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Loving your spouse is a given in marriage, right? We say we love our spouse. We believe our spouse loves us. But how does that love manifest itself in the day-to-day? What does it look like for love to become more than just a word and more of an action?
A number of years ago, a Facebook friend shared an article that suggested some things to help a wife love husband. The original post was from 2018 and titled, "20 things you should be doing for hubby on a regular basis" written by, Becky Squire. The article has since been removed but the idea still lingers.
I read the list of 20 items and I have to say, as a husband, yeah, these things would be great. A number of the items on the list I totally agree with. I think that practicing many of them would lead to a stronger relationship, and perhaps a deeper intimacy. But as I thought more about the list, my thoughts turned from their focus on the list and more to the thought that both husbands and wives need to be reminded that love is more than an expression of words, but also an expression of actions.
This is true of everyone, including my marriage. It is so easy for us to forget to do the simple things that show our spouses love. We get so caught up in the calendar and schedules, the needs of the kids, the things for work and career, issues at church and within ministry, projects and chores around the house...the list goes on and on. And as it goes on and on and on, we focus less and less on the one that mean and needs the most to us and from us.
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Fall is officially here! Outside temperatures are all ready dropping. We even have leaves changing colors and falling around our house. It's awesome! And with the cooler temperatures, there are so many of things to do before the cold winds of winter blow.
Summer 2023, was unexpectedly busy. Summer camps, ministry opportunities, work, and various road trips kept us moving. We used summer to take advantage of our time to explore and have fun together. But with labor Day weekend camp the question, "Where did the summer go?" So as we consider the calendar and the 2023-2024 school year, our goal is simple, plan a balanced calendar with time for ministry, work, sports, school, AND family. Having raised 5 kids and served in full time ministry for almost 30 years, we know how quickly your family calendar can become overloaded and exhausting. The remedy, however, for this situation is simple; Own Your Calendar, Before Your Calendar Owns You!
It's a little easier said than done. But, it's something that can significantly impact your family. Early in ministry I heard stories from pastors, who learned the hard way, the dangers that come from not protecting family time. They shared how they over scheduled their calendars with ministry activities and events. Thinking they were doing good for the sake of ministry, yet learning that their families were suffering. We determined to not follow in their shoes, but instead, we would work together to make sure we were putting family first.
For the most part, our family has come first. We learned the Seasons of Ministry. What are the seasons of ministry? The more we worked within the church, the more we saw that there were seasons of ministry; times in the church calendar that were either busier or slower than other seasons. For instance, Christmas is a busier season in the life of the church. As Christmas approached, the church calendar would ramp up with activity, culminating in multiple Christmas Eve services then finally Christmas Day. As a member on staff, we knew that Jay's time leading into the holiday would become busier. Then Christmas would arrive, and in most church settings we've been a part of, the calendar would slow down a quite a bit in the days that followed. Christmas was a Season of Ministry.
But here's the thing, owning your calendar isn't just for families who's parents are in ministry. The principle works for all families. Whether you're in full-time ministry, or full-time work, guarding your family time is something we all should be protecting.
We have five kids. three are adults and two are in high school. They really do grow up, too fast! We are constantly saying, "Where did all the time go?" Now more than ever, we want to be spending time with our kids before they are all grown up and gone.
Let us give you a few tips for protecting your family time.
1. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
Communication is so important for the health of the family. Being able to talk about what's happening in and around the family is crucial. Whether you're setting aside time to meet and talk after dinner, or grabbing coffee together on a Saturday morning, learn to communicate what's happening within the family. Communicating the events of family members with help you plan a calendar that works.
2. Keep a Family Calendar.
Whether it's one of those oversized desk calendars that you hang on the kitchen wall, or refrigerator calendars with the pictures of cats or waterfalls, get into the practice of keeping a family calendar. For a long time, we kept a paper calendar. Amy even had one of those little calendars that most mom's kept in their purses. Today, our family calendar is digital. Since our kids all have cell phones, we keep our family calendar digitally. It's easy to keep, and everyone is notified of additions or changes.
