• I would make sure to bring the God factor into each day.  Somehow in our church culture we can easily get to the place of thinking about God on Sunday.  In life, with all the challenges we face, I need to remember and teach my kids that God is God more than one hour a week.  He’s active and always moving – he loves us not for how we perform on Sunday, but for who we are everyday.  Proverbs also teaches us “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it’s the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (19:21).
• I would also give each child prime time.  It’s so easy because of how busy we are to multi-task our time with our kids.  Angie and I have four – so each evening at dinner we talk about their day.  But, as in any family with more than one child, their personalities are very different.  So, the one’s who tend to be more reserved often sit quietly by while others share.  I read recently how Jonathan Edwards and his wife had eleven children.  He was used in such a great way during the “Great Awakening” in our nation.  He was also a pastor and the President of Princeton.  But his greatest achievement was with his kids.  He and his wife made sure that sat down with each child individually on a regular basis and he would say to them, “let’s just talk about you.“  If I were staring over, I would make more of an effort to focus on each child intentionally.  Scripture teaches us, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds…” Proverbs 27:23.  I don’t have any flocks or herds, but I do know that our kids are far more valuable than anything else we oversee – God has given them to us to influence for him.  We can only do this, and point them in the right direction if we truly know them and they know how much we love them.

Tags: Beginning, C3 Church, children, kids, Starting Over

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