So, I was just reading in my government book, which I was supposed to do last week, but I am such a procrastinator I am just now reading it. But anyway, the chapter was on Paul's thoughts on government and what he wrote to the Jewish Christians in Rome and how, as Christians, we should react toward the Government...not only in America but government everywhere. I have a lot to do so I'm not going to add much to this, but this is just a chapter from Romans pertaining to government and also a quote from William Penn (which the entire preamble that the quote is from is one example of how our country began with Christ as our foundation).
taye
Government
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Love, for the Day is Near
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
Romans 13 (NIV)
"Wherefore governments rather depend upon men than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. But, if men be bad, let the government be ever so good, they will endeavor to warp and spoil it to their turn."
William Penn,
Preamble of the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania (1682)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Why are we falling?
So many people today call themselves a Christian without really knowing what being a Christian truly means. This baffles and frustrates me to no end. Parents today are failing to educate and instill morals, faith and truth into their children and that's one main reason why so many student are leaving the church and God once they are on their own. It needs to stop. Here is an article from WORLD Magazine. My best friend posted it on facebook and I thought I'd share it on here. Enjoy and think about it...
taye
Where have we gone wrong?
Today’s Youth—Walking Away from Truth
by Sheila Richardson
July 12, 2007
Why do young people walk away from the church after years of faithful attendance and involvement?
The main reason may be that the curriculum used in most Sunday schools is simply telling Bible stories and not teaching how to defend the truths of Scripture.
A leader in his youth group, Andrew faithfully attended Sunday school every week. He was awarded a scholarship at a well-known university, but by the end of his first year in college, Andrew had renounced his faith.
Sadly, Andrew’s heartbreaking story is not unique. It is repeated in thousands of Christian homes every year.
In August 2006, Answers in Genesis–USA commissioned Britt Beemer from America’s Research Group1 to find out why young people were leaving the church.2 Respondents indicated that Sunday school materials were shallow and “irrelevant.”3 Of those polled, 86% had begun to question the Bible by their high school years.
Of those who said they did not believe all the accounts in the Bible are true, 82% cited doubts about the Bible’s authority or its trustworthiness. What caused these people to doubt the Bible?
Where Have We Gone Wrong?
Basically, we have failed to teach our children to think biblically. In order to survive as believers in our culture, we must all recognize that God rules and speaks about every area of life (e.g., science, philosophy, ethics, history, government, sociology, and education), and not merely about an isolated area designated “religion.”
With fewer than 9% of evangelical Christian adults actually having a biblical worldview, the need for sound biblical teaching is critical.
According to a Barna poll, 80–90% of students from church homes in the U.S. attend public schools (this figure is probably greater in other Western nations). After 30 hours in government schools and another 30 hours in front of the TV each week, young people receive only about one hour per week of “reprogramming” at church (most parents leave the “spiritual” training to the church). Which system of teaching is likely to influence these students in the long run—45 minutes of Sunday schools and youth groups, or 30 hours in public schools?
While the church teaches about Jesus and salvation, the education system has indoctrinated students to doubt the underlying credibility of the Bible. Worse yet, church leaders are often afraid to teach about origins or to confront the divisive issues of the culture, such as abortion, homosexual behavior, and evolution.
Most church curricula feature simplistic stories that fail to connect the dots of redemptive history. Few attempt to teach Bible study skills. Most units on creation or Genesis only present the fact that God created, without addressing the “facts” of evolution that bombard students every day of the week.
Rarely do any lessons deal with foundational questions about the age of things or human evolution. Equally rare is any statement about absolute truth and the inerrancy of Scripture.
By the time a child has reached middle school, he thinks he knows everything the Bible has to offer, and his interest in Sunday school vanishes. However, he will probably continue to participate during his teen years because of the “herd mentality” and social activities of most youth groups.
Why, then, should we be surprised when young Christians desert the church once their social needs are met in other ways? With fewer than 9% of evangelical Christian adults actually having a biblical worldview,4 the need for sound biblical teaching is critical.
What can be done to change this bleak situation?
Teach Doctrine to Children
Changing curriculum, although a simplistic answer to a much bigger problem, is a place to start.
As you evaluate what and how your children are being taught in your church, you may find it helpful to consider the following five principles.
Don’t just tell children and teens they must believe the earth is young; rather, help them see it from Scripture.
Principle 1:
Check the content.
A content-rich curriculum presents the biblical big picture (Creation, Fall, Redemption) and explains the context for all the individual details taught. Consider how it handles Genesis. The way this foundational book is treated sets the stage for how the curriculum provides answers to key questions of life: “Who is God?” “How did the world get here?” “Who am I?” “Do I have a purpose?” “Where does evil come from?”
This is one reason that I wrote the It All Begins with Genesis program for middle school. But training needs to begin earlier. For example, with AiG’s Answers for Kids series, you can begin teaching early elementary students the biblical view of history and how to answer many of the questions they face in school.
Principle 2:
Study as Families Whenever Possible.
When I wrote It All Begins with Genesis about five years ago, I had middle school children in mind. However, three years ago I began asking parents to attend the course with their sixth-grade children. They responded with enthusiasm. Now whole families eagerly attend, with children ranging from third grade through early high school. The results have been amazing!
Principle 3:
Teach How to Study the Bible.
Most curricula teach facts about the Bible but don’t equip students to accurately handle the Word of God. When a curriculum teaches inductive study techniques, students learn to discover truth for themselves. Christian teachers should not just tell students to trust the Bible as absolute truth; they should show students how to see this truth from Scripture. Learning how to study the Bible is a lifelong skill that allows people to fall more in love with God and His Word.
Principle 4:
Employ Critical Thinking Skills.
The curriculum should examine everything in the light of biblical truth.
For instance, don’t just tell students they must believe the earth is young; rather, help them see it from the text of Scripture. It helps young people to learn what popular thinking says about the earth and then to work through the contrasting biblical and theological truths revealed in Scripture. In the process, they will also learn scientific evidence that confirms these truths.
Our secular school system indoctrinates with memorized “facts” and discourages logical questioning. Students who are never taught to question will fall prey to professors who teach unbiblical views. The curriculum should have time for group discussion and allow the freedom to question.
Everything parents and teachers do should reflect the character of God. Nowhere is this more important than in our teaching.
Principle 5:
Reflect God’s Character in the Teaching.
Everything parents and teachers do should reflect the character of God. Nowhere is this more important than in our teaching. Joy prevails as we enjoy Him and each other. When we do things through the power of the Holy Spirit, the results will bring blessings.
For example, God is never boring. He loves variety. His work reflects excellence, beauty, and joy. Any good curriculum includes these components. The goal of a good curriculum should be to honor God through excellence in every lesson, and teachers should strive to achieve this same goal.
Members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, participate in an intergenerational Bible study using the It All Begins with Genesis curriculum. Participants ranged from third grade to grandparents.
When teaching, I constantly change the setup of the room. Sometimes families sit grouped around tables, other times the children on the floor with the parents behind them. Study groups use fast-moving PowerPoint presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and drama. At other times they do quiet “seat work,” marking key words in the biblical text and making lists. And they often draw pictures to describe the concept or play competitive games to evaluate what they have learned.
As the Beemer poll revealed, young people need to learn at a very early age why they believe what they believe. They need to be able to give answers that support their faith. With the Lord’s enabling, Christian parents and teachers can change the results of the poll. Using the right materials, churches and parents can prepare kids to “think biblically” and to discern false teachings when encountered.
Warm relationships developed among parents, kids, and teachers.
taye
Where have we gone wrong?
Today’s Youth—Walking Away from Truth
by Sheila Richardson
July 12, 2007
Why do young people walk away from the church after years of faithful attendance and involvement?
The main reason may be that the curriculum used in most Sunday schools is simply telling Bible stories and not teaching how to defend the truths of Scripture.
A leader in his youth group, Andrew faithfully attended Sunday school every week. He was awarded a scholarship at a well-known university, but by the end of his first year in college, Andrew had renounced his faith.
Sadly, Andrew’s heartbreaking story is not unique. It is repeated in thousands of Christian homes every year.
In August 2006, Answers in Genesis–USA commissioned Britt Beemer from America’s Research Group1 to find out why young people were leaving the church.2 Respondents indicated that Sunday school materials were shallow and “irrelevant.”3 Of those polled, 86% had begun to question the Bible by their high school years.
Of those who said they did not believe all the accounts in the Bible are true, 82% cited doubts about the Bible’s authority or its trustworthiness. What caused these people to doubt the Bible?
Where Have We Gone Wrong?
Basically, we have failed to teach our children to think biblically. In order to survive as believers in our culture, we must all recognize that God rules and speaks about every area of life (e.g., science, philosophy, ethics, history, government, sociology, and education), and not merely about an isolated area designated “religion.”
With fewer than 9% of evangelical Christian adults actually having a biblical worldview, the need for sound biblical teaching is critical.
According to a Barna poll, 80–90% of students from church homes in the U.S. attend public schools (this figure is probably greater in other Western nations). After 30 hours in government schools and another 30 hours in front of the TV each week, young people receive only about one hour per week of “reprogramming” at church (most parents leave the “spiritual” training to the church). Which system of teaching is likely to influence these students in the long run—45 minutes of Sunday schools and youth groups, or 30 hours in public schools?
While the church teaches about Jesus and salvation, the education system has indoctrinated students to doubt the underlying credibility of the Bible. Worse yet, church leaders are often afraid to teach about origins or to confront the divisive issues of the culture, such as abortion, homosexual behavior, and evolution.
Most church curricula feature simplistic stories that fail to connect the dots of redemptive history. Few attempt to teach Bible study skills. Most units on creation or Genesis only present the fact that God created, without addressing the “facts” of evolution that bombard students every day of the week.
Rarely do any lessons deal with foundational questions about the age of things or human evolution. Equally rare is any statement about absolute truth and the inerrancy of Scripture.
By the time a child has reached middle school, he thinks he knows everything the Bible has to offer, and his interest in Sunday school vanishes. However, he will probably continue to participate during his teen years because of the “herd mentality” and social activities of most youth groups.
Why, then, should we be surprised when young Christians desert the church once their social needs are met in other ways? With fewer than 9% of evangelical Christian adults actually having a biblical worldview,4 the need for sound biblical teaching is critical.
What can be done to change this bleak situation?
Teach Doctrine to Children
Changing curriculum, although a simplistic answer to a much bigger problem, is a place to start.
As you evaluate what and how your children are being taught in your church, you may find it helpful to consider the following five principles.
Don’t just tell children and teens they must believe the earth is young; rather, help them see it from Scripture.
Principle 1:
Check the content.
A content-rich curriculum presents the biblical big picture (Creation, Fall, Redemption) and explains the context for all the individual details taught. Consider how it handles Genesis. The way this foundational book is treated sets the stage for how the curriculum provides answers to key questions of life: “Who is God?” “How did the world get here?” “Who am I?” “Do I have a purpose?” “Where does evil come from?”
This is one reason that I wrote the It All Begins with Genesis program for middle school. But training needs to begin earlier. For example, with AiG’s Answers for Kids series, you can begin teaching early elementary students the biblical view of history and how to answer many of the questions they face in school.
Principle 2:
Study as Families Whenever Possible.
When I wrote It All Begins with Genesis about five years ago, I had middle school children in mind. However, three years ago I began asking parents to attend the course with their sixth-grade children. They responded with enthusiasm. Now whole families eagerly attend, with children ranging from third grade through early high school. The results have been amazing!
Principle 3:
Teach How to Study the Bible.
Most curricula teach facts about the Bible but don’t equip students to accurately handle the Word of God. When a curriculum teaches inductive study techniques, students learn to discover truth for themselves. Christian teachers should not just tell students to trust the Bible as absolute truth; they should show students how to see this truth from Scripture. Learning how to study the Bible is a lifelong skill that allows people to fall more in love with God and His Word.
Principle 4:
Employ Critical Thinking Skills.
The curriculum should examine everything in the light of biblical truth.
For instance, don’t just tell students they must believe the earth is young; rather, help them see it from the text of Scripture. It helps young people to learn what popular thinking says about the earth and then to work through the contrasting biblical and theological truths revealed in Scripture. In the process, they will also learn scientific evidence that confirms these truths.
