This is a post from a number of years ago that I thought had good relevance for today. Looking forward to reaching into our communities tonight!
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Today is Halloween. This is one of those days that bring up so many different thoughts and emotions. I grieve that evil is celebrated and at the same time taken so lightly. Evil originates from rebellion and pride against my Lord and Savior and it grieves my heart. However it is treated so lightly at times that even those that follow Christ can easily get caught up into the trappings and supposed “fun” of Halloween.
My thoughts also go a different direction on Halloween to all those children (goblins) that come to my door that need Jesus. We have been given the light and the Gospel that counters evil and doesn’t have to be afraid of evil. Read Matt 9:11-13, 36-37 with Halloween in mind and the kids and families that will be walking around.
Matt 9:11-13, 36-37 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
I firmly believe tonight is a night of opportunity! Many of those kids that come to the door are like those tax collectors, sinners, and sick that Jesus was teaching His disciples to care deeply about. Will we take the time to care about them? The world is coming to our door! How will we use a night Satan intends for evil for the Kingdom? How will we work to reap a harvest? One way of doing this is to be at our doors as lights to every goblin that comes up our walk. A number of other events might be appealing, but there is no other night that your neighbors come to your door and that we have the same opportunity to build our relationships in our neighborhoods. These are our own “Jerusalems” and the place we are to start our outreach. At Village, we provide tracts to families and encourage them to give them out with their candy. What a great opportunity to get the Gospel into homes! It doesn’t have to be intimidating! Just keep a few things in mind to be a great witness. None of them are hard, but they make a huge difference.
Mission rather than Interruption – View each knock and ring of the doorbell as your mission rather than an interruption. If we see each child as an interruption, we will be rushed and grouchy at the door. If we see each one as a divine appointment, we are in the right state of mind to do work for the Kingdom.
Smile and Engage – Smile and greet each child warmly. Kids can sense a mile away if you are hating this or enjoying them. Comment on their costumes and compliment them. I have seen this simple engagement get the kids excited about reading what is on that piece of paper I put in their sack!
Say hello to parents – Most kids have parents waiting for them at the sidewalk. Take the opportunity to wave and say hello. A warm, “Have a good night,” at the end makes a huge difference with these parents. You can say, “We’re the Johnsons (insert your last name here, otherwise it’s a little weird!), glad you could stop by.” Little things like this have allowed me further conversations with some of our neighbors in the weeks that follow and at Christmas when we are putting up lights. Can you have good relationships with your neighbors without doing this? Absolutely, however, why not take advantage of an opportunity where they are seeking you out? This also applies to taking your kiddos out trick or treating. It’s a great opportunity to engage with words like, “Thank you for helping to make tonight fun for our kids.” or “We love ___________ about your house.” And teaching the kids to give an enthusiastic “Thank you” will go far! Make connections. Don’t be “that” (negative) house in your neighborhood, but be “THAT” (wow to the positive) house.
Good tracts. Make sure you have read your tracts and checked them out when purchasing. They not only need to catch the kids interest, but they must share the need for Jesus Christ as the answer for our sin, that He died on the cross and rose again, and that we must believe on Him for eternal life. Also, know what to say when they ask what this is. A great answer is something like, “This is the most important news (or story) that I have ever heard and I wanted to share it with you,” or “This is a story about a man named Jesus that I know.” Every year I have kids that bring friends back to get more of those “stories” I gave out. We also get several different tracts so that each child in a group gets a different one and a home will get a variety of tracts that share the Gospel in different ways.
Good candy! Don’t skimp on the candy if you are sharing the gospel just like we shouldn’t skimp on a tip in a restaurant as believers (servers know who the Christians are!) If you have small candy that comes in many of the grab bags at Costco, give several. We have a variety of kinds and I often use it as conversation to ask what they like. Our God is a generous God and He wants us to show His generosity to others.
Pray, pray pray. Pray before the goblins/kids start coming. Pray that they will be receptive to the Gospel and the tract will make a difference. Also pray that Satan’s influence on this night would be countered by the light of the Gospel. Pray for their safety as they leave. Make no mistake, spiritual warfare is happening tonight.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Have any more great ideas for reaching our neighborhoods especially tonight? Post them in the comments below!
Let’s be witnesses of the light tonight. Those goblins need Jesus too!
I wanted to pass on a link to this article by Ken Berding. It is a great and practical reminder of what it means to live in Christ in this crazy world. Maybe you need this during this crazy week. I did!
We all probably woke up this morning and at some point checked the news to see who won the election . . . and we are still waiting! This uncertainty can cause much anguish and worry, but it doesn’t have to. Yes, no matter who you are, your choice still might or might not win (except those that voted for Kanye. Sorry, no path to victory there.) Yet I have a peace that this world cannot understand. I know we are supposed to say that as Christians. We are supposed to know that God is on the throne, and He is. But often that does not trickle down or pour down into our everyday lives. This time, more than past election, it has for me, and I believe it is because of God’s Word. Let me explain. We have been teaching through the book of Daniel at our church and that has forced me to be saturated more than I normally would be in both examples and teaching of God’s sovereignty and ultimate control of history. You just can’t study and immerse yourself in Daniel (and other wonderful passages of God’s authority) and hold on to paralyzing worry. If you believe God’s Word, you can’t live in that apprehension. Yes, half of us will be disappointed and we all prayerfully will stay involved and work to be salt and light, but worry and anxiety? No way. Angst and combativeness? No way. As we wait for the results, allow these words from Daniel, all of these words, weight on you and lift your soul.
1:2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. . .
1:9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,
2:20-23 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”
2:44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,
2:47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”
4:3 How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.
