On a whim last week, we decided to take the girls to see 'Santa'. As the girls and I were standing in line, a young mother with a boy about three years old came and stood next to us to wait. The other mother and I began to make small talk. In a way that couldn't be overheard by her son she said, "I wish we didn't have to lie to them." I looked her straight in the face and said, "We didn't. Our son asked when he was three and I told him the truth. From then on it became more fun to play 'Santa' and give gifts to others." Lying to your children is a dangerous thing. How will they know to believe you when you teach them about God? They can't trust you when you tell them that drinking alcohol or taking drugs is dangerous. It is no wonder that so many children turn away from the faith of their parents when they are grown. They can see our hypocrisy. "But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:" (Ephesians 4:15) "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;" (Colossians 3:9)
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I can't say everything on this website is necessarily right, but there is some great stuff for kids here that teaches creation. Jesus said, "For he that is not against us is on our part." Mark 9:40
Our kids can't wait to hear the next week's adventure. If you are interested in buying there is a great deal on the first 5 sets at http://www.focuspress.org/ Check out Jonathan's adventures at http://www.jonathanpark.com/ As we look at the father in Luke 15 a little more we need to notice how the
father deals with his older son. When the prodigal returns and the father is excited about his return and throws a party. The older brother comes in from work and he is mad. Part of his anger seems justified to many of us and we may see more of ourselves in him than we like to admit. Our thoughts might be "that guy wasted all his money and now he is coming back and this is all supposed to be mine one day when dad dies, but now that loser is going to wind up getting more than his share." Another thought, "I am out here working and sweating and they are in there having a party." The older son expressed a little bit of these two ideas to the father, but not until the father came to him. The older son wouldn’t go in and join the celebration. Maybe he was glad his brother was gone and not happy to see him come back, I don’t know, but for whatever reason he stayed outside pouting. What does the father do? Just let him pout? Figure he’ll get over it? Make him come in to the party? No, the father goes out to the son and talks to him about the attitude problem he has in a very nonthreatening way. Notice verse 28 the father "entreated". Notice the difference in the pronouns the father and older brother use. The father emphasizes the brotherly relationship, while the older brother tries to reject his responsibility in his relationship to the brother. The father also reminds the son of the blessings that he has not taken advantage of because he never asked. Of course Jesus is teaching the Jews about their relationship with God and their sinful fellow man. The same principles apply to a father and his children and there is more that we could learn than what we have. When you have a problem with your children don’t wait for them to become mature enough to come to you, go to them first. Remember we are the adults. We can’t expect them to act more mature than we do. It was promised last week that we would look more closely at the parable
usually referred to as ‘the prodigal son’, and I want to say up front that I don’t take any credit for any of the concepts that I am putting forth in this article as though they are mine. In fact most of them come from a lesson on this parable by Eric Owens entitled "In God’s Defense" you can hear his excellent lesson at this link http://buildyourbibleunderstanding.weebly.com/uploads/7/3/2/8/7328825/in_gods_defense_-_eric_owens.mp3 In the first two parables Jesus tells in Luke 15 about the lost sheep and coin those who represented God’s position searched without ceasing until those two things were found, there is a shift when we come to the third parable because it is about people and not inanimate objects or dumb animals. Let’s notice how this father teaches us as fathers. First, remember that the indication is that these are all adults. Young children have to be trained and directed in their decisions, but adults are free to make their own decisions. This son was very disrespectful of his father in asking for the inheritance before his father was dead, yet the father let him have it. His father accepted this with seeming equanimity and did not make a scene. The father could have refused, but he knew that would only make the relationship worse. The son didn’t just get mad and run away that day, he planned his departure "not many days after". The father did not try to force him to stay against his will, just like God never forces us to stay if we want to leave. The son knew he had a good father because he believed that if he went back after wasting 1/3 of his fathers wealth and repented and asked to be a servant his father would accept that. The son didn’t realize how good his father really was because he never could have imagined the response he received when he returned. We need to realize some things about this father. He loved his son deeply. He missed his son terribly. Despite that, he did not go out looking for his son. He waited hoping for the son’s return, but never chased him. He realized that chasing him would have driven him further away. He also didn’t bail him out. Sometimes a person needs to hit the bottom before he will start looking back up. The father could have hired someone to follow the boy and find out where he was and keep him out of trouble, but this father knew that it is essential to character development to let a man face the consequences of his actions and decisions. We often fail in this area especially with people we care about. A sweet little darling has mama or daddy wrapped around his or her little finger and we won’t let them feel any pain. When we do that we are setting them up for more pain down the road. It is so difficult to know how to handle each situation, but the better we get to know our children when they are young the better we will know when to let go, when to hold on, when to chase, and when to wait. Our children need to know that we love them and that when they are ready to come back and do right we want them to and we have been waiting for them to do it. They also need to know that our love is tough. There are boundaries and rules and consequences for the decisions and choices we make in life and relationships. How different would this parable have been if the boy had wasted all the money and come back for more rather than coming with the contrite heart as he did? Next time we will learn some more about this loving father. Finally! A book for parents to use to teach their children about choosing their spouse. Included in the book is a 3 week family time Bible discussion. This will be a great tool to use in training our children to be workers in the Kingdom! Click on the picture to order from Colley books!
