I must admit, Twilight took me by surprise: I didn’t even know about the books, when suddenly evidences of the craze could be seen almost everywhere. Thankfully, I have recently been able to learn more about Twilight via these helpful links:

Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin have written an excellent article on the emotional side of the Twilight Saga: How Twilight is Re-Vamping Romance. “Once upon a dark and stormy year . . .“

Jasmine Baucham has also written a good post on Abstaining from the Madness. “It’s an age-old story, really. . . . Except for, oh, that’s right - Edward Cullen is a vampire.”

And for Movie Guide’s review on the spiritual aspects of the Twilight Saga and vampirism, click here. (Not for young readers.) “Is it simply harmless entertainment, or does something sinister lurk behind the scenes waiting to bite you?”

I hope these links are helpful as you interact with friends or family who need wisdom in the area of dangerous fantasy literature and film.

.:. .:. .:.

You hear the word a lot, don’t you? “Random this, random that…” It’s so fun to read “one million random things” about online friends, and randomly search the web. And it so aptly expresses our inner feelings and spurts of humor, that it’s used almost mindlessly.

But then, that shouldn’t be such a surprise, should it? “Random” means mindless, unintentional, unproductive, unchecked; without direction, order, or purpose. Being random is pretty meaningless and empty.

In contrast, we as Christians have hope, purpose and direction. God created each of us with a plan, bought us with a price, and has given us His word to follow. Instead of promoting the “over millions of years through random processes” view of life, we need to be good and faithful servants with the short time we’re given.

Resist the urge to be less than you were created to be. Live with purpose.

Day 4, the last day of a series of my Notes from Christians at the Crossroads conference, based on the talk given by the five eldest Botkin children, Isaac, David, Anna, Elizabeth and Ben.

Our parents were pioneers. We need to take the advantage of “standing on their shoulders” and go even further: there’s always more to do! More obedience, more dominion, more advance for God’s kingdom. The reformers sacrificed everything! How can we do any less?

Friday night, my drawings of the re-enactors from the Reformation 500 for my friend Katherine. We learned, through the historical characters’ testimonies, of the great sacrifices they made for God’s kingdom and the Gospel of Jesus Christ - including their lives.

“And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples.” - 1 Kings 9:4-7

I have a whole host of notes from the other sessions, so I’ll probably post more of them later. Thanks for joining me!

{Photos by Emily Rose}

Day 3 of a series on my Notes from Christians at the Crossroads conference, based on the talk given by the five eldest Botkin children, Isaac, David, Anna, Elizabeth and Ben.

The last two reasons why the second generation drops the ball:

#4 We don’t take our sin seriously. We may not have had as many opportunities to ruin our lives, but we’re just as evil and in need of redemption as the next person. He requires more of us! Luke 7:42-43

#5 We have a lack of training, vision, drive, purpose, and character, which we can get only through a real relationship with Jesus. Just because we’re 2nd or 3rd gen, we don’t get a free ride. We’re failing because we’re turning away form God.

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13

Join me tomorrow as I give my last post of notes on “Why the second generation drops the ball.”

{Photos by Emily Rose}

The large audience that came to hear the Botkins. With the generous schedule, we had lots of opportunities to fellowship with friends - if only it had lasted a week!

Day 2 of a series of my Notes from Christians at the Crossroads conference, based on the talk given by the five eldest Botkin children, Isaac, David, Anna, Elizabeth and Ben.

.:. .:. .:.

When we read Ezekiel 16:49, we are told “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.” And we know what happened to Sodom as a result. As the second generation, we enjoy many of the luxuries that our parents received. We also have the temptation to horde the wealth and not use it to help others in need or further the kingdom of God.

The following is a list of reasons why the second generation drops the ball:

#1 We have no fear of God, and we let something other than Him be God’s voice in our life. Instead, we should have a fiery zeal for God’s word, the Gospel, service, our sanctification, the biblical family, and reformation.

