Sharing Biblical Concepts with Children

I mentioned in my last post that I'm reading Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd & Margie Tripp. I just finished reading Chapter 4 "Three Principles for Communicating Formative Instruction" and thought I'd post a couple of helpful quotes and then some bullet points:

"We give our children big truths they will grow into rather than light explanations they will grow out of."

"Children grow in their perception of the gospel as they move from a naive, tactile, and sensory grasp of the world to a more abstract ability to interact with concepts. This is a process...We need to teach these spiritual concepts in gentle, compelling ways."

Don't Mix Imaginary Stories with True Bible Stories
- Illustrate spiritual concepts for children by other means than popular entertainment characters.
Sidenote: This reminds me of the Santa Clause in his red and white outfit bowing to baby Jesus in a manger at Christmastime-just a little confusing for little ones ;)

Don't Trivialize the Gospel to be "Relevant"
- When we "bring the Bible down to their level," children quickly outgrow their love and wonder at biblical narratives. Children will grow into their understanding as they realize that God's Word is different from all other literature. It is truth. It is life.

Help Young Children Relate to Bible Stories in Tactile and Physical Ways
-Giving real examples of sizes, lengths and heights from stories (i.e. Spear from David and Goliath, weight of Goliath's armor-so they could imagine themselves in David's sandals)
-Putting yourself in similar situations as people from the OT (i.e. Setting out on a trek like Abraham and Sarah saying that "We will never return. I don't know where we are going or what will happen but God will give guidance and provision.")

*examples taken from book

Praying with my baby

Today was my first time praying with Rosie. I think I never did it out loud with her before b/c my thinking is that she doesn't get it anyways. The truth is, she probably doesn't right now. But it won't be long before she does, and I want it to already be in place.

She's only 3 months- so I have to admit it was a little strange getting that "Dear God" out. But as I started talking, it was a really sweet time with Jesus and Rosie before putting her down for bed. I want that to become so much of an evening routine so that it's weird when we don't talk to Jesus before bed.

What did I pray for?

That God would keep her healthy, help her to sleep sweetly, and that He would bring Rosie to treasure Him above all. I prayed that James and I would always point her to Jesus. May God be gracious in our parenting with her, and save our itty-bitty sinner :)

Rich Children's Music

Not monetarily rich- but rich in the sense of deep meaning. I came across Songs for Saplings via Tim Challies blog. He's giving away some of their music, and I entered to win. Whether or not I win though I did happen to get some of their free songs for children. They have two CD's of scripture songs, and three CD's of teaching songs.  The teaching songs are my favorite. Here are some of the questions the songs address:

Who is God?
Who made God?
Has God ever had a beginning?
What is a covenant?
What was Adam's part in the covenant?
Did Adam obey God?
Can you repent and believe in God?
What is meant by the atonement?
How were people saved before the coming of Christ?

Kids learn so much through music. You want kids to learn a verse, make a tune to it! Want them to learn rich truths? Have some quality music to have catch on to in the car-it's like unofficial catechism.  The songs listed above are free. Just go to www.music.songsforsaplings.com

Sexual Abuse & The Gospel

Just watched a video of Janette....ikz on the subject of her own sexual abuse and the glory of God. She uses spoken word to tell her story. Love the part where she brings in the innocence of Jesus...


13th Floor: Sexual Abuse - Janette...ikz from Pure Path on Vimeo.



Originally posted by The Resurgence

How babies come out....according to preschoolers

Since I found out I'm pregnant things like sleeping, resting, being emotional and nesting have come before my blog. Sorry about that. I do have a list of posts I'd like to complete before Rosie (Yes, we are having a girl and her name will be Rosie Noella) comes. No promises. But I'll try.

Anyways, being visibly pregnant sure has stirred up lots of questions about how babies are born. Mrs. Wimberly and I like to keep it simple in our responses or turn the questions around on them. For example, when asked "How will the baby get out?" We like to respond by saying "Through a small opening in the body." Usually that's enough for their curious little minds and they run off to something new. 

