Amen. How are we doing, church? Doing all right?

Hope so. If you got your Bibles, I hope you do, grab them. We're going to be in Colossians

Chapter 3. We are obviously talking about parenting. That's where we are in the text. We're in this

really long series called Before All Things. And if you'll remember back in verse 17, Paul says,

and whatever you do in word or deed do everything

in the name of the Lord Jesus and then for the last

three weeks we have been walking through

what does it look like to declare that Jesus is

before all things at work and in our homes

and so thank you so much for the prayers last week

I was not here I was at Wolfson's with my daughter Reagan, who was having, she broke her elbow, and they were doing surgery and putting a cast on it. And so I was being a parent last week. So this week I'm going to preach on parenting. And so here we go. It is incredibly important. It is the most daunting thing I have ever done. Just so you know, I have an 11-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter, so I know something about that, I guess.

And then I did youth ministry for 15 years. That was definitely a different seat on the bus, but I learned whatever you can learn about teenagers there.

And so here's where in the text, in Colians chapter 3 verse 20, every single time in the New Testament,

the New Testament gives instructions on parents and children. It always comes right after it gives

instructions on husbands and wives. And so the reason is because the ideal in the scripture is that kids are raised by

people that have a healthy marriage. And what we want more than athletic kids, more than educated

kids, more than talented kids, is you want to raise secure kids. And especially when they're young,

a kid's security is found in the people

that are supposed to love them the most loving each other will so the best thing you could ever do

if you're parents the best thing you could ever do for your children is love your spouse will

now that being said let me just call out the elephant in the room there's a bunch of you going

well thanks pastor could have used that 20 years ago because that's not exactly my situation Now that being said, let me just call out the elephant in the room. There's a bunch of you going, well, thanks, pastor.

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