Parent Helps

Bible Study, Devotional, Discipleship, Family, Family Ministry, Parent Helps, Parenting

September 15, 2021

Scripture and a Snack!

By Sarah Humphrey

One of the best ways to help kids learn something new is by teaching a short lesson and then following through with a practical application. If I were to ask my kids what some of their favorite school days were, they would almost always express their joy over a hands-on art project, a science experiment, or making a snack together! Thankfully, we can add any of these applications to our daily lives without much prep work or complication.

If you take a look in your pantry, you can easily find and follow a recipe that explains a Biblical truth. And when you eat what you’ve made, it’s much easier to remember what you were learning! Connecting our brains to our taste buds always serves as a great way to enhance a child’s sensory experience, create a positive memory, and engage kids in a practical expression they’ll use in years to come.

Here is one of our favorite recipes that fills little bellies with protein, sweetness, and a Bible verse! Based on 2 Timothy 1:7, it’s a great way to remember that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound judgement.” The next time you might find that a little one in your area of influence is struggling to sense God’s peace or power, you can follow these few steps while sharing Scripture and some prayer time with them!

Enjoy the sweetness, and savor the time well spent.

Powerballs

1 1/2 cup instant oats

1/2 cup organic peanut (almond or sunflower) butter

1/2 cup organic, local honey

Chia seeds, flax seed, mini chocolate chips, and a pinch of cinnamon (to taste)

Mix together.

Roll into balls.

Roll in unsweetened coconut.

Sarah is a wife and homeschool mom to three kids while also working as an artist, author, life coach, and voice actor. Her writing and doodling can be found in her devotional, “40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood” and her voice in several commercials, children’s books, and audiobooks. Her education and love for holistic science also leads her to teach small workshops on health, wellness, and creativity. She loves encouraging women and kids to embrace self-care, utilize their gifts, and become leaders in the community around them. Her latest devotional for tweens, “Solomon Says” releases this November. Until then, you can follow her Instagram @the.table.and.bath!

Kids Bible Study, Kids Devotions, Kids Ministry, Parent Helps, Teaching Kids, What We're Reading

September 8, 2021

Back-to-Sunday-School Books

By Kids Ministry 101

By Anna Sargeant

Many churches are back to Sunday gatherings this fall in some form or fashion, and children’s ministries are up and running. Whether you’re teaching kids the Bible in a Sunday school classroom, on the lawn, or in your home, adding a great book to the day’s schedule is always a good idea!

So stock your Sunday shelves! Each of the following book recommendations from the Lifeway children’s imprint, B&H Kids, is a biblically-based, trustworthy resource—an excellent supplement to Sunday worship and Bible teaching.

Recommendations for Classrooms

Elementary School

Cornerstones: 200 Questions and Answers to Learn Truth by Brian Dembowczyk

Do your elementary students ask deep questions about God and faith? Using a question-and-answer structure, Cornerstones provides helpful answers that serve as a foundation for spiritual truth and spark hunger in kids (and parents) to know and love God more. Topics include the Trinity, sin, redemption, the church, prayer, restoration, and more! The whole family might dive into this book together, or children can use it by themselves since each question and answer is written in a kid-friendly way.

Preschool

There Are Lions in This Book! by Dandi Daley Mackall

In this clever take on the story of Daniel in the lions’ den, a narrator mouse continually warns readers not to turn the page. If they do, they’ll be one step closer to what put Daniel from the Bible in danger—those terrifying, hungry lions! As this intriguing story unfolds, preschool and younger elementary children will learn what truly happened to Daniel in the Bible, while being entertained in the process. Based on feedback, this book is particularly interesting to boys!

Nursery

The Moon Speaks by Jason Duesing

The Moon Speaks is a poetic board book for children, ages 0-4, which shows that behind the creation kids love so much, is the God who loves them even more. The steady sounds of the words combine with the gentle artwork to provide a calming experience for young children. The Moon Speaks helps little ones understand that all of creation is telling us something: God is there, He made the world around us, and He wants us to know Him.

Recommendations for Families

Elementary School

The Promises of God Storybook Bible by Jennifer Lyell

The Bible is rich with stories for our children to hear and enjoy! And when those stories uncover the thread of God’s promises, young readers learn so much more. They discover how God has demonstrated His unstoppable love for us—from the first promise in the garden to the promise of the new heavens and earth.

