A Call to Consider God and Explore His Word
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Hello, and welcome to our blog!
We are Mike and Lauren Valdez, founders of Consider and Explore Ministries: Developing Minds, Built Together, for Little Hearts and Souls.
Our mission is two-fold and deeply meaningful: to help parents everywhere consider God and explore His Word and to help their children learn to do the same. We are passionate about equipping parents to intentionally train their children and teens in habits of godliness and discipline through loving, purposeful instruction. We believe parents are the primary trainers God has called to shape the hearts and minds of their children—and that this calling truly makes an eternal difference. For those of you without children, God has a calling on your life to know Him deeper, and we are passionate about helping you in any way we can.
Who We Are
I (Mike) was born and raised in Syracuse, NY and attended the Buckley Road Baptist Church. In the fall of 2010, I attended Heartland Baptist Bible College and graduated with my undergraduate degree in 2014 and my Masters degree in 2016. After college I married my wife and served alongside of her as the children’s minister at the Harvest Baptist Church in Albany, OR (pastored then by Jorge Lemus, and now Thomas Nunnery) for about 7 years. For the last few years, I have served as one of the Assistant Pastors to Pastor Chad Berry at the Valley Avenue Baptist Church in Falls City, NE.
I (Lauren) was raised in Albany, OR and attended the Harvest Baptist Church pastored by my dad, Jorge Lemus. In the fall of 2010, I attended Heartland Baptist Bible College and graduated with my undergraduate degree in 2014. In 2016, Mike and I moved back to my hometown of Albany, OR were married and began serving in various church ministry role but primarily in the Children’s ministry, including Jr. Church and writing yearly VBS curriculums. In the fall of 2023, we accepted God’s call to move to Falls City, NE where we currently serve today.
A Call to Consider and Explore Ministries
We firmly believe God has called Lauren and me to begin this ministry, and we are humbled and excited to share this journey with you.
Parents, I invite you to pause and thoughtfully consider this question:
What is the greatest gift you could give your child before they grow up and leave your home and your immediate care?
For the sake of this discussion, let’s assume answers such as salvation and loving the Lord are already foundational truths. Beyond those, what comes to mind? Is it something spiritual, financial stability, love for others, strong leadership, or preparation to be a godly spouse?
Now, let me turn the question slightly:
What is something you wish your parents had given you before you left home?
For me, that answer is clear—and I think about it often. Not because my parents failed me; they were loving and faithful, and I am deeply thankful for them. Yet I often find myself wishing I had developed stronger discipline earlier in life.
Discipline touches every area of life. The ability to govern oneself—to pursue what is right even when it is difficult—is invaluable. If my children were to leave my home with nothing more than a clear understanding of what God has called them to do, and the discipline to faithfully pursue it, I would be a very humbled and grateful man.
The Value of Godly Discipline
Many of the things we value most are long-term pursuits:
good health, stable finances, a sound mind, and a faithful walk with God.
These are not achieved with a single decision or a quick effort. They require vision, patience, and consistent discipline. To recognize these things as essential to the Christian life—and to have the discipline to pursue them daily—is a priceless gift. This is what we desire to leave with our children: habits of godliness that shape their lives long after they leave our care.
In the coming blog posts, we will explore these ideas more deeply. But for now, consider this: Proverbs 22 reminds us that parents are trainers. Are we personally fit to offer this gift of discipline to our children?
The truth is, we cannot pass on what we do not practice ourselves. Children quickly recognize hypocrisy. Words alone will not sustain them if our lives tell a different story.
Our Heart and Our Hope
Our desire is to help parents of babies, toddlers, children, and teens develop habits of godliness through meaningful, shared experiences—intellectual exercises, memory practices, habit-building activities, puzzles, and purposeful readings—all designed to foster strong parent-child involvement.
The adversary would love nothing more than to hinder God’s work in the lives of our children. Scripture reminds us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. If a child’s ability to be still, attentive, disciplined, and grounded in truth is weakened—or if parents grow weary and undisciplined themselves—the foundation of faith can begin to erode.
But that does not have to be the story.
Join Us on This Journey
We invite you to walk with us as we seek to help parents grow in discipline, deepen their own walk with God, and truly connect with their children through His Word. Our prayer is that when children leave their homes, they will be equipped—not only with knowledge—but with the discipline to meet with their Heavenly Father daily and to grow in faith, all to the glory of God.
We are honored you are here.