Helping Christian Kids Develop Empathy for the Poor

Helping Christian Kids Develop Empathy for the Poor - Parenting Like Hannah
My daughter’s TOMS

When you read the letters in the New Testament, it becomes obvious a large part of the work of the early Church was helping those in poverty. The causes of the poverty may have varied, but the message was clear – Christians needed to show God’s love to the poor.

If you live in a city like Atlanta and are middle class, there is a very real chance your child has never really been exposed to poverty in a meaningful way. Even if you occasionally volunteer to help the poor, your child may only have the vaguest idea of what life is like on a daily basis for those living in poverty.

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Tips for Raising Disciples

Tips for Raising Disciples - Parenting Like Hannah
View from the Roman Coliseum

The day your child is baptized is not the end of your journey of dedicating your child to God. In many ways, it is only the beginning. For many Christian parents, the baptism of their child seems to lift the burden of the responsibility to point their child towards God. After all, your child has made the crucial decision, right?

Actually, although baptism is what makes us a Christian, we often forget there is another piece to being Christian. Baptism is definitely about forgiveness of sins, the promise of eternity in Heaven and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is also about becoming a disciple of Jesus. Yet somehow we often forget to teach our children exactly what that means and how it affects the way they live their lives.

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Teaching Kids About Discipleship

Teaching Kids About Discipleship - Parenting Like HannahWhen our children are old enough to really understand the concept of sin and the impact of sin in their lives, we call that the age of accountability. Scriptures teach us when each of us reaches that age, we have a decision to make. We must decide if we will obey God and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins, or walk away and live our lives in pursuit of our own desires.

Probably the happiest day for a parent (after the birth of their child), is the day their child is baptized.  In many homes, Bibles are searched and studied as the child prepares to make the most important decision of his life. Then the day arrives when your child walks into the baptistry and is immersed for the reemission of her sins. Many parents breathe a sigh of relief. If the child is close to adulthood, the sigh may be huge!

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“Hidden” Rules of Christian Parenting

Hidden Rules of Christian Parenting - Parenting Like Hannah
Photo by Michael Stout

Recently I read a great paper on educating children in poverty. One of the interesting findings was something I have always suspected. Things a middle class parent would consider “common sense” are really not common sense, but are behaviors and attitudes passed on from middle and upper class parents to their children. Children in generational poverty are never taught these “hidden” rules for success. Unless parents in poverty are actively coached on these rules or have stumbled upon them on their own, they are almost certain to pass the poverty lifestyle on to their children.

Christian parenting also has hidden rules. Actually, they are in the Bible, but many parents don’t catch them or don’t think they are important. They parent with the best of intentions, but are raising children who will leave God and the Church or grow to be lukewarm Christians.

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Christian Service Project Survey – I Need Your Input

Christian Service Project Survey - Parenting Like Hannah
Photo by Odegaard Library

In the next few months, Lord willing, you will have a lot of new resources at your fingertips to help you dedicate your children to God. I don’t want to ruin the surprise by revealing too much now, but I think you will be excited to see everything we will have to help you on your journey. The best part? Everything will be free! We have seen this as a ministry to moms all over the world and now with the expansion we hope to help others who are reaching the children of the world for God.

Right now I desperately need your help! Part of this journey to expand the ministry has led to me leading a workshop at a major service conference in June. I am attempting to do a little informal research to augment the formal research I have found.

Can you please take about two minutes of your time and answer a few questions about the last service experience you had with a faith based organization? It could be Church, para-church, recovery program, children’s home – anything that welcomes God as a part of its mission.

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