Intro:
1.  Ran across 2 old friends on the internet, both have left the Lord
2.  Nearly half of the Teens in the church I grew up with are not faithful
3.  Murder has become child's play today
4.  Needless to say, there is a problem.  What can we do?
5.  IT STARTS WITH THE PARENTS
6.  Misconceptions about raising Christian kids:
       a.  They will flourish on their own
              - Strong discipline is bad
              - Interference by Parents is bad
       b.  If you are a strong believer in God, your kids will be also
              - Eli was a High Priest, his sons were wicked (I Sam 2)
              - David's Son Absalom leads a Rebellion against his Father
                in order to take the crown from him (2 Sam 15:6)
              - Samuel's Sons were wicked (I Sam 8:1-6)
              - Hezekiah, one of the best Kings ever, his son Manasseh most
                wicked ever known (2 Kng 18:1-8; 2 King 21:2-3, 11)
7.  You see, Parenting doesn't happen naturally, it must be intentional
8.  I Cor. 9:24-27 - We want our kids to run and run well.
9.  No Runner is successful on their own, they have all had
      TRAINERS,  that's where you, the parent comes in
10.  Parents must be Faith Trainers if the children are going to win the
        race.  How?

I.  By passing the Torch
       A.  Not just a race, but a relay race
       B.  Prov. 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when
             he is old he will not depart from it"
              1.  Where will your child be when he is old?
              2.  80% of those who fall away do so in the years after High School
              3.  Too many parent drop the baton during the relay race
       C.  My parents knew about passing the baton
              1.  They were examples for us kids at church AND at Home.
              2.  The were supportive of our faith not only in words but in
                   action.  They got gown on the field WITH us and trained us
              3.  They were strict and insisted on doing the right things not only
                 for us but for themselves as well.
              4.  My parents were the example of integrity for us kids
              5.  Every single one of us are faithful, my brother and I are both
                  Preachers in the Lord's Kingdom.
              6.  Nice Job passing the Baton!
       D.  It doesn't happen by accident
              1.  What are you intentionally passing on to your kids
              2.  You can't have a laid back attitude, trainers are relentless


II.  By Being in the Race Yourself
       A.  A Relay race is not won individually but as a team
              1.  Winning the race is dependent on the drop zone
                     a.  In a relay race, sinning isn't about how fast you run, but on
                         how well you pass the baton
                     b.  Its all about the pass, the timing, the grip, the exchange
              2.  You as a parent have a drop zone to contend with
                     a.  If you don't make the pass in the zone, you lose!
                     b.  That drop zone is 1 inch wide and 18 years long
       B.  Matthew 5:14-16 - We are the light of the World
              1.  To often parents forget to apply Christian principles at Home
              2.  Children have built in Baloney Detectors, they can see if you
                  are for real or not
              3.  Children tend to mimic their parents
       C.  When our oldest was a Baby, Stacey and I would talk
              1.  We began to realize that our babbling Baby was over in the
                   corner repeating us
              2.  On another occasion I was working under the car with
                   Shane watching
                     - I stubbed my finger, and danced around, he copied me
                     - I'm glad I held my tongue
              3. That mimicking doesn't stop - They hear what you do more
                  that what you say
       D.  This means being involved intimately with your kids training
              1.  Athlete Trainers monitor diet, activities and training
              2.  You as a Coach for one of God's little ones will monitor
                    reading material, school material, friends, leisure, Music
              3.  If not, you will have no idea what your kids are taking in and       
                   you will fail God and your children as a Trainer

Concl:
1.  This is just an introduction to some other things we will be looking at in the future
2.  Parents, you have been given the responsibility to be FAITH TRAINERS to your children
   -By Passing the Baton
   -By being in the Race Yourself (You can't sit on the bench, must get involved)
3.  Remember that being a faithful Christian does not guarantee success
4.  It's never too late to start
   -Paul didn't get turned around until he was an adult
   -All it takes is a Relentless Spirit and a Willing Heart
5.  Do you have what it takes?

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE?  BE HERE ON SUNDAY'S