Preparing

I love the Christmas Season, don't you? Even more than Christmas Day itself, I love the preparation that precedes the big day! All the preparations may seem a little hectic, but they just seem to fit into the overall joy of the season. We prepare. But have you ever stopped to wonder what exactly we are preparing for? Sure, we prepare by shopping for the perfect gifts, getting the perfect tree, listening to our favorite Christmas music or watching out favorite Christmas TV shows. We prepare by decorating our houses with enough lights to be seen by the International Space Station. We prepare by scheduling family get-togethers that will build up enough "credit" so that we can avoid visits the rest of the year. We prepare. And prepare. And prepare. But what is it that we're really preparing for? And more importantly, what are our kids preparing for?  

Advent is a season of preparation. The first Sunday of Advent was Sunday 12/2, and will continue through Christmas Eve. I just finished writing and updating daily reflections for the first week of Advent on my other blog, Naked Theology, and will continue writing through the Advent Season. Basically, the word Advent comes from the Latin word "Adventus", which means "coming". It's a time of reflection and repentance as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus Christ. It's a time for us to slow down and redirect our priorties on what truly matters in our lives. It's a time to remind ourselves that Christmas is not about all the "stuff" that goes with the season, but a time to remember the real reason we celebrate. 

Now, do we need to disregard all the decorations, gifts and festivities of the Christmas season? Of course not. Christmas is also a time of fun, especially for kids. But by meditating on the stories of Christmas through the Advent Season, it gives us and our children a daily reminder of what preparing is really all about. Are we preparing for the coming of Christ? Are we making straight paths for Him? Or are the paths blocked with packages, gifts, decorations and strings of lights?  Are we preparing?

Consider starting here:  Advent Reflections

New Stuff: A Back to School Devotion for Kids

Well, it's back to school time again! Can you believe that Summer is already over? Wow! It went by fast, didn’t it? A new school year can mean different things for different people. Some of us are

happy and some of us might be sad. Some of us might be feeling excited to see old friends and make new ones, and some of us might be a little sad that summer is over. You might even be a little scared about going back to school because of all the “new” things that you will have to face. You will have “new” teachers, “new” friends, and some of you might even be going to a “new” school. School is not always easy and when there are “new” things to experience, it can be even more challenging for all of us.

The beginning of a new school year is also a time when we see that many people around us seem to have “new stuff". Some people might have new clothes, a new phone or ipod, new backpack, new school supplies, and maybe even a new bike to ride to school. Sometimes we can get sad because other people have “new” things that we don’t have. When we see a lot of “new stuff", it can even make us a little angry because we want those things for ourselves. When we feel like this, it’s called “envy”. Envy is when we feel jealous of other people and want the things that they have. When we feel this way and compare ourselves to others that can lead to feelings of jealousy or sadness. Envy can also cause us to feel bad about ourselves because we don’t feel good enough.
 

Everyone feels like this sometime, but the problem with envy is that it can lead to feeling unhappy, sad and lonely. But the great thing is; we don’t have to feel this way! God wants us to know that “new stuff” is not always things that we can see or hold. By trusting in Him, He can give us a “new” way of seeing life and the world around us! Instead of being angry, he helps feel joy! Instead of feeling sad, he helps us find ways to feel happy! Instead of feeling lonely, he helps us feel like we’re not alone, even when no one else is around! And instead of feeling envy, God can help us feel happy for others and love them because of who they are, not what they have or don’t have! That’s a “new” way of seeing things, right?
 

By trusting in God, he gives us a new way of life that is not based on the things we have. The “new stuff” that God wants for all of us is on the inside. He wants us to love instead of hate. He wants us to share the things we have, even when we have just a little. He wants us to not be alone, but live together in families, schools, churches and all kinds of communities! God wants all of us to have “new stuff”, but most importantly, he wants us to have a “new life”!

He is Still Risen!

As we just celebrated another Easter with our children, and some of us in children's ministry, one thing became very clear to me this year: The Easter message is the sole reason that we teach. It all comes down to the Resurrection of Christ. It’s that simple. If it were not for this powerful fact, I would have no reason to write this blog and we would have no reason to teach children.

As we move on from Easter Sunday, let us remember that that He is STILL risen!  The same Resurrection power that radically changed the world is still as strong today as it has ever been! If we hold this truth in our hearts and live it with all that we are, it will come through in our teaching and parenting. We need to strive to make sure that this comes across to our children every day in their spiritual development. Easter is over and now we have set the stage for what the Resurrection is all about. As we move forward, we have the perfect opportunity to build on what salvation really means. Now we can focus on what God’s grace and love is all about.

Realistically, most of our children are not 100% clear on what a relationship with Christ is all about, nor can we be assured that all of them will come to Christ. But remember, it is not our job to "save" anyone; including our children. We like to carry that burden, don't we? But in realistically, it I only our job to be faithful, teach Christ, plant seeds and do our best to cultivate healthy soil. Let’s leave the "saving" up to God and love our children as much as we can. Teach them that He is STILL risen and that reality is just as powerful as it was over 2000 years ago.

Post Palm Sunday Reflections

Hosanna! The word translated means “Lord save us!” "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!"  (Matthew 21:9 & Psalm 118)  Three days ago, we celebrated Palm Sunday.  Although we are moving toward Easter, I find myself still reflecting on Palm Sunday.  Can you imagine the excitement in Jesus' day? Can you imagine the electricity that must have been surging through the crowds of Jerusalem as Jesus approached on that first Palm Sunday? The culmination of Jesus’ ministry was coming together as the crowds praised the long hoped for Messiah! And Jesus’ acceptance of their praise left nothing hidden. He was who He claimed to be, and it appeared that the crowds seemed to understand exactly what was taking place. Passover was only five days away, and as they shouted the words of Psalm 118, one of the traditional Passover Psalms, everything seemed to be coming together with perfection!  Jerusalem was honoring their Messiah! Their King! Throwing their clothing to the ground before Him, they soon ran out and began covering His path with palm branches. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

And five days later, many of that exact same crowd, had Jesus beaten, humiliated, ridiculed, flogged and finally crucified on the cross. Have you ever asked yourself, “What happened!?” How could many of the same people that praised the coming of their King have changed their views so drastically?  How could their devotion be so quickly change to hatred?  Quite simply; things are not always as they appear. Even the disciples did not fully understand what was about to happen and the true reason Jesus entered Jerusalem. Not until He died and was raised from the dead did His followers, and a small number at that, realize what “Messiah” really meant.

