“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.” The author of that statement is unknown, but what can be known is that there is a lot of wisdom in it. The author did not say that offering praise after a success is bad – it’s not, it is a good thing. It is, however, not nearly as valuable as the encouragement needed to get to that eventual praise for success. When our children are little, there will always be certain things that they fail at, at … [Read more...] about A Word of Encouragement
Family
The Most Dangerous Temptation That Faces Our Youth
Imagine your beaming little boy or energetic little girl. You’re watching them grow and develop year after year and you wish that time would stand still. “Stop growing…” is a phrase you’ve almost certainly told your child at some point in time in their young life. The years go by, and you see this innocent and inquisitive child learn new things. You know they’re going to be exposed to some filthy things in their life. But right now, you see the light in their eyes and the purity in their spirit … [Read more...] about The Most Dangerous Temptation That Faces Our Youth
The Years Ahead
In the coming years, the members of God’s Church will face increasing pressure against maintaining a firm position on God’s truth. It will be a year of challenge and change. The change will be all around us and the challenge will be “holding fast.” We will have reason to be very mindful of the Apostle Paul’s admonition to “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). We are not making predictions, but simply trying to watch. Watchfulness is a spiritual condition … [Read more...] about The Years Ahead
Expressions of Tribalism
It is difficult to escape the feeling that our world is becoming more divided by the day. For example, we are hearing more about political identity. While it has been quite customary to identify with some political party in terms of general policy, the term has now developed a sharper edge. Amy Chua writing in The Guardian newspaper notes: “When groups feel threatened, they retreat into tribalism. When groups feel mistreated and disrespected, they close ranks and become more insular, more … [Read more...] about Expressions of Tribalism
Becoming As A Little Child
Through an understanding of the family model of government, we can more clearly understand our relationship with Jesus Christ and God the Father. In the family relationship, children play an important role and help contextualize the meaning of God’s government in the realm of human beings. Adults think and reason differently than children do. In some ways, this is a good and natural progression, as Paul mentions in his letter to the Corinthian (1 Corinthians 13:11). However, in the spiritual … [Read more...] about Becoming As A Little Child
The Family
In May of 1992, former US President George Bush Sr. shared with the nation a firmly held belief: “Government cannot solve all the problems. We may be able to make good laws, but it’s never been able to make good men. That doesn’t come from Big Brother. It comes from your family. It comes from your mother and father. And I’m talking about the moral sense that must guide us all. In the simplest terms, I’m talking about knowing what’s wrong and doing what’s right.” What the former president … [Read more...] about The Family
As A Little Child
In a family relationship, children play an important role and help contextualize the meaning of God’s government in the realm of human beings. We all understand, academically, that we are children of God, but adults think, reason, and act differently than children do. This is the natural progression of maturity. As adults, molded by the realities of life, we tend to value reason and self-reliance. We can also complicate things that are inherently simple, questioning what we see and hear, and … [Read more...] about As A Little Child