4:34-35 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
5:26-28 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”
6:26-27 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”
7:9-10 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
7:26-27 But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
10:18-19 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
11:32b but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
12:1 At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
So as a child of God and as a citizen of the everlasting kingdom with the everlasting King, I go out in peace today. I will be cheerful and seek ways to share the good news of Jesus. I will not worry or be devastated or elated because my hope is not in politics. I will love my family and minister to the best of my abilities. I will not be shocked regardless the results because I know we live in a fallen Genesis 3 world that needs Jesus. Whoever wins doesn’t change that. Really, nothing eternal has actually changed, even in the uncertainty. I am at peace.
Elections are coming soon, and we are being bombarded with waves of information with varying degrees of accuracy. How then do we make godly, wise decisions when this extreme polarization has clouded virtually all sources of information and there are a multitude of issues to consider? It can be confusing to say the least! One of the ways we can cut through the clutter is to look at each candidate’s stand on abortion. Whether they are pro-life or pro-abortion is a key litmus test that affects almost every other issue and almost every way a candidate will govern. As Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently said, if they get the abortion question wrong, they will eventually get almost every question wrong. The reason for this is that abortion hits on the issue of the sanctity of human life which is foundational to most decisions in relating to other people. This issue is also indicative of a worldview that affects most of the rest of life. While abortion is one of many issues to consider, I am arguing that it is a primary issue that rises above almost all other issues. In this age of angry politics, I would ask that rather than just react if you disagree, you read the entire case and then consider if your position matches the weight of these arguments.
I have had this post in the queue for four years now. It is not easy to write on just one aspect of the abortion / life discussion because there are so many different issues that make up the debate and I recognize they often intertwine. However, I chose to revisit this post and finish it this year as I have seen a rise of the acceptance of pro-abortion arguments by people who are pro-life. For instance, a talking point currently showing up in social media is that abortion is just one of many issues that God cares about and so it doesn’t matter if you vote for a pro-abortion candidate if they seemingly get the other issues correct. However, as we will discuss below, not all issues are equal or should be considered equally. This argument minimizes the value of life. Another argument that is often used is that there have been less abortions under pro-abortion candidates, so their policies must help life. We must evaluate the truth or falsehood of the claim as well as if there is causation. Consider that these “stats” generally do not include chemical abortions which have risen from 5% to 39% (2017) in the last sixteen years. Also, California stopped reporting abortion numbers to the CDC in 1998 and at the time they accounted for 23% of the nation’s abortions. The truthfulness of this claim is dubious at best. Regarding the idea that somehow pro-abortion candidates have caused a lessening of abortions is also false. Consider that abortions have fallen under ALL presidents since the 1980s. In fact even left-leaning Snopes calls this claim false as there is no causation that can be found. Also consider that there have been increasing state safety restrictions on abortion that are closely responsible for any drop in abortions. As we will discuss below, the policies of a pro-abortion candidate do not reduce abortions, but generally create an environment where some lives are less valued. This idea that pro-abortion officials somehow help the pro-life side is an deliberate attempt to deceive and obscure by the pro-abortion movement. Nevertheless, these arguments are spreading, and I am deeply concerned at a number of pro-life friends that are being deceived by these lies and starting to accept these arguments and consider other factors above the issue of abortion/life.
Why is the abortion issue a primary issue rather than one considered alongside a multitude of issues? Not only is it a foundational issue to worldview, but in human governance and reason, different offenses have different severity, usually corresponding with the value of the offense. For instance, stealing a sandwich should morally have a different penalty than stealing someone’s car. The value of the offense is different, and so the value or importance of the issue is different. In a similar way, the taking of a human life is inherently different from a host of other issues or crimes. It is much worse to take a human life than to take someone’s TV. Both are wrong, but one has a greater weight than another. While I may disagree with a candidate’s stance on taxes, how to help the poor, foreign policy, crudeness, or a host of other issues, the issue of life is significantly more important. We may very well weigh the secondary issues together and vote for a “lesser of two evils” candidate, but I would urge you to consider that the primary issue of abortion/life is one that rises above those secondary issues in importance and can invalidate a candidate regardless of the other issues. The weight of life is heavier. When a person is willing to morally compromise on an issue, they generally are then willing to compromise on lesser issues as well, even if they haven’t done so already. For instance, if a person can justify murder, then it is a lesser task to justify stealing or lying. The weightier issues requires a more significant compromise, thus making the lesser issues easier to compromise on.
Parameters
There are so many different angles and nuances that can be discussed regarding the pro-life / pro-abortion debate that it is almost impossible to cover them all in a single post. As such, I would like to lay out these parameters as a foundation to this particular discussion. Each of these warrant their own discussion and debate, but that is beyond the scope of this post.
An unborn child is a human life
It used to be that the debate was whether an unborn child was a human life, or just a clump of cells that was part of the mother’s body. As science and medicine have advanced, there is more and more overwhelming evidence that the unborn child is a human life, a human being, and it is morally wrong to terminate that life unless the life of the mother is in danger. We now know that the heart begins beating just two to three weeks into the pregnancy. We are seeing babies survive and live normal lives born earlier than we dreamt possible just a decade ago. This little life has its own human DNA, is growing, has brainwaves, and responds to stimulus. This is a human life by virtually any definition. We must err on the side of life. Consider this simple syllogism from Scott Klusendorf that helps us think this issue through.
Premise 1 – It is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being
Premise 2 – Elective abortion intentionally kills an innocent human being
Conclusion – Therefore, elective abortion is a moral wrong
Abortion always results in the killing of an innocent human. The truthful question is if we are rationalizing that act as okay. I realize that some of you may disagree with this point. I encourage you to keep doing research and listen to a fuller treatment of whether the unborn is a human life here.
In the horrible case that the mom’s life is truly in danger, it is ethical to save the mother’s life rather than lose both lives. If the little human life is viable, mom’s life can almost always be saved by delivering the baby alive either naturally or via C-section.
