Parenting Like Hannah

Helping Kids See God

Helping Kids See God - Parenting Like Hannah Did you know the average child is using technology by the age of two? Our children are constantly bombarded by technology. And with the vast majority of people now living in suburban or urban environments, our children are constantly surrounded by things made by man. It’s no wonder someone recently said to me, they didn’t know where to look for God!

Psalm 19 is a beautiful Psalm. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1 NIV) As important as it is for our children to learn the Bible, it may be even more important for them to learn to see God working in the world around them. Even many Christians are telling our young people God is a distant, dis-interested God. He set the world in motion and I guess they assume is sitting in an easy chair watching us as some giant reality show.

Continue reading Helping Kids See God

Early Intervention in Christian Parenting

Early Intervention in Christian Parenting - Parenting Like Hannah Have you ever watched a child almost dart in front of a car? Anyone and everyone will move heaven and earth to intervene and save the child’s life. No one stops to worry about who is watching the child or what the reaction will be after intervening. All anyone cares about is the immediate intervention needed to save the child from being hit by a car.

In reality, many children in our world are in need of intervention. Not just from abuse, neglect and starvation (although millions need that too). The children of the world need us to intervene so they will not become attached to Satan. Even in our churches most of our children will eventually leave God. Yet, we feel little need to intervene in some way. We assume children will pick up “God” by some sort of osmosis. Even the Church itself often provides parents with little more support than classes once or twice a week and an occasional fun activity.

Continue reading Early Intervention in Christian Parenting

Daddy Daughter Date Ideas

When my daughter was younger, my husband took her to lunch at the revolving restaurant in our city. I will never forget how animated she was on their return, describing to me the pros and cons of eating while the restaurant moves in circles. I loved the years when the local Girl Scout Council threw a 1950’s daddy/daughter event. The pictures of them dressed in their ’50’s finery are some of my favorite ones of them together.

There is nothing more special than the bond between a father and daughter. That relationship can change everything from how your daughter views her body to the husband she chooses to how she sees God. Yet, many fathers have only a passing relationship with their daughters. They know nothing about the young woman their daughter has become and as a result have much less influence in her life than is best for her (or her father).

Years ago, someone started the idea of dads taking their daughters on “dates” – doing something special together. A special time when fathers can really get to know and bond with their daughters while creating lasting memories.

Continue reading Daddy Daughter Date Ideas

Fun Restaurant Service Project

Ask any server and they will tell you how deflating their job can be. If they are industrious, they wait on people’s every whim in hopes of adding a few dollars in tips to their less than minimum wage salary. On a bad day, they would have made more money working at a fast food restaurant. Truly good days are often few and far between.

Thankfully, I have never had to wait tables, but my friends who have, tell me stories of the unbelievable rudeness and self-centeredness of many restaurant patrons. Perhaps an even larger insult is that to the majority of restaurant patrons, the worker is a nameless, faceless blob with food.

Continue reading Fun Restaurant Service Project

Studying Baptism With Your Child

God can lead you down some interesting paths. Parenthood is one of them. The day your child is born is etched in your heart forever. You marvel as you watch your children grow into their personalities and gifts. Suddenly, they are old enough to understand the concept of sin and dedicating their lives to God. Now, what do you do?

The age of accountability is slightly different for every child. Only God and the child will ever really know when that age has been reached. As a Christian parent, the subject of baptism can be scary. What if you push it too soon? What if you wait until it is too late? How do you know when your child is ready? How can you encourage baptism without making it your decision instead of your child’s? The whole subject freezes many parents into total inaction.

When my daughter was about the age of accountability, I wanted to study with her. Unfortunately, my searches for a study on baptism hadn’t turned up anything I felt comfortable using. Either the study was outdated or juvenile looking or the theology wasn’t entirely sound. With a background in education, I had been trained to write lesson plans about a variety of subjects. Could God use those same skills to help me write a study about baptism parents could use with their children?

Continue reading Studying Baptism With Your Child