The Worlds Okayest Pastor

The Courage to Let Go: Why God Wants Your Kids More Than You Do

• Jason Cline

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Faith over fear. We hear this phrase often, but what does it truly mean in the context of parenting? Through a memorable (if slightly messy) object lesson involving an egg, Jason delivers a profound message about the difference between raising rule-followers and raising disciples.

Many Christian parents find themselves gripping their children tightly, desperately trying to shield them from a world that seems increasingly hostile to faith values. We focus on behavior modification – sit quietly in church, speak respectfully, follow the rules – without addressing the deeper transformation that God desires. But what if our protective instincts are actually hindering our children's spiritual growth?

Drawing from Romans 8, we are reminded that God is for us, not against us – a truth that should transform our parenting approach. Rather than parenting from fear, we're called to parent from trust, helping our children understand not just what to do, but why faith matters. This involves modeling authentic relationship with God, explaining the purpose behind our practices, and trusting that God loves our children even more than we do.

The sermon powerfully references Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac, illustrating the ultimate surrender – trusting God completely with our most precious gifts. While we'll never face that exact test, we are called to loosen our grip, remembering that God's plans for our children exceed even our deepest hopes for them.

Whether your children attend public school or private, participate in sports or arts, the most important thing isn't protecting them from every potential danger – it's equipping them to be light in darkness, just as Daniel and Esther were in biblical times. Because ultimately, transformed disciples don't just follow rules on Sunday mornings; they reflect Jesus everywhere they go.

Ready to shift from raising well-behaved church kids to raising disciples who change the world? Listen now and discover how to create a home where faith flourishes not through fear, but through freedom in Christ.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to turn that mic off real quick. So, in case you're wondering why I have an egg up here, I promise I'm going to get to it. By the way, this is a real egg. The reason it's in this bag and I told Daniel that I wanted to do this as an object lesson and she's like I'm like I'm going to break an egg in my hand. She's like you can't do that. I'm like you bet, like, and she's like you can't. And I'm like, okay, like I'm going to try, right, and I'm going to get to it, but I promise I can do it. I've done it. I practice because I want to make sure, before I embarrass myself in front of everyone, that I actually pull it off.

Speaker 1:

But there's something pretty interesting about the structure of an egg. It has to do with how the pressure is distributed. It's hard, it is really hard, to squeeze an egg and break it in your hand because it's pretty, the foundation's pretty solid, like. This is a really cool design that God made right. But we're going to get to this. So, just so you know, this is a real egg. It will break and I'm going to do everything I can not to get it on anybody. That's why it's in this little baggie here, because the one that I broke in my hand last night was not in a baggie and I had to take my shorts off because it was all like I was covered in it Now.

Speaker 1:

So we've been talking about families. And stop, rob, I was focused man, I know that's right. I was thinking like I'm trying to break an egg and Danny's mad that I'm wasting food. I'm trying to break an egg and Danny's mad that I'm wasting food, but there's a point I promise. And so we've been talking about families, and a couple weeks ago we talked about the importance of foundation, and last week we talked about obedience and obedience.

Speaker 1:

I think a lot of times we press obedience but we miss the importance of transformation, and I see that in the church sometimes we want people to come to church and we want them to act like church people. By the way, I don't know what that means. I think that's such a funny statement. You're not acting like a church person. I don't know If I'm not acting like Jesus. That's a different conversation. But a lot of times when we talk about obedience, we really focus on outside behavior, but we're not looking at internal transformation. And when we look throughout Scripture. That's what obedience is.

Speaker 1:

