Explaining Forever to Children

Grace Church (Greenville, SC) recently completed a wonderful teaching series on heaven and eternity, called Forever. Of course, since we live in Allendale, we stayed up to date with the teaching via the church's YouTube channel.

While this teaching was aimed at adults, there were a number of principles that can be gleaned from it, for parents to teach their children. Here are 9 key points that children should be taught:

1. "Eternal" means having no beginning and no end. God is eternal.
2. Heaven is a real place, that will exist for eternity (forever).
3. This world is not our final destination, but is intended to prepare us for spending forever with Jesus. 
4. All of creation, and all people, eagerly desire for this fallen world to be redeemed (Romans 8:18-23).
5. Everyone will die one day, and will stand before God to be judged.
6. We cannot do enough good deeds to earn our way to heaven. The only way to heaven is faith in what Jesus has done for us (Revelation 20:11-12).
7. In heaven, there will be no pain or suffering.
8. One day, God will do away with this world, and create a new heavens and new earth (Revelation 20-22).
9. How we think of eternity will affect how we live today.

Here is the first sermon in this series. You can watch it here, and then follow the link to the YouTube Channel to see the rest of the sermons.

Anything else you can add to this list? What else should we be teaching our kids about eternity and heaven?

If I Didn't Have You

In time for Valentine's Day, here's great video. This is what happens when logic meets love.

Try these lines . . .

"The affection simply grows over time, like 

a flower,
or a mushroom,
or a guinea pig,
or a vine,
or a sponge,
or bigotry.
Or a banana."

And . . .

"I think you're special, but you fall within a bell curve."

Is the Bible Just a Roadmap for Life?

Especially as we are training children, we often reduce the Bible to stories that put us as the main character. Watch this video, for an example of how this is done with the account of David and Goliath, and to see a better perspective.

The Bible is God's story -- about Himself, and about His redemptive plan and works. As we disciple our children, let us remember to keep God (and God's Son Jesus) as the center of what we teach them.

For more about this project (and the curricula being offered for children, students, and adults), see The Gospel Project.

You can also check out my list of Recommended Children's Bibles.

Related Links:

• The Bible Is NOT an Instruction Manual   
• Is There a Good Devotional Book for a 5th Grader?    
• Review: How God Used a Thunderstorm     

Signs of Autism

Due to a combination of factors (see this old post about the HOPE Relay), we have a special place in our hearts for families who have children with special needs. With family members, friends, and our church, we want to love and support those parents and children.

We have had the opportunity to communicate our heart (and proclaim God's love) in these situations, not just to those families affected, but to others as well. In particular, I enjoyed the conversation I had with my son last year, as I was able to explain autism to him, on a level he could understand.

Sometimes, engaging families who have children with special needs is easy, especially when they let you know about the situation. But what do you do when the child exhibits autistic tendencies, but you don't know if he has been diagnosed? (This situation will be touchier in the future, since a New Autism Definition Could Exclude Many.)

I have been involved in a number of situations like this, whether in our church or with the after school program. Sometimes, these children have a diagnosis (like those with ADHD and Emotional Self-Control issues). Other times, we suspected that there was something not being caught by parents, doctors, and/or the school. We want to come alongside the family, and give them the support they need.

Here are some principles that have helped us as we came alongside these families:

1. Pray. Realize that these families need wisdom, peace, and strength that can only come from the Lord.
2. Don't diagnose. The last thing a parent wants to hear (especially from a non-professional like me) is, "Does your child have autism or something?" (Yes, I know a church children's leader who said this to a parent, in a public situation.)
3. Don't generalize. Talk in specific behavioral actions, instead of descriptions. Don't say things like, "He is very wild, and has bad behavior." Explain specific concerns.
4. Offer support. Instead of giving your opinion of what the parent should do, ask, "What can I do to help you and your child?" Put the burden on yourself.
5. Sympathize. While you may not be able to truly empathize, try to understand the stress that the family may be under.

I also encourage you to check out this three-part series from The Inclusive Church. In these posts, Amy Fenton Lee answers the question, "What do you do when a child shows signs of autism?"

1. Part 1.  Common Questions.
2. Part 2.  Approach with Caution.
3. Part 3.  Principles for the Approach.

 image courtesy of BLW Photography via flickr

What's the Hardest Part about Being a Parent?

Snuggles are one of the BEST parts

 Recently, I asked my kids two questions:

1. "What do you think is the hardest part about being a Dad?"
2. "What do you think is the hardest part about being a Mom?"

Here's what they said:

1. Hardest part about being a Dad =
• "Getting up with crying babies in the middle of the night." 
• "Balancing it all -- work, family, everything. Juggling." (Giving Elijah credit for this one)
• "Dealing with kids who play rough and are crazy."
2. Hardest part about being a Mom =
• "Getting up with crying babies in the middle of the night." (Much more accurate for Mom than Dad)
• "When the kids throw tantrums."
• "When the kids are wild and need discipline."

What about you? What do you think is the hardest part about being a Mom or Dad? Even better, what do your kids say is the hardest part?

Let me know your (and your kids') thoughts in the comments.

Related Link:

• Interviewing My Kids 

Take a Rest

We all need rest. God commanded Israel to "remember the Sabbath" (Exodus 20:8). As we read through the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament) and the rest of OT, we see that a key part of the Sabbath was not working, not striving to get things done. Hard for a "Type A" personality like me, and many of you.

But a Sabbath rest is not just about doing nothing. Rest is about trusting God with all those things on our to-do lists. Rest is about being able to sit back and give God glory for all that He has done. I think that's what God did on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). The Lord was setting a model of what it looks like to be satisfied in His own creative, redemptive, and sovereign work.

I'm not good at this. I struggle to lead my family in Living Out the Sabbath. I'm not good at being intentional in my own Sabbath rests.Which all is the equivalent of saying, "I'm not intentional to worship God."

Rest doesn't just happen. Rest is a purposeful activity. Even more, rest is an attitude of the heart.

In 2008, less than 2 years into my job as Pastor of Children & Families, Joanna and I were able to go on a week-long pastors retreat, sponsored by the Pastors Retreat Network. It wasn't a pastors conference, with an agenda of speakers and break-out sessions. The purpose was to rest in God.

It was just what I needed for personal refreshment and for spiritual rejuvenation. With the time difference (Central time) and me being a natural early-riser, I was awake by 5 AM with no alarm clock. I usually had about 2 hours by myself -- with coffee, fruit, my Bible, my journal, a book, and a pen. Two solid hours of silence, 2 hours with God. I never had a week like that before, and haven't since.

I'm looking forward to an upcoming leadership retreat with our church. It won't be pure rest, as we will have teaching and break-outs. But it will have times of rest and times of community, both of which will restore life to my soul.

As parents, we need intentional times of Sabbath rests. We rightly pour ourselves out, but we need to regularly be filled back up by the Spirit of God.

When is the last time you had an purposeful and meaningful time of rest? If it's been too long (as it has with me), be sure to plan one in the next few months.

Related Links:  

• Making the Vacation Happen  
• Family Weekend Get-Away   
• "Did You Take a Sabbath Rest This Week?"    

image courtesy of xlibber via flickr

Favorite Tweets for January

You may wonder how I determine my top tweets of the month. It's a complex formula based on the Dow Jones index, averaged daily temperature, number of re-tweets, and how many pieces of fried chicken I've eaten in the past 60 days.

1. In south FL, traffic laws (speed, solid lines, turn signals, etc) are more like suggestions.
2. I survived my first day of high school.
3. Watching Facing the Giants for the first time. If the acting & script doesn't get significantly better, off it goes.
4. "Jesus is not going to force you to be a disciple. It's your choice." Larry Sizemore, Fairfax Baptist Church
5. My wife hates it when I pick up hitchhikers in #AllendaleSC, so I won't tell her what I just did.
6. First #chemistry lab: 15 students, 6 Bunsen burners, 0 injuries. #goodday
7. "The greatest need we have is not to DO things, but to BELIEVE things." Oswald Chambers (My Utmost for His Highest) 
8. My evening with my son: pizza, high school bball, drinking hot cocoa, watching baptism testimonies from @gracechurchsc #lifeisgood  

Do you have a favorite?