In a world that is fast-paced, demanding, and stressful, in a society that demands quick fixes and easy solutions, it is difficult to take the time to just think. I mean, what is the point of just thinking? Well, learning to be alone with our thoughts is actually quite important, especially when it comes to our mental and physical wellbeing! Adopting a thinker mindset is actually an important key for achieving meaningful success in school, work, and life! We need downtime to function optimally. We need downtime for our brain to function optimally! To cope with the demands of life, our minds and brains need to internally “reboot,” which can only happen when we are alone with our thoughts, in these “thinker” moments which I also discuss in my new book, Think, Learn, Succeed. We literally need to switch off all external stimuli, giving our thoughts some quality “me time,” or your mind and brain will just not function at the level needed for success! Contrary to popular belief, the mind does not grind to a halt when you are doing nothing. Spontaneous thought processes, including mind-wandering, creative thinking, and daydreaming, arise when thoughts are relatively free from focused thinking and external influences. When we take time to switch off to what’s going on around us and just think, we improve our ability to focus, which in turn increases creativity. When you get into these daydream modes, memory improves dramatically and it’s easier to learn new information and you increase your intelligence as a bonus! Without this natural thinking mode, we wouldn’t be able to reach those insights and inspirational highs that change our world. Like Isaac Newton, we should all spend more time sitting under trees and just thinking! What are some ways you can learn to incorporate “thinker” moments into your life? Are cellphones and other devices stealing your “thinker” moments? Observe yourself for a several days, making note of how much you use technology. The average person spends up to eight hours a day using technology. Some of the worst effects of electronic devices seem to be mitigated when devices are used less than two hours a day. Find ways to limit your use of technology throughout the day. Thinker moments aren’t an odd quirk of the mind, but are natural and spontaneous. Allocate time, at least sixteen minutes a day (which can be spread across the day), to just think and allow your mind to wander. Thinker moments teach you how to live the examined life. When your mind wanders, think about what you are thinking about and your own experiences, perhaps writing about your thoughts in a journal or on a notepad. Thinker moments are actually preventative against dementias because they enhance brain health! When you don’t feel like being a “thinker,” remember that these moments increase your brain health and your intelligence! drleaf.com . Used by permission.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 NIV Do you know how to comfort and reassure your children? When tragedy, disease and death strike as they have in recent news headlines, we adults often feel the need to protect our children, but that is impossible. With the age of technology and instant communications around the world through television, internet and social media, children can be witness to tragic and horrifying life events. As adult role models and caretakers of the children around us we are challenged in two ways when disaster or tragedy strike on either a personal or community wide level. First we have to process our own feelings of grief and distress, and then we need to help our children do the same. As a parent, guardian, teacher or caregiver to children, you can’t shield children from traumatic events or grief, but you can help them express their feelings, comfort them, and help them feel safer. This is important to remember: By allowing and encouraging them to express their feelings, you can help children build healthy coping skills that will serve them well in the future, and to instill in themselves confidence that they can overcome adversity when it happens. 1. Be there to break the news or explain what happened to the children if possible. When a tragic event happens that will get wide coverage, don’t delay telling your children about what’s happened: It’s much better for the child if someone they know and feel safe with is the one who tells them the bad news. It would be better if the news comes from you or another safe person in the child’s life rather than from some other child, a television news report, or the headlines on the front page of your newspaper. The event may be less shocking or traumatic if you or another safe adult in the child’s life is able to convey the facts, however painful, and set the emotional tone. 2. Watch the child’s reactions and follow their lead. Ask the child to tell you anything that they may have heard about the tragic event, and then ask how they are feeling about the news. Allow the child the emotional time and space to process what has happened and the opportunity to ask questions. You want to be prepared to answer the specific questions they have about the upsetting details. Do not give them information that they don’t ask for that may be unnecessary for them to know or particularly upsetting. Don’t prompt them with questions you think they might have. Your goal in answering their questions is to give them enough honest information about the event to avoid encouraging frightening fantasies. Don’t lie about the facts, but don’t scare the child either. 3. Be calm and set the emotional tone of the conversation. It is fine to express your emotional responses to the tragic event. (Sometimes it may be necessary for you to express your overwhelming emotional responses with other adults, and talk to the children after you have had time to calm down and compose yourself.) If you talk to the child about a traumatic experience in a highly emotional way, then he or she will likely react in a similar highly emotional way without fully comprehending what has happened. If you remain as calm as possible, the child will feel secure in listening to what is important in your message to them. If they sense you have lost control, they may be more traumatized by the news. Remember children in traumatic situations need to feel secure and safe. They will not feel safe or secure if you or other adults are extremely emotional. 4. Give the children assurance and a feeling that they are still safe and cared for. Talking about a tragic accident, act of violence or death is especially tough because of how egocentric children are: most likely they will focus in on if something similar could happen to them or people that they care for. Therefore, it is important to reassure your child about how unusual this kind of event is. Also explain to them the measures or safeguards that have been taken to prevent this kind of thing from happening to them. Also assure them that this kind of event is investigated by authorities carefully, to identify causes and help prevent it from happening again. Answer questions they ask, and don’t be afraid to say you don’t know the answers if you don’t. 5. Give them permission to talk about their thoughts or emotions. In all your discussions about the tragic event, you can suggest ways your child might remember those who have been affected or killed by the events. Letting them draw pictures or tell stories about the event or loved ones lost to death. If you’re religious, going to church and your faith community could be extremely reassuring to the child. Always let the child know that they can feel safe to talk with you about anything they need to concerning the event. Also avoid trying to tell the child how they should feel or respond to the event. Let them tell you how they feel and respond without judging them. 6. Explain the event to children in language they can understand. Don’t volunteer too much information which can be overwhelming… Do your best to answer honestly and clearly in language appropriate for their developmental stage. . Difficult conversations like this won’t be over in one session. You can expect children to return to the topic as many times as they personally need to come to terms with this experience. 7. Make yourself available and listen. If your child is upset, just spending time with him or her will most likely make them feel safer. Children find great comfort in schedules and routines. Involve the whole family in doing ordinary things together, and that may be the most effective way to help your child heal from the trauma. 8. Remember those who die in tragic events on a regular basis. Help to evoke memories of the people who die by drawing pictures, sharing stories, or with rituals like releasing balloons. Those times of remembering can all be good, positive ways to help provide healing time for a child. Remind the child that a person continues to live on in the hearts and minds of others. Another form of remembering the person lost comes when doing something to help others in need: it can be therapeutic and help children not only feel good about themselves but learn a very healthy way to respond to trauma and grief. www.grief-works.org

