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Fatherlessness is killing the very soul of our nation and churches. 

Several Christian bloggers and scholars have written on the impact of boys being raised without a Dad (either literally or by absenteeism).  The rise in gangs and gang violence has been shown to have a very direct link to fatherlessness.  A generation of violent, angry young men has been and will continue to take to the streets of America, wreaking havoc. 

But, what about girls?  Don't they need Dads, too? 

Erin Pougnet's research at Concordia University says so.  Recently her research for her Ph.D. was discussed at www.lifesitenews.com.  Her study demonstrated the critical importance of Dads on things like a child's IQ, behavior, and emotional stability. 

But, perhaps more importantly, Pougnet's study manifested that a Dad's absence negatively impacts girls more than boys.  The researcher said, "Girls whose fathers were absent during their middle childhood had significantly higher levels of emotional problems at school than girls whose fathers were present." 

Now, given the horrific affects of absentee Dads on boys, the assertion that girls are even more affected is alarming.  Or, it should be!

Could this be one of the main causes of the drastic rise in angry, violent teen girls?  You have seen those sickening videos of girls beating one another, kicking and punching other girls while they are squirming on the ground in pain, often being coaxed on by dim-wit mothers, haven't you?  Angry young men are not nearly as scary as angry young women, at least in my book.

As a pastor, I have personally seen young women growing up without Dads, or who have their Dads somehow removed from their lives.  Very often these girls act out in angry, self-inflicting ways.  Eating disorders.  Cutting.  Drug abuse.  Drinking.  Partying.  Sex and sexual perversions.  Fighting and bullying. 

And no doubt many of these girls lay their heads down on their pillows at night and cry themselves to sleep.  Lonely.  Desparate for the stability that only Dad can bring to a home and family.

Sadly, the research done by Pougnet and her associates will ultimately look to the government to enact new policies to encourage or support Dads in families.  But, oh, dear friends, don't we realize that governmental programs and policies over the past 75 years are one of the prime suspects in the decline of fathers?! 

Uncle Sam is no savior.  Only Jesus saves!       

May lonely men, women, girls and boys be given grace to find in God a Father who delights in rescuing and redeeming the fatherless through the bloody cross-work of His Son.  Amen.

On the day when I am supposed to be the one blessing my wife and children (and I really did try to), I found myself the recipient of an unspeakable blessing.

It came in simple form - a prayer offered by my youngest daughter Keileigh. 

Last night, during our family worship, we sang two hymns: "Nothing But the Blood" and "Man of Sorrows."  I cannot explain the joy of seeing my little girl raise her hand to heaven as she sweetly sings:

This is all my hope and peace, Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my righteousness, Nothing but the blood of Jesus! 

Earlier in the day, we had studied John 6 together, where my girls heard the Savior say repeatedly, "I am the bread of life."  We talked together about what Jesus wanted those people to really understand.  They were following Him around to see signs, to trap Him in something "wrong," or to eat their fill of loaves and fish.  What those people, and we today, must come to see is that Jesus is our life!  We only need Him.  He is enough.  Period.  Jesus is the bread of life.

We also spent some time learning the answers to a catechism designed to teach us about pivtoal doctrines of the faith.  We were focused in on justification.  My girls learned three answers to three questions, but seemed to be having some difficulty grasping the reality of Jesus' perfection substituting for our defection. 

I wondered how much they were getting.  I prayed for the Holy Spirit to do the heart work of sinking the truths deeply into their minds and souls. 

Then, later that night, after singing the hymns mentioned above, we concluded our family worship as is our custom, on our knees as a family - husband, wife and two daughters.  We began to pray, and my youngest girl insisted on being the last to pray this time (that's usually my job).  I deferred this time. 

Her prayer was an unspeakable gift of grace to me on the eve of Father's Day.  My 7-year old daughter began pouring her soul out to her Lord.  She sobbed deeply while praying for God to help her mommy because her Dad had died years ago and was no longer here with her.  She thanked the Lord with these words (and I paraphrase, but nearly quote)  -

Thank You, Lord, for crushing Your Son for us.  Thank You for killing Jesus on the cross.  It should have been me hanging on that cross.  Thank You for saving us and giving us Your righteousness. 

Now, don't bother telling me a 7-year old cannot grasp justification, or atoning sacrifice.  I ain't listening! 

