Service – Page 5 – Parenting Like Hannah

Fun Quiz to Help Your Kids Discover Their Gifts From God

Do your kids know the gifts God gave them to serve Him? The truth is that you may still be struggling to figure out what your own gifts from God may be. Often if churches even address giftedness, they use the scripture in Corinthians about spiritual gifts and a long inventory to “help”. Often, those exercises just leave people more confused than ever and teens and kids are often excluded entirely from the conversation.

Why not make the entire exercise a bit more concrete and practical – easy enough to use with even relatively young children? We suggest that instead of starting in Corinthians, you show your kids Exodus 31. In this chapter, it discusses how God used what we call the “secular” gifts or talents of various individuals to build the Tabernacle. It also explains how God gave certain individuals a little extra bit of talent so they could do the work well.

Then read to them the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Although there is more than one way to interpret this parable, it is acceptable to equate the money “talent” with what we now call talents or gifts. Point out that each person received a different number of talents, but each received at least one talent. Note that the master was only upset with the man who didn’t do anything with his talent at all.

Explain to your kids that God gave each of them at least one talent. One of their jobs as a Christian (or future Christian) is to find, develop and use their talent or talents to serve God. To get started, ask each of your kids to answer the following questions:

What classes or training have they had that have taught you anything that might be considered a talent? (These can be at school or extracurricular classes…even one time classes.)
When someone compliments you, what are the two or three attributes they most often mention?
What is your favorite class in school?
In what class is it easiest for you to make a good grade?
What jobs (if they are old enough) or volunteer work have you done in the past?
Which ones did you enjoy the most and why?
What are your hobbies?
What type of non-fiction books (or YouTube videos if they watch instructional ones) do you enjoy the most?
What are some things you do well, but don’t necessarily consider a talent?
If you could learn or try something new, what would it be?
What is something you love doing (or would love to do), but don’t feel as if you would do it well?
If someone asks you for help or advice, what is it that is most often asked of you?
After your child has answered all of the questions, look at the answers together. Is there a pattern? Is there a particular gift already demonstrated? Is there an interest that might also indicate a gift if they are given opportunities to develop it? Don’t limit yourself to more obvious gifts like artistic talent, teaching talent, etc. In our next post, we will give you a list of more subtle talents that God can use as much as the more obvious ones.
Taking the time to help your kids discover, develop and use their gifts to serve God is the beginning of their understanding their place and role in God’s Kingdom and the good works He has planned for them to do.

Fun Family (Pre)Thanksgiving Service Project

About this time every year, many parents begin searching for service projects to complete as a family. They want a project that will help their children understand how grateful they should be for the blessings God has given them. They want a way to serve others and share their faith at the same time.

A great way to introduce your children to grateful service and faith sharing is to involve them in a project during the upcoming school holidays. During these days with no school or extra curricular activities, many families find they have free time to fill. Rather than just turning on the television, I challenge you to do this special service project with your family. To make it even more fun and challenging, see if you can pull it off without the recipient knowing who served them, but still find a way to share your faith with them!

For years now, our church has done a project we called Thanksgiving In A Box. Although we do it on a large scale for a church in a less affluent part of town, this is also a great project for one family to do for another. Ask the produce clerk at the grocery store to save you an empty apple or banana box. Then fill it with everything a family could use for Thanksgiving dinner, breakfast and probably another dinner.

In an average box we put a couple of cans each of green vegetables, yellow vegetables, canned diced tomatoes, soup, beans and fruit. We also include cereal or oatmeal, rice or pasta, stuffing mix, boxed mashed potatoes, bread mix (like corn muffins), dessert mix (Note:Try to find bread and dessert mixes that only require added water, as recipients may not have eggs or oil.), cranberry sauce and a canned ham (those are usually cheapest at drug stores for some reason). A box can run between $20 and $40 depending on sales, coupons and how full you fill it. If you can only afford a few dollars, just focus on the basics or deliver homemade baked goods instead.

We make sure nothing has to be refrigerated and requires as few additional ingredients and special equipment to make as possible. Your kids can have fun decorating the box, helping you shop for the contents and packing it up. Our daughter helped our family with this project since she was a toddler. Then take your box and deliver it the weekend before Thanksgiving to the porch of someone who is having a tough time.

