Stories in the Rock

 

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ~Psalms 18:2

Rocks, stones, pebbles, are you forever finding them in your children's pockets, in the bottom of book bags, or in the corner of their sock drawers? Maybe there's even one in your pocket once in a while. The Bible has a lot to say about rocks. Though the word rock or stone isn't used, one of the first places in the Bible to allude to rocks is Genesis 8:20 when Noah came off the ark and built an altar to offer sacrifices. Abraham built altars everywhere he traveled. He built an altar intending to sacrifice his own son but God had other plans. 

Rocks weren't just used for altars. Jacob used a stone for a pillow while camping out. The next day he stood it up as a pillar to help him remember God's promises. Joshua was commanded to place 12 stones in the Jordan River where the priest bore the ark of the covenant. He was to take 12 stones out and place them as stones of remembrance of what God did for them. 

David said God was the Rock of his salvation. A foundation must be solid, built on rock. Christ is symbolized as the Rock throughout the Bible. He is the one on whom our lives must be built. 

Paul in I Corinthians 10:4 says "That Rock (that produced water for the Israelites) was Christ". Water is necessary to maintain life. Jesus is the Rock that supplies us with the water of eternal life.  

Rocks are common everyday things, but if we put on our spiritual eyes the stones will cry out to us of Jesus every day.

 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Luke 19:40

Heavenly Father, may we cry out. May we be the voices that tell the world that you are the Rock on which our lives are built. You are the one who supplies us with eternal life. May others see the fountain we are drinking from. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Call to Parents

  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 

~Romans 1:20 NKJV

Are you concerned about what your children are taught in school? Not just in public schools but in any school. We can't be there all day every day. So what can we do to help our children learn the values that will help them become Godly men and women?

We do have the weekends or some day when we are home. Let's explore ways that we can help our children know the ways of God. Yes, the first thing we can do is make sure we are going with them to a church where God's word is taught. But what else? 

Our scripture for today says that since the creation of the world, the invisible attributes of God can be clearly seen in His creation. When is the last time your family cut off all the technology and went outside? Have you spread a blanket and eaten a picnic under a tree in the yard? Have you lain there on the blanket and watched the stars? Have you listened to the birds and crickets and cicadas? Have you noticed the smell of honeysuckles, roses, and other flowers blooming? 

I discovered a wonderful book written for children of a variety of ages about William Bartram. His father was His Royal Majesty King George III's Botanist in the Americas. William, called Billy was always with his dad, exploring the countryside for plants and seeds that were unique to the Americas. His dad shipped the seeds back to Europe to study there. William began to keep a journal when he was eight. He drew pictures of leaves and labeled them with their attributes. His dad encouraged him to be as accurate as possible in his drawings so others could use his drawings in research. As he grew older, he traveled with his father up through the Catskill Mountains to Lake Ontario, then down to the coastal areas of NC, SC, GA, and Florida. At the end of his father's last trip William stayed to continue the work his father was no longer able to do. 

At the end of William Bartram's work, he had become a famous botanist, the father of PA ornithology, and ethnographer of the Native Americans of the Southeast. He and his father even discovered a tree in Florida that is now extinct in its native area but is grown in botanical gardens because of the work of the Bartrams. 

So how does all this relate to us and our families? William Bartram came from a family who taught him that nature teaches that we live in a divinely created universe. He would eavesdrop on his dad and Benjamin Franklin discussing the formation of mountains, the flow of the oceans, and the composition of stars. Had his father not included him in his work, William would not have been interested in such discussions or in continuing the explorations his father began. 

How can we keep our children close so they desire to know the God who created the universe? 

• Explore nature in our backyards, on short hikes, playing in the creeks and parks
• Find nature-oriented teaching that is Christian-based. Suggestion: Wonderfilleddays.com
• Vacation where truth is taught. Suggestions: The Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter

You may not be able to homeschool your children but you can explore with your children when you are home. 

Heavenly Father, help us to actively engage with our children in exploring your creation that they might know the Creator and Savior You are. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Finding Gems

 

 Photo courtesy of Matt Seymour

 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17

Have you ever been gem mining? My grandson always loved swishing a pan of sand in the water and finding little gems. The water helped the sand pass through the sieve, leaving the goodies in the pan. If the sieve had a hole in it or was coming loose from the side, the gemstones would slip through and be lost. That would never do. We needed a good sieve so he could come away with a nice pocket full of rocks.

