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How Kids Ministry Can Shape Identity Before Behaviour I Tyler Bates

Amazing Kids Ministry · 5,252 words · 24 min read

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0:00We have kids, and we have a generation

0:02that are under attack. The enemy is

0:04coming for their identity. And if we

0:06don't do our jobs and our part in

0:08setting that foundation and that

0:10identity

0:11in who God is and who he says they are,

0:14then we're just giving them things that

0:17at some point this long checklist of I

0:20can't do this and I can't do this and I

0:22can't do this or I failed at doing this,

0:24then it it it begs the question, how do

0:26we teach them to know God's voice? I've

0:28been reading studies from different

0:30neuroscientists and reading studies from

0:32um different theologians, but I've been

0:34really obsessed with catechesis. For

0:36thousands of years church history in the

0:38in the church used this method to bring

0:41kids into a formation of how their faith

0:44operated. The the language we're using,

0:46the stories we're telling from the

0:47Bible, the way that we're connecting

0:49kids to God and his truth, and that

0:52seeing it lived out in their life, is it

0:54helping them in this stage of their

0:56developmental minds

0:58work through who they are and getting

1:00their identity set in Christ.

1:05Hey everyone, welcome to the Amazing

1:07Kids Min podcast where we talk about

1:09amazing things that are happening in

1:12kids ministry. And today I've got a

1:14couple questions for us.

1:16Because I don't know about you, but I

1:17can get busy and I can start to get in

1:19my routines and my rhythms. And as I

1:21start to get into it, sometimes I forget

1:24to take a step back and just uh

1:26reassess. A couple weeks ago uh before

1:29school was going back, my kids went back

1:31to school this week and it's been great,

1:33uneventful in the best ways possible,

1:34meaning like they're crushing life. And

1:37uh at the end of summer every year for

1:39our family, my parents, they live 4

1:42hours away from us,

1:43and so they always ask if they can take

1:45the girls for their last week of summer,

1:47their last week of freedom. And they my

1:48girls love it. It's like camp at the

1:50grandparents' house, like they

1:52get everything that they want and it's

1:54great. And so I I drove my girls down,

1:56we met halfway, so I drove 2 hours. I

1:58met my mother and I dropped off my

2:00girls, said goodbye, we'll see you in a

2:01week

2:03and drove back up. And I'm I'm a weird

2:05person who loves to drive in silence. Um

2:08when I get long stretches of time where

2:11I just kind of get to be alone with my

2:14thoughts.

2:15Um I like I I if during the week, during

2:18work, like if I'm driving, you know, to

2:19the office or to other things, I'll use

2:22that time to call people, be on the

2:23phone. But, weekends, um like couple

2:27weeks ago,

2:28I found myself with two to two hours to

2:31two and a half hours of uh nothing but

2:33silence. And it's great because

2:36growing up,

2:37uh one of the first things my mom ever

2:40taught us, so I was homeschooled, and in

2:42in at 6 years old, the first

2:46verse I ever learned from the Bible was

2:48all of Psalm chapter 1. So, blessed is

2:51the man who does not walk in the counsel

2:52of the wicked or stand in the way of

2:54sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

2:56His delight is in the law of the Lord

2:57and on his law he meditates day and

2:59night. He is like a tree which brings

3:01forth fruit in its season and its his

3:03leaf does not wither. Whatever he does

3:05prospers.

3:06Not so the wicked, they are like chaff

3:08that the wind blows away. Therefore, the

3:10wicked will not stand in the judgment

3:12nor sinners. This was always my favorite

3:13part, in the assembly of the righteous.

3:16I loved as a 6-year-old saying those

3:18words. For the Lord watches over the

3:19ways of the righteous and the way of the

3:20wicked shall perish.

3:22And so,

3:24at a young age,

3:26I knew those words and as I kept

3:27growing, there's that part where he's

3:29like a tree planted by streams of water

3:32and that he meditates day and night. And

3:34I learned that as I meditate on God's

3:36word, but also learn how to sort through

3:39my thoughts using God's word as a

3:41filter,

3:42it would um help guide my life. So, I've

3:44done that for a long time, for probably

3:46almost 15 years. Like, I find times

3:48throughout my week where I sit in

3:49silence and I I

3:50on who God is, what he's saying to me,

3:52what like feelings that I'm having. I I

3:55hold it up to the light of his word and

3:56his truth and ask him to speak truth

3:58into it.

