12/4/17

Today we are going to talk about discipleship of older kids a bit.  I want you to start off by thinking of the Bible and any other type of spiritual material as "food".  Jesus refers to the Word as food as well.  Just like with physical food, a person must eat spiritual food on a daily basis in order to maintain good health.  Binge feeding and diet fads are almost always unhealthy, and a habit of eating smaller amounts of a variety of foods is almost always a better life pattern.  Think in terms of food types first.  Think: meals; snacks; desserts; protein; fiber; sweets; carbs...etc.  Now apply that to how we expect our kids (and sadly ourselves) to be spiritually "eating."  If we sit down with our kids or or our spouse once a week and do some form of devotional activity we feel good.  We think we have accomplished something.  But is this good?  Is a once a week feeding (apart from church let's say) going to sustain them?  Think in a new way.  Our main meal should be feeding directly on the Word of God.  The Bible is our main food source.  Jesus has promised that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth as we "rightly divide the Word of truth."  So, we need to be in the Word daily.  I think (like in eating physical food) it is more beneficial to eat smaller meals more often throughout the day than it is to sit down and gorge in one setting, then feel like we are done for the day.  Keeping a Bible in different areas that we sit throughout the day is a good way of doing this, or maybe better yet, is to have the bible on our phone.  Then it is with us always.  So, we are often reading throughout our day, and we are teaching our kids to do likewise.  For older kids think about having a once or twice a week 'Worldview' class in you home.  This would be a time when you sit down as a family (or portion of your family) and go through some extra-biblical material together.  Maybe you are watching a sermon series on-line, or possibly going through topical series like we do here at Future Men.  It is so very easy to google search YouTube for topics that will be of benefit to all of you.  When a student is attending Future Men they are in roughly 10 hours each week of Worldview, to ask for an hour or so each week is nothing.  This is a pattern that can be established from day one upon their return home and they will begin to see it as normal.  The key will be your being faithful.  You cannot just do it when you feel "up to it."  They will begin to resent "wasting"their time if they don't see you demonstrate the importance of it.  If you need ideas on what to watch or topics to search, just ask.  You can ask them or you can ask me.  There are endless good healthy things to be showing them.  Going back to our food analogy, these "Worldview" classes are like good healthy snacks.  Think of it like a spiritual granola bar, or perhaps some spiritual fruit.  This isn't meant to take the place of allowing God to speak with you or your kids directly through His Word, but it is a healthy addition to it.  My kids look forward to this each week and you can genuinely see disappointment when we skip it for some reason or another.  Personal discipleship/accountability time is another food source.  Praying with them, asking hard questions, and tracking their own Bible and extra-curricular reading books.  Depending on how open your son is discipleship can take anywhere from 40 minutes to maybe and hour and a half or so.  Again, this takes establishing habits.  Once you are in the routine it will be a life blood to your family.  So now, when some serious issue comes up, you won't feel as though you don't really know your son or haven't been talking to him lately.  Now you have his confidence, you are already meeting with him regularly, and this is just another day and just a normal part of working through life's issues.  Going back to the food analogy once more keep in mind that too much of anything could be too much of a good thing.  Watching Christian comedians is fun, and is much better then what the world has to offer, but it is still best served in moderation.  I see this type of food as dessert or possible just a "candy break."  You wouldn't consider candy or dessert something to be eating on a regular basis, nor would you be satisfied that you son is "at least eating something."  You know that eating a diet of just candy is probably just as bad as not eating at all in the long run.  One thing I have added to my kids "diet" is a good commentary set.  Again, this probably shouldn't take the place of the Bible, but its close.  We are using the John MacArthur commentary set.  It prints off a verse or two, then breaks it down and describes the context, meaning, and setting of particular verses.  My kids really enjoy it.  So, start feeding your family!  Please feel free to email or text if you have questions or comments.

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