A Woman of The Word

On January 1st, 2020, my husband, my two boys, and I found ourselves in a long line of traffic trying to leave the multiple encroaching firefronts on the NSW South Coast. For hours and hours we crawled through bumper-to-bumper traffic, all the while trying to keep peace between two active boys, aged 8 and 4, who were stuck in far-too-close proximity to each other.

As the hours ticked by, our patience as a family was definitely running thin!

Thankfully, we’d prepared for the trip with a few new Colin Buchanan CDs, and one in particular became a family favourite by the time we finally arrived home at midday on January 2nd  – Colin Buchanan’s latest: Catechismo Kids.

In Catechismo Kids, Colin and his puppet-pal Nudge sing songs, play games and guide their listeners through a simple Catechism.

I’m expecting the word Catechism might prompt different reactions depending on your experience. For some, it brings back old memories of stuffy, dry, rote-learning at Sunday School in the 1950s and 1960s. For others, you may be amazed that when I ask you “What is the chief end of man?” you can, by sheer reflex reply “To glorify God and enjoy him forever”. For others (like me until recently) the word Catechism draws a complete blank, like a “404 page not found” internet error in your memory.

In his song “Do the Catechismo”, Colin outlines what a catechism is in three simple steps:

1. You a-a-a-ask the questions
2. Then you g-g-g-give the answers
3. Frrrrrrrrrrrrrrom the Bible

(That’s how you dodil-oodil-oodil-oodil-oo the Catechismo – Colin concludes!)

Using Colin’s simple outline, my family and I have started doing a simple Catechism at dinner times. We took the list of questions in the “Children’s Catechism” from “Teaching Truth, Training Hearts” by Dr. Tom J. Nettles (the list can also be found here). The questions and answers are very similar to the ones Colin and Nudge use, too!

New City Catechism is another great resource you could use as well.

This is how it would work on a typical night in our house. (Note, we don’t do this every night – there are more than a few nights a week where dinner in front of the TV is all I can manage!).

Over dinner, I show my boys the question we’re going to be thinking about, for example, “Why did God make you and all things?”. I print out the question in large font so that they can look at it while they’re eating.

Last night, my eldest’s first response was, “God made us because he was lonely.” I was able to say that I used to think that, too, but it’s not actually what the Bible says. 

This led us to talk about how God shows us about him through what he has done. We know he’s powerful because he spoke and the world was created. We know he is loving because God saw it was not good for Adam to be alone and created Eve as a suitable complement for him. We know God is forgiving because after Adam and Eve sinned, he promised that one day an offspring of the woman would destroy the serpent and we know that offspring is Jesus.

After we talk about the question, we look at the answer, which in this case is “God made us for his own glory”. For an answer like this, I had to explain what the word glory means, but for others, the answer is pretty straightforward. We write the answer in texta on the page under the question.

We then look at one of the accompanying Bible verses, like Revelation 4:11, in the CEV translation. We then write the verse out under the answer.

At the end, we recap all of the questions we’ve done so far. It’s my hope that over time these questions, answers and Bible verses will be so implanted in my boys that they will know with certainly the things they believe, and can confidently defend their faith in the face of any challenge.

Catechisms might seem out of fashion, but Colin Buchanan has encouraged our family to see how helpful they can be in planting seeds of faith, trust and love for God’s Word and his promises in the hearts of our sons. 

In honour of reaching my 37th year, I sat down this morning to think about 37 things in my life I’m thankful to God for. Here they are – in the order they came to me.

