Stand Firm Parents

Christian parents do everything they can to help their children come to faith and follow in that faith, but statistically we are failing miserably—most children raised in church and Christian homes leave the faith by age twenty-two and often before that. It’s time for a change. It’s time to flip the script. Stand Firm Parents is doing just that. Pastor and author Jake McCandless has been on a unique journey of helping believers across the world stand firm in their faith for the past ten years. Before the radical changes to life and especially church in 2020, Jake had been encouraging believers to prepare so that they would just survive but strive in difficulty. This journey has led to relationships around the world, learning from the persecuted church, and learning from the leading experts on the topic. Jake now brings that unexpected journey full circle to help families have a faith that lasts. Stand Firm Parents goes against the grain presenting parenting with a fresh perspective that has the end game in mind. Join the community and embark on a journey of seeking the answers that will help our children develop a faith that lasts as new episodes drop bi-monthly.

Why They Stay 01/23/2023

Two Steps In One 01/09/2023

Tell Them the Whole Story 12/19/2022

More than a Guardrail 12/05/2022

More than a Guardrail Host Jake McCandless continues to walk through the “Six Spiritual Prepper Steps” of Stand Firm Parents to help our families have a faith that lasts. In previous episodes he introduced that steps two and three can’t be separated for to “walk in the Spirit” one must be in the Word. He shared how that the Word serves as a guardrail to our walking in the Spirit, but Jake is joined by Marquis Laughlin of Acts of the Word Ministries to talk about how that the Word of God is far more than just a guardrail. There may be no one more uniquely qualified to speak on the subject than Marquis who gives solo performances of complete books of the Bible he has committed to memory. He has memorized and presented seven complete books. To give a taste of Marquis’ ministry, Jake has him perform a chapter live. Expand your appreciation for the Word of God through this episode. Jake also makes a special announcement concerning Stand Firm Parents. Check out the free ebook from Jake through Last Days Overcomers, Last Days Overcomers is a global Christian ministry dedicated to preparing and empowering believers spiritually, emotionally, and physically for the time before the most important day in history – The Day that Jesus comes back. We provide resources and conferences to help believers understand God’s purposes for the Last Days and how Christians can join Him in those purposes and someday hear the words “Well done good and faithful servant.” Learn more at Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at . Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled . Marquis Laughlin is the founder of Acts of The Word Ministries, a unique non-denominational ministry dedicated to transforming people’s lives through the words of the Bible. As a performance artist and missionary to the church in America, his uniquely compelling dramatic solo Scripture presentations include 7 different books of the Bible, highlighting the epic story of God’s relationship with man; Genesis, Exodus, Ecclesiastes, Daniel, John’s Gospel, Acts of the Apostles, & Revelation. /episode/index/show/holdonpodcast/id/25220907

Give Them Guard Rails 11/21/2022

Teach Them to Walk Again 11/07/2022

Warn Them Because This 10/24/2022

We Must Warn 10/10/2022

Practical Advice For Bigger Story 09/26/2022

Stages for a Lasting Faith 09/12/2022

Stages for a Lasting Faith Though each episode Jake bridges the conversation to practical take-aways and advice, we parents need the nuts and bolts. In this episode, Jake and guest Olly Goldenberg of Children Can, serve up three practical steps. Olly Goldenberg’s longtime leading of one of the largest children’s ministries in Europe and his work around the globe has led to the development of three stages of faith necessary for not just a faith that lasts, but a vibrant and passionate faith. In the interview, Jake and Olly address that there are already standard stages accepted for children and faith. The work laid out by Fowler and Westhehoff have been the standard, but Olly’s list focuses on the role parents in the development of their child’s faith and is rooted in Biblical evidence. Jake mentioned his new book, For Uncertain Times, which released September 11th. Check it out, Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at . Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled . Olly Goldenberg has been ministering to children in churches and outside of the church for twenty-five years. For fifteen of these years, he led one of the largest children's ministries in Europe, with responsibility for children aged 0-14. The ministry more than doubled in size under his leadership. He saw a reversal of the trend of children leaving the church, with many of the children inviting their friends to be part of the church. Over the years the fruit remained up into the youth ministry and beyond. Currently he leads a ministry, together with his wife and five children, called 'Children Can' www.childrencan.co.uk. Through modelling and training leaders they have inspired thousands of leaders from different nations and denominations to know how to lead children from a head knowledge of God to a passionate relationship with him. At the heart of their ministry is a passion to see children raised as disciples of Jesus. Olly is the author of numerous books such as The Josiah Generation, Jesus, Your Baby, and You, A Home with God, and the God’s Generals for Kids series. /episode/index/show/holdonpodcast/id/24340527

