Vacation

I’m on vacation until January 2nd, so posting will be sporadic if at all. I hope each and every one of you had a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Blogging Firsters

Well it looks like the FirstKids family bloggers are starting to reveal themselves. Here are the three blogs that I know about:

The Boyle Family

The Lindler Family

The Wallace Family

If anyone knows of any others let me know!

Friday Fun: 12 Days of…Africa?

Is your Christmas season this confusing?

Thursday Links of Interest

Preaching to Smothered Mama’s Boys – Anthony Bradley makes some interesting insights

Dr. Russell Moore on the importance of adoption<

My Daddy’s Name is Donor? – Dr. Al Mohler looks at the heartbreaking effects of sperm donorship.

Treasuring Our Traditions – The ladies at Girltalk write about Noel Piper’s insightful book.

The Stars of Heaven Confirm Biblical Creation

Santa vs. Jesus – Here is an interesting article on the potential dangers of lying to your children about the reality of Santa. I even chimed in on the comments.

Shepherding Chapter 10: Embracing Biblical Communication – A Life of Communication

The main point of Tripp’s tenth chapter is that communication is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle that, if done properly, will take time. It is a lifestyle that has costs but also has eternal benefits.

For effective communication to take place, parents must become good listeners. Tripp states,

“Some people think listening is what you do between opportunities to say something. During listening times they don’t listen at all. They are deciding what to say. Don’t be such a parent. The Proverbs remind you that the fool does not delight in understanding, but in airing his own opinions” (Proverbs 18:2) (Tripp, 90-91)

Proper communication requires mental stamina. You must keep your thoughts focused. You must also bring integrity to your interaction with your children. Tripp states,

“You should show them repentance. Acknowledge your joys and fears and how you find comfort in God. Live a shared life of repentance and thankfulness. Acknowledge your own sin and weakness. Admit when you are wrong. Be prepared to seek forgiveness for sinning against your children. The right to make searching and honest appraisal of your children lies in willingness to do the same for yourself.” (Tripp, 91)

One of the most important benefits of a lifestyle of communication with your children is that when your children leave home they will seek that comfort of the home experience with like-minded Christians. This is hard work for parents to instill this type of lifestyle to their children. There will be costs.

“Parenting will mean that you can’t do all the things that you could otherwise do. It will affect your golf handicap. It will modify the amount of time you have for bowling, hunting, television, or how many books you read. It will mean that you can’t develop every interest that comes along. The costs are high.” (Tripp, 97).

The costs are high but the rewards are eternal. Are you preparing yourself and your children for this eternal challenge?

A Partridge in a What?

Got this in an email this morning…

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won’t come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a Christian reality which the children could remember.

1. The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

2. Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

3. Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

4. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

5. The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

6. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

7. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit–Prophesy, Serving, Teaching,
Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

8. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

9. Nine ladies dancing was the nine fruit of the Holy Spirit–Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

10. The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

11 The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

12. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles’ Creed.

Now it all makes sense!!

Monday Insight: True Masculinty

“So what is masculinity?

It’s a willingness to lead, assume responsibility, and be a self-starter. Masculine men take initiative. It’s an inclination to despise passivity and do the right thing. It’s a willingness to stand alone and be unpopular. It is a desire to protect and to provide for one’s family and those who are weak and disadvantaged. It requires courage, honor, and the willingness to sacrifice, even if necessary, one’s own life for the good of others. That’s masculinity.

The world thinks you’re masculine if you’re a street fighter. The world thinks you’re masculine if you take steroids and look powerful. But those kinds of activities don’t make you masculine. You can be the toughest guy on the block and biggest guy in the gym and still be feminized.

True masculinity is not valued in our culture. It is shunned and mocked. The media and academic elite want men who have been worked on by a vet. They want only hardworking, driven men who are very, very sensitive. But when those two planes hit the Twin Towers on September 11, what we suddenly needed were masculine men. Feminized men don’t walk into burning buildings. but masculine men do. That’s why God created men to be masculine.”

(Steve Farrar, King Me, 120).

Headlines

Here are some notable blog posts from the past week:

1. The Anglican Separation Begins – Al Mohler writes about how the inevitable split in the Episcopal Church USA has begun, thanks to the controversy over homosexuality.

2. Invest This Christmas! – The women at Girltalk have a great list on how to take advantage of the Christmas season to invest in the people that God has placed in your life

Shepherding Ch. 9: Emracing Biblical Methods – Types of Communication

In this chapter of Tedd Tripp’s book on parenting, he states:

“We often reduce parenting to these three elements: rules, correction, punishment. You give your children rules. The correction phase comes into play when they break the rules. In the punishment phase you announce the consequence they will receive for breaking the rules.

However, Tripp states, there is more to communication then these three phases. He lists the following attributes as part of essential communication needed while shepherding your children:

1. Encouragement – “Your children know the pain of failure. You can help them assess the reasons for disappointment. You need to help them understand the promises of God. You can encourage them to find courage, hope and inspiration from God, who draws near to the brokenhearted and contrite.” (Tripp, 82).

2. Correction – “Correction remedies something wrong. Correction gives your children insight into what is wrong and what may be done to correct the problem. Correction helps your children to understand God’s standard and teaches them to assess their behavior against that standard.” (Tripp, 82).

3. Rebuke – “A rebuke censures behavior. Sometimes children must experience your sens of alarm, shock, and dismay at what he has done or said.” (Tripp, 83).

4. Entreaty – “This is communication that is earnest and intense. It is the earnest pleading of a father or mother who, understanding his child, the ways of God, and the extremity of the moment, is willing to bare his soul in earnest pleading for his child to act in wisdom and faith.” (Tripp, 83).

5. Instruction – “The process of providing a lesson, a precept, or information that will help your children to understand their world. They need to understand the world of spiritual reality and the principles of the Kingdom of God.” (Tripp, 84).

6. Warning – “Your children’s lives are fraught with danger. Warnings put us on guard regarding a probable danger. A warning is merciful speech, for it is the equivalent of posting a sign informing motorists about a bridge that is out. Warning preserves.” (Tripp, 85).

7. Teaching – “Teaching is the process of imparting knowledge. Teaching is causing someone to know something. As a godly parent, you have much to impart.” (Tripp, 87).

8. Prayer – “Prayer…is the essential element of communication between the parent and the child. Our most penetrating insights into our children will often come as they pray.” (Tripp, 87).

Questions to ponder:

- Of the types of communication mentioned, at which ones are you most proficient?

- At which types are you least proficient?