Sowing the Seeds of Faith

Sowing the Seeds of Faith

As parents we have a high calling to impress our faith upon our children in such a way that it leaves a lasting impression. One way we do this is through our words. When we speak of our faith and love for Jesus our children’s faith is stirred and encouraged. The scriptures say, “For the overflow of the heart the mouth must speak. Matthew 6:13

For our mouths to overflow with such praise we must first be filled with God’s word and overflowing. This is where maintaining our own personal devotional life is so important. Parents must find regular times to retreat and be filled with God’s word so that it may overflow from our lips and stir the affections of our heart for Christ. We can get so consumed with the care and attention of our children or our careers that we miss our first love of caring for the things of God and giving Him the attention he deserves in our lives.

As parents we influence our children in so many ways. The words we say, our actions, our habits and our affections are often imitated by our children.

Jesus taught his disciples through parables “The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God” Luke 8:10. He did this so that when the believers in Christ heard these teachings they would understand because their hearts had been transformed, but to the unbelieving, “Though they see, they may not see, though hearing, they may not understand.” Luke 8:10-11

The Parable of the Sower found in Luke Chapter 8 speaks of 4 types of seeds that a farmer sowed when he went out to plant his seed. The following is an account of where the seeds fell and what the result was.

1.       Seeds that fell on the path- Trampled underfoot and eaten by the birds

2.       Seeds that fell upon the rocks- Grew up quickly but then weathered because of a lack of moisture

3.       Seeds that fell among the thorns- As they started to grow were choked out .

4.       Seeds that fell on the good soil- yielded a crop 100x what was sown.

In this Biblical account the 12 Disciples and women who believed in Jesus asked, “What does this mean?”

Jesus gave a reason for the parables stating, “The knowledge of the secrets of heaven have been given to you. But to others I speak in parables. “Though seeing, they may not see, though hearing, they may not understand.            Luke 8:11

The influence we leave upon our children is much like us casting (influencing) the seeds of our faith upon our children and watching to see what type of harvest it will produce. 

The seeds represent the Word of God from which we teach and instruct our children.

The following are the four meanings that Jesus gives for sharing about where each seed was sown:

1.       The seeds that fell on the path= Those who hear the word of God and then the devil comes and takes away.

2.       The seeds that fell on the rock= Those who receive the word with joy but have no root

3.       The seeds that fell amongst the thorns= Those who hear but go their own separate way and are chocked by life’s worries and don’t mature in their faith.

4.       The seeds that fell on good soil= Those who hear the word, retain it and produce a crop.

 None of us can be certain that our children will hear the word of God and automatically believe.  But we can make sure the seeds of faith we plant in their lives fall upon fertile “Good soil” and pray fervently that God would grow up a harvest 100 times what was sown. We can also direct our children’s path so that the seeds of faith we are planting in their lives do not fall on the hard path or upon the rocks or worse amongst the thorns so that they are chocked out.

Family Faith Talks are a key essential in parents sowing their seeds of faith (The word of God) into the lives of their children.

Faith Missions are families putting their faith to the test and living out their faith in such a way that it influences others through service and love.

Thought Questions:

Parents are you being fed a regular diet of God’s word so that the overflow of your heart is speaking the words of God?

Where are the seeds of faith falling amongst your children?

How will you insure that the seeds of faith you plant will fall on “good soil”?

"What's in it for me?"

Have you ever found yourself pondering that? In the movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner plays the role of an Iowa farmer named Ray Kinsella, who eventually asks that very question, “What’s in it for me?” Let me try to set it up for you…

Kinsella had been obedient to a mysterious voice that told him to build a baseball diamond in the midst of his cornfields. He also listened as this voice led him across the country on a road trip where he wound up kidnapping a renowned author along the way, only to have the bank threatening to foreclose on his family’s farm upon his return. His neighbors think he's crazy and his brother-in-law is pressuring him to sell the farm before it is too late. For Ray, it feels like he has done all that has been asked of him, even without fully understanding why, and yet there has really been nothing in return. Hence his question of, “What’s in it for me?”

