Category: Family
Maybe Being Quarantined is Just What We Needed
Posted on April 7, 2020 in Family, Life, Public Policy by Nathan Cherry
Our culture has become so obsessed with entertainment in all its forms that we have almost forgotten how to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Our lack of contentment is not just a contribution to high levels of debt and lack of margin; our lack of contentment is a driving force in our break neck pace of life that we swear we love as we complain about constantly being tired and busy.
Traditional Masculinity: Why Being a Manly Man Isn’t Bad
Posted on January 22, 2020 in Family, Marriage, Sexuality by Nathan Cherry
The problem with the APA’s blanket assessment is the accusation that these qualities are somehow inherently bad. A better conversation would begin by asking if these qualities have value and how they can be properly expressed.
These 8 Questions are at the Heart of a Solid Financial Plan
Posted on December 4, 2019 in Family, Money by Nathan Cherry
Being able to answer a few questions can make the difference between a confident financial future and a disaster waiting to happen. Don’t wait for an emergency to begin protecting yourself and your family. If you can’t answer these 8 questions, it’s time to consult a financial professional today.
It’s funny how life changes in ways you never fully expected. You can plan for some things, but not in a fully comprehensive way until the time comes. The season of life I currently find myself in is like that. It’s been somewhat planned for the last 2 years but, now that it’s here, there’s a lot to think through.
Sunday: Is It The Lord’s Day or Just Another Day for Sports and Recreation?
Posted on May 22, 2018 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
There’s no doubt we are all aware of how sports has become a god in our culture. Kids sports are no different. It has often been noted that parents will drive for miles, sit out in the cold or rain, and spend large sums of money for their kids to play a game. The dedication parents and kids have to sports is admirable. But, as it’s often been noted, the same dedication doesn’t exist for the church.
Why Letting Your Kids “Figure It Out” is a Bad Idea
Posted on December 20, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I confess that I don’t understand the impulse to “let kids figure it out” for themselves. Not only does this go against the biblical imperative to teach and train our kids, it goes against our instinct as parents.
One Way to Eliminate Racism: Disciple Your Kids
Posted on August 31, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
This father, which seemed sincere, and sincerely heartbroken over his sons attitude and actions wants to make is clear that their family does not believe the same way. To emphasize this point the father wrote that his son has been disowned, uninvited to any family gatherings until he changes his ways. And the father specifically wanted everyone to know:
“We do not know specifically where he learned these beliefs. He did not learn them at home.”
This begs the question: where did he learn these beliefs?
Do Kids Really go to Heaven When They Die?
Posted on June 20, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
While we may have good intentions for our efforts to comfort grieving parents, Christians must make sure that their intentions, efforts, and words are based solely on Scripture. There is no real comfort in telling someone what cannot be supported by Scripture. So before we tell parents that their child is now in Heaven, we need to examine Scripture to determine whether that is true or not.
The traditional, somewhat historical position can be summed up in a statement by Sam Storms, writing at The Gospel Coalition, when he says:
Have You Begun to Catechize Your Children? Should You?
Posted on April 20, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
Most Protestant parents have never given catechism a first thought, much less a second-thought. Our Protestant churches, Baptist in particular, don’t consider catechism important and give no effort to teaching parents its importance.
In this short video, however, Tim Keller gives a few reasons why catechism is an important aspect of spiritual formation in children. Rather than relying solely on the church to teach and train kids parents are to be intimately involved in this process.
Catechism, meaning memorization, is not something only Catholics do, although we tend to think of Catholics when we think of catechism. Catechism is the process of spiritual formation designed to impart biblical knowledge and teach children God’s word. And, as Keller points out, “memorization always leads to mediation.” This memorization and meditation is one of the key benefits of catechism. But it’s also critical for spiritual formation in a culture that is saturated with information.
10 Lessons for Parents to Teach Their Children from John MacArthur
Posted on January 25, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I recently came across an article sharing the “Ten Crucial Lessons Every Father Should Teach,” from John MacArthur’s book Brave Dad. This list is not only biblically based it’s practical. Furthermore, it’s counter-cultural.
Look, the bottom line is that we live in a society that is upside down. The things that are valued in our culture go against the biblical values that we want to teach. And, in order to combat that anti-biblical teaching our kids are bombarded with in culture we must be diligent in teaching them, clearly, what the Bible says. It won’t happen by accident. And while we should expect our church to reinforce what we are teaching our kids at home, we should not expect our church to be the primary biblical teacher of our kids.
Look at how practical, and counter-cultural, these lessons we need to be teaching our kids are: