Entrusted Heritage

Practical Tips for Creating and/or Revamping Chores and Schedules

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 17:28:00 +0000

It's that time of year again...time to revisit and re-print the children's chores as well as our family's schedule for the new school year. Although we live in Argentina and we're really still in the middle of winter right now in August...we still (for the most part) follow the USA school schedule.
For almost 8 years, our family has utilized a wonderful resource for putting together our family's schedule and chore system that comes...
from Steve and Terri Maxwell at titus2.com. It was through their books that we really got on board with having a schedule and routine chore system in our home. It has been a blessing ever since. However, I'd like to share with you some of the "bumps in the road" that we've encountered and how we've learned to deal with them in terms of creating and implementing our family's schedules.
The reality for our family as missionaries is that we've lived through many a big transition. Moving overseas (and any subsequent move to other countries and back to the USA) can be a huge hurdle when trying to keep a family schedule. In addition, living overseas presents many cultural situations that can also be seen as obstacles when trying to implement a family schedule. When living in a culture where practicing hositality is a large part of your family's witness in the community, you cannot simply reject company (even when they come and stay at all hours of the day and night). This is hard to understand for someone who has never lived overseas. So, while having a schedule has been very useful for us, making it flexible has also been equally important so that we are not slaves to the schdule but rather utilize it as a tool to help us live for the Lord.
I remember the second time we returned to the USA, after having been out of the country for over 8 years.   We were trying to coordinate a get-together with another family with whom we had shared a friendship for many years. Keep in mind, we were coming from an Arab culture where hospitality is very important and where guest are treated like royalty. Anyway, our friends told us they'd love to see us and that the next available Friday afternoon (when they had friends over) was going to be in two months. This shocked us! We hadn't seen them in so many years and yet they didn't seem to show any eagerness to move their schedule around in order for a visit. We weren't bitter against them because we understood where they were coming from, but it did take a little bit to get over the initial shock! You just cannot do that overseas in a culture where people are more important than a schedule and where showing hospitality is part of retaining your family's honor in the community.  In our country, when a person came to know Christ as their personal savior, hospitality only became even more important because of what the Scriptures teach us. So one always had to be ready to entertain strangers, to serve tea and meals, to enjoy a loooooong visit, and to accommodate the family's schedule accordingly.
Ok, back to schedules and chores! Sometimes the idea of creating and implementing a schedule for your family sounds wonderful but actually living it out (day in and day out) can be a challenge. Whether it is accommodating to a new little one in the family, moving, transitions, or simply trying to make it work within your specific set of challenges can be daunting.
By far, the most important lesson we've learned when beginning (or revamping) our family's schedule for the year was to bring our requests before the Lord. We bring Him our ideas, our questions, our challenges and ask Him for SPECIFIC direction. He has ALWAYS given it. Why wouldn't He?  After all, He is an amazing creator! He has set his creation to work in a specific way and at specific times. He understands order!  He pays attention to details.   Why wouldn't He give us specific guidance as to how to order our time, our days, our weeks, and our months? See Job 38:1 -42:5 for a beautiful, and detailed, reminder of His amazing creation and how He cares for it. You will be amazed!
So we've learned that no obstacle is too big for Him and that He desires to give us specific answers and direction. Once we have that, we begin to prayerfully implement what He is teaching us. And He gets all the glory!
Sometimes God's direction has come through His Word. At other times, it has come through a practical idea God has given us. At other times the solution has come from learning from other families and what has worked for them.  In fact, God has blessed us with many families who have shared with us specific things they have learned that have helped them with their schedules and chores.   I'd like to share a helpful resource for PRACTICAL tips and advice on scheduling. Mrs. Erika Shupe, at  largefamiliesonpurpose.com has a great ability to write and express how the Lord has given them dynamic and specific solutions to issues they've faced (including scheduling, chores, living in a small house as a large family, organizing their home, etc).  Erika also gives lots of details and pictures that help the reader come away with REAL ideas on implementing what she shares.  We don't know the Shupes personally, but have always found their family's blog inspiring and helpful. In fact, she has a specific post regarding how they go about creating their family's schedule here.
The last thing I'd like to share is the importance of working on this together as a couple. Eric has always asked me to do the preliminary compiling and planning before bringing it all to him. Once I bring my ideas and questions and concerns to him, we spend time praying for direction and wisdom. Then Eric, who is gifted at logistical planning, looks over the schedule and polishes it up. He brings it to life and really helps implement the schedule and chores in our family. His leadership through it all is vital. Not only do I depend on him for the technical side of the planning, but also for the wisdom and leadership throughout the whole process. It is extremely important for husband and wife to both be on board and working together when planning and implementing the routine.
Whether you are new to scheduling or pretty seasoned at it, I encourage you to bring your specific questions/obstacles before the Lord and see how He directs. Share these things with your husband and see how the Lord uses his leadership to also give you direction. Always be open to learning from other families as well. One word of caution here: don't fall into the comparing trap! Remember that God has a specific plan for your family and can give specific direction to help equip you to live out that plan for His glory! The comparing trap is not from the Lord and will never bring Him the glory!
I hope what I have shared can encourage you to know that you are not alone as you face the challenges of creating or revamping your family's schedule. I also pray that these resources I have shared can give you some creative ideas as you prayerfully put together your upcoming homeschool schedule, your family schedule, chores, etc. I'd love to know if you have any specific resources or ideas you've been blessed to use for your family as well. God bless you!

Kristi

"Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:2-3

Homemaking Skills for our Girls (III) - 5 Easy ways to get started!

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 02:17:00 +0000

In the past, we've written a few posts about teaching our daughters homemaking skills. You can find part I here and part II here.
Planning and implementing a schedule to teach these skills
takes determination. We have to create consistent opportunities to train and allow our girls practice. Keep in mind we're not simply trying to arrive at a goal. The focus should be the discipleship opportunities along the way. We will see opportunities to encourage, to pray for our daughters, to correct, to train, and to have fun together. These can be some of the most memorable times together. It really can be so much fun!

Here are a few ideas on how to get started:

Meal Helper. Determine a day of the week in which your daughter is your meal helper. Depending on her age and skills, she may be able to wash vegetables, chop things, season things or stir. Teach her the basics of making certain dishes...learning to make white sauce, gravy, soup from scratch, bone broth, yogurt, etc. Every week, on that day, she should be ready to help and learn. After a few weeks and some progress, give her a little recipe box and some cards she can begin to use and save for her own treasure chest. She will beam! She will feel so important! And please don't give into the temptation to decorate her box or to organize it for her. Let her do it herself. If her writing is too big for a small card size, you could give her a bigger box! You could give her a few recipes cards to begin with...the ones she is learning to do really well. My mom used to send my children those little grocery store recipe cards. Some of the recipes were to complicated for their age or skill level but it made them feel special and they could always choose to save them in their recipe box to try later.

Example: My 5 year old is learning to make our homemade ranch dressing. She will be in charge of making it once she learns how to read the card (you can use picture recipe cards too) and can be trusted with the ingredients. This will be one of the cards I give her when she gets her recipe card box.

Chore: Give your daughter (and each child) a specific chore she does before and after EACH meal. Consistency is the key. Have a job (or two, or three) that she does every day at mealtime. In 6 months, add another responsibility or swap jobs with other siblings. Having to do the job over and over may get old but this is an opportunity to build character.

