CCE-Kidz

09/30/2025

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God uses the mundane to accomplish his grand purposes. This includes raising children who know and love Him! We can lose sight of all God is doing in us and our children because we forget how he works.

God works in deep, constant, mysterious, miraculous, and common ways alike.
In his book Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton mused, "[Children] always say, 'Do it again'; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony... it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” Consider all that could mean for you as a parent.

God is always patient and often we are not. Still, He has chosen to bind our world and all that changes to the passing of time, and to the consistent outworking of small, sometimes invisible processes.

It is through time and monotony the mighty Redwoods eventually tower over every tree.
It is with relentless faithfulness that the days pass and seasons give way to new seasons.

It is the timeless trickle that forms a canyon and the repetitious crashing of waves that changes the coastline.

Your daily work as a parent is not unlike growing a Redwood or shifting a coastline. It is slow and it is steady, but it is also strong.

Take joy in knowing how God uses your daily work. Take joy in knowing that all of your nurturing work as a parent is accomplishing God's good and grand purposes. Whether you're changing diapers on a newborn or fielding questions about life and adulthood for a 30-something, your work is not in vain.

There is profound beauty in the common. You don't have to see the growth or the change to make it real. It is happening, and it's partly through the faithful work of your hands... and fully by the grace of our good God.

Stay fierce,
Ryan & Selena

07/13/2025

The term "gospel saturated" has a way of making us think a little differently. As parents who want to raise our kids to know God, we will readily admit that the gospel is important as we navigate the various questions and challenges inherent to parenting.

But why is the gospel important? And what could it mean to be "gospel saturated"? Let's explore.

The first thought that comes to mind is that when something is saturated, it begins to seep the substance that saturates it.

Think of a sponge. Sponges are great at absorbing water... until they're not. They have an absorption capacity that, once reached, causes the sponge to seep water. To take the analogy a step further, when the sponge is squeezed, the stuff it's filled with is what comes out. It can't exude something that's not in it, but whatever is in it comes out with great force.

You can see where this is going.

The best way to see what saturates your heart is to squeeze. Apply pressure. And what better place is there for us to feel the pressure than when dealing with little humans with needs, desires, sin-natures, loud voices, big tears, and an inability to think rationally 100% of the time?? Nothing squeezes the heart quite like parenting. It matters what comes out of us in the process.

Does being "gospel saturated" mean we're perfect parents? No, but it does mean we recognize our imperfection and therefore, our need for Jesus. So we cling to Christ.

Does being "gospel saturated" mean we're never down or that we never face challenges? No, but it does mean that we don't face them alone. So we cling to Christ.

Does being "gospel saturated" mean that our kids are guaranteed to turn out the way we hope? No, but it does mean that we can trust in God's goodness and sovereignty. So we cling to Christ.

Seeing a theme yet? Gospel saturated parenting means one thing: clinging to Christ.

So, fierce parent, what saturates you? Are you parenting from a heart that is clinging to Christ? The beautiful thing is that no matter how you answer those questions, you can pray and ask Jesus to help you cling to him more, and he is faithful to answer those who seek him.

Stay fierce,
Ryan & Selena

04/03/2025

Encouragement❤️

We can so easily underestimate our ability to teach our kids the deep things of God. Or, we think it's our pastor's job (to an extent it is), or that they'll learn on their own.

Consider this... there's a very special reality in the home: we are placed in our kids' lives for a short period of time in order to care for them and instruct them in their most formative years—what a gift and what a calling! This quote from John Wesley is a great reminder of that.

Here are three ways we can trust God daily as parents:

1: Pray
It sounds obvious, but we must not forget! When we forget to pray, it's usually because we forget our need for God. Praying continually for our kids is a continual sign that we need God's help more than anything else as we instruct their young hearts.

2: Read the Bible with them
We can sometimes think our kids are too young to hear God's word—even the harder parts. But... if we don't read the Bible to them, who will? Reading God's Word to them at every age is an act of trusting God and trusting His Word to do what it's designed to do: show us the way to salvation.

3: Let God be God
This is quite harder than it sounds! Yes, we are called to guide and direct our kids, but we can't protect them from every mistake or hurt. We'd do well to remember that only God can change a child's heart and that God loves them more than we ever could. That's the ultimate act of trust.

As we continue this journey, we'll continue to explore "trust" as a core theme of being a parent. We hope to learn alongside you!

Stay fierce, parents! You’re doing God’s work.

—Ryan & Selena

Bonus: Tag 1 mom who you think needs this encouragement!

03/05/2025

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Everything good takes time, including molding the character of the next generation. As parents, we must have a long-term view of our roles in our childrens' lives while also trusting in the long-term fruit of instructing them in God's way. It can be helpful to contrast the two views to understand why one approach is more sustainable than the other.

Short-view parenting sees behavioral problems as actions to be corrected because they are inconvenient, loud, hurtful, or destructive in the moment.

Long-view parenting sees behavioral problems as symptoms of a larger need for heart-renewal from the inside out. The behavior can then be corrected, but must be traced back to our need for Jesus if we're to ever find freedom from sin.

