Call me "Coach Dad"

Our child gets a hit, and we cheer, as well we should. 

Our child makes the tackle, scores the goal or grabs the rebound, and we jump in joyful exaltation, as well we should. 

Our child gets a good grade, and we compliment them, as well we should. 

Our child nails the recital piece, and we applaud, as well we should.

We drag them to practice. We make them practice at home. We push them to do their homework We know the grind of success, so we applaud and cheer and compliment the moments of accomplishment. We photograph them and we laud their accomplishments abroad.

What about moral accomplishments? Do we cheer them? Do we compliment them?

Do we expect them?

When we want our children to succeed in anything, we sign them up, get them to tryouts, workouts, and practice. We make them do at home whatever they need to do at home to make opportunity become success. We buy uniforms and equipment. We talk to coaches and teachers. We push, because we want to see on the stage or field or court the accomplishment that represents the work.

Do you want your children to thrive as human beings? Do you want them to succeed as disciples? Do you want to see them accomplishing on the field and stage of life the victory God desires they achieve?

Disciple them.

As much as one would with any sport or academic endeavor or artistic enterprise, disciple them. Teach them. Talk to coaches (disciple making people); get counsel, develop game plan, require practice, demand excellence and pray with them for results. Beg God for results.

How is it that we understand EVERYTHING we want to see our children excel in takes instruction and constant practice, except spiritual disciplines?

Shape their worldview. Help them develop values that match God's. Teach them how to serve others. Foster compassion.

"Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." (Proverbs 22:6 New Living Translation)  "And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 New Living Translation)

Beautiful Gardens

Beautiful gardens among rocks, ruins, weeds and hardened paths...

Imagine the people of the world as patches of ground. Imagine each person as a potential garden spot.

The one is a thicket, overgrown; weeds and thorns and thistles, out of control. It's hard to imagine tender flower seeds being able to grow there.

The one is a hardened path. It's difficult to imagine that a few seeds and a bit of water could yield sweet smells or beautiful blooms.

The one has soil, ready enough, but it obviously shallow. You can see a lemon tree springing up in this soil, but shriveling quickly when there is so little subsoil for roots to grab to and grow.

The one is ready. It's ready for seed. The soil is fertile, deep and freshly plowed.

I just described the conditions of the soils in the Parable of the Sower (see Matthew 13).

Soils are not the hero or the focus of the story. The Sower is important. He sows. He liberally slings seed. And, in some plots of soil, beautiful gardens of God's goodness springs up.

What's interesting is that in every case, no matter the soil type, what springs up is foreign to the soil. IF it had been there, it would be there. It's not there. The Sower comes, slings seeds.

But, wait! Don't give up on those other plots! The interesting thing about the Sower is that He is also the Creator; He sustains all things by the word of His power, and all things that subsist, subsist according to His power. He can break up those rough places, clear away weeds, dig out rocks that create shallow soil and make for Himself a fertile field for a beautiful garden.

In every case, the Sower lays down what is not natural to that plot!

IF you see a God-garden walking around, you'll know it. What will make it beautiful will be that God's stuff is in it. God's stuff is in it AND it's very different from those other plots that are filled with other-than-God-stuff.

Someone may put up a sign and say, "God garden here" or have a bumper sticker that says, "God's my gardener" or where a t-shirt, claiming "God's flower" but don't be misled...signs be hanged; bumper stickers be stucked, t-shirts be shirted...you'll know HIS gardens.

The likeness of Jesus will spring up amid a world of fools, and we shall call that fruitful and beautiful.

O Spirit, plow! IN ME! 
O Spirit, plant! IN ME! 
O Spirit, beautify! EVEN ME!

"Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." (Isaiah 58:8-11 ESV)

Get ready! Preach the Gospel through your marriage!

Marriage is important...

Age is not a determining factor for marriage. Being ready to be married is the determining factor for marriage! Some people get married in their 30s and still aren't ready!

Many aren't ready for marriage at all these days, so they don't. Some want weddings but aren't ready for marriages.

It's interesting to note that God invented marriage and defined it before there was EVER one single government on the face of this planet. But, marriage had within it a profound mystery that was only ever fully uncovered when Jesus came, lived, died and rose again. That's what the Spirit delivers to us through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:22-33.

That profound mystery is now clear and easy to recognize and understand: "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." Wow! People were getting married for centuries upon centuries, and the whole picture had yet to be unveiled. But, now we know it is.

Now, we know not only are we called to marriage, and now we know why our heart yearns towards it...because it allows us to paint a living picture, to preach a walking sermon and to live out the picture of Christ and His church as man and wife. Wow.

God allowed me to deliver a teaching on this recently with our local family of faith, and I just can't get it off my mind.

Lord, lead me, empower me, help me to love my wife like Christ loves the church. Help me, Father, to preach with my marriage!