Latest / Equipped for Impact / Family Devotions Deep Dive- Guest Chad Harwell

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Family Devotions Deep Dive- Guest Chad Harwell · Equipped for Impact

0:08
Nate: Welcome to Equipped for Impact, the podcast designed to assist Christian parents, leaders and educators to raise up the next generation, to stand firm in their faith and influence their world.
0:20
Nate: For Christ, we're your hosts.
0:21
Nate: I'm Nate and I'm Luis, so let's get started.
0:25
Nate: Today we've got a special treat for you all because we have our first guest on the podcast.
0:32
Nate: We've got Chad Harwell.
0:34
Nate: Chad, thanks for joining us.
0:35
Nate: Yeah, man, it's good to be here.
0:38
Nate: Chad is a missionary with Word of Life Fellowship.
0:41
Nate: He's a youth ministry coach.
0:43
Nate: You work with a bunch of different churches here in North Carolina.
0:47
Nate: So, chad, how about you just tell the audience a little bit about who you are and what your ministry?
0:52
Chad: is yeah for sure.
0:53
Chad: My name again is Chad Harwell, married to Ashley Harwell, been on staff with Word of Life since 2010.
1:00
Chad: And just, we connect with local churches, helping them to reach young people and to disciple young people.
1:07
Chad: And I have been married for 21 years three kiddos 17-year-old daughter, a 13-year-old son and a six-year-old son.
1:20
Nate: Gotcha Awesome.
1:21
Nate: So lots of experience you have with youth kind of in general.
1:26
Nate: But then also I'm glad we're bringing on somebody, Luis, who has a little bit more experience parenting than we do as well with a 17-year-old, and all of that of our podcast here is really just helping parents get the tools to disciple their children.
1:47
Nate: And so today we really wanted to just kind of dive down deep in one area that we've mentioned before and that is family devotions.
1:59
Nate: We've talked about that a lot.
2:00
Luis: Parents, you know and we've talked about it in several episodes that leading family devotions and having spiritual conversations with your children is absolutely critical, right?
2:12
Luis: Like we've said before, either you're discipling your child or the world is discipling their child, and so parents feel stuck, you might even feel inconsistent, you might even feel unqualified, and if you're thinking, hey, that's me, well, you're not alone.
2:28
Luis: And so today's episode is really for you, and I'm thankful that Chad gets to come here and he gets to talk with us today, and we're hoping to do a few things.
2:35
Luis: We want to unpack what makes family devotions work.
2:38
Luis: We want to talk about the common struggles that parents face every day when it comes to doing devotions, and then we want to talk about how you can make your devotions engaging and sustainable.
2:50
Luis: So it'll be parents.
2:51
Luis: This is going to be more of a Q&A episode.
2:53
Luis: Nate and I will ask some questions and I think Chad will lean into those answers and we'll just have a conversation and hopefully you'll get something out of this that you can begin implementing into your families and making your family devotions a priority.
3:07
Nate: Yeah, so let's kind of start big picture.
3:10
Nate: So, chad, why would you say?
3:12
Nate: Family devotions are important, especially when we're talking about discipling our own children.
3:17
Chad: Yeah, for sure.
3:18
Chad: I mean, I think the obvious answer is it's important because we have the opportunity to really guide our kids in knowing more about Jesus and knowing more scripture.
3:34
Chad: I think when our kids see us struggle with the passage, or even just see us consistently get in the word of God, it helps them to have an example, and that's really what we want to do.
3:48
Chad: I mean, if you go all the way back to Deuteronomy 6, that really is the passage that I would say that we lean on of, you know right on your doorpost, you know right on your forehead, so to speak.
4:00
Chad: You know, like, just remember it, continue to spend time with God.
4:03
Chad: And that is that, as a dad, anyways, like I have the responsibility of helping my kids to see that it is important to spend time with God and his word, and so I think that's the first like thing that pops into my head, anyways of why is it important?
4:22
Luis: Now, Chad, you mentioned you have a 17-year-old.
4:23
Luis: Yeah, anyways of why is it important?
4:24
Luis: Yeah, now, chad, you mentioned you have a 17 year old.
4:25
Luis: Yeah, and so, and so you're, you're at that stage in your parenting where you are kind of wrapping up like that first stage of parenting, right, like I mean when your 17 year old turns 18, like like they're an adult, right, like they're voting, you know, or they can vote.
4:41
Luis: I mean there's, there's all sorts of things that happen in the world when, when they turn 18, and so nate and I, you know my or they can vote.
4:45
Luis: I mean there's, there's all sorts of things that happen in the world when, when they turn 18.
4:47
Luis: And so Nate and I, you know, my oldest is 14, nate, your oldest is 10.
4:49
Luis: Yep, and so and so, like we're at a different stage.
4:52
Luis: But but there's parents here who might be thinking, like man, like my kid is 16, my kid's 17.
4:57
Luis: I've bombed it Like I didn't, like I didn't do family devotions.
5:01
Luis: What encouragement would you give to that parent who has that 16, 17-year-old who they're getting ready to launch out into the world?
5:08
Chad: Yeah, I don't think it's ever too late to start.
5:10
Chad: You know, like I mean, that's the—we're not perfect by any stretch.
5:15
Chad: Like I said, I've been on staff of the Word of Life since 2010.
5:19
Chad: Before that, I was a youth pastor and worked in kids ministry, and it wasn't until Word of Life came into my life Word of Life, the ministry came into my life that I was ever really given a tool that helped me to have a consistent daily time with God.
5:38
Chad: And my daughter turns 18 actually in like two weeks it's April 5th.
6:01
Chad: So I know we have taken an approach of we're not always like hitting it every single time.
6:04
Chad: You know where you't get the sense that we're this spending hours of time together in the Word of God, reading and studying.
6:12
Nate: Holding hands in a circle praying.
6:13
Nate: Holding hands in a circle praying and seeing worship.
6:18
Chad: That has never been us, and so I don't think it's ever too late to actually point your kids in a direction of actually having a quiet time though I say quiet time, that's just the terminology that I use.
6:29
Chad: It's a daily devotion.
6:30
Chad: It's a time where you're spending time with God in prayer, reading the word, journaling of some kind, at least having some sort of interaction with God, um, and, and we've actually come to the place now where all three of my kids we we try to get them to have their own daily time with God, uh, on their own, um, and like we started homeschooling actually on the onset of of COVID, um, and, and even that was difficult, like trying to have that consistent time, even though now we're doing homeschool right you know, and, and we could put it right into our schooling if we wanted to.
7:07
Chad: We don't, but we could.
7:09
Chad: You know, and, um, but we, over time, it's been really neat because my daughter now um, she was the initial connection of my life that actually got me like I had a word of life missionary that was asking me about my quiet time.
7:25
Chad: He would, he would ask me every single day, he'd ask me a text and say, hey, what are you getting out of out of God's, out of God's word?
7:31
Chad: And I thought he was bizarre for doing that.
7:34
Chad: I thought he was weird, um, and and and.
7:37
Chad: Then my daughter, at like two and a half three years old, we, we give her this quiet time book that has like one verse that we're supposed to read with her, because she can't read Right, and I would catch myself going throughout our entire day.
7:52
Chad: I was working a full-time job, my wife was working a full-time job.
7:55
Chad: We have we go through our entire day putting my, my, my three-year-old, to bed and she says I haven't had my quiet time and so so I had my three-year-old to bed and she says I haven't had my quiet time and so I had my three-year-old.
8:08
Chad: Now, like holding me accountable to actually have a quiet time.
8:10
Chad: And so that's really kind of where my story started, with having a daily devotion time and that morphed into a family time talking about the Word of God.
8:19
Chad: And over the years since then now, I mean, it's definitely taken different looks and it doesn't always feel the same, but ultimately I go back to it's never too late to point your kids in a direction, and sometimes it's just simply asking them the question hey, what is God teaching you?
8:38
Chad: That's oftentimes where I start my conversation with my kids is hey, what did God show you today?
8:45
Chad: Or what did you read that maybe you had a question about?
8:48
Chad: And so it's just that it is that weekly kind of reminder for them of oh yeah, this is something that I'm supposed to be doing.