3. Do Your Homework.
We have a lot of things happening in our lives. School. Jobs. Church. Family. Sports. When we sit down to plan out our calendar, we do our best to bring as much information as possible to our meeting. We need to know when the kids have school, and when the don't. We need to know when the kids are working and when they're not. We need to know when their sports play and when they don't. So before we start planning, we dig up as many currents as we can. Then we do our best to fill everything in so we can see what life looks like with a full calendar.
4. Learn to Say No.
This is a tough lesson, but it's okay to say, No. To say no to coaches, teachers, employers, even your kids. One of the big ways we lose ownership of our calendars is because we don't know how to say, No. Saying No, actually helps to guard your family time. Don't be afraid to say, No.
5. Stick With It.
Learning to communicate, keep a calendar, do your homework, and say No, isn't easy. It's going to take a little time to navigate this process, especially if you are starting from scratch. But stick with it. Don't give up when you're frustrated or when it gets a little tricky trying to fit everything into your calendar. Stick with it. The more you work on it, the easier it gets.
This year, we're looking forward to having a year where we can enjoy time and fun with our family. We have set aside a number of weekends to go out and explore some of the amazing locations near where we live, and we've reserved a couple weekends to stay home and rest.
What do you do to guard your family time? We'd love to hear what practices you have for balancing your calendars? Do you use a paper calendar or a digital calendar? Are you using an app to help you manage your family calendar, or do you just use your computer/cell phone calendar? How often to you get together to go over or plan your calendar? Share your comments below! - the higham family
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The weather is getting cooler. The leaves are changing colors, some are even falling.
Kids are back in school. And football is on TV. Fall is here! We are so excited to share Jay's new children's book, Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins. is a fun little book that celebrates all the different shapes, sizes, and colors of pumpkins. Easy to read. Great for young readers. Get an autographed copy
If you would like an autographed copy of Pumpkins. Pumpkins. Pumpkins. we will have a limited number of copies available. We will make an announcement through our social media!
Check out a few other titles
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As we move forward, I want to spend a few more minutes thinking about what the Bible has to say to parents about discipline. In the introduction of this series, the second thought that I shared was the realization that the Bible needs to be the source for discipline. That if we as parents hope to discipline our children in a godly way, we must look towards the Bible as our first source of Truth and Godly wisdom. I say first, because I think there are a number of great books written by godly men and women, to and for parents to help us discipline well. Many of these books draw in biblical principles and present them as techniques to help you be a better parent. I have read and am reading books such as these and they have been helpful. But what I want to reinforce for us as parents is that to rely on just these books and never really opening up the Bible to read and learn God's word first hand is dangerous. I do not discredit the intention or the effectiveness of these books. Many are great books. But parents, you MUST be in the word of God daily; reading, studying, and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you the vital truths that come from God.
So the first question is this, Why? Why is the Bible the best source for disciplining your children?
The Apostle Paul writes to the young pastor Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17 esv)
Discipline begins with teaching. If we're not teaching God's Word, what are we teaching?
As always, thanks for reading! If you liked this post or have found it to be helpful, be like it below and share it with your friends! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and our new Youtube channel that's now live! - jay and amy
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Discipline begins with instruction.
That was lesson one. To properly carry out the work of disciplining our children we must first become their teachers. As God taught Adam in the garden concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we too must instruct our children. I think one of the hardest things to do as a parent is to discipline your child. As a parent, I really don't like putting restrictions or punishment on the kids. But carrying out the discipline to it's fullest extent is super important. That means that whether you like it or not, discipline must include consequences.
Let's consider once again, our passage from Genesis 2:16 & 17.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:16-17 esv) Notice what God does here. First God gives the man the teaching, 'do eat from this particular tree.' Then he follows up with the consequence, '...for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.' (Harsh, right?) As we talk to our kids, one of the things I always come back to is the fact that everything we do comes with a consequence. If we do right, there are good consequences. If we do wrong, there are bad consequences. I think of what God says to Cain in Genesis 4:7, "7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” (Gen. 4:7 esv) When I read this, I see God counseling Cain to consider his actions and what he is about to do. Here's a scenario. Child 'A' walks past Child 'B'. Child 'B' thinks he'll be funny and put his foot out to trip Child 'A'. After falling on his face, Child 'A' doesn't think it was so funny. Child 'A' then chooses to retaliate. Now child 'B' is crying, and both come running to you for justice.
