Preparing Your Child For the Briarpatch

Preparing Your Child for the Briarpatch - Parenting Like Hannah
The Briarpatch Gospel by Shayne Wheeler

To truly dedicate your children to God, you need to prepare them to share their faith with others. Too often though, Christians seem to believe sharing their faith merely means showing up to well choreographed worship services. If we are feeling particularly evangelistic, we may invite a friend to join us. Churches are sometimes places where we are worshipping with people just like us. People perhaps unwilling to show any vulnerability in fear of appearing somehow unworthy of being there.

In The Briarpatch Gospel, Shayne Wheeler gives a view of Christianity which we need to share with our older children.  In this book, we read the stories of some people who have been involved in some of the more “visible” sins often viewed as almost unforgivable by many Christians. Wheeler encourages us to realize we are all equally sinners and God has called us to something more than just evangelizing our friends.

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Creative Ways to Encourage Your Children to Pray

Creative Ways to Encourage Your Children to Pray - Parenting Like Hannah
Photo by David Amsler

One of my friends found a great way to encourage her son to pray. At the beginning of the year, they wrote down the names of twelve people outside of their family who were special to them. Each name was written on a separate slip of paper and placed in a bowl. On the first day of each month, her son would draw a name for that month. She and her son would call the person and ask if they had any special prayer needs. The rest of the month, they would spend focused time each day praying for that person’s needs. She said it was amazing to her how many of the people would call back at the end of the month and tell her not only how special it made them feel, but also how many prayers were answered.

There are so many interesting and fun ways to teach your child the power of having a meaningful prayer life. Teaching your children to talk with God regularly and from their hearts, is one of the most important things you will ever teach them. While rote prayers can have their place, it is important to encourage our children to use their own words and have regular conversations with God in prayer. So what are some other interesting ways to encourage your children to pray? Here are some of my favorites.

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Teaching Children How Prayer Works

Teaching Children How Prayer Works - Parenting Like Hannah
Photo by Cassidy Lancaster

If you are following the 12 month challenge to teach your children to live more like Jesus, this month is all about prayer. Jesus modeled prayer to us in such wonderful ways. It was obvious the prayer life of Jesus was about pouring his heart out to his Father. We only have a few of his actual prayers recorded, but I have a feeling they barely touch the tip of his prayer life.

In most Christian families, prayer is probably the area that gets the most attention when our children are young. Parents love those adorable bedtime prayers of small children and most have a favorite rote prayer which is said at meals. How many of us though, have gone beyond those basics to help our children establish a meaningful prayer life?

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Living Like Jesus Month One Check-In: Bible Study

Living Like Jesus Month One Check In: Bible Study - Parenting Like Hannah
Photo by Jimmiehomeschoolmom

So, how was your first month trying to live more like Jesus? Were you able to find Bibles and Bible study plans that worked for you and your children? Did any of you work with your children on increasing their Bible comprehension or scripture memorization?

This is my daughter’s junior year in high school and she is being slammed academically. Even though she is home schooled, she is studying six or seven days a week (and long days at that).  It would have been very easy for us to give Church, service work and Bible reading a rest this year. To her credit, I don’t think she would have let me had I tried. (I did force her to take a two month break from one volunteer commitment, partially to keep her healthy.)

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Encouragement for the "Antsy" Mom

Encouragement for the Antsy Mom - Parenting Like Hannah
The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

Have you ever been antsy? (I believe the official medical term is “ants in the pants”.) It’s that feeling where there must be something more. Something more you should be doing, maybe something really important. Something that makes a lasting impact on God’s Kingdom. Surely God didn’t mean for you to use your talents changing diapers and wiping runny noses. Or did He?

Enter The Ministry of Motherhood, by Sally Clarkson. Ms. Clarkson does a wonderful job of gently walking you down the path of discovering what it is God has really called you to as a mother. She has developed a systematic way of examining the idea of mothers as ministers. Not a paid minister in a church, but as possibly the most important minister your children will ever have.

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