8:58
Chad: Like, we have a setup where, like on our dinner table, they have their quiet time devotions.
9:05
Chad: They just kind of hang out there and they're just always there.
9:10
Nate: It's kind of like that visual reminder.
9:11
Chad: It's a visual reminder, okay, and so it helps them, like they've had to learn.
9:18
Chad: My boys are probably more difficult sometimes than Emily is, but my boys, like we had to teach.
9:24
Chad: Like you don't go turn the TV on first, you know, you don't, you know?
9:28
Chad: Um, that's if you, if you want to get to that point, that's fine, but but you need to spend time with God first, and that's just the way that we've set it up, just because it's it's so easy.
9:39
Chad: What I've learned, even as a full-time missionary, is that it's easy to allow all the extra stuff in my day to take over, and and then I'm at the end of the day and I'm like, uh, yeah, I haven't, I haven't had time with God.
9:53
Chad: Like case in point, today I left this morning at five o'clock.
9:56
Chad: This morning I had to wake up before to try to get everything ready so I could get out of the house by five.
10:01
Chad: I I could get out of the house by five.
10:06
Chad: I was out of the house on time, which is good, but I haven't spent time with God yet on my own this morning, you know.
10:09
Chad: And so like it's still kind of weighing over me Like I have my quiet time, devotional, in my car with me, because I do plan on getting away after I'm done with lunch today to actually go do that.
10:17
Chad: But but it was a like it was a thought process this morning of even I tried to getting up early enough so I could have it before I left, but I didn't, and so I grabbed my devotional so it would be with me.
10:29
Chad: So it's kind of haunting me in my passenger seat, it's kind of looking at me.
10:34
Luis: Well, Chad, I really appreciate your transparency, right, just talking about how it became a thing for you, and even with what you're struggling with, even today, right, I mean I think it's something that's important.
10:46
Luis: And and even with what you're struggling with, like even today, right, I mean I think it's something that's important.
10:49
Luis: And I joke, you know, nate's probably more spiritual than me, like he's probably more like mature than me, right, and so I've confessed, you know, even on this podcast, that I was a pastor for years before it became important to my family, and like I actually had to step away from being a pastor to realize like, hey, I need to, I need to make time for this, and so I appreciate that.
11:08
Luis: And there might be some people that are listening here that are like you know, I don't know enough about the Bible to lead devotions.
11:14
Luis: I don't know enough about the Bible to even feel comfortable doing doing my own quiet time.
11:18
Luis: What encouragement would you give to that parent who's thinking like he's a missionary?
11:25
Luis: These two guys over here are pastors and educators.
11:26
Luis: They're qualified to do it.
11:28
Luis: Like what would you say to them?
11:30
Chad: Yeah, I would say welcome to the club.
11:31
Chad: Like I still feel inadequate Every time I open up the word of God.
11:36
Chad: I feel inadequate to really to know what I'm supposed to know.
11:40
Chad: And so in leading my family, it's like I've I've tried to to lead in that same way where I tell my kids, like I'm learning, just like you're learning, uh, and so you know, let's read the passage, let's talk about it.
11:56
Chad: Yeah, questions I got questions like, like and so being open and honest with those, um, and then using tool I mean we have most everybody that I know has a smartphone.
12:06
Chad: There's a couple of weird ones out there that don't uh, but but most everybody has one.
12:10
Chad: And and there are tools out there, man, like study tools that if you really get hung up on something like I, I'm the first one to grab my phone and and to open up blue letter Bible that's a favorite tool that I use.
12:23
Chad: And or even just Google there's a got questions is is one that I use Oftentimes.
12:31
Chad: I'll pull up.
12:31
Chad: I have an app.
12:32
Chad: Both blue letter and got questions has apps where I'll open them up and ask questions.
12:37
Chad: I just type in my question, see if there's an answer out there somewhere, and I've never read anything on there that I've disagreed with.
12:43
Chad: You know, like it's never been like off base, uh, and so it's good, it's good Biblical, sound, uh, doctrine is what I guess what I'm getting at.
12:52
Chad: But uh, um, but yeah, like I, I, just I, I think it's the, the fear of for me, the fear of, like my kids asking me a question that I don't know the answer to, is not I get over myself, I'm not going to know everything and I'm okay with not knowing everything, and so that's just something that I've had to come to the conclusion of.
