Day 181: VERY OPINIONATED "Call Me Old Fashion"

If you are like me and born in the 70's or earlier you might remember being a teenager and many of the stores being closed on Sunday. If a store was open, they would only be open until five or so because it was a Sunday. You would never see a Christian owned store open on Sunday because this typically has been held in high regard as a day of rest. I realize there is a whole theological debate on "sabbath" but let's not go there right now. It is interesting to see how the times have changed. I used to work for Family Christian Stores back in the early 90's, we were always closed on Sundays. If they were open on Sunday it was for Christmas season but now they are open all the time. Why?

Now call me old fashioned but I have also noticed another disturbing thing of our time. I realize that I am not alone in this, in fact in talking with people, I have found surprisingly that I am not alone. What I am talking about is parents letting their kids be involved with sports, gymnastics, etc. that requires them to be gone from youth group, church, etc. There was no way in the world that I would have been involved with soccer if it meant playing on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night. Why? Because those were days you went to church. There was no way my parents were going to let me miss church and there was certainly NO WAY my parents were going to miss church in order take me to something that would cause me to miss church. You know what? I think they were onto something with that because our church had great programs for all ages.

I know there is the argument out there that "our kids have to be involved with something" but never before have I seen so many kids missing church for different reasons. Does it work for people to do this? I would have to say "proof is in the pudding." How deep spiritually is a teen or kid that is at a sporting event more than church? How many parents have made church a weekly decision instead of a lifestyle change? I realize this sounds ultra-legalistic but this is part of training that Proverbs talks about in training up a child. I am living proof and I know a few others are at the church I pastor who were made to go and not miss for sporting events and I am forever grateful to my parents for being the parents...not me telling my parents what to do.

This is one "old-school" trend I would love to see come back to families at churches all over. Why did sports not happen on Wednesday back in the day but do now? Perhaps it is because the church culture has caved and put more of a priority on sports and extracurricular events rather than church. Show me a family who let the kids events dictate how their week should go and I will show you some people who have a weak foundation biblically. Parents...like it or not we have to lead by example and are called parents for a reason...so let's parent.