"Plan A" For Discipling Children

God has a “Plan A” for discipling your children...

In all my years of pastoral ministry, I’ve never heard anyone begin telling their life’s story by recalling a youth retreat or a Sunday School class.  Invariably, it always begins with the type of home they grew up in; their parent(s), the defining moments in the history of their family, and the way their family made them feel about themselves.  For better or worse, our families are the most influential people in our lives.

As a Christian parent, I recognize that I am God’s “Plan A” for discipling my children; and if you're a parent, you're "Plan A" for yours.  There is no church program or ministry that will ever have the impact on my children that I am able and accountable to have.  I’m deeply grateful for the Kid’s Church leaders who plant seeds of God’s goodness in my kids, but I realize that teaching them to know and love Jesus is my responsibility.  There’s no better place for kids to be cared for, nurtured and developed then in their own home, under the guidance of their own parents.

God gives this instruction to parents, particularly fathers, in Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. NLT  It is a father’s responsibility, honor and joy to point his children toward the goodness, guidance and faithfulness of God through our words and deeds.

My hope is that no parent will send their kids off to Kid’s Church or Youth Group and assume that they are building a relationship with Jesus.  Young people will have some good experiences and gain some knowledge in these types of programs, but in the end our kids will likely make spiritual decisions based on the example of their parents. 

As a church leader my aim is to encourage and support parents in leading their kids toward spiritual wholeness and deep confidence in the faithfulness, goodness and grace of God.  I believe that by helping parents know Jesus intimately, the entire family can be strengthened for generations to come. 

Parents, now is the time to dig in.  Wherever your kids are, however old they may be; now is the time to pray like never before, to show them that God is an enduring rock of faithfulness, to teach them His promises through the Bible, to help them engage in Christian community through the church and to remind them that nothing on earth or beyond could ever separate them from the love of God which revealed in Christ.

Parent’s, you can do this.  Go fearlessly into the future because God is for you.

What’s Around The Corner?

 

I admit it, I'm an early adopter...

Have you ever reached a place of uncertainty in your life?  A time when you just weren’t sure what the future would hold for you?  A season of life when you were unsettled because you weren’t sure what was around the corner?

I’ve had seasons of life like that…and I love it!  In 2008, like a lot of other Americans, I was laid off from my job.  Which is sort of weird to think about since I was a staff pastor.  Normally, I think of layoffs happening at tech firms and automobile manufacturers; but they happen in churches too.  Yes, I was concerned about what it would mean for me and the 4 other people who were depending on me for their livelihoods; but mostly, I was excited about “what’s next.”  Obviously a significant change was happening; that was unavoidable.  That’s when I recognized the “change-lover” inside myself.  I couldn’t stop the uncertainty from happening, but I found out that it’s possible to flourish in the middle of it. 

To some, that sounds crazy.  “Why would anyone be excited about not knowing what’s around the corner?” you might wonder.  Well, people like me think of it a different way.  People like me believe there’s one good way to find out what is around the corner…walk around and find out.  This is the natural position that many church-planters and entrepreneurs take. 

The excitement I get when venturing into the unknown is fueled by 2 things that I believe can help anyone tackle the uncertainty of life whether you like change or not. 

1. An assumption that the next season will be a good one.  Call it faith.  Call it optimism.  Call it crazy.  Doesn’t really matter to me.  What I know, is that in every season of uncertainty God has given me everything I’ve needed, when I needed it.  40 years have gone by and here I am, still standing.  Still excited about where I am and where He’ll take me in the future.  As of today, I’ve lived 14,732 days in my life; some better than others.  On every single one of those days, God provided what I needed.  That, my friends, is a reliable pattern.  I no longer have to wonder if God’s got me covered.

2. Confidence that when I run into challenges, God’s given me what I need to face them.  Okay so venturing into the unknown doesn’t always go smoothly.  But, if God is who He says He is, and I am who He says I am; what could I realistically be afraid of?  If I make a wrong move, God makes excellent course-corrections.  Some might ask, “What if it all goes horribly wrong?  What If your plans crash and burn, and you end up back at square one?”  A: I’ll start over under the assumption that the next season will be better than the last.  I’ve learned that in every difficulty, we proceed under the influence of “fear” OR, we proceed under influence of “faith.”  I choose faith.

