Mission Minded

 

If you feel your church needs a wake-up call and some practical help in reaching out to the community, this book is for you.

Short and punchy, Mission Minded contains a number of helpful tables to practically organise your church activities into:

• Evangelism
  Reaching out to non-Christians and telling them the gospel.
  
• Edification
  Building up the body of Christ (continuing to preach the gospel to Christians).
• Support to Ministry
  This kind of follows on from edification - when maturing Christians participate in valuable behind-the-scenes support work to facilitate the spread of the gospel.
  
  Then the Evangelism category can be further broken down into:
• Raising Awareness
  Some people are totally unaware about Jesus, Christianity, or where the local churches are. An example of raising awareness could be promoting church events via mailbox drop, social media, newspaper ads etc.
  
• Initial Contact
  The first contact a non-Christian may have with a Christian.
  
• Pre-Evangelism
  Inviting a non-Christian to an event run by the church, but it is more a social event, not one where the gospel is preached.
  
• Evangelism
  Telling someone the gospel, either in person via a 1-1 conversation, or at an event where it is preached.
  
  The difficulty is that churches struggle with either two many activities, resulting in burn-out of its members and not much evangelism actually happening, or do nothing. You could argue that any event is worthwhile, but churches and people need to be strategic and wise with their limited time. It's not about what we enjoy, but about what will assist in spreading the gospel. Unfortunately many pre-evangelism activities are mistaken for evangelism i.e. having a ladies' morning tea to build relationships with community members is not evangelism unless the gospel is actually being preached there.
  
  Churches really need to take a hard look at their activities to decide which category they fall into. For example, door knocking would come under Initial Contact. Carols by Candlelight would be Pre-Evangelism. Some activities overlap. Then they need to wisely prune some activities and seek to find a balance between evangelism, edification and support to ministry. This doesn't mean we aren't trusting God - He is the one who ultimately brings the fruit - but we need to be good users of our time.
  
  There are blank tables in the book to help your own church start the process.
  
  You can order this book from the Matthias Media Australian online store here.
  

2019: The Grieved Bystander

I’ve popped in to type a rare blog post as the final hours of 2019 ebb away.

This year has been hard. While nothing absolutely terrible has happened to me and my immediate family, it has been a year where my heart has been heavy. Sad circumstances and change have hit those I care about hard, and I’ve felt their pain. Sometimes I think I’ve felt more pain than they have. While I’ve grieved over the bad choices I’ve witnessed others making, they’ve seemingly skipped along, thinking that they’ve made wonderful decisions.

There have been more separations and divorces than I can count. Some have been Christian couples. The family breakdowns have hit my town hard as the wives have left with the children to (usually) head to Perth. This has meant less kids at the school and a loss of friends/acquaintances. One of Rory’s besties is one of these, but Rory has taken it pretty well. I don’t know why, but divorce really affects me emotionally (my parents have been married for 45 years, so it's not that I'm from a broken home). I think I was more desensitised to it when I was younger.

We lost Duncan’s cousin’s husband and a friend who used to go to our church – both to cancer. They both trusted the Lord and their witness in their final days was a great encouragement. I hadn’t been to a funeral for ages, yet went to two within eight days, both just before Christmas.

I’ve witnessed God’s amazing hand in bringing a couple of young adults to faith this year – one with no church background whatsoever, who literally found the pastor’s phone number and decided to come along. It is an absolute joy to see these two young women worshipping God joyfully each Sunday, and it is an enormous encouragement to see how they have already made some hard decisions in what needs to be put off in their lives in order to live for Him. Sadly, for one that comes to the Lord, another falls away. It has grieved me that several people I knew in Perth no longer follow Jesus, either that or I have some grave fears for them (judging by some of their posts on Facebook). When people say, “I’m a new person,” or “I’m not that person anymore”, or “I think differently about things now,” coupled with other things they’ve been posting, it is often a cause for alarm.

There have been some dramas with other relationships and I have put my foot down this year, no longer willing to be a door mat and pushed around. For years, it seemed people think Duncan and I will constantly adjust our plans, especially concerning kids’ routines, to suit them (and then change their plans again and again and expect us to comply) and I won’t. I don’t regret it; it’s been a year of incredible freedom in that regard, but not without friction and grief.

