Parents, Get Involved!

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[261 words] Parents get deeply excited and involved with what their children are doing in school. They make sure the children prepare for classes. They make sure the children never miss a class, a practice or an event. They are even there with them. They send their children to all kinds on clinics and training sessions, even at great cost. Parents provide their children with whatever they need to succeed in those areas, but then when it comes to God, things are different. If most parents could get as excited about spiritual things for their children as they do over...

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Be Careful, the Children are Watching

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[145 words] We need to be careful, children are excellent imitators, consider for a moment the following story: A small girl watched with absorbing interest, everything which was happening at her mother’s card party. She observed how her mother dressed; how she dealt the cards; how the women drank cocktails, and how freely they puffed on their cigarettes. The next day, the little girl gathered her friends in the neighborhood to play “party.” She dressed herself in some of her mother’s clothes. Slipping into her mother’s room, she got her mother’s cigarettes. Returning to her friends, she put a cigarette...

Are You Passing on Your Faith?

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[349 words] “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well” (2 Tim. 1:5). I remember well the name of Howard Hughes. Hughes’ life started with great potential, but his life ended in a pitiful condition. This one-time wealthiest man in the world died as a spiritually bankrupt individual. He was born in 1906 in Houston, Texas. His mother, Allene, died in 1921. His father was a Harvard educated attorney and a great inventor. He invented the...

Handprints Aren’t So Bad After All

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[347 words] The bags were packed, goodbye’s were said, and the children were excited as they prepared to go with their grandparents for a few days to Tennessee. My wife and I do not take a lot of overnight trips where we’ll be apart, but on this occasion she and the kids had an opportunity to spend a few days with her parents while I stayed home to attend a week-long seminar class. As they pulled out of the drive, I closed the door and turned toward the empty house. As I turned, an item on the couch caught my...

The Importance of Honoring Our Parents

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[369 words] Jesus’ mother, Mary, witnessed the crucifixion from the foot of the cross. Despite his agony, Jesus told his best friend, John, to take care of his mom, and to his mother he said, let John stand in my place as your son. John lived a very long life, and I believe he took care of Mary until she went to heaven. I find it important that while Jesus was bearing the weight of the sins of the whole world on the cross, He took out the time to make sure His mother was taken care of after He...

How to Handle a Tricky Situation

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[157 words] When Paul wrote to Philemon, he was addressing a difficult situation. Philemon’s slave had run away, found Paul, and was obviously baptized into Christ (Philemon 1:10-16). Paul sent the slave (Onesimus) back to Philemon with the letter. How did Paul handle this tricky situation? 1. He recalls all the good things they have in common in Christ. He mentions comfort and commends Philemon (Phil 1:7). 2. He expresses confidence in Christ that he has the right to command Philemon to do what is proper (Phil 1:8). 3. He instead calls upon Philemon for love’s sake (Phil 1:9). The...

You Could Care Less If Dad Is Gone

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[261 words] Empathy is the ability to feel for others. It’s what makes us care about each other as people and forms the roots of compassion and love. In a world that struggles with bullying, anger, and coldness, you could imagine why people want to know how to build it. Richard Koestner, a psychologist at McGill University was attempting to do just that. He looked and found a study that had been conducted at Yale University back in the 1950s. It involved 75 men and women who had been part of a study when they were children. When Koestner and...

Time is of the Essence

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[374 words] Time. We all have a limited amount of it. We all know this, but we ignore it and waste time anyway. We are so selfish with time, not willing to share it or give it others. Time is of the essence is a legal term used in contracts to emphasize the necessity of meeting the date or dates stated in the agreement. If one of the parties does not, that person is liable. Why must we have contracts to force us to do what we are supposed to do? So it is with life in general. We must...

Spend Time With Your Kids!

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[96 words] In the diary of Brooks Adams is a note about a special day when he was eight years old. He wrote, “Went fishing with my father; the most glorious day of my life.” Through the next forty years, there were constant references to that day and the influence it had on his life. Brooks’ father was Charles Francis Adams, Abraham Lincoln’s ambassador to Great Britain. He also had a note in his diary about the same day. It simply said, “Went fishing with my son; a day wasted.” via House to House, Heart to Heart Vol. 19,...

