Launching Your Child's Faith: What's the Rush?

Now is the time for you to realize the incredible impact you can have on your child, helping him or her come to Christ and grow in that relationship.

You've never been so nervous in your life.

The relentless Florida sun glints off the crystal of your wristwatch as you glance at it for the thousandth time. Didn't you see these numbers, 11:04 a.m., half an hour ago? History is crawling forward. Half of you wants it to speed up, but the other half wants the clock to stop entirely.

Your stomach grips again as you squint into the distance. For nearly four hours your son has been perched on top of the otherworldly object that towers like a white-and-rust castle against the sapphire sky.

You swallow, and wait. And wait.

Finally a voice comes from the PA system. "T minus 30," it says. And eventually, "T minus 15 . . . 10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . ."

You can't remember your own name now. Your mind is too full of your son's face, the one in his third-grade school picture with the half-combed hair.

"We're ready for main engine start!" says the voice from Mission Control.

At this point there should be a roar, then a rush of flame.

But instead there's . . . silence.

No liftoff. No reaching for the stars.

The astronauts have been dressed for the part. The space shuttle and booster rockets look great on the outside.

But no one loaded any fuel into the tanks, or linked the computers, or actually made any preparations to send your son into space.

Everyone had great intentions.

But it's a failure to launch.

* * *

Unfortunately, in too many homes of parents who know and love Jesus, that picture closely resembles what happens when kids grow up and are ready to "launch out" on their own.

Depending on which study you want to quote, anywhere from 50 to 70 percent of children from evangelical Christian families won't embrace the faith as their own when they leave for college. That's tragic. When it comes to faith transference, we're losing the next generation.

Let me shoot straight: It's not the churches' fault. I think the level of ministry excellence in churches today—for the two hours or so that a family is in the building — has never been higher! The music and PowerPoint presentations and kids' and youth programs are light years ahead of where they've been in the past. Yet more and more young people are never getting off the launch pad when it comes to personally accepting Christ and growing in their faith.

Here's one reason why.

Recently I asked several hundred parents of younger children at a large church three questions.

"Do you think it's important to pass down your faith to your children?" As you might expect, more then 90 percent said, "Yes! It's very important!"
"Do you think your child will have a strong faith when he or she gets out of college?" Again, 90 percent of those responding said, "You bet!"
"Outside of going to church, what are you doing intentionally to introduce and build a growing faith in your child?" Fewer than 30 percent were doing anything purposefully to meet that goal during the 166 hours a week their children were at home.
Think about that. These wonderful, godly, well-intentioned parents strongly believed they should be involved in their children's faith development. They also were highly confident that their children would embrace the faith by the time they were on their own. But when it came to actually preparing their kids, they were just dressing them up and dropping them off at church — and setting themselves up for a failure to launch.

But that doesn't have to be true in your home.

Now is the time for you to realize the incredible impact you can have on your child, helping him or her come to Christ and grow in that relationship. You can do it!

It's not rocket science to help your child reach God's best for his or her life. It's small things, even fun things. They'll go a long way toward filling up those boosters that lift your son or daughter into a lifelong faith.

The Launch Window Is Now
Maybe you've heard the statistics. Researchers agree that most people who receive Christ as Savior do so when they're children.

The message to parents has seemed clear enough: Now's the time for you to invest in your child coming to faith. And the best place for that to happen is right in your home. One survey found that half of those who received Christ by age 12 did so at the prompting of their parents, with an added 20 percent following the lead of another relative or friend.

No matter how wonderful your church may be, most successful launches happen at or near home. That doesn't have to scare you, even if you're a first-generation Christian like me. I didn't grow up in a Christian home, so I never saw anyone model faith transference. My wife, Cindy, didn't see an active, growing faith displayed in her home, either.

Yet both our children know and love the Lord today, as one finishes graduate school and the other gets ready for college. We truly believe it's because we did — without knowing how or why — many of the things you'll find in the FaithLaunch program.

Cindy and I didn't "launch" our relationship with Christ when we were children. Our own stories prove that children can accept the Lord when they're at voting age or older. So if your older child doesn't respond to God's invitation before adulthood, the story may be far from over.

Still, the benefits of following Jesus begin in this life. Since you want the best for your child, you want him or her to start receiving those benefits as soon as possible. Children face more challenges today then ever, and at a younger age; introducing them to Christ now, while they're young, is the most important gift you can give them.

It will be an incredible blessing to you as well. The aging apostle John said this about his spiritual children: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 4). That's true for any parent of older or grown children who sees them making good decisions and living a life of faith and love for Christ.

Adapted from FaithLaunch: A Simple Plan to Ignite Your Child's Love for Jesus by John Trent, Ph.D., and Jane Vogel (Focus on the Family/Tyndale, 2008)

The Tabernacle: Symbol of Jesus!

This Sunday in the Playhouse, we'll be exploring the Wilderness Tabernacle through a multi-media presentation mixed with a hands-on representation of the Tabernacle of the Israelites during the time of Moses. Kids will help us build a very rough replica of the tabernacle and all of its articles and then learn how each of those items of worship pointed ahead to Jesus as the Messiah. It's actually a fascinating study and kinda deep stuff, but we're going to break it down so even a Kindergartener will understand it. So make sure you ask your kids what they learned this week in kids church. Who knows, you may even learn a thing or two yourself. :D

Faith Launch: Ignite Your Child's Love for Jesus!