Everything that God has done as far as discipline Old and New Testament is geared towards bringing people transformation to change them, and so we've talked about that with kids that a lot of times we just want kids to comply but we're not actually helping them to develop and to understand and to try to be the kind of men and women that God wants them to be. We just want them to listen, sit down and be quiet. And I said I'm not opposed to that because I do think there's a time and place for that. If you've ever seen me around my kids, there are times where I'm like just sit down Again. There's nothing wrong with that. But I need to help them understand why, right, so, like we're back there and you know Danny's in nursery and Everett and Griffin are with me and I'm trying to worship and they keep talking to me and I'm like we're not talking right now and Everett's like why? I'm like because this time in service is focused on praising God. This is not a time for you to talk to me. And Everett's like well, I have to say something. I'm like well, you can wait right, and I think that that's an important conversation, because I can tell him to be quiet, and he will. But really what I should do is I should explain to him that this moment in worship is focused on God, that everything else around you doesn't matter at this moment, okay. And so we have to teach that. We have to teach that, and we have to not only teach it, but we have to model that for our kids. So if our kids are standing next to us and we're saying, hey, don't talk, but we're talking to the person next to us about lunch, we're not modeling that. So, again, obedience is important, but transformation is what matters, and so helping kids understand that. And so this morning we're going to talk about, when it comes to our families, the reliance that we have to have on God.

Speaker 1:

I don't know about you, but my family is not perfect. So if anyone in here, if your family is perfect and you've never messed up and your kids do everything right, you could just go ahead and get up and leave. I'll wait, no Good. So we're all on the same page, right? Families are messy. Kids are. I love having kids, but kids are tough. Man, I have three kids raised in the same house, pretty much under the same guidance and they're completely different people.

Speaker 1:

Everett's like really calm and collective and he like just wants to hang out. Griffin will talk your ear off but, like, he's really just like to ask. He asks a lot of questions but again, he takes instruction well. And then Miles I know I talk about him a lot, but he is the kid that like he will look you in the face and eat a cookie you told him not to eat and then do it again, just because he thinks it's funny. Right Yesterday we were. I love him. He's going to be such he is an amazing kid. Do not get me wrong. I love it because you're like, oh, he's so cute, he's adorable, he is amazing. He just sometimes he does stuff. You're like, buddy, I don't know what's going on. We were at the event yesterday and Griffin had put this like sand thing together. Miles walked up, picked it up and dumped it out. I'm like I don't know what to do with you, right, but kids are messy.

Speaker 1:

Families are messy. By the way, biblically, families are messy, right. So let's look at you have Cain and Abel perfect example of how brothers should love each other. You have Jacob and Esau again brothers looking out for each other's best interest and not being selfish in any way, shape or form. You have Saul and David. Saul absolutely loved David, never tried to kill him, not even one time did he try to take his life. And these are just a couple. Noah, his family was a mess. He was a mess.

Speaker 1:

I mean, we look throughout Scripture and then you have mom and dad of the lovely boy Jesus who, on a journey, they forget that their kid is not with them and they just keep walking. Can you imagine that they left their kid behind? Families are messy. Again, it's never been about being perfect, but it's about allowing God to help us understand and to be the kind of parents that we need to be, and we have to rely on him for this. We're not meant to do this alone. We're not meant to parent alone. That's why the Holy Spirit is such an important part, and we talk about this, and I do. I think Scripture teaches that when we accept Christ, not only do we experience the forgiveness of our sins, but the empowering of the Holy Spirit, and it's the Holy Spirit in us that helps reassure us that everything is going to be okay, and I think we get stressed sometimes, and I was thinking about this Like my mom is like I love my mom.

Speaker 1:

My mom is like, if you ever wanted someone to watch your kids, like my mom's it, because my mom is like a hawk man. Like the moment like one of my kids walks away from her, she's like where are they? I'm ever wanted someone to watch your kids. Like my mom's it, because my mom is like a hawk man. Like the moment, like one of my kids walks away from her, she said where are they? I'm like, mom, they're behind you. Okay, like you know. But I love that because she cares right.

Speaker 1:

And I feel the same way about my kids, like like I want nothing for the best for them and so sometimes like, oh, I broke. Sometimes like, oh, I broke it already. Wow, well, thank you. No, I'm just kidding. No, well, that was a fun failed attempt, okay. So what I was going to do is I was going to hold on to the egg while I was talking, because a lot of times I think, when we talk about our kids and the world that they're living in, I think sometimes we hold on really, really tightly to our kids because we're so afraid of the world that they live in and listen. As a parent of three boys, I fully understand how difficult that is. I fully understand how difficult that is my kids are, I would consider. Everett is kind of fairly innocent in the way he thinks, and we try to protect them. That's our goal, I think. As good parents, our goal is to protect our kids at all costs.

Speaker 1:

I heard something a couple weeks ago and I love it. It says parenting is only hard for the parents that care, and I think there's some truth to that, because I think when you're worried about your kids and your well-being and how are they going to be treated at school, what's the world telling them? Our kids go to public school and listen. I personally have nothing wrong with public school. It doesn't mean I agree with everything that's in a public school, but I went to public school and I turned out okay. And I don't think your kid necessarily has to go to a Christian school. Again, that's not bad either. I'm not saying that either way. But I think sometimes we're worried about our kids so much and what they're exposed to that we try to cover them and we try to protect them. We try to hold on to them with everything that we have, because we just don't want them to have bad life experiences or to make tough choices and listen.

Speaker 1:

My experience has been that sometimes that causes a lot more damage than we think it does, because I think we're trying to protect them from everything, but again, when we talk about behavior, we're not teaching the importance of transformation. When I was in high school, I dated a girl that went to a Christian school, and let me tell you my very limited interaction with Christian school kids is the Christian school kids have the same problem as the public school kids. They do. It's the same struggles. You would not believe this, or maybe you will, but there are bullies in Christian schools. You would not believe this or maybe you will, but there are bullies in Christian schools. There shouldn't be, but there are those kids my age were in a Christian school and they were dealing with alcohol being presented to them as teenagers Blew. My mind Never thought of it, and I get it right. Mom and dad is doing everything they can to protect them, and so sometimes, when we remove them from the world, we think we are, but the reality is sin finds its way in everywhere, because we're broken, all of us. So sometimes we hold on really, really tightly, and I think this is where, as parents, it's important that we have to rely on God to protect them.

Speaker 1:

Romans 8.22 through verse 31 says we know that the whole creation has been groaning, as in the pains of childbirth, right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves have the firstfruits of the Spirit grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies, for in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans, and he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit.

Speaker 1:

Because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined. He also called those he called. He also justified those he justified. He also glorified. What then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, then who can be against us?

Speaker 1:

And so, again, paul is writing to this early church and he's saying listen, god is on your side. I need you to understand this. The world around you doesn't want you to be anything like Jesus. You live in a Roman culture. If anything, they act like, they accept your beliefs but in reality they put up with it. That's a common practice. You just kind of let everyone do their own thing. But Paul says listen, don't be worried and so concerned about the things of this world, but instead trust that God is on your side. He has a plan for your life. It's all about being changed.

Speaker 1:

And if you read through the book of Romans, that's what Paul continues to address is the idea that, as things happen in this world, that they're not alone. So, as this passage teaches a beautiful lesson in hope because of our connection with God as free, justified, saved children in Christ, suffering, though real, unavoidable and painful, cannot break this connection. So the Spirit is active still within us, a deep sense of God's love as the basis for our hope and to act as God's pledges that he will continue to work on our behalf. So we still live in a world impacted by sin, but destined for total redemption. We can't see how or when that might happen, but we trust. As we persevere in this fallen world, the Spirit cares for it and empowers. When we have no words, the Spirit carries us. That's why we truly believe that everything will work out in the end. This doesn't mean that life will be easy, especially as God uses the circumstances of our lives to grow us, to shape us and to mature us to better reflect Jesus. However, we have an overarching hope in the storms of life that, as God is for us, nothing is too big for him to handle.

Speaker 1:

I think that's such an important concept because, again, we can teach our kids to be obedient, to do all of the religious things Don't talk in church, wear the right things, say the right things. We can teach behavior modification Again, not necessarily bad, but really I think we should teach our kids to rely on who God is in their life. We need to teach our kids that having a relationship with God is not only their choice, but it's something that they have to make happen. It's not enough just to come to church because mom and dad drug you there. It's not, because what that produces is resentment, what that produces is bitterness. What that produces is that Sunday morning becomes an obligation. It's something that you know. You come in on Sunday morning, you kind of put in a check mark and then you go about the rest of the week and nothing has changed for you. Again, not wrong to bring your kids to church. I bring mine to church. It's important. I believe that I absolutely 100% believe you to bring your kids to church. I bring mine to church. It's important. I believe that I absolutely 100% believe you should bring your kids to church 100%. But you have to teach them why church is important. And it's not just because you drugged them here, because they need to understand that there is a God who created them, who loved them, who loved them so much that he died for them, and he loved them so much that he continues and he put the spirit in them to live out that life that he's calling them to live, that he is for them, even if the world is against them. That's what breeds transformation. It's helping our kids to understand that God is the most important thing they can invest their time and resources into, and that comes from you and me. We have to model that for them.

