Happy Mother's Day, Mission Girl Family. It's a special day today and I love that we got to pray for and dedicate my nephew little liam. He really is that cute and that photogenic all the time. It's amazing. So we love you Ryan and lindsey and we're praying for them and we're praying for for you moms out there. So we want to celebrate you today, whether you're here at CB live are watching with us online. Uh we love you, we have a gift for you at the end of the service. So make sure you grab one on your way out the door today and if you're watching online, just comment on the stream and we'll be we'll send you a gift there. So as we celebrate moms today, what I find is that people tend to fall in one of two camps. It was one is that they find that celebrating moms really brings the greatest joy in our life and I think of my incredible, amazing wife Samantha and sitting next to her, my mother in law mama bear carry stream and just some incredible examples of sacrifice and selflessness and and service. And so you know if if you've been blessed in that way, it's such a joyful time. But I want to take a moment though and also acknowledged the fact that there might be some here today who have not had the best experience. Maybe they come from a difficult childhood or maybe there's a separation in relationship with your kids or or walking through a difficulty. Maybe you had a close relationship but Recently lost a loved one. I want to take a moment and recognize that the same area that brings us our greatest joy. Our family can also at times bring us our our deepest heartbreak. And so what I want to encourage you with is that our source of deepest heartbreak. Our greatest joy comes from the fact that we have been created by a relational god and this God loves you more than any earthly mother or father ever could. And that whoever is here today and badly walking through a difficult time, whether with parents or with kids grown, I want you to know that you are enough and that you are loved and that God is here and there are some heroic people in this room right now, people who came from difficult, heart breaking circumstances. But somewhere along the line, they chose to change the story. They chose to change the narrative that they weren't going to be a victim, they were going to be victorious. And so for those who are changing the story today, for those who are going to leave a legacy of love, we celebrate you and we pray for you and we honor you today because God's love is greater than anything we can experience in this world. And we receive God's love that gives us the ability and empowers us to love others the way that God has loved us. And so we want to talk today about how to love our Children, how to love kids. The way that God loves us recently was on a date with my wife and we've reached the stage where part of the date is also running errands. If you've reached that point in your relationship, right? And so we were at Home Depot and Home Depot is great. And somehow I found myself drifting towards the grill supplies and just dreaming of the smokers that are there that could one day afford. And uh and so looking at different supplies, well, right next to the grill section is the garden section and I couldn't help but notice this section of seeds and there are hundreds of seeds and seed packets that people can take. And I love the fact that they put the picture of the fruit or vegetable on the packet. And so you know that if you buy that packet and plant that seed that eventually you will get that vegetable or that fruit. And so the question today is what seeds are you planning into the lives of your Children? Because you get to decide what is it that you plant into their heart and into their minds and into their souls. And so if you want to plant or you want to receive better fruit on the other side, you have to plant better seeds on this side. And if you're sitting here thinking man, it's too late, I wish I would have planted better seeds back. Then It's been said that the best time to plant, It's probably about 10 years ago, but the second best time to plant is today. And so wherever you find yourself on this parenting journey or relationship journey, I want to encourage you to plant Godly faith seeds into your life and into your kid's lives today, because if you're taking notes, I want you to write this down. That if you want to be in your Children's memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today. If you want to be in your Children's memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today. You know when my wife and I found out we were pregnant with our first and all the parents like, oh it goes fast, they're like, ok, okay, goes fast, write that down and then we have a child and you're waking up all throughout the night, like that doesn't seem fast, right. Um Being the dad that I was, I was very good at playing, I was not good at remembering the diaper bag. And so being out in public more than one occasion when your child needs food or a diaper change and you don't have the right stuff. That doesn't seem fast. I'm trying to take a car trip to California with kiddos, that doesn't seem fast. But you know, I blink my eyes and now my oldest is 12 and I'm like, Huh, That was fast. Now, I get it. So if you want to see the fruit in the future, you have to ask yourself what are the seeds that you're planning today? Well, as we talk about the idea of empowered parenting, Godly parenting, what we're gonna do over the next few minutes