My question for us this week is “Do we really understand what Messiah really means?” Do we sometimes expect Jesus to come riding in to save the day by wiping out enemies with one slash of His sword? Do we expect Him to take away all of our pains, troubles and hurts with one instantaneous prayer? Do we expect Him to establish the kingdom that we long for, or the kingdom that His will demands? Are we looking at a future victory, or celebrating in the victory that already is?

Many children were present as Jesus entered Jerusalem. They joined in the celebration, shouting "Hosanna!", running beside mom and dad or possibly perched atop Dad's shoulders. They heard the exaltation. They heard the praise. But a week later, they heard some of the same voices shouting, "Crucify him!" Can you imagine the confusion? And I wonder if today's children are just as confused by what they see and hear from adults and the Church today? We shouts praises to God on Sunday morning, but then when things don't work out they way we think they should, we respond with the proverbial "Crucify Him!"

I encourage you this week to celebrate Christ! Allow Him to be Messiah in your life, in your family, in your ministry and in your home. Celebrate when He triumphantly enters Jerusalem, and celebrate when He is nailed to the cross.

Time to Clean House!

Well, another winter has closed it's door, and we are well into another Springtime in Houston. For those of you who might be reading this from up north, we begin Spring a little sooner around here. Usually late February sees the last of the cold snaps and we begin to feel the first taste of what will soon be oppressive heat, humidity and another long Summer. And as we usher in warmer temperatures, there is one activity that we all seem to participate in to some degree: Spring cleaning!

Whether it's the the house or the yard, there is something about this time of year that causes that little cleaning "switch" to be flipped on, and we suddenly find new strength and motivation to tackle those jobs that have been put off since late September. It's almost ritualistic. All you have to do is walk outside on a Saturday morning and you'll see lawnmowers coming back to life, hedges being trimmed to reveal the houses that lay hidden behind them, and bags of mulch lining the flower beds, ready to be poured as the smell of manure fills the air! It's intoxicating! And before you know it, you have a rake in your hand, joining the troops of weekend warriors!

This year in particular, I've been pondering why we fall into this frenzy of Spring cleaning so quickly. What changes inside us that causes us to have renewed energy and motivation to begin this annual process? Is it just because the temperature is becoming more comfortable? Is it the smell of the flowers, grass and trees beginning to give birth to new life? Is it just a natural instinct that is implanted in our psyche that naturally aides us in keeping things organized and clean in our lives? Is it a little of everything? Well, one thing is for sure, we all begin to change, and this time of year it seems more apparent than others.

As we move closer to Holy Week and well into the forth week of Lent, I found myself reading the story of Jesus clearing the Temple in John, chapter 2. And it was no coincidence that I began to see the parallels to Spring cleaning. Just before Passover, Jesus makes His way into Jerusalem with His disciples. As He enters the Temple, He finds that the Jewish leaders, and people of the city have basically turned this holy place into a profit-making flea market. Animals were being sold for the required sacrifices for more than 25 times the normal cost, and money was being exchanged from Roman coins to temple currency at exorbitant rates. Needless to say, Jesus us furious by what He finds, and He decides to clean house!

Jesus grabs some rope, makes a quick homemade whip, and starts driving out the animals as well as the vendors. He turns the tables over and rebukes the money changers for ripping off the people of Jerusalem. Scripture says that Jesus had a deep passion for the Temple, after all, this building represented the very presence of God to the Jewish people. To Him, it was as if the leaders were trampling upon His Father with filthy shoes and spitting in His face.

Jesus knew what had to be done. Quite realistically, this had been going on for some time and Jesus finally reached the point of his ministry where He could no longer allow things to remain as they were. God's people had become complacent and apathetic toward the things of God, and much like we do in winter, they allowed firth to gather, inside and out.

I wonder if we are we any different. As with own homes, do we allow ourselves to be lulled into a complacent routine of spirituality? Do we ignore the dirt that has accumulated or just simply sweep it under the couch? Do we refuse to pay attention to the overgrown hedges and forget about the weeds that are beginning to choke the life out of newly forming grass? As winter drags on, I think we all do this to some extent. And as New Year resolutions begin to remain unresolved, we find that our spiritual lives have been left unkempt.

Over the next month or two, our kids will see us doing some Spring cleaning. They might even help lend a hand, and as with my own 2 boys, they will probably make more work for Mom and Dad as they "help"! But I see a two-fold teaching opportunity here. We can take the time to teach them about the importance "spiritual" Spring cleaning as well as a learning a good work ethic.  But we can also ties this into showing them the importance of "maintaining" our spiritual live as well as gardens and homes. Let's use this as a time to tell the story of Jesus cleaning house, and how we should share His passion of keeping our Temples clean.

And have fun while your at it! Wear sunscreen!

Praying WITH Your Children

Every once and a while, I feel like I'm a complete failure as a parent.  Have you been there?  Are you there now?  Have you ever felt like there are times when you just can't do anything right?  We get these great ideas and plans, try implementing them, but every single one of them seem to fall flat.  Our kids ignore us and seem completely complacent to what we are trying to teach them; especially when they become teens!  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying that we are always like this, but let's face it; there are times when we consider if we are accomplishing anything as they grow physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Well, this week has been one of those weeks for me.  Maybe it's because some kind of a bug has been going through our house and we've all been under the weather.  Maybe it's because we're still getting into the school routine.  Maybe it's because I have a 15 year old!  Maybe it's politics, the economy, the weather or all of the above. Either way, I don't think the reason is half as important as what I'm beginning to see as the solution.  It's something pretty obvious, pretty simple and I have to admit, pretty neglected in our home lately.

Praying with the kids in our lives is probably the single most important tool that we have at our disposal as parents, ministers and teachers.  Note that I said praying WITH your kids.  I know it feels uncomfortable sometime, especially when they see you screwing up all the time, right?  But the power of prayer in their lives is immeasurable as they learn to journey through this world and it accomplishes a lot more than you might think.  And they need to see it from you!

