I could hardly believe it when Silas reached kindergarten age.  How in the world had that happened so quickly?  When he found out he had to go back the second week, he said, “You mean I have to go again?!”
 
             “Yes,” his mother told him, “there is a lot to learn.”

              “But I already learned,” he said, sure that now he would get to stay home with her and his little brother.  Of course, he found out otherwise quickly.

              I know that no one would say it out loud, but sometimes I get the feeling some of my brothers and sisters have the same attitude.  “I already learned!” which is supposed to justify their never studying for a Bible class, never attending an extra Bible study, never darkening the meetinghouse doors for anything but the Lord’s Supper, as if it were a magic potion that would save them that week regardless of anything else they did.  What they have “learned” are usually the pet scriptures, the catchphrases, the simplistic theories that try to explain away the profound depth of the Scriptures—all those things that smack so much of a denominational mindset.

              I have amazing women in my Bible classes, and let me tell you, most of them are neither young nor new Christians.  These are women of a certain age, as we often say, who have sat on pews for longer than many others have been alive, yet they see the value in learning still more. 

              And that does not necessarily mean learning something new.  Sometimes the learning has more to do with a deeper comprehension, uncovering another level of wisdom, or an additional way of applying a fact to one’s life, leading to a changed behavior or attitude.  When I see someone in their later years actually change their lives because of a discovery made in Bible class, I am reminded yet again of the power of the Word.  The most amazing thing about this living and active Word, is that if you are not blinded by self-satisfaction, every time you study it you can see something new.  It’s like peeling an onion—you keep finding another layer underneath.

              You may have “already learned” a great many things, but if that is your attitude, you will never grow beyond the boundaries you have placed upon yourself with that notion.  Like a kindergartner who has learned his letters and numbers, you will be stuck in the basics, the “first principles,” and never come to a fuller comprehension of the magnitude of God’s wisdom and His plan for you.  If you are still deciding how long to keep a preacher based upon how much you “enjoy” his preaching and how many times he visited you in the hospital, if you are mouthing things like “I never heard of such a thing” or “I am (or am not) comfortable with that,” with not a scripture reference in sight, you still have a long way to go. 

              God wants meat-eaters at His banquet.  That means you need to chew a little harder and longer.  Yes, it takes time away from recess to sit in class and learn some more.  Yes, you have to process some new information which may not be as comfortable as you are used to.  Your brain may even ache a little, but that is how you learn, by stretching those mental muscles instead of vegetating on the pew.

              You may think you have “already learned,” but I bet you even my kindergartner grandson figured out very shortly that there was a whole lot more he needed to know.  He’s a pretty smart kid.  How about you?
 
Whom will he teach knowledge? and whom will he make to understand the message? them that are weaned from the milk…Isa 28:9.
Wherefore leaving the doctrine of the first principles of Christ, let us press on unto perfection…Heb 6:1.
 
Dene Ward

In the book, Me-First Millie looks a whole lot like That's-Mine-Thelma (part 2), and indeed, they have the same basic problem:  selfishness.  She is also a bit like Look-at-Me-Louie (part 1).  But Millie's problem tends to show itself in slightly different ways.

              Grown-up Millie not only wants attention, she wants the most attention.  She must be first on the list.  No one's issues are as important as hers. 

              She will insinuate herself and her woes into every conversation.  If you have never discussed someone who desperately needed help for a dire problem only to have Millie interrupt you to tell you that she needed it too, you have been blessed.  If you have had a disease, she has had it worse.  If you had a major surgery, she not only had it, but also had all the complications known to man.  Whatever happened to you, it happened to her worse or better, depending upon the discussion.

              This selfishness shows in other more mundane ways too.  Millie thinks that her schedule is the only schedule that matters.  She is late to everything, every time, everywhere.  Then she cannot understand why people who have had to sit and wait on her for upwards of a half hour become aggravated about it.  She has stolen their time, but for some reason she thinks that is her prerogative.

