Our daughter had a teacher who made a habit of thanking her students at the end of every class. She also expected them to thank her in return. It was interesting to watch the process over time. At first the students looked a little stunned a teacher was thanking them. For a little while she needed to remind a few to thank her in return. Pretty soon though, all of the students sang out thank you’s which were very heartfelt.
As Christian parents, we teach our children to thank God for their blessings. We make them send thank you notes for gifts received from out of town relatives and say thank you when someone hands them a present. How often though do we teach them to thank others – and by extension God – for the more unseen gifts in life?
Do your children thank their teachers at the end of every class? Most teachers put untold hours of work into their classes. Many spend their own money on supplies and work during their “off” hours to help their students. Yet teachers often only get “thanked” with a group present once or twice a year. I can almost promise you, most would prefer a daily heartfelt thank you from their students.
Continue reading Teaching Kids to Say Thanks for Hidden Gifts
Gardens are one of the best tools for teaching kids about God. The plants themselves hold lessons from Proverbs, parables and other places in scripture. Working in the garden can help kids practice lots of godly characteristics from patience to “working as if working for the Lord.” The resulting produce can be used to serve others in lots of ways.
by Karen Newcomb. Even though I was raised with a very large one half acre garden in our yard, much has been forgotten over the years of living in inner cities and suburbs. This book fills in any gaps for those who have forgotten things and has everything a true beginner will need to know to succeed.
In the 
Bet you are wondering what in the world I am thinking. Everyone knows the Christian life is really hard. And in some ways, I guess it is. You may not get to be quite as popular, because you opt not to do everything everyone else is doing. You may struggle not to sin. You may even be persecuted in mild or even painfully, fatal ways.