Service – Parenting Like Hannah

Budgeting 101 for Christian Parents

Not too long ago, my husband and I were talking to a parent who was upset about his young adult child’s poor handling of money. “I thought they were teaching him all of that stuff at school,” he lamented. Even though some schools are beginning to teach financial literacy, most still are not. Even if your children are being taught about money at school, they are not being taught from a Christian perspective and quite possibly not even a helpful one (remember how well schools are doing at teaching other subjects). Financial literacy is one of those topics that you personally need to teach your children.

So where do you start, when you may not be confident about your own money management skills? As with everything in Christianity, you start with their hearts. Although the idea of a specific percentage of income as a tithe is not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, giving to God generously is. There is also the theme of “first fruits” giving throughout the Bible – giving to God first. In the New Testament, Christians were selling off assets to help the church and other Christians who were going through tough times. It is clear God expects His people to give back to Him first, generously and with a willing heart.

Your children will best learn this by observing how you give to God. Are you putting Him first or do you cut back on your contribution to pay for something new that you want? Are you generous when your congregation is collecting items to help others or do you ignore pleas for help? Do you spontaneously help others going through tough times? Your kids understand more than you realize it and will often learn the values, priorities and attitudes you have about money.

Your kids will also learn about giving by having an allowance and being encouraged to give generously to God from it. I know most congregations have shifted to online giving, but they all have giving boxes children can put their offerings into. If you don’t know where yours is located, ask a minister to show you where it is. Encourage your children to give weekly and generously and talk about how you and your spouse do the same online.

Giving is a lot easier when a budget is in place. A budget helps plan expenses to stay within one’s income level, to save for emergencies and to give to God. There are plenty of tools for free online to teach children basic budgeting skills. Unfortunately, most are written from a secular perspective. Which means giving to God is ignored and priorities may be focused on making as much money as possible to spend on oneself. Dave Ramsey has some great resources from a Christian perspective. There is a charge involved, but we used his homeschool materials with our daughter and she not only enjoyed them, but still uses the things she learned as a young adult.

Don’t assume someone else is teaching your kids about how to handle their money in godly ways. Scripture tells us the love of money is the root of all evil and leaving your kids open to the world’s influence about money almost ensures they will be taught to love it. Be proactive and teach them what God wants them to know.

Fun Fall Family Service Projects

The weather in Fall is great for getting outside or doing things inside that keep you cozy and warm on those chilly, rainy days. Why not spend some family time together serving others? You and your kids will not only help others, but quite probably grow closer, learn something and have fun in the process.

Here are some of our favorite ideas.

Go apple picking and share the wealth. Churches and other places that give food to those experiencing food insecurity rarely have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Why not have fun picking a bushel of apples and donating them? Or share a handful of apples with neighbors and friends or someone who could also use a visit. (Call churches and food banks first, as not everyone accepts fresh produce.)
Make some muffins and take them to someone who is lonely. Our favorite recipes? One box spice cake mix, one small can of pumpkin and half of that can of water. Mix and bake at 350* until firm to touch. Or use a mix for cinnamon bread or muffins, dice some fresh apples and add them into the mix with the other ingredients. Plan on spending a few minutes just chatting with the person when you deliver the muffins. If your kids are young, encourage them to also create some art for the person.
Rake some leaves. Know someone who has been sick or is older and doesn’t use a lawn service? Why not save them some time and money and rake their leaves for them. (Make sure to clarify what they want done with the gathered leaves.)
Go to the Farmers’ Market and have someone over for dinner. Farmers’ markets have lots of fun ingredients, but many also have booths selling things like fresh pasta, meats, and even prepared dishes. Go to the market as a family and pick out everything you need for a meal. Then invite someone over to share it with you. Hospitality is a key ingredient of spiritually vital homes and this is a fun way to be hospitable.
Clean up trails and parks for others to enjoy and to keep animals safe. Use safety precautions, but take a bag and wear safety gloves the next time you go on a hike or play in the park. Clean up the place a bit.

Take advantage of Fall and serve others as a family. It’s a great way to celebrate the cooler weather and can become a family tradition.

How to Raise a Generous Child

Talk to any ministry or non-profit and they will tell you they are concerned about the future. Why? Because they are noticing more and more that all of their volunteers and donors are over the age of fifty. They realize our culture inside and outside of the church environment no longer values service and generosity. There are lots of cultural reasons for that, but as Christians, we aren’t given an option to let professionals or the government serve others for us. The commands are frequent and clear. Each Christian is expected to serve others and give generously. Personally.

So what are some things you can do to raise kids with servant and generous hearts? Here are some of our favorites.