Share 0 History is being played out on two levels. One is seen, the other is unseen. One has humans as the main actors; the other has “gods” as the main actors. The two scripts are interwoven but not identical. What happens among the “gods” affects what happens among us. And what happens among us affects what happens among them. The pattern of evil in the visible human fabric is a pattern woven by the invisible “gods.” Nevertheless the pattern comes from the “inventions” of human hearts and we are responsible moral agents not mere pawns of the “principalities and powers.” Psalm 82 is an amazing exposè of the “gods”—what the New Testament calls “principalities and powers and world rulers of this present darkness.” God comes to the assembly of the “gods” and rebukes them for the pattern of evil in the world. Verse 1: “God takes His stand in the assembly of God; He judges in the midst of the gods.” This is what he says. (Remember he is talking to the “gods,” not to mere humans): 2 How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. Verse five refers to the victims of the darkness caused by the “world rulers of this present darkness.” They are the people whom Hosea says are “destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Paul says that the “god of this world” darkens the minds of unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). God is calling to account the “powers of darkness” for this destructive darkening. It even shakes the foundations of the earth, because the foundations are light and truth. If darkness prevails, the foundations are shaken. Then God warns the “gods.” He tells them that, although they are “sons of the Most High” (that is, angels, cf. Job 1:6; 38:7), nevertheless they will “die like men.” They are not men but they will die like men. 6 I said, “You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. 7 Nevertheless you will die like men, and fall like any one of the princes.” This is what Jesus was referring to when he said that “the eternal fire [was] prepared for the devil and his angels”—that is for the “gods”. In other words, their end will be as ignominious and horrible as the ordinary sinners they have used to weave their fabric of evil. God asserts the truth we must hold to through all the cosmic conflict of this age: All the nations belong to God. Satan is a liar (using a half-truth to lie) when he says to Jesus in Luke 4:6 that the earth is his and he gives it to whomever he wills. No. The truth is: 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is thou who dost possess all the nations. Our God owns the nations. The “gods” are permitted for a season to wreak havoc. We are called to see beyond their suicidal schemes of sin. We are called to stand with God and bear witness to his truth against the darkness. In due time he will defeat all his enemies and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Exposing and resisting with you, Pastor John re-printed from www.desiringgod.org.

These days there’s a lot of talk about “unity” in the church. On the one side, there are Christians who insist that any talk of “race” and racism threatens the unity of the church. On the other side, there are Christians who insist that avoiding conversation and action regarding “race” and racism is itself evidence of disunity. In the former case, there’s great emphasis on biblical texts that teach our essential equality before God through Christ. In the latter case, there’s great emphasis on biblical texts that require the practice of reconciliation between believers in Christ. Who’s right? Well, like so many things, the truth is in the middle, or at least combines both positions when they’re rightly understood. In one sense, the Christian church is already unified through our spiritual union with Christ. By his death, Jesus Christ was “killing the hostility” (Eph. 2:16) that existed between God and humanity since the fall of Adam and Eve into sin (Rom. 8:7). Through his crucifixion and resurrection, the Lord Jesus makes all Christians “one new man” (Eph. 2:15). You might think of the Christian family as one new ethnicity made up of people from all natural ethnicities who have been “reconciled to God through one body in the cross” (Eph. 2:16). In this reconciliation is union with Christ and union with one another (Rom. 6:3-4, 11; 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:27; etc) and a new identity that eclipses and relativizes the old (1 Cor. 9:19-23). In that spiritual union, regarding our equality before God and with one another, “there is neither Jew nor Greek” (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). Jesus accomplishes our unity in his redemptive work on the cross. In another sense, our experience of unity is not yet perfected. We see that our unity, like all of our redemption, belongs to an already-not yet tension. We are already unified in Christ through faith in him, but we have yet to experience the fullness of that unity inside the Church militant. So the Christian church must “do everything to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). We must help feuding sisters agree (Phil. 4:2-3). We must remind one another that our favorite teachers did not die for us and we were not baptized into them, but must “have the same mind and judgement” (1 Cor. 1:10-12). We must address the complaints of widows from differing linguistic backgrounds (Acts 6). We must, like the church of the apostolic era, wrestle with how and on what basis and to what extent unity between Jew and Gentile (or Gentile and Gentile for that matter) can be practically realized in the one body of Christ our Lord (Acts 15). Christ has begun the work, and in the end Christ will complete the work. But here in the in-between-time the Lord has left us the ministry of reconciliation—a ministry that involves proclaiming the gospel to sinners (2 Cor. 5:16-21) but also practicing reconciliation among saints as an act of worship (Matt. 5:23-24). By all these inclusive practices of love, we are meant to tie ourselves together into an unbreakable knot with Christ as the main cord. But carrying on the conversation as if only one side is true is a fool’s errand. Trying to “rig” the conversation so that the force of the “other side’s” argument gets blunted is disingenuous. Let God be true and every man a liar. Let the whole counsel of God give us balance and integrity in an already-not-yet tension that gives us a foretaste of glory while calling us to the sweat of sanctification. If there is to be a fuller experience of unity the cost will include humbling ourselves beneath God’s entire Word, humbling ourselves to fellowship with brethren on all “sides” of the issue, humbling ourselves to accept history and social science that both affirms and condemns everyone involved in different ways, humbling ourselves to tell the truth without varnish, humbling ourselves long enough to listen and consider before responding, humbling ourselves to say “I was wrong” or “you were right” or “please forgive me” or “I didn’t know that,” and humbling ourselves to forgive. Let’s insert the entire book of James here, because without humility there will be too much pride for true practical unity. Humility. That’s the cost of unity. Is it too high a cost? Time will tell… www.thegospelcoalition.org .

Paul letter to the Philippian Church contains Paul’s keys to contentment. It is not born in you. It’s a decision you make. This is the man who preached to the Gentiles when everyone else was evangelizing the Jews. He was the guy that didn’t circumcise converts. He reprimanded Peter for refusing to shut down prejudice. Philippians 4:13 is the most famous verse in the Bible. Contentment is a skill to be learned. Philippians was a letter to a church that Paul founded. We need to discover where Paul was emotionally and spiritually when he wrote the book. Philippians 4:10-19 “I HAVE LEARNED the hard way to trust him. To be content WHATEVER the circumstances. It is not my situation that regulates my satisfaction. I have learned the secret of being content.” Paul says, “I was good before you got here-I’m good. Even before you sent your gift. I am amply supplied.” Here are Paul’s “Contentment Commandments” God is a God of freedom. When God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, He began the process of getting Egypt out of them. We would rather stay with familiar addictions, familiar mindsets because it feels normal. We choose normal rather than new. God wants you free from the need to be approved by others. Before the 10 Commandments, God wanted the Jews to be free. Did Paul get justice? Paul was unjustly accused. He was treated as a common criminal rather than a Roman citizen. Paul in chains was freer than a lot of us. Paul has expressed freedoms in his letter to the Philippians:? Chapter one: Freedom from fear. I don’t care whether I die or live. Kill me. I’ll see Christ. If you leave me here, I’ll keep working. Chapter two: Free from my flesh. I don’t have anything to prove. I am doing the will of God. He imitates Christ’s servanthood. Chapter four: It’s almost a P.S. I can do all things through Christ. It’s a weight lifting verse. “God will supply all your needs.” A ‘P.S.” is a perspective shift. 1. THOU SHALT REMEMBER TO REJOICE. The worst thing you can do-is forget how He loves, you redeems you. Worship songs remind you to surrender. Contentment means nobody has to remind you to rejoice. “Again I say rejoice!” How easy it is to forget. We often have selective memory-remember those good things to rejoice. Make a movie in your mind. Delete evil-enhance the good. In the final cut in Hollywood, the terms means you have the final say over what goes on the big screen. But for Christians, you can have the final cut. Remember the blessings. Rejoice in the victories. Bless the Lord at all times. Bless the Lord in the midst of battles. Paul wrote terrible thank you notes. Mom raised him right. He sat at the feet of Gamaliel, Pharisee of Pharisees. But Paul was not a good thank-you note writer! “I rejoice in the Lord that AT LAST you send me a little something. Indeed you were concerned but had not opportunity. There was a period of silence. He could have thought, “Nobody cares about me.” How do you interpret silence? 2. REFUSE TO RESENT. He refused to live in the prison of resentment. No windows, only bars. I choose to assume that you wanted to help me. Refuse to resent others in every situation. How do you view your past? You can live in resentment or contentment. God wants his children free. You have to be like Joseph. It does matter that you had rough times in the past. Joseph said, “God sent me here to save your lives!” The only one free was Joseph who was in prison. I will not another day I refuse to live in resentment when Christ died to set me free. 3. APPRECIATE ALL SEASONS. ”…When you renewed your concerned for me.” The Greek word means you caused your concern to bloom. Church is seasonal sometimes, like the summer. Some people get busy in certain seasons of the year. God is not as important as other things. You have to live through bad seasons. “A re-building year.” It means you are losing. Right now the nights are long and the days are short. Paul says it was a long winter, but there is spring. To everything there is a season. I know how to have plenty, and I know how to be pruned. 4. THOU SHALT KEEP A SECRET STASH. Paul wrote, “I choose to believe the best. I got your gift. It took awhile. I didn’t really need it.” If you are going to house and you don’t know if the food is good, pre-eat. Be spiritually full before you come to church. “It’s nice but I don’t need it.” I get high on my own supply. I have some songs I can sing all by myself. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.? 5. THOU SHALT NOT CONFUSE THE SUPPLY WITH THE SOURCE. What happened to the Israelites waiting for Moses when they danced around the Golden Calf? They got the created things, instead of their Creator. Paul starts by saying “I rejoice in the LORD for sending the gift.” Not, “I rejoice in the gift. “ However God blesses you in every season, He was the one who provided it. You might be living in dual seasons. You may have a great job, but also have wayward kids. Everybody needs to know your life, no matter how good or bad, is from God’s hand. You reject the blessing because of the burden. “I am not the drink, I’m the straw.” It takes the pressure off me, the preacher. Got a new car? Every good and perfect gift comes from God. God is my source. If you believe that, you will have no problem following Him. Paul wrote, “When I first started out, not one church was giving me anything.” He was making tents. Paul was staying up late working to pay for his ministry. 6. THOU SHALT NOT DOWNPLAY DISAPPOINTMENT. Paul could be disappointed. But he refused to define himself by setbacks. He knew disappointment sends you to destiny if you stay with it. “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living,” Contentment begins with trust in a good God. www.elevationchurch.com .