And the prayer of worship continued to flow out of her young heart.  This is what her mother and I have prayed for and long for, that she simply and purely be graced with a heart that is thrilled by Jesus.  The gift Keileigh gave me was a prayer to her King from a gospel heart of a child. 

Both my daughters give me overflowing joy each day, not to mention my gorgeous bride.  But last night, Keileigh's heart shone like the light of the Son! 

Thank You, Jesus.  In a million lifetimes, I could not muster up enough goodness to merit what I enjoy at Your Sovereign Hand each day.  To be surrounded by daughters of the King, to hear them sing, to hear them pray, to watch them love You and Your Word - this is what I crave for Father's Day, and each day thereafter, so long as you give me breath.  Oh, God, make it so.  For Your Name's sake, Amen.       

Anyone who has known me for very long quickly surmises that I am a firm believer in Christians homeschooling their own children.  The primary reason is that the Bible simply knows no other educational method than for parents to teach, train, disciple and raise up their own heritage (children).  I find no biblical warrant for Christians to turn their children over to the state (or other secular institutions) for 40+ hours per week.

That said, I realize in this culture it often does prove nearly impossible for every Christian parent to homeschool.  For example, 40% of our homes in America (and the church sadly just reflects the cultural reality at this point in history) are single-parent homes.  In my neck of the woods, military families are also single-parent homes for long periods of time due to deployments.  Or, perhaps sickness or illness prevents a parent from homeschooling.  I also have a soft spot in my heart for women married to non-Christian men.  This would make homeschooling very challenging.  And in a very few instances, a family truly does need a dual-income to provide the basic necessities of life. (NOTE: This is a far cry from a Christian family refusing to downgrade lifestyle to obey God's design and commands in their homes).

The point I wish to hammer on today, however, is father-focused.  Even among Christian homeschoolers, I find a conspicuous absence of the father in the educational process.  Homeschool families in the church are too often Matriarchal.  The mom who does all the teaching and training and disciplining of the children "wears the pants."  Dad is just along for the ride, assuming he is even "in the family car" a few hours each week.  This results in an obviously "out-of-balance" family.  It's particularly devastating to boys who are trying to learn how to become young men.  But, it's also harmful to girls who look to their Dads to see what a man should be. 

Factors for this "weak dad" phenomenon are probably many.  Work-aholism is surely one major factor.  I am so far from being impressed by dads working 60-70 hour weeks.  Their family is suffering BIG TIME.  It makes me sad that they cannot or will not give up the materialism that typically drives their work addictions.  Work is a good thing.  God made us for it.  But it is not to be on the thrones of our hearts, and it is not to stand in the way of us obeying our God.  

A second factor may be a warped view of fatherhood and motherhood.  Children are mom's area, work and hobbies are dad's area.  This view does not come from God's Word. 

A third factor may be the influence of feminism, which has told moms to basically take over everything.  You can have it all.  Go work full-time or part-time, take care of kids, go to soccer games, cook and clean.  It's killing women at the cyclic rate and far too many Christian homeschool moms seem to have bought into the "control freak" mentality of feminism.  Be warned.  It's deadly to the body and soul.  And it marginalizes men.  Again, this view is anti-biblical.

The first year my wife and I homeschooled, I am shamed to confess I sat the bench, content to dump the full-load of child-rearing on my bride.  Oh, to be sure, I actively disciplined my daughters, and played with them after working hours.  But, the stress level on my wife rose to the point that Holy Spirit God forced me into His Word to see where I was missing the boat.  I knew God commanded us as parents to be the primary teachers/disciplers of our children, but I had not searched the Scriptures for what God said to me, Dad.

What I found in God's Word pricked my heart like a two-edged dagger:

For I [the Lord] have chosen him [Abraham] that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice (Gen 18:19).

He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn (Psalm 78:5-6).

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4).

These are merely a few examples of the overwhelming evidence of the Bible that God calls on Dad to be the teacher and discipler of children.  Now, this obviously will demand that much of the training time be delegated to mom, as Dad works outside the home (though I would argue dads should frequently take their sons to work with them once they reach age 12 or so).  In God's kingdom, Dad is the Christ-like Patriarch who actively instructs his children in the Word, disciplines them with the Father's love, and ensures they know redemptive history.  If others are brought into the educational process (mom, adult mentors, Bible teachers), it is on Dad's shoulders to prayerfully delegate. 

