Discipling Your Kids

As the new year begins, one of the best ways to spend it is by working with your spouse to develop a plan to disciple your children in 2010. That’s right, you read correctly. There should be a plan when it comes to helping grow your kids spiritually.

I would also argue that if your current plan for accomplishing this endeavor is the one-step strategy of “Take them to church,” then I suggest getting a better plan. Let me give you a few reasons why:

1. We risk giving our kids the impression that Jesus is someone we learn about for an hour one day a week (and that’s going to church weekly, which, truth be told, most Christian parents don’t do). Consequently, faith is viewed as something partitioned off from the rest of our lives. Christ isn’t seen as central in life but a footnote, and often a small one at that.
2. We cannot cultivate a heart for anything or anyone by merely one hour a week. For instance, how much time do our kids spend participating in sports each week? School? Gymnastics? Why? We know why. It’s because children (and adults) need both quality of time and quantity of time when it comes to growth in any area of life. Yet, this is just as true spiritually as it is physically or intellectually.
3. We can lead our kids to believe that the only people who really know about God, and thus, who should teach us about him are the experts - the pastors, directors and teachers at church. This feeling only gets reinforced when our kids ask us spiritual questions and we repeatedly reply, “That’s a good question. Let’s ask Pastor So-and-so.” It’s natural for kids to put us in tight places by the questions they ask, but when we continually put the spiritual ones off to the “Pastor,” all we’ve done is communicate to our children that the arena of faith isn’t a parent’s territory. Nothing could be further from the truth.

From the very beginning, parents have been central to the spiritual formation of their children. The words of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, known as the Shema to Jews around the world and foundational instruction for God’s people in the Old Testament, reads:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Note the emphasis on the role of the parent, “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (6:7) Parents are the primary disciple-makers of their children. It’s a mandate from God that hasn’t changed over the centuries. No wonder Ephesians 6:4 reads, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Helping our kids grow spiritually is our responsibility. And it should be intentional, strategic and ongoing.

That’s why I believe one of the best ways to begin the year is by sitting down with your spouse and developing a plan for how you are going to pour into your kids spiritually. It will look different for every family. In fact, if you’ve never done this before, never fear! Begin small. Start reading a children’s Bible to your kids each weeknight. Read just one story. It might take only five minutes, but if you’re faithful to do it, you have already begun in some small measure to create spiritual momentum in your home which may impact your family more than you could ever imagine!

Let me conclude by sharing what my wife and I plan on doing weekly with our children in 2010.

Mornings (When we rise)

• Read and briefly discuss one story from Egermeier’s Bible Story Book at breakfast
• Review Scripture Memory for the week from SojournKids Family Worship Guide
• Work through one question of the catechism (A catechism is an historic, time-tested Q&A approach to teaching children Bible doctrine and gospel tenets) adapted from SojournKids Family Worship Guide

Afternoons (When we sit in our house and walk by the way)

• Find moments throughout the day to highlight God’s work in the world and the goodness of the gospel
• Read Hymns for a Kid’s Heart and then listen/sing corresponding hymn over lunch
• Have the To Be Like Jesus CD ready in the car to sing when we drive around town

Evenings (When we lie down)

• Read and briefly discuss one story from The Jesus Storybook Bible
• Pray with kids, pray for kids.

Some will do more, others will do less, but this is simply our initial plan for 2010. My challenge to you, dear parent, is to just do something…something more than just taking them to church. Please understand, you can do this! Indeed, you are called to do it. And if God calls us to something, he will empower us in the undertaking of it. Let 2010 be the year that you took the reigns of responsibility for your kids spiritual development.

So, what’s your plan?

West Campus Changes

After a request for information from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Clear Creek Independent School District asked CCCC to rescind our five-year contract that allowed us to meet in Clear Springs High School. After several days of debate and counsel, the elders agreed. The contract has been rescinded and CCCC can meet at Clear Springs High School until March 14, 2010. Beginning immediately, we will use the name Clear Creek Community Church - West Campus.