Although we read of Noah (Hebrews 11:7, Genesis 6:13-22) and Abraham (Hebrews 11:8, Genesis 12:1-4) and other men and women of faith that were obedient to God without having all the details, we can sometimes find ourselves feeling like Ray Kinsella. We've seemingly done all that’s been asked of us and yet the difficulties of life still exist. There is a struggle to make ends meet, endurance to persevere through trials, no clear sign of progress, and plenty of opposition along the way. Our toil seems to be in vain… And why have we done all of this? What is our reward? We’ve been well-behaved, trusted against unfavorable odds, seemingly risked it all…and for what?

Well, in the film Ray finally discovers the purpose of his labor. And it turns out all of his efforts were for something far greater than he could have ever imagined. Sure he was able to see the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson with many of his peers and enjoyed some cool experiences as he engaged his calling. However, Ray's ultimate prize was getting to see his father - being able to have a catch with his dad.

We are not promised a life of ease, comfort, health, wealth, or anything of the like. In fact the only thing we can be certain of is that there will indeed be obstacles and times of adversity here on earth. Sometimes we can be tempted to misjudge the circumstances of today as a loss of God’s favor. But may I remind those of you that are in Christ of your promised treasure. Similar to the Iowa farmer, our reward is far greater than anything we could ever fathom. We get our heavenly Father & we have His Spirit living in us now!! We get Him today and for all of eternity! Rain or shine, sickness or health, poverty or plenty, your best or your worst, you get Him. So…“What’s in it for me?” Answer: He is. 

The Clock is Ticking..tick, tock...tick, tock...

My tribe in LA, CA

I write this blog from the west coast. Carol and I have traveled to California to see our daughters. Each time we come to California we suffer from culture shock. The crowds, the traffic, the prices are excessive. But these things aren’t what stand out as most shocking. What shocks us most is an undefined cosmopolitan complexity, a secular worldliness that exists and makes us miss home.
Wednesday night, at dinner we discovered our waiter was a Christ follower. He mentioned how refreshing it was to be with other believers and how he rarely got to experience Christian fellowship. After hearing about his struggles, part of me (the father of my girls part of me) wants my daughters to come back home to Oklahoma. The other part of me (the pastor, disciple, missionary part of me) is proud that they are building God’s Kingdom in an area where Christian faith requires a tough-minded pioneer missionary spirit.
I must admit, Christian faith is becoming increasingly difficult, if not dangerous in American culture. Families are under siege. Public schools identify people who hold to Christian faith as ignorant, stupid, insane, and wicked. Although we parents may want to take our children out of this increasingly hostile world,” we must raise our children to be godly disciples through which God will demonstrate His power to help them not only stand firm in it but convincingly impact it for the gospel. NBFamilies calls this God’s Faith Mission.
New Beginnings NBFamilies dreams of becoming a church family that partners with parents to disciple their children but never elevates the family above the churches mission in furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Can you imagine your own family knowing and experiencing the Gospel of Jesus?
• What would change for your family if we began to recognize your responsibility to spread the good news of Jesus Christ?
• How would your family change and grow if you planned and went on a family mission trip instead of a family vacation?
• What could God do through your family to reach your neighbors, your kid’s ball teams, your kid’s school classes or clubs, or your extended family for Jesus?

God can use His people to make a difference in the world if they are willing and will seize the opportunities He gives them.

Do you remember Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah? Maybe you remember them by their Babylonian names: Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego. Read Daniel 1:1 - 3:30.

Make the most of the time you have left with your children.

Ephesian 5:13-17 Everything exposed by the light is made clear, 14 for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

In Ephesians 5:16, Paul uses the Greek word “kairos”, for time. Paul is describing “an opportune or right season.” Kairos = time is a specific, opportune time. NBFamilies parents are discovering that there’s no greater kairos moment then childhood for faith development. Now is the time! NBFamilies parents ensure that their homes are places filled with opportunities that nurture their families faith and elevate God’s mission.

"Don't Go Daddy."

Most of my "Faith Walks" with my two daughters when they were young, took place in the car, on weekend visits. Being a divorced, single dad, at the time, once I became born again, I saw the need and desire to talk to both daughters about how God was working in my life, why we "always" were listening to Christian music in the car,etc. I didn't know they were called "Faith Walks", my daughters fondly called them, and still do: "dad's lectures". I guess I never thought of them as "lectures", I thought I was having great Faith conversations, but that's how they remember them.

