WEBVTT 00:00:01.223 --> 00:00:03.430 Thank you for listening to the Life Church podcast. 00:00:03.430 --> 00:00:05.527 We hope you're encouraged by today's message. 00:00:05.527 --> 00:00:10.031 For more information about Life Church, visit our website, lifechurchwwcom. 00:00:12.660 --> 00:00:19.887 I'm excited because this weekend we're gonna start a new series, and I need you to help me for a moment, if you will rewind in your brain. 00:00:19.887 --> 00:00:27.606 For those of you who are with us, on Easter of this year, we gave you a spiritual survey card and on that we asked you a few questions. 00:00:27.606 --> 00:00:36.686 One of them was what would be some things that you would like to hear preached on from this stage, from this pulpit, and we had some phenomenal results. 00:00:36.686 --> 00:00:46.228 Some of our top results were things like anxiety and depression, the Holy Spirit, the end times, which is just gonna be phenomenal exciting about that. 00:00:46.228 --> 00:00:50.404 So I get the privilege of kicking off a series that we have entitled. 00:00:50.404 --> 00:01:00.289 You Asked For it because you did, you asked for it, and so I'm pretty pumped about this and I get a share on one that I asked for. 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:04.004 So this morning I'm gonna talk about this, I'm gonna talk about parenting. 00:01:04.004 --> 00:01:07.664 So, yes, thank you, I know I need it. 00:01:07.664 --> 00:01:15.846 It's one of those times where I'm like, even if nobody else listens, I know I'm going to be responding to my own altar call this morning, that's for sure. 00:01:15.846 --> 00:01:18.007 In fact, I already have Lord helping. 00:01:18.007 --> 00:01:21.108 But I'll tell you this right now my goal is twofold. 00:01:21.108 --> 00:01:21.441 One. 00:01:21.441 --> 00:01:25.131 It's to encourage all parents who are like me. 00:01:25.131 --> 00:01:26.927 You're just in the trenches right now. 00:01:26.927 --> 00:01:28.966 You're doing a phenomenal job. 00:01:28.966 --> 00:01:33.587 I just hope today you just feel a fresh wind at your back on the way out today. 00:01:33.587 --> 00:01:49.466 And the second thing is this is to make sure that we all come on, say it with me, say all, all recognize that in some form or another, we are in fact parenting, that we get to be a part in raising up the next generation. 00:01:49.466 --> 00:01:53.661 So, whether you're a student in the room, junior, high, high school, young adult, come on. 00:01:53.661 --> 00:02:13.610 Grandparents, empty nesters, aunts, uncles, everybody, I want us all to lean in because this is a call that's from scripture for all of us, whether it be physically raising your own kids or spiritually being a part of it, that we're all called to help invest in the next generation. 00:02:13.610 --> 00:02:16.846 I love what scripture tells us and this is really to be true. 00:02:16.846 --> 00:02:36.108 I love this verse from Psalm 127, that children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from Him, and if you're around the next generation or around young people, you would truly find that there is nothing more rewarding than investing in the emerging generation. 00:02:36.108 --> 00:02:37.566 Can I get a name in from somebody? 00:02:37.566 --> 00:02:42.026 It's really true Now what I've also learned, not just from parenting, by the way. 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:47.266 Today I'm speaking not just from a parent, because I'm really in the trenches I got four kids right now. 00:02:47.266 --> 00:02:50.669 I got a seven year old, a five year old and twin one year olds. 00:02:50.669 --> 00:02:52.747 All boys, and they're all boys. 00:02:52.747 --> 00:02:54.326 All four boys are all boys. 00:02:54.326 --> 00:02:57.209 So it's just, it's constant craziness in our house. 00:02:57.209 --> 00:03:05.546 In fact, I was just thinking the other day I'm like how did we get from me thinking my wife was cute to this craziness, like how did how does it get here? 00:03:05.546 --> 00:03:09.848 And no, don't tell me afterwards how it happens, don't try to no, no, no, I don't need the dad talk. 00:03:09.848 --> 00:03:15.009 Okay, I know how it happens, but I'm like man, this was a transition like to this whole parenting reality. 00:03:15.009 --> 00:03:16.906 But they really are a reward. 00:03:16.906 --> 00:03:22.286 But simultaneously it's like nothing's more rewarding but also nothing is more stretching. 00:03:22.888 --> 00:03:28.788 For us who are investing in the next generation and our kids, nothing's really can be more overwhelming. 00:03:28.788 --> 00:03:41.691 Nothing can be more patience, extrapolating, nothing can be more selfishness burning off in your life than having kids and helping invest in the next generation. 00:03:41.691 --> 00:03:46.584 And I tell you what, if you feel like it's hard, welcome to the club. 00:03:46.584 --> 00:03:48.802 Can I say that we welcome to the club. 00:03:48.802 --> 00:03:52.020 We have an extensive membership, in fact. 00:03:52.020 --> 00:03:54.229 I'll just put this up on the screen to encourage you. 00:03:54.229 --> 00:03:58.610 If parenting is hard, it's a sign that you're a good parent and that's really true. 00:03:58.610 --> 00:04:04.460 That's a laugh and an amen, you know, cause sometimes you gotta laugh through the pain and I'm like ha ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha. 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:06.582 You know, but it really is. 00:04:06.582 --> 00:04:08.248 It's an awesome thing. 00:04:08.248 --> 00:04:16.709 And can I tell you this, if it's hard and you feel overwhelmed, it's a sign that you care and that you love and that you wanna be a part of the next generation. 00:04:16.819 --> 00:04:25.307 And I experienced this from decades of youth in the young adult ministry and then also in my investing in my own kids, where it's just you carry them in this place in your heart. 00:04:25.307 --> 00:04:30.091 You believe the best for them, you want the best for them, right, and it's just the reality of it. 00:04:30.091 --> 00:04:39.845 And the cool thing is is I had I wanted to start with that scripture, cause it's the true foundational reality that kids really are a gift, whether they're your own or somebody else's, they really are a reward. 