Children Need Instruction

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Bulletin Digest

[98 words] Proverbs shows the need for children to pay attention to instruction. Solomon admonishes his son to pay attention to his parents (Prov. 1:8-9), and to recognize the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 1:7). Children also need to be shown how to put those things into practice. The Bible says to acknowledge the Lord in all your ways (Prov. 3:6), which means everything we do should be shaped by the wisdom of God. If parents live this way, it will be more likely that our children will do the same. Matt Clifton BulletinDigest.com...

Timeless Words for Families

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[418 words] Ours, it is to be feared, is an irreverent age and land. The number of those who neither fear God nor regard man, is greatly multiplied. The whole providentially arranged system of things is reversed; and if there is any one motto which might be inscribed on the surface of society as it now is, or as modern innovators and radicals would have it, it would be this—“The elder shall serve the younger.” Youth no longer hangs upon the counsels of age or experience, or design to ask of the former times; but the less one knows...

Take Charge

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[249 words] When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem to commemorate the great exodus by observing the Passover, He found that the temple complex more resembled a marketplace and banking center than it did a place to offer worship to His Father (John 2:13-22). The place was filled with corrals full of livestock and kiosks for exchanging currency. With a whip that He crafted Himself, the Prince of Peace made quite a scene. He turned the animals loose and drove them out, overturned the tables of the money-changers, and told the people, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s...

Start Early, Do More

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[157 words] A neurologist at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan has done research that reveals the great capacity of growing human brains to absorb information. He discovered that by age 2, the infant’s cortex is operating at adult levels. At age 4, that child’s brain is twice as active as the adult brain and continues at that rate until 10, when it begins to slow down. By 16, it has slacked off to the pace at which it continues through adulthood. God’s wisdom is seen in His stressing the importance of instilling in children the truths of His Word at...

A Prayer for Parents

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[361 words] Each of us know that prayer is very important. In our own lives we will pray at different times and for different reasons. We pray at meal times, when someone is having troubles in their lives (such as sickness, death or making difficult decisions). We also know that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ prayed. In the Gospel accounts — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — there are 62 instances of the word “pray” or “prayer.” Jesus prayed at the same time we pray: before making a decision, when someone was sick, when someone was distraught over...

Abandoned Children

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[279 words] They’re called “baby hatches.” They were designed as a way for parents to anonymously drop off unwanted babies which might otherwise have been abandoned in the street. An infant is placed in a box that is built into a wall of a safe haven. When the box is closed, an alarm goes off, letting the staff of the facility know that a baby has been deposited. The staff waits five to ten minutes before retrieving the baby, allowing the person who left the infant to remain anonymous. In China, most abandoned infants have special needs. From January...

It’s Hard to Convince Your Children

Posted on February 21, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[271 words] It’s hard to convince your children that the church is the most important thing in the world when you are negligent about attending its services and supporting its work. It’s hard to convince your children that the church is the greatest institution in the world when you permit them to miss services to go elsewhere It’s hard to convince your children that the church is to be held higher than anything when you insist that they do their homework for public school but permit them to neglect their Bible study. It’s hard to convince your children that the...

Teaching Kids Sexual Purity

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[254 words] Our culture is in a sexual free fall. The average age for first-time sexual intercourse for boys is 15.9 (girls 16.2). The vast majority of students are sexual by the time they are high school seniors. By the way, the percentage of “Christian” kids is no different. Parents don’t know what to do. They know how poorly prohibition worked in their generation, yet they also know that their teens are not prepared for sexual activity. Above all, God’s will on the subject is clear. What to do? Throwing our hands in the air isn’t the answer. Neither is...

Do You Have a Moses on Your Hands?

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[435 words] “What do you know about Moses?” the Bible class teacher asked her eager 5th graders. “He was saved from death because his mother put him in a little boat on the river.” “He was found by Pharaoh’s daughter.” “He led the people out of bondage.” “He gave the Ten Commandments.” “He led the children of Israel in the desert.” We know a great deal about Moses, don’t we? Without a doubt, he is one of the greatest people in the Bible. But, what do you know about his parents? Some may know their names were Amram and...

