Weekly Christian Parenting Challenges #26

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was smaller than normal, but thanks to negative COVID tests, we were able to enjoy it without worrying about becoming ill. Of course, this means Christmas will be here soon. Here are the social media challenges for the week in case you missed them.

Monday: When King Henry VIII created the Anglican Church, he removed the roofs of all the other churches in the UK. Most were never repaired and the churches are now ruins dotting the land. Your kids will face persecution if they believe and obey God. They may not be martyred, but they will be teased, mocked and excluded. People, even some “Christians” will try to convince them obeying God is somehow stupid. You have to raise kids who know what they believe, why they believe it and are willing to go to prison or die if those are the earthly consequences for obeying God. That unshakable faith foundation doesn’t happen by accident. It will take a lot of time and effort on your part, but it is so comforting as you grow older to see your adult children still standing strong in their faith…knowing you will see them again in Heaven.

Tuesday: Did you know manners are more than stuffy old customs of rich people? They are how we can reflect God’s love to others. Why? Because at their core, manners are about kindness, consideration and respect or…putting others before ourselves. Working with your kids on their manners is one way of teaching them how to be loving and kind. It’s worth all of the time and effort it takes.

Wednesday: The books in this room represent the information your kids will absorb from multiple sources. It will impact their thinking, their worldview, their beliefs, their words, their actions and their faith. Do you have any idea what sources your kids are consuming for information? What are the authors’ biases (because we all have them)? Do they have an agenda? Is it godly or anti-godly? Become informed and involved. Otherwise your kids will slowly slide away from God and towards secularism, humanism or even atheism.

Thursday: Stop several times today and just look around you for a moment. Soak in the blessings God has given you. Thank Him for your precious little ones – even if they are all grown up with little ones of their own. Gratitude and joy are connected. Bring joy into your family by keeping them firmly grounded in gratitude.

Friday: The Christmas season officially begins today. It’s easy for children of all ages to become greedy when constantly bombarded by ads for all of the things they could ever want or imagine. Helping your kids focus on giving rather than getting can keep greed to a minimum. Have them focus on finding the gift that will truly mean something to the person who receives it. Or encourage them to put love into a homemade gift. Stay away from toy aisles, catalogs and stores and search our blog for past posts on the topic for even more practical tips.

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Thereasa Winnett

Thereasa Winnett is the founder of Teach One Reach One and blogger at Parenting Like Hannah. She holds a BA in education from the College of William and Mary. She has served in all areas of ministry to children and teens for more than thirty years and regularly leads workshops for ministries and churches. She has conducted numerous workshops, including sessions at Points of Light’s National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the National Urban Ministry Conference, Pepperdine Bible Lectures, and Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration. Thereasa lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Greg, where she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling and cooking.

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