Example: One of my younger daughters helps get waters ready for every meal. This is her first year to have that responsibility. My 11 year old daughter oversees two younger sisters as they dry and put up dishes - kind of like a team leader. We're all a team working together to clean the kitchen after each meal but she specifically is responsible that the after-meal (kitchen) cleanup gets done (we use a checklist). Everyone knows their task (including my son).

Assign a Weekly Task (beyond chores): Decide on a specific baking/cooking task for your daughter to accomplish each week on a certain day. Again, depending on her age and skill level, this may require more or less help from you. Once you determine she can handle the responsibility, give that job to her. Tell her that if she doesn't do it, it won't get done. It is good for the children to have real responsibilities that help the family. I am talking about things beyond making beds and brushing their teeth. These are good but we need to move beyond those as time goes by.

Example: My 11 year old is slowly taking over the bread making and baking responsibilities. Sure, she still has direction from me and we talk over the recipes she might be using but, she is in charge of planning what she needs every week and writing it on our master grocery shopping list. She has to make the calculations for when the bread will be done (for a meal, for breakfast, for a gift, etc). BTW, bread making is a great way to put those math skills into practice!

Skill Building: What about another skill?...sewing for example! Begin to teach your daughter to embroider. You can start small and simple...just use a plastic needle or a large dull needle and a hoop with fabric that the needle can go through. Let them make their own design...don't make them follow a picture at the beginning. Make it fun and encouraging. Some people like to start with the lacing boards but I like to move on quickly to 'real' sewing.

Frame their masterpiece and show it to everyone in the family. Move on to another hand sewing task...something else to embroider or sew. My youngest daughers have made little baby doll pillows and bookmarks. I give them scraps of material and let them design and create clothes for their baby dolls while I sew. When they are really young, I help them sew it up. Once it is done, I give them all the praise and we show it to the family. By letting them get a taste of what it is like to do REAL tasks, you are building an appetite in them. This isn't just play (although it is really fun). Later, we start a simple project that I can help them with like a pillowcase or a skirt. They will need lots of help at the beginning but eventually will gain confidence and skill if you keep at it. The absolute #1 piece of advice (something my own Mom did in my life) is: DO A LOT OF ENCOURAGING!! It doesn't have to be perfect. It has to be theirs and they have to enjoy the process or they won't want to do it again. Don't let your mind wander to the dollar and cents or to the workmanship quality. Those things will come with time. At the beginning of learning the skill, pour into them and encourage a lot.

USE THE SKILL: Decide on an occasion where you daughter can use her skills to bless others. Is there something this week? A family or individual who would be touched by a special gift? For example, there might be a special birthday coming up and you ask your daughter to make (or help make) a gift for that person. This can be sewn, baked, or even something easy like a cookie mix in a jar! This is great for the real little girls. The focus is investing in your daughter and how God can use her gift to bless someone else. As mothers, this will require humility on our part because we have to give up our desire to give the prettiest gift or the most creative gift. Those of us who like to craft might have to give up some of our own expectations and let our daughters' newly developing skills shine. It is worth it!

It really can be so much fun! The possibilities are endless! Your main obstacle will be time. If you don't PLAN on how you will make this happen, it just won't happen. If you are not walking alongside your children and spending time each day with them, these opportunities will be harder to come by. It has to be consistent. This is modeling the reality of life.

Now, lastly, can I just be honest here? I am still a work in progress as a mother. What I am sharing is simply what the Lord has taught us and led Eric and I to do over the years. We have been blessed to learn many of these things from other families so we cannot take the credit. God gets all the credit! We see the blessing of His work in our daughters. It goes beyond skill teaching, of course! It is about discipleship and leading our entrusted ones to the Lord Jesus Christ in ALL areas.

Our Family's After-Meal-Cleanup-Checklist

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 02:16:00 +0000

I wanted to post our After-Meal Cleanup Checklist that we have posted up in our kitchen. Our daughters follow this checklist after
most every meal. Each child has their own chore (or chores) pertaining to the cleanup after meals but this is the kitchen portion. Our 8 year old son clears and wipes the table and highchairs and then sweeps the dining room. Everyone knows their specific tasks and we try to train the children to stay focused and be diligent.

FREE GIVEAWAY...until March 6th!!!!! (closed)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 01:09:00 +0000

Watch these trailers and see if they don't grab your attention! These would be perfect gifts for a family, for grandchildren, or for your own family! If you'd like more information, follow THIS link to the Moore Family Film website for additional inspiring resources. Thanks to the Moore family, our ABC Say It With Me dvd is on its way and, Lord willing, will arrive to Argentina toward the end of March. Thank you!!!

Review: Lessons in Responsibility for Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 02:33:00 +0000

Lessons in Responsibility for Boys, Level 1 (Ages 6 and Up)

As we had mentioned in a previous post, we have enjoyed the "Lessons In Responsibility" curriculum series for our girls. This year, we decided to try out the first book of the series written for boys (6+). However, after careful review of book #1, we have decided that it isn't the best for our family. We have several reasons for this: 1) Unlike the book for girls, this one doesn't seem to have as many hands-on skill learning activities built into each week's lesson. The main focus is on being responsible in every aspect of life (relationships, personal care, money, etc.). 2) Most of the chapters deal with issues we have already covered with our 7 year old son. 3) Our family has a conviction regarding not owning or watching a TV as well as not playing video games. There are at least two chapters dealing with being responsible in limiting TV watching and video game playing, which are irrelevant due our family's situation.
My husband has found creative ways in which to teach our son responsibility. Several of these things would include daily, weekly, and monthly chores as well as simply bringing him on board when it comes to learning skills such as grilling, outdoor skills, car mechanics, basic home repairs, etc. The quality time they have while doing these things together, growing in character, is better than taking him through a book. This also provides opportunities to have those "aha!" moments with 'Dad.' Eric is very good about trying to turn events and life situations into teaching moments so these naturally come up while they work together. Praise the Lord, we continue to grow as parents and praise the Lord for his direction and grace!

Divided - the movie

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 18:33:00 +0000

We watched this movie several years ago and found it very thought provoking.  This film takes a careful look at age-segregated programs within the church with an emphasis on youth ministry. We were encouraged to see that the whole movie could be viewed free on Vimeo.


   Official Divided the Movie (HD Version) from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Rose Hips

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:27:00 +0000

Learning to cook and eat healthy food overseas can be quite a challenge. I like to feed my family whole, nourishing, foods. Since our recent move to Argentina, it has been an exciting, yet challenging, opportunity for me to discover what and where to buy foods to nourish my family of (soon to be) 7.

During a recent trip to a local "dietetica" (or what we would call a nutrition store), I found that they were selling dried, whole, rose hips from the Patagonia region. As I attempt to find the "go to" herbs we are used to consuming I am learning the "substitute" herbs that are grown in Argentina and in South America. This has been quite a challenge. Needless to say, seeing my old familiar friend, Rose Hip, was very satisfying.

I bought 1/4 kg and brought them home so that we could begin using them in our herbal teas, etc. There was only one problem. Every time I have purchased rose hips in the past, they have come semi-ground and do not contain seeds nor "hairs." Did I say there was only one problem? Well, there was another one...I didn't have a grinder in this little missionary apartment.

God is good and helped me do my research. He also helped us find an old blender for use by the missionaries in these apartments. I ground the rose hips up and placed them in the freezer where they sit until we use them.

