Spiritual Champions

Wow....I just finished reading George Barna's book, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions. It's a must read. Funny, I thought I was going to read a book to help me in my children's minstry at church. I was looking for a sure fire recipe to draw kids in and minister to them more effectively. I got some of that, but mainly I was convicted in my own parenting.

If you're curious, get the book. I can't begin to tell it like Barna does. His research is so compelling and his conclusions are bang on. Mainly I realized that the church needs to build a partnership with parents. I think more of our energy needs to be redirected to equipping families to teach and nurture their children. The church can't begin to scratch the surface for one hour a week - no matter how wonderful the program is.

I wonder why we as Christian parents don't support each other in our spiritual nurturing of children....we talk about all kinds of things.....discipline, sports, music, school and academics....but how often do we ask how we're doing with our children's spiritual education? I guess no one wants to appear to be the spiritual "super" parent. Truly, we're all inadequate when it comes to raising our kids. Only through God's strength and wisdom, can we even begin to parent effectively.

Anyhow, I'll share some things that are working in our family.... some of these are "no brainers"- nothing earth shattering here....

• we're keeping our kids' devotional books right on or near the kitchen table. We used to keep it upstairs and it wasn't getting used. Now, it's right there when we sit down for a meal and we're actually using it more as a springboard for discussions etc....
• I've committed myself to always having kids praise music in the car. We spend a fair bit of time in the car and it's an easy way to have my girls listen and absorb words about God. There's so much wonderful stuff out there now. I love listening to it too!
• We are using our church library more. If we have the books and videos at home, we're more likely to read and view them.
• I'm talking out loud to my girls and praying out loud. Yeah, they might think I'm crazy but I want them to observe my thought process. I was frustrated about something the other day. I let them know and then prayed out loud. I think it's powerful for kids to hear their parents pray...especially in moments of weakness.

It's a start. We are trying to be more intentional about our children's spiritual upbringing. Because we've chosen the public school route for now, we are going to have to work extra hard. Most of the stuff we are presenting is counter-cultural, let's face it. When I look at the state of the world, I can get really scared for my kids. I think it will be harder for them to be Christians. On the other hand, what a wonderful opportunity for them to be lights in a very dark world.

Mainly, I think we have to pray. No matter how noble our efforts, they aren't going to be perfect. I know I'm going to realy heavily on God through this journey of parenting.