(Judges 2:10 ESV)

This verse illustrates what often causes a generation to turn away from God–an education gap.  In this passage, the first generation saw mighty wonders from God as He delivered them victoriously into the Promised Land.  However, they failed to adequately pass these great works of God to their children, as it states that they did not “know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”  This failure to teach their children and grandchildren thrust Israel into a downward spiral of disobedience, illustrating for us today that great importance of properly educating the next generation. Therefore, careful attention must be given to proper Biblical education–in manner, methods, and content.

Since the time of creation, God has chosen to reveal knowledge of the world and of Himself through two venues:  general revelation (those things inherent in nature) and special revelation (those things revealed in by His Word). However, sin has “darkened the mind” and “suppressed the truth” (Rom 1:18 & 21), thusly distorting man’s ability to understand fully either form of revelation. Therefore redemption is needed, which begins the process of “renewing the mind” (Rom 12:1-2) and possessing a clear, enlightened understanding of God, the world, and others.  It is only with a renewed mind that true education can take place, for without it, the mind remains unable to fully understand either special or general revelation.

Scripture teaches the following concerning education:

The Role of God and the Holy Spirit

• God and the Holy Spirit are both described in Scripture as having a teaching function (See: Dt. 4:1, 14 & 14; Ps 32:8; Ps 94:10-12; Is 48:17; Is 54:13; Jn 14:26; Jn 16:8; 1 Cor 2:10 & 13)
• The Holy Spirit is described as the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (Is 11:2-3, Eph 1:17).
• The fear of the Lord is described as “the beginning of all wisdom” (Pr 1:7), and God is source of all wisdom, knowledge and understanding (Pr 2:6; For an example of this see: Ex 28:3 & Dan 1:17 & 20).
• Rejecting God leads to futile thinking and darkened hearts (Ro 1:21).
• Proper instruction can lead to this fear of the Lord (2 Chr 26:5)

–>Therefore, educators (parents and the church), must recognize and pray for the Holy Spirit to be the teacher.

—> Educators must also seek to teach their students in a manner that will lead to the “fear of the Lord.”

Role of Scripture

• Everything written in the OT was for instructional purposes (Ro 15:14)
• Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:6)
• Scripture equips man of God for every good work (2 Tim 3:17)
• God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:5-9)
• God’s statutes bring more insight than possessed by the Psalmist’s teachers (Ps 119:99)

Need for Integration in Education

• Education is not to be separated from the rest of life:
  • God’s commands are to be taught as you “sit at home and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down and when you get up,” thusly encompassing all of life (Dt 6:6-9, 11:18-19)
  • Much of education occurs through modeling (Pr 23:26; 1 Ki 9:4; Lk 6:40; 1 Cor 4:16; 1 Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17; Phil 4:9; 2 Thes 3:7, 3:9; Ti 2:7; 1 Pe 5:3)
  • “Spiritual” education is not to be separate from “secular” education:
    • “Every thought” is to be captive to obey Christ (2 Cor 10:5). Phil 4:8 provided criterion for proper thoughts.
    • As stated above, the fear of the Lord (which can be taught) leads to “ALL wisdom.”
    • The skill, ability, knowledge and wisdom all all kinds of crafts comes from the Spirit of God (Ex 28:3; Ex 31:2-6)
    • “Intelligence” and scholars and philosophers of this world will be shown to be foolishness (1 Cor 1:19-20); The wisdom of the world does not lead to knowledge of God (1 Cor 1:21); God’s “foolishness” is wiser than man’s “wisdom.” (1 Cor 1:25); There is a sharp distinction between God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom (1 Cor 2:6)
    • All things were created and sustained by Him and all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Him (Col 1:16-17, 2:3).
  
  
• Commands for education of God’s people to be distinct from that of the World’s
  • Jeremiah 10:1-3: God’s command to not “learn the ways of the nations.”
  • Romans 12:1-2 Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
  • Colossians 2:8 Hollow and deceptive philosophies depending on human tradition and “basic principles of this world” can take you captive.
  • 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Command to stay away from brothers who do not live according to the teaching from Paul, Silas & Timothy
  • 1 Timothy 6:3-5 “turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing hae wandered from the faith.”

