MOSES’ FINAL TASK

If you read the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy in a ‘user-friendly’ version such as The Message Bible, you will see that we’re essentially reading from Moses’ journal!

To follow my thinking here, you may need a refresher:

·        Moses and the children of Israel [Jacob] travel across the wilderness and arrive at the outskirts of Canaan – on the eastern shore of the Jordan River.

·        At the people’s suggestion, Moses sends twelve spies into Canaan to bring back a report.

·        Upon their return, ten spies indicate that it will be impossible for them to conquer this land and people!

·        Two spies – Joshua and Caleb – simply make a faith statement: God will give it to us, just don’t rebel against God! And don’t be afraid of those people. Why, we’ll have them for lunch! They have no protection and GOD is on our side. [Numbers 14:8-9 – All quotes from The Message unless otherwise noted]

·        The people immediately begin to complain and ask why Moses brought them to this place to be destroyed.

·        God’s anger broke out and sentenced the entire generation to die in the wilderness without entering the Promised Land!

·        The people repent and try to go to war against Canaan on their own strength. They are easily defeated.

·        Moses leads them back into the wilderness to wander for nearly forty years until that entire generation [under the age of 20] dies out! Only Joshua and Caleb will ever see the Promised Land.

Okay, if you’re still with me, then you realize that Moses has a final task of teaching a whole new generation of Israelites the history of:

Ø their deliverance from Egypt

Ø God’s faithfulness in providing for their needs

Ø God’s protection against foreign enemies

Ø God’s Word delivered from Mt. Sinai

Ø The repeated grumbling and complaining of their parents” generation

It was an in surmountable task! So much to cover! Moses had to be convincing since this younger generation had no [or very little] memory of actually experiencing God’s power and manifestations!

If you read these early chapters, you will see Moses’ determination to bring a whole new generation up-to-speed regarding their history and DESTINY!

Their parents had been unfaithful and unbelieving! Their parents did NOT leave them a legacy of faith! This new generation had to face the future with a major deficit of faith and trust in God!  Moses stood in the gap and made a valiant effort to infuse them with faith by telling them the history of God’s faithfulness!

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We are living in a day that reflects strongly the same dilemma. Since the 1960’s, the Church has been undermined by a radically changing culture!

I’m old enough to remember a time when the local ministerial group had major influence. In my hometown – New Brighton, PA – if the clergy spoke out about an issue, it carried a GREAT DEAL OF WEIGHT!

During the 1960's some teachers either allowed us to observe a "moment of silence" or read a verse of scripture. We began every day by standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States!

This was a period when the Church owned Sundays and Wednesday evenings! Schools and sporting groups didn’t DARE to infringe on those two time-frames! Gradually, however, they whittled away at Wednesdays by scheduling occasional games. Then, of course, they became regular! And guess what? The parents didn’t squawk! They – perhaps reluctantly – conceded! And Wednesday nights were lost as a stronghold of Christian education!

Then the teams and organizations set their sights on Sundays!  Games and practices were scheduled that competed with Sunday School and Morning Worship! And guess what? Parents didn’t draw a line by saying: “My kids will NOT be there on Sunday mornings!” So – Sundays were lost to the power of a godless culture!

Is it any wonder that churches have lost their influence?

Is it any wonder that the Church – in America – is in SERIOUS DECLINE?

Is it any wonder that sexual confusion gains favor in our culture?

Is it any wonder that violence is beyond belief?

Is it any wonder that schools are no longer safe-havens?

Although prayer in schools was banned in 1962, someone has smilingly stated that as long as they give tests in school – there’ll be prayer in school!  😄

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More than at any time in our American history, the responsibility for extending the Christian faith into the future is on parents!

It has ALWAYS been our responsibility! Remember Deuteronomy 6:5-9,

 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!

 

Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

The pathway to rectifying the diminishing of our faith in America is actually quite simple. We – as parents – must speak to our children about our faith! We must – like Moses – try our best to make it real to them! We must encourage them to develop a strong faith and trust in God! Regardless of their age!

If you dropped the ball in earlier years or were distracted by work, goals and other diversions – MAKE UP FOR IT NOW! If you have a legacy of faith – PASS IT ON!

I am the self-appointed ‘story-teller’ in the Haire family! I take every advantage of telling stories to my kids and grandkids! I want them to know that they have a history of faith! In the case of our children, both the Whippos and the Haires raised their families in the faith! What a blessing for our kids! The same is true of our grandchildren. Both the Kerstetters and the Haires raised their families in the faith!

This is an established legacy! We must make every effort to see that it continues strong and committed into the future! 

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FOREVER FORGIVING GOD: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

 Those of us who were raised in-the-faith are grateful!

We thank You for being the Lord of our homes and our lives!

 

Thank You for faithful parents who raised us to love and honor You!

Thank You for the churches that joined them in teaching and maturing us in our faith!

Thank You for role models that cared about us and encouraged us!

Thank You for spiritual mentors who guided, corrected and encouraged us!

 

Give us courage to speak openly about our faith in any setting!

Give us a renewed determination to challenge our own children – regardless of their age – to stand strong in the faith and preserve this legacy of faithfulness to You and Your Word!

 

Help us to be a force that counters a misguided culture!

Help us to be an anchor that refuses to yield to the migrating of faith that is common today!

