Raising faith in our families
Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth: ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow’ (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Care for the Family's book 'Raising Faith' has given lots of encouragement on how to be intentional in planting and watering seeds of faith in our children’s lives. We must never forget that it is only God who can make those seeds grow … but we get to partner with him in that incredible task!
Extracted from Raising Faith by Katharine Hill and Andy Frost.
Published by Care for the Family in association with Essential Christian (£4.99). cff.org.uk/shop
The power of prayer
We’ve shared many parenting principles and practical tips throughout the book, but we’ve saved the most important lesson until last. The truth is that we can do as much sowing, planting and watering as we like, but ultimately what will really make a difference is engaging in the power of prayer. God’s total desire is for his children to be in a relationship with him. So we can know without a doubt that when we pray this for our children, we are praying right in the centre of his will for their lives.
From their earliest days, Richard and I have tried to take a moment to pray for our four children every day. We used to pray for them all together in a pack, but we came to discover the power of praying for them as individuals, bringing their specific needs and requests before God.
As well as immediate issues – health concerns, fallings-out in the playground, struggles at school – as parents, we can try to look up and out and pray in bigger things for our children’s lives. We can look to the promises in the Bible and pray Scripture over them; we can pray ancient prayers of blessing; we can pray for Christian friends and people of influence to come across their paths at just the right time. We can pray for their character and for the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We can pray they will have the wisdom to make good choices and that they will be emotionally strong and able to recover from setbacks. We can pray for their future jobs, relationships and marriage partners – the possibilities are endless. But above all else, we can pray that they have soft hearts that respond to God’s love for them.
The Bible tells us to pray ‘on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests’ (Ephesians 6:18). There is no one or right way of praying that suits us all – our different personalities mean that we’ll find it easier to pray in different ways. Introverts may love praying on their own in their room with the door closed – what Jesus called ‘the secret place’. Those of us with more extrovert tendencies may find that extra challenging – though even we will need some time alone, but we can also pray using everyday family life as a prompt. We can pray for a particular child while tidying their room, or we might tiptoe into their room at night and say a short prayer of blessing over them while they sleep (not recommended for light sleepers!). We can pray as we sort out their clothes from the wash or as we load individual cups or bowls into the dishwasher. When one of my children has been going through a difficult time, I have often put their photo on my phone’s home screen. So every time I text, tweet, or take a call their picture is a reminder to pray. Be creative about setting up your own prompts to pray!
We’re playing a long game
It has been wisely said of bringing up children that, ‘The days are long, but the years are short.’ As any parent of adult children will tell you, the pre-school and primary years do go by so fast, so just as we nurture our children’s physical and emotional development, let’s try to seize every opportunity we can to sow seeds of faith in our kids’ lives in their early years.
The truth is that our task as parents is not to raise children or even teenagers, but to raise adults. This is a long game – something that is counter-intuitive in our instant, same-day, uber-society. These seeds of faith that are planted in our children’s young lives will slowly bear fruit and produce a harvest in the years to come. We can trust that their Father, the gardener, will play his part, and we can play our part in that process by praying – as people have prayed throughout the ages – that our children would know and respond as we have to his amazing love for them.
Source: Care for the Family
The miracles of Thailand’s cave rescue
The rescue saw miracles from beginning to end. First of all, divers travelled underwater trailing a rope for their return route. The rope was too short, and when the divers raised their heads above the water surface they stared directly at the boys stranded on a ledge above. Had they gone any further, they would have missed them. Then, just hours after the last boys and their young coach had been rescued, the pumps failed and the water levels rapidly increased. Give thanks also for the devotion of the coach as he sought to keep the boys calm by meditation. Pray now for the recovery of the survivors, that they will not have flashbacks, nightmares or any fears of confined space, but rather that they will experience post-traumatic growth. PTG happens when a traumatic experience changes lives positively. If so, they will have positive futures as they grow into confident young men with a higher psychological level of functioning. Pray also for the family of the diver who died in the rescue.
Voodoo nurse guilty of sex trafficking
A London-based nurse has been convicted of trafficking five Nigerian women into Germany to work as prostitutes after subjecting them to ‘voodoo’ rituals. Josephine Lyamu forced them to swear oaths to hand over money to her during ‘juju’ ceremonies. Praise God for the successful prosecution. The women had been psychologically manipulated and financially exploited, as well as sexually abused. This is the first conviction under the Modern Slavery Act, passed in 2015. See also the IJM prayer requests in the ‘World’ section.
