Alvin Reid’s praying for revival. Based on his list, I’m praying too.

I am praying for revival, but a revival that will:

• change our paradigm from maintaining our institutions to advancing a movement, including a greater passion for propagating the gospel than fighting the culture wars; 

• rescue us from consumerism and give us a passion to serve others;
• give us a greater love for unchanging truth than our personal preferences;

• take us from sectarian nit-picking to a hunger for biblical unity;
• focus our hearts less on impressing each other and more on loving the lost;

• make us continually love the Word while affirming creative ways to communicate it in our ever-changing world;

• add to our programmatic, attractional witness a missional lifestyle to penetrate the unchurched culture, meeting people where they live rather than in our institutions.
• challenge our youth not only to hate the things of this world, but to sacrifice all for the sake of the gospel;

• give us a hunger for the nations of the world and the great cities of the West;
• create a church planting movement the likes of which the world has never known.

Great post from Scott Thomas, director of the Acts 29 Network on how church planters can parent children who love God

1. Depend on the grace of God, the Spirit of God and the wisdom of God for guidance and provision every day.
2. Love them sacrificially with your time. Dads should also be “present” for every aspect of their child’s life. Your kids only have one Daddy.
3. Enjoy the ride. Don’t stress over the house or their messy clothes. Laugh often; hug more.
4. As a couple, set clear boundaries and discipline consistently. The goal of discipline is to teach that God has standards of obedience and that He is the One who has absolute authority in our lives. Teach the gospel clearly in your discipline: a) Identity as a child belonging to a family, b) sin separates, c) sin has consequences, d) confession, e) repentance, f) reconciliation. Share this story of the Redeemer every time you exercise discipline.
5. Make your home a place of grace where it is safe to make mistakes, be yourself, have fun, try out new dance moves and bring friend’s over. Practice being a gospel community as a family. Practice confrontation, forgiveness and reconciliation.