Family, - Faith Finder

A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
Family,
the Cradle
of Character
50 Essays on Family Faith by
Robert and Myrlin Shaw
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A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
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Family,
the Cradle
of Character
50 Essays on Family Faith by
Robert and Myrlin Shaw
Shaw, Robert C.
Family, the Cradle of Character
50 Essays on Family Faith
Edited by Myrlin Shaw
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any
means without prior, written permission of the copyright holder.
The information and images contained in this publication are for
informational purposes only.
Book design by Jan Pietkiewicz
Cover photo: FreeImages.com/Fran Flores
© Copyright 2015 by Robert C Shaw
The Markham Institute
98 Kings Park Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4J 2C3
www.themarkhaminstitute.org
Printed in Canada by
Willow Printing & Publishing Co., Brighton, ON
Dedicated with love
and gratitude to:
Emerson McDowel, Nancy Ethier, Bob Griffin,
Toni Jones, Bram and Ruth Meakings,
Corinne Marion, Gerard McTernan,
John and Glenna Morgan,
Phil and Keitha Needham, Aileen Shaw,
Jack Stewart
A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
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A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
Introduction
T
he character of a child shapes his life,
that of his family, his community and collectively,
our nation. A child’s character is formed mainly by the
faith of his family of parents, grandparents and larger
family. This places enormous responsibility on parents. It
should probably be their first priority.
Growth in faith is a lifelong process. This book is a
collection of faith experiences of Myrlin and myself. They
are selected as vital in the long term process of growth.
This book is not a commentary on the Bible or on any
aspect of classical Christianity. In our marriage, we are
blessed with incredible gifts we experience in our common
belief based in classical Christianity. Here, we share the
enormous benefits of the faith despite its demands. Here,
we share great concerns about the faith of our children
and grandchildren.
We, together, find the Christian faith to be one of
love, forgiveness, transformation, peace, unconditional
relationships, joy and demanding disciplines.
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contents
Relationships – O
ur Relationships
Shape our Lives ..............................11
Community – F
aith-Based Community Service
Helps Families ........................................13
Troubles – The Troubles of the Believer .......................15
Repentance – F
rom Repentance Comes the Joy
of the Fellowship and Service ...............17
Gratitude – Gratitude is the Mark of a Believer ........19
Faith – Too Much Religion; Not Enough Faith ..............21
Faith – Heart to God, Hand to Others ...........................23
Teens – Without Faith, Teens are at Risk ........................25
Meaning – What is the Meaning of Life? ......................27
Christian Claims – C
hristians claim significant
faith uniqueness .......................29
Learning – Th
e people of God
are always Learning ...................................31
Homework – The Christian’s Homework ....................33
Belief – Does Christianity make Sense? ..........................35
6
contents
The Problem – A Christian Faces a Big Problem ......37
Two Worlds – The Two Real Worlds of Charley ........39
Vision – Faith Leads to Vision ........................................41
Service – A Christian’s Job is 24/7 .................................43
Service – The Christian Commitment to Service ..........45
Team – H
ow faith guided
extraordinary ministries .....................................47
A Man of Faith – A
highly talented man showed
how to do faith-based business .......49
Big Bonus – The Great Big Christian Bonus ...............51
Decisions – H
ow are Faith-Based
Decisions Made? .......................................53
Diversity – A good intent turned bad? ........................55
Enemies – How do Christians love their Enemies? ........57
Forgive – Forgiveness Leads to Fullness of Life .............59
Forgiveness – The Power of Forgiveness .....................61
Full Faith – The ABCs of Christianity ........................63
7
contents
Godless – We are surrounded by
a Godless Generation ....................................65
Growth – Christianity – A Religion of Growth ...........69
Guilt – Jesus’ Cure for Guilt ............................................71
Helping – Helping Efforts that Help .............................73
Kids – How Kids Become Believers ..................................75
Kingdom – Billy, age 10, has questions for Dad
about the sermon on the Kingdom ............77
Lost Faith – Where has God Gone? .............................79
Marriage – Why Christian Marriage is so Special .......81
Mission – We are all uniquely equipped
for a special job ..............................................83
Peace – Christianity is the Universal Peacemaker ..........85
Prayer – Prayer is the Most Important
Experience for Believers ...................................87
Reality – Is Christianity Real? .......................................89
Royalty – Th
e power of faith can come
from anywhere ...............................................91
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contents
Suffering – Suffering, an Essential
in Christianity ..........................................93
Super Love – Love can be unconditional .....................95
Teamwork – The Family as a Team ............................97
The Church – Time for Family and
Church to Get Together .......................99
The Colonels – Th
e Enormous
Impact of Faith ..............................101
The Joy of Faith – N
obody can explain the joy of
faith - it is another world .........103
The Pioneer – A Dream Came True by Faith ..........105
The Quiet Man – H
ow an Unnoticed
Man Serves So Well .....................107
The Stranger – A Stranger in Our Town ...............109
Whole Family – H
ow Faith Makes
a Family Whole ..............................111
About the author ................................................113
Book Reviews ............................................................114
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A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
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A Voice for Faith | R e l at i o n s h i p s
Our Relationships Shape
our Lives
P
icture the Stone family: Dad comes
home frazzled by work and travel. Mom is trying
to get dinner ready after having a set-to with her boss.
The son had a bad soccer practice. The daughter wonders
why everybody is up-tight.
What will get them through all this? It may be that
they are bound together by the best of relationships unconditional love. This type of relationship is ideal
because it is solid no matter what. It brings people
together and problems get resolved. It is faith-based.
Or, it may be that the Stone family has a mishmash of
relationships –leaving them with all the problems still hot
when they go to bed and restless sleep.
It is up to the Stone family to decide what is most
important – work or relationships. That choice will
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A Voice for Faith | R e l at i o n s h i p s
decide how time is spent. If they chose the way of faith,
they could even get to know how great an unconditional
relationship is.
Our relationships
are the biggest
challenge and
opportunity
of
life.
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A Voice for Faith | C o m m u n i t y
Faith-Based Community
Service Helps Families
he Stone family has been making trips to the
T doctor,
counselors and teachers. Their son is not
doing well at school – grades are down and complaints are
up. They are using a lot of time in delays and interviews.
After four visits, the family still can’t understand the
son’s problem. They know they are suffering from lack of
coordination of services.
Needed, but not available, is a faith-based service
that acts as an advocate for the family. With that, the
family learns how to get cooperation from the service
organizations.
Unfortunately much of health, education, recreation,
churches and even libraries are controlled by bureaucracies
– too many rules to be effective. There is one big
opportunity for faith-based efforts.
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A Voice for Faith | C o m m u n i t y
There is no service need greater than this. To get this
ball rolling, the family needs to go to an agency and say
“ Where do we find an advocacy service for our family?”
Five agencies later, an agency willing to try will help.
Faith-based organizations
are challenged by the
most vital community need
– family service
cooperation.
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A Voice for Faith | Tro u b l e s
The Troubles of
the Believer
what! The believer has the same troubles
G asuess
all of us: sickness, debt, addictions, marital
problems, teens out of control and so on. If that is true,
what is the point of a life of faith?
The huge point is that the believer is given the Lord
and a way to deal with whatever comes. Life is tough.
Trying to do it alone is much tougher. On the other hand,
if you have friends and the Lord Himself working with
you, life suddenly doesn’t seem so bad.
Most Christians know they can start anew every day
of their lives no matter what happened before. They can
start each day with a clean slate.
Let’s turn to an example - Harry. He and his wife
Violet are Christians. They go to church and their three
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A Voice for Faith | Tro u b l e s
kids go to Sunday school. Harry works for a lumber
company. He is in sales and travels a lot.
As expected, Harry has a couple of beers when away.
That then leads to hard stuff. Then it gets to the point of
addiction. He is hooked. That means things change at
home. He is sharp with the kids. The credit cards are full.
He hangs out with the guys after work which means he
can be as late as 11 pm.
Eventually, Violet has had enough. She goes to an
addiction counselor and to her pastor. One day Violet
says: “OK, join A.A. or don’t come back.” She has done
the right thing for her addicted husband. Besides, A.A. is
one of the best preparations for a life of faith.
Faith is where
the Lord and others
help deal
with a trouble.
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A Voice for Faith | R e pe n ta n c e
From Repentance Comes
the Joy of the Fellowship
and Service
r. Stone is discussing faith with his
M pastor
who describes repentance as housecleaning.
He is relieved to learn that doesn’t mean reciting all his past
deeds. It does, however, mean that the former bad choices
are not to be repeated. With that commitment, Mr. Stone
can start with a clean slate every day, no matter what
happened before.
The ugly past looms large. The job is to put it behind.
It is one thing to put out the garbage for collection. It is
quite another thing to put out the same garbage twice in
the same day. That blunder is too common. The old stuff
has a fascination. For some reason we can waddle in the
same dirty pond we just stepped out of. This is dumb on
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A Voice for Faith | R e pe n ta n c e
our part and it is blasphemy to the Lord who has gone to
great trouble to set us free.
The obvious treatment is to focus on the new life we
have chosen. Do we have our hopes and intentions ready?
For instance, is Mr. Stone ready for big changes in his
relationships? Does he have any idea where the 100%
service requirement will lead him?
The point here is that our life focus shifts from the old
to the new life with the Lord at hand. This is scary for
everyone. Probably it’s a good idea to share this experience
with a close friend and believer.
Faith turns us
away from
all that is harmful
to ourselves and others.
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A Voice for Faith | G r at i t u d e
Gratitude is the Mark
of a Believer
Here is why a Christian should be grateful:
• Forgiveness
• Life itself
• Family and children
• Dear Friends
• Work
• Beauty of nature
• Special abilities
• Music and Art
• Vigor to achieve
• Services to others
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A Voice for Faith | G r at i t u d e
• Prayer
• The fellowship of believers
Gratitude
brings
focus on God
and little
for
time
distractions
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A Voice for Faith | Fa i t h
Too Much Religion;
Not Enough Faith
R e l igion is: Organized efforts to promote faith
Faith is: A personal decision to let God take over
one’s life
Mr. Stone is confused. If he goes to church does he
have faith or is he religious, or what? It all depends!
The ball is in Mr. Stone’s court. If he feels content to
show up at church, then that is his answer.
If Mr. Stone suspects that faith is more than skin deep,
he has a big job ahead. First he has to decide if he believes
God is real and here helping. That will set Mr. Stone back
on his heels. If, in his secret heart, he knows he is part of
God’s workings, then he has faith.
If there is doubt, it then depends on how serious these
matters are to him. If serious, then he needs to explore
to find out if there is something deeper than skin. To do
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A Voice for Faith | Fa i t h
that, he has several options. He can ask what are the right
books he should be reading. He could pick some person
from church who acts like a believer should. He could
than ask that person to explain faith and its experience.
Here Mr. Stone faces another hurdle. If faith is an
inner experience with God, he won’t find his answer
from books, or talk. He must experience a clue about this
deeper life. How does he do that? He takes some idea he
has heard and puts it to test.
The clue that catches his attention is friendliness.
Some church people are sincerely friendly. They are glad
to see you and they look you in the eye when they say it.
Mr. Stone likes that idea. So, he will test the idea for three
weeks and see what happens.
After three weeks, some folks say he is looking happy
these days. That can be a big clue. If he thinks so, his next
step is to want to know more. That, he will end up doing
for the rest of his life.
The difference between
faith is the inner
experience that
religion and faith
is that,
can’t be kept secret.
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A Voice for Faith | Fa i t h
Heart to God,
Hand to Others
esus of Nazareth is the world’s most
J powerful
and influential person. Now, for over
2,000 years, His life and teachings bring new life of faith,
hope and love of God to billions.
Here are His main messages:
God, the all-powerful creator, is our closest and best
friend
Christians together, experience unconditional love
and everlasting life
The life of the Christian is guilt-free
The focus of a Christian’s life is service to others
The power of the Christian God is found in fellowship
groups
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A Voice for Faith | Fa i t h
Christians work to create a fulfilling community of
churches, schools and agencies
Suffering is part of the Christian life
The Christian life is a moment-by-moment, day-byday experience with God
Jesus and his followers have a new life of love, peace,
joy, freedom, forgiveness and wholeness.
Christian Motto:
Heart to God,
Hand to Others.
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A Voice for Faith | T e e n s
Without Faith, Teens
are at Risk
W
e are at a time when Christianity is under
nation-wide attack. Our institutions, schools,
businesses, governments, justice and the media all are
acting as if Christianity were some sort of virus.
It is strange that this clamour has come so suddenly
and so wide spread. It is also strange that other religions
are not suffering comparable attacks.
Christianity has been the foundation of our society –
its laws and morality – for thousands of years. Christianity
is the world’s largest religion. Millions continue to rely
on this faith for their way of life. The current onslaught
is obviously political. One wonders who will benefit,
certainly not the family.
It is a welcome relief that the Maclean’s Magazine has
recently published an article citing the extensive research
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A Voice for Faith | T e e n s
on the impact of faith in the lives of teens. Numerous
authentic studies show that teens with faith are at
significantly less risk of depression, unhealthy sex and
lifestyles.
The research goes on to report that the healthy
faith cited is personal experience and not necessarily
institutional in origins. Caution is expressed for teens
who take on their parent’s beliefs, without questioning.
Faith is a significant
safe-guard
in the
lives of teens.
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A Voice for Faith | M e a n i n g
What is
the Meaning of Life?
his is about the silliest question there is. The
T only
sillier one is,“Daddy, will you please give me
money to go to Europe to find myself ”. All this is silliness
because the answer is to be found under one’s nose. The
question is personal, requiring a personal answer. Only
individuals can answer the question of meaning for
themselves.
The question is a search which everybody has whether
he knows it or not. There are some foolish people who say
that they don’t need an answer to that question. If they
don’t know it, their lives show it.
Here is a sample list of answers:
• The golden rule
• Go get it while you can
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A Voice for Faith | M e a n i n g
• Might is right
• Love God and Others
• Do what feels right
• Life is tough and then you die
• It is nobody’s business
• Love
• Family
• Success
Each one must search for his right answer. Once we’ve
got our answer, we can help others in their own search.
We can also warn others not to be silly. On this there are
no experts.
Good life is
big right answer
and then living
finding one’s
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it.
A Voice for Faith | C h r i s t i a n C l a i m s
Christians claim significant
faith uniqueness:
• The central place of Jesus
• Forgiveness is the foundation of the faith
• Faith enables withstanding suffering
• God and others come before self
• The Lord is always present to help
• God enables good decisions in small groups
• Life is lived one day at-a-time
• All guilt is washed away forever
• Unconditional love is a reality
• Unmatched faith for millions over centuries
• Peace is the purpose of faith and service
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A Voice for Faith | C h r i s t i a n C l a i m s
• Faith means full-time service
All these flow from
the simple package of
“Love God
and neighbor”.
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A Voice for Faith | L e a r n i n g
The people of God
are always Learning
illie is a Christian Mom, worried that
Mshe
is under the control of her anxiety. She daily
has 100 things to do - so is always behind. She knows that
her levels of anxiety are putting her whole family on edge.
She has had advice from church friends and the
pastor. That didn’t do it, so she turned to a professional
counselor. The first question she was asked was,“ What is
your top worry?” It took her a while to struggle with that
big one. Finally she said, “Billy is doing poorly at school
– causing disruption”.
The counselor then told her that recent research had
shed light on this kind of problem. She explained that
the study asked each troubled family to set one important
goal. The research showed that when families began
something positive, the children settled down in school.
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A Voice for Faith | L e a r n i n g
At the same time, the family felt better because they were
back with hope that things would get better.
Millie said, “If it worked, let’s try it”.
The counselor then explained that they needed to write
a goal that defined the results that the family wanted. The
goal they chose was, “Within three weeks, the teacher will
tell us that Billy has become much more settled.” To get
that, they agreed that school visits should happen so that
Millie and teacher would be working on the same thing in this case homework.
In this case Millie and her family bought this idea,
they found that it worked just as the research said. They
learned the power and benefit of setting a goal.
Christianity
is a continuous
process of learning
– goals help.
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A Voice for Faith | H o m e wo r k
The Christian’s Homework
W
e are excited to receive acceptance into
the college of our choice. That means we are on
our way to becoming a professional in some field. The
acceptance obviously does not mean we are fully qualified.
