Key Ingredients for Raising Up DreamersSample

Join in the Fun and Be Their Fan

As God enables your children to grow their skills on the way to fulfilling their callings, you may have a chance to come alongside them. And you can certainly be their biggest fan! 

In the early days of Erwin Brothers Entertainment—Now called Kingdom Story Company—the budget and crew were very small and we were there to do whatever was needed. But now the budgets and crew of Erwin Brothers Entertainment are very large, and we just show up on the set to watch. To tell the truth, I miss those days of small beginnings when we joined in the fun. 

Hank and I moved from being project participants to our sons’ fans when we went to the GMA Dove Awards in Nashville the first year they were nominated for Music Video of the Year. We sat in the balcony so we could watch our sons and their wives below. It seemed as if they would never get to their category, and it turned out to be the last award of the night. We were both nervous wrecks. As the presenters read the nominations and showed a clip of each one, we held each other’s hands so tight that we almost cut off the circulation. Then they said, “And the winner is ‘Slow Fade,’ Casting Crowns, filmed by the Erwin Brothers.” We jumped up, screaming, laughing, crying, and kissing. Later on that night when we were standing in line to be seated for dinner, the couple in front of us turned around and said, “You must be the parents!” We laughed. I’m sure the guys were glad we were in the balcony! Those early years were hard, but they were also so much fun. 

You may or may not be able to be a part of the fun in your children’s work, but you can always be their biggest fan. Here’s a little advice: We always waited to be asked into our sons’ world of filmmaking, and when they outgrew our ability to help, we stepped aside. You may just be able to stand on the sidelines and cheer them on. I once heard a famous actor thank his mom for her encouragement. She thought everything he did deserved an Academy Award. 

I pray that is how you feel about your dreamer. I know I sure do.

Read more about Raising Up Dreamers here.