Make sure you include something that points the family to God, whether it is a Bible or a note including an encouraging scripture and an invitation to join you at worship services. Brighten Thanksgiving for another family. It’s a great way to spend your family’s time and money!

On the way home, talk to your children about why God wants us to serve others. Discuss the scriptures that talk about the kinds of people we are to serve and why God wants the “right hand not to know what the left is doing”. Service without God loses much of its meaning. Many groups today do wonderful things for the world. Yet God is not a part of their thinking. Not only should our service point others to God but show them His love for them. Our service should glorify God and help convert others to want to follow His Word. I think you will find it also adds a fullness and richness to our service that you may not have experienced before.

7 Traits Kids Need to Become “Good Samaritans”

As a Christian parent, you’ve probably heard the story of the Good Samaritan. He was actually in a parable told by Jesus. A man was walking along a road when he was beaten, robbed and left for dead. A priest and a Levite walked right by the injured man. Although the most likely candidates to help someone, they were filled with excuses and kept going. Then a Samaritan, who culturally should have hated the injured man, stopped and provided a great deal of assistance.

The point of the parable, you may wonder? Jesus wanted it to be clear that hearts and actions are more important than words. One would think Christians and even those exposed to the story would be automatic helpers in a crisis, but a study found that only 7% of people even stopped to check on a biker who was “injured”.

How do you raise your kids to be the Good Samaritan and not the religious people who didn’t stop to help? How can you help your kids be in that 7% of people who helped?

There are six key traits of children who live their lives, making serving others a priority.

Loving Empathy. We tend to think these are two separate character traits, but you must have empathy to truly love someone. The priest and the Levite couldn’t put themselves in the place of the injured man. They couldn’t imagine themselves being in a similar situation. Their love for the man wasn’t evident, because they felt no connection to him.
Sense of Purpose. One could argue the priest and Levite thought they knew their purpose in serving God, but they missed the point of the Law. Yes, God wanted them to take care of the Temple and teach the Law, but God’s main purpose was for them to love Him with all their heart, soul and mind and love their neighbor as themselves. Had they known and embraced their full purpose in serving God, they would have realized helping the injured man was more important than where they were going. Your kids need to fully understand and embrace from a young age that their purpose in God’s Kingdom includes serving others and sharing their faith.
Godly Priorities. Life is about choices. Your kids need to have a great understanding of God’s priorities for their life and match their priorities to His. The priest and Levite misunderstood God’s priorities and replaced the important with the urgent. They focused on chores rather than service and ministry.
Time Management Skills. We don’t know much about the priest and the Levite. One has to wonder, though. If they had stopped and helped the injured man, would they really have missed doing what they were going to do? Maybe if they had gotten up a few minutes earlier or been better organized, they could have easily done both things. In the study mentioned earlier, the majority of the 93% who didn’t help the injured biker cited lack of time as their reason. If your kids learn how to trim wasted time and manage their time in an organized fashion, they will accomplish more of the good works God has planned for them to do.
Generosity. The parable doesn’t address the priest and Levite’s financial concerns, if any, but it does tell us the Good Samaritan spent money on the care of the injured man. There’s no indication he expected it to be paid back or wanted anything in return for his generosity. The Samaritan recognized money was needed to care for the man and he was more than willing to share what he had to make sure those caring for the man had enough money to do so. Your kids need to learn to be generous with their time and money to truly be Good Samaritans.
Skills. We don’t know what skills or talents God had gifted to the Good Samaritan. Maybe he was a doctor. Maybe he knew first aid. Good Samaritans don’t always need to use a skill to help someone, but if they do it’s important to be ready. Your kids need to discover and be developing their gifts from God so when they need them to serve Him, they will be ready.
Courage. The parable doesn’t mention whether or not the Good Samaritan had any fear in the moment he decided to help. He would have been justified if he had been afraid though. Those robbers could still be lurking nearby and attack him. The man was a Jew and he was a Samaritan. The hatred between the two groups was huge. People would walk miles out of their way to avoid touching the very land where Samaritans lived. There could have been repercussions for touching a Jew, much less helping one. Whether he was courageous by nature or had to summon the courage to help, the Good Samaritan showed courage by stopping and helping. Your kids need to understand God may ask them to help others in ways that feel scary to them. They will need to learn to trust in God and be brave to do those good works God has planned for them.

