August + September 2017 | TRUTH + LIFE Magazine by Back to the Bible Canada

AUGUST + SEPTEMBER 2017

A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON

I will give thanks to You, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1 A sincere and heartfelt thank you to all who gave towards our fiscal year end financial campaign. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because of your generous and sacrificial support that we met out our fiscal goal and have started off this new season of ministry strong. We are so humbled and grateful for your support. Thank you.

AUGUST + SEPTEMBER 2017

CONTENTS ARTICLES Family Values DR. JOHN NEUFELD Ask Papa Phil PHIL CALLAWAY Creating "Double Identity" for Your Grandkids LARRY FOWLER When They Leave ISAAC DAGNEAU Interview with Joel Carlson ISAAC DAGNEAU

FEATURES BIBLE READING Dr. John Neufeld FAMILY WORSHIP Book Review BACK TO THE BIBLE KIDS Coming Soon!

FAMILY VALUES DR. JOHN NEUFELD is the Canadian Bible Teacher of Back to the Bible Canada, and is well known both nationally and internationally for his excellence in expositional Bible teaching. Dr. Neufeld is passionate about bringing the truth of God’s Word to life across Canada and beyond.

When I first began in pastoral ministry – I couldn’t then have imagined that the question of family would become a controversial question. Speaking and teaching about the family, would be encouraging, sometimes challenging, sometimes convicting. 4 | AUGUST + SEPTEMBER 2017

But controversial? Never. That is because, when I first started in ministry, we all assumed both the definition of family and the importance of family. Furthermore, back then, the Canadian Constitution even enshrined the definition of marriage within

Canadian laws. And so, whether by what the Catholics called “Natural Law” or whether by clear Biblical teaching, all things served to stress the importance of defending marriage and family. And so, on this foundational matter of family, both church and state were working in concert with each other. So much has changed in just a few decades. The first step was the changing of divorce laws. Then came laws legally providing rights and protections for those in commonlaw marriage. And then, of course, came the sexual revolution which changed all of the rules. Sexual expression was no longer confined to marriage. The very nature of sexual morality was changing. It still continues to change. The real question for Christians who want to remain faithful to the Bible’s clear teaching about sexual morality is how to respond. Reactionary responses almost never accomplish anything. Furthermore, the time when the state could have been counted on to support the Christian morality is now long gone. Of course there are those who lament this state of affairs, and yearn for the good old days. But in truth, the olden days were not the good old days after all. And so, while many in Canada would have agreed with certain moral formulas around sex and family, this reality lulled the church into a very dangerous sleep. What should we have made of a culture that agreed with Christian

morality, yet rejected the saving message of Christ and his cross? Should we not have seen this as an urgent call to action? Given this reality, it seems to me that our task was never the reformation of our society, but the reformation of the church. What we need, are not new laws. What we need is to recapture the foundations of the life of Christ, and the call to regain our footing as a thoroughly biblical community. At the end of the first century, Ephesus had become the center of world Christianity. By all accounts, the city was a highly sexualized city, where brothels and sexualized spirituality was common place. Paul writes, “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do.” (Ephesians 4:17) Then in verse 22, he commands believers to "put off the old self, which belongs to your former way of life.” And then, in the next chapter, he commands wives to submit to their husbands, and husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church. In short, Paul never thought that the Christian standards of living needed to be reinforced by the wider culture. Rather, he believed that the Christian way of living was an expression of the life of God to the watching world. It’s just that the message of the gospel calls us to live in a way that showcases the loveliness of Christ’s gospel. BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA | 5

$8 plus shipping & handling

CD SERIES

A BIBLICAL FOUNDATION FOR THE FAMILY. Dr. Neufeld highlights 4 biblical truths in regards to gender, the value of marriage, the value of children and ethical sexuality. Designed to help believers understand and navigate these critical issues of our day, and hopefully inspire parents and churches alike to disciple their children in these foundational biblical truths. CALL 1.800.663.2425 OR VISIT BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA/STORE

DR. NEUFELD’S DAILY BIBLE READING PLAN SEPTEMBER 2017

OCTOBER 2017

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GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD, FOR HIS STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.

PSALM 136:1

Ask Papa Phil

PHIL CALLAWAY is an author and host of Laugh Again Radio. He has five grandchildren. They wear nametags.