00:04:39.845 --> 00:04:44.987 But the thing I also want us to see is that it says that there are a gift from God. 00:04:44.987 --> 00:04:48.026 That means it was God's idea. 00:04:48.026 --> 00:04:57.189 I know you thought it was your idea when you came up with that cheesy pickup line with your now wife and like hey, what's going on, babe, you all thought that the idea was your idea, right? 00:04:57.189 --> 00:05:05.043 But God was orchestrating all of it so that you could have these awesome little world changers that are from God Like nobody. 00:05:05.363 --> 00:05:08.786 I was just talking with some parents in between services and it's crazy. 00:05:08.786 --> 00:05:15.387 You, there's nothing you care deeper in your heart than the next generation and your own kids. 00:05:15.387 --> 00:05:19.666 No one believes more for them and speaks more destiny over them than you. 00:05:19.666 --> 00:05:24.103 Nobody loves them more than you do, except God. 00:05:24.103 --> 00:05:33.350 That they were God's idea and that they were his and that before they were even being formed in their mother's womb, the Bible says that he knew them and he thought of them. 00:05:33.350 --> 00:05:41.009 So that gives us encouragement today that if you feel like it's hard and you feel like it's crazy, can I tell you this God's on your side. 00:05:41.009 --> 00:05:51.627 And if God's with you in the midst of this and I wanted to put it on the screen so it would get in some of our hearts today that maybe you feel discouraged, is this With God's help, cause they are from God. 00:05:51.627 --> 00:05:54.247 You can do an amazing job as a parent. 00:05:54.247 --> 00:05:57.709 You can be an amazing investor in the next generation. 00:05:57.709 --> 00:05:59.826 So my heart today is to encourage us. 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:03.625 But I also wanna be really practical and we could go. 00:06:03.625 --> 00:06:04.507 How many of you know? 00:06:04.507 --> 00:06:13.129 We could do a whole year talking about parenting and connecting and investing in the next generation, and I'll just put a plug right here. 00:06:13.129 --> 00:06:16.463 We have some parenting life groups, so sign up for them. 00:06:16.463 --> 00:06:17.307 My wife and I have done it. 00:06:17.307 --> 00:06:18.766 They're absolutely phenomenal. 00:06:18.766 --> 00:06:22.728 They're so encouraging to just come and commiserate and cry with each other. 00:06:22.728 --> 00:06:24.365 It's just absolutely great. 00:06:24.365 --> 00:06:27.024 You're laughing, I'm not. 00:06:27.024 --> 00:06:31.086 It's the truth, but we could just spend weeks and weeks. 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:39.887 But today what I wanna do is I just wanna speak to three things that I believe at a fundamental and a foundational level. 00:06:39.887 --> 00:06:49.024 If we can get these things as part of in our hearts as investing in the next generation and our kids, we're gonna see our kids really be released into the things of God. 00:06:49.024 --> 00:06:54.725 Okay, so the first one is this we need to connect ourselves to God. 00:06:54.725 --> 00:06:57.295 We need to connect ourselves to God. 00:06:57.295 --> 00:07:09.495 The key, I believe, in parenting begins with having a genuine relationship with God, a passionate, genuine relationship with God. 00:07:09.495 --> 00:07:28.225 I believe being the best parent that you can be and the best investor in the next generation that you can be, and the best grandparent that you can be and the best mentor that you can be and the best youth leader that you can be is yourself having a thriving, healthy relationship, consistent relationship with Jesus. 00:07:28.225 --> 00:07:29.177 Somebody say amen. 00:07:30.221 --> 00:07:45.197 Now, I don't know about you Some of you are better than me at this, better citizens than I am but I do my best to listen to the safety briefings when you get onto an airplane before you take off, right, you do my best to kind of turn it on airplane mode, that kind of a thing. 00:07:45.197 --> 00:07:49.622 But I've flown enough that you feel like you just could grab up there and do it yourself. 00:07:49.622 --> 00:07:51.055 Jump up there and you know so. 00:07:51.055 --> 00:07:55.562 They walk you through all the things and all the things that don't happen and you're doing your best to pay attention. 00:07:55.562 --> 00:08:03.122 But they always have a portion of the briefing where they say, should we lose cabin pressure, there's a mask that will drop from above. 00:08:03.122 --> 00:08:04.841 And you're like I really don't wanna hear this right now. 00:08:04.841 --> 00:08:06.401 Let's lie in Jesus' name. 00:08:06.401 --> 00:08:21.345 But they always say this and please secure your own mask before helping those around you, or young ones children around you, because what good if you're not healthy and you're not breathing? 00:08:21.345 --> 00:08:22.619 Is it to help them? 00:08:22.619 --> 00:08:24.865 To help them be healthy and breathing. 00:08:24.865 --> 00:08:26.802 Come on, somebody, help me preach it today. 00:08:27.055 --> 00:08:43.663 The same is true spiritually, isn't it that the most being passionate followers of Jesus ourselves is the best way that we can help get our kids in the trajectory of living out the call and design and the purpose of God over their life? 00:08:43.663 --> 00:08:44.899 That's the reality of it. 00:08:44.899 --> 00:09:03.403 I've realized that if I really want my kids, or the next generation and young people that I invest in, to really live out the design and purpose of God, then I myself need to be a good kid, and I know that sounds kind of funny, but this is the way I like to say it to people. 00:09:03.403 --> 00:09:46.919 Like, we talk about in our culture how we have different hats that we wear, and I have different hats that I wear, not just hats that I wear my favorite sports teams and whatnot, but I'm talking about hats like I love my dad hat, I love my husband hat, I love my pastor hat, I love all those hats, but I need to find a time, if I'm gonna be a part of investing in the next generation, that I need to every day take off every other hat that I wear and just be the first that I was to be, which is a kid At the end of the day, the beginning of the day and the end of the day, all throughout the day, I am just a son before a father, and if we wanna communicate just the design of God and the passion of Jesus to the next generation, it starts with us having that just being a kid before a father. 