gratefulgrace

I strongly urged all my children to attend church and still do. (all four of them) I have one 20 year old who does not gp at the moment but I still encourage him to do so. My one son who does not live at home just gets the prayer not the nag. lol gratefulgrace

gratefulgrace

I strongly urged all my children to attend church and still do. (all four of them) I have one 20 year old who claims to be a Christian but does not go at the moment even though he credits God for his job etc. Anyway I still encourage him to go as often as I feel led to do so. My one son who does not live at home just gets the prayer not the nag. lol gratefulgrace

Daniels

Thanks for all you sincere comments.

__________________

Eccle 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep

his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret

thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

frontporchrocker

I don't think that force should ever even be an issue. My dad did not allow us to go to church. I had to spend the night with friends on Saturday night to get to go to church. I never told my parents what I was doing. If they knew, they never said anything. When I was 16, I had my own car and drove myself. They threatened to kick me out if I kept going. I did not see any fruit growing up. Apparently I didn't need it to want to go.

Something happened at my church when I was 21 and I quite going. Years later I wanted to get back in, I had children and it was way past time. My kids hated it and I was shocked. I audited their class and found out why they didn't like it. So, we hunted around for another church and it took awhile to find the right one. Now, my kids (11 & 13 years old)want to be in church all the time. They have both found God and are saved. I have more of a problem getting them to leave than I ever had trying to get them to go.

I believe that if your children have to be forced, there is something very wrong. Children want to believe and praise God more than any adult ever thought about. I am not saying that it is your churches fault. There could be to much of the world inside your home, it could be a number of things. What I am saying is that you need to investigate and get to problem fixed. Their soul depends on it.

Boanerges

Frontporchrocker I am certainly not argueing that they should want to go but I have never met a child who needed to be taught to do wrong. It is the nature of this flesh to be opposed to the things of God's Spirit. Some will gladly go and others will not. I make my kids clean their rooms, I make them take necessary medicine and if needed I make them go to church.

frontporchrocker

I am sorry; I didn't mean to imply that you shouldn't make them go if they don't want to. I just meant that something can be done to make it better for them and thus, they would want to go. I absolutely make my children clean their rooms, do their homework, and mind their parents, and I spank them when they too far out of line. But, I do not believe that the Lord intended church to be this horrible place that no one wanted to go to. This is the place your children should be able to run to, not from. If your children don't want to run to church, then something is wrong. If you hated going to church and dreaded having to get up and go on Sunday morning and tried to come up with every excuse not to go....what are you going to do? You are either going to quite going all together or you are going get off your duff and start praying for some help. And if you would do that for yourself, why wouldn't you do that for your children?

I know it is a long standing tradition to force your children to go to church. I know that I can't understand that because I was never allowed to go. I had to sneak out. I just don't understand why you would force them if you didn't have to. About 3 months ago, I was feeling under the weather and didn't want to go on a Weds. Night and my kids literally drug me off the couch to take them to church. The Lord is an awesome God and in him all things are possible. I have seen it with my own eyes.

May God bless you and your family.

Whirlwind

Reminds me of Sister Act, when Sister Mary Clarence is quarelling with Mother Superior and Mother Superior says: "...what's next? Popcorn? Curtain calls?"

I remember back in Good News (grade school), one of our bible teachers said she would do anything if we believed in the Lord and promised to love him.

One of the kids told her to stand on her head. The teacher asked, would it make him believe and love God? He said yes, and the whole class cheered (hey, we were kids, okay?).

She did it. And even at that young age, I remember thinking that God must really be cool if this lady was willing to do something so silly to try to get people to turn to Him. I'll never forget the way she looked standing on her head (she was in her 40s back then, and I remember her arms quivering as they tried to hold her up).

She always made things fun, and I always looked forward to going to Good News.

God bless her.

Boanerges

I agree with that 100%. Life with Jesus is anything but boring. Dead religion can certainly be boring but Jesus brings joy and life where ever He goes!
Many blessings on your home and family, brother Larry

Associate Chaplain

Like so many others I was forced to go to church. I look back and see this is because our parents had to do the same. I think children should want to go to church and should be encouraged to go to church. The first step is to teach them by going to church yourself. Children should not have to go just so they can bring home the "Church Paper" so their parents will know what is going on around them. There can be many activities for the youth in church. It is up to the adult members to remember that without the youth, down the road, the only thing left of that building is a memory of what it is now and a thought of what it could have been.

Thank you, I am off my soap box now.