Family Devotionals

Tom Muehleman shares this devotion from Family Life Ministries:

We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD.

Psalm 78:4

Whenever the subject of family worship comes up, you may feel guilt at your failure in this area. I understand that. Few things seem harder to pull off or easier to be put off. But when you consider the impact this one commitment could make on your own children for a lifetime, what could be more important?

It doesn’t have to be tightly preplanned. Take five or ten minutes before school to read a devotional with your children. Schedule one night a week when you’ll all be home to read a story and Scripture, sing (or make a joyful noise) and have some outrageous fun. Watch for those opportunities to practice “sandbox theology,” turning your children’s everyday events into spiritual training moments.

Don’t miss this: Dad and Mom, your ultimate assignment as parents is to introduce your children to God; His Son, Jesus Christ; and His Word. It may be hard to start and a challenge to continue, but it will make a huge difference in how they finish.

Discuss

Talk about what each of you can do to be helpful and encouraging to each other in getting family worship started or in keeping it going.

Pray

Pray for priorities to firm up in your life, for incidentals to be seen for the waste of time they are and for God’s Word to recapture each of your hearts.

Is using a child's imagination to teach the Bible harmful?

Parents & Christian Educators: I'd love your perspective on this issue!  This article addresses the use of imagination as we impart knowledge to our young ones. The author is a strong advocate for using a child's natural creativity and propensity toward fantasy within the framework of Christian teaching, while others are not.

This morning, Eli's "Bob the Builder" team got into an argument.  Muck was not being kind to the others, especially Scoop.  Perhaps some may regard this as a 3-year-old having silly fun with their imagination.  And I agree.  I just also happen to believe that these are the life moments-no doubt based on imagination moreso in the early years, and reality as a child grows older-that invite critical lessons about God's love and following Him.  So did we have a theological discussion about these inanimate objects? Yes we did. I asked Eli to tell me the problem (which he had fabricated), and he shared all about the conflict in this group of friends, who started it, who was sad because of it.  We then talked about God, the kind of behavior God expects, and what options these friends have as a result. He determined the results in his play. Today, Eli shared that apologies were given and everyone was being kind together.  We've had similar situations where, sadly, Mater or Bob or even a cuddly teddy bear needed a time out and faced the consequences for their behavior.  Sometimes I bring biblical stories right up into these scenarios.  What is the penguin's name that was on the ark?  Oh, and their wife's name?  Oh, they had trouble walking up to the ark?  Who helped them?  Really, the dogs did?  That was kind.  Some educators find this dangerous territory.

"There is a group of teachers who feel quite strongly that children who are young and just hearing about the stories of the Bible should not simultaneously be exposed to fantasy characters...[They believe that] by mixing truth of the Bible with imaginary characters or stories a child runs the risk of thinking the Bible stories are therefore not true."

So this means Santa at Christmastime?  Moreover, this means that sweet book we have from the donkey's perspective, as he carried pregnant Mary into Bethlehem?  At FHPC, we utilize an evangelical, relevant, bible-based, experiential curriculum called FaithWeaver.  And it was our curriculum that came up recently in this very discussion!  Sunday School teachers (especially 1st/2nd) - you will recall teaching this story last month and the controversy it stirred. 

Here are some following excerpts for further thought, or just click on the link below and read the entire article.  Does the author go too far?  Is he right on?  Please comment on your perspective!

"FaithWeaver Sunday school curriculum...seeks to immerse children into the bible through the use of active and interactive methods. It contained a story the other Sunday that has sparked several heated exchanges with me and a variety of Sunday school teachers over a character named Freddie the Fish. The story of Jesus calling the disciples and telling them that he will make them “Fishers of men” is itself a very true and remarkable story. It contains, however, a metaphor of fishing that is apt for those who heard Jesus speak to them—they were after all fishermen. But to tell the story with some sense of identification for a young child, our editors have seen fit to include a made-up character named Freddie the fish. A teacher yesterday felt that to include this character in a real story was, and I quote, “to confuse what is real and true about the bible and is a first-step in an evil direction.” 

"The reality is, we CONSTANTLY introduce imagination during the study of scripture…it is just a slippery slope that often we do not recognize because we’ve always done it. Take, for instance, the ubiquitous flannel-graph board. We “picture” Jesus but clearly it is a paper representation of Christ, not the “real” thing! So are children thus deceived into thinking that Jesus is not “real?” Or take Veggie Tales characters (which proponents of the reality of scripture would avoid with young children) or the old Lutheran show, Davey and Goliath or even Adventures In Odyssey or the McGee & Me series. These all portray unreal characters to help illuminate the bible. But you don’t have to stop there. Throughout history, art has been attacked for it’s idolatry since it is a “graven image” and therefore Jews didn’t use animals or people in their mosaics, only plants and vegetables. During the Renaissance there was a clear uproar over the Sistine Chapel’s art that Michelangelo painstakingly created."

