1. We decided to take our kids on mission trips that gave them a vision for the world. As a result, they have an understanding of God’s plan for building His kingdom.

2. We decided not to own a TV and didn’t have to combat all the garbage that comes with it.  I know this is controversial, but it worked spectacularly for us.  We still do videos.

3. I decided to make 7 a.m. family devotions mandatory and interesting. Our kids learned that the Bible is a practical guide to life and ministry.

4. We decided to make our children’s spiritual growth a priority in our schedules. We weren’t racked by guilty consciences, knowing we could have done better.

5. We made participation in a small group as a family a priority and gave our children a vision of community.

6. We decided that it was more important for Karen to be a mom than it was for her to have a job and we adjusted our lifestyle accordingly. We gained 40 hours a week of positive input in their lives.

7. We decided to help our children find mentors to meet weekly with them. That took pressure off of us to have all the answers.

8. We decided to send our children out on longer term missions. The experience broke their hearts and taught them Lordship before launching them in life.

9.We work at being authentic - sharing our own struggles. They learned that its OK to fail and to be honest about failure.

10.We decided to stay active in their lives, monitoring their spirits, helping them to work out their faith in their own time. So many young people lose their faith while at college - that wasn't an option for us.