When you wonder about the New Year

 

(image by commons.wikimedia.com)

 

When quiet comes and you wonder what to do with it…

seek the face of God

When joy comes and you wonder what to do with it…

sing to the One who delights

When tears come and you wonder what to do with them…

cry to the One who is the Man of Sorrows

When questions come and you wonder what to do with them…

ask the One who is Himself wisdom

When life is too full and you wonder what to do with it all…

be still and know that the Lord is God.

 

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”  (Jeremiah 29:13)

A Nativity Lapbook by mom and B

There’s so much about Jesus’ birth to discover.  An interactive way to unwrap the account of the birth of Jesus with a child is by making a lapbook together.  By starting with a blank page, making the illustrations and writing out in your own words what took place, the child will begin to own it.  What a wonderful gift to give a child…an understanding of what Jesus did for them!

My little boy isn’t old enough to read and write yet (beyond his name),  but he like to color them in.  Even though he can’t read, he can look at those letters now and say what they mean.  They are the words he made (with momma’s help), but that makes it special to him.

By asking the child to think about what happens next in the story at regular intervals, the child is no longer just a recipient of the story.  He is actively involved in the discovery.

God sent an angel named Gabriel to a young virgin woman in the town of Nazareth named Mary.  The angel said to Mary, “I have a message for you from God.  You are going to have a baby.  He will be called the Son of the Most High.”(Luke 1:26-38)

Questions to ask along the way… What was the angel’s name?  Who is the young woman?  Why did the angel come to her?  What did Mary think about what they angel said?

(Note:  These were the words that I wrote on the page for the boy, but the Bible was there beside me and I explained in further detail the greeting Gabriel gave to Mary and how Mary responded to what the angel told her.  Keeping the words on the page brief helps the child understand the broad strokes of the story.  We can paint a more detailed picture for them while they are interested in the illustrations they have made and the characters they represent.)

Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, after the angel’s visit.  Elizabeth was expecting a baby in her old age.  When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy at the sound of her voice.  Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied about the baby in Mary’s womb.  (Luke 1:39-43)

Questions to ask along the way… Who did Mary go to visit?  Why did the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leap at the sound of Mary’s voice?  What did Mary say to Elizabeth?

When Mary went back home to Nazareth, Joseph saw that Mary was expecting a baby.  Mary had promised Joseph that she would marry him, but Joseph didn’t like that Mary had a baby that didn’t belong to Him.  Joseph thought he would end his relationship with Mary quietly.  But an angel came to Joseph and told him that it was okay for Joseph to take Mary as his wife because the child she carried was the Son of God.  He was to call the baby, Jesus, because he would “save their people from their sins.”  (Matthew 1:18-24)

Questions to ask along the way….  Who is this man?  What is he worried about?  What do you think he will do?  What does the angel say to him?

Ceasar Augustus wanted to make a list of all the people in the roman world so that he could tax them.  He made a law that said for every family to go back to the husband’s birthplace to be counted. (Luke 2)

Questions to ask along the way…Who is this?  What did he do?  What is the law about?

Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to be counted.  When they arrived in Bethlehem they tried to find a inn to stay in, but all of the inns were full.  One innkeeper told them that they could stay in his stable.  (Luke 2)

Questions to ask along the way….Who are these people?  Where are they going?  Why are they going there?  Where will they stay?

At that time the days of Mary’s pregnancy were completed.  She gave birth to a son and she laid him in the place where the animal’s eat (a manger).    Out in the fields that night there were shepherds looking after their sheep.  An angel appeared to them and told them that they would find a Savior, Christ the Lord, born to them in Bethlehem that night.  The shepherds went to see if what the angel said was true . They found Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus just as the angels had said.  (Luke 2)

Questions to ask along the way…Who are these people?  Where are they?  What is happening?  Who comes to visit them?  Why do they come?  Why is it important for us to know about how Jesus was born?

I hope you enjoy discovering the account of Jesus’ birth with your child this Christmas.  Our children are in desperate need of the hope of Christmas!  We can share that hope with them.

Please share what you have found helpful to engage your child in the hope of Christmas!

A Wise Owl Christmas

A Wise Owl Christmas

This is Wise Owl.  He loves to learn.  He writes down what he learns in his wisdom journal.

image from coloring-nicole.blogspot.com

Wise Owl also loves Christmas.  He likes the smell of cookies baking in the oven.  He likes putting each ornament on the Christmas tree.  He can’t wait to start singing Christmas carols.

Every Christmas Wise Owls packs a shoe box full of gifts for a child somewhere in the world who wouldn’t have Christmas presents otherwise.  He loves to share the good news of Christmas!

Then Wise Owl sees the packages wrapped under his Christmas tree.  He dreams of the gifts he wants to open.  He knows that “every good and perfect gift comes from above.” (James 1:17a) God loves to give His children good gifts, but which gift would the Heavenly Father want most for Wise Owl? This morning Wise Owl wrote in his wisdom journal…

http://www.bestcoloringpagesforkids.com

“Wisdom is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her.  Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.  Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” (Proverbs 3:15-18)

Wise Owl knows that God gives us clothes, toys, candy and every good gift for us to enjoy.  They’re not bad things, but wisdom is the best of all.  Wisdom is the best because it enables us to enjoy all the blessings God has for us.

God doesn’t promise that wisdom will give us a trouble free life.  He promises that even in the midst of trouble we can have an abundant life when we respect Him, when we follow His ways, when we live the life He made us to live.

So how do we get wisdom?  Will Santa bring wisdom if we write it on our wish list?  Can we go shopping for wisdom?  Wise Owl remembers that …

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8)

So Wise Owl takes some time to be still before God.  He prays, “Dear God, thank you that you hear my prayer.  Thank you that you will answer me because I have put my trust in Jesus.

Lord, you know that I need wisdom.  I want to honor You in this Christmas season and not forget about why we celebrate.  I trust You to show me how to live for You this Christmas, not so that I can get a pat on the back but so that I can enjoy who you’ve made me to be to the fullest.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen”

When Wise Owl finishes praying, he is looking forward to seeing how God is going to answer His prayer.  How will he know when God answers his prayer?  What does God’s wisdom look like anyway?

Wise Owl remembers something else from his journal…

“Who is wise and understanding among you?  By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom…The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:13,17)

So as Wise Owl thinks about opening gifts this Christmas, the gift he is looking forward to opening the most is the gift of wisdom.  He will know that he has begun unwrapping the gift when he sees purity, peace, gentleness, reasonableness, mercy, generosity to everyone, sincerity…good fruit. All of these blessings come from wisdom.  Wisdom is the best gift God has provided for us this Christmas!

Let’s unwrap the gift of God’s wisdom today!

Wise Owl asks you…

1.  What is the best gift anyone has ever given you?

2.  What is so great about wisdom?

3.  How can we get wisdom?

4.  What does God’s wisdom look like?

Taking it further with the kids…

1.  Pray together to ask God for his wisdom each day.

2.  Ask God to show you how you can share the good news of Christmas with someone else this year.

3.  Use the tool…”What’s so great about wisdom?” from www.emissionsoffaith.wordpress.com

4.  Wrap a box with gift wrap and put it in a central location to remind you of the gift of wisdom.

 

Why Christmas wasn’t safe…

One of my favorite things about being a mom is story time.  Being curled up on the couch with a preschooler enraptured by a book.  Right now one of my son’s frequently asked for books is the Blue’s Clues Treasury Storybook.  As we were reading the chapter about the holidays the other day, he asked a question that surprised me.  It took a minute to think through the answer that should be given.

The story said that Christmas is a celebration of birth…no details or explanations.  So I asked the boy, “Do you know whose birth we celebrate at Christmas?”  He shook his little head.  With the nativity scene in clear view on the coffee table, I pointed to the baby in the manger.  “It’s Jesus’ birthday!” “No one had room for Him, so He was born in a barn.  His momma didn’t have a bed to put Him in, so she put Him in the place where they put the food for the animals.”

image from http://www.kidsermons.com

“Was it safe, Mommy?”  His question was thought provoking. Where to begin to explain what happened that night in Bethlehem.  How to explain that it wasn’t safe for Jesus to come at all, because He who is completely perfect came to take our sins upon Himself.  He came to have his own Father turn His back on Him when He could not gaze upon that sin.  It wasn’t safe to be misunderstood, betrayed, conspired against, falsely tried and brutally killed.

This is what makes Christmas so amazing…that Jesus would leave all the glory of heaven to sacrifice Himself for our sake!  He wasn’t concerned about His own safety.  He was concerned for ours!  This passage explains how He did it…

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus ever knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:5-11)

The God-Man, Jesus, was born and lived a sinless life so that He could die… so that we would finally be able to have our spiritual blindness removed and be free to acknowledge His authority in our lives.  He risked everything to rescue us, knowing that only some would choose to follow Him.  No, Jesus’ birth was not safe, but I am so thankful that He left heaven to be laid in an animal feeding trough for me! I pray that our children will truly understand the sacrifice that Jesus made for them this Christmas too.

     

What’s so great about wisdom?

What is so great about wisdom (living life in line with God’s truth) ?

Wisdom gives understanding (Proverbs 4:1).  When we don’t know how to read all we can do is look at a book.  We can’t understand what the letters mean.  In the same way that we want to understand the books we read, we want to do more than just look at life.  We want to understand it…to know what life means.  Wisdom gives the insight we need to understand life.

Wisdom gives us life (Proverbs 4:4).  There is health and peace and joy in a godly life.  This does not mean that we do not get sick or have health concerns.  Sickness is part of our fallen world, but wisdom enables us to make choices to protect our health as much as possible.  We are able to be healthy physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

Wisdom guards us (Proverbs 4:6).  It keeps us within God’s plan for our life.  Wisdom is a boundary that helps us to live in God’s blessing.

Wisdom watches over us (Proverbs 4:6).  It protects us from danger when we make wise choices.  Wisdom helps to keep us safe.

Wisdom (living out God’s Word in a situation) exalts us  (Proverbs 4:8).  When we make wise choices we stand out from others who are relying on themselves.  God’s ways are always higher than our ways.

Wisdom honors us  (Proverbs 4:8).  There are rewards for following God’s ways, even if others do not recognize the value of them.

Wisdom places a “garland of grace on our head” (Proverbs 4:9).   It presents us with a “crown of beauty”  (Proverbs 4:9).  Wisdom gives us an abundant life.  We are able to enjoy all of the blessings and promises that God has made available to us when we put His Word into action.

This is what is so great about wisdom!

Wise Owl and the Beanstalk

Wise Owl and the Beanstalk

This is Wise Owl.  He loves to learn.  He writes down what he learns in his wisdom journal.  Today Wise Owl was sitting in his comfy chair with a cup of tea reading one of his favorite stories, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Wise Owl is in suspense as he wonders what will happen to Jack and his mother.  They are so poor.  They have nothing…no food, shabby clothes, no work, and not much common sense.    He wonders what will happen to them.  Will Jack be able to sell their cow to provide for his family?

Coloring page from Unit 8 Tell Tales

Then Jack does something really silly.  He sells their only cow for three beans, supposedly magic beans.  Wise Owl thinks about what Jack and his mother really need.  What is the best way for their needs to be met?  What they want is to be safe and happy.  They want to live the best life possible for their situation.  Will the magic beans give them the best life?

Wise Owl remembers what he wrote in his wisdom journal this morning…

Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching.  When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, he taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.  Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.  Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.  The beginning of wisdom is this;  Get wisdom and whatever you get, get insight.  Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.  She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.  (Proverbs 4:1-9)

Wise Owl knows that wisdom (living out God’s Word) is what will bring about the life that Jack and his mother are longing for.  No amount of money can keep anyone safe and happy.  God is the only One who can keep us safe and at peace.  Even though the story of Jack and the Beanstalk is still one of Wise Owl’s favorites, he knows that Jack and his mother cannot live happily ever after just by putting some magic beans in the ground.

from 2.bp.blogspot.com

Wise Owl says, “Wisdom is the only way to have God’s best in life.”

Wise Owl asks…

1.  What did Jack do to try to provide for his family?

2.  Can the magic beans meet their needs?

3.  What can provide the life that they long for?

4.  What do we count on for the life we want?

5.  What is wisdom?

6.  How can we get wisdom?  (Answer:  by listening to godly instructions, obeying  your parents, remembering wise teaching every day)

Taking it further with the kids…

• Read Jack and the Beanstalk together.
• Memorize a proverb from Wise Owl’s wisdom journal
• Make a crown to remind your child of the honor that wisdom brings
• Use the  free Jack and the Beanstalk printables at http://www.1plus1plus1eaquals1.com

The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Helping a Child Thrive Spiritually, Part 2

Part 2:  Instruction

There are three different forms of instruction necessary for a body of information to be acquired by a child:  1) modeling  2) teaching 3) correcting.  When we are teaching a child to read, we model healthy reading habits by reading to them daily, taking them to the library and allowing them to observe us reading as a natural part of our day.  So it is with the spiritual development of a child.  They discern how vital a part of life something is based on the amount of importance we place on it in our own lives.  This means that if we want our children to value knowing who God is, understanding how to communicate with Him, having God’s Word as the standard for living, being equipped to use their spiritual gifts to build up Jesus’ Bride (the church) and passionate about reaching lost people and training others how to follow Jesus then we must model that as part of our life.  They must observe us being engaged in those areas of our life, otherwise what we are communicating is that their spiritual development is more of an extracurricular activity rather than a crucial part of their development as a spiritual being .

This is the modeling part of their instruction.  Showing them what a God focused life looks like.  The key to investing in our child’s spiritual development is to make following God as natural a part of their life as reading a book or brushing their teeth.  Making it a part of your daily routine, whether it be meal times or nap time or bedtime.  Modeling this habit of spiritual nourishment will help your child to thrive spiritually throughout his life.

As we are modeling, it is natural to teach.  Just as we teach them how to sound out words, the purpose of punctuation, how to hold a book, and how to use different types of books when they are learning to read we also teach our children about why and how it is necessary to develop in specific ways spiritually.  We cannot leave our children to try to figure out this spiritual journey on their own.  They cannot learn to read on their own nor can they learn to thrive spiritually on their own.  Many will be influencing your child in different ways, attempting to shape their values and determine their course.  God gave us to our children because they need our guidance.  It is our responsibility to instruct our children and to train them in how to follow God.  If you’re unsure of where to start, I recommend beginning in the Gospel of Mark.  It is short with only 16 chapters.  It is the shortest account of the life of Jesus who is an expert at teaching us how to be a follower of God, because He is God (John 1:1).

Another good resource to begin with is The Names of God by Sally Michael.  It is important to understand, however, that just as it takes several years for a child to become a good reader, we cannot expect to see the results of our spiritual investment in our children overnight.  But daily spiritual modeling and teaching will make a great impact over time.  So do not be discouraged if your child does not seem able to grasp the truths as quickly as you would like.  Just continue laying the foundation slowly but surely, just as you do with the ABC’s.

The last form of teaching is one that we struggle with even more than the first two because it involves correction.  The correction of a child is such a debated and emotionally charged subject that it is difficult to address this form of instruction.  The most important thing to understand about correction is it’s purpose.  The purpose of correction is to make it clear to the child that the choice they have made is harmful to their well-being physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.  The motivation for correction should always be love.  We love our children so much that we are willing to make them uncomfortable enough to realize that they made a choice that was harmful to themselves.  Our prayer is that they recognize their need to make a different choice that will put them on a path that leads to their greatest benefit.  Correction takes many different forms.  Sometimes it may just be a verbal correction (example:  How can you say that in a kind way?).   Sometimes the correction is in the for of the removal of privileges (example:  If a child abuses a privilege, then the privilege is removed for a time).  Other times the correction takes the form of a timeout or a measured spanking.  God has entrusted us with the responsibility of correcting our children for their own benefit.

Correction is an opportunity for us to point out to our child their need for God.  We are not capable of meeting up to God’s standards, but He has made a way for us through Jesus.  Jesus took the consequences that we deserved so that that we could be forgiven for our waywardness as we put our trust in Him.  Now we have the opportunity to be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and are free to make choices that reflect who God created us to be.  A child who does not receive daily correction will have trouble seeing that he is in need of a Savior.  He will feel entitled to whatever decision he chooses.  This inevitably leads to spiritual emptiness.

It may seem like an overwhelming task to help your child thrive spiritually, but the outcome is so rewarding.  The book of Proverbs tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from  it.”  This is a general principle that was not intended as a promise.  It is something that holds true in most situations, however.  Every child must eventually choose for himself.  As parents we have a huge role in shaping a child’s perspective on life.  The spiritual instruction we give a child will shape them to great extent.

God will give you the grace to instruct as you seek Him.  When we feel that we are lacking confidence, it is our cue to call on the Lord.  Parenting is an act of faith.  Jesus gives us all we need, and He has given us His church with godly parents who can help us along the way.  Happy parenting to you in the week ahead!