But recently that WAS NOT the case with one of our little girls. I gave her my usual answer, and she was quiet for second. Then she asked "But where is the opening?" I said, "That's a good question that you should ask your mommy." Still not satisfied, she questioned further, "But do you know where it is?" Smiling at her consistency, I answered "Yes I do." "Is it the same as my mommy's?" "Yes, it's the same for all mommies." And then motioning her hands in circles she said, "Well can you just tell me what area of your body it is?" I was very impressed but told her she had to ask her mommy. Normally, I don't get the 2nd degree about how babies come out (from this age group) but this preschooler was something else.

Here are some my favorite answers when it comes to me turning the question on them:

"I think she's just going to crawl out of your throat"

"She will come through here (points to knee)"

"The doctor will just cut your tummy and take the baby out and then sew you back up" (Yea, easy for you c-section moms to explain!)

"The doctor will unzip your back and then take the baby out and zip you back up"

"She will come through your belly button"

Today one of the preschoolers was seriously concerned for my life when he said: 

"But Ms. Heather I don't want you to die."

"Why do you think I will die?"

"Well if the baby comes out through your eye, then you will die."

"Don't worry. She will not come out through my eye. God will take care of me. He always does what's best for His children."

If it were my own preschooler asking, I may respond with a bit more specificity. That would of course accompany a conversation about how that's "special" information that not all mommies and daddy's want their kids to know-so for now-it's only something to talk about at home. Since they are not my kids, I go about it this way, and at the end of the day let their parents know that they are interested in how babies come out. Seems the safest way to me so far. 

It's been fun being pregnant with the kids. Since Rosie has been kicking more frequently throughout the day, some of the kids have been really excited when they feel her move. I love explaining how God is growing her in my tummy and how she'll come when God makes her ready. Well, stop by again if you all haven't left already. I hope to have some more posts up soon!

Healthy baby or not

“What do you want? A girl or a boy? Oh you just want a healthy baby, of course!”

If I could go back a month in my pregnancy, I wish I could answer those questions a bit differently. I wish my response could have been “Whatever the Lord chooses to bless us with, we’ll take.”

The truth is unhealthy babies are born everyday. Children are born without limbs and eyes. Children are born with multiple life threatening diseases and infections. Some children will suffer with illness till the day they die. And some children are born to only live for 3 hours. But the life in me is life made by my good God. So my husband and I say together, “We’ll take whatever the Lord chooses to bless us with.”

I know that God gives his children good gifts. Our little girl will be a gift whether she is healthy or unhealthy. Whichever it is, I trust she will be a gift for the glory of God and our good.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. –Psalm 127:3

Fatherless with Propaganda

Propaganda is so good at spoken word. Listen him to talk about the importance of a father over a home of financial gain.

11 Ways to Protect Your Daughter from Barbie

Read this helpful post from The Resurgence

C.S. Lewis' Letters to Children

This week I am presenting a children's book, but it's no picture book. Over the weekend I was given C.S. Lewis' Letters to Children. So far I've loved it. It's been quite some time since I've read the books, and I never even read the entire Narnia series. However, I've loved reading his letters to little ones, and if you have shared his stories with your children, your children will enjoy it too! Here a couple of short letters that Lewis wrote:

Dear Hugh,
Oh, very good. Eustace as a dragon is your very best picture yet. Really awesome! Love to all. 
Yours, 
C.S. Lewis


Dear Joan,
Thanks for letter and pictures. I say, you are lucky to have armour: I would have loved it when I was a boy but never came my way. The kind you have would be even better for Vikings etc. than for Arthurian knights. As for doing more than 7 Narnian books, isn't it better to stop when people are still asking for more than to go on till they are tired?
Love from, yours
C.S. Lewis


Dear Hila, (only an excerpt)
....As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there never been anyone in this world who (1.) arrived at the same time as Father Christmas (2.) Said he was the son of the Great Emperor (3.) Gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people (4.) Came to life again (5.) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb (see the end of the Dawn Treader) Don't you really know His name in this world. Think is over and let me know your answer!....
All good wishes, 
yours ever 
C.S. Lewis


What a fun read it is!

Toddlers & the Universe

"The fundamental job of a toddler is to RULE the universe" -Author Unknown

Our Borders is closing and I found this funny card for almost half off. I couldn't pass it up. The outfit, expression, and props fit the quote perfectly. Happy Monday!