It does mean that we have taken an essential step. That
step is now to be followed by years of homework.
The life of faith is just like that. The first step is a big
one. That step will be made only after extensive thought
and inquiry. But that step is just the start of a new phase
of life. Then come the years of homework to be able to
carry out the full role of a believer. What follows is the
daily homework schedule of one particular Christian:
After breakfast comes family devotions:
•U
sually starts with reading from the Bible or other
literature
•N
ext is sharing and deciding any important matter
• Then there is prayer on the theme and attention to others
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A Voice for Faith | H o m e wo r k
Next is individual time:
• The start is prayer and meditation. (see Family Wellness
Rainbow at www.FaithFinder.ca)
• Then comes a written goal to be the key for the day
• Followed by prayer for loved ones and others
Before bedtime the couple meets again for devotions:
• There is reading from scripture
• Then comes prayer on the faith theme and others
• Any question is raised and discussed
At bedtime:
• There is individual prayer, thankfulness and commitment
This schedule has taken at least 15 years to evolve. It was
tough to develop the habit. It came from personal needs –
not from some prepared material. It is deeply personal. Even
some other family members are not aware of the practice.
There are many major benefits. There is the reminder of
the first decision – God. There are always problems of family
or others to deal with. For each day there is a sense of direction
and purpose. Relationships are deepened and rewarding.
benefit of Christian
homework is awareness of
God’s presence.
The overriding
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A Voice for Faith | B e l i e f
Does Christianity
make Sense?
Here are some views held by unbelievers:
• How could God let huge natural tragedies happen?
• Where is the scientific proof for God?
• Religions don’t have things visible
• Church people are just like us
The believer’s views are different:
• Just because something it is not visible doesn’t mean
it’s not real
• Most of science and most emotions are invisible
• Faith continues because millions believe
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A Voice for Faith | B e l i e f
• Faith is the foundation of every life and every nation.
• Saint Thomas Aquinas said all Christianity is logical.
Faith is
a personal choice about life
In the end,
like: good
is stronger than bad,
love is better than hate,
beauty is better than ugly.
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A Voice for Faith | T h e Pro b l e m
A Christian Faces a
Big Problem
eorge, 58 has just lost his job as electrical
G engineer.
He supports his family of wife and three
children, one of whom is in college. After three months
sending out resumes and interviews, he has no prospects.
This Christian family meets to learn of the tight
finances. George’s wife says she will find a job, as does one
son. They all agree to pray and ask the Lord for guidance.
Next, George goes to a career counselor who asks the
question “ If you were starting again what kind of work
would you most want?” This got George thinking. After
some time with his wife, George replies to the counselor
“I would most want to have my own flower shop.”
George decides, after prayer with his wife and sharing
with the family, he will go to try a get a flower shop job.
That will mean, even if successful, reductions in family
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A Voice for Faith | T h e Pro b l e m
spending. Reluctantly the family agrees.
Having put this request to God, George proceeds with
inquiries for training, work and income. A month later,
George hasn’t found much encouragement. Despite this,
George and his wife believe God will somehow find him
a new avenue, as He has done in the past.
The
Christian family
relies totally
on God’s
presence and help
with any problem.
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A Voice for Faith | T wo Wo r l d s
The Two Real Worlds
of Charley
C
harley knows he lives in two worlds – natural
and supernatural. He and all his friends are too
familiar with Charley and his natural world. Of many
words, the best one is anxiety. He is conscientious – which
leads him to worry about his family, his marriage, the kids
in school, his job and career and family finances.
Charley is too anxious to enjoy life – instead his mind
is trying to do three things at once. This makes him
jumpy, irritable, high speed and sleepless.
Charley worries about himself – will he become ill? Or
make some bad mistake? So he goes to get help - doctors,
the gym, hospital tests, and countless pills. For Charley,
life is a war.
Fortunately for Charley, he has friends who claim that
they live in a wonderful world of peace, joy, forgiveness
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A Voice for Faith | T wo Wo r l d s
and community service. They are telling him to get into
the supernatural world. They believe in God. So Charley
faces a really big problem. Does he believe or not?
One day, Charley wakes up from his sleep and tells
himself, “All right, I believe in God”. His friends are
joyful. Then they tell him he has another choice: Who
will run his life, God or himself? This is a bit easier for
him because he hates the rat race he is in. So he takes the
next step. Friends cheer and hold a party.
Next morning he wakes up relaxed – a miracle! Then
he takes time to ask his wife how she is and gives her a
hug. His wife is almost amazed at Charley. He now has
his first good taste of his other world!
In the natural world,
are
by
we controlled
our emotions.
In the supernatural
world
God leads
and
we follow.
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A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
Faith Leads to Vision
O
n becoming a Christian, Jerry is led
to develop his own personal vision. He clearly
understands from Jesus’ closing message to his followers
that the New Commandment is, ”Love one another “.
Jerry finds himself with others who are smiling at him.
He has just gone through some religious ceremony where
he said, “Yes”, to questions about his beliefs. Jerry looks
around at the folks most of whom he knows. In one of the
questions, he agreed to love others. He says to himself, “I
don’t care for some of these folks any more now, after the
ceremony, than I did before.” The fact is that he still hates
that one guy who is a slob. What does he do?
In our society, “love“ means affection. Not necessarily
so in Christian scripture. There, “love” means serving
others in helpful ways. There is no suggestion that this is
a part-time thing. Our friend, the new Christian, needs a
new personal vision which fulfills his new promises.
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A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
Jerry badly needs a new way of looking at people –
he needs his own new vision. There are many ways to
find, or not find, a personal vision. His search could go
something like this:
• What new way could he now think about the folks
around him?
• He knows he must start looking for the best in others
• Enemies? He can’t even like them but he could be kind
• He could decide to spend his life being helpful
• Maybe that is Jerry’s new vision
Faith calls for
a full-time
personal vision
of caring
to others.
service
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A Voice for Faith | S e rv i c e
A Christian’s Job is 24/7
W
hen a person makes the big choice from
self to God, he signs on fulltime. That is true
because then he believes that the Lord is always present.
It is true because being Christian is no ordinary job. It is
true because his character will be transformed.
This does not mean that one has to become a missionary
or a minister. It means that whatever the job, it is done
in God’s spirit of love - housewife, mechanic, soldier or
sailor. One sweeps the floor because it will help and please
others – it’s no longer just another dumb chore.
Take this case of a man who had a calling to serve
troubled children. This became his calling for decades. For
health reasons that calling ended. Suddenly he was without
giving any service. This became panic time. He felt he
wasn’t needed. Did that mean the end of his usefulness and
maybe death?
After several months of worry and prayer along came
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A Voice for Faith | S e rv i c e
his new service. He had the years of experience with
troubled children and their families. He could still serve
them if he wrote about them. Now a new calling is writing
books and articles to help troubled children.
For another example, let’s take the case of a new
military recruit. When she is inducted into the navy, she
takes on a new code of ethics. Her uniform is a symbol
to herself and everybody else that she is now different
because she has answered the call to serve.
Service defines the purpose of life for those wanting to
be helpful.
To a non-Christian, and perhaps even to a new Christian,
this full-time service might seem impossible. With time,
however, it becomes part of a Christian’s character.
For the
Christian,
full-time service becomes
a
way of life.
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A Voice for Faith | S e rv i c e
The Christian Commitment
to Service
I
t is common practice for Christians to
engage in some form of love and service to others.
There are two grounds for service by Christians. The
most powerful is Jesus’ proclamation that he brings a new
commandment –“Love one another “. The other is the
life of St. Francis of Assissi. His life was service to others
in the streets and countryside.
Christians of our day have a variety of approaches. The
housewife sees her life in the home as full-time service to
the Lord. Others choose a missionary role for serving the
poor here or overseas.
From these two examples of full-time service,
Christians take on part-time service in the church or the
community. That raises one tension in Christianity – did
Jesus intend for us to serve full-time or part-time? The
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A Voice for Faith | S e rv i c e
other big tension is found in the churches. Is church for
worship or some combination of worship and service?
The variety is great.
Scripture solves part of this muddle. Jesus’ word is,
“Love of God and love of others must be equal and in
balance.” Such is seldom the case because church worship
may dominate. Jesus made it clear that Christians are
totally new persons for whom service to others has
become instinctive.
