Know What You Believe

This glimpse differs from the ones thus far.  

1) It is not a visual, pictorial glimpse.  

2) It is a little wordier than my usual glimpses.

This time I'm giving a peek into a subject I added mid-year out of a need and a passion: Biblical worldview.   Two young guys came up to our door, handing out their religious literature one evening.  Usually, I smile, take their booklets, and promptly throw them away... but that day I was compelled to talk to them.  I was amazed at how persuasive they were and, though I held my own in the conversation, I realized I needed to be more prepared for the next time.

Then over the course of the fall and winter, we were involved in a very sticky situation, where we found the need to defend our faith and define our belief system.  A line was drawn in the sand.  Feelings were hurt.  Misunderstandings were many.  Through this, I felt a burden to teach my children the foundations of our Christian faith and why we believe what we believe.  

I want them to be able to know truth, to stand up for truth, and to recognize un-truth when they see it. 

In my late-night searching for worldview curriculum appropriate for young children, I stumbled across this special Adventures in Odyssey series by Focus on the Family. 

The Truth Chronicles: 11 Stories on The Power of God's Truth

Already fans of Adventures in Odyssey, this was perfect for my kids and right on their level.  We listened to one episode each Friday morning before lunch, but spontaneous family conversation continued all week.  

We discussed how we decide what is true and on what we base all truth.  

We considered whether we can decide our own truth or whether it is the same for everyone.  

We talked about the difference in judging a person and judging a person's actions...and loving a person even when we don't love what they do.

We talked about loving the world versus loving Christ.
We marveled at God being three in one.
We considered if there was ever a justification for disobeying the laws of the land.  

We discussed whether our walk with the Lord is based on knowledge or on feelings.  

We pointed out that loving someone can sometimes mean telling them something they don't want to hear.
We talked about having compassion for the lost.

"And this is my prayer:  

that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,   

so that you may be able to discern what is best 

and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God."   

Philipians 1: 9-11

As I finished typing this out, I realized it may be mistaken for a product review and I guess in a way it is, but there was certainly nothing in it for me.  I purchased this with my own money and wrote about it because I felt passionate about the subject!