Monthly Archives: October 1999

Dads, Are You the Head of a Christian Home? – Part 6

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(Read the previous parts of the series here.) A bright, blue Saturday a couple months ago as Nathan, Christopher, Joseph, John, and I were leaving City Union Mission, we saw a B-2 bomber making a thundering fly-by. We realized it was the weekend for the Kansas City air show. We had been told the air show had some incredible aircraft on display, and every male in my family would have loved the chance to look over the airplanes.

Unfortunately, the air shows around here always play loud rock music. We will not go to them since I have purposed that I will not trade a few minutes of aircraft excitement for the filling of our souls with the wicked audio influence of our world. On the way home, we decided we would ask a neighbor to record the portion about the air show from the 6 o’clock news. We did this, and there was no little excitement when the videotape arrived later that evening.

I put the tape in the VCR, and hit “play” to an excited crowd of young ones. Before I could get to where I could see, Sarah, who had just entered, exclaimed that the little ones needed to look away quickly. To my incredible disappointment, indignation, and mounting feeling of violation, there was a preview of some TV show with ladies in underwear, right before the 6 o’clock news began.

“. . . for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14). A Christian home is a home where the things that are acceptable to the world are not present. It is a place of purity. It is wholesome. It is not defrauding. It does not entice lust. Is it any wonder that “Christian” youth, who have watched TV all of their lives, are as involved in immorality as the youth of the world?

In Acts, chapter 21, when the Jews thought that Paul had defiled the temple by bringing Greeks into it, they closed the temple doors. “And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut” (Acts 21:30). God’s home on earth, the temple, was to be pure, and the things that defile it were to be shut out. They pulled Paul out of the temple, and the doors were slammed shut!

Dads, are we owning this responsibility? Do we zealously guard the purity of our children and ourselves? Homeschooling our children is a worthy accomplishment, but if their souls are drawn away, what really have we gained?

Often I have heard the statement, “We are careful what we allow our family to watch.” Simply in light of the six o’clock news, how many believe that is even possible? Please, don’t receive this as judgmental; receive it as one brother pleading with another. There have been times when a brother loved my soul and encouraged me in some positive way that challenged me. If you watch any TV at all, would you receive this encouragement from me? Our every activity should be at the direction of the Lord Jesus. Have you asked Him?

Truly, the heart is full of every evil imagination and is the source of evil, but Satan uses vehicles like TV to stir it up. Why would any father ever hand Satan the tools to destroy the purity and innocence of his children, not to mention temptations for the father himself? David said, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalms 101:3). Why would a father allow glamorous people into his home selling and promoting (selling through commercials and promoting through unwholesome programs) lewd dress, alcohol, immorality, squandering of time, and a godless worldview?

It was David’s lack of control over his eyes that led to the downfall of his family. Men, I see that happen in many “Christian” homes as well; don’t let it happen to yours. Like our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, Who guards His flock, the church, we are to protect our family from evil. “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7). The shepherd was prepared to give his life for the sheep to protect them–are we?

Certainly, many, many other areas require our diligence as well. However, may I encourage you that cutting off the TV is a great place to start. May we all agree with Paul when he said, “. . . I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19). It is not God’s way to teach both the good and evil. God’s way is for us all to be innocent concerning evil.

As I pointed out earlier, the temple doors were to shut out evil, and we are the “door” that shuts out evil to our home. However, it isn’t enough to shut out the darkness. If that is all we have done, it still is dark inside. It is only when we bring in the blessed light of Jesus Christ that we have light. Just as He was the focus in God’s home on earth, may the focus in our homes be Jesus Christ, not the TV. My heart breaks at the image of families huddled around the TV in the evenings. Even if there were no evil, what a waste of precious time it is. Again, dads, are we the head of a Christian home?

Homemade Character Training

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Very frequently in the course of these Mom’s Corners, I stress the importance of working on character issues with our children. We have looked at the necessity of not only being on the defensive concerning character through consistent discipline, but also being on the offensive with character training sessions. No one knows the particular needs of your children, at this moment, nearly so well as you and your husband do. Therefore, who better than the two of you to plan how this character training will take place? So often we find ourselves in search of the perfect “character curriculum,” when we have the best of the best right under our noses–the Bible and our knowledge of our children.

Prayer is a key ingredient to your character training planning. Begin by praying alone and with your husband, if possible, about what character trait your family should be working on. Don’t just assume that you know what it is; really seek the Lord!

Once you have decided on the character to be tackled, continue praying, asking the Lord to give you creativity in how to present this character trait to your children, and how to make it practical for their lives during your training time. You can tailor the teaching sessions to your own children to ensure that the learning and information fits their needs and learning capabilities. Your examples can be ones that come right from their daily experiences in your home. This will make your character-training time realistic and practical.

Set aside a time in which you plan for character time, and write down your ideas. I can have scheduled character training in our day, but never actually do it. Why? Because I don’t have a plan for how to use that time, and it is easier just to avoid it than try to make up something when I am not prepared. On the other hand, when I know what we would like to accomplish during those minutes, then I will make the effort to be accountable to the scheduled character-training time. Our dear Pastor Anderson in Clearwater, Florida used to tell us, “Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific.” Making your plan isn’t difficult, but having it written down is key to your success.

This process of putting together your own homemade character-training curriculum for scheduled training sessions is quite exciting. Once you get started, you will be surprised how your mind will begin “perking,” and you will come up with lots and lots of ideas. Write them all down, and you are ready to go with your character-training time. Try it; I think you will like it!