The Greatest Mission Trip You'll Ever Take

52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #13

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:23:00 +0000

Photo by laudu

Does your family, including your child, receive magazines? Do they tend to collect in piles, collecting dust or lay scattered under beds or toys?

Donate the magazines.

The waiting rooms in doctor’s offices, children’s clinics and hospitals oftentimes use donated reading materials. Children’s magazines are especially helpful for keeping little ones busy while waiting to be called back. Call around, and if you find a place that will accept them, make a point of having your child deliver them with you.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #12

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:47:00 +0000

photo by Suzi T

Are you thinking of starting an allowance program with your child?

Don’t forget to teach tithing.

Establish an allowance of a dollar for a young child, but present the allowance as ten dimes. Then explain that all the money we earn is a blessing from the Lord, and that He wants us to give a portion of it (the first portion) back to help His kingdom grow. Teach that we give a tenth, or a tithe, of what we earn, so one dime of the ten your child receives should be given back to God.

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When God Shows His Hand

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 23:03:00 +0000

photo by The US Army

A church friend of ours, deployed for his second tour of duty in Iraq, is home finishing up a fifteen-day furlough. He returns tomorrow, but we got to spend a little bit of time with him and his fiancée over lunch today. It was a relaxed affair over sandwiches, tortilla chips and salsa as we got caught up and shared stories and news.

Our family comes together in prayer almost every day over Chris, and we told him we’d continue doing so, asking God to place a bubble of protection over both him and his unit. My husband even joked that the other soldiers had better snuggle up real close to him to take full advantage of that protection.

I ran into Chris’ dad at church a couple of Sundays ago and shared how glad I was that Chris had been located in a fairly safe area of Iraq, since in all our Skype and Facebook conversations he hadn’t mentioned any danger. His dad, a veteran of Vietnam, quickly put things into perspective for me.

“That he’s willing to tell us about.”

During our get together Chris substantiated his dad’s statement. One day recently, before leaving on his furlough, while he was on Skype with his dad and fiancée, Chris heard and felt some strange noises.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!

He wondered aloud what they were, and within a few minutes there came a knock on his barracks door. Setting his laptop down on his bunk to answer it, his dad and fiancée could see the whole thing play out through the webcam mounted on his computer. Chris’ demeanor noticeably changed as he received some kind of notification from the person at the door. He then quickly excused himself from his dad and fiancée and shut his computer off.

Four Iraqi missiles had landed in the middle of his camp. None of them had exploded. Personnel were being evacuated so the EOD unit could come in, disarm and safely remove them. Chris had not been willing to share that bit of news at the time, for obvious reasons.

Prayer is a powerful thing, but even more powerful is seeing God’s divine intervention play out in such a palpable way. As our children sat around the table listening to Chris share his story, there were knowing looks exchanged among us. Our prayers had been effective, God had been faithful. It was a potent lesson.

Pray with your children, but more importantly, share when God has responded. Watch your children’s faith grow as they see the magnificent omnipotence of God’s hand at work.

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The Day From Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:22:00 +0000

photo by Tacit Requiem

It had been one of the most trying days in his little life. From the moment my youngest son awoke, every fiber of his two-year old self screamed for attention.

I mean that in the most literal sense.

Nothing that day escaped a pitched battle or a temperamental melt-down. Meals. Snack time. Playing with his sister. Playing alone. Going outside. Staying inside. Rough-housing. Quiet time. Nothing.

By dinner time I was mentally, physically and spiritually exhausted, and there were still three hours left until his bedtime. I was seriously contemplating duct taping his little body to his big boy bed, shutting the door and drowning his preschooler throes with really loud heavy metal music. After all, I needed some kind of rhythm to which to bang my head against the wall with.

What was I doing wrong? We read almost every day from the Bible story book, we played children’s praise songs on CD, I pointed out God’s hand in nature when we played in the back yard, and doggone it, I sang him to sleep every night with “Jesus loves me, this I know.”

So why did this particular day feel like it would have been easier if I had been fed to the lions?

Having raised and turned out the first two children and bringing up the rear with the last two, I’ve acquired a modicum of wisdom and a healthy dose of perspective. Here’s what I’ve learned:

This too shall pass
Fortunately days have only twenty-four hours, seasons come and go, and children either outgrow or mature into the next stage. And with each stage come new challenges and more creative ways for using duct tape. Blessedly there are moments of calm between transitioning. Stake those moments, thank God for them, and lay the rest of them at the feet of Jesus. Have faith that He’ll see you through.

God provides
Just when you think your sanity is about to go on a permanent vacation, God will provide the respite you need. It may be a calm day placed among the chaos, a gracious gift of spousal intervention, or a friend who offers just the right words of encouragement. Your child may even surprise you with a spontaneous gesture of affection that catches you off guard. Consider these all gifts from a merciful God who knows what you have need of before you even ask.

Making Christ the center of your home works
Nothing is ever guaranteed. Holding family devotions, filling your home with worship music and praying for, over and with your child doesn’t assure a profession of faith during his formative years. However, God promises that His word will never return void. At some point the truths of God will pierce your child’s heart, and the foundation you laid for that child in your home will be the bedrock of his decision to follow Him.

That day from hell happened thirteen years ago. My son is growing into a fine young person, along with his brothers and sister. I wasn’t so sure, that day, that he was even going to live past his third birthday. As I finally tucked him into bed, too exhausted to attempt singing “Jesus loves me,” I was thankful to watch his eyes grow heavy and his body slip off into a deep slumber. Before he did he reached his little hand to my face, stroked my cheek, and softly spoke three words that changed the memory of the entire day.

“You’re beautiful, Mama.”

Thank you, Lord.

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"Secret" Easter Codes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:33:00 +0000

photo by Per Ola Wiberg

Here are a couple of super simple ideas to help bring the hope of Easter, a risen Savior, to the forefront for your children. Since kids enjoy using passwords, you can incorporate these ideas into your usual activities over Easter weekend.

Open Sesame
Before a family member may enter a room or through any doorway, there has to be an exchange in order to get in:

“He is risen!”

“He is risen, indeed!”

This is a common greeting around Easter time and will prepare your child to respond if your pastor or your child’s youth leader happens to announce it to the congregation. It also helps put the focus of the holy day squarely where it needs to be: on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and not some pink rabbit with a basket full of goodies.

Do You Know The Secret Code?
During the early church, when persecution was rampant and often deadly, believers had to be very careful about with whom they shared Christian information. If a believer got a sense that the person with whom he was speaking was a fellow believer, he would take his foot and draw a curved line in the dirt.

If the other person was a fellow believer he would know the meaning of the symbol and would then use his foot to complete the picture.

Spend Easter weekend prompting each other with “the code”. Draw half the fish symbol on a sticky note and post it in a conspicuous spot, maybe the bathroom mirror, and see who completes it first (don’t forget to leave a writing utensil nearby!). While waiting for your food to be served in a restaurant pass the code between you and your child on a napkin. You can even use the dust accumulating on the back end of your car (a great use of God's dirt to evangelize the world, if you ask me).

Super simple, super easy, and a fun way to make Easter more meaningful for your child.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #11

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:22:00 +0000

photo by Mike Licht

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by someone’s act of kindness at a moment when you least expected it? Didn’t it just make your day? Here’s a way to teach your child the art of paying it forward.

Leave grocery coupons for others.

Practice some stealth charity, the kind where no one will ever know it was you and your child who did it. Sit down together and go through your stash of coupons. Pull out several, and during your next grocery store visit leave several of them next to their items in plain view of unsuspecting shoppers. Giddiness while doing it is totally appropriate.

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3 Ideas For Opening Communication Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:42:00 +0000

A recent mother-daughter outing resulted in this snapshot

My daughter recently shared a discussion she was part of in her youth group, where the girls were asked who they would turn to if they needed to talk about a problem or concern. Most of the girls said they would turn to a girlfriend, or maybe even a specific teacher or coach - not unusual responses. But one girl surprised her peers with her answer.

She would go to her parents.

Most of the group replied with a “You’re kidding” or “Seriously?” in response to her answer, somewhat dumbfounded that any teenage girl could have such a relationship. Then, as my daughter reported it, many of them remarked how they wish they had that kind of openness with their mom or dad.

Research studies show that our children want that kind of relationship with us, but we have either believed cultural perceptions, gotten ourselves too busy or allowed our own personal faulty thinking to intervene with connecting with our kids.

If we desire to share our faith with our children, if it’s our goal that they learn about the Good News of Jesus Christ, if we want them to experience a personal relationship with a Savior, then we have to open up communication lines with our kids so we have those opportunities to share.

Below are three ideas for doing just that. No rocket science here, folks. Sometimes we just need reminders to do what works.

Schedule a regular parent-child day
I emphasize the word ‘schedule’ here. If your calendar looks anything like our family’s, this activity just won’t happen of its own accord. I also want to emphasize the word ‘regular.’ You determine what would work for you, then tell your child what day(s) are going to be your special get-togethers. Plan with your child what you’re going to do and how long you’ll get to spend with each other.

