I’ve been spending a lot of time preparing for the teaching series that starts this weekend, Parenting Beyond Your Capacity.

While preparing, I read a line from Gordon McDonald, “Success in one area of life does not guarantee effectiveness as a father at home.”

I believe this. As a pastor I especially feel the weight of this. I am sick and tired of hearing about pastor’s kids who walk away from God and the church. I am not willing to accept this as normal.

When we hired our Family Pastor, the studly Alex Miranda, I told him, “I am a husband and a daddy before I am a pastor”, and that is how I live my life.

Being young in the parenting journey, I am making large investments in a herculean effort to raise kids that are passionate about God, the church, people in general, their spouses, children and friends in particular, and finally their parents.

A few ways I’m investing:

• Because the relationship between mom and dad is the most important relationship in the home, Sherri and I systematically nurture our relationship (date every week, get the kids in bed early so the evening hours are ours, etc.).
• I date each daughter regularly.
• We eat dinner together every night (with few exceptions).
• We participate in a great family ministry (Family180).
• We read books on parenting.
• We talk to parents who have done a good job at parenting and get their “best practices”.
• We pray for our children.

I would consider it a failure to lead a great church and have a family that is falling apart.

So how about you? What do you do to invest in your family?