This Week in Faith 9-12-19

Don’t Give Up Praying For Your Children

Being a parent is not easy! But it can be easy to lose heart. As parents, we go through different seasons with our kids. There are times when we feel encouraged by our kids faith in Jesus or interest in spiritual things. There are other times when we feel like a parenting failure and not sure what to do next. Don’t give up! God has not forgotten about your kids. He is chasing them down because he loves them. Now, the process may not always make sense but God is good and faithful, so we can trust him.

This article is a much needed reminder that God is at work in the hearts and lives of our kids and prayer is a way we get to participate in that process. Whether your kids are joyfully following Jesus, rebelliously running away from him, or somewhere in between, I hope this article, and especially the last 2 paragraphs, will remind you of the hope we have in a God that never gives us on us…or our kids.

Click here to read the article by Jon Bloom.

Aspire to Live Quietly

This was a good article for me to read. I struggle at times with a discontentment rooted in the realization, “I thought I would have accomplished more by this point in my life.” The idea we get as we look around at much of the culture we are apart of is that the best kind of life is the one with the biggest accomplishments and the most people watching. But Scripture, 1 Thessalonians 4 in particular, gives us a different picture.

This is helpful for us to remember as we take stock of our lives and decide what to value most. But it’s also an important concept we want to build into our kids from an early age. Our kids will hear ideas about what makes the good life from many voices in their lives. But we have the opportunity, from an early age, to help them see the value of “aspiring to live quietly” for the honor of Jesus. And developing peace as an overarching strategy for social media use is a practical goal we can use to guide them.

The value of an insignificant life comes in making less of ourselves so that we can make much of Jesus.

Click here to read the article by David Wetherell.

Helping Your Teens Use Their Phones For Good

Who better to help us parents help our teenagers use their phones well than a teenager! This is a helpful article by a high school student on some things that have been helpful for her as she has cultivated a healthy use of technology in her own life, as well as some things her parents have done to help her get there. What she says is true, that every family is different, so none of us will approach these topics exactly the same. But it's helpful to hear what has worked for others. I talked to a parent recently who said they have been implementing some things in their house to help everyone, including themselves, use technology less but better. I also like her suggestion of working with your kids to develop a healthy philosophy and habits for technology so they learn to apply these things long after they leave our homes.

Click here to read the article by Katherine Forster.

BOOKS: Talking to Your Kids About Gender and Disabilities

There are two new books that are in the library and I also have copies in my office you can have.

God Made Boys and Girls: Helping Children Understand the Gift of Gender

I get questions all the time about how to talk to your kids from an early age about  gender. This book does a great job of helping kids understand God’s purpose and beauty in gender, as well as some helpful questions to ask and practices to consider.

God Made Me Unique: Helping Children See Value in Every Person

This book helps kids understand how they will encounter people with all sorts of disabilities but these are not something to be afraid of. It helps you to think with your child about the value every person has from being made in the image of God, regardless of their appearance or abilities.

**This is a great series that includes books on talking to your kids about diversity and talking to them about their bodies. These other books are also in the library or in my office.