I am not raising children

That’s right, I, mother of eight, am not raising children.

I am raising adults.

If I told you I was raising a Kentucky Derby horse, you would not expect to see a three year old in my corral. You would expect to see a foal (baby horse). If I told you I was raising show doges, you expect to find puppies, right?

I am not raising children. “Children” is not my ultimate goal. My goal is responsible, God loving/fearing adults. Every decision I make in regard to my children is with my goal in mind. You can’t get somewhere if you don’t know where you are going, now can you?

How about you? Are you raising children or adults? Do you have a picture of what you want your children to “look” like (spiritually, educationally, morally) when they are, say, 20? If you don’t, then you don’t know where you are going as a parent and are probably wondering around aimlessly.

On a different note, a warning; “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”

Camping, clothes, and cars

We just got back from camping. It was great. All eight children had a blast. We went to the Stockton fair, too. Now we remember why we left California! Hot and dirty and too many people! Fair was great though.

We made it back in time to go to the Reno rodeo Monday night. It was great except where the two flag girls crashed. They and their horses are fine.

Last Wednesday we got to talking about modesty and how so many women dress, well, like they belong to a certain industry Nevada is famous for. Carmen made the commit “When you don’t have God to bring you your mate, you have to use whatever you have; in these women’s (girl’s) cases, their bodies are all they have to snag a man with.” SOOOO insightful! It makes so much sense.

Video of the day- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkc9-SvqfDM

If you were arrested for being a Christian…

Would there be enough evidence to convict you?
What determines someone is a Christian? How can you tell? Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15
What did Jesus command?
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'*; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Luke10:27
Do you love the Lord with everything you’ve got? There really are only two God’s: Jesus Christ and Self.

What do you love most? What is your priority? What is your passion? Is it off roading? Fancy cars? Music? Clothes? A big house? Your standard of living? Your job? Or is it God?

Here is the hard one for Americans; do you worship your entertainment more than your God? Did you pick your church by its sound theology or by its rock band? Do you spend you evenings watching TV instead of reading your bible to your children? When you are on the internet, do you spend your time looking for dirty jokes or promoting the kingdom of God? I am not saying these other things are wrong (well, except the dirty jokes), but what is your priority to get done? Do we really serve God? Or do we serve our own belly and go to church on Sunday to assuage our conscious?

Jesus was actually quoting from the book of Deuteronomy when He spoke these words.

“6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Everything you’ve got) 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. (Is God’s word on your heart?) 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.(Every waking moment) 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (God’s word should be so prevalent in your life you use it as decorations! It should always be before your eyes.)

“6:13 Fear the Lord your God, serve him only” Don’t serve yourself, your comfort, your entertainment. Your point in life should be serving (like a slave does) your God.
Every decision you make should be based on what God would want you to do; from what clothes you put on in the morning to what house you buy to what job you have to who you marry and how many children you have. God is not there to serve you. You are there to serve Him. It’s not how God fits into your plans but how you fit into His.

Does He want you to live in a poorer neighborhood than you want to? Do a job you don’t like? Have more kids than you ever wanted? It may not be good for your family, for you, but it might be best for His kingdom. Are you really willing to give up your dreams and priorities to do what God wants?

Let me ask you a question; what is your number one goal for your children? The number one answer among Christians and non Christians is “that they get a good education.” Read that again. The number one goal for CHRISTIAN parents in this country is a GOOD EDUCATION. Honestly this is how I answered it the first time I was asked. But I did some fast back tracking!

A CHRISTIAN’S number one goal for their child should be that they go to heaven. This is serving God. This is putting Him first. What have you gained if your child becomes a brain surgeon but goes to hell? Your children are gifts from God (Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Psalms 127:3). You have a responsibility to raise them up in His culture and education. (Ephesians 6:4)

Deuteronomy here gives us a high standard. We are to be teaching God’s word to our children every waking moment. Numbers I have repeated often;

• 80% of Bible believing Christians send their children to public school.
• 80-85% of children from bible believing homes quit church permanently by age 18.
• 80% of homeschoolers are Bible believing Christians.
• 96% of homeschool graduates are the same religion as their parents. 

Deuteronomy’s standard of being with and teaching your children every waking moment is the best way to achieve the goal of getting our babies to heaven.
If God gives you a husband, He wants you to be a wife. If He gives you a wife you are to be a husband. If He gives you children, He wants you raise them for heaven. There is no option here. No if’s, and’s or but’s about it. The Bible is plain.

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
Have you laid down your life for God? For your spouse? For your children? For the kingdom of God?

We in America tend to talk about nice platitudes concerning our neighbors. We apply it to those living next door or around the world. But we ignore our own families. Is it no wonder that we are hemorrhaging children from the churches?

Here is my point: I have watched too many “Christians” go to church every Sunday and jump and shout and then go home and yell at their children telling them to “get out! I can’t stand the sound of your voice”; abandon their children to the atheists in schools because “I have a ministry that is important”; dishonor and disobey their hubbies because “I just don’t want to do what he wants me to. Anyway he doesn’t meet MY needs.” (1Peter 3:1 Ephesians 5:22 Titus 2:5); take advantage of or even abuse their wives because “she is supposed to obey me” (Ephesians 5:25 Ephesians 5:28 1Peter 3:7, John 13:34, 15:13, Romans12:1).

I have watched too many children born to parents that think they are Christians, make everything but OBEYING God their priority in life, and then wonder why their children backslide (actually, never get saved in the first place.)

The fact is “the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Your children are watching you to see what your real priorities are and they will follow your actions. They are the ones condemning us. They are the ones who will be called to the witness stand to see if there is enough evidence to convict us.

(Note; if you came to God after your children were mostly grown, you can not go back and undo the damage done by their not having a Christian parent in the early years. All you can do is the best you can do from here on.)