How to Bring up Children

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[286 words] The rearing of children is probably the most difficult task on the face of this earth. All of us desperately want our children to turn out right. I certainly do not claim to have all the answers. As a matter of fact, the older I get the less I know. However, I want to make some suggestions in this article that I hope will help all of us in bringing up our children. Make home the brightest and most attractive place on earth. When children grow up in a good, happy atmosphere they have a very good chance of becoming good, happy individuals. Spend...

Parents, Please Read: There’s Trouble in the Land

Posted on February 3, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[328 words] There’s trouble in the land. No wide-awake person will deny that! These upheavals have caused many parents to express apprehension concerning the future of their children. That’s understandable. When our children graduate from high school and leave home, many of them also leave the church. Suddenly they are exposed to an environment hostile to Christ and even to the basic principles of morality. If a young person is ill-equipped to handle this, he is in grave trouble. Unfortunately at a time when families should be doing everything in their power to “beef up” their spiritual defenses and...

Joseph

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

The picture of a truly successful man is seen in Joseph. As we view him in his late thirties, he is in the courts of Pharaoh with the number two position In the land. But his success was measured by more than that. He was a righteous man who, even in his youth refused to be involved in immorality. He had a tender and forgiving attitude toward his brethren. He had a clear concept of God’s plan for him. He coped with life in its hardest moments and overcame, keeping his perspective. He was sold by his envious brothers and...

Making a Difference in the Family

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

God gave each member of the family a role to play. Each one playing his or her part will make a difference in the family, as can be seen in Paul’s instructions to the saints in Ephesus. Christian wives are to place themselves under the control of their husbands as one means of showing that they are yielding to the Lord (5:22). God made man the head of the family, foreshadowing the relationship of Christ to the church. Jesus demonstrated His love for the church by giving His life for her. Husbands should be ready to sacrifice their lives for...

A Judge’s Haunting Words

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[217 words] I went to Sunday school when I was small and learned all about God. After I was married I decided to go again and take my children. I couldn’t persuade my husband to go, but the children and I went regularly for a year. Then I skipped a Sunday. And soon I skipped two or three. Then we went only on special days. Soon I joined a bowling team that competed on Sunday. I could go to church and Sunday school, but I would have to give up my bowling. Bowling won the battle. Not long ago in...

A Loving Father

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[317 words] I recall an interview I once read of a young teenage girl. At one point in the exchange, she remarked, ”l know for a fact that my parents don’t love me.” Why do you think this teenage daughter said that? Here’s what ran through my mind when I read those words. Perhaps her parents didn’t let her go out with her friends as much as she would have liked, or perhaps when she did go out, they made her come home much earlier than she desired. Maybe they restricted the time she could spend on her phone and/or...

Do You Struggle With Parenting?

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Bulletin Digest

[291 words] Parenting is challenging. The top of the Christian parent challenge list would be, “Will my child be faithful to Christ into adulthood?” The Fuller Youth Institute says 50% of students walk away from the church after they graduate High School. Our youth need: Intergenerational relationships: Titus 2:1-5 says, “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanders, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-that they...

Fathers, What is Your Legacy?

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Bulletin Digest

[288 words] Inheritance is important. Good fathers desire to leave something behind for their children (Prov. 13:22). Old Testament law even regulated the passing down of a father’s possessions (Deut. 21:15-17; Num. 27:8-11). As fathers, what sort of inheritance would we like to see our children get? Material Possessions. There is nothing wrong with money, if possessed and used in godly ways. The Lord certainly wants us to provide for our families (1 Tim. 5:8). However, Paul also warned Timothy that the “love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10), and Jesus tells...

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Father Figure

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Bulletin Digest

[248 words] Why is there so much violence, crime, hostility, anger, hatred, discrimination, disrespect, etc. in our world today? What’s wrong with America? I believe the answer can be summed up in two words: FATHER FIGURE. The ABSENCE of a father figure within the home is reaping havoc on our society. And when I say FATHER FIGURE, I have reference to both a biological father as well as the Heavenly Father. The Divine PLAN for the home includes BOTH- husband/father and God (cf. Gen. 2:18ff; Pro. 22:6; Eph. 5:23ff; 6:4; Psa. 127:1ff). And might I add that a husband-father...