#2 We don’t study the Scriptures for ourselves. We don’t have that fiery zeal as we ought, and we let our parents’ relationship with the Lord be our “free ride” rather than taking it upon ourselves to pursue godliness. We can’t let others study our beliefs for us - we have to work out our own salvation (Phil. 2:12).

#3 We think we are “good kids” rather than being truly righteous. We are simply “reflecting light” rather than being the light. We can puff ourselves up with prideful thoughts of the way we were raised, or we can abandon self-centered thoughts and pursue true holiness. Which will it be?

My friend Katerine and I. In between taking notes I would doodle for her. We quickly became inseparable friends over the weekend!

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” - Mark 12:30

Join me tomorrow as I give the last two reasons why the second generation drops the ball, with more posts and pictures to follow!

{Photos by Emily Rose}

Entering the Easton Ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Columbus, Ohio, where the conference was held. At least 600 were in attendance.

This past weekend (July 10-12) we were in Columbus, OH, gleaning from the wisdom of the Botkin family. Their second “Christian Families at the Crossroads” conference was a great blessing to our family and just as wonderful as the first. (For my posts on their conference in GA, click here, here and here.) Emily and I will be posting more pictures and notes from this conference.

One of the most powerful talks God used to convict me was titled, “Why the second Generation Drops the Ball,” by the five eldest Botkin children (who really aren’t children ;)

I decided to use my notes from this session as a series this week.

The whole Botkin family during a panel discussion.

Notes from “Why the Second Generation Drops the Ball” by Isaac, David, Anna, Elizabeth and Ben Botkin

.:. .:. .:.

What cycle in the history of God’s people do we see more than any other? We find it in today’s culture and in the Bible. It’s the recurring story of how God will bless His people who then sin by failing to teach their children to love the Lord. When the children grow up they forget the Lord, and He must chasten them.

But does this really happen in America?

Most of the young people I know (including myself) are home-educated “second generation Christians.” Our parents are Christians who raised us to be Christians, and we have the advantage of spiritually standing on our parents’ shoulders and benefiting from the blessings they received for being faithful to God’s word.

These blessings may include things like a growing spiritual legacy, strong families and relationships, good reputations in the community, etc.

But do we take advantage of these blessings? Are we prideful of our “better education” and upbringing? What happens when we disregard the Giver of these blessings?

Have you ever struggled with these feelings?

Tomorrow we’ll continue this topic in my series of notes from “Why the Second Generation Drops the Ball,” based on the talk given by the five eldest Botkin children.

{Photos by Emily Rose}

{For photos of the Father Daughter Retreat, visit my sister’s blog here and scroll down.}

I deeply appreciated Scott Brown’s talk on “Nurturing a Daughter’s Vision of Home”. In the introduction he stated, “The father is to teach the Biblical doctrine of Family, Home, and Church, and fan these affections to a white heat.” He presented a definition, example and illustration of what the Home is to be.

Definition: The home is to be. . .

• The foundation of culture (Genesis 1:28).
• A conduit (a passage) of the Gospel, and a microcosm of the Church whereby leaders of the Church are qualified (Titus 1:5-9).
• A fountain of life (Gen. 12:1-3) and a refuge to those in need (Rom. 12:13). God has been so hospitable to us in this world - we should reflect its beauty and delight.
• It is also to have an economy for provision (Prov. 31). Entertainment has replaced industry in the home, destroying home economics.
• A school for instruction (Deut. 6 and Eph. 6:1-4). As daughters, we need to acquire wisdom and knowledge so that we may teach our children.
• A place for reaping rewards from the Lord - children! (Psalm 127-128) The devil wants to destroy the home, making it a picture of the world rather than the City of God, using means such as drawing women out of the homes into the workforce, public education, welfare, feminizing men, and a myriad of other temptations akin to our fleshly bent.

.:.

Example: The Biblical Illustration of Family Life is described in Ephesians 5-6. There is. . .

• A loving, guiding Husband (5:25-33)
• A submissive and reverent Wife (5:22-24, 33)
• Honoring Children (6:1-4)
• A productive servant (6:5-8)

.:.