There are over 300 identifiable human needs. So how do you meet the needs of the children in your home? These thirty needs are carefully described with accompanying Scriptures. Tape this on your refrigerator (or on your desk at work) and be sure that your child has that need met on that particular day of the month. He or she will love you for it! (Except on the 12th-Disicpline!) THE ART OF PARENTING-UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL NEEDS 1. Acceptance (Romans 15:7): Openly receive your child just as he/she is. Love them unconditionally. 2. Admonition (Romans 15:14): Give constructive guidance in what to avoid. Warn and instruct about harmful situations or influences. 3. Affection (Romans 16:16): Communicate care and closeness through physical touch and affirming words. 4. Appreciation/Praise (1 Corinthians 11:12): Express words and feelings of personal gratefulness for your child and for what they do. 5. Approval (Romans 14:18): Commend and speak well of your child. 6. Attention (1 Corinthians 12:25): Enter into your child’s world. 7. Comfort (1 Thessalonians 4:18): Come alongside your child with words, feeling and touch. Console with tenderness. 8. Compassion (Hebrews 10:34): Suffer through your child’s hurts and burdens with them. Empathize. 9. Confession (James 5:16): Admit and/or confess when you are wrong or have hurt your child. Ask for their forgiveness. 10. Deference (Ephesians 5:21): Yield or postpone your own needs for the benefit of your child. 11. Devotion (Romans 12:10): Dedicate yourself to your child. Give them committed care. 12. Discipline (Proverbs 23:13): Correct when boundaries are crossed and limits exceeded. 13. Edification, Build up (Romans 14:19): Positively promote your child’s values and morals, growth and development. 14. Encouragement (Hebrews 10:24): Motivate your child. Positively persuade him/her toward attainable goals. 15. Forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32): Cancel out and release wrongs committed and give unconditional love. 16. Harmony (1 Peter 3:8): Create an atmosphere of secure love, unity and peace. 17. Hospitality (1 Peter 4:9): Receive others with an open, welcoming heart. 18. Intimacy (1 John 1:7): Be vulnerable. Know your child deeply and let him/her know you. Share your lives together. 19. Kindness (Ephesians 4:32): Serve tenderly and sensitively. 20. Love (John 13:34): Lay down your life unselfishly for your child just as Jesus did for you. 21. Prayer (James 5:16): Daily pray for your child’s spiritual, mental, physical and emotional well being. 22. Respect (Romans 12:10): Value and regard highly; convey great worth to your child. 23. Security (Mark 9:50): Assure your child of your protection and care. Keep him/her from danger. 24. Serve (Galatians 5:13): Gladly and unselfishly meet your child’s needs. 25. Support (Galatians 6:2): Come alongside your child and help them. 26. Sympathy (1 Peter 3:8): Identify with your child emotionally when they are hurting. 27. Teaching (Colossians 3:16): Give constructive, positive instruction on how to live. 28. Tolerance (Ephesians 4:2): Patiently endure the humanness of your child. 29. Training (Luke 6:40): Prepare your child to face life’s issues. 30. Understanding: (Romans 12:16) Seek to know your child, to hear what they’re saying and discern why they are responding in a certain way.

Why did Peter deny Christ? And why do so many of us ignore the need to be humble before God and engage in spiritual warfare? For most, the term spiritual warfare introduces a new but not necessarily welcomed dimension in their Christian experience. The thought of facing spiritual battles is an unsettling concept, especially since we came to Jesus as lost sheep, not warriors. Ultimately, some of us may never actually initiate spiritual warfare, but all of us must face the fact that the devil has initiated warfare against us. Therefore, it is essential to our basic well-being that we discern the areas of our nature that are unguarded and open to satanic assault. Jude tells us, “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). When Satan rebelled against God, he was placed under eternal judgment in what the Bible calls “pits” (2 Pet. 2:4) or “bonds” of darkness. The devil and the fallen angels with him have been relegated to live in darkness. This darkness does not simply refer to areas void of visible light. The eternal darkness to which this Scripture refers is essentially a moral darkness, which ultimately degrades into literal darkness. However, its cause is not simply the absence of light; it is the absence of God, who is light. It is vital to recognize that this darkness to which Satan has been banished is not limited to areas outside of humanity. Unlike those who do not know Jesus, however, we have been delivered out of the domain or “authority” of darkness (see Colossians 1:13). We are not trapped in darkness if we have been born of light. But if we accommodate darkness through tolerance of sin, we leave ourselves vulnerable to satanic assault. For wherever there is willful disobedience to the Word of God, there is spiritual darkness and the potential for demonic attack. Thus Jesus warned, “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness” (Luke 11:35 KJV). There is a light in you. “The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord” (Prov. 20:27). Your spirit, illuminated by the Spirit of Christ, becomes the “lamp of the Lord” through which He searches your heart. There is indeed a holy radiance surrounding a true Spirit-filled Christian. But when you harbor sin, the “light which is in thee” is “darkness.” Satan has a legal access, given to him by God, to influence you. Thus, we must grasp this point: The devil can traffic in any area of darkness, even the darkness that still exists in a Christian’s heart. God’s Thresher An example of Satan having access to the carnal side of human nature is seen in Peter’s denial of Jesus. It is obvious that Peter failed. What we do not readily see, however, is what was occurring in the invisible world of the spirit. Jesus predicted accurately that Peter would deny Him three times. Anyone looking at Peter’s actions that night might have simply concluded his denial was a manifestation of fear. Yet, Peter was not fearful by nature. This was the disciple who, a few hours earlier, drew a sword against the multitudes who had come to arrest Jesus. No, human fear did not cause Peter to deny the Lord. Peter’s denial was satanically induced. Jesus had warned the apostle, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Behind the scenes, Satan had demanded and received permission to sift Peter like wheat. Satan had access to influence an area of darkness in Peter’s heart. How did Satan cause Peter’s fall? After eating the Passover, Jesus told His disciples that one of them was going to betray Him. Scripture continues, “They began to discuss among themselves which one of them . . . was going to do this thing” (Luke 22:23). This was a very somber time. Yet, during this terrible moment, “there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was . . . greatest” (Luke 22:24). They went from an attitude of shock and dismay to an argument concerning who among them was the greatest! Evidently Peter, the water-walker, who was also the boldest and most outspoken of the apostles, prevailed. We can imagine that Peter’s high visibility among the disciples left him with an air of superiority, which was fanned by Satan into an attitude of presumption and boasting. Peter, being lifted up by pride, was being set up for a fall. Pride caused Satan’s fall, and pride was the very same darkness manipulated by Satan to cause Peter’s fall. Lucifer, from experience, knew well the judgment of God against religious pride and envy. He knew personally that pride goes “before a fall” (Prov. 16:18 KJV). Satan did not have a right to indiscriminately assault and destroy Peter. He had to secure permission from Peter’s Lord before he could come against the young apostle. But the fact is, the