News from Faith United Presbyterian Church

Whether I am speaking with parents in our congregation or in our community, many share a common belief. Keeping our children busy - whether in school or church activities - is the best way to keep them "out of trouble". As the saying goes, "Idle hands are the devil's tools." But is this true?

Perhaps. There is virtue in hard work, well done, be it in athletic training, the creative arts or Christian service. Certainly, those who busy themselves doing good will have less time and, hopefully, less inclination to do troublesome things in their free time.

However, we know of so many exceptions to the rule, the rule is hardly worth trying to prove. We all know the star athlete, the promising artist, the preacher's kid, whose behavior continually disappoints.

As a pastor, I have generally been reluctant to be too specific about the role of faith in child rearing. I have always feared that if I said to much about the Christian nurture of our children, that would be the moment one of my children would experience the proverbial "fall from grace." Call it the preacher's version of the "Sport's Illustrated curse".

Be this as it may, I do believe this is an important question. Does it make a difference, whether our children are involved in church activities or school activities? Isn't the point simply to keep them busy?

We live in a confused culture. Too often, people are valued for what they do or produce, especially if what they do or produce benefits us personally. Consider the way we treat the mentally ill or those with special needs, the aged or the infirm. Visit a veteran's hospital. Do these people not deserve a better quality of life? Yet, we offer our money and adoration to celebrities - be they athletes, musicians, movie stars and even preachers - so they may live lavish lifestyles and feed our fantasies.

The Prophet Isaiah tells us this is not the way God would have us live. "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live."

So does it make a difference, whether our children are involved in church activities or school activities? Isn't the point simply to keep them busy? My friends, these are questions you must answer for yourselves.

If the church is one more place for you or your children to "keep busy" and feed our culture's false sense of worth, then it probably doesn't make a difference whether your child is in Sunday school on Sunday morning or on a basketball court, soccer field or dance floor. However, if you believe the church is a community of faith, where you and your family can come to experience a new way of living in the abundant love of God, then it will make all the difference in the world.