Shema, because the first word of the passage in Hebrew is Shema.  This passage has been prayed twice daily, in the morning and evening, by devout Jews for thousands of years.  There are two other passages (Deut 11:13-21 and Num 15:37-41) that are prayed daily as well.

In Hebrew, the word Shema means Hear, as in “Hear O, Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one” (vs. 4).  But Shema also means Do.  You can see how I became interested in this verse.  Hearing and Doing are the key components to obedience which allows us to build our house upon the rock, as Jesus explains in Matthew 7:24-25.  But now we can begin to understand why Jesus used this language, of Hearing and Doing, in the first place.  It has been God’s plan for us all along.

Thank you to my friend Becky!  Last year about this time, when I began to write The Family Workshop, Becky shared a book with me.  The book is by Lois Tverberg: Listening to the Language of the Bible: Hearing It Through Jesus’ Ears.  Becky made the connection for me between the Hearing and Doing, that I was already interested in, and The Shema.  Becky started teaching The Shema to her son when he was just two years old.

In Listening to the Language of the Bible: Hearing It Through Jesus’ Ears, Lois Tverberg shares that Hebrew language is very different than English.  Hebrew has fewer words than English. so the words carry more meaning.  And in Hebrew, “the same word is often used to describe the mental activity and its intended result.”

So our English translation of Shema as “Hear” is inadequate to convey the meaning of the original Hebrew, since “Shema” has the added meaning of “Do”.  Something important is lost in translation…that Hearing must lead to Doing.  That they are not two different responses to God’s Word, but one.  Hearing and Doing are inseparable.

I want to teach this important concept to my children: that it is by Hearing the Word and Doing it that they will grow in the love and knowledge of God.  The Scriptures give us a wealth of information about how the LORD made us.  We are designed to live according to His plan.  He gives us His Word in order that we may know Him, and be able to serve Him, and live in fellowship with Him and others.

As I explained about The Shema to my kiddos, they became interested in it, and wanted to learn it for themselves.  And so it became our memory verse for this week.  Hey, if a two year old can do it…

We know this to be true: It is part of the LORD’s plan for us, His wisdom revealed, that we would plant His Word in our hearts, so that it might bear the fruit which enables us to walk in His ways.

For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it (Deut 30:11-14).

We hope that by memorizing the Word, God will keep it in our hearts and mouths, so that we can do it.  I hope the same for you!

Hugs,

Britta ~ I am justAgirl…just like you!

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Everyone then who HEARS these words of mine and DOES them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the Rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the Rock (Matthew 7:24-25).

What is The Family Workshop? 

Hearing and Doing: The House Plan

This is How We Do It

A Family After God’s Own Heart

Putting Our House in Order

It Starts With ME!

Please join us as we build our house upon the Rock. Click the links to read the full posts!

She Speaks Graduate