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:47.782 Can I get an amen? 00:09:47.782 --> 00:09:48.524 Come on somebody. 00:09:48.524 --> 00:09:55.022 I love this because when we do that, when we do that, check this out you know this verse, but I'm gonna read it to us. 00:09:55.022 --> 00:10:03.664 But seek first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness, and then all these things will be added to you. 00:10:03.664 --> 00:10:10.504 What I love is encompassed in that all is the energy that you need to be a parent. 00:10:10.504 --> 00:10:11.599 Can I get an amen? 00:10:11.599 --> 00:10:14.022 You think I'm crazy, but I will pray this. 00:10:14.022 --> 00:10:17.485 God be my Red Bull today in Jesus' name. 00:10:17.485 --> 00:10:18.238 I pray it. 00:10:19.034 --> 00:10:29.304 Last night I know Joe had a poopy diaper bottom of a child in my face at 4 am and there was a couple of things I could do Sleep through it, which is darn near impossible, or change this thing. 00:10:29.304 --> 00:10:32.004 You know I'm like Lord, I need some energy today. 00:10:32.004 --> 00:10:34.803 Come on in that all is the patience. 00:10:34.803 --> 00:10:38.619 Come on in that all is the vision in the midst of their season. 00:10:38.619 --> 00:10:46.826 That is not so fun right now To see God, you have a great in that all, but when we seek first, then there's all that, all that goes with it. 00:10:46.826 --> 00:10:47.577 Come on somebody. 00:10:47.577 --> 00:10:52.783 Now I know some of us are a different person when we haven't had our coffee in the morning. 00:10:52.783 --> 00:10:55.942 Well, I'm a different person when I haven't had time with Jesus. 00:10:55.942 --> 00:10:58.041 It's just the reality, in fact, of the matter. 00:10:58.041 --> 00:10:58.984 Amen, somebody. 00:10:59.434 --> 00:11:12.585 I'm like I gotta get plugged in with Jesus, and especially if you're a parent and you're in the season that I'm in the young kid season, and it's true of really kind of a lot of seasons, but it's I'll tell you what it takes on a different. 00:11:12.585 --> 00:11:24.924 Your devotional life, your time with Jesus, takes on a different dynamic when you have like little munchkins right, it's funny because your prayer closet is most commonly known to the rest of us as a bathroom right. 00:11:24.924 --> 00:11:28.004 So, like you really know, you're in the trenches as a parent. 00:11:28.004 --> 00:11:33.404 If this is a picture of your devotional time right there, like that's Dad, what are you doing in there? 00:11:33.404 --> 00:11:34.177 I'm praying. 00:11:34.177 --> 00:11:38.918 I'm praying Cause I just need a moment so I can be the best. 00:11:38.918 --> 00:11:43.057 God's called me to be right, it's so true. 00:11:43.057 --> 00:11:46.423 So I'm kind of just just the way I was a little. 00:11:46.695 --> 00:11:50.701 I was a little bit older when I got married and so I was used to kind of my time with the Lord. 00:11:50.701 --> 00:11:57.879 So when I got married and started having kids, I was just trying to always kind of get away, get away and get by myself so I could have some time with the Lord. 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:00.860 So I felt like I could, you know, be the best parent I could be. 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:05.302 And the Lord has recently convicted me and said son, you getting away with me is going to happen. 00:12:05.302 --> 00:12:05.917 You're gonna make. 00:12:05.917 --> 00:12:07.643 You need to keep prioritizing, make it happen. 00:12:08.134 --> 00:12:15.602 But it's also healthy when your kids wake up and they see you just sitting out there with your Bible, not trying to hurry and finish it before they wake up. 00:12:15.602 --> 00:12:25.264 Because the greatest way we can evangelize our kids in the next generation is by letting them see that we in fact have a genuine passion for Jesus. 00:12:25.264 --> 00:12:30.023 And what I've found is then they start to grab their Bible and they'll sit down next to you on the couch, they get their journal. 00:12:30.023 --> 00:12:32.980 They don't even know how to write yet, but they're journaling something why? 00:12:32.980 --> 00:12:51.243 Cause they see you connecting with God, and that's why I would say which is so true that not only do we ourselves connect, but, as a result, what we need to do is we need to connect our kids to God, and the first way we could do that is what I just mentioned is by being modeling that to them. 00:12:51.355 --> 00:12:59.884 Statistics have proven time and time again, and year after year, as a parent, you are the most influential voice in the life of your kid. 00:12:59.884 --> 00:13:08.658 So, being able I like to think of it this way that it's like, if my kids are looking to me, I wanna make sure that when they're looking to me, I'm looking to God. 00:13:08.658 --> 00:13:14.422 Same is true of young people that we invest in and come on, we're again, we're all a part of this. 00:13:14.422 --> 00:13:17.465 Grandparents, aunties, uncles come on, we're all a part of this. 00:13:17.465 --> 00:13:20.123 We wanna make sure that we're looking to God. 00:13:20.123 --> 00:13:56.383 Now I've found that that is true, that we model that reality and over the years and again, like over 20 years of youth and young adult ministry, I've had the privilege of seeing some amazing families that I would say by no means are perfect, right, and their kids aren't perfect either, but you can see some healthy, godly things that have worked into their family that I've had the opportunity to then kind of survey and say, man, can you tell me some things that you employ in your family, cause I see such health in your kids and I see such honor in your home and just all that kind of stuff and your kids passionately love Jesus, and I've kind of taken my own survey over the year. 00:13:56.383 --> 00:14:03.360 I mean, I give you a few things other than, of course, modeling it, like I just mentioned, but here's one that really stands out when I've talked to a lot of them. 