Here's four things that praying with children accomplishes:

1.  They receive the power of your prayer.  When you pray with them and for them, God's Spirit unites you with them and they receive the reality of Matthew 18:20 as the two of you come together.  Prayer is power!

2.  Praying with a children teaches them to pray, and here's the important point of this one.  Just be yourself!  Don't worry about being the "grown up" and having to have all the perfect words!  Just pray for them.  It teaches them the importance of just approaching God as they as.  Prayer is simple!

3.  Praying with children teaches and reminds you how to pray in general.  Praying with a child helps you realize that ALL of us are God's children and He wants us to come to Him just like that: a child.  Praying with kids helps you see that sometimes we need to simplify our spiritual lives and just be ourselves with God.  Just talk to Him.  That's all He asks from us in prayer.  Remember Matthew 18:3?  We need to be more like them!   

4.  Praying with kids helps to reveal God to them.  Many of the children that cross our paths have no concept of who God is.  We are in the midst of almost two generations of kids that are getting further and further away from the idea of who God is, what He is and how He works in our lives.  Most generations before, including mine, always had God incorporated in some aspects of life, culture and society.  Not so much anymore.  It's becoming rare that we see God connected to the everyday world.

Now go pray with your kiddos!  

Peace & Blessings!          
      

Creativity and Kids

I'm convinced that kids need to have as much freedom as possible to creatively express themselves, while they are learning and growing within God's framework. When we stifle creativity in kids, in many ways we are essentially stifling the working of God in their lives.  For whatever reason, whether intentional or not, when we place unnecessary restraints on kids, it makes their sphere of imagination and creativity much smaller.  And unfortunately, I think this is what happens to most of us.  When we were young, we looked at life with endless wonder and endless imagination.  Through a broad filter, we could create almost anything that our minds conceived.  Boxes became spaceships, gardens became battle fields, bathtubs became oceans and empty fields became sports arenas.  Creativity and imagination is limitless within the mind of a child, and essential to their understanding of God.

Faith in God is not finite, manageable or easily definable.  Faith is different from one person to the next, not always explainable or easy to concretely understand.  The older we get, the more barriers we construct that affect our faith in God.  Life becomes more rational and less imaginative.  We limit ourselves because we begin trying to rationalize faith and God in general.  When Jesus confronted this way of thinking He responded with, "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15  Basically, what he was saying is something like, "Stop trying to rationalize all of this!  Accept faith for what it is and be blown away by the mystery of it all!"  Kids get it!  We don't!   

When we begin to look at God and faith through a much simpler perspective, we open the limitless door of imagination and creativity and in essence, this expands our view of God.  Let's face it.  God is not tangible.  He's not easily figured out.  As hard as we try, He won't fit into the compartmentalized boxes that we build for our lives.  Only with great imagination can we begin to grasp that which is so incredibly difficult to grasp with our limited minds.  Kids see the world through eyes of wonder, and if they are going to build a healthy view of the wonderful world around them, they have to see Him with wonder as well.  Let us not allow ourselves to limit the imagination and creativity in the minds of the kids in our lives.  And if we pay attention, we might learn something from them as well.      

The Catechism & Teaching Kids

If you're anything like me, when you hear the word "catechism", it instantly conjures up thoughts of the Roman Catholic Church.  I grew up Catholic, and the catechism was, and still is the main method of teaching children that grow up in the faith.  It's not uncommon to categorize the catechism method of teaching as a "Catholic thing".  But did you know that as far back as the early 1500s, Protestant Churches began to use their own versions of a catechism in the education of children as well as adults?  Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists alike, all had a formal catechism that was used as a vital part of their discipleship.  In fact, there are literally hundreds of different versions of the catechism to choose from depending on denomination and even variations within each church.  

Basically, the word catechism comes from the Greek word katecheo which means to “instruct” or “teach”.  The word is derived from two roots: "kata", which means "down, and "echein", which mean "to sound".  Literally, this means "to sound down" to the ears, creating the image of speaking forth to the learner.  This is where we get our English word “catechize.”  It simply means to teach Biblical truth in an a structured and orderly way.  Generally this is done with questions and answers accompanied by Biblical support and explanation.  One could look at the catechism as somewhat of a handbook for particular beliefs.   

Over the years, the use of the catechism in most protestant churches lost popularity, especially within the modern era.  As people began to seek a simpler and more efficient life, the formality and time commitment of the catechism made it difficult for church leaders to promote as a main teaching method.  The rise of the Sunday School format also contributed to the loss of interest.  Many began to look at the catechism as too methodical, systematic and boring to be an effective encouragement to those new to the Christian faith.

In recent years, we are seeing a resurgence of interest in the catechism method of teaching.  Why is this?  Well, with the rise of post-modernism, we see a generation that seek a deeper and more substantial spiritual experience than many of their modern predecessors.  Younger people who grew up with the somewhat superficial faith of the seeker sensitive movement of the 90s are now as adults and are asking, "What do I believe?  What should I believe? Why do I believe what I believe?"  Many churches are beginning to use forms of the catechism to answer these questions in a very methodical and clear cut manner.

Personally, I've used a couple of different catechisms within my ministry and my own family and re-written certain parts to coincide with my particular beliefs.  Especially for my two boys, after completing the program they now have a document to call upon when they have questions about their faith.  They have a simple answer as well as supporting scripture to show how that particular belief was derived.  Of course, this never replaces personal interaction, teaching and one on one discipleship from parents, pastors or other leaders, but it gives you an outline to begin with and a point of reference to begin with.

I've thought a lot about this over he last few days and came to a few realizations.  There's nothing particularly wrong with modern methods.  As we evolve as human beings, our methods of teaching and learning evolve as well.  Change is something to be embraced, but only if it moves us forward in the Kingdom of God.  Change for the sake of change can not only be non-productive, but counter-productive as well.  As I see it, the catechism teaching method is a very simple and straight forward way of teaching the basic tenants of Christianity without some of the frills that confuse and get us off on tangents.  But with that said, don't cut the nose off to spite the face.  If you consider using a catechism format, it can easily be incorporated with other modern teaching methods or used as an outline for main teaching principles.  At the very least, take a another look at the catechism and see what works best for you.        