3:59And as I'm driving, I had a couple

4:00thoughts that I thought we would talk

4:02through today because I'm curious as

4:04kids pastors how often we take time just

4:06to sit back and re-evaluate. Like, I'm

4:08doing this, but why am I doing this? Why

4:10am I working?

4:11And we pour out a lot, and I know that

4:13you're pouring into teams, you're

4:14pouring into your ministry, whether it's

4:17your staff or your volunteers, your

4:18leaders, your kids, your families.

4:21And I was I was driving

4:24and wondering like as pastors we are

4:26shepherds.

4:27We are shepherds and our job is to

4:29shepherd our flock and to to steward the

4:31kids and the families and the leaders

4:34that we be that we get entrusted with

4:36and that that that we we belong to in a

4:38sense of hey we're going to do this

4:41together, we're going to journey this

4:41together. And we have sheep that we tend

4:44to.

4:45And a lot of the times I think that we

4:47as kids pastors

4:49how do we wrestle with we're having to

4:51teach kids one thing and we're having to

4:53lead our leaders one thing, but what

4:55what are we being fed?

4:57Because this thought popped into my mind

4:59that shepherds don't eat what the sheep

5:01eat.

5:02You you know what I mean? Like

5:04shepherds are in charge of finding and

5:06if you look at some of the geographical

5:08spots that shepherds would usually roam

5:11their sheep around in Israel and Judea,

5:14um some of it was mountainous and and

5:16rocky and the climate like there wasn't

5:17a lot of grass. So, they had be really

5:19good at finding. Like, the Lord is my

5:21shepherd, he leads me to green pastures.

5:23They had to go find places where the

5:25sheep could graze and eat. But shepherds

5:28had to eat too. So, how do we as pastors

5:30make sure that we're being fed and where

5:32do we discern and how do we find times

5:34to try and figure out is this is this

5:37for me to share with kids or to share

5:38with families or to share with my

5:39leaders or is this something that God's

5:42speaking to me and he's doing in me cuz

5:43God's always at work. He promises that

5:45he's going to start the good work that

5:47or finish the good work he started. Like

5:49he's faithful and just to do that. And

5:51so, at times we have to wrestle with,

5:54okay God, you're speaking this to me and

5:56like this is for me. Like this is

5:58between me and God and no one else.

6:01And this is for um my kids or this is

6:04for my leaders. And and where do we wait

6:07that and balance that in our lives? Cuz

6:10it, you know, our ministry should come

6:12from an overflow. Um our ministry should

6:14come like that the public things that we

6:16say should be a fraction of what we've

6:19experienced in private in our time with

6:21God. The way that we lead our kids and

6:23the way that we lead our families and

6:24the way that we lead our leaders should

6:27be an overflow of how we're being led by

6:29God. Like he is the great shepherd. Um

6:31we know where we're going because of

6:33that, but the the iceberg under the

6:36surface, like how much are we taking

6:38time to to really sit in and and to talk

6:43with and to be led by God, to be

6:45obedient to what he's asking us to do.

6:48Or um I was I was um

6:50taking my kids to school this week

6:51again. It's our first week of school.

6:54And the first day we drove together and

6:56um we we you know, we had meet the

6:57teacher one night and then um first day,

7:00second day. So the the the the first day

7:02um it was great. We dropped off. The

7:04second day it was just me. It's one of

7:05our rhythms. Like for us, I love waking

7:08up and I get the kids up and going. We

7:10do lunches and I take them and my wife,

7:11she goes to work out and

7:14so we get in the car and we're driving

7:15and halfway down the road, um we we live

7:17about 15 minutes away from the school,

7:19um my car starts dinging and I realize

7:21that my car was on empty. And it's

7:23telling me, you need to refuel, you need

7:25to refuel, you need to refuel. And so,

7:27you know, my kids are panicking. Like,

7:28we're not going to make it. And I'm

7:30like, we're going to make it. We're

7:30going to be fine. And we cruise into a

7:32gas station and I filled up and it was

7:33fine. But I found that sometimes in

7:36different seasons of my life, I have

7:38been that way. I have found and maybe

7:40you're like this too and I know, where

7:42you're not checking the gauge of how

7:45full or empty you're at and and you get

7:48to a place where you realize, um,

7:50whether it's in a moment of frustration

7:51or it's in a moment of burnout or it's

7:53in a moment of just everything is like I

7:56I need to to stop everything and you

7:58fall apart, um, you weren't checking the

8:00spiritual gaze gauge of your life on how

8:03full or how empty am I.

