As most of you know Lisa and I have raised 6 kids of our own, and have had hundreds of young people come through our lives, some that lived with us for a season. We have always tried to point each one of them to seek out their own faith. Find your “God” and live your life fully alive!
One of the most common themes we have seen with this entire generation watching them drowning in apathy and consumed by distraction. Everywhere you look you see people with their heads down and starring at a screen. It doesn’t take an expert to recognize that the devices in our hands have taken over our lives. I love technology, and I admit I look at my phone way to often as well. If we don’t turn back to reading, living in the moment – focused on the person that is right in front of us. If we don’t go back to sitting around the kitchen table with one-another, phones put away, T.V. off we are going to miss life, we are going to lose each other. As adults and parents, it is our responsibility to demonstrate this, and then ask more of the young people around us to follow.
When the summer started this year, I looked at our 12-year old Noah William and I had an idea. It was not my idea, it was from heaven. I asked him who his heroes were. Instantly he said, “Peyton Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., Tim Tebow, John Elway, (I put that one on him)! And, I said, “Yes, all cool men, but not heroes… we are going to write a book together this summer. We are going to find biblical heroes and some of history’s heroes. Call your grandpa, ask mom, and let’s find some “Heroes of Faith”. Let’s find some people that have done remarkable things for their faith, not for anything else.”
I saw it in Noah’s eyes, he was excited. We bought the website together; heroesoffaithdevo.com and he started reading and writing. He of course started with Noah of the bible, but has now studied and written about Jesus, Father Arseny, Mother Teresa, Smith Wigglesworth, Joan of Arc, Peter, Vibia Perpetua, Paul, etc. He writes an overview of what he has read, and then asks me three questions -These were his questions on Noah;
- Why did God destroy everybody, instead of making them better?
- Why did he feel so bad in his heart when he looked at mankind, didn’t he make us? (Gen 6:6)
- How did Noah get all the animals on the boat with no trouble?
The idea is for a family to gather once a week and read about one of these heroes of faith. Listen to the questions from a 12 year-old and get some thoughts on the answers from Lisa and me, and discuss. I would give you the answers now, but you have to buy the book! 
My goal is not to do anything but for Noah to find out who the real heroes are – to find his own faith and to live it out fully alive. I asked him this morning as I was writing this, “Who are your heroes now Noah”, he instantly said, “Jesus, Peter, and Tim Tebow, so far”… I am glad Tim still has a spot!