Did you know that rose hips have been used for hundreds of years for the prevention of scurvy? They have two and three times the vitamin C content of citrus fruits and are a powerhouse for antioxidants, according to several authors. I have read countless studies on the chemical constituents of rose hips and I find that many conclusions differ from each other according to which type/variety of roses are used for the study, as well as according to the sample state (fresh, dried, ground, etc). It is easy to generalize but I thought it best to include a little excerpt from drugs.com

"While some accounts suggest that rose hips are the richest natural source of vitamin C, a number of more concentrated sources have been identified. Citrus fruits contain approximately 50 mg vitamin C per 100 g; uncooked broccoli, kale, and kiwi fruit, approximately 100 mg; black currants, guavas, and some tropical vegetables, 200 to 300 mg; rose hips ( Rosa canina ), 1250 mg; acerola or Barbados cherry ( Malpighia punicifolia ), 1000 to 2330 mg; and Terminalia ferdinandiana , up to 3150 mg.

Rose hips also contain vitamins A, B ₁ , B ₂ , B ₃ , and K. Other ingredients include pectin (11%), tannins (2% to 3%), malic and citric acids, flavonoids, red and yellow pigments, especially carotenoids, polyphenols, invert sugar, volatile oil, vanillin, and a variety of minor components." Brand JC, et al. Lancet 1982;2:873.

Anyway, it is my goal to find other uses for rose hips. I'd like to learn to make a rose hip syrup. The Patagonia region of Argentina is known for it's rose hip jelly production. Do you have any ideas or recipes of how to use rose hips?

- Kristi

Homemaking Skills for Our Girls (Part II)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 02:49:00 +0000

Much has changed since we posted Homemaking Skills for Our Girls (Part I). We are now living overseas once again. We are expecting baby #5 (in one more month!). We are still living through lots of transition in our family. Having invested the time and energy into building character and homemaking skills in our daughters is paying off every single day!

Not too long ago, someone asked me how we could have "so many kids" and still have the energy for the pregnancy and all the "to-do's" of keeping up the home. The answer is simple. I don't keep it all running. I don't even try to keep everything running. I guess I should say, the answer is: SIMPLICITY. Yes, simplifying life and expectations is a starting point. Simplifying life not only involves de-cluttering your heart's expectations but also your home. It involves de-cluttering the homeschool. It involves investing where it really matters - in your husband and in your children. Taking the time to teach our girls to cook, clean, wash the laundry, hang out the clothes, take care of their personal grooming, to sew, bake, and so forth are essential skills they will need for life. When life gets complicated (expecting another baby and moving overseas), the girls are able to really put into practice what they have been learning. They can step up to the plate, so to speak, and use their skills to bless others. They know how much they're needed and valued. This builds them up and gives them confidence.

OK, so maybe you aren't expecting a baby. You haven't moved overseas. Perhaps life is going pretty smoothly for you right now. You have decided you want to invest in your daughter(s) and teach them some of these skills. Where do you begin? If you homeschool, you can purchase the books we mentioned in Part I and start there. Another thing you can do is to sit down and write out some goals for your daughters. What are some essential areas they need to grow in as they learn what it takes to be keepers of home? Start small. Give lots of encouragement. Model. Walk alongside to assist. Create opportunities for them to put into practice what they are learning. Invite some friends or family over for a meal and allow your daughter to help cook the dinner. Ask your daughter to prepare a meal or dessert or bread for a family who is going through a hard time or who just had a baby. Of course, all of this will depend on your daughter's age, her abilities, etc. You will have to ask the Lord for guidance and wisdom in this.

Do a lot of praising (even when it doesn't get done just right) and keep that focus! You will be tempted to criticize, re-arrange, re-do, and even to re-think your strategy when things aren't going as smoothly as you thought they should. Allow your daughter room for mistakes, growth, and for improvement. Just don't forget to pray for her and encourage her during these vital years!

Kristi

Sibling Rivalry (Part II)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 17:18:00 +0000

Sibling rivalry, bickering, arguing, tattling, etc...whatever you wish to call it, it's one of those things that can wear you out as a parent! In Sibling Rivalry (Part I), we covered some preliminaries, or some basics, if you will. But then comes the nitty-gritty HOW TO of sibling rivalry. Now let me note that some families deal more with this issue than others. It has much to do with birth order, gender, age gaps, and the number of children you have. It also has a lot to do with the spirit of the family, the relationship between parents, as well as other variables. For the purpose of this blog, we won't get into these issues as much. We'd like to focus on how to handle sibling rivalry on an every day basis.
There are many different approaches, or schools of thought, on how to deal with sibling rivalry. There are those who insist on having fairness for all. These are the parents who pull out the timer and make notes on who had what & when. They think they are teaching their kids to 'play fair' and to share, but in reality they are just simply teaching their kids that when Mommy or Daddy is looking (and acting as referee), things need to be done a certain way. Does this approach help foster a change in heart and behavior?
Then there are those at the other end of the spectrum. These are the parents who want to promote 'democracy' instead of having a mini re-creation of socialism. They divide the toys, they take votes, they let the children try to manage their own arguments and seldom interfere. Their idea is that kids need to learn their 'pecking order,' among other things. Is this how God is with us? Does He sit back and let us 'duke it out?' Does He try to promote democracy among us?
We have found that the best approach is the "present approach." What is this? This means you are present in your kid's lives and you are in tune to what is going on in their little hearts. Why are they acting like this? Why is Johnny so selfish lately? Why is Suzie always tattling on her brother? What are the character issues that are being demonstrated lately? This is the parent who will cater his/her interventions to the child, the situation, and the issues at hand. Sorry, there is no pat answer. There is no magical approach that will make sibling rivalry disappear. But, look at the bright side! God has given parents the tools, the gift of this precious time in which you can help model and teach your children to deal with conflict. Because, as you know, they will always face it - ALWAYS! They need to know how to deal with it in a Godly way.
Remember that in Part I we talked about bathing this issue in prayer? We wrote about praying scriptures specific to this issue? Well, begin today! In 1 Thessalonians 3:12 we have a model prayer by Paul as he himself was burdened and in prayer for the unity among these believers. Also, you could use Hebrews 13:1 or Romans 15:5. Write these verses on note cards and post them above the kitchen sink or on the dashboard in your car. Read and pray these verses for your children daily! God WILL work.
Another underlying goal you have to have in all this is to teach your children scripture through these times and trials. Like we see in 2 Tim. 3:15 where we learn that Timothy knew the scriptures from childhood. Let's teach our kids how to deal with conflict. If they are too small for you to be able to really talk through these issues, model the principles and they will learn by doing. You can train your children even when they are too young to "reason with."
We'd like to create a list of ideas on how we approach conflict among siblings. These are not placed in a special order. Some are guiding principles we use as we teach/train about dealing with conflict and some ideas are specific how-to's:
1) Teach your kids to deal with issues promptly. Teach them that scripture says not to let the sun go down on your anger (Eph. 4:26). Teach them the dangers of bitterness.
2) WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DANGER (which we train our children about), we teach our kids that if they resort to the "judge" (bringing the issue before a parent) two things will happen. #1, they are opening themselves up for examination, judgement and trial as well. This is scriptural... Matt. 7:1-6; Matt 18:15-17. Have you noticed that in most conflicts there is not only one guilty party? We want our children to learn how to respond properly to resolve conflict, rather than causing it to escalate. #2, both parties get a consequence. Why? Because we want to condition them to learn to deal with conflict on their own. We want to teach and train them how to do it, of course. Our desire is that they would only bring the conflict to us as a last resort. This isn't a "natural" behavior. It is a learned behavior and God has given us an awesome way to deal with conflict. So, we expect our kids to learn to deal with it without the need for Mommy or Daddy to intervene. Keep in mind, however, that when we hear them bickering or arguing, we aren't fast to get into it. We usually wait, listen, pray, and we see how they choose to deal with it. Remember, this is not with regards to danger (physical fighting, big sister hurting little brother, etc).
3) In terms of training them on how to deal with conflict... A great resource for doing this can be found on Doorposts.com. The resource is called "The Brother Offended" and it comes with a book and laminated poster to help teach your children how NOT to deal with conflict, as well as how to deal with it biblically. These are some of the specific things we teach our children:

Conflict is going to happen (it is inevitable).
How to deal with the pestering sibling by getting away and having time apart, by blessing them (Rom 12:14), by not seeking revenge (Romans 12:17-19), by praying for the situation, etc.
The teaching of casting lots (see Proverbs 18:18) to help decide who chooses what they do next, or who gets the turn. They also need to learn to take turns.
Scripture teaches us to be humble in conflict (1 Cor 6:7), willing to be cheated or wronged. We, as parents, would do well in modeling this for our children.
How to ask forgiveness and to pardon.

4) We always want to give our kids an outlet to vent their frustrations with us. We want them to be able to come to us with their problems or questions, etc. So we teach them that if they see a pattern of behavior in one of their siblings, they should come to us with the issue ALONE and in PRIVATE. We are big advocates for not shaming each other. When tattling happens it most often happens in front of the offender as well as others. Tattling can be a way of revenge and belittling others and is not appropriate. We teach the kids to, instead, come to us 'quietly' with the issue. This is how we take our conflicts to the Lord. He wants us to come to Him for direction. We will listen to the child, pray with them asking God to give both them and us wisdom, and then we may offer some ideas on how to deal with the issue. We also then look at ways we can be purposeful in dealing with the character issue that was brought before us.

5) Sometimes, if the offender continues to disrupt the peaceful scene and we see the others trying to handle it as we have instructed them, we will intervene, often by removing the offender from the situation. This practice breaks their fellowship with the others for a while. We do not like to send them to their rooms or send them away because the solitude will usually not bring about change. Instead, we ask that child to come with us and we apply a gardening principle. Young tomato plants need close direction, which is why they are "staked" to a stick. We apply this truth by bringing the child alongside us for a time as we continue in our daily tasks. During this time, we look for opportunities to involve them in what needs to be done. This allows us to invest more in them, fill their little cups, talk about the issue, and reinforce our expectations. You may think that this is a reward for them instead of a consequence. Actually, initially they see it as a consequence because they don't get what they want (the toy, playing with siblings, their way, etc). Eventually they do see the benefit in it, and we see a change in heart.

6) During our daily evening Bible Time, we have a time of "dealing with offenses" and ask all the members of the family to make things right before we proceed with the scripture reading, singing, praying, etc. (See Mat. 5:23-24 and Eph. 4:26.

7) As parents, we model the behavior we want our kids to have. We also may use 'acting' to visually teach our kids what behavior we want them to have during conflict, or behaviors to avoid. This is especially good for visual learners, little ones with short attention spans, etc. Sometimes we use puppets to act out the scene because even in the acting, we don't want the kids to be confused and think Mommy and Daddy are fighting.

8) A rather 'new' thing we are trying to incorporate in our weekly schedule is a time for each child to have with Daddy for "pow-wow's." This is a time where each child who wants to can have a time to talk privately with Daddy about whatever is on their heart. When we have done this, often the topic of conflict comes up and it gives the child and father a time to pray for the issue and talk it over. It is a time of listening to the hearts of our children. This idea came from the Maxwell family of Titus2.com.

9) Sometimes there is a need for one appointed child to be in charge. For example, some of the children are asking for a snack and you need to step out to another room for a few minutes. You appoint one child (the most responsible and trustworty) to be in charge and teach the others to submit to them. If a child 'breaks a rule,' the one in charge has the authority to send them away from the table, etc. This also teaches all the children to respect the appointed authority.
**A note on boys: We have found that God has gifted boys so differently than girls. Unfortunately, we often make home life very feminine and have unrealistic expectations of our boys, as if they will act like the girls. But this is not how God made them. God made them rowdy, energetic, bossy, wanting to rule, strong, with the need to compete. When we make our home environments so that boys cannot exert their energy, their 'rule', their strength, it stifles the boys. It can actually cause more conflict, more problems, more frustration. Honestly, this topic in and of itself deserves a whole different post, but for the sake of the larger topic at hand, let's try to cover some basics.
If you have daughters older than your son(s), the girls are naturally going to want to use their "mothering natures" to control the environment. This will irritate the boys. They want to rule and dominate. Boys will often pester and pick fights because they want to be in charge, they need to compete, etc. The girls can't stand this disorderly conduct and cry out for help. So what should you do? Give the boys areas of dominion. These are areas in which they rule and the girls cannot tell them how or when to do it. Give them responsibilities that use their strength. Resist the temptation to make it all equal with the girls. Do not let the girls be the ones to do this job you gave the boys. Let only the boys do it and teach/model for the girls how to praise the boys for their diligence, etc. Let the boys run off their steam. They need a lot more outdoor time than girls do. You will find this to be true if you homeschool your children. Give all of your children opportunities to take a break and get some fresh air outside. Be especially mindful of this need in your boys. You may want to try, if possible, to have the boys home-school in a different area than the girls. Make sure that their "sitting still" time is not too long. Let them be in charge of certain areas of the yard and be the one "in authority" so they can practice and have an outlet for that God-given instinct.

Well, we hope these points have been helpful as you prayerfully seek God's direction in this important area. If you have additional ideas or comments, please leave a comment so other's can also be blessed.

Sibling Rivalry (Part I)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 04:14:00 +0000

Whether you have two kids or four, whether you homeschool or not, regardless of the ages of your children, most of us face the reality of sibling rivalry at one point or another. I know, I know! There are those perfect children out there who NEVER fight...but for most of us this just isn't the case. So, how are we to handle fights and squabbles in a way that would honor the Lord and build character in our children? Good question!  Lest we come across as a family that has it all together, let me assure you that we are STILL learning how to pray through and deal with sibling rivalry. God has graciously taught us along the way but, really, we still have a looong way to go. In these next few posts, we'd like to share some of what we've learned. We pray this can be a blessing to someone and may God get all the glory.

1) Relax, you're not alone... Sibling Rivalry IS NATURAL

Really? Natural? Yep! It's in our nature. Our fallen, self-centered, all-about-me nature. So, relax... YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PARENT DEALING WITH THIS!  But guess what? Now is the perfect place and time to teach our children how to handle conflict. Rest, our Heavenly Father has already given us wonderful guidelines we can follow.

2) P-R-A-Y as if EVERYTHING Depends on it!

