September 29, 2015

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12

I am much more excited about this week’s lesson than about last week’s. Sunday’s message was a tough one for me. Those of you who know me well probably knew I was struggling and why it was tough for me. I prefer to preach from a position of strength and my childhood and child-rearing are not highlights of my life for complicated reasons. Actually, it’s probably good for us to be willing to minister from areas of weakness when prompted by the Spirit. I refuse to allow my struggles to prevent me from teaching practical Biblical truths to the people I love.

So, home plate is the most important place because everything starts with a connection at home and ends at home plate with a score. A good solid connection at home is revealed when you arrive at first base. First base is the character base where we master self-love in a healthy helpful way.

Over the first two weeks of “Raising Home Run Kids” I have shared some very practical Biblical principles for connecting at home and arriving at first. This stuff is so good I wish I would have heard it years ago!

When you get to second base you are halfway home! That is true in baseball and it is true in the Home Run Life! Arriving at second base significantly increases your chances of scoring. Second base is the community base where you learn to enjoy redemptive relationships! Obviously you can’t get to second base if you haven’t connected at home and rounded first base. In the same way you cannot develop healthy redemptive relationships unless you have a connection with God and enjoy His love operating in your life.

FredWes does second base very well! The spiritual community we enjoy there is certainly one of the great strengths of our church! It is a perfect climate for Raising Home Run Kids!

Our second base is our LIFE Groups. I enjoyed the love that was shared in our LIFE Group last night! This morning I heard stirring reports of the deep fellowship shared at our other LIFE Group! Evidence abounds that FredWes is connecting at home and arriving at first!

Isn’t that what you want for your kids? Don’t you want them to love God in a strong personal faith connection? Don’t you desire a Godly character developed in them through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in their heart and minds? And don’t you want your kid to know how to build healthy life-long relationships?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions you will NOT want to miss this Sunday’s message on how to help your kids learn to build strong and strengthening relationships.

You want to Raise Home Run Kids!

FredWes needs to be populated with Home Run Kids!

Come let me help you coach them up!

September 28, 2015

Peter has been giving us great advice on how to work out the graces He planted in us when we received Jesus Christ for salvation.

^"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control" II Peter 1:5-6

As I have thought about this great portion of Scripture I think of how few people I see who actually live self-controlled lives.

I have recognized three ways people deal with life in the 21st century:

The Self-Dedicated Life

The Self-Medicated Life

AND,

The SELF - CONTROLLED Life, I Corinthians 9:24-27

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

“self-control” = “getting a grip on your life - establishing stability”

This is the life God has called you and equipped you to live!

Five Qualities Of Self-Controlled Living:

POSITIVE GOALS, V. 24 – “Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win”

Self-controlled people live for a goal bigger than their own desires and wants. Here are some positive goals to live by:

Take responsibility

Spiritual growth is your responsibility. You will have to answer to God for how well you developed the grace He placed within you. It is up to you to bend every effort to add moral courage to your faith and to know the heart, the mind and the holiness of God!

Live with integrity

Integrity means to integrate what you believe into how you live. Self-controlled people will say what they mean, do what they say, and humbly seek forgiveness when they don't.

Welcome accountability

Self-control requires help from the outside. Just like an athlete needs a coach and and a referee, a growing Christian who values self-control will allow a trusted friend to hold him to a high standard.

PRACTICES DISCIPLINE, V. 25 – “All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize”.

What disciplines have you built into your life? Discipline means saying "no" to harmful things and "yes" to helpful things!

World-class athletes can't be gold medal contenders by sitting at the Krispy Kreme every day. Olympians give up the donuts to have a chance at the gold.

PROVIDES FOCUS, V. 26 – “So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step. I am not like a boxer who misses his punches.”

How do you maintain your discipline in the pursuit of your goals?

I watched the sprinters in the Olympics and they were running directly at the finish line with their full focus on that tape. They weren't looking back or to the side or zig-zagging but striding straight to the finish.

Self-controlled Christians stay focused on the goal of pleasing God with their spiritual growth!

PROMOTES WHOLENESS, V. 27 - "I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

Self-controlled people, whether athletes or believers, are fully engaged in the race. They train the mind, the emotions and the body in order to compete at the highest level. I did not see any half-hearted competitors at the Olympics this Summer/

Do you daily surrender your mind, heart and body to God’s will?

PARTNERS WITH HOLY SPIRIT, Galatians 5:22

The bottom line on self-control is you or I can't do it! Self-control is actually God-control and self-control is self-surrender!

Self-control is one of the gifts given by the Holy Spirit once He is in control of your life!

D.L. Moody said,  - "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."

So, how is your self-control?

What are your goals?

How is your discipline?

Where is your focus?

Are you entirely engaged?

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?

September 27, 2015

"Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:2-4

This is just a great story in every way!

I want to focus on another aspect of the story. I want to call your attention to the four men who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus!

Are you concerned about bringing your friends to Jesus? 

These men show how to do it!

