Which had me thinking on life, building, being vs. destroying, destruction. Which led me to a great little rabbit trail. Follow along…
It started with the Hillsdale President (Larry Arnns) who spoke these words at Charlie Kirk’s Memorial,
“There’s a ladder that reaches up toward God. At the bottom are the ordinary good things around us everywhere. If we can call them by their names, they have being. The beings of the good things are figments of God… A good thing is a thing that has being.”
I found that Arnns’ conclusions are drawn from the works of Augustine (400 AD ish) and when I looked into his writings on this topic, I saw they could be summarized:
Evil has no life of its own; it is only the twisting or absence of the good that God creates.
See, we are in good Company as Truth Dwellers….because that summary led me to C.S. Lewis’ words in Mere Christianity,
“Goodness is, so to speak, itself: badness is only spoiled goodness. And there must be something good first before it can be spoiled. … Evil is a parasite, not an original thing.”
These are such deep thoughts. I’ve been pondering them deeply. It’s hard to even put it all into words so I’m grateful other men have done it for me. 🙂
So, evil is a corruption of what is good. It cannot create . It doesn’t build, it destroys. It cannot stand on its own. Evil depends on good to exist.
Raising our children to love the Lord and walk with Him is a spiritual journey. But do not make the mistake of thinking it’s NOT an intellectual one.
To know Him is to love Him. But to know Him, our kids must engage their minds. We are called to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength after all.
Yes, the revelation of God is ultimately a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, but I like the way Frank Turek describes it… we can help remove intellectual stumbling blocks by training them to think deeply, reason clearly, and discern truth from error. Christ is Truth so Christ leads to Truth and Truth leads to Christ.
Many have been trying to sound the alarm for years: our country’s children are being brainwashed. They are not being taught to think and reason well. Many are trapped in a loud, hypnotizing echo chamber – never shown opposing sides or how to think critically. Through social media, technology, and mind-numbing busywork – they’re being lulled to sleep spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. It’s never been more evident. The spiritual, ideological war that’s risen to the forefront this week should be a wake up call.
My husband & I have witnessed the ideological chaos and see more than ever how important it is to raise critical thinkers as we raise 3 of them ourselves! Our son is a very strong-thinking, intellectual young man and watching the Lord sharpen his mind and develop his worldview has been a wonderful journey. And very eye opening to us all.
The reality is that the world system is not neutral. So, most systems in the world are not neutral, and they are not training our children up. Sadly, even the modern church system often does not equip disciples intellectually. Parents, you must rise up to train up your children! And if you don’t homeschool, remember: you still carry the calling to be their primary teacher, discipler, and shepherd.
Especially if they go to a secular school or university, you must recognize that the classroom is no longer a marketplace of ideas. Do not blame teachers or those bound in these places as many are trying their best to obey the Lord’s call. For more on this – there are amazing books that explain what happened to our educational spaces and why and when… But universities and public education *should* offer a balanced mix of conservative and liberal perspectives, and most don’t. And that matters.
So parents, if you are raising young intellectuals, you must equip them. Some children are more intellectually bent than others, so trust the Lord will give you discernment how much to engage the brain and which resources would be best for that kiddo. Not all of us will be called to debate in the public sphere. Not all will be gifted articulate speakers. But for sure all are called to engage intellectually, seek truth and sources of truth, and be critical thinkers so we will not be deceived.
In summary, YES the best thing you can ever do for your children is to preach the gospel every single day. Center your life on Christ and His Word. Give them Jesus. Show them what a surrendered life of worship looks like. Captivate their hearts with His majesty, might, holiness, beauty, and love revealed in His Word and His world by His Spirit. Be captivated by Him yourself. Let them see what it looks like to live for Christ and walk in His love and truth.
And, as you do this, recognize that every media and classroom is a battlefield of ideas. The loudest noise bends ONE way – and it’s not toward God, truth, life. So it is vital that we give our children tools to think clearly and deeply, be discerning, know what they believe, and stand firm.
Here are some resources to help you train minds, anchor worldviews, and prepare disciples to shine boldly for Christ in this generation!
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Romans 12:2
💬 What books, resources, or practices have helped you raise thinking disciples? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
I am deeply missing a dear friend today who passed away last month and I am heartbroken for all who love her so much. I am thinking about what a tender gift it was from the Lord to take her home on Purim and to be able to celebrate her on Passover and Palm Sunday this Sunday. God writes the best stories.
The Bible’s Honest View of Suffering
I recently saw a clip of Tim Keller explaining how there’s nothing saccharine or Pollyanna in the Bible’s view of suffering. And it struck me again how grateful I am for that.
Over the years, the Lord has consistently helped me “think smaller” instead of chasing the grand, let’s-change-the-world, fiery thoughts I had in my youth. I’ve always considered myself a passionate person and a big dreamer – but something shifted during my health challenges (2013-2015) and motherhood.
In the last decade, I’ve thought often about how much we can miss the beauty and gift of a humble life when we’re constantly chasing the big, loud, and exciting. We aren’t all supposed to be building something massive or trying to be the savior of the world.
Thinking more on emotions today and how Jesus wept…
It is not accurate to say that believers shouldn’t grieve deeply. In fact, it is often God’s Spirit in us who is mourning when sorrow rolls in. He mourns with those who mourn. And many times His mourning is a beckoning – a holy invitation to go to Him. That feeling of longing that loss and sadness gives us…. is important to not ignore.
He IS the Father of all compassion and God of all comfort. There’s an entire book in His Word called Lamentations. So when Paul says, “don’t grieve as those without hope” — he is not saying do not grieve. He is saying grieve differently. Carry your grief right to the throne and let the Lord to minister you – filling you with LOVE and comfort and hope.
Life on earth really can be so hard. There’s such deep heartache, the ever-demanding rat race we are bombarded with, suffering in so many forms. Questions swirl – about theology, doctrine, society, politics. There’s so much chaos, misunderstanding, disunity, division, dysfunction… things really do feel out of order. It’s easy to get weighed down, to feel overwhelmed by all that is happening.
But this morning, the Lord encouraged my heart with a simple yet deeply anchoring reminder:
“One thing God has spoken; two things have I heard: that You, O God, are strong, and that You, O Lord, are loving.” – Psalm 62:11-12a
There are so many sorrows to bear in this world, and my heart is aching for so many loved ones who are suffering deeply.
Suffering is never easy, but we are never alone. I have been pondering… when the weight of sorrow presses in, what are some simple daily rhythms the Lord has given me to anchor me in His love?
I know that Choosing Joy is not a denial of hardship – it’s a declaration of trust in Jesus. Joy is a supernatural gift from Him, rooted in His grace. The joy of the Lord is our strength! But if joy is more than an emotion, how do emotions fit into all of this?
In my ponderings with the Lord this morning (and through Tim Keller’s writings), He has been reminding me again that we do not deal with suffering by simply suppressing negative emotions – it’s so much deeper than that. We must allow ourselves to feel emotions deeply so that we can release them, entrusting them to the One who can carry them fully.
My summary & response from a section of Tim Keller’s Walking with God through Pain and Suffering
Christians don’t believe in karma. We recognize that suffering in this world is often unjust and disproportionate. For now, life on earth is under dark forces, and things simply aren’t fair – people living well and living godly lives suffer greatly. Christianity tells the truth about this reality. Even in America, one of the most privileged places to live, we see suffering that defies logic.
Seeds In My Heart 