Brian Dietz is the Marriage and Family Pastor at Highrock Covenant Church in Arlington, MA. He’s been married to his wife, Heather, for 14 years and they have three kids: Abby (12), Lydia (10) and Caleb (7). Date Nights and Family Nights are both favorite part of Brian’s week and he loves encouraging others through the highs and lows of their own marital and family intimacy. In 2011 Brian started developing a curriculum called Milestones: Raising a Jesus-loving Generation to help families in his congregation celebrate spiritual mile markers and prepare for the next season of discipleship. This curriculum has evolved over the years and continues to be one of Brian’s biggest passions.
You can find more about Brian's work at Highrock Covenant Church as well as find his Milestones curriculum.
Resources
The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley
Growing With by Kara Powell and Steven Argue
God Made Your Body by Jim Burns
How God Makes Babies by Jim Burns
Episode Audio:
Chapter 1 - Creating a Healthy Family
When you think about discipleship, you may often think about your own spiritual journey. But your call as a disciple is to in turn disciple others. The best place to practice this is with the next generation, your own kids. It's tough to think about this though when it takes all you have just to make it out the door 15 minutes late in the morning. So what does a healthy family look like when this chaos becomes all-consuming. In this chapter, Brian talks about the value of creating intentional moments for spiritual formation and the value of community in creating a healthy family.
Chapter 2 - How to Parent for Spiritual Growth
It's too easy to be caught up in the family rhythms and the chaos of everyday life. At the end of the day, you just want a few minutes to sit down and rest. This chaos can often leave you feeling empty and like a failure as a parent and a spouse. In this chapter, Brian talks about a few practical things we can do that create intentional spiritual formation in our families.
Chapter 3 - Healthy Homes Start with Healthy Dates
Think about the environment where you work. Is it a place you feel safe and fulfilled? You may be acutely aware of the health of your workplace environment and the tone or atmosphere there. But how aware are you of the tone in your own home? In this chapter, Brian talks about the value of having a good home tone. This healthy home tone doesn't come by accident. It takes strategic planning. And one of the best places to strategize is date night.
Chapter 4 - Milestones in the Spiritual Growth of Your Kids
If you have kids, you remember what it was like when they took their first step, said their first words, and all the other "firsts" in their life. These milestones usually represent joyful memories and signs that your child is actually growing up. In this chapter, Brian talks about Milestones, the curriculum he's developed to work with families as they provide a place for their children grow spiritually.
Chapter 5 - Having the Sex Talk with Your 3-Year-Old
How early should you have "The Talk" with your kids? In case you haven't noticed, it doesn't take long for kids to find out they have parts down there and that those parts are often different than someone of the other gender. Creating a healthy environment for spiritual growth means creating a healthy environment in all areas of life, especially in the area of sex. In this chapter, Brian unpacks some of the methods he's found useful for teaching your kids about sex and about who God created them to be as sexual beings.
Thanks for being a member of the Daily Growth Community! Here's a link to Brian's resource for helping families have conversations about honoring God, ourselves, and others as sexual beings: Reclaming God's Good Gift of Sex
Join the Daily Growth Community to get access in these show notes to Brian's resource for helping families have conversations about honoring God, ourselves, and others as sexual beings.