Family Devotional Resources

Several weeks back, I presented a sermon titled "Spiritual Parenting" in which I went over several things I felt we really needed to be doing with our kids as Christian parents. It was a rather hard-hitting sermon based on the examples of how Joshua commanded that the children who crossed over to the promised land be taught all of the law - and how the next generation's failure to know God revealed that Joshua's command went un-heeded.

I prayed and obsessed over that sermon a lot more than usual! I even asked some elders and deacons to pray for that sermon. Any time you go into a lesson suggesting that some people in the audience aren't parenting to their fullest potential, you'd better have some good material and facts to back up your opinion.

Among the most important points were the following statements - "A good spiritual parent opens the Bible with their children in the home on a consistent basis. If we are not engaging and reading God's Word with our children in the home, we are failing and we are not a good spiritual parent."

Also - "A good spiritual parent has open discussion with their children concerning their spiritual hopes, dreams and goals. If we are not discussing spiritual development, teaching and growth - we are failing."

Fortunately, the lesson appeared to be well-received and many of you gave me positive feedback. I did get some requests concerning how exactly to begin to have family Bible study, and what are some good resources. After some research, I am going to present 4 very good study aids that I feel like almost any parent of even an elementary knowledge of the scriptures could use in Bible study with their kids. These books that I will highlight today can be found at Mardel Book stores, and at online book sellers. I chose these 4 as a starting point for Bible study, and they are probably going to be very easy to find for a few years.

HOLMAN ILLUSTRATED BIBLE HANDBOOK

This is an excellent addition to anyone's library. It is less devotional guide than it is a Bible resource. Lots of pictures, charts, and background information about the Bible. Widely available, this would be a good starting off point to learn about different concepts of Biblical books, history, archaeology, etc. The Holman Handbook even comes in a variety of sizes, with a handy version that can easily be carried along with your normal paper Bible. 

THE DUCK COMMANDER DEVOTIONAL

A true devotional book containing 365 lessons made up of a scripture for the day, devotional thoughts and a suggested prayer for that day's thoughts. Yes, it is steeped heavily in the "Duck Dynasty" show's characters. The devotional thoughts are good, and they are fine Church of Christ folks. Nothing controversial, just good spiritual thoughts. Notice you can get it in pink or green camo. 

TEEN TO TEEN: 365 DAILY DEVOTIONS. BY TEEN GUYS/GIRLS, FOR TEEN GUYS/GIRLS.

The title pretty much sums it up. A Bible study consisting of a passage of scripture and thoughts for each day of the year. Each lesson is written by teens, guy or girl specific. These books I reviewed were leather bound, but can be purchased as hard back as well. Very, very good devotional book to use with your children. For what its worth - I purchased this one to have our devotionals with Abby in mind. 

MAX LUCADO - GOD IS WITH YOU EVERYDAY: 365 DAY DEVOTIONAL

A devotional book based on the writings, wisdom and thoughts of Max Lucado. These Bible studies are not teen specific, but easy enough to understand and appreciate by just about anyone. Very easy to pick up and jump right into a discussion of spiritual truth. 

I'm certainly not going to say I read every single word of these 4 books. But the time that I did take to examine them make me confident that they are excellent places to start. That's what it takes to engage your family with God's word...a good start. Its similar to the old saying about exercise: What's the best workout to lose weight, get in shape and feel good? The one you will do. You don't absolutely have to have a study aid. You can pick up the Bible, gather your family around and go somewhere good. These are suggestions for busy families who want the easiest way possible to jump start their family devos. 

By all means, find something that works for you. Make it a priority. Have a set time every day (or most days of the week) to have a devotional. They can be as short as 10 minutes, or go as long as the discussion lasts. My prayer is that you and your family will grow in wisdom and knowledge because you took the time to make contemplating God's word outside of the church assembly a priority. 

I'd love to know if you have some Bible study/devotional tools that you use. Let me know in the comments section. For that matter, I'd love any kind of comment to know if anyone is reading my blog!

P.S. - May I make one little plea about purchasing these books? If you do, patronize a book store. Mardels and other stores are invaluable in that you can physically see the book and scan through it. They need your support, and we need to be able to have first-hand impressions of books. 

