CongreGate

In this episode, we discuss how we can exercise Biblical discernment regarding The Shack movie. But first, we chat about some recent news items, including the passing of Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe", the face of the Roe v. Wade case) who became a pro-life activist and believer in the Lord.

Back in 2007, The Shack, a best-selling book by William P. Young, became one of the most controversial books among Christians this decade. Many readers felt it was life-changing (in a good way), while evangelical leaders overwhelmingly encouraged caution and discernment in reading the book. The un-biblical view of the Trinity, along with other concerning theological implications that direct readers away from the word of God, are dangerous!

This month, The Shack is being released as a movie. We discuss Tim Challies' recent article outlining his view that the movie violates the second commandment. We also talk about exercising Biblical discernment in watching movies like The Shack. As Christians, we must be equipped with scripture in order to converse with our friends, applying the wisdom and discernment of the Bible to our arguments.

While there are concerns about The Shack, we talk about how the story speaks to people that are hurting, assuring them of the love of God. We can use this opportunity to speak to and encourage our friends, from a Biblical perspective, about the love of God and the healing that comes only through Jesus Christ.

In this episode, we are talking about ministering to and discipling men in the church. How are we drawing men and keeping men in Godly relationships in the church? How are we training and discipling them so that they are flourishing in their relationships at home and in the church? How do we train boys to be men and keep them engaged in the church as they mature?

The conversation today is broader than usual, but this theme of building men into leaders is an integral part of our church discipleship efforts. Our vision for the church is to empower men to be spiritual leaders in their homes, but there is no formula. The reason that we work toward building up men specifically is because it leads to flourishing both in the church and in our homes, as husbands and fathers.

How can you draw in and disciple men if your church is struggling in this area? One way is intentionally building relationships through hospitality and forming close friendships outside of the church on Sunday morning. Close relationships require vulnerability. Many times that feels risky, but it is worth the risk to build godly relationships as we "bear one another's burdens" and so fulfill the law of Christ (see Galatians 6:2).

We have a guest with us in the studio today! We're talking to our friend, and fellow church leader, Scott Hahn, about how Christians are reaching refugees and his experience working with Feed the Hunger. Scott has first-hand experience working with refugees and people in poverty in many countries around the world.

With a growing global population and ability to travel as never before, we have unprecedented opportunities to share the gospel. God is sovereign over the strangers and sojourners. People are moving, sometimes from closed countries to open countries, allowing them the opportunity to hear the gospel for the first time. Scott shares some stories of refugee populations his ministry has helped and how he has seen the Lord at work.

We talk about how we can help our children to develop a heart for refugees, strangers, and sojourners. We recommend intentionally exposing your children to different people and cultures. Whether it be as a short-term missions trip, attending worship with people from other cultural backgrounds, or inviting people to your home, your children will gain a broader perspective of people from different cultures.

Lev. 19:34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am theLORD your God.

Today we are talking about preparing your children to leave home. We want our children equipped to leave and live on their own. Parents need a clear vision for their sons and daughters, and they need to pray for guidance from the Lord.

Mark shares the lessons he has learned after launching 6 of his 7 children. Shawn and Micah talk about some of the things that their parents did to prepare them to leave home after graduating.

We talk about how to develop a vision for raising our children. And we discuss some of the foundational things we want to teach our children before they leave. The Bible clearly teaches that men and women have equal, but different, roles. We discuss the difference between raising daughters and sones, including how to prepare young men to lead their families, and how to affirm and prepare our daughters to be wives and mothers.

We begin with quick discussion of current events, including our thoughts on Vice President Pence's speech at the March for Life. He urges love, gentleness and generosity among Christians in the pro-life movement. We also have a few comments about President Trump's current immigration order and the current status of the refugees, with more to come on this next week.

Also, today is the last day to enter our book giveaway. Just leave a comment with a topic suggestion to be entered to win. We appreciate your feedback!

Valentine's Day is coming up soon! Despite being one of the biggest commercial holidays, it's a good opportunity to express love to your wife. In this episode, we talk about loving our wives and showing them affection not only on Valentine's Day, but every day.