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:07.082 Is this that created time as a family to connect with God? 00:14:07.082 --> 00:14:13.984 So I've heard over the years yeah, we do a family devotional every day, like just a simple family devotional. 00:14:13.984 --> 00:14:16.102 We read a scripture and we talk about it. 00:14:16.102 --> 00:14:17.721 We do it before bedtime. 00:14:17.721 --> 00:14:19.741 For me and my boys we do it before bedtime. 00:14:19.741 --> 00:14:26.744 I know they're families, you know, on the way to school in the morning or whatever it is, or just reading a Bible story before bed. 00:14:26.744 --> 00:14:32.302 That's kind of one of my favorite things and I just ham it up, you know I'm just like I become all the voices in the story? 00:14:32.302 --> 00:14:32.923 Why? 00:14:32.923 --> 00:14:37.844 Because my whole thing is trying to engage them with the beauty and the power of God's word. 00:14:37.934 --> 00:14:46.558 And then it's fun and it's in a lie and it's active, making a point every day to pray together as a family, asking. 00:14:46.558 --> 00:14:50.261 I love to ask people we do this as a collective, as a church. 00:14:50.261 --> 00:14:56.082 We do it as well for the next generation and our own kids asking them hey, what do you want us to pray for? 00:14:56.082 --> 00:14:58.653 And then giving them an opportunity to pray. 00:14:58.653 --> 00:15:08.111 Often I will start praying, but I'll ask my kids or I'll do this even in different dynamics, when I'm working with young people I'll pray out and then I'll say just pray whatever's on your heart to pray. 00:15:08.111 --> 00:15:09.951 And I'll ask my boys that as well. 00:15:10.024 --> 00:15:18.489 And it's really awesome because they've watched many of you say that you're praying for them and you love on them, and so one of my things I usually do is ask them if they wanna pray. 00:15:18.489 --> 00:15:25.229 Sometimes they say yes, okay, so pray for them, because they're getting saved in Jesus' name, you know. 00:15:25.229 --> 00:15:28.113 But when they'll say yeah, I'll pray, I'll say, well, how about you do this? 00:15:28.113 --> 00:15:29.542 Why don't you thank God for something? 00:15:29.542 --> 00:15:31.049 Why don't you pray for someone? 00:15:31.049 --> 00:15:38.811 And so can I tell you, right now, 90% of the time Legos get thanked for in my house I'm not exaggerating. 00:15:38.811 --> 00:15:41.453 It's like God, thank you so much for my Legos. 00:15:41.453 --> 00:15:45.996 And I add in all of your Legos, all too much Legos. 00:15:45.996 --> 00:15:48.030 Yeah, dad, thanks for all of our Legos. 00:15:48.845 --> 00:15:52.712 And then they begin to pray for people, when it's cool, as I'll notice, that they'll pray for individuals of you. 00:15:52.712 --> 00:16:00.870 I just checked Pastor Cara this week and my five year old just said Dad, I'm gonna pray for anti-care, god, we just bless anti-care and just pray his blessing over. 00:16:00.870 --> 00:16:02.370 And they begin to pray for you. 00:16:02.370 --> 00:16:05.134 And here's what I've learned in that process. 00:16:05.134 --> 00:16:06.751 What will you begin to do? 00:16:06.751 --> 00:16:09.692 And this is true of you and sharing with the next generation. 00:16:10.065 --> 00:16:15.712 It's so important that we share stories collectively of God answering prayer. 00:16:15.712 --> 00:16:25.854 So next week and we're gonna hear testimonies of water baptism next Sunday what it does is our kids in the next generation begin to hear the stories of God answering prayer. 00:16:25.854 --> 00:16:37.649 They begin to say, well, if God did it for them, maybe it can do my friend that I sit next to in class, that he just told me his parents are going through that same thing, and then they feel empowered to go pray over that kid and watch God do the same thing and guess what they're doing? 00:16:37.649 --> 00:16:43.589 They're building a personal history with God that God is and can be trusted and he's a good God. 00:16:43.589 --> 00:16:44.351 Come on somebody. 00:16:44.351 --> 00:16:46.692 It's the goodness of it. 00:16:48.085 --> 00:16:55.913 Here's another thing I think we do in help connecting them to God is this we connect them to God by speaking God's heart over them. 00:16:55.913 --> 00:17:02.190 Just the value of speaking scripture over them and telling them they're a destiny, have a destiny and a plan. 00:17:02.190 --> 00:17:07.294 Telling them you're proud of them, not just when they score a goal in soccer. 00:17:07.294 --> 00:17:12.011 That you're just proud of them when you say I just proud of you, I just love you. 00:17:12.011 --> 00:17:12.907 Well, what for? 00:17:12.907 --> 00:17:17.868 Just because of who you are, my wife does this really awesome thing, because she heard it again. 00:17:17.868 --> 00:17:20.451 By the way, you wanna talk about it in the trenches. 00:17:20.451 --> 00:17:28.030 Anything I'm sharing today is trial and failure and most of the other things I've got from parents that are just dominating at it. 00:17:28.030 --> 00:17:34.612 But she heard a mom say one time the power of you're a mom of sons, of telling your sons that you respect them. 00:17:34.612 --> 00:17:37.913 So my wife has begin this routine of telling your sons. 00:17:37.913 --> 00:17:46.571 I just wanna tell you I respect you, I love you, I'm proud of you and I respect you and just telling them we believe in it and speaking God's heart over them. 00:17:46.571 --> 00:17:57.073 And what it does is it begins to just churn over the things that God has for them, and we're just speaking all that God has and against what everything else might be coming against them. 00:17:57.073 --> 00:18:00.788 You know one thing that is just my sons. 00:18:01.349 --> 00:18:08.609 We say these, we kind of have these colloquialisms in our home which simply means this we take our last name is Thomason and we put it with different things. 00:18:08.609 --> 00:18:11.913 And so we say things like hey, thomasons, they're generous. 