The Promises of God Storybook Bible is a whimsical, biblically rich retelling of more than fifty key Bible stories. Children will see how a specific promise of God is connected to each story and be reminded that God never breaks a promise He has made to His people.

Preschool

Easy for Me Bible Verses by B&H Editorial

A delightfully illustrated board book, Easy for Me Bible Verses includes twenty-four Scriptures that are fundamental to the Christian faith and easy to memorize for preschoolers! Examples include:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.—Genesis 1:1
The Lord is good to everyone.—Psalm 145:9
God, create a clean heart for me.—Psalm 51:10
Love your neighbor as yourself.—Matthew 22:39

The sooner kids start hiding God’s Word in their hearts, the better! Easy for Me Bible Verses is a simple way to help them do just that.

Nursery

When I Hold You by Ashley Huffstutler

When I Hold You captures the universal experience of the mother-child bond. As young readers, ages 0-4, listen to the rhyme and see the diverse illustrations, they will better understand how God reveals His love to us through our relationships with one another. With Scriptures woven throughout every image, both mother and child will be encouraged to worship the God whose love lasts forever!

For more biblically based, trustworthy resources for your Sunday school classroom or family, visit BHKids.com.

Anna served on the children’s ministry team at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas from 2009-2017, first as a volunteer, then as full-time staff. She also wrote for six years for The Gospel Project for Kids curriculum. Anna currently works as an acquisitions editor for B&H Kids in Nashville. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading a book, sipping tea, chatting with loved ones, attempting to record a podcast, or walking in the woods.

Discipleship, Family, Family Ministry, Parent Helps, Parenting

September 6, 2021

If I Had Only One Hour to Talk to Parents

By Brian Dembowczyk

What would I talk about if I had only one hour to talk with a group of parents? The dangers of failing to disciple their kids? Techniques, methods, and tools for home discipleship? Marriage?

As important as each of those is, I wouldn’t hit on any of them if I had only one hour. Instead, here is what I would do.

I would spend the first 55 minutes talking about loving God.

You read that right. I would spend almost all of my time talking about loving God, without even mentioning parenting. Why? Because it is what God Himself focused on, in what is widely considered the most important home discipleship passage in the Bible:

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates. — Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (CSB)

This passage is six verses long. Half of them address the parents’ relationship with God without reference to kids. The prerequisite for home discipleship is that the parent recognizes the unique glory of God (v. 4), loves God fully (v. 5), and cherishes Scripture (v. 6). Without this, nothing else matters. A parent can have the greatest techniques, methods, tools, and be consistent from day one. But if love for God is not driving discipleship, it is not discipleship. It is information transfer. And that is not what we are after. The devil knows doctrine. Discipleship is helping someone else love God as we have come to love Him. This is why Jesus said that Deuteronomy 6:5 is the greatest commandment in Scripture (see Matthew 22:34-40).

My goal, then, would be to draw the attention of every parent in that room to how amazing God is. Maybe some are newer to the faith and still coming to understand God’s glory. Maybe others have been Christians for decades and perhaps have become “too familiar” with God. I would want to help everyone, including me, take a step back and sit amazed in the presence of our holy God. To recall that the Creator knows us and loves us. That He slaughtered His own Son so that we might be forgiven of our sins. That in Christ, we are fully accepted by Him. That we will spend eternity worshiping, serving, and delighting in God. Like the church at Ephesus, I would want everyone to remember our first love (see Revelation 2:1-7).

I would spend the last 5 minutes talking about home discipleship being a gift.

Then, with our affections stirred anew for God, I would want to reposition home discipleship in those hearts and minds of the parents. While home discipleship is a responsibility, that is not how we should see it. It is a duty, but it is also a privilege. It’s a gift.

Home discipleship is more simple than we make it out to be: it is a parent sharing what he or she loves with a child he or she loves. I would want the parents to grasp the simplicity and beauty of home discipleship. We don’t have to share the gospel with our kids, we get to. We get to point our kids to the greatest good, God, Himself. Sharing a love for sports, or movies, or foods, or hobbies, or anything else with our kids is great. None of these are seen as chores. But they all pale in comparison to sharing God with our kids.

So when the clock rolls from 0:59 to 1:00, my hope would be that every parent leaves in awe of God and eager to talk with his or her kids about Him. Those other details are important, but they will all work out. If the parent is motivated.

Brian Dembowczyk served in the local church ministry for over 16 years. Brian earned an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his family live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Devotional, Discipleship, Family, Kids Bible Study, Kids Devotions, Parent Helps

September 1, 2021

SOAP for kids!