Below are 2 links for the catechisms that I've used.  Feel free to check them out and use them as a starting point if you've never been exposed to the catechism teaching method.  Most importantly, find a catechism that is as close to your personal belief system as possible.  If you are a member of a mainstream denomination, chances are there is a formal catechism available.  You can probably find a printable copy online, or you pastor may have some resources for you as well.

Soujourn Community Church Catechism for Girls and Boys

A Baptist Catechism - Desiring God            

Be Kind. Rewind.

Most of us have heard the story of Noah's Ark hundreds of times and probably all have similar memories. We picture this cute little boat, floating on a calm sea, the sun shining in the background and fluffy animals poking their heads out of the windows. Noah sits atop the ark, smiling as if everything is alright with the world. The ironic thing is that everything was not alright with the world.

Think about it. God had just destroyed the world and millions of people were killed. God's judgment had just been poured out on humanity and only a remnant (Noah's family) were spared. The Bible says that sin became so great that the heart of humanity was "evil all the time". Needless to say, things had gotten pretty bad! This is a far cry from the cute Sunday school stories that we remember!

I've meet many folks that don't believe in God. One of the arguments that I hear revolves around the story of Noah and the flood. Some people feel that God must be evil, or at least have the propensity of evil, in order to wipe of all of humanity; including little children. Understandably, the feel that a god that would commit this kind of act could not be good, but only vindictive and angry. I've heard some argue that this story only proves that God is not perfect. After all, being all knowing, did He not know that man was going to rebel against Him? Did He not know that He was going to have to resort to wiping out the majority of the population? That's a pretty big oversight! I mean, why did God create man in the first place?

But after listening to objections, and trying to understand where folks are coming from, I've realized that these false conceptions are just because most people don't understand the nature of God.  Was God angry? I'm sure He was. And can we blame Him? But was His anger any different than a Father and a child, when the child disobeys and really screws up? Being a father myself, I can relate to this paradox. In one moment we can be so angry with our kids that we want to explode, and the next second want to hold them in our arms and makes things all better. And I think that is the essence of this story. Yes, we get glimpse of a God that was angry, and the judgment that followed. But we also get a picture of a God that had His heart broken and although the pinnacle of his creation, His children, slapped Him in the face, He gives us another shot.  A divine "do over", if you will.   

This story is not a happy story filled with warm fuzzys, when you think about it. Don't get me wrong. The story ends with hope, redemption and the love of God granting humanity a second chance. But the story also focuses on God's judgment of a rebellious people. He rewinds the tape, edits the movie and starts it over again.

So, those of us that are parents, and those that work in children's ministry, we have a tough job. How do we teach kids the story of Noah's Ark, include the fun images and still get across the essential theme of God's judgement? How do the two go hand in hand? Do I have the answer? I'm not sure. But I think a good starting place is teaching them about who God is. God is God, and when we use that as a starting point, the other elements seem to fit into place. A God of judgement is still a God of love.  If not, He would be something less than God. Less than a Father.  There's no real conflict here when you think about.

Ancient Jenga

Have you ever played the game Jenga?  Awesome game, and the quentisential game for kids!  Build towers and watching them crash!  what could be better?  I used to keep one in my office when I was a children's pastor for the occasional group of kiddos that come down to hang out. Actually, this is one of the first games that my wife and I bought for ourselves when we were first married. We played it quite often, and the competition became pretty intense! Most of all, we just had a lot of fun and it was a great way to unwind after work.

A few weeks ago, I was reading the story of the Tower at Babel in Genesis 11, and you guess it!  The first thing that crept into my mind was "Jenga". You know, a lot of people have traditionally thought that the people of that time, wanted to build a tower in order to literally reach heaven. That was definitely an underling aspect, but there is something much deeper going on here. You see, the people wanted to build a massive monument of recognition for others to see and praise them for. People from all over the world would see this great tower, and as with Jenga, the people of Mesopotamia wanted bragging rights for the tallest standing monument.  In essence, they were attempting to make themselves appear more important than God. They were depending more on themselves, rather than on the God who just recently miraculously saved Noah and his family. And get this! Noah was probably still alive to witness this! Can you imagine his reaction?

Well, as you might know, God quickly put a stop to this, scattered the people, made up some new languages and the rest is history. The people stopped building their monument, but notice one very important point. God did not destroy the partially built tower. For centuries, the tower remained outside of Babylon as a reminder of who really is in charge. I think that's cool. Kind of like a monumental "tatoo" that you have to live with.

You know, at first glance, when we look at the story of the Tower at Babel, it seems hard to understand what the big deal was, doesn't it? I mean, we live in a culture that values hard work, ambition and extreme competition. We constantly fight to build the highest tower, and when they crash down, we question our worth. We question our standing within society and we question our faith in the God we serve. If you think about, we have not changed all that much since the days of Babel. We are still trying to finish the tower, and what's worse, we are teaching our kids to pick up the legacy and pick up where we left off.

God doesn't want our self-sufficiency. He wants complete dependence on Him. Sure, sometimes He has us build towers, but they stand for His glory and not ours. After all, He created us for His glory and that alone. Give this some thought this this weekend.  Consider what total devotion to God looks like. As parents, teachers, pastors, mentors, leaders etc., do we emulate this to the children that are in our lives?  Do they see us giving our hearts to God in complete totality, or do they see us pursuing our own agendas?  Building the towers? Adding the bricks?  One after the other?  Applying the mortar?  Measuring the height?  And finally, witnessing the collapse?

Thou Shall Read This Blog - Explaining the Ten Commandments to Kids

The Ten Commandments, listed in the book of Exodus, chapter 20, has got to be one of the quintessential lessons taught to kids in Sunday School. But if you ask the average kid to recite them, more than likely you will come up with more blank stares than answers. One of the main reasons that kids don't memorize the Ten Commandments, is because they don't understand what they mean and why they are commandments of God in the first place. "Thou shall not ____!" or "Thou shall____!" are things kids hear constantly. One of the first things that kids need to understand is that the Commandments are not a list of "do's" and "don'ts" to make life more difficult, but they are a list of blessings for a full life. They are moral guidelines established by God because He alone knows what is best for us as we journey through life. When kids begin to see that the Ten Commandments represent His love and not anger, they will begin to understand the importance of following them in the first place. Let's take a look at each them. Don't worry, there won't be a grown up quiz later... or will there?