I’ve been called a parenting expert by people who haven’t read my book I Used to Have Answers, Now I Have Kids. But I have raised three kids from cradle to adulthood. So today I’ll attempt to answer a few parenting questions.

1. Put clothespin on nose. If no clothespin is available, try a hazmat suit, one of those impermeable wholebody garments.

QUESTION 1: How do I change a diaper?

3. Use a little wipey thing.

This question was clearly asked by a man. Fear not guys, I’ve changed hundreds of diapers or at least six or seven, so here is Phil’s 10-Step Diaper Plan: 8 | AUGUST + SEPTEMBER 2017

2. If the baby is a boy, use caution when opening the diaper. It can be like walking past a sprinkler head. 4. Adjust clothespin if necessary. 5. Spread diaper in the position of a baseball diamond with you at bat. 6. Fold second base down to home plate.

7. Set baby on pitcher’s mound. 8. Bring first base and third together 9. Pin first and third to home place. 10. In case of rain, call the game and buy Pampers. QUESTION 2: What should I feed my baby? When I was a kid, there was a Coke ad with a picture of a mother holding her grinning baby. The caption said, “For a better start in life, start Coke early.” This produced an entire generation of people who could remember the words to country songs, but little else. So stick with Momma’s milk. Slowly add solids. One of my granddaughters drank something called formula and today she’s happy and healthy. Your wife knows about this stuff. Encourage her. On a more serious note, I’ve been asked, “How do I get my kids to love Jesus?” Well, the truth is, you can’t. I know fantastic parents whose children

have chosen another path. But here are three things that can help: 1. Laugh. A childhood friend of mine had somber-faced parents who thought the fruit of the Spirit was lemons. I’m glad he’s still my friend, but he has no use for faith quite yet. Wholesome laughter shows that the joy of the Lord is our strength. 2. Model God’s love. We want our kids to love Jesus. Let’s love him first. Let love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control characterize our lives. 3. Pray. Commit to praying for your kids every day. We could all stand to kneel a little longer. Thanks for tuning in. If you have questions, I’d love to hear them. I may even attempt an answer in an upcoming Laugh Again episode. Until then, you dads remember that parenting requires lots of love, a good sense of humor and no sense of smell.

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Family Worship BOOK REVIEW

Because of sin, families have always been broken – yes, even Christian families. Look around today; high divorce stats, teens exiting the church, young adults leaving their faith, and more. Not only this, but families seem less unified, especially in their faith.

worshiping God as a family in the home. This small book (less than 100 pages) will equip husbands, fathers, wives, mothers and children with the knowledge and tools to begin a practice that will have lasting benefits in the home and beyond.

Many of the issues involved in broken families come from a disunity in faith, and a disunity in relationships.

You see, family worship brings unity of faith and relationship to a family.

But can anything unify – or reunify? What will help bring a unity of faith and a unity of relationship in families? What will cause less heartache and overwhelming suffering? Consider Jonathan Edwards’ words: “Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church.”1 Interesting thought, isn’t it? This quote from Edwards is found in a recent book by Donald S. Whitney titled Family Worship. 2 Family Worship is a richly biblical yet very practical plea for Christian families in the 21st Century to participate in 10 | AUGUST + SEPTEMBER 2017

But what exactly is family worship? Whitney lays it out very simply: family worship is reading Scripture, praying and singing as a family in the home. He quotes Matthew Henry: “They that pray in the family do well; they that pray and read the Scriptures do better; but they that pray, and read, and sing do best of all.”3 This, in basic application, is family worship. Whitney does a great job at fleshing out what this looks like practically, and also applies it in more difficult situations (single-parent home, unbelieving spouse, age gap between children, etc.). But before Whitney even gets to the practical side, he provides the reader

with ample evidence from the Old and New Testaments of family worship. From Abraham to Joshua to Paul, he helps readers see that, although “family worship” wasn’t commanded, it was heavily implied by the lives of the great characters in the Bible. If that’s not enough, Whitney then surveys some of the most influential Christians in history to see what they think. He quotes the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon as saying, “If we want to bring up a godly family…let us seek to train them up in the fear of God by meeting together as a family for worship.”4 If great evidence from the Bible and history doesn’t encourage and convict the 21st Century family to engage in family worship, I don’t know what will. Donald Whitney gives more than enough biblical and practical wisdom to equip every family with what they need to know and do for effective family worship. Whitney writes, “Youthful newlyweds to senior-citizen emptynester couples and everyone in between are called to worship God regularly in

