For anyone interested in an extremely helpful and in depth review of two of the most popular “children’s story Bibles,” David Shaw has done a great job here. It’s a long read but well worth it as it provides a helpful way to think through the important issues in reading God’s Word with your children.
Author: David Thomas
James 1:9-17 – Authentic faith … perseveres
Authentic faith … is tested
Special because … science fiction
10 more on raising children
Following on from the previous post, Kevin DeYoung lists 10 items originally by John Witherspoon on raising children and parental authority here.
Of particular note are the following three comments on a parent’s authority or lack of it:
- There is not a more disgusting sight than the impotent rage of a parent who has no authority.
- Let it always be seen that you are more displeased at sin than at folly.
- Many parents are much more ready to tell their children such or such a thing is mean, and not like a gentleman, than to warn them that they will incur the displeasure of their Maker.
10 ways to ruin your child’s imagination
A helpful post for parents from Justin Taylor summarising Anthony Esolen’s book, Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child. It’s available from Amazon as a hardback, but you’d be far better off buying it in the Kindle version.
1. Begin by rearing children almost exclusively indoors
2. Never allow children to organize their own worlds of exploration of that which is interesting or challenging
3. Don’t risk allowing children to explore machines or encounter those who know and use them
4. Replace fairy tales with cliches and fads
5. Denigrate or discard the heroic and patriotic
6. Cut down all heroes to size
7. Reduce all talk of love to narcissism and sex
8. Level all distinctions between man and woman
9. Distract the child with the shallow or unreal
10. Deny the transcendent
Rewards in heaven
But, if rewards are clearly presented as a motivation in the Christian life, why don’t we hear more about rewards in our modern pulpits? I am sure there are many answers to that question, but let me suggest one: we have been convinced that our obedience doesn’t matter. While we are rightly told that only Christ’s obedience can secure our justification, and that he has kept the law perfectly for us, our own obedience receives far less attention in the pulpit. Justification is center stage, and sanctification is peripheral.
Michael Kruger writes more about the heavenly rewards that await the godly here.
Hebrews 11:24-26 – Reproach for Christ’s sake
Facing a Task Unfinished
Facing a task unfinished
That drives us to our knees
A need that, undiminished
Rebukes our slothful ease
We, who rejoice to know Thee
Renew before Thy throne
The solemn pledge we owe Thee
To go and make Thee known
Where other lords beside Thee
Hold their unhindered sway
Where forces that defied Thee
Defy Thee still today
With none to heed their crying
For life, and love, and light
Unnumbered souls are dying
And pass into the night
We bear the torch that flaming
Fell from the hands of those
Who gave their lives proclaiming
That Jesus died and rose
Ours is the same commission
The same glad message ours
Fired by the same ambition
To Thee we yield our powers Continue reading
WHATEVER IS COMMENDABLE 