#70: Helping your kids enjoy Jesus with Kirk + Debbie Freeman [Grace in Parenting series]

How can you raise kids who will grow up to love Jesus, you, and each other? What can we do to help our kids love Jesus, not just follow the rules or go to church? How can we balance going to church with extracurriculars?

These are big questions, right? I’m so thankful experienced and empty-nester parents Kirk and Debbie Freeman are on the show. They raised three girls who love God, their family, and others. In today’s episode, we crack the code on how they did it.

In Episode #70, you’ll learn:

How to mesh rules with relationship
How to bring up big topics without it getting awkward
And ways you can disciple (not discipline!) your kids

Kirk + Debbie:

bring us back to our main goal in parenting (and it isn’t to avoid the occasional eye roll!),
take the weight off by reminding us that God isn’t looking for us to be perfect parents,
and remind us of God’s delight in us!

Other Episodes in Our Grace in Parenting Series:

Key Quotes

“Maintaining unity was more important than what happened in the moment.” – Kirk Freeman
“The rules always serve the relationship.” – Kirk Freeman
“If our goal as parents is to avoid where our kids roll their eyes, we are going to fail. That’s not our goal.” – Kirk Freeman
“You can’t have it all, but it’s not all worth having.” – Kirk Freeman
“Parents have the greatest influence on their kids.” – Kirk Freeman
“The only way you’ll have any conversation that’s real and authentic is if you have normal, everyday interactions with your kids.” – Debbie Freeman
“There is great value in being yourself.” – Debbie Freeman
“God isn’t looking for you to be perfect. He’s just looking for you to be authentic and real.” – Kirk Freeman
“Give yourself some grace that you have eighteen years to do this, and that God is unswervingly for you as a parent. It’s not all on you.” – Kirk Freeman
“His hand is on your parenting and He is for you.” – Kirk Freeman
“The relationship with your kids partners with the words you’ve said with the life you’ve lived for their sake.” – Debbie Freeman

Mentioned in the Podcast

The FCC requires that I tell you that I’m an Amazon Affiliate, which means I earn a bit of commission on each sale. But don’t worry there’s no added cost to you!

The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell
Enneagram Eight
Enneagram Six
Enneagram Three
Enneagram One
Enneagram Nine

About Kirk + Debbie Freeman

As the lead pastor of CrossBridge Community Church in San Antonio, Texas, Kirk helps chart the course — along with the others pastors and elders — for CrossBridge to be a disciplemaking church that shares the love of Jesus both locally and globally. Before moving to San Antonio and starting CrossBridge in 2003, Kirk spent ten years working in the Christian publishing industry.

Debbie’s career background is in public relations, and she worked in the Christian publishing industry for about fifteen years, coordinating publicity campaigns for authors with Thomas Nelson, Word, Zondervan, and others. She currently works as Lead Consultant and Speaker Coordinator for Ministry Architects, an organization that helps churches find clear direction and sustain momentum.

Kirk and his wife Debbie have known each other since elementary school, though they didn’t get married until junior high (just kidding). They have been close friends for over forty years and married since 1993. They have three sweet daughters and one awesome son-in-law.