Teaching Children About God

Why should we bother teaching our children about God? Should we just “let them decide what religion to follow when they’re old enough” as is currently fashionable to say?

The Bible has plenty to say about teaching children.

• God chose Abraham to “direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just” (Genesis 18:19)

• Moses was keen to see generation after generation continue to fear the Lord as long as they lived (Deuteronomy 6:1-3), and he instructed the Israelites to impress God’s commands on their children, and to talk about them all the time (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

• Joshua set up a memorial so that future generations would know God’s power and that they would always fear him (Joshua 4:20-24)

• Significantly, Jesus wanted the little children to come to him without hindrance (Mark 10:13-16)

• Paul wanted fathers to “bring them (their children) up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4)

The pattern is clear. God wants children to know about him. He wants future generations to serve him and fear him as God. Raising children in the instruction of the Lord is part of our obedience to scripture, and is one of the ways God chooses to preserve a people on earth who serve him.

Taking children to church, teaching them Sunday School, talking about God with them or reading them their bedtime bible stories, is doing God’s will for their lives, and your lives.

Mt Keira #2

My earlier goal of 27 minutes may have been a little unrealistic.

I did it this afternoon in 31 minutes and 35 seconds. It was a big improvement on the 34 and a half I was doing last post, but still a long way to go.

Maybe I'll try for 29 minutes by the end of the year instead!

Mt Keira

I'm trying to get fitter, not fatter. Nadine is a very good cook!

There just happens to be a fabulous hill nearby called Mt Keira nearby. Here's a view from below looking up (that's the big thing on the horizon at the back!)
















And from above looking down! (As an aside, how awesome is this part of God's creation with the mountains and the sea so close!)



In other words, it's 466 metres altitude above our house, and takes a lot of climbing on the bike!

The record for the ascent set by a Norwegian friend was around 24 minutes, my best time was 28 minutes and 37 seconds. Currently I'm doing it in 34 minutes and 23 seconds.

I've set a goal of 27 minutes by the end of the year.

Can I pull it off? We will see!

The Man Mulligan

Brian Mulligan is a physiotherapy guru. Here he is some time ago performing an elbow technique on a man with a moustache almost as good as his!


Brian has invented all sorts of physio techniques that work on tennis elbow, headaches, dizziness, knee pain, hip pain, back pain, neck pain, toe pain - almost any pain you can think of - the list goes on!

And this is what he looks like now!


It was an honour to learn from him and pass an exam in his concept to become a Certified Mulligan Practitioner last week. It's not every day you get to spend time with a guru in any field. Big thanks goes to my boss here who prepared me very well for the exam - couldn't have passed it without him.

Parramaniac

I'm a Parramaniac. For the simple and very well thought out reason that when I was small, my older brother had more "Stimrol" chewing gum Parramatta Eels cards than any other team. (Helped that he went for them too).

Who can explain the excitement you have for one team over and against another just because of the jersey that they're wearing?

2010 is looking much more safe than last year, particularly because at this stage in the season, we're not running third last in the competition. Victory was VERY sweet this week over the cheating Storm who robbed us of a premiership in 2009.

One better in 2010 for the Eels? Hopefully so if they can avoid doing liverpool kisses on opposing players. Jarryd Hayne just couldn't help himself this week.

Speechless.

I'm not a big talker. In a conversation, I love sitting back and listening to what other people say, rather than put my own opinion forward.

But when I'm at work I never like to have a quiet moment in my treatment sessions. If I'm not explaining a certain part of human anatomy and the problems that beseige it, or asking about my patient's life, or talking about my life, I think there is something wrong and quickly fill up the space with something of a verbal nature.

One of the joys of being married to Nadine is that we share everything. Including our colds. And this latest one has left me sounding more raspy than Darren Lockyer after a State of Origin. Which has made it quite difficult talking to patients, people on the phone ("this is a shocking phone line" "no, It's my voice!") and anyone in particular.

I expect my voice to return from it's sojourn in the wilderness in the next couple of days. But it does make me realise how much I take for granted my health, and don't thank God enough for having it.

Hearts

I've recently invested in a new heart rate monitor

Anything that gets me out and about exercising and burning off the delicious calories from Nadine's cooking can only be a good thing!

Got me thinking... It's pretty awesome that one can measure the heart rate with an ECG device connected to one's chest.

But how much more awesome is the one who designed the heart and places one in each of our chests to keep us going? Praise God for his complex and intelligent creation!

Quote of the Day - Star Wars

Grant to child at PK1 kid's church:

"King David and King Saul were both descended from Abraham!" (Genesis 17:6 if you're interested)

Child to Grant:

"Yeah, but Saul turned to the dark side."

Nice.

Incidentally, did you note International Star Wars Day on the fourth of may? "May the forth be with you!"

Nadine's Flamethrower

I told one of my war veteran patients the other day that I was giving my wife a flamethrower for her birthday. He gave me a strange look!

Actually it was kitchen blowtorch, which still gets quite hot! Nadine put it to good use today and made Creme Brulee for Mother's day

My wife sure can cook - delicious!

Ride Around the Lake

We really do live in a sensational part of God's creation. Today was the "Ride around the lake" in Wollongong (lake Illawarra to be precise)!

Points of note include:
1. Various people towing others in various ways - as simple as a rope pulling a young kid, through to a bloke pulling a wheelchair, to a family on a 4 person tandem (is that the right word?!)
2. The beautiful weather - sunny skies, no wind, awesome conditions

Praise God for his great creation!

Feedback is your friend...

A sentiment echoed at both the Wollongong preaching group tonight and the Sydney Missionary and Bible College children's ministry training day last weekend.

There's no substitute for good, honest feedback, that is critical where it needs to be, for the point of building up the person involved. Anything less than that, we're having ourselves and each other on, and not really being honest anyway.

The Land of Blogging

In attempting to comment on a story at a friend's blog,

http://izaacta.blogspot.com/2010/05/mans-best-friend.html#comment-form

I have inadvertently created my own. Who knows what type of can of worms this might be?