Children's Ministry: Blog
Jun 30, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Another VBC has come and gone. 871 kids, 412 volunteers, over $3,000 raised, 1000 bags of food for a mission project, 1 pig kissed, and a lot of hearts changed. I continue to hear stories of kids who cried because they didn’t want to leave each day, kids who asked their parents if the can “come back every week” and kids, who now have a family of peers and adults, who love and recognize them as part of their own family. Many parents and volunteers have told me “thank ...
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Jun 11, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
If your child attended Bible CHAMP Camp this morning, here is an overview of what they learned. Review it with them and help cement their new knowledge. If your child was unable to attend, use this as a guide to help them navigate God's book!
Bible CHAMP Camp theme scripture: “Teach me your way oh Lord and I will live in your truth” Psalm 86:11.
The Bible is our rule book. Jesus gave us the most important rule: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your ...
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May 15, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
This weekend is the annual 2nd Grade Bible Handout! In all of our weekend services we will give a brand new hard-cover bible to every 2nd grader or any older child who needs one. Each will receive a hard-cover “Hands On” Bible with extras that make it perfect for 7-12 year olds. It has an introduction to every book with funny overviews, cool facts, and important timelines. It also contains science experiments, crafts, journal activities and lots of life application. If you have a ...
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Feb 16, 2010
If you are looking for a way to celebrate this season of Lent with your children, I encourage you to use our 2010 Lenten calendar as a guide. We hope you will find this to be a valuable tool during this season of Lent.
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Feb 11, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
When children are young, they follow your values because they have to. You can control much of what they do, say, watch, hear, etc. But as they mature, they will begin to identify with the culture, their peers, teachers, coaches and others outside your home. They will develop their own set of values that they live by or they will fluctuate with the situation. If you want your child to have a set of values they live by, help them name them, develop them and own ...
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Feb 4, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
How many times have you asked your child, “How was your day?” only to get he answer “good” or “fine”? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? If you are like me, you really do want to know the content of their day and how things went for them throughout the day. Give me some details! So, here are a few ways to get at the real stuff of your child’s days. In our home we play “Highs & Lows” at the dinner ...
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Jan 28, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
I always knew and understood the importance of having other strong Christian influences in my child’s life, but until this year, I did not really feel the need. But then my daughter went through a trying time last fall, and suddenly I was grateful for adults in her life who she could talk to other then me and her Dad. Parker and I can talk about anything, but it helped to have other opinions and support outside of our home. I know it comforted her to hear a little ...
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Jan 21, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Please help us serve our friends in Haiti with these needed items. We will be assembling kits next weekend (January 30-31) in children’s classes. We are asking each age group to provide certain items on the list to make sure we have enough of everything. You can purchase as many of each item as you like. We will have drop-off boxes in every building to leave items. We will also use our offering in Children’s Ministry next weekend to provide the needed ...
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Jan 14, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
The other day there was another story on TV about Tiger Woods. It has been in the news so much that my children are very aware of the story. Last week when my nine-year-old son saw the latest blurb about Tiger, he said, “Why don’t they just leave him alone?!” He was obviously frustrated and sick of hearing about it. I know my son well, and I could tell at that moment that his frustration went deeper than just being tired of hearing the story. He ...
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Jan 9, 2010
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
The new year is a good time to start fresh with your kids. Use it as an excuse to sit down with your family and establish some clear guidelines on what you are going to expect from them. Try giving up some of your own vices as well. This will help children understand we are all in this together. For example, I told my kids I wanted them to get back in the habit of making their beds every day. They used to do this before we got a little more hectic in our ...
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Dec 30, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Check out these findings from a recent survey by John Trent. He interviewed several hundred parents with small children who attend a large church:
Parents were asked, “Do you think it’s important to pass down your faith to your children?” As you might expect, more then 90 percent said, “Yes! It’s very important!”
“Do you think your child will have a strong faith when he or she gets out of college?” Again, 90 percent of ...
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Dec 23, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
I told my daughter to be resourceful today. She was trying to solve a small problem, and I wanted her to know that she could figure it out without me telling her what to do. I value resourcefulness. I want my kids to be able to find the answers when they need them. I want them to be able to fix just about anything with duct tape. I want them to learn independence. Did you know that this idea of raising kids to be independent would be blasphemous in many other ...
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Dec 17, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
My husband teaches Construction Technology at Ben Barber here in Mansfield. For those of you who don’t know, Ben Barber is a career and technology high school that all students in Mansfield can attend. It’s really cool, but I tell you all of that to explain that my husband teaches a fairly diverse group of high school kids from all over MISD. This week he was having some students in his class help build a manger for our Nativity on Christmas Eve. While ...
