I became a father at 22 when my first son was born. My 1st son David has grown into a brilliant young man, a humble genius passionate about giving back. He serves as a public school teacher while honing his skills as a writer on the weekends. He is kind, compassionate, and a credit to the human race. In many ways, he’s become my best friend and even a role model in my life. I still remember
As Christian parents, we have a great responsibility to raise our children in accordance with God’s laws. Our job as parents is to teach and model the Ten Commandments to our children. These commandments are not merely rules to be followed, but they are a blueprint for a successful and meaningful life. In this blog post, we will dive deeper into each of the Ten Commandments and how they can be applied to parenting in the modern
When you were a child, do you remember saying model prayers? Prayers are a tradition that has been passed down for generations. This is the time when children can reflect on their day and ask for God’s protection during the night. In this blog post, we will share some of our favorite children’s prayers. Our hope is that these prayers will bring peace and comfort to your little ones as they fall asleep. Simple Prayers Have Spiritual
As Christian parents, we are called to train our children up in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6). The Bible says a lot about children and our calling to lead them to Jesus. But what does that actually look like? How can we instill godly wisdom in our kids on a daily basis? In this blog post, we’ll explore some practical ways to teach your kids about God and help them grow in their faith. We’ll
This is a gust post from Dave Ray, Founder – Doorpost Songs. Don’t miss their amazing worship songs on YouTube. We appreciate Dave and their support of Ministry-To-Children! How Our Family Is Celebrating Easter in the Middle of a Pandemic In the blink of an eye, our world has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. We have shuttered our businesses, closed our schools, and learned the meaning of the term “social distancing.” And now we
There are so many great ways to help kids memorize scripture. Here are a few of our favorites activities for scripture memory in your family, church, or Sunday School. 5 Ways to Teach Children Bible Verses Like everything it helps to have a plan. Here are some of my favorite ways to help kids memorize their Bible verses. In general, Scripture work should be fun, easy, age-appropriate and effective. Here is what I recommend: 1. Adopt One
So last week’s post, STOP SHAMING BUSY PARENTS, got some mixed reactions. I think it’s a helpful conversation and a good time to rethink how our shares on Facebook might affect people who are struggling. Let’s all agree to the following… 1. Kids attending church is a good thing (excluding illness etc.) I don’t see any argument here – especially from the children’s ministry leaders. Under normal circumstances, 2. Parents are responsible to God for the spiritual
Lately, their has been a buzz on social media about parents to bringing their kids to church. They lead with outrageous titles implying that skipping church will doom your children to become unbelievers. I was shocked to see how many people were sharing (and liking) these negative posts. We 100% agree that church attendance is important and plays a role in kids coming to Christ, but some of these articles cross the line into legalism and parent
[polldaddy poll=9470964] After lots of good conversation about Pokémon Go in our parent’s guide, I thought it would be helpful to poll our readers for their opinions. Feel free to sound off in the comments as well. Let’s just be respectful to one another in Christ.
