Men’s Ministry from the Lutheran Hour

The Men’s NetWork is an Internet ministry-building resource center. They offer easy-to-use materials that will ignite and challenge the faith lives of men in the church. You will find Bible studies (video included), a blog,resources, regional event information, and a forum.

The latest Bible study from the Men’s NetWork is now available here: www.lhmmen.com/studydetail.asp?id=11684. In this Bible study the teachings of Islam are brought into focus. In addition to learning about the “Five Pillars of Islam,” participants will examine what the Qur’an says about the role of Abraham, the Trinity, angels and jinn (genies), the attributes of Jesus Christ, the character of Muhammad, Judgment Day, and paradise.

Lutheran Hour Ministries is a Christian-outreach ministry that operates both domestically and internationally in more than 40 countries. With programs like The Lutheran Hour, Woman to Woman, and the Men’s NetWork, as well as evangelistic efforts in places like South Africa, Europe, Indonesia, and Central America, LHM takes a clear and concise Gospel message to the nations: salvation has been achieved through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ and sealed by His resurrection from the grave (Romans 8: 1-11).

HomeBase & 24/7 for March 2009

The March edition of HomeBase is available for download here.   In this month’s edition you will find articles on 1) Mobilizing Moms; 2) How Do Our Children Unwrap Their Spiritual Gifts?; 3) We Are Learning to be an Accepting/Rejecting Family.  HomeBase is a publication of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.

You should also check out this month’s 24/7 where Dr. Steve Christopher discusses hope.  24/7 is a newsletter also put out by the LCMS for the Christian home.

Easter Butterfly

Our friends at Lutheran Hour Ministries have provided a simple audio file that helps to explain the symbolism of the butterfly as it relates to Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  You can download the file here.

Change

With the past political season so filled with “change” language, one might find it wise to shy away from further usage of the concept.  If one did so, one might miss an opportunity to discuss the nature of change and its impact on the Christian life and especially on the life together of the Christian family.

Change comes to us in one of two general directions.  Either we enact change or change is enacted upon us.  In Ecclesiastes 3 we are reminded that “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (v. 1).  This in a way implies change.  If there is a season for particular things to take place, then there are season in which they do not take place.  Life is constant in its inconsistency.

When we enact change we believe that we have a measure of control over what is taking place.  Yet, we know that God as the Omnipotent Lord of the universe is in control of all aspects of life, including those things that we are “changing.”  This does not mean that we lack free will to act under the grace of God, just the the power we act upon is granted us by His grace.  We enact changes in our lives for good and for ill.  God grants a measure of freedom for both.  I say a measure, since our sinful natures (which we do not fully shed in this life) impact how freely we are able to act.  When we act out in was counter to God’s will, we are expressing our bondage to sin.  When we act out in line with the will of God, we are expressing our new freedom of service to Christ.

Change sounds so nice and simple when it comes in the form of a political campaign promise.  Yet, we know that just as we as individuals find it challenging to change ourselves it is far more challenging to change another.  As parents we hope to positively shape the lives of our children.  We endeavor to provide for them the best biblical example of Christian living that we can.  Yet, we all know that we remain sinner in need of our own forgiveness, and I hate to remind you but your kids know this (or they learn it quickly).  It is important that when we seek to make changes in our lives, especially changes that relate to our faith life, that we make these changes transparently before our children, that they may see that life is a process in which even parents struggle (again they see the struggle, you are just providing instructive time for them to gain additional wisdom from your own life experience and faith journey).

The other form of change is that change which is enacted upon us.  Those changes can leave us feeling powerless.  I am not one who enjoys feelings of powerlessness.  There is little I enjoy less than not being able to fix what I believe needs to be fixed.  Yet the reality is that much in life is beyond our control.  When change rocks our world in unexpected ways, we know that we have a God who is not surprised by the things that throw us for a loop.  There is no limit to the knowledge of God as there is for our own.  God not only knows all, but is able to guide us in our response to life’s challenges and tragedies.

Knowing the power of God is present in our lives is comforting, but it does not eliminate all concerns.  It does not mean that we are not called to respond to change with Christian character.  Tough times continue to shape us in our adult lives just as we see childhood adversities and challenges shape our children.  Just as we watch with care over our children as they problem solve and learn, our heavenly Father watches over us as we grow and mature.

Life is not a simple and easy journey.  In Lent we examine how rough things got for Jesus as He sought to free us from our bondage to sin.  Though this made life fantastically better for us, it did not eliminate all trial.  The promise of God is however that “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20b).

Lenten Devotions

As we journey together through Lent, I wanted to let you know about a great devotional resource from Lutheran Hour Ministries that you can make use of as a family.  Go to: www.lentendevotions.net and click on “Read Today’s Devotion” to get the devotion for the day.  Though not written specifically with families with kids in mind this series of devotions can enrich your own devotional life as parents and provide you with ideas and topics for discussion with your children as you journey together to the cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter.

An On-Line Story

I received the following story from a church member and mom who thought that this would be worth sharing.

After tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. She logged on
under her screen nameByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message:

ByAngel213:  Hi. I’m glad you are on! I thought someone was following me home today. It was really weird!

GoTo123: LOL You watch too much TV. Why would someone be following you?  Don’t you live in a safe
neighborhood?