The Bible instructs us to love our wives, and live with them in an understanding way. We share practical suggestions for loving our wives (both on Valentine's Day and the rest of the year), showing them kindness & understanding, and meeting their needs. We find our wives value things like meaningful conversation more than expensive gifts. Most of these ideas are inexpensive or free, but they do require being disciplined and purposeful in how we communicate with our wives.

We know that communication and relationships aren't perfect. We encourage you to ask your wives what they want to do on Valentine's Day to make sure your expectations match. We also share some encouragement for wives with unbelieving or disengaged husbands. Pursue the Lord with all your heart and allow God to change the heart of your husband.

1 Peter 3:7 - "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered."

Today we are talking about effective family worship, a topic suggested by one of our listeners. Andy asked, "How can we have have effective family devotion times with 6 kids from age 2 to 18?"

Before the family worship discussion, we start out with a quick discussion of current news, including of the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Trump and the exit of President Obama. We also talk about the Women's March on Washington and the Right to Life March, contrasting the news coverage the two events receive. And just for fun, we talk about the Penn State student, "Squirrel Girl," who has named a campus squirrel and dresses him in costumes.

For the rest of the episode, we discuss family worship. First we define what we mean by family worship or devotions. We share some of the different ways our families (and others that we know) have made family devotions work for their families.

Many of our Christian friends have never been taught to gather their families for worship and devotions on a regular basis. Or maybe they desire to, but don't know how to get started. We believe it's an essential part of discipling our children. We discuss how to get started and how to keep children of all ages engaged in family Bible study.

With a renewed enthusiasm for Star Wars following the release of Rogue One, we thought it would be a good time to discuss the spirituality of Star Wars. In particular, Rogue One emphasizes the religion of Star Wars more than previous episodes. In one scene, for example, a monk prays to the Force, as though the Force is a conscious higher being.

Because we enjoy Star Wars and watch it with our families, this needs to be a point of conversation in our homes. We need to be discussing the religion and spirituality of the Star Wars films, making sure that we affirm the truth of God's word.

It's too easy to shrug off the spiritual themes as "harmless," when, truthfully, we are easily influenced by the media we consume. "If you are not confident in the authority of the scriptures, you be a slave to what sounds right."(Matt Chandler) Let's make sure we are filling our conversation with scripture so that we can be discerning consumers of the media in our home.

Happy New Year! It seems that 2016 is being remembered as one of the worst years ever. Celebrities dying, Brexit, the election... How do we, as Christians, respond to this cynical attitude? There will always be sin in the world until Jesus returns to restore all things. So, will next year really be better? We need to find hope in something more than the events and circumstances of the times. We spend some time contrasting the foolishness of the world with the kingdom work that is happening every day. While we can appreciate the contributions of people like Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, we need to keep them in perspective. Their impact will fade away, but the impact of a man devoted to the Lord will have impact that lasts for eternity. We talk about our friend J.L. Williams, who passed away this week, and the faithful life he lived that impacted many for the Lord. We also talk about our goals and planning practices for the 2017. Shawn talks briefly about his reading goals. Micah shares how he and his wife plan a yearly overnight getaway to look at their goals in the areas of finance, ministry & spiritual disciples, child training & marriage, homeschooling, and health. Mark also recommends a list of questions from Don Whitney to prayerfully consider at the beginning of each new year. Finally, we announced a giveaway we have planned, beginning January 4th. More details coming tomorrow!

The end of the year is a natural time for reflection and planning. One thing we like to do is consider the books we've read, meditate on what we've learned, and make plans for next year's reading. Today we are talking about our favorite books of the year and some of the lessons we've learned from them. All of our recommendations are listed in the show notes below.

We talk about Bible reading plans, our favorite ways to listen to audiobooks, and then discuss the most impactful books we've read this year. We encourage you to read broadly and share our recommendations for both Christian and non-Christian books on a variety of topics, including business, history, social issues, and fiction.