I had never heard of Paul Washer before a couple of weeks ago. I was "introduced" to him by a couple of friends via a Facebook conversation. Intrigued, I went to the Granted Ministries website . There, I found a sermon/series entitled A Godly View of Dating . Having already been convinced that Washer was someone I wanted to listen to, I figured this was a good place to start. After all, we have two teenaged girls. This has been a topic of discussion at our house for several years now. Not dating, per se, but our view of dating. I ordered the cds for just a little over $6 including shipping. A pretty good deal, I thought. My sweet, observant husband later informed me that I could have downloaded the mp3 version for free.
The girls and I have spent our time together in the car this week listening to this series of messages. As a result, I have to recommend that EVERY parent listen to them and every parent of teens listen to them with their teenagers. This is a powerful series. Paul Washer has what might be considered a radical view of dating...not so radical for us, but probably radical for many others. Even so, I urge any parent to take the time and listen. Listen from the perspective of taking something useful away, even if you don't swallow the whole thing. There is some valuable stuff in there. It will make you think, maybe rethink, your opinions and convictions. It will definitely challenge you.
The one issue he continually goes back to is the issue of Biblical Manhood. This was really timely in that our church is currently offering the Honor Begins at Home Bible Study based on the Courageous movie. We are participating in this study. My understanding is that the men discussed this very issue last week. I really think parents of boys, particularly fathers of boys, need to hear these messages. But they aren't just for boys/men. My girls were very impressed with his message, his thoughts on Godly womanhood, and-interestingly enough-his thoughts on Biblical Manhood. They told me that he put into words the thoughts they had about what kind of man they will look for some day.
He also has some pretty pointed things to say about the church and youth groups. I admit that I could have found myself offended, had I not recognized that the church we are involved in is not the norm. Sadly, churches that stand unapologetically on God's Word are fewer than one would like to think. Youth ministries that challenge students to grow deeper in God's Word are not as prevalent as those created for entertainment. Your church may also be "abnormal", so don't take offense at his assessment. I think he is correct that there are a lot of churches and youth ministries out there who are leading families astray. The church isn't perfect, but some are closer to God's plan than others. All that to say, listen with a heart that is open to being challenged.
If nothing else, I think these messages are valuable from the viewpoint of challenging the way we think about raising teenagers to become Godly adults. Some of us will be closer to his view than others, but if you are interested in seeing your boy become a Godly man, or your girl become a Godly woman, Paul Washer has some excellent thoughts on the matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment