Josh: I knew from my upbringing that Jesus was someone I could turn to in times of trouble. My father and mother prayed for me every night before going to bed. As a parent myself, consistent beliefs are extremely important, even though they may not seem like they have much of an impact right now. That little seed grew in my heart. I always knew that my parents loved me and supported me. That’s important.
Both of my parents were involved in local church leadership. My father always supported my mother’s ministry, so I grew up representing women in leadership. I was able to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. My mother was preaching and I remember someone calling her home and yelling abuse at her on the phone. But even with that, my mom and dad handled it gracefully and not aggressively.
The devil looked directly at me and said, “Do you think you’re a Christian leader? You can’t even take care of your own son.”
The Christian ministry was completely new to my parents. They were seriously trying to solve it. Sometimes things didn’t work out, but I could see their hearts. We went to Spring Harvest every year as a family. As a father of young children myself and a well-spoken person, I now know that it is a sacrifice.I’m in service mode and I was in family mode, but my parents helped me check the line. should Blurry. If your family prevents you from working or serving, something is wrong. If you are unable to support your family because of your work or service, something is wrong.
Debra: I became a Christian in 1980, the same year I got married.We immediately joined the service and started having children. Everything happened at once. We had no blueprint, no role models, no plan. It was a bit of a balancing act, but we did our best.
I always say to parents who feel guilty (and all parents feel guilty at least once): Don’t worry about what you’re spending your time doing, whether it’s leading in church or business, or Whatever your mission, your children will benefit from it and lose from it. that. They may lose some of your time, but they will benefit from watching you grow as a leader, pioneer new things, and accomplish great things with God’s help.
Family life was quite chaotic. I don’t think we did a perfect job. Sometimes I had too much to do, but I had a strong calling from the Lord and He was not blind to the fact that I was a mother of four. He knows that and will help you navigate it.
One year at Spring Harvest, I was speaking on the main stage. [my husband] Frank and I had a bad argument. I felt like I was the last person to preach. Suddenly, the steward handed me a note from Frank. “For better or for worse.” I started crying and just thought: Yes, it’s exactly like every couple.. It’s just reality, bringing your failures before the Lord, asking for forgiveness, and allowing Him to guide you.
Josh: I once heard someone say, “If you’re disillusioned, you need to ask yourself what illusion you were under in the first place.” The illusion that collapses is that Christians are perfect and that God is looking for strong people. We all know that God is looking for the weak and hurt.
My parents modeled the real thing. You can see the arguments and arguments. They didn’t try to hide when things weren’t going well. In that moment, it would have been really easy to break out into a big smile and say, “Oh my god! There are no problems in my life, I’m an anointed minister, I’m going to deliver the message. That doesn’t help anyone. It just perpetuates this version of perfection that doesn’t exist. My parents gave me this model: we’re not perfect and that’s okay. But they also did not lower the bar so that the call to holiness would disappear.
My parents gave me the choice of whether to go to church or not. The sisters didn’t get to make that choice, but their parents felt it wouldn’t work. It must have been difficult for them, as my brother and I both went through some ups and downs. At this point, my wife and I said, “No, we’re not giving our kids a choice.” So there are things that we’ve done differently and my mom and dad have given us a blessing in that regard.
If you have a child who is currently separated from the Lord, as a mother I say this: God is not finished yet.
Debra: Josh went to church until he was about 14 years old. He believes it is very important to take children to church while they are young and hopes that they will make their own decisions. He fell into the wrong crowd and suddenly his personality seemed to change. He had always been warm, sociable and kind, but suddenly he became very unfriendly. He didn’t want to talk to us and he didn’t want to go to church. He spent a lot of time going out with friends and drinking alcohol.
One day, the police came to the house to arrest Josh. I was speaking at Christian conferences and telling people about the power of prayer and my lovely family. ROC and [Redeeming Our Communities], working with the police to reduce anti-social behavior and crime. So it’s like the devil came straight to me and said, Do you consider yourself a Christian leader? you’re trash I can’t even take care of my own son. ”
My sister Sarah came to me and said, “Mom, why don’t you pray?” I didn’t feel like praying. I felt very depressed about this whole situation as follows. Why does God allow this to happen to us? But we started worship and I thought about all the prophetic words I had for Josh. I knew he would be an evangelist. That was in my mind.