My writing seems to be going nowhere and, like last year, I have felt despondent over whether it is what God would have me do. My novel was sent out, but I heard nothing back. I’m currently doing another full edit to send it out again. I’ve entered this writing competition every month this year, bar one, and have failed to make the short list. I want to give up, but a small determined part of me won’t quit.

My battle with PMDD has lingered on this year with no cure in sight. I cannot take the one thing that could ‘fix’ the symptoms as it would put me at risk of a stroke. So, it seems I just have to battle on and face menopause later on with nothing (that works) to give any relief.

There have been highlights. Our family trip to Exmouth in July/August (must blog about that) was wonderful as I got to see my cousin and her family for the first time since October 2010. It was the first time she’d met my children. I joined a new Bible study group this year, made up of women from my church. It was an absolute delight meeting with women of different ages and stages and getting to know them better. We went into recess for harvest, but hopefully we can meet again in 2020. I’ve been doing Zumba every Tuesday morning and it was so good exercising in such a supportive environment. We all have coffee together afterwards and it’s organised upfront and openly by the instructor; no secret cliques sneaking away together. Everyone is invited and there is no bitching. It’s great!

Although 2019 has at times felt boring and dull, that I was just plodding along doing the day-to-day stuff, it has given me a shake up in that I’ve been forced to question who or what my security is found in. Is it when things are going smoothly, or when everyone around me is well and happy? Or is it in my great God, who holds the world in the palm of His hand. I’m praying the ‘shake-ups’ so many people have been through this year will bring to Him and not further from Him.

Courage in a Hostile World

I have to admit, before I read this book, I was more of the opinion that Christians should just show the love of Jesus by the way they live their personal lives, and not get so involved in politics. This book helped change my mind and get me to see that God's people need to call the world back to living for Him.

Courage in a Hostile World is the story of FamilyVoice Australia, or, as it was originally called, Festival of Light. It documents how the group grew from South Australian to nation-wide, weathered many changes in staff and directors, and celebrated many victories by the hand of God in halting acts and bills which would have caused great harm.

Like the Old Testament prophets called God's people Israel back to Him, and had to endure much persecution in the process, FamilyVoice Australia (and other groups) have persisted in calling our wayward nation back to the God who made us all. The difference is that many people now do not know God at all, and see it all as 'morals'.

One of the issues explored in the book is the devastating impact of no-fault divorce on family life. in 1988, during an inquiry into the growing number of street children, an Aboriginal woman was quoted as saying:
"Twenty years ago you'd never see an Aboriginal kid on the streets. Our families were strong then. There was always a home of some relative who would take you in. But that doesn't happen as much these days. The Aboriginal family unit has broken down, just like the white family." (page 51)

One chapter which really made an impact on me was the story of Linda Watson (then Coyle), a former Perth brothel madam who came to Christ. She later founded Linda's House of Hope to encourage and help prostitutes leave the industry, and also lent her voice to the fight against legalising prostitution.
She had been deeply affected by Princess Diana's death on 31 August. "If Diana with all her beauty and wealth can die, what hope is there for me?" she cried. "Where am I going to be when I drop dead? God, please help me!"
What happened next was a powerful miracle - Linda was touched by God's hand. She said it was 'as if I had a new mind'. (page 114)
Linda exposed the lies of other madams who insisted it was a safe and clean industry. A street survey exposed the public's hypocrisy. Many believed brothels should be legalised, but did not want one in their street, and would certainly not want their daughter to work as a prostitute. Why not, if it's such a safe and clean industry? Hmmm.

This is quite a fascinating book. It is the stories of men and women of true courage and faith, who endured much ridicule and abuse in standing up for the honour of God's name and protection of people and how we created His world to be. One thing I was glad of is that it isn't morals which drive their work (one thing Christian groups are often accused of), but the gospel of Christ and the true hope and transformation only He can bring. No-one can 'legislate Christianity', nor should we want to become a theocracy. But this book showed me that Christians have an important part to play in politics as much as everywhere else.

Transgender

This is a controversial topic and I bought this book mainly to get some help on how to speak to non-Christians about it should the opportunity arise.

Vaughan Roberts is a British minister, who has admitted that he struggles with same-sex attraction, but has chosen to remain celibate. He writes with great compassion while remaining faithful to what God has said in His Word. I think this makes the book more likely to be read by Christians and non-Christians struggling with gender dysphoria, knowing that the writer can empathise with what it's like to deal with unwanted feelings.