First Commandment: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. "

Basically, this command makes it very clear to kids that there is only one God. In a pluralistic culture, this is essential for them to understand before anything else.

Second Commandment: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

Building on the first commandment, the second teaches that if God is the only God, why would you worship something that's not God? An idol is anything we put in a place of importance before God. Kids need to understand that many things can become idols, such as sports, video games, school, friends, money and yes; the all mighty iphone!
Third Commandment: “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."

I call this one the "Bad Word" or "No Cussing" commandment. Grown ups know about this one, right? Bite your tongue and don't say "G.D." Kids need to see that just as we respect our parents and friends, God deserves respect as well and His name should never be connected to anger, joking or anything other than worship.

Forth Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

In today's culture, we find it very difficult to rest. It almost goes against our nature to just do nothing. We are inadvertently taught that idle time means a lack of productivity. But the Bible is very clear God made us to need rest. Part of of human spirit cries out for rest and hurts when it doesn't receive it. If we can teach kids, while they are young, that resting one day a week is healthy for our bodies, minds and spirits, they will continue this into adulthood. And probably have less physical and emotional problems.

Commandment Five: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

Yeah right! I can't count how many times I've had to say, "Watch that mouth, mister!" Not only is this an important commandment for parents, but it clearly says that we will live longer if we just respect our parents. This is a commandment with a promise, so kids can clearly see the benefits of this one. Basically, if they want to eventually play a Virtual Xbox, they need to live long enough to see it!

Commandment Six: “You shall not murder." Pretty simple one, right? Well, you would be surprised how many kids bring up war, capital punishment and self-defense. Kids need to understand that there is a big difference between killing and murder. What I believe the sixth commandment is speaking to us about is murder; the taking of an innocent life for selfish, unjust or malicious reasons. Many faithful people will differ on what this murder entails and parents can discuss this with their children according to your beliefs.

Commandment Seven: “You shall not commit adultery."

Good luck with this one! Explaining this one should open up a nice conversation about the birds and the bees! But what this commandment does is provide a great opportunity to explain what marriage is. If you're married, talk about the relationship with your spouse and how close you are to each other. Explain the special bond you have to each other and how marriage is the only thing that creates that bond. Then explain that adultery is when people try and create this bond outside of marriage. If you're not married, use some friends or family as an example. I'll be praying about the questions that might come up with this one!


Commandment Eight: “You shall not steal."

Kids understand this commandment pretty well and understand the moral aspects of stealing. Most of them know that it's wrong to steal, but also this commandment gives you the chance to explain how stealing hurts others. You can also use this as an opportunity to explain the importance of hard work and earning the things you have in life. This also opens the door to discuss the importance of patience and that waiting for the things we want in life is not always a bad thing.

Commandment Nine: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." A couple of blogs ago, in Trust is a Must, I wrote about the importance of trusting each other within the family. Commandment Nine simply tells us not to lie to each other. Discuss how lying hurts more people than we might realize. Explain that lying can lead to more lying and get us into deeper trouble. Most importantly, share with your kids how lying to each other breaks trust. Explain to them that is the importance of trusting each other and how lying can hurt and even destroy relationships.

Commandment Ten: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” In the extremely consumerist culture that we live in, kids grow up wanting more and more, and wanting it right now. This commandment provides a great opportunity to teach kids about what it means to be content with what we have. When their friends have something that they don't, encourage them to be happy for them. Point out the good things that your family has, and the importance of thanking God for your blessings.

Trust is a Must

We have a little saying in our house that goes like this: "Trust is a must in our home!" My youngest son has this posted on his wall to remind him every day, and we pass around a "Trust Token" when we catch each other doing something that promotes trust. These things seem like very simple things to do, and they really are when you think about it. But it's amazing how effective they are in reminding us of the importance of trusting each other as a family. And I've tried to instill in both of my boys how important trust is in life because so many other things hinge of this simple concept.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been talking a lot about the issue of "trust" in Good News Club. And the life of Moses has been a great illustration for the kids to see that God can be trusted regardless of how hopeless the situation may seem and no matter how hard it may be for us to understand our circumstances. Moses would have had every right to not trust God. He had been on the run for murder for about 40 years, and was now returning to Egypt to free God's people. The Israelites had been held captive in Egypt for about 400 years. But God was about to set them free and Moses had been chosen to lead the way. This was not a mighty army and Moses was not the most menacing leader as an 80 year old man carrying a staff. But Moses' life remains as one of the quintessential examples of unwavering trust in God.

I believe that it's so important for kids to see us trusting in God. They need to learn it at a very early age, because as they grow older, they will experience more and more examples of trust being broken in people. We live in an imperfect world, and trust is not always an easy thing to freely give. Most of us deal with pain from broken trust, and it molds us into who we are. Unfortunately, it sometimes affects our ability to trust God.

Let me encourage you to allow your kids to see you trusting in God. Even if it doesn't "feel" like you're trusting Him, let it appear you are. They desperately need to see adults that trust in God, regardless of life's circumstances. When they see this, they see a God that is real, loving and concerned with their family. They see a God that can be trusted, even if the world sometimes let's us down.

Listen to these words from Proverbs 3:5 & 6. This really sums things up!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take."

Faith to Cast

This week in Good News Club, we looked at the life of Moses. Exodus 1-2:10 tells the story of his birth and the very beginnings of what would eventually become freedom for the Hebrew people. At first glance, it appears to be just one of these simple Bible stories that we often teach to kids in Sunday School, because it focuses on a recognizable character. It's a story that kids are usually familiar with and makes for a great Veggie Tales DVD. But when we really meditate on the story, we see that there is something much deeper here that is vital for kids to grasp in this day and age.

With the birth of Moses we see a snapshot of the great amount of faith that the Hebrew people had in God. Even in the darkest times of their slavery and oppression, they trusted that God would eventually deliver them. At the time of Moses' birth, Pharaoh had ordered that all Hebrew baby boys were to be killed, for fear of their numbers growing out of control. With great faith in God, Moses' mother hid him for 3 months, in hopes that his life would be spared. Finally, realizing that she could no longer keep him hidden, she placed him in a papyrus basket, and sent him afloat in the Nile river. Because of God's divine protection, Moses lived and would eventually grow up to lead his people out of Egypt.

But just for a moment, imagine being in Moses' mother's place. Imagine the amount of faith she must have had in order to hide her baby for 3 months, and then having to let him go into the Nile river. Imagine the fear. Imagine the heartbreaking choice that she had to make in realizing that she could no longer control the circumstances that surrounded her family. And yet despite the emotions that must have been running wild, she trusted in God and His promises to those who had faith in Him.

1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." This is a verse that many people will quote to others going through difficult times. I remember hearing this from a friend of mine many years ago when I was struggling through a particularly dark period of life. "OK. That sound good, but easier said than done.", I remember thinking to myself. It's one thing to know something in your head, but quite another to know it in your heart.

But over the years since then, I've realized something very significant in my life. It is easier said than done, simply because it requires more of us than just saying the words. Letting go of the anxieties of life does not mean that our circumstance are necessarily going to change. And it doesn't mean that the road will be easy. Moses' mother still had to let go of her son. She still had to face the circumstances that were not going to be changed at that time. But as she cast her son into the Nile, she symbolically cast her fears on God as well. Because her faith was greater than her fear, she was able to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

When you are called to "cast all your anxiety on Him," there is a certain amount of faith that is required. Kids need to learn this at an early age, and they need to learn it from us. As moms and dads, teachers and leaders, we need to model this, not by just mouthing the words to them, but by showing them in our actions. They need to see adults that have a faith and trust in God despite the circumstances around them.

Most likely, you'll face something this week that will make you a little anxious. I challenge you to not react to your circumstances. Regardless of what you might be feeling inwardly, don't express it outwardly. Show your children, and others around you, a person that has a trust in God that rises above what might be seen, and reveals a faith that casts fear into the river of uncertainty.

Child Like Faith

Well, we kicked off another year of Good News at Hyde Elementary last Wednesday. Each year, there is always some anticipation as to how many kids will come, who will return from last year and if all of the pieces will come together as expected. There is also anticipation as to what God is going to do and how he is going to work in the lives of the kids. I've been part of leadership in Good News Club for almost 10 years now, and I have to say that I have never seen God work in such a powerful way as He did last week. Of course, he does amazing things every year, which is one of the cool things about being a part of Good News Club. But at this first meeting, for some reason there was a feeling that God is up to something BIG. There was a feeling of His Spirit moving in our midst despite anything we were doing as leaders. I could see Him in the eyes of each child as they sang, laughed and listened to the message of Jesus Christ. Man, I'm excited to be along for the ride!

To give you a little perspective, last year we started club with about 15 kids. This year we began with a total of 46. I'll admit, I've never been a big "numbers" person. Whether it's in Good News Club or church, the number of people who show up should never be the driving factor of what we do. If one child showed up on Wednesday, we would have gone about things with the same excitement and passion as if there were 100. But the numbers do show us something very significant. God is touching more and more lives through this ministry, and for that we have to give Him thanks!

When I got home on Wednesday evening, I spent some time praying and thanking God for such an awesome club. As I prayed and listened to God, I was compelled to open up my Bible to Matthew 18, where it says, "And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me," It never ceases to amazes me how much I learn about God from spending time with children. And it reminds me of how simple our faith really is. As adults, we constantly try to make faith a complex system of in-depth knowledge and facts that somehow bring us closer to God. But is it possible that just the opposite is true?

When I look into the eyes of these beautiful children, and see them worshipping God with complete focus, innocence, humility and simplicity, I see God. I see Him moving in an unhindered way that is very rare these days. I see the kind of worship that I think God really wants. And I see how I want to become in my relationship with God. Like a little child. Imagine what our churches would be like if we all worshipped God like this. Imagine the excitement. Imagine the expectation. Imagine the power. And imagine the fun we would have!

Perfect Imperfection

I don't know about you, but I've become exhausted with what seems to be an endless onslaught of "experts" giving me advice on every aspect of my life. From ministry to finances, there seems to always be someone who has the "answer", and by implementing their program and philosophy, you too will become an enlightened expert: at least until the next "expert" steps up. Especially in the area of parenting, I have become especially frustrated. I've read countless books and attended seminars on how to be a better parent and help others to be better parents. But rather than feeling encouraged, I usually feel guilty and somewhat inadequate at what I have failed to do right or could have done better. My question is, who decides what is right when it comes to parenting my kids? If I follow a certain program or method, am I going to be transformed into "Superdad"? Obviously not! I think it's going to take a lot more in my case, because guess what? I make mistakes! A lot of them! I'm an imperfect person, living as an imperfect dad and husband, married to an imperfect wife, who is an imperfect mom. And you know what else? I'm OK with that!

Don't get me wrong; I do my best to be a parent. When you get right down to it, most of us with kids would give anything to have all the right answers. It's only natural for us to seek help anywhere we can get it. The problem is that a lot of well meaning experts create unrealistic standards and goals that are too high for even the best of parents to obtain. We get discouraged, depressed, feel guilty and many times we just give up. I see this happen time and time again in ministry. And when these high standards are set by the Church, people lose faith in the one organization that should encourage them the most and support them unconditionally; failures and all.

Reggie Joiner puts it this way, "God is at work telling the story of restoration and redemption through you family. Never buy into the myth that you need to become the "right" kind of parent before God can use you in your children's lives. Instead, learn to cooperate with whatever God desires to do in your heart today so your children will have a front-row seat to the grace and goodness of God."

