I'm planning to do a full review when I've finished the book, but I wanted to share with you this great book I've been reading! Game Plan by Joe Wells really gives you insight into the younger generation. So far it has been very helpful in understanding the differences in youth of 100 or 150 years ago and today's youth (even our own teen years). If you have someone left on your Christmas list who has a teen in their life (child, grandchild, niece/nephew, neighbor or church family) then this book is what you should pick for them!
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"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 6:4-7) The principle here is that we should teach our children about God all through the day. In order to do this, there are many things that our family has been doing. Some of these things we have added recently. I am by no means an expert and I sure don't have it all together, but I thought it might be helpful to some. 1. I need to make more of an effort to start our day off with a devo, but it is usually a flurry of activity. I'm cooking and getting breakfast ready, and the kids have morning chores. Then breakfast and the schedule has them doing penmanship while I clean up after breakfast (if Facebook doesn't distract me first!). By the time we get to what we call “School Time Bible Time” it is 9 AM or later. In our STBT, we read a Bible story, I say a prayer to start our school day and we sing, “Grow, grow, grow.” Lately my one year old has been saying, “Jesus” so we sing Jesus Loves Me while she smiles. We were also reading through the selected Psalms for a Bible bowl, but now we read Discovery magazine from Apologetic Press. 2. Either during gaps in the schedule (when do we ever have those!) or when their school work is done, we have started reading from Proverbs. What ever the date is, they read that chapter. The goal is that we talk about the things we read. Some days I emphasize a certain character trait. Honestly, most days I'm thankful we at least read it. The goal is that we discuss these things together. 3. In our homeschool, I chose curriculum that teaches Bible in every subject. I love this! The word is getting in their hearts through every school subject. 4. During lunch, Daddy comes home from work and either he or I will read the daily Bible reading. Sometimes this is a tag team effort. This year we decided to read through chronologically. It has been interesting. We are almost through the Old Testament now. 5. At bedtime, we have Bible Time. This consists of a story, discussion time and each member of the family prays. Even the baby has a sign prayer we help her with. At 1 yr old she's beginning to do some of the signs herself! 6. Teachable moments. These are times throughout the day that give us an opportunity to teach about God and His Word. I'm sure I miss a lot of these! My favorite is to show nature and talk about God's creation, but there are a million (and more!) ways to use teachable moments! 7. Bible games. Lately our favorite is the 'name game'. One person starts by saying a Bible name, say for example, Noah. The next person has to choose a name that begins with an 'h', like Hosea. Then the next person has to choose one beginning with an 'A', and so on. These are some of the things that we do. Please leave a comment and share something(s) your family does!
Recently, I needed some articles for teens and a Facebook friend gave me this website. Everything I read on there was wonderful and within minutes I had all that I needed. This website is now in my bookmarks and will be one I return to in the future.
What does Katharos mean anyway? Katharos is the Greek word for pure. This is copied from the "About Us" section of their website: “Religion that is pure (katharos) and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27 If you are a teen, or parent of a teen, or just know a teen, this website is worth reading and passing on. KatharosNow Kaio is a Christian magazine for teens. Published by Focus Press it has been a wonderful tool for teens learn God's Word. Here's what the editor has to say about it:
KAIO MAGAZINE is designed for you, the teenager who is marching in this world, trying to figure out your path. We live in a culture where many people are marching in a single file row, looking and acting alike. The end result is the same for the majority: emptiness, because they are pursuing everything except the one true source of happiness, GOD. Our prayer and the purpose of this magazine are to ignite teens, just like you, to begin to realize that God expects you to be different than the culture around you. As Christians, we must not only say we are holy, but it must be shown in our lives. The Bible tells us to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) Let's ignite the light in each of us so we can bring honor and glory to God. It's time to out of the line the current culture has set and get in God's line. That requires a change of mindset, and that is what Kaio Magazine is all about! - Joe Wells, Editor This week, I'd like to share a website for teen girls. A friend of mine began this website and it is so wonderful for girls! There are articles to teach girls about Bible topics and an "Ask Aunt Mary" column where girls can write in their questions to "Aunt Mary" and get biblical answers. Check out this site and pass it along!
forchristiangirls.org Check back next week for Tiny-Tot Tuesday and a review of a great product previously featured here! |