In just 74 pages, Vaughan Roberts explains the meaning of gender dysphoria and transgender as well as a host of other terms, while taking the reader through a whirlwind tour of the biblical worldview. He shows how Christians' objection to changing sex is due to how God designed and created the world - how we made men and women in His image, equal, yet different. This is one thing those who push for a genderless society try to erase.

Yet, he also says we mustn't try to make the Bible say what it doesn't say. While there are fundamental differences between men and women, there are also many differences between men and men, and women and women. Part of the confusion many people feel is when they don't fit into a gender stereotype. The Bible is silent on many of these issues.

Roberts also shows how sin has affected the world in exchanging the truth for a lie:

Our culture says: Your psychology is your sexual identity - let your body be conformed to it.

The Bible says: Your body is your sexual identity - let your mind be conformed to it. (page 43)

We mustn't see the body as something evil which needs to be changed. God made us physical creatures. The future resurrection when Jesus returns will be physical one. When the Bible talks about the 'flesh', it's not saying our physical bodies are evil. It's the mind which has been darkened.

One thing I was pleased to read that in order to reach out to transgender people, Christians should call them by their preferred name, even though they disagree with it. It's pretty hard to build a relationship with someone if you won't even call them what they want to be called.

This is not an exhaustive study of transgender issues - in 74 pages it can't be. It's a Talking Point Book, written to raise issues and help people gain a basic understanding. I felt as though this book didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. It would be good for new Christians, and those who haven't really thought much about the topic before. It would also be a good book to give away after an evangelistic conversation, if transgender issues were a barrier to faith.

We might think transgender issues are a new topic that has got the church into a spin about how to respond. But this book reiterates that there is nothing new under the sun; the gospel remains the answer for everything.

Joyfully Spreading the Word

This was a book I was looking forward to reading with eager anticipation, as spreading the gospel is not really one of my strengths. It has been said that 'evangelism' is in the same category as 'cancer' when it comes to words which provoke intense fear. At times, my fear of evangelism and rejection has crippled my life to such an extent, I began to seriously doubt the power of the gospel I was afraid to speak was able to save me from this sin. Other times, I have been blase, and neglected to see the urgency that the people around me needed a Saviour.

I needed to read this book!

To be honest, I found the first few chapters rather boring and frustrating. The book opens with reminding us of what the gospel is. While you could argue that ALL Christians need to be reminded of the good news they are commanded to tell, I felt it was a bit ho hum, been there done that. I get their point - we do need to know the 'what' before the 'how' - but I just wanted real-life examples of evangelistic life in the trenches. Will there be anyone who is faced with similar people I know with similar objections to Jesus and the Christian faith? Will there be any encouragement for me in my specific context?

The book is a collection of experiences of different Christian women, in different situations around the world. Therefore, each chapter has its own 'voice'.

One of the chapters which impacted me most powerfully was the one by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, author of The Secret Life of an Unlikely Convert. She speaks of her experience as a lesbian, university academic who came to Christ through the loving hospitality of a pastor and his wife, who invited her into their home and church for years, gently and patiently witnessing to her. This, she believes, holds the key to reaching out to the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ is a real community, constantly in each others' lives and homes, supporting each other. For Christians, our idea of community is often just church on Sunday and Bible study one night/morning a week. We need to do more in this area if we are to reach out to people whose worldview is often on a collision course with our own. Rosaria reminds us that LGBTQ people's greatest sin is not sexual sin, but unbelief - just like everyone.

I also gained a lot from the chapters on evangelising children (something on my mind right now as a parent and Sunday School teacher), and also on evangelism in universities and workplaces (two former stages of my life). Often people fit into four categories:
- The Interested
- The Uninterested
- The Curious
- The Churched (people who have been raised in the church, and may know a lot about Jesus and the Bible, but are not actually trusting and following Him).

There are plenty of encouraging stories of how God is powerful and can change even the hardest of hearts. There are also plenty of doses of realism and heartbreak - people who received the Word with joy, but later walked away. It is a reminder that we have a role to play, but only God can save. He is sovereign over all.

This book is such an encouragement and I recommend all Christian women read it.

Living Free

Another book that resides in my in-laws' Perth holiday house....