8:06And so, what are those rhythms like for

8:07you? I'm I'm curious. How do you like

8:10what what do you have set in place to

8:12know, uh, when you're starting to get

8:14towards empty? And how do you refuel?

8:16Cuz we all refuel differently. Me, I

8:18drive.

8:19Um, I woke up the other day, um, on it

8:22was a Monday and I I drove for about 2

8:26hours. Um, I woke up at 5:30 or, sorry,

8:28I woke up at 5:15 and from 5:30 to about

8:317:30, I drive I drive around and I sit

8:34in silence and I talk to God and I and I

8:36and I and I listen and I ask him and

8:38I'll worship sometimes. Like it it the

8:40the times can look different, but that's

8:41how I refuel. Like I I need to be

8:43moving, but I need to be silently

8:45moving. Um, and so sometimes it can be a

8:47walk for me it's just driving and I'll

8:48drive around my neighborhood and I'll

8:50drive around my area and my city and I

8:52and I and I talk with God and I listen

8:54to God and I So, what does that look

8:55like for you? What are your rhythms and

8:57your practices for you that are like,

8:58"Hey, this is how I refuel. This is how

9:00God is doing."

9:02And then, how do you get to know when

9:03you're getting empty? I I at some point,

9:07thankfully, um, started to realize my

9:09wife is a really good gauge for me. When

9:10she starts to tell me, "Hey Tyler,

9:12you're you're getting a little you're

9:14getting a little cranky." Or you're

9:15being really short with us, your family.

9:18Like I'm not perfect. Um, or hey, like

9:20you seem to be zoned out.

9:22Um, we've all fell prey to the doom

9:25scrolling. And what I have learned is at

9:28times in my life when I haven't settled

9:30or I haven't sorted or I haven't, um,

9:33really, uh,

9:34addressed like what I'm feeling and I

9:37may not fully emotionally understand

9:39what I'm feeling, I can find myself doom

9:41scrolling. So, I've learned to identify

9:43and become aware of what is going on to

9:45where this is what I'm having to do.

9:47Like, this is this is actually causing

9:49me to check out. Why am I feeling the

9:51need to withdraw and check out? So,

9:52like, you know, I put it down and we

9:54have to start to work on it. What does

9:55that look like for you? It looks

9:56different for other people. Symptoms

9:58look different for other people. But,

9:59how do you know when your gauge is

10:01getting to empty?

10:03And so, I can tell you some of the

10:05things that I've been chewing on. I can

10:06tell you that's what that's what I

10:07actually wanted to talk about today. So,

10:09yeah, as I've gotten to the place where

10:11it's like, oh, you know what? I'm I'm

10:12chewing on stuff. Um I think what is

10:15really good for us as leaders and as

10:17shepherds and as people that are always

10:19leading kids is to constantly be

10:21evaluating

10:23um why are we doing what we're doing and

10:24is what we're doing now the best way to

10:27go about it? Because we we we say it all

10:30the time, you know, you you marry the

10:32mission and date the method.

10:34But, um how often are we taking a step

10:37back and reevaluating, okay, this method

10:40has served so well, maybe an incredible

10:42method, but is it is it what is going to

10:45serve us here now or in the future? Um

10:48it takes really mature leaders to be

10:50able to look at. I love how this is

10:51going, but it's time to disassemble a

10:53part of this or a piece of this and

10:55build the new thing cuz God's doing

10:57something new and we want to be prepared

10:59for that. We want to be set up for that.

11:01And so, as I was thinking through the

11:03way that we minister, cuz I have a I

11:04have a second grader and a sixth grader.

11:07I was thinking about the way that they

11:08both relate to God differently at this

11:10moment. They're just developmentally

11:11different, but same in other regards.

11:15And I

11:16I I was thinking through and I've been

11:17reading these studies and I've been

11:19reading studies from different

11:20neuroscientists and reading studies from

11:22um different theologians, but um and I

11:24I've been really obsessed with

11:26catechesis. Um and and for thousands of

11:29years church history and the and the

11:31church used this method to bring kids

11:34into a formation of how their faith

11:36operated.

