Jesus of Nazareth . . . was a prophet,
powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
Luke 24:19

I have brought the Gentiles to God
by my message and by the way I lived before them.
Romans 15:18

Jesus was powerful in His words and His deeds.

In Romans Paul acknowledges his success in leading others to Christ came from not only his words, but the life he lived.

Never forget that our own attitudes and actions influence our children more deeply than our words.

Children Learn What They Live
by Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

This poem hung on my wall when my children were young as a reminder that someone was always watching my deeds, even if they were not listening to my words.

(Check out the book, Children Learn What They Live.   In it the author expounds on each of the qualities mentioned in her 1954 poem.)

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In a previous post I mentioned a suggestion from Dr. Jo Bevington – “What joy it is to me to make me a pocket verse everyday and by the end of the day I have memorized it…..So I think what fun it would be for families of preschoolers to make their child a “pocket verse” every day.  Since young children are concrete learners, the words of the Bible might become valuable to them if they carried around a little Bible thought each day.”

I tried this with our 3 year old Grant over the Christmas holidays.  We put a Bible verse in his pocket, had him bring it out during the day, and we read it to him.  By the end of the day he had memorized the short verse (and so had we).  Just as Jo predicted, the pocket verse was so valuable to him that he pulled it out the next day to show to those that visited.

Pocket verses – they are not just for children

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It is a live-action video using pipe cleaner characters.  The music is the classic children’s song by Bill Gaither with new tracks.

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Memorize this verse today and tell your children that Jesus gives us a new year full of new experiences and new opportunities.

Spend time talking about the new things yall could do this year – visit a new place, help a new person, make a new friend, read a new book, start a new habit, learn a new craft, memorize a new scripture each week. Write a few things down and encourage your children to illustrate them.  Keep on the fridge all year as a reminder to carry out these new experiences.

Thank God for the past year and ask Him for help to do new things for Him this year.

May your 2012 be filled with fun with family and fellowship with God.

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Tonight all 10 members of the Daws family are home together for the first time in a year and we just had our annual birthday party for Jesus. We sang happy birthday and blew out candles on cupcakes.  We unwrapped the present for Jesus which is a box with the last 20 years of thank you’s we have given Him.  We read 2010 thank you’s and then drew pictures of things we are thankful for that happened this year.  We guessed what each one is thankful for from the pictures each drew.  Then we sang Christmas carols by candlelight.

I hope Jesus enjoyed His party as much as we did.

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Christmas is in full swing in our home and all our children are headed here soon. The exterior illumination is up, trees are decorated, stockings are hung, and shopping has begun.  We have always used the tangible, traditional things of Christmas to teach the real reason for the season.

Examples:

• While decorating the tree share that the evergreen tree reminds us of the everlasting love Jesus has for us.  The tree is like a big birthday cake for Jesus and the lights are the candles.  The lights remind us that Jesus is the Light of the world (As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”John 9:5) and that “God lights our darkness” (2 Samuel 22:29)
• While wrapping gifts share “It is better to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) Point out that because it is Jesus’ birthday we give gifts.  Jesus said when we give to one another it is the same as giving to him. (And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40) Share “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).   Make sure your children are involved in making or purchasing gifts to give so they are not just on the receiving end of the gifts.  Also point out that giving is not only things, but he can give love, friendship, help, and joy.
• Make sure your children hear the Christmas story from the Bible often. It’s fine to tell them the pretend stories of Santa and elves, Rudolph and Frosty, but be sure to tell the true story of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, angels, Shepherds, etc.  Also help them understand the true story of Santa.  He loved Jesus so much that he wanted to give to others.  A good book about Santa is “Santa, Are You for Real? “ by Harold Myra.

Begin some family traditions that your children will cherish and carry on after they have families of their own.  Here are some of our family’s:

• Make a December calendar with all the special events listed or pictured.  Mark off each day till Christmas.
• Make decorating the tree a family affair.  Sing as you decorate.
• Put the Christmas cards you receive in a basket and choose one each day to pray for the family who sent it.
• Have a birthday party for Jesus complete with birthday cupcakes, candles, and singing Happy Birthday.  Also, we draw pictures of what we want to thank Jesus for and wrap it up each year.  Every year at the birthday party we open up the present for Jesus we wrapped up the year before and see what we put in.
• Plan a night for all the family to sleep under the tree.  Go to sleep listening to Christmas carols after Dad has read the Christmas Story.
• Choose a family who has had a hard year to show some special kindness to in some way.
• Make Christmas cookies together and give to the neighbors.
• Make Christmas ornaments to add to your tree or to give away.  (Recipe for clay dough: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1/3 cup of water.  Mix salt and flour, add water a little at a time.  Mix with hands. After cutting out with Christmas cookie cutters, bake in 225 degree oven for 15 minutes on each side.)
• Look at pictures from previous Christmases
• The Christmas Web
• Act out the Christmas story. Involve the whole family including pets, dolls, stuffed animals
• Memorize a different scripture each week related to Christmas:
  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:11
  God loved us and sent His Son.  1 John 4:10
  It’s better to give than to receive.  Acts 20:35
  The shepherds praised God.  Luke 2:20

Search this website for ways to take the traditions of Christmas and use them to Keep Christ in Christmas during the 25 days of December.

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The Pilgrims acknowledged God as the One who had provided all things during their first year in their new land.  Have fun making your children aware of the first Thanksgiving by acting it out with Indian headbands and Pilgrim hats. Click here for a coloring book you can download and print that gives a simple explanation of the first Thanksgiving.  Talk about each page as you color.

