When I lived in New York City, I used to get tickled when people assumed I was honest just because I had a slight southern accent. At the same time, the people who thought I was less than intelligent because of that same accent really irritated me.
In the United States, we tend to think of prejudice as always having a negative impression based on someone’s race. Actually, prejudice is pre-judging anyone based on any aspect of them you can see or hear without knowing anything else about them. Often those judgments are negative, but sometimes people can be predisposed to like someone just because the person reminds them of themselves or someone else they like.
Without a doubt, the best book you and your children can read is the Bible. You don’t have to worry about whether or not the authors are accurately communicating God’s will for your life. As the inspired word of God, you can rest assured the Bible has everything you need to support you and your kids in your efforts to live a Christian life.
Christian parents are usually the most consistent at teaching children to pray. Meals and bedtime are great markers to remind kids to talk to God. What we are not as great at doing is teaching our children to pray without ceasing. Let’s be honest. We sometimes have a hard time doing that ourselves. We mean well, but then life gets busy and suddenly we realize it has been days since we last had a meaningful prayer time with God.
Raising kids to have godly values about money is tough. Not only are parents battling an extremely materialistic society, but godly principles about money require a delicate balance. Everything we have belongs to God and is a blessing from Him. (James 1:17) We need to take good care of our blessings and give generously back to God through helping others and direct donations to God’s work. (II Corinthians 9:7) We need to work hard in our jobs. (Colossians 3:23) We shouldn’t be obsessed with money, especially to the point where it replaces God. (I Timothy 6:10)