Stormy Culture

Last night at Mega Sports Camp we introduced a couple of Key Points to the kids.  One of them was that God is bigger than storms in life.  As I was preparing this last week to present this to the kids, I thought a lot about "storms." I've been challenged lately through a book and blogs to really try and investigate and become a student of the culture of kids today.  I've been hitting the Nickelodeon website, watching a little Sponge Bob & Hannah Montana.  I pay attention when we're at the mall to what kids are talking about what they are wearing.  These cultural influences make a big difference in how our kids handle the junk that comes up in their lives.  Just on Sunday alone, I was blown away by a couple of things that I was hearing from kids; stuff they are concerned about and asking prayer for.

It's so important that we are teaching our kids how to navigate through storms.  If we don't, we're leaving it up to their peers, to the internet, even to Hannah Montana to show them how to react to tough situations.  So how do we do that? 

 1. Model prayer as a number one action to tough times.  By the time our kids are teenagers, their first reaction to a bad situation will be to Google the answer.  Let's teach our kids how to pray. 

2.  Be in the Word.  Let your kids see you reading your Bible, and read with them.  In a previous post I talked about the Kid's Devo Bible.  Find something that shows your kids tangibly how to turn to God's Word.

3.  You are your kid's filter for cultural influences.  Don't let the world out there dictate how your child is raised.  Modesty, purity and holiness can still be instilled in your kids, even in this day and age.

4.  Model to them how to seek out Godly council in tough times. Let your children see you going to church and seeking the refuge of the body of Christ in tough times.

The culture that our kid's our being raised in makes it hard to raise Godly children.  Hard, but not impossible. Keep at it, your reward is coming!