How Do You Live Out An Everyday Faith For Your Family?

Time is a funny thing. We often wish we could speed it up until we desperately want to slow it down. When our kids are little, we wish they would just grow up. When they're older, we wish we could turn back the clock. But life doesn't have a fast forward button. There's no way to make it rewind. If we want to make the most of the time we have, we have one choice, press play.
Pressing play. It is what today is all about. And as we get started, I feel like I need to address the elephant in the room, or should I say the boom box in the room? I asked for a boombox, and the team made a boombox. This thing is awesome. And this is just a physical reminder of the concept that we're talking about today. The concept of pressing play. The concept that, really, there's this tension we all experience—the tension of time. It keeps moving, it never stops, and it feels depleting. And just like that video showed, sometimes we lean in and press that fast-forward button. If I can just fast forward to the end of high school, I can start fresh again. If I can just fast forward to when my kid is potty trained or stops picking their nose (that's mine right now), if we can just fast forward. Or we can just rewind, we can just rewind and go back to that season when we had that friend group or that season when they were little and they slept on our chest. Time flies.

We all feel this struggle between what's fast-forwarding and what we’d like to rewind, and it's a struggle to really be present in the moment. And so sometimes we press this good old-fashioned pause button, just pause, pause for a second. I'm going to take the day off of work, take the kids to Six Flags and soak it up. Or I'm going to buy me a camper. Some of you guys got campers in the middle of COVID, and you've been camping, because you're trying to press pause and soak it up.

But there's a reality all of us have experienced—life keeps moving. It keeps playing whether we want it to or not. Life keeps going. And I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like I'm trying to fit in the right things into my schedule, but there's not time because it's such a limited resource. But today, I want to talk about how we don't just fit in those right things, but how we order our entire lives around it. And I think there's really good news here, actually, because it's not about how you get more time, but it's about how you use the time that you do have. And I believe that's a Jesus principle because whenever he sent his disciples out into the world to share the good news, he said, go and do this as you go. As you go. So there's good news and there's hope.

Today we’re talking about the power of Orange, it’s what occurs when the family and the church come together for the sake of the next generation to pass on a sticky, lasting faith. But there's a problem, isn't there? There's a problem because we're all in this tension of time. And it's a problem because we must actively choose to press play to be a part of passing on faith to the next generation. And so today, whether you are part of the red—you're actively raising kids, or you're part of the yellow—you're engaged with our church family as a kid or a student, maybe you're a young adult or empty-nester, or honestly, if you are a parent (part of the red), you could also be part of the yellow because you're part of our church body, no matter what part of the orange, we all have to press play in these moments, to pass on a faith that sticks.

And so, what is pressing play? Pressing play is choosing where to spend your time—because it is a choice, isn't it? Doing it in the present and on purpose. That's the key of what we're going to be talking about today. So we're going to dive into Psalm 90. If you have your physical Bible, or if you've got a Bible on your phone, I want you to pull it out. And parents, every moment is a teachable moment, so pull those phones out. Let's pull up the YouVersion Bible app, or you could even just type it in your browser, and Bible Gateway should pull up. Psalm 90. We're going to read this together. Okay. "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born." Okay. We're going way back. "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God."

Okay. Pause there for just a second. If you look at time as just a straight line across, and it is everlasting, it is infinite, from everlasting to everlasting, he is God. This helps us know that we are but a blip of time on that timeline, we are late to the party because God was already there, and we're going to be leaving the party early because God will always be here afterwards. Right? And it's in light of Him as the eternal God that we are reading this Psalm. "You turn people back to dust saying, 'Return to dust, you mortals.' A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night." (Which is about three months.)

It is this perspective that we're going to land on verse 12 here in just a second. But it is, in light of God being eternal and everlasting, that he has plans for your life. And you are a blip of time, but you are here on purpose. He tells us, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." And live out of that wisdom, teach us to number our days. You see, we believe that pressing play means numbering your days on purpose.

How many of you have been watching the Olympics lately? Whole lot of hands. I have been up too late, watching the Olympics, anyone else up too late watching the Olympics? I've gotten less sleep these last couple of weeks, but I have loved watching it.
I swam in high school. And so the swimming part is fun for me to watch. Not that I was anywhere near as good as them, but it is fun to watch—and watching Katie Ledecky or Caleb Dressel is a blast—but I've loved watching Michael Phelps being interviewed about his time in the Olympics way back when. Michael Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them are gold. That is ridiculous! 23 gold medals!

And when asked how he did it, he said that he wrote down his goal, and he looked at it every single day. And whenever he is asked why he wrote down his goal and looked at it every day, he said this, "Not every day do I want to get out of bed." Glad it's not just me. "Not every day do I feel great. So, I want to see exactly what I'm doing, and why I'm putting myself through this." You see Michael Phelps numbered his days. He's zoomed ahead and looked at what he wanted to accomplish, and he went back to the day he was in and ordered his life in such a way that he could reach that goal. He changed his diet, his workout, his sleep. He changed everything to reach that goal. He numbered his days on purpose.

On purpose. On purpose means we have to be proactive, not reactive. When a friend would ask Michael Phelps, "Hey, do you want to split a cheese pizza tonight?" He didn't just react and say, "Sure." He proactively decided, he pre-decided what mattered to him. And he already knew how he would respond.

On purpose is also active. It's not passive. It is an active choice to wake up every day and to choose the things that we know are good for us. It is active. It's not waiting until your alarm goes off and deciding, oh, am I going to get up and go to swim practice today? It is active, not passive.

And lastly, it is future minded. He had a future in mind, and he numbered his days to see how today's decision would influence tomorrow.

On purpose. And I have a confession for all of you, as we're talking about orange weekend here, I must admit I'm a little more reactive and passive as a parent than I wish I was. As I was preparing this message. I just kept thinking about how I have a three-and-a-half-year-old who's my pride and joy and I love him, but I've been praying lately that he would just obey. “Would you just obey? Would you just listen? Would you just walk faster?” He's walking like a snail's pace going to the car these days.
And as I've been praying for my kid to obey, I was talking with a friend who shared with me how she always knows what fruit of the spirit she's praying over her kids in every season. And I felt just a gut nudge in my heart that God doesn't just care about behaving or obedience, he cares about that because it's about who we're becoming and how who we're becoming impacts the people in our lives and how we treat them. God doesn't just care about behavior, he cares about who we're becoming. So as you guys start to apply this, think about how you are going to number your days. If you’ve got a freshman with four years left in high school, how are you going to number your days this school year with your kids? How are you going to number your days at work this year? I want you to think less about what you're doing and more about who you're becoming, because that's how we pass on this Jesus movement—with how Christ changes us from the inside out.

I have three questions that you can ask as a family. This can be some good dinner time discussion tonight. First, what do you hope God does in this season? It's good spouse date night conversation. It's good family night conversation. And who do you want to be at the end of this season? It's important. And what is your part? That's right because we all have a part to play in getting there. And how can you trust God to do his part? That one gets me. How could I trust God to do his part? Thank goodness he is faithful to do his part.

But today isn't just about numbering your days so you can get a 4.0 in high school. It's not about numbering your days so you get your next promotion or win an Olympic gold medal, whatever your goal is. Today, the whole reason we started in Psalm 90 with God, from everlasting to everlasting, is because this is about intentional living in light of an intentional creator. This is about numbering your days God's way, not our way, but God's way. And it's a choice. We have to choose that God's way is best for us. It's a choice that all of us who have decided to follow Jesus have made. When you say “Jesus Christ is my Lord and savior” when you get baptized, you're saying, yes, that he has saved you from your sins, but he saved you for something—for a life of purpose and meaning. But you have to have him as your Lord.

You must trust that he knows what is best. And when you trust that God's way is best, then you get to step into the difference between just good things and lasting things. That's the difference that God's way makes, not just good things, but lasting things, things that will be passed on to the next generation, things that are a part of a movement. And so why does this matter today? It matters because Jesus Christ died on that cross thousands of years ago and was raised again from the dead, just like he said he would. And it started a movement, a movement all over the Roman empire that was one of the fastest growing movements in history. And if you are a Jesus follower, you are a part of that movement. You are a part of continuing to make sure that those behind us and those beside us get to experience the faith that's changed your life. It's a gift, but we have to choose it and to press play.

Deuteronomy six says, "Hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord, he is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all of your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts." They have to be there first. And then "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." But before you start to think this is a passage just for parents, Moses was speaking kind of towards the end of his time as a leader, and the Israelites were about to go into a new season without him and so these are some last words, last words matter. And he wasn't just speaking to parents, he was speaking to the entire Israelite population, all the people who are believers, kind of like we are today. He was talking to you.

If you are yellow in the room, that is how we live out our faith, how we pass it on to those behind us and beside us, it matters. Press play to God's way. Number your days and be a part of passing on a faith that sticks. Yellow, we can do this. And families, as the red, impress these things on your kids' hearts, don't outsource your responsibility as a parent to pass on faith. Don't wait until they ask for it. This is your voice and it matters. And you don't have to do it alone because yellow is right there next to you.

And students, before you think this is just for adults in the room, kids and students look up here real quick. Kids and students. This is a call for you, too, because you were right there whenever Moses was speaking, kids and students were right there. You have the opportunity to pass on faith to the kids and the students in your classrooms. You have an opportunity to pass on faith in your volleyball practices, in your football games, you have an opportunity to pass on faith to the next generation, to your siblings, to your niece and nephew, to the kid down the street. But you can't pass on what you don't have. Kids and students, nurture your own faith. Find the faith champions in your life. Ask your parents their faith story. Parents, share it. Ask your small group leader their faith story and why they make the decisions they do. You are part of a movement, kids and students, lean in.

Something else that Moses really focuses on here are daily rhythms. He was talking about when you sit at home, when you walk on the road. And so that brings me to my third point: setting rhythms help us press play every day because we all need reminders to press play, to lean in, to engage, right? And when I say the word rhythm, some of you guys think of different things. You may think of a song, “I've Got Rhythm.” You may think of the percussion people in your band. You may think of people who don't have rhythm. I don't know. We think of different things, but really rhythm is just a sequence of actions put together on purpose. One note, a musical note by itself isn't rhythm, it's just one note. One sound by itself is just one sound. It's not put together on purpose.

I want us to practice that right now. It's going to require a little movement. So I'm going to ask all of you guys to stand up. Frisco, McKinney, online, get up off your couch. We are all standing up, and we're going to practice making some rhythm together. So people right down the middle, you are rhythm one, you're going to be the stomping crew. Over here, you guys are rhythm two, you're my clapping crew. And we're going to make some rhythm. Okay? Stomping crew, on the count of three I want you to give me one big stomp. One, two, three. All right. So let's go do two stomps. One, two, three. Again, one, two, three. Hold tight. Okay. Stretch your arms. You got one big clap over here. You think you can do it? One big clap. Okay. One, two, three. One, two, three. For good measure one more. One, two, three. Good job. Hold tight.

Okay. We're going to put this together. Okay. Stomping first and clapping. Ready? Here we go. Okay. Are you feeling it? We're going to sing it. You know we are. We will, we will rock you. All right. Good job you guys, you made some rhythm. Give yourselves a hand.

Rhythms are a sequence of actions put together on purpose with intention. Rhythms are the difference between just changing our thinking and changing our actions. Because we can just talk about how we want to number our days and we want to be part of a movement that's passing on faith, that's all good, but until we change our actions, we've not engaged, and we've not pressed play. Rhythms are also super helpful because they lean into the power of exponential influence, of exponential power. If your goal today was to know 1% more about God, 1% more than you did yesterday and I hope you do, 1% more. If you did that every single day, you would know 365% more about God. Did you know that? Exponential power, it adds up over time.

And lastly, rhythms help us lean into what's right now and not what's next. And I need all the help I can get on this one. I need to be cued into the now because I'm always thinking 10 steps down the road. I'm always like, okay, if we do this, then it's going to lead to this and it's going to lead and we've got to turn right here and then go left here. And I've got plans A to Z before my husband and I have even committed on which choice to make. That's how my brain works. If he was here, he'd be laughing because it's very true.

So we need reminders to press play to what's now. So all of you guys are going home with a sticker. You don't have it in your hands yet. Don't worry, but you're going to be getting it on your way out. And the sticker can be stuck on anything. And this is a reminder for you to press play. It has our verse of the day on it. And I want you to put this somewhere that will help you press play in your life. Maybe it's on your cell phone so that when you open up to respond to some DMs or emails, that you’ll be light and salt as you respond. Or maybe as a parent, it's going to remind you to put your phone down and play with your kids on the floor. One of you told me you're going to put your sticker on the inside windshield in your car, so as you drive to and from soccer practice, you're not going to treat it as just a transition, but as a spiritual moment, and have a faith conversation. You also could put it in the bathroom mirror whenever you're doing your kid's hair in the morning, or whenever you're giving them a bath in the evening. Use this sticker as a reminder to press play to what matters most. To press play and to lean into what's now and not what's next.

And so, an important note for parents in the room. Parents, it is our job to make sure that we keep adjusting our rhythms in every phase, because as adults, it's kind of easy to forget how we’ve changed; I still feel like I'm five years younger, but I keep getting older, and I don't know how it keeps happening, right? But our kids and students, we see it before our eyes. They change every single year. And so the faith rhythms you set, might've been the right faith rhythms when you set them, but we have to keep pressing play. We have to keep changing our rhythms to reach the next generation.

So if you've got an elementary school kid, it may be time to graduate from a Jesus storybook Bible and move into a big kid's Bible. NIRV is what I recommend, New International Reader's Version. Maybe if you've got a kid, a student, or a preteen, it's time to start learning daily devotionals so that they learn to make faith their own every day. Or if you've got a student, serving man, the antidote to entitlement is gratitude.

What is the right faith rhythm for your family in this season? As you answer those questions that we talked about earlier, think about how you will adjust them every moment in every season, because every moment is an opportunity to impress faith—every single moment. That's good news because it's not about getting more time in your bank account, it's about how you use the time you have. It's as you go, it's as you go in the car and as you go to volleyball practice, and as you go do homework, and as you go to bed at night, it's as you go, that's how we pass on faith to the next generation.

If we want our kids to have a faith that sticks in everyday life, we have to live an everyday faith, out loud, for them to see. We have to press play. So I have something for you, parents in the room for just a second. There's this Parent on Purpose thing that we're going to be doing this fall. And if you text “parent” to the number on the screen, you will be getting no more than one text a week of 120 characters of just a prompt to help you press play. Here's a conversation for dinner. Here's a prayer for this season. Here's a resource as you go into Thanksgiving. It's how to parent on purpose.

Let me give you a sneak peek. This next week as we do back-to-school season, it's easy to get our kids the right clothes, the right school supplies, the right backpack, all the things, but we want to lean in and have a spiritual moment of blessing of around our kids as we send them back to school. And so, if you're on this Parent on Purpose group, you're going to get a prayer of blessing to pray over your kids, to pray over your students, to make sure that they know it's not just going to second grade or eighth grade, they are getting to go as little Jesus followers to carry light and salt into their schools. So I want to cue you to parent on purpose.

But parents, before you get overwhelmed, remember this is orange weekend. I know I just spoke to you for just a second, but this is orange weekend, man. It is not just about parents pressing play, it's about the church pressing play at the same time. We must both press play and choose it over and over, because that's how we pass on a faith that sticks.

And let me be honest with you guys, faith is not going to get passed on to the next generation because of a church service or a program. It's just not. I hope it's a seed, but when it becomes relational, and the people of Jesus who are passionately following Jesus decide to make what matters to God matter to us, that's when we'll get to be a part of passing on faith to the next generation, because it's relational. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me." He didn't teach at them. He said, "Let them come to me." It's relational. It's shared. That's how faith was meant to be. It's the power of groups.

That's why we believe that small groups are the secret sauce in the orange partnership of home and church. If you've been around here for a second, I hope you've heard that, that we believe small groups are the secret sauce. That when you join a small group, that you get to join people who know your name, who know your story, who know how following Jesus went great this week or kind of not so great this week, because both happen. You get to have someone who's a little bit further along than you that you can ask faith questions to, ask about the doubts you're having too. Kids and students, did you know you can voice your doubts to your small group leader, to your parents? It's okay to process those things. They move us forward, not backward.

And parents, putting your kid in the position to be in a small group gives you another adult speaking the most important thing into the heart of your kid or your student. Small groups help pass on faith because faith was always meant to be relational. It's why we have small groups that happen for kids and students here. It's why all our next gen volunteers serve every single week for an entire school year because faith can't happen through a once-a-month relationship. So, thanks to you small group leaders who have said yes. It's why, parents, as we shift forward next weekend, I'm going to ask you to pick one consistent service time. One service time. Don't wake up to the morning and decide what service time you're going to, instead, pick one. When you put your kid in a position to experience the power of a small group, you put them in a position to experience faith. Life-changing faith, sustaining faith, fulfilling faith, lasting faith.

And don't go it alone, partner with that yellow, learn that small group leader's name. But kids and students, I'm back at you here, kids and students because you are here today on purpose. Scripture says, "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young." Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young. No teacher, no parent, no small group leader—not that they would, they all see you as not the next generation, you are the future of the church. So kids and students, drag your parents to church. You make sure you all are talking about what your consistent service time is. You fight for small groups in your life, fight for community in your life. And no, it's not always easy. We've all experienced a small group that's not quite jelled or jammed with us before.

I want to tell you a story about that right now. Hayden Norman is going into the ninth grade and this is her lovely mom Tulaina. Hayden had a great small group experience in Trail Kids, things were moving along, but then she moved up to middle school and she didn't quite feel connected. She walked in those big doors, didn't know anyone, didn't have that friend group. And in her faith, it started to get hard. So she started attending with her parents here in this room. And over time, she just kind of realized that that wasn't working. That wasn't how faith was meant to be. It was meant to be relational, not just content, right? It's meant to be relational and processing content.

So she spoke up. And because she spoke up, her mom—get this—her mom stepped up. Her mom chose to be a small group leader for a group of sixth grade girls, not Hayden's small group, but she did that so they both committed to the rhythm of small groups every Sunday night together. She did that so they both got out the door at the same time. And here is what Tulaina said in response. She said, “Hayden made so many friends from multiple schools, and her small group leader is now like a second mom. I thought I was doing this to help my daughter become more comfortable and make friends, but I walked away with a purpose and a calling that God placed on my heart.”

You see this family numbered their days. And they knew what mattered most, a relationship with Jesus, the everlasting God. And they put rhythms into place that help them there. Being in a small group. And when those rhythms weren't going so well, what did they do? They pressed play. They pressed play to orange. They pressed play to not doing it by themselves, but to doing it together. You see, Hayden bravely spoke up and her mom chose to step up and you know what?, our God showed up and now, Hayden loves coming to church every single week. And yes, that's wonderful, but she's experiencing faith in community. You guys, that's what matters. Faith in community being lived out on purpose. We're part of a movement.

We are part of making sure that the faith of yesterday is passed on to the faith of tomorrow. Every single one of you kids, students, adults, this is our call to pass on faith to those behind us and behind us and behind us because Christ has changed our lives. And he is still the best good news that we have to share. And so if you follow Jesus, you are both a disciple and a disciple maker. You cannot separate those two. You are a disciple and disciple maker. Passing on faith to the next generation is not just the church staff's job or an organization's job, it is your job. It is my job. It is his job and her job and your job, kids and students. And it's all our jobs to make sure this Jesus movement that has changed our lives gets passed on. To do so is an honor and a privilege.

And so, as the yellow, I want to give you an opportunity to press play to orange today. There's a number on the screen if you'd like to serve in Next Gen. And before you count me out, just thinking there's needs, of course there are needs, we're a large church. Next Gen ministry changed my life. Having small group leaders pour faith into me, changed the entire trajectory of my life. We get to pass on faith to the next generation. And so for those of you that have maybe been thinking about serving with kids and students, or you've been talking about or you've never talked about it, you never thought about it until right now, but you are feeling the “God nudge,” I encourage you just to say yes and trust God with the rest. Whenever we choose the right things first, and we order our lives around them, he blesses that. He blesses that.

So I hope that you'll join us in serving. We have small group roles for kids and students, or hey, if you don't want to serve with kids or students, you just want to serve for them and make sure that faith gets passed on, you can still sign up to serve. There's worship, tech, production, guest services, all these different areas. Or you can simply click, I don't know and we'll reach out to you. Thank you for those of you that are going to lean in this school year and press play to orange in your homes, to the kids down the street, to the kid at Christie Elementary, to your niece or nephew or in the apartment next door to you, or in a small group here in Trail Kids or PTSM.

We are leaning in today because it is too important to leave to happenstance. It is too important if we feel like coming or if we wake up on time, because this is our faith we're talking about. These are our families we're talking about. These are our kids and our students, and this is our Jesus who has changed our life. And we get to pass it on, not because we have to, but because we get to. We are the church. It is an honor, I have goosebumps right now. We get to be a part of sharing the best good news with those behind us. To pass on a movement of faith. It's an honor and a privilege. And thank you for those of you that are saying yes and pressing play to orange today.



Recorded in Frisco, Texas.