13:19
Chad: I, probably younger on like as a younger dad, I wanted to have all the answers.
13:24
Chad: Probably younger on like as a younger dad, I wanted to have all the answers, um, and as I've gotten older and grayer, I'm like I don't need to have all the answers, like I can lean on other people and ask questions and read and learn, um, and so I think there's there's there's something to say about being willing to um, like tell my daughter or my, my sons, like, um, like I, I I don't know the answer to that, Like, let's, let's figure it out, you know, and, and it's kind of fun, to be honest when you have those moments.
13:58
Nate: That's cool, that's that's awesome to think about, because I mean we've we've talked about before on this, like, um, just cultural issues which are constantly changing, and like you've got your church, you've got other supports that can really that you can lean on for help.
14:13
Nate: And I mean even this is one area I was thinking as you were talking about looking stuff up, I got questions.
14:17
Nate: I had one because I was reading through Exodus, because I use the same devotion book you do Chad.
14:24
Nate: We're reading through Exodus and in one place Moses's father-in-law is called it was like Rama or something and in the next chapter he's called Jethro and I was like wait, I had never seen that it's two different names and like that sent me off on a path of discovery right, which that's something that a kid is going to pick up on.
14:41
Nate: It's a different name, like what's going on.
14:43
Nate: And so just the humility there.
14:44
Nate: I love that modeling, that humility and a teachable spirit.
14:48
Luis: Let me retract my statement, what I said earlier, because I said that maybe Nate's holier than me, Nate.
14:54
Nate: I actually knew that.
14:55
Nate: I'm just going to say I knew that already and I actually know the answers.
14:58
Nate: Apparently, you're more observant than I am, I don't know what it is.
15:01
Nate: So we've kind of already talked about some challenges right of the.
15:06
Nate: I feel unqualified, but what would you say are some other challenges that parents might run into as they are maybe even trying to start having family devotions with their family?
15:18
Chad: For sure, I think two big things that come up into my mind is, the first being just not having the time, or thinking that you don't have the time, being just not having the time, or thinking that you don't have the time.
15:28
Chad: And then, and then like the, the thing that I think if, if we're not careful, like just stops us in our tracks, is not not knowing what to do, like, what do I do?
15:41
Chad: How do I do it?
15:42
Chad: How do I handle it?
15:43
Chad: So I think those two big things, and and honestly, like the the time thing, it might be valid in some families, it really may things.
15:48
Chad: And and honestly, like the the time thing, um, it might be valid in some families, it really may be.
15:51
Chad: Like you, just, you're so wiped Um, but I think I I will oftentimes come back to okay, what's really important, um, and and so if, if I'm, if I'm saying that my relationship with God and my kids relationship with God, it really is the most important thing, um, then I'm going to, I'm going to cut some things out, um, which hurts, you know, like surgery isn't always fun, you know, but, uh, but if, if I'm, if I'm, you know, if I'm okay with watching, you know, reels after reel after reel, or if I'm okay with sitting and watching after real, after real, or if I'm okay with sitting and watching, you know, an hour long.
16:29
Chad: You know a sitcom, you know, or whatever it is, you know with my kids, um, then you do have time.
16:35
Chad: You know most people, most people do have time that they're just not using it the way that it's probably the most wisest.
16:43
Chad: Um, and that's hard, like I still, like we, right now we're watching full house of my family every single night, like my um wait, the old one or the new one?
16:51
Nate: the old one, okay, yeah classic, not fuller house, my daughter's got into that.
16:56
Luis: I guess it's a thing like, like.
16:57
Luis: Like my daughters and my wife are watching full house together okay, like the old, like you know, when michelle was a baby yeah, yeah, that's where we're at, yeah, like was this before or after?
17:06
Nate: you guys watch a little house on the prairie Little house on the prairie is usually reserved for Sundays.
17:09
Nate: Okay, so we do so like.
17:10
Luis: Sunday nights are a little house on the prairie.
17:12
Chad: That's awesome, I love it, yeah, and so, um, like I my, my kids sometimes want to see what happens, right, um, and so I'd say that jokingly but, uh, but I really am like.
