Let’s talk about how to teach your child about God effectively without feeling like you have to DO it all or KNOW it all. Rex (my youngest) giggled as he stood behind the closed closet doors. I pretended to weep on the floor as Dodger slipped behind me and opened the door to let him out. Rex then snuck up the ladder to the top bunk and hid under the covers, while I lifted my head and gasped in astonishment at the empty closet. Dodger gestured upward and shouted, eyes wide and grinning huge, “Jesus is alive!” Rex then burst out of the covers with a shout and we all cheered and danced around the bed. We had just re-enacted the story of Jesus’ resurrection, which we did because I was desperate for a way to connect my non-verbal 3-year-old with the Bible. He loved it. And it took us … Read More
A Gospel Presentation For Kids…In Just 3 Verses
Use this simple gospel presentation for kids or adults. It is more compelling to children than many other gospel presentations for kids because of the rich visual imagery of the Kingdom of God. I was sitting in the first row in my Invertebrates class at University, waiting for it to start. I have no idea why I sat in the front that day, normally being a back-row sitter. It must have been the fascinating subject material…I mean, jellyfish and crustaceans would certainly keep anyone on the edge of their seat. 😆 My lab partner (always a front-row sitter) came and sat next to me, and we started chatting. I don’t recall the subject of our discussion, except that she suddenly asked me THE question… “What do Christians believe anyway?” My heart stuttered, my mouth went dry. I had been a Christian most of my life, why was I suddenly panicking? … Read More
How to Engage Your Kids in Online Church in 3 Easy Steps
Read on for 3 steps to helping your young family truly get the most out of online church! This morning my family sat in the basement during our livestream church, and in the course of the hour-long service, one or more of my boys participated in the following: asking for snacks flipping through a photo album playing with the dog racing back and forth across the basement hiding under a blanket climbing the telepost begging for a kids show It’s not that my kids are “bad”, and it’s not that our church service was boring. It’s that…well, they’re KIDS. And most kids aren’t great at sitting still through a whole sermon, even when it’s on TV. The novelty of “church-on-TV” seems to have worn off, at least for my boys. I wish my family looked like this while doing church at home: But we were definitely not on our best … Read More
VOILA! A Disappearing Sin Object Lesson For Kids
You can use this disappearing sin object lesson for children’s ministry or at home with your kids! I have three boys, and they each approach sin in different ways. One is incredibly aware of his sin – he lashes out in anger and is usually called on it right away. We’ve have many conversations about sin and forgiveness and freedom in Christ. The wonderful thing about him is that while his sins are obvious and numerous, he repents easily and I’ve seen a lot of growth over the past few years. One of my other boys naturally has an easier temperament, so his sin is more hidden. It’s harder to point out things like pride and sullenness, but they’re definitely there. Thankfully, he’s also a sweetheart and I’m learning how to parent him with the gentle touch he needs. Saying that our kids sin can feel harsh, right? But it’s … Read More
Fun Christian Easter Activities for Families
The following is a list of do-able crafts, simple snacks, Easter egg hunt additions, and Easter books will help your family celebrate a meaningful Easter in a fun way. Without further ado, here’s the list of fun Christian Easter activities for families and children’s ministries! I worked in paid children’s ministry for 15 years, and before that I was a volunteer for many years. I also have kids of my own that I have experimented on extensively. 😜 These ideas are ones that I think would work well in either a children’s ministry or home context. Contents: Teaching the Easter story Easter Crafts Easter Snacks Christian Easter Egg Activities Object Lessons and Experiments Teaching the Easter Story Let’s start with the basics – teaching the actual Easter story. Here are several ways to do it: Directly from the Bible (that’s the easiest place to start!). You can find the Easter … Read More
How to explain the resurrection to a child
INSIDE: how to explain the resurrection to a child, and a free printable conversation guide! Resurrection Sunday happened shortly after my kidney surgery. I went to church to see my kids in the choir, but this year I observed much more than I participated, unlike most years when I’m scurrying to run programs for kids. Here’s what I saw: Incredible joy permeated the room. In a church that normally needs serious incentive to clap, there was spontaneous clapping, hand-raising, and even a bit of whooping. Have you ever felt like whooping and clapping and praising when confronted with the truth of the resurrection? Why does Jesus’ resurrection make us feel this way? I’m not sure most of those in the room could really put a finger on the reason they felt such joy, but they were feeling it most profoundly. But in order to bring that joy into our daily … Read More
How A Family Foot Washing Ceremony Can Be a Highlight of Your Easter (+ Easter Reading Plan)
The smell of little boy feet and soap suds mingled with giggles in my kitchen. I gently tugged off a sock, then placed one of their feet in the warm water that filled my roasting pan. He tugged his foot away, but I guided it gently back into the water. I squirted soap on the cloth and rubbed the little sweaty foot, then towel dried each toe. After being washed, each boy picked up the cloth and washed the feet of their mom or dad. The activity was both silly and sweet, tangible and touching (with a touch of ticklish). Why did we do this foot washing ceremony? The idea for this ceremony comes from John 13:1-17. In this passage, Jesus was celebrating an ancient festival with his disciples, called Passover. The Passover (or Seder) meal was the lynchpin in this feast, as it carried so many reminders … Read More
Yes Mama, you can be a spiritual leader in your home
If you grew up in the evangelical, North American church, we were probably filled with the same teaching about a wife’s place in the home: second place. Our husbands were told to make every final decision, and to be responsible for the spiritual lives of their whole family. If they DIDN’T do that, their masculinity was questioned. Our job as wives was to be meek helpers. If we DIDN’T do that, our femininity was questioned. Can I say something without you totally freaking out? I don’t believe that anymore. And while that thinking was fully embraced in the past because it was culturally enforced, our Western world is changing, and roles are less defined now. If we try too hard to hold onto an old model, we create a new problem: I think that as moms, we have too often let our families slide far away from God because we … Read More
9 totally awesome ways to read the Bible with your kids
Imagine this…you pull out the Bible, and all your kids groan. (Honestly, you do too. Deep down.) It’s a fight every day to read the Bible and make it seem applicable to your child’s life. They squirm, they roll their eyes 🙄 or they simply wander away. 🏃🏽 Does this happen in your home too? It used to happen in mine! But it doesn’t anymore. (mostly. let’s keep it real!) It is possible to engage each child in a way that makes their eyes pop with the relevance of Scripture to their daily lives, while letting them be wiggly. Would you fall over in shock if you kids begged to read the Bible with you? With the ideas below, you could: learn how to engage each child in a way that makes their eyes pop with the relevance of Scripture to their daily lives. take that squirminess and put it … Read More
An Object Lesson on Faith That Kids Will Beg to Do Again!
INSIDE: An object lesson on faith and trusting God for Christian kids, plus a book that will help your kids understand WHY they can have faith in a loving God. It can be hard for kids to build trust in our amazing (but invisible) God. Let’s be honest – it’s often hard for adults to trust God too! Here is a great object lesson you can use to help your kids understand what trusting God is like, and a book to show you WHY God is worthy of our faith and trust. A while back I did a science experiment with my kids that turned out to be the perfect object lesson on trusting God. All you need are these totally normal supplies that you probably have laying around! (And make sure to check out the book recommendation after to help your child really understand this concept.) SUPPLIES: a plastic … Read More