A Different Perspective Official Podcast

With all the entertainment options and gizmos available to us these days, there are so many distractions. Things that stop us from interacting and doing the things that we need to do to build a godly family.

I remember with great delight the days that I used to come home from school in my younger years. I was allowed to watch an hour, maybe an hour-and-a-half of TV. It was a great big hulking black and white model that sat in the c...

Honour is not something that gets talked about a lot these days. But Commandment number 5 out of the top ten is to honour your father and mother. And it turns out that there’s a very good reason why it’s right up there at number 5.

It's funny how the way we think; the things that we think are important. They change over time. If you got a 15 year old down with a 45 year old and a 60 year old and a 90 year old and got them together ...

They say that what marriage is all about is two becoming one. It’s a great theory but, well, as I heard someone say once, it’s the “becoming” that’s the problem. That’s where the hard work really is.

Well, over this last week-and-a-half, on the program, we've been talking about building a Godly family and this week in particular, about realising the enormous blessing that comes from having a peaceful home. Its great stuff isn't it?...

We think of men being the stronger sex and the Bible even talks about women as being the weaker sex. But some of the strongest people I know are women – and you women, your particular brand of strength can be such an amazing blessing to your families.

We men are a funny breed – we have the whole provider and protector thing going on inside us. And you know something, if we know how to live that out in a godly way, we can be such a blessing to our families.

Peace is one of those things – well, who doesn’t want peace in their lives. Freedom from conflict. But imagine, imagine what a blessing it must be, to have peace at home. A family that thrives on peace instead of being lost in conflict.

This week on A Different Perspective, we’ve been chatting about building a godly family. Well, at some point – the talk has to turn into action, otherwise nothing’s ever going to happen. The question is – are you ready? Well, are you?

The first thing a doctor tends to ask us when we visit is about our family history. And just the way that physical things get handed down to us genetically, so do emotional, behavioural and spiritual things. Question is, what can we do about them?

Let me ask you something – if you could set about building a Godly Family – what would that look like? I mean how would you know when you’d arrived? A Godly family. Man – wouldn’t that be amazing.

It’s easy to look around at other people’s families and think “Boy – how come I didn’t get a normal family like them.” Truth is though, that no family’s perfect. And no matter how dysfunctional your family might be, God has a plan.

You know something – that old saying that blood is thicker than water, it’s true. There’s a special bond between members of a family. Our family really does matter. And that – that’s why it’s time to start looking at what it means to build a godly family.

Music has this ability to – well, to lift our spirits. To move us on the inside. In a way that nothing else can. And so when we make music in our hearts – music for God – there’s a healing that comes out of that overflow.

Have you ever been half hearted about something? We all have – and the thing is, when we’re half hearted, there’s one thing for certain, we’re never going to succeed. Part of us puling this way, part of us pulling the other way. Tears us apart. But God, God is into healing our hearts.

You know something – if I were God, and you should be sincerely thankful that I’m not, but if I were, there are a few people on this earth who would discover what wrath was all about. But fortunately for you, I’m not. And in fact, what really shocked me was to discover that God has this amazing heart – this amazing desire to heal those who once hated Him.

So often – religion is about the things we do. It’s about being seen in the right places, showing up, doing things for God. And I can easily fall into that sort of thing. But I remember the shock I had when I realised that God isn’t so much into religion, as He is into a relationship.

If there’s one thing that most of us can’t stand it’s a fake, a hypocrite. Someone who’s one thing on the outside and something different on the inside. And when that fake, that hypocrite is us – it can end up tearing us apart.

When we’re exhausted – so tired we can’t go on, turns out that what we need to do is to stop and revive, in order to survive. We need revival deep in our hearts.  And as things turn out – well, that’s God’s plan too. To revive an aching heart, and a failing spirit.

Sixty years ago, heart transplants were an impossible dream. Today, thousands of people have heart transplants every year. They’re a reality. And it turns out that God – well, God’s in the heart transplant business too. In fact, He’s been in that business for a very long time.

Sin is like heart disease – it robs us of life. Anger, resentment, pride, dishonesty, lust – all those things rob us of life. But we, well, we want to sweep them under the carpet. Problem is, when you do that – all you get, is a lump under the carpet.