is that we're going to take a look at an ancient passage of scripture that still applies as we raise Children in our modern day. So we have an ancient promise that thousands of years later still applies in our modern world today. It's in the Book of Deuteronomy, which is the fifth book in the old testament for the last book of what's called the tora And the word Deuteronomy actually means 2nd law. So what happened was moses led the Israelites out of captivity out of Egypt. And while it would only take a matter of days, maybe a few weeks to get the people out of Egypt, It would actually take 40 years to get Egypt out of the people. And so to Mount Sinai, they get the 10 commandments. They have this incredible connection and covenant with God. If you think of Charlton Heston in the old movie There, and and and so Moses had the 10 commandments and everything was great. But then the people proved to be unfaithful. So then they ended up wandering the wilderness for 40 years and it's towards the tail end of this time that pretty much you have an entire new generation of people. And so moses comes and and re shares the 10 commandments as well as some additional loss. That's why it's called Deuteronomy Second Law. And he shares, he starts off by sharing this incredible prayer and promise from God called the chama. Now the Sharma is a really been used throughout traditional Judaism as a morning and evening prayer. It's incredibly powerful and incredibly practical. The word chama means more than just hearing, it's about hearing and then responding. Have you ever said something to your kiddos and you feel like they didn't hear you and you had to repeat yourself? You know you are you are you listening kids? Hey, hey, hey, are you listening? Yeah, I hear you. No, I don't think you hear me because you would have done what I just asked you to do. Yeah. And so you have in there this idea of a call in response chama and so you hear and you respond, you see as Children do that to their parents, as believers, we do that to God. And so we have this incredible promise, this incredible prayer that actually in Deuteronomy Chapter six is going to share with us three needs of every child. It's an ancient text that applies into a modern world and through this one passage, we're gonna see three needs of every child. So the first need that every child has is that every child needs a model. Every child needs a model. I'm not talking catwalk okay, every child needs somebody to see in action. So rather than just hearing the words, they need to see God's love and action. So let's read here in Deuteronomy Chapter six. It says here, Oh Israel Hear O Israel The Lord, Our God, The Lord is one. You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. Now, if those words sound familiar, it's because in the new testament, this is what jesus is quoting when he tells his disciples and he tells the Pharisees when they say what is the most important commandment? He says to love the Lord God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. And then the new testament, jesus adds, and then to love your neighbor as yourself. And so this is the premise of all healthy parenting and so the greatest thing that you can do for your kids, it's a love god that first praise the Lord, your God, the Lord. Our God. The Lord is one that he is the one true god. They're about to enter a land where the pagans worshipped all different kinds of gods And as they were getting ready to enter the land, it is a reminder that we are called to worship one God, one Lord, 1 Savior. And while the culture looks different today, it also looks a lot the same, doesn't it? Because what is our world worship? Money, power, sex, politics. We are in a land where people worship seemingly everything, but the one true god, if you want to have a healthy family relationships planting the seeds into your Children's lives, it starts by loving God with who you are, Sharma, you hear the truth, but then you respond with love. It's very similar actually in the new testament. When jesus says, if you love me, you will what, you will obey my command. He doesn't say if you love me, you will feel all warm and fuzzy inside. No, he says you will do what I say, what does he say? He says to love, it would be amazing the relationship that you can have with their kids if it's based on listening and loving, wasn't it? Now here's the thing, why is it important to have a model? Because you can only give what you have, those that know me know that I love food, not picky, pretty much anything but olives. I'm I'm in right, come on a seafood diet where if I seafood looks great and I eat it. So and so you have, that was bad. That was bad. That was not a good joke. Well, edit that out. You know, I feel like I need to tell jokes, come on stage, but that wasn't even funny, so we'll just move on. Okay. So I love food, but here's the deal if after service today, if I went next door to chipotle and I walked in and I love me some chipotle and I walked in and said, okay, I'll take a double double with some fries, animal style. We're gonna look at me funny and it doesn't matter if I like say it nicely humbly with passion. No, really give me a double double stack, sir. We can't do that. Why? Because we're not in and out. Okay. Same thing I can't go to in and out and say, Hey, I'd like a bridgeable half barbacoa, half carney to with pinto beans, fajitas cheese, mild corn lettuce with some guacamole and chips on the side. Okay, I'm distracted at this point, I'm