Stand Firm Parents

In this episode of Stand Firm Parents, Jake McCandless discusses the challenges and importance of being intentional about discipleship within the home. He emphasizes the need to start somewhere, even if it’s small, and shares practical advice on how to integrate faith into everyday family life. Key Discussion Points: The Overwhelm of Discipleship: Many parents feel overwhelmed by the idea of discipling their children, often leading to inaction. The importance of being intentional about guiding children in their faith. Starting Small: The episode’s main message is to "just start somewhere." Jake shares a personal story about having a Bible study in the car with his daughters, highlighting that discipleship doesn’t need to be perfect or elaborate. The Imperfection of Discipleship: Waiting for the perfect moment or method often leads to missed opportunities. Jake discusses the challenges of maintaining regular family Bible studies and how he overcame the paralysis of perfection. Practical Steps for Parents: Begin with simple actions like reading a Bible story at bedtime or having faith-based conversations. Tailor discipleship activities to the age and maturity level of the children. Integration of Faith into Everyday Life: The goal is to fully integrate faith into every aspect of family life, rather than compartmentalizing it into specific times or events. Jake emphasizes the need to find natural ways to incorporate faith discussions and practices into daily routines. Biblical Foundation: Jake references Deuteronomy 6, which instructs parents to impress God's commandments on their children throughout daily activities. The episode encourages parents to be consistent and intentional in sharing their faith with their children. Encouragement to Parents: Jake encourages parents to take the first step, regardless of where they are in their faith journey or how old their children are. The episode closes with a reminder that every intentional action taken to guide children in their faith starts with a simple step.  

In this episode of Stand Firm Parents, host Jake McCandless dives deep into the critical role that parents play in the spiritual formation and discipleship of their children. Joined by special guest Dr. Jonathan Cofer, a seasoned student pastor at Antioch Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas, the conversation highlights the importance of parents as the primary disciple-makers in their children's lives. Key Takeaways: Family Discipleship: Dr. Cofer emphasizes that the concept of family discipleship, although often overlooked, is rooted deeply in Scripture. Parents are called to be the main spiritual leaders in their homes, guiding their children in their walk with Jesus. Scriptural Foundations: The episode unpacks several key Bible passages, such as Deuteronomy 6 and Proverbs 22, that underscore the responsibility of parents to train their children in the faith. Practical Steps for Parents: Both Jake and Dr. Cofer share practical advice for parents to begin or continue the discipleship journey at home. This includes reading Scripture together, praying as a family, and simply talking about Jesus in everyday life. The Influence of Parents: Dr. Cofer discusses the significant impact parents have on their children’s spiritual lives. He notes that while youth pastors and church leaders play a role, the influence of parents is unmatched due to the time they spend with their children and the values they model. Encouragement for Parents: The episode concludes with an encouraging message for parents to remain faithful in their role, recognizing that their efforts in discipleship, no matter how small, are vital and impactful. Quotes: "Parents are the primary disciple-makers, and we see that clearly in Scripture." "It's not about doing something extraordinary, but about being consistent and intentional in your walk with God as a family." Resources Mentioned: Book: Family Worship by Donald Whitney Follow Dr. Jonathan Cofer: Facebook Instagram Subscribe & Stay Connected: Make sure to subscribe to Stand Firm Parents on your favorite podcast platform to continue receiving valuable insights on family discipleship.

Podcast Title: Stand Firm Parents Episode Title: Parents as Disciplemakers: Discipleship Isn’t Hard Host: Jake McCandless Guests: Daphne Kirk and Andrew Kirk, Generation 2 Generation Ministry Episode Summary: In this episode of Stand Firm Parents, Jake McCandless dives into the vital role of discipleship in parenting. Jake emphasizes that giving our children a faith that lasts starts with understanding the Great Commission's call to make disciples—beginning in our own homes. He explains that while the term "discipleship" can seem daunting, it is much simpler and more integral to parenting than it might initially appear. Jake is joined by Daphne Kirk and Andrew Kirk from the ministry Generation to Generation, which focuses on reconnecting generations and preparing them for the challenges of today's world. They discuss practical ways parents can disciple their children, highlighting that every parent is discipling their children—whether consciously or not—through their passions and priorities. Key Discussion Points: Defining Discipleship in Parenting: The episode begins by addressing the varied perceptions of "giving our kids a faith that lasts." Jake suggests that using the term "disciple," as instructed in the Great Commission, helps clarify the universal mission of Christian parents. Discipleship Simplified: Daphne shares a powerful analogy from her experience in Brazil, where she compares discipleship to how parents naturally teach their children to love football (soccer). She explains that the same passion and enthusiasm parents show for sports can be applied to teaching children about faith. The Role of Passion in Discipleship: The KIRKs stress that parents inevitably disciple their children through their passions. If parents are passionately in love with Jesus, that passion will naturally overflow to their children. Practical Tips for Discipleship: The guests offer practical advice on how parents can integrate discipleship into everyday life, from sharing personal faith stories to prioritizing spiritual activities over secular ones. Impact of Israel on Faith: The episode touches on the importance of understanding Israel’s role in the Bible and how visiting Israel can profoundly impact a child's faith. Daphne shares how she prioritized taking her children to Israel before they turned 18 to help them grasp the reality of Jesus’ return and develop a strong, enduring faith.     Episode Quotes: “We’re all discipling our children, whether we realize it or not. The question is, what are we discipling them for?” - Daphne Kirk “You will disciple your children in what you're passionate about. Passion for Jesus will naturally lead to discipling them in faith.” - Daphne Kirk “We don’t parent our children to be successful on this earth; our goal is for them to be successful for eternity.” - Daphne Kirk Call to Action: Subscribe to Stand Firm Parents on your favorite podcast platform, share this episode with fellow parents, and begin taking steps to disciple your kids in the faith. Learn More: Visit Generation to Generation Ministry to learn more about their work and mission. Credits: Stand Firm Parents is a production of Stand Firm Ministries in partnership with Lifeword Studios. Created by Jake McCandless and Brendan Harrington of Dime Collective.  

