Last week we discussed what holiness is not and legalistic obedience. I left us last week with this, overly simple way of changing how we view motivation for holiness towards God and transitioning our children from a legalistic obedience to household rules and standards, to a relational identity based obedience that will launch them into adulthood…
Author: Carl Van Vliet
Carl and Liela share a heart to integrate discipleship back into the home. Together they desire to equip and empower Parents, Families and the church to live out Kingdom life at home, in their communities and within the body of Christ.
Carl has served in Pastoral ministry since 1991. He attended Trinity Bible College and Theological Seminary with emphasis in Pastoral Ministry.
Together Carl and Liela have homeschooled their children over the last 20 years and continue to homeschool their remaining younger children.
Wednesday Resource – Jesus Freaks: Martyrs: Stories of Those Who Stood for Jesus: The Ultimate Jesus Freaks
This week in our Wednesday Resource blog we transition from the theme of creating a culture of prayer in our homes to a theme of missions and martyrs. In November last year (2018), on an obscure island in the Indian Ocean, John Allen Chau – a 26-year-old American adventure blogger and evangelical missionary was killed…
Parenting Holiness in a world of compromise – Part 2 What Holiness is NOT
Last week we began a series of blogs on the topic of holiness, and the specific application of holiness in our homes. You can review last weeks introduction here. One can listen to many conversations about holiness, watch messages or listen to sermons on holiness and rarely will you hear anyone call out certain behaviors…
Wednesday Resource – Every Home for Christ
For the last Wednesday Resource maintaining the theme of creating a prayer culture in our homes let me share the missions organization Every Home for Christ with you. Every Home for Christ is an international missions organization dedicated to the Great Commission. We believe that Jesus tasked us—His Church—to reach all people in every nation…
Parenting Holiness in a world of compromise – Part 1 Pursuit of God’s Presence
We live in a world today that many in previous generations can’t recognize, and current generations can’t navigate. A world of compromise and confusion. A world where God’s standard is often mocked by one group, marginalized or justified away by yet another, leaving only a small remnant who stands for holiness. We as a Christian…
Wednesday Resource – 40 Prayers that Changed America Dr. Paul E. Barkey
This week for our Wednesday Resource I feel like we need to stay in our focus on creating a prayer culture in our homes. According to Barna Research “The forces of our individualistic culture have influenced what was once a more communal and corporate conception of Christian identity to one now focused primarily on the…
Meme Theology – Stepping away from the daily dose of inspiration
We are living fully in the “screen age” where more time is spent on a screen than being present in the moment, more time than in print publications such as books or newspapers. I remember the time when the internet was nothing more than dial in bulletin boards and AOL. I remember getting ready for…
Wednesday Resource – Prayers that Changed History – Tricia Goyer
One of the most important things parents can do in the discipleship of their children is to create a culture of prayer in the home. What constitutes a culture? Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define themselves,…
Time to play the long game too…
There are a number of life lessons one can get from the illustration of the short game and the long game. Many fathers who will read this can relate to the tension between practicing the long game vs practicing the short game. The terminology originates in the game of golf. The long game is a…
Wednesday Resource – 52 Creative family time experiences
Oftentimes Liela and I have parents ask us how to have family discipleship moments. It seems many have large complicated grandiose ideas that they need to do something like write a Bible study complete with Greek and Hebrew word studies and commentary. My response is always the same. KISS. Thats right KEEP IT SUPER SIMPLE….
Sin has pleasure for a season – Eradicating Gossip from our Homes
Back in my youth ministry days we used to do a group activity to teach the premises of the negative effects of gossip and rumors. We would sit all the students in small group circles of about 10 per group and start a secret about someone, via a whisper, in the ear of one student….