Now, be honest, dads.  Doesn't this sound a bit impossible for you?  Our cultural expectations on home and family life are absolutely at odds with the Bible.  We've almost necessitated a Matriarchy by the ways we work, live and educate.  How can Christian American dads truly become the primary disciplers of children?  Well, they can't unless they radically change some things and re-order their priorities.

And this radical shift, I believe, is as needed in homeschooling families today as it is in all families.  How sad, that so many homeschooling Christians squander the potential of that God-ordained educational method by excluding Dad.               

ABCs "Good Morning America" ran a story this morning about the epidemic known as Farmville.  For those of you as blissfully ignorant as I, Farmville is an on-line game where players manage farms, crops, animals, etc. and earn virtual coins for harvesting crops, and so on. 

Apparently one can now pay REAL MONEY to earn virtual coins, too.  And experts estimate about 15% of players, or 12 million people, do pay their hard-earned cash to somehow "get ahead" of the fierce competition in the virtual famer's market.  And of course, this is making the gurus behind Farmville filthy rich ($450 million this year).

In past blog posts, I have come down particularly hard on young men's obsession with gaming.  While I do not back off of those comments, it appears I must now address 40-year old women, as well.  According to the GMA Reporters, the majority of Farmville players are women in their 40s.  And as with all video or computer-type games, many women are becoming addicted and spending hours upon hours clicking and staring, staring and clicking their lives away. 

Consider this comment from a former Farmville addictee, Marianne Thomas:

"I played in the morning, in the evenings, all during the day. I thought about my crops all the time. I gained probably about 10 pounds. I quit going to the gym, quit doing my chores, ignored my house," she said.

Now this is serious.  Do we really wonder why our nation's economy is tanked?  Young men sit in their cubicles on company time playing games, then go home and play more games, often involving their children in the GAMING IDOLATRY and justifying it as "quality time."  And now we have 40-something women (READ, wives and mothers) ignoring their homes because their fake crops need some fake fertilizer so they can earn some fake money. 

Our nation's people are losing their minds!  And many Christian women also engage in the Facebook / Farmville phenomenon in close-to-idolatrous proportions.  Christian wives and mothers, when is the last time you actually timed or tracked on paper how many hours you spend clicking and texting and clicking some more?  

Ignoring your homes, Christian women, is tantamount to neglecting your primary God-given duty (Prov 31:27-28; Titus 2:5). 

Does it strike anyone as odd that Christian women are now spending their money, time and talents managing a virtual farm in order to earn virtual money, all the while neglecting their husbands and children?  It should alarm us in the church to the point of repenting in sackcloth and ashes, because what I just described to you is the EXACT OPPOSITE of the Proverbs 31 woman, who does real work with her real hands, planting real crops in real fields and plying her real wares in real markets in order to bless and enrich her real husband and children. 

Don't take my word for it.  Stop right now and read Proverbs 31:10-31.  Seriously.  Read it.

Women of the Lord, you claim the Name of a Savior who said people would given an account on the day of judgment for every idle word spoken (Matt 12:36).  Today the implications of Jesus' words must obviously include people also giving account for every frivilous moment spent clicking our lives away in virtual world.

The psychologist's recommendations on GMA included tracking the actual amount of time you spend on-line, as well only having one computer in the home and placing it in the family room.  But friends, bad habits cannot simply be ditched, they must be replaced.  This is why Paul teaches Christians to "put off" sinful practices and "put on" godly ones (Eph 4; Col 3). 

May I humbly suggest some productive alternatives to Farmville?

1. Go plant an actual garden that will benefit your family and neighbors.
2. Given that FB and Farmville supposedly "connect" us, why not involve your neighbors and children in the gardening process?  Face-to-face, shoulder-to-shoulder, weeding the beans and picking the corn.  If we did more of this, we may actually have opportunities to truly get to know another person, or to speak to others of the things of God.
3. Read your Bible.
4. Teach the Bible to your children.
5. Sing some old hymns with your family.  Don't know many?  Go buy a hymnal and get busy!
6. Read a biography of an old saint of God and then teach your children about how God used that person.
7. Spend your web-surfing time for God's glory.  Log off Farmville and log onto www.persecution.com or www.4truth.net.  With so many God-honoring options on the internet, why waste time?
8. Pray.

