We will be starting this book as a group if you are interested in joining in, :) Here is a summary of Chapter 1 from Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies by Hillary Morgan Ferrer (and contributors), distilled into 20 key points based on the book's content, chapter overviews, and reliable summaries. The chapter, titled something along the lines of "Calling All Mama Bears" (with the humorous subtitle "My kid has a Cheerio up his nose. Why am I reading this book?"), serves as an introduction to the need for apologetics in parenting amid the "youth exodus" from faith. 1. The book calls out to all caregivers (moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents) to step up as "Mama Bears" in protecting children's faith. 2. Everyday parenting chaos (like a kid with a Cheerio up their nose) contrasts with the serious need to prepare kids for real-world challenges. 3. A major crisis exists: the "youth exodus" from church, where many teens/young adults leave Christianity after high school. 4. Statistics show a significant portion of professing Christian youth doubt or abandon faith, often never returning fully. 5. Kids face cultural and intellectual challenges to Christianity at younger and younger ages today. 6. Traditional Bible teaching (stories like Noah's ark) often focuses on morals but fails to emphasize historical and factual truth. 7. Children may know Bible stories but not grasp that they are real events with deep implications (e.g., God as loving yet judging). 8. Simply hearing the Gospel isn't enough; kids need to know why it's true—historically, authentically, and morally. 9. Bad ideas have real consequences, including kids leaving the church due to unchallenged doubts. 10. Apologetics (defending the faith rationally) becomes essential when witnessing the fallout from cultural lies. 11. The chapter highlights "aha!" moments when parents realize apologetics matters for their own and their kids' faith. 12. Parents must prepare children for a world hostile to Christian values, not just teach "what" to believe but "why." 13. Emotional and subjective approaches to truth (common in culture) make objective biblical truth harder for kids to hold onto. 14. The book introduces the protective "Mama Bear" instinct as a model for defending faith fiercely yet thoughtfully. 15. Caregivers have a primary responsibility to equip kids against modern societal pressures and doubts. 16. The chapter stresses discernment as key—learning to separate good from bad in culture. 17. It sets up the book's overall goal: equipping moms (and others) to help kids challenge cultural lies. 18. Apologetics isn't just academic; it's practical for everyday parenting and discipleship. 19. The youth exodus underscores urgency—without intentional training, faith may not survive cultural influences. 20. The chapter ends with a rallying cry: It's time to step up, learn apologetics, and protect the next generation's faith.

Happy Sunday to you all brother and sister!

January 17 GENTLENESS: POWER UNDER CONTROL “Walk … with all … gentleness.” EPHESIANS 4:1–2 ✧✧✧ The antidote to our vengeful, violent society is biblical gentleness. A popular bumper sticker says, “Don’t Get Mad—Get Even.” People demand what they perceive to be their rights, no matter how the demand harms others. Some go to court to squeeze every last cent out of those who hurt them. More and more violent crimes are committed each year. We need a strong dose of biblical truth to cure these attitudes. The biblical solution is gentleness. The world might interpret gentleness or meekness as cowardice, timidity, or lack of strength. But the Bible describes it as not being vengeful, bitter, or unforgiving. It is a quiet, willing submission to God and others without the rebellious, vengeful self–assertion that characterizes human nature. The Greek word translated “gentleness” was used to speak of a soothing medicine. It was used of a light, cool breeze and of a colt that had been broken and tamed, whose energy could be channeled for useful purposes. It also describes one who is tenderhearted, pleasant, and mild. Gentleness is not wimpiness though. It is power under control. The circus lion has the same strength as a lion running free in Africa, but it has been tamed. All its energy is under the control of its master. In the same way, the lion residing in the gentle person no longer seeks its own prey or its own ends; it is submissive to its Master. That lion has not been destroyed, just tempered. Gentleness is one facet of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23). It is also a key to wisdom. James asks, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” (3:13). Verse 17 says, “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” Even if gentleness is not valued in our society, it is crucial to our godliness. Seek it diligently and prayerfully.

Lamentations 3:22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Who holds to this great hope?