My observations of contemporary parenting are well known among those I serve as pastor. It seems that most parents are taking the path of least resistance in rearing children. When I hear a parent, say “I just can’t control my child” I think (sometimes out loud) “What a wimp!” The issue is not control, it is engagement and discipline. By the standards of contemporary parenting, I was reared “old school.” My mom and dad certainly didn’t have any trouble “controlling” me and my two brothers. With a snap of dad’s finger we came to attention.
Sound an Alarm!
Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near… (Joel 2:1).
While preaching to American soldiers in Bataan during World War II, U. S. Army chaplain W. T. Cummings said, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” His point to those young soldiers was that when we are faced with the certainty of dying, then the certainty of God becomes more real.