Month: July 2017

This one is short and to the point. Don’t steal.  The problem is, stealing is like lying- easy, quick, and sometimes, unthinking.  The extra change returned goes in the pocket, for example.  No one knows, no one notices.  So we get away with this little disobedience.  We allow the space between us and God, because it’s hardly noticeable after all.  The habit of taking something because it’s there, because we want it, because it just doesn’t matter that much- we never repent, because it’s such a little thing.

But anything we allow to come between us and God- well, it can’t be little, can it?

Don’t buy the lie, my friends.  Hold tight, pay attention to the little, the simple, the ordinary. Because it is in the abundance of the mundane that our life’s values are revealed.

Father, I pray that we would all take our obedience seriously- even in the easy, little, unnoticeable ways.  Give us a deep respect for the property others with the knowledge that everything is yours after all.  May we show our love for you in the mundane.  #prayersformychildren

In the Spears family we have never taken our country for granted.  My dad remembers when his dad was called to serve the US in World War 2, then grew up to joint the Air Force right out of school. I joined the Air Force while still in college, excited to be the active duty service member myself.  I was 12 when my father finally retired, so I have great memories of being an Air Force brat and seeing the world, meeting people from all over, living the Air Force life. On my father’s side, a familiar and well worn path that rooted me in patriotism.

My mother’s father also served his country by joining the military, but Mom’s memories of World War 2 are far, far different from dad’s.  Mom’s father was a member of the Nazi party, and her home was in Silesia.  So until the war ended when she was six, Mom experienced nights and days in bomb shelters, evacuation, fear, and loss.  If you take a moment to think of the war from the perspective of a small German girl, you will undoubtedly imagine how much horror fills these sentences.

But the family of a Nazi officer doesn’t have it easy when the war finally ends, either.  Especially if the family’s homeland is handed over to Poland through the treaties that brought peace. Now Mom’s hometown is filled with Polish people who very understandably hate the Germans. Now the government is Communist, under the thumb of the Soviets.  Now schools are taught in Polish, with everyone expected to learn Russian and history is taught from the skewed perspective of the Communists. And daily life- well, in a time of wide spread poverty because of war and failed Communist policies, I’m sure you are not surprised to hear that my German family in the Polish town suffered.

Fast forward through the family’s escape from Poland to West Germany. American airman meets beautiful, charming German girl and before long the newly-wed couple returns to Nashville and a patriot is born.  You see, my mom lived several other options. She knows what we have here, and how incredibly unique it is. Not just the wealth, but the choices, the freedoms.

You know, the American dream didn’t start out as a house, a car, and more stuff than the neighbors.  The American dream originally was opportunity. Mom and Dad always understood the value of our opportunities, and they grabbed every one. Education, free speech, freedom of religion. Freedom to vote, to serve, to live according to godly values.

Father, thank you for the freedom we have, and for the wisdom of the leaders and citizens who built this country.  I pray my kids would continue to experience the freedom to learn and grow according to their abilities. Work through our current government, Father, to accomplish your purposes in our country. #prayersformychildren

This one is unquestionably the most countercultural- and that is saying a lot, since most of these commandments would be considered quaintly out of date these days.  But purity? Faithfulness to one lifetime partner? How can we expect that of ourselves or our kids? Well, through God’s power, that’s how.

Kids, it’s worth it.  Specifically, your purity is worth protecting.  Yes, it’s true that you have to deny yourself experiences that your peers are telling you are lots of fun. You have to be diligent in guarding your eyes, your thoughts, your online activities for months and years as you protect a relationship you don’t even have yet, with a person you may or may not have met.  But the sacrifices you make as a teen, refusing to engage in sexual experiences with people who are temporary companions- these sacrifices are nothing compared with the joy, pleasure, and fulfillment you will experience with your spouse.

I know you haven’t experienced it yet, but the oneness of marriage is worth all the diligence and care it takes to protect its purity.

But let me take a moment to talk about our Maker.  When I say it’s worth it, I mean even in the larger sense, trusting God is worth it.  Obeying him when it is difficult, or when the reasons are unclear- it’s worth so infinitely much more than the price we pay. Our Heavenly Father created us, and his commandments are for our benefit, to keep us functioning at our best, our healthiest, our most productive.  Our Maker is our loving Father, and he loves to see us thrive.

Father, in this world purity is a rare and precious thing.  Please protect the children of my heart, that their hearts would remain pure and faithful all their days.  Meet them with your power and wisdom, show them the way through temptation. I pray that in this matter and in all others their faith in your loving provision would grow daily.  #prayersformychildren