Our Children

jbowman@jb3music.com (James L. Bowman III) — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 06:12:00 -0700

My wife and I love our children. That being said, occasionally we (as many parents have felt at one time or another), wonder if pro-creation was a good idea.

A few years ago I began to study my children's habits and read about tendencies in teenagers. What an epiphany. I had placed false expectations on my children. They were expected to act like adults while they were still children. What a mistake. The Lord began to show me that the same way that there is a emotional and physical maturation, there is also a spititual maturation. It is unreasonable to expect our children to perform and make decisions as an adult would at the age of 10 or 15 or even 20. They have not lived long enough. Some things they have not experienced yet. How can they possibly have perfected their decision making process.

What then is the solution. THE WORD OF GOD...! Through it, God began to show me that I needed to pray for my children, have worship with them, talk with them and not talk at them, but with them. When these and other items are accomplished, then we have postured ourselves to claim the text that admonishes us to train up a child in the way that h/she should go, and when he/she is old, the training will not be departed from.

Let us as parents treat our children as the gift from God that they are. Discipline from a perspective of getting them to the kingdom of God and not because we are mad. Parenting is a daunting and awsome responsibility. With God's help, we will perservere.

God bless the parents who are attempting to raise their children in the fear and admonition of You.

Amen

Music and Christianity

jbowman@jb3music.com (James L. Bowman III) — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 05:40:00 -0700

It is very early on Sabbath morning. I am awake (because I went to bed too early) and can't go back to sleep. During family worship on Friday evening, we discussed the fact that being a Christian requires personal sacrifice. Christians, because of their beliefs, will not always get the good jobs, the best parts in the play or the best music deals. God has led many of us to use music as a medium through which we can propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Unfortunately, many of us have blurred the lines such that the world is not sure what side we are on. God has placed a burden on me to proclaim His name through music. I fully understand and accept that I may not ever be rich or famous. But I hear the word of God say, "... what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul..." Fellow Christians, let's not provide any ambiguity for the world. Let's make sure that they know that there is a difference in what we do and what they do. Not from a posture of obnoxious piety, but from a loving perspective that communicates to the world that God loves them and so do we. We will become the true light bearers in a dark world that God has called us to be. Consequently, the world will see the Jesus in us and want to make a change.

Your's in Christ

jB3