Teaching Your Kids the Word of God

Jason Hauser is a dad who has had the kind of experience that I think all of us as dads are pegged at one point or another. I decided I was gonna start having a family time with my kids and member sitting in our boys bedroom and in trying to gather the boys together wishes into high-energy boys. As you can imagine and doing some kind of a devotion with them or just talk about the Lord and them not listening and me getting frustrated and I mean our first women devotion was a blowup but I knew how important it was and I just had learned, you know my role as a dad and in our role as parents. That's okay I really want to step into this so I did make a commitment in my heart like I want to persevere. This is family life today. Our hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson on Bob Lapine. You can find a sum on the family life today.com all of us as parents want to point our kids in the right direction pointing toward Jesus to help them grow in their faith. Is there a easy way to do that. A way that really connects with them. We got one suggestion for you today. Stay with us in and welcome to family life today. Thanks for joining us. If we did a sword grill with the two of you or a Scripture memory quiz with the two of you think it was a sword drill.

You know us as our drills are so I will be in your sword okay girl up in a urine in the church world so store drills are where you have kids with the their Bibles are closed and you say okay first person to read second Chronicles. 317 wins, so they got identified and up and read it literally never heard of the sword drill you have ever heard. Well we got two guys here who would know store drills when they win they would probably beat both of you.

I'm just guessing. And that's I love you but these guys are probably going to defendant you want to do it. 15 and near you know Herman is class we talked about I that we got in Scripture memorized.

I don't know Jason Hauser and John and injuries are joining us again in family life today guys will go back. It's great to be here. Jason gives leadership to seeds family worship for the last 17 years he has been putting Bible verses to music. There are albums available for families to listen to.

He put together verses for family life for the passport to purity and passport to identity series so that parents during those outings with their kids could memorize Scripture together and their great songs that are still stuck in my head. In fact, I hear some of that versus get started and and the melody comes to mind immediately.

John was a part of that project was on staff your family life for almost 2 decades, 18 years and now is working with Jason developing resources for families writing devotions so that not only are families memorizing Scripture but their learning and understanding what the Scriptures are teaching and are going deeper in God's word. We can talk about a project that you guys have been working on called 24 2020 and John just explain what that is. We know that many family struggled to talk about God's word together and we wanted Michael passport. He wanted to make it easy. Make it easy for parents to win and so we were written for devotions with each verse.

Each of the 20 verses in 2020 that your family could memorize together.

These are devotions. It can be read at the dinner table. The songs are free. We have hand motion videos that are all free for your family used to do family devotions together and you can go to our website@familylifetoday.com for information on how you can access the songs the videos the devotions again.

It's all free and just imagine having 20 verses done by the end of the year. I can win a sword, just to get a clicker you would get a quick case and I'm wondering your oldest is 21 years old were you a natural at discipling your kids did you grow up in a family where that's how you were raised.

I mean, how did you step into this know I was not a natural and no I didn't grow up in a home. I didn't grow up in a Christian home, so it was all new like David and you guys of shared.

You know that you did go up with that either. But I definitely struggled when I began to be convicted like I needed teach my kids like most parents, Christian parents feel that and so I decided I was gonna start having a family time with my kids and member sitting in our boys bedroom and and trying to gather the boys together was just to high-energy boys as you can imagine and doing some kind of a devotion with them or just talk about the Lord and them not listening and me getting frustrated and thinking their moms not helping me and and so our first. I mean our first women devotion was a blowup course of time I was doing again. I was so discouraged that Mike okay I am not good at this inside, but I knew how important it was and I just had learned. You know my role as a dad and in our role as parents Messick okay I really want to step into this.

I did make a commitment in my heart like I'm in a persevere and so I kept getting us together, just you know we do once a week can scan how we've done and so I kept pressing into it but a few months into it.

Our middle son Brandon X. He quoted one of the Scriptures we talked about it in the context of a situation and I was so encourage because I was like I can't believe you got through something got through to these boys you know.

But to see the fruit of it now.