You see, God always follows through with his children. As he teaches us the expectations he has for us, there is always the warning of what will happen if and when we disobey. And while there is always forgiveness, there is still the realities of our consequences.
As parents, we must think about discipline as both a BEFORE and an AFTER process. Before means we are teaching our kids what we expect and what will happen if there is disobedience. After means that we follow up with the said consequences. And while it may pain us to see our kids dealing with the consequences, we have to remember that they chose to be disobedient. Hopefully you consistency in loving them and being firm in your discipline will help to direct them into future obedience.
We'll talk more about Discipline and the Bible in our next post.
In the meantime, thanks for reading! If you liked this post or have found it to be helpful, be like it below and share it with your friends! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and our new Youtube channel that's now live! If you missed the earlier 2 posts, you can find them by clicking on the links below! Discipline and the Bible - Part 1 & Discipline and the Bible- Part 2. - jay and amy
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Questions for parents.
What does discipline look like in your home? Is it strategic or random? Do you have a plan in place for when infractions occur? Something like, 'If you do that, this will happen.' Or do you just deal with it in the moment? Something like, 'Well now you're grounded!' As I look at the Bible, I think there is process to the work of discipline. Let me share.
It starts in Genesis 2, as we read the account of man being created and placed into the Garden of Eden. Eden becomes a picture of God's rest, or of heaven; a place of perfect delight. In this garden God does something pretty amazing. In the center of the garden God plants 2 trees. The first is the Tree of Life. The second, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Surrounding these trees, all the splendor and delight of the garden. Man is then told that he is to work and keep the garden.
But in verses 16 and 17, of chapter 2, God says this... "16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17 ESV) I think this is the beginning of discipline. If Discipline begins as a practice of teaching or instruction, we can say that this was God teaching or instructing the man. God gives the man clear boundaries, or rules for the garden. We could say that this was the expectations that God establishes for mans behavior while in the garden. Man was instructed that he was free to enjoy the fruit from every tree in the garden except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Man knew God's requirements.
As you think about your process of discipline, ask yourself, 'Am I disciplining my children based on what I am teaching them or how they are living without my instruction?'
Maybe sit down with your spouse and begin talking about what you are teaching your kids. Are you applying instruction to their hearts in a way that reveals your expectations, or are you reacting to the infraction that you know to be wrong but didn't first taught as a boundary? Be sure to join us again tomorrow as we look at what comes out of our instruction and the choice that every one of has to make. In the meantime, thanks for reading! If you liked this post or have found it to be helpful, be like it below and share it with your friends! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and our new Youtube channel! - jay and amy
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Raising kids is serious business. As parents, none of us should take the responsibility of rearing kids lightly. Much is riding on the shoulders of moms and dads in terms of expectations, accountability, and even judgement. So to consider something as serious a discipline, we need to be well versed in what disciple is and how to properly apply it.
I've been thinking about this a lot, lately; and having just preached a 4 week series on the first 4 chapters of Genesis, I am all the more aware of the importance of good discipline and proper application. So what I would like to do is begin a discussion about what disciple might/should look like in the home. My hope is that you, our wonderful readers and followers might share in the discussion by offering your thoughts, stories, and lessons learned in the comment section below. To get us started, let me first lay out 3 things that I think are most important to our conversation. As we go forward, I will break these thoughts down and share some examples, stories, and application. But for now, let's just consider these as very broad ideas. What is discipline?
I think for most of us, if we were to define discipline, we might say something like, "Discipline is what is handed out following an act of wrong doing." In other words, the child acts out in an improper way and is thus disciplined. The problem with that thought is that leave discipline as the response to ill behavior, when really, discipline is a process that should begin before the action is ever carried out. To full understand this, let's consider how discipline is defined. To do this, let's look at how this word is defined by Hebrew and Greek, the two languages that we get our Bible from.
Without getting into the nitty-gritty here, we can say that both, Greek and Hebrew, present the idea of discipline as the act of instruction or teaching. That means that one part of our discipline as parents is to be teachers first. We are to instruct our children in matters of behavior, right and wrong, and what is expected of them as members of the family and members of society. This instruction I believe is to be applied early in the life of the child and as an on-going practice of training the child. As he or she grows, the instruction increases thus expanding their learning base and hopeful the lessons learned. But discipline is also defined as the corrective action that is applied to remind and reinforce the first principle of discipline. You see, for me, discipline is the process of parents teaching and instructing their children with the rules or expectations that are being passed down while maintaining a corrective position when the rules or expectations are broken. It's a before and after, not just an after. I'll give an example of this idea a little later. the bible is the resource for all Discipline
When it comes to discipline, parents, we are to use the Bible as the source for all instruction and correction! More than just on Sunday, we are to be teaching our kids the things written in God's Word on a daily basis. We are to use the every day experiences to reinforce God's truths. And when corrective action is required, the Bible should still be used to teach and apply the corrective effort.
Pray before, during and after
When the kids were younger, the matters of discipline were simpler. Infractions were, well, minor. But what I always appreciated was how Amy would pray with the kiddos when she was dealing with them. Fast forward to today and we're now raising teenagers. Suddenly the infractions are not as minor as they once were. Influences such as friends, culture, media, and their own sinful nature are now pushing the envelope and we're dealing with much weightier matters. One of the things I am learning is that as parents we must take serious the need to pray over our children in all matters of life. When the time arrives to sit down and apply discipline, prayer must be part of the endeavor. Pray before the confrontation. Quietly pray in the spirit while you are talking. End your time together in prayer. But then, take it one step further and continue praying for your child as they work through the discipline and consequences that follow.
As we unpack these thoughts this week, I want to encourage you to join us in this discussion. Share your thoughts about discipline in light of God's word. We would love hear story of how you handled matters of discipline with your kids. For those of you who are now enjoying the bliss of being grandparents, your experience can be most helpful, so please take some time to share.
And of course, please feel free to ask your questions. Where you are now in raising your children might be the same place someone else was in 5, 10 or 15 years ago. Perhaps their experience could offer you some hope and guidance. - jay and amy
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That's a great question. When was the last time you laughed with your family? I don't mean chuckled over something funny that happen at some point during the day. I mean, you laughed! From the gut, teary-eyed, can't catch your breath, and now your making funny snorting sounds laughed!!
As I regularly evaluate my role in our family as husband and father, I am always asking the question, "What memories are we making as a family?" I think of that because too often, I find that we spend more time as parents correcting, disciplining, saying no, and arguing with our teens and pre-teen kids. Life is super crazy, and keeping the schedules intact and everyone where they need to be is a big deal sometimes. Add to that, all the craziness of life at home; the chores, responsibilities, homework, and personality issues, and you'll find that your plate is over flowing with challenge. But what I am learning is that in those moments of challenge, we as husbands and fathers, have a decision to make. Do we allow the overwhelming stresses of life crush the joy in our kids, or can we find the time to celebrate and laugh?
My wife often reminds of Ephesians 6:4. "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
As a father my attitude, my behavior, my speech, my faith, have the opportunity to influence how my kids grow is something that is becoming more and more real. Over the last year, I have seen both of my teenage boys struggle with issues of anger, bitterness, and apathy, and I can't help but wonder, if the stress that I have felt in the last year has been transmitted onto them. I have heard from both my wife and kids, that they have noticed that I have been more short tempered than ever before. And my wife, is often asking, what has me so stressed out? All of this is leading my family to a place of brokenness, and I am no longer willing to allow this to be the case.
I think Ephesians is one of those verses that is sometimes looked at with too narrow a view. My wife likes to remind me of the, "do not exasperate your children," after I've had to deal with an issue that got out of hand. (That's a nice way of saying, I lost control and ended up yelling at one of my kids.) But I think it's more than that. I don't think the verse is simply an instruction to not yell out our kids, or deal harshly with them. I think we need to consider the second part of Paul's instruction, the, "bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
I titled this blog, When Was the Last Time You Laughed With Your Family, not so much to encourage more laughter in your home, but to encourage you as a husband and father to think about what you're intentionality in creating moments that become treasures in your families database.