              Millie will sit at home and wait to be served.  Even if she is perfectly healthy, there is some reason she must be checked on—again and again and again.  Millie not only believes that she deserves everyone's service, she will even dare to tell you exactly how she wants it ministered if it is to please her.  We once had a family move into the area where we lived at the time, who called the church building in order to inform the local brethren when they would arrive, how many people they needed to help them unload, and exactly when they wanted it done.  Oh yes, and someone might also bring some lunch for everyone that day too!  It is one thing to ask if help might possibly be available; it's quite another to demand it

            Millie is exactly the opposite of Lydia.   When that great lady was converted to the Lord, the first thing she said to Paul and Silas was, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay" Acts 16:15.  She knew instinctively that being a disciple of the Suffering Servant meant serving others instead of expecting them to serve her. 

             And when we all have that attitude, no one does without.
 
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.  1 Pet 4:9-11
 
Dene Ward

Even in the book, That's Mine Thelma is not a cute child.  Her short, curly brown hair could have made her another Shirley Temple, but the scorn on her face as she snatches a book out of another child's hands is just plain ugly.  No one else can play with her toys.  She is the epitome of selfishness that we all try to teach our children not to be.  Some do better than others.  Sometimes That's Mine Thelma grows up with exactly the same name.

              She is unkind, miserly with others, and always worried about "my rights."  She won't give up anything for anyone else, even in the name of saving souls.  (Can we mention pews and parking places here?)  Keith was once told that the articles he placed in the newspaper were a waste of the church's money (it was a pittance), even though we had the results of those articles sitting on the pews!  Unfortunately, the bulk of that congregation, except for those new converts, was made up of Thelmas.

              Thelma even views the church as her property.  When new people come in, she sits in judgment as to whether they deserve to be greeted and shown the gospel.  If they do not match her status in the community, if they have any problems at all in their lives, they are rejected.  Yes, Keith actually had a men's business meeting tell him he was bringing the wrong class of people to church (failing to mention that he was the only one bringing any guests at all).  He, like Jesus, was preaching to the publicans and sinners, while they wanted a few more Pharisees among them.  They believed the church was theirs instead of the Lord's, and they should decide who could come in.  "It's mine!"  they all thought.

              That's Mine Thelma does not believe Eph 4:28:  Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.  No sir.  Her money is for her and hers alone.  She is quick to quote …if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat, 3 Thes 3:10, and to spout off about stewardship.  She would much rather err on the side of selfishness than generosity.

              And Thelma's selfishness isn't only about tangible things.  She will not yield her rights or her opinions.  Let me give you a good example this time instead of a bad one.  I once knew a man who would sit near the back so he could quietly get up and leave when the Lord's Supper was served on Sunday evenings for those who could not make it that morning.  He did not believe that was right, but he did not cause an uproar in the church over it that might lead to division.  He simply did not participate.  There may have been other things he did not do as well, but in that instance at least, he was a good example. 

              My own father was also a great example.  When he heard of a need, he quietly filled it as best he could.  He bought pews and hymnals for small churches.  He helped support gospel preachers.  He gave away his own belongings if he knew someone else needed them worse.  He also opened his wallet on many occasions.  Once he was told that a man he had helped had used that help in a bad way.  "That's his problem," he said.  "I did what my God expected me to do."

            I have been blessed to have known some of the kindest, most generous brothers and sisters in this world.  Generous Joyce would be a better name for all of them, and that is how we should be raising our children, and the example we should show them too.
 
The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath.  ​One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.  ​Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Prov 11:23-25
But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.  1 Cor 8:9
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.  1 Cor 10:24
 
Dene Ward

If you missed it, see last Monday's introductory post about this series

              Look-at-me-Louie is a debonair little guy in the book.  Blond, well-dressed, riding a skateboard, a satisfied smile on his face, and his hands on his hips.  Louie will always be showing off and demanding attention.  He is sure he is great at everything, and no one can tell him otherwise.

