If you take a moment to daydream about the differences between our lives today and our grandparents or great-grandparents lives years ago, you’ll identify some drastic change.  It really is mind-boggling.

I love the efficiency, productivity and value that technology brings to my life today.  However, for most of us the gift of technology has created a daily routine which repeatedly places us in a comfortable chair sitting in front of a screen for 8-10 hours each day (at a minimum).

The gift of technology has not only changed our work in dramatic ways but it has changed the way we spend our time away from work as well.  Whether sports, movies, reality television, or the latest Disney hit on replay, we spend so much of our time sitting in front of a screen.  Oh, and don’t forget that little screen that once was only for phone calls but now provides all sorts of games and social stalking.

The balance between our physical and spiritual health has suffered a slow but undeniable erosion over many years.

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Recently I had a great conversation with a friend around the complexities of evaluating our priority of ‘attending church.’  There really are a lot of complexities.

After all, perfect church attendance is not how we are rescued into the hope and joy of being in Jesus Christ.  We are instructed to live our entire lives as worship (a living sacrifice), therefore our worship is not confined to a Sunday gathering.  Today, more than ever before, we have great Bible teaching available to us anytime and anywhere through a plethora of podcasts.

The truth is that we have so many demands on our time that this discussion becomes very relevant.  Can we or should we be doing something else each weekend rather than gathering together with the church?  Or, maybe we are asking how important it really is so that we can measure it against the other opportunities that arise on occasion?

Perfect church attendance is not the path to righteousness. So, where is the line that must be drawn?

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Time is fleeting, as I wrote in the previous post regarding loving our daughters, so we as fathers must be vigilant about loving our children well.  After my two daughters made their appearance, God blessed us with a son.

There is a difference.  Maybe our ever-growing egalitarian culture would tell us that we love and disciple our sons and daughters exactly the same, but the Word of God indicates something different.  The Bible is clear in multiple places that men and women who love and follow Jesus have different functions (1 Tim 2:8-15; Eph 5:22-33).  Therefore, if we as parents are committed to doing all that is within our ability to disciple our children to biblical womanhood and adulthood, we will disciple them differently.  Discipleship is an outworking of our love for them.

My son is the youngest of our three kiddos.  Since he is five years old there are some practical ways that I can love him differently merely because of his age.  My son and daughters have needs that are different, not only because of gender, but also due to age difference.  That being said, the principles that shape the way I love my son and my daughters are the same.

Fathers, are you loving your son(s) well?

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I remember telling my bride early in our marriage that I knew I would only have sons.  There were only boys in my family.  My father only had boys in his family.  It was all I knew.  I was pleasantly surprised when my first daughter arrived.  Then surprised again when my second daughter arrived.  By that time, I was surprised when my son showed up in slot #3.  Although an extreme venture into the unknown, I found that I loved being a daddy to daughters.

Life in suburbia creates a storm of busyness.  Even as I am very intentional about time with my family, I can have stretches of time where it might be 48 hours between meaningful conversations with my girls.  When you have a demanding job and your daughter has some level of extra-curricular involvement, we have times when her moments at home are while I’m at work and then I arrive home after an evening of meetings as she is deep in slumber.

Shepherding the hearts of our girls is such a unique opportunity and a wonderful gift.

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I have learned some things over the years through this journey of church planting.  That is not completely accurate, I have learned an indescribable amount over these years as God has built His church.  There is no book, aside from the Bible, that can adequately prepare a person for this journey.  We have tried to be very intentional to use our learning as a tool to shape the way we do things.

We learned early and repeatedly that doing church hurts.  At the very core of our DNA is what we call community.  This represents the way we see relationships playing a critical role in gospel transformation.  The church is a body of relationships.

God created His church for real relationships to be experienced.

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Getting married is the easy part.  It is all about planning a big party and then going on a vacation with someone with whom you love to spend time.  Sure there are stressful moments dealing with family and making sure the details get ironed out… but there is always an unmistakable joy on the face of a couple who is excited to make the transition into newlywed status.

The fun does not end, per se, but a new reality does set in over time.  Once the big party and dream vacation are over, the new digs have been decorated, all the ‘firsts’ have been experienced, a couple really gets to know each other.  I can’t tell you how many couples that I have sat across from who believed they knew other thoroughly.  When I tell them that they have yet to scratch the surface, the skepticism is screaming through their disguised nod of agreement.