devil demanded permission to sift Peter, and he received it. Submit to God The trip wire that Satan used to cause Peter’s fall was the disciple’s own sin of pride. Let us recognize before we do warfare that the areas we hide in darkness are the very areas of our future defeat. Often the battles we face will not cease until we discover and repent for the darkness that is within us. If we will be effective in spiritual warfare, we must be discerning of our own hearts; we must walk humbly with our God. Our first course of action must be, “Submit . . . to God.” Then, as we “resist the devil . . . he will flee” (James 4:7). Satan will NEVER be given permission to destroy the saints. Rather, he is limited to sifting us “like wheat.” The good news is that God knows there is wheat inside each of us. The outcome of this type of satanic assault, which is allowed through the permissive will of God, is to cleanse the soul of pride and produce greater meekness and transparency in our lives. It may feel terrible, but God causes it to work for good. Our husk-like outer nature must die to facilitate the breaking forth of the wheat-like nature of the new creation man. Both the chaff and the husk were necessary; they provided protection for us from the harsh elements of this life. But before God can truly use us, in one way or another we will pass through a time of threshing. Peter’s husk nature was presumptuous and proud. His initial successes had made him ambitious and self-oriented. God can never entrust His kingdom to anyone who has not been broken of pride, for pride is the armor of darkness itself. So, when Satan demanded permission to assault Peter, Jesus said in effect, You can sift him, but you cannot destroy him. The warfare against Peter was devastating but MEASURED. It served the purpose of God. Peter was ignorant of the areas of vulnerability within him, and his ignorance left him open to attack. But the Lord would ask each of us, “Do you know the areas where you are vulnerable to satanic assault?” Jesus would have us not be ignorant of our need. In fact, when He reveals the sin in our hearts, it is so He might destroy the works of the devil. Thus, we should realize that the greatest defense we can have against the devil is to maintain an honest heart before God. When the Holy Spirit shows us an area that needs repentance, we must overcome the instinct to defend ourselves. We must silence the little lawyer who steps out from a dark closet in our minds, pleading, “My client is not so bad.” Your “defense attorney” will defend you until the day you die—and if you listen to him you will never see what is wrong in you nor face what needs to change. For you to succeed in warfare, your self-preservation instincts must be submitted to the Lord Jesus, for Christ alone is your true advocate. We cannot engage in spiritual battle without embracing this knowledge. Indeed, James 4:6 says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” God is opposed to the proud. That is a very important verse. If God is opposed to the proud, and we are too proud to humble ourselves and admit when we are wrong, then God is opposed to us. James continues in verse 7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” When we see this verse, it is usually all by itself as a monument to spiritual warfare. However, it is in the context of repentance, humility, and possessing a clean heart that we find Satan fleeing from us. We must go beyond a vague submission to God; we must submit the exact area of our personal battle to Him. When we come against the power of the devil, it must be from a heart in submission to Jesus. There is a recurring precept here. It is vital that you know, understand, and apply this principle for your future success in spiritual warfare. That principle is this: Victory begins with the name of Jesus on your lips, but it will not be consummated until the nature of Jesus is in your heart. This rule applies to every facet of spiritual warfare. Indeed, Satan will be allowed to come against the area of your weakness until you realize God’s only answer is to become Christlike. As you begin to appropriate not just the NAME of Jesus but His NATURE as well, the adversary will withdraw! Satan will not continue to assault you if the circumstances he designed to destroy you are now working to perfect you. The outcome of Peter’s experience was that after Pentecost, when God used him to heal a lame man, a more humble Peter spoke to the gathering crowd. He asked, “Why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?” (Acts 3:12). Peter’s victory over pride and the devil began with the name of Jesus on his lips, and it was consummated by the nature of Jesus in his heart. The darkness in Peter was displaced with light; the pride in Peter was replaced with Christ. —Adapted from Francis’ book, The Three Battlegrounds

The black and orange holiday is here. You may be ready to don your red spandex Iron Man suit to trick or treat with your child. I personally like to dress as Princess Leah because I can strap donuts to my ears to munch along the way. I’ve already written about Satanic influences in my last article: on Witches, Spells, Voodoo and Halloween. If you and your kids must march around the block mooching Snickers from unsuspecting seniors, be creative. Teach your kids some Bible truths along the way. Don’t be scared of death. Jesus, the ultimate Superhero, smashed Satan, stormed the gates of hell and conquered death. Because He rose from the dead, He promised that we can too. “When Jesus went up to heaven, He took those who were held with Him. He gave gifts to men.” When they say, “He went up,” what does it mean but that He had first gone down to hell? Christ Who went down into the deep also went up far above the heavens. He did this to fill all the world with Himself.” Ephesians 4:8-10 NLV 2. We die only once. Forget the Zombies, the ghosts and the spooks. “It is appointed once for a man to die and after that the judgment.” Ender’s Game? Here it is. We all have a choice before we die, to accept or reject Jesus. Now is the time to ask Him to be Lord of your heart, not Lord of the Rings. “Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.” Hebrews 9:27 3. Blood is good. Not Vampire-sucking, scary-gory murder blood. Jesus’ blood is like Tide. It’s detergent, designed to wash your sins away. When He went to the cross, he poured His own blood on the Altar before His Father. Jesus’ blood is good. He even told His disciples when they saw blood, they should cherish and recall His sacrifice for them. “When Christ went through the tent and entered once and for all into the Most Holy Place, he did not take the blood of goats and bulls to offer as a sacrifice; rather, he took his own blood and obtained eternal salvation for us.” Hebrews 9:12 GNV 4. The Day of the Dead was originally created to remember loved ones who have passed away and honor them. That’s not a bad idea. Teach your son or daughter that it’s okay to be sad when you lose someone you love. Write down a few happy memories about Grandma Ethel or Grandpa Joe. Talk about their lives, and talk about heaven. Lost pets need mourning, too. Barky the Beagle, Whiskers the cat and Bubbles the goldfish should be remembered, too. Flushing your limp fishy down the toilet doesn’t give your child closure. My husband wrote an article for just such an occasion. It’s called “Do Dogs Go to Heaven?” “Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 KJV Remember, Halloween is a great time to reach your neighbors with the love of Christ. Our church has a great outreach called “BOO-gers and Halloweenies.” Families in each neighborhood gather around the grill, show love and compassion and share their faith. Trick or treat if you must. Let your child ask questions about what they see and hear. Teach them to be polite and grateful. Make them share the loot, not hoard it like an evil hobbit. Otherwise they will be hyped up on caffeine and sugar for days. Enjoy an Almond Joy yourself. You can hit the gym tomorrow.