Make it something that would be totally enjoyable for your child. There shouldn’t be any hidden agenda, such as an educational purpose or a hoped-for spiritual breakthrough. Save those for other times. The goal is to allow you and your child to relax together, encourage conversation, and to get to know each other.

My daughter and I get together once a week, usually over a meal somewhere. With her work schedule and my jam-packed calendar, Thursdays are typically what work best, although we’re flexible if we need to be. Three Thursdays a month we stay local, grabbing a quick bite and spending maybe an hour or so talking. Once a month we make it an all-day affair, throwing in a shopping trip to a mall or something. Spending money is actually optional, but we enjoy trying to find a ridiculous clearance price on an article of clothing, smelling the newest scents at Yankee Candle Co., or making wisecracks about how much of the Victoria’s Secrets model’s beauty is actually natural.

Take advantage of at-home quiet times
Sometimes these are spontaneous and sometimes they can be planned if you know you’re family’s calendar well enough. This is one-on-one time where other family members are gone, or where the rest of the family knows this is your special time together and won’t interrupt you inordinately.

Do an activity of shared interest. Bake a batch of cookies. Build a lean-to. Have a tea party. Erect a race track for a ball bearing. Just you and your child. Have fun, laugh, talk and play together. Relax. Open yourself up for sharing and connecting.

Nobody else in our house particularly likes sci-fi the way my youngest son and I do. We like watching Star Trek. I wouldn’t call us Trekkies, but we definitely share nerdish qualities that the rest of the family just doesn’t get. Same thing with movies based on Marvel comics. Stan Lee is a world-class cultural icon in our eyes. Sometimes we’ll discuss certain things during the TV show or movie, but most of the conversation comes afterwards when we share favorite lines of dialogue, cool action scenes or pretend to zap each other with spidey-goop from our wrists.

Plan those spontaneous moments
Yes, that sounds like an oxymoron. It’s not very spontaneous if you have to plan it, is it? What I’m talking about is springing a surprise on your child that you knew about ahead of time, perhaps as you woke up that morning and decided that you could put aside your usual chores for the afternoon and spend some time with your child.

These are snippets of time together, designed strictly to have a moment of fun in the midst of the typical day. Go for a bike ride. Dash up to Dairy Queen for a Dilly Bar. Play H-O-R-S-E at the basketball court. Go to the playground and dare to go down the slide with your kid. Take your teen out for a driving lesson. Go for a walk.

The overriding theme to these ideas is to have fun and RELAX. You also need to engage with your child. These are times where you want to find out what your child thinks about and what’s going on in his life, not spend time expounding on adult matters.

Connecting with our child one-on-one like this is not about teachable moments, per se. However, regularly interacting with our child like this will open up countless opportunities in the future for sharing what we know is most important: a relationship with a risen Savior.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #10

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:59:00 +0000

photo by robinsan

It’s easy for our children to develop a narrow vision of the world around them. They hear of the poor, the hungry, the lonely, but unless they’re purposefully led to engage with those who suffer, our children will not learn how to give to those who are less fortunate.

Volunteer your time.

Nursing homes are filled with people who don’t have family to come visit. Food pantries need stockers and other staff to care for the community poor. Soup kitchens always need workers, not just during the holidays. Even the local animal shelter could use a hand with taking care of the throwaways that end up there. Where can you and your family fill in?

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A Father's Instruction And A Mother's Teaching

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:16:00 +0000

photo by skittzitilby

Our family began a study of Proverbs this morning, passing the Bible around while each one of us read 6-7 verses of Chapter One. The first ten chapters of Proverbs is the Prologue, kind of an introduction about, well, the wisdom of being wise, really. It’s full of admonition about how important it is for the reader to forsake the ways of the foolish in favor of obtaining instruction in discernment and knowledge.

Verse eight says the following:

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.”

I bet I’m not the only parent who wants to jab their child, reminding him in a not-so-gentle way to PAY ATTENTION to that verse, especially if he wants that proverbial head garland and neck chain promised in the next verse. After all, if this child would just LISTEN TO ME when I tell him something, he would “live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm” (verse33). “Harm” in this case is losing whatever electronic device I deem would create the most discomfort while the child discerns how he could have handled a situation differently.

(In truth, I haven’t had to employ this disciplinary tactic for several years, my two children remaining at home being 15- and 17-years old. Such is the benefit of putting Christ in the center of your home, but that’s a topic for another article. Suffice it to say it would be the disciplinary method of choice if I had to use it.)