O God, rescue our wives and mothers from a life of folly and frivolity.  Give them strength to log off for Your glory and the good of their homes.  Transform them from Farmville addicts to Word addicts.  In Jesus' Name, amen.             

Read more about the Farmville analysis here:http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/facebook-met-farming-80-million-play-farmville/story?id=10608972&page=1

For Christian parents, grandparents, guardians and cargivers whose hearts are being moved by God to return to doing discipleship His way - beginning in the home - times have never been better. 

The wealth of gospel-centered, Christ-exalting resources available to us today is nothing short of an amazing gift of our God.  But before I give you a list of resources to consider using in your homes or churches, let me remind parents of what I call "The Big Three."

1.  Family Worship - consisting of singing, praying, reading and meditating on the Scriptures together in the home.

2.  Family Bible Study - parents actually opening up the Bible and teaching it passage-by-passage to children.

3.  Catechisms - a question/answer format that requires children to memorize biblical answers to the most important questions in life.  Catechisms were used ferociously in Christian homes of the past to inculcate children with a biblical worldview and sound Bible doctrine.  They are wonderful tools that God is blessing in my own home.

Friends, there are no substitutes for these three.  If you simply cannot make time to use the various other resources listed below, please do whatever it takes to teach the Bible, worship together, and catechize your children and family.  These three are simple, word-centered and require nothing more than a Bible and your voices and minds.  Worship.  Study.  Catechize.  The Spirit works through the Word, and the Spirit exalts the Word-made-flesh (Jesus).  The Big Three will help us make our homes Word-Saturation Zones for the glory of the Lord.

Assuming you are glorifying and enjoying God in your homes in worship, study and catechisms, and are hungry for additional ways to seize more moments for Christ's glory, here's a short list:

1.  Helping Children to Understand the Gospel - a wonderful resource for any adult in a position to consistently share the gospel with children, available here:  http://www.childrendesiringgod.org/resources/resource.php?id=3

2.  Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers - a great set of four books [The Gospel, The Mission, The Trinity, The Scripture] for pre-K children or early readers.  Also consider having older siblings read these to younger siblings.  Available here: http://www.monergismbooks.com/product.php?productid=18753&cat=357&page=1

3.  The Prince's Poison Cup - a children's book by R. C. Sproul that uses allegory to present the gospel message in a powerful and captivating way for kids.  The book comes with questions for parents to ask children after reading the story that will drive families into the Word.  Check out all of Dr. Sproul's tremendous children's books at http://www.ligonier.org/store/

4.  Sammy and His Shepherd - another super book by Susan Hunt that explains and applies the truths of Psalm 23 to children (and adults).  The questions in the back of the book are great at driving readers to the basic gospel message in the Bible.  This book is also sold at the Ligonier Store (link above). 

5.  Big Truths for Young Hearts - a book by Bruce Ware that helps adults teach systematic theology to children.  The theology in the short chapters seems best suited for late elementary children or "tweens."  Check it out here: http://www.monergismbooks.com/Big-Truths-for-Young-Hearts-Teaching-and-Learning-the-Greatness-of-God-p-18376.html

6.  Christian Worldview for Children - by Brannon Howse.  This author actually has a series of these worldview books and they are all worth your time to read to and with your children of all ages.  If we are to have the "mind of Christ" then we must filter everything in life through the lens of the Bible.  Howse helps us do just that with these mince-no-words books.  Find them here: http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/store/       

7.  Family Worship - of all the fine books available on the topic, this one by Donald Whitney seems to present the case in the most straightforward manner.  Need pratical advice on how to begin or more effectively lead worship in your home?  Shop here: http://biblicalspirituality.org/

8.  Passion Hymns for a Kid's Heart - a book of hymns with wonderful written expositions on the doctrines contained in the hymns, by Bobbie Wolgemuth and Joni Eareckson Tada.  Want to teach your children the great hymns of the faith and the doctrines of the Bible from which they are drawn?  Look no further than this series of books, available at Ligonier Store (link above).