00:18:11.913 --> 00:18:14.913 Hey, thomasons, they're kind people. 00:18:14.913 --> 00:18:17.790 So when they do something, hey, remember, thomasons, they're kind people. 00:18:17.790 --> 00:18:25.510 And we say things like hey, thomasons, don't run, they face what's in front of them because God's given them the design and the grace to do hard things. 00:18:25.510 --> 00:18:27.491 We don't run from our problems, we face them head on. 00:18:27.825 --> 00:18:29.912 And another thing we say is that Thomasons don't lie. 00:18:29.912 --> 00:18:37.429 And not only do Thomasons not lie, like they don't sneak, but what it also means is we don't let you say something that's not the truth. 00:18:37.429 --> 00:18:43.016 So in our house you don't get to say that your brother's an idiot, because that's a lie, like right now I don't know. 00:18:43.016 --> 00:18:49.992 Some of you have gone through this and we go through these in our own lives and I deal with this a lot and working with young adults and youth. 00:18:49.992 --> 00:19:01.090 But sometimes you can have a kid or something that has a negative self-image, and we have one that is a little bit of a perfectionist, and so when he gets in trouble for something, say, hey, you can't talk like that, or whatever. 00:19:01.090 --> 00:19:06.231 He'll run to his room and then I just kind of will go on there and he'll be saying things like I'm just a dumb kid. 00:19:06.231 --> 00:19:10.592 And so what we've said is Thomasons, don't lie. 00:19:11.605 --> 00:19:29.391 So what we did is my wife created a piece of paper and I have a picture of it right here that at the top it says identity declarations, and it's a front and back page of just scriptures that say things like you are God's masterpiece, but we changed the you to I am, and so whenever they say a lie, we say, oh, we gotta go get the paper. 00:19:29.391 --> 00:19:34.813 And then what I did is I took like nine different colors and every like ninth one I just color coded right there. 00:19:34.813 --> 00:19:37.633 And so what I'll do is I'll say, oh, you know, we don't get a lie in our house. 00:19:37.633 --> 00:19:40.053 That's not who you are, that's not who your brother is. 00:19:40.053 --> 00:19:41.789 And so we'll say this pick a color. 00:19:41.789 --> 00:19:43.548 Come on, dad, pick a color. 00:19:43.548 --> 00:19:45.320 I'm not like that. 00:19:45.320 --> 00:19:47.743 Okay, I started with it. 00:19:47.743 --> 00:19:51.394 Either I want to say white or gray, and like on myIRE I am. 00:19:51.394 --> 00:20:01.499 I didn't add a color for me because I first read all the books that pass on through the headache and the insomnia, all the ones I went through To tell you can never tell. 00:20:02.553 --> 00:20:03.305 I was like that's pretty big story. 00:20:03.305 --> 00:20:04.609 I used like nine different colors. 00:20:04.609 --> 00:20:09.682 I'm not gonna tell anything, I'm just gonna show them. 00:20:09.682 --> 00:20:15.875 If any of you are pregnant, I'm never gonna tell my kid because I said so yeah, right, how about that? 00:20:15.875 --> 00:20:17.268 I'm never gonna. 00:20:17.268 --> 00:20:17.809 You know what? 00:20:17.809 --> 00:20:18.633 I'll never tell them. 00:20:18.633 --> 00:20:20.412 If you clean your room, then you can watch a show. 00:20:20.412 --> 00:20:21.644 I'm never gonna bribe my kid. 00:20:21.644 --> 00:20:22.407 I'll never do that. 00:20:22.407 --> 00:20:27.954 One of my parents, I'll never do that one of my parents, I'll never do that. 00:20:27.974 --> 00:20:28.537 One of my parents. 00:20:28.537 --> 00:20:30.684 Pick a color. 00:20:30.684 --> 00:20:32.148 So they'll say blue. 00:20:32.148 --> 00:20:34.912 They'll say okay, say after me. 00:20:34.912 --> 00:20:41.128 I am an overwhelming conqueror in Christ against all that the world has come against me and they've repeated it. 00:20:41.128 --> 00:20:43.291 And then as a family, we say and we agree. 00:20:43.291 --> 00:20:50.292 And if it's said something ill of them, we say okay, now you gotta say three nice things and I'll pick the three blue scriptures that they say and I make them say it. 00:20:50.757 --> 00:20:51.585 See, here's what we're doing. 00:20:51.585 --> 00:20:59.964 Not only are we realigning the atmosphere of our home and their own hearts to what God says about them, but you know what I've really began to realize, and this is true of all of us. 00:20:59.964 --> 00:21:06.048 Come on, grandparents, aunties, uncles, when we speak the will and the purpose and the scriptures of God over them, what I've found, what we're doing. 00:21:06.048 --> 00:21:10.523 We're fighting for them, we're fighting off everything else that's been spoken over them. 00:21:10.523 --> 00:21:34.836 You're just a stupid kid and all the stuff that gets spoke and we're calling out the destiny and the purpose of God, above all those lies, to where, one day, when the lies start coming at them, they just laugh at the lies because they know I got people in my life that I've been surrounded with for years, that know what God's called me to be and I'm not gonna lessen myself to those things for a moment and we cheer them on. 00:21:35.866 --> 00:21:42.230 I'm telling you right now it's about being intentional with cheering on the next generation. 00:21:42.230 --> 00:21:51.055 In fact, I wanna do this, I wanna pause for a moment to say this to anybody in the emerging generation 25 and under it's in the room might be watching online. 00:21:51.055 --> 00:21:51.727 Can I tell you this? 00:21:51.727 --> 00:22:04.528 I'm gonna say this to you right now I wanna pause this sermon to say this to you today we love you, we're proud of you, we believe in you, we're behind you, we're cheering for you, we're fighting for you. 00:22:04.528 --> 00:22:06.334 You are the head and not the tail. 00:22:06.334 --> 00:22:08.069 The enemy cannot have you. 00:22:08.069 --> 00:22:18.556 He cannot detour you, he cannot distract you, and I'm telling you you will fulfill every purpose and plan of God over your life in Jesus' name, in Jesus' name. 00:22:18.556 --> 00:22:24.611 All you that have prayed those prayers you know you get pretty aggressive about it. 00:22:24.611 --> 00:22:26.489 I'm telling you this happened. 