How to T.R.A.I.N. your children

Those of you who attended the FJIF Take-Home Event, you heard some of this; but I wanted to take a bit more time to look at how we can and should intentionally T.R.A.I.N our children. Proverbs 22:6 encourages us to train our children and offeres a promise in return. Moses in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 tells us to teach our children the commandments and Love of God, and do it ALL THE TIME! In fact, there is never a time in which we are NOT teaching our children about God and His Love / Promises.

Therefore, since you're doing it anyway: WHY NOT BE INTENTIONAL IN IT?! Mark Holmen, former Senior Pastor at Ventura Missionary Church, and found of the Faith Begins @ Home movement, wrote a book called Faith Begins at Home. He takes the word T.R.A.I.N  and makes it into an acronym for us to easily remember 5 key principles in how to intentionally disciple our children.

For this post, let's only focus on the first letter "T." T, if you were not able to quess, stands for Time. In today's world, time is one of our most precious commodities. The primary question I hear from parents is, "When is there time to talk with my children about faith?"

For most parents the stereo-typical image that comes to mind when you say "faith-talk" is having an hour-long, sit-down discussion at the kitchen table with the Bible open and a candle burning. Of course, the realty today is that a lot of families don't even have kitchen table, and they certainly don't have a full hour when they can talk together! In our increasingly busy lives, we must make the best of the time that we have. So when is the best time to discuss our faith with our children? The only reasonable answer is anytime.
Here are 3 of 7 times that are perfect times for starting to converse to your children about God and Faith:

1. Car Time - Doesn't it seem that the most time you spend together as a family is when you're in the car, on your way to the next thing you have to do? Try turning off the radio and asking your children what "highs" and "lows" they had during the day. Then take a moment to pray for the event that you’re headed to next.

2. Sick Time - Another significant block of time that you have with your children occurs when they are sick and have to stay home from school. While no one looks forward to his or her child being sick, it does provide time to have a healthy conversation. Sick time gives you a chance to watch videos or listen to music together. So why not chose videos that will naturally lead to talking about issues of faith and life?

3. Bed Time - There might not be a better time to talk about faith than at bedtime. Share the highs and lows form the day and then take time to pray for each other. With teenagers you can ask, "What's on your schedule tomorrow that I can pray for? Do any of your friends need prayer for anything?"

(These sections are taken directly from Mark Holmen's book.)

Dean

Are we Making a Difference?

We are in the process of making some decisions about bussing at our church and whether or not to continue carrying out that ministry. You may or may not have been part of that ministry or even known it to have existed. It's a hard decsion to make given how much of a struggle it is to keep it going and the fact that very few people seem to care to keep it going - myself included!!!

But let me provide a different perspective on it....this blog entry came from a fellow Children's Minister this morning. It is POWERFUL and helps shed some new thoughts on this debate. Perhaps it will strike you like it struck me........

I used to do a lot of Bus Ministry. Things have changed in the last few years where running busses is not feasible right now… but I still have a little place in my heart ready to pounce when the time is right again.

Bus Ministry is a great place to learn a lot… hard and fast. You make a lot of mistakes… and you ask a lot of internal questions… and it challenges the living crizzle out of your beliefs and makes you wonder if it’s worth it at all.

Once I remember questioning whether pulling a kid out of their situation for only a couple of hours a week was actually doing any good for them at all. I was explaining to God how they’re bombarded with family issues, inner-city pressures, peer-pressure like you’ve never seen… how was my little song-n-dance once a week going to provide any help… especially for those who didn’t half listen?

God told me—I must stop here for a moment and make sure you understand that when I say “God Told Me”, that it works like this: I get a really excellent idea in my mind that I know in a million years would never come from my own jacked up, over functioning brain—flatly”:

“When you’re in a fire… any moment you’re not burning is a great moment.”

I knew exactly what He was telling me. These kids were in the worst of situations… and though I was questioning our effectiveness, God was making it clear that every moment they were free from that situation was a precious, precious time for them. It helped me so much. Suddenly I saw their hyperactivity in a new light. They were excited to just be kids for once. They were getting a chance to play, a chance to connect with adults who truly cared about them as people. I wasn’t allowed to downplay any of the time we spent with them after that.

This concept doesn’t only apply to Bus Ministry… but to any ministry to children. Sure, we only get them a few hours a week… assuming they come every time the doors are open… but that time is precious. Especially from God’s point of view. Even if all we did was play with our kids rather than teach, for some of them it would be the most spiritually refreshing moments in their week. Experiencing God’s unconditional love in a safe, accepting environment should be the foundation of every children’s ministry experience.

