The Disciple-Making Parent

Today I am sharing a sermon I just preached in my home church on Isaiah 9:1-7. It is a fascinating passage and one of the most famous incarnation passages. That’s why it is so appropriate around Christmas. I don’t want to give away all the surprises, but in this sermon Isaiah is writing from the mid 700s BC. But he writes and speaks as if he is standing in 100AD looking back on the events of Jesus. We have one coming of light. And we long for the greater fulfillment of light coming into the world.

On November 11th, 2013, Cameron Cole received a call from his wife he will never forget. Their three-year-old son Cam had died in his sleep. It has to be every parent’s worst nightmare. How do we survive? Where is God in that situation? Where can I find hope to go on? Today’s podcast is one straight for the heart. Do you know families that have lost young children? Are you one of those families? If so, you are part of a fraternity that you never signed up for. This is where Cameron and Laurne Cole found themselves in 2013. How do you go on? Has God abandoned us? How do we process the sorrow? With the pain raw, Cameron began meditating on Scriptures and truths that would sustain him in the days ahead. The result is the book Therefore I Have Hope: 12 Truths That Comfort, Sustain, and Redeem In Tragedy. And in today’s podcast we are going to meditate on some of those truths for those who are hurting. In addition, Cameron ends with wise pastoral advice to as to how to minister to families that are grieving.

I bet almost everyone listening to this podcast has eaten at a Chick-fil-A. What are their behind-the scenes-secrets, and how can you apply them to your home? You are in a for a treat today. In this podcast, we are going to talk to Jonas William, owner operator of the Chick-fil-A in Seekonk, MA. This recorded conversation came about because I wanted to learn from him about how Chick-fil-A restaurants are so well run. Why? Well, Scripture tells us that elders and deacons are to manage their households well. While certainly every lesson can’t directly apply, many can. Jonas became serious about his faith while a student at the University of Georgia. He is a graduate of Southeastern Seminary and served overseas for a number of years. He is married to Melissa and has three children, Luke, Noah, and Zoe. You are going to love this conversation. It is dripping with Chick-fil-A sauce goodness. Listen in, and let’s think about how we can lead our families well.

As Christians, we claim that our Bibles are God’s inspired word. Yet how did we get our Bible? God didn’t just drop those 66 books down from heaven to your local publisher. Are these ancient documents filled with error, giving us wrong information about Jesus?In today’s podcast  we are going to talk to Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, a professor at Southern Seminary about his book How We Got the Bible. There are a number of cultural myths about the Bible that simply aren’t true. But do we know why? Do our teens?Dr. Jones has put together a highly readable and beautiful book for teens (and all of us) on how we got the Bible.

Suffering can come at us when we least expect it. Life seems to be going well and then a large incident comes at us. Or maybe it is a series of smaller thigns that are repeated over and over. Often we can think that Jesus’ presence is far away. Does he know about what I am going throuh? Does he even care? I recently preached a short meditation on Jesus' response to the death of Lazarus in John 11. This short message might be exactly what you or a friend or even your teen needs at this moment.

How do we actually love our spouse in a way that honors the Lord? And the more we think about it, what is love? The culture is certainly sending us mixed messages. What does godly love look like?In today's podcast we're going to talk with Bob Lepine about his book Love Like You Mean It: The Heart of a Marriage That Honors God. In that resource, Bob walks us through the most well-known passage on love in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Nothing is more precious to us than our children and their innocence. But how do we know that when we drop them off at school or church it is a safe place? And what can we do to make it safer?In today’s podcast, we are going to talk to my friend Jeff Dalrymple about a ministry that can help diminish the threat of sexual abuse in the church. This is a vital topic both for the safety of our children and the reputation of Christ.Jeff has been the catalyst behind a new national organization – The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (or ECAP for short). In this conversation he shares about the unfortunate need for his organization, and how busy pastors and leaders will soon be able to make their churches safer places. For the glory of Christ and for the love of others, our churches should be some of the safest places on earth.

What is the most relevant parenting book to help you face the new year? In this episode, I point you to the one essential resource for your family. It has the answer to every problem you will face. In this episode where we continue to hit restart, I invite you to listen to a sermon I recently preached.In our time together we looked at the well-known passage of 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Although I didn’t make specific applications to parents, I think they will be obvious.All of us need God’s book for our own intimate walk with Christ and to equip us to shepherd our children as we teach them, rebuke them, restore them, and train them.

Last year was a tumultuous summer. Between the fears of quarantine and rationing to the well-publicized shootings and resulting protests and riots, it will be remembered in the history books. Our countries politics are more divided and acrimonious than in recent memory. And Christians were and are divided about the proper causes and responses to these event. Does God’s word apply to this moment?The prophet Habakkuk lived in a time when there was profound injustice among God’s people. When he cries out to God for an explanation, he receives a surprising answer. And as a result he was surprisingly transformed.

Family worship and devotions can be an ongoing source of guilt. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In today’s podcast we are going to talk with Dr. David Murray. Dr. Murray has just released the book Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-week Family Worship plan. But before you become overwhelmed with that take a listen to this podcast. You will discover that it is a simple plan that takes about 4-5 minutes a day. I think you are going to love it. In addition, it is family companion to the study for individual use. So your children 7-12 are working on it by themselves and then come to report it to the whole family that night. But the family devotional book can stand on its own.