As for me » Parenting

Who’s Kiddin Who…”This I Pray” by Lori Our Worship Leader

Larry — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 23:50:44 +0000

Parents Job: Grow-Up Kids With God

Larry — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:58:31 +0000

Parents are famous for starting early in teaching their kids life savings techniques; swimming for instance. Because we spent a lot of time on the lake skiing, at the age of 9 months Jeane and I started classes teaching our daughter to swim. As good parents we would never want our child to get into water over their head and not be able to swim.
As parents we would never allow our kids to get in over their head in their life. We want to train up our kids for living, and the best way to do that is to “Grow Them Up” with a strong sense of God’s presence
Here are 7 ways that I worked for us…
1. Grow them up to fear God. (Prov. 1:7)
2. Grow them up to guard their minds. (Prov. 23:7)
3. Grow them up to manage God’s money. (Prov. 3:9-10)
4. Grow them up to carefully select friends. (Prov. 13:20)
5. Grow them up to be responsible. (Prov. 6:6-8)
6. Grow them up to watch their words. (Prov. 4:24)
7. Grow them up to be generous. (Prov. 11: 25)

It’s Not What Happens At Church That Drives Kids From God, It’s What Doesn’t Happen at Home!

Larry — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:45:00 +0000

No matter how creative we are at teaching our kids about the greatness of a relationship with God, they are more likely to believe it through their experience at home. Why, because incarnation (God fleshed out) trumps proclamation. The new series “Who’s Kiddin Who” starts in 2 weeks

“As Christian’s what should we teach our kids about Santa Claus?”

Larry — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:04:56 +0000

A couple of weeks back we talked about “As Christian parents how do I deal with Halloween?” As we get into the Christmas Season we may want to look at another real sticky topic for so many parents, “As Christians what should I teach my kids about Santa Claus?” Let me say this out of the gate, Santa was the real deal for me when I was little. But it was when I was about 6 I noticed Santa wearing a pair of shoes that looked a lot like the ones my dad had. He even smelled like the smokeless tobacco that my dad used, and even his “Ho-ho” sounded a lot like dad with a cold. So I sort of knew Santa wasn’t real, but not wanting to blow a sweet thing, I played the part of the believer for the next couple of years, just in case the gifts would stop coming when mom and dad knew I stopped believing.

So with that in mind what I am getting ready to share with you has not always been my philosophy, mostly because I was not raised in a Christian home and did not become a follower of Christ until my mid twenties. And just so you know that there is not even perfect harmony in my house hold, my kids don’t see eye to eye with me on this…YET!

Now part of the reason I have changed my thinking on the whole Santa thing has to do with my daughter, Jessica. At the age of 7, when she found out there was no Santa, she was completely devastated.

So, here’s something to think about. When we tell our kids that Santa brings presents, the Easter bunny brings the eggs, and the tooth fairy leaves money, and be sure you believe in Jesus, they take it all as truth. But then one day we tell them “Santa’s not real. The tooth fairy’s not real, and neither is the Easter bunny, but you should believe in Jesus, even though a lot of people will tell you He’s not really the risen Son of God.”

Don’t get me wrong, I am not being a Bible thumping scrooge, and I am not saying burn the Christmas tree (The fact is we will have at least 6 trees at our house in a few weeks). But how about this, tell the kids the truth about who Saint Nicholas was historically, that he was a Christian man who loved Jesus, and he was very generous to the needy, and that we chose to carry on that tradition and his memory. He’s in Heaven, and now, all the Santa’s that they see around town are pretend Santa’s in his memory.

And for some, even a little pretending to believe in Saint Nick might be OK. Buy the fact is our kids would know the truth and I believe they can still have fun with the tradition and the memory of the real Saint Nick

When we say, “Believe in Santa. Believe in the tooth fairy. Believe in the Easter bunny. Believe in Jesus,” and then one day, tell them, “I lied to you about three out of four things”? It weakens our credibility as parents, and I think that’s a dangerous place to be with our kids.

“As For Me” let’s teach the truth about Santa, and then our kids will have no reason to doubt Jesus
Pastor P

To BOO or not to BOO?

Larry — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:31:04 +0000

An answer to the question “As a Christian parent, should I let my kids participate in Halloween?”
________________________________________

Christian trick-or-treaters? No doubt about it, Halloween is the most misunderstood and therefore the most controversial holiday for many parents who hope to set a Godly precedence for their children. So when October rolls around and the kids start to fantasize about this year’s costume, we start to get nervous. Sure, Halloween can be a daunting date on the calendar, but is it simply about ghosts, goblins, and hocus-pocus? Just like our children do when they come home with their treats, all we must do is open up the history and dig for the best pieces. In doing so, one can find the Lord in every bag- even on Halloween.

To anyone with even the slightest Biblical understanding, Halloween would appear to be anything but an opportunity to honor God. In fact, it could easily be an evil plot by candy companies and dentists to take our money and rotten our teeth (Disclaimer: I love my dentist, Dr. Birdwell, an amazing Christian!). Yet, history indicates that Halloween was actually intended to honor the holy

Halloween comes from “All Hallows Eve” and is tied directly to All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1 of each year to commemorate the old saints who have “past on”. These “saints” were heroes and martyrs for the Christian Faith. We encourage you to carefully examine the history of Halloween. A good place to start would be http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/origin-of-halloween.htm.

Well, here is the skinny. The Bible doesn’t speak directly about Halloween, but some biblical principles apply. No doubt about it, all pagan (a person with any religion that doesn’t recognize the one “Living God”) practices are to be avoided. Witchcraft, occult practices, sorcery, etc. are strictly forbidden in the Bible (Exodus 22:18; Acts 8:9-24; Acts 16, 19). However, let’s put this in perspective. It is obvious that a small child dressing up as a princess or a cowboy isn’t doesn’t equate to the active practicing of witchcraft!

We need to “GET THIS”: everything made by God is good (Genesis 1)! It is mankind that has messed things up. Christian holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween have been secularized, modernized, and desensitized in by our culture. Just like Adam and Eve, humans have made something good into something bad.

Join us OCTOBER 31ST at LifePoint for Trunk or Treat to see how God’s love can dominate the taboo twilight; where our attitudes, dress, and behavior will glorify Christ (Philippians 1:27). We will have a safe and fun opportunity to reach out and share some candy, but more importantly share Jesus Christ.

Join me next time to for answers to: “As a Christian parent, how am I to deal with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus? “

Pastor P
LifePoint Church
lifepointtn.com