Help us to maintain a daily walk with You that transforms us and keeps us heading toward Heaven and its eternal joys!

 

AMEN!

THE PENDULUM THEORY REGARDING PARENTING

Most are aware of the pendulum theory.

In 1656 the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens built the first pendulum clock. This was a great improvement over existing mechanical clocks; their best accuracy was improved from around 15 minutes deviation a day to around 15 seconds a day. Pendulums spread over Europe as existing clocks were retrofitted with them.  [Wikipedia]

The pendulum is most commonly seen in old ‘Grandfather Clocks’.  The pendulum swings consistently back-and-forth, counting off the seconds.

This image has been borrowed to visualize the extreme swing of change that often occurs in other observable areas.  Today, we’ll apply it to parenting.

Most of these observations within parenting styles are actually quite obvious. 

·         If a person is raised in a very strict environment, then they may have a tendency to raise their own children in a more libertarian one. 

·         If a child is raised in an extreme religious environment, they may deliberately raise their own kids in a freer, less religious one. 

·         If a child is brought up in the midst of poverty, they may become a workaholic devoted to establishing a home that is more capable of providing for any children that might come along. 

We could add to this list ad infinitum.

It must be noted – in addition – that these tendencies are almost always absent of conscious intent or planning.  A person is not aware of this radical change that they’ve adopted in their parenting style.  They are simply responding to the impact their own upbringing had on them and subconsciously trying to create change for their own children. 

It is at least possible that these unconscious yet intended improvements may actually also have a negative impact on their children. 

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If you think about it, there is no attempt in our culture [or likely others] to train couples for the parenting task.  We step into this role with nothing but our own experience and observations – added, of course to the resident wisdom of our spouse.  Plus, it’s a rare couple that sits down to talk or plan how they intend to raise their family. 

As a pastor, I required couples to sit down with me for ten hours to discuss areas that I knew were vital to the health and survival of their marriage.  Most cooperated willingly and found it to be a rewarding experience.  Some just put in the time to meet my requirement.  Some of the areas we discussed were:

o   Do you intend to have children?

o   If so, when do you plan to start this process?

o   How many children do you hope to have?

o   How will you share responsibility when children come along?

o   If you find – down the road – that for some reason you can’t have children, would you consider adoption?

After that we might explore how each was raised and how they can incorporate those different family styles into their own unique plan.  Remember: A marriage is a merging of two distinct family systems!  

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Swinging the pendulum is not necessarily wrong; however, it is best to do it with some knowledge and understanding. 

Wise parents [and parents to be] will:

Ø  Have a discussion about how they were raised and how it might impact their children.

Ø  Talk [hopefully ahead of time] about how roles will be changed and how responsibilities will need to be adapted.

Ø  Set goals for their parenting.

When Debbie and I were dating [back in the 1960’s], we made two primary observations:

1.    We noticed a lot of siblings who seemed to hate each other.  This was characterized by fighting, hateful words and vindictive behavior.

We talked and prayed about it together.  We decided that we wanted any children we had to love each other and treat each other respectfully.  Creating that kind of an environment became primary for us. 

     2.    We noticed that a lot of ‘preacher’s kids’ (PK's) [from our age-group] turned away from Christ after leaving their home!

This became an alarming concern to us since we knew that I was heading into pastoral ministry.  We spent a lot of time talking about how we could raise our kids without having them become bitter against the church.

 We set some guidelines in place that included not talking about church problems in front of the kids.  We also made sure that our comments - made in front of our kids - about church people were positive and affirming. 

 We determined to protect our kids from the effects that evil words and actions had on us. 

     Ø  Pray together about their parenting and pray over and with their kids regularly until they leave home!  This is vitally important for both husband and wife!

Ø  Be involved in a church with an effective children’s and youth ministry. 

There were times that I – unfortunately – had to advise parents to find another church that was doing a better job with youth.  A youth director/pastor can be a dynamic influencer on our adolescents! 

Also, keep in mind that as young teens, our children will be on the look-out for role models!  We prefer that they choose godly examples.  That is more likely to happen if we are actively involved in the life of a vibrant church. 

[AGAIN – If this means changing churches for a season, don’t hesitate to do so.  The life and spiritual health of your children calls for it.  Keep in mind that most American churches are plateaued or in decline.  Find a growing church and become part of it for your children’s sake!]

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KING OF THE UNIVERSE: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Rush to the sides of those who are still actively parenting young, developing children!

Grant them wisdom as they fulfill the challenging responsibility of raising kids in the 21^st century!

Glue husbands and wives of these precious children together with Your Holy Spirit!

Help fathers to raise godly sons of courage and balance to eventually assume a responsible role in adulthood!

Help these same fathers to be an example of godly manhood to their daughters.  Remind them that they are the ‘guide-from-the-other-side’ to help their daughters better understand the male gender!

 

Help mothers as they enfold and comfort their children through the various stages of growth!  May their arms always be open and their words always lovingly instructive! 

Bless these moms as they raise godly sons!  Even when they don’t always understand what their boys are doing and why, enable them to be persistent and persuasive in guiding them.

Also, help these moms as they influence their daughters!  Give them the courage to gradually release these precious lives to experiment and grow.

 

Be the LORD of these couples and the honored Guest in each of their homes!

Love them – ALL OF THEM – into Your eternal Kingdom!

AMEN!  AMEN!