Parent Night of Prayer

Recently I facilitated a Parent Night of Prayer in our church, and it was such a blessing. In the process of organizing it I didn't come across many resources online, so I want to share with you here what we did, in hopes that it will be helpful for you and the families in your church.

Our evening started out with a brief time of instruction and sharing about parenting and the joys and challenges associated with it. Then we spent the rest of the evening praying. Some parents were by themselves, others were with their spouses. Each parent was given a card at their arrival that was hooked onto a binder ring. There were seven prayer "stations" scattered throughout the sanctuary, each had a different card which could be added to the ring, so by the time they went home, the would have a visual reminder of the prayer focuses and what God may have spoken to them in that time. Below I've listed (in no particular order) and explained each of the seven stations, and I've also included the JPEGs of each of the cards in case you'd like to use them.(Each card also includes a scripture passage that goes along with it.) (If you'd like the original Publisher files so you can edit them, please email me, and I'll be glad to send them to you!)

1. Cover card--title and date of prayer.
2. Pray for your child's safety online, watching TV, on social media, etc. At this station I set up a monitor, a TV remote, and an iPod touch as visuals of some of the items that young people interact with daily.
3. Thank God for the unique traits of each of your children. I had a table set up with a number of empty picture frames, reminding parents that each of their children is a "masterpiece" created by God.
4. Pray that your child will maintain their purity and avoid traps like pornography, premarital sex, and sexual immorality. This station was a table covered with a white table cloth, simple and reminiscent of purity.
5. Pray that your child will choose godly friends and role models as their primary influencers. I'm afraid that I didn't have any good visuals that came to mind for this station. If you have something, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
6. Pray for your child's future...spouse, career, God's call on their life, family, etc. At this station I had a picture of a baby progressing through each stage of life...growing up, teen, adult, senior citizen, with the caption "Remember, you're not just raising children...you're raising future adults."
7. Pray that your child will come to know Jesus and will follow Him on their life-long journey. I had a simple cross that we use on our communion table set up for this station.
8. Pray that your child will develop a hunger and thirst for the things of God (His word, prayer, fellowship with His church, etc.) I set this station up on our communion table, which has a large Bible, some shofars, and anointing oil.

I'd love to hear if you use this idea, how it goes, if you have additional ideas for parent prayer nights.

Guest Post: If You Don't Teach Them, Who Will?

I'm thrilled to introduce you to my sweet friend Becky and her blog "Renovating this Life" where she chronicles her life as a mom and all the adventures that brings along with it! In her most recent post, she takes a look at the challenge and the responsibility Christ-following parents have to instruct their children in the ways of the Lord and raise them to know Him and to love Him. I KNOW you'll enjoy visiting her blog!

Pray Like Jesus

Our church is embarking on a summer series called "Pray Like Jesus," and we are anticipating some wonderful fruit to come from this time together learning to pray in the same way that Jesus instructed His disciples. Parents at MSBC, here is some information you will need to know as we dive into this time together:

• Have each of your children bring a single subject notebook or drawing tablet along with crayons/colored pencils each week. (It would be fun if you made it “dedicated” for the summer series. I’ve attached the logo for the series, in case you’d like to also incorporate that in some way.) Each week the kids will be given an “assignment” to do during the message portion of the service which will be incorporated into the following week’s service. Be sure to come for all the details!
• Each month, our Sunday school has committed to $40 in support for the girls at Strong Tower Orphanage. We will still be collecting that offering during the summer. If you have anything to contribute, place that offering in an envelope marked “Sunday School STO” and it will get to the right place!
• We will be having communion on July 7th. Sometime this week, I encourage you to have a conversation with your child about what communion is all about. This blog post will help you with some ideas on how to have that conversation: http://shootsnrootsministry.blogspot.com/2013/01/kids-and-communion.html

Above all else, my prayer is that through this series you will find wonderful opportunities to talk with your children about prayer, to actually have great encounters of prayer with your family, and to continue to train your children in the way they should go.

