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Just like his series of books for adults and teens, Lee Strobel offers compelling evidence for Christianity in his series of books for kids. Tackling The Case for Christ, Faith, and the Creator, Strobel does at a kids level what he did in his best sellers for adults. Strobel came to faith in Christ after having set out to disprove Christianity. Putting his skills as an investigative reporter to use, he sought to disprove what he now believes and helps other to understand and believe.
Free Concert at Shepherd of the Hills
Saturday, February 7, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Seats are limited
Free Tickets Available in the Breezeway on Sunday, Feb. 1 or in the church office (M-Th, 9am-3:30pm).
The good folks at HomeWord have put together a special edition of their radio program discussing principles that families can use to get out from under debt and generally survive these tough economic times. Guests Dave Ramsey (author of the book, The Total Money Makeover), Ron Blue (author of Master Your Money), Howard Dayton (Founder of Crown Financial Ministries), Wall Street Journal business reporter Francine Huff, and Ellie Kay –“America’s Family Financial Expert”, join with host Jim Burns to disucss this timely and critical issue. You can access the radio special here.
Answers to Your Kids Questions
This morning at Mom’s Club a question was asked about the existence of books that offer answers to the more complicated questions that kids ask of their parents related to life and faith. The book I mentioned then I want to pass along now as well. Answers to Your Kids Questions by Chuck Colson provides a series of questions that your kids might ask of you and his take on how to answer them. The target audience is teenagers, but the answers can provide ideas for adaptation for pre-teens as well.
What is it that makes your family unique from other families?
Have you ever considered that question? Until reading Patrick Lencioni’s book The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family, I had not given much serious consideration to that question either. In his book, Lencioni tells the story of a wife and mother trying to come to grips with the comment, delivered by her husband, that if his clients ran their business like they run their family, they would be out of business.
As the story unfolds, the wife wrestles with this challenge to the point that she develops a method of clarifying the purpose for a family based on her husbands corporate consulting strategies.
By now I am sure that you can tell that this is not your typical parenting book. Lencioni brings not his clinical understanding of family therapy or marriage counseling to this book, but rather approaches from a unique direction. If you are open to considering what the business world might have to say to help you get a better control over decision making in your family or if you are just curious about the other two questions, then get yourself a copy. It is well worth the read.
Here’s what you can look for in your new Home Base for January 2009: Click Here to download/read.
WAYS TO PROPERLY CLAIM OUR CHILDREN
FRESH INSIGHTS INTO A BREED APART – TWEENS
HOW OUR FAMILY CONFIDANTS HELP US BUILD CONFIDENCE
WHY GRANDPARENTS COME IN ALL KINDS
Two new issues of “24/7″ have been recently posted as well.
Click Here to download/read the January 2009 edition.
Click Here to download/read the February 2009 edition.
Now that I am a dad, I have been wondering what exactly to do with Santa. Since I have not yet reached any kind of conclusion, I will not offer much of my own thoughts. Rather I just wanted to pass along a link to a web-site that provides information about St. Nicholas, the original Santa Claus.
Just like wild animals our children can smell fear. OK so that is a bit dramatic, however especially for us first time parents each new adventure challenges our ability to draw on the scant resources at our disposal and offer a solution that will affirm prior parenting choices, protect our kids, keep us sane, and form our progeny into healthy, godly, and emotionally well adjusted children. OK so that might be seen as a bit dramatic as well. The good news is we are not in this alone. Not only do we have a marvelous Creator God to rely upon (I am in prayer over parenting choices with my 7 month old regularly), but we have the wisdom of His servants to draw from.
Jim Burns draws upon his years in ministry with youth and parents, as well as his own experience as a father, to provide for us a great tool that we can use gain confidence as parents. Mom and dad, give yourself a gift this Christmas and pick up Confident Parenting to read together. You kids just might thank you for it.
Here are a few links for devotions that can be used this Christmas season with your family.
Lutheran Hour Advent Devotions
Christmas Family Devotions from HomeWord
HomeWord Christmas Parents Newsletter
If you find resources that you would like to share with the families of SOTH, please post them in the comments below.
Each evening while my wife feeds our son for the final time that day, she or I offer a prayer of thanks for that day, blessings for the next, and for any special needs for family and friends. Children learn to pray from hearing their parents and other adults pray with them. They learn to communicate with God through their own participation in that communication as lead by others. But, you might say, we are not all that natural in our prayer lives. True. First I want to assure you that prayer is not simply the formal, corporate prayers that we hear on Sunday morning. Prayer is a heartfelt communication with God. God is not impressed with flowery words, but with open hearts. Second, when learning to pray or teaching a child to pray, it can be helpful to make use of sample prayers that give you a feel for what prayer can be. In this way you can work toward your own prayers. You might then try you hand at writting your own prayers, before finally gaining comfort with more spontaneous prayers.
For your use in learning to pray and teach you children prayer, might I suggest you make use of Luther’s morning and evening prayers. From these you get an idea of what might be included in your prayers. Feel free to up-date the language to help avoid stumbling over words your kids might not comprehend.
LUTHER’S MORNING PRAYER
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
LUTHER’S EVENING PRAYER
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