Pokémon are everywhere…. The latest reinvention of this gaming phenomenon is going viral. It’s called Pokémon Go and it’s the biggest trend in kid culture this summer (and probably this year). In this article, I’m trying to explain the game and offer a basic guide to what parents need to know about Pokémon Go. It’s the classic capture-train-battle imaginary animals game with a twist. This version exists on smartphones and is taking “augmented reality” mainstream. Basically, the game uses your
Kids have such soft hearts and squishy spirits. Why would you ever want to intentionally embarrass them? That doesn’t stop some parents from humiliating their little ones and not accidentally. Let’s face it—we all embarrass our kids eventually but that’s usually because we dress too trendy or too dated or say something that makes us sound “lame.” I’m not a psychologist, nor do I claim to be one, but I am an experienced children’s worker and a
You have to agree that cell phones are everywhere! Not only do parents have them “glued” to their hands but so do teens and now kids. I can’t tell you the number of birthday parties I’ve attended recently (and that’s quite a few—I’m a children’s pastor) where kids are receiving cell phones as gifts. I won’t go into all my thoughts about cell phones in kids’ church but you can catch up with that in my recent
Make disciples! That was the command of Jesus to his disciples. What better way to fulfill this command then to disciple your own children and empower others to do the same. Biblical discipleship wasn’t in the classroom, it was demonstrated through daily interaction with others — letting them see Christ-like living. Even parents who are new Christians can disciple their kids. Try these discipling tips and pass them on to your parents. (It is the perfect content
Pastor’s kids are prone to rebel against the church. The problem is so common it’s become a stereotype. The same dangers affect MKs (missionary kids) and SKs (staff kids) and DKs (deacon’s kids). Every ministry volunteer should take this seriously. After all — What does it profit if gain all the kids for Jesus, but lose our own children. Ed Stetzer wrote a helpful blog post about this very issue. He lists 5 reasons why pastor’s kids are prone
We live in a society that has tarnished biblical parenthood. Our society has slowly taken males out of the equation of the family. Men, as shown by comic strips, TV, etc., are shown to be ignorant, immature and unable to do simple tasks. Both the husband and wife have a responsibility to the development of children as well as the structuring of the home–though, the responsibilities will look differently. Unfortunately, fathers have been made the inept individuals
Recently I became a mom of two. My oldest son just turned seven and my newborn is now eight weeks old. They are both joys in my life, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I was chosen by God to be their mother. It has definitely been challenging adding a new baby to the mix. My son was an only child for nearly 7 years so I was used to giving him all the attention. He
In a way, this post is more for those who lead children than for children themselves, however, allow the words of Deuteronomy to reach into your heart. Placed in the post is a deep, heartfelt discussion about raising children. Also, there is a great Bible verse for children and parents to memorize. May the words of Deuteronomy bless you today. Ministering and discipling to one’s own children is incredibly important, and also a command from God. A
Seven years ago, I gave birth to a son. My husband and I knew almost immediately that he would be our only child. We felt content with one child and didn’t think we would ever want another one. When said son was about 4 years old, and we had committed to go to the mission field to serve, we begin to feel the desire to have another child. We felt that it would be good for our
Download this printable baby dedication certificate to use in your church to commemorate your next parent-child dedication service. It’s ready to go directly from the free PDF printable, but you can download the WORD doc version if you need a template to customize it for your church. Just use the links below and print on a heavy card-stock or certificate style paper. Baby Dedication Certificate (PDF or Word) For my church, I wanted a traditional bulletin style
Every parent and teacher knows, if given a choice, kids would rather get up and play than sit still for long periods. However, some children have difficulty behaving even if attending a fast-paced, exciting children’s church. There are plenty of reasons why a kid would feel a compulsion to behave badly but a frazzled parent doesn’t have time to stop for counseling sessions in the middle of a service. If you are having difficulty getting kids to
Teaching children to pray often includes learning a few sample prayers by memory. Use these evening prayers for kids every night at bedtime. Download and print this list of children’s prayer to keep beside your child’s bed or inside their children’s Bible. You should teach kids to pray using their own words, but these route prayers are powerful tools to help children build confidence in their talking with God. When possible, I prefer biblical prayers. For longer
In this fast moving interview, I talk with Brain Haynes about his new Christian parenting book titled The Legacy Path. Among other topics, I asked how these principles can help the non-traditional and broken families our churches need to reach with the Gospel. Update ~ Brian also responded specifically to one of my questions on his blog. Directions: To listen to this audio recording, simply click the play button below or download the MP3 audio file. You
I really hope that I’m not alone when I say that parenting is the hardest thing that I have ever done. I say that in honesty and humility. I am ashamed to say that I have misrepresented a loving God to my children with impatience, fatigue, fear, control, or manipulation at times. This is not how God parents me. God parents me with grace. God parents me with love. God parents me with freedom. Grace Based Parenting, by
The circle of blessing is a fun way to illustrate the promise God makes to children in the 5th commandment. Use this for a fun children’s sermon on mother’s day or father’s day (or in any lesson on the 5th commandment. Supplies Needed: Circle of about 3ft diameter. I used a piece of rope attached to the floor with masking tape. A large hula-hoop would also work. Squirt-gun or plastic spray bottle. You could use a sports