Bringing your friend to Jesus takes a concern. These four cared enough about their needy neighbor that they came up with a plan to carry him to Jesus!

How can you say you are concerned about a friend if you don't have a plan for getting him to Jesus?

Bringing you friend to Jesus takes a conviction. These men had a strong belief that their paralyzed neighbor needed to be saved and healed. They also had a firm belief that Jesus could heal their friend if they could somehow take him to Jesus. Their conviction was demonstrated by their actions.

Do you have a friend or family member who needs to be saved? Do have a strong conviction that unless they are touched by Jesus they will perish eternally? Are you ready to act on that conviction?

Bringing your friend to Jesus takes commitment. These men had to take time and effort to get their friend's bed carried to the house where Jesus was speaking. After they carried this friend on his bed all the way across town their commitment was challenged when they discovered there was no way to get through the crowd and into the house. What now? Should they give up and go back home? No! They were committed enough to carry their need friend up the back steps and onto the roof, then tear a hole in the roof and then carefully lower the bed down into the house.

Do you have a friend or a family member who needs Jesus? How committed are you to carrying him to Jesus?

Bringing your friend to Jesus may take cooperation. These men obviously all cared about the spiritual and physical welfare of their neighbor. Each of them wanted to see their friend meet Jesus. But due to his situation and circumstances none of them could get their neighbor to Jesus by themselves. To get his man to the Savior was going to require the cooperation of all four. Because they were willing to work together their friend was healed and saved by Jesus!

Christians are not called to be lone rangers. We need each other's talents, gifts, support and encouragement. By cooperating in worship, giving, prayer and serving we can get more people to Jesus than any of us can working alone!

In part, this is what this Sunday's Pigskin & Pig-picking event is about!

Getting people to Jesus is the calling that God has given to His followers. It is the Great Commission not the good idea or the best option!

Be inspired by the example of these four men who had enough concern, enough conviction, enough commitment and enough cooperation to get their neighbor to Jesus. 

Be inspired enough to follow that example!

September 26, 2015

“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 on 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 door frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

The third of three suggested virtues that should be built into Home Run Kids, in addition to honesty and thankfulness is:

PAY THEN PLAY

Immaturity is revealed in a “play first play later” mentality. The natural inclination of a child is to run to third base rather than first base.

Here are some priorities to teach kids to pay them play:

• ·       Character First And Education Second
• ·       School Work First And Sports Second
• ·       Homework First And Play Second
• ·       Chores First And TV/Video Games Second

Parents know things that kids don’t know. They know one thing leads to another. Actions have consequences. We know where the rocks are in life and need to show our kids where to walk.

DR. JAMES DOBSON RELATES A STORY FROM HIS MOTHER’S HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE IN RURAL OKLAHOMA IN THE 1930’s. HER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM WAS NOTORIOUSLY BAD. FOR AS LONG AS ANYONE COULD REMEMBER THEY HAD BEEN ANNUALLY DRUBBED BY THEIR ARCH-RIVAL TEAM. A WEALTHY OILMAN WHO LIVED IN THE COMMUNITY ASKED TO MEET WITH THE TEAM A WEEK BEFORE THEY WERE SCHEDULED TO PLAY THEIR ARCH-RIVALS. HE GAVE THEM A PEP TALK AND THEN PROMISED TO BUY A BRAND NEW FORD FOR EVERY PLAYER AND COACH ON THE TEAM IF THEY WOULD ONLY BEAT THOSE DESPISED RIVALS. EMOTIONS WERE HIGH AND MAXIMUM EFFORT WAS GIVEN EVERY DAY OF PRACTICE LEADING UP THE BIG FRIDAY NIGHT GAME. THE ENERGY IN THE LOCKER ROOM WAS PALPABLE AND THE SIDELINE WAS AMPED UP AT THE OPENING KICK OFF. THE FINAL SCORE WAS 38-0 IN FAVOR OF THE BAD GUYS.

THE MORAL: Occasional emotions are no substitute for consistent discipline and effort and bribes cannot replace mature motivation.

YOUR KIDS WILL BE THIRD BASE RUNNERS UNLESS YOU TEACH THEM HOW TO CONNECT AT HOME AND RUN TO FIRST.

Coach 'em up, parents!

September 25, 2015

“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 on 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 door frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

If Raising Home Run Kids was easy there would be a lot of them and our culture would be on an upswing. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

As I mentioned Sunday, raising kids is a bit of a misnomer because we our end game is to raise healthy adults. It takes healthy adults with an intentional plan for raising up the next generation of healthy adults.

There are three virtues that need to be trained into Home Run Kids. Yesterday I dealt with the first one, honesty. Today I comment on the second one; thankfulness.

Darling adorable little newborns enter the world completely and utterly self-centered. Growing larger and older does nothing to curb that tendency. Selfishness must be disciplined out of the nature of each child. There are a number of reasons selfishness must be confronted in a child.