What struck me about verse eight this time, however, was not how my children should heed it, but how I should be living it. Frankly, I don’t think I’ve been doing such a crack-up job of teaching godly truths to my children lately.

I spoke about it with my husband the other day. Since he’s retired from driving over the road, which used to place me as the one in authority while he was away during the week, I’ve relinquished some of my responsibility toward teaching the children. I guess I kind of thought, well, Bill’s home now so I’ll step back in deference to his place as the primary teacher.

And he has stepped up to assume that role. Every morning he brings us together for a daily family devotion of prayer and Bible reading. Somewhere in the transition, though, I lost touch with my role.

What’s my role? Seeking opportunity to insert Jesus into my daily conversation and activity with my children, what others would call ‘teachable moments.’ The operative word here is ‘seeking.’ During these transitional months of my husband being home 24/7 and us adapting to a new routine, I’ve gotten a little complacent about looking for those teachable moments.

It’s kind of hard for my child to forsake my teaching if I’m not making a diligent effort to, um, teach. That jab I spoke of earlier needs to come poking around in my direction.

Yes, I suppose you could argue that it’s only been a few months since my husband retired, and after all, what terrible thing could have befallen my children during that time? However, I’m reminded that it is all too easy to allow complacency to gain a foothold. None of us intend for it to happen. But it does happen, in tiny little increments, until at some point it becomes a totally different lifestyle from what we had not that long ago.

We must always be in appraisal of the role God has called us to, especially if we are a parent. We must consistently be in the Word of God so His truths pierce whatever veil of distraction or complacency have occurred or, quite frankly, we’ve allowed.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #9

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:16:00 +0000

photo by Horia Varlan

In a lot of homes, there’s a TV in every bedroom, along with a video game system, a stereo, a computer and any number of other electronic devices. It makes it very easy to shut out the rest of the family and indulge in self-focus.

There are towels that need to be folded.

Charity needs to start at home, and that includes doing things for other family members. Everyone needs clean towels, so the next time the bath linens are laundered, give your child the task of folding the towels. It’s something even young children can be taught how to do.

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Finishing An Inductive Study With Your Child

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:10:00 +0000

photo by D'Arcy Norman

After reading a passage from different translations, helping your child understand the context, and delving deeper with meaningful questions, you’re ready to complete the study with Interpretation and Application.

Interpretation
Help your child draw conclusions about what he’s just read. Children are very literal, concrete thinkers. If you’ve taken several days to conduct this study, reading the passage each time so your child has come to know it well, then let him work on the literal meaning of the passage. Ask some well placed questions to jar his thinking.

What did the text mean? What lesson did the writer want the reader to learn? If you’re not quite sure yourself, don’t be afraid to consult your pastor, a trusted teacher or a commentary for additional insight.

Remember to keep things in context. It’s very easy, and has been done for centuries, to take a single verse and build a philosophy around it. Keep the passage in context with what’s happening in both the preceding and subsequent chapters and what has been written by other authors in the Bible. The Bible doesn’t contradict itself. Unless the Scripture indicates otherwise, interpret what you read literally.

Application
Finally, how can your child apply this lesson personally to his life? This is where the proverbial rubber meets the road, but may also be difficult for your child to figure out for himself. This requires some abstract thinking, a skill most children don’t develop until they’re older.

Gently guide his thinking, helping him see potential relevance in school , play, work and the relationships he has in his life, including those with church family and God. A particular passage may have more than one truth that can be applied. For the younger child, I would choose just one to focus on. For the older child who is capable of more complex thinking, you may try to pull out as many applications as is appropriate.

For the scene where Jesus is overturning the moneychangers’ tables, you may ask if there’s a difference between the anger your child displays toward a sibling who takes something of his and the anger Jesus displayed. Or, you can discuss the relevance of taking a relationship with God too lightly. A broader perspective with an older child might include the dangers of a church which seeks worldly solutions to its operation.

This one aspect of inductive study has the potential for generating the most discussion. Feel free to stretch the conversation out for as long as the topic holds interest. Share from your own personal experience of how applying, or not applying, the truth affected you or a situation. Find multiple instances in your child’s life where the Scriptural lesson can be applied.

Conducting an inductive Bible study with your child can make family devotions richer with meaning. Add this approach as another tool to your chest of devotion ideas.

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Inductive Bible Study For Kids - Deeper Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:30:00 +0000

Photo by Stefan Baudy

Now we can get into some deeper questions, helping your child see that what is in the Bible isn’t just good stories or ancient concepts, but personal relevance and daily application of God’s truths for himself.