Anyway, I remember having many conversations in the car about heaven and salvation and what happens to us after we die. One of the things I wanted to assure them of, especially because of not getting to be with them every day in the home, no matter what happens, as long as they know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, just like their daddy believes, that we will all get to live in eternity together in heaven. (see Romans 8:9-11 "You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteous.11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.")

I also told them that even when they couldn't talk to me in person and were missing me, they could talk to God the Father, through their prayers, because as long as they believe in Him, He(the Holy Spirit) will always be there for them.

This never became more clear than one weekend I was taking my oldest daughter back home from a weekend with me, just the two of us. She was in her early teens at the time. Her grandmother was to meet me to pick her up and take her the rest of the way home. When we got to our destination and got out of the car, for some reason this particular weekend, my daughter wouldn't let me go. She said, "Don't go Daddy. Please don't go." This was very unusual only because this had been many years after the divorce and these weekend visits had been happening many, many times without this type of response. Of course it's late on a Sunday night, her grandmother is waiting there to take her home and she wouldn't let me go. She began to cry, was very emotional, grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. She told me she was afraid that something was going to happen to me. She thought that I might get into a car accident on the way home. I tried to reassure her the best I could, that I would be OK and hugged her for awhile and then she was finally able to go with her grandmother.

It was a heart wrenching drive home (This is just one more reason why God hates divorce). Of course I drove extremely careful on the two and a half hour drive back home to Minneapolis. I cried and I prayed, all the way back. I prayed for my daughter, for both daughters, asking God to be there for them in their sorrow, to give them peace, to protect them and keep them safe. I asked God the Father to be there for them when I, their earthly father, could not be there for them. And for me, in order to keep my sanity and my emotions in check, I asked God to be there for me too, in my fears, in my pain and my sorrow.

In the book of  John, Chapter 16, it was nearing the time for Jesus to be betrayed. Jesus is having a discussion with the disciples. He was going to be leaving them. In verses 5-6 "But now I am going away to Him who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, "Where are You going?" v.6 Yet, because I have spoken these things to you sorrow has filled your heart. v7 Nevertheless it is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don't go away the Counselor(the Holy Spirit) will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you."

Jesus goes on to explain further what he means about going away, in verses 20-21 then in verse 22 Jesus says, "So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy. 23 In that day you will not ask Me anything. "I assure you; anything you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in My name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be complete."

Our children won't always be with us. Divorced family or not, children eventually grow up and leave the home to begin their own lives.It's a fact of life.Your time with them is so very short. Don't miss the opportunities in the car, at home, in a restaurant, or on the ball field, to have "lectures", God conversations with your children. We choose to call them "faith walks" at New Beginnings.It really doesn't matter what you "call them", what does matter is that you "have them". Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, He will guide you in your "walks". And one day we will rejoice, that through Jesus Christ' sacrifice on the cross, for ALL who believe, one day, we will ALL be together again in eternity, never to be separated again. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.


Terry Langenberg
Twitter: TheLangenberg
Facebook: TheLangenberg

Berg Family Fun Night REVEALED

With three little kids life can seem, and often is, pretty crazy.  Whether you are running in between gymnastics and karate or just trying to balance dinner with no "new" messes, there are times where everything feels out of control.  For the Berg's most nights are pretty insane scheduling-wise (and maybe mentally as well :)) but Friday late afternoon and evening has become our sacred space to put everything aside and just 'Be'!! 

We've had some requests to walk through a typical "Berg Family Fun Night" (our Faith Talks)... Word of caution: This is NOT THE WAY this is just our way and we are still looking for new ideas and rhythms to make it better!!  We hope it sparks some great ideas for you!!

Berg Family Fun Night starts around 5p and begins with an activity chosen by the "key kid" (which rotates each week with a different person, including Court & I), you are allowed up to $20 but are encouraged to be creative (i.e. Free :)).  So far we have:

• Went Geocaching (The World's Largest Scavenger Hunt)
• Reverse Berg Family Fun Night (Dessert first, Devo, Dinner, Park)
• Played "Around the World" (Basketball)
• Built & Colored a House out of Cardboard
• Home Made Crafts & Valentine's
• Watched: 'Wreck-It Ralph'
• Went to the Jenks Musical: Thoroughly Modern Millie

After the activity, we then have dinner... This is where it gets interesting for us, we have said if the activity cost money then we need to eat leftovers at home, if the activity was free then we can go somewhere to eat (typically wherever we have a giftcard... yeah, we're cheap).

