The John Newton Challenge: A vision at its beginning...

A Challenge from Lasting Divergence 27th, 200

I am in the very early process of dreaming with this project, and to pull it off, I am going to need the help of a large number of you who share a similar burden. My concern is that very few Christian families have an intentional plan in place to disciple their children. From the surveys we and others have conducted, very few Christian parents have at least one dedicated time each week set aside for prayer and Scripture reading in their homes. Blame it on busy schedules or travel or convenience or sports or academics or on the dog; the simple truth is that for many families it just is not happening despite an overwhelming desire on the part of many students, especially teens, who long for this type of instruction from their parents.

Here is what a few of the teens in our surveys have said:

"I wish my parents prayed with me."

"I wish my parents would talk more about their faith."

"I wished they read the Bible with me."

"I wish my parents were less awkward about the Bible."

"I wish my parents would read one Scripture at dinner."

"I wish they talked more directly about God and their faith."

"I wish my parents would help me get closer to God."

What if? What if we asked those who share this concern (hopefully you) to begin praying about this issue? What if we then asked these people to help shape this rough idea into something that God could use to have a huge impact on families and future generations? I believe we could then take this idea - or challenge as we are now calling it - to pastors, Christian leaders, bloggers and others who might help cast the vision to those they influence. These leaders could use this challenge as a resource to encourage the written truth that God has placed on the heart of every parent - Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

I personally believe that until parents embrace their God-given responsibility we will continue to lose this generation of young people at an alarming rate. Fear should not be our motive but the facts from many studies confirm that the "spiritual drop-off approach" is failing at an ominous rate.

Your Part:

1. Prayer- Nehemiah 1:4 is a great reminder of someone who knew that he could not solve the issue of his day. He also knew that God could solve this dilemma by moving on behalf of His people. Nehemiah was so concerned that He mourned, wept and fasted for days. Are we really as burdened as Nehemiah over the spiritual condition of families today? If we are, then it should first show up in our prayer lives.

2. Creative ideas- I have a very basic, rough sketch of what this challenge could look like below. How might you suggest we sharpen it?

3. Understanding the purpose- Our desire would be for this entire project to express grace-not bondage or legalism! We want this to be a help for families, something that is realistic, encouraging, and a positive impetus to move forward in family discipleship.The purpose is to give parents a free 52-week Bible reading plan which allows them to intentionally disciple their children. Our hopes would be that this simple Bible reading plan would be used by parents as a resource so that they can recapture this tremendous gift that God has given to each of them.

4. Practical ideas- Here are a few:

a) A banner designed for bloggers and organizations to post on their websites. This banner could be placed on sites of churches, bloggers, or other organizations that desire to encourage parents to the biblical obedience of training their children.

b) Input on the document that many would read. What should it say and is it concise? Once someone clicks on the online banner what should the challenge say that invites parents to participate?

c) Creative ideas that I haven't even thought to ask for, such as video productions for YouTube, Godtube, etc.d) Promotional ideas: How would we best get the word out on this? What endorsement contacts does each of us have?

e) I would like to list on our Lasting Divergence facebook group the names of all who are involved in shaping this challenge to help communicate a Kingdom mindset and form a true partnership from across denominational and organizational lines. This could send an incredible message throughout the Body of Christ by allowing believers to focus on biblical truth that we all support rather than what divides us! Are you in?

I value your feedback ... both positive and negative. If you share the concern that many parents have either abdicated their role or haven't been trained and resourced for this apparent privilege, please know that we could use your help. If you are willing to help, you can email Steve Wright at admin@lastingdivergence.com or leave a note on our Lasting Divergence facebook group wall. Again, what if? What if many families across our country reclaimed this spiritual discipline? What if even one family begins to open God's word at home and Christ is made much of? I can say with all sincerity that this would be worth all the time and effort if one more family honors Christ in this way! It is that important!For More Information Click On This Link...

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