Christian Kids and Jewish Holidays

Christian Kids and Jewish Holidays - Parenting Like HannahMost Christian kids get very little exposure to the Jewish holidays. Passover of course, because of its ties to the Resurrection and our communion service. If you live in a diverse area, your kids have probably been exposed to Hanukkah also. The rest seem to be a jumble of difficult names and cultural practices which have little meaning to the modern child.

Yet our kids can learn so much from these holidays. These holidays were originally designed to point the Jewish people back to God and remind them of everything God had done for them. More importantly, every holiday points to Jesus. We are not bound to celebrate them any longer, but understanding them and their original celebrations will give our children a richer sense of heritage and appreciation for God’s Plan.

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Kids, Stars and God

Kids, Stars and God - Parenting Like HannahDid you ever stop and think about how many times stars are mentioned in the Bible? Of course there is the creation of the stars, then Abraham being promised as many descendants as the stars and of course the star that led the wise men to Jesus. Those aren’t the only times God sued stars to teach His people something. Stars are actually mentioned several dozen more times in the Bible.

From “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3 NIV) to “He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.” (Amos 5:8 NIV) stars play a large role in the Bible.

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Teaching Kids About Satan

Teaching Kids About Satan - Parenting Like HannahWhen is the last time you heard someone in church mention Satan or Hell? If you are like most Christians, it may have been years. Gone are the days of the “fire and brimstone” sermon. I don’t recommend we go back to those days, but I do think we need to stop ignoring the fact Satan exists. More importantly, we need to teach our children about him and his ways.

“Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be Strong.” (NIV I Corinthians 16:13) Have you ever noticed there are quite a few verses in the Bible that tell us to be watchful or be on guard? Ever wondered of whom we were supposed to be watchful? I think there is a strong argument to be made that at least some of those verses are cautioning us to be watchful against Satan and his tricks.

There are some things about Satan your children are probably not hearing in church (if he is even mentioned at all). It is vitally important your children understand who Satan is and how he works. They can’t be watchful of something they don’t know exists. They also need to know his tricks, so they can guard the weak spots he will attack.

So what are some of the things you need to teach your kids about Satan?

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Tips for Discipling Your Child

Tips for Discipling Your Child - Parenting Like HannahIn Top Tip for Raising a Mature, Godly Child, I promised to share tips for how to disciple your child. A well discipled child has a much better chance of making more mature, godly choices. As we saw when Jesus discipled his Apostles, there were some mis-steps along the way. One (Judas) even decided to reject everything Jesus had tried to teach him.

There are no guarantees following these tips will make your children perfect or even that they will consistently make godly, mature decisions. Some mis-steps are likely, in part because of their lack of life experience. That is part of the discipling process – teaching, demonstrating and then giving opportunities for guided practice. Guided practice gives your kids a safe place to make those mistakes. A place where a Christian adult is standing by to mentor or offer help when needed. Practice that allows for feedback and correction.

Parents who don’t disciple their kids often find their children are involved in real life scenarios without that extra godly support. Suddenly, these young people are with peers and attempting to make potentially life-changing if not eternity changing decisions without having been prepared. Honestly, it’s surprising more kids and teens don’t end up in over their heads, making poor choices.

So how do you disciple your kids? There are a lot of things you can do, but if you follow the model Jesus set with his Apostles, you will be making a good start.

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Introducing Kids to Psalms

Introducing Kids to Psalms - Parenting Like HannahWhen you think of the books to suggest to those beginning to read their Bibles independently, Psalms may not immediately come to mind. We tend to think of the book of Psalms as a book of poetry and young people are notorious for disliking poetry. If we present it to kids and teens for the purposes it was originally intended though, I think they will find it is one of their favorite books.

Jews in the time of Jesus were passionate about Psalms. Their daily lives were covered by the Psalms. Daily Temple worship began with a different Psalm read on every day of the week. Psalms were used as songs and prayers. Almost any problem someone had would result in praying to God one of the Psalms. In fact it is believed, many observant Jews had memorized many if not all of them.

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