Our secular school system indoctrinates with memorized “facts” and discourages logical questioning. Students who are never taught to question will fall prey to professors who teach unbiblical views. The curriculum should have time for group discussion and allow the freedom to question.
Everything parents and teachers do should reflect the character of God. Nowhere is this more important than in our teaching.
Principle 5:
Reflect God’s Character in the Teaching.
Everything parents and teachers do should reflect the character of God. Nowhere is this more important than in our teaching. Joy prevails as we enjoy Him and each other. When we do things through the power of the Holy Spirit, the results will bring blessings.
For example, God is never boring. He loves variety. His work reflects excellence, beauty, and joy. Any good curriculum includes these components. The goal of a good curriculum should be to honor God through excellence in every lesson, and teachers should strive to achieve this same goal.
Members of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, participate in an intergenerational Bible study using the It All Begins with Genesis curriculum. Participants ranged from third grade to grandparents.
When teaching, I constantly change the setup of the room. Sometimes families sit grouped around tables, other times the children on the floor with the parents behind them. Study groups use fast-moving PowerPoint presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and drama. At other times they do quiet “seat work,” marking key words in the biblical text and making lists. And they often draw pictures to describe the concept or play competitive games to evaluate what they have learned.
As the Beemer poll revealed, young people need to learn at a very early age why they believe what they believe. They need to be able to give answers that support their faith. With the Lord’s enabling, Christian parents and teachers can change the results of the poll. Using the right materials, churches and parents can prepare kids to “think biblically” and to discern false teachings when encountered.
Warm relationships developed among parents, kids, and teachers.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Happiness
For me, happiness is so many things. It's the smallest, almost meaningless things that mean the most to me and bring me little pieces of joy everyday. It's doing that third pirouette, or really pretty port de bras in ballet class. Happiness is an encouraging comment from a best friend or reading a bible verse that I feel was written just for me at that specific moment. But most of all, happiness in the fact the Christ died so that I could have life, and have life abundantly.
-taye
"Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy."
1. Walking out of church with the feeling that God is walking right next to me
2. A cup of coffee and a good book
3. The feeling after I've worked really hard in a dance class
4. Listening to a favorite song over and over again
5. Seeing a friend that I haven't seen in a while
6. Starbucks dates with my best friends
7. Bubbles, sparkles, coloring books, and disney movies
8. Wearing a dress that makes me feel beautiful
9. Walking out of the movie theater after a really great movie
10. Looking at the clock as it turns 11:11
What makes you happy, joyful, satisfied?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
"Glorify the Lord with me..."
So last night my friend Grace and I had the opportunity to lead worship at our youth group. It's something that I had always wanted to do but never really made it happen. It was such an incredible experience. Yes, both of us were a little nervous, but I had to remind myself that this wasn't a performance it was leading; serving God by leading in worshipping and glorifying God. The message last night was on living our lives to the glory of God which is what leads me to writing.
-taye
John 17:1-10
"After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.
"'I have revealed You to those whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me and they have obeyed Your word. Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You. For I gave them the words You gave Me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they are Yours. All I have is Yours, and all You have is mine. And glory has come to Me through them.'"
The word glory or glorify appears five times in just those ten verses, I'm thinking it's pretty important. So what does glory really mean? What does it mean to glorify someone? Webster's defines it as "To give glory to; to light up brilliantly". To LIGHT UP BRILLIANTLY! Do we light God up brilliantly so that all the world will see Him in our lives? Matthew 5:16 says "...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." We are to SHINE before the world. As Christians, or "little Christs" we should be shining so brightly that every person we come in contact with will see plainly that there is something so different about us from the rest of the world that they will know that Christ is in us and praise Him. Philippians 2:15 says that we are "...children of God...in a crooked and depraved generation, in which [we] shine like stars in the universe." There's that word shine again. What does it mean to shine? Shine is defined as "radiance, luster, or brilliance" and there is brilliance again which means "bright" or "brightness" So basically we are to be shining so brightly for Christ that the world cannot miss seeing Him within us and through our lives that they will see what we have in God and glorify Him. But let us ask ourselves if we are shining.
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