-
Cousins’ Camp 2015: “Discovering Who You Are and Whose You Are”
Cousins’ Camp 2015 is now in the history books for the Faughn family. Three years ago, I borrowed an idea from my friend Sheila Butt and launched our version of Cousins’ Camp. I had heard Sheila talk about getting her grandchildren together for activities, devotionals, and lots of fun things. I loved the idea, so I borrowed it and began our version of the camp. Our camp, which is held at our home, begins on Thursday and runs through Monday at lunch. We run it very much like church camp. I’ll never forget the first time after breakfast when I said, “It’s cabin clean-up time,” and they all got up and went to their…
-
“Above All”
The original idea was not to write a song, but those of us who love the hymn “Above All” are thankful it became one. Paul Baloche sat down one day and said he just wanted to worship God in a personal way. He said that, as he did, he started focusing on things that people consider important, but that Christ was so much greater than any of those things; things like power, fame, riches, and even wisdom. He said that, as that thought captured his mind, he just praised God with these words: “Lord, you are above all kingdoms, above all, thrones, above all wonders the world has ever known.”…
-
The Good Confession
When Paul wrote his first epistle to the young preacher Timothy, he referred to Timothy’s conversion in the following manner, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Tim. 6:12). While Timothy had professed to be a follower of Christ and had testified of his faith and his knowledge of the Christ on several occasions through preaching, Paul is probably specifically discussing the moment when Timothy became a child of God and was added to the church. This most likely happened during Paul’s initial missionary trips to Lystra,…
-
I Am Now Ready
Luke records the parable that our Lord taught about a man who was prepared to live, but who was not ready to die. The man had “…much goods laid up for many years” (Luke 12:19). He had forgotten one thing; he might not have many years left. As we read about the man whom God called a fool (v. 20), we should be impressed with the necessity of preparing for our own departure from this life. Some seemingly have missed the point of this parable. They apparently focus on the question asked the man was asked: “…[T]hen whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided” (v. 20)? These people are careful to take care…
-
How Grown Children Can Show Honor to Their Parents
[NOTE: This week’s guest post comes to us from Weylan Deaver. To learn more about Weylan, check out his bio information at the end of this week’s article.] Echoing the Fifth Commandment (Exod. 20:12), Paul writes, “Honor your father and mother” (Eph. 6:2, ESV). The precept applies across covenants, since it is in both Old and New Testaments. It is a basic moral law for mankind. Paul’s instruction is that children obey their parents (v. 1) and honor their parents (v. 2), which results in the children’s well-being, including “that you may live long in the land” (v. 3). Considering that last clause, and with no evidence to the contrary,…
-
3 Marriage Books to Read This Summer
We love reading. Whenever we get extra money, it is tempting to just go on a spending spree of nothing but books. Some we read for entertainment; others for information. There are some books, though, that just add value to some area of your life. Today, I want to share three books that, if you have not read them, will add value to your home; specifically, your marriage. TO READ TOGETHER: His Needs, Her Needs A classic book, Willard Harley’s book discusses what each gender in a marriage needs the most. It also discusses how husbands and wives can detract from each other’s “love tank” even without knowing it, simply…
You May Also Like
Book Review: “Raising Real Men”
“The Soul of C.S. Lewis” Book Review
A Common Bond
-
The Hypocritical Blanket
Almost every night, I say a prayer with my son and tell him goodnight. Though sometimes, admittedly, I rush through these last few moments before he goes to sleep, they are some of my favorite minutes of the day. Some nights we read a story, every night we pray. He says a prayer, then I say one. I tell him “good night” and “I love you,” then his lights go out. It’s a routine I hope does not end anytime soon. The other night, though, another step had to be taken. I was pulling up his blanket over him when I noticed I didn’t have hold of the sheet underneath.…
-
Healthy Boundaries
The last few weeks have been exhausting to say the least. Events and decisions in America have been so polarizing lately. Sometimes it is hard to even want to hear another word about all of the controversy. But we must remember that important subjects are going to cause opinionated discussions. We are not just talking about freedoms and rights in America. We are dealing with issues that are going to determine where people are going to spend eternity. I don’t know about you, but lately I have been considering the level of my association with some people who in the past I have considered friends. Many people I am acquainted…
-
Excited for A While
A few years ago, I decided to put into practice the concept of beginning my day by hearing the Bible. I thought that might be helpful; especially in light of Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (ESV). I found an app on my phone that allows me to listen through the entire Bible each year. In fact, it has a number of different reading plans and a number of different translations. I have tried for the past few years to not listen to the same translation every year. This practice has given me some interesting insights on various passages. Let me stress something. The fact I choose…
-
4 Ways to Make Every Weekend Memorable for Your Family
[NOTE: This week’s guest post comes to us from David Dixon. To learn more about David, check out his bio after today’s post.] In 1981, the band Loverboy released a song entitled “Working for the Weekend.” It’s a catchy little ditty, but the sentiment of the song is a worldly concept that should not apply to Christians. In reference to early Christians who had given certain days of the year greater significance of holiness than other days, Paul gave the instruction that every individual should be “fully persuaded in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5 KJV). That is, we are permitted to assign a holiness value to individual days, but we…
