All posts tagged discipleship

What Kind of Father Should I Be?

by Pastor Nick on May 8, 2012
dad

Men, how do you know what kind of father to be? Should you be:

  • the fun, silly, care-free dad?
  • the strict, disciplinarian dad?
  • the cool, trendy dad?
  • the always-serious, theological dad?
  • the athletic, coach dad?
  • the outdoorsy, camping dad?
  • the proper, buttoned-up dad?
  • the long haired flip-flop dad?
  • the “I teach my kids what is true” dad?
  • the “I let my kids discover truth on their own” dad?

The One who made us has not left us to figure it out alone. A pattern has been set. And it has been set by God himself. “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18). Want to be an awesome, godly father? First be a really good son. Trust your Heavenly Father. Obey him as a good Dad. Get to know him better than anyone else in life. What he is to you, be that to your children.

After all, you are preparing your children to meet the King. This is your job. Above all other reasons, it’s why dads exist. Everything you say, teach, do, and fail to do for your children is included in this preparation. It is an all-encompassing task.

  • the words you speak
  • the instruction you give
  • the discipline you hand out
  • the wife you honor
  • the neighbors you serve
  • the love you express
  • the anger you display
  • the beauty you enjoy
  • the church you submit to
  • the “stuff” you treasure
  • the joy you impart
  • the God/god you hope in

The day may come when the King will call your child’s name, and your child will decide “Do I want this person – this King – to be my Father?” More than anything else in this life, their answer is influenced by you.

“God works through who we actually are…”

by Pastor Nick on April 18, 2012

“The desire for beauty and the good is infinitely frustrating, for mostly we are aware of what we are not. When we do things well, there is satisfaction in it. When we are well, we are unconscious of it and so get no satisfaction, at least not in the sense of ego gratification, which is the kind of satisfaction most of us have such a huge appetite for. And since mostly we are not well (holy), we mostly live with a deep sense of inadequacy. The only reason we continue to aspire to holiness is that the alternative is so insipid…

“Putting the mirror up to us and showing us our failure would be a severe and unbearable burden if it were not for this other dimension in the story — that God works his purposes through who we actually are, our rash disobedience and our heartless obedience, and generously uses our lives as he finds us to do his work.”

Eugene Peterson, Under the Unpredictable Plant

 

 

“Fatherhood is Building the Riverbanks”

by Pastor Nick on April 4, 2012


Listen to Pastor Crawford Loritts speak a great message on “Lessons Learned from My Father.” I particularly appreciate how he relates fatherhood to building riverbanks. Like the mighty waters of a river, life will come and things will happen, but fathers are the ones who set the parameters, who define the boundaries, who steer the direction of their childrens’ lives towards Jesus and godliness. Dads, give it a listen.

A few quotes:

  • “Greatness is not pop or fad. Greatness has a staying power.”
  • “Manhood is not a private matter. It is a public thing. A man aspires to be the desired destination at which others arrive.”
  • “This summarizes my dad: Stepping up, never walking away, if it belongs to you, you do something with it.”
  • “There is a correlation between being a man and keeping promises.”
  • “Our disproportionate desire for relevance is injecting embalming fluid into the next generation.”
  • “Out of struggle comes strength; out of strength comes discipline; out of discipline comes integrity; out of integrity comes inheritance.”
  • “How people treat you should never define you. It’s not what people call you, but what you answer to.”
  • “All we have to give to the next generation is what we have become.”
  • “You don’t produce the fruit of the Spirit. It is the fruit of the Spirit.”
  • “Repent of wallowing in our self pity and deifying our disfunction. Yield. ‘God, I can’t do this. Help me!’ Believe him.”

Rooted Saturday Seminar: How to Study the Bible – March 17

by Pastor Nick on February 23, 2012
Saturday-Seminar

Jesus said that he speaks his good words to us so that “my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Our faith is increased as we listen to God (Romans 10:17). Every word of the Bible is true and useful (2 Timothy 3:16).

If you want to understand your Bible better and know to handle it well, this seminar is for you. Join us as Pastor Nick takes a Saturday morning and walks through what good Bible study looks like.

  • This FREE seminar is Saturday, March 17th from 9am-12:30pm in the Fellowship Hall of College Avenue Baptist Church.
  • Three sessions that include teaching, discussion, Q&A, and practice.
  • Bring your ESV Bible, a notebook, and pen.
  • Drinks and snacks will be provided (this is a great chance to plan lunch with other attenders after the seminar).
  • Childcare is not provided.

Register on The City or at http://bit.ly/zASwFo. Registration closes Wednesday, March 14th. Everyone is invited. Let’s dig deep into the Scriptures together!

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