As stated in the previous article on contextual questions, you don’t have to ask all these questions in one sitting. Depending on the length of the passage you’re studying, you may want to reread it each time you tackle a set of questions, the premise being that each time your child hears the verses, more and more of the passage’s meaning becomes clear.

Here are the questions you may consider asking:

1. Are there any repeated words, themes or ideas? Is there something in particular that sticks out? You would probably find this applicable if you’re reading a chapter or book, say one of the Pauline epistles in the New Testament.

2. Are there any commands to obey? This can either be inferred, as when Jesus taught in parable form, or very straightforward, as in ‘Honor your father and mother.’

3. What are the promises I can trust God to keep? If you see a command, look for the promise to follow. (For another great study to do with your kids, check out this study on commands and promises using the Book of Matthew.)

4. What do I learn about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? What do I learn about fellow believers?
5. Are there any expressions of time? This can be literal, as when the end times can be anticipated, or in general, such as what to say when persecution comes our way (“At that time you will be given what to say.” Mt. 10:19).

6. Are there any lists? Why do we put lists together? How do lists help us remember things?

7. Are there any cause and effect relationships? This is one question that can be asked with just about any area of the Bible. Commands and promises (if you do this you will be rewarded with this). Rebellion and punishment (the Book of Exodus if filled with this). Obedience and greater responsibility. Persecution and sacrifice. There are lots of cause and effect relationships in the Bible.

8. Are there any terms of transition or conclusion? One of our pastors has drilled into us that when we see the word “therefore” in the beginning of a passage to pay attention to what happened in the previous section. The word “therefore” is ‘there for’ a particular reason.

Always remember that the reason for delving deeper into the Bible with your child is not so he knows more about God, but so he can know God more. It’s to build a transforming relationship with the Lord and Savior, not to acquire biblical information.

The next article will finish up with some concluding questions and activities to round out an inductive study that you can do with your child.

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Context Questions For Inductive Bible Study

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:11:00 +0000

photo by Stefan Baudy

It’s easy to assume too much with our children sometimes, thinking they understand certain things just because it’s so obvious to us. After all, it’s right there in black and white. Then we find out, usually at an inopportune moment that, not only does our child not understand, they don’t have a clue.

Asking contextual questions is a good way to make sure your child understands what he’s just read. If he’s school-age, this will not be a foreign concept to him, yet this is inherent with the inductive study method.

You don’t have to ask each and every question in the list, and it’s not mandatory that your child answer each one 100% correctly. The questions merely provide a framework for gauging your child’s comprehension, while at the same time supplying you with teaching points for guiding discussion.

After reading a passage together, ask any of these questions of your child/ren:

1. Who? - Who is speaking or writing? Who is this about? Who are the main characters? To whom is this being addressed?
* You may need to go to a study Bible or in the front of the book you’re reading (for instance, the first page of the Book of Romans) to answer some of these questions. It’s good to do this together with your child since it teaches him how to look it up for himself.

2. What? - What is the subject? What is happening? What instructions are given?
* Ask your child to describe in his own words what he thinks is going on in the passage. It’s not necessary for him to recite every detail, but see if he gets the general gist of it. If you think he missed an important highlight guide him toward remembering it on his own. Otherwise, just tell him. You’ll probably get an “oh, yeah” from him as his recall kicks in.

3. When? - When do or will the events occur? When did or will something happen to a particular person, group of people or nation?
* You’re looking for a general idea of when something is taking place relative to events around it. If you look at the passage or chapter either just before or just after, you’re likely to get clues as to when the passage you just read takes place.

4. Where? - Where did or will this happen? Where was it said?
* The passage where Jesus overturned the moneychangers’ tables took place in the temple courtyard, in Jerusalem, in Israel, which is in the Middle East, on the eastern side of the Mediterranean. The maps in the back of many Bibles are most helpful for this.

5. Why? - Why is something being said? Why did it happen? Why at this time? Why to this person, group of people or nation?
* Look within the context of the preceding/following passage/chapter to get clues. Don’t be afraid to make your child work for the answer, gently guiding him through the possible reasons for why something was said or done.

6. How? - How will it happen? How is it to be done? How is it illustrated?
* This may be trickier to answer, depending on the passage, but often clues of prophecy are included in the answer to this question.

Use these questions after reading from different translations to assure your child's comprehending of the passage. Depending on your child's age and attention span you can either go on to deeper questions, which we'll cover in the next article, or save those questions for the next day.

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Helping Your Child Find His Way Around The Bible, Part 2

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Inductive Bible Study For Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:40:00 +0000

photo by John-Morgan

Inductive reasoning is not an easy characteristic for kids to develop, not on their own, anyway. Their thinking is concrete and literal - what you see is what you get. The most important point of reading the Bible, however, is to learn how to take God’s truths and apply them directly to our lives.

