A FAMILY IS FAITH — Believing in God as the Supreme Being, believing in each other in thought and expression, and believing in one's self as being worthwhile and capable.

A FAMILY IS SHARING — Each member sharing with all the others their lives, their thoughts, their efforts, their wealth, and their love.

A FAMILY IS DISCIPLINE — Not just spanking the young'uns for acting up, but Mamma, and Daddy, Brother, and Sister, all learning what is right and doing it no matter what it is.

A FAMILY IS WISDOM — It is learning from past experience how to make future blessings. And it carefully weighing each moment to gain the most benefit for everyone in every situation.

A FAMILY IS GROWING — Growing bodies in little ones, and growing minds in everyone. Growing love, growing wisdom, and growing close.

A FAMILY IS JOY — Not that in the family everything is always happy, but happy that everything is always in the family.

A FAMILY IS WORK — Every person has a job to do and is expected to do that job knowing that all will benefit from the work of each one.

A FAMILY IS PLAY — Making time to have fun and be silly, time to run and laugh, and time to wish and dream.

A FAMILY IS STRENGTH — One person alone is seldom strong. Together there is energy — synergy — to pull whatever the load, and to face all of the enemies. Together the joy is multiplied and the sorrow is divided.

A FAMILY IS SATISFACTION — It is getting those things we really need in life and being content with the things that we get. It is realizing there is so much more than just the things in life.

A FAMILY IS FORGIVING — Knowing that everyone makes some mistakes and some more than others, but when they are corrected, they are over and forgotten. And then most of all …

A FAMILY IS LOVE — It is that special feeling when in each other's presence, the warmth, the joy, the pleasure. But even more, it is the knowing there is care, concern, and having each other's back. Yes, that has to be that from which all the others come. A FAMILY IS LOVE!!!

Children's Influence Upon Parents by Bill Hall
Children can influence their parents just as parents can influence their children. The following story about an imaginary couple may have been duplicated in the lives of many of our readers.

George and Mary were a wonderful couple as they began their life together. Throughout their youth they had received strong teaching concerning worldliness, and their conduct showed the effects of that teaching. They had been taught faithfulness in attendance, and they never missed a service for "anything." In character and conviction, they were blameless.

This young couple failed, however, to instill into the hearts of their children these same convictions. Consequently, as the children reached their teens, they began to put pressure on their parents to let them do what all the other young people were doing. Gradually the will of the parents was broken down, and they began to permit their children to do things they never dreamed their children would ever do.

Rationalization came easy for George and Mary. "After all, the Bible is not specific in these matters," they thought. "The Bible says 'modest apparel', but it doesn't define modesty." "And, they're only planning to go to the dance; they aren't planning to dance." "We can't say 'no' to everything," they said. When Junior began to show unusual athletic ability, the question of attending services became a problem. At first they took Junior out of games and brought him to midweek services, but then the team began to depend more and more on him. The play-offs came, and the team's only hope in the plays-offs was for Junior to play. George and Mary gave in. And once they had given in, they had no more argument for the future. Junior never missed another game to "go to church."

George and Mary often found themselves on the defensive in Bible classes. They began to argue for their children's behavior. And, the more accustomed they became to their children's actions, the more innocent their actions seemed to be. Eventually, their own conduct became affected. They reached the point where they thought nothing of missing Friday night during a meeting to see "Junior" play ball. Mary even adopted some of the daughter's dress habits, although remaining sufficiently "discreet" to stay in good graces of the brethren. Yes, George and Mary are still in good standing in the church, and their change has been so gradual that many fail to realize that they are not the strong Christians they formerly were. What happened to George and Mary? Instead of bringing their children "up" in the nurture and admonition of the "Lord", their children brought them "down" in the nurture and admonition of the "devil".

Our children may do wrong, but they must not do wrong with our permission. We do not seek anger, but repentance. Parents, would your names fit in the place of "George" and "Mary" in the above story?

(Brother Ross is a retired Attorney who was for many years the County Prosecutor where he lives. In addition, he is an experienced and capable gospel preacher. I asked him to write the following article for us which the reader will find informative and useful. — Maurice Barnett)

On June 26, 2015, five black robed members of the United States Supreme Court thought that they were smarter than God: they thought that they could change the components of marriage. They have become the latest to call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). For those who are followers of Christ, the question is what will happen next?

The followers of evil do not believe that the war was won; they believe that the battle has been won to lead to a crushing victory over righteousness. Their goal is to destroy from public life any vestige of religion. George Washington, an Anglican, said that our nation could not exist without religion and morality. The forces of evil intend to get rid of both.

The immediate consequences of the court decision are continued attacks upon those who will not participate in the "weddings" due to religious beliefs: photographers, bakers, florists, wedding planners, locations which rent to hold weddings. All of these will, and are, being required to accept and participate. In New Mexico, when a photographer was asked to do a lesbian wedding (at a time when New Mexico did not recognize such a thing), the photographer was cited by the state civil rights commission for unlawful discrimination. Judge Richard Besson of the New Mexico Supreme Court, in his concurring opinion, stated that the surrendering of the photographers' religious freedom was "the price of citizenship" and they "are now compelled to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives." Justice Anthony Kennedy in the court's opinion finding a constitutional right to same-sex "marriage" stated that religious people retain the right to "advocate" and "teach" their opposition. However, Chief Justice John Roberts points out in his dissent that the First Amendment recognizes the "free exercise of religion" which is much more than teaching and advocating.

Brendon Eich was the CEO and co-founder of Mozilla Corporation, but was forced out of his job when it became public that he had donated $1,000 in favor of marriage in the Proposition 8 campaign in California. Kelvin Cochran, fire chief of Atlanta, Georgia, was fired because he wrote a book for his Baptist Bible study class which enumerated several sexual sins, including homosexuality. There is absolutely no evidence that Eich or Cochran ever showed any discrimination on the job.

It does not take a prophet to see the future. There will be attempts to take away the tax-exempt status of any institution that does not celebrate homosexuality. Churches, colleges, schools, hospitals, and social service organizations will have to pay real estate and sales taxes that were not paid previously due to their recognition as charities. Colleges will be required to open their married couples housing to same-sex couples. Adoption agencies with religious principles have already been forced out of existence because they would not place children with same-sex couples. Any religious bodies that have weddings on the property will be sued if they do not also disobey the scripture. Any contract with government will contain a clause that will prevent those who recognize marriage for what it is from participating. Student loans will not be available to any students going to "religious" schools or colleges that teach the truth on marriage. Graduate schools are already denying counseling degrees to students who will not counsel homosexuals positively about their life style.

Several years ago the Ohio Supreme Court floated a proposition that it should be a disciplinary offense against anyone with a law license to say that homosexuality was wrong. I wrote a letter opposing that. I do not know if I was influential, but it did not happen. However, I can see that's being attempted again against anyone seeking to obtain any type of licensing from a government agency.

A baker in Colorado and a florist in Washington (state) were told that the goal was not to close their businesses, but to "reeducate" them. To those of us old enough to remember the Cold War, that sounds like the Communists sending people to Siberia.

Friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). We must remember that "we ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29). "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15). Edmond Burke said that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." We sing

"Stand Up For Jesus." Will we?