Tidbits

A friend was browsing the aisles of a shoe store when they stumbled upon an overweight person fussing with a shoe they were trying on. Her low-rider pants failed to fully conceal her derrière. Obviously the "lady" did not care who saw the "big" event (including a boy 8 or 9 years old, who quickly fled the scene of the crime).

Which brings me to the forty-something neighbor that still lives in his momma's house. With his jeans hanging low, he was doing some gardening in a t-shirt that did not fully cover his fuzzy beer belly (probably not lager). As luck would have it I caught him stooping to pick up some yard debris just in time to proudly display his "plumber's crack." Just say no to crack.

While on the subject of exhibitionism, have you noticed how many boyz 2 men 2 boyz wear their pants just a hair above their plumber's crack? Thankfully, many of them wear boxer shorts above the belt line to make a stab at modesty.

Is it old fashioned to suggest that a male should not publicly display the fruit of his looms? After all, UNDERwear is meant to wear under clothing.

Al Gore is EthicsDaily.com's pick as Baptist of the Year for 2007.

According to England's Daily Telegraph the Roman Catholic Church has vowed to "fight the Devil head-on" by training hundreds of priests as exorcists. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

Current Conditions in Kenya
(From Jerry & Sherry Daniels, in country.)
Kenya's post-election violence has escalated alarmingly! Today (Thursday) is the critical day. The losing candidate in last week's election has called for a "million man march" on Nairobi, to protest what he feels was a "rigged" election. The issue has become focused on tribal hatred. This is the real root of the matter. Even after 34 years in Kenya, Sherry and I are shocked at the level of tribal hatred which has suddenly exploded to the surface.

Perhaps you've heard of the tragic death of 50 people who were burned to death inside a church in the town of Eldoret, a town where we labored as missionaries 30 years ago. Eldoret is one of the fiercest areas of conflict because of the large populations of both Luo and Kikuyu which have a long running history of animosity. The victims in the church burning were reportedly Kikuyu. The losing presidential candidate, and the one who has called for all this violence is a Luo. Kikuyus are being attacked across the country, which, of course, results in counterattacks.

The message of Christ's reconciliation has never been more needed! This is the focus of our message to all of our Kenyan brethren in this critical hour. Please pray specifically that all born-again believers across Kenya will embrace this path of forgiveness and reconciliation. Romans 8:28 has been such a real verse to us so many, many times in our 34 year ministry in Kenya! It looks like this may well be Kenya's DARKEST hour. We certainly need prayers!

One area of great concern is our orphan ministries. Food supplies are suffering and prices are rising fast. Fuel supplies have completely run out. We have about 50 orphans in our 3 orphan homes, and more than 200 other destitute children who rely upon our feeding programs. Our normal budgeting has been thrown for a loop.

Church Brings Soldiers Home For Holidays
www.kmbc.com/video/14924446/index.html?taf=kc1
Check out the two-minute video on Maj. Chris Romero's Black Knights unit, headed for Tikrit, Iraq.

Paradigms for Parenting

A paradigm is an example, a model, a pattern. In our series on parenting it is the standard image and vision of what biblical parenting should be. God is a perfected trinity. As with all things based on God's image and truth, perfected parenting is likewise a trinity.

THE TRINITY OF PARENTING
1. Guardian
2. Guide
3. Governor

How'd you miss that, all these years? The foundation of parenting is an understanding and outworking of this trinity, administering truth in grace. Next, let's set the context of defining our paradigms with

A WORD TO THE MOMMAS AND THE POPPAS
A. Parents are not in charge just because they are bigger, smarter, or got to the planet first, but because God has made the adult his agent in the lives of children
B. Perfected parental authority is expressed as a combination of control and influence
C. Expect kids both to disobey and to try and get around the rules regularly
D. If you didn’t state it, they can’t obey it
E. Be willing to talk about it but never willing to argue over it
F. Train them by telling them only once, because you establish the limit by what you allow early on

Every child has natural bents that are both good and evil. Each of us has a spirit that is connected to who we are as a person, our drive and self-image. We also have a will connected to our faculty of free agency and the ability to choose. How are parents going to mold their child's will without crushing his or her spirit? How indeed, if that child has made a wrong choice and needs his or her will bent to the right direction without completely destroying their self worth?

