“My kid just won’t talk! Every time I ask him a question, he just gives me the same answer: ‘I dunno’!”

If this is you, let me share a simple idea that my wife and I learned when our kids were very young. Keep your eyes peeled for a “window to the heart.” These are moments that come up every so often where your child is at a peculiar point of vulnerability and you can engage their heart and mind.

Here are some tips to notice when these windows happen so you can leap through the window:

Watch for your kids to say things that demonstrate openness. It might come in a question such as “Mom, do you think I’m pretty?” or “Dad, what do you think I’m good at?” Or, it may be a comment like, “I don’t think anybody likes me.” It’s easy to reply with “Of course you’re beautiful” and move on, but you might be missing a bigger opportunity!

It always happens when you don’t want it to. It’s usually when you’re tired after a long day or cleaning up dinner when your daughter or son just wants to talk. Don’t  try to put it off until tomorrow. Your child might be open, sensitive, even hurting right then. Always make room to connect when they need to connect.

Encourage openness by “hanging out.”  Many times these windows to the heart will appear when you’re just spending time together, doing nothing serious at all. That’s because sincere moments together demonstrate your unconditional love and affection to your child. In an atmosphere of trust, they feel confident and comfortable brining up what’s really going on. This isn’t just hanging out in the same room--it's spending time together.

Late nights are OK, sometimes. I can’t tell you how many amazing conversations I’ve had with my children late at night. I can usually tell when they’re being manipulative trying to stay up past their bedtimes. But sometimes there is something they really want to get off their chest. Not long ago, my daughter Charity came to me late at night and asked if I would make her a cup of coffee. That was a pretty obvious cue that there was something on her mind, and she wanted to get it out!

So when do you see a window into your child’s heart? Can you think of any moments of openness that you might have missed this last week? Remember, these moments can’t be manufactured, and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Your children will open up to someone. Will it be you? Stay alert and be ready to leap through the window every time it opens up!

Recently my uncle passed away. That would have been absolutely devastating news, but God’s grace had been at work in his life. Just a few months earlier, he had come to know the Lord—all because of a simple project I started with my son, Cameron.

Cameron had just turned 14 and I wanted to figure out a way for us to spend a lot of time together in these very important years of his life.  I had this uncle who restored old cars, so I thought we could give that a try together. I figured it would take a couple of years and lots of work, so we’d have plenty of time together.  I soon realized that it would take several years and a ton of work!

When I first told Cameron what I was thinking, he wasn't very excited. Then I showed him what a finished 1967 Mustang looks like. Let’s just say he warmed up to the idea!

So far, it isn’t much of a car. We just call it “rust bucket” for now. It wasn’t long before we realized we were in way over our heads.

So I called my uncle to ask for advice and he even came out to Texas to help. This turned into a big turning point in my uncle’s life. He has never been a believer and he dealt with a lot of pain as a child that he's blamed God for his whole life.  Any time I'd bring up God he would say how angry he was at God and how he was never going to change, period.  But as we began to work together, he began to open up.

He had been teaching us the importance of getting rid of every piece of rust on our rust bucket, and how if you don't get every single ounce and speck of decay and rust off the car, it will rust over again after you’re all done and ruin all the hard work and money you put into it.

As we worked on that rust, I began to realize that this is exactly what God does in us. He goes into our lives when we’re nothing more than a “rust bucket,” and He scrapes away the rust, decay, and pain that has overtaken our lives to restore us and make us new, clean, and whole!

So I finally just told my uncle, “You know, you're just like God. You take old, nasty rusty things and you restore them and make them new again.  And that's exactly what Jesus does in our lives!”

He wasn’t really sure how to take that at first, but we kept talking, and he ended up giving his life to the Lord! It wasn’t much later when he called to say that he was diagnosed with Leukemia. Soon after that he went to be with Jesus. It was a shock for us all, but we know where he is now, and we can’t wait to see him again soon.

We were praying about next year’s Acquire the Fire theme during this time too, and that got me thinking more about the theme of restoration. Many students today—non-Christians, even Christians—don’t know what it means that God’s grace completely restores their lives. So at Acquire the Fire this year, we’re going to show them how God takes the “rust bucket” of our lives and turns it into something wonderful! I’ll be sharing this story so they can see what happens when we let God restore our lives.

The tour is called Collision, and if you haven’t already, I encourage you to learn more about it on the Acquire the Fire website.

Destiny came to the Honor Academy not knowing what to expect. Now, after her first year, her life is completely turned around, and she is leading other interns as they continue to reach their generation together!

The biggest thing learned I learned at the Honor Academy is humility and considering others greater than yourself. I used to think I was all that, but I’m not. Humility is a big lesson.

It was a hard year! But it was absolutely worth it. Even those hard things were only momentary compared to what I learned and what I gained. The books we read, classes we took, even the ministry placement, all of it was completely worth it. I feel like I am 10 times the person I was before.

For my ministry placement I was an encouragement representative with Global Expeditions. I really didn't think I could encourage other teens to get on the mission field but my supervisor was really a huge support. She really inspired and equipped me. Feeling the weight of responsibility to call 70 missionaries was huge. I realized that if I didn't make those calls, they might not be going on the mission field! I was never given that type of responsibility before.

Now I am staying a second year to be a supervisor for other Global Expeditions callers. Some of the biggest lessons I will take with me are humility and faithfulness, and I have a passion for passing along this urgency to support these missionaries. 

I just heard this story and thought I’d share it with you.

Robin went to Monterrey, Mexico on a mission trip. She was expecting to learn a few new things, but she had no idea what God had in store for her:

What really touched me on the trip was the kids and how they connected to the drama we did, watching their eyes tear up, and seeing God in them. But I also I got to lead an adult to Christ for the first time and it was awesome.

I don't know Spanish so we talked through translator. He came up to me and I could tell he wanted God, you could see it in his eyes. He was so hungry and started asking all these questions. I've never seen somebody so hungry for God before. We prayed together and he accepted Jesus!

On the trip, I learned that people have to look at your actions before they hear what you have to say. I didn't think that I could ever change somebody else’s life through my actions. I know that if I can influence people here, I can influence them at home.

My goal is to turn my youth group upside down, and show them that it's by actions that others will see God’s love in us.

When I got on this trip, I took off my mask. The person that I am here is the person that I want to be at home, and that's the person that follows God, not the person that hides behind the bush.

I started turning my life all the way around when I went to Acquire the Fire. Before that I lived a lie. I was spiritually dead. On this trip I've learned to keep on going, to keep on opening the Word every day. I'm alive now, and God's alive in me!