Raise Standards for Stand-ers 08/29/2022

Raise Standards for Stand-ers Another guest from across the pond joins Jake to talk about raising children that will stand firm. Olly Goldenberg was a children’s pastor in one of the largest children’s ministries in Europe for fifteen years. He now leads Children Can and hosts the podcast Raising Stand-ers. The connection between Jake and Olly is obvious as both have a heart to help children and teens have a sold-out faith that lasts. Originally, Jake interviewed Olly because of the faith framework he has developed to help parents and children ministries contribute to the continued development of faith in their children, but as with every guest, Olly went off script and blew Jake’s mind. Olly asked about children of the early church. This revelation led to a discussion of how if we raise our standards for what we believe our children can do, they will be stand-ers. He also brought in how that embracing conflict and helping children navigate through it builds this high-grade faith. Jake uses the conversation as a springboard to share research of youth in the first church. Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at . Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled . Olly Goldenberg has been ministering to children in churches and outside of the church for twenty-five years. For fifteen of these years, he led one of the largest children's ministries in Europe, with responsibility for children aged 0-14. The ministry more than doubled in size under his leadership. He saw a reversal of the trend of children leaving the church, with many of the children inviting their friends to be part of the church. Over the years the fruit remained up into the youth ministry and beyond. Currently he leads a ministry, together with his wife and five children, called 'Children Can' www.childrencan.co.uk. Through modelling and training leaders they have inspired thousands of leaders from different nations and denominations to know how to lead children from a head knowledge of God to a passionate relationship with him. At the heart of their ministry is a passion to see children raised as disciples of Jesus. Olly is the author of numerous books such as The Josiah Generation, Jesus, Your Baby, and You, A Home with God, and the God’s Generals for Kids series. /episode/index/show/holdonpodcast/id/24183261

The Way 08/15/2022

No Neutral 08/01/2022

Give Them Conflict 07/18/2022

What Makes a Great Story? 07/04/2022

What Makes a Great Story? The previous episode shared research and evidence that giving our children a better story—a bigger story of Christianity—would help them have a faith that lasts. Talking about our “story” is trendy, we see it and hear it often, but what truly makes a story great. To breakdown this idea of giving a better story, Jake invited his literary agent, Cyle Young, on to talk about what makes a great story. Leaning into Cyle’s knowledge in the writing world as an author and one of the leading agents in the business, we are able to dissect how to guide our children into a deeper following of Christ. Cyle surprises Jake with his answer, which not only throws Jake off in the interview, but reshapes the entire coming season of Stand Firm Parents. Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at www.standfirmministries.com. Creating tools for their parenting goals, Jake authored the first traditionally published children’s book on the return of Jesus entitled Jesus and His White Horse. Cyle Young is a renowned literary agent and award-winning author of over 20 writing awards. When not writing or representing books, Cyle travels across the U.S. speaking at many conferences, including regional writers’ conferences in OH, MI, NC and GA, hosted by his own company, Serious Writer Inc., http://www.seriouswriter.com. Cyle is passionate about training writers through in person instruction and through his on-line writing school, Serious Writer Academy, http://www.seriouswriteracademy.com. You can find out more about Cyle at his website https://www.cyleyoung.com. Along with being deeply rooted in the writing world, Cyle is a pastor. He also is a leading online gamer. He streams regularly as Dadventurer with his kids. Through this endeavor, he is positively impacting kids across the globe. Cyle also is a member of the college football national championship Michigan Wolverine team. /episode/index/show/holdonpodcast/id/23615132