Which is a little hard to do when you’re reading the story of Jesus tearing up the temple in a piqued fit of righteous anger. How does little Johnny figure out what to do with that?

We can guide our children to develop the skill of inductive reasoning by leading our family Bible studies with well placed questions. You can start this process even with your preschoolers, modifying the questions so their young brains can understand what you’re asking.

I’ll begin today describing how to get started with an inductive Bible study with your child, then take the next two or three articles sharing the kinds of questions to ask that will help him grow in knowing more of God.

Inductive Bible study makes for a richer family devotion time, deeper in meaning and longer lasting in impact. Give it a try.

Read the passage in different translations
How many different translations of the Bible can one home have, anyway? The answer: as many as you want. Those of us who are students of the Bible will have our favorites, but the benefit of having several to look through is to present a slightly different phrasing on the same passage. Sometimes we can read a passage in one translation and get nothing out of it, while another translation will have just the right wording to make it scream with relevance.

This can be done with your younger child as well, even if what you’re reading is a picture Bible like the Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm. Read the passage about Jesus overturning the moneychangers tables from the story Bible, asking the questions we’ll cover over the next few days. Then, perhaps during the next day’s family devotion time (you’re dealing with short attention spans here, remember), choose a “grown-up” Bible but with an easier translation (perhaps the New Living Translation, for instance), and read the same passage to your child.

At this age your primary goal is introducing your child to important people and events from the Bible, but you can use a modernized, simplified translation to add a different element. I certainly wouldn’t get carried away with this method with younger children or you’ll end up with a squirming, wiggling, disinterested puddle of a child on your floor.

However, do consider using different translations with older children, especially those of reading age. Give each person in the family a different translation to read the passage from and see what each person thinks of how the passage is represented in a particular Bible. It could produce some interesting conversation.

Next article: Asking questions to help flesh out context.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #8

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:42:00 +0000

photo by nateOne

The cashier at the supermarket checkout is all business. The teen behind the fast-food counter looks stressed. The nurse at the doctor’s office is in a hurry. Maybe it’s a bad day, maybe it’s just an off moment.

They need a smile and a friendly wave.

Charity doesn’t have to be complicated or labor-intensive. All these people need is a reason to turn their attitude around, and a smile and a friendly wave lets them know that not everything is going wrong with their day. Challenge your child to give away a smile and a wave to someone who needs it while you’re out together.

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noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:19:00 +0000

photo by dcjohn

Have you ever had one of those moments when your child innocently (or maybe not so innocently) thrusted a convicting statement in your face, where you had to sheepishly agree that what he said was right? It produces mixed emotions in you. It’s hard to be proud of your child's keen insight when your pride is taking a hit.

Such a scenario happened the other day while we were sitting around the kitchen table discussing Sunday’s sermon with my husband, who had missed it while involved with some other things (he later watched the sermon online). Our pastor gave a very convicting lesson on being submissive and respectful toward others, especially those in authority.

Of course, he touched on how children should be respectful toward their parents, and wives to their husbands, but our pastor was teaching out of Romans 13: 1-7, the passage about submitting to our governing authorities.

Now, to put the rest of the conversation in proper perspective, you have to understand that, since my husband retired in October, he’s opened Twitter and Facebook accounts where he spends a good amount of time debating - a polite term, really - the virtues of the current federal administration. He’s acquired a healthy following, including some well-known liberal-leaning radio personalities who keep track of his “tweets”.

As the rest of the family outlined the high points of the sermon to my husband, we had a very lively discussion - a polite term, really - about the value of using a constitutional basis for determining our response to current policies coming out of Washington, and our level of esteem toward the authors of these said policies. Eventually my husband watched the sermon online and had to admit that his walk of faith needed some tweaking - a polite term, really - where it pertains to certain governing authorities.

At some point we came together to have our time of family prayer. We try to do this daily, not only praying for needs within our household, but going down a fairly lengthy list of friends and family who are in need of a saving relationship with the Lord. My husband leads this time of devotion and always asks if there is someone or something that needs to be added to the list.

More often than not the answer is, “no”, but this day our 17-year old daughter spoke up. With a slight grin on her face she said, “Dad, you need to pray for President Obama and what you’re telling your followers about him.”

There was a lo-o-ong pause from my husband. Then, in exaggerated humility, he hung his head, slumped his shoulders and said, “o-k-a-y.”