Over the years and that just the things that we caught them and how we were challenged by that God gave us what we needed to build to do that. And now that our kids are older, we see the fruit is some affect II just want to share with you guys this month. My wife and I submitted our 25 year anniversary and you know in the midst of all the things going on with the coronavirus and restaurants been shut down using my wife and I got to a nice meal and we celebrate the special way that we were stuck at home and so we ended up having to take out with our whole family and so are our 25 year anniversary dinner was at home with the kids around the table and as I sat there and I just saw how God is working each one of their lives and how God sustained our marriage do some some hills and valleys. Some some major things and I'm so thankful for every sacrifice of ever made to keep our marriage together for every sacrifice ever made to pour into our kids all the hard things. We went through and the challenges we face because the fruit of it later just to see our kids together and our kids walking with the Lord and see the fruit of that and I give God the credit for it, but that's what I want to encourage all the moms and dads listening if it's possible for you to press to those hard times in your marriage and the press through those moments like to talk about with family devotion, you are planning seeds you're putting God's Word and God's truth in their heart and they needed so desperately right now because her hit was so much stuff in the world and we have powerful influence in our kids lives and so there are the moments of harvest I think our 25 university was a harvest moment just to see how God look what you've done in a family that didn't grow up in a Christian home and we didn't have.

We want to quit the do this, but we just kept following you and taken steps of faith, and praying, and now you've changed the generation and I believe generations after way to go.

Why not quit because praise the Lord.

I've been there.

I'm sure a lot of dads and moms have been at that same place where you're trying to teach your kids the word of God. You know that your role I'm called to do this I go do this in your stories seminars. I had no models.

I've never once saw it all. I so my dad there was cuss and drink.

So here I am is in young dad now got young little boys and Mike how to do it. So when I tried it went the same way yeah run around or picking boogers out her nose are like doesn't align us to and so my thought was okay. I'm not good at this. Yeah, I can preach I can leave my church can't leave my family in one of the things I wanted give me a tool. Somebody show me how to do it. You've created a tool and also I did not know as a young dad.

Deuteronomy 6 I did not know there was a pattern laid out for us. That meant you could do it while you sit at the dinner table, you could do it while you're putting in the bed you could do it when you walk along the road that was the Hebrew model which I never understood it's the apprentice it's a along the way that Scripture came alive like all so maybe it isn't going to be like other families and unassuming friend Rob a sitdown. They have a family older kids Serta. I don't work all that way I can do to say, we had fights about this because she wanted she wanted Rev. Dave to open the word for his children expected him to go yet. Daddy teach me. Morse even said just teach the sermon he gave on Sunday morning to get an item like that word said all that to say I wanted tool you created all my goodness, here's a toolkit for a family for a dead like me, right yeah and I'm a music guy. So to have music to help your kids learn Scripture. Genius hot what are you hearing from people are the story that this is worked or kids maybe can recall Scripture.

They memorized effort so many amazing stories and people right as emails all the time but you know, one of the greatest stories as last year I was out on a torque on the trust Jesus toward we were in Minnesota and a family came up to me after an event they were just waiting. They want one to talk to me.

So finally made my way over to them and the mom shared with me that they'd been in a really horrible car accident and it was the mom and the two boys in the back seat and the mom was just worried and and she was insured and they called Fernandez to come but there were just waiting in that moment the child said mom.

Don't be anxious, but we need to pray one of our most popular's seed songs and not banks about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanks giving, present your requests to God and the peace of God will come in, so he knew that he wanted God's peace in that moment said mom don't worry, we need to pray and they told me it's because we listen to seeds and we had this plane and Carl the time in them in that moment when my child when I needed to know God was there with me much. I was quoting Scripture to me and it meant the world to our family but we get to hear so many stories just about how God's word is living and active, how it is at work in these songs just embedded in the hearts of both kids and parents and they can share them. At times like battering joyful times in all seasons.

We had a mom share with us and every parent is had this happen. Her daughter can go to sleep because she was afraid and so she comes in and sings with her. Isaiah 4110. You're not fine with you basing through that and it calms her daughter and puts her to sleep in and it comforted her because she already heard it so many times as well and those words were saturating the words that were already in her heart.

They were able to just worship together and bring peace to her.

Yeah John I've seen in you for a decade or more, a passion to see dads really step up and take spiritual leadership in the home. Your conviction is that dads have the want to for the most part, but they just don't have the how to they feel inadequate to do this. Putting these tools together is a part of how you make it easy for dads to do this right yet because I grew up in a great Christian, the opposite experience of you as I mean, I think, in fact, if you could craft the perfect youth minister had to have this guy we looked up to it every level, and I have great dad who love the Lord mom who love the Lord Wright's church love God's word and yet I watched plenty my friends just walk away from the Lord after after high school, walk away from their faith and I just kept thinking we can't just only depend on what happens a church that's like working out once a week and thinking it'll change everything. The daily drip. It's as you walk. As you sit is going to have a far greater impact than just one hour a week. So how can we make that easy though because I had a great church I grew up seeing a lot of great models it still intimidating as a dad to go there. It's crazy.

