Barbarian Children?

Below is a photo of our children taken last week. We are amazed how fast they are growing. Their unique faces and personalities remind us daily that despite the challenges, we wouldn't want them any different. We love them so much and our capacity for them is growing. Our dream is that they find Jesus to be the greatest treasure they can pursue and behold. Every other issue of parenting, although probably important on some level, can't hold itself in comparison to nurturing their desire for Jesus.

"How many stories do we need of children who grow up in church being forced to act like Christians rather than being won to the heart of God? Both are an effort to shape the character of our children. The first is an external force; the latter an internal force. The civilized Christian does what is right out of fear; the barbarian does what is right out of love. The Christian civilization is held together by rules and rituals; the barbarian revolt is fueled by the passion of God and guided by the mission of God.

If our children are going to walk away from Christ, we need to raise them in such a way that they understand that to walk away from Jesus is to walk away from a life of faith, risk, and adventure and to choose a life that is boring, mundane, and ordinary."

- The Barbarian Way, by Erwin R. McManus