This is week 2, of the Intentional Family Podcast, a 10 week special miniseries highlighting both the problems of our current family ideals, as well as the solutions that can make a better way forward.

Week 2 asks, 'what happened to family? What went wrong?' 

Jon and Jeff talk about the idea of family as a "team" and family on mission. Highlighting some of the examples throughout history of families doing great things. The idea of the nuclear family as a modern concept, rather than a historical web of intergenerational relationships with everyone in the family welcoming and supporting each other I found fascinating. 
I also wondered if that is really a vision of the church family model? "An intergenerational family committed to one another for the same mission"

 However, they continue on about recapturing the idea that families are not just units of parents to serve kids and their needs. 
Rather out vision for family should be intentionally forming kids in the way of Jesus, to participate in our family for the mission we are on together. The mission of the gospel in this world. 

Much like teaching a shaping your kid to take over a family business, we shape and form our kids to take over the mission in the church. 

I wonder what it would be like if we began to re-think family dynamics as if we are passing on a spiritual inheritance that we want our children to carry on into the future?

Grace to you think week,
J.R.

Hello! Welcome to the Spring Parent resources. This podcast is from Jon Tyson and Jeff Bethske, they both recently released books on parenting, Jon- on father hood, and Jeff- on the family. Noah and I both have these books available at church if you are interested in reading them. 
Therefore, there is a bit more emphasis on fatherhood through these conversations, however, all of it is helpful for both fathers and mothers and parenting in general. Each episode is about 20 minutes, and each week we will work through a episode with a short reflection here on each.

So, let's jump in with a short overview of week one. 

This week Jon and Jeff as the question: whats gone wrong with fatherhood?

Jon and Jeff breakdown a key difference in todays world for formation and shaping kids and students. The difference between an involved parent and an intentional parent. '

Broadly an involved parent is interested, wants to do the right thing, wants to care for the family, and cares about their kids,  and that is GREAT. 

However, there might be more. Intentional parenting, they say, is having a vision and direction for actually shaping and teaching our kids the things of faith and life. The key in intentional parenting, is knowing our kids, knowning what they need and finding the ways to shape, encourage and form them. Planning out, what and how, we teach our kids and pass on to them. 
Meeting each kid where they are at, knowing them personally and teaching them on a relational level. 

Some of the first steps here that Jon lays out is....
1. Become aware of the blessings and sins that have been passed on to you from your parents. 
2. Affirming the things you want to continue to pass on to your kids.
3. Making a plan to pass those values on to your kids specifically. 

Jon's closing encouragement is this: Shifting the way parents shape their families is a holy calling, and when parents step into the way of Jesus is parenting, they are stepping into the kingdom here on this earth.

Again these are just brief summaries, so I hope you can listen in. 
Podcast available on Spotify and Apple podcasts!
Find the links here: Spotify, Apple Podcast

In Christ, 
​J.R.