Tag Archives: Dad’s Bible time

Listening to God’s Word

This was posted on by .

As I look back over my fifty-eight years of life, I am amazed at the brevity of life. Time passes so quickly, and it seems like a short time ago that we arrived in Leavenworth, Kansas. However it has been nineteen years since our move here from Seattle. It is now September of this year, but it seems like last month it was New Year’s Day and last week summer was just beginning. In the blink of an eye, the year will be over.

One of the blessings I have experienced from our nursing home church is a greater awareness of the preciousness of time. We have many dear friends who never planned on being in a nursing home, but there they are. Some are there temporarily as they rehabilitate after an injury or surgery, but most know it is the last place they will live on this earth. The days of driving their cars where they would like to go are gone. Now they have a much smaller set of wheels attached to their chairs and another is pushing them.

Even the simple choice of what one wants to have for a meal is no longer theirs. There may be an option of roast chicken or pot pie, but if you are hungry for a taco or pizza and it isn’t on the menu it isn’t going to happen. You don’t even choose when you want to bathe because someone else comes and tells you it is your turn.

How long before each of us has our own private “push-chair” with wheels, and we are living in a group home of some sort? Maybe some think that their children will care for them when it is needed, when in reality that may or may not happen. Things change, and there is nothing sure about life except we are in the process of dying.

In Job chapter one, we read how Job had a wonderful life but in one day, it was totally changed. His seven sons and three daughters were killed, and his vast livestock holdings lost to thieving bands and “acts of God.” Life had been good, and then suddenly it all was destroyed. Yet, Job said, “. . . Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). In a moment of time, life was forever changed for Job.

Then, it went from bad to worse for Job because he next lost his health when he was covered with horrible sores all over his body. “So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown” (Job 2:7). Job looked so hideous that his “friends” hardly recognized him. Job’s suffering was so bad that he mourned the day he was born and wished for death. What a change, and it occurred so quickly.

Yet, with all of Job’s hardships, Job was able to praise God. In Job 1:21 he said, “… blessed be the name of the LORD.” Then in Job 2:10, Job exhibits amazing maturity and understanding when he tells his wife “. . . shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” We need Job’s strength of spirit to deal with the difficulties of life that come our way.

At times we see that strength of spirit in our dear brothers and sisters in the Lord at the nursing home when they face trials and suffering. We see that strength in those who have made it their custom to be heavily in the Word of God through their lives. The Bible gives us God’s perspective on life and strengthens our spirit when we face problems and challenges.

Maybe you are having your personal and family time in the Word every day. However, there may be other times available that you could listen to the Bible, but you have not thought of those possibilities. I have Scripture available to me all day everywhere during my day, except in the shower. We are so blessed to be living in a time when God’s Word is readily accessible to us constantly. I have a Bible at my desk, in the bathroom, living room, bedroom, in my vehicles, and on my person. The blessings Scripture offer us come from the reading or hearing it and then obeying.

Since life is busy, we often can’t sit down to read the Bible once we begin the day, however, we might be able to listen to it. Several examples of this from my life would be when I’m doing projects that don’t require a lot of concentration such as painting, yard work, or cleanup of some sort. There are other times when we are driving, and no one is talking to me that I can listen to Scripture. There were times when we were working on the bus that we had Scripture being read in the background via an MP3 player. The children loved it. Now I’m always on the lookout for times when I can turn Scripture on.

Years ago, I purchased a New Testament on CD, which I used for a long time. I woke up to it every morning, and the only negative was that I was tempted to lie in bed listening to it. More recently, a brother introduced me to the New Testament on an MP3 player. I now have it on my cell phone and on an iPod. It is a delight to my soul when I have Scripture playing. I have to use a warm compress on my eyes every day and taking the time to do that was such a nuisance. However, now I’ve started listening to Scripture during the five minutes I do that and what was a bother, is now a blessing.