Computer Site for Parents

Parents:  I'll bet you kids (and probably you too) love Veggie Tales, right?!  Well, VT creator Phil Vischer has started a whole new endeavor designed to help keep God and His Word in the forefront of your child's mind all week long - not just on Sundays.  It's called Jelly Telly!

Here's a video explaining what it's all about:

There are daily videos added to the site as a safe, fun place for your kids to visit every day and grow in their relationship with God and his created world.  I highly recommend checking it out.

Dean

Have you attended one of our Take-It-Home Events?

Just curious if ayone who checks out this site has attended one the Take-It-Home Events we have held at Colonial Woods.

If so, what did you think? Are you or your kids actively using the resource provided to you?

Just curious?

Dean

What car do you drive?

OK, so it has been WAY to long since I last wrote anything, so I wanted to come back with something simple to ease back into it. So my question is this: What kind of car do you own/drive? My family currently only has 1 vehicle, a Ford Windstar - providing you don't count the riding lawn mower I give my kids a ride on after I mow the lawn.

I saw an article that said the minivan is slowly dying because of rising prices on food and gas (among other things). Also, with four kids who have to be in car/booster seats until they turn 8, if we have one more child we may get into trouble (our minivan seats only 7). I have been considering options of what to do when the time comes to purchase our next vehicle: 8 passenger SUV, 12-Passenger Van, or do I fork out a bunch of money and get my dream vehicle: The Dodge Sprinter? (I just threw in this picture because the Buckeyes Rule!

So parents, have you had to make these kind of tough decisions recently? Living in this society is tough because of the amount of money it takes to keep afloat. Feel free to express yourself by leaving a comment or two.

Dean

Struggling Families

Everywhere we turn today we see messages of economic and moral struggles within our community and families. Every day I hear of a family struggling with crisis. Marriages in turmoil, families in danger of loosing their home, kids being molested by extended family members, church families at odds with each other - and those are just from this week!

I'll bet it breaks the Heart of God to see His creation in such trouble and turmoil. This was not the way He intended for things to be. He created a world that was supposed to be perfect and without these issues...but humanity's flesh and Satan had different ideas.

But while some may seen pure devestation, Paul saw the opportunity for God to be glorified (Romans 4:20-21). I know that during some of my darkest moments, I came out of those KNOWING that I was closer to God than I had ever been. It certainly does not feel like it, but when the shadows are the darkest is when the 'Son' is shining the brightest! So if this is you or your family right now - trust that God is watching during this "valley of the shadow of death."

Do you know "Jack?"

Watch this video!

Have you ever felt like Jack? "I can't do family devotions because I don't know how!" "I can't find time to read the Bible with my wife, so I'm not even going to try." Perhpas God is trying to break you out of your comfort zone a little. Give it a shot and see what happens.

Dean

Spread the Word!

In case you have not heard: Sunday, March 25th is our next Take-Home Event. Parents of 1 Year Olds will meet in the gym during the 1st Service, while 2nd Graders AND their parents will meet during the 2nd.

During this event parents will be given a couple of resources to help improve their intentional shepherding of their children. The focus for the 1 Year Olds is on teaching them about the love and blessing of Jesus on their lives. The 2nd Graders lesson will focus on Missions, while their parents work through a lesson on their own (at least in part).

Hope to see everyone there. *Shalom*

The Amazing Creation of the Human Body

Have you ever heard of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome? I had not until yesterday! I went to Children's Hospital in Detroit, MI with a family from our church whose 10-year old daughter went their to determine what may be happening with her heart. Check this out...

Did you know that there are conduction pathways formed while a baby is in the uterus that only exist for a few months SOLELY to allow the heart to form properly? If these pathways stick around past their time, it case cause "misfires" in the heart thus giving someone Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.

How cool is it that God has authored the human body to a point where he creates and then de-creates things "just in the nick of time." Another example is when Vitamin K starts producing in a newborn. V-K is used to help with blood coagulation and is currently given to a baby within the first few minutes of their life. This is mainly so that they can perform, on males, the circumcision (Sorry, NOT for the faint of heart!) sometime within the next day or so; BECAUSE the body does not start producing this until around day 7. Quess when God designated the body to recieve it first cut? Day 8 - Genesis 21:4 and Leviticus 12:3 - one day after the body is able to stop bleeding on its own!

God appearently knew what he was AND IS doing. Blessings!