By Kids Ministry 101

By Sarah Humphrey

We have spent the last year of our lives practicing one habit in particular. Can you guess what it is? It involves water, soap, rubbing two hands together, and sometimes singing “Jesus loves you” three times in a row.

With COVID, school closings, and social distancing, everyone was sure to hear the phrase “Wash your hands” way more than one time a day. In fact, it was a sentence we saw on billboards, TV screens, signs on storefronts, and sometimes even in our very own homes. Washing our hands never seemed to become quite so commonly discussed, even though it’s an age-old habit that most of us have (hopefully) been doing for years.

Handwashing is a practice that usually takes just thirty seconds at a time but also can take longer if we need it to. That’s often how I look at studying the Bible alongside kids. As an adult, we can hear something and then rush through it to either: move onto something else, pass over the information quickly, or even think that we’ve caught it all. But most of the time, if we’re honest, it’s easy to miss a lot of information and thoughts about what we read, see, think, and pray about.

This is one of the reasons I love teaching children. They ask great questions, and they ask a lot of them. They think literally and love details. And they also love to learn and process stories. Throughout my last few years of talking through the Bible with our own kids, I’ve learned the beautiful art of slowing down to dissect different pieces and parts of Scripture. Most commonly, the prayer method called “SOAP” has been a great model for adults to learn how to navigate through the Bible while also bringing a practical application for what they are learning.

I’ve found that it also works quite well with kids, just like reminding them to wash their hands. It’s simple, practical, and doesn’t take up too much time in their day, but it’s extremely effective. If you’ve never heard of the SOAP model, it’s simply this:

S- Scripture

O-Observation
A-Application

P-Prayer

When you’ve identified one Scripture that you want your kids or ministry kids to learn, you simply write it out. This Scripture can come from a Bible story you’re reading about, a daily devotional, or simply one that means something special to you. Next comes the Observation portion, which means to think through what you see, hear, or observe about the Scripture. Is it comforting or correcting? About bravery or peace? Is it a command or a question? Kids come up with all kinds of wonderful questions during this portion of the exercise, so take your time and enjoy their thought processes here. Next, you come up with an Application to your verse, so that you can walk out what you’re learning in a practical way. Following this, a simple Prayer of confession, gratitude, or help is a great closing place for what everyone has learned.

We’ve all been reminded to wash our hands well this year. It’s just as beneficial to make sure we use SOAP in our daily lives as well. Give it a try, and enjoy the conversations it sparks between you and the children in your life!

Sarah is a wife and homeschool mom to three kids while also working as an artist, author, and voice actor. Her writing and doodling can be found in her devotional, “40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood” and her voice in several commercials, children’s books, and audiobooks. She loves encouraging women and kids to embrace self-care, utilize their gifts, and become leaders in the community around them.

Encouragement, Encouraging, Family, Family Ministry, Parent Helps, Parenting

August 4, 2021

3 OBSTACLES TO FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN YOUR CHILDREN

By Michael Kelley

Do you know what your favorite sound in the world is?

I know mine. It’s when I hear our children laughing and playing and talking together in another room. There is nothing that warms my heart quite like hearing those kids enjoying being around each other. And when I hear it, I’m moved to pray for more and more moments like this in the future. That’s because I know there will come a day when the kids move out of the house, when they start their own careers and their own families, and even when Jana and I are gone, when they will have to make the choice to relate to one another.

And I want them to be more than brothers and sisters – I want them to be friends. I want them to enjoy being around each other even without Jana or I as the link that holds them together. It seems like friendships between our children can be fostered and encouraged in these days when they are young, so that when they are old, their relationships continue to hold together. But if those relationships can be fostered, they can also be hindered by certain practices in the home.

If you, like me, want this for your kids – for them to enjoy being together to the extent that they choose to be friends when they are older – then we ought to pay attention to those things which might be obstacles to the formation of those relationships. Here are three such obstacles:

1. Media.

It’s so easy, isn’t it? Just turn on the TV. Or let them play video games. Or allow them to put their noses in their own devices. It’s certainly good for parents who need a break, and it’s also easier than listening to the inevitable squabbling that comes when you have multiple kids in the house. That’s not always a bad thing. We certainly consume our fair share of media in our home, and I don’t feel particularly badly about doing so.