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Dec 10, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Many parents have asked me lately how to mesh the idea of Santa with the birth of Jesus as the reason for Christmas. While I feel like there is no exact right answer, I do have some suggestions that may help you as parents make an informed decision for your family. Question: Am I being dishonest with my children by telling them to believe in Santa? Answer: Santa is based on a real person — St. Nicholas who was a bishop of the Mediterranean city of Myra around ...
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Dec 3, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Are you having a simple Christmas? You’ve heard us all talk about it for a few weeks now, and the pastors started preaching on it last weekend. What impact has it had on you and your family? If you are having trouble relaxing and getting in the true mode of a simple Christmas, here are a few stories that might inspire you. One mom told me she has loved the Advent guide and has picked out one of the activity suggestions to pray for those who send Christmas cards. They already started ...
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Nov 25, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
It’s Advent season. Christmas is just a few short weeks away. This should ignite an excitement in our hearts, an anticipation of the beauty of the birth of our Savior. But if you are like me and the rest of our country, the thought of Christmas brings anxiety, feelings of pressure and stress. How about we change that starting right now? Let’s envision what it could be like . . . less chaos, less debt, less stress . . . more peace, more joy, more time ...
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Nov 12, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Years ago, the mom of a friend of mine told him, “I may not always like you, but I will always love you.” She was referring to her unconditional love for her son and letting him know that even when he does something wrong, her love will not stop. That quote stuck with me, and I have used it often with people in my own life. Sometimes I use it with my kids or husband or even friends because as a disciple of Jesus, I am called to love above all else. Jesus said in ...
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Nov 5, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
All children will deal with peer pressure. We adults still deal with it as well, though hopefully we are better prepared. Use this activity to teach your children how strong peer pressure can be and what to do to stay true to what they know is right. Read: Romans 12:2 aloud. Let children read from their Bible and you from yours. Briefly discuss the similarities in the wording and explain that their Bible is written so they can understand it and yours is ...
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Oct 29, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Most children, like us, have given others the power to shape their self-perception. The need for praise trains kids to see themselves through others’ eyes. The problem with this is that others’ images will be inconsistent at best and wrong or hurtful at worst. And as a result, children don’t develop a Christ-centered self-esteem. A child with high self-esteem will work happily alone, be responsible, tolerate frustration, accept new challenges and ...
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Oct 22, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Children seem to be born with a desire to serve others. Even a 2-year-old will automatically comfort a crying baby by sharing a toy. Take advantage of this eagerness and give them ideas on different and simple ways to serve their family and community. Share our church’s new mission statement: “Making disciples of Jesus Christ who love God, love others, and serve the world.” Explain that serving the world starts right in our own home and ...
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Oct 15, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Find a childhood picture of yourself and bring it with you to your child’s bedtime. Ask your child to guess who it is in the picture and give hints if necessary. Reveal that it is you in the picture, and ask your child what they think life was like for you at that time. Let them describe your home, playtime, school, etc. as they picture it. Then tell them the real story. Be honest, but positive, in your details. (This is not the time to share major ...
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Oct 8, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Preparation: You’ll need a blindfold and a Bible.
The object of this devotion is for a blindfolded person to make it through an “obstacle course in the house or yard by following the leader’s voice.
Blindfold an older child or one of the adults. (Being “blind” can be scary for little ones and that is not the point of this lesson!) Have another adult or older child give directions from a distance on how to make it through the house. Maybe take the person through ...
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Oct 1, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Lay on a blanket in the backyard at night. On a clear, moonless night, a thousand or more stars are visible.
Five of our solar system’s eight planets, a few star clusters, a spiral galaxy and the odd bright comet are visible too. (Depending on the age level of your kids, Google “stargazing” for more tips.)
With the advent of telescopes, very many previously unknown stars were discovered. Galileo using his homemade telescope saw a ten-fold increase in the number of ...
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Sep 24, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
You probably know your child pretty well, but do you know the culture they are submerged in every day? In the book, Children’s Ministry in the 21st Century, Rick Chromey does a good job of explaining the culture that surrounds us all. While parents are the primary influence in a child’s life, they have to be intentional about leveraging that influence to counteract the culture when necessary. Look at this list of postmodern culture traits excerpted from the book ...
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Sep 17, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
I often talk with parents about discipline issues concerning their children. While each situation is different and we often have to try various methods with our children, the number one piece of advice I give to parents is to be immediate and consistent in their discipline. Most parents nod their head and say, “I know, I should try to be more consistent.” So, why are we not as consistent as we know we should be? Parenting is hard. It takes work to enforce rules, talk ...