You're about to discover a fun, easy way to do one of the most important things in the world. It's FaithLaunch: A Simple Plan to Ignite Your Child's Love for Jesus by John Trent and Jane Vogel.

FaithLaunch isn't the only method for introducing your child to Jesus, of course. But it's a good way to do it without pressuring your child, exhausting yourself, or upending your family's schedule. Each of the 13 "Family Times" takes about 30 to 45 minutes; that's 30 to 45 minutes of togetherness, not tedium. You might use one Family Time each week for 90 days — or bits and pieces over a longer period. You get to decide, because FaithLaunch is flexible.

The goal is to prepare your child to begin a relationship with God. Since so many children receive Christ as Savior when they're 4 to 7 years old, each Family Time is written with that age group in mind. But shifting gears for kids ages 8 to 12 is easy; just use the optional activities.

FaithLaunch gives you plenty of fun ways to learn, including three Adventures in Odyssey episodes to listen to. You'll sculpt with clay, stage a treasure hunt, even tell a story with the help of your child's action figures or dolls. If you need an excuse to play with your child, here it is! And if you need permission to talk about what's important, that's here, too.

The plan for each Family Time is easy to follow. Your goal is clear, and the items you'll need are listed — right down to snacks you might enjoy. To boost your confidence, things you might say are spelled out in bold type — with answers to questions in parentheses. And you're always free to adapt the plan to fit you and your child.

There's a bonus, too — another confidence booster. In Part III of the book you'll find answers to questions your child might ask about God, the Bible, Jesus, joining God's family, and more. So there's no need to panic if your child wants to know something that isn't on the tip of your tongue!

Adapted from FaithLaunch: A Simple Plan to Ignite Your Child's Love for Jesus by John Trent, Ph.D., and Jane Vogel (Focus on the Family/Tyndale, 2008)

NEW TIMES FOR AWANA CLUBS!!

Remember that starting tonight, Awana begins at 6:15pm and ends at 8:15pm!

So do your best to get your kids to church a bit early tonight. Remember, your kids get extra points for being on time every week and the whole point for doing this is to allow our teachers the extra time to cover every clubber's advancement efforts. More time can only improve our clubbers experience on club nights and we're excited to be able to do that! See you (earlier) tonight!

Sleepover Safety: What Every Parent Should Ask Ahead of Time

"I’m embarrassed to ask this…what will they think of me?"

This is what many parents told us when we talked about the importance of asking “safety questions” of another parent or friend before sending kids off to a play date, sleep over or sports practice.

With all of the stories in the media about “trusted adults” in childrens' lives who have broken that trust by abusing them, it's important to ask yourself whether your discomfort with asking safety questions are more important than your child's safety. Is the chance of offending someone worth the risk?

Perhaps a year ago you might not have even thought to ask, but with recent news events, you probably have heard that 90% of the time a child is harmed - it's by someone they know. As a result, it's nearly impossible to bury your head in the sand and say "that would never happen to my child"…because it can and it does.

We want parents to feel that they have done all in their power to keep their children safe. So here are some questions that are important to ask the people you entrust with your child:

Before a play date or sleep-over

Who will be watching the children?
Do you have older children and will they or their friends be present?
Do you have a gun in your house?
What safety rules do you have in your house?
Will you be staying at your house the entire time?
Is the TV and Internet use monitored?
What are the sleeping arrangements?
Asking these questions will not entirely ensure that your child will be safe, but how the adult answers the questions is very important. Are they offended? Do they tell you that you are too over-protective? Are they giving you the answers that make you feel that your child will be in a safe environment? Is your gut telling you that it's not a safe environment for your child?

Here are some conversations to have with your child:

Your body is special and belongs to you.
You are in charge of your body and nobody should touch you in any way that makes you feel confused, weird, uncomfortable or on your private parts.
You should not touch or look at anyone’s privates.
When over a friend’s house clothes must always stay on.
No one should take pictures of your privates or show you pictures of naked people.
No playing in the master bedroom.
No one should ever ask you to keep a secret from us - or keep a secret that you are NEVER allowed to tell.
It's important to let your child know that you will always believe them and praise them when they report unsafe situations to you. You can give them a few strategies (as well as model and role play situations) so your child will know what to do and how to respond if they feel uncomfortable.

Make sure you discuss your safety rules and the fact that they should be followed when you are at another’s house. Finally, consider having a code word your child can say to you over the phone so if your child wants to leave they don’t have to be embarrassed.

By tackling these issues, you open the door to conversations that should be had on a regular basis as a natural part of your parenting. If all parents start speaking the same language of safety and are willing to openly discuss these questions, children everywhere will be safer. So are you still embarrassed to ask these questions? If you answered yes…get over it or keep them home! Nothing is more important than your child’s safety!

For more information visit our website www.kidsafefoundation.org

First the Holidays... Now Family Week... Then...The Promised Land!

There are just a few more days of quiet following the holidays before the 2012 storm hits! No I'm not talking about the political storm of an election year, though this year may prove rather chaotic on that front. No, I'm talking about the 2012 SPIRITUAL REVIVAL that we're smelling in the air as we transition from one year into the next and look forward to all that God is doing in our midst. Are you ready to conquer the Promised Land with us? The kids will be learning about Spiritual Warfare as we move from Moses to Joshua this year in the C.W. Playhouse. Let’s show them how we follow our Lord to victory even today!