Additional Aspects of God’s Design for Education

• Formal times of instruction (Dt 4:1, 5:1, Joshua 8:35, Ro 10:17).
• Use of traditions, holidays, and symbols (Ex 12:26, 13:8; Dt 6:6-9, 11:18-19; Joshua 4:6-7)
• Recalling history and past experiences (Ex 10:1-2; Joshua 4:6-7; Is 48:19; Joel 1:3).
• Differentiated instruction for ages and life positions (Neh 8:1-8, 1 Cor 3:1, Tit 2:1-10).
• The teacher must be of solid character & godliness (2 Tim 3:14; Tit 2:7-10; 2 Thes 3:6; 1 Tim 6:3-5; 2 Pe 2:3).

God’s Institutes for Education

• The Family (Dt 4:1-14; 6:5-9; Eph 6:4; Col 3:21)
• The Community of Believers (Today, this would be the Church) (Josh 8:35; 1 Ki 12:2; Mat 18:5; Mark 16:25)

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More on A Biblical Look At Children, Families and Education

Value of Children

• Scripture consistently views children as a blessing from God. (Genesis 22:5; 48:9; Joshua 24:3; 1 Sam 2:21; 1 Kings 4:8-37; Ps 113:9, 127:3-4; Is 8:18, 48:19; Is 8:18, 61:9);
• One purpose for the writing of Scripture and commanded obedience to the law was the continuation of faith in the Lord in the next generation (Dt. 6:1-9; Ps 102:18).

Nature of Children

• Created by God in the womb and in His image (Ge 1:27; Ps 139:13-14; Is 44:2);
• Born in sin and possess a sinful nature (Ps 51:5; 58:3; Pr 29:15; Lk 18:20);
• Immature (Pr 20:11, 22:15);
• Dependent and Impressionable (Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16; Eph 6:2-3)
• Accountable
  • The laws for children disobeying parents requires punishment  (See section on “The law required obedience to parents” here).
  • 1 Kings 2:23 records account of children who mocked the bald man and then received the consequence of death.
  • Each person is accountable for their own sin–not that of their fathers (Ez 18:17-32).
  • Jeremiah records disaster coming because of fathers’ and children’s disobedience (Jer 16:10-13).
• Inquisitive (Ex 12:26; Ex 13:8; Ex 13:14; Dt 6:20-25; Dt 32:7; Joshua 4:6-7)
• Fully able to know and serve the Lord:
  • Salvation:
    • Speaking of the children who were coming to him, Jesus states that the Kingdom of Heaen belongs to “such as these” (Mt 19:13-15; Mk 10:14);
  • Other examples:
    • Samuel ministered to the Lord as a boy (1 Samuel 2:11, 2: 18, 3:1, 3: 11; 2 Sam 2:21, 2:26);
    • David:
      • sang to God as a boy;
      • was chosen by God as a boy;
      • defeated Israel’s enemy as a child (1 Sam 17:33);
      • Trusted God from the time he was an infant (Ps 22:9-10);
    • The little girl directed Naaman to visit the prophet for healing (1 Ki 5:2-4);
    • Josiah became King at age 8 and did “what was right in the sight of the Lord (1 Kin 22:1-2; 2 Chr 34:1-3);
    • Joash became King at age 7 and did what was right in the sight of the Lord (2 Chr 24:1);
    • The Lord has established strength out of the mouth of babies (Ps 8:2);
    • Along with his own, Isaiah’s children’s lives were to be signs to the people (Is 8:18);
    • Isaiah was called by God prior to his birth (Is 49:1);
    • God commanded Isaiah to include his son in his ministry (Is 7:3, 8:18):
    • Jeremiah was called by God as a boy (Jer 1:6);
    • God reveals things to little children (Mt 11:25-26);
    • The children praised Jesus during the Triumphal Entry, and thusly fulfilled prophecy (Mt 21:16);
    • As a boy, John grew in the Spirit (Lk 1:80);
    • As a boy, the grace of God was upon Jesus (Lk 2:40);
    • As a boy, Jesus was about His Father’s business (Lk 2:40);
    • A boy gave Jesus his lunch for God’s work (Jn 6:9);
    • The young can set an example for others (1 Tim 4:12);
    • Timothy was taught as a child and knew the Scriptures from infancy (2 Timothy 3:15);
  • Promises of children knowing and serving the Lord:
    • God’s Word keeps young people from sinning (Ps 119:9-11);
    • God can make boys and infants rule over the people (Iss 3:4);
    • God will uphold, sustain, carry, and rescue from birth to old age (Is 46:3-4).