9.  Need help doing expository studies through Bible books in your home?  Kevin Swanson of Generations Radio is producing some fine ones.  Currently he has studies in the Psalms and Proverbs available: http://www.generationswithvision.com/Store/

10.  I produce expository Book studies for member of the local church I serve, as well as catechisms.  But, for those wanting a formal catechism to use in their home, I recommend A Catechism for Boys and Girls available from Evangelical Press: http://www.epbooks.us/

11.  Firm Foundations: Creation to Christ - an awesome chronological Bible study for children that teaches the grand purposes and actions of Almighty God from Genesis to Revelation.  Get it here: http://www.ntmbooks.com/

12.  For creation apologetics and biblical refutations of all the lies of Darwinian evolution, there simply is no finer source than Answers in Genesis.  Do yourself the favor of becoming a frequent surfer at http://www.answersingenesis.org/

13.  To give your family a global perspective on the church of Christ, with emphasis on the persecuted church, employ the resources of Voice of the Martyrs, available at http://www.persecution.com/

Most of these resources would also be available at CBD or Amazon or other large retailers, but I have included the above sources because I believe they are deserving of our attention and pocketbooks.  So, whenever I can buy directly from these gospel-driven sources, I do.  Enjoy surfing their sites and soaking up what the Lord is doing through them.

Happy shopping!  May you all grow ever more serious about bringing your homes under the authority of Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6:1-4.  There's joyful room for all (parents, grandparents, teachers) to join in the tremendous task of making disciples of the next generation.  

Join the Cross-Centered Homes revolution and never forget "All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down!"

Now that we have spent several weeks examining the basic gospel message, I thought a quote from J. I. Packer's classic Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (IVP, England, 1961) was in order.  From page 101:

Evangelism, we have learned, is a task appointed to God's people everywhere.  It is the task of communicating a message from the Creator to rebel mankind.  The message begins with information and ends with an invitation.  The information concerns God's work of making His Son a perfect Savior for sinners.  The invitation is God's summons to mankind generally to come to the Savior and find life.  God commands all men everywhere to repent, and promises forgiveness and restoration to all who do.  The Christian is sent into the world as God's herald and Christ's ambassador, to broadcast this message as widely as he can. 

Amen, brother Packer.  Preach on!  And, let us not forget, the very first place God calls us to publish this blessed message is in our own homes, to our own children.  Seize every conceivable opportunity of every day to reinforce the gospel in your homes, and may God give us grace to live it out with our children day-by-day. 

Soli Deo Gloria!

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24).

Jesus had a habit of making Himself clear!  Notice our Master says the issue of allegiance to God or money is not a "both/and" proposition.  It is "either/or." 

Christian families in America desperately need to wrestle with this issue.  Perhaps nothing gets me in hotter water as a pastor than when I begin to challenge the whole notion that a dual-income home is a necessity in America.  Granted, in rare instances, it is necessary.  But, if we are all laid bare before God, the reason we send mothers out into the workforce right alongside dads is due to a standard of living - or, put another way, lifestyle.  We have established  lifestyles that require a certain amount (and often more than we actually earn) to sustain.   

If some crazed preacher implies that God might actually expect His people to downgrade their lifestyles in order to order their homes according to His purposes, he is scorned and ignored.  Our pursuit of lifestyle (aka the American Dream) is hindering us more than we know from following hard after the great treasure who is Christ.  If we get a raise, our first inclination is often to raise our lifestyle, rather than increasing our giving to the kingdom of God.      

Before the accusations start flying, let me clearly state that the Bible does not categorically forbid women from working outside the home and/or contributing to the family income.  In fact, the Proverbs 31 woman is industrious and does add to the home's income.  A godly lady (or person for that matter) is not lazy.  Period.

That said, the Bible also makes it clear that God's design for the home is for wives and mothers to be "workers at home" (Titus 2:5).  Feminists may despise this instruction, and several articles I have read in recent years have seen all out attacks on any woman who would dare to obey this Divine mandate.  Workers at home (or stay-at-home moms as we call them), according to feminist thinking, are "letting down the team." 

But God Almighty does not check with anyone before telling us how a home is supposed to look.  And, I must ask, "Which team is being let down?"  The feminist army or our homes?  The very reason given for this Divine Design of the home in Titus 2 is "that the word of God may not be reviled."

So, this crazed preacher may well be ignored, but let it be known that in the end, Jesus will not be ignored.  The choice He gave us is clear - God or money.  Bondage or freedom?  Freedom to serve at His pleasure.  Freedom to actually "raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."  Freedom to go as He sends.  Freedom to give as He guides.  Freedom to teach that class at church, to lead that home group, to start that ministry to abused women.  Freedom from the exhaustion that accompanies pursuit of the American Dream. 

