Talking to Kids About Heaven with Joni Eareckson Tada

On the twenty fifth episode of the Family Discipleship Podcast the hosts (Adam Griffin and Cassie Bryant) talk about heaven with Joni Eareckson Tada. 

Questions we talked about in this episode: 

• You have done so much to help churches serve people with disabilities. Can you share with us the vision of Joni and friends and all that your organization does?
• How can a church lead well in this area, even if they don’t have a lot of resources?
• What led to wanting to write to kids about heaven?
• Why do you think there are so many cultural misconceptions about heaven? Which misconceptions affect kids in particular??
• Why do you think it’s important for parents to talk with kids about the afterlife?
• How has your theology of eternal life impacted the way you see life and God?
• How do you help kids see that the best thing about heaven is Jesus?
• How can parents have good conversations with their kids about someone’s death?
• Are there any passages of scripture about heaven that you have a particular love for?

Some of our favorite quotes from Joni in this episode:

• “I love thinking about heaven. I love investing in heaven. Every little thing I do down here on earth. Everything I do has a direct bearing on my capacity for service and worship and joy in heaven. I don’t want to waste my suffering. I don’t want to waste my afflictions. I want to build things that will last for eternity. And I want to stretch my heart’s capacity for service and worship and joy for eternity.”
• “I want moms and dads to build within the hearts of their children a love and a zeal and a passion for, not just heaven, but Jesus.”
• “I want to help children get past the myths of me-centeredness in heaven.”
• “I think our thoughts about heaven are lazy. We tend to buy into the world’s fables about heaven…It’s all about ‘I’m gonna be happy forever.’ That is true, but it’s so much more.”
• “It is a parent’s job to connect the heartfelt expressions of children and immediately connect that to God. Draw a direct line from their little hearts and connect it directly to their Lord Jesus.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Joni Book
• The Awesome Super Fantastic Forever Party
• “Christ calls us to care for those living in poverty—including parents working hard for their children’s future. Download your free copy of Created to Flourish: How Employment-Based Solutions Help Eradicate Poverty, to learn how. HOPE International fights physical and spiritual poverty in 16 countries through Christ-centered microenterprise development.”

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To read more about family discipleship, check out the book Family Discipleship: Leading Your Home Through Time, Moments, and Milestones by Adam Griffin and Matt Chandler. 

The Family Discipleship Podcast is a podcast of Training the Church.