Chasing Bigfoot | Part 5

The big idea

A parent's primary job is to be their child's leader before their cheerleader, because a child who is only cheered for and never led will eventually have nothing to cheer about.

Good parenting isn't ultimately about being your child's biggest fan — it's about leading them well, the way God leads us. Hebrews 12 shows that God disciplines those He loves, marking boundaries, correcting wrong paths, and coaching us toward growth, and parents are called to mirror that same pattern with their own kids.

Point 1 of 6

Pastor Bill frames this as the final message in the Chasing Bigfoot parenting series, where each week a well-meaning idea is shown to become harmful when raised above its proper place. Being a cheerleader for your kids isn't wrong, but treating it as a parent's primary role is a myth that sets kids up for failure.

Point 2 of 6

Pastor Bill reads through Hebrews 12:1-13, noting that it follows the faith hall of fame in Hebrews 11 and is written to a persecuted community needing endurance. He points out the passage explicitly compares God's correction to a father disciplining his children, and that being disciplined is proof of being loved and truly His child, not evidence of rejection.

Point 3 of 6

Using a sports analogy, Pastor Bill explains that before a game a groundskeeper marks what's in bounds and out of bounds. Parents must clearly define what their family stands for and where the lines are, rather than making rules up as they go, which only confuses and frustrates kids.

Point 4 of 6

This is the role Pastor Bill spends the most time on, describing two failed extremes: the abusive, controlling parent who disciplines out of vengeance, and the checked-out parent who yells but never follows through, leaving kids in chaos. He shares his own line, 'Are we at war?' as an example of calm, strategic correction rather than spontaneous emotional reaction.

Point 5 of 6

Pastor Bill traces how tolerance once meant respectful disagreement but now means all truths must be equally valid or you're labeled intolerant. He argues this shift teaches people, including Christians, to find identity in anything but Christ, using the example of a four-year-old being told to decide their own gender while the same voices object to letting kids choose their own food.

Point 6 of 6

Pastor Bill contrasts his cheerleading mother, who made him feel good but didn't make him better, with his coaching father, whose correction, like making him run laps for a costly mental mistake in a game, actually made him a better athlete. He argues boundaries and discipline don't restrict freedom, they create it, while lack of discipline leads to slavery.

Take it into your week

Pastor Bill's charge is to choose to be a leader rather than just a cheerleader, even though it takes courage.