00:22:26.489 --> 00:22:30.230 That's the design and purpose. 00:22:30.230 --> 00:22:34.194 So I'm telling you, it takes being intentional, though. 00:22:34.194 --> 00:22:38.951 It takes being intentional, and I tell you what I have. 00:22:40.316 --> 00:22:43.625 It feels like I have more dad fails than I have successes. 00:22:43.625 --> 00:22:55.380 I remember being a dad of only probably six months of the time and we were here in Walla Walla and we went to look at a home and our realtor said I think you might like this home and at our son in a car seat and he'd fallen asleep on the way. 00:22:55.380 --> 00:23:05.559 So we walk into this home and multiple levels, and so we start viewing the home and he's asleep and I don't want to take him upstairs or down into some dingy basement that I don't know what's down there, cause you never know what's down there. 00:23:05.559 --> 00:23:10.763 Not that I can't not handle whatever is down there, I'm not saying that like, but I just had my kids so I set him down. 00:23:10.763 --> 00:23:12.540 We tour the home not really for us. 00:23:12.540 --> 00:23:17.999 We lock the door conveniently behind us and go walking out and my wife turns and says where's our son? 00:23:17.999 --> 00:23:26.540 And like a true millennial dad, I start doing this, like I'm looking for my phone. 00:23:26.540 --> 00:23:31.986 He's in a and I'm like um, he's, he's in there praying. 00:23:31.986 --> 00:23:34.874 He's praying, he's of course he's in there praying. 00:23:34.874 --> 00:23:37.083 I'm like get the key, we gotta get the kid. 00:23:37.083 --> 00:23:46.744 I'm like and I was just one, now I have four right Telling you there's it seems like there's more fails, but I'm telling you it's the intentionality. 00:23:46.934 --> 00:23:52.481 If we will just make intentionality a goal of our heart, I'm going to connect with it next generation. 00:23:52.481 --> 00:24:09.523 Even when we come to church and we greet people, we're intentional to not just greet people in our own age demographic, we connect with the average and we're intentional about it, cause here's why scripture is really clear on our call as parents and grandparents and students and mentors and leaders. 00:24:09.523 --> 00:24:10.700 It's really clear. 00:24:10.700 --> 00:24:12.661 It lays us out for us right here. 00:24:12.661 --> 00:24:20.340 We will not hide them from their descendants and it's talking about the will and the plans of God, what God's doing and his commands. 00:24:20.340 --> 00:24:26.343 We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord. 00:24:26.343 --> 00:24:30.844 Come on, this is what it means to parent, his power and the wonders he has done. 00:24:30.844 --> 00:24:37.744 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel which he commanded to our ancestors. 00:24:37.994 --> 00:24:39.118 To look, this is us. 00:24:39.118 --> 00:24:45.602 Teach their children so the next generation would know them, even the children not yet born. 00:24:45.602 --> 00:24:57.082 Come on, we speak to those babies in the womb, we pray we're intentional to pray over them and they in turn look at this, look at the generational pattern that God designed it and they in turn would tell their children. 00:24:57.082 --> 00:25:01.538 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds. 00:25:01.538 --> 00:25:07.361 But to keep his commands, come on, that's the design and plan of God. 00:25:07.361 --> 00:25:08.536 But guess what that takes? 00:25:08.536 --> 00:25:12.041 Intentionality Say I'm gonna invest in the next generation. 00:25:12.041 --> 00:25:14.982 So we're connecting ourselves to God. 00:25:14.982 --> 00:25:21.141 Then we're connecting our kids to God through the pattern, creating family times and spaces and speaking it over them. 00:25:21.141 --> 00:25:23.663 And I know those are just only a few of many. 00:25:23.663 --> 00:25:26.263 And then another thing that we need to be very intentional. 00:25:26.263 --> 00:25:33.420 And third and last point is this Is that we need to connect our families to the house of God. 00:25:33.420 --> 00:25:36.714 We need to connect our families to the house of God Now. 00:25:37.076 --> 00:25:44.742 Connecting our families to God's house, to the church, to the local church, is important on a multiplicity of levels. 00:25:44.742 --> 00:26:06.935 First of all, say this that us as parents, as grandparents, as leaders, as students, it gets us around other like-minded, god fearing, complimentary, valued people that we can look at and say, hey, one of my favorite things is to draw on other people I love. 00:26:06.935 --> 00:26:09.359 When Pastor Bob said this I think it was a couple of weeks ago. 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:18.623 He said you know, I have a lot of regrets in my life, but there's one thing I felt like I did right and that was I got people in my life around me that were better at me in certain things. 00:26:18.623 --> 00:26:23.122 And I would say that's exactly true of my life, that I've made a lot of mistakes. 00:26:23.122 --> 00:26:28.804 But one thing I feel like I did right is I recognize I couldn't be a good dad without other dads. 00:26:28.804 --> 00:26:35.359 I can't be a great husband without being other great husbands and I can be around them and watch them and ask them questions. 00:26:35.454 --> 00:26:36.740 Man, I just love to ask questions. 00:26:36.740 --> 00:26:40.065 Hey, I just love so much what I see God doing in your family. 00:26:40.065 --> 00:26:46.484 Can you tell me what was an intentional move that you made and the importance of us getting connected in that way? 00:26:46.484 --> 00:26:48.240 Because that's so I'm telling you. 00:26:48.240 --> 00:27:01.001 There's somebody in this room that either has done or is going through and I'd hate to tell you with it or will be going through what you're going through and I love to draw down on that. 00:27:01.001 --> 00:27:02.638 Come on somebody. 00:27:02.638 --> 00:27:08.902 That's the importance of so that's a huge part of why we ourselves need to connect our families. 