Nevertheless, the amount of media our kids have access to can be a serious obstacle to their friendships with each other. When media is always an option, they are never put in a situation when they have to learn to relate to each other. There is always a retreat in which they don’t have to talk, negotiate, or understand another person. Conversely, when we make the choice to limit the amount of access our kids have to media, they often have no other choice than to learn to play with and enjoy their siblings. This is a rough road to travel as a parent – it’s certainly not the easiest one. But it is, I believe, the road with lasting benefit.

2. Schedule.

Busyness is the plague of the modern family. We stretch ourselves so thin that we fall into bed exhausted every night between ball games, dance practice, homework, school clubs, sleepovers, and everything else. When we overburden the family calendar, one of the effects is that our kids are often participating in different activities that happen at the same time. Parents are split between this thing and that one, and the kids never have the opportunity to actively watch their brothers or sisters do “their” thing.

They can’t go to the band concert because they have a baseball game of their own. They can’t go to the art show because they have a science project due. They can’t applaud, cheer, encourage, and yes, embarrass their siblings at their events because they’re consumed with their own. So the schedule we keep can be a major detriment to the formation of relationships between our kids because they never have the chance to take pride in or console their siblings.

3. You.

Yes you. And me. And this one is hard, because the greatest obstacle to our children being friends with each other might be us. How does that happen?

It happens through the best of intentions. As parents, we feel compelled to step into situations between our kids. We feel the need to regulate, to discipline, to force compromise – we want to bring resolution and peace to arguments and disputes that we think our kids aren’t working out on their own. But if we are constantly in the middle of the relationships between our children we should not be surprised when they don’t have any real relationships with each other.

So consider, well-meaning parent, stepping back and forcing them to work things out on their own. Consider making this your first question whenever a child presents an issue to you about their brother or sister: “Have you talked to him or her about it?”

These are obstacles. Think through them. And then, by God’s grace, take some active measures to try and facilitate these relationships. Pray for your kids to grow in their relationships with one another so that when you’re not there any more, they will still want to be with each other.

Michael Kelley lives in Nashville, Tenn., with his wife, Jana, and three children: Joshua, Andi, and Christian. He serves as the Sr. Vice President of Church Ministries for Lifeway Christian Resources. He is the author of Growing Down: Unlearning the Patterns of Adulthood that Keep Us from Jesus, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God; Transformational Discipleship; and Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life.

This post originally appeared on michaelkelley.co.

Parent Helps, Parenting, Thanksgiving

July 21, 2021

Teaching Kids to Cultivate Gratitude

By Kids Ministry 101

By Sarah Humphrey

“Is the glass half empty or half full?”

This wise, old expression teaches us more daily lessons in eight words than most full length television shows. It’s a reminder to think positively, give thanks, and look for what is good.

I recently sat down with my three littles to do a daily devotion. This summer has been different for them, and they’ve been struggling with some disappointment. The weather has been filled with more rain than sun, so our pool days have been much fewer than we typically experience. The neighborhood kids that usually knock on our door from sun up to sun down are doing an extra summer program with the public school because of the past year of COVID restrictions, so it also seems extremely quiet for the majority of the day. The phrase “I’m bored” has made its way in and through our four walls more times than I’d like to admit, and it became time for us to talk through what was going on.

I walked to the kitchen sink, filled a glass to the middle of the cup, and set it down on the table.

“Is this glass half empty or half full?”

I got both answers, as well as one response of “Is this a trick question?”

It wasn’t a trick question, but I did want to make them think! So often in our lives, it’s easy to slide into the negative side of processing. For adults and children alike, we can look at all the ways we aren’t fulfilled in some way and then slide into a slippery slope of complaint. As an adult who is with kids all the time, I often have to remind myself to keep my own glass more than half full! But the more we purposely choose to look at the glass as half full instead of half empty, is exactly when we start to gather gratitude and new ideas for what is right in front of us.

A simple reminder can change our attitude into gratitude! If you or the kids around you are struggling to remember to see life half full instead of half empty, consider this easy activity to train your brain into a new way of thinking.

Find a favorite Bible verse that expresses your gratitude to God. We’re choosing Psalm 9:1 in our house: “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”
Have each child write this verse on a notecard, piece of paper, or even decorate it with paint on a small canvas. Allow the kids to have time to see the Scripture “come to life” through art or handwriting.
Each evening, set an empty glass next to the Bible verse on your kitchen counter or table.
Each morning when you wake up, read the verse aloud and fill up the water glass for a fresh drink. (This is not only a good metaphor, but it’s also a good, health habit!)
Commit the day to gratitude, praise, and thanking God for all the ways He’s filled your cup. A simple morning prayer can change everything!
Do this every day for one week, and see how new thinking patterns develop for you and the kids around you. Feel free to continue as long as needed in order to foster the habits of gratitude, positive thinking, and prayer!