Dialogue with elders and others seemed to follow a common pattern that began with anger and landed in hope. No doubt, I started with anger. The request seemed unreasonable since our contract was less than half complete and we were informed that CCCC had done nothing wrong. We considered fighting the rescission and might have won in the short term, but for numerous reasons we determined to comply with the district’s request. Here are a few reasons:

1. We want to have a supportive, not combative relationship with the school district for the long term. We believe this honors God the most as we serve our community.
2. We don’t want to get distracted from our mission of leading unchurched people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus. I can’t imagine our elders and staff being engrossed in ongoing legal issues that would eclipse the distraction of the twelve days we spent on the rescission issue.
3. Although the district is rescinding our contract and will not allow us to meet at Clear Springs High School, we were told that the district is not closing the door on churches renting schools. This information influenced our decision.
4. We believe Romans 8:28. That is, God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. God wants His church to flourish more than we do. We trust Him, even when we don't understand everything that happens.
   

Last Sunday, at the West Campus I was inspired to see the determination of the people to make sure that the West Campus thrives in the future. West Siders suggested multiple alternative sites where we might meet; no conclusions as of yet.

While I started with anger, I am filled with hopeful enthusiasm about the West Campus. I believe the West Campus has the opportunity to become better than ever. Our new space, wherever it is, will surely have some improvements and possibly some things that are not as good. Regardless, we will overcome in this trial and emerge a campus that is more on mission than ever. Together, we will provide empty seats at optimal inviting hours in close proximity to the people we are trying to reach.

Click here to view my original video message that was emailed last week to our entire church about these changes.

Grace and Peace,

Disturb Us, Lord

In part three of The Parent Trap, I challenged parents to avoid the safety trap. If parents always keep their kids safe, they will find themselves protecting their children from Jesus. He calls us to follow him, and following him is not safe. People who follow Jesus must live by faith and faith includes risk. You must take up your cross daily and follow him.

So parents might embrace “The American Dream Jesus,” who is so popular in our consumer version of Christianity. But this will only endanger children more; in their boredom with the view of Jesus that simply keeps them safe, they will pursue risk in all the wrong ways and miss really living. I closed the message with a poem sent to me by my father. Many have asked about it, so I’ve included it here.

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
with the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.

– Sir Francis Drake who sailed in 1577

Avoiding the Parent Trap - Resources for Parents

The following books are resources we have found helpful in becoming more gospel-centered as parents. This does not mean that each person on staff would agree with every point made in these works; however, they are, generally speaking, of such a high quality that we believe they can benefit you in your pursuit of raising children who not only love the good news of Jesus Christ but make it central to their life.

Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting by William Farley. Bill Farley's new book on parenting is rock solid. It is so because it is so profoundly grounded upon the all-sufficiency of the Word of God and the Gospel of grace. When it comes to parenting, Farley is no neophyte; he has been in the trenches raising sinful kids by the grace of God and for the glory of God for two decades. Nor is he going to give you theoretical platitudes; he is honest about his own deficiencies and his great need of Gospel wisdom in parenting. Here is Jonathan Edward s theology made accessible to depraved parents raising depraved kids in a depraved world. This is, ultimately, a parenting book full of hope, hope grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. --- Douglas Bond, author of Fathers & Sons.

Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. Kimmel, author and founder of Family Matters ministries, likens many Christian parents' attempts at rearing children to putting together a puzzle without first studying the completed picture located on the box's cover. Kimmel states that families of faith tend toward extremes, either being overly permissive or overly legalistic. This is not a particularly new concept, but Kimmel pulls it off with interesting storytelling and sound biblical parallels. He says Christians frequently believe that the battle for a child's heart and soul is fought on the outside-with rigid rules and boundaries-when in fact just the opposite is true. He underscores the importance of communicating the unconditional love that Christ offers and affirming this timeless message of grace to one's family. - Publishers Weekly

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. The Jesus Storybook Bible' says it all: The Scriptures are not merely a collection of stories designed to teach moral lessons. As Jesus explained to the men walking the road to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday, the whole Bible is about Jesus. In the words of the subtitle, every story whispers his name….Lloyd-Jones manages to show again and again the presence of Christ in all the Old Testament Scriptures, and the presence of the Old Testament Scriptures in the life of Christ. - Christianity Today

This is absolutely my favorite children's Bible because every individual, beautifully illustrated story ultimately points to the greater Story of Jesus and the good news that is the Gospel. I joyously use this Bible with my own children. - Yancey Arrington, Teaching Pastor

You can also see Bibles we recommend for different age-graded ministries - here.