That’s what this is really all about: worshiping God. I highly recommend this bite-sized – yet intensely nutritional – book to anyone who desires their family to have a greater devotion to the heavenly Father. Even for singles, the home is still a church – because people are the church. The contents (which includes discussion questions for further study and reflection) of Family Worship will set anyone up for faithful family worship. Read Family Worship as soon as you can. Nothing brings a greater unity of faith and relationship than family worship. 1 Donald Whitney quotes Jonathan Edwards in Family Worship. Whitney, Donald S. Family Worship. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016. 2 Whitney, Donald S. Family Worship. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016. 3 Ibid. 48 4 Ibid. 38 5 Ibid. 56

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their home because God is worthy of our daily worship as families.”5

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Family Worship This book will help you understand the critical significance of family worship in the home, and how we might go about creating a place where all members of a family might grow and flourish in the journey of faith. BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA | 11

CREATING “DOUBLE IDENTITY” FOR YOUR GRANDKIDS By Larry Fowler

Tyler, Travis and Tori had an uphill climb regarding their family identity. Their dad was adopted and didn’t know his biological origin. As a result, he struggled with his identity. His relationship with his adoptive parents was strained, and then both of them passed away while the three kids were just toddlers.

they don’t find it in their family (the best scenario), they will create their own—in a group of their peers, or in unwise relationships. And as believers, we want our grandchildren to have double identity: as part of our family, and as part of God’s family. If you’re a grandparent, don’t you want the same for your grandchildren?

Then their dad became emotionally uninvolved, and he drifted further out of their lives. A divorce followed. The three kids struggled with hurt and anger toward him and, frankly, didn’t want to have his name as theirs.

So what establishes family identity? (Think both of your family and your local church).

Tyler, Travis and Tori are my daughter Andrea’s three children - my grandchildren.

In our families, we need to not only love one another deeply, but we need to express it to one another regularly. We’ve all been pretty unlovable at times, but we can count on our mothers loving us no matter what! But it shouldn’t just be moms; that is what families do - or ought to do. In your family, how do you do at expressing unconditional love?

Their grandmother and I wanted them to get identity from us. We talked to them about being part of our family; that while they didn’t bear our last name, they had our blood. We told them, “Being part of the ‘Fowler line’ is awesome!” We did what we could to create a strong sense of identity with our side of the family. All kids need identity, don’t they? If 12 | AUGUST + SEPTEMBER 2017

Here are five elements:

UNCONDITIONAL

LOVE.

INCREDIBLE GRACE. Let’s face it: it’s often much easer to show grace to a stranger than it is to a family member. After all, we know one another, warts and all. But forgiveness (grace) endears

us together because we all fail each other at times. In your family, do you need to extend grace to a family member?

UNMATCHED CLOSENESS.

Developing deep relationships through “doing life together” is a critical part of creating family identity in both the church and in our families. We have to laugh together, play together and cry together to give our grandchildren a strong identity. That takes time and intentionality. In your family, how can you improve “doing life together”?

COMMON BONDS. Common bonds are shared interests - like camping or baseball, a family business, or ministering together - common goals, or even common pains or an obstacle that provides “glue” and give identity. You’ve probably said it, but for sure you’ve heard it: “A family that prays together stays together.” Whether it is praying together, attending church together or another spiritual activity, the operative word is “together.” In your family, how would you describe the “glue” that holds you together?

A FAMILY HISTORY. The Word of God is “His story.” It not only binds believers all over the world together but also gives us a sense of identity. In the same way, our family history helps grandkids know who they are. Passing on our family stories (even if our history includes some horse thieves and thugs) can greatly help our grandkids to “belong.” In fact, a few “horse thief stories” might very well help them to know that they will still have family identity when they fail - and they will. In your family, are you intentionally passing on your family history? About Tyler, Travis, and Tori: they now have a new last name and a new family identity. Their mom eventually remarried, and their new dad, Paul, has become the father they never had. He has adopted them, loved them, guided them spiritually and given them his name. Now they carry his identity. And more important: their identity as Christ-followers is set as well. Double identity. They’ve got it, and we are thrilled!

Dr. John Neufeld answers your questions about life, faith and the Bible every week. Watch by visiting our YouTube channel or truthandlifetoday.com BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA | 13

ISAAC DAGNEAU is the Ministry Manager of indoubt, the young adult ministry of Back to the Bible Canada. indoubt discusses relevant issues of life and faith with a biblical perspective through a weekly audio program, articles and Bible studies.

