Challenge Update

Okay, so I missed the one week mark with this post... please forgive me!

The kids really, really enjoy having devotional time in the mornings. They don't know it's devotional time--really, how would you explain such a big word to young children? All they know is that Mommy reads to them from her Bible, and they really like to learn from it. Hayden has even gotten to the point where he will ask, "Mommy... Bible?" Just this past week, Abby asked a question at breakfast about why Jesus had to die on the cross. So, taking from everything I learned at ORU while obtaining my undergrad theology degree and the Bible college course I am currently teaching at church, I started to tell her about how people used to receive forgiveness for sin, explained sin, and really tried to give a simple-but-not-confusing answer for my ever-curious 4-year-old daughter. Hayden, understanding that we were talking about Jesus, sat in his high chair and kept saying, "Bible! Bible!" So, after telling him that I was talking about Jesus and telling them things from the Bible and that not really working for him, I opened my Bible and continued to talk. It worked! But then I read to them the account of the crucifixion in Luke 23 and tried to break it down into simpler terms that they both could understand.

The point here is that Abby now has a better understanding of why Jesus had to die on the cross. (She even asked why He didn't just take Himself off of the cross! Wow!) These things also won't be foreign to Hayden because he will grow up being taught straight from the Bible, just like his big sister.

So how did the challenge affect me? It has been nice to have time each day with the television off in order to read the Bible for myself and gain more understanding. Prayer time has increased because of fewer outside distractions. But here is what I hope to gain from this challenge--and what I hope others will gain from the challenge as well: a renewed relationship with the Father. Oh, I'm not saying that I was horribly backslidden or anything like that, but I also know that every Christian's relationship with the Father can be improved upon, mine included. My desire is that when the kids are old enough to read the Bible for themselves, they will do so because they have seen Mommy do it, not because it is something Mommy tells them to do and then doesn't do herself. Even more than that, though, I want my children to know that they can have a personal relationship with the Lord and that He can speak directly to them. I don't want them to just go through the motions, nor do I want to just go through the motions. I want my family to have a genuine relationship with the Lord; I want them to give their all in service to the Lord, in their personal devotional times, in their personal prayer times.

Matthew West has a song entitled "The Motions" that has recently become a favorite in our house. Take a moment and watch the YouTube video linked here and let it challenge you. Ask yourself a few questions: Do I just go through the motions of Christianity, or do still I burn with passion for my Lord and Savior? Do my children know that I have a relationship with the Lord? Do I teach them daily, or do I just tell them to "do as I say, not as I do"? Even if you're not a parent, what does your life say to those who are around you daily, your own circle of influence? These are the things that have challenged me lately; I hope that they will challenge you, as well.

As we enter the week before Easter, take time to remember what Our Lord did for you. Share that with your family and friends. And if you haven't taken the challenge yet, it's not too late! Unplug and let God transform your life and the life of your family. I guarantee you won't regret it!

The one-week challenge

Something has really been irritating me lately. Actually, it's been an irritation for quite some time now, but it has resurfaced again in the last month or so.

Time. Rather, the lack of time. (How appropriate, since we lose an hour of sleep tonight!)

We are always so busy, busy, busy. Our busyness has actually become somewhat of a status symbol. The busier we are, the more important we become--at least in our own eyes. Telephone conversations--or most likely, email conversations--typically go something like this:

"Hi! How are you?"
"I'm fine. How are you?"
"Fine. What are you up to"
"Oh, I've done X, Y, and Z today and have A, B, C, D, and E to do tomorrow. What about you?"

Sound familiar?

I had a friend at ORU who would challenge others to memorize Scripture. And if you passed her in the dorm or on the way to class, it was nothing for her to ask you what you were learning in the Word. This was just 15 years ago! How have we become such a self-absorbed people that we define ourselves now more by what we do than what we are learning?

I think I have an answer to that. It's an answer that most people will hate.

Technology.

Oh, sure, technology is a blessing. But if you were to honestly evaluate your life and, more specifically, your walk with the Lord, would you say that technology is a blessing or a hindrance to your walk with God? I would have to say that in my own life, technology is more of a hindrance than a blessing. I have trouble finding time to sit down and open my Bible each day, yet I don't have any trouble watching a show on HGTV, checking my email, getting on Facebook, downloading music and podcasts to my iPod, talking on my cell phone, sending text messages, looking up recipes... You get the picture. If I were to cut out one, some, or--gasp!--all of those things, how much more time would I have?

As if my own walk with the Lord weren't important enough, I also have to sit back and ask myself this question: What kind of example am I setting for my children? Am I teaching them to be busy and to place more importance of "things" than on their relationship with God? Sure, we have devotional time together in the mornings... but what about during the day? How often do they see me with my Bible open or hear me in prayer? When I think back to my own childhood, these are some of the things I remember most about my own mom. It was nothing out of the ordinary to see her with her Bible open at various times during the day, or to walk into a room and then find yourself quickly backing out because mom was praying and you didn't want to interrupt.

I want to challenge you to do something. For one week, and one week only, unplug yourself from one piece of technology for a short time each day. It doesn't matter if it is the television, if you let your calls roll to voicemail, if you turn off the iPod, or if you don't check email. But for one week, the challenge is to unplug yourself from technology and then use that time to "plug in" to God. Use that time for prayer, for reading the Bible, for worship... just make yourself a little less busy so that you do have time for God. Then come back at the end of the week and share how this challenge affected you and your family.

Let's teach our children to put more importance on the Word of God than on "things." And let's start this week!