              I am sure that you have seen grown-up Louie.  He talks constantly—about himself and his accomplishments.  Kind of like a neighbor I once had who told us often of all the money he made before he retired.  It was plain what he was proud of—his wealth, and he was happy to tell us again and again how he had gained it. 

               Grown-up Louie now sports a SELF-satisfied smile.  He can be loud at times, demanding attention not just from the one he is talking to, but the whole room.  He believes he is always the best choice for whatever position or honor comes along and can get downright ugly if he does not get it.  Kind of like a man I knew long ago and far away who started a smear campaign against an eldership because he himself wasn't chosen.
 
             Grown-up Louie does not take correction well at all.  "Why, how dare you try to tell me something when I am so much better than you are."  We once tried to help a young man whose name might as well have been Louie.  He already knew everything he needed to know, thank you very much.  "Why, I am used as the good example to everyone else!  No one can teach me anything."  He knew more than people thirty years older with decades more experience.  There was no way we lowly people could possibly help him.

              He was right, actually.  We could not help him--because he did not believe he needed to be helped.  And that is the sad truth about all the Louies you may know.  The elders cannot help them.  Preachers and teachers cannot help them.  No one can help them until they learn to see themselves clearly in the mirror of God's Word.  The only thing they will hear is praise because that is all they think they deserve.  Once you stop that, they become deaf to you.

              Some of the Louies out there will actually grow up and learn to listen, but some not.  I know a few in their 60s who still cannot stand to hear that they have made a mistake.  Suddenly, you become the enemy instead of a friend.  But sometimes something happens to wake them up.  That's wonderful, but think of all the wasted years, the things they might have learned, and the progress they might have made if they had not been a Look-at-me-Louie in the first place.

              Don't waste your life looking for praise and spurning instruction.  You will wind up being so much less than you could have been for the Lord.
 
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.  Prov 9:9
A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.  Prov 13:1
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.  Rom 12:3
 
Dene Ward

My little guys live on a cul-de-sac.  And not just on it, but at the very end.  Understand too, apart from one next door neighbor, no one else actually lives on the circle.  The property around the rest of it is empty and meant by the builders to stay that way.  That means they have the whole end of the street to themselves to play in.
 
             And play they do, rounding the circle on scooters and bikes at speeds that ruffle the ends of blonde hair sticking out under their helmets and send their shirts flapping.  It also means they have more room besides their front and back yards for Frisbee flying and ball playing and kite sailing.  When we visit, more often than not, we wind up sitting on the front porch "spectating" while they play, their blue eyes bright and smiles big as they make turn after turn.

              Reminds me of a place my family lived a few years before we moved to Tampa, another cul-de-sac called "Bristol Court."  Only we lived at the top of the street, a hill by Florida standards, and I rode my own bike down that hill over and over.  It may have been hot, but it was still a real breeze I felt in the middle of a Florida summer, cooling the perspiration for at least a few minutes as my bike picked up speed on the downward slope.  The only difference between me and the boys?  We called it a dead end street back then.  If you had said "cul-de-sac", all of our neighbors would have looked at you with a "Huh?" look.

              I suppose someone thought all those yellow signs that labeled a short street a "dead end" were insulting to the residents.  First, they changed them to "No Outlet."  Those signs are still up, but how many people now ever speak of their dead end street as anything but a "cul-de-sac?"

              People are quick to use euphemisms, especially to put a better spin on something particularly ugly.  "Ethnic cleansing" is really genocide.  "Early retirement" often covers a company's downsizing by firing older workers.  An "urban outdoorsman" is someone who is homeless.  (Exactly how is that less heartless than "homeless"?)  "Negative patient outcome" means he died!  "Collateral damage" is also about death—the death of an unintended target.  And yet more death—"pregnancy termination" is abortion.