The greatest encouragement and miracle is when all the newness and initial impressions fade away and the relationship remains.

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My son and I were home alone on the evening of the 2014 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies.  Much to my surprise he was really into it.  I had turned it on to take a glance assuming that his complaining would commence quickly.

He was captivated and wanted to know the name of each country as they entered the stadium and paraded around waving the flag of their homeland.  He asked a lot of questions that I, to be completely honest, I could not answer.  There were a ‘few’ of those places that found me in a blank stare when he asked, ‘Daddy, where is ___________?”  I was a little concerned about damaging my reputation as the Dad who knows everything, but it didn’t seem to bother him.

As we sat on the couch together (which is so fun) I was daydreaming and wondering if there would be any type of Opening Ceremonies in Heaven.  I also wondered if I was being obedient personally in the pursuit of seeing every tribe and language gathering together at the feet of Jesus.

God intended every tribe and nation to radiate a unique facet of His glory.

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Social media has become the place where people share inspirational and feel-good quotes for their friends to enjoy.  Many of the posts are in fact good messages.  However, I saw the worst one I have ever seen recently.  This ‘inspirational’ quote, which I believe has wide approval in our culture, has the power to devastate lives for eternity.

“What matters most is not the source of faith, but the existence of it.”

Contrary to the tolerant and unoffensive nature of this quote, it is a lie.  Further, this message is one that has eternal ramifications.  The truth is that although it is presented as something which should make everyone feel good, it should turn our stomachs.

Regardless of the words that we use, is our source of faith truly Jesus Christ?

In one of my favorite stories from the life of Paul we see him walk into the city of Athens and begin noticing the religious milieu.  Acts 17:16 says, “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”  As we go through the various activities of our lives and we notice slogans or beliefs such as the one I ran across recently, our spirit should be provoked within us as was the Apostle Paul’s.

The truth is that the only thing that matters is the source of our faith.  I can believe all day long, with the strongest existence of faith, that I will be able to walk on water, yet I will be setting myself up for failure because the source of my faith is limited in countless ways.

Misdirected faith is worthless faith.  There is only One perfect source of faith.  Jesus Christ who came and suffered an undeserved punishment on our behalf became the only source which can place us as reconciled before our Creator.

In the spirit of love and compassion we must be careful that we do not love people into hopelessness.  We need to be so loving and compassionate that we say and display that the source of our faith matters above everything else in our lives.

You may have an incredibly mighty faith in yourself, your spouse, or your bank account, but all of them have limitations which will find you on your journey through life.  The only source of faith that is without limits and full of guaranteed promises is Jesus Christ.

Let’s take a moment and ask ourselves, ‘Regardless of the words that we use, is our source of faith truly Jesus Christ?’  It is easy to find ourselves nodding our heads one direction while living in another.

Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.

Weekends are reserved for date nights, or at least they were at my house four children ago.  Now, my man and I usually attempt to watch a movie together on weekend nights after playing, feeding, bathing, reading to, singing to and snuggling with our little crew.  I say attempt, because we usually wake up to a quiet house, a blank TV screen and drool dripping out of one or both corners of our mouths in the wee hours of the morning as we shuffle off to our own bed for a few more hours of sleep.  I can’t tell you how many movies we’ve started and will “one day” finish.

Regardless of whether or not we have plans, I like having him around.  As a matter of fact, I LOVE having him around.  Selfishly, I love having his help with the kids while I cook and clean up dinner….but aside from the amazing help that he gives me, I love to just be with him.  Twelve years of marriage and I still would choose him to hang out with over anyone, any day, any time.  He’s my best friend and I admit….I’m jealous of his time.

My guy is busy.  Not unlike most husbands, I’d assume.  The large part of his day goes to work.  The rest of his time is divided by helping me with the kids, reading, catching up on house projects, and meeting commitments with friends and church.

Joel & Emily Skaggs

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I want to quickly say that I enjoy watching the Super Bowl.  I enjoy football as well.  However, I am not a diehard, given that professional football happens on one of the craziest days of my week.  I whole-heartedly believe that people should enjoy gathering with friends and family to enjoy the Super Bowl this weekend.

That being said, I want to move beyond the healthy enjoyment of a great championship football game this Sunday.  There are a few other realities that surface this weekend which do not begin at game time.  Further, many of these issues find their way into the gatherings of the church for worship on Super Bowl weekend.

Who will you worship this weekend?

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