Parents as Disciplemakers: Lessons from Noah & Lot Show Notes: In this episode of Stand Firm Parents host Jake McCandless dives into the biblical stories of Noah and Lot, two fathers who faced apocalyptic-like judgments. He contrasts their experiences to highlight important lessons on parenting and faith. With a focus on how we, as parents, can raise children who hold steadfast in their faith, Jake explores the different outcomes of these two families. Key Points Covered: 1. Introduction to the Theme:    - The Bible recounts two major judgments where only two families survived—Noah’s and Lot’s. Jake explores why these families were spared and what we can learn from their stories as parents aiming to guide our children in faith. 2. A Tale of Two Families:    - Noah’s family willingly walked into the ark, following his leadership with faith and unity.    - Lot’s family, in contrast, had to be dragged out of Sodom, with his wife ultimately looking back and turning into a pillar of salt. 3. The Importance of Compelling Faith:    - Noah’s life and actions compelled his family to follow him willingly. Lot, though a righteous man, didn’t instill the same level of faith and obedience in his family.    - Jake emphasizes the importance of not just guiding but compelling our children to embrace their faith willingly, drawing a powerful comparison between these two biblical accounts. 4. Parenting in Difficult Times:    - The episode ties these biblical examples to modern parenting challenges, particularly in helping children navigate their faith in an increasingly complex world. 5. New Podcast Format:    - Jake introduces a new format for the podcast, now available in both audio and video formats. He also shares updates on the new studio, partnership with Lifeword Media, and the revamped website. 6. Looking Ahead:    - Jake teases the next episode, where a guest will demystify the concept of discipleship, making it more accessible and less intimidating for parents. Resources: - Visit the new website: www.standfirministries.com for more resources and updates. - Subscribe to the podcast and follow on social media for clips and more content. Closing: Jake wraps up by reiterating the mission of Stand Firm Parents: to help families cultivate a lasting faith in their children. He encourages listeners to share the podcast, subscribe, and most importantly, continue to stand firm in their faith journey. Production Credits: - Stand Firm Parents is produced by Stand Firm Ministries in partnership with Lifeword Studios. - Created by Jake McCandless and Brandon Harrington of Dime Collective. Be sure to tune in next week as the journey continues!

Let’s stop being negative. Yes, the majority of children raised in church leave the church and faith, but there are some that stay. Why do they stay? That’s an important question. Josh Denhart of KidMin Science and Lead Ministry has combined leading research to share reasons why the children raised in church and Christian homes stay when so many leave. You’ll be surprised by the list. It’s not what you think. In this first part of the interview, Josh shares a simple step with lasting results. We promise you will want to listen in and hear what Josh has to say.  Check out the graphic that introduced us to Josh https://www.facebook.com/standfirmparents/photos/a.102125738098277/717873956523449/ Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at www.standfirmministries.com.  Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled Jesus and His White Horse.  Josh Denhart transitioned his vocational energies toward KidMin Science after serving as a children's pastor for over 10 years, Josh is a seasoned educator with BA in Chemistry Education, a MA in Effective Instruction, and earned National Board Certification in Young Adult and Adolescent Science. As a former High School chemistry teacher, Josh melded his love for Science and Christ, creating “The Amazing Chemistry Show”, a traveling gospel-centered stage show with fire, explosions and foam. Carrying this Ministry of Chemistry even further, Josh created three “Science VBS” curricula. Along with this you’re also the founder of Lead-Ministry. Learn more about Josh and KidMin Science at https://kidminscience.com/.  Also, check out https://leadministry.com/. 