Grace and GroupLink

Last night at GroupLink was another moment which left us amazed at the grace of God. For a couple hours Sunday evening, approximately 300 individuals had the opportunity to get connected in small groups at Clear Creek Community Church! It was a beautiful sight witnessing a line form outside the building because so many people desired to "declare their unity by getting in community!" In addition to the Egret Bay campus, the Clear Springs campus had great numbers of people enter the GroupLink process earlier that morning. Needless to say, the response at both campuses was simply overwhelming.

In addition to the scores of people getting connected in small group, we also distributed over 1500 Membership Studies. Imagine that! Over the next six weeks, literally hundreds upon hundreds of those who call CCCC their home, will be walking through what it means to be connected to Jesus, his church and the leadership. We cannot wait to see what God will do in the lives of those in group over the next six weeks leading up to GroupUp, where we will celebrate any and all commitments made!

Indeed, this is a special season in the life of CCCC and we are most grateful to God for the grace he has shed upon us.

Important Information about the Midweek Service

I’m writing to inform you of a shift in the programming and weekly schedule of Clear Creek Community Church.

The elders of CCCC have determined that transitioning our Sunday services to be our weekly worship experience is the best way to fulfill our mission. Beginning immediately, Sundays will become more like The Gathering (the Wednesday night service), and we will continue to have The Gathering on the first Wednesday of each month, instead of meeting weekly.

Here’s why. When Clear Creek began 16 years ago we believed that (1) reaching an unchurched person and (2) practicing corporate worship required two separate services. However, we have seen generational changes that make a more authentic, participatory worship experience (similar to The Gathering) not only acceptable, but preferable to the generation of unchurched people emerging into adulthood. In light of this we have decided it is more effective to do both in the same Sunday service.

With a First Wednesday Gathering schedule, we add opportunities (1) for small groups (2) for people to engage with our community to reach our unchurched friends, and (3) to serve our community through Go Ops. A First Wednesday Gathering service will allow us to continue to share an extended time together in praise, prayer, the Lord's Supper, and to address church matters.

The elders realize that the weekly Gathering has served as a source of great strength and encouragement for you and others. We hope you’ll join our excitement that so many more of Clear Creekers and our unchurched friends will get to experience a similar worship experience on Sundays. Most importantly we believe these decisions allow us to better fulfill our mission of leading unchurched people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus.

I invite you to two occasions to address these changes. First, please join me at C4 Training this Sunday night (Aug 30) at 6:15 PM in the main auditorium for a 20 minute presentation. Second, after the First Wednesday Gathering on September 2, Yancey and I will meet with you so we can answer your questions and more fully explain why this change is important to make at this time.

Grace and Peace,

The Subtler Side of Serving at Egret Bay

I used to be an accountant so I appreciate a chance every now and then to analyze some numbers. Take a look at these numbers from the Egret Bay Campus:

If you've been coming to CCCC for long, you know that the annual attendance increase happens every year at this time. Looks pretty tight at 10:00 and 11:30!

Now consider one more key factor. You know that you are never able to fill every seat in an auditorium. Our ushers do a great job, but there are always spaces and holes, and no one (especially visitors and guests) wants to climb over half a row of people to fill two empty seats, or sit apart from their family to fill in seats. In fact, experts insist a room is "full" or at "practical capacity" when 80% of the seats are occupied. So, look at these numbers again when compared to "practical capacity":

You get the idea. I won't even bother to explain that the attendance continues to increase for several weeks into September. I won't try to quantify the additional increase the new Creek Kids building will drive. You already see we are out of seats and parking spaces at 10:00 and 11:30, and the problem is going to be worse than these numbers reflect.

Here is the subtler side of serving at Egret Bay: You at the 8:30 service.

You are the only leverage we have today to create an empty seat for someone in our community who will start attending CCCC's Egret Bay Campus in the next few weeks - maybe one of the Top 5 people you are praying for. Your choice to get up an hour earlier on Sunday and make room at 10:00 and 11:30 is essential for us to be on mission this fall.

I urge you and I plead with you to move to the 8:30 service if you attend the Egret Bay Campus. Carefully consider, in light of the mission of our church, any reason you wouldn't, and then ask God to change your mind and your habits! My goal is to increase the 8:30 service attendance to 850 people. If we do that, we just added about 460 seats to the 10:00 and 11:30 services along with the associated parking space! We go forward together on mission, and all it costs us is an earlier trip to the coffee area.