11:37Um and so, as I've been studying these

11:39things, I was listening to

11:42um a book,

11:43and they were talking about the

11:45developmental process and age of um

11:48really 6 to 11-year-olds. And and like

11:50really or 7 to 11. But what they were

11:52talking about, and we know some of this,

11:54is that at this specific age, they are

11:56really literal. Like really, really,

11:59really literal.

12:01And so, how do we um like take that and

12:04make sure that the way that we're

12:06approaching their faith formation uh

12:09makes sense to that. And so, I I I I was

12:12kind of talking through this and and and

12:14and processing. And what's interesting

12:16is is because these kids are so literal

12:17and because these kids

12:19um what the way that they manage this is

12:21if I do good things, I'm a good person.

12:23If I do bad things, I'm a bad person.

12:26So, are we cautious in the way and even

12:28the language we use with them as we're

12:30trying to get them into uh

12:32a a relationship with God, what language

12:35do we use?

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13:28Now, back to the podcast.

13:30If I'm learning

13:32my faith through statements that are

13:34more I can statements, that are

13:36performative based, like I can do this,

13:39and I can do that, and I can do this.

13:41That's not untrue, but what it can um

13:45accidentally wire in a kid's brain is my

13:48faith is dependent on what I do and what

13:50I do not do.

13:52Um and and

13:53uh what we want to actually center it on

13:56is what Jesus has done.

13:58Um and my faith is is based on who I am

14:02and who God says I am. So, we have to

14:04start at this base, right? Of this is

14:06who God is. And this is who He is good.

14:09He is sovereign. He is creator. We go

14:11through all those things. And this is

14:13who God says you are. Right? In Genesis,

14:15we read that God would make something

14:17and He would say it's good.

14:19And kids need to know that when God

14:21speaks, He doesn't speak in suggestions,

14:23He speaks in truth. He speaks in fact.

14:25So, when He calls something good, He's

14:27not suggesting, "Hey, I think this is my

14:29opinion or it could be good." He's

14:31saying, "This is good." God created

14:33mankind and He said, "This is very

14:35good."

14:36And so, what we have to look at is we

14:39have to figure out how do we help kids

14:41get balanced and and set in their

14:44identity formation of who God is and who

14:46they are. And from that, we behave

14:50different. I'm part of God's family,

14:52right? So, because I'm a part of God's

14:54family, and this is how our family

14:55behaves, I do these things. Dallas

14:58Willard once said, "Faith is not opposed

15:01to effort, it's opposed to earning."

15:04And so, what we have to be careful with

15:06with kids at that specific age is that

15:09it's it's not us trying to say you you

15:12know, "Hey, faith is just sitting

15:14quietly and just a bunch of facts and

15:15you just need to know this and there's

15:17there's nothing that you should do out

15:18of this." Like your life should doesn't

15:19have to represent that. That's not what

15:20I'm saying. What I am saying

15:23is we have to set the base and the core

15:26foundation of the reason we do these

15:28things and the fruit that we see in our

15:30lives and the virtues that we measure

15:32ourselves against isn't because if I get

15:35all these things right and I check all

15:37these boxes, then I'm good and then I

15:39belong in the family of God. Um it it

15:41actually stems from no, I do these

15:43things because it's who I am.

15:45Like Jesus came and he reminds us of who

15:48we are. Um you know, there's a there's a

15:50big difference between God is angry at

15:54me and he's disappointed in me and so he

15:56sent Jesus to fix me.

15:59And I it can sound like semantics, but

16:01here's the honest truth is um

16:04God's love for me was so great. Jesus

16:07didn't purchase God's love for me. He

16:09proved it on the cross. And yes, I

16:11couldn't do that for myself and yes, I

16:13am I need a savior because we had done a

16:17lot of things to try and fix that and

16:19get to God ourselves and in our efforts,

16:21we were never going to make it. So God

16:23came to us, but he came to us because he

16:25wants to restore in our relationship

16:27with us because I belong to him. And

16:30when I know that I belong to him and my

16:32identity is wrapped up in that, I belong

16:34to God and I belong to his family. And

16:37we as a family, we operate differently.

16:39And so we've been I've been I've been

16:41like chewing on that, right? Like okay,

16:42so if that's

16:44how kids need to be set in their faith

16:47and it needs to be an identity that's

16:48shaped and based and formed in that,

16:51then like what do those phrases look

16:53like? Like it has to be more I am

16:55phrases, right? Like like um I am a

16:58child of God or I am created to love

17:01like Jesus. I am like and at that

17:04specific age, we're attributing value to

17:07them that God says they are. Like we we

17:10are reminding them and showing them and

17:12teaching them what their identity is and

17:15that it's based in God because we have

17:17kids and we have a generation that are

17:19under attack. The enemy is coming for

17:21their identity.