00:27:08.902 --> 00:27:17.400 But the importance of getting connected is also that our kids would be in this, because I have learned this. 00:27:17.400 --> 00:27:29.702 I've learned this from being a youth and young adult pastor, when parents would say it to me, and I've learned it now as I'm a parent that it takes a tribe to raise a child. 00:27:29.702 --> 00:27:32.695 It really does it. 00:27:32.875 --> 00:27:41.066 One of the most fruitful things you can do is have your kids in church and prioritizing church. 00:27:41.066 --> 00:27:46.905 Let me say it again you need to make church a non-negotiable for your family. 00:27:46.905 --> 00:27:49.818 You wanna talk about one of those mantras you're gonna have as a family. 00:27:49.818 --> 00:27:51.023 You're gonna say this. 00:27:51.023 --> 00:27:55.185 You're gonna say the Thomasans, we do church, that's what we do. 00:27:55.185 --> 00:27:58.401 It's not extracurricular for us, it's not just another sport. 00:27:58.401 --> 00:28:02.121 So if they wanna do it, they can if they want, but we're only gonna pick two things. 00:28:02.121 --> 00:28:04.722 Oh, you wanna do soccer and baseball and not church, that's okay. 00:28:04.722 --> 00:28:05.364 No, no, no, no, no. 00:28:05.894 --> 00:28:12.843 Being in the house of God is too valuable and too important because here's why they get thank you, john. 00:28:12.843 --> 00:28:14.557 He's like amen, he knows about. 00:28:14.557 --> 00:28:19.003 His kid did two years in our discipleship college and he's like thank you, jesus. 00:28:19.003 --> 00:28:20.279 I needed somebody else. 00:28:20.279 --> 00:28:23.442 And can I tell you this I've definitely learned that from other parents. 00:28:23.442 --> 00:28:32.299 Let me pause to say this Over the years, the amount of times I've had parents before I had kids come up to me and say this thank you so much for what you said to my kid the other day at youth group. 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:36.400 I've been telling him that same thing for the last 10 years. 00:28:36.400 --> 00:28:41.105 But I'll tell you what. 00:28:41.105 --> 00:28:43.602 I was hoping it would stick before then. 00:28:43.602 --> 00:28:47.642 But I've been praying that it would and he, god, used you to make it stick. 00:28:47.642 --> 00:28:56.346 So even though I'm a little bit salty, I wanna let you know I am very much thankful that it finally stuck and God's best is still in front of him. 00:28:56.346 --> 00:28:59.420 I don't know why God does it. 00:28:59.420 --> 00:29:04.460 I think it's just for our own patients, where, like God, you didn't have to do that and he's like, but I did. 00:29:06.974 --> 00:29:29.419 Mary, mother of Jesus, she understood the importance of this, which, by the way, how crazy would that have been being an imperfect woman, not feeling very like times, not a very imperfect mom and raising the perfect kid Like we're reading the book of James, which is written by one of Jesus's half brothers, right, same mom, different dad. 00:29:29.419 --> 00:29:35.560 And I'm thinking to myself I would not wanna be one of Jesus's brothers because my parents would be saying all the time why don't you give me more like Jesus, you know? 00:29:35.560 --> 00:29:44.938 And yet, after Jesus is born, eight days, in Luke, chapter two, records this that he's in church. 00:29:44.938 --> 00:29:49.914 And then, just a few verses later, it records him as a 12 year old. 00:29:49.914 --> 00:29:50.999 And guess where? 00:29:50.999 --> 00:29:53.599 It records that he is In church. 00:29:53.599 --> 00:30:08.494 And then, in Luke, chapter four, just two chapters later, jesus is a grown man and says this about him and he came, jesus, to Nazareth, where he had been brought up and as was his custom, meaning it's what he normally did, it's what he was used to doing. 00:30:08.494 --> 00:30:09.634 It's what his usual was. 00:30:09.634 --> 00:30:16.800 He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read that. 00:30:16.840 --> 00:30:19.488 Here we see Jesus as a grown man in church. 00:30:19.488 --> 00:30:23.981 Could it be because his mom understood the value of raising his kids in church? 00:30:23.981 --> 00:30:28.002 And so, yes, he's gonna be in church because he's God incarnate in the flesh? 00:30:28.002 --> 00:30:35.084 But because that's the way he was raised and he knew that, even as an adult, I'm gonna be there so I can invest in the next generation. 00:30:35.084 --> 00:30:38.118 I understood the importance of being connected to the generations. 00:30:38.118 --> 00:30:42.481 Here's Jesus himself recognizing it, so we're gonna live his same model. 00:30:42.481 --> 00:30:43.558 Can I get an amen? 00:30:43.558 --> 00:30:45.780 And here's what I've learned. 00:30:45.780 --> 00:30:47.863 I don't need a barn study for this. 00:30:47.863 --> 00:30:49.661 I've learned this experientially. 00:30:49.661 --> 00:30:58.441 Okay, of 20 years of hands-on experience, I have learned this when kids get connected to the house of God, they stay connected to God. 00:30:58.441 --> 00:31:13.837 When they get in the house of moms and dads, aunties and uncles, all encouraging, cheering them on, their propensity statistically will be that they will stay connected not just in the house of God, but have a thriving, passionate, reactive relationship with Jesus. 00:31:14.776 --> 00:31:20.144 It's so important that it's not just something we do on the. 00:31:20.144 --> 00:31:25.579 That's what I'm so thankful and why we need to get our kids in kids church and we need to get them in youth ministry. 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:29.818 And when there's summer camp, you're going to summer camp, I don't care if you don't wanna go, you're going to summer camp. 00:31:29.818 --> 00:31:31.380 Kids conference is coming. 00:31:31.380 --> 00:31:47.005 I don't care if you don't wanna go to kids conference, you're going to kids conference because there gonna be all these moms and dads and grandmas and aunties that are all gonna be loving on you and calling the best of God in you, cause I'm telling you right now, every one of us I want you to hear this every one of you, shep, we need you. 00:31:47.075 --> 00:32:00.779 Shep doesn't know this, but and this is true of like guys like Landon, landon and his wife Abbey, our youth directors here at the church it's not my primary reason why I invest and spend a lot of time with Landon is for his investment in my kids, but it is one of the reasons. 