Why is Daniel so strategic? Isn’t this just a Bible book filled with colorful stories that children love? Author and editor Matt Smethurst relates the true significance of the Book of Daniel: “Have you ever noticed that Daniel tends to be more popular among children than among pastors? After a parade of inspiring stories in the first six chapters (think: fiery furnace, writing on the wall, lions’ den), the book becomes real weird real fast. Don’t write it off just yet. The 32nd (and latest) installment in InterVarsity’s New Studies in Biblical Theology series, edited by D. A. Carson, James Hamilton’s With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology is an “evangelical and canonical biblical theology of Daniel” that aims to unfold not only the meaning of Daniel itself but also how the book is strategically situated within the Bible’s grand storyline. Hamilton’s volume is a welcome companion for anyone seeking to preach theologically rich, Christ-centered, applicational sermons from this enigmatic blend of narrative and apocalypse. I corresponded with Hamilton, professor of biblical theology at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, about common misconceptions, what surprised him most, how to preach Daniel 7–12 without boring people to tears, and more. What are some common evangelical oversights or misunderstandings related to Daniel? Across the board—evangelical and non-evangelical—it seems to me that the profound inter-connectedness of Daniel has gone unnoticed. There is a genre change in the book, with chapters 1–6 giving historical narratives and chapters 7–12 apocalyptic visions. Still, what happens in chapters 1–6 anticipates what happens in the apocalyptic visions of chapters 7–12: Nebuchadnezzar attacks God’s people, plunders the temple (1:1–2), and then Belshazzar uses the implements from the temple to praise false gods (5:3–4). In the midst of all this, God’s people are tempted to compromise (1:5, 8) and threatened with death (2:13; 3:15; 6:7)—as the proud kings exalt themselves over God (4:30) until he brings an end to their kingdoms (2:44; 4:31; 5:25–28, 30). When the three young men come out of the fiery furnace (3:27) and Daniel comes out of the lions’ den (6:19–23), it’s like resurrection from the dead. All this is precisely what the apocalyptic visions of chapters 7–12 depict: wicked kings will attack God’s people (7:21, 25; 8:12–13; 9:26; 11:34–35), destroy the temple and put a stop to sacrifice in an effort to stamp out the worship of God (8:11, 13; 9:26; 11:31), and exalt themselves in place of God (7:8, 25; 8:25; 11:36). In the midst of this God’s people will be persecuted (7:25; 8:12–13; 9:26–27; 11:34–35), but they are called to be faithful because God will deliver them just as he delivered Daniel and his friends. When the persecution is over, God will raise them from the dead (12:2). What is Daniel’s primary theme and goal? The glory of God in salvation through judgment! The book’s chiastic structure shows this: at the center of the chiasm (chs. 4–5), proud kings are humbled; in the surrounding narratives (chs. 3, 6), Daniel and his friends are delivered from death; the visions of Nebuchadnezzar (ch. 2) and the revelations made to Daniel (chs. 7–9) depict a stylized set of four wicked kingdoms that will precede God’s kingdom; and the opening chapter shows exile (ch. 1) and the final vision depicts the ultimate return from exile at the resurrection (chs. 10–12). 1: Exile 2: Four kingdoms followed by the kingdom of God 3: Deliverance of the trusting from the fiery furnace 4–5: Proud kings humbled 6: Deliverance of the trusting from the lions’ den 7–9: Four kingdoms followed by the kingdom of God 10–12: Return from exile God will save his people through the judgment on wicked rulers who persecute his people. What surprised you most in your study of Daniel? I was surprised to find that there are two different terms for “Most High” in Daniel 7. One of these is the typical Aramaic term used to describe God as Most High throughout the book’s Aramaic section (2:4–7:28). The other is a Hebrew term that Daniel has Aramaicized. This second term is used to refer to the “one like a son of man” (7:13) as Most High, with the result that he’s identified with the Ancient of Days—who is called Most High with another term—even as the two are distinguished from each other. I don’t think Daniel had Chalcedonian Christology worked out, but he clearly depicts the “one like a son of man” as a figure already present in the heavenly court, identified with and distinguished from the Ancient of Days, and who will receive the kingdom promised to David. What a passage! What major biblical themes are picked up and developed in Daniel? How do such themes relate to the growing messianic expectation throughout the OT? Just one example: in the vision of the “one like a son of man” in Daniel 7, I think Daniel engages Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 3; Psalm 8; and Psalm 110, among other texts. Daniel’s interpretation of and additions to what these texts contribute to the messianic hope feeds right into what the authors of the NT claim about Jesus. How can we preach Daniel 7–12 without our sermons sounding like boring history lessons? The passage most susceptible to this, it seems to me, is the very detailed prophecy in Daniel 11. I think attending to the literary structure of the passage and its similarity to other visions can help us see the overarching big ideas without getting so deep in the weeds we can’t get back on the fairway. This is what I try to model in my treatment of the passage. What advice would you give pastors planning to preach through Daniel’s vision considering that their members likely hold to several different understandings of the end times? The point I stressed repeatedly as I preached through Revelation also holds for the book of Daniel: even if we disagree on the specifics of how the prophecies will be fulfilled, we can agree on how Daniel wanted his audience to respond. Daniel wants his audience to “know God” and “stand firm and take action” (11:32). He wants them to resist persecution even unto death, just as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did in chapter 3, and just as he did in chapter 6, precisely because they believe that God will humble the proud kings (chs. 4–5) and set the one like a son of man on the Davidic throne (ch. 7), raising the faithful from the dead (12:2) to reign with him (7:27). For Daniel to put himself and his friends forward as examples of faithfulness is not moralism. They are examples of faith, and God’s deliverance of them was written “for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). And their example also typifies the faithfulness of the Messiah, who will be cut off and have nothing for the sake of his people (Dan. 9:26), leaving “an example, so that [we] might follow in his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21, cf. 20–25).” https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ Used by permission.

