How do you share the Good News with a friend?

It is more than likely that we all have someone in our lives that we can share our faith with. A friend, neighbor, co-worker, or family member who doesn’t know Jesus Christ or who may be in a season of hopelessness. But how do we do that? Some of us aren’t confident enough, aren’t bold enough, or maybe want to do it for selfish reasons of bringing someone to Christ versus doing it because the Holy Spirit laid it on our hearts.

Before we share our own faith, it is important we ask ourselves a few questions first to help evaluate our hearts and intentions…

• Am I modeling an authentic relationship with Christ myself? Am I leading my example? James 2: 14 - 17 reminds us faith without action is dead.

• Have I prayed for this person in your life? Ask God for an open door to share your faith with them. Invite the Holy Spirit into the process. Mark 13: 10 - 12 tells us not to worry about finding the words to say, because God will give us the words to say through the Holy Spirit. Be sure your heart is also open to accepting the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and that your intentions are pure and not selfish.

• Do you know their faith background? Maybe they dont have a faith background, or maybe they have a broken background. Understanding this will help you know where to start in a conversation about faith.

When sharing our faith with others, we need to be BOLD, but also remember that “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) So approach these conversations with sensitivity, understanding, and wisdom knowing that with friendship comes trust, and it takes a lot of trust to openly discuss faith with others around you.

Once you’ve asked yourself the questions above and evaluated your intentions, you can approach the conversation about faith with family and friends by following six simples steps:

1.) Pick a time when you can talk without any distractions and a place that favors good conversation. This may be over coffee or lunch, walking around the park, or a long drive in the car.

2.) Start by acknowledging how important their friendship is. This will help set the grounds that the conversation to follow is happening out of LOVE and not judgment or condemnation.

3.) Ask open-ended questions. This allows them to answer on a level they are comfortable with and helps you know how to engage on their level. A great example might be, “We don’t talk much about faith, and I’m curious where you stand or what your experience has been.”

4.) Use your own life experience to relate to them and explain how your faith impacted those struggles and experiences. Doing this offers empathy and understanding in the relationship.

5.) Recognize that there are going to be differences in everyone’s walk of faith. Just because you had the conversation and planted the seeds doesn’t mean they will automatically catch up to where you are on your own journey or even have the same faith background. It’s okay to disagree, but be sure to always keep the friendship in good standing.

6.) Offer resources. Invite them to church, recommend books to read, or ask if they need prayer.

All of these steps plant practical seeds in their lives and although we plant seeds, we may not see the fruit of our labor. The walk of faith is a process, not a rush. We must trust that God’s plan and timing are better than ours and that His living water will continue to water the seeds that we have planted in our family and friends.

Remember that our own testimony is the most powerful tool to bring others to Christ, so we must protect our faith and not give into the ways of the world. We challenge you to be BOLD and COURAGEOUS and to share your faith with someone in your life.

To hear more about sharing faith with those around you, listen to episode # 295 of the Rock Solid Families Podcast, where Merrill and Linda Hutchinson dive deeper into this topic and provide real-life applications and share experiences from their own walks of faith.

For more content like this, focusing on faith, family, fitness, and everything in between, subscribe to the Rock Solid Families Podcast on Youtube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

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The Harrison Butker Discussion - What Was He Really Saying?

Harrison Butker was invited to give the commencement speech at Benedictine College. You’ve likely seen a clip from his speech online or in the news, but have you listened to the full speech? If you are a Christian living a Christian lifestyle, you will likely find the speech good, but not surprising. However, If you watched the news clips, you likely have the idea that Harrison was trying to command all women to forget about careers and stay home to make babies. That is not what his speech was about. Yes, he touched on topics such as Covid-19 policies, faith, church leadership, and many social issues like abortion and the LGBTQ community, but his message was about standing firm in your beliefs.

Within just a few days, his commencement speech went viral and received 1.2 million views on YouTube. But what caused this uproar?

It could be because, in todays society, many of us identify ourselves by what we believe in, whether it’s our faith or the social issues we feel strongly about. It could also be because his speech reflects the current large division of our country - between conservative traditional values, and progressive liberal values.

On episode 287 of the Rock Solid Families Podcast, you will hear Merrill and Linda Hutchinson of Rock Solid Families dive into the context of Harrison's message, the relevance of his audience, and how it relates to the Bible and the beliefs of Catholics and Christians alike. They also discuss WHY it is important to know your faith, whether you're Catholic, Christian, or any other faith, and how you should examine your lifestyle and choices according to your faith. Harrison’s speech, just like Moses in Deuteronomy 6, challenges us to do just that - to stand firm in our faith and what we believe, versus the diabolical lies of the world we live in.

When we stand up for God and our beliefs, we are going to take some heat from the world around us. We see this in the Book of Daniel in the Bible. It is important to teach our families what we believe and why we believe. Harrison’s message to stand firm in your faith is essential to growing our families and children into strong adults who govern themselves by a compass much more effective than their own opinions. Teaching our families to ground their values in unwavering faith will help carry them through the heat the world will attempt to put them through. If you or your kids are feeling like the world is bombarding you with worldly messages, it may be time for you to take a stand like Harrison Butker.