just hungry. Let's go. Oh, but you get the idea if I go place that order, they're gonna look at me funny why? Because it's like, we don't have that here because they can't give you something they don't have. Well, in the same way you can't give your Children something that you already have that you don't already have. So the best thing you can do for your kids is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength because it's out of that love, they're gonna see that you're gonna model that day in day out. Then you're going to show them what the love looks like. So it's not just words on the page, but its actions in a life. Because love is not a feeling. It's a decision, isn't it? You decide to love, you decide to serve you decide to make a difference in your kid's lives. And it starts by being a model the second need of every child. Number one, they need a model number two, they need a mentor, I need a mentor. In Deuteronomy chapter six verse seven, it says this, it says you shall teach them diligently to your Children. I love that word diligently. You know why? Because it's not perfect. Doesn't say that you shall teach them perfectly to your Children, says diligently. In other words, you will intentionally and consistently teach your Children that you shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise It gives you two pictures contrasting with one another. When you sit and when you walk when you lie down and when you rise up it creates this consistency, this rhythm, this rhythm of grace, this rhythm of love, his heartbeat. If you think of your heart pump up, bump on pop, You know one meal is not going to change your life just like one workout does all of a sudden make you healthy. But that life of consistency, faithfulness, planting seeds, talking, sharing, loving, admitting when you make mistakes, extending grace when your kids make mistakes is that you regularly have conversations because every kid needs a mentor because your Children will be disciples by someone. The question is will be you or will be the world because our kids pick up things so quickly and even without us noticing it, don't they? The other day I was setting up a zoom call for work and I was just working on settings and I stepped away for a second and I came back in and my little girl Chloe walked in and saw herself on the screen, you know the preview version? So she sits down, I walked back in, the first thing she does unprompted, she looks at it goes, hey everyone Chloe here, make sure you subscribe to my channel. And I was like, it's like, wow, because that's the age we're in, isn't it, Of media and and kids want to be influencers, right? Well, greater question is who's influencing them and his parents, you have the opportunity to be the greatest influence in their life now, um our kids imitate us sometimes and they share things that we don't necessarily want to share. I think of a time when I was in high school and our coach, really animated coach, um real tough guy And uh, you know, that was just the way we played, tough coach. Just think of a stereotype coach, that's the, that's the guy. Um, and so he's coaching and we're lacing up her game. Well, his little son ran into the locker room as we're putting our shoes on and stuff. I'm sitting next to um, my buddies and little boys like high. I was like, hey, but I'm john good to see him in. And then my friend, next one goes, hey, I'm a call and he goes, oh mccall, my daddy says, you're not a smart player and then walks up and we're like, and at that point the coach walked out, looked at this kid, looked at the player and just all right, let's go, guys, they went in and edited are being kind of a funny moment and it was great. But our kids are always listening and they and they follow us and they do and they imitate what we do. And so if we recognize that we understand that, that we have the opportunity to be a mentor to invest in their lives because the greatest lessons aren't just taught there actually caught. And so we show that through diligence and repetition, thankfully not perfection because none of us here are perfect. So a child needs number one, a model, Child needs No two, a mentor, and then 3rd, a child needs a motivator, A child, every child needs a motivator because we all forget and we all use encouragement. I did 12 years in youth ministry and I never met a single teen who came in and opened up and they said, Oh gosh, my parents just encouraged me too much. Mhm. Because we all need encouragement. Think of uh like kiddo carter, we were encouraging him, my little buddy right there, and uh and we're sharing some affirmations, encouragements to him, he gets okay, you can stop or keep going, and that's the reality with all of us, isn't it? Is that we all could use encouragement and we need reminders constantly. That's why the post that note is so successful. There's a little piece of paper with a sticker on it. I used I don't do it as much now that with technology, I tend to put stuff digitally on my phone, but before I would just put post it notes everywhere. Does anyone do this? Or just scribble notes everywhere, And just I would just remind stuff and just post it notes all over the place. Even even in the early stages of my laptop, I wasn't good at organizing stuff, so I would open up a laptop that has more computing power than what Nasa had to put on the moon. And I was if I need to remember something, I would scribble it on a post it note and stick it on my laptop. And so at one point