First, some tips on breaking the will, but not the spirit of a child.
• Make your home honor the Lord in such a way that they have no choice but to follow God
• Distinguish between weakness and wickedness, childish irresponsibility versus willful rebellion
• Do not delay your discipline of them, because this increases the difficulty until you reach the point of despair
• How many times it takes your child before he or she obeys is proportional to how many times it takes him to act up before you act

Raising a child so that their spirit is encouraged while their will is conformed takes a different paradigm for teenagers than it does for younger kids. So we partition the paradigm into two. Here is what to do

IN THE FIRST DECADE TO A DOZEN YEARS
1. Exercise loving control
2. Give them a godly example
3. Rule through routines and boundaries
4. Always have effective follow-through on promised consequences

SIDEBAR on spanking: Spanking is the measured use of physical pain to change the mind of your child in their determination to be disobedient.
• The Bible does not condone beating, injuring, hurting or humiliating your children
• Spanking should not substitute for patience

Taking the time to discipline children early in life saves a lot of grief later on. But remember, parenting impacts more than just the present, because you are preparing them to enter eternity from this life.

A principle-ized paradigm for raising teenagers is based in the recognition that to perfect your parenting you must change your strategy over time. How do we navigate that? First, with some

TIPS ON TRANSITIONING
A. Moving from exercising parental authority through control to exercising it by influence depends on the personality and maturity of your child
B. Know your kids
C. Understand your Bible
D. Ask God for guidance

Teenagers should be taught to develop good judgment by being allowed to make some of their own judgments. Boundaries must now be based on who you are dealing with in each issue, because the goal is to help a teenager develop good judgment while they are with you so they will make good decisions once they are on their own.

A PARADIGM FOR BRINGING UP ADOLESCENTS
1. Teenagers need authority expressed as loving influence
2. Develop systems that are designed to minimize conflict
3. Let reality provide the discipline
4. Talk about matters of the heart

Can I break it down for you? As a parent, you have authority over your child. But check this. Authority is the right to define limits, rules and consequences through the balanced application of direct control and appeal to conscience.

Influence, Conflict and Discipline of a Teen
Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Key Definitions
• To provoke your child means to challenge them in such a way that it calls forth a hostile reaction.
• Nurture is communicating life skills by cultivating a child’s mind and morals to correct their mistakes and curb their passions.
• Admonition implies we love a child enough to warn them and exhort them rather than stand by and ignore them.

THE DIVINE TRINITY ON RAISING TEENS
1. Search the scriptures
2. Seek the assistance of the Spirit
3. Respond based on the your personal knowledge of how to appeal to your child’s conscience

Matters of the Heart
What’s really involved in a paradigm for parenting older kids is a battle for their heart. You have to be a partner in their struggle. It is your transparency, honesty and candor that helps your kid come to grips with what they are going through.

VERBAL DOOR OPENERS
• I want to know what you think
• What are your friends saying?
• That sounds important to you, tell me about it
• That’s a good question
• Do you want to tell me about it?
• If you want to know more just ask me
DOOR-SLAMMERS
• You won’t understand
• If you say that one more time I’ll…
• That’s none of your business!
• I don’t care what your friends are doing
• You don’t need to know that
• Why are you asking me?
• Don’t come to me if you mess up

You have to be the one who is every day and in every way pointing your teens to Christ. Your attitude is going to get you in more trouble with your teenager than anything else. Humility and meekness will breed mutual respect. You don’t have to approve what is popular, but you have to be aware of pop culture.

WAGING THE WAR FOR YOUR TEENAGER WISELY
A. Understand that what is at stake in raising our teens is who and what they worship
B. Identify potential idols that seek to take the place of God
C. Expect to be shocked, but don’t be judgmental
D. Deal with your own guilt now

Recommended Resources for 0-12
To Train Up a Child, by Michael and Debi Pearl. No Greater Joy, 1995.
http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/
Shepherding a Child’s Heart, by Tedd Tripp, Shepherd Press, 1998.
Hints on Child Training, by H. Clay Trumbull. Great Expectations Book Co., 1993.
Five Needs Your Child Must Have Met at Home, by Ron Hutchcraft. Zondervan, 1995.