Encouragement, Gospel-Centered, Parent Helps

July 19, 2021

HOW JOHN 3:16 ANSWERS THE 3 BIG QUESTIONS OF LIFE

By Michael Kelley

A person can define the seasons of their lives in many different ways. You might, for example, define a life season based on your living arrangements. There is the season in which you live in a home owned by your parents, then you live in a dorm or apartment, and then eventually in your own home (and then maybe after that again in an apartment or someone else’s house). Or you might define life seasons by the main way you spend your time. First, the bulk of your time is spent in school. Then career. Then in an advanced career, and then finally in retirement.

Perhaps another way you can define the seasons of life is by the nature of the questions you are asking – because each stage of life is really about asking and answering a different set of questions. Initially, these questions are more informational in nature:

Why is the sky blue?
What are mosquitos for?
Why do I have to eat vegetables?

Then the questions change to be more personal:

Who should I be in a relationship with?
What kind of work will I engage in?
Where do I want to live for this period of life?

And at some point, all of us enter a stage in life when these questions become even more meaningful. We come to a point when we start asking real questions about meaning and purpose and identity. These are the real shaping questions; these are the answers, if we get them, that determine not only the kind of questions we ask in the future, but also the way we choose to answer those questions. And though these questions are many, you could make the argument that they all really boil down to these three fundamental ones:

Who are we?
Where are we from?
Where are we going?

Yes, these are the real questions, aren’t they? These are the questions behind the other ones – the questions that get at the core of the meaning of all of life and the way it ought to be spent. Indeed, these are really the questions behind every philosophy, every religion, every educational and economical system. And though a person might look to many sources of truth to find the answer, as Christians, we believe that the real truth can only be found in one place: the Bible. And though the Bible addresses these questions in many ways and in many places, there is a single verse in which we find the answer to all three:

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

1. Who are we?

Simply put, we are the dearly loved creation of Almighty God. How do we know that God loves us so? It is not because of our bank balances, the size of our homes, or the success we have in careers. Our circumstances are not a trustworthy indicator of the love of God, for God has already proven just how much He loves us. He loves us enough to sacrifice His own Son for us.

But that begs the question of why such a sacrifice would need to be made, doesn’t it? And here, too, we find part of the answer to the question of who we are: Though we are the dearly loved creation of God, we all have rejected Him as our rightful King. We have, in our own pride, determined to be our own gods. We are sinners, and as such, we are separated from this God who loves us.

Though it might be hard for us to accept, this is indeed who we are.

2. Where are we from?

Again, simply put, we are from God. We are not cosmic accidents; we are not the result of random chance. We are created beings, created in love in order to relate to God and to glorify Him forever. In His love, God has made us with this unique relational capacity – we were made to love God, and to know beyond a shadow of a doubt we are loved by Him.

Until we know our origin – until we know where, and whom, we are from – we will always be wanderers. We will seek to find our worth, value, and substance in transitory things. We will be like children building our little sand castles too close to the water, only to find them washed away again and again. But when we accept and believe this, our true origin story, then we are actually starting to build on the rock.

3. Where are we going?

This question is unique, because there are actually two options, and this verse gives us both. We are either bound to perish, or bound for eternal life. If we believe that we are loved and created by God, but that we have rejected His authority over us and now must be made right with Him, then in His love God has provided a way.

That singular way is Jesus. The singular issue that determines where we are going is what we do with Him. Someone is going to pay for our rebellion, and the price is enormously high. Either it will be us, or it will be Jesus. In His love, God has provided this moment for us, and has opened His arms to whosoever that comes and believes.

Yes indeed, life is about questions. Some are more important than others to answer. But none are more important than these three. Whether we know it or not, your life and mine – both now and into eternity – is really determined by how these questions are answered. By God’s grace, He has told us the truth, and even now He implores with us to come and believe.

This post originally appeared on michaelkelley.co.

