Sundays

Ready for church (after a few outfit changes for both Mommy and Lydia)

Sundays are busy days for us. Seth goes to the church office at 7:15am for staff prayer. Until just recently, I would go with him. I have made it one time with Lydia. I am still learning how to manage my time in the morning and get out the door with a new baby. Setup starts at 8am at the Thomas Edison School where we meet for our corporate worship service each week. The band begins rehearsing at around 9am, and the celebration service begins at 10:30am (or close to it).

I was hoping to make it to prayer this morning, but instead, Seth came to pick me up afterwards. He was preaching this morning! He did an awesome job talking about the word of God, and if you would like to hear his sermon, you can find it at http://www.cfcfboston.org/resources/sermondownloads. While Seth put the finishing touches on his sermon, I was able to go to an Equipping Class (similar to Sunday School) on parenting. Since we are new parents, we are excited about every opportunity we have to learn about Godly parenting.

I was really encouraged and blessed to hear Matt and Pam Neave share from their experience. They have two small children and one on the way. They started off by reading Deuteronomy 6:4-9. It says:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Matt pointed out that in the same breath that the greatest commandment (to love the Lord your God) was given, the Israelites were told to impress these commandments on their children. The Scripture goes on to give some practical ways to do that. We have such a high calling to teach our children to love the Lord our God. It doesn't happen haphazardly. It happens by being intentional about how we live our lives and what we teach our children. Here are some practical ways that people in the Equipping Class teach their children to know God:

-Reading the Bible together (after Breakfast, devotion at dinner, before going to bed)
-Listening to worship music (specifically, "Songs for Saplings")
-Allowing your children to see you serving others in the name of Jesus
-Having Scripture written in different places around your house
-Reading from Bibles that are age appropriate (recommendation, The Jesus Storybook Bible)

We also looked at Ephesians 5:31-6:4. It says:

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother" - which is the first commandment with a promise - "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Prior to admonishing children to obey their parents, Paul reminds husbands and wives of their commitment to each other. Somehow these little people in our lives know when something is wrong between mommy and daddy. How we love each other as husband and wife flows into how we parent. We will teach Lydia to obey us because if she learns to obey her earthly parents, then she will be quick to obey her Heavenly Father. We want her to experience the promise that follows honoring her father and mother - "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy a long life on the earth."

Finally, we looked at Colossians 3:12-21. It says:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

The part that we focused on was the first part of the Scripture before the specific commands to wives, husbands, and children. I was challenged to ask God to give me compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience as I learn to be a parent. When I fail to have these virtues as a parent, I want to be quick to ask for forgiveness.

A Scripture that Pam said that they recite often in their home is Proverbs 15:1. It says:

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The last thing that struck me was an encouragement to choose to be thankful. When we choose thankfulness, we are preparing the way for God to meet with us. Thankfulness changes the atmosphere. Pam and Matt ended by saying that God wants us to succeed as parents. I am thankful to have God the Father on our side teaching and helping us to parent.

Thanks for allowing me to reflect on the teaching I heard today. i guess you got a little more than just hearing about our Sundays! After a nap in the afternoon, we head to CFTS, our church's discipleship training school. I'll have to share about that another time. Blessings!

After church at Wild Willy's