Do we have dishonoring thoughts toward our fathers? Do we resist them? Or are we gracious, pure and obedient in our thoughts? Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Keep: to adhere strictly; not to neglect or deviate from. . . to continue to advance. . . not to cease. Vigilance: watchfulness; circumspection; attention of the mind in discovering and guarding against danger, or providing for safety.) It is hard to keep our hearts and thoughts pure, so we need the help of our parents to guard them.

.:.

Illustration: Mr. Brown showed us the Jonathan Edwards family as an illustration for what ultimate devotion to Christ in a family looks like. They had their quirks and issues like every one else, but even as an earthly example, the Edwards family has left us with much to ponder and imitate. Here, in 15 points, is what Mr. Brown shared with us:

• The “uncommon union” and whole family was born out of love and admiration of God.
• Their home was full of children.
• It produced highly educated women.
• The daughters were spunky!
• Biblical womanhood was central.
• There was a unified, loving marriage - Sarah ordered her life and cleared the way for her husband’s success.
• There was happy home life - In their letters to each other, the daughters referred to their father as “my honored father”. Constant joyful fellowship existed between them all.
• The children grew up during a time of revival. Mr. Brown encouraged us to “Get all the awakening you can in your family!”
• They were industrious and rode out hard economic times.
• There were principled marriages.
• There was Beautiful Sisterhood - the sisters wrote wonderful letters to each other, and were discouraged at the lack of other young ladies who could discuss anything deep or theological.
• Mentoring and accountability was crucial to their relationships with each other.
• Love for music - Sarah said that music is, “the purest way to communicate between human beings.”
• They were disciplined - It was said that they rose early in the morning because Christ rose from the grave early.
• They were a real family with real tastes and real problems - Mr. Edwards especially liked his chocolates and fancy wigs. One time he bought for Sarah an expensive locket that the congregation thought too elaborate. She proudly wore it in public as much as she could.

.:.

Can you imagine what legacy Jonathan Edwards would have left if he had an unsupportive wife or rebellious daughters? What a beautiful picture they instead have left for us!

How can you help in your father’s house? Ask your father if there are projects he’d like you to do or books he’d like you to read. Are there more responsibilities you could help your mother with? God specifically designed us all to fit into our families. Use these young energetic years to help further your father’s vision, study the Biblical doctrine of Family, Home, and Church, and fan your love for the Lord to a white heat!

What a whirlwind adventure we’ve had traveling to and fro to conferences! So here I sit, finally landed back in my nest and out of breath, wondering how I’ll ever share with you all the wisdom I’ve been gleaning.

First of all, God has been so good in keeping us safe. With two trips down to Georgia and two to Indy, our car has run smoothly, and no one became terribly ill. We’ve met so many like-minded families, and enjoyed many hours of beautiful fellowship.

Our first trip to GA was for the Crossroads conference with the Botkins (I’ve already posted a few conference notes). Three weeks after that, Dad attended the Men’s Leadership Summit in Indy. All of the messages were excellent, and I’m so glad we have the recordings (I plan on listening to them again and taking lots of notes). Then just two weeks ago we headed back down to the Callaway Gardens in GA for the Father Daughter Retreat, and last weekend was spent at the IAHE convention!

So in the past two months we’ve heard from the whole Botkin family, Doug Phillips, Voddie Baucham, Kevin Swanson, Ken Ham, Chris Klicka, Scott Brown, Dr. Brian Ray, and a few others. The Father Daughter Retreat was the most applicable at this point in my life, so I’ll share the bits of wisdom I’ve gleaned that may encourage you as well.

“Be hardy girls and live a full life for Jesus,” Doug Phillips said. “Devote your life to the cultivation of your love for Jesus and your family. Your spiritual legacy will initially manifest itself in those relationships, especially in that of honoring and serving your father as you are training to be help-meets and raise godly children. Faithful, well-trained daughters are ornaments of glory to Christian fathers.”