Family, Parent Helps, Parenting

June 30, 2021

3 QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS TO ASK BEFORE SAYING “YES” TO ANOTHER ACTIVITY

By Michael Kelley

I am consistently amazed by the sheer volume of opportunities there are for children in today’s culture. It seems like everywhere you turn there is a permission slip, a tryout, or a sign-up form for some activity. There are travel sports teams, art lessons, school musicals – you name it, and it’s all out there waiting for us to say “yes” to on behalf of our kids.

It’s all a little difficult to sort through, especially since every activity seems to be “the” activity. On a given week, the same child might be convinced they need to be an actor, a tennis player, a playwright, and an outdoors expert. Part of our job as parents is to help curate these opportunities – to guide our kids into a decision-making process so that someday they have the strength to say “no” when they need to and “yes” when it’s right.

But that’s hard because you want to help your kids find their “thing.” And after all, how can they find their “thing” unless they try out a whole bunch of “things?” Given that my family is facing these opportunities day by day, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to do that curating. What are the key questions to ask when your child comes to you with an opportunity they are convinced is the right one? I’m sure there are many, but here are three for you to think through:

1. How will this shape my child’s character?

Let’s face it – your child probably isn’t going to be a professional “fill-in-the-blank.” They might think they are, but they will probably find some other thing that excites them down the line. So if that’s true, it would be a mistake for the first question to ask when we are evaluating an opportunity to be about whether doing that thing will put them in line for a Division 1 college scholarship.

We should, however, recognize that allowing our kids to do something that takes up a chunk of their time will inevitably shape their character in some way. So when we recognize that, we would do well to consider it. How will doing this thing shape my son or daughter’s character? And as you’re asking the question, consider who they are likely going to be influenced by while doing that activity. Who’s the coach or the teacher? Who are the other people involved? Those are all factors that shape character.

2. How will this change our family dynamic?

A kid’s activities change the overall family dynamic. It may mean another child is going to more ballgames. Or it might mean someone has to ride the bus that didn’t have to. Or it might mean you are choosing to give up every Saturday morning for the foreseeable future. It’s going to change the family dynamic in some way. And that’s not always a bad thing.

I think it’s a very good thing, in fact, for brothers and sisters to go to their siblings’ sporting events, art shows, or whatever because it makes them think outside of themselves. But when we ask the question, we are recognizing that something is going to change in our home, and we need to think about whether we like the change it will bring. Another way to ask the question might be this: Does this change in our family dynamic move us more toward a family that loves and honors Jesus? Which leads directly to the next question:

3. How will this point us to Jesus?

Ask this question not just about the child doing the activity, but your entire family. How will this activity point us to Jesus? Perhaps it will do so by making us think of others as more important than ourselves. Or perhaps it will do so by helping us see one of the children’s unique skills and abilities given to them so that they might use those skills and abilities to honor Jesus. Or perhaps it will do so for us as parents because it will make us own up to our own competitive nature that is often an affront to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Then again, perhaps it won’t point us to Jesus at all. Perhaps it will serve to pull us away from the people of God and the priority of spiritual growth and development in our families. Either way, we should ask the question if we recognize that the primary goal we have as parents is to point our children to Jesus as the only One who truly satisfies.

Parents, we want to say yes to everything. I know I do because I want my kids to have fun and succeed. But let’s step back for a moment before we do and consider a few things. Ask a few questions. And as we do, pray again and again for the wisdom to do this very hard thing called parenting.

This post originally appeared on michaelkelley.co.

Discipleship, Family, Family Ministry, Parent Helps, Parenting

June 16, 2021

ONE UNEXPECTED WAY TO MODEL GOD’S CHARACTER FOR YOUR FAMILY

By Michael Kelley

We have a lot of roles as dads.

Depending on your child, and depending on their age, you might find yourself as a coach, a tutor, or a counselor. You might be a career coach, a protector, or a driving instructor. And on many days, you will find yourself doing all of the above and more. This is who we are. This is what God has called us to be. And all these roles fit under the great and glorious umbrella term of “dad.”

As Christian fathers, though, there is an even greater calling God has given to us – a calling that runs through all these individual roles. God has given us these children not only to protect, provide for, and teach – He has given us these children for us to be a shadow of their greater Father. I am, as their father, a visible portrait of an invisible reality. In other words, both when I do the right thing and when I come up short as a dad, I am but a shadow of who God is. By God’s grace, I pray that when my children encounter God they might say over and over again something like this: “He’s like Daddy, but better.”

God loves me like Daddy does… only better.
God provides for me like Daddy does… only better.
God disciplines me like Daddy does… only better.
God takes care of me like Daddy does… only better.