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Sep 10, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
This weekend our church joins United Methodist churches across the country in the Rethink Church campaign. This will challenge us as a congregation to “be the Church” both inside the walls of our campus and outside those walls. This week our staff had the opportunity to hear from Pastor Mike what direction this campaign will take in our community. It was an inspiring meeting that left us excited about the upcoming weeks and months. As Pastor Mike was ...
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Sep 5, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
During last weekend’s sermon, I had the opportunity to speak to you regarding raising kids in a culture that often exposes them to ideas, images and concepts that are too much for adults, let alone our children. If you missed hearing the sermon, you can listen online. Many of you asked for more info on this topic, and while it is a passion of mine, I could speak or write on it for days. I will try to keep it to a few points here, but please know that if you would like ...
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Aug 28, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Ask
Have you ever met George Washington?
Do you believe that he was the first president of the United States?
Why do you believe that?
Say something like this: We believe George Washington lived and was the first president because people who lived when he did (eyewitnesses) wrote about him. Even though we didn’t see him, reliable people told us about him and his experiences. We believe in Jesus even though we have never seen Him. We believe in Him because ...
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Aug 13, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Family life has its fair share of challenges, and an unexpected crisis can knock us flat. Sometimes these things can threaten the unity of our family itself. Illness, a broken marriage, job loss and financial problems all bring uncertainty and anxiety. Even positive changes such as a new baby or a planned move can disrupt schedules and affect our relationships with each other and with God. Children often know just enough of what is going on in your family to make ...
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Aug 4, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
One joy of parenthood is watching for signs of children’s developing talents. Children gain confidence when they become competent at something they enjoy. That’s why many parents seek out a range of activities for their budding athletes, musicians and artists. Children are blessed with other “talents” that need nurturing as well. All of God’s children, regardless of age, have spiritual gifts. He gives us certain abilities to serve him and others. Use the beginning ...
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Jul 30, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
We love summer in our home because it is ideal for hanging out together and creating lasting memories. It’s also ideal for spending time with God and creating lasting faith. But summer is almost over! Don’t fret! Just make the most of your time for the next few weeks and be intentional in your time with your family. Grow closer to each other and to God with these easy, practical ideas.
Family Mission Statements—Pause to plan out your purpose as a family. Begin with ...
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Jul 17, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
I am a big believer in teaching kids leadership skills at an early age. My belief is that as followers of Christ, we are to lead others nearer to Him in all that we do. This sometimes requires stepping out of our comfort zone or doing the unpopular thing or making difficult choices. So, to teach these skills, I often point out other leaders, especially kids and youth. I also recognize when my children or others display leader qualities like speaking up for themselves in an appropriate way, ...
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Jul 10, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
In the wake of the Michael Jackson media frenzy that we experienced this last week, I thought you, as parents, might be able to use this as a teachable moment.
During VBC a few weeks ago, our core message was “It all comes back to Jesus,” as you may have heard. Each day we focused on a different aspect of what a life of following Jesus looks like. We answered the questions of:
How do I know God?
How do I know God loves me?
How do I live for God each day?
And What does God ...
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Jun 26, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Vacation Bible Camp Facts
840 campers
364 volunteers
Raised $3697 for mission project
Made 1,000 bags of food for Feed the Kids for Summer with that money
Served 40 gallons of popcorn
Ate 3,440 mini corn dogs
Drank 620 gallons of water
Learned:
When we want to know God, we can know him by being friends with Jesus;
We know God loves us because he sent his only son Jesus to die for us;
We can know what God wants us to do because Jesus told us to worship him with all of our ...
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Jun 18, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
If you missed my devotion last week, it was about my son and a phase he was going through where the truth seemed to evade him regularly! Check my blog if you missed it. So many of you responded to that with your own stories and struggles, so this week here are some more tips to finding the truth with your child. The Straight Truth Send your kids out to the yard, and ask them to bring back a stick. Hold up a ruler (which is completely straight). Allow the kids ...
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Jun 11, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
My 9-year-old son is going through a lying phase. It is driving me crazy! I am sure it is not a trait you wish for your children either. So, how do we handle it? Because we know that trust is the foundation for all relationships, we take the act of lying a little more serious than other wrongdoings. When you have to discipline your child, make sure he or she knows that while there will be a punishment for wrongdoing, there will be an extra punishment for ...
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May 28, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Have you signed up for VBC yet? This is one of the biggest outreach events on our campus each year! We will have over 800 kiddos and half of them will be non-members! This is a chance to reach out to your friends and neighbors. Offer to pick up kids to bring them each day. Ask your child what friends they know who need to know about Jesus and invite them! This year the theme is “Boomerang Express.” As kids wind their way through Australia, they'll discover the ...