You know what? It does! Do you not have a daily prayer plan? I mean scriptures you pray for your family each day? Don't worry if you don't...we didn't either until a year ago. It's NEVER too late to begin intentionally praying for your children each day. One note of caution: when you begin to pray scriptures for them each day, you WILL see God at work and you'll wonder why in the world you waited this long to come lay these burdens at His feet.  So, pray! Pray for wisdom, direction, and insight.
*Note: if you are interested in our personalized family prayer notebook, we hope to post about it soon. If you already have one in place, feel free to share it with others in the comment section.

3) Look in the Mirror

Yes, ask God to show you if what you are seeing in your kids is in any way a reflection of your character and the way you are dealing with the Lord, with your spouse, your children, and others. Believe it or not, many times what we see the kids doing is a mirror image of what we are doing. Aren't they fast learners?!!

Now what I am about to share won't seem in any way related to sibling rivalry but, believe me, it DOES relate. Read on...

4) SET UP A ROUTINE

Call it a routine or call it a schedule. Keep it flexible but KEEP IT! If you have toddlers, this is extremely important. We have a daily routine in our home...from sun-up to sun-down. Do we ever veer off of it? Of course! Do we ever tweek it? Certainly! But, overall, we have a routine set up and this helps tremendously. The times we are traveling, or we get off our schedule for several days, are the times when we see the most conflict between the kids.

Since we have four young children and we homeschool, this issue of having a routine is HUGE. I just can't stress it enough. Otherwise, we woudn't get anything done. Having a routine gives everyone a sense of purpose and accomplishment. It keeps the kids industrous and focused. Of course there are free times during our days but these are also built into our routine. Other aspects built into our routine are rest times (for Mommy and kids), meal times (plus prep and clean-up), schooling time, play-times, etc.

This topic alone would take a long time to elaborate on so I will try to include a post focusing simply on daily/weekly/monthly routines. I will also list out several of the best books on this subject we have read.

5) MUSIC

Once again, you are wondering...how does this relate? Well, when you have wonderful, uplifting music playing in your home, it helps lessen conflicts. I am not talking about silly music. And, most kid music out there (spiritual or secular) is nothing but silly. No, I am talking about melodious music. Music that perhaps your children know the words to and can sing along; this can include children's hymn cds, praise and worship music, instrumental music, or classical music. We find that the kids' focus will often be on the music and their lips will many times be following along. So, there's not much opportunity for bickering.

6) Break-time!

This is a deliberate time, each day, to have some rest. This sort of falls into the category of routine. For the little ones, this will mean a nap. For the older ones, this will mean a QUIET rest time in a designated place. For some kids, they could be looking at books or drawing on a magnadoodle. For others, it could mean just laying in bed listening to a Bible story cd. Whatever you choose, this is an everyday thing. And Mom, this can be your time to kick your feet up and recharge for a few minutes as well. You need it!

7) Join In!

Depending on the age of your children and stage of your family, this might look a little different. One thing is for sure, there are lots of ways kids can help around the house. Having a daily chore system in your home can help keep the kids focused and feeling good about how they pitch in and help the family. They each have their chores or jurisdictions and if they don't do it, it just doesn't get done. They feel important. Others see their accomplishment. Big brother sees you praising little sister for a job well done or for her diligence, etc. Before you know it, big brother begins to copy this because he sees you do it every day so it is natural to him.

8) TIME!

This is by far one of the most important aspects of dealing with sibling rivalry. Are you deliberately spending time each day with your children? Are you pouring into them? Are you filling their little love cups? This is essential. When they are "running on low" there tend to be more problems. If you have more than two children, spending time with each child individually can seem overwhelming, but it is a must. It doesn't mean you have to sit down to play a game with each one. For some, it can mean reading a book to them, for others it may be special to join you in one of your chores. The point here is that if you just seem to live through each day without getting to spend as much time with them as you'd like...REVAMP your schedule because it doesn't matter what other things get done or not...the children are eternal but the laundry isn't!

OK, so now you are wondering if we will ever get to the real HOW TO of sibling rivalry...we will! Just remember, the above elements are the starting point! Moving forward without first dealing with the issues we just covered will simply be "crowd control" and this is not what we're aiming for. We'd love to share some more on what the Lord is teaching us. Please come back and check out Part II which we will post in the next few days.

NOTE: In the meantime, check out the wonderful book, Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends.

What's for Breakfast?

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 04:30:00 +0000

If you're like me, there are mornings when allowing the kids to have cold cereal is the easiest way to start the day. Whether it's been a long night (say, up with the baby) or it will be a long day...cold cereal CAN be healthy! It's called: granola! The great news is that you can make it yourself, adding wholesome and nutritious ingredients while tailoring it to your family's nutritional needs. Don't believe me? Read on!

I've created lots of different variations of granola for our family: "Pum-Berry Granola" (full of yummy raw pumpkin seeds and cranberries), "Fall Harvest" (with maple, pecans and apples), "Almond-Cherry," "Tropical" (mangoes and coconut), and "Cinnamon Bun" (cinnamon, nuts, and honey). Mmmmmm!

Granola is one of the most versatile foods in my opinion. You can use it to top your homemade yogurt or Greek yogurt, as a streusel topping (with butter added), or as an addition to fruit desserts like baked apples or fruit salad. The possibilities are truly endless.

The most important thing to know about making granola is the ratio of wet/dry ingredients. I learned this from one of the best "cooking-from-scratch" recipe books, More With Less! Knowing this, and the basic method, you can change ingredients and tweak the recipe to your own taste. The dry ingredients would mostly be made up of your oats, of course, but could also include nuts, seeds, freshly ground flax seeds, wheat germ or bran, unsweetened coconut, wheat flour, other fresh whole grain flours, spices. The wet can include your choice of sweetener(s) (honey, molasses, maple syrup, pomegranate molasses, agave, applesauce, fruit sauce, apple butter, apple juice concentrate, etc), fat (coconut oil, canola oil, walnut oil, butter, peanut butter, etc) and other flavorings (vanilla, etc). I do not include the dry fruit as part of the dry ratio because I add these at the end of the baking.

Kristi's Basic Granola

In large mixing bowl, stir together:

4 1/2 cups old fashioned cooking oats
1 cup coconut (shredded, un-sweet)
1 cups chopped nuts
1/2 c freshly ground flax seeds
*note: I choose my spices and add these to the wet ingredients instead of adding them here.

In a saucepan, over medium-low heat, stir until blended:

More-with-Less Cookbook, 25th Anniversary Edition, Trade Paper

1/2 c. raw honey
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. oil
1 T. cinnamon (or other seasonings)
1 tsp. salt

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. Pour granola into two 9x13 inch pans (metal seems to brown the granola faster than glass). You want to try to keep your granola no thicker than 1'' so that it can toast evenly. Bake at 300 F for 1.5 hours. Set your timer for 20-30 minute increments so that you can check for browning and stir the granola around each time. Bake until granola is light to medium gold color. Cooking times will depend on the size of pans you use as well as on your oven "character." The key here is to check frequently!

Once done, sprinkle with 1 cup of dry fruit and allow granola to cool before storing it. I store mine in easy-to-pour plastic containers. Let me know if you have tried any yummy granola variations lately!

Lo-Fat variation: Whenever we were on the "Daniel Fast," I made a batch of granola that didn't have fat (from added oils) in it and it came out really well. I simply omitted the oil and added applesauce instead. It tasted great!

