Saturday, March 28, 2009

When Tragedy Strikes Close

Over the last two weeks life has been tough, very tough. My church lost a young man to suicide, who was a good friend of my youngest son, and many in our congregation. And this past Sunday I learned on the national news that my cousin was brutally murdered in New York. While I have not been real close to him since we were kids, it was still a shock. Hearing the cry of a mother who has lost her child is something you never want to hear, and to hear it twice is tough. Certainly not as tough as the grief experienced by the parents and siblings of these two men who's lives ended prematurely. No parent ever expects to have to bury their child. The personal and emotional backwash of deaths like this is significant. Hence the lack of postings for a while.
As a pastor, counselor, and fire chaplain, I have seen a lot of death. Even tragic death. But these two were close. Closer than the typical I deal with. What makes the difference in times like this. Two words, family and faith.
Experiences like these can make or break a family. I chose make over break. And so I have spent extra time with my son. Not smothering him, just being a little closer within reach. Spoending some extra time with him, even when there are other things I could be doing. And the same can be said of my own extended family. Pulling together, being with each other, praying, sharing, crying. What matters isn't as much the words and being together.
Being a person of faith, having a personal relationship with Jesus is what makes the ultimate difference. As Jesus tells us in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Do you have peace with God? If you don't have it before tragedy strikes, you won't have it in the midst of it. The pain is strong, the hurt is deep, but God's comfort is stronger and deeper. It is well with my soul.
Blessings,
Dr. Paul

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Daddy's Girl

Ok dads with daughters, it is time to break out the tissues. My daughter Stephanie has been studying abroad in Spain this semester. Earlier today she sent me an email telling me how much she loves and misses me. She included a link to a song by Steven Curtis Chapman entitled, Cinderella. The link is http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/cinderella.htm. Warning, if you have a good relationship with your daughter, you will be moved by the song and the video. Chapman also includes a brief explanation of how and why he came to write this song. As Stephanie said in her email, every time she listened to it she thought of me and cried. Well, it goes both ways because when I listened to it, I thought of her and cried. It reminded me of how blessed I am as a father, and of the special bond a dad has with a daughter. Dads, there is no doubt that the time and effort you invest in your kids will be the best investment you will ever make.
Blessings,
Dr. Paul

Thursday, March 12, 2009

A Biblical Worldview

Since 1995, George Barna has been looking at what Americans in general believe about the main points of a biblical world view and how that compares to the beliefs of those who call themselves Born-Again Christians. The Barna Group defines a biblical world view as belief in the following:
*Absolute moral truth exists.
*The Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
*Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic.
*A person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works.
*Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth.
*God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.

Barna and his researchers asked a random sample of Americans in the years 2000, 2005, and 2008. He discovered that the percentage of the general population who hold to a biblical world view has remained almost constant of the last 13 years. It has varied from a low of 7% in 1995 to a high of 11% in 2005. He compared this to the world view belief of Born-Again Christians and found that percentage remained also constant but surprisingly low: 18%in 1995, 22% in 2000, 21% in 2005 and 19% in 2008.
Personally I find these results to be appalling and a reflection of the high degree of biblical illiteracy among believers. In my opinion parents, pastors, Sunday School teachers and small group leaders all need to sit up and take notice of this and put more emphasis on communicating the timeless truths of scripture to this generation of adults and children here in the United States. If not, we will find ourselves going from our current state of being a post-Christian America to where Europe is today, a spiritual wasteland and one of the biggest mission fields in the world today. Mom and Dad, how biblical is your world view, and what are you teaching your children?
Blessings,
Dr. Paul

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Party Time For Your Teen

Many parents fail to realize how much trouble their teen can find at a party held at the house of a friend. This is often assumed to be a safe environment, but this can be dangerously wrong. Too many parents allow their teens to host a party at the home and provide little or no supervision. Here are some tips to help you evaluate whether you should allow your teen (or even pre-teen) to attend. My first suggestion is to call the parents of the teen where the party will occur and ask some very specific questions:
*Will you be home for the entire duration of the party?
*Will you both be circulating among the crowd during the party or in another room?
*Will you be screening what teens are allowed to bring into your home?
*Will you allow or serve alcohol?
*Will there be boys and girls present?
Even after asking these questions, there is still a wide range of morals and values in society today. What they may feel is acceptable, you may not. Talk specifically to your teen about com-promising situations he or she may face and how to handle them. Let them take a cell phone so they can call you to pick them up at any time. Here is a tip to help them keep up their "coolness." If you go to get them early, call them back on the cell phone so they can exit the party without being noticed as much as they would if you came to the door. If you decide you have too many concerns about a particular party to say yes, let your teen know they always have an out that can help them keep up their image. They can simply tell their friends that Mom and Dad said no.