At Garnett today, we did a combo baby dedication/mother’s day celebration. It seemed to fit together really well. I also started a series of teachings where I’m going to interact with UnChristian and They Like Jesus but not the Church. Two very good books that I predict will generate some good discussion and reflection.
I finished the message by sharing a list of things I want to pass onto my boys about how to be a Christian in a complex world. I’m assuming the obvious stuff about Bible study, prayer, baptism, etc. This has more to with what they need to know in order to represent a positive version of Christianity in the future. I limited myself to ten items. Here is what I came up with.
Things I want to teach my boys about how to be a Christian in a complex world:
- I want them to know what Christianity is for, not just what it is against.
- I want them to understand that God is a loving, gracious father and not a frustrated, angry bureaucrat.
- I want them to be able to speak the truth in love and to understand that in most cases love needs to be shown before the truth is spoken.
- I want them to be able to acknowledge the complexity and messiness of life and refuse to give or be satisfied with simplistic answers that can only fit on a bumper sticker.
- I want them to have the courage to follow the path God sets out for them, not the path God has set out for me. (I want them to find their own faith.)
- I want them understand that all truth is God’s and that they should not be afraid of learning new things from a variety disciplines.
- I want them to understand that the Christian faith is meant to be lived and not just studied and talked about on Sunday mornings.
- I want them to know that it’s ok to have doubts. It’s not ok to pretend that they don’t.
- I want them to understand that Jesus, the Church, and Christianity are not the same things. Jesus is the Lord. The church is a community of flawed people who sometimes forget who their Lord is. Christianity is a religion that sometimes helps people see Jesus and sometimes gets in his way. I want them to follow Jesus even if it makes their church uncomfortable and puts them at odds with organized Christianity.
- When they disagree with someone, I want them to work just as hard at understanding the other person’s position as they do at trying to persuade the other person to adopt their position.
- I want them to know how important it is to take care of their parents in their old age, no matter how badly we screwed them up when they were kids.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
The one about how Jesus, the church and Christianity are 3 different things is my favorite.
That’s something we need to repeat over and over. Weget that mixed all up a lot!
I LOVE this post.
Wade,
I think this is the best blog that you have done brother. I have 3 sons 7, 5, 2. I want to leave a behind my love, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness. I want them to remember all gret times like going to Sea World and Six Flag and Disney Land, baseball games. I want my olderest to remember me being his t-ball coach. I want to be able to baptized them help them become believers in the body of Christ more than anything else.
Wade,
On othe note I was wondering if you and your readers could take just a few minutes of your time to stop by my blog and leave an encouraging comment to a family in need. Please…It would mean so much to them during this difficult time.
God bless you Wade in all you do brother.
I want you to know that you are always in my prayers in my morning meditation time.
God bless
In Him,
Kinney Mabry
Great list. I have two daughters and they are grown now. One that I would encourage you to add to your list of ten is:
Don’t be afraid to fail. Try new things and in trying learn the best and bestest ways of doing things. So try. In trying you may fail, but don’t be afraid to fail, even when it comes to knowing God.
I grew up with a family that believes you have to be right all the time. “light switch” Christianity as I have heard it called. If the light switch happens to be turned off and you die, oh well! What a sad way to live and a way that ties your hands.
I always told my girls, I wanted to fail occasionally because it is then, that I can rely on God. My favorite passage from 2 Cor. 12 “my grace is sufficient for you, for the power is made perfect in weakness…….For when I am weak, then I am strong…..to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.”
Your boy’s have a great future!