Responsibility of Children

• As demonstrated in the legal requirements upon children, children are first expected to obey and respect their parents.
  • Additional Scripture expounds upon these commands:
  • • Disobedience to parents is often listed alongside other grievous sins, such as bloodshed and eagerness to do evil (Mic 7:6), hating God (Romans 1:30-31), and abuse (2 Tim 3:2-5);
    • Proverbs 10: 1 “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
    • Proverbs 19:26, 28:24 Robing parents brings shame and disgrace to them
    • Proverbs 30:17 The one who mocks his father and disobeys his mother will have his eyes picked out by ravens;
    • Malachi 1:6 Sons are to honour their fathers as we should honour God.
  • The New Testament affirms these commands in Ephesians 6:1-3 and Colossians 3:20.
  • Jesus provides the example for parental obedience in Luke 2:51.
• Children are also to heed instruction (Pr 1:8, 3:1, 4:20, 5:1, 5:7, 6:20-23, 7:1, 7:24, 23:22, 23:26)
• Children are to ask questions:
  • Major Hebrew holidays, such as the Passover, were designed for the children to ask their parents questions (Ex 12:26, 13:8, 13:14).
  • Commanded to do so in Dt 32:7;
• Finally, children, like all poeple are called to follow the Lord.  A specific call in Scripture to the children is Ecclesiastes 12:1 “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.”

We see in these passages that children are capable of knowing and serving the Lord, and are expected to do so.  Parents and church leaders must not overlook this fact, and must respond appropriately to God’s call to teach and lead these precious ones.

“Do you think you will come to Jesus up the ladder of knowledge? Come down. You will meet Him at the base. Do you think you may reach Jesus up the steep hill of experience? Come down, dear climber. He stands in the plain. ‘Oh, but when I am old, I will then be prepared for Christ.’ Stay where you are, young man. Jesus meets you at the door of life. You were never more fit to meet Him than just now. He asks nothing of you but that you will be nothing, and that He may be all in all to you. That is His teaching, and to send back the child because he does not have this or that is to fly in the face of the blessed doctrine of the grace of God.” Charles Spurgeon

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More on A Biblical Look At Children, Families and Education

Part 3: Education

]]> http://thebridgekamloops.com/http:/thebridgekamloops.com/the-value-nature-and-responsibility-of-children-part-3-of-a-biblical-look-at-children-families-and-education/ /feed 0 http://thebridgekamloops.com/http:/thebridgekamloops.com/bans-males-who-are-neither-adolescent-boys-nor-grown-men/ http://thebridgekamloops.com/http:/thebridgekamloops.com/bans-males-who-are-neither-adolescent-boys-nor-grown-men/ #comments Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:08:21 +0000 Joshua Claycamp http://thebridgekamloops.com/?p=1792 Darrin Patrick has a stunning rebuke of men over at The Resurgence. I think men should be reading this and considering how they live and how they are raising their boys.

A few quotes to get you interested:

We live in a world full of males who have prolonged their adolescence. They are neither boys nor men. They live suspended between childhood and adulthood, between growing up and being a grown-up. Let’s call this kind of male Ban, a hybrid of both man and boy.

Here’s another really good comment:

Ban is a frightening reality in the church, but he is the best thing that ever happened to the video game and porn industries.

Anyway, be sure to check out Doug Wilson’s article. I’ve included a little blurb here to wet your appetite. He uses the “mosque at Ground Zero” controversy to provide a stinging indictment of contemporary Christianity for not exposing the vacuous and self-absorbed nature of secularism:

I said that the Muslims know what they are doing. What is that exactly? They are exposing the intellectual, theological, and ethical bankruptcy of secularism, and they are doing it on purpose. To answer their challenge, someone as intelligent as Charles Krauthammer is reduced to saying that sacrilege is defined by what lots of people think, true or false, doesn’t matter, or where lots of people died, right or wrong, doesn’t matter either.

Someone really does need to tell secularist America that her gods are genuinely pathetic. And currently, the Muslims are doing this because the Christians won’t. And the Christians who won’t do this are not so much in need of a different kind of theology as they are in need of a different kind of spine.

Read the whole thing here.