17:34
Chad: I'm like, yeah, no, we're just going to watch one episode, but that some of that's to to to try to protect our time, my phones, because I used to catch myself, for, you know, it's like an hour later and I'm like what just happened to my time and it's because I've just been like scrolling to see what everybody else is doing in this world and my family is sitting on the couch next to me, you know, and it's like what is going on here.
18:06
Chad: So those are just some things that I've tried to do, but but then even the like like not knowing what to do, like honestly, it's really just whatever.
18:15
Chad: Like like do something you know, like even if it is simply just opening up your Bible and and just starting somewhere like Matthew, or opening up, I mean YouVersion app is such a helpful tool in my opinion.
18:31
Chad: You know, yeah, I use the Word of Life, quiet Time and it's super, super helpful because it does everything for you.
18:40
Chad: Basically, it sets you up, you know for where to go and what you're going to read, and you just got to have a Bible to open it up.
18:47
Chad: But there's things like YouVers, you version that you set up plans, you can.
18:51
Chad: I mean you can do whatever you want on there and even if it's just opening up the first of the day and seeing and, and then talking about it, you know and, and, and.
18:59
Chad: So, yeah, I think not a lot.
19:03
Chad: I think those are the two big things that come to my mind is time and just not knowing what to do.
19:07
Chad: But honestly, I think you can get over that pretty easily Chad.
19:14
Luis: You mentioned that you use the Word of Life Quiet Time.
19:16
Luis: Parents, if you're listening, just a quick plug for Word of Life, if you want to learn more about it WOLorg, they do summer camps.
19:24
Luis: It's also a Bible institute, but they do produce literature and one of those is the Quiet Time.
19:29
Luis: I've used it in the past my girls actually.
19:31
Luis: They use it as part of our weekly midweek service at our church and so they have their own.
19:38
Luis: But a parent might be listening and thinking, all right, like I don't know how to engage my kid.
19:44
Luis: How do I engage them, how do I keep them engaged and what resources can I use?
19:49
Luis: Should I use a devotional book?
19:50
Luis: I know you mentioned the Bible app.
19:53
Luis: Talk through that.
19:54
Luis: How do you engage them and are there resources that they can use and maybe even talk a little about the Word of Life Quiet Time?
20:00
Chad: Yeah, for sure.
20:00
Chad: I mean the Word of Life.
20:02
Chad: Quiet Time is set up in a way that really you can do family devotions straight from it.
20:07
Chad: Um, because the way it's designed is is every age group has its own, its own devotional, uh, its own devotional book, and so, uh, you as a parent, you may have, you know, 10 to 15 verses that you're reading in a day.
20:21
Chad: Your preschooler is only going to have one verse that's out of that same passage though, and so you're reading, you're all under the same umbrella of the same passage that then you can read it as a family, and then you can you can discuss, because each quiet time, devotional will, will lead that child really in a, in a kind of walkthrough of that verse or versus.
20:44
Chad: And then, even when they get older, like right now, I basically have the all three of my kids are using a different devotion book.
20:51
Chad: Um, you know Parker, or Owen, my, my youngest, six, six years old, he's the first and second grader quiet time.
20:59
Chad: Um, parker is my middle, he's 13.
21:02
Chad: He's using what it's called the interactive quiet time.
21:06
Chad: It's kind of made for a middle schooler, is the way it's created.
21:09
Chad: Um, and then my daughter and my wife and I, uh, we both use, or all three of us use, the, the commentary quiet time, um, which just does what it does.
21:20
Chad: It gives a commentary of the passage that you're reading and so, um.
21:24
Chad: So that's definitely a simple way you know there's, I think, engaging with your kids.
21:31
Chad: In my experience it's just asking the questions.
21:35
Chad: Again, I go back to that question that I ask it to my kids often is what did you learn?
21:43
Chad: Or what did God show you today?
21:45
Chad: I really like asking it that way, like what did God show you?
21:48
Chad: Or what did God show you today?
21:49
Chad: I really like asking it that way, like what did God show you?
21:51
Chad: And so we will read through a passage together, like, so I said earlier, we try to get them to do it on their own.