ByAngel213: Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my imagination cuz’ I didn’t see anybody when I looked out.

GoTo123: Unless you gave your name out on- line. You haven’t done that have you?

ByAngel213: Of course not I’m not stupid you know.

GoTo123: Did you have a softball game after school today?

ByAngel213: Yes and we won!!

GoTo123:That’s great! Who did you play?

ByAngel213: We played the Hornets. LOL. Their uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL

GoTo123:What is your team called?

ByAngel213: We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger paws on our uniforms. They are really cool.

GoTo123:Did you pitch?

ByAngel213: No I play second base. I got to go. My homework has to be done before my parents get home. I don’t want them mad at me. Bye!

GoTo123: Catch you later. Bye

Meanwhile…….GoTo123 went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write down what he knew about Angel so far.

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: Jan . 3, 1985
Age: 13
State where she lived: North Carolina
Hobbies: softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he knew she lived
in Canton because she had just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 p.m. Every afternoon until her parents came home from work.. He knew she played softball on Thursday afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth grade at the Canton Junior High School . She had told him
all this in the conversations they had on- line. He had enough information to find her now.
Shannon didn’t tell her parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She
didn’t want them to make a scene and stop her fr om walking home from the softball games. Parents were always over re-acting and hers were the worst. It made her wish she was not an only child.
Maybe if she had brothers and sisters, her parents wouldn’t be so overprotective.
By Thursday, Shannon had forgotten about the footsteps following her.
Her game was in full swing when suddenly she felt someone staring at her It was then that the
memory came back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her closely.
He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he smiled when she looked at him. He didn’t
look scary and she quickly dismissed the sudden fear she had felt. After the game, he sat on a
bleacher while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of her shirt. He knew he had found her.
Quietly, he walked a safe distance behind her It was only a few blocks to Shannon ’s home, and once he
saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his car.
Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time came to go to Shannon ’s house. He
drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move.   Shannon was in her room later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.
‘Shannon, come here,’ her father called. He sounded upset and she couldn’t imagine why. She went
into the room to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa. ‘Sit down,’ her father began, ‘this man has just told us a most interesting story about you.’ Shannon sat back. How could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before today! ‘

Do you know who I am, Shannon ?’ the man asked.

‘ No,’ Shannon answered.
‘I am a police officer and your online friend, GoTo123.’
Shannon was stunned. ‘That’s impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! He’s 14. And he lives in Michigan!’
The man smiled. ‘I know I told you all that, but it wasn’t true. You see, Shannon , there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough about yo urself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze.’
Shannon was stunned. ‘You mean you don’t live in Michigan ?’
He laughed. ‘No, I live in Raleigh. It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn’t it?’
She nodded.
‘I had a friend whose daughter was like you. Only she wasn’t as lucky. The guy found her and murdered
her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick you into giving out information a little here and there on-line. Before you know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing you have done it. I hope you’ve learned a lesson from this and won’t do it again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?’
‘It’s a promise!’
That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.

Gadget’s Garage – VBS 2009

The summer might seem far away, but Vacation Bible School plans are already gearing up.  So get our your pda, outlook, or dayplanner and write in July 13-17, 2009 for Gadget’s Garage.

At Gadget’s Garage, kids explore five Bible stories and discover that Jesus makes all things new, including each of them! Together, adult leaders and kids:

• Marvel at the mighty wonder of God’s creation.
• Discover Jesus changing water into wedding wine and sinners into new creations.
• Dig deeply into the parable of the farmer and his crops to unearth the reality of God’s Word growing in them.
• Learn that Jesus showed His true identity, power, and glory on a mountaintop and on the road to Emmaus.
• Discover that Jesus, our Savior, died to set sinners free so we can do His good works.

  Every day, at Gadget’s Garage kids of all ages learn that God’s Always Doing Great, Exciting Things!

Registration and Volunteer sign up forms will be available soon at www.soth.org/children.htm#VBS.

So what’s the deal with the ashes?

Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday.  Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the season of preparation and reflection for the church leading up to and culminating in Holy Week.  Like a great many other things that we do in the church, some of us are great and just going through the motions year after year, with out much thought about why we do what we do.  Kids have a great way of cutting through what we think we understand with the simplest of questions.  “Why?”  Why do we go to church on Wednesday in Lent?  Why do we put ashes on our heads?  Why is Lent so dark and somber?  In order to be prepared for these questions please take advantage of the links below.

• Ash Wednesday
• Lent
• Holy Week

Sex and Your Kids

On occassion I am asked by parents for resources to help them talk to their kids about sex and the changes that they physically and emotionally go through as they grow up.  Concordia Publishing House offers a great series for kids or a variety of ages that parents can trust to offer a Biblically sound approach to this delicate subject.

Valentine’s Parents Night Baby Sitting

The High School youth are offering baby sitting to families at SOTH on the evening of Feb. 13 starting at 6:30 p.m.  For a reasonable donation drop the kids by and step out on the town (or just have a quiet dinner at home).  Donations go to provide scholarships for the High School Winter Retreat at the end of the month.  Please sign up in the breezeway this Sunday, call the church office, or e-mail Dave at drueter@soth.org.