Speaker 1:

Everett's nine I'll be ten this year. We've had a couple conversations about faith, a couple conversations about baptism recently. As a dad, that excites me, but here's what I'm afraid of and here's what I'm afraid of and here's what I don't want. I don't want my kids to accept Jesus because they feel like they have to, but because they want to. Those are different conversations, because I could make him go through the motions. I could have him come up and take his confession. I can have him get baptized. We can do all of that. But if he hasn't really understood or if he hasn't really made that decision on his own, then all he's doing is he's mimicking. But I need my kids to understand that God is the most important thing in their life. By the way, this goes back to our conversation. This is why, during worship, I told them we shouldn't be talking. Not because it's wrong to talk, because your focus needs to be up right now. You need to. I have to teach them that you need to be focused on God, because in this moment, in this room. The most important thing that's happening right now is we're standing in the presence of the Almighty God and we're thanking Him for who he is that matters. We have to model this for our children, but we also have to trust that God is working in their life.

Speaker 1:

I live in the same world that you live, believe it or not. It's rough man. It scares me. Some of the stuff I see, some of the stuff that's become acceptable, some of the stuff we teach, some of the stuff that's become normal. Listen, this is probably a pet peeve of mine and this is really like a little thing. It's not a big thing, but there are commercials on TV now for ladies.

Speaker 1:

I remember when I was younger, no idea what they were talking about, because they were really good about talking about things in a really roundabout conversation. Now they say stuff and I'm like, oh man, I'm going to have to answer a question. So when Griffin's about to ask me what that word means, or I think about this, this last political season, the amount of negative ads was atrocious. I had to explain to my kids words that they shouldn't have never heard yet. But we're out here destroying people's character and we call it normal.

Speaker 1:

There's things of this world that terrify me, the things they watch, the things they can live stream, the things that are easily accessible. I worry about them and I should because I'm a good dad, but I can't protect them so much they don't understand how to handle it themselves. I can't allow them to live in a bubble like there's not a problem with things going on In my house. We have to have tough conversations, sometimes maybe not even conversations that I'm ready for, but I need my kids and I think you and I, we need our kids in our stand that, even though the world doesn't seem to be in favor of us, that God is still in charge. Even if the world is burning down around us, god is still in charge. And I think one of the things that I think we've done as Christians is we've removed ourselves so far from the culture. We protect ourselves, we hide ourselves, we come into our buildings on Sunday morning and we just want everything to be nice and clean and pristine. And listen, that's just not how it works. Jesus spent all of his time with some of the worst people of his day, intentionally, and so, again, we want to protect our kids, but we also have to teach our kids to go into the world and to be God, to be like Jesus, in their setting.

Speaker 1:

Maybe it's at a baseball game. Maybe it's the way they handle the loss. Maybe it's at practice, when everyone else is slacking off and your kids set in the tone because they understand that working hard for God is important. Maybe, when it comes and you're going out to lunch, you decide not to go out to lunch on Sunday and instead you and your family take some time to go volunteer somewhere. Maybe you skip Thanksgiving dinner so that you can pack food for other people. Maybe you give your time and your money and your resources and you invest them in things of the church, not just the things of this church, but things of the church in general, things that are designed to help bring people to eternity. Maybe it's walking in a parade if it's just a little too hot out. Maybe it's sitting in a booth handing out toys, but hoping and praying that your kids will see that you love God and they should love God and they should tell other people about God, because that matters.

Speaker 1:

You and I can hide our kids away or we can teach them to be like Jesus in a world that's full of darkness. I think about Daniel, right, we just got through this incredible series on Daniel. Daniel could have been in exile and complained the entire time, and no one would have been mad about it, but he didn't. Daniel stayed faithful to God. He modeled a relationship with God, so much so that he rose through the ranks Influencing kings. He lived a life right. He lived a life that was changing those around him.