Recommended Resources for 10-19
Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Second Edition with Study Guide, by Paul David Tripp. P & R Publishing, 2001.
Family Shock: Keeping Families Strong in the Midst of Earthshaking Change, by Gary R. Collins. Tyndale House, 1995.
“Communication Skills for Parents” http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/disciplin1/a/comskills.htm
“The Five Musts of Intentional Listening,” by Jan Pedersen. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Pedersen2.html

* Note: recommending a resource does not constitute Alan’s endorsement of everything in the book. Read with discretion, and balance any author’s advice against what you are learning in the Bible through the Career Class and our parenting groups.

Parenting the Prodigal

Two children were overheard discussing their parents, and the first little boy said to the second, I am really worried. My daddy works like a slave all day long so I can have everything I need, enjoy the finer things of life, and one day go to college. My momma works all day long, and then comes home and has to clean up after me, wash for me, iron for me, cook for me, help me with my homework, and drive me everywhere I want to go. They seem to spend every moment of their waking lives waiting on and working for me.

The second little boy said, What are you worried about? It sounds like you have it made in the shade with a glass of lemonade. The first boy answered, I’m worried they might try to escape!

And well they may, for parenting is tough work. We are trying to help somebody out who is parenting a prodigal right now. Here are some precious points you may have missed last Sunday.

• You have an inalienable spiritual right to define your own life according to Bible principles (and this includes your parenting). This is why Satan makes it such a struggle for you to make good personal choices.

• Your control over your children is not deigned to be permanent. As they approach the teenage years there is a power transfer, but we will leave that discussion for a later Sunday..

• SIDEBAR: You need to learn to manage your credit as well as your income. Say, "Hello somebody!" Oh, it’s never too late to live within your own income, because it will help you be who you should have been all along..

• When you see something wrong, stop doing it. (I just gave you the answer!)
  The crowd always thins-out when the going gets thick. How'd you miss that, all these years?.

• Thank God he deals with us according to who we are in Christ, not according to who we are!.

Okay, those were just nuggets, we need to get jiggy with it and start heaving the ore. Our thesis was that parenting is a tough job because it requires you to have godliness in yourself, and reproduce it in your kids, in order to see it multiplied in life.

I find that many people are confused about the purpose of parenting. The purpose of parenting is to provide a secure environment that shelters children from certain temptations as they grow up, until they reach the age that God wants them to take personal responsibility for themselves. That means, the evil day is going to come to all of our children, and our job as parents is to remind them of their creator and give them God’s armor so they will be able to stand when they are tested, Eccl 12:1; Eph 6:4,13. Just remember, the character of your parenting is defined by the quality of your preparing your child, not by whether they successfully use that preparation to make adult choices. Okay, can I point you to some

Parenting Imperatives
#1. As long as your children are small, you must be large and in charge to bend their will without breaking their spirit.
#2. Kids want control sooner than we want to give it, and they deserve it sooner than we are willing to release it.
#3. Prepare your teenager to take control of who they are.
#4. You cannot lead like Jesus unless you are following Jesus.
#5. Sometimes your kids won’t recognize how good their old man was, till they hook up with the new one, who is sure enough a fool!

What about parenting the prodigal? (Luke 15:11-20)

A. Their restoration starts with recognition, 17a, 1 John 1:9
B. Recognition will proceed to realization, 17b
C. Realization comes with an internal act of remembrance, 18-19
D. Restoration ends at the point at which he is ready to return, 20

We are trying to give you a paradigm (an example that serves as a model or form) as a pattern for perfected parenting. The tentative study schedule for the rest of December is:

Perfecting Our Parenting
Sunday, Dec 9 — Paradigm for Parenting Ages 1-12, Prov 22:6
Sunday, Dec 16 — Paradigm for Parenting Ages 13-19, Prov 1:8-9
Sunday, Dec 23 — Rescuing At-Risk Children, 1 Sam 4:19-22
Sunday, Dec 30 — Painting Over Your Flaws, 2 Sam 13:1-22
Sunday, Jan 6 — Blended Family Functionality, Prov 24:3-4

Not Drunk but Filled, Eph 5:18

Can you even understand the level to which the apostle is calling Christians when this word is set against the lifestyle of the Ephesians? He is not dumbing-down to their age, not simply giving a modified standard of right and wrong. In the same verse, without a break, he puts a prohibition and a command. Why? Because there is a comparison and a contrast.

