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My husband and I want to lead our children to love God’s Word. We want our girls (ages 4 1/2 months, 3yrs and 6 1/2 yrs) to love it, understand it, apply it, memorize it, speak it out loud with confidence, and run to it to find answers to their questions. We’re right in the middle of the high demands of parenting young ones, but this is an area that is going pretty well. Believe me, we’re not perfect, so as you read on, keep in mind that we do this to the best of our ability- and our little angels are, well,  not always angelic. But they DO love their Bibles. Read the rest of this entry »

In early August I attended the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries conference in Phoenix, AZ. I came away encouraged that there seemed to be the genesis of an awakening. More people appear to be aware of the need to help parents take responsibility for the discipling of their children. As I reflected on the things I had learned and the people I met, I realized that I met just a few Sr Pastors and fewer children’s pastors at the conference. The people who could be the most influential had other things to do.

About twenty weekends a year I do a parenting seminar in local churches. The same thing happens at every meeting; about 5%-10% of the parents in the church attend. Invariably those who attended have the same comment, “I sure wish all of our parents had been here. Do you have a  CD or DVD with this information?” And then, the person who worked diligently to encourage the parents to attend apologies for the small number of parents who made the meeting a priority. I can’t help but wonder if the parents in our churches see the spiritual nurturing of their children of any long-term value. Read the rest of this entry »

Suppose you attended an open house at your child’s school and the principal told everyone that the drop-out rate was running at 75%. Would you be alarmed? Would you try to get your child into another school? Would you home-school? What if you discovered that the drop-out rate in every school was 75-88%? You might decide that it was time to get involved and demand some major changes.

The drop-out rate for our kids attending church is 75-88% by the end of their first semester of college. That should scare us into getting involved and demanding major changes. Yet, at least twenty times a year I conduct a three hour parenting seminar and about 10% of the parents in the church attend. My most recent experience was with a children’s pastor who told me he sent out over 100 invitations and about fifteen parents showed up. He was disappointed, but didn’t know what to do. Read the rest of this entry »

You have GOT to listen to this message!

Voddie Baucham is one of the most passionate advocates for children and families in America today. He is one of the preaching elders at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, TX. His vision and commitment make him one of the most sought-after Bible teachers of his generation.

This message, “Centrality of the Home,” is compelling, inspiring and challenging. Don’t pass up this opportunity to hear his message that will have you jumping out of your chair and shouting hallelujah.

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Two weeks ago I conducted a DiscipleLand Academy in the Seattle area. The pastor was very gracious and invited me to preach in the morning services. When I went to the platform for the second service I noticed a family, probably from Pakistan, with three young, well behaved children sitting in the front row. I reminded everyone that the morning message was an introduction to the afternoon parent seminar titled “Equipping Parents to be the Spiritual Leaders in the Home.” My scripture passages that morning were verses from Deuteronomy: 4 & 6 and Ephesians 6:1-4. The main point of the message was that God’s plan for family gives dads the primary responsibility to be the spiritual leaders for their children.

The family joined us for lunch, took their children to child care and came into the  parenting seminar. As I talked about the various activities parents can use to help their children become disciples, I noticed the dad listening intently. At the end of the day the children’s pastor came to close the meeting and this dad raised his hand and asked if he could say something. He said “I’m a visitor today. We were part of a local church for eight years, but have not been in church since last June. This morning I told my family to get ready to go to church. Their response was ‘why?’ I told them we need to go.” He then said

I wasn’t sure where to go and I turned into the driveway of this church. It was God’s plan and I want you to know that my life and my family will never be the same. I can’t thank you enough for what you have given me today.

Yes, there are dads listening to God and He is communicating with them. Thank God for an obedient dad who listened and followed His leading.

This is part 7 in a 12 part Series on D.I.S.C.I.P.L.E.S.H.I.P. – Twelve Tips to help you become a more effective discipler of children.

There isn’t a discipler who wouldn’t say they love their students and what more than anything for them to feel loved and KNOW that they are loved, unconditionally, just as they are. But what does it truly mean to show unconditional love? And how do you show love like this?

It starts by understanding how God loves us.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:6-8

Think about it – God did not wait for you to get your act together, to start being good, until you started being religious, to save you. You save you while you were a mess and completely undeserving of his attention, let along his mercy and grace. He loved you when you were unlovable. And he STILL LOVES YOU no matter what. Years ago I saw a T-shirt my friend Steve Greer was selling at CPC. They said:

NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, GOD LOVES YOU.

I still have my t-shirt (I think that was around 1995 when I got it!) and every time I put it on it makes me smile. Whew. God loves ME, of all people. Pretty amazing stuff. OK, so God loves me, after you get over your shock, you might ask, but what’s that have to do with your disciples?

EVERYTHING.

Just as you disappoint the Lord regularly (I was being nice by not saying every day!) so your students, or disciples, will disappoint you. They will leave church. They will take up smoking. They will get pregnant. They will get into witchcraft. They will be victims of this sinful world. They will shock you, disappoint you and at time break your heart. Many others, perhaps even most, will escape much of this in large part BECAUSE you discipled them. But there will be some who disappoint you. And when they do, all you need to do to keep loving them, believing in them, and investing in them…. is to look in the mirror.

If God hasn’t given up on you, there is no reason to give up on those you are discipling. And if you think you’re pretty good – you may have a rude awakening coming your way. We all will fail the Lord in a wide variety of ways. But the good news is, HE will never cast you off. Friends may. Christians will. But the God who laid there unflinching when the nails were pounded in, will never give up on you!

DISCIPLESHIP IS NOT ABOUT MAKING PERFECT KIDS, IT IS ABOUT INTRODUCING THEM TO A PERFECT LOVE THAT WILL NOT FAIL THEM.

In fact, many kids will never truly believe in the Goodness of God until after they have failed and experienced grace and forgiveness and unconditional love. From you.

So teach them doctrine. Have them memorize Scripture. Help them understand the Bible and navigate it with confidence. Show them how to live a godly life. But above all else, let them know that you love them and that there is NOTHING they can do to damage that love. Friendship, perhaps. Trust, certainly. But love? Never.

If you are serious about discipling kids, your love WILL be put to the test. But I figure, I test God’s love every day, and He always passes with flying colors. So I will do the same with those who disappoint me, hurt me, or fall short of what I hope or expect of them. I will forgive and love and let God do His work in His time.

Just as He is doing with me.

The David C. Cook Landmark Study asked children’s leaders what the top challenges are for children in grades 3,4 and 5.  Peer pressure (56%) topped the list, followed by their need to develop friends (45%) and surprisingly dealing with self-image, how others see them (35%).  Children fear failure, even as young as 6.  They worry about not achieving what their parents and teachers expect.  They are also biblically illiterate.

Teachers gave only 7% of their upper elementary children the grade of ‘A’ in Bible knowledge; ‘B’ (47%); ‘C’ (38%); ‘D’ (7%); ‘F’ (1%).  Many do not live in what was once considered a traditional household.  Some have no active male role model in their homes, and VBS week may be the only time they get to interact with men who are father and grandfather-ages.  Some live in skipped-generation households, homes headed by grandparents raising children’s children. (Christian retailing 11/10/08)

This is from the DiscipleDispatch. Subscribe today!

Last month I was in Fresno, CA where I did a DL academy. The church asked me to speak in the morning services on “Satan’s Seductions” and follow-up with the parents Sunday afternoon and Monday evening. We had a great response from the parents who were very interested in understanding the culture their kids are living in today. One point I made was the fact that many of today’s church kids have never personalized their God. He is still the God of their parents and their church. We discussed the mass exodus we are experiencing from the church by our pre-teens and teens and how Satan has seduced them into a world that opposes everything we believe as committed Christians.

Within 24 hours of our meetings I received email messages from three families. One mom said that when she went home Monday night her young teen daughter informed her that she no longer believed in God. She was very grateful that she had attended the meetings and had something to say to her daughter. The other families confirmed the things I had presented and told me the sad stories of their own battles with evil in their homes.

Under the noses of parents and pastors is another world that has one objective . . . seducing our kids and destroying Christian families. Last week I read a stat from the Association of Family and Marriage Ministry that in 2006 there were 42,000,000 porn pages available to our kids on the internet and 25% of all search engine requests are for porn. The largest group of viewers of internet porn are children between 12 and 17 years old. As Christian parents and leaders in the church we have a giant to slay who is taunting us at every turn. We can’t give up, we must keep fighting for the hearts, minds and souls of our kids.

