Tag: Parenting

Morning Musing: Jonah 3:1-3a

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“The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach the message that I tell you.’ Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the Lord’s command.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the parenting books I read early on in this journey was Have a New Kid by Friday by Kevin Leman. Leman is a good writer and his sense of humor made it a fun read, but there was one idea that has really stuck with me over the years. The principle goes like this: B can’t happen until A does. The idea is that, if you’ve asked your kids to do something you want or need them to do (A), they can’t do whatever it is they might want to do (B) until they’ve accomplished A. We see a bit of this on the display in Jonah’s life right here.

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Digging in Deeper: Proverbs 22:6

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“Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost.”‬‬ (The Message – Read the chapter) 

Parenting is tough. I can say that with confidence and I’m only ten years into it. Every season has its challenges. And every season feels like its challenges are bigger and harder than the season before it. You can’t imagine it could get any harder—or better—and then it does. If you are a parent committed to seeing your children grow to love and follow the Lord, this just adds an extra burden to the pile. This particular burden is great enough, verses like this one are often claimed as a cover for mistakes we might have made along the way. Is that okay? 

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Morning Musing: 1 Samuel 8:1-3

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“When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.  The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.  Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain.  They took bribes and perverted justice.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

How ironic and tragic it is that Samuel fell into the same error as Eli! While it appears he was even more faithful to the Lord as a judge than Eli was, Samuel’s sons were given positions as judges over Israel because of who their father was and, like Eli’s sons, were unfaithful failures in the positions as well. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Judges 2:10

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“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers.  And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

The most important verse in all of the Old Testament as far as Judaism is concerned is Deuteronomy 6:4. It is called the Shema, the Hebrew command “listen,” because that’s the first word. It goes like this: Read the rest…