Service to others
is part of the
whole life
of the
Christian.
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A Voice for Faith | T e a m
How faith guided
extraordinary ministries
his man was a bishop in a closely knit
T community
of Christian services. He was raised in
a family of faith. He started as a pastor. He was given
large leadership roles. At one point, he decided that in his
expanding roles, he needed full university education in a
seminary.
This man’s calling was focussed on social services
ministries. He started a number of camps, day school and
residential programs for youth. His denomination kept
a low profile, the broad society being not aware of the
influence of his many services for the youth and families
in his communities. Several of his sons took up the same
kinds of leadership.
At one point, he brought together ministers of the
denomination, for prayer and sharing. These church
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A Voice for Faith | T e a m
leaders shared a special focus on social service ministries.
From that group, over the years, there were developed
camps, pastoral counseling, parole, day school and
residential programs for youth and their families.
It is amazing that such a large variety of ministries
were inspired and developed starting with the prayers and
sharing of that group.
A group
of believers
has the presence
and guidance
of
God Himself.
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A Voice for Faith | A M a n o f Fa i t h
A highly talented man
showed how to do
faith-based business
had an IQ beyond most of us. He maintained
G aeorge
quiet faith. His profession was accountancy. He rose
to prominence in his profession. From there he was invited
by a political party to become their finance leader.
While all this was going on, he found time to display
his musical talents in plays and church choirs. He also
found time to become the president of a new children’s
mental health center. In his music interests he became
the leader of an annual musical theatre. As president
of the children’s mental health center, he convinced
a reluctant government to provide steady funding for
troubled children.
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A Voice for Faith | A M a n o f Fa i t h
To his death, he witnessed to his faith in God.
Faith can do miracles
in worlds of
business and high society.
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A Voice for Faith | B i g B o n u s
The Great Big
Christian Bonus
anet is frazzled. She has home, kids,
J work,
shopping, the gym, time with John and the
kids, church, choir and so on. She is anxious, edgy, shorttempered, tired and never dressed right.
Janet says she will try this church stuff. She checks
with her friend, Mrs. Steady, and learns she must decide
on one good change. Janet chooses to become calmer. To
do this, she first puts herself in the hands of the Lord –
which means to trust God fully.
Then she needs to do daily homework - study and
prayer focused on being calm. She must practice calm
when she catches herself being angry. This goes on for
three weeks. Then she checks back with her friend. The
big question is has she become calmer. Friend says she
sees a good difference. Janet keeps the homework up.
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A Voice for Faith | B i g B o n u s
Daily we, like Janet, face a great number of emotions:
anger, depression, happiness, love, fun, spite, anxiety,
worry, etc., etc. Somehow we juggle these as part of daily
living. We are never free of most of these emotions, night
or day. Carried to extremes they bring illness, serious
handicaps. They are often fiery, depleting our time and
energy – that’s life?
Faith brings us a great, big bonus! Emotions are
relatively flimsy but character renovation is steady, not
easily shifted. Here are some of the other big benefits:
peace, freedom, unconditional love, joy, forgiveness, faith,
freedom from guilt - against which there is no law. These
gifts enable us to be steady in the face of emotions. These
traits start in infancy. Transformation by faith builds in us
these new freedoms despite the fickle feelings.
There are two worlds: life that is subject to the weather;
and life that stays steady through the storms. Do we have
a better option for life than this great, big bonus?
The
world’s best deal
– new life for old!
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A Voice for Faith | D e c i s i o n s
How are Faith-Based
Decisions Made?
I
t is not well recognized that Jesus
provides help with daily problems. This is true
in the way decisions get made. For centuries we have
believed that bosses make decisions and followers follow.
In the past century, we have learned a better way.
We will use the family as an example. The traditional
decision style for families was that Dad was the decider
with the family members complying. This style has failed
because the boss style confines decisions based solely on
one person. Experience and research has told us that
teamwork is much more effective.
Teamwork encourages the sharing of views. That
means that the decision has the benefit of views of all the
family members. It also means that everyone has shared
in the decision and hence is obliged to support it.
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A Voice for Faith | D e c i s i o n s
It just so happens that Jesus had already presented
consensus decision-making. In a disagreement, the two
persons should meet, then if they can’t agree, they ask for a
third person. If that doesn’t work, the decision can go to a
group of people interested in the family and that decision.
We have just gone through a century of management
study and practice of mutual decision-making.
There is just one fly in this ointment. Most of us agree
that decisions shared are better than bossiness. Yet, the
old boss style has been used for so long that we don’t
seem able to shake it. As a result, people can go from a
training workshop on consensus decisions and then into
a meeting where the boss style is still alive and practiced.
It looks like we all need more practice in sharing
decisions. It also means that we should pay more attention
to the words of Jesus for many daily matters.
It appears that
we all have
lessons to learn about
how to make
good decisions.
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A Voice for Faith | D i v e r s i t y
A good intent turned bad ?
18, comes home from his club
R onny,
and finds his Mom in the kitchen and tells her
about the meeting.
“We discussed diversity in the group – didn’t seem
to get anywhere. We talked about Eastern religions like
Islam, Hinduism because the others have been reading
books. Their big question is whether we know if these
other religions are good or better.
I was surprised how seriously they are searching. Their
big thing is that we all should respect the beliefs of others.
This view is what we hear everywhere, accept and respect
others for their differences”.
Ronny’s mom asks, “Does it seem like diversity has
become a religion on its own?”
“I found it strange that no one wanted to talk about
Christianity”, Ronny replies.
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A Voice for Faith | D i v e r s i t y
Mom then asks, “Isn’t that what we find everywhere
these days?”
Ronny says, “I find it weird that somehow, overnight,
Christianity has become a dirty word”.
Mom says: “I think that the real problem here is the
big difference between religion and faith. Religion is head
stuff and faith is heart stuff. Before we can talk about
other faiths, we have first to get personal experience with
any of those other faiths”.
“ I left the meeting wondering if someone could get so
interested in other religions and not have one of his own.
That would make religion a head exercise. Can’t I have a
firm belief and still respect others?” Ronny wonders. “I
think discussions of religion are a waste of words until we
hear some heart stuff”.
Respect for others
is vital but
not a substitute
for real faith.
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A Voice for Faith | E n e m i e s
How do Christians love
their Enemies?
his sounds impossible – we can’t even
T like
our enemies. Can there be any logic here? St.
Thomas Aquinas, pillar of Christianity, says nothing in
the faith is illogical. So, what does this obligation mean?
Helen hates her neighbour, Mildred. Helen has at
least two big problems. First she is using up good energy
by letting hate do its dirty work of tiring her. Second,
she doesn’t understand the way Jesus means for us to love
our enemies.
The Bible use of the word, “love”, can really help
Helen. Scripture use of “love” mainly implies actions.
Thinking that way, “Love your enemies”, means kindly
acts – not liking or hating. So the real meaning is to do
acts of kindness regardless of one’s feelings. Helen can
take a breath and try this.
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A Voice for Faith | E n e m i e s
A close examination of the Sermon on the Mount
reveals that Jesus’ instructions are all about actions - not
feelings or beliefs. His instructions to Christians are what
they are to do. So, loving the enemy refers to actions. We
love our enemy with an act of kindness.
Loving our enemies
means we do acts of
kindness for them.
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A Voice for Faith | F o rg i v e
Forgiveness Leads to
Fullness of Life
O
ur guest, Winnie, now understands the
Christian belief about forgiveness. When she
becomes a Christian, two great things happen. She receives
full pardon for all past failures. She becomes a person who
instinctively forgives others - no matter whom.
Winnie decides to keep track of this new forgiveness
experience:
• She will run a three weeks test
• She picks one thing that has bugged her: Winnie
neglected to tell her Mom before she died how much
she loves her
• Every day for three weeks she will remind herself
that God forgives her and Mom understands
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A Voice for Faith | F o rg i v e
• During the three weeks she will tell close friends that
she loves them
• She will keep daily log
• She will ask a friend to help her keep track
From this test she expects:
• To be relieved of chronic guilt
• Her loved ones will be pleased to hear from her
• She and her loved ones will feel close
• During the three weeks she will feel more relaxed
Winnie can find herself thanking
God to learn that
Christian forgiveness
Faith
bringing joy to God,
others and herself.
is at the
of the
heart
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A Voice for Faith | F o rg i v e n e s s
The Power of Forgiveness
he account of Peter, the leader of Jesus’
T disciples,
has three dramatic phases. That account
demonstrates the transforming power of forgiveness.
