Category Archives: Family Time

February 14, 2014

Fighting the Fight of Faith Together

By Jason

It is Valentine’s Day. I have to be honest. I don’t know what it means–past or present. How one participates in such things may or may not reveal knowledge of the event. Nevertheless, we do use it in our family to think of others in a special way. In particular, my wife and I take time to focus on each other with a gift and letter to each other.

It is particularly important that you think and plan what you will do on Valentine’s Day. The gift is important but the thoughtfulness of the gift and the planning of the gift are more important. It says something when you go pick out flowers (or whatever) days in advance rather than stopping by after work to get them. You might ask, “How will they know?” They know. Okay. They know.

I recently watched a promotional video for a book by the Ken and Joni Tada. I have not read the book but I imagine it is great. In the video, Ken mentions that he has realized more clearly that they are in a spiritual battle. Then he says something like this, “I cannot imagine fighting this battle with anyone else in the world except my wife Joni.” She is a gift to Ken to fight the fight of faith together.

I applaud this. That night, after watching the video, we are on our way to church and I reach for my wife’s hand then tell her about the statements made by Ken Tada. I then tell her the same. Marriage is an army that fights the battle of sin together. She is my eyes at the mall to protect me from seeing things I don’t need to see for example. I was glad to read last years journal entry. It revealed my joy in walking WITH my wife in the journey. Here is entry:

Valentine’s Day is not very significant in our home. It is a day to help us think of others. And that is simply what we do. A break for my wife–out for dinner. A small gift of flowers to show that I thought of her yesterday (everyday). They should be delivered today to “my earthly dearest.” May she know how special and loved she is to me. Thank you Father for the gift my wife is to me. She is a means of growth and perseverance. She has (and for more that I could imagine) kept me from a multitude of sin. Grace. More grace. Father please strengthen and grow our marriage.

Hebrews 13:4 “Let marriage be held in honor among all.”

1 Peter 3:7  “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Leave a comment | posted in Family Time, Journal Entry

September 12, 2011

Christ is Our Passover Lamb

By Jason

We have remained steadfast in our discipline of “Family Friday Night.” It began while we were in seminary because time was very limited and very valuable. So, on Friday night, Dad stopped studying at 5:00 pm and did not start back until Saturday at noon. The Saturday morning was a time my wife could actually have an uninterrupted quiet time (husband, you should add up the amount of time your wife is spending with the kids…she needs a break!). And we are still keeping the Family Night though we are not as busy. That is the history and context of Family Night.

Therefore, we plan each Friday night on Wednesday (or further in advance if we are doing something that needs extra preparation). It usually involves everyone’s input. However, when the Holy Days of old roll around, we incorporate them into our family night. I would like to encourage you to consider using these holidays as a teaching tool for your kids. They are rich with imagery that will help your kids develop categories of theology.

So, we have planned the next several weeks to teach our kids about the Passover, The Day of Atonement, and The Feast of Booths. If you are going to attempt this, check out the material available through Jews for Jesus. They have some excellent resources. You will want to spend some time thinking about this and how Christ is our Passover Lamb before you do this. I hope to post my devotions for the kids as I take the week of our scheduled Passover to lead them in our family worship time each night.

I hope you will be encouraged to use these holy days to point to Christ (and learn yourself) in the following days. Also, don’t think you have to do them on their scheduled dates. It can be overwhelming for someone to do all of them. We have been doing them for a few years now, so it takes time to develop a strategy. You can spread them out or just pick one for the year and focus on it and do it well. May you and your family be blessed!

Leave a comment | posted in Bible Study Tools, Family Time, Holidays, Homemaking, Pastoral Ministry

July 8, 2010

Teaching My Children Mercy!

By Jason

Recently I was preaching in our county jail and trying to explain the gospel and its various implications. I told them what Jesus did on the cross was “Substitutionary Atonement.” Of course, they were not familiar with this theological truth, nor did I expect them to understand it. That is why I was there explaining the gospel right?
You might be thinking, “I thought this post was about teaching his kids mercy.” Well, the following is how I taught my daughter mercy and the previous is the context to which I used the teaching of my daughter to explain the gospel. So, I have two agendas here. One, to help you teach your sons and daughters mercy (showing them the gospel) and proclaiming the gospel to others; whether that be through experiences at home or however.
Now, the teaching of mercy. The other day one of my daughters broke one of the rules in our home. The one who received the breaking of the rule came to me in order to inform me of this violation. So, I called the one who broke the rule to come and speak to me about it. She was quick to admit her wrong and I was thankful for that. Nevertheless, she was less reluctant to admit her need for punishment. I began to explain how God cannot look over sin. He is holy and just, therefore he must punish sin. So, I asked her, “If your brother hits you, do you think it is necessary that I punish him for hitting you?” And she replied, “Yes!” Again, I asked, “If your sister takes your toys away from you, should I punish her?” Again she emphatically replied, “Yes!!!” Now I turned the question to her, “Is it fair that I let you get away with no punishment for breaking the rule you have admitted to?” She then (with understanding) replied, “No, I do need to be punished.”
With that having been established, I then proceeded to teach her mercy. I explained to her that mercy is NOT getting what you DESERVE. But, in order to remain just (like God) someone must take the punishment for the crime. So I began drawing conclusions about this foundation. I indicated that she had admitted the breaking of our rules. She agreed that God is holy and just and cannot NOT punish sin. (I know I used a double negative but it was needed.) And she understood her need for punishment.
In light of this, I then moved to the substitute. I told her that I was going to take the punishment for her and that she would be the one who was to deliver the punishment. It broke her heart that I was to receive the punishment for her sin and that she had to do it. Human pride rose to the surface as she discovered my innocence and her guilt. She did not want to do it. She wept with tears as she lightly tapped me with our paddle. I then began to tell how Jesus Christ had done this for her sin and if she placed her trust in him, for her punishment, she would be saved.
As I shared this with the guys at the jail, they sat there with amazement and hopefully a clearer understanding that God had to punish sin and he did on his Son. But, it is not yours unless you repent and believe in Christ. We will see as I twice a month preach to these guys.
So, have you ever shown your children mercy (the gospel)? Do you now understand the gospel better…substitutionary atonement, propitiation? Maybe you yourself need to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. In him you will find mercy. In him you will have your sins forgiven and receive his righteousness. Praise be to God for reconciling himself to us!

