This morning was a complete disaster in our home. The home we share with two little people who find deep delight in messing up our very well-planned schedules. Packing lunches, changing diapers, finding monster trucks, and brushing hair. Phew. Let’s just say that we were 13 minutes late for drop off at school today. When my son’s teacher said, “I hope you have a good day today,” I’m pretty sure I grunted.
Now, here I sit. IBC’s Kids pastor, facing the reality that my life is way too full, way too fast, and that the things that matter most to me often get pushed to the fringes. I want my kids to know God deeply, love him with their whole hearts and see the Gospel displayed. I want them to learn these things at home, not just at church. But if I am honest with myself, moments of discipleship in our house are few and far between.
Does any of this sound like your life? Or do you know someone who has children and can relate? Are you a grandparent or an aunt, watching your loved ones struggle to figure out how to do discipleship? Do you desire to grow in your confidence in what it means to parent your kids well?
We know this is a common struggle, and it’s why we’ve invited author and speaker Justin Earley to IBC this month. Earley’s book, “Habits of the Household,” has been a game changer for our entire family. It’s both practical and approachable when it comes to leveraging everyday moments and routines at home for discipleship. A father himself, Earley knows the struggle of parenting. But he also knows that, with some perspective shifting and a few simple practices, the deep discipleship we desire for our children is well within reach.
According to Earley, “reframing the household as the school of love where the most important spiritual work happens should be both challenging and comforting, because an implicit claim is that we don’t have to retreat to the mountain tops or solitary edges of human experience to meet God and serve him. Rather, we find God and his mission at the center of loud families.”
Simple adjustments. Intentional rhythms. Redeeming practices. Transformational hope.
Wherever you find yourself in your parenting journey, we hope you’ll join us next Saturday, April 1, for a morning of encouragement and equipping. If you or someone you know wants to learn how to take the mundane moments and ordinary routines of life and turn them into opportunities to live out the love of God—this workshop is for you! Justin will be teaching and walking us through a series of exercises, and you’ll be joined around the table by others who care deeply about how we are forming the next generation of kids.
Life is full of tiny moments—mundane, extraordinary, and everything in between. With a little extra intention, those tiny moments can make a big impact on the ones we love most.
You can learn more about the workshop and register at www.irvingbible.org/earley.