Have you ever fast forwarded to the end of television series or a movie? Jake fast forwards through the Six Spiritual Steps by covering the final two steps in this episode. You’re getting two for one. These spiritual prepper steps will help your children have a faith that lasts. These final two may seem basic but they’re cornerstone steps to developing a faith that lasts. As with each of these steps they first need to be done by us—the parents. And then Christ working in our lives should compel our children to pursue the same things.  Announcement of the new children’s book, Jesus and His Kingdom, coming Jan. 25th. Preorder now: https://standfirmstore.com/collections/stand-firm-kids/products/jesus-and-his-kingdom Announcement of the family trip to Israel available with Generation 2 Generation.  Announcement from previous episodes, Jake joins the team at Last Days Overcomers, get the free ebook from Jake through Last Days Overcomers, https://lastdaysovrcomer.org/free-ebook/ Last Days Overcomers is a global Christian ministry dedicated to preparing and empowering believers spiritually, emotionally, and physically for the time before the most important day in history – The Day that Jesus comes back. We provide resources and conferences to help believers understand God’s purposes for the Last Days and how Christians can join Him in those purposes and someday hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” Learn more at https://lastdaysovercomer.org Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at www.standfirmministries.com. 

It’s Christmas time, there’s no doubt one of the best or at least funniest Christmas movies is Elf. Do you remember the scene of the children’s book without an ending? Well, that’s how we tend to teach our children in American Christianity we leave out the ending. We leave out Jesus is coming back. As Jake dives into the 4th “Spiritual Prepper Step” for helping our children have a faith that lasts, he looks at telling the whole story. He presents five areas we aren’t teaching our children. Along the way he follows up the big announcement from last week with another—the release of a new children’s picture book! Announcement of the new children’s book, Jesus and His Kingdom, coming Jan. 25th. Preorder now: https://standfirmstore.com/collections/stand-firm-kids/products/jesus-and-his-kingdom Announcement from last week, Jake joins the team at Last Days Overcomers, get the free ebook from Jake through Last Days Overcomers, https://lastdaysovrcomer.org/free-ebook/ Last Days Overcomers is a global Christian ministry dedicated to preparing and empowering believers spiritually, emotionally, and physically for the time before the most important day in history – The Day that Jesus comes back. We provide resources and conferences to help believers understand God’s purposes for the Last Days and how Christians can join Him in those purposes and someday hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” Learn more at https://lastdaysovercomer.org Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at www.standfirmministries.com.

Host Jake McCandless continues to walk through the “Six Spiritual Prepper Steps” of Stand Firm Parents to help our families have a faith that lasts. In previous episodes he introduced that steps two and three can’t be separated for to “walk in the Spirit” one must be in the Word. He shared how that the Word serves as a guardrail to our walking in the Spirit, but Jake is joined by Marquis Laughlin of Acts of the Word Ministries to talk about how that the Word of God is far more than just a guardrail. There may be no one more uniquely qualified to speak on the subject than Marquis who gives solo performances of complete books of the Bible he has committed to memory. He has memorized and presented seven complete books. To give a taste of Marquis’ ministry, Jake has him perform a chapter live. Expand your appreciation for the Word of God through this episode. Jake also makes a special announcement concerning Stand Firm Parents.  Check out the free ebook from Jake through Last Days Overcomers, https://lastdaysovrcomer.org/free-ebook/ Last Days Overcomers is a global Christian ministry dedicated to preparing and empowering believers spiritually, emotionally, and physically for the time before the most important day in history – The Day that Jesus comes back. We provide resources and conferences to help believers understand God’s purposes for the Last Days and how Christians can join Him in those purposes and someday hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” Learn more at https://lastdaysovercomer.org Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at www.standfirmministries.com.  Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled Jesus and His White Horse.  Marquis Laughlin is the founder of Acts of The Word Ministries, a unique non-denominational ministry dedicated to transforming people’s lives through the words of the Bible. As a performance artist and missionary to the church in America, his uniquely compelling dramatic solo Scripture presentations include 7 different books of the Bible, highlighting the epic story of God’s relationship with man; Genesis, Exodus, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, John’s Gospel, Acts of the Apostles, & Revelation.

Through sharing the message of the need to prepare for faith challenges and helping believers stand firm since 2012, Jake has developed Six Spiritual Prepper Steps—the 5 “W”’s plus an “H”. In this episode, he picks up the third “W”. This third step is done in tandem with the second step. Not only do these two steps help us and our children remain faithful, but they help children and parents faithfully follow the Lord now. Be sure to listen in for this third spiritual prepper step as Jake shares to “read the email” and “give them guard rails.” Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at www.standfirmministries.com.  Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled Jesus and His White Horse. 

We had to teach our children to walk, or they would be stuck crawling and rolling around the ground forever. Yeah, they probably would’ve figured something out, but it was necessary they learn. Just as Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be born again, all believers must learn to walk again, but this time to walk in the Spirit. Jake continues sharing the Six Spiritual Prepper Steps. These 5 “W’s” plus “H” are six things that we can impart into our children and help them have a faith that lasts. In this episode, Jake shares the second step (and gives a glimpse to the third). Though this step may seem obvious its imperative for one to live out basic Christianity. Lean into this second step both in your own life and imparting to your children.  Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at www.standfirmministries.com.  Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled Jesus and His White Horse.