We are the first and most influential introduction our kids have to what “father” means – and we are meant to point their eyes upward through our character and interactions. This is indeed a high calling. It’s often an intimidating one. And it’s certainly one we fall short of on a regular basis. Yet we get up, day after day, bolstered by God’s grace, to try again.

Have you considered today how the way you speak to your children models God’s fatherhood? Have you thought today how your forgiveness models God’s fatherhood? Have you dwelled today on how your patience models God’s fatherhood? These are good questions to ask. These are good thoughts to keep in mind. But perhaps there is one other way—an even simpler way—to model God’s character in your home. It’s a way so simple it often goes overlooked.

Your steadiness as a father shows the steadiness of God to your family.

I love the many uses of “always” and “never” in the Bible as they describe the Lord:

Lord, you do not withhold your compassion from me. Your constant love and truth will always guard me (Ps. 40:11).
God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble (Ps. 46:1).
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken (Ps. 55:22).
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6).

The list could go on, but all these statements are meant to assure us of the steadiness of God. God is “always” and “never” a lot of things, and all of that steadiness ought to have a generally calming and peaceful effect on us as Christians. But as Christian fathers? It ought to do something in addition to that.

It ought to make us want to model that steadiness in our homes. Of course, you might look at this kind of steadiness and think it amounts to boredom. Maybe it does. But it also brings a sense of security and safety within our homes – that in many ways, our kids know what they get with us as fathers. We are the ones to be counted on, because we are the men who are solid and steady.

Men, there are moments to be “fun dad.” And there are moments to be “discipline dad.” But in all moments, there is the opportunity to be a steady father. Just as our heavenly Father is steady with us.

This post originally appeared on michaelkelley.co.

Family, Parent Helps, Parenting

June 9, 2021

Summer Catch-Up for Kids

By Kids Ministry 101

By Sarah Humphrey

Summer is a great season to soak up time with your kids or the kids in your ministry circles. With schoolwork out of the picture, kids’ brains are freed up to relax, play, and gather themselves through the art of free time, exploration, deeper conversations, and rest.

Unlike any other time of the year, the summer months can be a sweet offering of connection and can set the pace for a productive and fruitful school year in the Fall. What kids often yearn for is quality time, good creative and physical outlets, and sunshine! As an adult, you can use this time to help cleanse and nourish any exhausted portions of their little minds and bodies and simply give them a good, refreshing break.

Having intentional play dates with friends, scheduled outdoor activities, and a lot of time to explore nature are sure ways to brighten their spirits and help them engage with their five senses through outlets that don’t include a desk, television, or homework. This free time can speak volumes to them in ways that will nourish their creativity, enhance their faith, and give their bodies healthy movement and oxygen!

Some of my favorite summer activities include incorporating conversational lessons with the kids around me. When outside for a walk, make sure to allow the time to stop for ant hills, smell flowers, or step in creeks and streams. Talk about how big and creative God is, how He made everything in nature, and how He loves when we enjoy it!

When emotions run high, let summer be a time that you slow down to connect in authentic communication. Listen well to concerns, boo boos, and relational dilemmas. Sometimes kids need a little more attention in these areas, and it’s easy for adults to pass by them quickly. Take this time to stay with them a little longer, nourishing them with band-aids, kind words, and simple prayers.

Find new books to enjoy together (on a blanket under a tree, perhaps!). Let summer enhance a love for reading Bible stories, fun novels, and whatever genres your kids may like. It’s a wonderful opportunity to offer reward incentives for the time they spend in front of a book, instead of the time they watch the television or a screen.

As summer is upon us, give yourself the grace and joy of slowing down with the littles in your life. Let the sunshine warm you, the fresh breezes revive you, and the simple schedule nourish you. Summers are memory-makers for children, and being able to participate in those memories is a privilege!

Scripture and a Snack!

Back-to-Sunday-School Books

If I Had Only One Hour to Talk to Parents

SOAP for kids!

3 OBSTACLES TO FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN YOUR CHILDREN

Teaching Kids to Cultivate Gratitude

HOW JOHN 3:16 ANSWERS THE 3 BIG QUESTIONS OF LIFE

3 QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS TO ASK BEFORE SAYING “YES” TO ANOTHER ACTIVITY

ONE UNEXPECTED WAY TO MODEL GOD’S CHARACTER FOR YOUR FAMILY

Summer Catch-Up for Kids

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