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor 3:17).

O God, please begin to set your people free from the bondage of busyness and lifestyle.  Start a revival, O Holy Spirt, of Cross-Centered Homes.  Give us strength to give up the American Dream and start dreaming with You . . . for our neighbors, for our cities, for our states, for our nation, for the nations of the world, for the glory of God.              

Funny thing, this morning I received a mailing from Focus on the Family.  Enclosed was a small flyer entitled "State of the Family 2010."  Four key issues infecting our families were listed:

Unmarried childrearing, Cohabitation, Increasing childlessness, and Busyness.

Did you catch that last one?  Below the bold-faced Busyness the flyer reads: "Nearly 3 out of 5 Christians say their hectic schedules prevent them from spending enough time with God.  American parents spend 40% less time with their children than they did 50 years ago."

But why?  Why are we work-a-holics?  Why do we work 50, 60, even 70 hours per week?  Is it because our employers demand it?  Only in rare instances is this truly the case.  I remember well working for a Fortune 500 Company from 2000-2004.  At first, having come from a military officer position (where ridiculous work hours are often routine and necessary), I logged 60 hour weeks.  I will never forget my first opportunity to get a raise.  My raise was pathetic in comparison to the hours I gave, and if I may say so, the value my work added.  My job was to save the plant money via materials cost out projects, and save it money I did! 

It was a pivot point in my life.  God came to me through those circumstances and strongly convicted me that I was enslaved to a system that was hindering my walk with Him, as well as hurting my family.  After long talks with my wife and lots of prayer, we begin making some tough decisions.  I would not work 60 hours any longer, unless there were true emergency-type circumstances.  The next three years of my work life were more pleasant, and even more financially rewarding, not to mention the turn for the better in my home life. 

But, why did I work such long hours anyway?  My wife and I had already committed to her staying home to manage the home and raise our daughters.  So, maybe that's why I felt compelled to work so much.  We'd sacrificed the two-income standard, so the burden was now all mine.  Or, was there really another reason lurking beneath the surface? 

One word - lifestyle.  It's the "other" American Idol that is spiraling Christian homes (and all homes for that matter) down into the abyss. 

Folks, face it, the "American Dream" still captivates us.  We work insanely hard to increase our lifestyle and to save so that we can give our kids an even better standard of living than our own.  Our parents bought into this idolatry.  So did their parents.  It appears at times that American Christians are willing to give up almost nothing for the sake of God's kingdom.  

But, in our next installment, we shall see that our King, Jesus, has made Himself clear in this matter.  Doing home God's way, pursuing God's kingdom and His righteousness, requires hard choices, not the least of which is how much longer we are going to allow the idols of busyness and lifestyle to own us.

"Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). 

Perhaps nobody lived a busier life than Jesus did during His three or so years of earthly ministry.  As I read the gospel accounts of His life, I am often overwhelmed just by the sheer numbers of people who seem to be crowding around Jesus no matter where He goes.  The crowds were so bustling and the ministry so demanding that at times we are told Jesus and His disciples did not even have time to eat!

Busyness is something nearly every Christian in America can understand.  We are purported to be the busiest people on earth.  I realized this when working for the General Electric Company several years ago.  Part of my job was to purchase materials from suppliers in Brazil, Austria, and the Far East.  With the exception of China, working with those in other countries revealed that the pace is far more laid back and stress-free in other countries.  It's not that they do not work hard in Austria.  No, that's not it at all.  Rather, it's just that they are not workaholics.  They are not consumed by the American dream, and do not seem to be so enslaved by their employers' demands.

Friends, busyness is killing our homes, not to mention the detrimental affect on our churches.  Just last week I heard yet another Christian appeal to the ever-familiar American idol of busyness to excuse away the lack of involvement in the church and her ministries.  How many times have you heard it?  How many times have you used this excuse?

Why do many churches today only have one corporate gathering per week?  Why is finding a nursery worker like pulling eye-teeth?  Why does nobody come to weekly visitation?  Why are Saturday prayer-walks attended by only a handful?  Why are parents not teaching the Bible consistently to their children?  Why no family worship?