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Comparison
They drink, but we are filled to find exhilaration.

They drink, but we are filled to find strength and inner courage.
Not with religious fanaticism but with the spirit of truth. The Holy Ghost is the creator of heroes.
The Holy Spirit brings us strength to work and strength to suffer; strength to receive and strength to dish out; strength to hope in hopelessness and to love when hated; strength to conquer temptation and to perform ministry.

They drink, but we are filled to eliminate pain.
It can drown our misery and support us in agony.
Have you never been through so bad a trial before? Then seek more of the Spirit of God than you have had before. (I just gave you the answer.) His consolation will balance your tribulation, and will bring you to the place that you glory in your infirmities and afflictions for Christ's sake. God uses them to make more room for his Spirit to dwell in you.

They drink, but we are filled to get aroused.
You can always find a reason to do what the flesh wants, but you need to be filled with the Spirit to do what God wills.

They drink, but we are filled to find fellowship.
I often feel the reverse of happy, but I don't want others to be affected. So I go to Him. He is the resurrection and the life. When I look long enough and far enough in his word for quickening, it comes.

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Contrast
Drunk—thirsty.
Filled—satisfied.

Drunk—excess and riot.
Filled—peace, self-possessed, at rest, free from anger, anxiety and emotion.

Drunk—contention.
Filled—submission.

Drunk—foolish.
Filled—walking as wise.

Drunk—waste time.
Filled—redeem the time.

Drunk—forgotten relationships.
Filled—fulfilling the responsibilities of our roles.

Drunk—weak and vulnerable.
Filled—strong in the Lord and the power of his might.

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Do you want to know how to be filled? You are asking good questions.
1. Reverently regard him. Worship him. It is a special sin to disrespect him. Honor him by adoring him, and look to him for help. If you want his power you have to acknowledge his presence.
2. Do not grieve him. Let sin grieve you enough to stay away from it. Put away any idea he does not agree with, and agree with him.
3. Open your heart to his influence. Watch for his movements. Pray for him to speak. Ask to be enlightened. Then during the day, mourn if you do not feel him moving.
4. Be fit for him to fill.

Return, O holy Dove! return,
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
And drove thee from my breast.

5. If you want him to fill you then obey him. Do not trifle with your conscience.
6. If you want to retain his filling, talk about him. He is not a deaf or dumb spirit.

Get on fire, so you can set our church aflame!

Desperate Households

Here is the skeleton outline. To get the complete context and impact you'll have to check out the audio link to the left.

Thesis: In spite of all the change and turmoil that families go through, if Bible principles govern your roles and responsibilities then a dynamic household can be built out of desperate hours.

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TODAY’S MAJOR POINTS
Point 1. God cares about every Christian perfecting his or her family in the faith.
Point 2. Perfection is possible for imperfect people because our perfect God has given us a perfect word that can be taken by the Holy Spirit and used to radically transform us into a perfect image—Christ.
Point 3. A dynamic family has to be a fortress and not a façade, because God wants us to build families that can withstand the attacks of the enemy.
Point 4. Since they are consecrated to God, that seals their commitment to one another.
Point 5. You didn’t come to your parents; you came through your parents.
Point 6. Do your children know that they have unconditional affection even though you cannot give them unconditional approval?
Point 7. Nothing will alienate a child or a spouse more than making them work for something that ought to be free.
Point 8. If you want a better child, be a better parent.
Point 9. You need to receive your child (or your spouse) even when you are displeased with your child, because that is what consecration looks like.
Point 10. You learn to cope by developing contentment.
Point 11. Perfecting parents learn how to attack the problem without attacking each other.
Point 12. There is no greater gift you can give to your children than to let them see by your actions that you know God, and by your reactions that you obey God.

