Keeping It Young

Please pray for Dave and Bethlie as they continue this season of pause on the podcast. If you're a brand new listener or a orignal listner from 6 years ago, we're sure this series will be a blessing.
Series Recap
Fear God — To fear God, kids must first know God (can't stand in awe of someone unfamiliar).
Keep God First — God takes priority over comfort, convenience, and blessing.
A home can look put together (loving spouses, "good kids," active church attendance) and still fail at these principles. None of this happens by accident; it requires deliberate, daily practice.
Parents can "perform" faith at church, but they cannot fool their own family — kids sense whether God is genuinely first.
Step 3 (this episode): Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
"No one rebels against that which they love." What you love becomes obvious to others (illustrated humorously via sports team loyalty).
How to Train Kids to Love God
In the good times:
Teach kids to be thankful. Teach them to be thankful for each other (birthdays, Father's/Mother's Day, graduations), and for God's provision through others (writing thank you notes).
Prioritize church attendance even when life is comfortable — ease is often when people quietly deprioritize God.
Invest financially/practically in opportunities for kids to encounter God (e.g., sending kids to summer camp despite the cost).
In the dark times:
Personal Example: loss of children (infant loss), loss of both of Bethlie's parents, church transitions, ministry conflicts/misunderstandings.
Foundation matters: loving God consistently in good times prepares a family not to be "blown out of the water" by hard times.
Framing for kids: hardship isn't God abandoning the family — it's the reality of living in a fallen/sin-cursed world; God remains good and can grow us through difficulty.
Model consistency: continue church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, and kindness within the home even when discouraged — kids watch whether parents' faith holds up under pressure.
Have honest, age-appropriate conversations with kids about what's happening and reaffirm the family's commitment to keep loving God through it.
Serving others during hard times shifts focus off self and onto others — described as "powerful."
Callback to Episode 1 theme: "serve the Lord with gladness" — serving happily in both good and bad times testifies to love for God.
Caution on guarding the tongue (referencing James 1:26) — complaining/negativity undercuts a credible testimony of loving God, especially in front of children.
Closing Thought
"Love is never stagnant — it is either growing or declining.
"Relationship with God requires ongoing, active pursuit, not a one-time declaration.
Summary challenge to listeners: fear God, keep God first, and love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength — then train the next generation to do the same.

Turn to Matthew 6:19-21 and Philippians 1:21 and join Dave and Bethlie as the continue their discussion on Building A Chrisitian Family.
Here are some practical diagnostic questions for parents:
When did you last skip an activity (beach, TV, a purchase, a look/fashion choice) because God comes first?
Do your kids see you pray, read Scripture, and make decisions on the basis of faith rather than convenience?
Personal example: host's daughter prayed for two years before the family took a scaled-back Disney trip, modeling "seek the Lord first" over just charging it to a credit card.
"Priorities are demonstrated by actions (money, calendar, speech, treatment of others), not just by stated beliefs."

In this "From The Archives" episode, we revisit this popular series entitled Seven Vital Steps to Building a Christian Family, based on Deuteronomy 6. God charged Israel to live distinctly from surrounding culture and to actively pass that faith down to children and grandchildren. This is a multi-generational, slow-built process rather than a quick fix.
Step One: The Fear of the Lord
Psalm 33:8, Psalm 33:18, Psalm 34:7, Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, 1:29, 8:13, 10:27, 14:27 — Fearing God is tied to wisdom, knowledge, protection, and a fuller life.
Practical ways to cultivate reverence in kids
Congregational singing as an act of worship and awe
Daily gratitude and prayer at meals
Careful, deliberate use of God's name in the home
Creating "awe" experiences

Dave and Bethlie finish up the second part of this Overcoming Challenging Events series.
3. Keep growing
Only God can bring beauty out of ashes Satan wants to increase the ash heap
God wants to grow beauty from the ash heap

He does it as we grow in Him Stay in the Word Read it daily
Listen to it read aloud You Version
Blue letter bible
Etc


Pray a lot
Keep trusting God
Remind yourself of truth Sin is bad
Sin is the reason for all the wrong in the world
God is good God is continually working to enable us to overcome the wrong



 
4. Be prepared for people
When they forget
When they say the wrong thing
When they let you down

In this episode, Dave and Bethlie launch a new mini-series on overcoming the challenging events of life. Whether it's the death of a loved one, a church split, a battle with cancer, or the pain of divorce we all encoutner challenging events. Part 1 of this mini series focuses on the importance of maintaining daily rhythms and staying connected both spiritually, and relationally, and through honest conversation. Even when everything in you wants to shut down.
What do we mean by challenging events of life?
A death
A church split
A cancer
A divorce or betrayal
Pastor Bill Prater call it How to get through what you can't get over
So how do you overcome all of this? 
We can make these suggestions:
Keep going Practically Remember to eat
Remember to sleep
Try to exercise
Maintain responsibilities Work
Chores
Family


Spiritually Stay in church
Play psalms hymns and spiritual songs

Relationally Keep talking
Stay connected
Seek counsel

Illustration of Joseph in the OT Called by God to be a leader
Sold into slavery by his brothers Leads Potiphar's household
Winds up in prison unjustly
Leads the prison (is there for 12-13 years)



 
Keep talking  Talk to God

Be honest
Be real
Stay in the Psalms a lot They are raw
They are honest
They always point to truth

Talk to each other
God designed us to talk to each other
Sharing our emotions with a trusted friend can help bring cleansing It allows our brain to process the emotions - especially if you are a man
It cleanses our brain - especially if you are a woman

Sharing our emotions with a counselor can allow them to point us to truth