1 Comment | posted in Family Time, Meditations, Theology Musings

April 10, 2009

Quiet Time for Kids Update

By Jason

We have been fairly consistent in the mornings with “Quiet Time.” I wanted to give an update as I have been blessed to see the children know this is part of our day. For the original of what I am updating, click here!

Lydia (6 years old) is continuing to read her Bible in Dad and Mom’s bedroom by herself. She is not reading through Matthew anymore; she told me she looks for certain passages and reads those. Our Sunday School curriculum offers a take home sheet that includes questions to think about, Scriptures to read, and prayer suggestions. She goes through this sheet each day during her quiet time as well.

One day this past week, Madi (2 years old) went to look for Lydia. When she saw that Lydia was in our bedroom reading her Bible, she immediately went in the kids’ room, turned on her praise CD, and sat on her bed with her books without being told!

I am continuing to read my Bible aloud in the living room with Joshua (17 months) by my side. He looks at Bible story board books that we keep in a basket in the living room. We’ve had some great “conversations” about Job and Genesis as I read, following a chronological Bible reading plan!

1 Comment | posted in A Mother's Musings, Family Time, Homemaking

March 12, 2009

Family Fun Friday! Activities

By Jason

I did not realize until I was asked that I didn’t mention any of our activities for Family night in the previous post. I guess my mind was on that pizza! (Which did turn out very tasty).
Obviously when your children are younger, you have to keep it simple and be a little creative sometimes. Here is a list of some of the things we have done:

*Watch a movie (or episode of Andy Griffith or “Laura” AKA Little House on the Prairie) while we eat pizza.
*Go out to eat, taking our time and sitting at the restaurant visiting with each other.
*Camping trip when weather permits.
*Indoor Campout! Yes, including setting up the tent in the living room and not using any electricity (well, there were a few exceptions).
*During the indoor campout we sat around in our lawn chairs and took turns telling something we were thankful for.
*Build a tent in the living room the way we did as kids: throw a sheet over your dining room chairs; we extended this one time and made a tunnel into the hallway. The kids had a ball crawling back and forth in it!
*Snack Night- everyone chooses their favorite to add to the menu.
*Set up an obstacle course outside and have races.
*Game Night (when the kids get a little older)-everyone chooses a game to play. When they are little you are kind of limited to “Hide and Seek” but you eventually graduate to “Candyland.”
*Go for a drive around down town Fort Worth.
*Read a book together. We have read through part of the Chronicles of Narnia series this way. Jason and I take turns reading chapters aloud while the kids play around listening.
*If we eat in, sometimes we just go out for dessert.
*Go for a walk; when it is comfortable weather, outside, if not, go to a mall and walk.
*Just sit in the kids’ room and play whatever they want!

None of these things may sound like fun to you, but these are things our family enjoys. Each family has to decide what would be fun for each member of their family. It does get a little difficult at times when the ages of your children become more spread out. So I think it is important to plan things that everyone can take part in at some point in the evening. The main thing is to just be together and enjoy your family!

1 Comment | posted in Family Time

March 6, 2009

Family Fun Friday! Homemade Pizza

By Jason

Family Fun Friday began in our home about four years ago. It began with letting Lydia, then 2 years old, sit on our bed and have a special snack while we all watched an episode of Andy Griffith together. Now, four years and two more children later, this is a night we intentionally guard and plan for our family to do something special together.
This has been extremely helpful for us during our busy time in seminary. Even when Jason has many assignments, he does not look at them on Friday from 5p.m. until Saturday morning. We think this will also be a good thing to have in place when we are (Lord willing) in full time ministry. There have been a few times that we did not have FFF such as a one time event at church, a major assignment due at midnight on Friday, or an invitation from friends. We have found that there are not too many conflicts at this time. So when something does come up, we feel the freedom to take advantage of that activity also.
Now to the pizza. This has almost become the Friday night staple. We like it so much that we hardly ever eat pizza out anymore! I got the crust recipe from Crystal Paine at Biblical Womanhood. (This site, by the way, has been a huge encouragement to me.) I changed it a little for my recipe book because I am very blessed to have a stand mixer with a dough hook. If you are kneading by hand, I believe the recipe calls for kneading five minutes.
Pizza Crust:
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F.)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water.
Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix with dough hook until it forms into a ball around the hook.

Flour the pan you will cook the pizza on and dump the dough onto this.

Roll out in the desired shape.

You are ready to add sauce, toppings and cheese!

Bake at 450 degrees F° for anywhere from 9-15 (depending on your oven) minutes until the crust is lightly browned and cheese melted.

My plan tonight is beef and bacon pizza with an Oreo dessert mix we were given in a Christmas package.

1 Comment | posted in Family Time, Homemaking