Rape and incest
There are also incredibly painful special cases such as rape or incest that should break our hearts. While I believe that those do not justify the taking of an innocent human life, for the purposes of this article I would not lump those into the vast majority of abortions that do not fall into that category and that do not endanger the life of the mother. We can disagree on these rare cases and should still agree that the majority of elective abortions are unjustly taking a human life. This post limits the discussion to those favoring elective abortions where the life of the mother is not in danger and the pregnancy did not arise from one of these horrendous situations.
Not saying who to vote for
The primary nature of a candidate’s stance on abortion does not tell us who to vote for, but rather who not to vote for. It is misguided to make the logical leap that if I don’t vote for candidate A, I must vote for candidate B. There are many options and many nuanced ways to consider the voting dilemma that good, thinking people disagree on. This post is arguing that a pro-abortion stance should disqualify a candidate from our vote, but that does not mean it qualifies another candidate. That is an ethical discussion for another day!
What about pro-all-of-life?
Often, the objection to the pro-life stance is that if we are truly pro-life, we should care about a baby’s life after birth and the mother who is in dire circumstances. Yes! Most pro-lifers would heartily agree. The pro-life person absolutely should care about babies after birth, the foster care system, adoption, etc. Some have tragically not cared beyond the abortion debate, and that is not ok. We all ought to strive to uphold the sanctity of life from womb to tomb. We absolutely should care about the young mother who is wondering how to feed her soon to be born child or worried about an abusive situation. I am grateful that the pro-life community and church community have risen above almost all other communities to support life at all stages. There are crisis pregnancy clinics in almost every city that support all of these situations and provide training and essentials at no cost. Churches are more and more opening doors and finding creative ways to protect and help. This however does not negate the importance of the abortion issue. It is logical to start addressing pro-life issues at whatever stages life is terminated. If life is ended, the remaining life issues don’t matter for them. Ethically, the core and most important issue to address is when life is terminated. The other life issues all depend on getting this primary issue right. I support being pro-all-of-life and, contrary to the narrative often portrayed, I have seen that those that hold a pro-life position are often on the front line in helping these situations. I would encourage us all to continue to improve on this aspect as well.
We also must not forget that this debate is often a deep dilemma and struggle for real people in desperate situations. Let’s work to show grace and sympathy to those mothers suddenly in difficult situations that they see no way out of. Being pro-life means caring for them too and for those that have made difficult decisions. Jesus offers grace to all and, as His hands and feet, we too are to extend grace and help wherever we can. It is not helpful to just tell a mom to keep the baby and deal with it. Simply put, that is not truly pro-life or honoring the sanctity of life.
Seven reasons the abortion issue is primary to governing well
While there may be more parameters worth mentioning, these give a groundwork on which we can explore seven reasons why we should consider not supporting a pro-abortion candidate. I believe any one of these invalidates a candidate from my vote, but all seven together make an overwhelming case.
A pro-abortion stance . . .
Reveals a belief that not all human beings are equal – Gal 3:28
The very act of allowing one person to choose to end the life of another is a statement of the relative value of the individuals in question. Abortion prioritizes the mother’s opinion over the baby’s life, thus valuing her as more of a human than the baby. This kind of selective prioritization is morally wrong and extremely damaging to a civilization. It is a short step, especially when in power, to valuing someone’s opinion more based on status, race, wealth, or familiarity. As a nation and as rational human beings, we must treat all human beings as equal and not selectively protect certain individuals over others. George Orwell humorously describes this tendency we all fight to view some as less than equal in his animal allegory Animal Farm. One set of farm animals overthrew the farmer and seized power promising equality for all. It quickly degenerated into actions that showed their priorities were more important than other “equal” animals. Orwell writes, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”
Exposes that the official will ultimately not protect the most vulnerable in our society in or out of the womb – Psalm 82:3-4
A moral society must stand up for those that are vulnerable or not able to stand up for themselves. A baby does not have a voice whether in the womb or out of the womb. Government, as society’s tool for justice, must make an extra effort to protect the vulnerable. That is one of their jobs! In this case that includes protecting the lives of the unborn. Even if there is debate about when an unborn baby reaches the state of worth to be protected, a moral society will err on the side of life, not terminating life. If we do not stand for the vulnerable in the clear case of the unborn, other vulnerable groups or people will also fall to expedience. The fight is already moving to the sanctity of the end of life and if those people can be terminated once they cannot speak for themselves.
Calls into question their ability to process information, understand the science of any issue and come to rational conclusions – Isaiah 5:20-21
I recognize that this is a strong statement, but I believe is an important and often ignored concept to consider. The science and medical information regarding the unborn child overwhelmingly supports that the child is a human life. DNA shows that it is not the mother’s body, but rather has its own distinct DNA from conception, thus defeating the “It’s my body” argument. Embryology textbooks show that from the earliest stages, from fertilization, an embryo is a distinct human life. One textbook says, is “A zygote is the beginning of a new human being (i.e., an embryo).” (Keith L. Moore, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology)(many more resources at end) A 2019 University of Chicago five year study showed that 95% of biologists consider the unborn child a distinct human life. In the words of the study, they agreed that “a human’s life begins at fertilization.” The unborn child has all of the requirements needed to be considered alive.
In addition, the talking point that the right to abortion is about women’s health neglects to take into account that nearly a half a million females were killed last year due to abortion in the US and “health” never includes terminating another life. In fact, abortion is about women’s health and we start with the destruction of the health of half a million people. It is completely inconsistent to be pro women’s health and pro-abortion. Abortion has nothing to do with health and in fact violates the Hippocratic Oath. There is no scientific, rational way around the fact that abortion terminates a human life. We all know a baby is alive, we all know. We don’t call it a tumor, or a mass. We call it a baby, we have baby showers. We have gender reveal parties. It is a little human from day 1.