This is actually two books together in one volume - Walking in the Light and Living Free in Christ. Neil T. Anderson is an American Christian counsellor, who specialises in helping people in spiritual bondage. He writes that sometimes these people are Christians who KNOW the gospel in their heads, but are having trouble living out the freedom Christ brings due to lies they've believed in the past. Sometimes they are non-Christians who have dabbled in the occult, or are demon-possessed.

The books themselves are actually a really sound overview of living the Christian life. The volume is quite exhaustive as it covers everything from our acceptance, security and significance in Christ, to spiritual discernment (especially as it easy to become influenced by New Age practices) and walking in the Spirit. They would be great to give to a new Christian, or someone struggling in their faith. You'd think such a book would be captivating for all Christians, but I really struggled to get through it. It actually took me a few attempts of reading a bit, then switching to a novel, then picking it back up again. I think this is more of my issue, rather than an issue with the book itself. Perhaps it was Satan trying to thwart me in reading biblical truths? Perhaps it was my own laziness? Or a combination of the two?

The most helpful bit for me were the 'Steps to Freedom' bit at the back which covers all sorts of areas which Christians might be struggling, everything from unforgiveness to bitterness, to addiction and self-righteousness. The sample prayers he included were really good to be able to get that help to pray what I was feeling. Often I know how I feel, but I don't actually spill it out verbally to God.

Chasing the Dragon

I was very sceptical when I first picked up this book (it was one that was at my in-laws' Perth house) and I thought it would be sure to end up in my recycling bin.

I ate my words!  Wow, what a book!

Chasing the Dragon (an expression which means smoking heroin) is the story of Jackie Pullinger, but really it is God's story of how He transformed the lives of people far from Him, using Jackie in the process. Jackie, a British missionary, arrived in Hong Kong in 1966 and ministered among drug addicts, gang members, and prostitutes in the Walled City. It what seemed like an overwhelmingly hopeless place, God used Jackie to spread the gospel. Many believed and lives were transformed.

I think the way Jackie arrived in Hong Kong was a bit unwise - she arrived by herself. With the recent death of John Allen Chau - killed on North Sentinel Island by an unreached people group - it shows the danger of lone missions. Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs to show we NEED each other. We aren't meant to go alone. Jackie said God led her there, and while there's no doubt He used her tremendously, and later she teamed up with other Christians, it doesn't mean she did the right thing by going alone; it means God brings good out of foolish decisions.

Being from a conservative, evangelical background since becoming a Christian, I'd often been influenced to think critically about speaking in tongues. It generally gets dismissed a lot, or explained away among Christians I rub shoulders with. I still don't agree with hardline Pentecostals, who insist a Christian MUST speak in tongues, otherwise they don't have the Holy Spirit. That is a dangerous false teaching. Rather, I was challenged by how God works in the world, among people who have never heard of Jesus, have no Bibles and are illiterate. In some ways, it mirrors The Heavenly Man and shows nothing is impossible for God. In our suspicious, Western mindset, we too often forget our God is an awesome God of miracles.

Bible Verse of the Day

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:18-20

Anna's Testimony

I think often Christians can be guilty of doubting God can rescue celebrities. I've heard many Christians express their scepticism when they hear a famous person declare their faith in Jesus - as if  it's a fad like being Buddhist, or gluten-free, or paleo.

I know the smut that often goes on among those in amateur theatre, let alone those who are professionals. But God is powerful enough to save anyone....even those in entertainment industry.

Australian Actress Anna McGahan shares how she encountered Jesus and how He continues to change her life.






God bless you, Anna. Thank you for sharing your story.

Anna blogs at The Forbidden Room.

Aunt Polly in the Church

Hands up if you've seen the 1960 version of the movie, Pollyanna, starring Hayley Mills (the best and ONLY version in my book).

Some of the scenes which have taken on new meaning as I became a Christian and gotten older are the ones where Aunt Polly (Jane Wyman) tells Reverend Ford (Karl Malden) what to preach on. It becomes clear that Aunt Polly is part of the Harrington dynasty - a family ruling over the small town named after them. Despite Pollyanna declaring, "She doesn't own the church," it is clear that Reverend Ford is only a figurehead.

 If you've been a Christian for any length of time, you've probably come across an Aunt Polly or two in your congregation - those who are not official leaders, yet have an enormous influence. At church meetings, they announce that they aren't happy with something and use their family ties to try to change it to their liking. "My grandfather started this church," they moan, "Or I started this church."

