worship its appropriate place of importance in the rhythm of your home life will strongly signal to your children what is important and provide a regular opportunity to train children in the instruction of the Lord .
How can families incorporate music into their homes ?
Choose music that clearly adheres to your values , that you daily exemplify for your children . Remember , children are always looking for heroes , and their favorite musicians can quickly and inadvertently become elevated to hero status , whom they may begin to emulate . Music has such a deep attachment to the soul as it can move even children very deeply . Choosing very high-quality , technically sound music that readily conveys godly values and goals is of utmost importance . Invest in a high-quality playback system that projects the quality of the music to your entire home . The children will immediately realize how important the music is when they realize how important it is to you as a parent . And the investment into a quality playback system will signal to them “ something about this music is very important .” They will likely embrace the music that is played and loved in their home when they are small .
How did you encourage a love for music with your children ?
It was natural that our children began to quickly love music because they subconsciously picked up the fact that we loved it dearly . Something was playing on our stereo all the time . They began to sing along with our favorite recordings at a very young age , dancing around the coffee table and using hairbrushes for microphones as they put on makebelieve concerts . They were never formally taught to do this ; it happened as naturally as a baby claps its hands when it is happy . We encouraged them to love music by loving it deeply ourselves , and they thought everyone was that way and jumped on board .
Now that your children are older , what kinds of things do you do to cultivate spiritual growth in their lives ?
About seven years ago , we set up a monthly team-wide Bible study with a serious Bible scholar . We ’ ve invested financially in this for our family , and they come prepared with their Bibles and their questions . Some of the deepest spiritual growth and stretching of our minds have occurred during these times with Dr . Allan and Nadine Brown . We also still pray together as a family every night before we walk on to perform , asking God for divine anointing in our concert events . We also have established a regular , quarterly fast time , and we share lists of requests about what we are specifically praying for during the concentrated fast . We have seen so many answers to prayer , which bolsters our faith that we will see God accomplish many other things .
What has the grandparenting experience been like , and how have you engaged spiritually with your grandchildren ?
It is one of the greatest joys of our lives enjoying these grandchildren ! We are doing our very best , as the Scripture instructs us , to teach them as they are rising up , lying down , eating , playing , and every single moment of life that we spend with them . We do our best to exemplify the Christian life for them , knowing they will catch the prevalent atmosphere of our home . We read great books to them , play with them , buy them Bible story CDs and videos , and even buy them players to play them on . We want to make sure that God ’ s Word gets into their minds at a very early age .
What advice do you have for parents today ?
It is the breakdown of the family unit that has contributed significantly to the breakdown of our society . Without strong family units , you cannot have a strong , morally based society . The two are effectively intertwined . We must be intentional about building strong family relationships .
Spend a great deal of time praying for your children , and make sure they are aware that you are praying for them from a very young age . Spend plenty of time with them doing the things they want to do . All they really want is your time and attention . If they have enough of that , they are quite pliable and learn to obey without complaint or grumbling . Play with them , laugh with them , and cry with them when they are hurt , and in the process , you will endear yourself to them in such a manner that it is indelibly forever planted in their hearts . Then , when the real storms of life approach in their teenage and adult years , you will be their trusted confidant , and they will come to you first for guidance , direction , and advice . These are the fundamental , foundational building blocks on which strong families are built . ■
RENEWANATION . ORG 15