The website where I downloaded the New Testament from is FaithComesbyHearing.com. They have the New Testament available in both non-drama and slightly dramatized versions. The dramatized version has some voices that you may not prefer, but both versions are very well done. One example I remember of using a wrong voice is in Revelation when they used some female voices for angels. However, if in doubt go with the non-dramatized version. With MP3 players becoming quite inexpensive, this is a wonderful way to be able to hear the Word of God more throughout the day.

May I encourage you to evaluate your day for ways that you can more fully incorporate reading Scripture or listening to it? Personal and family Bible times are the essentials and starting blocks. Build from there using CD players, MP3 players, and other medias that are available in your home and vehicle. Time passes quickly. Presently, you can make the choices as to how your time is spent, but one never knows about the future. If you invest time in the Word of God, you will find blessings for you now and in the future. As your heart and mind is bathed in the Word of God, I believe you will experience spiritual growth, strength for times of trial, and a heart at peace.

Personal Bible Time with Your Children

This was posted on by .

This month I wanted to take a few minutes to share something that has been on my heart and might be an encouragement to you—my daily morning Bible time with my children.

I wonder if this verse isn’t one of the most widely quoted verses in homeschooling circles. “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9). It so clearly presents a father’s need to diligently instruct his children in the Word of God everyday. Part of this instruction will be helping our children learn to read the Word, understand it, and apply it to their lives. I believe this is achieved through leading my children to have a personal time every day for Bible reading and prayer.

In addition to our evening family Bible time, we have a time of individual reading of the Word and personal prayer every morning. Weekday mornings, my children and I gather together in the living room to individually read our Bibles. I say weekdays because the children have the option of sleeping in an hour on Saturdays and Sundays if they were up later the previous evening and need more sleep. On those days when they sleep in, I will be finished with my Bible time as they are gathering for theirs.

I dearly love the early morning hours with my children and look forward to them when I get up. The children are awakened by their own alarm clocks based on how much time they need to get up, dressed, and be in the living room at the appointed time. Some will gather a few minutes early to visit until it is time to start our Bible reading at 5:45 a.m. Then we each read our Bibles to ourselves for a half hour. At 6:15, we close our Bibles, kneel, and pray silently for fifteen minutes until 6:30 a.m. At that time, Teri and I leave to walk, and the children begin their responsibilities for the day.

There is something special about being together with my children and watching them read their Bibles. I like being physically close to them even though we spread out around the living room. There were a number of years when I had one of the younger children snuggled up beside me, and that was a treat. However, even now just being in the same room while we fellowship with the Lord Jesus is precious to me.

There is something about those early morning hours that adds a sense of peace to our Bible reading. At that time, we don’t hear cars, lawn mowers, or children outside playing. It is just my family gathered with their Bibles and the occasional turning of a page or the clicking of a pen to write a note. It is a wonderfully peaceful setting.

I believe another benefit of our personal Bible time in one room is that my children observe me spending time in the Word. Often, if Dad is reading his Bible, he does it alone before the children are up, in his study, or another room where they never see him. While they may know that he puts a priority on his personal time in the Word, seeing it in action will be an even more powerful testimony.

On occasion, one of the children will ask a quick question. Since it disturbs others’ reading, it isn’t often, but it does provide the opportunity to answer the question while it is fresh on their heart. Not only does it clear the issue for them, but there are others who might benefit as well. I like it because it shows me they are thinking about what they are reading.

Have you noticed at a mealtime when something is really tasty someone might exclaim, “Mom, this is great!” In a similar fashion, it excites my heart when one of the children finds a verse that reveals new truth, and in his enthusiasm he has to share it with us. I love for the other children to see that excitement and hear the discovery as well.

A benefit of being together is that it adds accountability. Occasionally there have been times when due to a late night, one or more of us was extra sleepy. If we were reading our Bibles in different rooms, it wouldn’t be too difficult to drift off to sleep. However, when we are together, the sound of sleep breathing in a very quiet living room is pretty distinguishable and doesn’t go on for long. A simple clearing of the throat, dropping of a shoe on the floor, or the snickers going around the room is all that is needed for the sleepy head to find new energy to stay awake.