"Nourishing Traditions" Variation: If you have read Nourishing Traditions, you know the importance of soaking your grains so as to decrease the phytic acid for better absorption of the nutrients. I have tried to do this with my basic granola recipe (by soaking the oats in yogurt before proceeding with the recipe) and it came out well but the granola browns faster so the baking needs to be at a lower temperature and it needs to be checked/stirred frequently. - Kristi

Don't Buy It!

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 05:04:00 +0000

One of the most valuable things God has taught our family over the past year is to STOP before we buy something. Whether the item be big or small, a need or a want, He has taught us to stop and pray about it as a family.

For the past year, we have lived off the emergency fund we built up for many years. We had sensed God leading us back to the States from having been overseas for 8 1/2 years. Coming back into the American job and economic crisis has been very hard, to say the least. It felt as though everything we put our hand to was not flourishing. Eric has worked a few different jobs and has also done some supply preaching and teaching on the side but it seemed as though we could never get ahead. Praise the Lord, we have no debt so that wasn't a concern for our family.

Of course, many loving and caring people would give us money here or there - including family. They knew it was a rocky time for us. In the midst of this difficult time, God taught us a valuable lesson. He taught us something so basic, something so Biblical, something so vital that EVERY believer, rich or poor, needs to do! God used the Financial Freedom seminar by Jim Sammons to teach us this principle and we are forever thankful for learning it! The lesson was to purpose to pray for each need and want as a family.

If you are well to do, it might be harder for you to do this because you will be tempted to think that you don't need to "bother" God with these matters. But whether you are rich or poor, you CAN purpose to do this! When we began, we found that not only did God supply ALL our needs (and some of our wants) but that he would give us an amazing story to share!

To give you an example... One day, while at Goodwill, my wife and daughter spotted a play kitchen set. This was certainly not a need for our family! Most of our children's toys and special items remain overseas and even though we didn't have a lot of toys for them here, it still wasn't a need. My wife decided to let me know about the set and asked if I'd look at it to see the quality, etc. So my oldest daughter and I went to look it over and talk about it. Having learned this principle, we both walked away from the toy and headed toward the door of the store. On the way, I said: "Olivia, I'd like us to pray about that play set to see if perhaps God would like to give it to us or not. Perhaps He'd rather us not spend our money on that for now." She agreed and we began to softly pray together on our way out the store. Before we reached the door, however, one of the store clerks came running to us asking us to take the play kitchen set with us. We told her we were praying about it but weren't ready to purchase it. She then told us that someone had just purchased it for us. Neither of us could believe what we were hearing! Apparently, someone in the store had seen Olivia and I looking at the set and decided they wanted to purchase it on our behalf. The strange thing is that we never saw anyone else close to the toy area that day and every time Olivia and I would talk to each other, it was in a very low volume.

Well, guess what? When we got to the car with the large toy kitchen AND this amazing story to tell the rest of the family - it was awesome! Our kids not only learned a valuable lesson about allowing God to provide that day but they also learned that God cares about the "small" things as well. They couldn't keep silent about the matter and told everyone they met up with.

Soon after that incident, we felt led to begin a "God's Provisions" book complete with pictures and written testimony of how God has provided for so many things we've prayed for...things ranging from food to a piano! But more importantly, we have amazing stories to tell others about God's loving provisions and care. He gets all the glory! God isn't bothered by our prayers asking Him to meet our needs. He delights in hearing from us and in our patience in waiting on Him to meet those needs. We have testimony after testimony of how God has taken care of us...even when our bank account was dwindling. He is larger than our emergency fund, and larger than our account...He is the great provider!

Devotions with Daddy - Part IV

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 03:26:00 +0000

Ok, so we’ve discussed the need for Daddy to lead the children in their daily quiet time. (Devotions with Daddy – Part I) We’ve presented ideas for how Daddy can lead while away, (Part II) as well as possible passages or Biblical themes to use (Part III). We still need to address a few important questions. What if the Daddy is not a Christian? What if he has no interest in leading his children in this way? How can you, the wife, get him to do it? Guess what? You shouldn’t try! Bear with me for a few minutes; I believe it will make sense.

1 Peter 3:1-6 addresses several key issues which apply directly to the subject at hand. The verses immediately preceding this passage (1 Pet. 2:21-25) speak of the sacrifice Christ made for us, and how “…when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not…” Then, chapter 3:1 states: “Likewise ye wives, be in subjection to your husbands…” I realize I may have already lost some of you on this because of how the world has distorted the woman’s view of being in subjection, or submitting. A Biblical view of submission, however, is vastly different from the distorted image presented to us by the world. Remember the context of a key passage that speaks to this topic, where husbands are told to love their wives “…as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” (Eph. 5:25). Husbands would do well to imitate that love! Now, back to the topic at hand… Wives are challenged in 1 Pet. 3:1 on how to deal with unbelieving husbands. The husband can be won (to Christ), not by the wife’s persuasive speech, but rather by her silence. Are you willing to let God speak to your husband, through His Holy Spirit, to convict him of sin, rebuke him, correct him, etc.? You’ll find God to be much more successful than you. What can you do, then? PRAY! Come before the Father daily in prayer for your husband. Pray that you will submit daily in such a way that your gentle and joyful spirit will be a testimony to your husband.

Relating to the devotional time, then, I suggest you pray about that as well. Whether or not your husband is a believer, he may think it is a good idea, but doesn’t want to (or cannot) lead the child himself. You can show respect for your husband, and allow him to direct the quiet time by seeking his counsel. Ask him which passages you should lead your child through. Discuss with your husband the things your child is learning through this. Be sure to point out to your child that the passage you are studying is the one Daddy directed. Be careful! Don’t try to manipulate him into leading! By the way, slipping copies of this article under his pillow will probably not help either.

If you (wives) end up leading your children in the quiet time, God can still bless. I believe Timothy gives a good example of a godly young man who was influenced by the faith of his mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5). It is vital that you do everything you can to show your child that you respect, honor, and love their Daddy. Don’t criticize him for not leading. Don’t vent your frustrations toward him with your child. The end result will be disastrous, spiritually.

One last thing to remember is that you, as a mother, have an incredible opportunity to help set the tone in your home. You have the amazing privilege of blessing your family. How? This can only be achieved through your gentle and joyful spirit – not through a critical and sarcastic attitude. There are countless ways in which you can share the wonderful Word of God with your children. You can teach them as you work with them, as you train them, and as you play with them. It would be far better to have a mother like the one described here than to have one who sits to have a quiet time each day with her children but who has bitterness and criticism toward her husband, constantly causing dissention in her home. You see, it’s more than merely reading and learning God’s Word; the Truth must be lived out in love. (James 1:22).

- Eric

Scripture Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 03:12:00 +0000

We have found that the best way to build scripture memory into our daily schedule is to learn and review our passages around a mealtime. Lunchtime works best for us. It takes a lot of work to keep up with the verses we're trying to memorize but it's worth it! If you'd like a REALLY practical idea on how to "house" and review what you are learning, check out this wonderful Scripture Memory Systerm video!

Thank you Sonya and Karen! (by http://simplycharlottemason.com/)

Disclaimer: we do not follow the Charlotte Mason approach in our homeschooling, but believe this system for scripture memory review is very practical!

For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

We would love to hear from you! Feel free to share any practical ideas you have found regarding scripture memory learning as a family. It would be great to hear from our readers living in other countries! - Eric and Kristi

Knee-High to a Grasshopper!