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May 22, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Read the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1-13. Read this from a children’s bible or substitute the word “Bridesmaid” for “Virgin” in an adult bible. This will save you some extra explanation with younger kids! The Bible story is about the ten young ladies--five had oil in their lamps (to be able to see where they were going) and five had none so they were not ready. The first five were wise. They made a wise choice to get the oil and be ready when the ...
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May 16, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Miss Amy on our children’s team once joked with Pastor Mike about where she had received some lessons she was sharing. Yeah, that Bible has a lot of good stories in there! Of course, she was absolutely right, but it did sound funny to state the obvious! The Bible contains adventure, humor and romance. Written in both prose and poetry, it is a source of history, wisdom and prophecy. And most importantly, the Bible is the true word of God. This weekend ...
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May 8, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
This weekend is Mother's Day. And though it is a national holiday, we don't celebrate Mother's Day at our church simply because the rest of the country is doing it. We celebrate because we are grateful for our mothers and the things they do for us. We celebrate because we are grateful to God for giving us mothers and other women in our lives who raise us and show us God's love. And, we celebrate because God gave us life through our mothers just as he gives us a new life through Jesus. This ...
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May 2, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
This month in some of our children’s classes, we will be studying Pentecost. Since we didn’t know too much about it when we started researching, we thought maybe you could use a little help too. After reading, share some facts with your children, point out some symbols and colors in our church and remind them that Pentecost is a sort of birthday of the church.
Pentecost marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost means "fiftieth day." ...
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Apr 24, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
After catching a glimpse of FUEL last night (this is our junior high worship on Wednesday nights), I was inspired to further the discussion Mel was leading with the students. She was discussing a few traits we might want to “wear.” Humility and compassion were the ones I heard. She used a cartoon to illustrate the ideas, and I had a thought that you could easily use any media to discuss these or other traits we would like our children to gain from Jesus. Try ...
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Apr 17, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Have you noticed any changes in Children's Ministry lately? We've been working to "up the excellence" for awhile now, and I hope you are noticing. Some of our changes have been in staffing, supplies and prep work before the service. We are trying to provide all that our volunteers might need so they are well-equipped and prepared to lead our children in their classes. Other changes have been a more focused curriculum with simple messages and transferable information. We are striving to address ...
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Apr 3, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
The word Easter conjures up images of colorful eggs and bunnies for most of our children. At the same time we understand that the true meaning of Easter is about the Resurrection of Jesus. So this year, enjoy the eggs and bunnies, but remind children of the real Easter story. Even if they have heard it many times, a recap is helpful. Review the story with them and let them fill in the blanks. Do this while you are coloring Easter eggs and spending quality time together. The eggs and bunnies ...
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Mar 14, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
As we continue in the sermon series “Walking with Jesus,” help your children learn more about the characteristics of our Savior. He was sent to us as an example of how to live our lives as Godly people. He showed compassion in many situations, but one stands out in my mind. In John 11, we see Jesus weep over the loss of a friend, though he knew that he could and would bring him back to life. I heard Pastor David speak about this a few weeks ago, and it ...
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Mar 7, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
As we approach Easter, we should be thinking about Jesus and the sacrifices He made for us. This leads us to understand that Jesus is King and worthy of our worship and praise. The word "worship" comes from the Old English word "weorthscipe," that means giving worth to something. We give Jesus all the worth we are able to give by worshiping Him. When we worship Jesus, we honor His sacrifice for us and show Him how much we adore him. Praise is a way we ...
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Feb 28, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Special Guests - children 5 and older Make a special dinner and set an attractive table, using the good china, candles, etc. Tell the kids to get dressed up as you are going to have "special guests" for dinner. If they ask who is coming, do not give them any details. Keep it a surprise until you call them to dinner and then say, "YOU are the special guests!" Print Jeremiah 1:5a ("Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you.") on a card or pretty paper and ...
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Feb 21, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Stretching Our Faith and FundsIt's not easy to ignore the growing anxiety, the mounting bills, and the uncertainty of the job market . . . even if you're only six years old. Chances are the kids in our lives are hearing nervous chatter from relatives, teachers, and friends, both at home and at school. It is ok to talk about finances in front of them, but it is best to do so in a very up front manner. Otherwise the bits and pieces they hear can make their imaginations run wild. Assure them that ...
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Feb 15, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Last night in our bulletin, our Children's Ministry Director, Tina Schramme and myself shared 10 "next steps" of faith and other faith building activity suggestions for families. The full list we've compiled has 50 of those activities which I am posting here. We put this list together in response to the message I shared two weeks ago in which I encouraged our congregation to consider what was the "next step" of faith they needed to take in order to continue growing. I hope you find some great ...
