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Summary & Intro

John Murchison – Christ-follower, husband, daddy of two girls, Director of Children’s Ministry at Austin Stone Church in Austin, TX, Director of the Family Channel at the Verge Network, lover of the mission and living intentional missional lives for King Jesus, recovering perfectionist and performer for the praise of people (like me!), all around fun, down-to-earth nice guy!

Recap & Synopsis

Listen this week as John Murchison and I  discuss identity and discipling kids. As you listen, you’ll discover this is way more than a conversation about discipling kids. It’s also about learning how to discover your identity, what you get your identity from and how to recognize what shapes your identity, how to help other kids and your own children walk in their true identity and how to equip your own heart in the identity discovery journey. This has been one (among many) of my favorite interviews and guests so far on the show. John and I have very similar stories and are in similar seasons of life in parenting. You’ll love John’s story, his clear communication and his honest look at his own identity struggle as a young 9-year-old kid. This is a very revealing and empowering talk. I pray it blesses you as it did me!

*The following are my favorite top quotes from John and I. Use them freely and widely, but please offer credit where credit is due. For full show notes, click and download link below. Thanks.

ShowNotesEp013JohnMurchisonIdentityDisciplingKids

I don’t think enough time is given by children’s ministers or parents in thinking about how their children see themselves and where that comes from.

I can remember liking praise. When you do good things you get praise. I was a smart kid. I learned to read quickly. Math came naturally. God gave me that gift. People praised me for it. I wanted to get that praise so I moved further into it. I wanted to be the first to get the right answer and be the first to finish my multiplication sheets. More than wanted to I needed to because that’s how I got validation as a person. It came from a lot of places: parents’ praise, peer envy or my own self analysis as “this is how I’m different and unique in the world.”

We’re significant because we’re made by God and loved by God. Given purpose by Him. Our fleshly natures crave that and fill it with whatever: fun, rebellion, independence, praise.

I still struggle with those two identities: who I am in Christ and my fleshly identity seeking perfectionism and achievement.

God happened, by God’s grace it’s still happening so I can continue living in freedom not in slavery to this identity of perfectionism.