Archive for parenting
Leading Dinner Devo’s with your family
Posted by: | CommentsStep 1. Eat dinner with your entire family regularly.
Step 2. Mom and Dad sit next to one another to lead the family discussion.
Step 3. Open the meal by asking if there is anyone or anything to pray for.
Step 4. Someone opens in prayer and covers any requests. This task should be rotated among family members so that different people take turns learning to pray aloud.
Step 5. Start eating and discuss how everyone’s day went.
Step 6. Have a Bible in front of the parents in a translation that is age-appropriate for the kids’ reading level. Have someone (parent or child) open the Bible, and assign a portion to read aloud while everyone is eating and listening.
Step 7. Parents should note key words and themes in the passage and explain them to the kids on an age-appropriate level.
Step 8. Ask questions about the passage. You may want to begin with having your children summarize what was read—retelling the story or passage outline. Then, ask the following questions: What does this passage teach us about God? What does it say about us or about how God sees us? What does it teach us about our relationships with others?
Step 9. Let the conversation happen naturally, listen carefully to the kids, let them answer the questions, and fill in whatever they miss or lovingly and gently correct whatever they get wrong so as to help them.
Step 10. If the Scriptures convict you of sin, repent as you need to your family, and share appropriately honest parts of your life story so the kids can see Jesus’ work in your life and your need for him too. This demonstrates gospel humility to them.
Step 11. At the end of dinner, ask the kids if they have any questions for you.
Step 12. If you miss a night, or if conversation gets off track, or if your family occasionally just wants to talk about something else, don’t stress—it’s inevitable.
Five tips for healthy Family Bible Studies!
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- 1. Set a specific appointment for your Family Bible Study Time. And keep it!
Setting an appointment shows your children that you put a priority on the Word of God and on your family. Regardless of the age of your children, this should not be an option for them or for you. 
If one of you (parents) has a busy work schedule, take that into consideration as you select the time and frequency that works best for your family. Having one parent who travels or works long hours makes this “family first time” even more precious and important.
It does not matter how often the appointment is for, as long as it is dependable. A monthly appointment that is written in stone is much better than a weekly one that no one takes seriously.
2. Open and close family time with prayer.
How often does your family pray together outside of blessing your food? Starting and ending your Bible lesson with a prayer will begin to unify your family on a spiritual level.
During the prayer, invite the Holy Spirit in to join and guide your study. This will help your children to begin to understand that the Holy Spirit wants to be present and important in their lives.
After a few Family Bible Study sessions, encourage members of the family to take turns saying the opening prayers. As you close, ask each person one at a time if he or she would like to pray about something specific.
Note: I would also suggest that the parents get together and pray over this family time before hand. This will allow you to reconnect as a couple and to get on one accord about what will be taught.
3. Keep it natural, relaxed and fun.
You don’t have to sit at the kitchen table or office desk. Find a place where your family will be able to sit comfortably and won’t feel like their in place for a boring lecture. Sit in the living room or even in Mom and Dan’s bed. If your children are small and have a playroom with a reading corner, it can make a perfect spot for Family Bible Study.
4. Make Family Bible Studies a BIG deal!
Whether you decided to do your family time once a week or more often, as you get closer to the day, Talk It Up! Tell your kids how much fun it will be and how excited you are to spend this special time with them.
- If you have a family calendar, add this special date.
- Put a decorative sign on the fridge announcing the upcoming event.
- Lay neat invitations on your children’s pillows inviting them to join in on this special family event!
5. Keep it REAL!
Keep the conversation up beat and exciting. Give examples of how the Bible Study topic applies in your own lives. Tell stories of how God has done similar things in your life. Be careful not to tell the stories of the Bible like fairy tales. Tell them like stories that really happened – Because they did!
Eight things that exasperate children:
Posted by: | CommentsMany of us as kids had to memorize the Bible verse found in Ephesians 6:1 and repeated in Colossians 3:20 which says:
- Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
And yet as parents we would do well to read on as Paul continues in both passages with some instruction in parenting he says:
- 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Possibly without meaning to many parents have driven their children away from a relationship with the Lord rather than towards him. They have done exactly what Paul warned against, exasperating their children, and destroying the very fibers of which a spiritual relationship with the heavenly father is built. Some versons use the phrase “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,” (NAS) and I feel this better sums up God’s feeling here. As parents it’s our job to prepare our offspring for a challenging and sometimes frustrating world, however we should do all in our power to make sure that our relationship leads them toward the safety and security we have found in the Lord. Paul put’s it differently in Colossians 3 by saying “Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.”
Here are 8 things as parents we can avoid to prevent our most precious relationships from become tarnished or destroyed!
1) Making promises that you don’t keep
(Even using the “maybe” word can confuse your children who automatically assume that you have made a commitment)
2) Nagging them to death; always finding fault
3) Micromanaging there lives (especially in their higher teens)
4) Having unrealistic expectations that they can never meet
5) Showing partiality in how you treat your different children / Playing Favorites
6) Being inconsistent in your enforcing of rules and exercise of discipline
7) Designing punishments that far exceed the nature of the infraction
8)Ignoring them; Failing to spend time with them in activities of their choosing
