Estes Echo

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We recently went on vacation and had a twelve hour drive there and back. Since I can’t watch the kid’s videos while I drive, I had a lot of time to think, and I came to realize why I like vacations and Lads to Leaders so much. While it makes me sound old, I figured out that my favorite part of vacation is having everyone together without having to run children all over the place.

There isn’t a day of the week we aren’t hauling a child somewhere for something. Madeline is in Jackson four evenings of the week and most Saturdays. Benjamin and Jackson are both playing soccer with one or two practices a week (depending on which kid) and games another day a week. One of us is always taking a child somewhere and doing something.

The drive also gave me time to think about the lessons my kids learn from all those activities. There are the positive lessons learned: sportsmanship, determination, teamwork, the value of hard work. There are also potentially negative things they learn. They learn that where you spend your time is what you value most. They learn another aspect of our culture as well: an obsession to win.

Our lives are full of earthly things. While I am sure the life lessons my kids learn from their activities are important, they are earthly lessons and not heavenly lessons.

What does all this have to do with Lads to Leaders? My vacation conversation with myself reinforced what I love about Lads to Leaders.

  • I love that my kids can learn the same positive things they learn playing sports in heavenly pursuits.
  • I love that my kids see that the things we hold dear about our worship are worth spending time learning how to do.
  • I love that my kids learn how to lead in our worship services.
  • I love that I can spend time with my kids in a structured way learning to love God and His word.
  • I love that the competition aspects of our culture can be focused in a way to improve our service to God.
  • I love that my kids get to spend time in God’s word learning.
  • Above all, I love that we are reinforcing our most cherished beliefs. I love that, as a family, we spend time on the things that matter most.

If this sounds appealing to you, we are having our Lads to Leaders kick-off Sunday night, Sept. 22, after worship. We would love to have you join us in teaching our kids what matters most.