No, really...I DO still have a blog?

Blogs fall somewhere between the realms of "cool tool" and "vanity wanna-be writers". 

One of the reasons I haven't been able to sustain any kind of momentum on this blog is trying to realistically move from the latter to the former. 

Blogs are kind of a 2000's thing, as in the first decade of the 2000's. I remember when all of the cool kids had a well written blog, or maybe I should say just a blog. Social media took over, and kind of made the blog a rather arduous task if all you were seeking was simply an online forum to speak your mind. Now if you are going to spend precious time and creative energy, you better have something good to write and you better write it well. 

I think I at least now have a direction and theory in order to come back to blogging. 

Most of the content up to this point was largely comprised of religious articles I did for a now-defunct Piedmont newspaper. (I guess that means I can include myself among the many who helped drive a newspaper into the ground.) While my intentions (read:vanity) was to keep writing compelling material, I never really had the focus nor the purpose to do it much until now. 

I'm going to use this space to primarily be a "spillover" for my sermons and classes. My first thought is that I'm going to use this spot to put in leftover thoughts, facts, ideas and reflections from Sunday sermons and Wednesday night Bible classes. Trust me, every single sermon and class has something in my notes or brain that just somehow doesn't make it out of my mouth. This happens due to time constraints, an idea that simply didn't explode into relevance or I was distracted by a kid picking his nose. Sometimes I will mention a resource, web page or something that I recommend during a sermon...this is where I will post links or elaborate on those things.

Another use of this blog is what I mentioned in my last post over...a...year...ago. I will talk about congregational life, happenings and in's-and-out's. Think of it as a running commentary of all things Solider Creek. This might get interesting. I might get a little testy, or perhaps display my slants and opinions for everyone to see. We'll see how risky I get with these posts. That said - it is important to issue the little disclaimer that sometimes gets preachers fired.

All opinions on this blog are mine alone, and not necessarily reflective of the leadership or official positions of the Soldier Creek church of Christ.

Finally, I will reserve the right to also treat this blog as my social-media-on-steroids spot. Expanded thoughts on anything and everything...such as the following quick shots:

• ANDY'S FROZEN CUSTARD IS COMING TO OKC!!!!  And even more exciting, its first OKC location is being built at NW Expressway and Macarthur. Andy's is a Springfield, Missouri institution. Probably most of you who go to Branson even semi-regularly know about Andy's on the strip. It is one of the best frozen custard places I've ever known. I've loved frozen custard from my childhood of going to Ted Drewes, the St. Louis institution for frozen custard. Andy's is awfully good, with quality custard and more ways to make a concrete/sundae/shake than you can imagine! Particularly exciting to me is how close it is to my favorite bike trails connecting Lakes Hefner and Overholser. (Go HERE for more about frozen custard,) And yes, I'm aware that Freddy's has frozen custard. Mediocre at best - Freddy's makes much better burgers and hotdogs than any of their frozen offerings. 
• This is the year, THIS IS THE YEAR that I achieve my long sought after goal of a 100 mile ride. Kim and I are working out and in the best shape of our adult lives, and that is going to help me get 'er done. That "Richter Gran Fondo" can be planned to go right by Andy's!
• This also might be the year, sadly, that the road to the World Series doesn't run through St. Louis. Give up on the STL at your own risk, but my beloved Cardinals might have some holes.

That's all for now. My next post will contain some suggested books for having Bible study/devotionals with your family, as suggested in one of my sermons a few weeks back. 

Hey, Wait...I Still Have a Blog!

(NOTE: I am going to attempt to put at least one post every week or so concerning week-to-week happenings in the congregation. Think of it as a commentary of sorts about things going on at Soldier Creek. I might clarify some things that are going on concerning projects and happenings, or I might just offer some thoughts on congregational life. Hope you enjoy! I hope to come up with a spiffy title for this hoped-for regular entry.)

The renovation project has been an odyssey, to put it lightly.

I will admit that things like codes and building permits are far away from anything resembling an expertise of mine. I've never been a minister anywhere in my career that involved any kind of construction while I was there. I will confess that this process has made the thought of being somewhere that would want to build a new church building nowhere near as exciting as I would have assumed once upon a time.

