It was just one apple—one bite and then sharing. How could that be something bad? It certainly isn’t sin, whatever that is. That snake had made the fruit sound so wonderful, but now…these consequences.
When Eve took that one bite of apple all those years ago, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t thinking about the consequences of her disobedience that would last for centuries. If she had, she might have thought twice. If she had considered all the pain she brought upon women in labor, the losses suffered in leaving the garden, the work it placed on their shoulders, and the separation from God, there may have been at least a minute of reconsidering.
What about you and me? Do we consider the consequences of those “little” sins we do each and every day? Do we consider how it affects our mates, our children, our grandchildren for centuries to come? If we did would we decide that little sin wasn’t worth the consequences we place on those who follow after us?
Stretching the truth on a story, going along with a friend to a movie you know will put ungodly thoughts into your mind, sneaking just one more peek at that ad on the Internet, taking that sip of a drink that changes our thinking processes. Maybe you’re thinking, She must be talking about somebody else, not me. I may not know your list of sins but God does. He knows not only the ones we actually do but also the thoughts we have about doing them beforehand. Is a thought a sin? Or does it only count if we’re actually doing them?
Man, I wish I was perfect but I’m not. I sin. I know what sin is and I know the consequences. But when I think of sin in the arena of consequences upon my children, my grandchildren, and their children after me it puts a whole new twist on life. I don’t want to cause my children pain or my grandchildren to go away from God. Will they see Christ in me every day? Will they see Him when I get angry—not specifically at them but just at the stuff of life?
Precious Father, I pray your Holy Spirit will convict me the minute I have a thought that is sinful. Prevent me from taking action on that thought and bring me to a whole new level of consciousness about what sin is. Remind me of Eve: her choices and who had to pay.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
This is NOT your Momma's CBH
Have you met them? Those wonderful, creative people who love to make memory books for families and individuals to treasure? They spend hours cutting, pasting, stamping things into scrapbooks, and adding some pictures and short sayings. These books end up looking like works of art! It takes time and patience, that’s for sure. I’ve often wondered what a book would look like if you did one for, let’s say, Peter, Samuel, or Moses.
Moses would be hard. One page is a picture of him working steadily with the gratefully freed Isrealites, leading them on to the Promised Land. Every other page would be Moses on his knees on a mountain pleading for the Lord not to kill these ungrateful people because of their unbelief and complaining! Maybe you would only need two pages!
Joshua 4 tells of a memory made after God’s people crossed over the Jordan River. Joshua placed twelve stones from the Jordan River in plain sight for all to see and said, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall let your children know…” Joshua wanted this memory of God’s faithfulness kept alive for generations to come. Now there’s a memory that will stick around for a while!
I’m privileged to direct a small ministry that has a big impact around the world. It’s called CBH Ministries. It used to be called Children’s Bible Hour because our program was an hour long radio broadcast. Our name might be shortened now but the way God has increased the ministry’s borders is not. We receive more than a million visits to our website every month! Mercy! That’s a lot of work and a lot of emails to answer!
The memory book of CBH Ministries will consistently say that our desire has been to place God’s Word in the hearts of boys and girls all over this world. The current CBH may not be your momma’s Children’s Bible Hour with rallies and concerts, but the purpose is the same with different media. For a look at what we’re doing now, head over to: www.lostinthequeueblog.com
You might be surprised at what you see!
Also check out:
Our new beta website is up. Take a look then answer the questions to get 25% off anything in our store! http://beta.cbhministries.org/
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
The Mis-qualified Parent!
Ever wonder why you can’t figure your kids out? Ever think this parenting thing is in the too-hard-to-do category? Ever wish you could transfer to some other kids’ homes and see how THEIR parents are reacting to the same things you’re going through? I can honestly say a qualified “yes” to all of the above.
