Whose Job?

“Alvin Reid, in his book, Raising the Bar, makes this observation – ‘Over the last 30 years, we have seen the largest increase in the number of professional youth ministers, youth ministry degrees being handed out, and para-church organizations designed to reach youth, and we have seen the greatest decline in youth baptisms ever.’

“…our current approach to youth ministry, number one, is unbiblical; number two, is antithetical to what the biblical model is for the evangelization and discipleship of young people; and, number three, it doesn't work.

“Whose job is it to evangelize my children? The church? No, it's mine. Whose job is it to disciple my children? The church? No, it's mine, which means that, at best, any youth ministry that's going to exist at all had better have a mission statement that says, ‘We exist to equip and assist parents as they do what God called them to do and not the church.’”

-Dr. Voddie Baucham, addressing the Southern Baptist Convention
played on a broadcast of Family Life Today, October 2-3, 2006

To read the transcripts:
http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=8999
http://www.familylife.com/fltoday/default.asp?id=8820

For the Dads

"Raising daughters is not a good business deal. You make a twenty-year investment and then just up and give the whole thing away to an inexperienced boy who doesn’t at all appreciate the value of what he is getting, and is probably not worthy of the gift, or 'theft,' as it may be. To top it all off, he changes her name – takes her out of the family, and erases all traces of her lineage. Her children will not carry on your family name!

"Dad, you must get this one right. If you mess up here, all that you have invested in your daughter could be wasted on a dud."

-"Daddy's Daughter" by Michael Pearl

Read the article, Dads. And check out Michael Farris' book, How a Man Prepares His Daughters for Life.

Father's Day and Priorities

Our pastor was called out of state this weekend to be with his father, who is failing rapidly (please pray that he would turn his life over to the Lord before it's too late), so another man from our church gave the Father's Day sermon. I was in the nursery, listening over the speakers while watching two little boys. Little boys who take the toy phones and try to hook them to their non-existant belts (just like Daddy's cell phone). Little boys who put the shape rings on their arms (flotation devices?) and drive the toy boat around the nursery floor (just like Daddy's boat). The sermon ended in a unique way, when they played the recording of a song I'd never heard before: "Cat in the Cradle."

Cat in the Cradle
(lyrics by Sandra Chapin)

A child arrived just the other day,
Came to the world in the usual way,
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay,
He learned to walk while I was away.
He was talking before I knew it, and as he grew
He said, "I'm going to be like you, Dad,
You know I'm going to be like you."

And the cat in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon,
"When can we play, Dad?" "I don't know when,
We'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day,
Said "Thanks for the ball, now c'mon let's play.
Will you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,
I've got a lot to do." He said, "That's OK."
And he walked away and he smiled and he said
"You know I'm going to be like you, Dad,
You know I'm going to be like you."

And the cat in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon,
"When can we play, Dad?" "I don't know when,
We'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

He came from college just the other day,
So much like a man, I just had to say,
"I'm proud of you, won't you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile,
"What I'm feeling like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat in the cradle and a silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon,
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

I've long since retired and my son's moved away,
I called him up just the other day.
"I'd like to see you, if you don't mind."
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I could find the time.
You see, my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu,
But it's sure nice talking you, Dad.
It's been real nice talking to you."

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.

And the cat in the cradle and a silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon,
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."
And the cat in the cradle and a silver spoon,
Little Boy Blue and the Man in the Moon,
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."


As the saying goes, "Monkey see, monkey do!" and I'm sure we've all seen it exemplified in our families. The little boys try to follow in Daddy's footsteps, the little girls try to be just like Mommy. It makes one realize that we need to be careful what we are doing, because someone's watching.

Not only must we be careful what we are doing, but we need to consider our priorities. The song "Cat's in the Cradle" made me think of a Country song I love: "Busy Man."

Busy Man
(by Bob Regan/George Teren, sung by Billy Ray Cyrus)

There's a little boy out in the driveway
His basketball in hand
Saying Daddy could we play a little one on one
You pat him on the back and say not now son
I'm a busy man

His sister's out on the sidewalk
Setting up a lemonade stand
Hey Daddy don't you want to buy a glass from me
You say maybe later, can't you see I'm a busy man

You got to go, got to run
Hit it hard and get it done
Everyone can see you're going far
You got responsibilities
A crazy schedule that you keep
And when you say that time's a-wasting
You don't know how right you are
Busy man

There's a woman in the bedroom crying
Saying I thought we had plans
You say honey I'm sorry I'll make it up
When the job slows down and I'm not such
A busy man

You got to go, got to run
Hit it hard and get it done
Everyone can see you're going far
You got responsibilities
A crazy schedule that you keep
And when you say that time's a-wasting
You don't know how right you are
Busy man

Have you ever seen a headstone with these words
"If only I had spent more time at work"

There's a call one day from the office
They need you down in Birmingham
You say no way, the weekend's mine
I got plans with the kids and a date with my wife
I'm a busy man

You got to go, got to run
Take a break and have some fun
Those that love you most
Say you've come far
Got some new priorities
In that schedule that you keep
And when you say that time's a-wasting
Now you know how right you are
Busy man


How would your song end? Where are your priorities? What is the example you are setting for those who follow in your footsteps?

"I never allow my work to drive me, so I get pleasure from life my neighbors miss, and I'll compare bank accounts with any of them. Tomorrow I'll work. Today I'm entertaining company, or rather they are entertaining me. I think this is about the best day of my life."
-"Peter" in Michael O'Halloran by Gene Stratton-Porter

“Don’t work too hard. Remember, relationships are the most precious but also the most fragile things we have, and they are what really matters.”
-Merritt Acheson

An event so astounding it made the news...

A woman has her 15th child. :-)
The article is here. Very sweet. And they homeschool! :-)

This little article has ignited over 4000 comments. And it has only been online for a day. Whew! Read those with discretion--I only glanced at a few and it seems to be pretty intense arguments. Some people seem to think that such families are taking up more than their fair share of the earth or something. I say praise the Lord for families that are training their children at home and seeking to let Him bless them with a quiver full of children!!

One person said: I'm sorry you want to have a few kids, fine...go ahead. but give me a break...15 kids? AND they're home schooled (how does 1 person educate 15 children at different education levels...pretty tricky)...

A reply: Umm, what kind of schools do you think your ancestors went to? Or did they just not go to school? Years ago, that is the way all schools were, and that is the way they still should be~~kids learn better in a smaller environment. And as for 1 teacher to 15 students~~don't most public schools have upwards of 20-30 students per teacher??

And I'm sure we can come up with even better responses than that. :-) And this part made me laugh out loud--it sounds like some people are concerned at the amount of "religious zealots" (ie Christians) that might result from so many children! I am posting some of the comment here because the entire post contains inappropriate language.

15 kids: Doing the math under the religious zealots world order it breaks down like this in 30 years, those 15 kids, having 15 kids each will end up with 225. In 30 years, those 225 kids having 15 kids each will end up with 3,375 In 30 years, those 3,375 kids having 15 kids each will end up with a population explosion, in less then 100 years, from two adults to being 50,625 people. That is a moderatly sized city. That is exactly what religious zealots support. That is pure insanity.

Isn't that great? :-D