Paying For Your Child’s Choice

Posted on May 6, 2017 by Bulletin Digest

[390 words] According to an investigative article by Eli Hager published in the Washington Post, March 2, 2017, entitled “Your child’s been sent to jail. And then comes the bill,” many states bill parents when their juvenile children are in the legal system. One woman in California was charged $30 a day, while her son waited for 300 days to be tried. In this case, all the charges were dismissed because someone else had committed the crime. Many parents of adolescent children are poor and can barely afford to live themselves. Many never pay, many others are threatened and harassed...

Before He’s One

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Bulletin Digest

[55 words] Before your child has come to seven Teach him well the way to heaven! Better still the truth will thrive, If he knows it when he’s five! Better yet, if at your knee He learns it when he is only three! Best of all when you have begun To teach of Jesus before he’s one! Author Unknown BulletinDigest.com...

As We Headed Out the Door

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Bulletin Digest

[365 words] As we headed out the door of our house to load (or should I say cram) our daughter’s final bag of luggage into the car. I went back inside to make sure we had turned off all the lights. For whatever reason, l walked down the hallway to my daughters bedroom, opened the door and stepped inside. My emotions got the best of me at that very moment and tears began to stream down my face (as they are right now in rethinking that moment). I sat down on her bed and immediately a thousand precious memories began...

Enjoy While You Can

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Bulletin Digest

[75 words] A young mother, holding her toddler-sized child, was enjoying playful time with her daughter and the daughter was loving the attention and time from her mother. I rejoice when I see parents enjoying their small children. Certainly, children can be burdensome at times but, speaking as one whose youngest grandchild is just about through college, enjoy your children while they are small, all the way through empty-nesthood. You will not have them long! Cecil R. May, Jr. Preacher Talk...

Are We Bringing Our Children Up or Down?

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Bulletin Digest

[309 words] Rules for Bringing Up a Child: 1. Make home the brightest and most attractive place we can. 2. Make him responsible for helping in some daily duties at home. 3. Never punish in anger nor to relieve our own feelings, but only in love and for disobedience. 4.Do not ridicule his ideas; talk frankly on matters in which he is interested. 5. Encourage him to invite friends to our home and table. 6. Impress on his mind the fact that service and honesty are more important than making money. 7. Live Christ before him so you will be...

12 Things Fathers Do Which Provoke Children

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Bulletin Digest

“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged” (Colossians 3:21). Fathers do you discourage or anger your children? The scriptures clearly reveal God’s warning to fathers of the potential a father has to stir his children in ways which are wrong. How is this done? Recently, Glenda Franklin, a Christian counselor who is a member of our congregation, shared with me a list of things fathers do to discourae their children. She lists these...

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Faithful Fathers

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Bulletin Digest

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD; and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psa. 127:3-5). What an awesome blessing, as well as responsibility, rearing children is! If only more fathers and mothers had a greater appreciation of this gift and took more seriously their God-given roles as parents (cf. Deut. 6:1ff; Pro. 22:6; 31:1ff;...

Parents Have To Live It

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Bulletin Digest

At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, “Do you understand what cooperation is and what teamwork is all about?” The little boy nodded in the affirmative. “Do you understand that what really matters is not whether we win or lose, but that we play together as a team?” The little boy nodded yes. “Good,” the coach continued. “And, when a strike is called, or you’re thrown out at ﬁrst, you don’t argue, curse, attack the umpire with a bat, or throw dirt in the opposing team member’s faces. Do you understand all...

What Did You Think Of Church, Daddy?

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Bulletin Digest

Every Sunday, just about noon, families walk out of church, get in the car and begin the drive home. Crucial religious instruction takes place then. Here are some of the positions a parent can take as these minutes tick away. Act like you have never been to worship services. Do not mention anything that happened. The whole experience was lived in another world; now you are back in the real world. Play ‘Devil’s Advocate.’ Take the opposite side from the preacher; punch a few holes in the sermon. Make fun of the song leader noting that he sang too slow,...

Parenting

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Bulletin Digest

One Sunday a preacher was entertained in a farm home of a family of a rural church. The preacher was impressed by the intelligence and unusually good behavior of their only child, a little four-year-old boy. Then the preacher discovered one reason for the child’s charm. The mother was at the kitchen sink, washing the intricate parts of the cream separator when the little boy came to her with a magazine. “Mother,” he asked, “what is this man in the picture doing?” To the preacher’s surprise, she dried her hands, sat down on a chair, and taking the boy in...