The Bible Doodle Book

Just wanted to share with you one of my favorite gifts my son Isaac got for Christmas from his Uncle and Aunt... THE BIBLE DOODLE BOOK. {They also have a "pocket" edition) This thing is so great! It's just like those doodle books you see everywhere, but this one helps you focus on Bible stories and challenges you to complete the pictures. I look through it all the time and smile. It's great for road-trips, quiet-time and even LifeGroups! {It also makes an AMAZING gift for the kids in your life!}

faith like a child.

Our family has been having some health problems this week, so this morning one of our kids was getting pretty worried and upset that one of us wasn't getting any better. This spurred on a wonderful conversation about FAITH and TRUST in God. It's so much easier to explain to a child to have trust.... they understand trust because, for most kids, they have many people in their lives that they trust already. It's challenging to me, as an adult, to trust the way kids do.... I can sometimes be scarred by my experiences and critical of things I don't understand. A lot of times when I have doubts, I re-read biographies of men/women of faith that I have grown to love and respect. I was so excited when I found the "Little Lights" series, which takes the biographies of the heroes of the faith and puts it in ways that little ears can understand.
Check them out here.

God's Great Covenant Session 1: God's Power

Today was our first day home for summer vacation and I was so excited to start a new series with the kids that will take us all the way until they go back to school. (maybe even longer!) It's a study on the Old Testament, called "God's Great Covenant."

Today's lesson was about creation and about Elohim, "the mighty God." We discussed how powerful God is and how he created the entire universe with His spoken word. We discussed the meaning of "omnipotent," the trinity and even "Ex nihilo" (meaning "out of nothing"). The kids loved finding things around the house that were powerful and as we plugged them in we talked about the power of God.

I will post another one of our "God's Great Covenant" discussions and activities for you to adapt to your own home if you so desire, but the main idea is to let you know that there are a lot of resources available for a variety of ages... and some free to you on the internet! The summer is a great time to change up your morning devotions a little bit and have some fun discovering the Bible in depth!

Think Orange

One of my favorite websites currently is a concept by Reggie Joiner (Worked under Andy Stanley as Children's Minister at North Point Community Church in Atlanta) called ORANGE PARENTS. The concept of "ORANGE" really commissions the family and the church to work together to equip this next generation for the call God has placed on their lives. 

One thing I ran across today in Joiner's book "THINK ORANGE" was this Family Time Chart. I love the way it is broken up to give us some ideas on the different roles we have with our children and ways to strategically speak into their lives.

What We Believe

As we go through the Who Is God series the next couple of months, a book that would be amazing to read with your kids at home is:

 Who Is God and Can I Really Know Him? Biblical Worldview of God and Truth

By: Johny Hay and David Webb

 

The back cover describes this book as a family inclusive study of biblical worldview introducing young children ages 6-14 to the basic truths of the Christian faith.

Another (Free) Resource is the website dg4kids.com (Discover God for Kids). They have family ways to discover, teach and review the different attributes of God at home. The family adventures include: 

	Activities … Family Night Fun!
	Bible Times … Exploring God's Word together!
	Influencing Others … Making a difference!
	Drawing/Drama … Express who God is creatively!
	Experience … Capture the teachable moments!

 

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. 

Proverbs 22:6

The Princess and the Kiss

Raising 3 girls in a world that promotes anything but purity can be a challenge today. From a young age I have always stressed to my daughters the need to keep their hearts pure. One tool that I have found to be useful is a simple story book titled The Princess and the Kiss: A Story of God's Gift of Purity by Jennie Bishop.

It is a story about a young princess, who at birth was given a very special gift from God, the gift of her first kiss. This gift was to be saved for the man she would someday marry. The princess wondered if that day would ever come. She learned that a wise girl waits for the man God has planned for her, the one man that is worthy of her gift. Of course, at the end of the story she finds her prince and he too has a very special gift to give to the princess, his first kiss.

There is also a life lessons devotion guide that can be used with the book. The daily devotion guide includes Jewels of Truth (scripture), Royal Reminders (thought provoking questions that relate to the store) and Creative Focus (craft ideas). 

There is also a similar book written for boys, The Squire and the Scroll: A Tale of the Rewards of a Pure Heart.

Prayer Charts, Piggy Banks, & Bedrooms...

If you are anything like me - you may enjoy finding new ways & ideas to teach the kids (whether your own or in the classroom) about the things of God in a way that gets their attention.  For me, it's an added bonus when said "new idea" is in chart-form...it's the little things that make me happy!!!  Tonight, during prayer, the kids came home with this prayer chart.  I don't know who was more excited - me or the kids!!!  It is simple, fun, and obviously purposeful...the kids couldn't wait to hang them on their bedroom walls and get started.  Thank you, Pastor Pat!!!  

Since we're talking about the Lord, the kids, new ideas & fun stuff...

I came across this 'Globe Piggy Bank' at Target today.  I love it!!! I had recently placed cups on the kid's dressers that are labeled 'Tithes', 'Giving', and 'Saving'.  In keeping with that same idea, I thought this bank would be a fun place to put the money for 'giving' while talking about and praying for the needs of those around the world - whether in our own community or across the globe.   

and finally, since we're talking about the needs of those around the world...

I want to share one more thing that I came across recently.  I came upon the following book while reading an article on Yahoo...

The author, James Mollison, embarked on a 2 year journey around the world to photograph children and their bedrooms.  As stated in the synopsis, 

... with the support of Save the Children, the book is written and presented for an audience of 7-11 year olds setting out to interest and engage children in the details of the lives of other children around the world, and the social issues affecting them, while also being a serious photographic essay for an adult audience.

I personally was drawn to these photos and enjoyed Saturday morning devotions with my family as we read the article, looked at the photos and prayed.  Our kids (ages 3 & 5) were very interested and surprised when they saw that other children's bedrooms were very different than their own. 

Click HERE to read the article and see a few photos from the book.

Well, that is all for now.  I am exhausted from all this excitement!!! 

Loving the Little Years: Book Resource

I read the most incredible book today.

Seriously... it was a game-changer.

It's called "Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches" by Rachel Jankovic

Unfortunately, I don't have much time for reading, so this 100 page book was perfect for the few hours I had to myself today. It was a book given to me in the church hallway by Pastor Aimee, who I consider a spiritual mentor and it was an incredible read... super easy too. Each chapter is only a few pages long, so you can pick it up and put it down as needed.

If you are a mom of young children, PLEASE consider picking this book and reading it. I laughed, I cried and I changed my entire perspective. Here are a couple of the things the author said that I had to close the book to ponder more.

"I can no longer be overwhelmed...

it's time to adjust to the work load God has given me."

"The state of your heart is the state of your home."

.. and then the entire chapter entitled "Know Your Sheep" messed me up pretty good. She talked about the fact that Christian child-rearing is a pastoral pursuit, not a organizational challenge. Wow! I definitely needed to hear that today!

Anyway, just wanted to share my newest find and the fact that it gave me the encouragement I needed during a very hectic time. Plus, I am happy to say that I was able to try the award winning "Coconut Lemongrass Latte" from Espresso Elevado.. and yes, it tastes just like it sounds.