Yesterday's visit to Crosspoint was awesome! They are doing this new sermon series called "Family Jewels". The day didn't start off too great for the fam. We were running late. The hubbs ran over a flowering bush in the yard on the way out of the driveway. He then almost pulled out in front of another car (we're still in our neighborhood by the way). Now, we were in a hurry to get to the movie theater. Yes, this church meets in a movie theater. How cool is that? So , we get there and the hubbs realizes that he didn't put son's glucometer (what checks his blood sugar) in his backpack. Now, he said he did as we left the house and even looked in there to make sure it was there. Bless his heart, we stayed up too late the night before! (Yes, I did become "miss smarty pants and say something in very ticked-off wife tone, and then I asked him to forgive me and reminded him that he was still my knight in shinning armor).
So we get into church and the music is already playing. We love the music at Crosspoint. It's very different from what we are used to in our traditional church experience, but it really speaks to us. It took me awhile to get into the groove because we'd had such a crazy time just getting to church that morning. You know our enemy (satan - and no, I won't capitalize his name) loves to get us so distracted and so frustrated that we can't even worship at church. Well, he was not going to get the satisfaction yesterday.
So, I finally got all the junk cleared out of my heart and head and was ready to hear what God would say. The pastor Dave is awesome. I love the concept of being a tentmaking pastor and God is so using him up there on Sundays.
He said a lot of things that were really what the hubbs and I needed to hear about raising our boy. Then he said something that I don't think I've heard said from the pulpit of any church I've ever been in. He said (and I may not get it word for word correctly):
"It is not our job here at this church to raise your kids to know the Lord. We are a resource and we are here to help you, but it is your job as parents to bring your kids up to know the way God would have them to go".
Wow. I had just said that before we left to a few people at our old church in a casual conversation. Now, I was wishing I had said it from the pulpit for all the congregation to hear. I so believe what Dave said. From someone who's been in ministry to youth for a good 7 years now, I know how often parents drop their kids off and expect the church to teach them what they need to know. Then they pick them back up and never talk about it at home.
Believers, Christ-followers, people who love the Lord or call themselves Christians: We have gone on far too long allowing this to happen. It is time we put on our big girl panties or "man panties" as I actually just heard Dave use in a sermon I was listening to online (cracked me up!) and take on our responsibilities. It is OUR job as parents to teach our kids what they need to know whether it's about God, math, nature, manners, or whatever. We send our kids to school to get an education. But that shouldn't let us off the hook in still teaching them and reinforcing things. Just because we send our kids to school doesn't mean that we should never teach them about the things they are learning at school. It's the same with church. It's OUR job to make sure our precious little ones know that Jesus loves them and that He died to set them free and how to love Him and pray to Him and be in a daily relationship with him. It should not be our church's, our pastor, or our kid's or youth's pastor's job to teach them this. It should be their job to reinforce what they are learning at home and to help us as parents by sharing knowledge and experience and resources with us.
One of the songs we sang yesterday had some words in it that went like this:
We are a generation
Touched by Your salvation
Made by You and for Your glory
You've marked us here to alter history
As we sang that song, I was overcome with emotion. Oh I so want and I so want my son to be a generation that is touched and changed by His salvation! I so want to let the world know that God is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me and I want to my son to feel that way too. I also realize that my hubbs and I are the two people in this world who have the most influence on our son. So, if I want him to learn it, then I better model it.
So, those of us who say we love the Lord - let's stand up and be the parents, and grandparents, and aunts and uncles that God has called us to be. Let's write it on our doorposts and wear it on our heads and bind it on our arms for all the world to know, but also for our kids to know.
OK, so now I will climb down off of my soapbox and go see what I can get into...
So we get into church and the music is already playing. We love the music at Crosspoint. It's very different from what we are used to in our traditional church experience, but it really speaks to us. It took me awhile to get into the groove because we'd had such a crazy time just getting to church that morning. You know our enemy (satan - and no, I won't capitalize his name) loves to get us so distracted and so frustrated that we can't even worship at church. Well, he was not going to get the satisfaction yesterday.
So, I finally got all the junk cleared out of my heart and head and was ready to hear what God would say. The pastor Dave is awesome. I love the concept of being a tentmaking pastor and God is so using him up there on Sundays.
He said a lot of things that were really what the hubbs and I needed to hear about raising our boy. Then he said something that I don't think I've heard said from the pulpit of any church I've ever been in. He said (and I may not get it word for word correctly):
"It is not our job here at this church to raise your kids to know the Lord. We are a resource and we are here to help you, but it is your job as parents to bring your kids up to know the way God would have them to go".
Wow. I had just said that before we left to a few people at our old church in a casual conversation. Now, I was wishing I had said it from the pulpit for all the congregation to hear. I so believe what Dave said. From someone who's been in ministry to youth for a good 7 years now, I know how often parents drop their kids off and expect the church to teach them what they need to know. Then they pick them back up and never talk about it at home.
Believers, Christ-followers, people who love the Lord or call themselves Christians: We have gone on far too long allowing this to happen. It is time we put on our big girl panties or "man panties" as I actually just heard Dave use in a sermon I was listening to online (cracked me up!) and take on our responsibilities. It is OUR job as parents to teach our kids what they need to know whether it's about God, math, nature, manners, or whatever. We send our kids to school to get an education. But that shouldn't let us off the hook in still teaching them and reinforcing things. Just because we send our kids to school doesn't mean that we should never teach them about the things they are learning at school. It's the same with church. It's OUR job to make sure our precious little ones know that Jesus loves them and that He died to set them free and how to love Him and pray to Him and be in a daily relationship with him. It should not be our church's, our pastor, or our kid's or youth's pastor's job to teach them this. It should be their job to reinforce what they are learning at home and to help us as parents by sharing knowledge and experience and resources with us.
One of the songs we sang yesterday had some words in it that went like this:
We are a generation
Touched by Your salvation
Made by You and for Your glory
You've marked us here to alter history
As we sang that song, I was overcome with emotion. Oh I so want and I so want my son to be a generation that is touched and changed by His salvation! I so want to let the world know that God is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me and I want to my son to feel that way too. I also realize that my hubbs and I are the two people in this world who have the most influence on our son. So, if I want him to learn it, then I better model it.
So, those of us who say we love the Lord - let's stand up and be the parents, and grandparents, and aunts and uncles that God has called us to be. Let's write it on our doorposts and wear it on our heads and bind it on our arms for all the world to know, but also for our kids to know.
OK, so now I will climb down off of my soapbox and go see what I can get into...
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