CREATE A PLAN

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter.”

D. L. Moody

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

— C. S. Lewis

Do your actions as a parent align with his statement?

All believers are called to make disciples ………..

You may think, “My parents didn’t intentionally disciple me and I turned out okay.”

Understood. BUT, is that the way it is supposed to be?

Consider the impact of culture on you. There is an ancient Chinese proverb that may apply: “If you want to know what water is, don’t ask the fish.” This proverb points to our own difficulty understanding the environment around us.

Winston Churchill said, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every barking dog.”

Think about your destination (John 17: 3 - Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent) and the “barking dogs” in your life.

Are you doing the “right” things?

“Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.”

Socrates

“Start with the end in mind …..”

—Stephen Covey

What is your vision for your child?

What do you want your kids to know?

PLEASE don’t rely on the school system or church to properly educate your child

Write down your vision and your SMART goals. Consider the acrostic, “S.M.A.R.T”

S - SPECIFIC

M - MEASURABLE

A - ACHIEVABLE

R - RELEVANT

T - TIME SENSITIVE

If you know the destination, decision making as a parent becomes more clear.

A daily devotional excerpt taken from

Night Lights for Parents

by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

 Your Child ……………… Where is he/she now?

SEVERAL DIAGNOSTIC TEST QUESTIONS:

TEST - 1

HAND YOUR CHILD A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT WRITTEN AT THE TOP. TELL THEM TO TAKE SOME TIME, THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION, AND THEN WRITE OUT A DETAILED RESPONSE..

“What Dad and Mom really want for me is …………….”

If your child only writes about being successful in school, getting into a good college, obtaining a good paying job and enjoying the “good life,” PLEASE consider the messages that they have digested. Your actions (and inactions) in addition to societal influence have constructed a value system and a corresponding Worldview in your child.

Do any of your children’s goals and ambitions center around “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”?

Does your child want to be a servant? (Jesus told his followers that servants are the greatest people in heaven)

If little or nothing is written about the spiritual dimension of their life, there is a problem and we suggest you begin a course correction.

Ask them about their “design life.” A design life is something that Engineers and planners must contemplate. If your child is simply thinking about the next 50 years, ask them about their 500 year design, or 10,000 year design. What can they do with their life that will have the greatest impact on their eternity?

TEST - 2

ASK ABOUT THE CHILD’S TIME IN THE WORD. ARE THEY ROUTINELY READING THE BIBLE?

TEST - 3

ASK ABOUT THE CHILD’S PRAYER LIFE. HOW ARE THEY COMMUNICATING WITH THE LORD?

TEST - 4

CONSIDER HOW YOUR CHILD IS SERVING IN THE LOCAL CHURCH. WHAT IS THEIR LEVEL OF COMMITMENT?

TEST - 5

HOW DO THEY SEEK TO GLORIFY THE LORD?

TEST - 6

DO THEY HAVE A HEART FOR THE LOST? HOW OFTEN DO THEY SHARE THE GOSPEL?

TEST - 7

HOW DO THEY SPEND THE MONEY THEY HAVE?

Use their responses as a conversational tool. Ultimately you want to reach the heart of your child and encourage them to live a life worthy of the gospel.

TEST - 8

WHAT IS THEIR WORLDVIEW?

See Module 7

Luke 2: 52

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Mental

We have a mental / intellectual component to our person that must be cultivated

Physical

We have physical body that grows and matures. We must care for this body to make it most useful for kingdom purposes.

Your children should do the same …..

Spiritual

The spiritual component of our being connects to the Lord. He alone nourishes this portion. Serving others is the exercise.

Social

Relationships with others must be cultivated. Consider concentric circles in this context.

“When good things spiritually harm our kids”

April 20, 2022 by Melissa Edgington

It was Sunday morning, and the baseball team, ranging in age from nine to twelve years, met excitedly in the parking lot so their parents could take enthusiastic photos before caravanning to the tournament. Their car windows were covered in shoe-polished cheers, boasting the kids’ jersey numbers and shouting family excitement about the games before them. Some of the parents who took their place in the line of cars were professing Christians. Some were even pretty involved in the life of their church. But somewhere along the line, their understanding of the place of baseball in their kids’ lives changed. What started out as a once in awhile Sunday game turned into an every weekend, every Sunday commitment. And before long, they began speaking a truth directly to their kids’ hearts: church is a non-essential. And the longer this way of life continues, the more parents will speak to their kids’ hearts: Jesus isn’t central. Faith is a side interest. Church involvement has little to do with the rest of life. My own faith isn’t important to me. On and on the messaging goes, while well-meaning Christian parents convince themselves that they are acting in the best interest of their children. After several years of this messaging, kids’ hearts have learned the lessons. Faith is of very little consequence in their lives. Their parents have taught them well to major in the minors, and the result, in many cases, may even be eternal death.

Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? No true Christian who is a parent would ever in a million years say that an extra-curricular is worth their child’s soul. Yet, what seems like no big deal can result in a lifetime of faithlessness.

I’m not just talking about sports, either. Any good interest that a child nurtures can be transformed into an all-encompassing endeavor if parents don’t rein in their own drive and enthusiasm while tempering their child’s. We must teach our kids that literally any good and beneficial thing can become an idol that displaces Christ in our hearts.

 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB)

But stay away from worthless stories that are typical of old women. Rather, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;

for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Night Lights for Parents

A daily devotional written by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson