118. Seth Dahl
Seth Dahl is a writer and worldwide speaker to adults and children. He is known for his powerful wisdom communicated through contagious joy and childlikeness. Seth and Lauren love to empower families to build a strong connection that fosters peace and creates a thriving family culture. Seth, Lauren and their three children homestead with a large garden and handful of animals on a small farm in Texas. Tune in to this episode as Seth shares his radical testimony of encountering Jesus while trying to take his own life, hosting a healthy home environment, encountering God on a daily basis, parenting in a technology-driven world and more.
Show Notes:
Bible Verses:
Judges 2:10-11 “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals.”
Topics Discussed
Introduction
- Seth lives on a farm just outside of Austin, Texas.
- Seth grew up in church and went to a Christian school.
- Seth started doing drugs at the age of 16 and became addicted to drugs as a young adult.
- One night Seth was ready to take his own life when he had an encounter with Jesus.
- After that night, Seth was completed delivered from drugs and never did drugs again in his life.
- A week after this encounter with Jesus, Seth began working with a teen youth group.
- Seth moved to New York and ministered to teens for 4 years.
- Seth moved to California and began to work at Bethel Church.
- Seth now lives in Texas on a farm with his wife and children.
How to Have Encounters with a Living God
- You can’t get away from God. He is always with you.
- You are always in an encounter with God.
- Belief positions us to recognize when God is speaking to you.
- Read the Bible.
- Pray, listen and worship.
- Don’t try to get something you already have. God already loves you, you don’t have to try to earn His love for you.
- Don’t do things in a religious way.
- God is always speaking to us.
- The more we spend time with God, the more our relationship grows.
How to Have a Healthy Home Environment
- If you grew up in an unhealthy home, you don’t have to repeat that cycle in your home.
- Take the mask off of God and see Him as He really is.
- The best thing you can do for your kids is to get healthy.
- An unhealthy theology creates an unhealthy home.
- You don’t have to be the product of your unhealthy upbringing.
The Importance of Connection
- There are 4 psychological survival needs for every human: connection, significance, certainty, and variety.
- Connection is one of the main deciding factors to determine if we are very healthy, or very unhealthy.
- If you are not honest, you cannot build connection.
- One of the most important things we can do, is create an environment where it is safe to be honest.
- If you are not honest, it is not a real relationship.
How to Parent Well in a Technology Driven World
- Adjust the use of technology to build connection, not isolation.
- Limit the amount of technology time.
- How can you use technology to bring your family together, not push you apart?
- Legally, children should not be using social media until they are 13 years old.
- There are other phone options like Wise phone, Gap phones, etc. that do not have social media access.
- If you are angry at the television companies (Netflix, DisneyPlus, etc.) for what they are showing your children, it is a sign that you have delegated too much responsibility for them to parent your kids.
- Watch tv and movies with your kids. Take the opportunity to address the sin that is being portrayed in the movie.
- Do not let technology become the babysitter.
Encouragement for Those Waiting to Become Parents
- It was God’s idea for us to have children.
- Sometimes there is a situation where a man or woman is barren so that God can come in and create a miracle child.
- So many of the heroes in the Bible had mothers and fathers who were barren.
- Stay in trust not in stress.
- Fill yourself with testimonies of women in the Bible who were barren and had babies and how powerful those babies became.
- Listen to testimonies that are happening now.
- Find people to pray with you and over you.
- Do not partner with hopelessness or unbelief.
Powerful Quotes:
“What would happen if we raise a generation that really experiences God and really encounters His works?” – Seth
“The parents are the first pastors, and the home is the first church.” – Seth
“Christianity is not just what you do, it’s who you are.” – Seth
“If you want to have encounters with God, the first step is to believe that you are always in one.” – Seth
“Before the devil introduced sin, he introduced religion which led to sin.” – Seth
“Anything I do to earn God’s love; I will require my children to do to earn my love.” – Seth
“One of the most important things we can do, is to create an environment where it is safe to be honest.” – Seth
“Connection happens over what we feel and what we experience.” – Seth
Resources:
Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind by Bill Johnson
Favorite Translation : NKJV
Social Dilemma movie
Win-Win Parenting/Win-Win Families by Seth Dahl
Raising Spirit Led Kids by Seth Dahl
Spirit Led Parenting Facebook Group
Instagram – @sethdahl
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