One of the parenting books I have loved and recommend on my website is Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: How One Family Learned That Saying No Can Lead to Life’s Biggest Yes. The book is written by Kristen Welch, blogger at wearethatfamily.com, and I had the privilege to interview her about her thoughts on entitlement and more about her book and ministry.
Kristen, tell us a little about yourself, your family, your blog, and your ministry.
Reflecting His Character, Sharing His Love
Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World: An Interview with Kristen Welch
Knowing and Loving God, Reflecting His Character
Secrets for Family Discipleship in the Parable of the Sower: How Do We Prevent Trials from Turning Our Kids From God?
“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.” Matthew 13:20-21 (NIV)
This week we will discuss ways to prevent the scorching heat from withering our children.
Reflecting His Character, Relationship with Kids, Sharing His Love
Secrets for Family Discipleship in the Parable of the Sower: How Do We Provide Good Soil for Our Kids?
“A farmer went out to sow his seed….Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” Matthew 13:3, 5-6 (NIV) This month we are looking at the seed that fell on the rocky places and how that seed sprang up quickly because it had little soil. When the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they hadn’t developed roots… So how do we provide good soil for our kids?
Reflecting His Character, Sharing His Love
A Mama Heart Like Jesus: Equipping Our Kids to Bear Good Fruit
Guest Blog: Beth Meverden
Every day on the way to school, I quote the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:14-17) and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) with my children. I throw in others to make sure they’re still hidden in their hearts
Why do I focus on those passages with my children? Because when times get tough and they start to wonder if God is with them or how to handle a specific situation, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will bring those verses back to mind and give them encouragement and guidance.
1. Know God’s Love
Before our kids can love others as Jesus does, they need to experience Jesus’ love for themselves. In John 15 above, Jesus commanded His disciples to love others as He first loved them. How can our children truly experience God’s love?
Our kids first get a glimpse of God’s love through us.
Imagine with me that you and your kids have been planning all month to go to the zoo during Spring Break. Your children used the zoo map to create a well-planned tour through the zoo, making sure not to miss any of their favorite animals. The morning of your zoo trip, you wake to pouring rain. What now?
You know your zoo has a rain-or-shine policy and you won’t get your money back. You don’t have a poncho that will fit your youngest child and you don’t want your stroller to get soaked. What are your options?
As I have been searching the Scriptures to discover what character traits Jesus taught His disciples, I have noticed that one of the virtues He emphasized most frequently was humility. I wonder if this is because we humans have such a hard time being humble, or if humility is one of the foundational character traits to acquire in order to develop other virtues, such as a servant’s heart. In order for our kids to learn to serve others with the right attitude, they must first learn humility. Here are a few ways we see Jesus teaching this important virtue to His disciples.
This month we will discuss how Jesus taught his disciples to be like Him in character. He did this through His example, explaining why character is important, highlighting other people’s character, and through correction and encouragement.
One of the character traits Jesus focused on with His disciples was obedience, or teaching His disciples to follow His ways.
Jesus taught the disciples obedience.
Knowing and Loving God, Reflecting His Character
A Mama Heart Like Jesus: Finding Great Christian Movies for Kids
One way we can encourage our kids in their faith, character, and love for Jesus is by letting them watch good Christian movies with a Biblical message. Kids are drawn to screens, whether we like it or not, so what better way to encourage them by providing a message of truth rather than one full of the world’s lies?
Knowing and Loving God, Reflecting His Character
Equipping Our Kids to Be in the World But Not of the World
If you have been around church lingo or attended Bible studies, you have probably heard the term “to be in the world but not of the world” based off of John 17 (see above). This is an important concept to teach our kids because as Mamas, we cannot shelter our kids completely from the world, nor did Jesus do this with his disciples. Jesus taught his disciples to be in the world, but to not live as the world lives. In order to learn from Jesus, let’s look at three ways He taught His disciples to be in the world but not live like the world.