I’m thankful to God for…

1. My husband, D and almost 17 years of marriage. He is an amazing man who has supported me through some hard seasons. He’s seen the best and the worst of me, and still loves me.
2. My boys, M and O. Every day they teach me and refine me (and reflect my sinfulness) as I journey through life as their mum.
3. A loving family – Parents, Brothers, In-Laws, 9 Nieces and Nephews, and extended family as well.
4. My Poppa. I love him so much he gets his own entry. He’s in his 90s and still the strongest person I know.
5. Friendships that have endured over many years (some 10, 25, even 30 years!)
6. Friendships I have been blessed to form in just the last few years.
7. My church family and the 25 years I have been a member of my church.
8. Wider fellowship networks with Christians all over Sydney, Australia and the world.
9. A roof over my head to keep the rain out (especially on a day like today).
10. The Shire (yep – I’m one of *those* people!
11. Sydney and Australia – my sunburnt country – her droughts and flooding rains.
12. Wuhan, China – my one-time adopted city, my experience living there, and my love for the many friends and brothers and sisters I met in that city.
13. God Families – we chose my sons’ God Parents well and I love all 4 of them and their children. And I love our Godson, too.
14. God’s Word – a lamp to my path, living and active, which will accomplish what God sends it to do.
15. God’s kindness in offering forgiveness through the life, death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ.
16. God’s calling on my life to offer myself as a living sacrifice.
17. My current colleagues in my new job, and the blessing it is to work with such an amazing team of God-honouring people.
18. My former colleagues in my old job, and the blessing it was to make so many friends with hearts for God’s work in schools.
19. The education system in Australia and the many ways it blessed me – even the blessing of my HECS Debt.
20. The sound of rain as it has been falling constantly today on what was until recently a very parched land.
21. The air in my lungs, the beating of my heart, and the knowledge that every one is ordained by my God.
22. Running, the freedom it gives me, and the accomplishment I feel when I see my (not very impressive) PBs getting shorter and shorter.
23. The community at my sons’ school and the amazing friends we have made there.
24. Cheese – one of my few remaining vices!
25. Good Coffee.
26. Antidepressants that work.
27. Stephen Colbert (another form of antidepressant).
28. Podcasts to fall asleep to (or to keep me company when I can’t sleep).
29. Libraries and bookstores.
30. Music from the 1990s and the memories it evokes.
31. Music we sing at church (especially when many voices are making joyful noise to the Lord).
32. Music in my headphones that draws me closer to God, and reminds me of how great Jesus is.
33. Tracky-dack weather.
34. Comfortable slippers on a cold winter morning.
35. Papermate profile 1.4B Black (my pen of choice).
36. Notebooks with random scribbles (like the one I wrote this list in).
37. My LORD and KING and SAVIOUR Jesus Christ.

I’m trying something new – reflecting on a story from the news from the Christian Worldview and considering how we can use such stories as talking points and teachable moments as we seek to shepherd our children in their walk with Christ.
  
I’m keen for feedback, and I’d love to hear any ideas you may have for other stories you’d like me to cover!

Controversy Overshadows the US Open Finals as Serena Williams is defeated by Naomi Osaka

(For the full story – go here.)

It all began with a conversation between Williams and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou after she was defeated in the first set, outplayed by Osaka. Umpire Carlos Ramos observed what he believed to be Mouratoglou making a “coaching gesture”, and issued a formal code violation. Williams continued to deny that she was “cheating”. This is in spite of the fact that her coach later admitted that he did offer coaching advice on the court. Mouratoglou added, as an explanation, that although it is a violation of the rules, his action was no different from what all tennis coaches do.

Despite frequent protestations from Williams throughout the next few changes of ends, the umpire didn’t reverse his ruling. Later in the game, a frustrated Williams threw her racket after losing a point and was issued with her second code violation. Under the rules of tennis, two violations results in the awarding of one point to the opponent. This only further fuelled Williams’ ire, who accused the umpire of “stealing a point” from her.

Later, things got so heated that Williams called Ramos a thief. This caused Ramos to issue Williams with a third code violation for “verbal abuse”. Three code violations in a single match means that an entire game is awarded to the opponent. Despite the rising consequences of penalties, Williams didn’t repent of her behaviour, claiming she was being personally attacked by Ramos, and repeatedly calling the whole thing “unfair”.

When Osaka sent the final serve of the game through at 183 km/h, which Williams could only tap, sending it wide, there were no cheers from the crowd for Osaka. Instead, the stadium erupted with jeers and boos. Fans booed again when Osaka was given her trophy. In what should have been a defining moment of joy in her career, Osaka wept; they were not tears of joy, but anguish. In a subdued acceptance speech, Osaka acknowledged the crowd’s disappointment: “I’m sorry it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the match.”

What can we as Christian parents take away from this?

Reflection 1 – Sportsmanship

I don’t play tennis, but I can reflect on these lessons from what I’ve seen, and done, on the soccer field. I’m sure we’ve all had moments on the field when, like Williams, an umpire’s call hasn’t gone in our favour – the soccer ball is called out when clearly it’s still in. Similarly, I’m sure we’ve all had moments when calls have gone in our favour when they really shouldn’t have – like a goal that’s scored even though we knew we were offside when the ball was passed to us.

Part of playing the game is to accept the good with the bad, and to submit to the authority of the umpire’s call. This can be a lesson for both parents and children alike, as I’m sure many of us have stood on the sidelines of our kids’ games and exclaimed “come on ref!” when we’ve been unhappy with the call. The best lesson our children can take from sport isn’t how to win, or what skills are necessary to play, but how to graciously submit to the decision of the referee, rather than bickering and arguing as Williams demonstrated.

Reflection 2 – Integrity

When we play a sport, even though we are all aware of the rules, sometimes, we’re often tempted to blur the lines, especially if we know that “everyone else does it”, as Williams’ coach admitted. Maybe it’s an “accidentally” timed tackle aimed at the player, not the ball, or a not-so-subtle barge of the arms when chasing down an opposing attacker. One of the reasons that Williams and her coach were happy to break the rules about on-court coaching was because they’re so rarely enforced.