There is also the blessing of drawing my family into closer fellowship due to the “camaraderie” of doing something together. I can’t explain it, but it just works out that way. In a time when everything in our world tries to separate the family and pull hearts away, I want all I can find that will bring the hearts of my children toward each other and the Lord Jesus.

Beginning when my children can read fairly well on their own, usually around eight years of age, I have them join us in the living room for personal Bible time. When the children are younger, they are still asleep when we have our Bible time. That means getting up for Bible time is a looked-forward-to stage in their lives because it represents, in their minds, a transition from being one of the little children to becoming one of the big ones. I try to structure the evening time so that the children can choose to go to bed at times that will allow them to get the amount of sleep they need each night and be up for early morning Bible time. After the child has consistently had his personal Bible time for six months, I purchase him a new study Bible and cover.

Through my interactions with Christians who have struggled or are struggling, it has become obvious that without a daily time in the Word, they are rudderless. They lack the spiritual grounding that would direct them through the storms of life. By giving my children the discipline of daily time in the Word, I am handing them the tools they need for spiritual growth and stability.

I’m not saying if you have individual Bible times in different rooms, you are doing something wrong. The fact that you are having Bible time is wonderful. However, since we have found such blessings from being together, I thought it might encourage you to try it as well. Even if everyone in your family already has his own personal time of Bible reading, you may want to start being together in the same room for it and see if you experience the blessings like our family has gained.

I Just Don’t Understand It

This was posted on by .

We were on a trip one time when Teri noticed this big mustard-colored stain on my shirt. I had been out of the van getting gas, and the stain would have been very obvious to everyone I encountered. However, I was totally unaware of it. When Teri later saw the stain, we were quite perplexed as to how I might have acquired it because I had eaten nothing that resembled mustard. Upon closer examination, we found that it was actually a bug. We remembered there had been something that had deflected off of my side mirror through the open window, but we hadn’t known where it went. Now we knew that my shirt was the final resting place for a yellow-filled bug. Are there aspects of our lives that might resemble that—something of which we aren’t aware but others can easily see?

Recently a dad told me that for over five years he has been having his own personal time every morning reading the Bible and praying. He said that during that time Jesus has changed him into a new man. Additionally, the Lord has used his devotional time to springboard changes in the entire family. He said the transformation has been wonderful. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Teri tells people that she saw the most incredible difference in my life when I began reading the Bible and praying every morning. There is real, life-changing power as the Holy Spirit strengthens and convicts a man when he reads the Word and prays. I wonder if that isn’t the single most significant factor that makes the difference between a man who grows in his faith and a lukewarm Christian. That is the main reason why, when someone writes us with a question, I generally respond by asking whether they are reading their Bible and praying daily.

I expect pastors are keenly aware of, by outward evidence, those dads who are daily in the Word and those who aren’t. Maybe they can see the mustard-colored stain in lives void of the Word. Could it be that pastors would have far fewer problems to deal with if men were in the Word? Could it be Christian marriages would have fewer difficulties if Dad (and Mom) were feeding daily on the sweet and precious Word of God? I believe the answer is a resounding “YES”! If this is true, then why is it that fewer than one out of ten dads (based on unofficial polling) will get up at least half an hour earlier in the morning to fellowship with Jesus? I can’t really answer that for other dads, but I know what hindered me in earlier years.

In truth, personal Bible reading and prayer just wasn’t important enough, and I didn’t see it as the lifeline that it is. That is another way of saying it was my pride. It was as if I was saying, “Jesus, I really don’t love You and Your Word enough to spend time with You. I have more important things to do, one of which is sleep. If I need You, I will definitely cry out to You.”

I’m convinced that if every man in a church would begin his day with Bible reading and prayer, pastors would be delighted. Their counseling times would be almost nonexistent. We would see churches on fire for Jesus Christ because Jesus would be daily fanning the flames of purifying and strengthening hearts. I believe we would also see marriages transformed and being true examples of Christ and His bride. Husbands would have hearts turned toward their wives and children. The lost would be saved in record numbers because they would finally be seeing Jesus Christ at work in lives.