they would be like a frame around the edges. And why do we do that? Because we need to remember. And so even this earliest promise Sharma says this and versus 89 it says you shall bind them, not the Children. The promises okay to clarify, you shall by words as a sign on your hand and they shall be as front, let's between your eyes and you shall write them on the door post of your house and on your gates. So it's everywhere you go. Can you remind your Children and remind yourself for that matter that God loves you and that you love him. I you know, being a pastor is unique because, you know, my job is ministry, but just being transparent with you, it's not like we're going home and we're gonna have the third church service, okay, everybody open up and I'm gonna lecture you for this time, because at home they don't need a pastor, they just want dad, right? So I'm not perfect by any means, and and we definitely make mistakes all the time. But what we try to do is that in everyday rhythms of life, maybe the car line or pick up morning or bedtime prayers is that we regularly pray and talk about the things of God. Did you know, one of the most common commands repeated in scripture is remember in fact, we're about to take a time of communion together, an ordinance of the church where jesus there in the last supper with his disciples the night before he goes to the cross, having a Passover meal actually shares with them that you're gonna take this bread take this cup, which is remembrance of me, of my sacrifice. And so we're gonna have a time of remembering together. But as the band comes up on here in front of me and as we get close to wrapping up, I want to give you some practical resources because if we want to be in our Children's memories tomorrow, we have to be in their lives today. And so I want to share with you a free resource if you visit mission Growth, that info, it's a pdf we created for our church family. It's called five foundations of a healthy family. So five foundations of a healthy family. It's a resource that go through with and to go through and have a time to to walk through this together, to pray through it together that you can set your family out on the right foot and then for parents, what can we do this week? I want to encourage you to do two things. Number one is to be intentional, to be intentional to understand that whatever area that you need to work on, whether it's being a model, being a mentor or being a motivator, take one of those three areas and shoes to take a step this week. And for some of you, your kids might be grown for some of you, your kids kind of moved on. There might be another location, some of them even a little far from God. But I want to encourage you that the bible is filled with stories of people who were far from God but returned to him. I think of Jonah, I think of the prodigal son, you know, I think of people who, when they were far from God, the bible tells us that God was not far from them And for those in the room who are praying for the one who was away, I want to encourage you to be faithful. Don't think about this, praying for something, but to pray through something that if you're walking through the valley of the shadow of death right now, understand this, that God is with you, that you can be intentional. Maybe it's a text, maybe it's a phone call, maybe it's an email or just something to reach out to demonstrate that there's no agenda, just that you love them and that you're there, that you're available, that God loves them to be intentional this week. But secondly, for those with kiddos in the room, I want to encourage you just to be present, engage your kids at their level sometimes, and I include myself in this because in our busy world we have to intentionally set down our phones. Don't we put the work email away, shoot hoops or play with dolls or make up stories because that email, is it going to leave a legacy the moment with your child could, and so can we be intentional and be present this week for kids in the room and maybe even grown adults thinking about their aging parents want to encourage you with two things. Number one choose honor. Even if you came from a difficult background, understand this, that respect is earned, but honor is given and to honor someone is to treat them in light of the value already paid right. If you go to a concert or sporting event, you buy the ticket and when you go into the enter the arena, they scan the ticket. In other words, they honor the ticket has already been paid. Well the same person that you're struggling with, jesus died for and that that's already been paid. And so what if you treated people in light of how God loves them? And so whatever your circumstance, you can choose honor today, and then secondly, expressed gratitude, unexpressed gratitude is the same result that's not feeling grateful in the first place because unless you express that to other people, they don't see it or feel it. So can you express that? Can you look for an opportunity? It's a word, it's a note, it's a gift, it's time, it's serving just take that moment to say thanks as we take this moment to say thank you to argue And are heavily five, let us pray dear heavenly father, we celebrate moms today. But as we want to be empowered parents, we pray that we can be a model and a mentor and a motivator for our kids at whatever age they're in May we remember you and the love that you have given and bestowed on us so we can love people like you here says they would pray.