The following sites have patterns for pilgrim hats and Indian headbands:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/pilgrim-hat-for-girls.html

http://crafts.kaboose.com/pilgrim-hat-for-boys.html

http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/crafts/indian.htm

Encourage each family member to thank God for something; be ready with suggestions or even have pictures of things to be thankful for.   Have a Happy Family Thanksgiving as you give thanks to the Giver of all things!!!

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“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” (William Arthur Ward)  Share this quote with your children and teach them that since everything comes from God, we need to express thanks to Him for everything.  We should also express thanks to those God leads to give to us.

Gratefulness

Bible Verse: James 1:17  Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars.

Bible Stories:

1. Psalm 127:3 The Bible says that children are a gift from the Lord.  Every good gift comes from God. God gave Mom & Dad a very special gift (age of your child) ago.  We are so thankful God gave us the special, special gift.  Do you know what that gift was? – It was (child’s name)!

2. Psalm 68:19 Praise God who daily loads us with benefits The Bible says God daily loads us up with blessings.  Blessings are anything God gives us just because He loves us.  Can you name something God gives us every day? (Jesus, food, sleep, sunshine, happy times, smiles, hugs, water, love, friends, air to breath, etc)

3. Genesis 1 In the beginning of the world God made everything.  He made the animals, trees, blue sky, water, stars, sun, clouds, birds, plants, etc.  After He made His beautiful world, He made Adam and Eve.  He gave all He had made to them to enjoy.  God also gives all He has made to us to enjoy.  Thank you God, for your good gift of your beautiful world.

4. Philippians 4:10-19 Paul had need of something.  He was locked up in jail for preaching about Jesus.  The people in the church in the city called Philippi decided to send some gifts to Paul.  They loved him and wanted to help him.  Paul knew that it was God who had helped them to give the gift.   Paul knew that every good gift comes from God.

5. Philippians 1:1-5 Paul wrote a thank you letter to his friends in Philippi while he was in prison.  He told them that he thanked God for them every time he thought of them.  His friends cared about him and Paul was grateful for their friendship.  He knew they were a gift from God to him.  We need to thank God for our friends and those who help us.  We need to tell others we are thankful for them.

Prayer: Thank you God for all the gifts you have given us.  Help us to always be thankful to you and to others.

Activities:

1. Look at baby pictures  and express your gratefulness to God for giving you your children.

2. Cut out pictures of things that God gives us.  Put them in a a ‘thankful box’ and pull them out regularly and thank God for them

3. Play out in God’s beautiful world and sing one of these thankful songs.

4. Find or draw a picture of Paul in jail and talk about what gifts God might have led his friends to send him.  Do you know of someone that has a need that God could be leading your family to give to like the Philippians gave to Paul?

5. Train your children even now to always be quick to thank those who give to them.  This should also be those who give of their time to them. Help them write a thank you, complete with art work, to someone God has used to bless them (grandparent, pastor, s/s teacher, waitress, sales clerk, doctor, mailman, etc).

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November 13, 1922 – October 31, 2011

Dr. Jo Bevington went to be with the Lord Monday morning. She was my friend, my mentor, and my prayer warrior for the last 35 years.  Her love for Jesus and for children totally shaped my life.  She has influenced countless others through her many years of loving and serving the Lord!!

I will miss the joy in her voice every time I called her and the songs we would sing together over the phone and the Scriptures she would share.  I will miss hearing her say, ‘The Lord is good’.  Jo had a way of saying it with such delight that you had no doubt she knew intimately Who she was talking about and it made you want to know Him that way as well.

I have never met anyone else who had such a passion for Jesus! She is now rejoicing in finally seeing Him face to face!!! And heaven is rejoicing to have her home.

See the links below where I have written in the past about this amazing lady who spent her life walking intimately with Jesus and establishing His Word in children.

A Visit With Jo (video of Jo the last time I saw her in July of this year).
Power in the Name
Sing-Sing-Sing
Joy in Your Journey

Thank you, God, for Jo Bevington!!!!

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But some things that go on at this time go beyond fun and can cause fear in children.  Thus, this is a great opportunity to use the fear to teach scriptures about the power of Jesus. You could start by saying that there are bad spirits in the world, but we don’t have to be afraid of them if we believe in Jesus because of 1 John 4:4 “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won your fight with these false prophets, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.“

Emphasize this is why it is important to stay close to God because He is greater than the bad spirits.  In fact, they are afraid of Him and the Bible says that at the name of Jesus they have to run away (Philip. 2:10 “so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,”) He said we can use His name to tell the bad spirits to go away (Mark 3:15 “and he gave them authority to cast out demons.”) Talk to them about the power of using the name ‘Lord Jesus Christ’.

God has given us good spirits called angels to watch over us  (Psalm 91:11-12 “For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.”) All of Psalm 91 is about God’s protection – good psalm to memorize.

Choose at least one scripture to memorize with them that they can quote when they feel fearful.  Two that I always use with children are:
Joshua 1:9 “I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 56:3  “What time I am afraid, I will trust in God.”

Tell them the story of when Jesus used scripture to battle the devil (Luke 4) Emphasize that there is power in the Word (Isaiah 55:11 “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”)

Tell them that God doesn’t want us to be afraid (2 Tim. 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”)

A good book to teach children to use this holiday to celebrate God’s victory over evil spirits is Halloween: Is It for Real? by Harold Myra

Please check out http://www.ministry-to-children.com for great insights and ideas to help use Halloween to emphasize trusting Jesus.

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