Here is my recent article I submitted to our church magazine. I have been (actually I am always) churning with trying to figure how to grow Caleb up in his faith. Sometimes I feel so fake when I pray with him, or try to force conversations into little people language. So I have been researching and pondering various ways/methods. I settled on a few ideas that I would like to incorporate, like trying to write a blessing for him, and as I mention in the article we are listening to a bible story rather than reading it. I picked a dinner time prayer that we could learn together not necessarily to say every time but maybe something that will log in his brain over the years.

My birthday was a few days ago and I received a sweet card from my 7-year-old son that he had made with a friend of mine. As I looked at the card she explained a bit of the background. She had offered him a variety of stickers, markers and various things to help him decorate the card. Glancing through the stickers he ultimately chose a picture of Jesus at the tomb and of the cross explaining to my friend “My mommy really likes him.”

Yes!

He is seeing it, but will he get it?

Of all the dreams I have for my son, and I have many, what I most desire is that he grows to be a man whole heartedly devoted to God, like the Caleb of the Old Testament, an ambitious dream I know! Ambitious and, if statistics are right, highly unlikely considering this statistic from John Trent’s book Faith Launch

“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.”

Reading this initially heaped more guilt upon my parenting brain already struggle daily with the weight of such a great responsibility. Mind you that I am well aware that ultimately it is God’s responsibility to ignite the flame of faith in my child’s heart, but the Bible is quite clear that it is my task to create a soil that is rich and inviting to receive the seed which God will one day plant, and it is my job to nurture the seedling, with encouragement, and to be “God’s love with skin on” to my child.

Numerous times throughout the Bible God clarifies what His greatest expectations are of all His followers, and for over 3 millennia the faithful Jew has recited these words daily in their prayers it is called the Shema

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.

Wow woven into God highest priorities is a parenting tip! In the ebb and flow of daily life amidst the coming and going routine most families feel these days: at home and along the road we are to engage our kids in a life giving conversation. I am not sure about you but I spend more time “along the road” it seems then I do quietly snuggled up “at home.”

By nature and circumstances I struggle with forming a routine and sticking to it, so trust me when I say “I understand” if you cannot envision how you would institute a family devotion, if you regularly fall asleep when attempting to read a bible story before bedtime or feel like grace at dinner is a repetitious duty timed according to the grumble of the stomach. None the less God has issued an urgent demand “talk to your kids about me, impress it on their hearts!” My advice to others and myself in many areas is always “ Just start somewhere.” Pick one manageable idea and start working at it. Here are some ideas I have focused on or plan to.

· Listen for teachable moments and seize them! "In all things natural, be as spiritual as possible. In all things spiritual, be as natural as possible."

· Purchase an audible bible book and listen to a chapter each night with your child. (We are enjoying Jesus:The Storybook Bible)

· Write a blessing and pray it over your child each night. (Focus on the Family and John Trent both offer ideas of how to write a blessing)

· Sing a dinner time prayer (Doxology, The Superman Prayer, for other suggestions http://home.pcisys.net/~tbc/mealpryr.htm)

· Share what God showed you or did for in the course of your day

· Check out www.focusonthefamily.com for other ideas

It is harder and maybe more awkward to start when your kids are older but its never too late!