While there are many answers to these questions, perhaps they can all be summarized with one word - busyness.  Christians are bowing down to this idol like never before.  It controls our hearts routinely.  The scenario described to me recently by a concerned grandmother says it well.  This lady thanked me for continuing to challenge young parents to teach the Bible and worship together as families.  But then she began to lament (and I paraphrase):

By the time `rank` and Ilene (not the real names) both get home from work, manage to get some supper on the table, get the kids in the bath, teeth brushed, and jammies on, then off to bed, they are absolutely exhausted.  `rank` and Ilene end up crashing in bed themselves from sheer mind-numbing tiredness, only to awake 7 hours later to begin the whole routine yet again.  

`rank` and Ilene are caught in the vicious American cycle.  No time for family worship.  No time or energy for Bible teaching, much less for serving their community through the ministries of the church.  They stumble through life exhausted.  Bowing down, perhaps somewhat unwittingly, to the idol of busyness.  Meanwhile, their home suffers spiritually.  Their marriage is merely routine.  They do, however, manage to bounce into church every Sunday morning smiling from ear to ear, and dressed to the nines. 

But, come Monday morning, it will not be the kingdom of God and His righteousness they seek.  No, busyness will once again be in the driver's seat.  Friends, hard work is commendable, and even commanded by God.  But, we in America have completely lost the ability to know where to draw lines.  Workaholism is a monumental American idol in Christian homes today.  And why? 

More on that in the next post . . .

For now, contemplate how it was that Jesus was so busy, yet we know He never wasted a second, still found time to rest, and never needed to appeal to "busyness" as a way out of doing His Father's will.

I remember well how Holy Spirit God brought conviction into my heart concerning my lack of zeal for teaching the Word to my daughters.  In the Fall of 2008, I heard Dr. Albert Mohler (www.albertmohler.com) preach a sermon at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  The title of that sermon, if memory serves me, was "How Not to Raise a Pagan."  The text was Deuteronomy 6:1-9, which includes the well-known, but not well-practiced shema. 

At the time, my wife had been homeschooling our daughters for about a year, and I had functioned as a laissez-faire partner in the whole affair.  God got my attention through Dr. Mohler's sermon!  I began to sense the overwelming task of a godly Dad, which I had shamefully been ignoring:

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and who you rise up (Deut 6:6-7).

Wow!  How had I neglected so clear a command and expectation from God?  I mean, it's even re-emphasized through Paul's pen (Eph 6:4).  Up to that point, my wife and I were functioning much like throngs of other Christian parents in America.  We left the Bible teaching primarily to the Sunday School teachers.  Our homeschool was nothing more than a "school at home."  That is, it reflected the state-run curriculum, only we were doing it at home!  Really almost pointless when you think about it?! 

The Lord put me at a crossroad that day.  By His grace, I began to commit myself to living out Deut 6 in my home.  But I am stubborn and my consistency in teaching the Bible to our daughters at first was mostly inconsistent!  So, the Lord continued to pursue me (isn't He an amazing God?).  My friend Robert Williams preached a sermon in the early part of 2009, from, you guessed it, Deuteronomy 6! 

Then, I received a sale catalog from my friends at Ligonier Ministries (www.ligonier.org).  And what was on sale, you ask?  When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by R. C. Sproul, Jr.  This book is based on, yep, Deuteronomy 6.  The Lord used the combination of these sermons (two oral and one written) to light the flame in my heart for good.  I have no intention of looking back! 

The blessings of God being showered on my family since we decided to take God at His word and make our home a WSZ (that's Word Saturation Zone) have humbled us and kept us at the foot of the Cross, singing praise to our King Jesus. 

So, it should come as no surprise, then, that Deuteronomy 6 is at the very heart of Cross-Centered Homes.  We want to be used by God to encourage and equip parents to live out this wonderful text. 

As I have spoken with several Christian parents in the past year or so, I have found that many of them really do want to become what God says they should be - the primary Bible teachers of their children.  But, they simply do not know how.  Sadly, their parents (many of them Christian) did not open the Bible and teach it to them every day as they grew up.  So, today's Christian parents have never even seen this modeled! 

We have seen the need for a major paradigm shift back to obedience to God's Word in our homes.  For too long, Christian homes have tithed mint and cumin while neglecting the weightier matters of God's Law - like teaching it to the children!

Church of God, rise up!  Pastors, rise up!  Church Bible Teachers, rise up!  Teach parents how to teach the Word and talk about the Word in their homes!  "Equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" beginning in their homes (Eph 4:12).  Soli Deo Gloria!