"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."  Prov. 13:20

A fellow missionary passed on to us a stack of videos from www.solvefamilyproblems.com , these videos have been a huge blessing to us.  Each one is a sermon about some aspect of parenting, and we don't have many opportunities to hear sermons such as these where we are ministering.  Today Pastor Ron Williams shared(in the video we watched) about the hazards of friendships.  It has been on the mind of Scott and I lately, one of our children needs some extra help in speaking to people confidently, and yet we want to protect them all from foolish companions.  After hearing him share penetrating analogies about sinful friends being contagious,(would you kiss a leper to spread your health to him?) we had a discussion with our children about whether they had been defiled by their companions. 

My children play with a variety of people, missionary kids, orphans and homeschool families who come to stay with us, all of whom come from a variety of backgrounds.  Unfortunately it has been the missionary kids who have been guilty most often of poor conduct.  Disrespectful of parents, lewd in behavior and mean to siblings, my children have witnessed it all. Having this time to talk led to a good discussion of ways we can minister to others(including fellow missionaries) while not becoming fools ourselves.

Who are your children playing with?  Just because they claim Christ does not make them safe.  As parents we have been entrusted with these clay jars to protect and disciple as vessels for Christ.  Invite people over, fellowship with others, but find ways to include the children.  The gifts we receive from the Lord are worth protecting.

Jennifer Pepito-Chapel Editor

Jennifer helps her husband Scott with a ministry to families in Mexico and joyfully homeschools her 6 children. She will be speaking on discipling and teaching multiple ages at the CFS conference in San Diego, California. For more details see www.cfssd.org