17:23And if we don't do our jobs and our part

17:25in setting that foundation in that

17:26identity and in who God is and who he

17:30says they are, then

17:32um we're just giving them things that at

17:35some point this long checklist of I

17:37can't do this I can't do this and I

17:39can't do this or I failed at doing this.

17:42Um I've missed the mark. So like I feel

17:44like I'm probably not made to do this.

17:47And it's like you weren't made to do,

17:48you were made to be. We're human beings,

17:51not human doings. So who are you?

17:54And so then it it it begs the question

17:56and they need to know who who they are.

17:58How do they do that? How do we teach

17:59them to know God's voice, right? Through

18:02scripture we can learn about who God is.

18:04Like through the New Testament and Old

18:06Testament reveals God's character.

18:09So I bel- I believe in teaching kids the

18:11Bible. It's there is truth in that and

18:14it it tells us a story of our need for

18:16Jesus and our need to be restored into

18:19relationship with our loving heavenly

18:21Father. But they also need to know who

18:23their loving heavenly Father is and that

18:25Jesus has sent us a helper

18:27to to lead us into all truth and to

18:29remind us of the things that he said and

18:30they're going to come make their home in

18:32in us and they're going to shape us and

18:35mold us into a Christ likeness. And so

18:37how do we help kids learn to hear God's

18:40voice so that when they get older, isn't

18:43that setting them up for success? I I

18:45know his word and I know his voice and

18:47like he can speak to me and continue to

18:49shape me and mold me and he tells me who

18:51I am.

18:52And so what does that look like for you?

18:55Like there's different methods and

18:56there's different ways, but how are you

18:57teaching kids to do that? How are we

18:59teaching kids to to be set um up for

19:02success so that when they get into real

19:05life scenarios, it's not just facts and

19:07ideas of who God is, but it's a real

19:09presence in in lives that they've gotten

19:11to know. And he speaks to me, and I know

19:13his truth, and I know his word, and I

19:15know his voice. I know his character,

19:17and this doesn't line up with that. And

19:19And so, um like it's it's it's a shaping

19:22and a molding, and we do that in

19:24specific age-specific ways, but that's

19:26what I'm chewing on lately, right?

19:29Like, how do we

19:30are are is what we're doing and what

19:31we're teaching, is that shaping kids and

19:33molding them for who they're going to be

19:35in the future? And again, it doesn't

19:37throw out how we live out our faith.

19:40Like, faith is not just a belief system,

19:43although we should believe in what we

19:44think about God matters, and what we

19:46think about God at a young age really

19:47matters, cuz it affects the stories we

19:49tell ourselves and the way that we live

19:50our lives.

19:52But, what we also have to be cautious of

19:54is making sure that we don't just make

19:55it, um again, I say this a lot, we're

19:57ditch lovers, right? So, it's either it

20:00should be all facts, and we got to tell

20:01kids, and they got to have this, and

20:02that's truth. They should know God, and

20:04they should know his word, and they

20:05should hide it deep in their heart. They

20:06should know the importance of it, but if

20:08we stay there and we don't live it out,

20:10then, um

20:11all we're, you know,

20:12James wrote, like, faith without works

20:14is dead. But, um at the same time, then

20:17we swing into a different ditch, and are

20:18we teaching works? And are we teaching

20:20performance-based? And that could be

20:21dangerous at this age for kids. Are we

20:24teaching them that, hey, my works are

20:26what define my value and my seat at this

20:28table or my place in this family? And is

20:31it coming from a works of it's it's who

20:34I'm trying to behave as, or is it

20:35because this is who I'm becoming? I'm

20:37becoming like Jesus. I'm a part of this

20:39family. This is who I am. And because of

20:42who I am, I behave this way.

20:44And it's different, right? Like, how do

20:46we land in the middle here?

20:48So, that's what we're praying about.

20:50As if we're always shaping. Like, is the

20:53the language we're using, the stories

20:54we're telling from the Bible, the way

20:56that we're connecting kids to God and

20:58his truth, and it seeing it lived out in

21:00their life, is it is it helping them in

21:04this stage of their developmental minds

21:06work through who they are in getting

21:09their identity set in Christ.

