by Barry Newton

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4, NIV).

If there was something you could do as a parent to reduce the possibility of someday asking the question, “why is my son/daughter like that” how seriously would you consider it? Would you make changes to your lifestyle if it would make a difference? How much inconvenience would you be willing to go through today to minimize the chances of that reality tomorrow?

If we could zoom into typical neighborhoods after the kids are home from school and a pair of tired parents have dragged themselves through the front door, what might we discover? Perhaps we would see a dad yelling at his son, “No, not now” because the son wants some individual attention. Or within a living room we might witness a dad sitting in his chair, the one that is off-limits to the kids, while he watches his favorite tv shows. Oh, by the way this husband will not lift a finger to help his wife who is frantically picking up the house, cooking dinner and trying to manage the children all at the same time!

Maybe in the next block there is a mother spinning a tale of lies to a daughter so that she can get out of a difficult situation. Around the corner, a young boy hears his father tease and humiliate his mother because years of hard work and neglect are beginning to show on her body. Nearby a couple ardently pursues a lifestyle of pleasure in spite of all the bills piled up on the table. All the while the kids’ antennas continue to absorb everything.

If these snippets of family life represent the norm in those families, would it be surprising for a son to later develop the habit of yelling and ignoring authority figures, to be self-centered, or to belittle his mother and show no respect for the opposite sex? Would it be unimaginable for a daughter to adopt the habit of lying to get what she wants? Should we be shocked if a daughter called her mother a hypocrite and rejected serving God?

Training our children involves so much more than just telling them what is right and taking them to church. Coaching our children is a twenty-four hour a day activity. Children do not stop learning just because their parents make mistakes! We teach our children their life-values and tools for handling problems by how we treat them and how we make decisions.

If I do not want my children to be selfish, I should not demand to get my way all of the time.

If I want my children to love, honor and respect my wife (and eventually their future spouse), I need to visibly honor, praise and be united with my wife.

If I want my children to grow into adults who worship God, I should not choose to take them to recreational activities when the saints are meeting for worship.

If I want my children to be able to see trouble coming, I need to not only talk out loud at home about the devastating effects of evil companions and Satan’s activity in the world, but I need to be doing my best to make the right decisions.

The list goes on and on. Our children learn how to live by watching us, what they experience and from outside sources. Before those outside influences begin to play a larger role in our children’s lives, parents need to train and empower a child to recognize evil, reject it and embrace the anchor that only God provides.

by Stan Mitchell

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth, and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:10,11).

I had a humbling experience last week. When I finished my sermon Sunday morning, I got the response I usually get, which is to say, nothing. Nothing, that is, that I could see. Preachers learn to accept this, because most Sundays, after preparing, praying, pushing and prodding the material all week, we stand before the congregation, and preach our hearts out.

And we don't see any response. It would be nice to baptize 3,000 following a sermon, but this doesn't happen often. We console ourselves with the thought that, of course, not all responses are visual. And we believe it. Mostly.

But last Sunday a little girl, not quite in her teens went home thinking about the sermon. She even spoke to her parents and grandmother about it. She came back Sunday night, by which time I still had seen no visual sign my sermon had done any good. On Monday I came to the office to study for the sermon to be preached next week, hoping for a visual response then. In the meantime, this young lady with a soft heart and open mind continued to mull over the lesson.

Then that night, after ten in the evening, thirty-six hours after my sermon, she asked me to baptize her. Preachers should have more faith, I suppose, not in their abilities, but in the word we preach, and the Savior we proclaim.

Bless you, little Cassi, for reminding me that what I cannot see –- your tender heart –- is just as real as what I can see!

by Don Ruhl

Read First Corinthians 10:19--33

Do Not Put Down Any Part of God's Earth

 Where is God's country? It is not just your favorite place, but it is the entire earth, and everything on it belongs to Him. Therefore, Paul wrote these words,

 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience' sake; 26 for "The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness" (1 Cor. 10:25, 26, NKJV).

 Pork is the Lord's creation. Therefore, Christians are allowed to eat it. Meat that came from a sacrifice to an idol is also the Lord's creation; therefore, we are free to eat that meat. Do not speak against what the Lord has created. 

 If that is true in regard to meat, it is certainly true in regard to all places on the earth. Often we are heard to say that we do not like a certain place, or someone will tell us that he is from such and such a place, and we immediately say what we do not like about that place. Would Jesus speak that way? He created it. Why would He say it is ugly? Moreover, He labored to get us to quit thinking about earthly things and to put our minds on heavenly things.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

Read Psalms 123--125

The Power of Leadership

 Is leadership powerful? Listen to this confession from the Scriptures. 

3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity. (Psa. 125:3, NKJV).

 If the wicked lead, some of the righteous will follow the leader's wickedness. The righteous should not follow, but the truth of human nature is that leadership, even wicked leadership, holds great sway over the masses. 

 Therefore, pray for every entity that has leadership, your nation, your congregation, your family, your place of employment, your school and so on, that righteous leadership may exist. 

 Moreover, do your part to be a leader. Not everyone can be in a position of authority, but we all lead in little ways. Do it righteously and you will have influence.

Don Ruhl 441 Damont Street Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601-2311