21:56
Chad: That's the way that it does, like 99% of the time.
22:01
Chad: Like they'll do their quiet time, devotion on their own with God.
22:03
Chad: When we talk about it as a family, we will try to read that passage together is usually what we end up doing, what we start with.
22:14
Chad: And then I just opened it up hey, what stood out to you?
22:17
Chad: Like what did God show you from this passage?
22:19
Chad: Or what question do you have from this passage?
22:22
Chad: And so it's really just engaging them in that simple, so starting the conversation really is what it is just engaging them in that simple so starting the conversation really is what it is.
22:31
Chad: Uh, there's a ministry called uh, it's called access A X I S um.
22:34
Chad: Accessorg is a um.
22:36
Chad: They're based out of Colorado.
22:38
Chad: Uh, we, we won't, uh, we won't hate them for that, but, uh, but they, they're an amazing tool for parents, where they have different studies that they've done of everything you could think of, everything from social media to transgender and everything in between.
23:00
Chad: What what it is is.
23:11
Chad: It is it's tools that they give parents to um to not only like learn about this specific thing, but also how to have conversation with their kids about these things, and so it's a really, really cool tool that I actually I mean, I, I constantly tell people about it Um, they also have um things you can do together as a family, and so, like they'll have like a video, watch a little 15 minute video, and then it gives you questions to ask as a family, and so, like they'll have like a video, watch a little 15 minute video and then it gives you questions to ask as a parent.
23:31
Chad: It gives you questions to ask.
23:32
Chad: And so they, they really like set you up like um, uh, I mean almost on a tee, like they just kind of set that ball up, for you to hit it Um and and again.
23:44
Chad: ultimately it's engaging with your kids.
23:47
Chad: I think it really does just start with having those conversations, being willing to ask a question or being willing to not just tell your kids how they're messing up.
24:02
Chad: It's like engaging with them in ways of of really seeing you know what God's doing in their life.
24:09
Chad: You know, we, we, we try, I have a, I have a rule.
24:14
Chad: I don't always do a really good job at it, but I have a rule where my number one rule is like not to freak out and so like, when my kids say something, or they ask a question, or we're reading or we're watching something not to freak out about, and so try to try to handle in a way where I am, um, engaging them in a civil kind of way.
24:36
Chad: Um, so I'm not accusing, I'm not, you know like that's going to get down a different path, but uh, but really, it sounds like we need to bring it back for another episode.
24:45
Nate: I think so, yeah, but yeah and so just just try.
24:46
Chad: I think to me when I think about engaging with with my kids, it sounds like we need to bring him back for another episode.
24:51
Chad: I think so, but yeah, and so just try it.
24:52
Chad: I think to me, when I think about engaging with my kids, it really comes down to that simple.
25:02
Chad: What question am I asking them?
25:03
Chad: Because, Jesus was the best at asking questions, I think, yeah, it just constantly sees, like you know, he would ask a question where it was like where did that come from?
25:10
Chad: But it was so good because it really got to the heart of the of the issue.
25:13
Chad: And so, like I've tried To figure out, okay, when I engage with my kids, like am I just lecturing them?
25:21
Nate: Oh yeah.
25:23
Chad: Or am I asking a question that can really prompt a heart issue, or maybe just prompt whatever God's doing in their heart, which is really cool to see when that comes out.
25:35
Nate: Yeah, yeah, that's cool.
25:37
Nate: What I'm hearing you say is it's almost like, of course, your kids are mostly older than mine, but it sounds a lot like there's that transition from the younger age, where you're training and you're modeling and all of that, to as you move into the older age.
25:54
Nate: It's like I'm coming beside you.
25:56
Nate: We're walking shoulder to shoulder.
25:57
Nate: Most definitely, we're walking shoulder to shoulder.
26:03
Nate: How does that look like, as you're, especially when it's talking about devotions, like that transition?
26:05
Nate: I know it's kind of getting us off a little bit on the family devotions, but how does that transition look in the move from you know I'm training to we're walking together?
26:13
Chad: Yeah.
26:14
Chad: So what we've tried to do is give Emily, my 17, almost 18 year old, we've tried to give her opportunities to even lead her brothers and so it's been really fun and even, and even, my 13 year old Parker to lead his little brother like.
26:32
Chad: And so we've, we've had opportunities now where, where we will, I would say strategically, I think we didn't even know we were doing it, to be honest, and so it just kind of happened where we were asking them to have their devos with Owen, or to help Owen with his devos, and so over the last probably I would say probably two years at least like we've been able to see my daughter help Owen and even my, my middle son, help Owen with his Devo, and so it's like giving them, like ownership of of it's not just about what I'm learning, but it's also helping my younger sibling learn, yeah, and so I've seen this shift of what I've been able to see.
27:32
Chad: Is this shift of it's not always me that has to be giving the spiritual help, the spiritual feeding.
27:37
Nate: Yeah, yeah.
27:37
Chad: You know I can let my kids be a part of that too.
27:40
Chad: Feeding.
27:42
Chad: You know like I can let my I can let my kids be a part of that too, and and I think what I've, what I've been able to see over the last couple of years is is there's been more like ownership, you know.
27:50
Chad: And so we've seen that where, especially with my daughter, like we've seen her really take ownership of her own faith and it it isn't mom and dads, it isn't because we're missionaries, you know, it's because I'm a child of God, like that's, that's the way she's approaching it and and learning and growing and helping her brothers to grow as well.
28:13
Chad: Okay, and and so that that was one of the things that for a while we were, I know I was concerned with was, was.
28:20
Chad: Is she just following Jesus?
28:22
Chad: Because we follow Jesus?
28:23
Chad: Um, and I don't know about you guys, but like as a dad, like like I want all three of my kids to love Jesus and to always love Jesus to always follow Jesus and and so, like helping them to take ownership of that, um, even teenager.
28:42
Chad: uh, I think it's needed, you know, and so we, I think we, when we first started, I think we first started seeing it, uh, probably, actually, it was probably in 2014, uh, not 2014, I'm sorry, 2020, sorry.
29:00
Chad: Uh it was probably 2020 when, uh, we, uh, I read a book called family worship uh by Whitney Whitley Whitney is his last name.
29:12
Nate: I can find it.
29:15
Chad: Um, but he, he talked about this idea of, of, uh, repracing is what he did?
29:21
Chad: Um and uh, I, this, I'm going somewhere, I promise no, this is great.
29:26
Chad: And and he, he, uh, uh.
29:28
Chad: One of the things that we started doing when we started we started trying to accomplish this on a weekly basis was we would give, I'd give my kids opportunity to choose what song we would sing.
29:40
Chad: We'd just pull it from YouTube, you know, pull up a YouTube video and sing with a worship song, and, and it was neat because I felt like it moved them from being being told what to do, oh yeah, and then being invited into the whole experience of growing together, and so that was that was uh, that was really good for us and I think it's just kind of continued to grow, and that's why I seen Emily now doing the things that she does and helping her little, helping her younger brothers, um, and whether it's helping them through devotion or just learning or whatever.
30:18
Nate: Awesome.
30:18
Nate: Well, that's, that's great and that's really helpful to see it as a.
30:22
Nate: You're empowering we we use that word a lot here at our school.
30:25
Nate: Right, we want to empower our students and then that can even extend to your, your kids.
30:28
Nate: Is is what I hear, hear you saying here.
30:31
Nate: Um so, so, chad, as we wrap up, um, what like final encouragement would you give to parents who you know want to get started?
30:40
Nate: Maybe they feel like they've failed, uh, or they're just really you know, they hear this and they're like all right, I'm ready to go what, what final encouragement would you give them?
30:48
Chad: Oh man, um man.
30:51
Chad: The first thing that comes to my mind is keep your eyes on Jesus.
30:54
Chad: Oh my goodness, like you know, like there's something with.
30:58
Chad: Like I tell my kids I try, like I will, I'll pray with my boys at night and I tell them.
31:13
Chad: I usually end up telling them one of two different ways.
31:17
Chad: I tell them let's pray that God will help us to to serve somebody tomorrow or to love somebody tomorrow, um, and and then usually it comes back around of, uh, help us, help us, keep our eyes on Jesus.
