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    energize your family's spiritual life
jim burns
I have a sentence on the wall in my office that says, “The purpose of
the church is to mentor parents; parents mentor their children and the
legacy of faith continues to the next generation.” One of the most important
roles you have on planet Earth is to energize your family's spiritual
life. Not too long ago, my daughter Rebecca was praying with Cathy and
I and she said, “Dear Daddy, I mean dear God…” Cathy leaned over
to me and said “Her God looks like a baldheaded, nerdy guy. In other
words, her concept of God looks quite a bit like you.” Contrary
to what some of us in youth ministry used to think, parents and grandparents
set the pace when it comes to leading kids in faith. They don't have
to be perfect, but they do need to try and be authentic. Here is a quick
quiz: What scripture is the most often quoted scripture in the
Bible? John 3:16? Psalm 23? Nope. It's Deuteronomy 6:4-9
(I mentioned this once in a previous article on family based youth ministry).
Here
it is: “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. The commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols
on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes
of your houses and on your gates.”
It's called the “Shema” in Hebrew,
and every morning and every night in a Jewish home it is quoted. When
Jesus was asked what the most important commandment is, he went directly
to a part of the Shema. It would have been one of the first scriptures
he memorized as a child. The Shema is a cry for fidelity to God. It's
a call for putting God first. And we are instructed as parents and grandparents
to impress this on our children. Make it a natural part of our homes
and way of life.
Our calling is clear: It's our job as youth workers to encourage
parents to leave a spiritual legacy with their children. A church's
children's ministry and youth ministry is there to assist parents, but
it's their job to constantly place spiritual deposits into the life of
their children. When you proactively do this, Proverbs 22:6 becomes a
wonderful promise to hold on to. “Train up a child in the way
they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.” That's
good news for authentic parents who proactively bring Christ into their
family's everyday life.
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/community-articles-jim-s-thoughts.html
jim burns
I have a sentence on the wall in my office that says, “The purpose of
the church is to mentor parents; parents mentor their children and the
legacy of faith continues to the next generation.” One of the most important
roles you have on planet Earth is to energize your family's spiritual
life. Not too long ago, my daughter Rebecca was praying with Cathy and
I and she said, “Dear Daddy, I mean dear God…” Cathy leaned over
to me and said “Her God looks like a baldheaded, nerdy guy. In other
words, her concept of God looks quite a bit like you.” Contrary
to what some of us in youth ministry used to think, parents and grandparents
set the pace when it comes to leading kids in faith. They don't have
to be perfect, but they do need to try and be authentic. Here is a quick
quiz: What scripture is the most often quoted scripture in the
Bible? John 3:16? Psalm 23? Nope. It's Deuteronomy 6:4-9
(I mentioned this once in a previous article on family based youth ministry).
Here
it is: “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength. The commandments that I give you today are to be upon your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols
on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes
of your houses and on your gates.”
It's called the “Shema” in Hebrew,
and every morning and every night in a Jewish home it is quoted. When
Jesus was asked what the most important commandment is, he went directly
to a part of the Shema. It would have been one of the first scriptures
he memorized as a child. The Shema is a cry for fidelity to God. It's
a call for putting God first. And we are instructed as parents and grandparents
to impress this on our children. Make it a natural part of our homes
and way of life.
Our calling is clear: It's our job as youth workers to encourage
parents to leave a spiritual legacy with their children. A church's
children's ministry and youth ministry is there to assist parents, but
it's their job to constantly place spiritual deposits into the life of
their children. When you proactively do this, Proverbs 22:6 becomes a
wonderful promise to hold on to. “Train up a child in the way
they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it.” That's
good news for authentic parents who proactively bring Christ into their
family's everyday life. |
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