Reforming Church and Family - Unpacking Family Integrated Church Life
Twice this year, the NCFIC and the elders of Hope Baptist will be host to those who would like to spend a weekend considering church and family life. They will spend all day Saturday talking through the issues of church and family reformation and then on Sunday will join with the congregation of Hope Baptist.
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Comprehensive Age-Segregation: A Pagan Weed?
On Financial Licentiousness and What Happened 230 Years Ago Today
My fellow church member, Tommy Vestal, writes about the inspiring account of faithful men responding in a Godly way to the crisis of their day. Their example is a poignant and encouraging light in the midst of our own dark days.
“Men inflamed by the power of God, stoked by the preaching of Whitefield that swept a continent, and convicted by conscience that power and authority were given for duty by the providence of God, led our nation through the trials, terrors and seemingly endless everyday hardships of the Revolutionary War. Today, 230 years ago, March 20, 1779, the Continental Congress confessed publicly our deficiencies and sins as a nation before God and resolved to set aside a day for fasting, Thanksgiving humiliation and prayer to Almighty God. They professed that the destructive calamities of war were just punishment for the "manifold transgressions" of the nation. They also praised such calamities. Why? Because "too few have been sufficiently awakened to a sense of their guilt, or [have had their bosoms warmed] with gratitude, or taught to amend their lives and turn from their sins, that He might turn from His wrath."
Pray that our elected leaders will fall on their knees in conviction before the living God just as many of our founding fathers. Pray that our nation, through the graceful wrath of God, will turn from wickedness and sin. Pray that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be mighty and sweep our nation as in those years prior to our nation's founding to produce a Godly generation that will reclaim the culture for the glory of Jesus Christ.
You can read the proclamation here and see a copy of the original here.”
Church and Family in the News
Mothers 'failing to teach children how to cook' “Three-quarters of mothers do not give their children regular cooking lessons, according to new research”.
'Toxic cycle' of family breakdown “A "toxic circle" of family breakdown and educational underachievement may outstrip society's ability to improve, teachers have warned…”
Consequence of boom-years borrowing hits churches “Companies that specialize in church mortgages report that foreclosures and delinquencies for congregations are on the rise as the tough economic times start to make their impact at the offering plate.”
New job for laid-off moms: stay-at-home motherhood “Though the mass layoffs of this recession have so far affected mostly men, more than 800,000 women have lost their jobs since the end of 2007. For the mothers among them, it means that, suddenly, Mommy's home, often for the first time in many years.”
Judge orders homeschoolers into public district classrooms “A North Carolina judge has ordered three children to attend public schools this fall because the homeschooling their mother has provided over the last four years needs to be "challenged." The children, however, have tested above their grade levels – by as much as two years.”
Number of homeschoolers continues to rise despite economy “Homeschooling in America continues to grow and succeed, despite the economy and the criticism of those who don’t understand it. 1.5 million students now homeschool, according to the Education Report. This is growing at an average rate of 8% per year.”
Memorizing the "One Anothers"
An Illinois Church Memorizes the “One Anothers” in the New Testament Christian Heritage Church in Orland Park, Illinois took the 50+ “one anothers” and consolidated them by removing the ones that overlapped, leaving 25 to memorize. They are listed here:
1. Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in
honor.
2. Romans 14:13
Do not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this, not to put an
obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way.
3. Romans 14:19
Pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.
4. Romans 15:7
Accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.
5. 1 Corinthians 11:33
When you come together to eat, wait for one another.
6. 2 Corinthians 13:12
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
7. Galatians 5:13
Do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve
one another.
8. Galatians 6:2
Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
9. Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in
Christ also has forgiven you.
10. Ephesians 5:19
Speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody with your heart to the Lord
11. Ephesians 5:21
Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
12. Colossians 3:9
Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices
13. Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and
admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with thankfulness in your hearts to God
14. 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
15. 1 Thessalonians 5:13
Live in peace with one another.
16. 1 Thessalonians 5:15
See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which
is good for one another
17. Hebrews 3:13
Encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that
none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
18. Hebrews 10:24
Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds
19. James 4:11
Do not speak against one another, brethren He who speaks against a brother or
judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge
the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.
20. James 5:9
Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not
be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
21. James 5:16
Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be
healed
22. 1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a
multitude of sins.
23. 1 Peter 4:9
Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
24. 1 Peter 4:10
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God.
25. 1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Blogging Calvin's Institutes
One of the young ladies in our church is reading Calvin's Institutes in preparation for the Calvin 500 July 1-4.
Here is her favorite quote from yesterdays reading:
"Draw me, however unwilling to make me willing; draw me, slow footed, to make me run."
Calvin's Institutes Book 2 Chapter 3 Section 12
We're Headed to America's Manliest City
This weekend, I am traveling to “America’s Manliest City” – Nashville - where manliness is defined as having a high “number of professional major league sports teams, popularity of tools and frequency of monster truck rallies.” The cities who lost had "emasculating" characteristics like the abundance of home furnishing stores, high minivan sales and subscription rates to beauty magazines.”
This worldly curveball on manliness is a far cry from biblical manliness where love for the church is the standard. I’d like to see the city where love the church runs highest – that’s where manhood is. The manliness of Christ is characterized, not by sports, fast cars and Bar B Q Ribs, but by self sacrifice to the death, covenantal husbandry, protection of women, communicative fatherhood, love for children and love for the church.
I have a book in my library published in 1880 called, "The Manliness of Christ" where the author's introduction includes these words on the manliness of Christ,
"In that strife, then, the first requisite is courage or manfulness, gained through conflict there can be no perfection of character, the end for which Christ says we were sent into this world. But was Christ's own character perfect in this respect, - not only in charity, meekness, purity, long suffering, but in courage?"
The Family as the Devils Workshop
In the spirit of CS Lewis, Screwtape Letters, Author, David d'Escoto exposes the assaults of evil against the family
Early Registration is Now Open for the National Conference
Please join us at our National Conference Dec 10-13 in Cincinnati. Your registration fee also gets you in free to Ken Ham's Answers in Genesis, "Creation Museum." Join speakers Ken Ham, Doug Phillips, Voddie Baucham, Paul Washer, Joe Morecraft, Kevin Swanson, Scott Brown, Andy Davis, Jeff Pollard and many others for a groundbreaking conference on the Sufficiency of Scripture for Church and Family Life.
Register now - Early Registration is only 95.00 per person. Family Rate is Available