Train Up A Child

As Holly and I started having kids, we realized the huge spiritual task that was ahead of us.

Holly and I started our family almost 5 years ago. I can still remember the feeling I had when I held Maddox in my arms for the first time. I felt a huge weight on my shoulders. I was also holding a bundle of potential in my hands.

We would be the first people to paint on our kids' blank slates a picture of who God is. Any dysfunctional views of God they might hold one day would likely originate in the early years of parenting we would provide for our kids.

We were excited. Holly was a natural mother. I was an awkward, unnatural father. But we have three of them and fortunately all three are still living.

As Maddox grew older, we began to realize the importance of intentionally forming our kids to be faithful followers of Jesus. And we continue to experiment and learn ways to do just that.

Today, we have three kids.

Maddox is 4.

Addison is 3.

Brooklyn is almost 6 weeks old.

If you're anything like us, you long for the day when your children will proclaim Jesus as Lord and commit to live their lives for God and his kingdom. We want them to see faith as a daring journey rather than a boring list of rules to follow. We want them to do extreme things for Jesus that will make us uncomfortable.

How do you raise kids in this world to live for Jesus?

I've heard it said that nobody with kids in the house should ever give advice to other parents.

And I agree. But with that warning in place, I hope to provide some space on this tiny corner of the internet for a conversation about raising children who follow Jesus in this culture.

Over the next few weeks, I will write a series of posts describing a few things Holly and I are doing to raise our kids to love and follow Jesus. It's not a comprehensive list. It's a list that grows and changes day-by-day. Perhaps a few things will be worth adding to your repertoire. And I hope you'll engage the conversation and add to our list as well.

Let's start the conversation with a question: If you have a mission statement as parents for raising your kids, what is it? If not, decide on one and post it in the comments section.