God's Word in Our Heart

In church yesterday, we had several adults share a small part of their story about how they learned language (in celebration of Pentecost Sunday), and  a number of them remarked about the importance of Bible reading and scripture memorization at an early age. In fact one adult even had a little chart that her mother had made for her when she was three years old and memorizing Bible verses. She got to put a star on a crown for every verse memorized. Psalm 119:11 says,  "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Hiding God's word in our heart takes discipline and sometimes creativity! But the benefits are out of this world!

I want to introduce you to Seeds Family Worship and a really great method they have for memorizing scripture. You can check out their website and download a PDF of a Verse Memorization Checklist. And the really cool thing about each of the verses listed is that they coincide with a song that Seeds Family Worship has recorded which is word-for-word scripture. Music is a powerful way to remember things, and I love that Seeds has spent so much time coordinating all of these things. In fact, you can LISTEN ONLINE to get a taste of their great songs!

Insulated or Isolated?

At the D6 Conference I attended last year, Fred Luter (Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans) made a statement that has stuck with me ever since. He said, "We can't isolate kids from the culture, but we can insulate them with God's Word." Isn't that a marvelous thought? Kids are going to grow up in the culture around us, and isolating them from everything is nearly impossible. Unless you lock them in their bedroom and board up the windows and don't allow any sort of electronic device to permeate the perimeter...but one day, they'll grow up and have to face the "big bad world", and will they be equipped? That's why I think what Pastor Luter said is brilliant...instead of putting our kids into isolation until Jesus returns, we as parents, grandparents, children's and youth ministers can work diligently at "insulating" the young people in our lives with the word of God.

Let's teach our kids how to handle disappointment and conflict in a biblical and godly manner. Let's teach them the importance of loving God with all that's in us and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Let's teach them the importance of mission and giving. Let's teach them what it means to live a righteous and holy life in love with a righteous and holy God.

Consider Jesus' words in His prayer on the night before He would be crucified:

"I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth."

Jesus definitely was not asking the Father to isolate His disciples...He was asking to insulate them, to keep them from the evil one, to sanctify them (to be set apart)...and this is all wrapped up, could we say "insulated", in the truth...God's word.

So, bottom line? Make sure your kids are well-insulated! Permeate their lives with the word of God (along with your own life!) Teach them what it means to wear the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). And most importantly, make following Christ a lifestyle that infiltrates every corner of life.

Kids and Communion

Depending on what church you attend, your children may have an opportunity to participate in communion. I encourage parents to remind their children that communion is not a mid-service snack, but it signifies something very important that we as Christ followers celebrate as we remember the sacrifice of Jesus in order to forgive our sins. Below is a great little devotion written by a mom that I came across some time ago on www.SundaySchoolNetwork.com. It may be something you're able to implement in your family as you help your children better understand what communion is all about.

This is what I do for my kids:  We read 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 (sometimes the kids read depending on who's there that morning). We discuss it using these questions:

What was Jesus doing?
What was he saying to the disciples?
What are we to remember?

Then I discuss three things communion is to remind us of: 

1. Jesus' death and resurrection. 
2. Unity (Being together as one body [of Christ], mind, and spirit) 
3. And Jesus' return (coming back for us!) 

Then we make careful note of v.27-29

We discuss something simple like, we shouldn't have bad feelings about someone because of what he or she did or didn't do to/for us. I give the kids a chance to make sure they are not holding any offenses (once a little boy went next door to the nursery to hug his little brother and forgive him).

I also make them realize the "bread" and "cup" is not candy--they are not taking it because they are hungry or will love the taste. We only do it because Jesus asked us to remember Him.

This is another great way to make "faith at home" a reality!

What's in a Parent?

I'm very excited to have another young adult giving a "faith at home" testimony! Let me introduce you to Mackenzie, a senior in college. A self-identified "PK", he shares how the faith of his parents has impacted the young man he has become.

What’s In a Parent?

“What’s in a parent?” That’s a question I’ve been pondering as I have grown and matured for the last few years now, transitioning out of my collegiate career and into a new time of life that will—Lord-willing—allow me to become a parent to my own little ones someday. Being raised by parents who honor the Lord in what they say and do has shown me not only the irreplaceable value of having a supportive Christian environment at home but also the incredible importance of living that faith out on my own two feet. Let me elaborate a little more on this.

