8/3/17

Well here we are at another blog time.  We will be getting back to the idea of consequences and how to structure and implement them.  For now however I want to address a comment I heard recently from a parent at a parenting class we are teaching.  I was discussing the idea of pornography with a dad in regards to his 15 year old son.  The son had been caught in some pretty heavy pornographic habits and it devastated the family.  When I was talking to the father he was obviously angry, frustrated and disappointed.  The response that surprised me however was that he was caught off guard about it.  His response to me as he was telling me the story of what happened was "but we had that talk."  He went on to discuss how his church had a seminar on pornography and that he and his son had attended and even followed it up with a meeting of their own.  Then several months later...the sin is discovered.  Let me encourage you to view your job of discipleship a little differently, discipleship (on any given topics(s)) is not an even, it is a lifestyle.  In other words, you don't "do" discipleship, you continue to do it.  You continue to ask the same questions, read books, pray, discuss and try and draw your son out over and over and over again.  This goes on for weeks, which too quickly turn into years. There are many websites that you can google "discipleship" and get a list of questions you can weekly ask you son, or develop your own list based on what your family's requirements and struggles are.  This is a time my sons and I look forward to, and it is something that has seen us through many hard situations.  By having a developed, ongoing relationship it is easier to deal with the big (or little) sin issues as they come up.  Our kids are going to sin you sin!  We are human, the question is, how quickly can we help them move to repentance and walking strong again.  Ongoing discipleship is part of that.  If your son is currently enrolled here at Future Men start this now over the phone.  Instead of asking vague questions to which you get a pathetic non-descriptive response, ask the weekly discipleship questions, and get real answers!  Here are a few you might put on your own list: 1. Tell me about your personal devotion time with Christ this week.  What are you learning in Worldview, what about your discipleship time with staff? 2. Tell me about your daily prayer time.  Encourage them to be literally praying "all day long."  It's like keeping an open conversation going all day long.  We have the Holy Spirit inside of us, we are never alone, and we are always one word away from His help. 3. What temptations are you facing this week?  What has been tough for you?  What are you doing to keep the temptation from turning into a sin? 4. How is your thought life?  Are you thinking lustful, or angry thoughts?  Are you tempted to return evil for evil to someone?  The Bible clearly teaches that if you think it, then it will become who you are. 5. Are you asking for forgiveness on a daily basis?  6. What are some things I can be praying about for you?  This is just a small sample of the many types of questions you can ask your son.  This is how discipleship starts.  Don't consider it "one and done," consider it a lifelong quest that God has bestowed on you the day He blessed you with your boy!

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