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Impress on Them - Tim Boettger
October 5 - CF Community Center
September 28 - Grundy Center
October 12- CF Sanctuary
Teaching Summary
In this last week of the How’s the Family? series Tim taught that healthy families pass on a strong spiritual foundation to the next generation. Of all the values one generation can pass to the next, a personal faith in Christ is the most valuable. It provides an anchor for the soul when the life storms come, a rock-solid foundation upon which to build one’s life, a sense of meaning and purpose, and an assurance of eternal destiny.
Tim looked into the background and setting for the Deuteronomy 6 passage on which we have been reflecting as a church body. God wants adults/parents to first strengthen their own faith and then pass on our spiritual heritage to our children - the next generation. We do this by simply having conversations with each other amidst the normal course of our days about who God is and what He is like and how He wants us to live. We don’t have to be perfect or have a special religious “plan” - we just need to be honest and awake to the opportunities we have every day to pass on the faith. As Tim taught, it is important we understand the power of conversation - what we talk about reveals what we value.
Barna research
Tim cited a survey of 7th - 12th graders who had a strong faith. When they were asked who had the strongest spiritual influence in their life 81% of boys said their mom, 61% said dad. 74% of young women said their mom, 50% said dad. The second strongest spiritual influence was a grandparent. We need to remember that children most clearly look to parents for spiritual guidance and direction.
Parents - your faith does not need to be perfect before you begin to have conversation with your kids! Be honest. Be authentic. Share your journey. Invite them on the journey with you!
Scripture Focus -
Deuteronomy 6:3-9 - Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Discussion Questions for small group/family discussion or personal reflection and journaling -
1. Rate yourself as a family as to how well you are doing laying a spiritual foundation for your children and the coming generations. Be gentle with yourself, but honest. Remember that Tim shared it is never too late to begin this process!
2. Talk together about the spiritual foundation (or lack thereof) in your family of origin. What were the key values your family passed on to you? What messages were given to you regarding faith?
3. Think about the idea Tim shared related to Deuteronomy 6 - Start with yourself first! Why do you think this is so important to God? Are you ever tempted to shortcut your own faith while trying to pass faith on to your children or the next generation of your family? Why will that almost always fail?
4. How do you feel about Tim’s statements from Barna that mothers were the most powerful spiritual influence in their children’s lives? And that dads were second? Who were the most powerful spiritual influences in your young life?
Try This -
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Spend some time alone and quiet with God asking Him to help you assess the health of your own spiritual life. Talk with a few close friends or your small group about a few ways you could rearrange your life in order to grow closer with God. Commit to share what you are learning with those in your family.
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Parents, this week spend some time with God asking Him to help you think creatively of simple, natural ways you can begin to have spiritual conversations with your children as you go about the day. Remember the spectrum Tim talked about:
sharing nothing _______________________________ pounding faith into kids. Try to land right in the middle!
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For those of you who are not parents, think of a young person in your family network with whom you could begin to develop a relationship - a niece or nephew. What are some simple ways you could begin to have natural spiritual conversations with them?
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Pay attention to the topics about which your family network has conversations. Remember Tim’s teaching that conversation reveals values. Based on what you hear yourself talking about ... discuss with your kids or family members what they think your strongest values are. Warning - this could be a bit shocking
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Plan some simple ways to begin to have faith conversations at home ...
* Ask kids as they are going off to bed, “Where did you see or feel God today?”
* Have a simple time of confession together, asking God to forgive you for falling short in very specific ways. Thank God for forgiveness through Christ.
* Develop a habit of asking, “What would God want us to do?” when faced with family decisions. Make space and time for conversation.
* Pray short prayers for people you know who are hurting or confused or sick.
Pray short prayers of gratitude when God provides.
Pray simple, short prayers with your children about issues they are facing ... bullies, a math test, a friend who betrays them. Let them know God hears.
Prayer
God, thank You that Your deepest desire is to have a relationship with us. Thank You that You designed families and that you desire that families pass on strong spiritual foundations to the next generation. Help us to remember that this is our calling. Help those of us who are parents or grandparents to start with ourselves first - to understand that the most powerful way we can influence the next generation is by having an authentic, growing faith in You ourselves. But also help us to remember that we are called to be intentional about having conversations about You throughout our ordinary days. Remove fear we have about this. Remind us that we do not need a perfect faith in order to start talking with our children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews about You.. Please help each family at Orchard begin to make conversations about You a normal part of family life.
Amen.
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