He was at the police station all weekend. When he got home on Monday, he fell down in the hallway and said, “Mom, please forgive me.” “While I was at the police station, I got down on my knees and said, ‘Lord, will you please give me another chance?'” God just filled the cell with His presence. It is. ” Then he said: “Thank you for coming out to sing. It comforted me to hear you and another person singing worship songs.” was listening to us worshiping in our spiritual home.
It is one of the most incredible miracles. As parents, we cannot be with our children 24/7, but God is with us. If there is someone who is separated from the Lord and has a child right now, as a mother I would say this. God is not finished yet. As terrible as it may seem, God is still at work. ”
Josh: I was around a group that wasn’t necessarily the best, and there was something in me that wasn’t great either. I’ve always had a real zest for life, but that can sometimes be undermined, especially when you’re young. They want to try everything.
The Bible talks about seeds falling on good soil [Matthew 13:8,23]. That’s why it’s important to continue instilling Christian values, praying, and sharing Bible verses. Even if your child is resisting the gospel, you don’t know what you are doing to the soil of your child’s heart.
My parents raised me to pray when everything goes wrong, so when I’m feeling desperate and broken down in that police station, God is all I have left. The clincher for me was when I realized that her mother wasn’t actually singing at the police station. I said: “But you were there. I heard you singing ‘Eagle’s Wings.'” Mom told me that she had sung that very song. . I thought: Now I have to become a Christian or I’ll spend the rest of my life lying to myself, because this is real.
Debra: It’s really nice to hear you speak like that. Because to me, as a mother, you feel like you are back to who you really are in Christ. You may not remember things, but from a parent’s perspective, you remember how kind and generous you were. You were a sneaky person who set off fire alarms in churches and other places, and I think that says a lot about speaking up for the truth in times of crisis.
Josh: Something my mother said reminded me of the story of the prodigal son. His son was really far away, and the Bible says, “He came to his senses.” [Luke 15:17]. When Jesus touches our lives, we fully know who God made us to be. The tenderness I had as a child, that part of my heart toward God, began to fully awaken. That’s why it’s so important to bring out the best in children. My parents cultivated God’s kindness very well in their home.
Debra: The bottom line is that you need to know that you are loved. Love includes discipline and correction, but if you don’t know you are loved, terrible problems arise.
Josh: When my mom recently had a brain aneurysm, it was really serious and life-threatening. We were on our knees. I remember thinking, “What? this is a spiritual attack. I don’t say this about every illness, but it was clear to me that I prayed and asked God:
There was a photo of my mother in church prophesying that the people of Manchester were looking for a new building for their church. For a long time it was Manchester’s true home. And my mother prayed: She said, “We will cut off that spirit. We will not accept it. This city will open its buildings to Christians.”
Two weeks later, she was recovering in the hospital and I started telling her: [my picture]. she says: “You don’t know how this happened, do you?” She said about the church leaders who were just about to build a church in Manchester and the fact that we had been praying for a building to be found. I explained that I was talking. And while she was talking to him, it felt like something hit her. She had to sit up and she was rushed to the hospital with a brain aneurysm.
It was one of those beautiful and bittersweet moments. I realized that when I was at my worst, her mother prayed for me. Well, I’m here today fighting for her.
Debra: Two-thirds of people affected by my condition die within the first month, and one-third usually suffer from severe paralysis and memory loss. I’m just so proud of God for getting me through this.
When I came back, “Waymaker” was playing on the hospital radio. I wondered if I was hearing something or if it was coming from my cell phone. This has never happened before! It turns out that the Christians working there asked for it. I realized that God was saying to me: “Even when you’re not looking, I’m working.” He’s working miracles. It’s about something bigger.
As a family, we have experienced many spiritual battles. This is how you study. By leveraging faith in times of crisis. Whether it’s health, family, finances, or buildings, it’s the same thing. God is in control. God will win this battle.
Debra Green OBE is a speaker, author and founder of Redeeming Our Communities (ROC), a national charity aiming to transform Britain from the grassroots. She is scheduled to speak at her Spring Harvest (Minehead) next month. Book your tickets at springharvest.org
Josh Green is the youth director for 24-7 Prayer and Wildfires Youth. He led an evangelistic mission band and has preached the gospel to thousands of young people around the world.
Debra and Josh’s conversation will be broadcast in its entirety on Premier Christian Radio on Saturday, March 9th at 8pm. You can also listen to The Profile podcast