But integrity is about what we do when noone is paying attention. Integrity has an impact outside of the sporting field. Here are some common scenarios your children might face at school:

The teacher has left the room briefly – do they stay on task, or immediately start talking to their friends?

They’re using the word processor app on their ipad or laptop for the day’s lesson – do they stay in the app or switch to a game as soon as the teacher isn’t looking?

There’s no monitoring software on their iphone – do they make sure the content they’re accessing is helpful, excellent, praiseworthy, even if no one will ever know if it’s not?

Reflection 3 – Selfishness

In some ways, it’s easy to understand why Williams reacted the way she did. I have no idea what the pressure of a Grand Slam with an international audience of millions would feel like. I can only speculate that such pressure would shrink the entire world in those few hours to the size of that tennis court. How else could an elite sportsperson function without such intense focus? The result of such focus is evident in Williams’ focus on herself. In her experience SHE was wronged by the umpire’s call, SHE was accused of cheating, SHE was “robbed” of a point and a game, and ultimately the trophy.

The problem with such self-focus is that it easily becomes selfishness. Williams wasn’t the only person on the court that day. In HER outrage, Serena stole the focus from HER opponent. As a result, the superb tennis Osaka played throughout the match became something she soon felt she had to apologise for.

I’m sure you can’t struggle to think of examples of times your children have acted selfishly. I find it harder to find examples of times they act selflessly (in fact, the same is true for myself!).

One way to help counteract our children’s (and our own) selfish tendencies can be to practice empathy. The story of Williams and Osaka is a great example of this. We can ask our children about how they think Williams’ actions made Osaka feel. We can ask them to imagine what it would be like if we had won a match, only to have the opponent complain that they were “robbed” by the umpire. We can encourage them to consider how sad Osaka must have felt when she won the game and received her trophy, only to hear the stadium erupt in booing.

Conclusion: How can the Bible help us approach these issues?

As followers of Jesus, Paul encourages us to be ruled by God’s spirit, rather than by our fleshly desires. The works of the flesh are listed by Paul as “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy” (Galatians 5:20-21). Instead of acting in this way, Paul encourages us to exhibit “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,” (Galatians 5:22-23).

Much of Williams’ behaviour during the game can be placed in the former list.

How can we help our children learn from this?

1 – We could encourage our children to think about what would happen if instead of following the flesh Williams played the game in a way that was reflecting the way of the spirit.

2 – We could encourage our children to think about a time they have acted in such a way – either on the sporting field, the playground, at home, or with friends.

3 – We could share with them such times we have failed in these ways, too.

4 – And perhaps most importantly, we could pray with them, thanking God that he forgives us through the death of his son Jesus, and praying that his spirit will help us to live a life of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Proverbs 8:22-31

[The personified voice of wisdom is talking:]

The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,
    before his deeds of old;
I was formed long ages ago,
    at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
    when there were no springs overflowing with water;
 before the mountains were settled in place,
    before the hills, I was given birth,
before he made the world or its fields
    or any of the dust of the earth.
 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
    when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
 when he established the clouds above
    and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when he gave the sea its boundary
    so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
   Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
    rejoicing always in his presence,
rejoicing in his whole world
    and delighting in mankind.

This passage shows wisdom as God’s creation as well as God’s creative force.

Wisdom is revealed in God’s creation and it is also through wisdom that God made the world.

Wisdom is described as existing before the creation of the world as well as being a witness to God’s acts of creation, at God’s side while he created.

What can I learn from this?

1. True wisdom is something outside of human knowledge. According to these verses, it predates humanity itself.
2. Wisdom was created by God, in fact, these verses describe wisdom as the “first of his works”.
3. Wisdom rejoices in the works of God’s hands including the whole world as well as mankind.
4. Wisdom delights in the presence of God.

What are the implications of this?

1. Human wisdom is only ever a shadow or a reflection of true wisdom. True wisdom existed before the creation of the world. A materialist worldview that acknowledges only what can be seen, touched, tasted, and empirically tested will fall short of this form of wisdom.
2. God himself created wisdom. If we experience wisdom its because of the ability that God created inside of us to be wise. But wisdom will fall short if we do not seek to understand what God himself wants of us.
3. Wisdom acknowledges that everything we see was created by a creator – God. This should lead to praise and delight just as described above.
4. If wisdom delights in the presence of God, perhaps we should, too?

Concluding thoughts

This kind of wisdom is what sets the Christian worldview radically apart from any other. Our whole basis of knowledge and understanding is altered when we put God in his place as the powerful creator of this world, as well as the creator of wisdom.

The Biblical story tells me that while wisdom could rejoice in God’s presence from the creation of the world, I can only approach God because his son Jesus opened the way through his death on the cross.

It reminds me of this verse about true Christian wisdom – a wisdom that seems like foolishness to those who don’t believe.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved. For it is written:I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the experts. Where is the philosopher?Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached.