If I got a dollar for every time I heard this statement, “I don’t get anything out of the service,” I’d have a bunch of dollars. The deliverer of the statement has come in many shapes and sizes, ages, so-called “religious experiences,” seminary degrees, and religious forms. There are a multitude of reasons why some have experiences with Father and some do not. IMHO the reasons are not extrinsic, but intrinsic. If one does not have an awe for the Majesty, it is difficult to get past the formalities of a church worship service in order to engage the speaker and his/her text to have a life-changing experience. 
Nevertheless, here is a fun article by David Fitch at reclaimingthemission.com regarding some of the ins and outs of this age old dilemma. Here is the website. Here is the article:
I have a six year old. Truth be told, if we would let him, he would sit in front of the television for hours consuming hours of programming about sharks. But we (Rae and I) don’t allow it. “One hour a day!” we say. Why? Because, if we do let him watch that much TV, the child’s brain will turn to mush. He will never learn how to engage the social world. He will be become passive. He will probably gain a lot of weight. He will learn to live life from the vantage point of the remote control.
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A new website I came across is called Kingdom People. Titles are a key to catching someone’s attention. So this one caught my eye. Read through and see if there is anything that needs adjusting. It came from this website. Enjoy.
Raising kids that truly love Jesus is hard work. That’s why so many of parents settle for plan B.
What would happen if you were actually trying to raise a pretend believer? Here are some 9 steps you might take.
My point is not to encourage this type of parenting, only to point out where we might be doing it on accident.
1. Look down on others: Psalm One is sound advice, but it’s no permit for raising sanctimonious kids.
2. Practice route prayers: Religious habits can serve children well, but it’s no substitute for knowing God as Father.
3. Confess only acceptable sins: This sets up a safe duality, some sins you talk about and some you keep secret. The end condition kills any hope of real accountability.
4. Crank up the K-love: Our family loves to sing along in the car, but I never want my kids to think Jesus is an entertainment choice. Don’t let your kids confuse music preference for Christian spirituality.
5. Never miss church: Another good habit that can quietly becomes the basis of our assurance.
6. Pray aloud to your Daddy-God: I doubt Jesus has changed his mind about showoffs.
7. Buy the t-shirt(s): They may know us by the t-shirts we wear, but God looks at the heart.
8. In a phrase Prosperity Gospel: Children who want their best life now may miss out of God’s best later.
9. Lead by example: Playing religion comes natural when kids see their parents do the same thing.
Obviously we don’t want you raising fake Christians. I’m afraid this is what’s happening to many kids on accident. My point is to show how so-called christian behavior does not always equal belief in Jesus.
I was checking out some fellow friends blogs and came across a good entry. I enjoyed it so much and found it valuable to all of you, so here it is:
My friend Zac Hicks saw this list and made reference to his source. The original post has details to each line item. See if practicing this has any benefits in your relationships with your children. Continue reading →
Good morning Saints, Jesus bless you today~
I have something to admit, I got behind just a bit and am having to catch up. It is not too hard to catch back up, but it did a number on my spirit not reading daily as I had done for the 45 days straight prior to yesterday. When one is in a habit, it just feels different when that habit is not maintained. My spirit felt just a bit drier not flowing with what it had received before. The Word of God is so important to our souls and spirits, eh friends?
No one has answered the CRBC trivia question from a few days ago- “What three words we focused on in Luke 6 that propelled us to do Mashal March last year?”
Because we are flying through some short books here, you will be receiving a short note on each of them rather than a humongous, long one. Let’s see how it goes~ 
Wisdom literature does not operate like the commands of the law or the plot of narrative. It is not set forth as “Thus says the Lord” as in the prophets, nor is it even like the exhortation of the New Testament letter.
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Hey there Saints~ 
I had a fresh reminder of what some of your lives are like right now. Christie and I had our two grandboys spend the night last night and spent some time with us today. Boy, are we plum tuckered out. In recently reading Arissa’s blog the other day, I quote, “It seems like all we do is parent, work, read the bible and sleep.” We just did it one night, you all do it each and every day. Picture me bowing to you giving you blessings for all of your hard work. You are my heroes.
Yesterday was just so good. It really started on Saturday night when some folks came together to pray for our service together the next day. I think it made a difference. Great time of challenge. Great time of worship. Great time of seeing folks mingle and fellowship. Great time in the Word. Great time of working together for a common purpose. Continue reading →