3,000 is greater than 40 and if my math holds truth then 3,000 plus 40 is greater than 3,000.  To put this plainly, you plus we (the student ministry/church) equals a greater impact in the lives of our students.  If we simply pause and think about the impact we can have in the lives of our children…it’s amazing.  We can certainly have a negative impact…but what if we focused on having a Biblical impact.  What if our lives were canvases for the story of God’s restoration and redemption? What if our kids looked at us not as adversarial but as authentic?

I have seen countless high school students come into an authentic relationship with Christ by simply watching their parents and youth leaders be authentic.  So what does this mean?  It means that as imperfect people, we should model our lives in a real way.  When we sin, we should repent…when blessings come our way we should openly thank God for them.  I think in too many cases parents want to project an attitude of control.  Simply put this is reserved for God.   The more I watch my own kids grow up, the more I have to take a back seat to God’s plan for their lives as well as mine.  As parents we are called to shepherd our children…to grow them in the ways of the Lord.  I have found that using examples of God’s grace in my own life with my kids has been more beneficial than simply correcting them.
When we can couple parents to get what a top down relationship with God looks like with the local church who can come along side parents (especially during the teen years), we will see a mighty move of God that will continue for generations to come.

My prayer for myself and for other parents is that we are real and authentic.  Let us ponder what that means with respect to our spiritual relationships with our kids.