Harrison's Speech:    • Harrison Butker FULL controversial co...   https://rocksolidfamilies.org

Listen to the full Rock Solid Families discussion regarding Harrison Butker’s commencement speech:

A Father’s Love

Let’s give a warm welcome to one of my favorite months of the year, June! And man is it coming in hot! It’s hard to believe sweet summer time is already here. For me, summer has always been associated with rest and relaxation, specifically by the pool, soaking up the sunrays. I live for the long, sunny pool days, accompanied with delicious grill outs, competitive games of cornhole, bonfires, stargazing, and time with family and friends.

Sharing My Birthday
The month of June is also extra special to me, because it’s my birthday month. I am blessed to have countless fun memories of celebrating my birthday with my family and friends over the years, and there are milestone birthdays I will never forget. I was born on the first day of summer and Father’s Day. Whenever my birthday falls on a Sunday, it’s joined with Father’s Day. As a child, I didn’t really appreciate this all so much; However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown to realize that being born on Father’s Day and sharing my day with my father is truly a special gift. 

Learning From My Mom and Dad
Working in mental health over the last 6 years, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of relationships. It’s our relationships and the experiences we have within our relationships that have the biggest impact on our beliefs about ourselves and our beliefs about others. It’s in our relationships where we learn whether the world is safe or dangerous. And the most critical relationships in forming these beliefs are those with our caregivers: our mother and father.

If our mother and father are present and attend to our basic needs with love and care during our early stages of development, we are more likely to believe that we are safe and we can trust others. If our mother and/or father are not present and don't attend to our basic needs, we can easily form the belief that we are not safe or secure, others can’t be trusted, and we need to react accordingly to survive. Ultimately, our relationship with our mother and father sets the stage for how we engage with the world around us.  

Lies About Our Heavenly Father
In 2020, I was in a small group at church, and I remember one specific session when we discussed our perceptions and beliefs about our heavenly Father. We were given a handout with all of these lies one may believe about God, and we were to identify the lies that we personally believed. I remember looking through the list and thinking, “I’ve never thought any of these things about God”. As others began sharing with the group the lies they identified with, I remember feeling so confused and surprised that others had multiple lies they had been believing about their heavenly Father, and I just couldn’t relate. Later on, the leader went on to explain how we tend to perceive our heavenly Father similarly to how we perceive our earthly father. Then it all started to make sense.

Never Questioning His Love
Overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude, I realized the positive view of my heavenly Father was influenced by the positive relationship with my earthly father. My father has always been there for me when I’ve needed him. He’s the prime example of provider and protector. He would do whatever it takes to care for his family without expecting anything in return. My father taught me forgiveness, gentleness, and the power of feeling and showing the uncomfortable emotions this world teaches us to hide.

Of course my dad is human not perfect, and just like all relationships, he and I have definitely had our moments of conflict (especially in my hormonal teenage years). But it’s evident how the qualities of my earthly father have influenced my beliefs of my heavenly Father, and to say I’m grateful is an understatement. I’ve never questioned my dad’s love for me, and I can say the same about God.

When the Walls Go Up
Unfortunately, there are many individuals who have not had a healthy relationship with their father and many that haven’t had a relationship with their father at all. We can let our defensive walls come up to protect our broken heart and lie to ourselves and say this doesn’t affect us, but it does. It’s easier to say it doesn’t bother us, than to accept the reality that the one who gave us life, hurt us.

We live in a broken world and we have all been hurt in relationships at some point, with far too many of us having been hurt by our caregivers. These emotional wounds change how we view ourselves, others, and ultimately how we view God. The truth that we struggle to realize and believe is that our heavenly Father is the only one that won’t hurt us and the only one who can truly satisfy our deepest needs and desires. 

What’s In our Way?
If we want to have a deep relationship with our heavenly Father, we need to identify what’s getting in our way. Are you holding onto false beliefs about yourself or about others, that you are projecting onto God? Have you been hurt, betrayed, or rejected by a significant relationship that was supposed to be safe, loving, and secure? If trust has been broken in your earthly relationships, it makes sense as to why you may struggle to trust God. We all have emotional wounds that need to be attended to, and the good news is there’s a heavenly Father longing to comfort and heal us with His loving presence. 

Healing Those Wounds
This year, Father’s day is on June 18th. For some, this will be a joyful day, for others it will be painful. And for some, it will be a mixture of all kinds of emotions. My prayer is that you invite Jesus into whatever emotion you’re feeling when thinking of this day. I pray the Lord reveals any emotional wound that may be getting in the way of you having a deep, intimate relationship with Him, and that He would heal that wound with His love. And despite what your relationship is/was like with your earthly father, I pray that on this Father’s Day, you know and encounter your heavenly Father and His love for you in a new and powerful way. He loves you so much, and there’s nothing that you’ve done or could do to change His love for you.