It has always been a problem. After we have committed ourselves to being disciples of Jesus Christ, how do we live? How do we make specific decisions in our daily life? To say, "follow the Ten Commandments" or "do what Jesus said to do," begs the question. Daily life is vastly different today. Our choices seem innumerable. Children are faced with a more complex set of temptations. No one ever offered Jesus a smoke. He didn't have 24-hour cable "news" channels to watch. In those days, getting an infection could be a death sentence.

Charles M. Sheldon's "In His Footsteps," written in 1896, continues to be very popular. At the height of its popularity, scores of Christians used it as a way to live Christian lives. More recently it was WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelets. Trying to envision Jesus making the decision one needed to make can provide clues as to what one should do.

I don't think Jesus would play violent games of any kind or wear expensive, status clothes. But some issues are more complex and perplexing. Jesus would be concerned about the lack of health care for many of America's children, but what would be his solution? Jesus would reach out and care for immigrants -- legal or illegal -- who needed help, but how would he solve the immigration issue? Jesus wouldn't fight the bully at school, but how would he respond to those who harassed or intimidated others?

There are no easy answers to many of the issues that children (and adults) face today. Tony Campolo uses the example of his student days when the math book came with the answers in the back. The teacher pointed out that while they could get the correct answers from the back of the book, they wouldn't learn much math that way. Campolo says that maybe life is like that too. Only by struggling to find the answers on our own do we grow as Christians and develop as Christians.

Sprouts provides a wonderful opportunity for children to work through some of their decisions about their behavior. In the supportive community of the covenant group, with adult leaders who guide but don't insist on their own way, they consult Scripture, tradition, reason, and the experiences of themselves and others in order to find their way. They discuss how they can invite the lame, the poor, and the blind to the table or how to be a servant. With the accountability and support of their group, Sprouts decide which TV shows, movies, or video games are appropriate and why. They may develop a strategy for dealing with bullies or the demands of prestige and status. The immersion in practices of devotion, worship, kindness, and justice gives them a framework for becoming faithful disciples and witnesses of Jesus Christ in the world.

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