The 4th of July is one of my favorite days of the year. It is a time for everyone who holds American birthrights to contemplate the tremendous freedoms, sacrifices, and privileges we have as a nation that are enjoyed in a minority of other countries around the world (see twitter updates on Iran today if you need an illustration). I am personally thankful for my father, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers who served in various wars over the last century to ensure my freedom to have a wife, raise children, to worship, to vote, etc.
On the 4th of July, I am even more grateful for the sacrifice of Christ on my behalf which brought me freedom from the tyranny of sin, Satan, hell, death, guilt, shame, and idolatry. These benefits are priceless, but it is King Jesus to whom I owe my ultimate allegiance, devotion, and worship.
Below I have reposted the Declaration of Independence. On this great day, read it to your kids, reflect on its implications, be grateful for the liberties that flow from the pens of our forefathers. But, as a Christian, don’t forget that we are free each day from the slavery of sin to serve & share King Jesus – let’s get busy!
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
As I mentioned previously, I am working through a series of books on parenting. At the moment, I am thoroughly enjoying Tim Kimmel’s Grace-Based Parenting. Throughout the opening chapters I have been challenged to view my parenting philosophy through the eyes and heart of God – to treat my kids as He has treated me in Christ.
Kimmel suggests that it is the job of every parent to build “significant purpose” into the lives of our children – generally, specifically, relationally, and spiritually. How should we tackle such a monumental task? Kimmel makes three keen observations that I think every parent should take to heart:
- Children feel significant when they are regularly affirmed – far from mindless self-esteem building, “affirmation catches your children doing things right. It notices when they do things you know don’t come easy to them . . . legitimate praise builds a solid resistance against the insults and put-downs that often bombard them from culture.”
- Children feel significant when they know they have our attention – “We need to have a working knowledge of our children’s likes and dislikes, their friends and their detractors, and the big things and the little things that matter most in their lives.”
- Children feel significant when they are gracefully admonished – “Sin represents a clear and present danger to our children as they try to achieve a significant purpose. That’s why we need due diligence in guarding their hearts for them when they are young and teaching them how to guard their own hearts as they get older.”
One of the things I pray for as I kneel beside my kids’ beds each night is that they would accomplish something great (in God’s eyes) for the Kingdom of God. That they would have the humility & wisdom to see what is right and the courage & confidence to do it. To that end, I offer those of us who are parents the following diagnostic questions as we seek together to train our kids to have a significant purpose for their lives:
- As a parent, am I pursuing God’s plans/purposes for my life?
- Do I teach my kids that their significance is in found in themselves (self-esteem) or in Christ (humility)?
- Do I communicate regularly to my kids, both in word & action, that God has created them for a purpose?
- Am I helping my children develop the kids of assets, skills, and heart that will prepare them for a life of purpose & meaning in God’s Kingdom?
- Am I modeling purposeful living by demonstrating repentance, obedience, risk, sacrifice, humility, and wisdom?
- Am I learning the hopes, dreams, frustrations, struggles, and aptitudes of each of my children individually? Or am I inadvertently squeezing them out of God’s image and into my own mold?
- Do I consistently instruct and discipline my kids (Duet. 6, Eph. 6) so as to show them how their sin leads to death and unfulfilled purpose?
We had an incredible week at camp this year. Major props to Jon Malko, Highview’s Video Director, for giving us the best quality video production we have had for camp in like eight years. Thank you leaders & staff for all of your hard work in my absence. My wife and daughter thank you as well!
This summer I am reading (and re-reading) everything I can get my hands on related to parenting, family ministry, biblical manhood/womanhood, child-rearing, etc. A few books that I plan to tackle are:
- Raising Dad by Thom & Art Rainer
- Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson
- Shepherding a Child’s Heart & Instructing a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp
- Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis
- Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel
- Age of Opportunity by Ted Tripp
- What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter by Voddie Baucham
A few minutes ago, I finished up a book my good friend and fellow youth pastor Steve Wright called Apparent Privilege. The book is a short but impactful read challenging parents to take up their God-given responsibility to disciple their children instead of simply “dropping them off” at church for the spiritual stuff. What I love about the book is its practicality – it is filled with helpful suggestions and tips from not only a youth pastor but a father of three teenage children. Some habits of effective parents that Wright highlights:
- Family worship
- Praying as a family
- Serving as a family
- Passage trips (mini-trips designed to mark the passage from childhood to adulthood)
- Journaling
- Journey days (events intended to affirm and initiate children into biblical manhood/womanhood)
- Family dinnertime
I would highly recommend this book for parents with children of any age still at home. While this is certainly not the only method for discipling your children, it stands as one effective strategy for getting the ball rolling. What’s your strategy? How are you being intentional about teaching your children to become the godly men & women God has created them to be in Christ? Remember, no strategy IS a losing strategy.