Don't Waste Your Sports

For literally half of my life I've played soccer. From being a blue Smurf when I was 4 to playing for my High School team when I was 16 I've played, goalie, defense, forward, etc. But that time has passed. I'm not longer in organized sports. So when I see a sermon titled "Don't waste your sports" (by C.J. Mahaney) featured on "Girltalk" I assume this is maybe something I could pass along to my husband. I mean my husband is the one who follows football and plays each week with his friends-not me. But after an encouraging comment from a woman that was blessed by the sermon, I thought I'd take a look for myself...

When I was younger I never thought of playing sports for the glory of God. I wasn't much of a ball hog but when others were- I was sure to complain instead of be humble. And I know I didn't have a filter for what my coaches were telling me. "Use your body!" was a common one in soccer. (Hmm...maybe that's how that girls arm broke?) So looking into the past, listening to the sermon really brought some things to light. But it also made me think about the future. After all, I wasn't driving myself around to all those games and practices. It was my parents.

In the future, when I am taking my kids to soccer practice, will I talk to them about playing soccer for the glory of God? Will I tell my children that we don't have to be obsessed with the game, but enjoy it, for the glory of God? Will my children know the importance of giving glory to God when they make an excellent play? And being a humble teammate for the glory of God?

Well I don't know the future. But I certainly hope so.

There is a book but here is the sermon.

From the Pipers on sitting together at church

Last week I came across this amazing article by John & Noel Piper on Families sitting together during a worship service. It goes through some great topics that parent’s may ask themselves before they attempt the task of keeping their children with them during the service. They address how it is NOT an excessive expectation, and that NOT everything goes over their heads. The Pipers discuss how sitting together as a family in a worship service can create a “sense of Awe” if parent’s are “going hard after God.” What really stuck out to me was the modeling that Piper talked about.

In the article John Piper says some things that make me think. If we taught children that only true happiness is found in Jesus, then when they see their parent’s head (along with the congregation) bowed in earnest prayer before communion, and that their faces are illuminated with joy during worship…maybe, just maybe, there’s something of deeper value to be found in the pews with parents than in the classroom of a Sunday school teacher.

“…The greatest stumbling block for children in worship is that their parents do not cherish the hour. Children can feel the difference between duty and delight. Therefore, the first and most important job of a parent is to fall in love with the worship of God. You can't impart what you don't possess….

…Children should see how Mom and Dad bow their heads in earnest prayer during the prelude and other non-directed times. They should see how Mom and Dad sing praise to God with joy in their faces, and how they listen hungrily to His Word. They should catch the spirit of their parents meeting the living God…

…A deep sense of the unknown and the mysterious can rise in the soul of a sensitive child in solemn worship—if his parents are going hard after God themselves. A deep moving of the magnificence of God can come to the young, tender heart through certain moments of great hymns or "loud silence" or authoritative preaching. These are of immeasurable value in the cultivation of a heart that fears and loves God…”

There are some really great practical ideas on dealing with younger children in a service, and even preparation leading up to the church service.

At least a little curious to read the article? Go here.

Please note: I myself am a Sunday school teacher. I agree that there will almost always be a need for Sunday school-for infants and toddlers especially. New families, new believers, unbelievers will come to the church the children of those families may not be able to sit still. It would be better for the parent’s to learn about Jesus and how he relates to parenting than for them to be distracted by their children. I humbly submit these are all beliefs that I’ve had no life experience to try this with. However, I do trust that people like the Pipers, David & Sally Michael, and tons of others speakers I’ve heard on the topic-who have had more years of experience in both parenting and Children’s Ministry. 

Just the Way I Am by Krista Horning

Have you ever thought about the sovereignty of God in relation to disability? Does he really make people that way? Did he plan for it? Is it true of all people that God knit us together in our mother's womb? It is true-even of those with disabilities? Just the Way I Am by Krista Horning is about God's good design in disability. God is sovereign and here is a book that that talks about it. It's simple enough for children to understand and healing for families dealing with disability.

In a world where 90% of pregnant women (whose babies are) diagnosed with Down Syndrome choose to abort, we may start to see these children become fewer and fewer. Teaching our children that God made people this way, and that the weaker parts are INDISPENSABLE is so important! Let this be a book in your home library to teach about God's sovereignty. Read it to children in your life. Bless hurting families with the truths in this book. Here is John Piper's endorsement:



Also here is a short review on the book from the Desiring God blog.

Buy the book here (they don't sell it on Amazon).

A father's role in his children going to church when they are grown

Whether  the world likes it or not. God made mothers and fathers to have certain roles.  Obeying or disobeying those God-given roles have certain outcomes.  A study done in Switzerland “reveals the connection between church-going habits of mothers and fathers and the effect on their children when they are grown.” Here is an excerpt:

“…if a father does not go to church, no matter how faithful his wife’s devotions, only one child in 50 will become a regular worshipper. If a father does go regularly, regardless of the practice of the mother, between two-thirds and three-quarters of their children will become churchgoers (regular and irregular). If a father goes but irregularly to church, regardless of his wife’s devotion, between a half and two-thirds of their offspring will find themselves coming to church regularly or occasionally.” (Found originally on Justin Taylor's blog) 

Read the rest here. 

Not only does the study reveal the importance of obeying the roles God gives us, but it also highlights the importance of Christians marrying Jesus-loving people that love the church (Christians). Marrying someone that does not love Jesus and His church is very detrimental to the spirituality of future children (as revealed in the study).

Student Appreciation

The school year is coming to and end L Some will be with us through the summer and some won’t.  So I’m preparing myself to say goodbye and I thought of some ways the children have been a blessing this school year. If there were a student appreciation day, this is what I'd say. 

It blesses me when…

You see me at a birthday party and run up to hug me.

You are willing to feed a disabled friend your string cheese.

You remember my middle name.

You teach your younger siblings our Spanish songs.

You’re walking to the bathroom and stop to give me a hug on the way.

You tell me why the chicken crossed the road.

You forgive your friends.

You say “Ms. Heather your shirt is gleaming!”

You see flowers at the store and ask your mom to buy them for me.

Your first response to our morning greeting is a big toothless smile.

You sing “Feliz Navidad” to yourself at the art table.

You take me by the hand to show me your creation.

You see a friend crying and give them a hug.

You apologize even though it’s hard.

You draw a picture of Jesus and I being best friends forever.

You remember my husband’s name.

You tell me after seeing the tire boot on my car,

 “Ms. Heather you can call my dad and he will handcuff them.”

Because, after all, he is a police officer.

You are excited that I’m coming to your house.

You correct me after I said “roj-a” instead of “roj-o”

You understand that “God is the boss of Ouwies”

I’ve only been gone for half of the morning and you say,

 “Ms. Heather I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

AND MOST RECENTLY WHEN….

You comfort me about missing you guys next year by saying,

 “but you will have more kids to teach Spanish to next year.”

God is sooo good to have let me have the experiences that I did with these children. Through conversations about Jesus to “Tiempo de Espanol” to building things with them, I’ve been extremely blessed that God gave me an opportunity to get to know each of them. I will soak up these next couple of weeks!

The Hand-Holders

Just recently was Teacher Appreciation week. Among many gifts from the parents was a very special gift from our Director. During our break, she had us come into an extra room where she soaked our feet in warm eucaplytus scented water-while we read a special note and a poem. Though I wouldn’t take credit for having the most important job in all “the land” it is very cute and faces of particular children flashed in my head as I read it. Enjoy. 

“The Hand-Holders”

(A Tribute to Preschool Teachers)

There is no job more important than yours,

no job anywhere else in the land.

You are the keepers of the future;

you hold the smallest of hands.

Into your care you are trusted

to nurture and care for the young,

and for all your everyday heroics,

your talents and skills go unsung.

You wipe tears from the eyes of the injured.

You hold our precious children in your arms.

You encourage the shy and unsure child.

You make sure they are safe from all harm.

You foster the bonds of friendships,

Letting no child go away mad.

You respect and you honor their emotions.

You give hugs to each child when they’re sad.

You have more impact than does a professor,

a child’s mind is molded by four;

so whatever you lay on the table

is whatever the child will explore.

You give each child the tools for adventure.

You let them be artists and writers and more.

So they can fly on the wind and dance like stars

and build castles of sand on the shore.

It is true that you don’t make much money

and you don’t always get a lot of praise,

but when one small child says “I love you”,

you’re reminded of how this job pays.

Black Children-An endangered species?

A video worth our time....





Interesting, eh??

Easter & Children

As I reflect on this week, I have really been able to feel & see answered prayers. I am so humbled and thankful to God for that. One of those answered prayers was being able communicate to the preschoolers more about the character of God. You may have read my “God, the Boss of Ouwies.” God was gracious to let me teach them a few ways that God is Sovereign. Also, our class was really blessed by one of the moms. She came in and went through the visual story of Jesus with Resurrection Eggs. 

It was especially a blessing to hear her communicate how Jesus took our sin and punishment on the cross. Through using a preschool level illustration she was able to communicate this big truth to these little people. She said something like “it’s kinda like when we get into trouble and we have to go to time-out. But instead of us going to the time-out that we deserve, mommy or daddy goes to our time-out instead. On the cross, Jesus took the place of all our time-outs.” It excited me so much that she really put it down to their level! 

As I was looking on-line I found a couple of cool things that could be real great traditions for families/teachers/aides (JI say that as if I am a mom or something J) in keeping a Jesus-centered Easter. Working as an aide I’ve seen the struggle of trying to kinda’ keep the fun tradition but also make it centered on what Jesus did. 

Here are a couple of cool ideas that I found (click to go to the links):

•        Tell the Easter Story with a Playdough Mountain
•         Finding Easter in Bunnies and Baskets 

Thankful for this work week & the job He has give me,

Heather

[As far as completely throwing out all mention of Easter eggs, bunnies, Santa, etc when talking about Christmas & Easter. I am still undecided (thus the "Finding Easter in Bunnies.." link). James & I have discussed it before but seem to come to the conclusion that conversation between real & fake is of upmost importance.]

Essential Gospel Truth #2

2) God created people for his glory

Suggested Verses: I Corinthians 10: 31, Isaiah 43:6-7

Explanation: “People make things to have a special purpose. Cars are made for driving in. Refrigerators are made to keep food cold. These things are made in a special way so that they can do what they were made to do. God created people for a special purpose also, so God created people in a certain way. God created men and women and boys and girls in His image and likeness. That means that God created people to be like Him in certain ways. God created us different from the animals and all other things. For example, we were created with minds that can learn about God. Dogs can’t do this. God created us with hearts that have certain feelings and emotions so that we could love God. Gorillas can’t love God.
Why did God make people in His image and likeness? God made us this way so that we would show how great He is! God created us so that we could know Him and have a very special kind of relationship with Him. God wants us know and love Him so that you and I would want to say things like: God is the greatest and best! I love Him most of all! God makes me more happy than anything or anyone else! This is the purpose that God created you for!
And God wants His people to be able to do this forever. That is why God created heaven. Heaven is a place for God’s people to live with Him forever. Living forever with God is the best thing ever!”

Illustrations:
• Trucks (little boys love ‘em): Say something like…
You: Is it real?
Child: No.
You: Is it like a real one?
Child: Yes.
You: It was made to look like one & act like one in certain ways. If it was made to look like a real truck would it make this noise? Quack, quack, quack… No, it was made to go “vroom, vroom, vroom.”
• Stuffed animals: Say something like “These were made to be like a real dog: soft, ears, nose, four legs. That’s a little bit of what it means to be made like something. We were made to be like God in certain ways. Not in how we look but in how we act.”

---Illustrating the uniqueness of being created in God’s image---
• Bringing a pet to church: “Why you don’t bring your dog to church/Sunday school: Could the dog pray when we pray? No. Could the dog sing praises to God as we sing together? No. Could the dog open his bible & enjoy the words & pictures? No. Could a dog make choices to obey God’s command? No. That’s a little bit what it means to be created uniquely.”

---Created to show how great God is---
• Mirror activity: “Mirror is created to show the reflection of something. Hold flower in front of mirror, what will be shown in mirror? The likeness of the flower, it’s beauty, it’s colors. That’s a little bit of what it means that we were created to show how great God is. Our hearts our to be like mirrors to show God: You are beautiful, you’re all powerful, there’s nobody else like you.

---Joy of having a special relationship with God---
• Recalling a special event: Have child recall special event in their lives: (friends, vacation, etc) “Living together with God is a million times better/exciting/so much, much better than that." (Constantly pointing out to them that God is more enjoyable & exciting than anything else).

Implication: God created you for a special purpose. He created you to show how great He is.

Wow! Jill Nelson really thought all this out! I loved it each time I read through it to edit. These seem to be such basic things that most of us didn't learn till we were more "mature" in our walks. But can you imagine raising children & teaching children how we were created for his glory at a young age?! As a Child Development Major in college, we always learned it was all about the child and thier self-esteem. The aim was to always boost that self-esteem with lots of praise so they could be healthy adults. While that has it's place,the MOST MOST MOST important thing is that HE (focus off ourselves & children) created us in HIS image. We are here to reflect HIS glory. Eternally we will all acknowledge this-whether now or later.

So with that, tomorrow I will have for you Essential Gospel Truth #3 which is "God is Holy & Righteous." You could probably think about how to explain "Holy" to children...but what about explaining the BIG word "Righteous" to a child? You'll see tomorrow!

Essential Gospel Truth #1

#1) God is Sovereign Creator of all things.

Suggested Verses: Isaiah 44:24, Psalm 19:1, 24:1, 22:8

Explanation to children: "There is a living, eternal God who created all things. Eternal means that God had no beginning and will have no ending. God was never born. He never had a birthday. He has always been alive and will always be alive. God will never die. And this one, eternal God made everything – all by Himself. God made the sky and the stars and the ground and the trees and the plants and the animals and all the people. God can do this because He is an almighty God. This means God is all-powerful and nothing is too hard for Him to do

Because God made everything, everything belongs to God. That means that God owns all of the rocks, trees, stars, oceans, plants, and people – everything! God is also the sovereign ruler over all that He has created. That means that God is “the boss”. He is the King of His creation and He controls it and rules over it."

Illustration: (Use child’s contact with the created world-see, smell, touch, taste & hear)
• Seeing a Rainbow: Instead of- “oh, that’s pretty” Say- “God created rainbows to show us how beautiful he is.”
• Thunder: “God created that thunder to show us a little bit of how powerful he is.”
• Favorite pizza: “God created that pizza because he wants to show us how good he is.”
• Hugs: “God gave you a mommy & daddy and that hug is to show you how loving God is”
• Playing with the puppy: “God created your dog to play to show you that God is a happy God”

(Use opportunities like that to show how great God is through what he’s created)

Further Illustrate that God has a rightful rule over his creation:
Box of crayons Activity (Younger child): Give them crayons & say, “Why don’t you draw a picture of something. You choose whatever you want to draw.” As they start drawing put your ear to the crayon box & say “Wait a minute Sarah. Stop drawing. You know what? The crayons are saying to me that they don’t want to be a puppy.” The child will look at you strange. You say “ I think your crayon should decide what your picture is going to look like-not you…..Is that right? Who should decide how the picture will look? The crayons or the child who is drawing the picture?” *This can help our children understand everything belongs to God so it’s right for God to decide how his creation is going to look. He owns everyone, he owns everything, he is the boss-not us.

Baking cookies (Older kids) - As they are adding ingredients you can do the same thing. “You know I think these chocolate chips would rather that they not have the flower and sugar in there. I think it would be better if we let the chocolate chips decide how they will be baked” The child will look at you and think “What in the world are you talking about? Who is going to decide what goes in the chocolate chip cookies? The baker or the ingredients?”
*Use this kind of obvious illustration to say “that’s something like understanding that God is the sovereign ruler of his creation. He decides what is true and right. He decides what his world will look like.”

Finally we don’t stop there. We give the Implication: God created YOU. YOU belong to God and it is right that God rules over you.

Just want to tell you guys again. This was taken from Jill Nelson's "Presenting the Gospel to Children" from www.childrendesiringgod.com. If you'd like to hear all 10 of the Essential Gospel truths right now, go there. But I'd love to hear what you think about this one. Tomorrow I'll post Essential Truth #2 which is God Created People for His glory. I look forward to sharing and also seeing what you guys think!