21:11It's so important. The work you do, the

21:13work we get to do in shaping and molding

21:16kids' life is so important. And it

21:18matters. The way that we The way that we

21:21put it forth and the way that we we put

21:23it in their heads and in their hearts,

21:25and we plant those seeds and trust that

21:27God waters and harvests it. That

21:29matters. Because if we don't If we don't

21:32take the time to do it right, we may be

21:33setting them up to have to figure things

21:37out later that we could have fixed at an

21:39early stage. And um so like that that's

21:42that's that's what my long drive was

21:44this week. That's

21:47Yeah, that's what That's what I was

21:48asking God.

21:49Is you know,

21:51where in my life do I feel like my I'm

21:53having to perform for my place at the

21:55table instead of letting God remind me

21:58that my place was bought and purchased

22:01by his son Jesus, and that I have been

22:03adopted and welcomed into this family.

22:05But because I'm a part of this then I I

22:08I

22:09I do things differently than the way the

22:11rest of the world does.

22:12And my scoreboard is different than what

22:14the world would tell me my scoreboard

22:16is.

22:17And And that led me to a really good

22:19time with God. And how do we get that to

22:21kids? How do you do that? Well, when was

22:23the last time you sat with God and

22:25asked, "What am I believing that maybe

22:27isn't of you?"

22:29New Testament and Paul writes that we

22:31that we're to take captive every thought

22:33and teach it to obey Christ.

22:35And sometimes I think even as adults,

22:38not just as kids, but as adults, we find

22:40ourselves in places where we have

22:41thoughts that may be just roaming about

22:45in the space of our minds that we we

22:47need to take captive and hold it up to

22:49the truth and the light of God's word

22:50and say, "God, is this of you?"

22:52And if it's not, would you speak the

22:53truth over this and tell me what this

22:55truth is?

22:56Because this is this is affecting the

22:58way that I'm operating. And have we

23:01invited the Holy Spirit to illuminate

23:03things in our lives, the thought

23:04patterns or

23:05the behavior patterns? And like, "Hey,

23:07am I believing something that's causing

23:09me to act in a way that well, it's just

23:11exhausting me and it's not of you."

23:14And how do we how do we do that so that

23:16we can offer that to kids? So that we

23:18can help them get to know who God is. So

23:21that they can go through practices like

23:23that of holding their thoughts and their

23:26behaviors and their lives and hearts up

23:29to God and asking him to speak into them

23:31and then him to reveal his truth in

23:32them.

23:33And that's really important work. And

23:35that's why I'm grateful. Like I get to

23:37talk to so many different kids pastors.

23:38That's I got to spend time with some

23:40kids pastors just yesterday. Like I was

23:42about

23:4211 or 12 of them.

23:44And it I'm always just blown away by the

23:47people that God calls into this work and

23:49into this ministry. I'm blown away by

23:51the people who are faithful and

23:53steadfast and diligent in doing this

23:55work. And so if no one's told you in a

23:57long time,

23:58I want to say thank you. Thank you for

23:59the work you're doing. Thank you for

24:01continuing to till the soil even when

24:03it's not easy. Thank you for continuing

24:05to show up even when it feels like

24:07nobody sees it. My prayer for you is

24:09that at some point in the next week or

24:11the next 2 weeks or in this next season,

24:14you

24:15take a step back and have a second to

24:16gauge where is your spiritual tank at?

24:18And what is God speaking to you about

24:20your personal life and your ministry and

24:23how it's overflowing into kids. And what

24:25are the strategies that he has for you

24:27now that maybe are different than a

24:28strategy that you've had in a previous

24:30season.

24:31But my prayer for you is that you would

24:33continually hear God's voice and that

24:35you would be obedient to it and that

24:37your kids and your families and your

24:39leaders and your personal family would

24:42benefit from that. So thanks for

24:44spending time today. And you know, email

24:47me, taylor@amazinglife.com. I'd love to

24:48know your thoughts. Like some of you

24:50email all the time and you know, "Hey,

24:51that was really interesting. This is how

24:52I had I got to know." But And that's

24:56been this week. And as kids pastors,

24:58I I think we always have a lot going on

25:01and a lot to chew on and a lot to think

25:02about. So, if you have time, send me it

25:05send me your thoughts send me your

25:05messages. But, thanks for listening

25:07today. We'll catch you guys next time.

25:09Have a great week.

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