Over the last couple of weeks, by God's grace, we have had more moments of laughter. It feels good. It makes us feel closer. And as a father, I want that. I want to see my kids laughing, and I want my kids to see me laugh. I want my kids to see, both, me and my wife laugh. So as I think about those moments, I want to be intentional about allowing myself to let go of the stresses of life and being in the moments of joy with my kids.
Take time in the days ahead to laugh with your family. Sit at the dinner table a little longer. Listen as they tell you about their day. Ask, What was the funniest thing that happened today at school? And laugh with them. Enjoy your family and the moments that become those memories. By learning how to laugh with your family, you take another step in becoming a good husband. - jay
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We really like to travel. Jay and Amy have been to Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Florida for student ministry conventions. As a family we have visited California, Maryland, New York, Florida, Georgia, Delaware, South Carolina, and New Jersey for vacations or to visit family or friends. And some of us have visited Virginia, Rhode Island and Kentucky for Mission Trips and summer camps.
When we were young, Jay and Amy, visited Germany, Puerto Rico, and Amy has been to Jamaica; all to serve in short-term mission trips. It's not a lot of traveling, and most of it was connected with work or serving opportunities, but there has been a good amount of travel for vacations and family fun.
When the kids were younger, traveling was limited to vacations and work related trips. Exploring new places of interest wasn't in our budget or our timeline. But as our kids get older and move out to begin their own lives, we are discovering the opportunity to travel and explore new areas.
This past weekend, Jay, Amy and Breya, traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to attend the wedding of a close friends son. We have been friends with this family since before Amy and Jay were married. And even though there are hundreds of miles between us, we have done our best to stay connected. The wedding was beautiful. The service, the reception, the time to visit and fellowship with friends was great. We really enjoyed our time. But we did a little more than simply attend a wedding. I mean, if you are going to go as far a Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a wedding, you better take advantage of your time in a different state to explore. And that's what we did.
So what did we do in Grand Rapids? Well, not much. We learned that Michigan has something like 300 miles of beaches and costal attractions. So...we decided we wanted to see the beach.
As we looked for a beach-front area to explore, some folks suggested we visit Grand Haven, Michigan. When we looked it up, we learned that Grand Haven, was about 40 minutes from where we were staying in Grand Rapids. So Grand Haven it was. And it was totally worth it!
Grand Haven is absolutely beautiful. From the downtown shopping district with shops and eateries, to the beach-front state park, the whole area had this costal vibe to it. And we picked the perfect weekend to visit. Not only was it Father's Day weekend, but the town was full of visitors shopping at the farmers market, the downtown shops, and various crafters and vendors. And the state park; well that was packed with campers, beach goers, boats, fishermen, and volleyball players. Yes, there was a huge volleyball tournament. It was great.
Our time in Grand Haven was limited, so we weren't able to explore everything, but we did our best to tour the beach and the downtown. No doubt we will attempt to visit again and spend additional time shopping and enjoying the beach and waterfront.
We took along the camera and did our best to capture some of the fun while in Michigan. You can watch the first two vlog episodes of our trip on our YouTube channel, Life in the Higham house.
But not only did we visit Grand Haven on Saturday, but we also spent the better part of the Sunday visiting the world's largest Christmas store in the world, Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland! Bronner's is located in Frankenmuth, another incredible little town in Michigan. Bronner's boasts 7 acres of Christmas shopping on 26 acres of decorated property. We spent over 2 hours in the store, it was awesome. The vlog of our time in Frankenruth and Bronner's goes live today, so be sure to click the links below to watch.
All things said, we were a bit surprised by just how beautiful Grand Haven and Frankenmuth were. Not that we thought Michigan wouldn't be, we just weren't expecting it. It was a trip that has definitely sparked a deeper desire to travel and see more places. Amy and Jay are planning to do more traveling and more vlogging about where we visit and explore, so watch for more travel vlog coming later this summer.
- the higham family watch our Michigan vlogs
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As parents, our greatest hope for our kids is that they know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Not just knowing about him, but having a personal relationship with him and living their lives to honor him.