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:50:00 +0000

Are you accessible to you toddler? Do they know it? There are countless ways our little ones feel we value and cherish them. Being held, smiled at, listened to, hugged, kissed, protected, disciplined, and trained…all these are critical. But there’s more! There is another way to reach out to our toddlers which is often “overlooked.” Do you want to communicate clearly to your child that you enjoy them and long to be with them? Are you willing to sacrifice your wants, to-do's, and comfort for the sake of your infant or toddler?

Try an experiment and see how your child reacts. Go into the room where he/she is playing and simply sit down on the floor nearby. You probably won’t have to ask if you can play, and they will likely come quickly to where you are and begin interacting. Our youngest is 13 months old, and enjoys her newly discovered mobility. When she is not being held, she loves walking around looking at things. The moment I sit down on the floor, however, she will come to me. She will usually begin to climb on me, embrace my head, or pile toys or books in my lap. Suddenly, I have become accessible to her. I am no longer the towering Daddy. I am now within her reach. If I hope to connect with my children in a real, tangible way, they must know that I am accessible and near! - Eric

Relaxing Evening

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 05:54:00 +0000

Kristi's Night-Night Tea

Do you ever wish for a relaxing and calming evening? If you have little ones around, you KNOW what I'm talking about. Sometimes, even when the dishes are washed, the laundry is put away, the house is tidy, and it seems as though everything is going as planned, there are still those nights where we all have trouble winding

down. Whatever the reason, it happens to all of us and, when it does, at our house this calls for a special treat. "Night-night tea." Now, I don't mean the little boxes of pre-bagged teas you find at your local grocery store. I am talking about delicious, organic, healthy herbs you buy in bulk to mix up on your own. Come on, even if you aren't an "herbal tea" fanatic, stay with me here. If you are completely new to the wonderful world of herbs and don't know where to begin...let me suggest one of my favorite beginner herb books, written by Rosemary Gladstar:

Herbal Remedies for Children's Health

Rosemary is an internationally known herbalist, a mother, and grandmother. I love this book because of the

simple recipes for specific child and baby ailments, the easy to understand format, and the thorough job she does covering issues such as safety and dosages.

OK, so back to our "night-night tea" (which is enjoyed by kids and adults alike in our home). It is a mix of chamomile, passionflower, spearmint, peppermint and lemon balm. I like to sweeten it with either a pinch of our home grown stevia (steeped in with the herbs) or with raw honey. There's just nothing like it! Sometimes my kids ask for theirs "iced!" After steeping the herbs, we all sit down at the table sipping our tea while chatting over the day's events. It becomes a time of fellowship. A time to connect. A time to listen to what's on their minds. Every moment counts!

Kristi's Very Strawberry Tea

I don't know if you can tell yet or not but I LOVE HERBS. I love involving my kids and teaching them about herbs. We also like to grow some of our own herbs! Soon, I'd like to share some of my other yummy herbal tea concoctions with you. You know why? Cause herbs are healthy? Check. Easy to make? Check. Fun to do and learn about with your kids? Check. Healthy? check. (oops, already said that!). Until next time! - Kristi

*** Can anyone guess which herb is responsible for giving Kristi's Very Strawberry Tea it's beautiful bright color? Let's see what you think; send in those replies! ****

Devotions With Daddy ( Part III)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 04:59:00 +0000

As you undertake the task of leading your child (pre-readers) in their quiet time, the first and most important thing you can do is bathe this in prayer. Ask God to show you key passages in His Word so that you might feed your child spiritually. He is faithful!

Here are some of the types of devotionals I have put together for our children, I hope these can encourage you along the way.

1. Key verses to address specific character traits or issue your child faces. Isn’t it great how God’s Word is able to speak directly to the issues we face? You can show your child this truth during their quiet time. Here are a few examples:

Speech, thoughts – Ps. 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight,…” Teach, and model, that our speech and thoughts are to be pleasing to the Lord.
Obedience – Eph. 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Your children may never struggle with obedience (), we’ve had our kids learn this verse… just in case!
Gratefulness – Heb. 13:15 – “…the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” It’s important to sow seeds of gratefulness in the lives of our children. We must, of course, model it ourselves!

2. Key Bible stories. What are some of the well-known stories you learned as a child? Are you making sure your kids learn them?

Creation – They will constantly be bombarded by Darwinian teachings, they better know the truth first!
David & Goliath – Every one of us faces “giants”, but God is faithful to see us through.

3. Psalms – I recorded several of the Psalms, to help fill my children’s hearts with praise. One day, for example, I read Psalm 23:1 and talked about shepherds. I gave a few details about how they care for their sheep, providing for their needs, protecting them from predators, etc. Then, I explained (briefly) how Jesus is our shepherd.

There are just a few ideas related to content. Here are some other thoughts that may prove helpful:

Brevity is important – A 3-5 year old child will not stay focused very long. This is not the time for an expository sermon! I try to keep these devotional recordings to a maximum of 3-4 minutes.
Application – Perhaps the most significant element to be modeled here is that God’s Word can and must be applied to our lives. We don’t need to introduce this as a story book. Our kids need to see how the Bible is relevant every day.
Vocabulary – remember the limitations of your child. Do your best to avoid the church vocabulary or big theological terms.
Prayer – be sure to include prayer in the time (whether live and in-person, or recorded). Our children are blessed to hear us pray for them. When I am physically present, I ask my child to pray first, and then I pray for them.
Praise – On several of the recordings, I sang through a children’s song and invited them to sing along with me. Then, I would encourage them to continue singing that song throughout the day. If you choose the right songs, they will help communicate the truth of God’s Word.

How-To: With technology as it is today, there are numerous ways to create dynamic quiet time recordings. With the availability of digital recorders, MP3 players, computer microphones, smart phones…the possibilities are endless.

Let me leave you with a closing thought: be creative! Help your child see that God’s Word is alive! Your excitement for learning and studying the Bible will be contagious. I love hearing my children say it is time for their quiet time. We pray that these efforts in the lives of each of our children will bear fruit for eternity. - Eric

Mothers, you may be thinking: “Great! I want my husband to lead in this area but he seems uninterested – what do I do?" Don’t lose heart! Come back for “Devotions with Daddy” (part IV) and we will cover this important issue.

Devotions with Daddy (Part II)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 03:17:00 +0000

In Devotions with Daddy – Part I, I shared part of my journey in leading my younger children (the pre-readers) in their daily quiet time. But, what if the father’s work schedule will not allow for this time with the child in the morning?

At the time the Lord began to teach me how to lead my little ones in their personal quiet times, I was working outside the home in a recording studio and had occasional trips which would take me away for a few days. I remember editing some audio files in the studio, when the Lord showed me a solution to this obstacle. He directed me to begin recording short daily devotions and compile them onto an audio CD my 3 yr. old could listen to in the morning. We saw joy fill the eyes of my daughter the next morning when we set up the CD player and she heard my voice. That was more than enough confirmation to me that this was something that should be continued. I then began developing many more of these short (3-5 minutes) devotionals for recording onto audio CD’s. As we’ve had more children, we’ve passed these CDs down to the newest toddler/preschooler, and we’ve all enjoyed watching their excitement to hear daddy lead them in the study of God’s Word.