Speaker 1:

You and I have to teach our kids to be like Jesus. I look forward to the day that my kids bring their first friend to church. That'll be cool. I look forward to the stories of their life when they get older, when we hear about how they're prayed with a friend who is struggling. I look forward to when my kids ask me questions about who God is, even some of the harder ones to answer. Because you and I, we have two options in this world. We can either be so afraid of this world that we wrap our kids in bubble wrap and we hope they don't break, or we can be broken for this world and spend our time teaching our kids to be disciples who make disciples. I said this last week your first discipleship opportunity is in your home To teach your kids to follow Jesus and to watch that play out in their life. See you, and I don't have to live in fear.

Speaker 1:

What's the saying that's all over t-shirts right now? Faith over fear. Listen, we talk about that at a very high level. The world's burning down. Faith over fear. We talk about it in the political climate Faith over fear. But what if we step back and actually brought that into our homes and said, god, we're going to trust you with our families. We're going to trust you with our kids. We're going to trust you whether our kids are in public school or private school. We're going to trust you with them. We're going to trust you and we're going to surrender them to you. We're going to do everything we can to live out a life that's dedicated to you, but we are going to teach them, more than anything, how to follow you, because that's the only thing that will make a difference in their life is whether or not they have a relationship with you. Everything else will fade, except for you.

Speaker 1:

I came across this this weekend and I thought it was interesting. This is a gentleman called Pastor Clark Fraley. He says one tangible place this tension plays out is in public schools. He's talking about this faith over fear, he says. Too often Christians respond to education crisis with withdrawal and condemnation. But what if we followed the example of leaders like Pastor Clark Fraley, who launched Pastors for Oklahoma Kids, to stand with local schools, not because the system was perfect, but because hope requires presence? It says people were saying our schools were Marxist, socialist, atheist, fairly recalled that just wasn't our experience, the discussion from fellow Christians. He said he felt like it was a false narrative. He said instead, what they found is they found people who were hurting and lost, who needed hope.

Speaker 1:

Our fears often grow in the shadows of the unknown, but when we show up at school board meetings, in classrooms, on playgrounds, in neighborhoods, we begin to see things clearly. We see real people, we see shared struggles. We see shared struggles. We see opportunities to serve, because here's the truth it is really hard to be cynical when you're busy serving those around you. You know I think about this in my own life that sometimes I fail in being a gracious person. I know that I'm harder on people than I need to be and listen. Most of that time is because I'm so hard on myself. But you and I, we share the same struggle. We're trying to be like Jesus. That's the point. And so we have this opportunity that we can either hide in our churches and hope that people find Jesus, or we can walk into the fire and trust that the fourth man is going to show up Again.

Speaker 1:

I love Daniel. Daniel never wavered in his faith, but he lived out his faith and he trusted God and he became a beacon of hope A beacon of hope in a pagan culture. He changed the lives of kings. Do you understand that? He changed the lives of kings or Esther? Let's talk about Esther.

Speaker 1:

Esther is one of my favorite stories. By the way, it's the only book in the Bible that doesn't mention God directly. I think I've said that before. It's inferred A whole lot of everything, but I love the story of Esther because her people were about to be exterminated and she walks into the presence of the king uninvited Could have died instantly, could have died Walks into the presence of the king and because of that decision to boldly live out her faith, she's saved a nation.

Speaker 1:

What does the verse say? That for such a time as this right? So you and I have two options. We can sit here and reflect on the good old days when things were going perfect and the church never had any problems, right, because 40 years ago the church never had any problems. We can reflect and complain about the generation now and how rude they are and I can't stand them or I can't believe they act like that. And listen, I have moments like that. I'm about to be 40. There's some of these teenagers that I'm like no, you're not my kid, not you, ari, I wouldn't say that while you're sitting in here. But we can look at the world, we can look at the challenges and, by the way, this generation faces more challenges than you and I realize Social media has ruined their self-image.