"...I find that children are highly elastic in their imagination! They can stride comfortably between the real and the make believe. It is only with children who’ve been traumatized by what is REAL who revert to seclusion within fantasy that is pathological. But this is not the norm! It is the exception. And candidly, do we think that the REALITY of scripture, it’s TRUTHFULNESS alone causes people to wholly accept it as real? To state that fiction or make-believe is so harmful it to open ourselves up to the opposite and equal contradiction…that the whole truth convinces!"

"...If Jesus spoke in parables which themselves were fiction, what does that say about the Bible? It is truth, but it is not ALL REAL. It is a representation of what is real and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, instruction and correction in righteousness, certainly. And it contains truth. But to think that the stories of scripture—in order to be accepted–have to be literally true finds deep contradiction in those pesky parables which clearly are FICTIONAL STORIES!!!"

http://childrensministryandculture.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/fantasy-vs-biblical-reality-are-preschoolers-at-risk/

Never Stop Growing

We constantly talk about our children's growth, but what about ours?  How are we being ever-transformed by God and inwardly changed?  This article by Keri Wyatt Kent addresses our need to grow and be filled by God so we may pour into the lives entrusted to us.  

Never Stop Growing

Keri Wyatt Kent 

posted 2/06/2009

My neighbor to the east has at least a dozen ancient fir trees on his property. They're taller than the house, though still not as tall as the willows along the fence line. While their quiet dark green blends in with the other trees in summer, they are conspicuous in winter, especially in the early morning, silhouetted black against the lightening sky.

I sip coffee and look out my kitchen window at their familiar, imposing outlines. How many years have I stood in this kitchen, sipping coffee early in the morning, looking out at those same trees? It feels comforting and yet it brings a certain restlessness. When does routine turn into rut?

My son, who it seems yesterday was the baby on my hip, folds his lanky frame into a chair to eat his breakfast. The view from my window is the same, but here in my house my children are changing before my eyes into teenagers. This keeps things interesting.

As they grow and change, I wonder—am I? Am I growing and shifting, learning enough to keep up with them? I see parenting as a complex arrangement, at least part of which is the spiritual discipling of my son and daughter. I cannot give away what I don't have. Am I filled up enough to pour into them? Though they have grown taller than me, I realize I must be mindful to nurture and notice the changes.

As we do ministry, it sometimes feels like the same scene is played out again and again. We may become weary of doing the good work that God has called us to do. We may feel we are wearing a rut in the floor of the nursery, having walked that same path for so long. We may tire of bounding hormones and interpersonal drama that marks junior high ministry. Our steadfastness can begin to feel like stuckness.

And yet, we get to witness the unfolding of persons and to play a role in that. We see these children growing, learning. Sometimes we watch as they make mistakes or seem to wander from the truth we've so diligently taught them. While this is painful, we must remember our limitations and that God is ultimately in control.

We are called to help children grow closer to God. But our effectiveness is limited when we attend only to their growth and ignore our own progress. While we may not be changing as dramatically as the children we lead, God did not create us to stagnate. That's the reason for this column: to encourage you to care for your own soul, to take time to nurture your relationship with God so that you can continue to grow. Our change may not be as dramatic, but we must continue to seek God, to allow him to transform our spirits. When we stop growing, we die.

The pines are not going anywhere and yet they are very much alive. If they weren't, they would no longer be here. In the ten years I've been living in this house, those trees have grown taller—so slowly that I haven't noticed it. They've provided shade, oxygen, beauty, and of course shelter for squirrels and birds. While I cannot see it, there is plenty of activity—sap flowing, photosynthesis, and so on—that keeps the trees green and vibrant even in the coldest winter. The trees are steadfast, yet growing. Although I take them for granted, I'm blessed by their presence.

The children you minister to or are raising in your home are counting on you to remain steadfast, to be dependable. They are blessed by your presence—even if they don't say so. If you're to continue to minister to them, you must stay alive and continue to grow. The activity may be mostly on the inside. Any time you invest in your own spiritual growth—times of prayer, of study, of solitude, of rest—will benefit not just you but the people you lead. This is what will keep you steadfast and growing.

Keri Wyatt Kent is a speaker, freelance writer and author of six books, including Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity.

Paying Attention To Your Child's Spiritual DNA

As parents and volunteers, it is vividly apparent that each child is different, specifically crafted by the Great Craftsman, designed for purposes we only partly know. My husband and I laugh about how it seemed Eli was already turning the pages of books he had memorized at 10 months, while Amos, now 10 months, loves to sit around watching the surrounding activity and gnaw on his hand. But man, Amos can scoot, and scoot fast. He is more physically adept than Eli was at his age. We notice both superficial and deeper differences in the children we come into contact with, especially when they are our own.

Do you seek to know your child's giftedness? Do you long to understand how to nurture their God-designed interests, abilities, and passions? This article is great for both volunteers ministering to children, as well as parents.  The article offers tangible descriptions to look for and questions to ask children, as well as experiences you can facilitate with children at various stages of development to better understand their spiritual DNA and giftedness. Enjoy!
http://www.childrensministry.com/article.asp?ID=1958