Stand Firm Parents

In the previous episode, Jake shared a better goal for our parenting—our children actively following Jesus. Keeping the discussion about a better goal going, Jake visits with author and producer Stephanie Quick as she lives out this better goal and better story. Stephanie shares how actively following Jesus leads to unexpected adventure as she tells of her work in the Middle East with Frontier Alliance International. Living out this better goal will help our children have a faith that lasts.    Stephanie gives insight on how the dynamic of her following Jesus to new frontiers has had on her family, as well as, sharing her motivation for such a life engaged for the kingdom.    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.    Stephanie Quick is a writer and producer serving with Frontier Alliance International. She hosts The Better Beautiful podcast alongside FAI Chairman Jeff Henderson and serves as Editor in Chief of FAI Publishing and FAI’s Annual Field Journal, PILGRIM. She is author of To Trace a Rising Sun: God, the Gospel, and Your Life in this Age and Confronting Unbelief: Your Soul and the City of the Great King Her music, films, books, and articles can be found in the FAI and Covenant and Controversy resource libraries. Learn more at www.stephaniequick.org.   Frontier Alliance International has been laying foundations in strategic regions throughout the 10/40 Window. Like Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission, our teams are laboring together in a concentrated and coordinated advance into the “interior” regions of our generation where today there is still no witness. Learn more at https://www.faimission.org/ and also check out the FAI App for tremendous content. 

As the saying goes, “If you don’t have a target, you’re not going to hit anything.” One of the contributing factors to Christian children and teens eventually leaving the church and often the faith is that there wasn’t goal in parenting them. Typically, Christian parents have an assumed goal, but have never actually formulated that goal and articulated. By having just an assumption of goals it’s possible that parents don’t have the absolute best goal. They may be good goals but are they the best.    Stand Firm Parents host Jake McCandless isn’t pointing the finger at everyone but realize he and his wife have not articulated their parenting goals. As he challenges parents to find that goal and parent accordingly, he shares insight into the goalsetting conversation with his wife Amanda.    This conversation on parenting goals is essential at helping our children have a faith that lasts.    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.    Jake and Amanda live in Northwest Arkansas with their two daughters, Andrea and Addison. Amanda has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. She currently is the upper elementary alternative education teacher for one of the largest school districts in Arkansas. They have served together in ministry together since 2000.    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. 

Christian parents need to know the reality that they’re up against. One of the compounding causes to children leaving the church and eventually the faith is that we’re not looking in the mirror. Instead, churches and parents are avoiding the unfortunate reality they are facing in raising their children. The odds aren’t in our favor. The statistics are heart-breaking. Understanding the importance of us assessing the battlefield, host pastor and author Jake McCandless visits with Ken Ham of Answering in Genesis, the Creation Museum, and the Ark Encounter. Ken Ham and Britt Beemer’s 2009 book, Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do To Stop It painted this grim picture. Ken lays out the challenges Christian parents are up against, but also provides encouragement. In this episode Christian parents will not only understand the reality, but also be encouraged that they can help their child have a faith that lasts.    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.    Ken Ham is the CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis, the highly acclaimed Creation Museum, and the world-renowned Ark Encounter, Ken Ham is the author of more than 25 books and an in-demand Christian speaker. Since moving to America in 1987, Ken has become one of America’s most in-demand Christian speakers and interview guests. He became internationally known for his 2014 creation/evolution debate with Bill Nye “the Science Guy,” which has been watched by an estimated 25 million people. Ham hosts the daily radio program “Answers . . . with Ken Ham,” heard on over 1,000 stations, and in 2020 oversaw the launch of Answers TV, a video streaming service.   A biblical apologist, Ken gives numerous faith-building talks to tens of thousands of children and adults each year on topics such as the reliability of the Bible, how compromise over biblical authority has undermined society (and even the church, which is seeing a massive exodus of young people), witnessing more effectively, dinosaurs, “races,” and so on. Ham’s most recent book is a commentary and devotional on Genesis chapters 1-11, “"Creation to Babel"” (2021). His book on effective evangelism, “Gospel Reset,” was sent to every church in America and to many churches in other English-speaking countries (over 300,000 copies).   Ken cofounded AiG in 1994 with the purpose of upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse and sharing the gospel beginning in Genesis. In addition, he provides biblical and scientific answers to some of the most difficult questions people ask about the Christian faith.

Children raised in church and Christian homes are leaving the faith in droves—yes, droves. Yet, we keep returning to the same training and teaching for parenting advice, it’s time we shake it up. It’s time for a different approach. Stand Firm Parents takes that different approach beginning with visiting with mother and son duo—Daphne Kirk and Andrew Kirk. Together they lead the ministry Generation 2 Generation which has worked for many years in over forty countries reconnecting the generations and preparing them “for such a time as this." Their commitment to helping churches develop multi-generational ministry strategies has brought transformations in the emerging generation. Host Jake McCandless visits with the Kirks about the mandate we have as parents to raise up the next generation in faith. The discussion doesn’t stop just at our parental mandate but moves beyond to present the great opportunity Christian parents have to not just raise up their children in the Lord, but to raise the generation that will fulfill the Great Commission. By understanding this mandate and be encouraged by our great opportunity Jake is helping your family to have a faith that lasts.    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.    Daphne Kirk and Andrew Kirk lead Generation to Generation who since 1993 has been in 40 nations, working with churches and organizations to see mobilization and discipleship of the emerging generation, pioneering in small groups, mission training, mobilization, disaster relief, leadership conferences, church consultation, and resourcing. They are based in the UK. Their vision is to reconnect the generations and preparing them for such a time as this with the goal to see one generation discipling the next and preparing them. During 2020 the world-wide Issachar Network was birthed out of Generation to Generation to further help prepare believers for such a time as this. In addition to Generation to Generation, Andrew hosts the internationally popular podcast, “The Radical Lifestyle Podcast.” Learn more at https://www.gnation2gnation.com/.

From holding on to now encouraging families to have a faith that lasts. Subscribe now to Stand Firm Parents to download the newest episodes. Coming this Mother Day Weekend.