One of the biblical virtues we need to pray that our children receive is the virtue of respect - respect for self, for others, and for those in authority over us, even if we don’t agree with them. Teach your child 1 Peter 2:17. As you pray for your child, pray that he learns to apply God’s truths in his own life so that it may go well with him.

And remember, our children are always watching us.

Father, grant that my child may show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #7

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:51:00 +0000

photo by slgckgc

Sometimes charity comes in the form of courtesy and good manners.

Teach your child to ask before taking the last of something.

Whether it’s the last cookie, the last dinner roll, or the last balloon at the party, instruct your child to ask everyone present at the table or the person in charge of the affair if it would be all right if he took the last item. Teach him that real charity comes, when the answer is ‘no’, when he graciously gives up the thing he asked for.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #6

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:12:00 +0000

photo by steinbdj

Certain times of the year are harder than others for some people to cope with the challenges of life. However, have you ever known anyone to turn down the gift of song when it’s sung genuinely from the heart?

Don’t save caroling for Christmas.

Gather your family or a group of neighborhood friends and visit your local nursing home or area shut-ins. You can sing hymns, classic children’s songs, or well known popular songs of a by-gone era (anyone for “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?). Your visit will be a treasured moment for their week - or year!

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A Biblical Virtue To Pray For Your Child

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:00:00 +0000

photo by RJ Bejil

Ask any Christian parent and he or she will tell you just how important it is that we pray for our children. Somehow, though, it’s one of those “duh” statements that may lose something in its application. I know in my case it is all too easy to get caught up in the inconsequential minutiae of my children’s lives. I find myself praying for answers to their life problems as opposed to the character qualities that bring eternal life and earthly joy.

If I were to pray for biblical virtues in my children’s lives, what would that look like? Fortunately, the answer fell into my lap one day when I was in our church’s Prayer Room. I found a prayer card entitled “31 Biblical Virtues To Pray For Your Kids” written by Bob Hostetler with Pray! Magazine. The card conveniently outlined Christian character traits, complete with prayer and corresponding Bible verses, that I could pray each day of the month for over my children.

I like not having to reinvent the wheel.

The first virtue on the prayer card is salvation.

“Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10)

There are families who are so blessed to have all their children come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but most, ours included, will have a child who either rebels outright or falls sway to the things of the world and the flesh over the truths of God. As parents, we can only be obedient to God’s commands that we bring our children up in the Lord, but nothing guarantees that all important decision for God’s saving grace in their lives.

Praying for our child’s salvation, then, is a vital endeavor. When our family prays for someone’s salvation, we also include the following:

* God, grant them more time here on earth so they have every opportunity to get to know You;
* Grant them knowledge of You so they may want to know even more;
* Grant me courage to be a godly influence in their lives.

Pray for your child’s salvation. In a household centered on Christ it is a prayer that will be answered because it brings glory to God. The timing is all His. The obedience is all yours.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:55:00 +0000

photo by D'Arcy Norman

So many people in the world suffer from poor eyesight, but don’t have the means for obtaining reading glasses.

Gather old glasses so others can see.

There are two programs which recycle old eyeglasses for distribution to those who need them but can’t otherwise afford them. One is Lion’s Club International, which sets up drop-off centers for used glasses in good condition. The other is Medical Ministries International who will distribute used eyeglasses to third world countries. Wrap them well in bubble wrap and good padding and send them to: Medical Ministries, Attn: eyeglass recycling, 12281 SW 28th, Miami, FL 33175.

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When Discipling Our Children Gets Difficult

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:54:00 +0000

photo by pedrosimoes

Does it ever seem like for every one step forward the world pushes your child two steps back? It can be an uphill battle, sometimes. Actually, if your focus is on establishing a Christ-centered home and you intentionally disciple your child, it’s an uphill battle all the time.

Maybe we need a reminder to be more bold, more purposeful, more open to the Spirit’s pushing us in the right direction. I found this prayer in a newsletter from a missionary that I think speaks to that reminder. I hope it emboldens you as it did me, when I find myself thinking that I’ve already done enough, or I’ve become complacent or too well pleased with my efforts in discipling my children.

Disturb us Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess
We’ve lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life, we’ve ceased to dream of eternity,
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We’ve allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wilder seas,
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes;
And push back the future in strength, courage, hope and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain, Who is Jesus Christ.

(Found in a ship’s log on the eve of one of Sir Francis Drake’s voyages)

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Some Interesting Stats For Christian Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:21:00 +0000

photo by Newsbie Pix

We regularly receive a newsletter called The Parent Link through our church’s youth ministry. It’s full of good information, ideas and thought-provoking articles to get us parents of teens communicating with our kids.