It has three phases in the life of Peter – founder of the
Christian church.
In the first phase, we see Peter the bold, impetuous,
spokesman for the disciples, making claims of his utter
devotion to Jesus and His ministry. He makes promises
that nothing will separate him from his commitment to
Jesus’ cause.
In the second phase, we see Peter the chicken. At
the trial of Jesus, Peter, many times, protests he knows
nothing about Jesus. He disappears to hide in the bushes
along with the other disciples.
Suddenly later, Peter is leading 3,000 people
expounding on the life changing power of Christianity.
What caused this complete transformation of Peter from
chicken to leader of the new, growing Christianity?
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A Voice for Faith | F o rg i v e n e s s
From the accounts, there are two events that changed
Peter. First, there were sightings of Jesus alive again. That
would certainly give Peter courage. There was, however,
another incredible event. Jesus, while being tortured on
the cross said, “Lord, forgive them, for they know not
what they do”. Who has this capacity to forgive a soldier
who is shoving a spear in his side?
Forgiveness from Jesus hit Peter like a bomb. He was
guilt-ridden from being a chicken. Suddenly he hears
that the Lord has forgiven him. In that, Peter became
one the first of millions of Christian converts - receiving
forgiveness from all their misdeeds.
is
Forgiveness
unique and at the
Foundation of Christianity
essential
experience for
all Christians
– It is the
in whatever situation.
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A Voice for Faith | F u l l Fa i t h
The ABC s of Christianity
The Most Powerful Forces in Life
– Love and Forgiveness
A.
The all powerful and all loving Christian God is
beside us, each one, no matter what. This faith doesn’t
come from logic or science. It comes from 2,000 years of
billions of people who staked their lives on the Christian
God. Evidence of this faith includes relationships, nature,
the genome, music, prayer, mathematics, self-sacrifice
and the Bible.
B.
Jesus of Nazareth’s message and his life tell us what we
need to know about God. We become followers when we
turn our lives over to God.
Followers of Jesus experience a personal revolutionary
transformation of change from their state of self-interest to
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A Voice for Faith | F u l l Fa i t h
being loving and merciful servants, even for their enemies.
Everything we need to know about all this is found in the
red print in the New Testament – Jesus’ own words!
C.
The Christian church is made up of groups who have
God’s guidance by His presence. This is the power source
of Christianity. God Himself is on our side to help us
do what needs doing - like helping the poor, the sick,
the homeless and the unfortunate. The Christian church
equips its members to be secure, loving servants.
Jesus’Way:
Choosing God
over Self.
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A Voice for Faith | G o d l e s s
We are surrounded by
a Godless Generation
W
innie says: “How can we be expected to
raise kids with Christian character without any
training for this world’s most important job – and with
no help?
She asks: “Where did the teamwork of school, church
and family go? My parents needed that support. Is there
anybody out there on our side? Our new family is being
called “nuclear”.
Winnie is right – her family is nuclear, isolated and
stumbling in our frantic society with its rampant and
hectic changes. She and her family have lost support from
governments, businesses, schools, universities and the
media, all of whom have dismissed the Christian God.
Family is low priority in these organizations. Going
from our society is the foundation of our morality and
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A Voice for Faith | G o d l e s s
faith. Gone is Winnie’s support to raise children with
moral and spiritual character. Gone is the experience of
the Spirit of Jesus for billions over the past 2,000 years.
Winnie sees the damage that the new changes
have brought:
• Few families are raising kids with a spiritual base
• Disrespect, violence and terror are now on the
upswing
• Teen suicide comes when our youth can’t find
meaning in life
• Why are divorce, teen pregnancy and abortion so
prevalent?
• Does anyone pray?
Sadly, the Christian churches are also overwhelmed by
our godless society. They are scrambling to maintain their
traditional services in the face of shrinking memberships and
funding. They are limited in their time to consider new ways
to use our knowledge of nature and science to support their
message. Their present appeal to families is limited.
Winnie’s family is nuclear, fragmented by many
distractions and isolated in our new society. How can they
return to a family life that provides the security, love and
spiritual foundation needed by both children and adults?
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A Voice for Faith | G o d l e s s
Families need to rebuild with their world of children,
parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They all need
to recapture control of family life - its work, money,
learning, activities and prayer. If Winnie wants to try for
a spiritual family base, here are some no cost suggestions:
The entire family has dinner each Sunday together –
started with prayer
Kids can go to the library for, “The Message”, copy of
the Bible
To bring back Sunday, all plan a family fun event, not
work
Each day, each member phones some other family
member
Husband checks to see if there is another family, like
his, who would be interested in all this.
Winnie sees that
her family is trapped
– will they do
something about it?
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A Vo i c e f o r Fa i t h | V i s i o n
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A Voice for Faith | G row t h
Christianity – A Religion
of Growth
S
ome see Christianity as a fixed condition
given when a person signs on. No – real faith is
a process of continual growth, not a victory medal.
Christianity is a process of growth – continuous and
not easy.
Let’s take the man who has, for many years, used the
Family Wellness Rainbow (see it at: www.FaithFinder.ca)
for daily, morning devotions. He discovered when picturing
himself orange, (for relationships), that he had held spite
towards two persons for 25 years.
In his devotions with his wife, it became clear that
spite is wrong and hurtful. He decided at “orange” time
each day, he would concentrate on ridding spite. After
three weeks that spite was gone forever – thanks to God
and His Word.
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A Voice for Faith | G row t h
Growth means changing for the better. That is
expressed these days by goals. They have the benefit of
being more specific on results and time spent. Such is the
capacity of Christianity for whatever area needs growth –
individual, family, community or nation.
Christianity is now not known for its growth nature.
We all need to avoid seeing the start-up experience as the
faith. Rather, Christianity must be seen as a process of
God-guided growth.
Faith means
a continuous learning
process of God,
others and self.
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A Voice for Faith | G u i lt
Jesus’ Cure for Guilt
I
t is a sad sight – all those people, Christian
and non-Christian, spending precious time feeling
guilty. Each of us has done a dumb and hurtful thing or
things in the past. The more we dwell on these, the uglier
they get. Taken to extremes, some people can spend so
much time feeling guilty that they become mentally
unbalanced or ill.
Jesus’ way to guiltless living is very simple. First he
labelled what guilt really is – a selfish, destructive way to
spend time and energy. We spend time living again our
dumb acts, which helps no one and hurts God and us.
Here is the first half of Jesus’ cure for guilt – stop
insulting “Me” by wasting yourselves repeating dumbness.
The other half is “Love Others”. He did not mean going
around liking everybody. What He did mean was – “Spend
your time doing kindly acts for the benefit of others.”
Jesus’ simple solution to guilt is to so focus on the
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A Voice for Faith | G u i lt
well-being of others, that there is no point in wasting
time rehashing past dumb behavior. He demonstrated
how this works in His life here on earth. Jesus said, “God
wants to help us love one another”.
Jesus showed us
God’s cure for guilt
–“Love One
Another”.
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A Voice for Faith | H e l p i n g
Helping Efforts that Help
C
hristians and others are highly motivated
to do something for someone else. Such efforts more
often fail from lack of know-how. There are three principles
that govern helpfulness:
Principle A. Improvement is in the hands of the
person, not the helper
Principle B. Helping must stay focussed on the
person, not the helper
Principle C. Advice seldom works because it shifts
the focus from the person to the helper
Here are five steps in the helping process gleamed
from professional clinical practice:
Step One: What is the person’s main concern?
Step Two: Clarify for both, the nature of the problem
Step Three: What has already been tried?
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A Voice for Faith | H e l p i n g
Step Four: Of the options, which one does the person
prefer?
Step Five: What has the person decided to do?
The heart of
helping
total focus on the
Other’s needs.
is the
Looks like the professionals
know something
about faith.
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A Voice for Faith | K i d s
How Kids Become
Believers
A
s usual, the big answer is simple. The
greatest faith influence on children comes from
the faith of the parents. Beyond all words, symbols or
activity, it is the presence of God in the parents – the best
prospect for a child. So, parents who want kids with a
spiritual foundation, should spend efforts on their own
spiritual lives.