Some might say, “Wait a minute, just because a man reads the Bible every day doesn’t mean he will live it out.” That may be true of any old book, and this Book is an old one, but it isn’t true of the Bible. Just this week a brother shared how he was drawn out of a false church into fellowship with Jesus. It all began when he started reading the Word every day. It changes the soul of a person.

I have struggled to keep my weight where it should be for a long time. There is one thing that makes a difference as to how successful I am in controlling my eating. That is whether I weigh myself consistently. If I have been eating too much and gaining weight, I don’t want to weigh myself. I don’t want to see the reality of my decisions reflected in the scale.

That is the way it is with the Bible and the Holy Spirit. As we read God’s Word every day, it speaks to our hearts. It builds us up and also convicts us of areas that don’t line up with Scripture. It gives us direction. It provides an “Amen” to what the Holy Spirit is telling our hearts. Then the Holy Spirit works in us to bring about the changes He desires.

When Paul, by the Holy Spirit, commands us to “. . . put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8), I don’t want to be angry ever again. Then when I am, I confess, repent, and cry out to Jesus to work in my heart.

When I read, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15), I am struck in my heart that as a Christian, I am called to obey—period. Then I am encouraged to read, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). I see that obedience isn’t simply to avoid God disciplining me, but that in obedience Jesus manifests more of Himself to me. That means that somehow He reveals more of Himself to me as my walk deepens and gets sweeter. I can testify that has been my experience and the experience of others with whom I have discussed this.

Then why is it that as brothers in Christ, we don’t hold each other accountable? Here is something very simple to do, and it could dramatically change a man’s life, his marriage, his family, and ultimately the church. If we love our brothers, why don’t we take those with whom we have a relationship aside and discuss this issue with them? Why is it that we don’t then ask them, or plead with them, that they let us hold them accountable for having a time with Jesus every morning?

I know one reason is that if a dad isn’t in the Word and praying himself, it will prevent him from discussing this with someone else. It may be like the mustard-colored stain on my shirt—something of which the person wearing the shirt isn’t even aware but others can observe. We may think no one would know whether we spend time with Jesus each day or not, but perhaps it really is evident. If dads would realize how critical personal time reading the Bible and praying is, they would do it. If we love Jesus, we must do it. If our love for Jesus isn’t enough to motivate us to spend time with Him, may we do it because we love our families and how it will affect our ability to love and lead them. If we don’t love them enough, could we do it because we love ourselves and want the best for ourselves? Whatever it takes, may we spend time with Jesus and encourage everyone we know to do the same out of our love for Jesus and our love and concern for our families.

Can Dads Influence Their Children’s Spiritual Outcome? – Part 7

This was posted on by .

(If you’d like to read the previous articles in this series, please do so.)

I was sitting in the car doing some work while Teri was inside the dentist’s office having her teeth cleaned. There was a large, nicely mown tree-shaded lot in front of me. I glanced up, and my eyes caught sight of a black bird walking through the grass. His head disappeared for an instant, and then with his beak, he began flinging leaves into the air. He would take another step, and more leaves would explode into the air. After every leaf or two, he would find a bug or worm; I couldn’t tell which. I would see him eat it and begin looking under more leaves.

A short distance away, a robin was looking for breakfast. I was much more familiar with the way a robin finds his food. He would take a few steps, tipping his head to listen. Then he would either jab his beak into the ground, trying to spear a worm, or he would take a few more steps.

Both birds were gathering food the way God had directed them, even though their technique was quite different. I wonder if that might be a fitting analogy to a man’s personal time in Bible reading and prayer—a quiet time or, as some might call it, devotions. We all should have spiritual nourishment from the Bible, yet we have different needs based on what is going on in our lives and where we are in our spiritual walk. Therefore, God will direct us to various places in Scripture. Then our study may involve individual methods of hunting for the tasty morsels that we need to grow and lead our family.

