Christian Parenting: Spiritual Conversations

CHRISTIAN PARENTING: SPIRITUAL CONVERSATIONS

Deuteronomy 6:1-25, Matthew 7:24-27

#parenting

INTRODUCTION… Communication Issues (tvtropes.org)

I want to share some TV shows and movies with you this morning as we begin to warm up to the topic that we will eventually find in the Scriptures. All of the movies or TV shows have something to do with communication and families which is why they caught my attention.

I am pretty sure that in the late 1980s everyone watched ALF. ALF was an alien life form that crashed into a house and became part of their family. Much of the humor of the show was ALF trying to adjust to life on earth and trying not to eat the family cat. In one episode of ALF, Alf wants to be the leader of the newly formed neighborhood watch against crime and Willie, the dad of the family, keeps refusing. It leads to this exchange:

“Alf: Why not? Give me a reason.

Willie: Because you don't put responsibility in irresponsible hands.

Alf: That's not a reason! That's a platitude!

Willie: Then, because I said so!

Alf: And that's dogma! Actually, that's worse than dogma. That's dog manure.”

In 1994, a funny western came out called ‘Maverick’ starring Mel Gibson, James Garner, and Jodie Foster. It also starred James Coburn which is always a favorite of mine. Anyway, in the movie, the character Bret Maverick, plated by Mel Gibson, repeatedly quotes things that "my old pappy always used to say" which from what I gather is from the old black and white TV show in the 1950s. This plays out for laughs in the final scene when his pappy visits and complains that he never said most of the things that his son, Bret, claims he said. The characters say:

“Bret's Father: I never said that once. You've misquoted me all your life. I'm sick of it.

Bret: The things you said were always so dumb I had to improve on them.”

In 1998, a cinematic comedic masterpiece for the ages from Adam Sandler, ‘The Waterboy,’

came out and dazzled audiences with humor and wisdom. It is absolutely one of those movies that probably could not be made today. In ‘The Waterboy,’ Bobby's mother gives him lots of advice, but it's all intended to keep him under her thumb and at home and out of the world. She mostly does this by saying everything she doesn't like is "from the debbil!" At one point, Bobby is in class and they are discussing emotions and Bobby lays out wisdom he heard from his mother:

“Bobby: Mama says alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.”

The wisdom is not well-received and a fight ensues between Bobby and his teacher.

In 2017, ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ came out and has Tom Holland’s Spiderman learning the super hero ropes under Iron Man Tony Stark as he faces off against the bad guy, Adrian Toomes, played by Michael Keaton. In one scene, Tony Stark tells Peter Parker to stop chasing Adrian Toomes and let the deputies and police get him. When Peter asks for a reason, Tony says:

“Tony: Look, forget the flying vulture guy, please.

Peter: Why?

Tony: Because- why? Because I said so!”

I mention these fun and hopefully thought-provoking scenes from entertainment because communication between people is often difficult. Communication in families and with children and preteens and teenagers and adult children is often complicated and unsettling and sometimes is filled with tension:

* It might be we have set up boundaries and children constantly want to know why and they disagree with us about our decisions.

* It could be they feel like the things we say are old fashioned and need to be improved upon.

* It is also possible that as we raise our children and grandchildren that something we teach them brings them into conflict with those around them because the world or culture changes.

* Our kids and grandkids may have questions to aspects of life that press on them that we never had to deal with when we were their age.

For all these reasons and more, we are talking about communication in the family today and looking to the Bible for answers and help and encouragement. More specifically, we are talking about the importance of spiritual conversations in the life of a family and the purpose of those types of conversations and the truth that the Bible shares with us about them.

SERMON SERIES AND CHALLENGE

Continuing today and then also next week (3 weeks total) we will be digging into Deuteronomy 6 as well as some other passages as we focus on the topic of parenting. Even if you are not a parent or grandparent, make sure you do not tune out because the principles and truths that we find in the Bible apply to us no matter the life stage we are in because all of us need to be having God-honoring Jesus-centered and Holy Spirit-led conversations with the people around us.