Selfishness leads to ingratitude. Ungrateful people are unhappy, unsatisfied and discontented people. That is not Home Run Kid Material. That is home to third base runner material.

Selfishness leads to inconsiderate kids. When a kid is primarily centered on his own interests, concerns and desires he has little left for others. This is not Home Run Kid material.

Selfishness leads to impatient kids. Self-centered kids tend to be self-indulgent kids who want what they want and they want it now. This kid will never make it out of the dugout.

Selfishness leads to impulsive kids. Self-centered kids are not into delayed gratification. They will fall prey to being manipulated into make emotional decisions. That’s not a winning formula for life.

If you want to raise a Home Run Kid, teach him to be thankful. The key to overcoming selfishness is to lead him to a personal relationship with Christ. Becoming a Christian demands humility and repentance. One of the certain signs of a true believer is gratitude. How else can you respond to the amazing grace of God?

Those who would Raise Home Run Kids should also teach their kid to say, “Thank you” to every kindness shown to them.

In addition to saying, “Thank you” Home Run Kids should be taught to send “thank you” notes for every gift or kindness shown to them.

Home Run Kids are grateful kids, kids who have connected at home plate and have rounded first base!

Coach ‘em up parents!

September 24, 2015

“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 on 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 door frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

In my message last Sunday I shared three fundamental truths you must teach your kids. This week I will share three attitudes or characteristics Home Run Kids must demonstrate. 

Today I will comment on the first:

HONESTY

Sin is always rooted in a lie. Sin originated in a lie and has corrupted the human nature with flawed judgment. Our human instinct is to lie in order to save ourselves. It is natural to tell ourselves lies.

We want to lie but we hate being lied to. We want to live in a world where we can lie but everyone else must tell the truth. Such is the depravity that plagues us.

When you lie you lose because:

• ·  Lies break reliability. One lie breaks trust and each successive lie further erodes your trustworthiness.
• ·   Lies break relationships. People can’t trust a liar and it is hard to love someone you can’t trust.
• ·   Lies blur reality. A lie originates in a false reality and moves further from it. Lucifer really thought he “could be like the most high” – not really!

Parents committed to raising Home Run Kids must confront the dishonesty bred into their fallen nature and speak truth into their life.

How do you do that?

Pastor Kevin Myers, who wrote “Home Run Life”, shares a successful strategy he employed with his kids.  He declared “when one lies everyone lies”.

When he caught his kid in a lie he would confront them with their lie and then say something like, “Ok, if you can lie to me then I will lie to you. Remember when I promised you that new bike for your birthday? I lied. And, remember when I said you could go to the sleep over Friday night? I lied. And, oh, remember when I promised to take you to the Braves game tonight? I lied.

Kids want to know they can count on their parents. When they see the effect of their lying it may cause them to reconsider.

Kids need to learn that sin has consequences and it should cost them something when they lie. For Kevin’s kids this approach worked.

The ultimate goal for parents seeking to Raise Home Run Kids is to keep kids from lying to themselves. That is a Home Plate and First Base issue.

Step up to the plate!

September 23, 2015

“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 on 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 door frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Home plate is the connection base where you help your kids get connected to God by faith. The goal at home plate is a kid who loves God.

First base is the character base where the love of God takes residence in the heart of your kid and shapes it to be like Christ. The goal at first base is a kid who finds a healthy self-love.

Raising Home Run Kids means learning to coach your kids how to win at home and first.

There are three parenting models you could choose to Raise Home Run Kids. I want to review them with you.

Model One: Discipline Without Emotion

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

This could be the overly diligent parent who in his desire to Raise a Home Run Kids he just tries a little too hard. In his effort to instill the nurture and admonition of the Lord he errs on the side of rules while neglecting the relationship. Rather than being a parent figure he becomes a drill sergeant.

Another variation of this model is a parent who disciplines with negative emotions allowing anger or frustration to enter into his discipline.

Model Two: Emotion Without Discipline

Sometimes an insecure or immature parent will want to be liked by his kid and is hesitant to apply any discipline to his child. The result is a spoiled kid who has not secure boundaries and who learns to be ruled by feelings. Such a child will struggle to make good decisions because his reality becomes determined by how he feels at the moment. This kid will also struggle to become emotionally mature due to his impatience and inability to delay gratification.

Likewise, this kid will find it difficult to reach spiritual maturity because of his undisciplined ways. Galatians 5 describes a kid like this.

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:16-21

When you read this Scripture substitute the word “feelings” for the word “flesh” and you see where this immature way of living leads. This is NOT a home run life!

Model Three: Emotion With Discipline

This is the model that Raises Home Run Kids. Such parents teach their kid to say “no” to selfish emotions and desires and say “yes” to God’s Word and God’s way. Paul describes this parenting model in Galatians 5:16-18; 22-25

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:16-18 & 22-25

Living a life disciplined by the Word of God and led by His Spirit will be a life set free to express and experience a wide range of emotions!

Three models of child-rearing. Only one of them produces Home Run Kids.

Do you recognize your parenting model?