Becoming the Parent You Want to Be

Les and Leslie Parrot (two Christian therapists who I really respect), have written an excellent parenting book entitled The Parent You Want to Be. The big idea of this parenting book is that parenting has a lot more to do with who you are (your traits, values, behaviors, the example you set) than what you do in terms of parenting techniques. In the book they quote a therapist named Joseph Chilton Pearce who wrote, “What we are teaches [a] child far more than what we say, so we must be what we want our children to become.” On Sunday we talked about having an “Extreme Makeover” for our kids – it turns out it isn’t our kids who may need the makeover – it’s us parents. It reminds me of Jesus’ powerful words, “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Who our children are and what they become is powerfully connected to our becoming who God desires for us to be.

Worship at the Table

Most of us have a general understanding that worship is about so much more than just what we do during a worship service. Worship extends into what we do every minute of every day. In my sermon yesterday about "Extreme Makeover: Your Health" this idea about worship came into a sharp focus for me. Paul says this in I Corninthians 6:19-20, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. (NRSV)" In part, what Paul is saying here is that what we put into our bodies, and what we do with our bodies is an opportunity to worship. I'm sure many of us pray before our meals, but who knew that every time we sit down at the table we are sitting down with an opportunity to worship by what we choose to put into our bodies. Every time we make a decision to go the gym, or take a brisk walk instead of sitting in front of the TV -- this could be considered an act of worship...glorifying God in our bodies. I have always wanted to live a healthier lifestyle...eating less, exercising more, but I had always thought it was something that only I wanted. It just could be that doing these things, taking care of the temple God has issued to us (but belongs to him) --- is not just about looking and feeling good -- it's good worship too.

One Flesh

One of the most beautiful passages of Scripture is found in Genesis chapter two when the man says about God’s new creation “Woman,” “This is at last bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called woman, for out of man this one was taken.” Then Genesis says these words about marriage, “Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Nicky and Sila Lee, authors of The Marriage Course developed at Holy Trinity Brompton church in London, say that the marriage relationship is the closest most intimate relationship God has created. In fact, they say that it is even closer and more intimate than the relationship between a parent and child. They point out that parent/child relationships are characterized by increasing independence over time (the idea is that children eventually grow up and leave the nest), whereas the marriage relationship is characterized by increasing interdependence. The Bible calls this “becoming one flesh.” God uses the incredible gift of marriage as the means of helping two individual people, over time, to become one flesh. This isn’t an instantaneous occurrence that happens when two people say their vows, or move into a house together. It is a process that takes hard work, lots of love, and incredible commitment. This is my prayer for every marriage in our church, in our community, and in our entire country and world – that we would all have marriages that foster increasing interdependence and increasing love for one another – marriages that help each couple become “one flesh.”

Financial Freedom

Yesterday after my sermon about “Extreme Makeover: Your Finances” a visitor to our church came up to me and summed up my sermon perfectly when he told me something his dad had always told him:“It’s not how much you make, but what you make of what you have.” Like many of us, I have not always followed this wisdom. Instead I’ve gotten caught up in the trap of always wanting more: I want a new TV, a new car, a new computer, a new I-Pod, a new cell phone, more cable channels, more music, more stuff, more, more, more. I have a book on my desk entitled Longing for Enough in a Culture of More. I think the title says it all – we need to understand that Christ and what he has given us is enough, rather than always longing for more. The apostle Paul said it this way, “… I have learned to be content with whatever I have. (Philippians 4:11)”. Financial freedom begins when you first find contentment in what you already have.

New Year's Revolution

People often wonder why their New Year’s resolutions never seem to stick. The apostle Paul expressed the way I often feel when he wrote “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15 NRSV). No matter how hard we try, and how badly we may want to change – we often keep falling back into the same old patterns we’ve always followed. Because of this I am challenging you NOT to make New Year’s Resolutions that will be forgotten in a few weeks – but to experience a New Year’s Revolution. The dictionary defines revolution as “The overthrow of a government by those who are governed.” I think this is what we need in 2009. We need a revolution, we need to overthrow the government, we need to overthrow the government…of our lives. You see, the reason we continue to do the very things we don’t want to do – is because WE are the ones trying to govern our lives, rather than turning power over to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the one whose shoulders our government should rest. New year’s resolutions are fine – but what I desire is a New Year’s Revolution – a commitment to turn over the government of my life fully and completely to God.