The world of a child is very small in some ways. Even if your family travels a lot, chances are your children are focused on what happens within the few feet around them throughout the day. A few older kids and teens may have a vague awareness of current events in the news, but I would imagine very few have any concept of what the world is like for Christians in every country around the world.
In order for your kids to become passionate about spreading the gospel, they need to understand on a practical basis how important the task is to many people around the world. They need to grasp the enormity of how many people still need to hear about Jesus. They need to comprehend what Christians in many countries must endure in order to worship God or share their faith. They must begin to realize because the harvest is plenty and the workers are few, they personally have a responsibility to do their part.
I was interested when offered the opportunity to review An Insider’s Guide to Praying for the World by Brian Stiller. The book covers about forty countries as well as several specific ministries and people. Personally, I wish they had omitted the chapters focusing on specific people and their ministries. Partially because I believe there is always a danger in holding up any person as a model, particularly of Christianity.
Continue reading Great Resource for Helping Kids Focus on Missions
How many hours do you think you have spent reading to your child? How many library books have you had in your house? How much time have you spent listening to your child practice reading with materials sent from school? How many conversations have you had with your child’s school teachers over the years about reading levels, comprehension and more?
Perhaps you don’t really struggle with the idea of doing the parenting suggestions you find here, but still don’t feel motivated to put them into practice. Or perhaps you regularly do some of the things suggested, but more from a secular perspective. Or maybe you even try to talk about God with your kids, but your heart isn’t in it. The issue may not be Christian parenting as much as it is that you may have lost your personal passion for following Christ.
Anger seems to be a popular emotion with young people. Thankfully, God understands the actual emotion of anger is something our body does in response to certain triggers. He does, however, command us to be slow to anger (James 1:19-20), not hold on to our anger (Ephesians 4:26-27), not to sin in our anger (Ephesians 4:26-27) and not to give full vent to our anger (Proverbs 29:11).
Sibling conflict is a constant issue in many homes. Let’s face it. Living with anyone can get on your nerves at times. Make the people living together young people whose brains aren’t fully developed, who are still being taught how to treat others in godly ways and who may have to share a room, bathroom or other close quarters, and well….you probably already know what happens.