00:32:00.779 --> 00:32:12.916 There's a reason why I speak and call things into Landon the way that I'm calling it into him, not only cause I see them and it's my job as a pastor and a leader in his life, but it's also cause I know I'm believing he's doing the same thing into my kids and the same thing. 00:32:12.916 --> 00:32:17.301 Shep doesn't even know it, but I'm gonna ask him to mentor my kids one day, cause I love and see the call of God onto his life. 00:32:17.301 --> 00:32:19.821 So you too, shep, you listen and you lean in. 00:32:19.821 --> 00:32:20.703 Listen. 00:32:20.703 --> 00:32:24.204 This is for all of us. 00:32:24.204 --> 00:32:25.201 We need you. 00:32:25.201 --> 00:32:26.657 We need you. 00:32:26.678 --> 00:32:40.659 Okay, right in the middle of all those verses, right in the midst of them taking Jesus to the house of God to be dedicated, we see, right in the midst of those verses that scripture interrupts with these stories of two people. 00:32:40.659 --> 00:32:42.381 Quickly, I'll read them just to you. 00:32:42.381 --> 00:32:47.842 There's his parents are taking Jesus, right in the midst of it, and they've noticed that there's this man named Simeon. 00:32:47.842 --> 00:32:53.088 The Bible describes him as a man of fill with the Holy Spirit and he says this turns to Mary. 00:32:53.088 --> 00:32:58.000 The baby's mother says this child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and many others to rise. 00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:01.420 He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 00:33:01.420 --> 00:33:06.281 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and the sword will pierce their very soul. 00:33:06.595 --> 00:33:10.760 Can you imagine bringing your kid to church to be dedicated and somebody named Simeon? 00:33:10.760 --> 00:33:12.922 It just speaks the prophetic word of your kid. 00:33:12.922 --> 00:33:15.721 The Bible actually says that Mary, she kept these things in her heart. 00:33:15.721 --> 00:33:25.181 And here's what's cool the very next verse they haven't even got done, turning away like wow, what a powerful I don't even know who that granddad was just speaking over my kid, because this is the power of the local church. 00:33:25.776 --> 00:33:29.482 Very next verse, it says that an Anna, a prophet, who was also there in the temple. 00:33:29.482 --> 00:33:31.762 She was a daughter of Phineola, who was a tribe of Asher. 00:33:31.762 --> 00:33:35.280 She was very old and her husband died when she had been married only seven years. 00:33:35.280 --> 00:33:43.521 Then she lived as a widow to the age of 84 and she never left the temple but stayed there day and night worshiping God and fasting and prayer. 00:33:43.521 --> 00:33:49.604 And she came along just as Simeon was done, prophesying with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. 00:33:50.295 --> 00:33:52.261 Oh, look at that kid of destiny right there. 00:33:52.261 --> 00:33:54.000 I love doing that over your kids. 00:33:54.000 --> 00:33:57.299 I just did it one of our kids at church the other day, just one that I've gotten to know. 00:33:57.299 --> 00:34:03.400 You know how when you finally kind of break in with a kid and I give him a high five, and they don't think you're weird, you know You're like they're giving me a high five. 00:34:03.400 --> 00:34:09.918 And I turned to him I said you know what I love about you and they're like what I said everything I love, everything they're like, but that's not. 00:34:09.918 --> 00:34:10.760 That's a lot of things. 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:13.041 I'm like, yeah, because that's what God has over your life. 00:34:13.041 --> 00:34:15.282 Do you know how many amazing things God has for you? 00:34:15.282 --> 00:34:16.083 You're so cool. 00:34:16.083 --> 00:34:18.760 I love how kind you are Just speaking, all those things. 00:34:19.054 --> 00:34:29.983 She's celebrating all the things that are spoke over this kid and she talked to the everyone who, about the child who had been waiting, expecting the waiting for God to rescue Jerusalem. 00:34:29.983 --> 00:34:45.045 Here's what I want to say to you you are all Anna's and Simeon's in this generational timeline of raising up kids for the house of God, and I'm telling you we need you to speak them and pray them into their destiny. 00:34:45.045 --> 00:34:46.942 We need you to call those things. 00:34:46.942 --> 00:34:50.280 We need you to speak to their hearts when they're in the hardest seasons. 00:34:50.280 --> 00:34:54.360 We need you to call to them and just pray alongside of us. 00:34:54.360 --> 00:34:55.800 We need the encouragement. 00:34:55.800 --> 00:34:59.340 We need the people like Marla Morell, who's a real Anna in the house. 00:34:59.414 --> 00:35:04.503 She was praying for our family the other day and she got a word and it was just multiple little words of encouragement. 00:35:04.503 --> 00:35:06.983 She said I feel like God said this about one of your sons. 00:35:06.983 --> 00:35:11.876 What she didn't know is that we were currently kind of struggling with some things with the kid and it just. 00:35:11.876 --> 00:35:14.364 I instantly took a picture of it and sent it to my wife. 00:35:14.364 --> 00:35:15.478 I said this is from Marla. 00:35:15.478 --> 00:35:19.215 She's just an Anna in the house who she knows, marla, and it was her encouragement. 00:35:19.215 --> 00:35:21.202 We're crying and we're like that's who our kid is. 00:35:21.202 --> 00:35:23.981 We know it to be true and that night we were speaking those words. 00:35:23.981 --> 00:35:29.579 She was praying we need, we need you, we need you, we all need to be on her. 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:34.106 What I've found is that it begins to stick. 00:35:34.106 --> 00:35:39.260 Kids need to see not just their parents worshiping, they need to see friends worshiping. 00:35:39.260 --> 00:35:41.061 They need to see other people worshiping. 00:35:41.061 --> 00:35:44.942 In our house we are Lego fans. 00:35:44.942 --> 00:35:46.119 We love Lego. 00:35:46.119 --> 00:35:50.940