Daunting work

Friends of our just found out they're having a boy. The soon-to-be Mom and Dad posted their delight and anticipation. What will life hold for their little guy?

Today Roman Catholics celebrate the day of Holy Innocents, remembering the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem, slaughtered by Herod in his fear of displacement by the Newborn King. What mourning as the ruler exercised his right to the life and death of his subjects!

As I pondered the RC morning reading, I wondered at the lives changed by Jesus' arrival.

Joseph, like our young friend, had a challenging task ahead of him. He had been assigned to watch over and raise Jesus, a son.  What made Joseph's duty so daunting was that his boy was God's son, entrusted to Joseph's family during his childhood.

Not all adoptive fathers are equally receptive to the children in their homes. Many (including step-dads) nurture and train the kids. Some hold them at arms' length and never bond. Others abuse and mistreat them: their children hate men and grow up with a warped version of God as Father.

Judging from Jesus' interactions with people, Joseph did a good job. Jesus learned faithfulness, adherence to Jewish worship and customs, and was favored by his neighbors. My father certainly is my hero -- he cared for each of us four siblings and continues to love us to this day.

Will you pray with me that our friends -- and others about to be parents -- grow in faith and the knowledge of God to raise their child well? It takes the wisdom of Solomon and the leadership of Moses to do a great job of parenting!

Think about how your family, especially your father/s or lack of a father still influences your view of life. Do you think of God in light of your father?

Read more:
*Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;  even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:5-8 NIV

*May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, and may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

Moravian Prayer: God of love, let us learn love, profound and defining, that gathers us when we are scattered. Anchor us in a loving and faithful community of believers that we may be at home in you. Amen. 

Lent Day 15: Thankful for meltdowns

The music flowed over me, harmonies splashing, melodies soaring, and rhythms relaxing in one worship song after another. It was time. Maybe past time.

Once in a while I have a meltdown. Winters are very hard on me: the lack of sun and time outdoors gradually shuts down my systems. This morning, after working in rooms away from my sun-simulator lamp for 2 weeks, everything collapsed. So I staggered over to piano and sat down, eyes closed and hands ready.

One after another, choruses and hymns of praise and thankfulness began to wash off the weariness of study, the darkness and grey climate, and the puttering that fritters away hours of depression. After a half hour, I opened my eyes and wiped away the tears. Renewed. I walked upstairs to my office and flipped on the lights (besides a south window, I have 5 overhead bulbs and a super-Verilux sun lamp). I opened my computer and started the day's work with a lighter heart.

Sometimes God needs us to come close, to relinquish the ideas and hopes of days past and future to wait near in his presence. As we open our hands and hearts in worship, he refreshes us from the inside out.

Jesus stole away for hours with his Father. As I worship, I remember, "Even in this, O Christ, you are a model of life and Life." Thanks be to God.

Do you need time with your heavenly Father today? What gifts can you offer him, that will refresh you and glorify him?

Read more:

*Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28: 6-7 NIV

*My words that I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children's children. Isaiah 59:21

*The word of the Lord endures forever. That word is the good news that was announced to you. 1 Peter 1:25

Moravian Prayer: We give thanks to you, gracious God, for the gift of Christ - your communication of who you are and what you want us to be. We have experienced your good news and we are determined to pass it on to future generations through our words and actions. Guide us in this endeavor. Amen.

Father's Day to a loving meanie

 

What do you think of when someone says, "Dad"? Is your dad someone who makes you think of God as a loving advocate or an overbearing authoritarian? Is there no middle ground?

We always hear how "good dads" go to sports games, play with their kids, and spend time with their families. My dad participated in our lives, but he did more. He established boundaries of authority and respect that have served us abundantly into adulthood. I'd like to say a big thank you today to a dad who took his fathering seriously. While he enjoyed us, nurtured us, and provided well, he also instilled in us high morals and godly principles.

My father was strict. We all knew he said what he meant and meant what he said. He proved it to us with spankings, groundings, and restrictions.

Yet we never doubted his love. When we had disobeyed and received due punishment, we quit doing wrong, knowing he cared about us enough to set us straight. Being the second child, I landed in the first wave of "this is how good children behave." I guess my older brother and I caught the brunt of "good training." It didn't help that I had a flash temper and minimal self-control as a youngster! Our two younger brothers fared better at the end of the rod. Probably L and I wore Dad and Mom down: surprisingly, our other two siblings turned out fine.

The youngest remarked to me a few years ago, "You know, I never saw Dad discipline us in anger. Dad's attitude was, 'You deserve this punishment, so here it is.' Then we'd be done. He never held over hostility to us kids afterwards or showed his frustration."

Today most Americans would call strict parents like mine "mean" or "cruel." Spanking is out of fashion and illegal as the government overreaches into normal families to try to prevent abuse by evil parents. I deplore abuse and cruelty, let's be clear about that.



However, Dad truly demonstrated how a good parent behaves. Never malicious, he allowed a good appeal. We had open discussions about anything we wanted to talk about around the kitchen table. We weren't afraid of him... unless we knew we were deliberately disobeying. Then we looked over our shoulders, knowing we'd earned what was coming.  

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts, Dad. We love and trust God today because we learned to love and trust you completely.

As a mom of grown kids and an appreciative daughter, here's a word to young dads on their special day of honor. A great parent will not let their child rule the roost and abdicate their responsibility by letting a child run wild. Watching some kids sass and hit their parents, I shudder to think of these crazy adolescents on the loose in a few years. Employers, coworkers, and even prison guards may be cursing these children's irresponsible parents in the future.

Dads, please do your duty. Scripture not only encourages, but demands that you establish and enforce worthy rules and boundaries! Pray and read the Bible with your kids. Go to those games. Hug your kids. Hold down a steady job - even if it's not your dream work - to provide for the family. But don't neglect the core character training God has entrusted to you. No one else can - or will - do it for you. Your kids and their future depend on it! 

Read more:
*Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Deut. 8:5 NIV

*Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? Psa. 94:10   NIV

*The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. Prov. 3:12 NIV

*The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Heb. 12:6 NIV

*Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. Heb. 12:10 NIV