Circling back to the voting question. If a candidate cannot or will not accept the scientific and medical understanding of the beginning of human life, then we know that they will reject truth on other issues as well if it serves their purposes. We are left with the following choices about the candidate.
Either they know the facts and are intentionally supporting the ending of a human life
Or they have not done their research on a life and death issue before speaking to it and acting on it
Or they are willing to ignore the logical and rational conclusions to appease other people
All of these disqualify them from my vote.
Shows a willingness to allow special interest groups and an agenda to influence their policies above values and truth – Gal 1:10
This leads us to a fourth reason that a candidate’s position on abortion is a primary consideration in an election. The pro-abortion stance leads to and now requires a submission to pro-abortion special interest groups and agendas for fear of reprisal or desire for their support. Values and truth are trumped for needing to support the cause at any cost. There is no longer any room for contrary ideas in the pro-abortion camp or even common-sense protections and provisions. While this may be critiqued as a slippery slope argument pertaining to what a candidate might do, it is appropriate when we can already see the path down the slope. For instance, there are virtually no Democrats that are pro-life anymore. This is no longer ok if you want to be in the good graces of the party. Illinois pro-life Democrat Dan Lipinski was primaried out of office in March because his pro-life views are not compatible with the party’s platform or doctrine. It doesn’t really matter if what you believe is true, but rather does it conform to the party agenda. This last year we saw Virginia’s governor support infanticide, the killing of babies after they are born, if that is what the mother wants. In his own words “The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.” Every democrat in the senate again this year (2/25/20), including Kamala Harris, voted to not protect babies born alive with medical care the same way you would any other human being. Note, that wasn’t about abortion, it dealt with babies who were already born. It is the intentional, appalling choice to let living babies die if the mother so desires. However, on the altar of not letting anything compromise abortion, the slippery slope is now calling to allow the death of babies outside of the womb. In this case, no senator or official that voted to allow babies to die if the mother desires should receive our votes. This issue is that important.
The slippery slope has also led to the acceptance of the practices of late term abortion even when the child is viable and partial birth abortions which endanger the life of the mother and kill a viable person. We rationally and morally cannot support either of these. These issues should be despicable to both pro-abortion and pro-life supporters, but the adherence to the abortion cause will not allow such a position. Much more could be said here because the evidence is overwhelming, but that is beyond the scope of this post. I encourage you to research this issue seriously along with countries like Iceland who are now aborting (killing) unborn children with Down’s syndrome to eliminate Down’s. This is not a moral way to treat disabilities! The abortion lobby is already seriously devaluing life. Our vote must not only stand against abortion, but against the myriad of places the abortion stance leads to.
Further, a pro-abortion stance represents a willingness to compromise moral choices to achieve desired ends. This is a strong claim but take a moment to think about it. The pro-abortion lobby often filters all choices through the pro-abortion view. This includes supreme court justices even though abortion should not be an issue on the court since they are not to litigate and simply are to enforce the constitution and laws made by the legislature. Parental consent of medical procedures is often sacrificed for the sake of abortions. The health of a woman is often sacrificed for the sake of abortions especially in the case of unmonitored chemical abortions. The clear evidence is a willingness to sacrifice moral rational choices to advance abortion. If a candidate supports this, they prove their willingness to sacrifice morals and will most likely do so or find it easier to do so in other cases.
Displays a disregard of the role of government to defend the rights of all as long as they do not infringe on another’s basic rights – Prov 31:8-9; Phil 2:3-5
A primary role of our government is to protect and defend the rights granted in the constitution based in the fact that every human being is made in the image of God. This includes the rights of the unborn since they are distinct human lives. However, abortion allows one individual to exercise their “rights” to the detriment of another. One is allowed to push their views and agenda on another to the point of death. This cannot be allowed and is of primary importance. As in point 1, this represents giving some members of society power and superiority over others. All lives are important and should be protected, even the unborn. This is a basic function of government and if that is not understood or if it is disregarded, it reflects on the character and views of the candidate and will most likely rear its head in another area of governing as well. We do not want elected officials that value convenience and expediency over human life and are willing to make decisions in that light. This will eventually lead to the infringement of the rights of others and put other lives at risk. Again, remember that we are talking elective abortions and not cases where the life of the mother is genuinely at risk.
An example of this principle in action is the current call to repeal the Hyde amendment which prevents government money from funding abortions. The principle is that we are a divided country and to force half to violate their personal beliefs they have arrived at either through science, reason or faith (or all three) by forcing them to fund abortions with their tax dollars is morally wrong. Opposing this is the very definition of anti-choice. The current call is to remove choice from the pro-life half thus taking away rights and a choice not to support abortion from the ones deemed less important. This kind of bias is shameful.
This is also where the argument of bodily autonomy often enters in support of abortion. A definition of bodily autonomy often cited is from UCSB’s Sociology Dept, “Bodily autonomy is defined as the right to self governance over one’s own body without external influence or coercion”. Again, you start to see the language that puts one person’s rights as more important than another. Thus the argument is that a mother cannot be coerced into keeping the unborn life alive. However, this argument falls down when we consider some obvious limits. Bodily autonomy only goes as far as it does not deprive another of their basic rights such as life. We already know this in current law. For example, if a mother or a father of an infant chooses to get high or drunk with their body (bodily autonomy by almost every definition) and neglects their infant and does not provide nourishment and lets he/she sit in their own waste, that is illegal. The rights of the living baby supersede the right of the parent to do what he/she wants with his body. There are often conflicts of rights in society and that is why we have laws to help define them. Even if I’m tired and don’t want to be forced to care for my children, by law, I must, and I can be prosecuted if I don’t. This same principle should apply to an unborn child. This is a foundational function of government and law. A helpful illustration to show one of the many faults of “My Body, My Choice’ is to think of “My House, My rules.” This is true, but still doesn’t allow me to kill people in my house. That would be morally wrong and illegal. However, the understanding that this unborn baby has rights in no way says carrying and delivering a child is easy and I look for candidates that acknowledge this and find ways to help in difficult situations. But the primacy of life over other rights is vital to a healthy, functioning society.
