How Dads Can Help Kids Grow Spiritually

Most dads have a hard time helping their junior highers grow spiritually. That's because men in their 40s have more trouble with their faith than any other adults do. Only 8 percent of them have a mature faith while 43 percent of 40-year-old females have a mature faith according to Search Institute studies. So how can you, as a dad, model faith at home if you have questions about your own faith? Try these faith-builders:

• Give first priority to your own spiritual growth. Get involved in a church study group. Allow for personal study time. Use a devotional guide. Ask your minister for resources. Pray regularly. Ask for forgiveness and admit failures-even aloud. Let your junior higher observe how you're working at growing spiritually.


• Realize you can't do it alone. Other mature Christian adults can influence your junior higher. Send your junior higher to your church's youth group or to Christian camps where there are positive role models.


• Listen. When your junior higher has doubts, questions and criticisms about faith listen. Don't feel you have to defend the faith and win every argument. Grow together by using the book Energizing Your Teenager's Faith by Jay Kesler and Paul Woods. It gives practical ideas about helping junior highers apply faith to daily life. And it includes ideas for creative family devotions.


• Focus on life situations. Use situations in dating peer relationships and movies as teachable moments. Introduce biblical perspectives relevant to the challenges facing your junior higher. For example use John 15:13 to spark a talk about friendship.


• Exercise your faith. Look for opportunities to do service or evangelism together. Summer mission trips are ideal.


• Pray for your junior higher. Pray constantly for your junior higher-alone in personal prayers together at bedtime and as a family at the dinner table.


• Provide Christian references. As you grow spiritually help your junior higher grow too. Give your son or daughter Christian books. Try a devotional guide such as Youthwalk a periodical published by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. Listen to Christian tapes together and discuss the lyrics. Read the Bible together.