Our child will sit on a designated mat or rug, close to the CD player, and listen to the devotion while staying in his/her place. If they are really young, my wife will have them do this close to where she is at that time in their schedule. I believe it is important for others nearby to hear what the child is hearing. This way, mommy (or a sibling) can comment on what the toddler just heard. In some of the recordings, I sang a short hymn or song and encouraged the toddler to sing it throughout the day (Eph. 5:19). Since other family members can also hear the devotional thought, there is a special accountability present.

Last year, my wife told me of an added benefit when I had to travel away from home for a few days. All the kids were missing daddy (I don’t travel alone often), so the audio CD was put in the stereo while they played. All four kids played a little more happily with the sound of daddy’s voice sharing the truth of God’s Word with them!

Putting together these simple recordings isn’t difficult AND can be very rewarding! It doesn’t have to be studio quality. I will cover some specific ideas on how to do this in Devotions with Daddy - Part III.

It is my conviction that children be led by their father in this area of their lives (1 Cor. 11:3). It doesn’t mean that mother cannot help remind the children to have their quiet time or that mother cannot be there to read the passages when Daddy is away. But it is a time that needs to be father-led and father directed.*

In closing, there will be times when keeping up the consistency of your normal, every-day, routine is going to be difficult. Sometimes family Bible time, individual quiet times, or early morning Proverb/Psalm reading will need to be changed up a bit. During times of travel, illness, or when you are hosting people in your home, it is normal to expect some disruption in the schedule; there is constantly a need for flexibility. It is good to remember that the schedule is there to help us and not to hinder us!

*I realize that there will be circumstances diferent than ours in which the father is absent physically, relationally, emotionally, or spiritually. In these cases, what should the mother do? This is a great question that I would like to address, to the best of my ability, in Devotions with Daddy (Part IV). - Eric

Devotions With Daddy (Part I)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 05:32:00 +0000

“Daddy, can you help me have my quiet time now?” This is one of the sweetest things a father can hear each morning! Our family’s schedule includes a time for each of us to have a quiet time, even the children. Several years ago, when our oldest child was a toddler, I purposed to lead her to have a time of daily devotions. The Lord challenged me through Ephesians 6:4 which states: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” To me, one of the most significant elements in “bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” is found in the study of His Word.

Truthfully, while I was excited about the possibility of instilling this vital discipline into the life of my child at this young age, knowing it would bear fruit for eternity, I had to address the questions of how to accomplish this with a non-literate child.

I found that there are at least two ways this can be done. The first way applies to those of us who work from home (as I currently do). The second way (covered in Devotions with Daddy - Part II) applies to those fathers who work outside the home or who travel part of the time, as was my case several years ago.
Currently, with one of my pre-readers, we are working our way through the gospel of Luke. We read through a short section together, talk about it, answer questions, look for a truth to apply to our lives, and then spend some time praying for each other. I find that spending these moments together with my child are times of bonding and fellowship.

Once my children develop their reading and comprehension, I begin to direct them toward the book of the Bible they should study. They will often read a section or chapter each day, have a prayer time, and begin learning the discipline of journaling. They may come and ask questions about what they’ve read, or I might ask them to share what the Lord taught them that day.

I realize some people might say this is pointless because a young child isn’t going to get much out of their daily quiet time. Still others would argue that we need to use fun and colorful books geared toward each child’s age and learning level in order to capture their attention and “speak to them.” I disagree. Our kids love reading through the stories of God’s Word, and seeing the pattern of God’s activity in the lives of His people. Although I will often ask questions to help my child engage in the passage, I am frequently amazed at the questions our kids ask. I like modeling the importance of going straight to God’s Word and of teaching them that it is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). I don’t want our kids to grow up thinking that if it isn’t fun, silly, or colorful, it isn’t worth it. Instead, my prayer is that they would develop a love, hunger, and thirst for God’s Word. Really, the daily quiet time doesn’t have to be long or complicated…just purposeful and consistent.

May I add a disclaimer? We are not a perfect family. I am not a perfect father. We struggle with consistency sometimes. We experience growing pains...even when it comes to implementing our daily quiet times. One thing is for sure, God is there to faithfully help us and teach us. To Him be all glory! - Eric

Homemaking Skills for our Girls (Part I)

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 21:48:00 +0000

Being overseas when the Lord led my husband and I to homeschool our children, we did not have many resources to choose from and we weren't surrounded by many others who were homeschooling at the time. However, the Lord used His precious Word to help shape our family's vision and the goals we have for homeschooling our children (even though at the time they weren't even school age!)

Teaching our children Christ's character as we instruct them, and walking alongside them as they learn valuable life skills, are part of that vision. It's more about discipleship than schooling! This is a privilege and a blessing we do not take lightly.

This past week, as we prayed through and finished up planning for the upcoming school year, we were reminded of one of the most practical little curriculum books we've enjoyed using with our children. "Lessons in Responsibility for Girls"(a.k.a. Home Economics for Home Schoolers) is one of the many books in the series. We have the books for girls as well as the books for boys (more on the boy's series in another post). Our oldest daughter is currently using level two.

Lessons in Responsibility for Girls, Level 2 Up)

The book for girls is broken down into chapters, each covering different, yet basic, homemaking skills for young girls to begin learning (6+). It includes skills related to cooking, baking, cleaning, organizing, and hospitality. You could use it weekly (covering one chapter a week) or you could use it in the summer months. It is not only great for teaching a young girl to follow basic steps and instructions (when it comes to cooking, for example) but it also begins to teach them the importance of some of the skills they are learning.

Last night, two of our daughters made a delicious dinner and a scrumptious dessert by following the recipes in the book. We love not only that our oldest can follow most of the recipes by herself with very little input or assistance from us (except for when it comes to safety), but she loves to bring her younger siblings in on the fun. She is modeling and teaching the younger ones valuable skills. She, without us prompting her, is investing in them. She is telling them, by her words and actions, that they matter and that their help is important. All the while having a fun time together.

Dinner is ready!!

Today, after my oldest put some of the dessert bars in a tin for her grandparents to take home, I heard her grandmother say that perhaps they didn't need as many bars as she had included in the tin. I smiled when I heard my daughter tell her: "It's ok, we know how to make more!"

Brother helps take care of baby by feeding her homemade yogurt (or should we say: Sunmade yogurt!)

These homemaking skills are very important for our daughters to learn. However, what is more important is that they learn to use their skills and knowledge to serve our Lord Jesus by serving and giving to others. "Love builds up." Don't miss Part II of this topic! - Eric and Kristi

Well of Water Springing Up Into Everlasting Life

noreply@blogger.com (Entrusted Heritage) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:31:00 +0000

Every evening, our family gathers for a time to read God's Word, pray, and sometimes sing together. With several very young children, we try to keep this time fun. Sometimes the kids like to "act out" the story of the evening and at other times we simply read the passage and talk a little about it. There are all sorts of creative things we have tried during these Bible times. It has become such an engrafted part of our daily life that none of us like to skip it.
Tonight's passage was John 4, a chapter in which the Samaritan woman has a life changing encounter with our Lord Jesus. An encounter that not only brought conviction, but also confession. An encounter that didn't bring the typical condemnation, but rather conversion. Not only is this the type of encounter we each must have with Jesus, it is the type of well water we must allow to spring up through our lives into the lives of others, namely our children. Do you have the joy of the Lord? Do your children see it, feel it, and taste it?