David, a young adult with autism and mute from birth, was admitted to the hospital for medication adjustment (Names and details have been changed). Two weeks earlier David’s parents had reluctantly placed him in a group home. They were unable, in their seventies, to control his frequent, violent outbursts and provide for his total care needs. David punched and scratched the staff at the group home and was placed as in-patient with one-to-one staff supervision. He required constant redirection and care for his activities of daily living (ADL’s) showering, dressing, feeding, and toileting. David would jump side-to-side, two feet high, humming in a loud monotone the phonetic sounds he-ma. As David followed me into the day-lounge, he began to jump side-to-side, humming loudly. Patient Jim, an agnostic, asked me, “Why would God ever create a young man like David who is unable to do anything?” (Names and details altered) I looked at Jim and said, “Do you like TV, computers, electricity and cell phones?” “Of course I do!” Jim replied. I said, “You cannot have the high end of the spectrum of autism traits that can create geniuses and inventors, like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison, without the other end of the spectrum. Psalms 115:13 declares, “The Lord will bless his followers, great and small.” (Easy-to-Read Version) Not everyone will be great in the eyes of the world; God loves and cares for David, a man created in His own image, as He does for you and me.”’ For those on the low-functioning end of the spectrum, daily activities such as, brushing their teeth, tying shoelaces, or putting on clothes can be mountainous challenges. We tend to take these for granted. Alberto, a young adult with autism, refers to these mundane tasks as his mountains of practical moments. When Alberto feels frustrated, unable to accomplish these normative tasks, he lapses into stereotyped actions—flapping his hands or flickering his fingers in front of his eyes. (Douglas Biklen, Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone (New York, NY: New York University Press, 2005), p. 266.) As believers, we should feel compassion and love for these individuals and realize we also could have been born with these same disabilities. This understanding should prompt us to search our own hearts and provide help to individuals with ASD and their families. The apostle Paul wrote, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). We bear burdens by seeing the image of God and face of Christ on those with disabilities. We demonstrate Jesus’ love by our caring deeds. As Mother Theresa wrote: The more repugnant the work, or the more disfigured or deformed the image of God in the person, the greater will be our faith and loving devotion in seeking the face of Jesus, and lovingly ministering to Him in His distressing disguise. We need to realize that we have the privilege of touching Jesus twenty-four hours a day. When I’m feeding that child, I’m feeding Jesus. These poor people are Jesus suffering today. (Angelo Devananda,  Total Surrender: Mother Teresa  (Ann Arbor: Servant Publications, 1985), pp. 116 , 117 , 130 , 139 , 150 .) Psychologist Wayne E. Oates says, “Our personal devotions, as we contemplate the image of God in those to whom we minister, become ethical enquiry rooms of our own hearts.” (Wayne E. Oates, The Presence of God in Pastoral Counseling (Waco: Word Books, 1986), p. 40. The Apostle Paul wrote: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things- and the things that are not- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Cor. 1:27-30). Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, notes in his lectures that engineers are twice as likely to have children with ASD as the general population. Generally, the relatives of people with autism tend to score higher on tests of systemizing. Individuals with the gift of systemizing are particularly skilled for developing new technology and tend to belong to one of these professions: engineers, computer software designers, mathematicians, or architects. Temple Grandin said, “Without the genes that give rise to autism, the world would be full of charming people who sit around the campfire, chatting gaily and empathizing mightily but inventing nothing.” Hans Asperger wrote in his 1944 doctorial thesis: It seems that for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential. For success, the necessary ingredient may be an ability to turn away from the everyday world, from the simply practical, an ability to rethink a subject with originality so as to create in new untrodden ways, with all abilities canalized into the one specialty. The increased prevalence of autism in the twenty-first century has followed the expansion of technological advancements. Daniel 12:4 says, “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” We have witnessed an enormous increase in knowledge with the dawn of the computer age and the internet. Would this advancement in technology have been possible if not for an increase in individuals with autism who are prone to systemizing? What if God does use the David’s and those with autism to confound the world’s wisdom and test the condition of our hearts? church-autism.blogspot.com

Dating at age 16 was the rule in my family. My older sister was clearly ready at age 16. I was so immature at 16. On my first date, I remember showing up late to pick my date up. I dropped her off late. I talked about myself the whole time. For some reason, the girl didn’t want a second date. Why do we use age as the defining term for privileges? Tradition is the main reason parents use age to determine when privileges are given to their kids. Their parents used age as the guiding light. Their fellow parents use age as the key marker. There are society age markers, like driver’s license at age 16. These society markers affect when we give privileges to our kids. Maturity is subjective Individual kids grow up faster than others. Girls grow up quicker than boys. Kids in the same family will mature at different rates. So, to set privileges based on age ignores the individual child’s maturity and readiness. How do you know when they are ready? First, take age out of the equation. Observe them as they grow up. The first question to ask is, “How do they treat you the parent?” The second question to ask is, “Are they responsible with their current jobs, like school, dishes, mowing the lawn, etc?” If both of those are poor, then why would you give them more responsibilities? Do you ever remove privileges based on lack of maturity? Yes, remove privileges if they are disrespectful, bad mouth you or have no relationship with you, the parent. You have 4 aces, so use them to remove privileges. Action Steps: 1. Start early with the expectation that maturity, not age is the determining factor. 2. Say at an early age, “Your maturity will decide when this happens.” 3. Don’t be afraid to remove privilege if they don’t display maturity. Parenting Tip/ Pocket Answer Maturity, Not Age is the key! birthorderguy.com/category/advice/

