Home Makeover

Yesterday was so much fun. I got to demolish a house made out of graham crackers during my message. It was great. I used a big hammer and whacked away at it, resulting in hundreds of random bits of cracker flying everywhere. What a rush! I wish I could do it every Sunday! Now I know how Gallagher felt when he wailed on watermelons with the sledge-o-matic.

The house I destroyed represents a way of doing family life that is woefully inadequate and deserves to be demolished. In these poorly constructed homes Christ is not central. Prayers are not said and the bible is not read. The kids look at mom and dad and do not see a passionate love of Jesus. Academics and sports and moving up the corporate ladder are the big issues in the family, and spiritual values are not talked about, modeled, or seen as crucial. Parents rely on the church to teach spiritual values. They drop off the kids at church and hope the spiritual experts can Christianize their kids.

This does not work. Homes built like this need an extreme makeover.

Studies show that parents are 2-3 times more important in their children's spiritual development than anything the church tries to do. And the Bible places the responsibility of spiritual nurture squarely on the shoulders of parents. Parents are given the responsibility to teach, train, model, and impress the things of God upon their children.

It can be done And you can do it.

Joshua said "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Will you?

Take a look at Deuteronomy 6.4-9 this week.