Speaker 1:

Tiktok lies to them, even on stuff about faith. Some of the stuff on TikTok drives me nuts. They're constantly comparing themselves to each other, constantly trying to find hope, constantly trying to find a purpose in life, and I'm telling you right now they're never going to find it in the world. They're only going to find it in your home. We have to be the example for them. We have to model for them the only thing that matters, and that's faith in Jesus. We have to demonstrate for them why it matters to come to church, why it matters to serve.

Speaker 1:

All of these things are important. Our kids have to see this, not because they have to. That's the thing, man. I want my kids to do the things they do because they want to. I don't stand there on Sunday mornings because I have to. I don't follow God because they want to. I said I don't stand here on Sunday mornings because I have to. I don't follow God because I have to. I follow God because of everything he's done for me and if I can have a small little place in this world before I die to know that I helped other people find that same transformation and I did something with my life, that's what I want for my kids. I want them to understand that God is for them and I want to live in such a way that I trust God with the lives of my children. Genesis 22, 1 through 18, has to be the hardest thing that I think I've ever read, being a dad that.

Speaker 1:

Sometime later God tested Abraham and he said to him Abraham, here I am. He replied. Then God said take your son, your only son, whom you love, isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you Now. Understand that it had taken a very long time for Isaac to come to the picture and God had promised that it was through Abraham's offspring that for Isaac to come to the picture, and God had promised that it was through Abraham's offspring that he was going to build a nation. And so God comes to Abraham and he says take your son, your only son, isaac, and take him to a mountain to be sacrificed. Now it's funny because yesterday we were sitting with Alicia and she was like we tell people all the time, if you come to church, we're not sacrificing children, we're not. This is one time in Scripture Okay, so stay with me. It says take your son and sacrifice him.

Speaker 1:

So early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey and he took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day, abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance and he said to his servants Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there, we will worship and then we'll come back to you. Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and he placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife, and the two of them went on together. Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, father, yes, my son Abraham replied the fire and the wood are here, isaac said, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? I can imagine Abraham answered, trying to choke back some tears, that God himself provided the lamb for the burnt offering. My son and the two of them went on together when they reached the place God had told them about, abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand, took his knife to slay his son, but the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven Abraham, abraham, here I am. He replied. Do not lay a hand on the boy. He said. Do not do anything to him. Now. I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up and there in the thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns and he went over and he took the ram and he sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place the Lord will. And to this day it is said on the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided.

Speaker 1:

You know, I've always wondered about the return conversation home. I do. When I was younger I used to think that Abraham, maybe he ignored it, right, dad? Dad, why did you put me on the altar? Don't worry about it. But as I've gotten older I realize that I don't think he did. I think that entire walk back, he took the time to explain to Isaac what it means to be willing to give up everything, to say to his son I love you more than you will ever know, but I love God more than you. And listen, that's a hard conversation, right, but I think it's important because I think sometimes, sometimes I think God wants us to surrender our kids to him. He wants us to trust him with them. And that's tough because we want to live and we want to protect them and we want to hold on to them with everything we have. But God in this moment is saying to Abraham I need you to worry about me and I'll worry about him. You worry about me and I'll take care of Isaac. And I think that's what we have to live is God. I'm going to worry about my and your relationship and I'm going to trust you with my children, because I can't protect them everywhere that I go.

Speaker 1:

Everett, at some point in his life, is going to find himself somewhere where he probably doesn't even want to be, and he's going to find himself in a situation and I pray that I taught him enough that he chooses God over whatever that is. I pray that, as he walks through life and he has his own challenges, that he realizes that, no matter how bad things are, that there's a God who loves him. There's a God who is for him and not against him. And I pray, as a parent, that I learn to trust God more with my kids the older they get, because God wants more for them than even I do. That's the beauty of it. It's not like we're handing our kids off to someone who doesn't care. We're handing our kids off to someone who wants them to be everything they're supposed to be, and God is really good, really good at getting us there.

Speaker 1:

So, when it comes to behaviors, to behaviors, don't worry so much about whether or not your kids behave in church. Worry about whether or not they want to be there at all. Don't worry so much about whether or not your kids say and do the right things all the time. Worry more about whether or not your kids say and do the right things all the time. Worry more about whether or not they're spending time with the one who created them. Don't just seek obedience for obedience sake, but help them be transformed into the little men and women that God is calling them to be. Set a tone for them. Help them understand that God is important, that spending time and when I say church, I'm not just talking about on Sunday morning. Get involved, spend time with other believers. That's where so much growth happens.