The atmosphere: The decor was sophisticated. You may not notice, unless you make it a point to look, but the old-craftsmen tin ceiling tiles are antique and probably original to the building along with the brick walls. The old is well blended with the new. The walls are adorned with modern art (the art wasn’t that impressive), and the lighting fixtures are intricitately sculpted with copper. In addition, Felix sported an open kitchen viewable from the dining room -which is just cool! You could observe the kitchen staff, but it didn’t have a diner feel. The noise from the kitchen was thoroughly muted as soft music played in the restaurant. Coversation was quaint and pleasant. If I had been sitting in a different position, I would have enjoyed watching the chef at work. The atmosphere wasn’t crowded either. All in all, I give it four stars out of five for atmosphere.

The food: Good, but not “take your breath away.” I can’t remember the name of my dish, but it was a bowl of assorted seafood. I had muscles, tuna, salmon, and… ? Now, I can’t remember. It was accompanied by potatoes and crisp green beans. The seafood was good. I’m really not sure how to critique this, but I’m willing to bet it was better than I’m rating it. I’m not really a seafood fan per se, so I was fairly confident throughout the whole meal that I should have chosen the tenderloin over the seafood. Shanti had the tenderloin, and she gladly shared with me. Now, the tenderloin was really good. What really set it off was the crab that topped it. There’s just something about beef with crab or prawns that I really enjoy. The cullinary staff did a great job. Perfectly cooked, but rather bland. It had little or nor seasoning. However, the crab was already seperated from its shell, and the juices swhirled together, which made the whole dish flavorfull. The tenderloin was accompanied by green beans and scollaped potatoes. Overall, I give it three and half stars out of five for food because the food was rather pricey. For nearly thirty dollars I’m expecting a bit more.

Overall rating: The open kitchen was cool, the decor was nice, and I liked the atmosphere. It was romantic, but not over-the-top. The food was good but not great. My rating: Four stars out of five.

I recommend Felix for the congregation of Bridge Baptist Church. Be sure to tip well.

When I study history, a part of me always seems to say: “A-ha! That’s where the poor chap went wrong. That was his mistake; if it were me in this situation –I would never have made that mistake.” But this is a significant presumption, entirely arrogant. This would be pride. The prideful side of me thinks that through cleverness, cunning, patience, and self-discipline I can achieve the desired result no matter what the circumstances may be. No matter how awful or dire the situation –I can come out on the other side squeaky clean.

Of course, such thinking is mere fantasy. The better part of me knows of recent events in my own life where I applied the best of human reason and faithfulness to God yet found the situation still swirling badly out of control. And maybe this is the truth of history. Despite the best of intentions and the most sincere of efforts to honor God in all situations, certain moments of consequence seem to spiral to a surreal tune as though someone else were directing the situation to arrive at a certain destination beyond everyone’s efforts and ideas. The intentions and best of efforts of mankind do not produce the timeline known as history. It isn’t man’s history… it is HIS story. This conclusion would be the result of the humble heart.

History. The idea behind the study of history is that we can look with perspective on the events of the past and see certain things that we couldn’t see while we were in the midst of the moment. Somehow, as we gain perspective, we think we will be able to iron out the kinks, but the truth is that history is maddening. At the end of the day it is clear the story of mankind does move along at an interesting pace, pausing at some interesting locations before jumping and surging forward, but when everything has been considered and weighed in the balance this unmistakable conclusion surfaces: the motions of man’s “progress” drift along the current of divine Providence, and God is always using the chaotic, erratic, and unpredictable sinful desires of men to achieve His design.

I recently finished Herbert Butterfield’s History and Christianity. To give a meaningful review of this book would require that the book were written in a little bit more of a meaningful way. Butterfield, a modern historian writing at the end of the Second World War, takes a broad sweep of human history and considers it from the perspective of the Christian faith. His approach is to divide the consideration and study of History into several broad topics: Historical Scholarship and its Relation to Life, Human Nature in History, Judgment in History, Cataclysm and Tragic Conflict in History, Providence and the Historical Process, Christianity as a Historical Religion, and History, Religion and the Present Day.

