The Deployed Podcast

Hosting Faith Conversations in the Home
Ft. Chris Sherrod
Chris serves as the Marriage and Family Director at Watermark in Dallas, Texas. Chris thanks for joining us on the podcast.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Chris for the last four years and one of the things that has always stood out for me, Chris, is your passion for building strong families and your intentionality to host faith conversations in the home, our subject for this podcast.

1. Why would you say hosting faith-based conversations in your home is so important?
1. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – “It is what we are told to do in scripture.”
2. “First application of loving God with our everything is passing them [God’s Commands and Truths] on to our kids.”
3. Obedience as the primary care giver for your children.
4. If God’s word is on my heart the overflow will pour out over my family.
2. Tell us a little bit about what that looked like when you first got started and what it looks like now?
1. Make it the culture of your home instead of trying to program everything.
2. Discipline provides a natural time to have a faith conversation.
3. Pray for wisdom that God opens your eyes to opportunities.
4. Modeling for them, although imperfectly, faith.
5. There are times for hosting planned talks as kids encounter, prepare to encounter, or struggle with certain topics (modesty, porn, caring for others).
3. You mentioned you have some kids that are grown and out of the house now, how do you believe that having faith-based conversations has had an influence on your relationship with those children? And what does that look like with your grown children now?
1. It becomes a natural way that you with your kids.
2. They then turn around and make it a part of their home.
3. Must fight through the awkwardness or you will never start.
4. If you were going to give families some advice for starting intentional faith talks at their home, what would it be?
1. There are ton of resources out there.
2. Sit down as parents and make a purposeful plan for your kids in general, and then figuring out where each child is individually.
3. Create habits. Make it likely and a part of a rhythm.
4. “Start simply but simply start!”
5. “If a thing is worth doing it is worth doing badly.” G.K. Chesterton.
6. “Our kids are not looking for perfection in us. They just want to see a reality of a relationship with God that impacts our lives.”
5. Are there any questions that you wish I would have asked you that you think our families would have benefited from hearing an answer too?
1. God has promised that He has given us everything we need for a life of Godliness.
2. “God loves your kids more than you do and your kids are not your report card.”
3. We need the fruit of the spirit.
4. “Parents are the greatest single evangelist for the Gospel in the world…”

Books Mentioned in the Podcast:
Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
Handing Down the Faith by Christian Smith
Families and Faith by Vern Bengtson and 2 more.