Friends, the days ahead are going to be even better than the ones behind for us; and when we do run into challenges God will give us what we need to face them.

 “I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!”  -Jesus, recorded in John 16:33 

Don't Exchange Friendship For A Hotdog And A Lawn Chair

I'm just so busy...

Maybe this line will sound familiar: "summertime's just so busy..."  Have you ever noticed that we have a tendency to regurgitate different versions of the same excuse?  Busy summer excuses turn into, "now that fall's here we're just busy trying to get back into a routine."  Or, "let's catch up after the holidays."

As reality would have it, we're all allotted approximately 24 hours in a day and those 24 hours are going to get filled up with something.  It's not that summer is busy, life is busy.  We are all  forced to choose some things and reject others.  When we say "yes" to one thing, we're saying "no" to something else.  The situation is neither good nor bad, it just is.

I'm a pastor and last Sunday I skipped church to run a marathon.  I'm a living example of the fact that we all make time for the things that are important to us.  I doesn't hurt my feelings in the slightest when people say "no" to being at church Sunday morning so they can say "yes" to something that's important to them.  What saddens me is when they choose trinkets, entertainment and even lethargy over Jesus and the family that He's established for them to enjoy.  One Sunday turns into 4 and before you know it, skipping out on time with our church family is the new norm.

My advice: Take the time to enjoy summer.  Be with people you love and do things that rejuvenate you.  In the middle of it, watch out for the pitfall of loosing your connection to your Christian community.  Don't exchange friendship for a hotdog and a lawn chair.  Biblically speaking, every good thing exists for one purpose; to bring glory to Christ.  Being engaged in His family (the church) does that very thing.

"living in community is hard on our schedules.  Living in isolation is hard on our souls."  -Brad House

How Refreshing

I was chatting with a friend on the phone this week.  This particular friends has an unusually demanding occupation and was, at the time, traveling for work.  He said to me, "Sunday morning is my time to get refreshed..."  It made me think about my own attitude toward being at church on Sunday morning.  Do I view it as a time of refreshing?  Do you?  Or is it a duty or a burden or an obligation?  Is there somewhere else you'd rather be?

If it's not a time of refreshing for me there could be a myriad of possible causes.  Maybe the pastor is boring, maybe the music is too loud or too soft, maybe the kid's ministry isn't what I think it should be, etc...  But more than likely the problem is me.  Maybe the reason we've stopped being refreshed at church is because we've lowered the bar of our expectations to the point where we can step over it ourselves there isn't much need for God now.  Good news! All of those problems are easily solvable: Expect more from God!  I promise you, God is not too tired to intervene in your life and completely upgrade your state of being.  Are you anticipating that it will actually happen?

So my questions are simple:  Do you expect to be refreshed by the Holy Spirit this Sunday?  Are you listening for the voice of God?  Do you believe that He has great plans for you this week?  Are you aware that Jesus' death and resurrection can completely change your experience of reality if you'll let it?

Contemplate the grace of God.  Look for His hand at work in your life.  Embrace the opportunity to be a part of the "body of Christ."  The Spirit of God is on the move at all times and He's seeking those who pursue Him.  Allow yourself to be fully captivated by His message and you will see a significant change in the way you experience the world.

A life that is fully captivated but he good news of Jesus is a life well lived.

Epic Failure!

"It happened again.  It happened again."  I've thought that phrase so many times it's ridiculous.  So often Christians look at their behavior and attitudes and can only feel one thing, shame.  Shame because there seems to be a huge gap between what we say we believe and how we actually conduct ourselves.  This is a gap which skeptics and critics are all too happy to point out.  

One of the most freeing moments of my life was when I realized that, without Christ, failure is just failure.  Without redemption, it is a point worthy of shame.  But Jesus makes our failure epic.  Epic because He came and absorbed God's wrath against our failure.  Epic because He knew what a failure I'd be and He payed the price anyway.  Epic because every sin I've committed and the ones I'll commit in the future are already redeemed and wiped away.  

Our failure is epic because, once redeemed by Jesus, it serves as a billboard displaying how good and gracious and loving our God is.  

Don't focus on changing your behavior or having an ultra-spiritual experience.  That motivation is only temporary and it results in disappointment more often than not.  Focus on Jesus and what He's already done for you.  After all, it's His kindness that leads us to Him (Rom 2:4).