The chapters are broad treatments, but the book seems to be more of a running rambling of Butterfield’s personal musings on the topics. Each paragraph carries weight and has significant meaty statements that prompt the reader to consider more deeply the author’s meaning, and to weigh the truth claims that the author is making. However, each paragraph within each chapter is probably better considered as an independent unit. More often than not, it is difficult to see the logical flow of Butterfield’s argument. Many times a particular paragraph will have no apparent connection to its predecessor, and it seems that, while every paragraph Butterfield writes carries a significant thought, the introduction or transition to the next paragraph is not one of those components that Butterfield thought necessary to this work. Each chapter ends abruptly and almost violently having forgotten the conclusion just as a sky-diver slamming into the ground with the force of gravity might have forgotten to pack his parachute. This leaves the reader finishing each chapter with bit of an unsettled feeling in his stomach.

But every page is worthy of your consideration and thoughtful reflection. Why do I make this conclusion? Because, while writing may not have been Butterfield’s strong suite, his thinking was sharp. His book, when considered individually on a paragraph by paragraph basis, contains some really deep considerations of the story of mankind. He offers some provocative and interesting parallels from the days of the Old Testament Prophets and the modern period, and I have to admit that his comparisons are both startling and undeniable. He criticizes many of the modern historians who attempt to see the movement of history through lenses of scientific progress and the advance of the species as a whole as though evolution were a “…meaningful center to the story of mankind.” I like Butterfield’s sophisticated British wit and the way he employs his self-deprecating humor to belittle fellow historians who employ other paradigms of historical interpretation to understand history.

If the reader will consider each paragraph within a chapter as an interesting thought or musing pertaining to the chapter’s titled topic, then there is incredible value in the book. If the reader thinks that Butterfield is attempting to make a persuasive and comprehensive argument towards something chapter-by-chapter, then the reader will be frustrated in the end.

Perhaps one of the most profound statements Butterfield writes is found in the chapter Cataclysm and Tragic Conflict. Butterfield attempts to suggest that there is a way of reconciling life and human destiny with the cataclysm and tragic conflict if one will pause to see one’s own individual role within the story. He constantly flirts with the character of Christ throughout this chapter, but most interesting is this statement:

“The nation [of Israel] has great spiritual resources and recognizes a divine plan in history, recognizes also that it has a mission in that scheme, a mission which, though prescribed by God, must be accepted as self-assumed. [Israel] will then read its own sufferings as part of the plan and part of the mission, and will regard them [sufferings] as undertaken vicariously on behalf of others. It must do this, in a certain sense, of its own volition, because nobody has any right to tell anybody else to see his sufferings in this way. Ultimately our interpretation of the whole human drama depends on an intimately personal decision concerning the part that we mean to play in it. It is as though we were to say to ourselves: ‘There is dissonance in the universe, but if I strike the right note it becomes harmony and reconciliation –and though they may kill me for it, they cannot spoil that harmony.’” [Italics added; underlining added]

This is classic Butterfield. His extensive study of history and his study of Christianity lead him to make this statement: The world is screwed up. There is dissonance. We are called by God to strike the right note. We are called to bring harmony. But now we must assume that calling. Now we must embrace it. I liked this book. Although tedious sometimes to read, it was rewarding.

Seek to build within your child a Biblical worldview, that is, a Biblical filter for seeing the world.  We all have certain lenses by which see all of life through. For the Christian, these underlying assumptions about the world should increasingly conform to the truths of Scripture.  As parents, you play a vital role in shaping those assumptions for children, and therefore in answering questions, as in all conversation and instruction with your child, you must consciously strive to help children and teens see the world through the truth contained in God’s word.  The Bible is your ultimate authority in instructing your children.

Welcome the questions! Your child’s inquisitiveness is a gift from God and a vital part of their learning and discovery process. However, if you sense that they are asking questions to challenge your authority or avoid obedience, deal with this appropriately.  For example, if a simple explanation to a “why” concerning a request does not satisfy a child, say to your child, “First, do what I’ve asked, then I’ll answer any questions you have about it.” This  shows your child the importance of obedience, as well as your interest in answering any legitimate questions.  A similar answer can be given if the questions come at times which it you are unable to answer. Return to these questions later for further instruction.  The time you spend addressing your child’s curiosities, not only teaches them about the world in which they live, but also about how much you love and care for them.

If you don’t know the answer, find it out! Not only should you be honest when you don’t know the answer to your child’s question, but you can also use this as a time to show your child where to turn for answers.  Is it a question whose answer can be found in Scripture?  Open your Bible, consult a Bible dictionary, or call your pastor or trusted Christian friend for help discovering the appropriate passage.  Is it a question about how something works? Check out a book from the library, find a reliable website with information, or call a friend knowledgeable in this area.  By so doing, you model to your child the importance of life-long learning as well as share a fun and meaningful learning experience with them.

