19 Ways to Raise Biblically Anchored World-Changers

Here are 19 ways we try to raise wild and crazy Jesus Freaks!

Make God and the Bible a priority and the standard.
Look closely for what the kids believe about themselves, especially when they are scared, embarrassed, angry, or sad, and replace any lies with truth.
Celebrate choices that are consistent with biblical truths.
Teach them WHO they are in Christ.
Define a family vision. We cast this vision all the time and use it to make decisions about how we spend time as a family and as individuals, particularly regarding outside activities.
Encourage kids to dream BIG!
Assign them next-step responsibilities toward accomplishing their dreams.
Expose kids to adult Bible teaching and worship.
Participate in Christ-centered summer family camps.
Seek expert mentors. Find experts in the field of the dreams kids are trying to accomplish and ask these people to speak into the kids’ lives.
Bring the Bible to life by asking kids to (a) turn a Bible story into a current story and have the family guess the real Bible story it relates to, (b) make the essence of the Bible story into a song, and (c) memorize Scripture.
Teach them to resolve their own issues among themselves.
Teach them public speaking at a young age.
Never shut down dreams, no matter how wild they are, because we don’t know how God may use those wild dreams in the future.
Lead by example.
Refuse to allow discouragement and criticism of each other or others outside the family.
Focus on teaching kids to love.
Intentionally push kids outside their comfort zone toward their dreams or the family vision and tell them why we are doing it.
Allow them to participate in things traditionally reserved for adults like praying over people and leading discussions.