Pew recently released a survey[i] on why Americans do and do not go to church. While 73% of Americans identify as being Christian[ii], surveys say Americans who report going to church weekly is only around 35%.[iii] Our best estimates for our own city (Tucson) are that less than 3% of the population is in church on Sunday.[iv] I write this as an appeal to the 65% nationally and 90%+[v] in Tucson who don’t attend church regularly. First, I want to understand you and your reasons for not attending. In a recent survey, those reasons were expressed this way[vi]: 37% say “I practice my faith in other ways.” 23% say “I haven’t found a church home/worship service I like.” 18% say “I don’t like the sermons.” 14% say “I don’t feel welcome.” 28% say “I am not a believer.” 12% say “I don’t have the time.” 9% say “I’m in poor health/can’t get around.” 7% say “There isn’t a church of my religion in the area.” 26% say “No reason is ‘very important.” Does that list express your reasons for why you don’t attend church? If not, I would love to hear from you what your reason is. I am going to walk through the reasons given for not attending and ask if you would reconsider: The largest group of those who don’t attend (37%) say that they practice their faith in other ways. That is wonderful! I’m so glad that you practice your faith beyond Sunday morning. Our faith is to be expressed daily and through various means (prayer, reading the Bible, service, stewardship, etc.). However, let me be very blunt: there is no space in the New Testament for authentic Christianity expressed outside of the context of the local church. From the resurrection of Jesus forward, the New Testament is the story of God’s work of salvation in and through the local church. Why is that? I can think of a number of reasons for that, but the easiest is that God designed it that way. That’s the only reason we need for church to be important, but I’ll offer a second for good measure: God’s work has always been done through a people and is leading toward the union of a diverse people.[vii] Our three-in-one God is a God in whom perfect community exists and he calls us to community, not merely to a relationship with him. The second largest group who don’t attend are the 28% who share that they aren’t believers. Each of you has a different story. Maybe you grew up in a Christian home but rejected Christianity at some point in your life, or maybe you are Jewish or Muslim or an atheist. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, I would encourage you to attend church, and not just once or twice. I would encourage you to attend for a season of your life. Whatever your beliefs, you owe it to yourself to examine the claims of Jesus of Nazareth and re-consider at this stage of your life what he might mean for you. The third largest group says that “No reason is ‘very important.’” Oh, friend. Are you letting the niggling realities of life (sleeping in, work, football, etc.) prevent you from a weekly re-setting of the priority of your commitment to your God and Savior in your life? The next three reasons all point the finger at the church: “I haven’t found a church I like” (23%); “I don’t like the sermons” (18%); and “I don’t feel welcome” (14%). I don’t, for a second, doubt that you have been failed by the church. Churches are filled with humans who can fail in all sorts of ways. We can be lousy at welcoming newcomers, choosing instead to catch up with our friends; we can play good music badly or bad music badly, and I’ve preached more than a few sermons that I wish I could’ve had a chance to redo—whether because they were boring, awkward, or unclear. But give us a chance. You might’ve hit us on a bad day. Give a church at least three Sundays before writing it off. And you have the ability to read up about the church on its website and watch many services online before you go (you can do that for our services here at New Life) so that can help you find something that might be a fit for your theological bent or worship style preference. On his final night before he was crucified, Jesus drilled into his disciples how important it was for them to love each other. At the Last Supper, Jesus tells his disciples that their discipleship is marked first by their love for one another: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”[viii] And then, later that night, Jesus tells his disciples that their unity is of the utmost importance. He prays to his Father that his disciples: “…may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”[ix] The early Christians understood this perfectly. Irenaeus (who lived in the second century) said that the church “is the entrance to life; all others are thieves and robbers.”[x] Origen (who lived in the third century) said, “Let no man deceive himself. Outside this house, that is, outside the church, no one is saved.”[xi] And Augustine (who lived in the fourth and fifth century), “No man can find salvation except in the church.”[xii] Friends, you need the church. In all its messiness and in all its faltering, you still need it. You need it because God’s Kingdom is bigger than you. You need it because God’s work on earth is through his church. You need it because just like the church, you are also messy and you also falter. And you need her to call you back to him. [i] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/july/church-attendance-top-reasons-go-or-stay-home-pew.html?utm_source=ctdirect-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=14808244&utm_content=597764807&utm_campaign=email [ii] https://www.barna.com/research/state-church-2016/ [iii] See https://www.barna.com/research/state-church-2016/. If you lower the threshold to attending once a month, the number rises to 50%https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/08/religious-participation-survey/496940/. However, both numbers are self-reported, and thus are both almost certainly lower. [iv] Our numbers were arrived at by computing Tucson’s population and dividing that by the number of churches in Tucson (of all types) and their average size. Our numbers have been confirmed externally by 4 Tucson. [v] The number of those who attend church regularly is somewhere around twice of those who are in attendance on any given weekend, so the likely number of those who attend church regularly in Tucson is about 6%. [vi] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/july/church-attendance-top-reasons-go-or-stay-home-pew.html?utm_source=ctdirect-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=14808244&utm_content=597764807&utm_campaign=email [vii] See Revelation 5, 7, 19. [viii] John 13:35 [ix] John 17:23 [x] Against Heresies, Book III. [xi] In Iesu Nave homiliae [xii] Sermo ad Caesariensis Ecclesia plebem