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This is the fourth post I am doing based on D6 Louisville.  Below you find a description of my plan. I was in Louisville for the D6 Conference on Oct. 16-18.  During that time, I posted several posts from various speakers.  I decided to group those posts based on topic for your convenience.  Below you will find the first of several themed posts from the D6 Conference.   The links in this post are on the topic of legacy. James Dobson's Notes Rob Rienow's Notes

Don't give up on our young people. Keep praying. Keep trusting that God is working beyond what we can see and imagine. Prodigals have a way of coming home. (Robert Morgan) Activity for Christ does not equal intimacy with Christ.  You can do.  But first you must be. (Dave Stone) So many of our decisions in church are based on pragmatism rather than the Bible. (Rob Rienow) We are not always fighting about reality, but instead our perception. Every fight can be attributed to a perceived threat or perceived neglect. (Les & Leslie Parrott) Your marriage takes place on a battlefield not a romantic balcony. The Enemy hates marriage. (Todd Wagner) USC Researchers found that a close relationship with a parent, especially a dad, was biggest predictor of passing on faith. (Ed Stetzer) My father was a moral compass and a lighthouse.  (James Dobson) Biblical orthodoxy is about what we know.  Grace is how we come across.  Grace should describe what we are. (...

As you know, I love to read.  Here are a few new books that I have purchased that I look forward to reading: Prototype by Jonathan Martin What It Means To Be a Man by Rhett Smith Limited Church: Unlimited Kingdom by Rob Rienow Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Greear The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley Who Do You Think You Are? by Mark Driscoll

While at the D6 Conference, I had the privilege to interview Rob & Amy Rienow backstage. My questions and their answers are listed below. I mentioned to Rob that our small group had completed Visionary Parenting and enjoyed it. Recently, I purchased Visionary Parenting: Encouragement for Single Parents. I asked Rob about that new resource. Rienow shared the heart behind this new resource.  His parents got divorced when he was in high school.  He also experienced a lot of pastoral ministry to single parents. He continued sharing that single parents face particular challenges. In this resource, he talks plainly about how single parenting is an “impossible” job. There is just too much to do, and not enough hours in the day. So how do we need to respond? We choose what will get our best, and what will get less than our best. Rob then goes on to encourage and equip single parents to make the spiritual training of their children their top priority. The res...

Rob Rienow just shared about the three loves of the staff and speakers at D6. They are: Love of the Word of God Love of Families Love of the Church Brian Haynes is speaking now. Why are we here? Because the Holy Spirit is awakening the church to remember the importance of the family in discipleship. We care about the next generation and want them to follow Christ wholeheartedly instead of compartmentalized faith. Scripture is sufficient. The family is central. Before we jump into strategies and philosophies, we need to talk about who. One of the greatest threats to the family is the spiritual ineptness of fathers. But beyond fathers, spiritual leaders have a lust for strategy rather than a love for Christ. John 15:1-11. "The very words of God!" Why is this important? Because we listen to a lot of voices. But the Scriptures are the very words of God. Vinedresser is God the Father Vine-what goes into the ground. It is not what the fruit hangs from. Jesus ...

The D6 Conference ended with Rob Rienow . He is the family pastor at Wheaton Bible Church. Our small group has used his Visionary Parenting curriculum. I thoroughly enjoyed Rob's teaching last year at D6 and especially his theology of family. He walked us through several Scriptures related to family. Here are only a few quotes from him: Reclaim the connection between the great commission and world evangelization . He shared that until about 100 years ago churches had a theology of family that included living our faith at home. It was not until the 1900's that we began to outsource the spiritual training of our kids to the church. For a full list of verses that he shared, visit his website at www.visionaryparenting.com.

Our small group is going through a parenting study called, "Visionary Parenting" by Rob Rienow . It is a really great study. This past week, we talked about biblical fatherhood. I wanted to share a few things with you. Our main roles as fathers is to love our wives and spiritually equip our kids. Rienow used Ephesians 5:25-26 to show us that we need to Love our wives, Serve our wives, and Lead our wives spiritually. He said that Satan will definitely attack us as we try to lead our wives spiritually. We must do these things in order or they will not work. For example, we cannot lead our wives if we are not loving and serving them. This is helpful information, but it doesn't do anyone any good if we are not putting it into practice in our marriage. Husbands, ask God for help and the power to love, serve, and lead your wife! Our second role as fathers is to train and instruct our children. Rienow pointed to Ephesians 6:1-4 for this role. It is our Biblical j...

So, I hope you had a chance to read the Scriptures that I posted previously as to what God's Word says in regards to the family passing on their faith. These are the foundation on this discussion of connecting the church and home. Today, I would like to share a few quotes that hopefully get you thinking about how we need to change the way we do ministry in the church. "As the family goes, so goes the future of the Church. Religious life in the home is more influential than the Church." (Peter Benson, Search Institute) "Perhaps the most important question we can ask is this: How much time, energy, and resources are we investing to make the home the primary place where faith is nurtured?" (Mark Holmen , Building Faith At Home pg. 12) "I believe it is time for the Church to rescue families." (Mark Holmen , Building Faith pg. 12) "We've outsourced the cleaning of our clothes, the washing of our windows, the mowing of our yards--and, unfortun...

So, I am home from church today with a sick kid. Molly has a fever, but other than that seems to be fine. She is a little fussy. I thanked God that no one got sick while I was at the D6 Conference. So, I spent a few minutes this morning having worship at home with Molly. We read the story of creation and looked outside and I asked Molly, Did God create the trees? roses? hoppers? sun? grass? birds? bugs? Molly? After her answers, we sang Awesome God to praise Him for creating all things. We sang a few more songs including one from Seeds Family Worship (Go). I closed by praying for Molly and for church and Sunday School at Hesston MB. To God Be the Glory! So, now Molly is occupied, I decided to write a post reflecting on my time at the D6 Conference. First, let me say that I have so much to pray through and process that today's post is the first of several more. I was first of all blessed by the 1500 or so senior pastors, children's pastors, youth pastors, discipleship ...

Rob Rienow led a great pre -con lab that I attended. His seminar was solidly biblical. Here are some of his comments: It is never too late to point a family member to Christ. What gets the best of your heart? Wife, Children, or Work God created your family to be a discipleship center. What is the purpose of family? Deut . 6:4-9 & Matthew 22:35-38 Parents, you have God given power over you child's heart. No one can compete with your ability as a parent to bless or curse your child. If you want to find authentic community, go home. God never calls us to do things that He has not empowered us to accomplish. It is important that we have regular, repeated, multi-daily interactions spiritually with our kids. God will judge us for how we raise our kids. The biblical purpose of parenting is to impress the hearts of our children with a love for God. Be prepared for opposition from the enemy. The shortest distance between your adult child's heart and Christ is you (the parent).

I am excited about this weekend as we are having Parent/Child Dedication at our church and Molly is going to be dedicated. It will also be my first opportunity as Associate Pastor to be involved in this special event. I am enjoying meeting with families to talk about the significance of their role in the faith development of their children. Let me share a little about what I am learning about family worship. I had heard about this concept before, but only used in a negative sense and most often associated with the word, "boring." I also realized that as a father I am to be actively involved in the spiritual training and instruction of my children. I cannot delegate this important responsibility to the church alone. But I have also come to understand that the "how to's " are lacking. It seems the church has challenged the family in this area, but resources are not readily available. However, I discovered several resources that are helpful. First, I send a...