And, as young parents, we had great plans of family devotions, Sunday schools and Kid Ministries, toys, books, and movies, and special moments where we would open the scriptures and pass down spiritual wisdom and Biblical literacy. As someone who worked for a church, we were going to make sure our kids had the tools, resources, and know how, making them young Bible scholars. As I said, we had plans. And for years, we strived to raise our kids with that plan in mind. I remember Amy reading Bible storybooks to the kids as part of their bed time routine. We kept CDs of Adventures in Odyssey to listen to and copies of VeggieTales DVDs to watch in the minivan for long road trips. And we attended some amazing churches with wonderful Sunday school and kid ministries that helped to teach the Bible. Yes, we tried to follow the plan.
But while DVDs, CDs, books and Sunday schools are great, there was one area that we were never able to really conquer. In fact if we were honest, we would say that we were really bad at this. Family Devotions. We wrote a blog about it here, Family Devotions. We Suck At Them!
We could never really nail down family devotions. Special seasons in the church calendar, yes. Holidays, yes. But nothing like a daily or weekly time with our kids. And, that's always bothered us. We knew other families who were having regular family devotions. We were hearing through various Christian family ministry leaders the importance of family devotions. We just weren't very good at making them happen for our family.
The book was published in 2020, and includes content from a series of sermons and messages given at The Village Church, while Matt was lead pastor and Adam served as the spiritual formation pastor. Not only have I found sermon series, but also a number stand-alone messages that share the theme of family discipleship.
The book focuses attention on three primary ideas; Time, Moments, and Milestones. These three ideas shape the formation of Family Discipleship. But what I love about this book is how both Matt and Adam, remind parents that while it is our responsibility to teach our kids about God, it is not our job to save them.
Let me say that a little more clearly. As parents, it is our God-given job to tell our kids about God; to introduce them to Jesus Christ through the gospel. Moses gives us that command in Deuteronomy 6:4-8. Parents, we are the ones who have been tasked with the responsibility of teaching our kids about God. But the saving, well, that's God.
Early on we are reminded that salvation comes from and through God. Yes, we are to do the work of leading, teaching, modeling; but it's God who ignites the spark of faith. That faith grows as the Holy Spirit works to take what is being taught and modeled, and uses it to move the young heart towards maturity. I don't know about you, but is a huge relief!
So what is Family Discipleship? Matt and Adam, give a great definition for family discipleship.
Here's what I love about this definition; whatever, whenever. Yep! Whatever! Whenever!
I love it because it's not about a nightly routine at the dinner table where you open the Bible, read scripture, and engage in a 30 minute discussion over what the verses are saying, teaching, or commanding. We tried that. We weren't very good at it. But as young parents, that's what we were hearing. And every time we met another family who bragged about their amazing nightly devotions, we felt like failures.
However, Matt and Adam, level the playing field and make family discipleship something that's actually possible. Time. Moments. Milestones. These make up the framework for family discipleship. But it all begins with how we as parents model our own faith in front of our kids.
What is modeling? Matt and Adam say it this way, "[Modeling is] serving as a godly example for your family, living out your genuine walk with God, and demonstrating true repentance where and when you fall short." (Family Discipleship, page 43. Emphasis mine.)
Again, I love this explanation. Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say that we need to be experts in theology and scripture. We don't have to have a degree or fancy, abbreviated letters following our name. We don't have to have all the answers. We don't have to have it all figured out. We don't have to be perfect. That's good!
Now look at what it does say. We are to serve. We are to set a godly example. We are to live what we say we believe. And when we mess up, cause we're going to mess up, we show what it looks like to confess and ask for forgiveness. In other words, we model what it looks like to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, as we love those around us.
I want to invite you to join us as we share additional thought about family discipleship. Over the next couple of weeks, I want to share some of the resources that are helping me think through what family discipleship looks like for our family and for the families I serve at the church. I want to share links to the messages presented by Matt, Adam, and others who have taken time to explore and teach family discipleship. And I want to share some of the stories, resources, and tools that Amy and I have used over the years.
But most of all, I want to encourage you, parent to parent, to consider joining with me on this journey. And, together, we'll explore and learn what it looks like to lead our homes by doing whatever you can whenever you can to your family become friends and followers of Jesus Christ. - jay |