Note From Pastor Jonathan

How do you help your kids build a lasting faith?

Many of us go through a time of doubt in our late teen years or 20’s. This might be especially true if we grew up in a Christian home, as a crisis of faith makes us determine if we believe simply because our parent(s) did, or if this is a faith we personally own.

Sociologist Christian Smith (Notre Dame) led a team conducting the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Their study indicates that there are relatively simple things parents can do to greatly ensure faith continuity in their teens and emerging adults.

#1 Parents: Professor Smith said: "Parents are huge, absolutely huge, nearly a necessary condition" for a child to remain strong in their faith into young adulthood. He concludes: "without question, the most important pastor a child will ever have in their life is a parent."

#2 Personal Devotion: Along with at least one believing parent, it is also important for the child to develop some habit and practice of regular prayer and reading of Scripture. If a teen has this in their younger years, they are remarkably more likely to maintain these faith practices into early adulthood.

#3 Beliefs: Not as vital as the first two, but it helps if a child has strongly held beliefs and practices about sexual chastity as well as the ability to wrestle with and resolve their faith doubts. They should also have experienced God’s hand in their lives through His faithfulness, answered prayer and meaningful spiritual experiences. And having been teased for their faith is shown to be a faith strengthener, for this actually increases resolve and conviction.

The overall decline in faith from the teen to young adult years is substantial, but not nearly as bad as many evangelical research groups insist. The NSYR research reports, "the transition from the teenage to the emerging adults years involves in general an impressive amount of stability but also, when it comes to change, a significant decline in religious commitment and practice." Note this is a decline, not an abandonment, and in many cases, a temporary decline in the early 20s.

The good news in summary: Young adults raised in strong Christian homes are very likely to continue in the faith established early in their lives, even if there are some bumps along the way.

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The month of January helps us to think about the big picture, and what we might want to add (or shed!) in the coming months. For those of us who are married, what about making advances in that most important human relationship?

Here’s some advice from Jim Daly, who leads Focus on the Family, on “Keeping the Flame Alive.” He writes…

What are you doing to keep the romance alive in your marriage? If you're like me, it's tough to find quality time with your wife. Many of us invest so much in our work and other obligations that fostering intimacy with our spouses is relegated to second-class status.

Nevertheless, it's imperative that you spend quality, one-on-one time with your wife. Too many marriages are destroyed when a man takes up with a mistress—and far too often, that "mistress" is not another woman, but the "respectable" pursuit of career and goals.

One of the most effective ways to keep the flame alive in your marriage is to date your spouse! Dr. Greg Smalley, Focus on the Family's Director of Marriage and Family Formation, has written extensively about the benefits of dating for married couples. He recommends remembering three simple rules-of-thumb:

1. Don't use your date as an excuse to "administrate" your marriage. Choose another time to talk about bills, discipline problems and conflicts. Date Night should be fun!

2. Try something new. Don't go to the same old restaurant. Step out of your comfort zone.

3. Be curious and ask questions. No matter how long you've been married or how well you think you know your spouse, there's always something new to learn.

This week, spend a few hours invested exclusively in your marriage. You'll be glad you did, and so will your spouse!

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As we commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I’d like to share an excerpt from his powerful “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Written on April 16, 1963, Dr. King was writing a response to a published statement by eight fellow Alabama clergymen.

My dear fellow clergymen— While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statements in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms.

I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their "thus saith the Lord" far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.

I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.

There have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation. These are the hard, brutal facts of the case. On the basis of these conditions, Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the latter consistently refused to engage in good-faith negotiation.

For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people…There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.

I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour. But even if the church does not come to the aid of justice, I have no despair about the future. We will win our freedom because the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of God are embodied in our echoing demands.

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood,

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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It was great to land in the USA this past week! We had a terrific trip as a family, with so many fun memories…and, still, there’s something wonderful about coming home to what’s familiar and known.

That said, I’m also reminded of the troubles our country faces:

· Economic instability, especially with regard to the massive and mushrooming national debt we’re handing to our children and grandchildren.

· Violent outbursts that cause fear and national introspection.

· Immigration policy in desperate need of solutions that reflect compassion and justice.

· Recognition that our abortion policy is horribly unjust.

Let me comment on that last one, as January 22 will mark 40 years since the horrific Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court.

Over 55 million children have lost their lives since that fateful decision by several justices in 1973. Countless parents deal with the pain and regret of having made the decision to have an abortion. Some were very young. Others were unaware, maybe coached by doctors to “terminate the pregnancy.”

According to firsthand reports from trustworthy people, there are a couple of doctors at a hospital in the area who have regularly encouraged parents to consider aborting their children due to potential birth defects. Those doctors will give an account someday to a God who has placed a high value on every human life, and who spoke these words: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5

This week, the media recognized the astonishing success of those who are fighting “Big Abortion.” The cover of Time Magazine states, “40 Years Ago, Abortion-Rights Activists Won an Epic Victory with Roe v. Wade: THEY’VE BEEN LOSING EVER SINCE.”

In the article, reporter Kate Pickert observes how both legal restrictions and the tide of popular opinion have rendered pro-abortion advocates less and less effective. On the legal front, she notes, “In 2011, 92 abortion-regulating provisions – a record number – passed in 24 states.”

My prayer is that we will one day—soon—look back on our nation’s abortion history with the same kind of perspective we have looking back on our nation’s slavery history: with shame, sorrow, and humility.

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As we begin a new year, a lot of us wonder, “How do I make this year even better?” How about committing to that Bible reading habit you’ve always promised yourself? The Bible App (see YouVersion.com) is a fantastic resource. There are more than 200 Reading Plans that can help get you on track to engage with God’s Word every day in 2013. In fact, you can even set your Reading Plan to email each day’s content straight to your Inbox!

Right now, we are in the middle of a Sunday message series, “Know the Bible…Be Changed by the Bible.” You can find the plan, titled “The Essential 100,” at YouVersion.com, or find a copy of the passages in the “Raise the Bar” brochure at the Literature Display in our Lobby today. We’re looking at the big picture of God’s Word, reading through 50 key passages from the Old Testament and 50 key passages from the New Testament.

Each Sunday, the message is focused on one of the passages we’re going to read that week. In addition, a class taught by my Dad each Sunday is digging in a little deeper (10:30 am); if you don’t have a class already, you can check that out.

What’s most important is that we give God opportunities to speak into our lives every day. This is one of the key ways we get to know Jesus.

If you find it easier to listen to a passage rather than read it (maybe while exercising or in the car), you can download an audio version at YouVersion as well.

Whatever way we take in God’s Word, here’s what we know for sure: “The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40.8). In our high-tech world there is an abundance of words, many of them without much value or substance. How much better is God's Word, which is permanently valid and unalterably true! The Word of God will stand forever when all else passes away. In 2013, may we be more engaged than ever with this treasure from God.

P.S. We’ve had a super family trip to Asia, and I look forward to speaking next Sunday! I’m excited about the message and hope to see you then.

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