              All of these things are attempts to make something that is uncomfortable to talk about, much easier to discuss, to deal with, and ultimately, to do.  Satan has been doing this for a long time.  "Let us take our fill of love till morning," the temptress says in Prov 7:18.  What she means is, "Let's go commit adultery."  In a day where love is supposed to excuse every sin, where "God knows my heart" takes the place of following His will and remaining "holy as he is holy," we must be especially cautious.

              A cul-de-sac is a neat place to live and I am glad my grandsons have the same opportunity I had as a child to enjoy that safer street to play in.  But here is something funny:  the literal meaning of the French cul-de-sac, which is supposed to be some higher class word, we Americans think, is actually "the bottom of the bag."  Which is right where we will find ourselves when we try to use more palatable words to cover up our sin before an angry God.

              The bottom of the bag is still a dead end street for anyone who thinks otherwise.
 
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isa 5:20)
 
Dene Ward

When my boys were small, I bought them a book with the above title.  It was written by Ruth Shannon Odor and has the format of a Little Golden Book, including the gold spine.  However, it is called a "Happy Day" book, put out by Standard Publishing of Cincinnati.  The illustrations, drawn by Robert Burchett, are colorful, a bit cartoonish, perfect for a child.
 
             The book begins with the usual manners we all try to teach our children, but divides them as to location—home, playground, school, and most interesting to me, church!  By the end you realize that the point of the whole book is that when you try to be like Jesus, you will be courteous and considerate of others.  In short, you will have good manners!

              My boys loved that book.  I occasionally took it to the children's Bible classes I taught and they loved it too.  And now I have introduced it to my grandsons and they love it.  And all of this is in spite of the fact that they occasionally see themselves in the book and hang their little heads in embarrassment.

              I think its appeal might be the characters that are included:
              Me-First Millie
              Sulky Sue
              Look-at-Me Louie
              That's Mine Thelma
              Picky Pete
              Messy Bessy, and a few others.

              All come with pictures to match.  Over the years, my own boys were apt to look at one another and say, "Now don't be a Look-at-Me Louie!" or some other of the characters.

              I thought it might be interesting over the next few weeks, on Mondays as often as I can manage it, to see what kind of people some of these characters might have grown up to be, if they were real.  And oh yes, they are real.  We run into them every day, and sadly, even among our brethren.  We might ourselves still be clinging to childish ways without realizing it.  But this is important for, as the book concludes:

              "Jesus taught us to be  kind, to love others, to treat others as we would  like to be treated…If we try to be like Jesus in all we say and do, then good manners will be as easy as 1-2-3, A-B-C."
 
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Phil 2:3-4)
 
Dene Ward
 

Just as I expected he would, Judah has long since conquered the scooter we gave him for his 5th birthday.  In fact, he wore that one out and is now, at six, on the next size up.  You should see that little guy as he rounds the cul-de-sac again and again, pushing off with his left foot, zooming around parked cars and navigating between the neighbor's trash cans on the edge of the road.  His older brother on his bike can barely keep up. 
 
             No one has to remind him to put on his helmet.  That's a good thing, because he has had his share of spills and the last time we were down, he had a doozy.  We saw him hit the road, but he waved us off as he stood up and lifted the scooter off the road, pushing it all the way to the driveway.  The blood was already pouring, so Granddad took him inside while I stayed with his brother.

              After a few minutes I was told that I was needed.  Granddad could do the cleaning, but Grandma was requested for the bandaging.  When I sat on the floor in front of his dangling leg I got my first good look at that knee.  A half dollar sized piece of skin was completely missing, as if someone had taken a grater and scraped it off, a nearly perfect circle.  Bright red and oozing blood, I knew that it needed some sort of antibiotic and I knew it would hurt.

              I looked up at those big blue eyes brimming with unshed tears, his little lips compressed into a straight line, trembling just a bit as he struggled to keep his composure.  "I will use the spray and blow on it to make it hurt less, okay?"

              "Okay," he managed to squeak out.