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CLUES TO SUCCESSFUL PARENTING
1. A strong sense of consecration

A. Tell them that we will value each other and stay together for a lifetime
B. Remind them frequently that they are a blessing and not a burden
C. Assure them they are loved unconditionally

2. A strong sense of communion

FIVE MAGICAL MOMENTS PRODUCING COMMUNION
A. Part on a positive note
B. Reconnect at the end of the day
C. Go to bed with a good attitude
D. Show appreciation by giving compliments
E. Set aside “date time”

3. A strong set of communication skills

A. By being a good listener

FIVE MUSTS OF INTENTIONAL LISTENING
1. I must listen with a purpose
2. I must practice listening for understanding, rather than criticism
3. I must be aware of words and behaviors that make me defensive; and exercise emotional control even though I disagree
4. I must concentrate on what they are saying
5. I must recognize that listening may be the key to my success

B. By cutting off the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”

1. Criticism
2. Contempt
3. Defensiveness
4. Stonewalling

4. A strong set of coping skills
5. They share a growing sense of Christlikeness

PASSAGES REFERENCED
Prov 24:3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
Psa 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Prov 20:3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Prov 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Prov 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Prov 18:6 A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
Prov 29:20 Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Prov 18:13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Prov 15:28 The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
Prov 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

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Recommended Resources
Shepherding a Child’s Heart, by Tedd Tripp, Shepherd Press, 1998.
Hints on Child Training, by H. Clay Trumbull. Great Expectations Book Co.: 1993.
Family Shock: Keeping Families Strong in the Midst of Earthshaking Change, by Gary R. Collins. Tyndale House: 1995.
“The Five Musts of Intentional Listening,” by Jan Pedersen. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Pedersen2.html

* Note: recommending a resource does not constitute Alan’s endorsement of everything in the book. Read with discretion, and balance any author’s advice against what you are learning in the Bible through the Career Class or our parenting groups.

Maranatha

At the end of his first letter to the Corinthians Paul takes the stylus from the hand of his stenographer and starts writing himself. What does he say?

1 Cor 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

Paul combines in one sentence the conviction of his heart about the people who reject his Jesus Christ. If anyone love not the Lord. That is the word for simple human affection. If any man or woman does not emotionally extend themselves to Jesus Christ, then there is nothing for that person in eternity, and their lack of love for the Lord proves their lostness.

Anathema is a Greek word that the James gang left untranslated. It was notorious. Infamous, even by 1611. It came to convey a special English meaning.

Appearing six times in your New Testament, it means to be set aside to God. Not consecrated to ministry because of his mercy, but offered in worship as an object of wrath. Like an animal brought to the temple, devoted to destruction.

If any man or woman in this city does not love Jesus Christ, there is no hope for them. His coming simply curses them. That man or woman will perish because they are devoted to destruction as a result of their decision about Jesus.

With the word Maranatha, Paul broke off into Aramaic. Aramaic was the language of Jesus and his homeboys. Aramaic was the childhood language of Paul studying under that great rebbe, rav Gamaliel in Jerusalem. When Paul wants to convey something intimate he slips into Aramaic. So what is Paul saying to end it all?

They will be accursed Maranatha. That brings us to this intimate Aramaic expression, "the Lord cometh." He has come; he is coming, and this man or woman will be accursed, devoted to destruction at his return coming. Anathema Maranatha. A word for the Jew and a word for the Gentile to remind us of what happens at his coming.

That's what we’ve forgotten in our community. That's why the churches aren't having the impact they could. We forget the negative consequences of Christ's coming. People walk by, and we forget they are devoted to destruction if they are lost.

This is what Paul underlines as the last-said and most-important idea for the church in the urban center. The secret of a successful Christian life is a passionate devotion to the Lord. If you do not have that passionate devotion to Christ, then you have nothing and will be reduced to nothing, because you stand Anathema Maranatha—condemned at his coming. We can’t do anything else for you. After all, he came. He died. Hell is no more than you deserve when this love is no less than God gave.

In the early days of the church, when the Roman Empire was hell-bent on stamping it out, Christians had a watchword. Whenever they met—in the catacombs, in secret meetings, in underground Bible studies, in prisons—they said it: maranatha. He is coming.