So when Tom sent word via text last week that the building permit was finally approved, I replied to him that I could faintly hear the Hallelujah chorus echoing in my office! As most of us know, this has been a prolonged give-and-take with the city of Piedmont to get our remodel approved. It would be fair to say that it has been perplexing at times as to why it took so long. Sometimes Tom and Dave would say these things were predictable, other times they seemed puzzled too. I believe that we as a congregation owe Tom Squires a big debt of gratitude for his work and dedication for years on this project. Dave Osborn also deserves a lot of love for adding his experience and help to Tom. These guys had to endure numerous delays not of their own doing, but have successfully delivered up a feasible and workable upgrade to our facility.

Needless to say, many of us are ready to start swinging hammers and knocking things down to get the project started! Much will be revealed soon concerning preparations, work days and many other changes that none of us can probably even predict at this earliest stage of the remodel. We are going to have to do some creative thinking now, however, concerning how the remodel is going to affect some activities.

1. We are scheduled to host a youth rally on Sunday, April 19th. I’m frankly not sure we can pull this off if the remodel has begun in earnest by that time.
2. Friend Day on April 26th might be kind of iffy as well. It might be fun, though, to still have friends come and see a congregation that is putting work and creative thought into its place of worship.
3. Depending on how long it will actually take to completely finish the auditorium, it might come very close to when we usually have Vacation Bible School. Same thought process as above in having members of the community see our progress, but presents challenges as well.
4. Last, and certainly not least, the temporary transfer of all worship activities to the fellowship hall.

So get excited, but also be ready to contribute some flexibility and planning concerning activities at the building the next several months..

QUICK HITS:  The Teachers Appreciation fellowship meal was a big hit! Really nice goodie bags for all of our Bible class teachers. Big shout-out to the Wandels, Wolkes and anyone else who was involved (feel free to list anyone I might have missed in a comment to this post)...Sorry again for the confusion this past Sunday night which resulted in evening services being cancelled. With that night being our usual “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” night (which Cathy was not able to plan due to travel), everything kind of got jumbled with our evening worship. Having cancelled so many activities the previous few weeks because of weather didn’t help matters either.

Two Wheeled Humility

As long as I can remember, I have been on a bicycle.

I grew up in a different world, where nearly every boy (and many girls) were basically expected to have a bike and ride it as their primary transportation. My hometown had sidewalks along just about every major street, and the majority of roads were safe for bicycle travel. The only time in my life from about age 6 that I did not have a bike were my first 2 years of college. From tricycles through “Stingrays”, BMX,10 speeds, mountain bikes and now a hybrid...I’ve ridden and enjoyed them all! Many people 40 and above basically had the same childhood experience.

Today is a different time and place concerning bicycling. Cycling is growing in popularity again, especially among adults. While cycling on busier roads is not a new issue, I’m noticing more cyclists riding on fairly busy routes the last few years. As a lifelong cyclist I am aware of the majority of rules, laws and protections for bicycles on public roads. Generally speaking, bicyclists have a right to the road and the right lane just as much as motor vehicles. Oklahoma law states that bicyclists are to ride “as far to the right as practical” on public roads unless turning or passing. The law also states that bicyclists are to ride no more than 2 riders side-by-side unless on a bike path or other specifically designated area. Cyclists are also to obey every single traffic law and rule as motorists (stop signs/lights, yield signs, etc.)

I have to admit that I am occasionally at odds with others in the cycling community about how we safely ride. I see far too many cyclists basically either ignoring the rules or taking on an “activist” aggression in their riding habits. Around Piedmont I’ve witnessed many groups riding 3-4 riders abreast across an entire lane of traffic. And while riding on the right side of a lane is legal, I simply don’t understand riding a bike in the right lane of N.W. Expressway when a very broad and smooth shoulder makes for a fabulous ride that doesn’t impede traffic. While I don’t condone poor attitudes from motorists about bikes on the roads, I can unfortunately understand frustrations when bikers don’t use common sense.