Short-view parenting measures parental success by the outward accomplishments of the child.

Long-view parenting understands that outward accomplishments, while worthy of celebration, aren't more important than having a character and hope shaped by the Word of God.

Short-view parenting sees the tasks of parenting as life-interrupting inconveniences to be minimized, avoided, or quickly dispatched.

Long-view parenting sees the tasks of parenting as a joy (though not always an easy joy) to be embraced as the substance of life itself. While kids are not central to a long-view parent's identity, stewarding the duties of raising children are purpose-filled endeavors, no matter how inconsequential or insignificant they seem.

Short-view parenting is driven by preparing children for success in the world by the world's standards. It sees this life as ultimate.

Long-view parenting defines the purpose in raising children as introducing them to God and stirring their affections for Him. It sees eternity as ultimate.

Much can be said on the differences between long- and short-view parenting, but the largest difference is this: Gospel-fueled purpose. May we be parents who fight for a long-term view of parenting, and may our children come to follow Jesus quickly and gladly as a result.

Stay fierce,
Ryan & Selena

01/11/2025

I don't know about you but I could use a little going back to church kids🙌🎉🙌🎉🙌the best song GOD is so good 😇 Loved my time in Children’s ministry! Can’t wait to get back to church kids!!💒

Listen/Stream "Church Kids" at: NatalieLayneMusic.lnk.to/ChurchKidsLyrics:37 kids on a good dayIn a fellowship hall on a Wednesday That’s where I met God in ...

09/16/2024

Good stuff 🙌

09/05/2024

Love this ❤️🙏😊

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_RnmHCuWDr/?igsh=bmVyMXN1d3ljeGZ5

08/19/2024

❤️‍🩹🙏❤️

08/13/2024

🙏💛🙌

08/01/2024

💛🙌🏻🙏

What a gift it is to introduce our children to Jesus! Whatever age, whatever stage, we get the privilege and responsibility of teaching them the things of God, discipling them in Christ, and watching them grow.

Many parents reach out to us asking where to start and how to disciple their kids. Here are some pointers.

1.) Start in the Gospel of John!
John writes in a way that kids tend to connect with—with stories, dialogue, and straightforward language. Don't feel like you have to read huge pieces of scripture in a sitting.

2.) Meet them where they're at, but still *meet* them there.
Small kids don't need watered-down scripture! They can handle hearing the full text, but they will definitely need you to explain it to them in terms they're familiar with. If you have older children, ask them open-ended questions about what you've read, giving them room to respond thoughtfully.

3.) Connect one idea to daily life
Ask, how has what we've read taught us to trust Jesus more in our daily lives? How can it be applied to a recent event in our lives? Try to articulate as specifically as possible.

4.) Pray with them, inviting them to pray out loud.
Regardless of their age, our children need to be reminded that they can talk to God themselves and that what they pray matters. As you pray, think of it as a response to what God has said in the passage you've read for the day.

5.) Don't over-complicate it!
As a last pointer, it's helpful to remember that you don't need to over-complicate the above process. Find a routine that works for you and tweak as necessary. The main objective is to read God's Word together, discuss how it shapes us, and to ask for God's help in letting it do so (prayer).

Our greatest joys as parents happen as we show our children Christ. May we embrace and experience the full weight of our primary parental prerogative: to instruct our children in the things of God.

Stay fierce!
Ryan

07/29/2024

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒❤️🙏

The most liberating truth about gospel-centered parenting is that you don't have to be the hero of your child's story. Instead, you get to be the guide who introduces them to true Hero! Yes, in many ways they may come to regard us as their heroes (not a bad thing), but that's not our aim.

As our kids' guides, we have at least four big tasks: to know the way, to show them how to walk in the way, to equip them, and to demonstrate how to correct their course when they're off track.

1: Know the way.
How can we introduce them to Jesus if we don't know him ourselves? If we don't prioritize our walk with Christ, we are aimless—we're way-less. So we'll lead them wherever our paths lead instead of guiding them to the right path that leads to the best destination: Jesus.

2: Walk the way.
They won't know how to navigate the path's difficulties unless we show them how. This is the discipleship part. Kids will, and should, ask big and sometimes difficult questions. We don't have to have every answer, but we should walk alongside them in discovering what God's Word says.

3: Prepare them for the way.
Journeys require special equipment, and the more arduous the journey, the more sturdy and reliable the equipment must be. As guides in our children's lives, we must equip them with tools and knowledge necessary to journey on their own, as there will come a time when we can't walk beside them every step of the way.

4: Demonstrate course correction.
As Christians, our lives are full of repentance and learning to believe the Gospel more fully. One of the best things we can demonstrate for our kids is what it means to repent, and coincidentally, being a parent gives us many opportunities to do just that! If you sin against your kids (angry outbursts, anyone??), repent to them. In doing so you're not only reconciling with them, but you're showing them how to get back on track when you go off the rails.

Remember, your kids don't expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to be real. You don't have to be their ultimate hero—which is a crushing responsibility anyway. Instead, learn to know and trust Jesus to be both your Hero and theirs.

Stay fierce,
Ryan & Selena