Reveals that they do not value our Declaration of Independence that guarantees the right to life for all people. – Gen 1:26-27
From the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. . .
nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property”
To deprive an unborn human from life is to violate our founding principles. If we are willing to violate this principle, we are willing to violate others as well.
Is rooted in racism and leads to further racism – James 2:1-13
This was an incredibly disturbing point to research as I uncovered the ugly side of racism and its influence in the past and present on abortion. I am not saying that all pro-abortion people are racists or that there are no racists on the other side. I am proposing that we increase our understanding of the ties between racism and abortion and reject both accordingly. It is well documented that the roots of Planned Parenthood with Margaret Sanger were racism and eugenics. As I researched though, it was apparent that racism is still an integral part of the abortion movement. This is why we are seeing a swell of African American leaders calling abortion “attempted genocide”. Consider these facts. (sources cited below)
35-36% of abortions in the US are performed on African American women who represent 13% of the country’s female population
Latino-American women account for 20-23% of all abortions but only makeup another 13% of the female population
Black women are five times more likely than white women to receive an abortion
These statistics break my heart. These are human lives that were terminated. Lives with potential and an ability to contribute to society when we value all races. To end these lives is morally despicable. My prayer is that we will come to a place where abortion is seen to be as reprehensible as racism. Dr. Alveda C. King, the daughter of Rev. A.D. King, Martin Luther King’s brother called abortion genocide. Executive director of the Human Coalition Action Rev. Dean Nelson along with 100 Black elected officials, pastors, and attorneys, in a letter to Planned Parenthood, said, “This effort demonstrates the outrage among the Black community that we have been strategically and consistently targeted by the abortion industry ever since the practice was legalized almost 50 years ago.” He’s not wrong and we must stand against any candidate that pledges to continue this practice.
Conclusion
The abortion issue is primary! These are seven ways that a pro-abortion stance should disqualify our vote for a candidate. I urge you to carefully consider the primacy of this issue and see it as a litmus test that informs your vote. If a candidate gets this wrong, they will eventually get almost everything wrong. The laws and policies they propose and support will harm life. The tone they set will harm life. The decisions they make will not honor the worth of every individual. The abortion issue matters in an election. Not just to us, but to 800,000 unborn babies that face abortion this year. Let’s think well as we go to vote.
~ Pastor Ron Johnson (foster parent, adoptive parent, and father of 3)
At Men of the Sword, we prize a father’s role (and a grandfather’s!) in leading his family in worshiping God, primarily through reading the Bible and in prayer. With that in mind, I wanted to share Tim Challies’ 10 Ideas and 10 Tips for Family Devotions in 2019. There’s lots of repetition here, but some great, well, ideas and tips! Have at it!
Many men were waiting for this chapter when they saw the word “practical” in the title. So many of us are wired for practicality, for getting our hands dirty and diving in to the problem or project. Too many times, discussions about family worship and Bible reading with our kids get mired in the philosophical and abstract. Don’t get me wrong, it is necessary to have a philosophy of Bible reading. We have to know why we should do this before we can really get into the nitty-gritty of how to do this. But we’ve done that in the previous chapters and posts. Now it’s time to get some tips on how to actually do this.
Jon Nielson gives a helpful caveat at the beginning of Chapter Four, that his experience at the time he wrote the chapter consists of his wife and he doing Bible reading with their kids ages 5, 3, and almost 2. While they may be somewhat subjective, I think they are very thoughtful and field-tested. I’m going to briefly outline the eight tips and comment on each of them in what follows. Be it known far and wide that I am not an expert either! Some of these we do well in our family, and others we do not. The number and ages of your children will require different approaches, but the principles are solid. Buckle up!
1. Pick a regular time and place for Bible reading
While Nielson’s family has chosen the “before-bed” time, he also admits that many families can utilize the time immediately following dinner while everyone is together at the table. Of course, when you have an infant or a toddler, either of these times becomes difficult. For example, my wife often misses some or all of our time because she is usually putting our one-year old toddler to bed. And when our toddler is in his high chair too long, forget it! When we just had the two girls, things were easier, of course.
That being said, Nielson’s right about finding “some kind of routine” that works. This helps develop a family habit, and gives your children the expectation that Bible reading/devotions/family worship are an important part of who we are as a family, and we will make time to make it happen.
2. Read short chunks of Scripture
I have to admit a weakness in my own practice of reading the Bible with my kids. So far (my kids are 8, almost 7 and 1) we have rarely read from the Bible, except when we’ve memorized a couple passages (Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer). We have mostly spent time in Bible storybooks, which tend to accomplish this second point. This is something our household will be working on in 2019. There will always be tension between covering ground enough to move through a book, and making sure to understand what we’ve read. Reading ahead and just a little bit of planning can help you stay on track here. And remember, we want our kids to understand the Bible, and that means figuring out how much they can comprehend. So keep it short!
3. Where possible, pick a literal Bible translation
I do not feel as strongly as Nielson does on this point, but he is careful to emphasize that this tip is primarily for older children. He also points out that by using a more literal Bible translation (he suggests the ESV, RSV and NASB) it allows you to read and interpret the Bible for your children, rather than relying on the translation to do the work. I think this is an admirable goal, something to work up to. I also think there is great value in using the NIrV or the NLT to help your younger children understand the Bible. We encourage our young readers to use the ESV, because that is the version our church uses, as well as being the version they memorize verses in for Awana.