              A quick spray and Grandma nearly undid herself blowing as hard and long as she could until the walls around us began to spin.  Then a big bandage that barely covered that skinned spot and we were on to the next one, for the whole top of his foot and leg were scraped and bloody halfway to his knee.  Altogether we used five bandages, but that little guy never uttered a peep.

              "You were a very big boy!" I told him. 

              That seemed to ameliorate the still stinging wounds on his foot and leg.  He gave me a small smile and he was off to play again.  Later that evening when Mommy and Daddy came home, he was proud to show them his boo-boos and even prouder when I told them how brave he had been—"just like a grown up!"

              It must have been a week later before the irony struck me.  We told him how "big" and "brave" and "grown up" he had been.  I am not sure why, because many of the grownups I have seen are perfectly happy to whine and fuss and demand attention from everyone about every little thing that comes along.  Have you looked at Facebook lately?

              Yes, some things do need the concern and care of others.  Some things are so difficult to bear that we might very well topple without someone to lean on.  Those things, which are far worse than a skinned knee, demand our love and help and attention.

               But too many times a relatively minor trial is treated as if it were a life-threatening emergency.  Too often a "skinned knee" is used to judge our brethren as uncaring, or to excuse ourselves from serving.  Exactly what is "big, brave, and grown up" about that?

               Let this sweet little boy, who did his best to be "grown up," teach you what it means to be brave and mature.  Let him remind you that small things like skinned knees happen every day in the life of a Christian.  God expects us to doctor the wounds and then get back up and carry on, to dry the tears and act like an adult.  As a general rule, skinned knees won't kill you.
 
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, (2Cor 4:16-17)
 
Dene Ward

Recently Judah joined big brother Silas for his first overnight with grandma and granddad.  Like his big brother, as soon as his feet hit the cool green grass, he fell in love with going barefoot and ran all over the place.  Since he usually ran me into the ground, I decided that first morning that he could handle walking Chloe with me.  I would have to slow our pace for him, but I was sure his active little legs could handle the distance.

             The boys and I started out ahead and then I called Chloe to follow.  Usually she is out front waiting for me, prancing impatiently, but Chloe is not your average dog.  She is a bit of an oxymoron—a scaredy-cat of a dog.  She is positive that everything on two feet is out to get her.  She is not afraid of us, nor of Lucas, but no one else can get near her.  Not even, as it turns out, a twenty-month old toddler.

              But that didn’t keep the toddler from trying.  As soon as he saw Chloe, Judah left the path along the fence and headed through the field toward her.  As soon as Chloe saw Judah, she took off running.  He sped up and I held my breath as he plowed through vines, briars, blackberries and stinging nettles.  I took off after him, sure that his soft baby skin would be scratched, torn, and bloody.  He single-mindedly waded on through, leaving a trail of bent and broken greenery behind, until finally I caught up and scooped him into my arms.  With his mind still on his goal, he pointed toward Chloe and said, “Dog.  Wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-wuhf!”

              I checked him over and he was fine, not a mark on him, no blood, no rashes, no stickers poking out of tender little fingers or toes.  So I put him down, this time on the garden path, and called Chloe to resume our walk--and it started all over again.  Judah chased, Chloe ran, and I followed.  This wasn’t going to work.   Finally I got the garden wagon, put Judah in it, and Chloe followed behind at what she deemed a safe distance--about thirty feet.  But every time Judah’s head swiveled to her and his little finger pointed, she veered from the path and dropped back another foot or two, until reassured that the dangerous little predator wouldn’t come swooping in and nab her unexpectedly.

              We had gone out that morning to walk Chloe.  Judah certainly didn’t have the goal in mind when we went for that walk.  That’s why he couldn’t stay on the path.  I realized not long afterward, though, that he did have a goal in mind.  It was just not the same goal as mine.  I wanted to walk the dog.  He wanted to experience the dog. 

