One week ago today, we drove to Southaven, MS to attend the "Family Driven Faith Conference" by Voddie Baucham. In a word...Awesome.
It was a blessing to be able to see him in person and hear him preach. The statistics of young people leaving the church are astounding ~ 70-88% leave by the time they are freshmen in college. And a majority of those have left the church in their heart and minds by the time they are 11 or 12. They have more freedom away at college, so they don't get up and go to church. (We can attest to this statistic)
It takes 2 Christian families to get 1 Christian young person to the next generation.
Most believe that the Bible is a collection of "stories" much like nursery rhymes and not the true word of the One, Living God.
Church childrens programs and youth groups are not reinforcing what parents SHOULD be teaching at home, they are focused on fun.
We should have 2 groups of young people ~ boys/men, girls/women. Adolescents is an extended childhood and as a result we have young men 18-25 who are still "little" boys in their maturity.
Courtship should be avoided until young men & women are ready for marriage.
Greg wore his D.A.D.D. shirt on Saturday and had quite a few men asking where he got it. (stands for dads against daughters dating)
College is a scam to get your money and extend the period it takes a young person to mature. As long as parents are still footing the bill, they don't have to be responsible for themselves. There are alternate ways to get a college education if the parents decide the young adult needs futher education. We are very pleased so far with College Plus. Online learning is a great alternative. Colleges are also set up to seperate young people from their parents and beliefs. (Not all colleges are like this or young adults act this way, but a majority do) Oh, most Ivy League schools were started as Seminaries to train young men for the ministry...are Harvard, Yale, & Princeton that now?
Parents should take a much more active role in disciplining their children and not leave it up to anyone else. Teach your children what you believe, why you believe it, and how to defend their faith to anyone who questions them. (It isn't the church's responsibility)
Don't underestimate what your children can learn. Children are like sponges and soak up information, be deliberate in teaching them. We should deliberately teach the scriptures, hymns of our faith, etc.
We should have a multi-generational focus for our family. We are actively praying for our childrens spouses and our future grandchildren. We desire for them all to be active, vibrant Christians who are making an impact for Christ in their own families and their churches and communities.
Voddie says "If ya can't say Amen, you gotta say Ouch."
We had many Amen's and quite a few Ouches!
We are changing quite a few things in our home. We are praying for guidance in these areas and more. We are thankful for the opportunity to go to the conference.
I do have pictures but they are on my camera at home...I'll upload one or 2 next week.
It was a blessing to be able to see him in person and hear him preach. The statistics of young people leaving the church are astounding ~ 70-88% leave by the time they are freshmen in college. And a majority of those have left the church in their heart and minds by the time they are 11 or 12. They have more freedom away at college, so they don't get up and go to church. (We can attest to this statistic)
It takes 2 Christian families to get 1 Christian young person to the next generation.
Most believe that the Bible is a collection of "stories" much like nursery rhymes and not the true word of the One, Living God.
Church childrens programs and youth groups are not reinforcing what parents SHOULD be teaching at home, they are focused on fun.
We should have 2 groups of young people ~ boys/men, girls/women. Adolescents is an extended childhood and as a result we have young men 18-25 who are still "little" boys in their maturity.
Courtship should be avoided until young men & women are ready for marriage.
Greg wore his D.A.D.D. shirt on Saturday and had quite a few men asking where he got it. (stands for dads against daughters dating)
College is a scam to get your money and extend the period it takes a young person to mature. As long as parents are still footing the bill, they don't have to be responsible for themselves. There are alternate ways to get a college education if the parents decide the young adult needs futher education. We are very pleased so far with College Plus. Online learning is a great alternative. Colleges are also set up to seperate young people from their parents and beliefs. (Not all colleges are like this or young adults act this way, but a majority do) Oh, most Ivy League schools were started as Seminaries to train young men for the ministry...are Harvard, Yale, & Princeton that now?
Parents should take a much more active role in disciplining their children and not leave it up to anyone else. Teach your children what you believe, why you believe it, and how to defend their faith to anyone who questions them. (It isn't the church's responsibility)
Don't underestimate what your children can learn. Children are like sponges and soak up information, be deliberate in teaching them. We should deliberately teach the scriptures, hymns of our faith, etc.
We should have a multi-generational focus for our family. We are actively praying for our childrens spouses and our future grandchildren. We desire for them all to be active, vibrant Christians who are making an impact for Christ in their own families and their churches and communities.
Voddie says "If ya can't say Amen, you gotta say Ouch."
We had many Amen's and quite a few Ouches!
We are changing quite a few things in our home. We are praying for guidance in these areas and more. We are thankful for the opportunity to go to the conference.
I do have pictures but they are on my camera at home...I'll upload one or 2 next week.
One of these days I want to hear all of this in person ... not because I don't believe what everyone says about these conferences, but becasue I sense a greater fire in those who have heard him personally as opposed to just reading a book.
ReplyDeleteBy the way ... we missed y'all last night! I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Thanks for the post Donna. We were just talking with a friend at church the other night about these same topics. Something has to be done in our churches - most people don't even see the problem though. I say a BIG AMEN!!!! Blessings!
ReplyDeletethanks Stephanie! I know there was more but my notes are at home in Miss.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I read the book and really liked it. Greg got "on fire" from hearing everything in person. He is an incredible speaker. And is passionate about his beliefs...we are too!