4. Stop often to explain and gauge comprehension
I really like this tip because it is so easy! Yet we often forget about it or fail to use the time-tested tool of slowing down, pausing and asking questions. Or perhaps you’ve read a big word or referred to a geographical location they don’t know. Stop and simply explain. What good is it to gain the whole story and lose the meaning? Sometimes you can tell when your kids are distracted or losing interest. STOP! Time for a question. Or, perhaps time to pray and go to bed! Either way, don’t forget to focus on comprehension. We want our kids to get it, not just hear it!
5. Think of age-appropriate questions for follow-up discussion
This is really the fruition of number four. It’s cool to see Nielson’s creativity with this one and that his daughters grew to love this time so much. With a little preparation and attention to detail (and perhaps a bit of sanctified cheating by using any supplied questions!) we are teaching our children how to study the Bible. The most advanced biblical scholars practice this study tool: ask questions of the text in order to understand the meaning and significance! So ask silly questions, ask easy questions, ask hard questions, ask content questions, and ask application questions. This also communicates to your children that the Bible is important, meaningful and alive (Hebrews 4:12). They know how important this is to daddy and mommy and they know that it matters in real life, not just at church or Awana or school.
6. Connect each story/passage to Jesus
This is something that The Jesus Storybook Bible does explicitly, and it mostly does it well. However, sometimes this principle can be strained. In the desire to do a very good thing, sometimes both the trained and untrained alike can begin to search for Jesus in places he’s not meant to be found. So I want to preach restraint here. However, I think Nielson does help us in our endeavor to introduce our kids to Jesus. He acknowledges the obvious ease we have in teaching New Testament stories and letters about Jesus.
It’s the Old Testament where we can run into problems. He gives four Ps to help us remember how OT texts point to Jesus: promises, patterns, persons and predictions. When we see promises or covenants, we can point to their fulfillment in Jesus. When we see patterns that are repeated or replicated in the NT, we can see the obvious outworking in Jesus’ life and ministry. Some persons are types of Jesus, that is, their work, character and/or circumstances point to One who is to come (think Moses as the prophet and lawgiver of Israel; or Joseph betrayed by his brothers to eventually save his brothers; or David as the shepherd from Bethlehem). And last (and probably easiest for us) are predictions. At Christmas time this becomes easiest because so many of our Advent readings and our carols refer back to prophecies made in the OT that are kept in the Christmas story. Matthew and Luke are not shy to reference previous prophecies in their tellings of the Christmas story.
7. Let the Bible reading guide you to a time of prayer
I’m not very good at this with my kids. Nielson points out how this adds variety and purpose to our prayers, where so often we can get bogged down in good-yet-surfacey requests about pets and scrapes and stuffed animals and other requests. By focusing on that night’s story, we have templates for specific requests. When reading about the armor of God from Ephesians 6, we can transition into prayer time by praying for a particular piece of the armor for each child. Or when reading about the simple trust of a shepherd boy to defeat a giant enemy, we can ask God to help us trust him like David did.
8. Be willing to do it badly
As my advisor and professor in college used to say, “your first stories will be terrible!” That was meant to be encouraging, believe it or not, because you can’t get good at something without willing to be bad at it first. Think about your first season playing a sport, or your first recital, or maybe your first year of marriage! Were you good yet? No! It’s the same with reading the Bible with our kids. Nielson quotes G. K. Chesterton as saying, “if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.”
So, don’t succumb to Satan’s temptation that you’re not smart enough to do this, or that you’re too tired, or that it’s your wife’s job. Your kids’ lives are at stake, their future depends on knowing how great and good God is! Do it badly for a week, and the next week will probably go much better. Do it so-so for a month, and the next month is bound to improve. Keep getting better and maybe, just maybe, your kids will be bouncing on their beds, asking to read God’s Word!
Men, let’s lead our families well by submitting ourselves to God’s unchanging word. Let’s be men of the sword of the Spirit, learning to wield it more and more skillfully against Satan’s attacks, and for the good of our children. May we “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). If you’re already doing this, keep going! Please leave your feedback in the comments below. If you can’t seem to get started, ask for help, ask for prayer and dive in!
As we come to chapter three of discussing Bible Reading With Your Kids, we are building on the foundations of the first two chapters. If you haven’t read them or our articles about them, read chapter 1 here and chapter 2 here. These chapters laid out the biblical reasons to pursue reading the Bible with our kids and some practical aspects of how this helps us parent and disciple. The next question Nielson asks is what most of us would ask next, “How should I approach this?” Before going any further, try to think of 2 or 3 ways you would approach reading the Bible with your kids. I’ll list several of mine at the end. Unless we think through some ideas and trust God with the outcome, the idea of reading the Bible effectively with our kids can feel like standing at the bottom of a cliff face with no plan to climb up and we can be overwhelmed. You don’t need to be overwhelmed!
Nielson’s first vital encouragement is to jump in with your kids and do it no matter where you think you are at with your own knowledge of the Bible. Even if you are reading the Bible for the first time, you can read sections with your kids. This is something Christian dads of all stages spiritually can do. If you run into questions you can’t answer, get a couple of good resources (we can help with that) or come talk to a pastor or elder. We would love to help dads understand the Bible so that they can pass it on. He says, “Don’t put it off until you feel ready; just get started.” Such good advice! Do you want to know the hidden secret that can overcome this feeling of inadequacy that Satan uses to stop us? Every dad I’ve talked to about family worship, including myself, feels ill-equipped or inadequate at times! The weight of training little souls is staggering. Praise God the power is in God’s Word, not our eloquence. Don’t let this trap stop you from jumping in and trying it.
He then gives several ideas to help us be more prepared to help our kids understand God’s Word as we read it. The first is to consider that their young ears may not comprehend as easily, so think about how you would talk to someone learning English (they are!) Speak a little slower and try to use simpler words when talking about the verses you just read. Don’t use the long 50 cent Christianize words when they are young. Use words they understand. Men, our wives are often masters of this. Enlist their help.
