Updated Free Baptism Study Now Available

Newly Updated Baptism Study - Parenting Like HannahYou may not know this, but Parenting Like Hannah and its parent ministry Teach One Reach One actually began with the writing of a study for parents and Bible class teachers to do with young people who were expressing an interest in being baptized and becoming a Christian. I wrote it, because at the time my own daughter was interested in becoming a Christian and I couldn’t find anything I liked. As we studied together, I crafted the study from what we discussed and the questions she and some of her friends had on the topic.

Over the years, it has become one of our most popular free resources. As our ministry has evolved, we have been blessed with a volunteer who has far more talent than I in the area of graphic design. Bobby McVey, has taken our original resource and made it look professional. You and your friends and family can read our free baptism study in iBooks, from the website or print it.

We would love for you to share it with your ministers, fellow parents, relatives, friends and anyone else who may want to study baptism with a young person. Several have told us, it would also work as a guideline for studying baptism with an adult.

As always, our resources are free and you are welcome to share them. We only ask that you do not claim the material as your own or charge anyone for it. We have free resources, because we believe the information is too vital to restrict access anymore than absolutely necessary. Blessings as you share this study with those you love!

Christian Families and the Kindness Challenge

Christian Families and the Kindness Challenge - Parenting Like HannahUnless you have been living on another planet for the last few years, you may have noticed there is an increasing lack of kindness in our world. It seems everyone has lost the filter that keeps them from saying and doing every hurtful, hateful thing that enters their minds. Sadly, even Christians have not seemed to be totally immune to this virus of unkindness.

When anyone teaches on the Fruit of the Spirit, they seem to fly right over kindness. It’s definitely on the list though, right after love, joy, peace and patience. Yet, I have never heard sermons or read articles and books on the idea that God expects his people to be kind. Period.

I was interested naturally, when a book on kindness was finally offered to me to review. It was by one of my favorite Christian authors, Shaunti Feldhahn. Her books on marriage are great, because they combine God’s commands and principles with hard, cold facts, leaving no wiggle room for avoiding what you must do.

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Helping Your Kids Understand the Gifts to Baby Jesus

Teaching Kids About the Gifts From the Wise Men - Parenting Like HannahEver wonder why the wisemen brought the gifts they did to Jesus? Wouldn’t there have been more practical gifts to give a young couple celebrating the birth of a child? Your kids probably have some of the same questions. They may even wonder what in the world frankincense and myrrh are. I know I did until just recently!

In the Old Testament books like Psalms, God said the Messiah would be worshipped as a king – even by other kings (Psalm 72:10-11). How do we know those things happened to Jesus? One way was by the presents the wise men brought to him when he was a baby.

Gold, frankincense and myrrh were three of the most rare, most special gifts someone could give during the time Jesus was born. Gold is not only beautiful and expensive, but it never rusts. Frankincense is a rare resin made from the bark of special small trees found in Africa and the Middle East. It was used to make perfume and medicine. Myrrh was also a resin made from the bark of a different tree than that used for Frankincense. It too was from a small tree found in Africa and the Middle East.

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Christmas Family Service Fun

Christmas Family Service Fun - Parenting Like HannahMy favorite part of Christmas is that our daughter has a lengthy break from college. It allows us some time together when she isn’t forced to spend a lot of time on schoolwork. This year instead of spending all of that free time with your kids in separate rooms doing different things or stuck with your total attention on devices, make a difference.

How you make a difference is totally up to your family’s creativity, energy and resources. I love this cute little idea from the Women’s Ministry at our congregation. It’s not only a little something to brighten someone’s day, but it leaves them with the name of the church of the (hopefully) nice person who was so kind and friendly to them.

Want other ideas? You can go to our parent website at Teach One Reach One and find a lot of other ideas for service projects. Or if you are on Pinterest, follow our founder Thereasa Winnett or search for her service board, where she has pinned other great service ideas from around the internet.

Service projects are a great way to teach your children lots of godly commands and principles. It gives them real world experience in who, how and why God wants us to serve. If done well, it can also give your children practice in beginning to share their faith with others. Hopefully, what you do will also make a positive difference in the lives of people who need to experience a little more of God’s love in their lives through your family.

So pull out your family calendar. Gather your kids and start planning your Christmas of serving!

Thanksgiving Gratitude Fun to Reconnect Families

Fun Gratitude Activity to Help Families Reconnect - Parenting Like HannahLet’s be honest. Thanksgiving prayers and sharing can become a bit routine over the years. Sometimes, it may seem the thanks to God are standing in the way of all of that good food you are about to enjoy. You may also have people at your table whom you haven’t seen in months or not know well at all. Why not switch things up a bit and make the mealtime conversation a prayer of sorts to God and have fun reconnecting in the process?

You can start with the normal prayer for the meal. Instead of ending the prayer, have the person leading it pray that the entire mealtime conversation is a continuation of this prayer as you thank Him for the many gifts you may have even forgotten to thank Him for during the year.

Then ask diners to share their thankful answers to the following questions (or add your own):

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