I would rather speak to thousands of people and try to get these little ones to get their attention. Stories help with that. That's why we made these story-based.

You start telling the story and people get drawn in.

They want to hear it. I don't know Bob if you remember if I've told this on the radio but I you know my young dad.

My oldest three boys my oldest was CJ was nine or 10 probably 10 or 11 but he hit puberty before everybody else, so he was early puberty guy so 11 years old.

Looks like a 13-year-old taller so that means Austin is nine and Cody six right were walking through the small, just me and the boys and I'm sort of behind him and I can see as were walking to the mall right in the middle of the mall was a magazine rack and it was low like I level right I see it up there and again were a distance away that I can see that right in front of that thing is a bikini cover girl magazine.

You know, I don't know what it was but I could see a girl bikini and Mike, my goodness, it's right there in the boys are walking and I'm ever thinking under CJ's old enough to be in the girls yet right because he's 11 some watching and I see him look at the magazine and then sort of turn away the other two boys didn't even see entering your poking each other. Whatever.

So I'm like oh here's moment. Here's a moment to teach right I succeeded. That's normal to want to look at a pretty woman that I never send him there's a Bible verse that says I made a covenant with my eyes to not look upon a woman. Job 31 right then again I doubt if he'll remember this moment 11 years old and I remember saying I've made a covenant with my eyes.

I don't look at those kind of things CJ I wanted to test normal.

God made us. That's none wrong with this but am very careful because I can get in a lot of trouble. So this make a covenant with each other.

Father-son will be very careful that he okey-dokey walked on everything there is a moment where you grabbed it will, as we walk along the way to teach it and again, I would've never been able to do that without tools like you're creating to say grab those moments and here's a way to do it and you've added the music part and the thing that is Dave. He will remember that I bet he does remember that moment as my kids are talking about moments when they were younger. In situations like that and I'm sure that really impacted his life and so I do encourage parents to step into those moments and I you mentioned Deuteronomy 6 and I just want to share this verse. I believe every parent should have this memorize because it is a model for us to have music accustomed. I've written this actually three different times or something solid. It is good. This is someone important for families since hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. These commandments I give you today are to be upon your hearts. You shall teach them diligently to your children you to talk of them when you sit at your house when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise so for us as families to know there's only one God and that we as parents is like you guys talk about vertical marriage. I think this is a verse for vertical parenting. If you haven't started that book yet. It might be time because here it is. This is even though this is a lead so good but because it would stretch with us just like your marriage story. It starts with our relationship with the Lord that we should love God and that we should had no his word and then we can teach diligently teach we can have a plan like what were talking about here. Doesn't matter so much how you do it, but it matters that you have a plan to be diligent and then like you are talking about Dave. As you go through life is when you sit at your house when you walk by the way, we were driving in our cars when you lie down and when you rise.

It's like there's so many moments for us as parents that what we do is when we get our kids in the word. Then we can have some family time, but then you have a foundation to be able to teach in those teachable moments and so it's so awesome, so I just encourage families to to know that verse because it's as we go through life that we teach our kids about Jesus.

I think one of things that dads really struggled with the image and is being intimidated and one of things until that does expect just assume it will be hard to start that way, but then also come being transparent say look if you haven't been studying the Bible on your own if you haven't been walking with the Lord to start than say look guys up. I haven't been doing this well and I want to do this better.

So let's do it together and then also embrace the phrase I don't know. I remember when I heard Wayne Gruden who has forgotten more theology than any of us will ever remember when I heard him say in a seminary class. I don't know. I thought if he can say I don't know and I can say it and if your kids ask a question of her time again. What if I will be able to answer the question.

Great.

Just so you know what great question. I don't know anybody else have any ideas, let's go study it together. Let's come back tomorrow talk about it again.

It's okay to say no. In fact, it's really healthy really good when you think about the Scriptures.

There are certain verses that I think moms and dads would just know instinctively. These are versus our kids ought to know. I mean, they ought to know.

John 316 that there are certain verses they ought to know the great commission. You talked about that already.