The next greatest influence on children comes from
relatives and close friends. Research says that grandmothers
have great influence. Literature, family prayers, church
attendance and a Bible within reach, all make for a child’s
solid early spiritual experience.
Mr. Stone says this is a big mouthful. He and his wife
are busy people. But, spiritual growth is not busyness – it
is mainly a matter of choice. God is with us or not. That
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A Voice for Faith | K i d s
is the main choice for the Stone family – through all the
changes at home and in the community.
The good news for parents is that the majority of
children will return to the family faith. But, parents need
to realize that times have changed. The new adult will
practice his faith in new ways.
The next generation faces a world losing its normal
values, traditional church ways and good manners. This
will be very difficult for them and their parents. All
Christians must seek, together, for the ways of the faith
that can prosper despite diversity, opposition and terror.
Our children
must be prepared
with a faith to face
a
world growing ugly.
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A Voice for Faith | K i n g d o m
Billy, age 10, has questions
for Dad about the sermon
on the Kingdom
B: I didn’t understand all that stuff about the kingdom
D: Jesus and his family lived in a town controlled by
the Roman army. For centuries the Jews were waiting for
a new king who would save them. Jesus preached about
the Kingdom of God. He got such a big following he
became known as the Messiah.
B: What has that got for us?
D: Jesus was killed because the Roman and Jewish
authorities found him to be a problem. Jesus didn’t fit the
picture of a strong king. His message was all about love,
humility, service and forgiveness.
B: I still don’t get it.
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A Voice for Faith | K i n g d o m
D: When Jesus died there were miracles, including
His appearances, from which the Christian church arose.
Our church came from there.
B: So the sermon was about God, love, humanity,
service and forgiveness. Why didn’t he just say so?
Kingdom of God
The
is
here and now,
helping us get life right.
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A Voice for Faith | Lo s t Fa i t h
Where has God Gone?
I
n our day, it is foolish to claim that God,
the Creator, is here beside us, helping any way that
he can. Yet, Jesus came to demonstrate that fact. Upon his
life the Christian church grew to be the mainstay of the
lives of billions of people over 2,000 years.
Now suddenly we have a new god who is present in
every part of our lives. Who is the champion of our faith,
is it money? Where is all this leading?
Not long ago, the lives of the saints demonstrated
their lives in the presence of God Himself. They showed
the reality of God here and now. St. Francis served the
poor, St. Thomas showed the logic of the Christian way.
We don’t have to go back seven centuries to see the
same evidence. A chat with any Christian who has served
the Lord for 30 years will demonstrate a life lived with
the full consciousness of God’s presence in practical lives.
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A Voice for Faith | Lo s t Fa i t h
We are a people who have lost the awareness of God.
We have little to say to our children about the purpose of
life except the marathon for money. Faith must be reborn
for this new society bringing life’s essentials of hope, love
and service.
We have lost
our way lured by ugly
ways of our diverse,
money-based world.
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A Voice for Faith | M a rr i ag e
Why Christian Marriage is
so Special
W
innie and Herb have been married for 12
years. While they have struggles, they deeply love
each other. They have learned that good marriage requires
hard work - particularly adjusting to the different styles of
the other. They probably have not taken the time to settle
on the spiritual foundation of their marriage.
They feel that falling in love and getting married is the
way families develop. Not so with a Christian marriage.
In the Christian way, couples don’t start families. Instead,
the Christian community starts families. In a Christian
marriage, each understands what it means to give yourself
to someone else.
So, a Christian marriage already has the experience of
giving self to another. That is a big deal. It forms a solid
base for marriage that can’t happen otherwise.
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A Voice for Faith | M a rr i ag e
Another feature of a Christian marriage is that it
happens in a religious ceremony. The marriage is conducted
in a Christian worship service led by a Christian minister.
The members of the wedding party and the other guests
participate in a Christian ceremony and its celebration.
In a Christian marriage, the embryonic family is part
of a larger family, bound by allegiance to God and caring
for each member.
Today we see many different forms of marriage. In
most of these cases the couple assumes that they alone are
starting a family. They also assume that children belong
to them. Here is great risk for children all the way from
total neglect to wars over custody.
The Christian marriage affords the maximum security
and love from the members of the whole family– badly
needed in this fast paced society.
In our rapidly changing society,
must be the
our first
priority
welfare of children.
That is not the case today.
Christian marriage holds the
best promise of a safe and loving family
life for children.
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A Voice for Faith | M i s s i o n
We are all uniquely
equipped for a special job
A
mazing! Each of us is different for a
purpose – we are different in fingerprints,
face, genes, even soul.
It is not easy to find one’s special calling. It takes some
effort to sort out who only we can help. It starts with
thinking of all the people with special needs who need us.
They can be folks close by or far away.
We can narrow down the list by thinking about what
we seem right for. From the list we might find three or
four. For example one could be a visitor to the elderly or
turning a hobby into helpful items to be shared.
With this effort, one day we find what looks like the
right service for us. That leads to decision day. Am I
serious enough about a mission to decide to do it?
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A Voice for Faith | M i s s i o n
There are costs of having a personal mission. There
is the time commitment. Even more serious is the
requirement to stick at our mission - perhaps for years.
But there are huge benefits. One becomes more useful
and helpful. More than that, the mission shapes our
priorities. It is great benefit when one job puts other things
in better order. We walk with a lighter step knowing we are
doing a special job helping others, that only we can do.
Then there is God. If He designed us for a special job,
there is the need to make sure we are doing what He has
in mind. Prayer is essential.
Mission can become
the
purpose for life
– helping others in
unique way
a
for which we have been born.
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A Voice for Faith | Pe ac e
Christianity is
the Universal Peacemaker
C
hristianity is the peaceful religion.
The Founder made it very clear - we are to forgive,
go the second mile, love our enemies, give wherever we
can, love one another.
The Christian church did get off base in its history –
like the crusades. This in no way lessens the requirement
on the individual to follow Jesus’ words. There is variety
within Christianity. For some, the call is to get out there
and help those in need. For others, the call may be writing
and teaching. Such variety is to be expected, provided all
are one in the faith.
There are two kinds of peace. The more evident one
is social peace in the community between diverse views.
The believer works among people in conflict to urge a
better way. The success of such efforts depends upon all
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A Voice for Faith | Pe ac e
those involved. The believer stands for a peaceful way.
His influence is controlled by God and the faith of the
peace-makers.
That kind of peace is external. The other is internal.
There is no peace where there is no internal peace.
Personal peace is not generated in the community. It is
found in the fellowship of believers. Peace is experienced
in the relationship with God and fellow believers. This is
a profound peace that is continually present despite any
or all conditions. This is a mark of a Christian.
In all areas of life,
Christianity stands
for
peace.
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A Voice for Faith | Pr ay e r
Prayer is the Most
Important Experience
for Believers
are those who believe that God
T ishere
here and helping and those who do not. Prayer is
the lifeline for believers. It is a puzzle for the unbeliever.
God made each of us different. The experience with
God will therefore be different for each one. There can
be no standard formula. So here is one example how it
can happen.
Chuck is a Christian and he is in love. He asks God to
help him to see if Gladys is the right one. Then he has to
wait for an answer. Gladys’ parents go out of their way to
welcome Chuck. That sounds like it could be an answer
from God.
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A Voice for Faith | Pr ay e r
Chuck discovers that Gladys is not a Christian. That
is a bombshell. Is it also God’s answer? Clues come and
clues go for Chuck. At some point, Chuck has to decide
how it adds up - Had God answered? He would be wise
to share all this with a buddy to get an opinion.
For the believer, God answers prayer. He already has a
history of prayer experiences. That means that Chuck can
pray for anything – Gladys, himself, his family, his close
friend, his work, health, those suffering, the nation.
Chuck, a believer, should be praying at regular times
each day. There are many Christians who claim that life
must be a constant prayer. For those who experience God’s
presence continuously, prayer just happens naturally all the
time - driving the car, taking out the garbage or in church.
Prayer is the lifeline for the believer. It is seeking God’s
guidance for everything that matters day-by-day.
model of a
prayer life, follow
For the
Jesus.
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Is Christianity Real?