There’s also a fair amount of disturbing statistics shared in the pages. Chew on some of these:

* In Group Magazine’s annual survey of almost 30,000 Christian teenagers, 52% of kids said “Spending time with my parents is one of my favorite things to do.” But almost 40% said “I’m around my parents a lot, but we rarely have long, enjoyable conversations.”

* More than two-thirds (69%) of young people approve of living together before marriage. And almost half (49%) of “churched” kids approve of this arrangement. (Gallup Poll)

* Studying a group he calls “Mosaics,” those born between 1984 and 2002, Kinnaman found that 84% of those young people knew at least one committed Christian, but only 15% of this same group could see a difference in lifestyle between themselves and their self-proclaimed Christian friends. (David Kinnaman, author of Unchristian: What A New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity)

Stats like these tell me we have work to do. It’s not enough to presume that our child falls outside these figures. Unless we know otherwise for sure, we have to actively disciple our children in God’s truths and exemplify them daily in our lives at home, at work and in the community.

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Pray The Psalms With Your Children

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:55:00 +0000

photo by DrGBB

About two months ago our family attended a Farewell Party for a friend from church who was being deployed for his second tour of duty to Iraq. It was a bittersweet occasion, as you can imagine. There was an awesome cake with little toy jeeps and tanks, a smattering of gifts for him to take overseas and lots of hugs and goodbyes.

One of the gifts presented to Chris was a devotional based on Psalm 91. The couple who brought it, an older gentleman and his wife who are blessed with wonderful wisdom and the gift of encouragement, vowed to pray Psalm 91 over Chris while he was away. They invited us to join them as they read the Psalm aloud, inserting Chris’ name where it was appropriate.

Surely He will save Chris from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover Chris with His feathers, and under His wings Chris will find refuge; His faithfulness will be Chris’ shield and rampart. (Ps. 91:3-4)

Our family had never prayed the Psalms during our devotionals, but we found that once we started praying Psalm 91 over our friend, we began looking for other Psalms to pray over other people. It’s kind of like, why reinvent the wheel when there are so many great devotions we can use right in the Bible?

Missionary friends in Juarez, Mexico, known for its gang-infested streets and drug-related violence, received Psalm 116 as our prayer for them. Danger literally comes to this church’s front door.

The cords of death entangled Terry and Carmen, the anguish of the grave came upon them; they were overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then we called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save them!” The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when Terry and Carmen were in great need, He saved them. (Ps. 116:3-6)

A granddaughter recently graduated with a nursing degree, went through naval basic training and is stationed in San Diego. We’re trying to encourage her toward a dedicated walk with the Lord, so we pray Psalm 20 over her.

May He give Erin the desire of her heart and make all her plans succeed. We will shout for joy when Erin is victorious ad will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all Erin’s requests. (Ps. 20:4-5)

Finally, we prayed Psalm 92 over my husband and for our family in general. We have watched our finances dwindle over the last year and a half after my husband lost his job and was never able to replace his original salary because of the economy. Yet, in spite of all this, he retired this past October. We really don’t have any idea how we’re doing it, but our finances are holding.

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. (Ps. 92:1-3)

If you’re looking for something different to do with your family devotions or need an idea for how to start, consider praying the Psalms with your children. Feel free to utilize any of the ones I listed, or do the ol’ blind pick - open to Psalms and randomly pick one, determine where it might be appropriate and pray it over that person or situation.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:01:00 +0000

photo by John Pannell

The volunteers who teach Sunday school classes for children are a marvelous, dedicated bunch. Every week they pull together lessons, dream up creative activities and prepare the materials needed for teaching their students.

Help make their ministry easier.

Spend a few hours as a family organizing and cleaning out the supply cabinets that the Sunday school teachers use. Throw out damaged or useless materials, sort supplies into proper containers, neatly stack paper and books, and organize the shelves into like materials. It will make their teaching ministry so much easier to prepare for since it will take half the time to find what they need.

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52 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Charitable - #3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:02:00 +0000

photo by sunriseottah

Do your children have a hard time practicing charity within their own family?

Challenge them to a Random Act of Kindness Week.

For one week, charge each person with doing something nice for every member of the family. The acts are to be unsolicited and genuinely helpful (eating the last piece of cake so someone else isn’t tempted doesn’t count!). Ideas include making someone’s bed, folding someone else’s laundry, washing the car, picking up a sibling’s toys, doing someone else’s chores and tending to gardening jobs. To add a little bit of excitement, consider adding the element of stealth. They have to do it and not be caught by the other person!

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