Being a ‘PK’—a pastor’s kid, a.k.a. ‘one of those kids’—naturally came with its own sets of pressures and challenges. This seemed to be compounded by the fact that I grew up in a small town where the rules of life teach that reputation is everything. To make for more of a gushy story, I attended a Christian school my whole educational career—K-12 and college! With all that said, I’m completely aware of the overall response many will think when reading these last few sentences: what a poor, sheltered life. It wasn’t until the last half of my time in high school, however, that I began to understand the immense blessing that God had undeservedly poured out on my life in the form of godly parents and a God-honoring upbringing. You may call it sheltered, but I call it a gift from the Lord. Here’s why…

First, experiencing ‘faith at home’ has enabled me to see two examples of how the Christian life should be lived: in humility, service, and love (no, my parents did not pay me to say this). I can’t stress enough the incredible importance of having at least one close godly figure in one’s life that can act as an encouragement, an example, and a sharpening agent to walk through this sanctifying spiritual journey with. To have not one but two of these figures in my life has been a tremendous benefit to my spiritual growth, especially through awkward and uncertain times, e.g. late elementary and junior high. Second, ‘faith at home’ has allowed for a spiritual foundation that I have been able to launch from as I entered into the college years. I think of those times when I was small, and my dad would lift me up onto his shoulders. I’d feel so adventurous and brave! This picture is similar to what I’m trying to convey here: the spiritual foundation laid by my parents who prayerfully lived godly lives in the midst of my maturation into adulthood has enabled me—in a sense—to use their shoulders as a foundation for me to launch from as I jumped into the great unknown called ‘college and beyond.’ Last, knowing that the Lord has blessed me with a home environment that has been especially inducing to my own walk with the Lord leaves me feeling graciously humbled as I recognize that it has not been an independent effort to establish my own spiritual life. Of course, salvation is an individual decision, but we were not meant to live the Christian life on our own.

Knowing God has so graciously ordained my life to be filled with godly examples such as my parents has forced me to see that He alone is the reason that I am alive in Him, walking in His grace, and pressing on toward the goal. So what’s in a parent? I suppose the only way to fully answer that question is to wholeheartedly continue to follow our heavenly Parent, our Father.

A Faith at Home Testimony

At our church "faith at home" is a primary focus in our children's and youth ministries. We seek ways as a church to partner with parents so that the gospel is a part of daily living, not just a "Sunday only" kind of pursuit. Over the upcoming weeks, I'll be featuring some guest blog posts from young adults who have grown up with "faith at home" as a reality and how that has impacted them as they embark into adulthood.

The first guest blogger is Victoria Lee, who is in her final year of college. Parents, Sunday school teachers, and youth workers...be encouraged by what she says!

Growing up in a Christian household, I never really understood the blessing that was given to me. Going to church, saying prayers with my family, listening to the Christian radio in the car - that was all just “normal”. As I've gotten older, I have seen how rare my growing up experience was. Living a life centered around Christianity wasn't optional. I remember “asking Jesus into my heart” during Sunday School when I was about 4 years old.

Although I had church and Christian parents surrounding me my entire life, I did not get serious about making faith my own until it was time for me to graduate high school and go on to college. Don’t get me wrong! I did the youth group thing and went to all of the youth rallies in high school. I loved them! I was very active in church and always liked to volunteer but that was about the extent of my faith. I never had a very deep relationship with God.
As I entered into my college years, I decided to go to a Christian university. Contrary to what most people think, Christian universities have issues with alcohol, drugs, and parties just like secular schools. It is just more hidden and not as “in your face”. My parents raised me to know that those lifestyles were wrong. I knew that if I didn't get serious about trying to grow a personal relationship with God, I would be easily swayed. Luckily for me, the university I attend is very big on nurturing students' spiritual lives. Through weekly convocation times (chapel services three times a week), prayer groups on Tuesday nights (a chance to meet with a small group of girls for Bible study and prayer) and church attendance, I've been able to get a lot more serious about wanting to live a Christian lifestyle. I've come to realize that attending church isn't enough. A relationship with God is all that matters and it is something you need to work for.