Think about those words for a moment. Let them sink in. Resolve yourself to the fact the we are imperfect people. We are going to make mistakes over and over again. But sometimes those mistakes are what builds healthier, deeper and more spiritual relationships within our families. Kids need to see that mom and dad are not perfect, because they need to learn that they are imperfect as well. Most of all, if you're struggling with feeling like an inadequate parent, give yourself a break; at least for this weekend. Realize that within our imperfections and screw-ups, we are being used in the hands of a perfect God. How can we go wrong by being part of His continuing genealogy of imperfect people? The Bible is full of them. You may have lost your temper a few times, but Adam and Eve screwed up their entire family; forever. But despite all the bumps in the road, all the do overs, all the screw-ups and failures, in some mysterious and supernatural way, within our imperfections, we are actually being made perfect.

Words

In Psalm 19:14 David cries out to God in prayer, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Today I found myself asking, "When was the last time I prayed something like this? When have I taken the time to ask God to guide every word that comes from my mouth? Every thought that drifts through my mind? Every action that transpires from those thoughts?"

Those of us with kids, and those of us that teach kids, constantly find ourselves telling them to watch what they say, right? "Don't say that!", "Don't talk to your brother that way?", or my personal favorite, "Watch that mouth, Mister!" We are obviously aware of the need to guide children in what is appropriate to say, and what's not. Overall, it's vital for kids to have a concept of the proper way to communicate and treat others.

But I find myself wondering what our examples teach them. You've heard the expression, "Actions speak louder than words"? So often, we focus more on what we teach them by words and forget what we teach them by actions. I don't know about you, but sometimes my actions don't match my words. Isn't it ironic when you lose your temper while telling your 13 year old to watch his temper?

Whether we like it or not, we are "walking lessons" for kids. Especially as parents, everything we do and every word we say are being filed away in their little file cabinet minds. If we attempt to teach them one thing, but do or say another, they become confused, frustrated and eventually see us as hypocrites. The significance of matching our actions, words and teaching is vital. It's more important than what they are learning at school, and also more important than what they are learning at church.

In Deuteronomy 6:7-9, God stresses the importance of following His words and teaching them to our children. He says, "Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
This means ALL the time. This means EVERYTHING. Easier said than done, right?

Our faith is a holistic aspect of our lives. It's not just something that we do on Sunday or maybe once more during the week. Teaching our kids about faith is not just something they learn in Sunday school or Good News Club. Faith is an all encompassing part of our lives and kids need to see this lived out in the lives of mom and dad.

This week, may the words of your teaching match your actions. And may the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart be acceptable in God's sight.

Faith

What do you think faith means to children? I began asking myself asking this question over and over this morning. This week in Good News Club, we asked the kids what they thought it meant to "have faith". And as always, we got a lot of different answers. Of course, there was the typical Sunday school response: "Believe in God!" "Yeah, that's definitly part of it, but what else?" Then we started to get some responses that were closer to what we were looking for. "Believing in something you can't see!" "Trusting in something even though you don't know everything!" OK, now we're getting somewhere. Basically, kids seem to be able to verbally articulate what it means to have faith, but do they really know what it means to have faith in terms of a relationship with God?

We used the analogy of going to a doctor when you're sick or hurt. Most of us have faith that when the doctor gives is a remedy for something, we're going to probably feel better because we trust the doctor. We have enough evidence and proof that they know what they're talking about, right? Kids also have faith and trust in what their parents tell them to do; at least until they become teenagers. So is this kind of faith the same as faith in God?

A person can define what faith means, but their understanding of faith has nothing to do with whether or not they actually have faith. I can tell you that I have faith in a parachute opening when needed, but you'll never catch me skydiving. Does that mean I don't really have faith in the technology of parachutes? I can tell you that I have faith in mind over matter, but I'm not so willing to walk over a pile of hot coals. Do I have less faith than someone who will?

I ask these questions because I think kids just might have a better handle on faith than adults do. Jesus said in the gospel of Mark that "anyone who will not recieve the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." (Mark 10:15) Basically, Jesus was saying that unless you have a simple faith in me, you don't really follow me. Think about that for a minute. Jesus isn't pressing us to have more faith. He is pressing us to have simple faith. It's not a question of the amount of our faith, it's the simplicity of it.

When you get right down to it, kids just believe. We tell them stories about God, who God is and what life is all about, and they take it for what it is. They don't try to reason their way through faith, or attempt to be better because they have stronger faith than another child. They just beleive. What can we learn from this?

Let's face it, we're never going to have all the answers. We're never going to be good ebough. We're always going to have questions, and you know what? Sometimes we're going to find it hard to have faith. But just like my parachute analogy, there is going to be time when we just have to jump out of the plane. We need to say to ourselves, "I may not understand my circumstance. I may not have all the answers. I may not have dotted all the "i"s and crosesd all the "t"s, but there's enough evidence to prove that what I believe is real. There is enough childlike innocence in me to have faith. When we can do this, especially in front of our children, we might find ourselves learning more from them than they learn from us.

True Love

Well, we just celebrated Valentine's Day, so love is in the air, right? And that got me thinking about love and how kids perceive love. So, before you read any further, stop for just a few seconds and think about how much you love your children. Meditate on the depth of your love for them. Remember the events and milestones in their lives that have built the elaborate construct of your memories. Allow yourself to be bathed in these thoughts just for a few seconds. This love is powerful. It's real. It's deep. And it is part of who you are, and who you have become as a parent.

I ask you to do this, because I found myself doing this very thing. This morning, I found myself diving into the depth of my love for my two boys. As I focused on my love for them, I began to realize how incredibly deep it is. In many ways, it is infinite and causes you to wonder how it could possibly have had a beginning and how it could ever end. There is absolutely nothing that could cause me to love me children any less or any more than I do at this very moment. And I am quite sure that if you joined me in this exercise, you would feel very much the same.

In John 3:12-21, Jesus is having a late night conversation with a man named Nicodemus; a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus came to talk with Jesus under the cover of darkness because he didn't want others to know that he was one of His followers. He knew that Jesus had come from God, but had no idea how shallow his understanding was.

For the most part, Nicodemus was a good guy. He was one of Israel's teacher of teachers and an expert of the Law. He followed the teachings of the Law exactly, and encouraged others to follow his example of religious excellence. So, imagine his surprise when Jesus basically tells him that his wisdom, position and good works will not help him make it to Heaven. In this passage, we see Jesus revealing the essence of why He came to earth: love.