There are a few verses in the Bible that come to mind concerning flaunting liberties. God clearly tells us not to see liberties and freedoms as opportunities to recklessly force our own agendas. Peter wrote, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16.) Our human nature sometimes will lead us to go down paths in the name of “freedom” that aren’t beneficial for ourselves or anyone else. I’d rather use my freedom to engage in activity or thought that helps others rather than simple self-expression or exaltation.

One of the controversies in the church at Corinth of the 1st century was the practice of secular markets to sell meat that had been sacrificed to pagan idols/gods. Many Christians found this to be troubling and taught not to eat such meat. Paul made arguments for and against the practice in the New Testament writings, essentially teaching that in such circumstances you should do whatever will do the least harm with the people you keep company. One conclusion he reached was “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10:23–24.) In all aspects of life, we should look to the well being of as many people as possible rather than stressing our freedom for our own selfish pursuits. Perhaps the old saying should come to mind - just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD do that thing.

So let us take to heart these words in all areas of life, regardless of how many wheels we ride upon. And be nice to that guy riding down Highway 4 on the black bike (riding single file, as much to the right as practical!)

SPIRITUAL SOCIAL MEDIA

If you are on this blog, you are the target audience of this post.

Most of you will understand the term "social media", and how it has changed the way most people in the world not only spend their time online....but how they interact period. From Facebook to Twitter to all of the similar websites out there, we can not only communicate but interact as communities of varying interests. Certainly not everyone who gets on the Internet is necessarily addicted to social media, but nearly every does indeed have at least one account.

There has been a rise in churches who use these sites to keep their members connected and informed. Matter of fact many congregations use their traditional website as more or less a simple information tool geared toward outsiders, while using some form of a social media site to have actual interaction and information sharing.

While you can do so much on a site like Facebook, there is always the knowledge that your spiritual information and dialogue is competing with so much other information and entertainment. Your best attempts to reach out into your members' online presence to encourage spiritual activity runs the risk of being overwhelmed and pushed to the periphery. We also know that social media has the same dark sides and temptations that many other facets of the web feature.

Fortunately there are some pretty cool services that have most of the features of a service like Facebook and Twitter, but are created to be primarily used for spiritual purposes. They contain built in applications that are useful for sharing church information, encouraging online Bible study in various group settings, prayer lists, calendars.....the list is almost endless.

I have begun to work on some sites for the Soldier Creek congregation that I believe have great potential for not only keeping members of the congregation as a whole informed and connected....but to also be a good tool to encourage Bible study and devotional activity for families no mater how close or far apart they are. You don't have to be a heavy user of the following to be a member in good standing of Soldier Creek, but I would encourage you to check out the following sites and see what they have to offer for your spiritual online activity. I'd use my laptop or desktop to sign up for these accounts - we'll talk about the apps a little later in this post.

1. FIRST, you will need to do is visit the website of Logos Bible Software using your desktop or laptop. Their main product is a very comprehensive Bible study software program that I have used in my ministry and Bible study since 1993. They feature all kinds of products that greatly enhance your study and lesson preparation. I could go on and on about that program, and would be happy to demonstrate what it can do in person.

But for now, DON'T BUY ANYTHING.  Simply click the "sign in" at the top right corner of the screen to sign up for a free Logos account. Once you have a Logos account you will have access to numerous Bible study aids. They have a pretty nifty free Bible study app for pretty much all of the gadgets (iphone, Android, Kindle Fire, etc.)

2. But the logo you need to look for on the Logos page looks like this:

This is the logo for Faithlife. Faithlife is a "Christian" social media site developed by Logos. By following this link you will again sign up for another account - a Fatihlife account. Once you have a Logos and a Faithlife account, look around to get yourself acclimated. You'll see that it has a Facebook feel to it in that there is a wall for messages, groups you can join and related information on the right side of the screen. The links below are some areas set up especially for Soldier Creek members:

Soldier Creek Church of Christ group.    This will be developed as a general site for the whole congregation. Once you get your Faithlife account, type in the search box "Soldier Creek Church of Christ." Faithlife will take you to this page, where there will be a "ask to join" button. Notice the calendar button, where a lot of our activities are listed on the calendar at this group site. Eventually, I will list topics and questions here for any Bible class or sermon that I present. This will also have a prayer list if you choose to add the prayer list "widget" to your wall. Literally the possibilities are endless for what we might do with this group if we have enough interest.

