Are you willing to invest your life in the next generation? If you have kids or grandkids I know the answer is most likely, “Yes!” It’s easy to say that we want to invest in our families, but often we don’t know where to start. Desperate, we look for the right to-do list from a wonderful speaker, writer, or coach, but more often than no their list doesn’t work for our family. In fact, it simply makes us frustrated and overwhelmed!

Do you want to know why we have such a hard time following someone else’s list? It’s because God has a unique design for each family. What He has called your family to is different than what He’s called our family to.

Currently, I’m doing an online parenting class with my friend, and New York Times Bestselling Author Ken Blanchard. Ken is an expert on management, and he’s helped me as a mom to focus on leading my family well. Being a family leader is based on investment and discipleship. And just like leaders of companies guide their workers, we must do the same with our families. If we do not invest in and disciple our children then the world around them will be quick to jump in and take over our job. If we don’t direct our kids, they will choose others to follow, and where will they end up? In chaos.

Proverbs 29:18 talks about this very thing. It says, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained.”

We need to give our families direction. It’s necessary for them to have a vision for the future so they will know where they’re headed.

Still, it’s hard to know what to do, especially what to focus on. The best way to gain vision is to figure out these three elements:

1. Our purpose as a family
2. Our values as a family
3. Our picture of the future for our family.

What is your purpose? What are your values? What is the picture for your future?

I recommend that you sit down and write out your thoughts about these areas. For the Goyers, this is what resonates with us:

• to serve God
• to serve others
• to grow hearts for ministry
• to use our unique, God-given talents
• to be authentic in our relationships with others and with God
• to know we have a purpose in the world
• to live our purpose so that God will be glorified

Putting it all together, here is our family mission statement:

We strive to be a family that serves God by serving others. Together we will grow hearts for ministry, using our unique, God-given talents. We will be authentic in our relationships with others and with God. We trust that we have a purpose in the world, and we will live our purpose so that God will be glorified through our lives and work.

Having a mission statement guides us to know what to say no to and what to say yes to. We focus on serving together and spending time developing authentic relationships. Because of this, we say no to a lot of outside activities. Knowing our family mission helps to take away the guide of saying no to too many sports, groups, or events. We know that by saying no to these things, we are saying yes to God’s bigger picture for us.

To live our family’s purpose we’ve chosen to homeschool. Today my guest, Leslie Nunnery, and I will be talking about our call to teach our children at home and how doing so has helped us to disciple and invest in our kids. If you homeschool, are interested in homeschooling, or simply want to know more about it, listen in. If you’re been thinking about homeschooling, but have been fearful to take the plunge, I think you’ll be encouraged. Also, know that 99% of all people say, “I don’t have it in me to homeschool.” Yes, we all feel that way! Thankfully, God has shown us that where we are weak, He is strong.

Homeschooling is a step of obedience.
Homeschooling is an investment in the next generation.
Homeschooling is discipleship, training our children to follow God.
Homeschooling isn’t just about what God wants to do with our kids, it’s also about what He wants to do with us.

If you’re ready to be inspired as a leader and a parent, listen in!