Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Things Some Parents Do for Their Children - Apples of Gold - April 15, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for April 15, 2008

“The Things Some Parents Do for Their Children”


Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

 Joey was going to be tall.

His parents weren’t, but Joey was shooting up there and, hallelujah! he liked basketball.

Mom and Dad invested in Joey’s future.  They sent him to basketball camps, and it became a year-round focus. 

Then there was that little school break-in episode.  School officials made the hard decision.  They banned their star from basketball.

Joey’s parents took some action, too.  They moved.  They took Joey to a school that would let him play. 

The things some parents do for their children.

I recently finished “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham.  It’s the true story of Ron Williamson, who was raised in a devout Christian home.  Ron was a natural at baseball.  To enhance his chances of playing professionally, Ron’s parents moved to a nearby town where the high school team was the state champ.

The things some parents do for their children.

Neither Joey nor Ron went very far in athletics.  Yet their parents made major sacrifices for the cause.

Was it a worthy cause?  I guess that depends on your goals for your kids.

So what are your goals for your kids?

Here is what I think is the most important goal – that our children have their own relationship with God.  That is valuable to them from now until the day they die, then on into eternity.  Your child’s spiritual health is a most worthy investment.

Now listen to this.  There are some parents who need to do what Joey and Ron’s parents did.  They need to move.

Take a good, hard look at the spiritual climate your child is in.  Is it conducive to your spiritual goals for them?  If not, then move.

Listen, if people can uproot and move for the sake of sports, and that happens a lot, then surely people can move for something vastly more important.

Here is my advice.  Get your kids involved in the most fired up, Godly, Christ-centered youth group you can find.  Not just a big youth group.  Not just a fun group or an active group, but a fired-up-for-God group.

Is your church youth group dead?  If you keep sending your kids to a dead youth group, it will be like throwing water on their spiritual fire.

Just once I would like to hear someone say, “Yes, we moved our family so that our kids could be part of this dynamic youth group.”  A group like that will radically alter your kids’ lives.

Every night our family gathers together at 8:08 for prayer.  We stand in the living room, hold hands in a circle, and pray.  I have heard some of the most passionate, on-fire prayers come out of my kids, and I think, “Man, where did that come from?”

Yes, we’ve raised them in a good, Christian home.  They went to Christian school, and they’ve always been in church.  But still, you can’t force a teenager to be fired up for Christ.  You just can’t make them do it. 

So where did those passionate prayers come from?  They come from their own fire for the Lord – which is stoked continuously by a great youth group. 

And you know what?  I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Not for a scholarship.  Not for a pro contract.  Not for fame or fortune or any worldly success for my children.  None of that comes close to the value of my kids walking with the Lord.

So what should you look for in a youth group?  I like what Andrew Large said on the www.youthpastor.com website:  “The effective youth ministries in America are those in which the youth minister and youth leadership spend hours on their knees seeking God’s plan for the local church.”*

So find a youth group where the leaders actively seek the Lord’s will, and their ministry shows it.  Find youth leaders on fire for Jesus, and you will find a worthy youth group.

Yes, some parents go to great lengths for their children.  The question is, what will you do to get your kids into a good youth group?


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
*  http://www.youthpastor.com/lessons/index.cfm/Philosophy-A_Youth_Ministry_Philosophy_150.htm

One great piece of advice I read for youth leaders – “Student ministry should be built on the team principle, not on the gifts of one individual.” – Ryan C. Nielsen
 
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for
Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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