Just like gem mining, we need a good sieve in life.  It's often hard to figure out the truth. We hear so many versions of "truth". Everyone has their own definition of truth. We are expected to affirm everyone's idea of truth. But do they know where their truth comes from? Do they know what purpose they serve in life? Pilot asked the question, "What is truth?" We need a good sieve to pass all this information through. One with no holes or loose edges that would allow an untruth to pass through into our hearts and minds. 

 Jesus said that God's word is truth. How do we filter everything through God's word? It's hard to understand. It's a big book. We don't have time. These are the typical excuses. My grandson didn't pour water over the pan of sand and just wait for the gems to appear. He had to swish it and dip it again and again. Each time he swished, he took out little treasures until he devoured the whole $15 bucket. So too, we must take little bits, letting the Water of Life swish over the words, revealing the gems a few at a time. Here are a few tips I use:

• Commit to reading one chapter each day, just one.
• Pray before reading to commit that chapter to God's revealing.
• Look for the gem, the one thing God is speaking to you about in the chapter.
• Journal your find.
• Write an application for yourself.
• Write a prayer about that application.
• Share your gem with someone else, a spouse, your family, a friend, etc. 

One find leads to another. As soon as my grandson finished one bucket of sand he always wanted more. When you begin to find the gems in God's word and apply them to your life and the things you hear and see and read, you too will be hungry for another chapter of truth. 

Heavenly Father, help us pass everything through the sieve of truth. Help us remember that Your word is true and that there is no other truth. Help us commit to allowing the Water of Life to reveal truth to us through Your word. In Jesus's name. Amen.

The Way of a Ship

 

The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. 

Proverbs 30:19

Until recently, ships needed sails, oars, and a rudder to maneuver across bodies of water. Now we use engines but ships still need a rudder. What does the rudder do? Where is it located? These are beginning questions not just for children but for all of us to investigate. 

The captain of a vessel steers the rudder to keep the ship, boat, or vessel of any kind, even airplanes, pointed in the right direction. There are also other factors to help the captain guide the ship. There are no roads to follow on the water so the captain must use God's creation to help him find his way. Many of us know how to use the sun for directions. It rises in the east and sets in the west and with a little knowledge of where the destination is located, we can head in the right direction by using the sun. But what about night travel?

A ship's captain can use the stars to guide the ship at night. Stars rotate at night and throughout the seasons but there is a constant in the North Star. It's always going to point north. A captain uses a sextant to measure distance and help guide his ship both day and night. 

Each of us is like a ship. We need to be guided both day and night and across the years. How does God's creation help us with guidance? The Lord created many things in threes.  Think about the sun for a moment. There is the big burning mass, the light, and the heat. This helps us picture the Father, Jesus-the Light, and the Holy Spirit which we cannot see but we certainly can feel his leading. The sun is our guide by day but by night, in the dark? The North Star never changes. It's our guide by night. Jesus is our constant around which everything rotates. When the storms of life come and we just can't see how we will ever make it, know that behind the clouds day and night, Jesus is there and when the storm passes He will still be there. The Lord has given us a sextant to help guide us. He has given us His Word, the Bible. 

In leading our children this coming school year, how can we help them investigate ships?

• Sink and float activities - How are heavy metal ships with heavy cargo able to float?
• tides
• shipping lanes
• the Bermuda Triangle
• the Titanic

Each investigation can be tailored to the age, ability, and interest of the child. Writing, reading, math, science, and history can all be covered in one project.

One thing may lead to another such as a study of the stars.

• Identify constellations
• history of constellation names
• Constellation legends in different cultures
• Design constellations
• Meteors
• star gazing
• Milky Way

How fun to just lay on your back under a clear night sky just watching, relaxing, quietly talking, contemplating the magnificence of all the Lord has made. 

Heavenly Father, thank you for your creation and the way You teach us about yourself. Thank you for giving us your guidance and direction through your word. Teach us to allow our lives to revolve around Jesus as He guides us through life's troubled seas. In Jesus's name. Amen.