My primary circle of influence - my kids!

This is an older picture of my kids, Melissa and Daniel.  Aren’t they cute?

For the last two Sundays I have had the incredible blessing of sitting with my family in worship, first at the Spirit Garage and then at Jacob’s Well.  At one point in the service, while Daniel was drawing a picture (Jesus at the Last Supper!), he looked up at me and asked, “Are you going to sit with us at every church service this summer?”  I responded, “Yeah, is that all right with you?”  ”Yeah,” he said quietly, “I kind of like it.”

I’ve been wondering if I spend too much time trying to influence people and situations outside of my circle of influence, instead of focusing my time and energy on those people in my circle of influence, especially my kids.  Of course we are influencing our kids, our family and friends all of the time.  As Rich Melheim likes to say, “When you give your kids $20 to go out with their friends on Saturday night, and $1 for the offering plate on Sunday morning, you’re teaching your kids your faith and values.”   The opposite is also true, and potentially more powerful.

In the documentary, “We Stand Alone Together,” from the series, “Band of Brothers,” an adult daughter and son of a member of Easy Company tell the interviewer that they never knew what their dad had done in World War II, nor really who he was.  It made me stop and think, if this documentary series had never been made, their dad may never had told them his life story, and they would have missed knowing something incredibly important about their dad.

I have something incredibly important to share with my kids too, namely my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and what that means to me in my life.  I’m excited to share with them part of my spiritual journey when we take a family trip to Christikon for the Theological Institute/Family Camp at the end of July.  The ministry and community of Christikon played a significant role in my spiritual journey and growth, and I am so grateful I get to share it with my family on my sabbatical this summer.  

This Father’s Day, instead of receiving gifts from your kids, why not give them a gift, the gift of a story of your life and faith?  It doesn’t have to be something grand, just a simple, honest story of what is important to you and why you want to share it with them.  If your kids are too little, maybe write it down or record it for them to read or listen to later on when they are older.  What is it about your faith in God that is meaningful and important to you?  

 I am so thankful for all of the dads I know who coach their kids teams, help lead a Scout troop, volunteer for a school activity or trip, teach Sunday school or confirmation, or just spend time with their kids as often as they can (even as grown adults).  Nothing against moms, by the way, I’m speaking from the point of view of a dad, as one who has seen the incredible positive impact of dads on the lives and faith of their kids, and the negative impact when a dad has checked out, both literally and emotionally. 

Someone asked, “How do we shift the thinking of more parents to get involved in the faith life of their kids and support the ministries of the church?”  Perhaps we need to shift out thinking to how can we support, encourage, and equip parents in the ministries of their homes and families?  And what’s more, is to start with our own circle of influence, our own families and good friends.