So, it's official our little one has learned the word "NO", but she doesn't seem to understand what it means fully. She has been told 'no' about some things and didn't like it at all, but now that she can say it herself it seems to be her new favorite word.
Notice this conversation from lunch - Mom: Do you want a banana? (Little one's favorite food in the world) Little One: No. Mom: Okay, no banana. Little One: Whaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Mom: What's wrong? Little One: Nana. (Also, signing banana) Mom: Do you want a banana? Little One: No. A similar conversation occurred with dad about going to see the dog this evening. Just a week ago everything was yuh-huh(yes) Do you want a banana? Yuh-huh. Do you want some poison? Yuh-huh. It is amazing to watch them develop their language skills, but we have to work to train them in understanding as well as being good examples with our own words and cautious about what they hear from others. They are very imitative at these early stages as well. Our older daughter was doing some subtraction flashcards and the little one was repeating every answer. 11-2, nine, nine. 10-2, eight, eat. 8-7, one, (Little one holds up one finger, she knows she is one). Some children not much older than our little one are already learning to curse and swear and lie. It is sad how young they are affected by the problems of the adults around them. Protect them from those things that their tender little ears should not have to hear and their innocent little mouths should not know how to say. Some parents, I think, do not believe they can teach little ones anything. Their one year old just toddles around and gets in to trouble in their house. The parents roll their eyes and re-direct their little one into something else.
But toddlers do know. My one year old knows how to pick clothes up off the floor. She knows how to sign about a dozen signs – and use them correctly to ask for what she wants. Today, she even remembered a sign I taught her weeks ago and hadn't used it since. They know more than we give them credit for. So, what can parents do to teach them about God during this time? I'm no expert, but I thought I'd share with you somethings that we do with our children at this age. I hope, and pray, that you would be willing to share the things that you do with your littles. 1) Prayer. Don't just pray with them – teach them a simple prayer. This is where signing comes in handy. Before they can vocalize their prayer, they can sign it. Usually, I take her hands to sign, but sometimes I encourage her to say her own things and she will sign 'dog' or 'wind' without being prompted. I'm not sure how much she is understanding that she is talking to God, that may come later, but she is getting into the habit of daily prayer and thanksgiving to God. 2) Read books. We don't read to our little one as often as I'd like, but we try to make a point to read Bible stories whenever possible. My oldest knew nearly every story in the Bible by the time he was 5 or 6. We also have a daily Bible reading as a family. Hearing the Word read – or reading it – every day is so important! Children need to know that feeding their souls is just as important as feeding their physical bodies. 3) Teachable moments. I try to make a point to talk about God throughout the day. When we see a pretty sunset, I mention that God made it. Anything in the world can be related back to God's creation. Our table couldn't be possible if it weren't for the trees that God made and provided for us. Talking about God as easily as breathing from such early ages creates a faith in them. 4) Sing with them. Our 1 yr old loves “Jesus Loves Me” and “This Little Christian Light of Mine”. I love to see her face light up when she hears us begin singing them. Singing scriptures or another 'teaching' song like the books of the Bible are helpful to teach facts and help memorize as well. These are just a few things I can think of at the moment that we do with little ones around the house during our day to teach them about God. Please share in the comments things you do with your toddlers. This is a topic that I'm sure I've talked about here before, but it has been something I've really been thinking about lately. It is said that with children, more is 'caught' than 'taught'. Meaning that they learn more from our actions and attitudes than from what we say and teach them. This is very important.
I feel that many mothers focus so much on teaching/raising Christian kids that they neglect their own Christian responsibilities. I'm not saying this because I see the hypocrisy in other women's lives, but that I can see from my own life how easy it is to lose sight of priorities. Our job is first and foremost to get to heaven ourselves. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) Or, let me change that to: What does it profit a mother if she shall get her children to heaven, but doesn't make it there herself. Honestly, chances are if the mother doesn't, the children won't. They will follow her example. That is very sad. Let us put focus on our own spiritual lives first – pray, study and be active in the church – and the children will learn from our example more than from what we say. Last time I posted a Tots to Teens Tuesday, we talked about the importance of memorizing scripture with your children. I've since found this simple scripture memorization system that you can use at home. We haven't implemented this system yet, so if you've tried it, let me know how it's worked for you!
-CA "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalms 127:3-5) I know I've mentioned it on this blog before, but I am amazed at people's attitudes toward children. Our recent announcement that number four is on the way is a joy to our immediate family, but I'm very much surprised at our extended families reaction to it. This baby is already looked upon at least by one person as a burden and that leaves a heaviness on my heart. I know that children are a joy to our Lord and Savior. At least two times we see Him with children. Here is one time: "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them," (Matthew 18:1-2) I can't help but picture Jesus with a smile on His face, calming the child's fears as He picked the little one up or guided him/her to the middle of the crowd. They were a joy for Him to see as he went about with His work on this earth. We must think as God does. Children are a blessing and not a burden. Large families are not contributing to over-population, but should be looked at future population of the Lord's church. We are raising the next preacher, song leader, elder, Bible class teacher and most of all soul winner! Let us once again purge the worldly ideas from our minds and accept the way God views children.
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