His next hint may be tougher to notice, but look for places where the Bible uses abstract concepts like metaphors or complex concepts and give them concrete examples. This can be tough for us to see because as adults, we deal with the abstract all the time, but kids are concrete thinkers until around 12 or 13 years old. They need us to simplify. For instance, let’s say I tell my kids that Jesus took the penalty for my sins and paid the price I couldn’t pay so I could have salvation. This is extremely important and true, but it may be difficult for a child to understand. We still need to teach this, but perhaps add a concrete example like this . . . If your brother broke mommy’s vase and is going to have to do a bunch of extra chores as a consequence to pay for it, would he be happy? You’re right, he’d be sad. But what if you, even though you haven’t done anything wrong, stepped in and offered to do the chores for him that he should do and you pay for the vase so he doesn’t have to? How would he respond then? This illustration might not work for you, but my kids really began to understand the substitutionary work of Christ through this.
The third hint is to look for experiences described in the Bible that your kids may not have had. Nielson lists several very helpful ones like a huge storm, crashing waves, a fishing boat, nets, etc. It is very helpful to think through the story and make sure they understand all the elements of it. Ask questions to see if they understand. Have them describe a storm or some element of the story. This is great feedback you can use to see what you need to describe further.
I greatly appreciate that Nielson ends the chapter by reminding us that this discipline is reading the actual words of scripture to our kids. Don’t just tell the story in your own words and skip scripture or just read a kids storybook. Read an actual version of the Bible. I’m not saying Bible storybooks are bad, use them! I used them. But don’t replace the Bible with them. You can experiment between translations like ESV, NIV, etc, but read an actual Bible! Remember chapter 1, the Bible contains God’s very words.
So what were your ideas for how to approach this? Did they match Nielson’s? Mine went a bit of a different direction. When I think of how to approach it with my kids, four thoughts come to mind: Patience, a sense of humor, creativity, and perseverance. I could elaborate on each one, but I’ll save that for another post. Dads, dive in and start reading and trying some of these tips! Comment with some of your experiences. We’ll be exploring some more practical tips in the next chapter.
This chapter is short and to the (four) point(s)! Having dealt with the theological foundation in chapter one, Nielson moves into some practical foundations.
I must admit at the outset, I struggle to consistently read the Bible with my own three children. Life is crazy, I am gone one, two or three nights of the week, and the needs of a one-year old differ greatly from those of girls who are six and eight. My wife and I aim to saturate our home with Scripture, but often nowadays that comes in occasions of sadness, shame, discipline and follow-up to school events. Those are good and right, but would be better grounded in the more systematic reading of the Bible and/or a Bible storybook, which has happened—on occasion—in the past. I assume from experience and anecdote that is where most of us are at.
Nielson’s first point is the fatherhood factor. He references the results of a 1994 report from Switzerland that serves to illustrate the generally true statement that a father’s spiritual impact on his family is the deepest one. This may sound politically incorrect, but I think we all know that this rings true.
The second foundation is the relationship factor. I am most impacted by this point, in which Nielson emphasizes the reality of family relationships and conversations revolving around the Bible. In a time and place where spiritual conversations are harder and more awkward to initiate, he argues that Bible reading can and will lead to a more natural “rhythm” of understanding issues in our lives being primarily addressed in the Bible.
Foundation three is the capacity factor. Nielson here challenges our assumptions about what children can understand an early age, and urges us to raise the bar. Indeed, this is a good word: let’s raise the bar! I have this unknown quote written in my office: “Remember, students learning trigonometry in high school can handle theology in church.” That’s right, isn’t it? Can kids who are learning to read and memorizing times tables begin to see what Jesus means when he speaks of loving God and loving neighbor? Can children learning piano and guitar and trumpet also start to ponder what it means that God created humans as male and female? Yes, I think they can. In fact, I know they can! Nielson includes a great anecdote from his family’s devotions too.
Nielson ends with the relevance factor. He argues quickly and persuasively the Bible speaks precisely to the things are children wrestle with: anxiety, gender and sexuality are his examples. We could also easily mention obedience and submission to authorities, friendship and gossip. This point should be one we treasure: the Bible—never so easily accessible as it is today—offers answers to life’s mundane and biggest questions! Parents have a resource to go to, and it is one we can also point our kids to: God’s very word!
These should be good reminders for many of us, good introductions to others. Whatever the case, parents, children’s and youth workers, grandparents, uncles and aunts all can apply these practical foundations to our reason for reading the Bible with the children God has placed in our care. So let’s consider and do this in whatever ways we can, both small and large, right now! God is with us and he has given us what we need!
I know we already posted on our Bible Reading book this week, but this is on another topic. I ran across a great article on what God is looking for in a godly man’s approach to a relationship with a woman. It is very helpful to think through. I love this quote, “A married Christian must not be a zero-woman man, living as though he isn’t married, neglecting to care adequately for his wife and family.” Give it a read whether you are married or single and think about how you can be growing daily in this area!
Today we will go through chapter 1 of Bible Reading With Your Kids. I hope you have had a chance to pick it up and read along with us as we work to practically apply this essential tool for discipling our kids for Christ. Chapter 1 begins the section Why and How and is titled Theological Foundations. WAIT, before you check out or skip it because you think you know this one, realize that it is very helpful to remind ourselves of the truths behind what we are doing. If we don’t understand the why, we will burn out on the what. So why read the Bible with our kids?
Life is busy, right? So many things tug at our time and our family’s time. Right now we are busy with school, homework, Awana, ministry, church, youth group, football, music lessons, and that doesn’t even get into doctor’s appointments, dentist, etc. Even with trying to prioritize, there are many things on the list. We need to understand good reasons to move Bible Reading with our kids high on that list. As Nielson starts chapter 1, he quotes Dabney that the education of our children for God is the most important business on earth. Amen! I agree with him that almost every father I know would agree with that. So how do we accomplish this? By “steady and consistent exposure to the powerful word of God.” There may be many other good things we do, but the Bible is the ultimate source of God’s life-changing power. To confirm this, Nielson gives us 4 truths about the Bible to remember.
