Dear Westside Family & Friends,

When did you come to Christ?  Become a Christian?  Get “born-again”?  How old were you?  Had your life been an absolute wreck?  Were you broken and wounded?  For most of us, that’s when we came “back” to Christ.  For most of us, we responded to the Gospel message when we  . . .were children.

A recent and extensive study stated that by far, most people come to Christ between the ages of four and fourteen.  This has become known as the “4-14 window.”  This is the principal that says: children respond freely to the invitation of Christ to “let the children come to me.”  And this has been shown to be true time and time again.

This is why we have Children’s Ministry in our churches.  This is why we have parenting classes and sponsor VBS’s and church outings.  This is why we tell our children about Jesus from an early age.

Now, here’s the problem.  Often times there is a big difference between what we “teach” our children and what we “show” our children.  Many times our life doesn’t measure up to our words.  In other words, we don’t practice what we preach.  Wow . . . is that too harsh . . . too truthful?  Actually I don’t think it’s harsh enough.  If I wasn’t so timid I would more likely say:  People!  Quit screwing up your kids!!  But, I think I probably shouldn’t talk like that.  Would Jesus talk like that?  Would He . . .?   Well, Jesus said that if you hurt one of His little ones it would be better for your feet to be encased in cement and tossed into the ocean (my paraphrase).  So, yes, I guess He did get ticked off when folks messed up His kids.

So then, how can we take care of our children better?  How can we love our kids like Jesus would?  It doesn’t matter if you’re single, married, grandparents or aunts and uncles . . . how can we do better?  There are so many great answers for us, but I will give you a few:

1.  Realize that our kids don’t belong to us, they belong to God.  He gave us the responsibility to love them for a season.

2.  Be an example to them.  Show them God’s love.  Don’t just talk about it – do it.  Live rightly, love mercy, walk humbly.

3.  If you’re married, love your husband or wife.  The best thing you can do for your kids is to love each other.  Show them God’s love in action on a daily basis.

4. Men: GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!  By far . . . a kid’s relationship with their father is the most important factor in how they perceive God and their relationship to the world.  Grow up and begin living for others instead of for yourself.  Don’t be a man-child . . . be the man God created you to be!  Men: be friends with other men.  Speak the truth to them, help them to see the privilege of being leaders.

5.  Wives: don’t harp on or nag your man.  Let the Holy Spirit do His job.

6.  Volunteer in Children’s Ministry.  Our kids need you.

7.  Take your kids to Church . . . don’t just send them.  Recent studies show that regular church involvement will do some amazing things:

• increase the average life expectancy of your children by 8 years
• significantly reduce your child’s use and risk from Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs
• dramatically lower their risk of suicide
• help them rebound from depression 70% faster
• dramatically reduce their risk for committing a crime
• improve their attitude at school and increase their school participation
• reduce their risk for rebelliousness
• reduce the likelihood that they would binge drink in college
• improve their odds for a “very happy” life
• provide them with a life-long moral compass
• provide children with a caring extended family
• get them to wear their seatbelts more often
• and will also statistically improve the odds that they will lead an active church life in their adults years

We will be passing our legacy to a new generation in a short while.  Let’s do it well.

Love you guys,

Steve