              I think too many times we live our lives aimlessly.  We just let it happen, and then wonder why things went south.  We have no plan for improvement, no strategy for overcoming—we don’t even notice the temptation coming!  I found dozens of verses using the words aim, goal, and purpose.  I found others listing the things we should be looking for or to or toward.  Do you really think God has no purpose for you?

              I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. Psa 57:2. 

              ​The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Prov 16:4.

              If God has a purpose for the evil people in the world, then certainly He has one for His children.  So if He has a purpose for us, shouldn’t we be acting with purpose?  We are familiar with the concept of “purposing” our contributions, but why do you assemble where you do?  To be entertained?  Because this group is loving and makes me feel good?  Because I like the singing?  I know a lot of people who assemble with those goals in mind.  How about these instead:  I assemble here to serve others, even if they don’t serve me; I am here to learn and be admonished, even if they do step on my toes; I am here to participate in those acts we are to do as an “assembly” even if I don’t particularly care for the method used in getting that done.  Do you see?  When I have this sort of purpose, it stops being all about ME.

              Why do you work for a living?  Do you know the reason Paul gives?  “So you may have something to share with anyone in need.”  Eph 4:28.  Is that why you work?  I bet it’s not why your neighbor works.  And here we get to the point.  Judah and I did not share goals that morning, so we did not share paths either.  Are you sharing your neighbor’s path, or are you on a better one?  You ought to be.

              The world may look at how you live and shake its head.  There you go trudging through tall grass, sharp thorns, and clinging vines when the path they are taking is so much easier.  Paul had given up the goal of status among the Jewish leaders, along with potential wealth and fame.  “But whatever gain I had I counted as loss for the sake of Christ,” he said.  His goal in life had changed and so his path had as well.  I am sure his former colleagues and teachers looked with disbelief on the things he left behind and the causes he took up.  “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:7,13,14, just like that little toddler pressed on that morning.

              What is your goal?  You should have one every day, not just on Sundays, although that would be a good start for a lot of people.  Maybe the first thing you should do is look around and see who is on the same path you are.  That might give you pause to consider.
 
He exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, Acts 11:23.
 
Dene Ward

Both of my grandsons loved the peek-a-boo game.  It didn't matter if I hid my face or their faces, smiles and laughter instantly ensued.  Judah especially disliked having his diapers changed, but I found out if I held his little feet up in front of my face and crooned, "Where's Grandma?" he would lie there perfectly content while I changed that diaper, moving his own little feet together and apart while we played the game.

              We all understand that a child's perspective is skewed by his inability to recognize any other perspective than his—in the peek-a-boo game, for instance, he thinks that if he cannot see you, then you cannot see him.  One mark of maturity is realizing that what someone else sees and hears in your words and actions is not necessarily what you intended, and that his own actions are largely dependent upon things in his life you may never have experienced.  Perspective is huge for a Christian.

              Paul told the Romans they needed to have the proper perspective about things in this life, or, as he might have called it, the proper mindset.  For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Rom 8:5).  Here he divides it into having a spiritual mindset or a fleshly mindset.

              He goes on to say:  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8:6-8).

          So let's make this easier to see by setting the two mindsets in opposition.  If you are a visual learner like I am, grab a sheet of paper and create two columns—the mind of the flesh on one side and the mind of the spirit on the other, as we go through those verses again.  Some of these things do not have an expressed opposite, but it is easy to see what that opposite should be.

              The mind of the flesh is death while the mind of the spirit is life and peace.  The mind of the flesh is hostile to God, so it makes sense that the mind of the spirit is friendly to God.  The mind of the flesh cannot submit, but the mind of the spirit will.  The mind of the flesh cannot please God, but the mind of the spirit will please him.  All of that is easy to see when you chart it out.

              So how do we go about telling which mind we have?  By the things that matter most to us.  Is it wealth, status, money, power, a life of ease and luxury?  Moses was willing to give up all those things.  By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. (Heb 11:24-26)  This perfectly matches the "chart" in the previous paragraph.  Could I do that?  Could you?