Give A Better Story 06/20/2022

Living The Better Goal 06/06/2022

A Better Goal 05/23/2022

The Unfortunate Reality 05/09/2022

The Unfortunate Reality Christian parents need to know the reality that they’re up against. One of the compounding causes to children leaving the church and eventually the faith is that we’re not looking in the mirror. Instead, churches and parents are avoiding the unfortunate reality they are facing in raising their children. The odds aren’t in our favor. The statistics are heart-breaking. Understanding the importance of us assessing the battlefield, host pastor and author Jake McCandless visits with Ken Ham of Answering in Genesis, the Creation Museum, and the Ark Encounter. Ken Ham and Britt Beemer’s 2009 book, Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do To Stop It painted this grim picture. Ken lays out the challenges Christian parents are up against, but also provides encouragement. In this episode Christian parents will not only understand the reality, but also be encouraged that they can help their child have a faith that lasts. Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at . Ken Ham is the CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis, the highly acclaimed Creation Museum, and the world-renowned Ark Encounter, Ken Ham is the author of more than 25 books and an in-demand Christian speaker. Since moving to America in 1987, Ken has become one of America’s most in-demand Christian speakers and interview guests. He became internationally known for his 2014 creation/evolution debate with Bill Nye “the Science Guy,” which has been watched by an estimated 25 million people. Ham hosts the daily radio program “Answers . . . with Ken Ham,” heard on over 1,000 stations, and in 2020 oversaw the launch of Answers TV, a video streaming service. A biblical apologist, Ken gives numerous faith-building talks to tens of thousands of children and adults each year on topics such as the reliability of the Bible, how compromise over biblical authority has undermined society (and even the church, which is seeing a massive exodus of young people), witnessing more effectively, dinosaurs, “races,” and so on. Ham’s most recent book is a commentary and devotional on Genesis chapters 1-11, “"Creation to Babel"” (2021). His book on effective evangelism, “Gospel Reset,” was sent to every church in America and to many churches in other English-speaking countries (over 300,000 copies). Ken cofounded AiG in 1994 with the purpose of upholding the authority of the Bible from the very first verse and sharing the gospel beginning in Genesis. In addition, he provides biblical and scientific answers to some of the most difficult questions people ask about the Christian faith. /episode/index/show/holdonpodcast/id/23007905

Our Great Opportunity 05/05/2022

Our Great Opportunity Children raised in church and Christian homes are leaving the faith in droves—yes, droves. Yet, we keep returning to the same training and teaching for parenting advice, it’s time we shake it up. It’s time for a different approach. Stand Firm Parents takes that different approach beginning with visiting with mother and son duo—Daphne Kirk and Andrew Kirk. Together they lead the ministry Generation 2 Generation which has worked for many years in over forty countries reconnecting the generations and preparing them “for such a time as this." Their commitment to helping churches develop multi-generational ministry strategies has brought transformations in the emerging generation. Host Jake McCandless visits with the Kirks about the mandate we have as parents to raise up the next generation in faith. The discussion doesn’t stop just at our parental mandate but moves beyond to present the great opportunity Christian parents have to not just raise up their children in the Lord, but to raise the generation that will fulfill the Great Commission. By understanding this mandate and be encouraged by our great opportunity Jake is helping your family to have a faith that lasts. Stand Firm Parents is a resource from Stand Firm led by pastor and author Stand Firm Jake, Jake McCandless, who has been on a journey the past ten years to help believers around the globe hold on to their faith—to stand firm. Learn more at . Daphne Kirk and Andrew Kirk lead Generation to Generation who since 1993 has been in 40 nations, working with churches and organizations to see mobilization and discipleship of the emerging generation, pioneering in small groups, mission training, mobilization, disaster relief, leadership conferences, church consultation, and resourcing. They are based in the UK. Their vision is to reconnect the generations and preparing them for such a time as this with the goal to see one generation discipling the next and preparing them. During 2020 the world-wide Issachar Network was birthed out of Generation to Generation to further help prepare believers for such a time as this. In addition to Generation to Generation, Andrew hosts the internationally popular podcast, “The Radical Lifestyle Podcast.” Learn more at https://www.gnation2gnation.com/. /episode/index/show/holdonpodcast/id/22943822