For more on answering children’s questions, check out the other “When your son asks…” posts:

Part 1: Why Should I Answer Why?, Part 2: The Healthy Lifestyle, Part 3: Death & Tragedy

Dear Bridge Church,

It appears that the route to helping Haiti lies through prayer and financial giving in the short term. The longer term picture will still require volunteers who are willing to prepare and train for working and labouring in the disaster zone.  I have several important updates to communicate to you in this letter.

CALGARY DISASTER RELIEF TRAINING

If you feel that God is leading you to serve in Haiti you will need to be trained in surviving and working in a disaster zone with limited or no modern amenities.  our denomination is offering the following Disaster Relief Training:

When? Saturday, February 27, 2010

Where? Richmond Hill Baptist Church, Calgary, AB

Time? 8:30 am -4:00 pm

Cost? Free and includes lunch

How? To register call: 403-242-1256

Accommodations? Two rooms have been reserved at the CNBC Mission Centre for shared overnight accommodations on the Friday evening before the training (no charge if attending training event). 1-888-442-2272.

FINANCIAL GIVING UPDATE

Any giving for Haiti through the Bridge Church will now receive matching funds from the Canadian Federal Government.  This policy was first approved for the REd Cross and several other charitable relief organizations.  The Canadian National Baptist Convention has now also been approved to receive these federal matching funds.  Every dollar you give through the Bridge towards Haiti will now receive exactly one dollar in matching funds from the Canadian Government.  This is a limited time offer from the Government.  I ask that the Bridge Church remember  the instruction found in Titus 3:13-14, “Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing.  Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”  It is a good work to do everything in our power to help speed relief workers on their way to the disaster zone.

NEWS FROM THE FRONT-LINES: Report from the Assessment Team

The joint Southern Baptist response the January 12 Haiti earthquake will launch in the coming week with four “strategically selected” medical teams, leaders of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Network decided January 26 at the Florida Urban Impact Center in Hialeah, Florida.

Plans to respond to the urgent, intermediate and long-term needs in Haiti were addressed by assessment teams that had just returned from the quake-ravaged nation, along with representatives from Baptist Global Response, the Southern Baptist International and North American Mission Boards, the Florida Baptist Convention, and other Southern Baptist disaster relief representatives.

The group wrestled with logistical arrangements and how to send mission teams and respond to needs in a country where transportation and in-country support for teams is practically impossible.  Access to airports and shipping docks are extremely restricted, the teams reported.

“At this point, all we can sleep in Port-au-Prince is 55,” said Cecil Sagle, director of the Mission division of the Florida Baptist Convention.

The group decided the next step will be to send four “strategically selected” medical teams through the Dominican Republic to Haiti next week, along with two representatives from the Florida Baptist Convention, who will continue to make arrangements for trained disaster relief teams to travel in adn out of the country. Another meeting to discuss the logistics of getting additional response teams into Haiti will be held February 11-12 in Atlanta, the group decided.

“Once we get teh mechanisms in place, we will have numbers of teams in there, week in and week out,” said Mickey Caison, who directs disaster operations for the North American Mission Board.  Caison added, “Through it all, our efforts will  be touching lives, changing lives and giving hope.  Our purpose is to carry the message of hope found in Jesus Christ.”

The Assessment Group acknowledged that many in the Convention are passionate about responding to the immediate needs in Haiti.  The Assessment Group hoped to reassure many churches within the Convention that the response in Haiti will be long-term, but in the meantime they can minister to Haitians in their own communities and pray for people in Haiti who are afraid to return to homes that are still standing because of the danger posed by aftershocks.

The Assessment Group pled for patience as they try to solve logistical nightmares.  Partnering Baptist churches in the US are asked to purchase and contribute “Buckets of Hope” to send to Haitian families: five-gallon buckets packed with rice, cooking oil, black beans, flour, sugar, spaghetti noodles and peanut butter.  Even after Haitians use the supplies, the bucket can serve multiple uses for a family.  However, it will be very difficult for Canadian National Baptist Churches to transport these buckets and supplies to the USA and then to Haiti, so the CNBC is finalizing a plan whereby Canadian Baptist Churches can fund raise specifically for these buckets.  More information will be available very soon.

