• Home
  • About
    • Steps to Peace with God
    • Grow
    • Beliefs
    • Pastor
    • History >
      • History
      • Archive Photos >
        • Photos 2014
        • Photos 2013
        • Photos 2012
        • Photos 2011
        • Photos 2010
        • Photos 2009
        • OCC Photos 2016
        • Christmas Party 2016
  • Hello
  • WATCH
    • Watch On YouTube
    • Sermons Archive
  • Ministry
    • Accessibility Project
    • Children
    • Youth
    • University & College Students
    • Christian Salvage Mission
    • Operation Christmas Child
    • Global Partners
    • Hope Awaits Ministries
    • "Walk It Out" Blog Archive
    • Ready to Wed
    • Bulletin Archive
    • Shared Files
  • Give
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • eNewsletter Sign Up
Laurentian Wesleyan Church
Connect With Us

How Normal Is "God-Talk" In Your Home?

1/19/2016

 
Before we answer the title question, let me ask another one.  How often do you use your good dishes?  If you're like Chrissy and I, not much.  They look nice.  We've got lots of them.  They have sentimental meaning.  But they aren't our everyday dishes.  They're for special occasions.

In some families, when the good dishes come out, there can be some stress attached.
"What if someone breaks one?"
"What if they find their way into the dishwasher?"
"They might get chipped or dropped!"
And so naturally, they stay on the shelf most of the time.

How can the difference between good and everyday dishes help us in our spiritual lives?  I heard Carey Nieuwhof talk about this (yes, I know I've talked a lot about him lately, but he's got some great, helpful stuff).  Sometimes in our homes, we treat God like He's the good dishes?  We rarely "bring Him out" and when we do we're afraid something will break.  In a Christian family, this isn't how we should treat God.  He should be more like our everyday dishes.  Constantly a part of the day.  Frequently "brought out".  No fear of the conversation "breaking" (God can look out for Himself after all).  I'm reminded of this scripture; "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."  Joshua 1:8, NIV.  I sometimes read this verse, and get thrown off by that word meditate, or the "day and night" phrase.  It sounds like a lot of work sometimes.  I mean, who meditates?  And I'll admit, I've been around Christians that sometimes force God into the conversation and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  I don't find unnaturally forcing God into the conversation particularly helpful.  I don't want my faith to be viewed like author Rosaria Butterfield observed of Christians (before becoming one...great story by the way!), "Christians in particular were bad readers, always seizing opportunities to insert a Bible verse into a conversation with the same point as a punctuation mark: to end it rather than deepen it."  God wants to deepen our life.  His Word makes a difference.  Let's make Him an integral part of our everyday, not just for special occasions.  Let's have His Word in our hearts that it can't help but flow into our day naturally.

So, how normal is "God-Talk" in your home?  Well, only you can answer that.

Resources to check out:
Parenting Beyond Your Capacity by Carey Nieuwhof
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by
Rosaria Butterfield


Comments are closed.

    Jason McCutcheon

    Devotional thoughts, reflections on a books I've read or a great song I've come across.  Thanks for reading!

    Archives

    April 2021
    January 2018
    April 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013


    RSS Feed

Laurentian Wesleyan Church
529 McKay Ave.
North Bay, ON  P1B 7V7
705-494-9710
Proudly powered by Weebly