Getting our Bearings, Coordinates and Course Heading for Kids

Deuteronomy 6:5-7



"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."



Bringing our faith, prayer and practice to our children within the church will impact their lives as well as the lives of others. But how we do this has certainly changed over the years. We now have the best technology along with the best teaching strategies based on children's learning styles than we have ever had in the past. Yet, there might be something missing.



Who really should be leading the children spiritually on a daily basis? A new (but probably very old) shift in children's ministry could very well impact the lives of every child and every family touched by a children's ministry based on feeding our children's hungry hearts each day at home with their families. Brian Haynes talks about this in his new book "Shift" where he speaks about bringing families together to spiritually equip this next generation. We could do this with our children in our families today.



"God Sightings" is one way. They can be easily explained by encouraging family members to develop a sense of God's loving presence in our every day lives. Examples may be looking for God's love at a sporting event or simply placing a fun treat and a note on a family member's pillow.





Also, planning time for intentional "Faith Talks" where a time is set aside for weekly conversations based on Scripture. It may be "family devotions" around the fireplace or a walk in the snowy woods, or other creative times...even a trip to Walmart. You can talk about your God Sightings on these journeys and pray and praise God for what He has done.



Through our Sunday evening programs, and studies, I hope to provide scripture and guidelines based on our evening Bible studies that will provide a plan and outline for God Sightings and Faith Talks.



Other events, such as our Fun Fest Survivor Night and Easter Caroling will provide many opportunities to have material for leading weekly Faith Talks with the family.



Our bearings-Scripture, our coordinates-God Sightings, and our Course-Faith Talks with prayer can be possible.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

GOD SIGHTINGS-No Greater Love

Read the Upper Room for Today-September 22, 2010

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.
- John 15:13 (NRSV)

Hello again and it is good to be back blogging away because I feel this is what God wants me to do at this time. Family matters have taken much of my time over the last seven months and I've missed the opportunity to reach out to others through cyberspace. God and Family come first in my life and I praise the Lord for His guidance in all circumstances, the storms and the awesome moments.

There is a wonderful country western song, "The Breaths We Take". There is a line that I play over and over in my mind and on my lips as I drive to work: "Its not the breaths we take, but the moments that take our breaths away". These moments are God moments where we do show our greater love for our friends...our family.


GOD Sightings for babies, toddlers, children and tweens:


1. Early tomorrow morning or in the evening, ask each child and adult at your table what they have done for others recently. It can be as simple as "I gave my sister one of my toys when she was crying and it made her feel better."
This can include all the ages in the family.
Babies can give a hug to a sibling, parent or grandparent.
2. Have older children draw pictures on their napkin or paper of what they did to show love to others in the past few days.
3. Talk with children and tweens about how doing something for someone else in need can change their lives.
4. Ask the tweens if they have had someone do something for them which changed their life for the better. Ask them how they felt deep inside after the event.
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