Soldier Creek youth group: This will be geared toward our youth group activities, Bible class notes, Bible studies, LTC info and a calendar. Now the next group is where this gets interesting, and where this has very practical spiritual possibilities for your family.

Richter Family Devos:  I've left open (for a time) a page that I've put together for my family and our devotionals. Notice that I have a reading plan that all of us can keep up with on our own devices, a calendar of church-related events for the kids and other info. This part of Faithlife excites me - an online means to interact with our kids and their faith in an online setting.

I can't emphasize enough how important this could be. Our families are more wired and spend more time on computers with each passing day. Our young people have never known a world without the internet and hand held internet-capable devices. None of us need too much convincing to acknowledge that there is much negative in the online world that attacks not only our kids faith but their work habits, attention spans and so much more. Having an inlet to our kids electronic world, a spiritual inlet, is a strong tool.

My kids are taking to Faithlife, and are more interested in using their online Bible for our family devotionals. My son has the Faithlife app on his ipod touch, my daughter has it on her Kindle Fire and my wife has it on her Android phone. Our Faithlife family devo page is becoming a very valuable tool in reaching out to, and being involved in, their spiritual development in an online world they love.

 Next is the 2nd big part of Fatihlife.

3. The Faithlife Study Bible:  The Faithlife groups have this online study Bible as its backbone. Click on any scripture reference anywhere in Faithlife and you are taken to Biblical references, articles, charts, photos and even videos that are linked to specific Bible passages. You can make your own online notes about Bible verses, and groups can use the Faithlife Study Bible to make their own notes, questions and study guides. This online study Bible paired with the Faithlife social media capabilities makes for a unique opportunity to further your spiritual life via machines you might use everyday. Faithlife is probably the best way you'll ever utilize your technology.

4. Get the app:  So now you bring it all together by using your Logos and Faithlife accounts to use the Faithlife site and study Bible on any of your technology you choose. Obviously everything is bigger and easier to use on your laptop/desktop. Your kids, however, probably prefer their portable technology. So you can download the Faithlife apps and use every aspect of the service free of charge on the following platforms (click to go to the sites where you can download the apps):

Faithlife on Android (Google Play store)
Faithlife on iTunes (iPhone and iPod Touch)
Faithlife on Kindle Fire (Amazon store)

It seems like a lot to digest, but I'm fairly confident that you will catch on to these apps and experience quickly. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need any help or explanations (okiecardinal@hotmail.com). I'd also love your input as to how you'd like to see our church use Faithlife.

"Meet Me at Musial" - the Richter Family Files.

Took some time to dig through my wife's meticulously-kept photo scrapbooks and found some family photos by the Musial statue in St. Louis. Just thought it might be a nice follow-up to my Musial article.

This is my then future-bro-in-law in 1989 outside of "Busch Stadium II". This is during the visit Kim and her grandparents made that I wrote about in the article. Ryan also has the honor of having actually met Stan. He and my mother-in-law went to a baseball card show where Stan was signing autographs. They bought me a framed photo of Musial for Christmas, which Ryan waited in line to have Stan sign. I have that photo somewhere...

These two photos are from 1996 - my son's first baseball game. Memorable game not only due to Caleb's first  Cardinals game, but also the last time I got to see Ozzie Smith  as a player. The Cardinals won that night against the Rockies 2-1, and would go on to win the NL Central but fall to Atlanta in the NLCS. You can easily see I have my shoes off in the 2nd picture, and I made sure my 1 year old was paying due deference to The Man as well!

My daughter's first Cardinals game in 2000. Obviously in a moment of inexplicable rebelliousness or neglect - we have our shoes on. As I recall, it was very crowded around the statue that night and we only felt comfortable snapping a quick picture, so the shoes stayed on. 

What a trip down memory lane! The Musial statue has been a meeting place and focal point for generations of Cardinal fans. At the newest Busch Stadium, the Musial statue stands proudly at the main entrance by 3rd base. 