31:30
Chad: Like, let's just, man, if, if I can keep my eyes focused on Jesus and not all the other junk that's going on in the world, um, not all the other stuff that that's going to happen like cause, things happen in our lives, right, like I mean, it's just, um, I don't, I don't care who you are, if you're in full-time ministry or if you're a stay-at-home mom or even a single parent.
31:55
Chad: Like, uh, our days never go the way that we want them to go.
31:59
Chad: Very rarely do they ever, right, really go the way that you want them to go, and so being willing to bob and weave, but ultimately it's that like keeping my eyes on the prize, you know, like that is when I am focused on Jesus throughout my day, like when I get home, even if my day didn't go the way that I want it to go, like I'm going to love my kids the way that Jesus loves them.
32:30
Chad: I'm going to love my wife the way you know, like the way Jesus loves her, and I'm going to want them to experience that same kind of love you know like I'm going to I want them to experience that same kind of love.
32:41
Chad: I want them to experience that same Jesus.
32:42
Chad: And so I think that's my initial thought is like man, just keep your eyes fixed on the prize which is Jesus.
32:51
Chad: And I think the second thing is just be willing to step out and do the hard thing.
32:56
Chad: You know, like I mean it is not easy, it's not easy, like it's just not.
33:03
Chad: Like I mean full-time missionary, right, like you should be having daily devotions, like three times a day with your kids.
33:11
Chad: Right, like there's this man.
33:14
Chad: It's just not easy.
33:15
Chad: And so just be willing to step out and do that hard thing and even when you feel like it flops most likely it probably didn't you know like your kids are seeing you try to follow Jesus and that's what matters, I think, in the whole daily family devotion is our kids seeing us.
33:39
Chad: For who God's even continuing, like he's not done with us, right, even though we're old and gray I'm sorry I'm old and gray.
33:49
Luis: Thank you for correcting that, Chad.
33:51
Nate: I've got a couple of gray Luis.
33:53
Luis: I've got a few since my new role started.
33:54
Nate: They're coming in.
33:57
Luis: Chad.
33:58
Luis: That's really good stuff, man, and I think the biggest takeaways for me today has been that nothing you said is really hard, it's simple.
34:07
Luis: Parents don't need a perfect plan, they just start somewhere.
34:10
Luis: Nothing you said is super spiritual.
34:12
Luis: You don't need a master of divinity to do what you're talking about.
34:16
Luis: I heard you stress the importance of just being consistent, starting somewhere right.
34:21
Luis: Progress over perfection.
34:22
Luis: So we've said it before, whether that's one devotion a week, two a week, I mean just start somewhere.
34:29
Luis: And then I really loved some of the resources that you mentioned.
34:32
Luis: I think we might have to do an episode on access, like there's some good stuff there that I think we could talk with our parents about.
34:39
Luis: So probably more to come on that, but you know just the way to make it engaging using a resource like Word of Life Again, parents, w-o-lorg, and so check it out.
34:50
Luis: We'll link to it in the show notes, yes, so here's a challenge for you parents Choose something that you heard today from Chad.
34:58
Luis: I just love that.
35:00
Luis: He made it simple.
35:01
Luis: It's not super spiritual, don't overthink it.
35:04
Luis: Just take a small step toward leading your family spiritually.
35:09
Nate: And we'd love to hear how that goes.
35:10
Nate: You can send us a report.
35:13
Nate: Let us know how it goes.
35:14
Nate: Podcast at waynechristianorg.
35:17
Nate: We'd love to hear that.
35:17
Nate: We'd also love to hear any of your other questions or thoughts or struggles that we might be able to address or respond to.
35:25
Nate: So it would be great to hear from you there.
35:27
Nate: And if this episode was helpful, share it with somebody who wants to lead their family well and make sure you subscribe so you don't miss our next episode.
35:38
Nate: Chad, thank you so much for taking the time to hang out with us.
35:42
Nate: You were here speaking in our chapel at this school and we appreciate that.
35:45
Nate: That was fun.
35:46
Nate: But thanks for hanging out with us today and until next time, y'all keep leading the next generation to stand firm in their faith and influence the world for Christ.