As of 8:50 AM yesterday, I am officially the proud dad of a beautiful, precious little baby girl named Lilly Claire Shields. At 9 lbs, 11 oz and 21.5 in. long, suffice it to say that she was ready to roll outta that cozy womb. I still am not sure how my wife was able to pull that off the last few weeks.
After being a dad of boys for the last couple of years, I wasn’t too sure about this whole girl thing. And to boot, the innumerable accessories, murderous thoughts about future boyfriends, and comments from other dads about “being wrapped around her finger” didn’t really help at all.
However, with an amazing 26 hours under my belt, I have to say that I couldn’t imagine how incredible it is to have a baby girl. As we sat in recovery, I stared at her, talked to her, and prayed over her in a protective way that was different than with the boys. As I look to the future, I am absolutely stoked about dressing her up, daddy-daughter dates, ponytails, biblical womanhood, and one day walking her down the aisle and giving her away to a trustworthy man of God. Not to mention I’ll have at least one child that will take care of me – altogether it’s a pretty good deal! Jesus, thanks for enlarging the Shields’ tent with this precious gift of grace.
I have no idea what I am in for tomorrow. Surprise. Joy. Pink. Crying (her and me). Doctors. More pink. Celebration. And, most of all, a brand new love. We can’t wait to meet you Lilly Claire – and I hope you look like your mother.
In honor of this unfathomable shuffle in the gender composition of the Shields’ clan, I wanted to link to a moving article entitled “What I’ve Learned From Raising a Daughter.” The original article appeared at Art of Manliness, a GREAT website for men and manhood (I don’t think it’s Christian). It was written by a first-time dad of a girl who was surprised by how much his little girl changed the way he viewed life. Here were his some of his main points:
- Men are born to protect – “Though I’m sure that this instinct is there with boys as well, the strong conviction I have to protect my daughter is greater than nearly anything I’ve felt in my life. It isn’t a feeling that has to be worked up, it’s just there, like cement, daring someone to move it.”
- Girls keep a man’s heart from growing too cold – “ Perhaps it’s because I went to a military academy, or spent too much time watching ‘Gladiator,’ but I realized after the birth of my daughter that my heart had grown a bit hard. My compassion, patience and grace were all lacking…It’s not that I have now become a bumbling mess of emotion and softness since the birth of my daughter, but I have allowed myself to accept that not everything in life is simply a resource that must be dedicated to some ultimate victory.”
- Every girl is some man’s daughter
- Living for someone else – “One of the greatest tests of manhood is whether or not one has learned to abandon their life in the service of another…It doesn’t take much effort to be selfish. In fact, it’s one of the most natural ways for us to live. Children plop into our lives as miniature insurgents, waging war with our lifestyle of ‘me first.’ My daughter has opened my eyes to the beautiful struggle parents face in giving their lives to their children.”
Great thoughts from Kevin DeYoung on why memorial day is still worth remembering for the church. Here is a summary of his main points:
- Being a soldier is not a sub-Christian activity
- The life of a soldier can demonstrate the highest Christian virtues
- Military service is one of the most common metaphors in the New Testament to describe the Christian life
- Love of country can be a good thing
- This may be controversial to some, but I believe the facts of history will demonstrate that on the whole, the United States military has been a force for good in the world.
Pastor James McDonald of Harvest Bible explains the benefits of a high deposit, high withdrawal culture of leadership in the local church. “High deposit” refers to a generous level of support, affirmation, encouragement, and investment in one’s church leadership team. “High withdrawal” means that everyone is “expected to show up at work swinging for the fences everyday…because people’s eternities hang in the balance.”
Mark Driscoll responds to the Newsweek article that has made so many headlines with its discussion of “The End of Christian America.” Driscoll argues that the report, rather than signaling the looming death of Christianity, could actually be encouraging and clarifying for evangelical churches and pastors:
Subsequently, the Newsweek report simply confirms the fact that, just as Christendom has died in Europe and the major American cities, it is now dying in the suburban and rural areas of America as well. With the social benefits of professing to be a Christian no longer in place and the social stigma of not professing to be a Christian now lifted, those who were part of Christendom America are simply no longer pretending to be part of Christian America.
Since those who professed faith but did not practice faith were confusing to account for, this is actually a good thing. Now, it is more likely that if someone is a Christian or non-Christian, he or she will state so plainly.
Ed Young Jr, pastor of Fellowship Church in Texas, is one of the most creative communicators/preachers on the planet. In this video he shares how he prepares his messages and what tools he uses for study. Interesting.
HT: 210 Leadership Blog
