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Submitted by Steve Bond, The Orchard Barrington.
There’s an urgency senior year as parents consider their kids’ readiness to face the world views of college. In March, my friend, Matt, and I were compelled by the Spirit to not squander the chance to equip our 18-year-old sons, Grant and Ty, with Truth before their departure. We dads can unintentionally outsource the training up of our kids to preachers and small group leaders… but Solomon’s caution in Proverbs 3:1 “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments” modeled the intimate privilege and obligation Matt and I owed our boys.
And 18-year-olds can sleep in on Saturdays. But these two instead met on the patio under the shade trees with open Bibles covering topics we wish our dads had talked to us about as high schoolers: Salvation through LORD, sin, Savior, faith; the Holy Spirit in our lives; the sufficiency of our identities in Christ; the reality of sin and God’s righteousness; dealing with failure, disappointment, and fear; growing as Christ’s image bearers; why finding Christ-centered friends is essential; and putting on the armor of God.
So, for three months we gathered with intention. We started with our testimonies. We enjoyed unhurried discussion. We ate donuts. What started as a prompting in March bore His fruit from which we all prospered. We had the joy of actively verbalizing and applying Scripture. We shared prayer requests, vulnerabilities, and laughter. In all, we gave God glory for His recentering peace and faithful provisioning of wisdom.
Matt and I developed a purposeful language with Grant and Ty beyond the talk of school, work, and sports. We’ve found this trust has fundamentally elevated our relationships from a parent/child dynamic to a stronger one where we’re equally on a pilgrimage to “…live as servants of God, honoring everyone; loving the brotherhood; fearing God…” – 1 Peter 2:16-17.
We boast in Christ at seeing both Ty’s steadfastness and Grant’s boldness deepen in college. From Grant, “our Saturdays were a way to reflect on things I already knew about God but also a time of learning because I still have a lot to understand about faith. Being in the Brotherhood has given me a new way to talk to others about God more conversationally and knowledgeably. It was fun, and I liked the donuts.”
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