Those little groups of Christians, harried and harassed and chased like fugitives, were scattered by persecution. When a Roman Legionnaire caught up with them—when Imperial storm troopers finally found the rebel band and caught them—they encouraged each other with, Maranatha. “Hold on, bro’. Be brave, because the Lord is coming for us! Keep the faith, dog. Be bold, Maranatha man. We can't carry on without him, but we can't give in with him. Maranatha!”

The early churches triumphed in spreading the gospel across North Africa, wiping the Mediterranean basin, and throughout the emerging European world. Why can't we do it in Kansas City? It's only limited by what we can't do in your life. Ask God to light the flame in your heart. Give him your life and he’ll take care of the passion. Submit to God's word. Seek Christ's character. Surrender to the lover of your soul.

It is no fiction Jesus has come. It is no fable that he returns. Any day, any hour, Jesus may return. When he does he will heal every wound and dry every tear. But remember, he also wipes away every rebellion. He quarantines sin for eternity. He “cleans house,” and sanitizes it with fire. That is why rejection now results in condemnation then. Don't put off the lover of your soul.

Maranatha (but remember, anathema).

Sunday Synopsis: Perfecting Parenting

I can't get everything in on Sundays, so we are going to use this for overflow. Last week started our new series on biblical principles of parenting, so let me set it off with a synopsis of Sunday's teaching. Our first topic for teaching is "A Biblical Philosophy of Parenting."

The homiletical idea here is that no one is naturally pre-wired to be a biblical parent, but fortunately parenting is a skill you can perfect. So parenting is like any other aspect of life: you need to know how God’s handbook on humanity says to run it. The first point that lays the foundation for biblical childrearing is

Prov 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Since you missed what that verse is saying, let me be kind and rewind. Happiness is defined in Prov 29:18 as setting a goal to see Bible principles applied in your life. The idea of vision means having a very concrete picture of what a good parent is, no matter how you were raised as a child. This is necessary since children do not go where you say, because they cannot cognitively process things that way; children go where you show, because their little life is based on imitation.

We teach a philosophy of discipleship encompassed in four biblical goals. Likewise, there are at least four good goals to biblical parenting.

Goal 1. Establish them in a safe and secure environment.

Each goal has a task tied to it that makes it practical and accountable.

Task 1. The way you establish children in a secure environment is through constant, consistent and courageous communication about life-issues from a biblical frame of reference.

This is necessary because the thing that most often causes rebellion in children is hypocrisy in the parents. Hello somebody!

Goal 2. Establish them in good citizenship. Good citizenship means
· They have a good attitude toward law enforcement
· They participate with you, through this church, in being productive in the community
· They contribute to the well-being of others at school and the edification of others at church

—because good citizenship is tied to acting like God in the community.

Task 2. You get to this goal by teaching them to submit to authority.

Most parents stop with goal #1. Some go as far as level 2. A complete biblical philosophy of parenting has two civil goals (one internal to the house: security, and one external to society: good citizen). But then it goes even further to two spiritual goals (one internal, dealing with attitude, and one external encompassing action). First, the aspect of internal attitude.

Goal 3. Establish them in biblical understanding.
· Knowledge is the facts of a situation
· Wisdom is knowing how to take the facts and act in that situation
· Understanding is how God figures into the situation

So there is a task tied to the accomplishment of this goal as well.

Task 3. Educate them in what it takes to be pleasing to God by first making right decisions, and then secondly developing the discipline to get it done.

This is illustrated through the book of Proverbs. That gets us to level-four parenting.

Goal 4: Establish them in godliness.

Because the only way our city will get better is for parents to be godly so their children can be good. And the fourth goal, even though it is the highest level, is the foundation of the other three.

Task 4: The Process of Biblical Parenting

A. Start with the heart, Luke 6:45; Prov 4:23
· As you deal with the heart start with three ideas: conviction, grace, and free choice

B. Stick to the scriptures, Heb 4:12; Deut 6:5-7; 2 Tim 3:15

· Remember that while you are teaching your child and training them in the word, it is also cutting you!

C. Seek the Spirit to help you live what you lip, Psa 127:4

· The target you are pointed at is the one that your children will hit!

D. Strive for biblical success, Josh 1:8; 24:15

Next Sunday we will be teaching from the topic of how to parent the prodigal.