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My favorite part about Thursday nights in our house is all the kids who come and play together. That, to me, is cool. Don't worry about whether or not your kid looks the part. Help them understand the importance of seeking Jesus first. Don't just worry about being religious. Teach your kids to have a relationship with God. Model that for them, because whether they're here on Sunday morning or they're not, my prayer is that my kids are being like Jesus wherever they are, wherever they are.

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You know, I know a lot of you families. You guys are busy. Sports are crazy. Man, I get it. It's crazier now than it ever was before. I get it, it's crazier now than it ever was before.

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And listen, I've probably shifted a little bit in my focus because for the longest time I think I would probably beat, whether I meant to or not, I feel like I could beat people up for not being here on Sunday morning because of something, for a reason, they're not here. And listen again, I think the church is important, but a couple months ago I started praying for everyone who's not here and my prayer is God, wherever they are, let them be you. Let them be you in whatever situation they find themselves in. We miss them. I look forward to seeing them, but my prayer is that, wherever you are, that you're being Jesus and that you are bringing God into wherever you find yourself at.

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Because that, to me, is an important thing for our kids to understand that God is not just here on Sunday morning. But he's at the baseball field, he's at the football game, he's at the wrestling match, he's in the theater production that you might be in, he's walking in a parade in 95-degree weather, he's sitting in a booth on a Saturday evening meeting kids and families, that he goes with us. So we need to stop being so concerned about whether or not we're protecting ourselves from the world and really are we being the light that this world needs. That's what I need to teach. That's what we need to teach our kids is that everywhere they go, god goes with them, because God is everywhere.

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You can have church anywhere. It doesn't have to be a building like this. That was my favorite thing about church planting. Our first church plant was in a coffee shop Coolest thing ever. Every morning, every Sunday morning, sometimes Saturday night, 70 people gathered in this little corner of a coffee shop and we had worship and we praised God. We met in a theater one time. That was fun. Seating was spectacular, but that's because church is bigger than a building. Church is where we are. You and I are the church that matters. Teach your kids that that matters. Don't teach them to just be obedient, good-behaved kids. Teach them to be like Jesus. That'll change their life. At the end of the day.

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One of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the reassurance that he never changes. No matter what comes, he stands firm. Our place in his family is secure. We are fully known, fully loved and never condemned in Christ, romans 8.1. So that kind of unwavering love doesn't change us. It gives us a model to follow, especially in how we love our families.

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For our children, especially in moments of high emotion, uncertainty or failure, they don't need us to match their chaos. They need us to reflect God's calm. Just as we can approach our Heavenly Father with confidence, our kids need to know that they can come to us without fear of rejection. One of the greatest gifts we can offer them is to become their safe place, the steady presence they can run to in the middle of the storm, when emotion runs high. May they borrow our calm because we are grounded in the truth that God works all things for good. But they don't believe that unless we live it.

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Think about babies. Even puppies Sleep better with the steady sound of a heartbeat or a ticking clock nearby. The rhythm soothes them. We're not that different. We use fans, ocean waves or rainfall sounds to calm our nerves and quiet our minds. Why? Because they steady us. So, in a world full of noise, is your home a place of peace? Can your kids find grace, truth and calm in their life through you?

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Part of being a parent, again, it's not about being perfect, but it's showing them that they're loved Without condition, without fear. We model for them what it means to be loved by a God who is willing to die for us. And, at the end of the day, we trust our children to the lives of the one who created us. We trust God to take care of them, to protect them, to watch over them even when we can't because he made them. Protect them, to watch over them even when we can't because he made them.

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If we want our kids to be like Jesus, if we want our kids to understand that God loves them and that God is for them, if we want to understand that nothing in this world can ever stop him from getting to them, they have to see it at home first. From getting to them, they have to see it at home first. It's never been about obedience. It's always been about transformation, and transformation comes from knowing the one who loves us, the one who accepts us and the one who died for us. God is with us everywhere, always, at all times. Make sure your kids know that. All right, let's pray.