Sickness, RC Sprouls, 2008 Bound for Glory

A prayer request, we have been hit by some flu bug. Started last night at 10:30 and went all night. At 2:30 I gave up, got dressed and sat in the hall reading a book going from patient to patient as needed. As of 1pm today it still hasn’t stopped. So for healing and God's mercy that it spread no further. Thanks.

Since I stayed home and haven’t gone to bed yet. Let me tell you about a great little book I read through the night. Beth actually read it first and told me it was a winner. She said it's so small you will read it in a night. I laughed, but I was up long enough and it's small enough that I finished it about 7:30 this morning, it's called “Bound For Glory” A Practical Handbook For Raising A Victorious Family By RC Sproul Jr. I was very impressed.

One hundred fourty five pages, 6 by 5 inches it will be a quick read for anyone. But for anyone who is looking to sharpen his vision with biblical guidance for their existance, purpose for their marrage, family and Church, it is a one stop shop. Beth is right, it is a winner. I would nominate it as one of those books for a short list of must reads for a Family Integrated Church, give to your old friends or believing family members that struggle with how different you may be.

This will be the next vision book I read to my kids after the Second Mayflower is done. Sproul lays it out easy enough you will be able to see how to impart some deep truths to even your youngest kids, or to us adults. No baby baptism stuff so don’t worry about that.

I once passed on a comment from Francis Schaeffer on how the early Christians had a standard by which they could judge the Roman Empire, and out survive it. The more positive you are, on what you should be doing the easier it is to make decisions for you and your family and with it, the will to stand firm, because you have purpose, clarity. Most believers today do not have this kind of conviction. There are times when you want to grab people and say please, please read this, think about this.

Read this from the questions and answer section, an exchange between RC and a guy named Bill Spady who’s known as the father of outcome based education. It was a panel discussion on the issue of children and public schools.

Mr Spady had the task of convincing the Christians that it was safe for their children in Public school. …He argued, “ if you come to the public school, were not interested in undoing your children’s convictions-that outcome based education is all about choices, we don’t want to say ‘no’ to any point of view in outcome based education. That’s why your children are safe with us.”

RC said…it was my job to respond to his talk, and I stood up, and I said, “ I’m a Christian. I’m a reformed Christian, I’m a Presbeterian, Reformed Christian,….I went on and added about thirty Qualifiers about my convictions, and then I said ”Every morning when I wake up, my job is to teach my children all those things, and every night when I go to bed, I pray that they will learn these things because the reason I am all these things is because I believe all these things to be true. So don’t tell me you want to give my children choices. My job is to teach my children the truth…..

The contrast is so sharp between these two visions. It can make your teeth hurt.

My copy is available to be borrowed, or get one from RC’s Highland Study Center