Have you noticed that when God speaks of young women, they are not autonomous “girls” independent of legacy and history? They are “daughters” of fathers, families and heritage, instrumental and vital persons of great potential and worth in their families and the Kingdom of God. We are the daughters of Zion!

“No matter our age, Gods commands that we have godly relationships, not emancipation to autonomy.” Mr. Phillips listed five commitments a father needs to make to his daughter, and three points for the daughter in response to his leadership.

The Father’s commitments to his daughter: I will faithfully pray for you and your future. I will walk beside you. I will provide you with godly opportunities to encourage your success as a virtuous woman of God. I will relentlessly protect you, provide for you and prophesy before you, and I will offer my blessing to you.

The Daughter’s commitments to her father: I will give you my heart and trust you with it until you entrust it to another. I will serve you as unto the Lord, recognizing that I have a high calling to ultimately do the will of our Heavenly Father, and I will honor and reverence you as my head.

So what is honor, anyway? A good description is “a deep-seated and abiding reverence.” Also, the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary states it is, “to revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to. . . to manifest the highest veneration for, in words and actions; to entertain the the most exalted thoughts of. . . to adore” (emphasis mine).

As I listened to all of the talks that weekend, conviction was an understatement, as I am definitely still a work in progress. I would encourage all of you daughters to examine your hearts as well - have you found your heart irreverent or let your thoughts wander away from home? Have you avoided talking with your father and sharing your heart with him? Correcting these issues will be hard, but as we seek the Lord and our fathers’ council, we will see the furtherance of God’s Kingdom as He turns the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children’s hearts to their fathers.

Thank you, all my faithful readers and friends, for visiting my blog and leaving such happy and encouraging comments! You all have made my blogging life so fun, and even though I can’t reply to every one, I want to thank you for being my friends. May God bless you all!

~Breezy

Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin answering some questions. Photo by Emily Rose

I learned and relearned so much! Through the various sessions and questions and answer times, God used the Botkin family to show us how serious we ought to be about the kingdom of God, starting with our families. So here are a few of my notes:

- If we honor God’s law and trust Him as we live by His grace, will we know how to handle the overwhelming blessings that will crash down on us?

- The motto of the Reformation was “Semper Reformada,” or, Always Reforming.

- All government is religious. You are either worshiping Jesus, or yourself. Culture is religion externalized.

Noah, Anna, Ben, Elizabeth, and Mr. Botkin. Photo by Emily Rose

- In the Greek culture of the Classical world, it was thoroughly believed that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”, the motto of Democracy. Democracy is a heresy. The voice of God is the Word of God, not 51% of the population.

- The Italian Renaissance was a conscious effort to reattain the wisdom of the Greeks, a glorious early Marxism. The Reformation in Geneva was a pursuing of Godly wisdom and biblical standards for society. It was called a paradise for women, who were loved, honored and appreciated for their God-given roles.

- The beginning of Marxism started not in the 1800’s with Karl Marx, but actually reaches all the way back to when the devil sought to glorify himself rather than God. He then tempted mankind to reject God’s plan for their growth in a relationship with God and godly wisdom, and offered the fast and easy way to knowledge of good and evil. It basically says, “Wouldn’t you rather do things your way?”, then finding and pursuing what ever is the exact opposite of God’s order.

In seeking to end Christianity, they set up governments to glorify as the savior, over-tax the rich and poor and gorge on stolen wealth, and enforce unbiblical laws (e.g. man has no right to private property - it belongs to the government, children and the elderly are a drain - kill them, sin and debauchery is a good thing - revel in it). Sounds a lot like America, doesn’t it?

- Worship is the way we serve.  It is more than singing in Church - it is the way we live our lives.

Daddy, Emily, and Momma, Friday evening.

- A home that pursues the glory of God and is dominion-oriented is full of tools, not toys.

- How will you know how to relate to other believers in the body of Christ if you have rejected and avoided the biblical family?

- Parents should be training their children all the time, showing them how to be loving and selfless by setting the example in speech, as well as deeds. (Better start practicing now!)