Well, so what? What does that make you? A queen?

Jesus Christ is the head of the church. He gifts and appoints some to be pastors, teachers and elders, but these people are there to lead His church for HIS glory and the good of His people. Not to get their own way.

I rejoiced at the look of horror on Aunt Polly's face in church when Reverend Ford gets up to the pulpit and DOESN'T preach what she wants him to.

Image from here

More Than A Carpenter

This is the last of the evangelistic books I'll review this Easter.

Josh McDowell was a hard-headed sceptical university student when, confronted with the evidence, surrendered his life to Jesus in 1959. Since then he's been speaking on university campuses in the US, trying to persuade others of the truth of the gospel.

This is a book for your sciency friends, the ones who like to argue and debate, the academic ones. Whereas A Hell of a Life is more for your average, everyday Aussie, More Than A Carpenter will resonate more with those who want proof.

That's one of the key points of the book - Christianity is a not a blind faith. So many people demand proof and scoff that it can't be proved by science. Well, not everything CAN be proved by science. But they can be proved by history, by reliable documentation of the past. Nobody alive today was around when Queen Elizabeth I reigned, but we all believe she existed. How? We believe the accounts of those who were there and recorded it for us.

Josh McDowell's evidence-based approach is balanced with his own moving testimony at the end. You can mock Jesus, but He changes lives.

Quote of the Day

At this point, many people ask the question, "Why couldn't God just forgive?"
An executive of a large corporation said, "My employees often do something, break something, and I just forgive them." Then he added, "Are you trying to tell me I can do something that God can't do?"
People fail to realise that wherever there is forgiveness, there's a payment. For example, let's say my daughter breaks a lamp in my home. I'm a loving and forgiving father, so I put her on my lap, and I hug her and I say, "Don't cry, honey. Daddy loves you and forgives you."
Now usually the person I tell that story to says, "Well, that's what God ought to do."
Then I ask the question, "Who pays for the lamp?" The fact is, I do. There's always a price in forgiveness. Let's say somebody insults you in front of others and later you graciously say, "I forgive you" Who bears the price of the insult? You do.
This is what God has done. God has said, "I forgive you." But He was willing to pay the price Himself through the cross.
- Josh McDowell in his book, More Than a Carpenter (pages 115-6)

A Hell of a Life

This is one book I'd recommend to the Average Joe wanting to find out more about Jesus.

John Dickson writes in a very down-to-earth way, as if one might when talking to a mate. He uses plenty of analogies to make his point. Although the book is a bit outdated (it was written in the 1990s and refers to Madonna and Michael Jordan as the big superstars of the time), it still manages to convey its message that Jesus is bigger than any celebrity. He's had more books written about Him, more websites dedicated to Him...and it was His life that defined the modern calendar. At the end of the book, there are testimonies from people from all walks of life, saying what Jesus means to them and how we can trust Him, too.

It's Dickson's own testimony that really resonates. Raised in a single parent, non-Christian home, it was his Scripture teacher in high school that made a big influence on the self-confessed ratbag teenager and his mates.

This book shows the real Jesus, recorded in the gospels - not the love and peace, robe-wearing hippie that many people tend to think He is.

Quote of the Day

An atheist once said to me, "Why doesn't your God come and physically show himself to us?"
I replied, "He did. And they nailed Him on a cross."
- Ken Ham

Bible Verse of the Day

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25

Forging a Real World Faith

It took a while for me to put into words what this book was about. At times it seems disjointed and disconnected, but at the end, everything really clicks into place.

It's about how to live as a Christian in the real world - beyond the church, beyond the 'safety' of any Christian gathering.

What we can do to sharpen our faith, like a refiner of silver. This takes guts and effort.

Our responsibility to grow our faith, and not remain stagnant.

Gordon MacDonald frequently examines the life of Daniel in the Bible, as the example of someone who made a real impact on the culture without compromising his faith in God.

It's a challenging book, but a bit dry in parts. The use of the term 'self-mastery' throughout irked me, until I realised he meant self-discipline. I think it falls short a bit on God's grace and the power of the Spirit in changing us (it's not all up to us).  Possibly a bit more balance was needed here. But it's worth a read, and for those Christians living in a bubble (it's easy to do), it's good shake-up.

