[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 120 (Thursday, September 5, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              PASTOR JIM LYON'S--LIFE IN A CHRISTIAN HOME

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DAVID M. McINTOSH

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 5, 1996

  Mr. McINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, on many occasions my wife Ruthie and I 
have worshiped with our special friends at North Anderson Church of 
God.
  On each visit we are lifted up by the sermons of Pastor Jim Lyon, a 
young dynamic minister whom we have grown to know well in the past few 
years.
  His talents and interpretation of Holy Scripture is truly moving.
  I would like to summit Pastor Lyon's 10 inspiring points on Life at 
Home into the Congressional Record for my friends and colleagues.
  The points that Ruthie and I take to heart--ones that all Americans 
should follow.

       In my series of ten messages (beginning May 5), I have 
     attempted to highlight some of the most important 
     characteristics of Life in a Christian Home. We spend more 
     time at home than we do anywhere else; how we experience life 
     at home will determine how we relate to the rest of our 
     world.

                Life at Home Should Be Distinguished by

       1. A commitment to biblical boundaries for the expression 
     of human sexuality. Biblical boundaries for sexual activity 
     are more narrowly drawn than those established by our 
     society; the Bible forbids sexual activity between persons 
     who are not married to each other. All sexual activity (that 
     involves genital contact) between persons outside of marriage 
     is sin and severely compromises your ability to experience 
     God's presence and blessing in your home. A clear and 
     absolute commitment to biblical values in this area will 
     protect your home and enhance every relationship you have.
       2. Forgiveness. Relationships at home can bring great 
     pain--people do not always meet our expectations, sometimes 
     they deliberately injure us, sometimes they hurt us without 
     intending to do so (but the pain is real, nonetheless). Life 
     at Home can never include the Spirit of Christ if 
     unforgiveness is allowed to reside there. We cannot receive 
     God's forgiveness if we are not willing to extend forgiveness 
     to others; we cannot find peace at home, until we choose to 
     forgive at home.
       3. Acceptance. If you do not feel accepted at home, 
     insecurity will undermine all of your relationships 
     everywhere else. To know that you have intrinsic worth apart 
     from how you perform in life, empowers you to love and accept 
     others--and to comprehend the love of God.
       4. Righteous Memory. Intentionally create wonderful, 
     righteous memories for the people in your home, so that when 
     they are faced with difficulties and challenges, they will be 
     able to draw from a reservoir of memories that will bring the 
     Lord to mind and give them hope.
       5. Boundaries. Every home needs boundaries. Establish clear 
     lines of acceptable behavior--and reasonable consequences for 
     living within or outside those lines. Adults must set 
     boundaries and consequences for their children, for 
     themselves, and for each other--and then follow-through with 
     them. Failure to do so is a prescription for disaster.
       6. Husbands who love their wives as Christ loves the 
     Church. In every home established by marriage, there should 
     be a husband who knows how to prove his love to his wife, 
     with passion, intimacy, and commitment. A man should not 
     expect to enjoy the privileges of marriage without first 
     assuming its responsibilities: loving, giving, protecting, 
     and honoring his wife.
       7. Speaking the truth in love. Life at Home should be 
     grounded in honest, straightforward, and loving conversation. 
     Don't pout, use sarcasm, accuse, or avoid difficult issues. 
     Recognize that truth may have more than one perspective and 
     that all communication must be predicated with love.
       8. The way parents are honored. Honoring our parents (even 
     when they are troublesome) is a commandment of God--the first 
     with a promise. Respect for authority is a key to 
     establishing healthy relationships throughout life; respect 
     for our parent is the first step in developing respect for 
     others. Search for the good in your parents, and honor them 
     for it. Sometimes parents need to be confronted with the 
     truth of their shortcomings--that honors them, too. Making 
     peace with our parents opens the door for whole relationships 
     at home and elsewhere.
       9. Biblically-based money management. Don't hoard. Develop 
     a budget. Give God the first 10% of your gross income. 
     Measure your financial priorities by God's Word. Take control 
     of your finances for God, or they will control you--reducing 
     you to servitude.
       10. Healthy diversity and understanding of God's gender 
     design. God created two kinds of people in this world: male 
     and female. Recognize and celebrate the different ways each 
     gender perceives the world and each other; do not allow that 
     diversity to compromise harmony and peace in your Life at 
     Home. Use it instead to make Life at Home more interesting.
       There are, of course, other elements that should 
     characterize Life at Home for Christians. But these are 
     beginning points. Once I have mastered these, I will be in a 
     position to suggest some others.
       All of these ideas, however, are contingent upon the 
     Lordship of Christ in your personal life. If you have not 
     been transformed by the Holy Spirit (in process Jesus 
     described as being born again), the application of these 
     principles cannot be maximized. Start with a commitment to 
     Christ. Give yourself--and your home--to His control. Then, 
     pursue the ten distinguishing marks above--and Life at Home 
     will never be the same; you will find that it has never been 
     better.

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