Resource for the Week – Catechism
I sometimes get strange looks when I talk about catechism. Why does a non-ecumenical, charismatic guy talk about catechism. I get those strange looks from my non-ecumenical friends who have a preconceived mindset or lens (paradigm) that they view the word catechism through. I always have to frame the front end of sharing catechism resources…
Astonished
I remember the first time I saw the Rocky Mountains. I was just a kid but I remember. I remember driving across Kansas watching through the windshield and the family contest of who would see them first . My mom always won but I think she cheated, because she remembered at what point on the…
Letter from Author of Tech Wise Family – You Join the 21 day journey to a tech wise home
I am sharing an email I just received with you all so you can join the group in a 21 day journey to a tech wise home. I hope this is a resource some of you can use. Carl Dear Carl, The response to The Tech-Wise Family has been one of the happiest surprises of my…
Technology and Family – a scary conversation we all need to have
Undoubtedly if you have children you have been asked by a child for some sort of new technology. Smart phones are everywhere. Its a scary world technology is, and it is dangerous for our children once they enter it. Its a scary world for even the most mature adults to be in. Here are a…
2019 Intentionality
I have several goals for 2019. I don’t do new years resolutions, I think there is already too much setup for failure in our thinking about new years resolutions, According to U.S. News, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so the odds are already against you. Goals on the other hand…
Goodbye 2018 Hello Future
This year, as with many years in the past Liela and I, along with our children, new additions in our sons Fiancée’s, and a host of wonderful friends ushered in the new year,2019 worshipping Jesus at the annual Onething conference in Kansas City. Or perhaps better stated we said goodbye to 2018. We said goodbye…
2018 4th Sunday of Advent – Angels and Peace
I was fearless. At least that’s what I remember of my formative years. I honestly don’t remember being afraid of anything. Sitting here now at 46 years of age my earliest memories of fear came in the last 26 years, since I became married and started our family. Matter of fact the first memory of…
2018 3rd Sunday of Advent – Shepherds and immeasurable Joy
Hope and prophecy have created a divine tension, a longing that has yet to be fulfilled. Until now. Or has it? Today is the third Sunday of Advent. Traditionally it is the day we light the only pink candle on the Advent wreath—the Shepherds Candle. The Shepherds Candle emphasizes the joy proclaimed, joy discovered, and…
2018 2nd Sunday of Advent – Bethlehem and Obedience
Today is the second Sunday of Advent. If your family is doing an Advent wreath this is the day we light the second candle on the Advent wreath—the Bethlehem Candle. The Bethlehem Candle recalls the preparations Mary and Joseph made for Jesus’ birth. As most of you know, I, am a father. I have done…
2018 1st Sunday of Advent – Prophecy and Hope
The book, The World’s Worst Predictions lists some of history’s all-time prophetic goofs, such as: King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution. Hindsight proved him wrong. An official of the White Star Line, speaking of the firm’s newly built flagship, the Titanic, launched in 1912, declared that the ship…
Adoption Vehicle
Liela and I have for many years had a heart for adoption. In 2007 God placed a wonderful young lady into our lives that became our daughter. In 2017 God gave us two beautiful children, siblings, one son and one daughter who in June of 2018 officially became our children after 1514 days in foster…
Cyber Monday Sale
Cyber Monday sale: spend $20 on qualifying books (buy 2 and give them as Christmas gifts) enter promo code NOVBOOK18 at checkout and save $5.00 off your purchase. Sale ends at 11:59PM today. http://ow.ly/PqXy30l7rLL
Reset – A New Season
Family and Friends, Please take a few moments and watch this video as Liela and I share about the transition taking place in our lives during this season. Here are a few highlights: 1) We have resigned our position at The Church at Pleasant Ridge. 2) During the transition into the next ministry season we…
But God… Xavier’s Story #missourimiracle
On Saturday September 8th, one week ago, almost to the moment, a desperate message went out to our church leadership and prayer team. One of our families world just went full on tailspin in one of those moments no one ever dreams will happen to their family. Xavier, 10 and part of our children’s ministry…
Devote Your Labors to the Lord – Happy Labor Day weekend.
In 1894 our government made a law designating the first Monday of September as a federal holiday known as Labor day that should be observed as a thank you to those who, because of their labors have made this country great. We celebrate the long weekend as labor day weekend. To add to that thought;…
5 Ways You Can Pray For Your Student
Its that time of year again. The season of the big yellow bus coming to whisk our children away to the land of public school education. A place where for many a student (truthfully, this is most students, very few are excited about the academics of education) this journey is not about education at all….
25th Anniversary of the historic 1993 floods – time for revival to flood the earth
I remember 1993 well. This year was mine and Liela’s 25th anniversary. We married in 1993. It is also the 25th anniversary of several friends of ours, the Reams and the Rosens to name a couple of those friends. Happy 25th anniversary Ed and Julie, Scott and Emanda. This year is also the 25th anniversary…
The 3 R’s – How can we know the will of God
In Ridge Kids we have been teaching the kids about prayer. Our approach is simple, we don’t want to teach them the concept of prayer we want to teach them the practical application of “how to pray”. Our last topic covered 1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that…
Mosaic
This last weekend at the monthly men’s breakfast (The Church at Pleasant Ridge men’s prayer breakfast) men were sharing different prayer requests and discussing things happening in our lives. As we began to pray I sensed the Lord begin to say “I am building a mosaic” I have been pondering that word for the last…