2017 Hopes: How I Went

Hmmm, I don't think 2017 was very 'successful' by looking at this list:

1. Confront (and hopefully conquer) some long-held fears and phobias.  More to come in another post.
This mainly revolved around riding my new bike.  Unfortunately it didn't happen.  This year...

2.  Submit my novel to more publishers.
I entered it into the Dorothy Hewett Award For An Unpublished Manuscript run by UWA Publishing, but didn't get anywhere.

3.  Try to have regular quiet times.  I don't want to set the bar too high (it's hard to go from pretty much nothing/sporadic times to daily, so I'm aiming for 2-3 times per week, then build up).
 Nope! I really only read my Bible the night before Bible study each week in order to prepare. I have such a hunger for God's Word, but somehow I just can't sit down and read it.

4.  Continue to sell baby stuff and other items to raise money for Christian ministries.
I donated some stuff to our church's biannual mission stall.  I did sell some stuff, but keep forgetting to actually give the money to ministries! One thing I did last year was save all of the $5 notes I could and put them in a container.  I counted 20 notes the other day....that's $100 for Pregnancy Problem House. This year, I want to save $10 notes and pray about which person/organisation God would have me give the money to.

5.  Adjust my weekly routine now that I'll be a kindy mum, which will include taking Flynn to playgroup on either Tuesdays or Thursdays, while Rory is at kindy.
This was one thing I had some success with.  Flynn and I became regulars at playgroup on Thursdays by the middle of the year.

Stay tuned for my 2018 hopes.

The Case for Christmas

We have a book nook in our local park.  It's like a mailbox where you can put books and take some that are in there - kind of like a free book exchange.  It's not policed at all, so it relies on people's generosity.  Recently I've been wondering and praying about what to do with the evangelistic books in my bookcase. I've been hanging onto them in prayerful hope that one day I'll have such a conversation with someone that it will lead to me being able to offer them a book (and hopefully a Bible).  Sadly, these conversations have not progressed to this stage, but God, in His kindness, prompted me to put them in the book nook.  Of course, there are hundreds of tourists who stop at the park on their travels.

This is one of the books I've recently put in the book nook.  I reviewed The Case For Easter a couple of years ago, and this book is much along the same lines.  In fact, Lee Strobel has written a whole series of short books (The Case For a Creator, The Case For Faith etc.)  Personally, I wonder why he has written so many books which must surely cover the same things?  His best known work is The Case For Christ (and there is now a movie of the same name, based on his journey from atheism to faith in Christ).  Perhaps it because they are short and strategically written for unbelievers.

Part of this book answers the usual questions (such as how do we know the Christmas story is true, how reliable is the Bible?), but another part surprised me. It was about a Jewish man who had become a Christian and now has a ministry among Jews. He said that many Jews have never read the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, and have been told by their rabbi that the prophecies are not about Him. One of the key ways to challenge Jews is to convince them to read the Old Testament prophecies on their own.  There is no chance that all of them could be about someone else; they are so clearly about Christ.

I pray my copy of this book will make its way into someone's hand and point them towards Jesus - the one who Christmas is all about.

Bible Verse of the Day

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel,” (which means “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23

The Pendulum: No-one is an Island

One of the key arguments for the 'Yes' side of the same-sex marriage debate in Australia is that gay people getting married doesn't hurt anyone else.  If it doesn't affect us, we just need to mind our own business.  (This article begs to differ)

That's the argument for many decisions people make every day....it's none of your business, it's not hurting you.  In a way, I agree.  Some of my decisions are mine (or mine and Duncan's) to make.  Why does it bother people if my child still has a dummy, or isn't toilet-trained by the time they think they should be?  Why does it bother someone else if we're against using the 'cry it out' method for sleep training?  Their sleep isn't being affected.

But that's not the case with all decisions.  No person is an island.  Some of our decisions DO affect others.  For example, I might decide that disciplining my children is wrong and they should be 'free spirited'.  It's all well and good to say that this parenting philosophy doesn't affect anyone....until my children go to school and their teachers have to deal with them, shoppers and diners have to deal with their unruly behaviour in public, other parents have to put up with trashed houses and disrespect during play dates.

Some of my decisions are mine to make.  God has given me freedom and, although others may have a different opinion, I will have to wear the consequences of my decision.

Other decisions have severe ramifications.

Think through your decision-making carefully.