Much, much more on the great game of baseball and God's Team here in the near future. 

SO LONG, STAN.

(NOTE: This article is adapted (longer!) from the one that was published in January of 2013 in The Piedmont Citizen. As a life long Cardinal fan, I consider having an article published about Stan Musial one of my proudest secular achievements and a great honor.)

"Meet me at Musial."

If you grew up in St. Louis, you knew exactly what that meant. That meant that you would meet up in a throng of baseball fans outside of Busch Stadium at the large statue of Stan Musial, that stood outside of the previous Busch Stadium on the left field side. 

The first time my wife saw the statue was when we were still dating in college. As we approached the statue, I thought it would be funny (and hopefully only mildly blasphemous  to take off my shoes as we got closer to its base. Needless to say, she was duly embarrassed - and thus began a Richter family tradition nearly every time we've gone to a Cardinals game. Funny thing is, fellow Cardinal fans who see us do this actually kind of understand exactly what I'm doing. 

Growing up in the suburbs of St. Louis, you were indoctrinated into local traditions and beliefs in the same way that other metro areas did to their residents. It has been fun in my life to have (mostly) light hearted debates with Oklahomans and people from all over the US concerning phrases, local cuisine, regional politics/politicians and other “local heroes.” Obviously sports and local teams instill many passions, pride and memories. Coming to Oklahoma and making it my home has exposed me to different sports values. College sports, namely NCAA football, is king around here. It stirs passions even in people who did not attend college at all, not to mention the team of which they might be a hard-core fan. 

In St. Louis, the game of baseball is the undisputed game of choice. And there was one undisputed local giant of their game, a player simply known as “The Man.”

I’m not an esteemed sports writer, so I haven’t earned the space to write a “Sports Illustrated” type epilogue that I could easily write about Stan Musial. So many aspects of not only Musial’s career but his notoriety as a great man off the diamond could command lengthy plaudits. Musial’s numbers, whether one looks at them through a traditional or modern “Sabermetric” lens, place him squarely and legitimately as one of the top 5 hitters in the history of the game (and debatably even higher.) My favorite Stan stat is that of his 3,630 lifetime hits (still 4th all time and was the most ever in the NL at the time), those hits were split exactly in half at home or on the road (1,815 each.) Didn’t matter where he was, The Man simply hit the ball. 

The other element of Musial’s fame was his reputation as a person. While noted on a national level, no place knew more about his goodness, humility and philanthropy than St. Louis. Two quotes sum up what people knew about Stan best. Esteemed broadcaster Bob Costas once said “All Musial represents is more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being." On the day Stan was inducted into Cooperstown in 1969, the commissioner of baseball uttered the words that are inscribed on the base of the same Musial statue that stands outside of the newer Busch Stadium in STL today - “Here stands baseball’s perfect warrior. Here stands baseball’s perfect knight.”

So in a month when no one was judged worthy or clean enough for the baseball hall of fame, a prominent college football player’s part in an elaborate media hoax is debated and pro football deals with drunk-driving deaths and fallout from scandals of all sorts...an athlete legendary for doing things right on and off the field is mourned by his community and era. A Man who proved being one of the best of all time isn’t a license to becoming a lout in everyday life. 

The verse I’m reminded of is Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Our ultimate example of living this mindset of course is our Lord, but wherever we can find examples or encouragement to set our minds to the highest standards possible - we need to cherish and embrace them. It isn't too idealistic or outdated that we need to set our minds above the temporary and self-serving mindsets of today’s world. There is still a place for people who choose to dwell on what is right, noble and admirable for all of creation. Having “pure” and “lovely” as goals for our thought process isn’t pollyanna nor impossible. 

We need more positive mindsets. We need more people who truly believe the world can be a better place. We need people who choose to humbly serve God and strive for excellence for themselves and their communities - both on the job and in their homes. We need people who believe in holiness, decency and kindness. Praise God that He tells us these things are possible for those who choose to set their minds to it. 

And thanks to someone as meager as a great baseball player to exemplify these things as much as a human can. So long, Stan the Man...thank you for the example of what a good man can do when the right mindset is applied in all that he does.