In John 3:16, Jesus tells Nicodemus,"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." The Greek word used for "love" in this verse is agape. This is the highest form of love that is described in the Bible. When we look at this love in context of what Jesus is saying here, we get a glimpse of the incomprehensible love that God has for us. To imagine that God, the creator, sustainer and owner of this universe, giving up His Son for a sinful and rebellious people, it seems unimaginable.

As I said in the beginning, my love for my children seems to be infinite, and that causes me to think of something else that John said in one of his later letters. "God is love" Think about that. So much of what we know of true love is tied into God's very character. As God is infinite, the love that radiates from Him is infinite and encompasses all that He is.

Children need to know the depth of God's love. They need to see it lived out in an unconditional way, so that they have a healthy context of love. Many of them have heard John 3:16 many times, but do they truly understand how much God loves them? I think that the best way we can communicate this to our children, is by loving them. When they begin to realize how much Mom and Dad love them, they begin to get a glimpse at God infinite love in a practical way.

Tonight on Nightline: Man Turns Water into Wine at Local Wedding

I don't read the newspaper much anymore. I used to love reading the paper. The feel of print as I read through the news of the day. A lot of people say that print is dead, but I still like to flip through the Chronicle from time to time. Either way, I usually find some time to keep up with what's happening in the world around us. This morning I found myself wondering if kids still imagine being newspaper reporters when they grow up?

This week in Good News Club, we talked about the story of Jesus turning water into wine from John 2:1-11. I imagined what it would be like to take the Bible story and and re-write it as if I were reading an article in the local paper. Imagine reading an article from the "Daily Galilean" or "The Jerusalem Times." The headline reads:

"Wedding Guest Turns Water into Wine"

"On Tuesday of this week, a local woman known only as Mary, was in the town of Cana, attending a wedding. A large number of guests, including her son Jesus, were also present as festivities began. Guests at the wedding were reported having a good time until the host ran out of wine. At that point, it seemed that the peaceful celebration might turn into a disaster.

For reasons unknown, some wedding guests approached Jesus, who was from the town of Nazareth, thinking he might have a solution to the problem. When told about the problem, Jesus at first seemed unwilling to do anything, but after some encouragement from his mother, he finally agreed to help.

Eye witnesses at the wedding reported that Jesus instructed some servants to fill several large water jars nearby with water. He then instructed them to dip some of the water out of the jars and take it to the man who was in charge of serving the wine. To the amazement of all, when the wine steward tasted the water, he discovered that the water had, in fact, been turned into wine.

Wedding guests were amazed at the turn of events and said that the wine was the best that they had ever tasted. As a result of this miraculous event, many people began following Jesus everywhere he went, and many believe that he might even be the long-awaited Messiah.

We will continue to follow this story and update you as details become available."

Well, as you can probably tell, writing news articles is not my forte, but it was fun to play around with. It also makes you think a little: what would have been considered the most important aspect of this story? A potential miracle, right? That would be all people would be talking about. Some would believe it as truth, and some would dismiss what happened as coincidence or "unexplained". The funny thing is, just as Jesus performed a miracle by changing the water into wine at the wedding celebration two thousand years ago, he is still working miracles in the hearts and lives of people today, including our kids. Let us remind them of that this weekend as we witness God's miracles all around us.

Are you guilty of temptation?

I'm going to take a little different, but practical spin on this weeks blog. Sometime this weekend, prepare a big bowl of your kid's favorite candy. Set it on the dining room table or the living room coffee table. Somewhere where they will see it all the time. Then show them the candy, but tell them that no matter what you do or say, they CANNOT eat the candy! They can't even touch it! A few minutes later, unwrap a peace of the candy and begin to eat it. Eat it slowly and make plenty of "Mmmmmm!" sounds! Sit right in front of them as their little mouths begin to water! Believe me, at this point, the only thing they are going to be thinking about is eating the candy! Their minds will be consumed with thoughts of eating the candy! They will smell it! Taste it! Hear it! "MUST HAVE CANDY!!" Is this a little sadistic? Well, maybe. But they'll get over it!

After you torture them for a while (choose the duration at your discretion!), go ahead and give them a piece and let them devour it. Watch your fingers! Then ask them if they were tempted to eat the candy, even though you told them they couldn't. Answers will vary, but will probably be similar to my 7 year old, "Ummmm, Hello? Yeah!" I don't know about you, but I think kids just might live their lives in a state of perpetual temptation. But is that such a bad thing? Is it "wrong" to be tempted? You'd be surprised how many kids think it is.

So, is it necessarily a sin to be tempted? Sounds like a simple question, but think about it for a second? How often have you beaten yourself up simply because you were tempted to do something that was wrong? Have you felt guilty and compelled to run to God because you need forgiveness because you felt tempted by something? I know I have! But think about it. Temptation is only considering sin, not giving into it, right?

This week in Good News Club, we talked about the fact that even Jesus was tempted to sin. In Matthew 4:1-11, we read that Jesus was "led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." After 40 days and nights of fasting in the wilderness, "He was hungry." I always laugh at that part! "He was hungry? No way!" I encourage you to read the rest of the passage, but basically Satan shows Jesus the proverbial "candy". There are two very important points in this passage. First, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted". There was a purpose behind Jesus being tempted. Could it be that God sometimes allows us to go through temptation in order to fulfill His will? A bigger picture kind of thing? Secondly, Jesus was tempted. We know that Jesus never sinned, right? (2 Corinthians 5:21) But the one thing that stands clear from this passage is that Jesus was in fact tempted.

I think it's important that kids understand that while temptation can be very difficult, it's not necessarily sin. When they endure tough times and face tough decisions, they need to know that they have a God that loves them and wants them to have the courage and strength to make it through temptations. He gives us all the power to avoid sin in our lives, we just have to trust Him. (1 Corinthians 10:13) And The best way they can do this is by understanding what God says about temptation and sin. By memorizing God's Word, kids will readily have the tools they need to stand against the many temptations that they will inevitably face in life.

Psalm 119:11 seems to sum up my thoughts as I finish up this blog. "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." You know, I am tempted to memorize that verse right now.