For the nation and all in authority
A 19th-century prayer from Rev H Stobart: ‘O God, our refuge and strength, who orders all things in heaven and earth, look down with your mercy upon us as a nation. Remember not our iniquities, nor the iniquities of our forefathers, neither take vengeance on our sins. Pour out upon us, and on all the people of this land, the spirit of grace and supplication, and join us together in piety, loyalty, and brotherly love. Direct the counsels and strengthen the hands of all in authority for the repression of crime and outrage, the maintenance of order and law, and of public peace and safety; so that, leading quiet lives in all godliness and honesty, we may be your people and You may be our God; and that we may bless and glorify You, our Defender and Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’
Trump’s visit causes huge police operation
President Trump’s ‘working’ visit to the UK has attracted large-scale protests, as activists have had plans for major demonstrations laid out for months. The police response is the biggest since the riots in London after Mark Duggan’s death. Amnesty International said thousands will be making their voices heard: ‘In the 15 months of his presidency, we've seen a deeply disturbing human rights roll-back - including the discriminatory travel bans, a reckless announcement on Jerusalem, harmful policies on refugees, women's rights and climate change. He has shown an impatience bordering on intolerance towards peaceful protests, the media, and even the democratic process itself. So his visit to Britain is an important opportunity to underline the importance of free speech and the right to protest.’ A spokesman said police forces had worked together on a significant, multi-faceted security operation supporting the presidential visit. See
Brexit must be workable to avoid no deal
As the Government revealed details of its EU withdrawal plans, Brussels has warned Theresa May that the proposals must be workable in order to avoid a no-deal scenario. UK’s new Brexit secretary, Dominic Raab, is insisting the Government white paper sets out exit aims while being practical, respecting the referendum result, and backing business. However, chief Brussels negotiator Michel Barnier said the proposals must conform to EU rules and not create extra costs, and he told business leaders to prepare for a no-deal scenario.
Troubles flare in Northern Ireland
Vehicles were stolen and torched during disorder linked to loyalist bonfires. A pipe bomb exploded close to a police operation in Belfast. Police were warned that loyalist paramilitaries were planning to ‘orchestrate and participate in serious disorder’. There were nights of disorder in Londonderry. Petrol bombs and missiles were thrown. Hundreds of fires were lit at midnight to usher in the 12 July Orange parades. Masked men used burning cars to block roads close to the Ulster Hospital. A bus with passengers was hijacked before being set alight. Security alerts resulted in main roads being closed, while one incident prevented passengers from leaving Belfast City Airport. Fire and Rescue Service had received 327 emergency calls by 01:00 on 12 July. Dissident republicans were blamed for firing six shots at police with an automatic weapon. The police are treating the incident as attempted murder.
Scotland: priest 'spat on and threatened’
Four people were arrested when an estimated 4,500 people marched through the streets of Glasgow on on 7 July as part of the annual Orange Walk. A priest was attacked outside St Alphonsus’ church on Stevenson Street as the congregation gathered for afternoon mass while the marchers passed by. A worshipper who saw the incident said, ‘The priest was spat at, verbally abused, and also assaulted by a baton. I was disgusted. I eventually got hold of an officer after screaming at her to get resources to protect him.’ It is not known if the priest reported the incident to the police, or if it was another member of the public. A police spokesperson said, ‘We can confirm we are investigating reports of an assault on a man outside a church in Glasgow at around 4.20 pm on Saturday’.
Should people be forced to be gay?
Rod Liddle, of the Spectator, spoke about gay conversion therapy and the Government proposals making it illegal saying, ‘This is all at the behest of campaigning bodies like Stonewall, and their insistence that an alternative opinion to theirs should be made illegal’. He added, ‘Gay conversion therapy has made the lives of thousands of people happier. I spoke to one chap who had considered himself gay for much of his twenties and thirties, was uncomfortable about it, and is now straight and happy. Nobody is suggesting that all gay people might benefit from it. Nobody is questioning the right of gay people to live happily, free from discrimination. Yet because some gay people are so intolerant of any views which differ from their own, they wish to make these views illegal.’
Ban on Franklin Graham ads
Adverts on buses promoting a church-run event in Blackpool featuring Franklin Graham are being removed after a number of complaints were made. Blackpool Transport, which oversees the buses, claimed the ads ‘resulted in heightened tension’. A number of people had taken to social media to claim that he would be preaching hate and homophobia at the event, due to take place at the city's Winter Gardens in September. Jane Cole of Blackpool Transport said, ‘The removal of these adverts is as a result of us listening to and acting on customer and public feedback, which we aim to do at all times. Blackpool Transport is a proud ongoing supporter of the Pride and LGBT+ communities, and in no way did we intend to cause any distress or upset.’ Graham said, ‘I'm not coming to preach hate, I'm here to preach about a Saviour - Jesus Christ.’