CIAM Radio

Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "Three Rewards of Integrity." Enjoy!

Why do so many kids walk away from faith—and what can parents actually do? Brian Dembowczyk brings fresh, you-got-this ways to shape your home into a place where Jesus isn’t just discussed, but seen. If discipleship feels daunting, find small steps can spark big faith.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn more about Brian and get his book "Family Discipleship That Works: Guiding Your Child to Know, Love, and Act Like Jesus" on his website. 

• Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com.
• See resources from our past podcasts.
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Tune in to hear Pastor Chuck Swindoll encourage and challenge you in the same way Paul challenged the Roman church.

From the Series: Romans: The Christian’s Constitution

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It’s one thing to be apathetic towards people. We’re often indifferent to politics and social justice—trusting others to take care and do what’s right. As serious as apathy is, apathy towards God is even more critical. When we open our hearts to God He replaces apathy with passion... and that’s when our lives are changed.

When you feel overwhelmed by others this holiday season there are things you can do to find hope. Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory talk about how to quiet the chaos and find peace. They share what being overwhelmed by others feels like, how we can “pre-decide” and set boundaries before we interact with family, how to practice self-care, and how to deal with “crisis creators.” They also share how to determine if something is a “big deal” or a “deal breaker.” A final reminder is given that with God’s help you can find peace at the holidays and throughout the year.

We met Dan and Rita and their dog when we took our Native American team to a reservation in South Dakota. They live in this dusty little village, doing their best to make a difference for the people there. They've got this little dog named Gal. Now most dogs are pretty aggressive in meeting strangers - they come right up to you, even on you. But not Gal. No, she retreats when she sees people. She cowers actually; she trembles. Dan and Rita explained why. Their dog had been severely abused by several previous owners before they got her. So she has a hard time trusting even people who want to treat her right, but she's missing a lot of loving that way.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Where Trust Is Born."

Wounded, then afraid to trust, and missing a lot of love. That's not just the life story of a dog. It's a life story of millions of people. It might be your story. You've been betrayed by people you should have been able to trust - abused, abandoned, deeply hurt. And it's hard for you to trust anyone. You've just been hurt too often.

It's even hard for you to trust someone who wants to treat you right. Maybe even the Person who wants to give you the deepest love a human being can ever experience, and that would be God. You're not even sure how you feel about Him. There have been tragedies you don't understand, there've been questions you can't find answers for.

And even though all those children sing that little song, "Jesus loves me, this I know," you can't sing their song because you haven't really trusted Him with everything you've got. You've never really experienced this "I will never leave you" love. In fact, that's the promise Jesus made to those who belong to Him. He said literally, "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

If you struggle to trust even the God who has the love and the healing you need, I ask you to consider our word for today from the Word of God. It's from Romans 8:31-32. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Someone might be asking, "Is God for us?" Here's the answer: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?"

God says, "If you want to know if you can trust Me, come to My Son's cross." Because the only way for you and me to belong to God is to have the death penalty for our sin paid. God gave up His Son to pay it. God really doesn't want to lose you. He really does love you. Just look at His Son, hanging on that bloody cross, pouring out His life in exchange for yours.

Stand at the foot of the cross and try to get these words out, "I don't know if I can trust You." It's pretty hard to say those words there, because you've finally found the one person you can totally trust. Because the Savior who loves you enough to die for you will never betray your trust. He will never do you wrong! Who else can you count on to love you like that for now, forever?

Trust is born at the cross of Jesus when you let the walls around your wounded heart finally come down, and when you say, "Jesus, I need a Savior. I need to be forgiven. I need Your love. Jesus, I'm Yours."

If you've never done that, let today be the day you let His love flood into your hurting heart. I want to invite you to go to our website, because it's there for someone who is ready to begin their relationship with Jesus. I hope you'll go there today - ANewStory.com.

There's more love waiting for you than you ever imagined you could have. The arms of Jesus are wide open, extending to you hands that have nail scars in them - proof of how much He loves you. Now, it's your move.

Read: Matthew 5:14-16

“What are you doing, Dad?” asked Elijah.

“Mom and I decided we’d like a window here in this wall, so I’m measuring and marking where I need to cut the hole for it.” Dad carefully drew lines where he planned to cut.

“Why do you want a window there?” asked Elijah as he helped Dad with the tape measure. “You want to see the garage next door while you eat?”

“The view may not be so great, but just wait and see what a difference a window makes,” Dad said as he put the tape measure back into his toolbox.

The next day, Dad carefully cut a hole in the wall and fit a new window into place.

“Wow!” Elijah said as he came into the room. “I think I like having a window there after all. The view is better than I thought it would be. We can see sky, trees, birds, some of the lawn—and as expected, we also have a really good view of the side of the Wilsons’ garage.” He smiled. “But you know the best thing of all about this new window?”

“What’s that?” asked Dad.

“It’s so much brighter in here! When it’s sunny outside, I could probably do my homework without turning a light on.”

“Quite different, isn’t it?” Dad stood back and admired the window. “Did you know that we should be like this window?”

“How do we do that?” asked Elijah.

“Well, the window lets light into our house, and we can bring Jesus’s light into the lives of others,” Dad explained.

“I can see the light that comes through the window,” said Elijah. “But you can’t really see the light Jesus gives, can you?”

“In a way, you can,” said Dad. “Like when you invited Sam over when he first moved here and didn’t know anyone, and he started coming to church with us. Or when you volunteered to walk Mr. Freeman’s dog when he was sick instead of playing with your friends after school.”

“You mean I was shining Jesus’s light when I did those things?” Elijah asked.

Dad nodded. “When you treat others with the love of Jesus by showing you care about them, that’s a bright light that helps people see who He is.”

–Diana M. Martin

How about you? How can you share the light of Jesus with others? You can shine His light in a dark and hurting world by telling others about Him and showing them His love. By sharing what He’s done for you and treating others with kindness and care, you can brighten people’s lives and show them who Jesus is and how much He loves them—and help them want to know Him the way you do.

Today's Key Verse: Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Share Jesus’s light with others

Find out the causes of adversity and how we should view it.

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When I was younger, I thought it improper to ask God to help me meet writing deadlines. Other people have greater needs, I told myself. Family problems. Health crises. Job letdowns. Financial needs. I’ve faced all those things, too. But meeting a writing deadline seemed too small to take to God. I changed my view, however, after finding multiple examples in the Bible of God helping people regardless of the challenge they faced.

In one story, the Israelites were dismayed because they faced an attack at Mizpah by their enemies, the Philistines. “[The Israelites] said to Samuel, ‘Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines’ ” (1 Samuel 7:8). In response, Samuel sacrificed a lamb to God, crying out to Him on Israel’s behalf, “and the Lord answered him” (v. 9).

“While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites” (v. 10).

Later, “Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us’ ” (v. 12). Samuel placed the stone to commemorate God helping His people. Ebenezer means “stone of help.”

Asking God for help is always proper. Let’s call out to Him today.