There are certain passages that ought to be locked in their heart. One of the ones that you focused in on is from the middle of the sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6 where Jesus is talking about being anxious about what you wear what you can eat he says don't worry about these things.

Your father will take care of you. But then he lands at all was saying seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. You put that the music right yes can you grab a guitar. We got guitar your can you play for us. I would love that. Actually I want to share. This is my life verse and this may be something for you guys parents for kids are listening like it's good to seek God for life verse but like in this verse. It talks about to the it's not in the song, but verse 32 talks about the pagans run after all these things and I was running after things in the world live in in Nashville and music was an idol in my life. And when God turn my life around. He said seek me first and I'm going to provide everything that you need.

That was right before the seed's ministry started then after that I actually started writing's number one songs. All these things when I look to me. God was first and that was off the throne and then God brought blessing into my life and so this is deftly one of my favorite verses in verse I'd love every family to know memorize. I grabbed the guitar and let's listen to how Jason has put his life.

Verse two music for us. Do not be anxious, saying all selling drink when Shelley way and not be saying what Sally when selling drink and drink during which you will will Wilson turned our table into a gold with those songs you can hear how kids and families. Just be smiling down the freeway at list of those and sing and those in learning those and I would remind parents in your car. You have a captive audience and I'm telling you, we prayed more and listen to more good music in our car, and I feel like discipleship took place in our car more than anywhere else. If they can't get out, and that's Deuteronomy 6 is by the way, I hope you're right.

So it's like that is God's call as you go. The car is an amazing place for discipleship so I just aim in the and you guys have done an amazing job of equipping us, giving us a tool. The fact that it's all free is amazing 20 songs 20 versus 80 devotionals hand motions for the use and it's all online.

You can go to our website@familylifetoday.com and find out more about this. Thank you guys for being here, and for sure this whole project with us were excited for now I just want to say this one thing to finish up.

I this is on my heart to share is family life is been such a blessing to our family.

We did passport to purity with all of our kids in my 18-year-old son is going to see his girlfriend in Nashville tomorrow and have a talk tonight.

We still talk about passport to purity. We've been to. We can to remember the victories that we shared for all those on staff of family life for you guys for all that you're pointing to people.

It's making a difference. It's changed our family and you guys been a part of that we have a we still do plaque hanging in our bathroom with our marriage date. We were at the 40 year anniversary of family life and what is so thankful into everyone family life. Just please receive a thank you from the house or family. What you do is make a difference and you've blessed us and thank you so much for having us here. It's been great to partner with you through the years and were grateful for all you've done and I hope all of our listeners will access for free what you guys have created in the 20 versus and 2020 project that you been working on. There's a link on our website of family life today.com again it's all free. The devotionals the songs.

This is really something were all committed to just imagine the outcome your family at the end of 2020.

Being able to go through 20 versus you memorize together, that's a great project for all of us. So find the 20 versus in 2020 link when you go to our website@familylifetoday.com again that's family life today.calm and while you're on the website also take advantage of the take your marriage from good to great content that's also available for free.

A couple of online video courses. Some messages you can listen to and download there's a downloadable e-book. All of these resources can help you strengthen your marriage and fill in some of the gaps help you deal with some of the conflict that builds up in a marriage relationship.

There are biblical ways for conflict to be resolved in a marriage and some of these messages talk about that one of the online courses takes you to conflict resolution. Find out more about the take your marriage from good to great content that is available for free on our website@familylifeto.com and everybody who gets access to that content you signed up to receive it.

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The Bible has a clear description of what real love looks like, and we explore that in this book. The book is our gift to you. When you make a donation today to support the ongoing work of family life today. Your donations are helping hundreds of thousands of married couples, families, grandparents, you're helping us effectively develop godly marriages and families who change the world. So when you donate to support that effort will send you a copy of the book love like you mean it as a thank you gift. You can donate online@familylifetoday.com or you can call one 800 FL today should ask for your copy of the book when you make a donation and we appreciate your partnership with us here in the ministry of family life today, not tomorrow. We want to talk about important conversations that parents, especially moms should be having with their sons during adolescence. Vicki Courtney is going to join us to walk us through that hope you could be here for that think our engineer today. Keith Lynch along with our entire broadcast production team on behalf of our hosts Dave and Ann Wilson on bop pain. See you back next time for another edition of family life today.

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