Learning Repentance

 

Miranda and I have been working on teaching our children about repentance quite a bit lately. We never really use that word, but we’re trying to lay a foundation which will make it easy to understand as they grow older. Our practice is to teach them a few things to say when they have hurt someone:

1) I’m sorry. (Stop behavior)
2) I won’t do it again. (Turn around behaviorally)
3) Will you forgive me? (Restore relationship)

After listening to a sermon from Rob Morris (Love146) I’m considering adding another element. He reminded me of the Biblical accounts where the repentant sinner’s first action was to “right” the wrong that he caused and and to even go beyond “right” to make it “better.”

Remember Zacchaeus, the tax collector who gave back four times everything he had taken? (Lk 19:1-10)

Or when the rich young ruler went away grieved because he could not bring himself to help the poor. (Mk 10:17-22)

In Luke 3:10-14, John the Baptist is preaching a baptism of repentance and when asked “What shall we do?” He tells them to give to the poor and to treat others fairly.

Evidently, our repentance should impact the poor and oppressed as well.

All this is to say, I need to find some ways to help my kids see that repentance is more than my three step lesson. It should have legs on it and actions tied to it. Repentance should impact everyone around us.

Maybe we should add the question: “How can I make it better?” (Restore/Improve situation)

Lord, guide us to model repentance for our children. Lead us to the strategies that will help us to encounter You – to be confronted by sin, and to recognize that our behaviors hinder our relationship with You. Forgive us. Restore us unto You. Change us. Empower us by the Holy Spirit to choose new behaviors and walk different roads and lead us to improve the situations that we have caused in our sin. AMEN.

Love146

Hey guys, just thought I’d tell you about Love146. We had Rob Morris, the president of the organization, speak at a youth event at my previous church. He was great. He’s the guy who first told the “Hag Story” that some of you have heard me tell. Anyway, here’s the video that explains Love146. It’s an incredible ministry! I would encourage everyone to get involved. Rob tells horrific stories about little girls as young as 8 years old who are sold by sex traffickers. Love146 works on their behalf by getting them out, restoring their value and worth as human beings, and by guiding them to new lives in Christ.

A Father’s Love

I once heard Rob Morris, an amazing Christian speaker and co-founder of Love146, talking about how much he loved his son. He described how he used to sit up late a night with a video camera zooming in and out of his little hands, and then his feet, and then. . . Anyway, his wife came in and told him to come to bed, but he was too excited to sleep and was having so much fun watching and treasuring his son late into the night. I didn’t really understand how true this story was until Kasen was born. This video will probably be boring to everyone else, but I love it. The music was written by a good friend of mine and I wrote the lyrics to make it a lullaby when Kasen was born. I wonder if God looks over each part of me and rejoices the way I do over Kasen?

Kasen Lullaby from Steve Corn on Vimeo.

I wonder if God looks down on us and treasures us like I do with Kasen?

I wrote this song based upon the tune that my friend Jon Godbold wrote.

Another friend, Rob Morris talks about how he would video his children and zoom in on each of their parts simply ’cause he loved them so much. I did the same thing.

Dumpster Diving and 3 Hags

06-05-16Quite a few of you guys told me that you really liked the “Hag Story” the other day. We were experimenting and actually recorded it. If you’d like to download the audio file and listen again sometime, here it is:

Hag Story – An fun allegory/story I heard from Rob Morris (who heard it from Dave Reaver) depicting the life/pursuit of a Christian.

Hag

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