Good Samaritans are lovingly created by parents teaching and molding their children to be who God created them to be…someone who willingly serves others. Taking the time to develop these traits in your kids will make it more likely they will be life long Good Samaritans.

Fun Fall Family Service Projects

One day soon, the weather will start to cool even in the Deep South. Sweaters will come out of storage and the air will be filled with the smells of apples cooking and everything pumpkin spice. It’s also a great time to plan a few Fall themed service projects to do as a family.

Here are a few of our favorite ideas:

Go apple picking and share them with someone who is food insecure or can’t get to the orchards. Fresh fruit is a luxury for many families who are food insecure. Make sure the apples are handled gently, because any bruises will make them spoil more quickly.
Make pumpkin spice muffins and share them warm from the oven with shut-ins or anyone who needs encouragement. Mix a box of spice cake mix (you don’t need the other ingredients called for on the box), a regular sized can of puréed pumpkin and about ½ of that empty can filled with water in a bowl. Spoon into muffin cups and bake at 350* until firm to the touch. It’s an easy first recipe for kids to make and who wouldn’t appreciate some warm, freshly baked muffins?
Make fleece blankets and give them to those who can’t afford to heat their homes to a comfortable level. You can often find fleece blanket kits on sale at craft stores or you can make your own by layering two squares of fleece, cutting inch wide, four inch long fringe along all four sides and then tying the two squares together by tying all of the fringes. If your kids can tie their shoes, they can do this project and help someone stay warm this winter.
Sponsor a church or neighborhood warm clothing drive. Children often outgrow their clothes before the next year, so you should be able to collect plenty of gently worn sweaters and coats. Others may be interested in donating new socks, hats and gloves.
Rake leaves in secret. Can your family sneak onto the lawn of someone who is elderly or ill and rake and bag their leaves without getting caught? The added excitement can make the hard work seem more fun.

Make sure your family shares your faith as you serve others. Make a card with an encouraging scripture or leave a Bible or encouraging Christian book behind. Find ways for your family to be a light in the world this Fall.

Great Family COVID Service Project

Let’s be honest. COVID has been tough on everyone. For some people though, the extra stress and strain on their daily lives has been unrelenting. People in healthcare, those with jobs in the service industry (restaurants, retail, transportation, etc.) and those in ministry have not only had to deal with what everyone else has, their entire day is spent listening to and/or helping those who are upset, angry, depressed, starving, dying or dealing with any of a hundred other tough life issues. Many were just hoping to get a break soon when the latest surge started.

While your family can’t give them the break they so desperately need, you can reflect God’s love to them and perhaps give them the strength to serve and minister to others for a little longer. You can also use this activity to teach your kids about a tough time in the life of David in the Bible.

Gather your kids and tell them the stories of David’s life between killing Goliath and becoming king. You can find most of these stories in 1 Samuel. Point out to your children that David was running from Saul for 13 years! You may even want to share a few of the Psalms like chapters 56, 57, 59, 60 and 142. Explain that David must have had many of the same emotions they have had over the past eighteen months.

Ask your kids to think of people who have jobs helping people who have not only had to deal with their own difficulties during COVID, but have also helped a lot of other people every day. Once they have listed several occupations, think if anyone you know has one of them. Don’t forget ones that may not be as obvious like teachers or people in ministry.

Help your kids brainstorm ways to show those people love and encourage them to keep helping others or take a break to care for their own health. You might want to bake cookies and write notes or put together little goodie bags. Something as simple as a flower cut from your yard can cheer someone’s day. It’s important to remember even things that may seem insignificant to you and your kids can make a huge positive difference to those who are overwhelmed on a daily basis.

As you work together to serve these people, talk about how important it is for Christians to be the “helpers” in tough times for those around them. Encourage your kids to think of ways they can help and encourage others in good times and not so great times.