W
e will check this big question under three
classical headings: Words, Deeds and Spirit.
A. Words: Christianity seems to have words right. But
it is not getting the words right that counts. Words can
help or hurt. It is dangerous to speak before you think.
We all talk too much. The wisdom from the ages is silence.
Christianity cannot be fully understood using words. The
best words, however, say all that needs to be said – “Heart
to God and Hand to Others”.
B. Deeds: Nearly everybody is in favour of kindness.
In practice, most of us rate at best a D. Christianity says
that service must be full-time if we want to be true to
the calling. It also says that words and deeds must be
in balance. Too much one way is as bad as too much
the other. The essence of kindness is that we put others
before ourselves.
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C. Spirit: This is tricky. Many believe in good words
and deeds but stop there. The definition of Spirit here is that
all life is made up of personal relationships. Christianity
has that belief - God is personal, here, helping for ever.
If we don’t care for all this wordage,
Christianity has a simple answer to
the big question, “Is Christianity Real?”
The answer isJesus.
He embodies all we need to know
if we follow Him – His Words,
Deeds and Spirit.
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A Voice for Faith | Roya lt y
The power of faith can come
from anywhere
E the Queen as Her national representative. In that
ric was raised in a family designated by
regal atmosphere, Eric had multiple choices of profession
and career. He chose ministry.
Later we find Eric in France, living in a house with
several totally handicapped adults. What was he doing
there? He was there because he believed that the only way
to fully understand another person is to live with that
person. His objective was a process of loving handicapped
adults and thereby demonstrating the presence of God
in daily life. If not cure, his purpose is to share the good
news of the new life with the handicapped.
Moving forward, we find Eric as the founder of
hundreds of residences for the handicapped around the
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A Voice for Faith | Roya lt y
world. Each residence has the original purpose – live with
the handicapped to love and share the faith.
Next we find Eric as a writer and speaker on the nature
of the totally renovated life. He becomes a national figure
– humble and gracious. Eric has become the nation’s
prime spokesman for the full Christian life.
God, could
steer Eric on such
a glorious path?
Who, but
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A Voice for Faith | S u ff e r i n g
Suffering, an Essential
in Christianity
W
hen someone claims that the Christian
life is easy please refer them to this list of
Christian sufferings:
1. A good deed is often ignored! It costs to reach out
to others. In some cases the effort is ignored. In other
cases, there can be sarcastic laughter. Appreciation will be
scarce.
2. A friend is in trouble – don’t know how to help.
3. We can count on opposition. These days many
seem to enjoy slamming Christianity. We send our kids
to Godless schools. Everywhere someone is suing to have
Christian symbols removed. Christians are being killed
for their faith.
4. Betrayal – Is there anything more heartbreaking
than a fellow believer turning against you? Some who have
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given life-long commitments suddenly, for no rational
reason, become enemies. It happens! It dismays!
5. Physical Pain – Too often it’s the good folks who
suffer most. Fortunately we now have helpful medicines.
Good healing comes also from visits with friends or loved
ones. Advice - take the medicine - there is no merit in
physical suffering.
6. Torture – Ghastly examples seem to be increasing.
It is unthinkable that anyone would mistreat another
in such gross ways. Some such folks belong in locked
mental hospitals. Our Lord, in the middle of his torture,
prayed, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they
do.” That prayer founded a world – wide church based
on forgiveness. We now see Christians holding up under
torture as did Jesus, honouring His faith.
In the Believer’s
new world,
suffering is always there.
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A Voice for Faith | S u pe r Lov e
Love can be unconditional
of us know that relationships of love
M ostmake
the world go around. We all usually
try many different brands in search for the ultimate way.
They include:
• A learning relationship
• The casual relationship
• A few dear friends
• Family members
• Sex
• Work relationships
• Marriage
Then there is unconditional love, which Christians
claim they know from experience. Here are their views:
• Unconditional love means no negative act or
happening can change it
• It means total openness between two or more
• Decisions are mutual - due to the respect each has
for the other
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A Voice for Faith | S u pe r Lov e
• It is “ No matter what” love
• It provides a security not found elsewhere
For example:
Two men own a print shop. Business is going well;
their relationship is going downhill. The families are
threatened if the business fails. Both men attend different
churches and claim to be Christians. Family members
meet. A pastor is asked to advise. Despite help from all
sides the problem is worse.
One of the wives asks the question, “What would Jesus
do?” That leads to discussions of faith, forgiveness and
turning the other cheek. Finally a teen in one of the families
says, “I attended a workshop on unconditional love. Why
not try that? It is like a marriage - a commitment, with
God’s help, to put the other person first, no matter what.
How can you have an impossible problem doing that?”
After months of discussion and prayer, each met half way.
Unconditional love
– the strongest bond in the world
Life CAN be that good!
–
God’s way.
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The Family as a Team
eams are essential because that way in the
T family,
everybody plays, everybody wins, everybody
knows what is going on and what to do.
How a Christian team Works
Principle #1 Teams make decisions; individuals
are team members
Principle #2 When teams get stuck, leaders make
temporary decisions
Principle #3 Team decisions outweigh solo efforts
Here are some of the details:
• Teams start on time and finish on time
• Each item gets its time- if not finished it carries over
• Notes are taken summarizing only decisions
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• The leader’s job is to ensure everyone has a part
Teams can become a vital place in the lives of the
members. Every member, young and old, has a role in
the team.
Teams that pray together, usually stick together.
Teams are where
theLord is present
the
and helping
family and each member.
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Time for Family and
Church to Get Together
B
oth the family and the church are
struggling. The family is becoming fragmented.
The church is losing members. The family and the church
need each other. The children must have the family and
the church working together for them.
There are ways families can help the church and
themselves. In this day the very best way is with small
groups. A few families decide to meet several times to
see if they can help each other in daily matters and in
faith. Fortunately, there is now a small group network
with experience and know-how. See SmallGroups.com.
Hopefully, the local church will welcome that
suggestion. If not, small groups can tap into the knowhow and start locally with two or three couples.
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Another family approach for a church can be local
service ministries. Most communities need food banks,
or senior clubs, or youth centers. The importance here is
that the church is serving the local community and that
it is an effort by volunteers coming from local families.
There is plenty of experience with these types of services
in the local community.
Here again, these ideas will depend upon church
readiness. If there is a problem in one church, there are
others in town. Once such a ministry gets started, other
churches will show interest.
In these two examples, the need is for practical services
that bring the families and the church together. In these
high-speed, ever-changing communities, they must start
working together again.
The
faith and
character
of our children
requires family/church
teamwork .
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The Enormous Impact
of Faith
H
usband and Wife, both ordained clergy,
served a large national church for 40 years.
Their leadership had huge impact on this national church.
Both came to their life of service from families who were
also pastors.
The wife pioneered new service roles for women in
a church formerly led mainly by men. She developed
personnel systems for the services of the many posts
where they served. In one Canadian province she guided
large camping programs where, in one year 300 teens
were ready for personal faith commitments.
The husband, in his leadership in various locations,
guided the regional reorganization of the national
church. During his years of service he operated a program
for young parolees. He directed the national programs
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for social services and correction. He established leader
training programs for regional clergy leaders. He
introduced national team leadership and goal setting
training for pastors.
Throughout their careers together, they set the tone
of prayerful leadership of a great variety of services.
Two of their children followed their parents in clergy
leadership roles.
There is no limit to
the power for good led by
couples
full of faith.
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Nobody can explain
the joy of faith
- it is another world
A
sk a believer what joy comes from faith.
No words can really do it. The answer could
come in a song or a quoted scripture. Somehow, we don’t
understand. The reason is simple: faith is an experience, it
is beyond words, even for the great poets. The experience
of one is hard to explain to another.
So the words we could use are:
• With God, I am safe and free
• I now find I want to help others – that’s new
• My big guilt load has disappeared
• My relationships have become powerful
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• I am glad to meet others.
To find it rather than “To feel it”, go to a meeting
of believers. Another way is daily quiet times of at least
15 minutes. The best way is to get to know about Jesus.
Faith is caught
rather than taught
takes time,
even for a first clue.
– usually it
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A Dream Came True
by Faith
his man, born in the great depression, learned the
T benefits
of persistence to help a dream come true.
