Equippers Newsletter -- Discussion Starters & Help for Those Who Talk Too Much!

• Print this and share with everyone in your family, then discuss. Strong stuff that is relevant to every home RIGHT NOW. http://www.navpress.com/magazines/archives/article.aspx?id=11941

• A thought-provoking commentary on girl relationships. Worth mining for some conversation starters. http://anniefox.com/parents/parents_5-06.html
• Following is a quote from a father whose family was very active in church. This comes from Steve Wright and Chris Graves’ outstanding book, ‘A Parent Privilege,’ which I strongly recommend. They were there almost every Wednesday and Saturday. They were described as ‘core’ members of the church. In his mid-50s, when the kids were raised, he reflected and said, “As my wife and I were raising our boys I realized that we believed that our job was to bring our boys to church. We truly believed that if we could find a good youth program and keep our children active, then they would continue to serve Christ. We realize now that this belief system, no matter how earnestly we believed it, did not hold true for us. Our two adult children now in their thirties are no longer walking with Christ. We brought them to church, dropped them off at their program, and ran off to serve in other places, all the while honestly believing we were doing the right thing. I wish that someone had told us that the responsibility of discipling our children was ours, not a pastor’s. I wish we would have known.”

You’ve just been told, or reminded. You know. We are here to help equip you.

DISCUSSION STARTERS follow.
 So start discussions! Throughout the discussion, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, as these will be teachable moments.

• “Friendly, open-hearted people make the best evangelists.” – Steven Sjogren. This is perfectly consistent with ‘relational’ evangelism. Do you know any lost people? Are you intentionally, as a family, working to reach neighbors or those in your life pattern who don’t know Him? Do you even have a life pattern that takes you anywhere where there are lost people? Consider. Discuss as a family.
• “People who were nothing like Jesus, liked Jesus. And Jesus liked people who were nothing like Him. If we are the body. . . “ – Andy Stanley. Another discussion starter in the home. What are the thoughts’ implications for your lives?
• From AwanaParents on Twitter: Ask your kids at dinner or bedtime to think of at least one person in the Bible who obeyed Mom or Dad, and discuss it.
• Rick Warren: “To look past behavior and see the hunger and hurt in others you must spend time with them! It takes CONTACT lenses.”

FINALLY, If you're on twitter, let me know so I can follow you. If you want to follow me, I'm VictorLee.

I love you guys!