From the informal questions that I regularly ask men, I’m confident that less than 10 percent of conservative Christian men read their Bibles each day and pray. I believe one reason is that many need a brother who loves them enough to get in their faces to confront them. This brother would tell them that they can’t live without a daily quiet time and give them some idea how to have one. The purpose of this Corner is for me to be the brother in your face. I want to give dads an idea of what they can do for their personal devotions and stress again how critical it is. 1 Corinthians 3:11 tells us, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

First, I pray that no dad ever senses a spirit of judgment or condemnation from me if he isn’t spending time in the Word and prayer. I want him to sense a great amount of my passion as I plead with him to meet with his Lord daily. This Corner should be immensely practical, as I will try to be very specific in giving some ideas about how to have a quiet time. Just like the different techniques of those birds, there are many ways to spend daily time with the Lord. However, to make it simple, I’m suggesting you try it this way until you are comfortable, and then ask the Lord Jesus to direct you.

How often should you have your personal devotions? “Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God” (Isaiah 58:2). If we would delight to know God’s ways, then we must seek Him daily.

When in the day should we read our Bibles and pray? I believe you can never go wrong by doing it first thing in the morning when you get up. If we have our personal devotions first, they will always get done. We know how the urgent often crowds out the important. That doesn’t happen with your Bible reading if you choose to do it first. Set the alarm so you will have time to get up and have your devotion before other daily scheduled commitments. DON’T CHANGE YOUR ALARM. That way if you want your sleep, you will go to bed on time.

If spending time with the Lord Jesus is important to you, you will make yourself go to bed at night in order to get enough sleep to get up with the alarm. If babies will wake you in the night, then go to bed earlier so you can still get up and meet with the Lord. I would encourage each of us to treat ourselves like men and not children. If we want sleep, we go to bed earlier, but we don’t move the time we get up. Soon you will see how easy it is to consistently wake up and have your devotions. What would we think of a co-worker’s frequent excuse of being late to work, or missing work, because he was tired and slept in? We would say, “If work is important to you—get up!”

How long is good for your time with Jesus? That is like asking someone, “How much gold would you like?” However, we must deal with reality in that there are limits. I would encourage no less than twenty minutes per day no matter what—ten minutes reading the Bible and ten minutes praying. There was a time when I took an hour and a half, but currently I’m spending forty minutes. The time investment will pay such dividends in your walk with the Lord. Give as much time as you can.

Where should you have your Bible reading and prayer time? “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:6). Jesus suggested you go into your closet when you pray. The word “closet” means an inner chamber or someplace hidden away. The idea is that we are to get alone with the Lord. We can’t effectively concentrate on Him when there are distractions around us. That is another advantage of getting up early when everyone else is asleep. It is easier to find a quiet place.

Currently, I go to the living room since I can be alone there. Find a quiet place, and if need be, ask others not to come in during that time. If there are sounds from elsewhere in the house, then I would recommend foam earplugs to reduce the ambient noise. I’m easily distractible, and I use earplugs fairly often when I need to concentrate. Whatever it takes, for the good of your soul—do it!

Where in the Bible should you read? If a person isn’t very familiar with the Bible, I would encourage him to first read the book of John. I ask the Lord where He wants me to read. Lately I’ve started back through the four gospels. When I am close to finishing them, I will ask the Lord where He wants me to go next. There was a time when I read Jeremiah three or four times in a row. Ask Him during your prayer time, and He will show you.

A number of times I have been led to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. There are many read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year programs out there, but I have come to where I don’t encourage my family to do them. Don’t misunderstand me, reading through the Bible in one year is great, but often it requires a person to hurry through their reading to complete the assignment. I want my family to read slowly during this time because the goal is to grow in intimacy with the Lord. If a person has an extra hour a day when he could read the Bible, going through it in a year would be great. However, don’t let the goal crowd out a time of savoring the Word. The purpose of our quiet time is to experience the Lord Jesus, grow in greater intimacy with Him, and apply His Word to our lives.

A side note I feel important to share is that I would not suggest that anyone read the short daily devotionals for their primary Bible time. I wonder if reading them isn’t like eating something that someone else has chewed first. I desire that God would speak to me directly through His Word and that I would learn it more and more. I don’t believe either of those goals is accomplished by reading some warming anecdote and two verses of Scripture each day. That is fine for reading while you brush your teeth, but I would implore everyone not to consider that a substitute for spending quality time with the Lord Jesus.

