The PASSION Blog

We have been living in Merredin for over two and a half years now. It has been a great change for us moving from city life to country life.

Today I thought I would share some of the things I have enjoyed and some of the things I have found hard about country life.

Positives

• A much slower pace of life compared to city life
• You only have to drive a short distance to work, church, shops or friends places
• You always see someone you know when you go out and the people are friendly
• Beautiful countryside and wide open spaces to go bush walking in
• Peace and quiet and the ability to find space to be alone easily
• Cheaper housing. Houses are a fraction of the cost of a capital city
• Safer place for your kids to grow up and just be kids
• Very low crime rates

Negatives

• Distance from family as most of my family live in Perth/Mandurah
• Not as much variety or shops available
• Cost of living is slightly higher
• Medical facilities are not as good as a major city
• No sea breeze to cool you down at the end of a hot day

While country living has been a big change for us, it has been one I have really enjoyed. From time to time I do think that one day I will move back to a major city, but then I visit and I quickly change my mind again.

As I say to my family and friends – I think I was a country boy living in the city all those years!

God Bless,

Dave

Last week I shared some advice that has been helpful to me as a Christian parent from Dr Sears book “Parenting and Childcare: A Guide for Christian Parents”.

Today I thought I would share some more advice on commitment to being a Christian parent. In the first chapter Dr Sears shares seven things that God expects from us when raising our kids as Christian parents.

1. To love God (Deuteronomy 6:5)
2. To fear Him (Deuteronomy 10:12)
3. To walk in His ways, to be an example (Deuteronomy 10:12)
4. To know Him, to have knowledge and application of His Word (Deuteronomy 10:13)
5. To teach His Word to your children (Deuteronomy 6:7, 11:19)
6. To discipline your children (Proverbs 19:18)
7. To avoid provoking your child to anger (Ephesians 6:4)

He goes on to say that before we can instruct our children we must understand God’s Word ourselves. First we must know, love and fear God ourselves and live according to His teachings. Then we can impart them on to our children.

Of course these seven points don’t talk about loving, caring for and providing for your child’s daily needs. These go without saying.

However, I think they do show us how important it is to God to pass on our faith to the next generation and they give us some good guidelines to follow as Christian parents.

God Bless,

Dave

In the last few days we have heard about another major earthquake. Several months ago it was in Haiti, this time it was in Chile. It was one of the biggest earthquakes on record and many people have lost their lives.

When we hear about these major catastrophes we can sometimes wonder if God is real or if He is still in control. We might even be fearful that it might happen to us.

In times when we hear about major earthquakes, wars, famines or other major catastrophes, we need to remember that Jesus spoke about these things happening. It is no suprise to Him and He did speak about these things happening 2000 years ago.

In Matthew chapter 24 there is a passage that is headed “Sings of the End of the Age” in the NIV Bible. It talks about these sort of things happening before Jesus returns to earth. In verses 6-8 it says…

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Jesus Himself told us these things will happen and not to be alarmed. As tragic as they are, they are signs that we live in a finite world. Much like contractions are a sign a baby is on the way, these events remind us that one day Jesus is coming back for us.

So when you hear of these things, don’t be alarmed or afraid. God is still in control. He has a plan for us and this world we live in. It is just a matter of time before His great plan comes to pass fully.

In the meantime, let’s pray for the people of Chile and Haiti and help in whatever way we can.

God Bless,

Dave

Proverbs 12:4 says, “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones”.

Dictionary.com describes disgraceful as “Bringing or warranting disgrace; shameful”. It also uses words like “shameful, shocking and scandalous” in its description. It gives us a nice picture of what the verse is saying.

As we can imagine the moral character of a man’s wife effects her husbands enjoyment of life. If a woman is out gossiping, lying, stealing, cares only for herself, constantly nags him or speaks badly of her husband in public, it can really wear on him and make him feel like his bones are decaying.

Compare this to the wife who is her husbands crown. It she loves and supports him, cares for her family and others, acts with integrity and chooses never to speak negatively about her husband in public, he will feel blessed and loved.

I am a blessed man to say my wife fits into the “crown” category. My wife loves and supports me in all I do, loves and cares for our kids, she looks after our home wonderfully well and is always supportive of me publicly. My wife is such a blessing to me and I thank God for the day we met.

Let’s all commit to being supportive of our spouses regardless of if we are husbands or wives. Let’s all try to be our partners crown today.

God Bless,

Dave

Proverbs 12:3 says, “A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted”.

This verse tells us that we need build our lives on righteousness or living right before God. It says we cannot truly establish a good life if we are doing it the wrong way.

Some people think that the means justify the ends. They will do anything to achieve their goals or to make money. They will sell drugs, steal, murder or rule with fear to get what they want.

Solomon (the one who wrote most of the Proverbs) tells us that their lives will not be established through their wickedness. In the end they will be found out and they will not stand on the day of  judgement.

Alternately, we see that someone who builds their lives on righteousness or right living cannot be uprooted. When the storms of pressures of life come their way, they are able to stand and are not crushed.

Let’s all purpose in our hearts today to build our lives on righteousness. Let’s all decide to follow God and keep His commands (Ecclesiastes 12:13) and build lives that cannot be uprooted.

God Bless,

Dave

One of the parenting books I have found quite useful over the years is Dr William Sears book “Parenting and Childcare: A Guide for Christian Parents”. My wife purchased it just before our second child was born.

Two things in the book have really helped me over the years. The first one is about priorities and the second is about setting your goals as a father.

The priorities that Dr Sears talks about is ordering the things that are important in your life. He says that we need to define our priorities and make a commitment and stick to them. Dr Sears suggests that we arrange our lives as such on page 40…

1. God – our relationship with God
2. Family – our next most important responsibility
3. Work – our jobs that help us make a living
4. Church – our church/ministry responsibilities

The second helpful thing from the book is about setting the big picture goals as a father and spiritual leader of the home. These are found on page 41…

1. Love the Lord and love your neighbour as yourself
2. Fear God and keep His commandments
3. Pray for wisdom to make the spiritual decisions which lead you and your family towards your ultimate goal
4. Have a knowledge of Scripture and apply it to your life
5. Live a Christ-centred life in relationship with God as your Father

I have found these two things very helpful advice to me as a husband and a father. I have often referred back to these principles whenever life seems to be getting out of balance or I am going through a tough time. I find these things are the anchor for which I build my family life upon.

If you are a parent or will become one soon, I would encourage you to get a copy of Dr Sears book. It is a handy resource to have in your bookshelf to refer to.

God Bless,

Dave

Proverbs 12:2 says, “A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a crafty man”.

Dictionary.com defines favour in a number of ways…

These definitions give us a good understanding of what favour is. It is about having a good standing with someone and receiving positive benefits as a result.

Today’s verse talks about having favour with God. How do we obtain it? The first part tells us that we obtain God’s favour by being a good person.

How does the Bible define a good person? Generally speaking it is someone who loves and is in relationship with God, a person who follows His decrees and someone who treats others well.

Compare this to a crafty person on Dictionary.com – “skillful in underhand or evil schemes; cunning; deceitful; sly”. When you read that definition you can see why the Lord condemns a crafty person.

So if you want favour with God, live your life in the way God intends. Love Him, follow His decrees and treat others well.

God Bless,

Dave