WHEN THEY

LEAVE

You’re not the only one.

issue is a type of anxiety.

If I did a survey of every Christian parent and grandparent across Canada who is currently experiencing a child or grandchild’s rejection towards the church and Christian faith, it would be staggering. I’ve been across the country and have had conversations with parents who are struggling because of a child’s leaving of the faith.

So, what do you do?

Maybe that’s you too. Maybe you have a son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, niece, or nephew who just seems apathetic when it comes to Christianity. How does this make you feel? Anxious, I’m guessing. Not an actual mental health kind of anxiety, but a perfectly expected struggle in your head and heart. Maybe you’re not vocal about your struggle, but inside you’re screaming. Or maybe you’re very vocal and constantly asking the prayer team at church to pray. However you respond, the foundational 14 | AUGUST + SEPTEMBER 2017

I want to provide a few points of application if you’re a parent or grandparent who’s struggling with this anxiety.

PRAY HARD

You’re probably already doing this, but it can never be overstated. Prayer is the supernatural means that God uses to do radical things on this earth. It doesn’t matter how unfaithful, apathetic or negative your child or grandchild is towards Christianity – the Holy Spirit, through genuine prayer, can open their eyes. Personally, this was my story. I rebelled for a couple years in my adolescence, and my parents prayed constantly. All glory be to God, He used their prayers and brought me home. For a powerful example of prayer, read Acts 12:1-19.

RELEASE THE BURDEN

This may be the first time you’ve ever heard this stated, so prepare yourself:

their salvation is not on you. I’m not saying your parenting didn’t influence (positively or negatively) their decisions, they most definitely did. But that’s beside the point. The point is, they’re their own person. Their decisions are their decisions. You and your child are separate people. If you hold the burden of their salvation, it will eventually crush you. It will keep you from what God desires of you. You’ll be weighed down with a burden too heavy. Why? Because it was never your burden. Your role, as a parent (and a grandparent) is to train your child in right belief and behaviour while modelling what that looks like. That’s it. If they continue on in it, praise God. If they reject it, praise God – and start praying.

CHALLENGE THEM

I want to make this clear: challenging your child does not mean throwing sermons, Christian books, Christian music or old memories at them. This will repel them. Rather, this is what challenging them looks like. Firstly, listen to them. Take them to their favourite coffee shop or park or restaurant and just engage them in conversation. Don’t try and bring

Let's Talk

up anything about Christianity. Just listen. Find out what they’re interested in, what they’re thinking about, who their friends are, what movies they’ve watched lately, etc. Now, if they’re comfortable, they may say things that hurt you and make you uneasy. Push through. The key here is to create a relationship – one that hopefully gets to the point where they begin telling you why they struggle with Christianity, or why they reject it. Secondly, research. You want to be able to have a real conversation with them about the reasons why they struggle. And once you both are comfortable, you can begin to challenge them on their points of rejection, struggle or apathy. Not in an argumentative way (although sometimes this can be fruitful), but a genuine, friendly way. These are just a few points of application if you’re a parent or grandparent who is experiencing a type of anxiety because of a child or grandchild who’s disinterested in Christianity. I’ll finish this short blog with a verse that clearly states the most important piece of application: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5

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$4,612 CAD* per person

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CALL: 1.800.663.2425

AN INTERVIEW WITH

JOEL CARLSON 1. SO JOEL, TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE INDUSTRY AND MAKING APPS? I started out in the animation industry as a storyboard artist for film and TV. A few years into my career, Electronic Arts needed a storyboard artist to sketch out a boxing sequence and I was hired on. From there I did a lot of concept art for a number of sports games. Around that time, my friends and I decided to make our very own small video game. It was a lot of fun, and very fulfilling creatively. It received some recognition in the industry, and from there I was hired on as an Art Director for mobile games. I was working on an ABCs game for SeaWorld when I realized that Christian kids needed a quality app like this but with Bible characters. So I'd work in the early mornings illustrating Bible characters and then go to work and draw sea life. However, I had all this artwork but no programmer. I reached out to a couple programmers, but quickly realized that hiring someone for this app was a bit too expensive! I had dabbled a little bit in programming, and it was the one thing I had always felt was missing from my toolbox. So I took it upon myself to learn how to program while illustrating and animating the game. I didn't realize how fulfilling it would be to learn how to program and be a 'one-man show' when it came to app development. After

about six months of work, "Bible ABCs for Kids!" was released, and Salvation's Story had its very first app!