After “where” to read is “how much” to read. I would not necessarily read a given amount each day. Read with an open heart. There are days when I read a chapter and other days when I read a handful of verses. I read slowly so I can understand what I’m reading. At the same time, I don’t get bogged down if I can’t understand a verse. I may continue on and return when I can study it further.

Lastly, what am I trying to get from my time in the Word? I want to know the Lord and how I can apply His Word to my life. I ask myself questions about what I’m reading. “Why might Jesus have said that?” “Why did they do that?” “Lord, how do You want me to apply this to my life?” Questions, questions, questions! Why, why, why, why, and why? Through the years I have seen the Lord answer so many questions. I love it when He gives new and fresh insight to a passage I have wondered about for years.

“Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart” (Psalms 119:2). “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes” (Psalms 119:10-12). The blessings, the wisdom, the protection, and the promises that are buried in the Bible are critical to our spiritual health and our ability to lead our family. Dads—we can’t afford not to have a daily time in the Word and pray. Won’t you begin today?

Dads, Are You the Head of a Christian Home? – Part 8

This was posted on by .

(Read the previous parts of the series here.) What if a dad wants desperately to have personal and family devotions, but does not know where to begin? Since there are few things more important than this in a Christian home, it warrants making the subject as practical as possible.

Due to the critical nature of consistent, quality devotions, I recommend that a dad find another man to hold him accountable if he has difficulty in having a daily, quality time with the Lord. First, pray about whom God would have you ask. He should be someone who cares about your soul and would take the request for an accountability partner very seriously. It can be discouraging to have someone agree to help and then stop asking how you are doing. I suggest that you not ask your wife. This arrangement may work occasionally, but I believe it is more likely to not be successful.

It might be good if your accountability partner would ask you the following questions each week:

  • How many days did you have devotions last week?
  • How long were they?
  • Where are you reading?
  • Did God reveal any new truths?
  • Did God show any areas of struggle that I could pray for you on?

 

I suggest that you don’t try to do anything else while you have your devotion, such as exercising, driving, or bathing. Would you be pleased if on a date with your wife, she spent her time reading a book? There have been times when I was late for an early morning appointment and decided to have my prayer time in the car, while driving. I can assure you that driving and praying may allow one to check off prayer time technically, but it is not the way to build a relationship! Should we ever give the Lord less than our best?

Here are some suggestions for implementing a personal time with the Lord:

  • Have a set time each day. The days you are off work may require a different time, but pick one that will work for each day.
  • Find someplace where you can be alone. Remember this is time for just you and the Lord.
  • May I encourage you not to use some of the little devotional booklets that are someone else’s thoughts, a touching story, and a few verses. Rather, make it just you, your Lord, and His Word.
  • Concentrate on the application of His Word to your life. Ask yourself how you can apply to your life what you are reading. Learn from the mistakes made by people in the Bible. God recorded those events for our teaching.
  • Ask yourself many questions about the passage. Why did he do that? What should he have done? What priorities are shown in this person’s life? Did he seek God’s direction before making this decision? What are the consequences encountered in a wrong choice? And so on.
  • Don’t try to tackle difficult sections until God leads. Read the four Gospels, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings.

 

Many of these same points are applicable for family devotion. Have no distractions, a set time, accountability, and the Bible as the source. Ask tons of questions of the family and don’t worry about having the answers beforehand. One of the most exciting things I do is to ask the family a very difficult question about a passage. I may have wondered about this question for a long time and then have it answered by one of the children, or by God. God gives new insight on the spot! I could not begin to tell you of all the incredible things God has revealed to us during our family altar time. Other books are fine for additional reading, but this is a time to be focused on God and His Word.

It is okay to feel weak and inadequate. God will give His grace and enable you to lead your family. Your children will respect you, and your wife will be thrilled. I have yet to meet a Christian mom who did not yearn to have her husband be the spiritual leader of the home. Dads, do we truly desire to be the head of a Christian home?