Four Junctions to Invest in Your Kids (Deuteronomy 6:7) 

We can maximize these junctions in our daily parenting: 

1. “When you sit down”: use mealtimes to teach, process their experiences with them 

2. “When you walk”: use travel time for conversations 

3. “When you lie down”: you can play the role of counselor to your kids during bedtime 

4. “When you get up”: you can send them out with encouraging words to face the day 

Train Up Your Child (Proverbs 22:6) 

We can help our children mature into adults as they live in an EPIC (Experiential, Participatory, Image-rich, Connected) generation. Here are some ideas ways to do that: 

1. Do something “scary” with them. Allow your children to do something out of their comfort zone to help them grow and depend on God. Process the experience with them.  

2. Give them opportunities to interact with someone significant. As they converse with an influential person in society, they learn and gain confidence.  

3. Travel someplace new and different as a family. Unfamiliar and uncomfortable experiences increase their awareness, responsibility, and independence. It can be nearby as long as it is different and new. 

4. Guide them to chase a meaningful goal. Having a target to hit motivates and energizes them to go after it. Give your children a chance to pursue their goals. 

5. Let them work and wait for something they want. When children learn to work and wait for what they want, they become more grateful when they finally get it.   

Our Choice as Leaders of the Next Generation 

If we treat our children as fragile, they will become fragile adults. But if we communicate that they are worthy of high standards, they will rise to the occasion. 

If we lead them well, they will…  If we don’t lead them well… they will 

• Be problem solvers Be part of the problem  

• Embrace a service mindset Embrace a scarcity mindset 

• Enjoy PTG (growth mindset) Be triggered by stress (PTSD)  

• Emerge with a grit narrative Emerge with a victim narrative 

• See a silver lining See a dark cloud  

• Be resilient and resourceful  Be reactive and regretful  

Shifts We Have to Make to Lead the Next Generation 

• Don’t think CONTROL, think CONNECT. Instead of taking control when things go wrong, connect with them. When we understand where they are coming from, we are able to influence them more.  

• Don’t think INFORM, think INTERPRET. Instead of informing them of what they already learned from available sources (Google, YouTube, etc.), help them “interpret” or make sense of what they learn.  

• Don’t think TELL, think ASK. Jesus often led with questions. As your children grow into teens, shift from telling them to asking them questions like “How did you come to that conclusion?”, “What made you do that?”, or “Do you think that’s the best solution?”.  

• Don’t think LECTURE, think LAB. Instead of lecturing them, let young people practice what they have learned. These experiences make them grow more.  

• Don’t think MANAGE, think MENTOR. Surround your teenager with trusted mentors they can learn from. Let them go through a “rite of passage” where they can transition from being a teenager into a young adult. Your Dgroup family can be mentors to your children! 

Is God calling you to be a mentor to a young person today? Just like Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32 who understood the times they lived in, we also need to be aware of what’s going on in today’s society and prepare our children for the path they need to face as we help them develop and mature into Christ-committed followers.