Saturday, September 10, 2011

Sticky faith ...

This blog crossed my path the other day. It is a review of Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids by Kara Powell and Chap Clark.  I haven't read the book yet, but I want to.  From the review, it looks like it provides some insight about a question that has been churning around in my brain: what can I do now to help my kids form a faith that will last with them into adulthood?

The three big themes that the blog picks out are:
  1. They will follow what I do, not what I say.  If my faith is only lip service, and has no effect on how I live (in big and little things!), I should expect to see this mirrored in my kids in 20 years' time.
  2. My kids need the gospel now!  Not a series of moralistic bible stories, or isolated "christian values", but an introduction to Jesus and a living relationship with Him.  Personally I need to trust Him, spend time with Him (in prayer and in the Bible), and as a Dad I need to model this faith for my children.
  3. The whole Christian community is vital in help my children to form their faith and their character.
So, add another book to the reading list, and time to stop and take stock of the example I'm setting for my little acorns.