by Kerby Anderson

The last week in February started out with an incredible announcement. James Cameron (director of the film “Titanic”) and Simcha Jacobovici announced that they have found the bones of Jesus! At their news conference, they promoted their Discovery Channel special “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” that will air on March 4th and also promoted the book by Simcha Jacobovici and Charles Pellegrino entitled The Jesus Family Tomb: The Discovery, the Investigation, and the Evidence That Could Change History released by Harper­Collins.

The foundational claim is that they have discovered the family tomb of Jesus Christ. But is this really the tomb of Jesus or his family? There are many good reasons to believe this tomb has no relationship at all to Jesus and his family. Many are asking what to think about these claims. Therefore, I put together a quick two-­page summary of some of the criticisms and concerns that surfaced in the first few hours after the announcement. Before we look at those criticisms, let’s first review the history of this tomb.

We have known about this tomb since it was discovered in 1980. Back then, Israeli construction workers were digging the foundation for a new building in a Jerusalem suburb. Their digging revealed a cave with ten limestone ossuaries. Archeologists removed the limestone caskets for examination.

When they were able to decipher the names on the ten ossuaries, they found: Jesua, son of Joseph, Mary, Mary, Mathew, Jofa and Judah, son of Jesua. At the time, one of Israel’s most prominent archeologists (Professor Amos Kloner) didn’t associate the crypt with Jesus. He rightly argued that the father of Jesus was a humble carpenter who couldn’t afford a luxury crypt for his family. Moreover, the names on the crypt were common Jewish names.

All of this hasn’t stopped James Cameron and Simcha Jacobovici from promoting the tomb as the family tomb of Jesus. They claim to have evidence (through DNA tests, archeological evidence, and Biblical studies) to prove that the ten ossuaries belong to Jesus and his family. They also argue that Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have produced a son named Judah. However, a number of biblical scholars say this is a really just an old story now being recycled in an effort to create a media phenomenon that will sell books and guarantee a large audience for the television special.

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I just wanted to take a moment to let all you readers know what’s been going on with the book that started this blog. Dr. King, the author and a writer on this blog, has been appearing on numerous radio and television shows. This morning, he was on The Harvest Show, produced by LeSEA Broadcasting. If you missed it, you can catch him again at 10 PM and 2 AM Eastern time. That’s 9 and 1 here in Texas. If you don’t get LeSEA, you can watch it online, at www.harvest-tv.com.

In addition to The Harvest Show, Dr. King has been invited to appear on CBN, and Focus on the Family. He has also appeared on radio shows in Nashville, Seattle, Ft. Worth and others. you can listen to some of those appearances at www.guythingpress.com.

What else is in store for Dr. King and “It’s a Guy Thing”? Hopefully a run on the New York Times’ best seller list. Check back here and at Guy Thing Press for more updates

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When I came into business, more then 60 years ago, I began to read the Harvard Review published by the Harvard Business School. I remember that Mr. Robert T. Greenleaf from AT&T wrote an article called “Skyhooks” – it became one of the most highly read articles. He was the first man that I knew who tackled a spiritual theme in business. He introduced an idea in 1970 called “servant leadership.” Max DePree, Steven Covey and Ken Blanchard are among those who have popularized the concept in the last two decades.

I believe very much that it is a biblical principle if we clearly understand the difference between the spirit and the function. Some leaders have taken it to mean that they were to take menial jobs in their organizations—such as turning the lights off at night. I knew one executive during the depression who would take incoming envelops, split them and use them for scratch paper. This is not servant leadership.

To me the executive must maintain the leadership function with the attitude of serving. In the classic organizational form it was depicted as a pyramid. The lowest paid were at the bottom and the CEO was at the pinnacle. I like the idea of turning the organization upside down. The CEO still bears more responsibility and receives higher compensation but he carries the organization rather than riding it.

The CEO sacrifices his ego to the organization rather then deriving ego satisfaction from the organization. Christ washed the disciple’s feet once to illustrate his humility but I do not think he would have taken this up as a daily function.

Servant leadership is not demeaning, nor is it demanding….it is designed to nurture the organization as a stewardship to accomplish and achieve to the benefit of all.

This week think about: 1) What is my definition of servant leader? 2) Who effectively models this for me? 3) How can I maintain a servant’s spirit without jeopardizing my leadership function?

from www.breakfastwithfred.com

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E. M. Bounds said that a man’s life and most profound convictions are made in secret communion, or conversation, with God.

Let me take it one step further. A man’s life and convictions are made in secret communion, period. What you do in the closet, behind closed doors, makes you. The things that you do when no one is watching are the things that form your mind, your strongest morals, your convictions.

Are you spending your most secret moments watching porn? That is where your convictions will grow. Are they spent in front of a television? That is what will mold your life. You’ll begin accepting the things you see, hear, and read with more and more open arms. Your life will begin to take on the thoughts and attitudes presented on the screen you watch and the pages you read.

Communion produces intimacy. If you commune with God, you grow intimate with God. If you commune with your wife, you grow intimate with your wife. If you commune with pornography, you become intimate with pornography.

Intamacy produces communion, and communion produces intimacy. You become intimate with whom you pray, to whom you pray, and for whom you pray. In turn, intimacy increases the desire to pray, whether you’re praying to God, or a box.

If you are intimate with your wife, you will pray for her and with her.

If you are intimate with drugs, you will pray for a bigger high.

If you are intimate with pornography, you will pray for a better image or a better experience.

When you get the bigger and better thing, you’ll go back and pray for the next bigger and better thing and become more intimate with it. When you are intimate with God, and pray to Him, and He answers your prayer, you pray for the next thing. You become more intimate with Him.

Your life is defined by the secret moments. Your intimacy is defined by your secret communion. Who are you intimate with? Where is your secret communion?

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1. Stressful situations, including family, home, work.

2. Relationship stresses, pinings and disappointments

3. Overwork, over-promising and performance anxiety

4. Inadequate personal and professional boundaries

5. Money fears, irresponsibility and problems

6. Boredom, tiredness and nothing better to do

7. Caffeine, adrenaline and alcohol

8. Watching television, coach potato-ism

9. Waiting to eat until you are famished

10. Cultural expectations and when you are with certain people

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If you have been married for more than a minute and a half you know that men and women are fundamentality different!

Men are headliners, women are fine print.

For example, a husband comes home, and his wife asks how was his day. He says, “Good.”
She looks at him with “that look.” She wants to know who he had lunch with, what they were wearing, was the salad any good? Did it come with a vinaigrette?

She wants to relate, he wants to relay.
She wants the stories, the nuances, the emotion of it all, he just looks at her weird.

When it came to Beccy and I raising kids it was the same.
She would read the books, circle the articles, talk to girl friends, she was having an experience, I was trying to solve a problem!!

I would watch people in the shopping mall, churches and work places and I figure out that the only difference between a 5 year old having a temper tantrum and a 25 year old having one was the lack of disciple and 20 years. I just didn’t want to raise kids that I would be embarrassed to have out in public or would shame me later on in life.

There where two things that I discovered along the way.
The first was a simple formula for family discipline and the second was what has become known as the seven keys for raising kids. These two go hand in hand; you cannot have one with out the other.

Here is our formula

A+B+C = D

Affection + Boundaries + Consistency = Discipline.

A. Affection

Growing children is like growing young plants. Every word we say is an opportunity to frame and shape their world. The most crucial thing you can do is speak words of affirmation and affection into their life from the time of their conception.

Be positive. Don’t allow your kids to be negative; even though that’s the way we all naturally tend to be. If your child speaks negatively about themselves, correct them, lovingly and firmly. Don’t let it pass. The girl who’s allowed to say she looks ugly will grow up believing it.

What causes children to act and think that way? They’re simply repeating the kind of worldview they receive from other people. Watch your words and watch the media influences you allow into their young lives. Do you call yourself fat? Does your wife say she’s unattractive? Are your children consistently being bombarded with unrealistic body imaging?

Instead, affirm and compliment your wife’s looks… and do the same for your children.

B. Boundaries

The first thing to settle within yourself is that you only ever discipline a child for an issue of rebellion not lack of knowledge. Rebellion is simply doing what you asked them not to. If a child runs through the house with a glass in their hands or shoves toast in the DVD player and you have never told them that is wrong, you can not discipline them for it. If you have clearly explained it to them, then that is an issue of rebellion and they must be held accountable for their actions.

If Beccy or I never told the kids not to do something the other would always back them up, even if we didn’t agree. If we want to discuss it, we always did so in private. If we needed to change it, the parent who laid down the law made the changes to the law. That way we were presenting a united front and not a divided front.

Children need boundaries, just like cars need lanes.
The only difference between a bratty 5 year old and a bratty 15 year old is 10 years and the fact that they have never been disciplined.

Don’t raise kids that you’re embarrassed to take out in public.

C. Be Consistent

A persons character is trusted only to the extent of their word.
Your word is your bond. If you say you are going to do it, do it.

A child cannot tell the difference between a broken promise and a lie. The moment you tell them you’re going to the beach for the weekend, they start gathering up the buckets and spades.

They don’t understand that the people flew in from China unannounced for a business meeting.

Don’t break your word to your children; help teach them to be flexible by renegotiating with them for another day.

It is the same with household rules. If you say “no”, it has to be “no”.
Not three times “no” then losing your cool.
But “no” once, then delivering on your promises. If you are inconstancy with your discipline your child will either become insecure or will not take you seriously because of your inconsistency.

D. Discipline

You need to have all three of these elements in place to make up the total package of family discipline.

If you only have two, then you will have an unbalanced and unhealthy discipline environment.

Rules without Relationship lead to Rebellion.

You cannot withdraw money from an account you don’t have any collateral in. Make sure you are always making deposits in your children’s emotional bank account so that when the time comes to discipline you don’t go bankrupt.

Remember discipline now to enjoy later.

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