2. WHY ARE YOU SO PASSIONATE ABOUT REACHING KIDS WITH THE GOSPEL? I was saved when I was 5 years old. The stories, flannel boards, songs and teachers have stuck with me and created such an important foundation in my faith that has supported me through the ups and downs of childhood, teenage years, and now into my adult and parenting years. If God can use me to bring His truth to kids, that would be incredible. Outreach has also changed so much since I was a kid! Instead of flannel boards, we now have kids interacting with stories on their mobile devices. When we create quality Christian apps, we now have the opportunity to not just show a small group of kids on a Sunday morning, but we get to tell the story of Christ to millions of kids all over the world!

THE BIBLE

GODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MESSAGE TO US

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3. TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DEVELOPING FOR BACK TO THE BIBLE CANADA? As of now, three apps will be coming out soon. "Bible ABCs for Kids" is an app for kids around ages three to six that teaches kids how to properly write

letters in uppercase and lowercase while showing them a Bible character whose name starts with the drawn letter from “A” is for “Adam” to “Z” is for “Zacchaeus.” Can you guess what “X” is for? You'll have to download the app! “Bible Colouring for Kids” takes those Bible characters and allows you to virtually colour them all. So while my two-year-old may have trouble tracing letters in “Bible ABCs for Kids,” he absolutely LOVES painting the characters in “Bible Colouring for Kids.” By colouring with him, we're able to tell the story of each character while he's having fun with the paints. The colouring pages also have the Bible reference included if you want to read more about them. “Noah's Elephant in the Room” is in the finishing stages of development and it's aimed at kids seven and up. In the game, you play Noah riding his pet elephant on a deck of the ark. The goal is to not get caught by Noah's sons for as long as possible! When a son reaches Noah, he jumps on which slows down the elephant. Once all three sons jump on the elephant, the game is over. It's kinda like Pac-Man but on the ark and a lot crazier! To upgrade the elephant, the player must memorize Bible verses that pertain to the trait you want to upgrade! Want to go faster? Memorize a Bible verse about speed! Want to not slow down too much when a son jumps on? Memorize a Bible verse about strength! By the time a kid has fully upgraded the elephant, they will have memorized 25 Bible verses! Memorizing the Bible verses is also done in a really fun way. Gone are the days of repeating a verse over and over again, hoping it sticks in

your head. The Bible verses are fully illustrated out which act as visual cues kids can draw from to recall each verse. When I set out to create this app, I studied the best way to memorize, and to have those memories stick. I've employed all those techniques into what I hope will be a lasting foundation of memorized Scripture.

4. WHEN WILL THESE APPS BE AVAILABLE AND WHERE CAN YOU GET THEM? Currently, the plan is to release the apps this fall 2017 on the iTunes app store and the Google Play store.

5. WHY SHOULD PARENTS CARE ABOUT BACK TO THE BIBLE KIDS? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Back to the Bible Kids is reaching kids where they are. Sometimes our instincts are to reach kids in the ways we were reached ourselves. For me, that was with flannel boards in Sunday School. But a lot has changed in 36 years and Back to the Bible Kids recognizes that when a child is staring at their mobile device, that's an opportunity to teach! Parents should care about Back to the Bible Kids because Back to the Bible Kids recognizes the needs of parents and wants to provide the most entertaining, impactful and Christ-filled experiences to their kids in meaningful ways.

JOEL CARLSON is a Christian app developer who currently lives in White Rock, British Columbia with his wife, two sons and beagle. Though he started as a storyboard artist at Universal Pictures, he now finds his passion in providing quality Christian apps to kids all over the world.

BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA | 19

COMING

SOON!

Back to the Bible Kids is a new initiative to present kids with the truths of Bible teaching in a fun and engaging way. Through apps, books and other great biblical content, Back to the Bible Kids will ensure children will start their Christian journey on a strong foundation.

TRUTH + LIFE Magazine is published bi-monthly by The Good News Broadcasting Association of Canada, Box 246, STN A Abbotsford, BC V2T 6Z6. All content is copyright ÂŠ The Good News Broadcasting Association of Canada unless otherwise indicated. BACKTOTHEBIBLE.CA