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Feb 7, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
This morning my 8-year-old son said, "Mom, what do you think I should be when I grow up?" My immediate thought was that he can be anything he wants to be, so how do I communicate that to him so that he really knows it in his core? I decided to state the obvious. "Grayson, you are so smart, and you could really be anything you want to be." He just grinned and said, "Yea, you're right." Obviously he has that message down! We have discussed this topic over the years, but it is usually me bringing ...
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Jan 31, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Teach your child how to pray:
Here's one simple method:
Let your child trace his hand on a sheet of art paper.
Tell your child that he can use his fingers to remember how to pray. This is called the "5 Finger Prayer"
Over the thumb, write "Praise".
Tell your child to start her prayer by praising God in words or song. This means to tell Him how wonderful He is. Tell God what you love about Him. Give examples like He is strong, wise, loving, etc.
Over the first finger, write ...
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Jan 22, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
I spent most of my adult life thinking that I was not creative. It didn't bother me too much, just the way I was "made." Then I heard a speaker discussing how we are truly "made" in God's image, all of us. He is the Master Creator, creating the earth and heavens and all it includes. Therefore, made in His image, we are all creative in some way. This speaker proposed that there are two kinds of "creative." There are the Innovators who are creative in the ...
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Jan 17, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Let's talk allowance. There are debatable theories about whether allowance should be tied to chores or not and how much to give, etc. For now, let's talk about allowance as a way to teach kids about giving, saving and spending wisely.
Parents should begin giving a small allowance to children at around age 4 or 5. They may not fully understand the concept of money at this age, but it is a great age to instill habits and lock the concepts in as a way of life. If you have not given an allowance ...
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Jan 10, 2009
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Get your family together and say, "We are going to talk about how we can stay focused on God this year." Blow up several balloons, and have family members take turns seeing which person can keep the balloon up in the air without touching the ground for the longest. Or all of you can try at once and make it fun. After you catch your breath and quit giggling, ask, "What was the hardest part of doing this?" Let everyone answer (concentrating, getting tired, not knowing ...
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Dec 30, 2008
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
In honor of our new message series “The Year of Living Biblically” let’s get acquainted with our Bible. Find some time this week to get with your family and sit down together with your Bibles. Let everyone bring their own Bibles if they have them, or gather all the Bibles you may have in your home. If this is your first family time and your children are old enough to wonder what on earth you are doing, just tell them straight up- we are starting this year off right, getting ...
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Dec 27, 2008
Categorized as Family Weekly Devotional
Many of you in the congregation are parents or grandparents. So put on your parental hat for a moment and take a little quiz. Prioritize the following three outcomes of educational, athletic and spiritual training. Which is most important to you? ______ Your child becoming a straight "A" student. ______ Your child becoming a star athlete in high school. ______ Your child developing a life-long relationship with Jesus Christ. I assume that most of you would choose "a life-long ...
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Dec 1, 2008
My children are 11 and 8. These are the days I dreamed of - they are both able to dress themselves, fix their own snacks, handle chores around the house, etc. And, we are able to do all kinds of fun things as a family. It is a great age. But the one disappointing thing about the elementary and pre-teen years is that the snuggling days are fewer and fewer. You know, when they hop in your lap for no reason at all, just to sit with you and have you stroke their hair or hold them tightly. They ...
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Sep 18, 2008
Nothing is as encouraging as the Word of God. It is absolute truth, and it tells us of God's unfailing love for us and our children. As our children grow, it becomes increasingly important to offer to them the truths found directly in scripture- truths they can claim as their own. Listed below are just a few of the incredible promises from God ready to share with your child in everyday conversations or personalized notes.
"You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:14. This is a reminder from ...
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Aug 25, 2008
Last night I had the chance to share my heart and vision with the parents of our church. It was a great opportunity, and I am grateful for the families who came. In case you did not get to attend, let me tell you a little bit of what was shared.
The 150 or so people who came got to meet our children’s team and hear a little bit about what they do. I really am proud of the gals on our team. They are all driven by a heart for God and a passion for children and families. They ...
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Jul 24, 2008
Pastor Mike's email this week hits on a topic I am passionate about. He sited George Barna's research about beliefs. He pulled out the following stats:
Many Christians do not know what they believe.
Many Christians do not know where their beliefs come from.
Many Christians cannot tell you what they believe, and those who do are often influenced and shaped by ideas and philosophies that do not come from the Bible or basic foundational Christianity.
Barna added after sharing this ...
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