Let’s pause a second. I don’t want you all to think I am this perfect Christian college girl. I’m not. I've made bad choices and willingly followed the wrong crowd in college. Even at the times when I have knowingly made the wrong choice, I've always felt that conviction inside. The values my parents raised me with are always going to be a part of me.
So, parents, don’t give up on your kids. Teach your children the Bible starting at a young age. Tell them what is right and wrong. Never stop praying for them.  I’m sure that most parents are familiar with Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) which says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” I have experienced this verse to be true in my own life and although I've never really expressed it, I am so very blessed to have been raised in a Christian home.

On behalf of all the young adults who were raised with faith at home (and all the kids who don’t understand the blessing they have yet), thank you to all of the mommies and daddies. Thank you to church families, Sunday school teachers and youth group leaders. All of the time you spent on your knees and in the Word for us does not go in vain. Your lives are making an impact for Christ every single day. Even though most of us will probably never express it verbally, we are so blessed by the Christian influence that has been placed in our lives. We love you!

Cool Gifts for Your Kids

Christmas is coming, and you might still have some shopping to do! I'd love to give you some suggestions of really cool Bibles and devotionals for your kiddos.

Preschoolers will enjoy the Read and Share Bible and its bright pictures and simple stories. It's a great way to introduce children to some of the more well-known accounts from the Bible.

For younger kids, check out the Adventure Bible. It's geared for elementary students, and has a lot of fun "extras" inside that kids will be drawn to.

I love the God and Me Devotions for Girls and the Gotta Have God Devotions for Boys. These books are fun just to look at! I also like the fact that they're broken into three age categories: 2-5, 6-9, and 10-12. So your child will get to interact with scripture in a way that makes it relevant for their age and some of the things they're facing in life.

If you've got kids who enjoy comic books and that kind of artwork, the Action Bible and the Action Bible Devotional will be right up their alley! The narrative in these books is rooted in scripture, and the pictures are colorful and captivating. I recently handed a copy to a junior high boy, and his eyes widened as he looked through the pages, and he pronounced it "cool".  :-)

Along similar lines is the Manga Bible. If you've got kids who are interested in all things Asian and Manga, this will definitely appeal to them!

Finally, you have GOT to check out the What's in the Bible DVD series. This is like the Muppets meet the Veggie Tales. It's created by Phil Vischer (the creative mind behind Veggie Tales), and it takes learning about the Bible to a whole new level. (If you sign up for their newsletter, you'll receive all sorts of great sales and deals throughout the year!)

Fun Ways to Bring Faith Home

Recently, I was given the opportunity to review Timothy Smith's book 52 Creative Family Time Experiences: Fun Ways to Bring Faith Home. I found it to be a great resource for families who are seeking ways to be intentional about passing their Christian faith to their children. Throughout the book, there are 52 ways that parents can create experiences right at home that set the stage for faith discussions. A portion of these 52 experiences focus on milestones and holidays, which are wonderful opportunities to make faith very real and practical to your children. Some of these activities include "Only One Thing Is Needed", "Heroes at Home", "Our Family Brand".

Check out this excerpt from Smith's book:

"According to The Shema, as parents we should impress God's Word on our hearts first: 'Get them inside of you, and then get them inside of your children.' We can't impress on our child's heart something we don't have on our own."

Throughout this book, parents will have opportunities to get God's word inside of them as they in turn get those words inside of their children. Each activity comes with a scripture passage that is shared and discussed. You'll also be given instructions for an object lesson/activity that uses simple household items or items easily found at your local store.

Bottom line, if you're a family who is seeking ways to be more intentional in making faith real, interactive, and authentic in your home, then you'll really enjoy Timothy Smith's book!  You can find it on Amazon.com for purchase.

The new year would be a great time to start a new tradition of a weekly family time, and this book is an excellent resource to guide you in that journey!