After dinner we sometimes have dessert and sometimes just jump into our devotional time.  Whomever is the key kid leads our discussion and though I was quite the skeptic about the kids teaching us, I have been so blessed by their thoughtfulness and how they have paid extra close attention at church the week they know they are leading the devotional (something that just happened, we never brought up).  So far we have covered:

• Matthew 7:7-8 (Ask, Seek & Knock)
• Luke 17:11-19 (Thanking Jesus for what He has done for us)
• James 1:27 (Looking after widows)
• Matthew 7:24-27 (Wise & Foolish Builders)
• Matthew 8:23-27 (Jesus Calms the Storm)
• Matthew 7:12 (Treat others better than self) & 1st Cor. 12:8-10 (God gives us all gifts)
• Romans 12:2 (Finding your purpose in God and not the world)

Our devotionals run anywhere from 4 minutes to 10 minutes (but we never want to go over 10).
Around now it's time to start getting ready for bed, so we meet together in the entryway, of our home, to talk about "the one thing" we really liked or learned from our Berg Family Fun Night together.

In our entryway is a small table with 3 matching vases and a big jar, each of the matching vases has a solid color in them.  Each color is one of the specific kids in our home and each piece is exactly how many "Fridays" we have left together before he or she turns eighteen.

So at this time (sharing our "one thing") the kids take out one of their individual pieces and we pray over them.  After our short prayer of thankfulness for our time together they each put their piece into the big jar.  To some this may seem silly or even very sad to think about but for us it's a very intentional focus.  We do not have a lot of time together (as you can see with Jackson's, blue, already a third empty) so we want to make the most of each of our opportunities together.

Berg Family Fun Nights in just over a month have become a staple and the very DNA of who we are... We hope you will start your own family traditions and take some time to prayerfully consider some ways to be super intentional with the time you are blessed with your family!!

**Coming Soon: a full year of age appropriate "Faith Talk" sheets walking from Genesis - Revelation...  Keep your ears open this summer for this NBFamilies release!!



What are some of your family traditions (in day-to-day life or around the holidays)? 

What are some of your ideas for "Faith Talks" (or even better, tell us about one you've already done)?

So who do you listen to?

We’ve all seen the scenario before. You know the one where the troubled character is trying to determine what to do. Well aware of wisdom’s path, he’s lured toward something that seems more enjoyable. Weighing the options between the good thing and the perceived as better thing, the indecisive guy receives counsel from a pitchfork packin' mini-devil on one shoulder and a tiny, angelic personality on his "right”.  There is a decision to be made with right or wrong hanging in the balance - to trust the good conscience of the halo or to pursue the deliciously destructive appetite of rebellious self? Good or bad? Popularity or obedience? Little Lucifer typically gets his way and convinces the guy to do what feels best, only for him to later be filled with regret. "Oh, if I had only listened to truth..."

Such Hollywood depictions are usually frustrating because the right choice seems so evident and clear to the viewer. I mean, I watch and just want to yell at the TV, "Dude, did you not hear your parents?!" "Did you not see what just happened?" "This is a bad idea!" The very fact that Joe Diablo is ever even listened to at all just baffles me! Isn't there an unwritten rule to not take advice from short red people with horns and a cape? I digress…but seriously; I do wish it were that simple. Right or wrong, noble or common. If those were the options, I think we could all choose wisely. But then there are motives that tend to mess things up.

Maybe it's just me but the conflicting advice I receive typically comes from two different shoulder-sized characters. There is young shepherd boy me; the me I desire to be - the Matt that is bold, faithful, and willing to take on any modern-day Goliath, certain that the Lord will bring victory. It is the me that like David, is a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22), fully satisfied in the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ in all things... And then there is Pharisee me. Dressed in religious robes, seemingly all together, aware of God's commands, familiar with the appearance of holiness, but reliant upon my own goodness.

