I love seeing boys usher with their fathers. There is so much right with that. 

I was talking with a member the other Sunday, and she was relating about the excitement of her son to go and usher with his father. I don’t know if you’ve been an usher but it’s not a day at Disney. You say “hello” to people as they walk in and hand them a bulletin. My bet is that it wasn’t that the job was so exciting but the special assignment with his father that made the task more than a chore. It was a moment. Easily lost in the sands of time but it is a brick in their relationship. 

I love seeing the little children help with the offering. They walk up and get plates. They follow parents and grandparents around the church helping the offering plate make it rounds. I can see the smile on their faces. I am always so tempted to give a high-five to the kids. A “job well done” to the youngest in our church.

This is what we mean when we say faith is "caught," not "taught." When our children see us living out our faith they begin to live out their faith as well. Because our kids –– and I mean this in a very general sense, not just the biological ones you have, but all of our children in our church –– our kids are not the future of the Church; they are the Church. They are developing the spiritual being now. They are furthering their spiritual journey every Sunday. 

Bringing our children along with us is the best way to show them how we live out our faith. As Reverend Dr. E. Stanley Ott likes to distill it down, it’s the “with me” principle. Bring them with you. Life doesn’t happen in a bubble over there, and in the same way faith must be lived out. It must be practiced. This is as true for adults as it is for children. And if you are practicing your faith the very best thing you can do is bring someone with you. 

Jesus did this, well, pretty much constantly. It was how He ministered. Bringing disciples with Him to mountain tops and Roman soldiers home, constantly living His life for others to see. 

This is what the Church has always looked like. People sharing their faith with others. And I hope you might be inspired to bring a little one, a friend, or family member alongside whatever you are doing in Christ’s service. Live your faith out loud.