Set a great example. What do your kids see as they watch you? What do they hear as you speak? Are you more concerned with getting new things for yourself or helping others with the things you already have? Do they see you regularly donating to collections at church for various items? Do they hear you and your spouse discuss how you can increase your contribution to church and other ministries? Or do they hear you complain when a ministry asks for money? Do they listen as you try to figure out ways to cut your contributions to church so you have more money for yourself? Hopefully they watch you spend time every week serving others and giving? Kids do what they know, so your example is key.
Find ways to include them in your service and giving. Have them go with you and help at their level when you serve. Encourage them to find ways they can personally cut back so your family has more money to contribute to a need. Give them extra little jobs so they can earn money to donate themselves. The younger they start serving and giving, the more it is likely to become a natural part of who they are at their very core.
Tell them empathy stories. Help create an empathetic heart by making sure they know what life is like for those you may be serving. The best of course, is to let them hear the stories of their lives from the people themselves. You can also build empathy by reading books written for children about life in different situations. Share your own experiences or those of people you know when appropriate. Service disconnected from the people being served can at times become judgmental and even condescending. Make sure your children understand the full story behind why people need help in age appropriate ways.
Talk about people in the Bible who served others or gave generously. Tell them the story of Abraham and his three visitors. Or Jesus and his ministry. Or the generosity of the early church. Read to them about the widow and her generous donation and the Good Samaritan. Don’t forget to teach them God’s commands on the topic. Encourage them to memorize key verses and revisit them regularly.
Encourage independent efforts at giving and service. Some children are just naturally generous. They just need praise and encouragement to stay the way they are. Other kids are a little more oblivious or even a bit selfish. They need a little nudging to even notice needs – much less respond to them. Instead of telling them what to do, ask them questions to help them decide on their own what the person needs and how they can help. Make sure to let them know you noticed and appreciated their efforts when they do act in generous ways or serve someone else.
Expose them to other generous people who serve others constantly with their time, talents and money. Invite someone over for dinner who goes on mission trips and encourage them to tell your family what it’s like. Or someone who is deeply involved in ministry to a particular group of people and ask them to tell your children about the issues, their efforts to help and the victories and challenges in their ministry. (Note: These interactions are sometimes even more meaningful if the person isn’t a paid minister, but someone who does it on a volunteer basis.)
Give them an allowance and encourage them to give a portion of it back to God. There are lots of creative ways to start children in the habit of giving a portion of their income back to God. It’s more difficult with online giving, but most churches still have a donation box in the foyer. Make sure your kids go every week and put in their money. As teens, help them set up a bank account and teach them how to set up automatic contributions to your congregation.

Raising a generous child doesn’t happen by accident. But with a little intentionality and extra effort, your children can grow up to be the givers God wants them to be.

Fun Way to Teach Your Kids About Serving Others

When adults try to teach kids about serving others, they try really hard to make it fun. They believe the element of fun will encourage them to serve again – hopefully making it a lifelong habit.

Unfortunately, serving others is not always fun. It can be hard, uncomfortable and exhausting. So you may have pointed out people in the Bible who served God in difficult ways. Your kids may believe that life in Bible times is a lot like life today. Which means watering a bunch of camels or making some widows a few pieces of clothing wasn’t that difficult, right?

Find an empty one or three gallon jug and fill it with water. Tell your children the story of Rebekah watering the camels of Abraham’s servant found in Genesis 24. Ask them how long it might have taken Rebekah to water the four or more camels the servant would have had with him.

Your children will honestly have no idea. They may think Rebekah turned on a hose and watered them. Show them a picture of a well. Explain that Rebekah had to pull up a three gallon jug of water by a rope/chain. Let them feel the weight of one to three gallons of water. Explain that Rebekah then had to carry that heavy jug of water and pour it into a trough for the camel.

Camels drink about 25 gallons of water at a time.That meant she had to make multiple trips with the water jug just to feed one camel. Of courage the servant probably had at least four camels, so that’s lots of more trips! Your kids might want to try and make that many trips with a gallon jug of water (a three gallon jar is probably too heavy for them to handle safely). If you have plants that need watering, they can substitute for the camels!

Afterwards discuss what sort of heart Rebekah must have had to work so hard for a stranger. What other people in the Bible can think of that served others in such selfless ways? How can they serve others when it is hard with the same pleasant attitude Rebekah seemed to have possessed. Have fun with it, but make sure they understand God wants us to serve others – even when it is hard.

Can Arts and Crafts Make Christian Parenting Easier?

Wouldn’t it be nice if Christian parenting were easy? If you could just snap your fingers and rest assured that your children would be faithful, productive Christians as adults? Life would be so much better! Unfortunately, living in a fallen world means nothing is easy. There are things you can do, however, that will make your Christian parenting more effective and thereby, a bit easier.

Effective Christian parenting requires spending a lot of quality time with your kids. If you are all just looking at your phones and IPads though, not much of consequence is happening. You don’t want to lecture your kids, so what are some things you can do with them that help teach them some important Christian life skills and work on Christian character traits?

Surprisingly, one of the best choices is rather old school. Arts and crafts provide lots of benefits for you and your children. Crafting has been found to reduce tension, edginess and anxiety by 50%. What family couldn’t use something that made everyone a bit calmer?!

Even better, doing arts and crafts projects can help your kids work on their patience and perseverance. If you and your children are working on a project that takes a lot of effort or multiple sessions to complete, it can also help them develop a strong, biblical work ethic.

One study found that happiness results from feelings of being able to do things independently, becoming competent at something and doing things with others. Family arts and crafts projects can provide those elements. Yes, Christianity focuses on the joy that is found in Christ regardless of our circumstances, but it’s okay to have a little healthy happiness in your home, too.

Want to really up your Christian parenting game? Find arts and crafts projects that can also be used to serve others. Find ways to share your faith and encourage those who receive your finished projects. Your kids will find meaning and purpose as they grow to better understand the mission and ministry God has planned for them.

Don’t have a lot of money for supplies? Check out coupons for craft stores and yard sales. Find someone who already participates in the art or craft in which you are interested and see if they have some extra supplies they would be willing to give your kids. (Word to the wise. Don’t spend a ton of money on supplies for any one art or craft category until you are sure your kids are definitely going to pursue it long term! There are lots of ways to try a new craft without purchasing every possible supply. Kits are often a good way to experiment without a huge investment.)

Have fun with it. Set aside special times where everyone works on projects together or does a family project. Who knows? It really may make your Christian parenting job a bit easier!