While our Convention will mobilize to meet urgent needs, they also will be very focused on long-term assistance to help Haitians rebuild their lives and communities. This is where the Bridge Church comes in.

What does The Bridge need to do? Already we see that News reports of events in Haiti are beginning to taper off. Already, the world is beginning the gradual process of forgetting the Haitians as other more urgent news begins to consume us.  However, the dire situation facing the Haitians is not quickly forgotten by them.  Many still fear aftershocks and will not return to the fragile homes that are still standing.  We must remember our friends in the south so that we can help them.  All of us are able to pray.  I ask that you begin praying now for God to sent His people to help the hurt and suffering in Haiti.  Also, I ask that you start praying right now about whether or not God may be laying it on your heart ot go and serve.  If so, you will need to attend the Disaster Relief Trainng in Calgary.  If you have an interest in attending this training, be sure to speak to one of the Elders this Sunday. Pray for Haiti.

In Christ,

Joshua

http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20091224/KAMLOOPS0101/312249972/-1/kamloops/teen-gone-wild-to-stay-in-jail-judge-says

At some point we’ve got to reintroduce the ancient and timeless truths of God, Sin, and Salvation back into our futile thinking and worthless educational systems if we are ever going to leave our city, this province, and the country of Canada as a whole to the next generation. I believe that Canada is an amazing place with beautiful scenery, amazingly rich and ample resources, and great adventure. This small corner of God’s world deserves to be entrusted to a generation that will cherish it and protect it, and leave it to a distant generation that we may never meet. But we’ll never get from here to where our grandkids are if we don’t start evaluating the world around us through a different perspective.

Going back to the article: the bus driver was generous and kind, and he offered a drunken boy a ride home. This must surely violate certain rules put in place by the Kamloops Public Transit Authority. But the bus driver knew that those rules served a higher purpose: the service of the city. So he did what was right- he offered to serve the people of this city through the offer of a free ride to a drunken boy. This is the proverbial good Samaritan before our very eyes. The passengers who stepped in to restrain the boy are also heroes. There is much to commend after reading this article.

Time for a transition from positive to negative. At this point other bloggers may begin their critique of the boy this way: “Unfortunately, the boy harassed the bus passengers…” Unfortunately. This is the impression one also gets from reading the article: a sad and unfortunate young boy who has turned wild on us. How unfortunate that so many are so clueless about the real nature of public intoxication and drug abuse. Ours is a culture that is inebriated on a number of different intoxicating idols -alcohol being only one of them. Society as a whole is rushing after things that will not in the long term profit any of us.

Take the credit crisis that is driving a world-wide recession- is this not a classic example of individuals pursuing selfish interests apart from reality? Is this not the same escapism that the boy is guilty of? The boy is dissatisfied with life, so he gets drunk. In his drunkenness he behaves in a disorderly and criminal manner that threatens the well-being of others. Now look at the economy credit crisis. Hundreds of tons of goods made by real people with real jobs and real families to feed are moved around from store to consumers with nothing more than a credit card I-O-U. This refusal to deal with the reality that there is no money to pay for such things infects the bureaucracy of the government and subsequently the US housing market, and eventually a world wide-recession breaks out and thousands are left without jobs and no way to feed their family. Greed and credit-card escapism is not much different than selfish drunkenness. There needs to be a reintroduction of God, sin, and salvation into our society if we are going to ever turn the tide of these types of incidents and prevent them from even happening. The only difference between the boy and our debt-spending society as a whole is that the boy has been caught in the nick of time and no one has been seriously hurt yet.

The defense lawyer stated that this was a “good kid.” A good kid who beats up a bus driver and harasses passengers? I’m not sure how you define good, but that isn’t my definition of ’good.’ This protest on the part of the lawyer illustrates the inebriation of our culture to various intoxicating idols: success, fame, fortune, and various other escapes from the reality in which we live. I’m sure the defense lawyer is just trying to do his job which is to set the boy free. Perhaps this public display of duty will win him more clients in the future. However, in the pursuit of his work, the defense lawyer may not be doing the troubled teen any favors. The lawyer could learn a thing or two from the bus driver and set rules aside in favor of principles.

The title of the article labels the incident this way: “Teen gone wild…” The teen is not nearly as wild as many would like to believe, and our society is not nearly as tame and domicile as many hope.