OK, so I’m weird, that’s a given. But I have been on the brink of making some pretty rash decisions when it comes to dealing with my kids. Oh, so you don’t use the word kids, you use the word children. No, I use the slang word kids because it fits. Don’t ask me why. I guess I’m not the most proper parent.
But, really, what would make a tween pick his nose and wipe it on his sister’s pants? HUH! And what about showing a reasonable amount of manners at the table? Burping? Really? Sitting with your back against the chair and letting all of your food drop onto your newly purchased discount retail store school shirt? Come on! Hard-earned money bought that shirt and blueberry stains don’t come out easily! (Insert small, inner temper tantrum here.) It seems like no matter how much they are taught about manners and how to act at the table, they do just the opposite.
I was raised in a family with three daughters. The burping and gas-passing was never something that happened at our table. We understood those were private matters. So why do boys bring out the worst in what I grew up doing only behind closed doors? It’s almost like something they have conquered and want to boast about it! I don’t have a clue why that is, but I do know that no matter what, it’s going to happen. It doesn’t matter where you are, whose house you’re in, what function you’re attending or what restaurant you’re at…don’t bring your teenage boys or else these actions will happen closely followed by uncontrollable laughter with grunts and snorts. I’m sorry, it’s the truth. That was when I was sure God meant these boys to belong in another family—certainly not mine!
So what do you do? Did God make a horrible mistake and put me in the wrong family? Am I unqualified for every aspect of this job because these kids are certainly not turning out the way I’d planned? The answer is no, absolutely, no. I’ve learned more about how to be humble and gracious, how to accept and enjoy, and how to be in life more from my kids than anyone else. They’ve taught me unequaled love, compassion for the underdog, and all about a servant’s heart. I’ve watched them grow from bizarre teenagers to adults who hold responsibility with respect.
Was this the wrong job for me, this parenting thing? Nope. It was the perfect job because God ordained it, planned it, and created it just for me. I can do this thing called parenting! I may be a little weirder at the end of it, but I can do it! Thank you, God.
OK, so I’m weird, that’s a given. But I have been on the brink of making some pretty rash decisions when it comes to dealing with my kids. Oh, so you don’t use the word kids, you use the word children. No, I use the slang word kids because it fits. Don’t ask me why. I guess I’m not the most proper parent.
But, really, what would make a tween pick his nose and wipe it on his sister’s pants? HUH! And what about showing a reasonable amount of manners at the table? Burping? Really? Sitting with your back against the chair and letting all of your food drop onto your newly purchased discount retail store school shirt? Come on! Hard-earned money bought that shirt and blueberry stains don’t come out easily! (Insert small, inner temper tantrum here.) It seems like no matter how much they are taught about manners and how to act at the table, they do just the opposite.
I was raised in a family with three daughters. The burping and gas-passing was never something that happened at our table. We understood those were private matters. So why do boys bring out the worst in what I grew up doing only behind closed doors? It’s almost like something they have conquered and want to boast about it! I don’t have a clue why that is, but I do know that no matter what, it’s going to happen. It doesn’t matter where you are, whose house you’re in, what function you’re attending or what restaurant you’re at…don’t bring your teenage boys or else these actions will happen closely followed by uncontrollable laughter with grunts and snorts. I’m sorry, it’s the truth. That was when I was sure God meant these boys to belong in another family—certainly not mine!
So what do you do? Did God make a horrible mistake and put me in the wrong family? Am I unqualified for every aspect of this job because these kids are certainly not turning out the way I’d planned? The answer is no, absolutely, no. I’ve learned more about how to be humble and gracious, how to accept and enjoy, and how to be in life more from my kids than anyone else. They’ve taught me unequaled love, compassion for the underdog, and all about a servant’s heart. I’ve watched them grow from bizarre teenagers to adults who hold responsibility with respect.
Was this the wrong job for me, this parenting thing? Nope. It was the perfect job because God ordained it, planned it, and created it just for me. I can do this thing called parenting! I may be a little weirder at the end of it, but I can do it! Thank you, God.
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