The Bible truly is the living Word of God – Heb 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This is a reminder that it is active and alive as it works in our lives. The Bible is the very words of God! I love the phrase, “the Bible, most basically, is God speaking.” That brings it down to an easy to understand principle that we can remind our kids of. As you go to God’s Word with your kids, tell them that this book is God speaking. We can listen to God and hear Him. As you do, you are teaching them that the Bible is the living Word of God and passing on its importance.
The Bible is the authoritative Word of God – 2 Tim 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” As our children are growing up, they are figuring out what authority means and looks like. Sometimes it goes well, and sometimes it is a challenge! Our sin nature wants to rebel against all authority in our lives. The book gives us an important reminder that as we try to help our kids come under the authority of mom and dad, we all come under the authority of God through His Word. Throughout many years of youth ministry, I had students tell me that their parents demanded to be an authority in their lives, but they themselves didn’t respect any authority. This can be a particular challenge if you own your own business, work from home, or home-school. I know full well that the students were usually not seeing the bigger picture, but it reminds us that we need to be open and visible with the authority in our lives. A primary way to do this is to tell and show our kids that we are under the Bible’s authority. Constantly reiterate that the Bible is the rule of living for our lives. It is the authority of a loving, righteous God in our lives. It’s good to tell them things God is teaching you through His Word. Maybe it’s patience, contentment, humility, or working on anger issues. Let them know God’s Word is authority. This principle “involves a recognition that our Maker has spoken with authority, and our first task as creatures is to listen to him.” We need to ask ourselves then, “Do I see the Bible as a necessary authority in my life?” Is there any indication to my kids that it is? Let’s work on this one!
The Bible is the powerful Word of God – Both 2 Tim 3:16 and Heb 4:12 above remind us of the life-changing power of God’s Word. Nielson writes, “Paul, too, write of the effective power of God’s Word to actually get things done in the lives of people who expose themselves to it.” Do you see some things that need to change in your children? As mine have gotten older, I see certain weaknesses in each of them that I pray can be overcome. I can wish and hope, or I can make sure we’ve read God’s Word about those issues. We also memorize verses about whatever the issue is. It is a relief to realize that God’s Word is the power to change them, and not my “perfect” parenting. This is such a relief because my parenting is never perfect, but while I carry the responsibility to parent, I don’t carry the weight of making them change. Let the Holy Spirit work, but give him a field to work in by reading the Bible together!
The Bible is God’s chosen method for salvation – We all pray for our kids to be saved and follow Jesus. One of the best ways to help this process is to read the Bible, God’s very words. This is the truth they need to hear.
I really appreciated Nielson’s last follow-up point in the chapter. He says, “It’s the absolute necessity of adding our prayers to the work of reading and teaching the Bible to our children.” Amen! This acknowledges our dependence on God and we know that God hears our prayers. Don’t forget this step and don’t just say you’re praying for them. Maybe have something specific each day that you pray for God to accomplish in each of your kids. It could be something like, “Lord, help little Johnny be humble today. Help him see the lessons you have for Him in this area and bring things into his life that help him learn this lesson young rather than when he is older. Help him see your life changing power in his life. And help him remember to put on clean clothes today.” Ok, maybe the last sentence is just for me and my kiddos! But the lesson is, pray for your kids in an intentional way. You might want to make a prayer list for each of your kids with your wife. I guarantee she is seeing things in their lives too.
Let’s believe the Bible is God’s very words and make it a priority. If you haven’t read the Bible with your kids on a regular basis, this week, read with them at least twice. Pick a book of the Bible that works for your aged kids and read a paragraph or two at least twice (more is great!). Let’s start the habit!
This is a post from a number of years ago that I thought had good relevance for today. Looking forward to reaching into our communities tonight!
These chapters laid out the biblical reasons to pursue reading the Bible with our kids and some practical aspects of how this helps us parent and disciple. The next question Nielson asks is what most of us would ask next, “How should I approach this?” Before going any further, try to think of 2 or 3 ways you would approach reading the Bible with your kids. I’ll list several of mine at the end. Unless we think through some ideas and trust God with the outcome, the idea of reading the Bible effectively with our kids can feel like standing at the bottom of a cliff face with no plan to climb up and we can be overwhelmed. You don’t need to be overwhelmed!
Nielson’s first vital encouragement is to jump in with your kids and do it no matter where you think you are at with your own knowledge of the Bible. Even if you are reading the Bible for the first time, you can read sections with your kids. This is something Christian dads of all stages spiritually can do. If you run into questions you can’t answer, get a couple of good resources (we can help with that) or come talk to a pastor or elder. We would love to help dads understand the Bible so that they can pass it on. He says, “Don’t put it off until you feel ready; just get started.” Such good advice! Do you want to know the hidden secret that can overcome this feeling of inadequacy that Satan uses to stop us? Every dad I’ve talked to about family worship, including myself, feels ill-equipped or inadequate at times! The weight of training little souls is staggering. Praise God the power is in God’s Word, not our eloquence. Don’t let this trap stop you from jumping in and trying it.
Today we will go through chapter 1 of Bible Reading With Your Kids. I hope you have had a chance to pick it up and read along with us as we work to practically apply this essential tool for discipling our kids for Christ. Chapter 1 begins the section Why and How and is titled Theological Foundations. WAIT, before you check out or skip it because you think you know this one, realize that it is very helpful to remind ourselves of the truths behind what we are doing. If we don’t understand the why, we will burn out on the what. So why read the Bible with our kids?
