All posts tagged kids

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.

“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.”

The Stew (3/26)

by Pastor Nick on March 26, 2012
358_beef_and_barley_stew

Marriage is for Losers

Jesus turns everything on it’s head. And in marriage, losing is far better than winning.

Complementarian Decision-Making as a Married Couple

“In almost every case, each of us has some wisdom and insight that the other does not have. Usually, we reach agreement on the decisions that we make. Very seldom will I do something that she doesn’t think is wise–I didn’t say never. She prays; she trusts God; she loves God. She is sensitive to God’s leading and direction, but in every decision, whether it large or small and whether we have reached agreement or not, the responsibility to make the decision still rests with me.”

Forgiveness for Moms Who Fail

“In my twenty-five years of pastoral ministry, I don’t think I have met a mom, including a preschool mom, who feels like she has done a good enough job. Most mothers labor under the weight of guilt—of frustrated ideals, imperfect performance, and deficient production. The laundry remains undone; story books unread, and tempers flare…”

Are Professional Sports for Christians?

David Brooks of The New York Times says NO. Gene Veith of The Gospel Coalition says YES. And Matt Reagan at Desiring God gives 7 insightful reflections on athletic achievement.

Your Church and Your Life Planning

“If you are a Christian, it’s worth asking whether you include your church in your life planning. I mean “include the church” in two ways: do you consider it as a factor in your thinking, and do you actually involve the people in your decision making?”

Veggie Tales: “Morality, Not Christianity”

by Pastor Nick on October 6, 2011
veggietales-300x277

From our friend Bob Thune at Coram Deo in Omaha.

VeggieTales “convinced kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity.” So says founder Phil Vischer in a new interview.

VeggieTales was a rags-to-riches entrepreneurial success story. Vischer and his counterpart, Mike Nawrocki, left college to pursue their dream of making wildly creative children’s videos. At the height of their success in the late 1990s, VeggieTales videos sold 7 million copies in a single year and generated $40 million in revenue. Though primarily aimed at a Christian market, VeggieTales had a broader cultural influence, pushing forward the boundaries of computer animation and children’s programming.

Read more →

← Older Entries