His home was peaceful and a place of hard work and
pleasantness. There was no reference to faith in his first
30 years.
Carl applied himself in school and continued to
university graduation in engineering. He began five years
as a business editor. At the same time, he and a close
friend started a boys’ club at the church. His interest in
faith began there.
One day, while visiting a large boys’ club he saw two
kids who were out of control. Later, in a quiet walk, he
chose a lifetime career helping troubled children. He was
inspired by the movie, “Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Town.”
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His dream was to become another Father Flanagan.
Married with two children, he quit his editorial job and
enrolled in the seminary of his denomination. There he
had great difficulty with the church language.
Upon seminary graduation and license as a pastor, he
knew he had to qualify with a master’s degree in social
work – two more university years. By this time, he was
still struggling with faith in his own life.
The “Boys’ Town” was started with a small group of
friends. That, some years later, became a large children’s
mental health center offering at least six different treatment
programs for troubled children and their families.
After 25 years, Carl moved to a job as trainer of family
services leaders in a large denomination in Canada and
the U.S.A. Now retired, he is writing books on family
wellness and faith in the human services.
dream
that came true,
3,000 children
and families got help.
In the
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How an Unnoticed Man
Serves So Well
J
immy was a member of a teen Sunday school
class. The group was named “The Christeens”.
This group discussed many sides of faith. The group
grew a life of its own. They travelled together by canoe
to distant lakes. They camped together – some 25 teens.
Jimmy was always quiet, always willing to help and often
hardly noticed.
Forty years later Jimmy attended church with his wife
and family. By this time he was retired from teaching and
offering professional help to individual students. In the
church, Jimmy became the music leader forming groups
with his musical knowledge and his pleasant personality.
By surprise, Jimmy, and his wife, met the former leader
of “The Christeens”. During the visit, Jimmy’s wife made
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a remarkable statement: “If it wasn’t for you, we would
never have been married.” The former leader couldn’t
remember the counseling she claimed they received.
Isn’t it remarkable that the faith stimulated in a teen
class could have such results 40 years later. Now Jimmy,
his wife and the leader are close friends again.
work of faith
goes beyond
all imagination.
The
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A Stranger in Our Town
Y ou are a Christian – you live in God’s
special world right in your own town. You are
at a party where the discussion is mostly business and
sports. A pleasant lady (a stranger) sitting next to you is
very excited about her new kitchen. You support her by
confirming her excitement. You show interest by asking,
“When will it be finished?”
You chat. Upon leaving the lady remarks, “You
are somehow different - maybe it’s your face.” You
acknowledge the pleasure of the chat and give her your
phone number, asking if you could visit when the kitchen
is done.
Three months later, you drive to the lady’s home. The
cars show a big difference. You are appalled at the luxury
of her home but complement her on her new kitchen and
then invite her to come for coffee at your home.
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The lady arrives at your home and is surprised that the
home is so old fashioned. The lady says, “I was right! We
are different. Do you think you know how?” You reply,
“I really enjoy our friendship - the only thing that comes
to mind is that we are Christians.”
Tips for Christians when meeting strangers.
• Show interest and be supportive of the other person
• Avoid religious talk unless asked
• The Lord will use you as a witness - you care by
being there
The
Lord is with you
as you love
your neighbour.
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How Faith Makes
a Family Whole
hese are days when families are very isolated
T and
confused. They are fragmented by the big money
systems that shape their lives and morality. Today’s family
is the victim of the controls of big banking, big business,
big governments and big media. How in the world can a
family be in control of itself?
The family’s problem is more inside itself. They accept
that the big systems are what separate family members.
However, the family has an even bigger problem - the
members who don’t work together and the parents who
don’t demonstrate how togetherness can work.
The Johnson family has a son doing poorly at school.
Both Mom and Dad work. Mom tries to talk about this
with Dad. He is more interested in sports on TV. Then
Mom calls the school. She meets with the teacher. One
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problem is homework. Teacher suggests parent signatures
on homework papers. Mom agrees.
Next day son asks dad to sign the homework sheet.
Dad says that it is all wrong, don’t bother me. Mother asks
about homework sheet. Son said he showed it to Dad. This
game goes on until the mother gives up trying. Dad and
son go out to shoot some baskets. This family has no faith
group connections which could lead to working together.
Here is where these parents can learn more about the
spiritual dimension in family life:
• Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, dear friends
are mostly willing to help a family where parents are
seeking help.
• It is helpful to share faith experiences at meals and
bedtime
• Readable faith books should be in the home
• Friendships with godly neighbours can be cultivated
Faith is the only reliable
cement for the whole family.
Every family must be aware of its need
for spiritual togetherness.
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About the Author
Robert Shaw, BASc, BD, MSW, is a human services
leader with 50 years of service to troubled children and
their families.
Dellcrest Children’s Mental Health Centre, The
Markham Institute, Atlanta Project New Hope for
Families and Markham Salvation Army Family Services
were all founded by Robert. Under his leadership, training
resources in service practices were created in the areas of
family wellness, staff supervision, teamwork, continuous
client benefit, evaluation, service program design and
strategic planning.
For his work, Robert was awarded the Distinguished
Contributor’s Award from the Ontario Association of
Children’s Mental Centres. He was honored as a Fellow
of the faculty of administrative studies, York University,
for his help in starting the Voluntary Sector Management
Training program.
Robert is the author of numerous training manuals
and books—all devoted to the practices of serving
children and their families.
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Book Reviews
An impressive and practical manual for assisting
children and youth to develop character through faith.
Rev. Ralph Garbe, (OM), BA, MDIV, MTH, retired
The key ingredient in successful living is trust.
Robert Shaw has put his finger on it wonderfully in this
deceptively brief but deeply interconnected collection of
thought pieces. He and I have had many delicious years
of debating about what should be the central focus of
one’s faith but we are in complete agreement about the
power of faith in shaping character. What a person has
come to believe in will shape all responses in dealings
with others. This cuts two ways, however. The parent that
teaches lessons of negativity, hatred and suspicion can
expect their children to build an approach to life based
on those lessons. Faith is an enormous power.
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I hope the parents and leaders who read this book can
get its essential message and use it to review their own
approach to those who trust them.
William H. Eull, Ph.D., C.Psych,
Clinical Psychologist, Ontario, CA
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbor as thyself.”
For decades, Bob and Myrlin have lived their lives
according to these two great commandments, serving
God and fellow man. And nowhere is it more evident than
in their latest book, “Family, the Cradle of Character”. In
this little book of fifty essays, the Shaws bring the great
commandments into relevant family life.
The book is filled with practical, family-oriented
advice. “The Christian’s Homework” offers couples
and families a guide path to a fuller spiritual life in the
home. And, “Family, the Cradle of Character” speaks to
the problems of today’s increasingly secular world. “We
Are Surrounded by a Godless Generation” depicts many
problems – and many solutions – to what we see and hear
going on around us.
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“Family, the Cradle of Character” is a series of small,
highly readable, easily digestible personal essays. The book
could be read straight through, read in small segments,
or, as I imagine the Shaws would want, used as a daily
devotional.
The Rev. Dr. Richard B. Hitchcock,
Cleric, researcher, Georgia, USA
Robert’s vast experience enables him to see the great
need of families and offers practical solutions. “Seek and
you will find”. God will be the stability of your times.
Evelyn Shelton, Mother of 6 and
grandmother of 11, Ontario, CA
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117
Vo i cbook
e f o ris Fa
h | V i s i oparents
n
The aim ofA this
toi tencourage
in their
efforts to nurture their children in a family atmosphere of
faith and character building. Each essay brings practical
examples from both professional and family experiences.
The author is Robert Shaw,
B.A.Sc., B.D. M.S.W. who shares
his professional experience from
decades of leadership service
to children and families. The
editor is Myrlin Shaw who
carried the full responsibility
for the many drafts. The essays
reflect also their experiences with their family of ten
children. Robert and his wife Myrlin are members of
The Salvation Army.
For a f r e e copy of e-book
Family,
the Cradle
of Character
please go to
www.FaithFinder.ca
Do n a t io n s c a n g o t o
T h e M a r k h a m I n s tit u t e
98 Kings Park Blvd. | Toronto, ON | M4J 2C3
a C a n a d ia n c h a r i t y
You can contact Robert Shaw at: [email protected]
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