See, my battle is not so black and white. It involves my heart's intentions. Am I trusting in Christ’s righteousness or my own? The question I often ask is not whether I should be doing something, but rather, why am I doing this? Am I involved to appear to be good and righteous? Again? Or am I loving and serving because my heart is overflowing with gratitude? Pharisee Matt shows me how impressive I seem when compared to others and reminds me of what I should do to look holy, while the other voice tells me to check my heart. The me I want to be knows that the standard is Christ and that my call is to pursue and chase hard after Him and His righteousness.

I wish it was as simple as an angel or a devil and that the outcome was as trivial as the cartoons and movies that use such imagery. Unfortunately it's not. Perhaps that's why we are constantly called to evaluate our intentions (Matthew 6:1-6,16-18) and to be diligent in our faith (2 Peter 1:5-11). So, why do we do what we do? Which voice are you most compelled by? Our answers to these questions will say much about our understanding of grace and the gospel of Christ.

With our children, our spouse, and co-workers closely observing this faith we profess (1 Peter 3:15), I think we'd do well to stop and ask ourselves “why” a little more often. However, obedience to be seen by others cannot be our focus. Our lives are lived unto God and the mark of perfection we seek is Christ, not us (1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 3:17), not other parents, not other spouses, not other families. My prayer is that the Lord would develop a deep devotion in our soul to passionately press after Him…and He would do this for us, for our families, our friends, and most importantly for His glory!

So which two are in your ear? Angel & devil? Pharisee & David? Some other duo? 

There is a War for Your Family!

Building Strong Kid with God’s Perspective

I don’t know exactly how we did it, but Carol and I raised three very strong kids with a ton of confidence.

• Julie lives in downtown LA and goes to audition to be in the entertainment business. In 2012 she participated in over 50 auditions/interviews and booked 7 assignments. Her friends in the entertainment business say she is doing great!.
• Jill is a children’s pastor at a very large church in California. Jill travels, speaks, and leads groups in understanding how to have a fruitful children’s ministry.
• Josh is a successful hip-hop rap artist in Oklahoma City. He doesn’t have another job. He makes his living writing, producing, and performing his music.

None of my kids ask for my permission to pursue their dreams. They didn’t have to. They were their dreams and they believed they could achieve them. As you can tell, I am very proud of each of them!

I believe God has a plan for each of His children (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 2:10). But they must understand their identity from God's perspective.

This is a spiritual exersize that will help you and your family begin to understand their identity from God's perspective. Find your Bible and open it up to Ephesians 1. Underline every description that you and your children need to learn, believe, and live out. Or, make this a series of faith talks and have a conversation with your family about what each of these Biblical descriptions of their identity in Christ means to them.

Don’t allow evil to steal your children

Read John 10:10; and 1 Peter 5:8

The thief, God’s enemy, the parent’s adversary, will seduce their children with a multitude of counterfeit identities.

• Lonely “If I hide from people it will be easier ”
• Anxious “If I am involved this will go really bad”
• Unwanted “If I make friends they wont like me”
• Body Image: "If I were _________(taller, shorter, thinner, more shapely,)__________ people would love me”
• Self deprecating “If people compliment me they want something from me”
• Reluctant “If I don’t try, I wont fail”
• Pessimist “Nothing ever works out for me”

The thief, God’s enemy, the parent’s adversary, wants to destroy our families -. He promises everything with distortions and trickery but gives nothing but pain, regret & bondage. Eph. 6:1-12.

Our children are tempted by counter identities every day. The question is which identity will they choose. Spiritual Parents take the environment of identity very seriously because they understand how much is at stake.

Our Words Define

Words carry enormous weight and our children’s minds. Our words actually shape their view of themselves in profound ways we must be careful what we say to them. oddly, we tend to make identity statements about the negative aspects of our children. Instead we should be giving them life by saying things that identify their identity in Christ.

The Blessing

A blessing is a beautiful gift to give our children. You can bless your children at bedtime when they’re young, before school as you drop them off, or as you drop them off for sports or band practices. Say something like, “you will do your best today, be strong and courageous, be bold in your faith, stand up for what is right, make someone smile today.” Try not to sound like the Brady Bunch’s dad. But do it the best you can!