Kids are on the Internet. Whether we like it or not, the Internet today is not something kids are fascinated with, it is simply a part of their life. It’s not “new” to them, it is just their world. Being online is normal for them. In fact, if you aren’t online, they may almost wonder what’s wrong with you. While we can decry the dangers of the Internet (as we should!) and provide advice on use and filters (and we should!) one of the best ways to address the problem is not to only fight it, but redeem it.

The Internet provides incredible opportunity to connect with kids during the week and in the home. And DiscipleLand has jumped on this opportunity and added a FREE service for DiscipleLand teachers to connect with their students and for parents to invest computer time into more spiritual beneficial activities.

It’s called DISCIPLEZONE.com

It’s a place for kids to continue learning after church, for parents to connect with their child’s teacher and for teacher’s to have a way to greet their kids during the week an extend the learning process.

And it’s all free!

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY IT?

Go to DiscipleZone.com (link opens in a separate window) and click on the KIDS button. Next you will see a fun control panel. This is where kids enter the key code found on the student take-home paper (highlighted by their teacher). It’s a simple code–the first dial is the curriculum level, 1-6. (enter 2 for example) Next is the quarter letter, A = Fall; B = Winter; C = Spring; D = Summer. (go ahead, enter B) The last dial is the lesson number. (for an example, choose any number.)

You will then be asked if you have a Class Code. Here is a trial code you can use: Enter TRTRT

You’ll be greeted by a screen with a Bible passage or story and a collection of buttons the kids can choose from.

Here is an overview of the elements offered to kids in DiscipleZone.

Every element of DiscipleZone contributes to the discipleship process:

The printed Disciple Guides offer 24 “how-to” skills for victorious Christian living . To see an overview of the DiscipleSkill development plan, click here

Children memorize Bible verses that capture the heart of each lesson. Find the KeyVerse on the printed Disciple Guides for each lesson.

For each Bible lesson, kids and parents enjoy additional pictures, background information discussion questions, and family activities. Encourage parents to read the text together, discuss the questions, and commit to doing the suggested activities as a family.

Children meet a new people group each quarter, expanding their focus to regions around the globe! WorldWatch also offers missionary biographies and missions education segments to be taught by teachers or parents. To see an overview of WorldWatch missions education, click here.

DiscipleLand’s Bible Reading Plan. Kids and parents read through a specific part of the Bible each week, based on their grade level. To see the complete reading plan, click here.

Children encounter classic hymns that have inspired Christians for centuries. For a complete list of hymns studied, click here.

These engaging stories, starring Dee, Cy, Paul, and Chip, reinforce each Bible lesson and will help your kids apply God’s Word to their lives. To learn more about Dee, Cy, and Paul, click here.

LEAVE A NOTE FOR YOUR STUDENTS!

One of the cool features is the ability to leave a note for the kids. Be sure to click on the Yellow Note for a note from ME to YOU! (You’ll never know the message until you check!)

There are so many creative applications to this note feature beyond just a nice greeting to the kids. Use it to:

• Ask a review question that if they bring the answer on a slip of paper, you’ll have a treat for them!
• Provide a “code word” of the week that if they know it, they get to volunteer in class for games etc.
• Let them know about class events and activities.
• Announce who has a birthday this week!
• Tell them to wear a certain color shirt to church on Sunday!
• Ask them to bring props that will go with your lesson.
• BE CREATIVE!

There is enough content for each week for parents and kids to spend 10-15 minutes exploring the topic they learned about in church a little further, as well as learning about missions and some historical hymns, complete with music playing.

DiscipleZone.com equips parents and teachers to use the Internet to build upon the learning that took place at church.

New on DiscipleLand.com – PARENT RESOURCES!

God has given parents the primary responsibility of training their children. Help them learn discipleship techniques for their kids at home using the resources in this new area on DiscipleLand.com. The resources in this Parent Resources area provide ideas and tools to help parents learn discipleship techniques for their children at home.

Check out the helpful articles and tools available for parents!