              Let's just say this.  When the majority of my complaints about the church are the uncomfortable seats, the warm building, and the long sermons, then maybe my mindset is on the flesh, not the spirit.

              What would you be willing to give up for the Lord?  That doesn't just mean the big stuff, like your life.  That means the little things too—time for personal Bible study, prayer, and visiting; actually deciding to throw your favorite skirt out because you have come to realize it is too short for a godly woman to be wearing; missing a ball game because your neighbor is in distress and this might be an opportunity to reach him with the gospel.

              And what sort of difficult things would someone with a fleshly mindset find impossible to give up?  The praise of men; the humility of apology; being "right" in something that doesn't really matter; acceptance in the community; a good-paying job; an ungodly sexual relationship, just to name a few, and all with the reasoning, "God wouldn't want me to be unhappy."

              It's easy to play peek-a-boo like a child, thinking everything is about me and my pleasure.  But sooner or later we need to grow up.  The proper mindset will show me the true pleasure in serving God and looking to the good of others.  If I never learn that, I will always be nothing more than a baby with a blanket over my face, always blind to the truth of my situation and never able to fix it.
 
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Gal 6:8)
 
Dene Ward

Judah began noticing the birds at my bird feeders before he was two years old.  When he came to visit, he loved to sit in my lap by the window and point.  "Look at the buhds," he would say, in a voice reminiscent of his daddy at that age.  "A red one!  See?  And a blue one!"
 
             Before long he finally saw the hummingbird feeder hanging outside the dining room window.  He loved to watch the "little buhds" while he ate.

              Then one time when they were staying with us while mom and dad were out of town, Keith told him the little birds were eating just like he was, that they stuck their noses in the hole of the feeder and used them like a straw to suck up the nectar.  Oops!  Not a minute later, this ingenious little 20 month old was trying to maneuver his nose over the straw of his juice cup and suck it up just like a hummingbird.  Quickly we explained that people can't do that because it would not go into their tummies like it does for the "little birds."  He seemed skeptical, but he stopped trying.

              The next day we came to the table right after watching the cardinals peck up bird seed from the trough at my other window.  Once again the hummingbirds flew in for dinner while we ate.  Judah sat and thought a minute then said, "Red birds don't have long noses.  They eat like this," and he bent over and banged his little mouth against the wooden table trying to peck.  That time he stopped himself, holding his little hand against his red lip.  I looked closely.  It wasn't bleeding but he had a fat lip for a day or two.

              Children will mimic anyone and, it seems, anything.  Even birds.  Which is why it is important to be so careful around them.  Silas at three was parroting (pun intended) me and his Granddad.  Not that we were using bad language, but it just startles you so to hear it and realize that you use certain words and phrases often enough for them to pick up on.

              And not just your words, or even your actions.  Children will also pick up your attitudes—about people, about life, about God, about your brothers and sisters in the faith, about sin and evil in the world--about other drivers!  That means we must be vigilant as parents, grandparents, and teachers of children in any capacity, because we can also teach them what is right and good.

              A few years ago, Mona Charen wrote an article about a study by the National Institutes of Health examining children who experienced all sorts of care—large institutional day care, nursery schools, relative care, nannies, dads, and stay-at-home moms.  The findings were not well received by the feminists.  "Children who spent significant amounts of time in care with people other than their own mothers were three times as likely as home-reared children to be aggressive, defiant, impatient, and attention-demanding…The effects really begin to kick in when a child spends more than 30 hours a week in alternative care."

              And do you know why that is?  Because children in daycare are mimicking other children.  Children at home are mimicking adults who, we hope, are mature and exhibit all the qualities you eventually want your child to have.

              If you want your children to grow up to be godly, kind, merciful servants of God who know his Word, make sure that is what you are.  Whether you like it or not, he will do exactly what you show him how to do.
 
So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children's children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day. (2Kgs 17:41)
 
Dene Ward