7 Psalms to Encourage A Child

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column][vc_column_text 0=""]In a recent post about blessing your child, we mentioned that reading Scripture to them and over them can be an easy first step. Using Scripture to encourage your child is also a great way to instill the importance of God's Word and teach them a reliance on God. We studied through the book of Psalms in our small group last year, diving into a variety of themes and circumstances the different psalmists deal with.  One of my favorite things about the Psalms is the examples they give us about how to deal with different emotions and how to talk to God about how we are feeling. While these Psalms can be a great source of encouragement for you as an adult, sharing the Psalms with your kids can be a great way to help them understand that it's OK to be angry, sad, frustrated, lonely, mournful, etc. and how to...

3 Easy Steps to Speak Blessings Over Your Child

[vc_row 0=""][vc_column 0=""][vc_column_text 0=""]Last year I attended a class at my church that focused on how to walk in the freedom Christ has given us through taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. One of the topics we hit on was the importance of speaking blessings and truth over ourselves, using Scripture as a way to remind ourselves of our identity, worth, and purpose. For parents, this habit extends to your children too. Speaking a blessing over your child allows them to understand their worth and begin to walk in the identity Christ has for them. Blessings give children the opportunity to hear affirmation from their parents while connecting that earthly need for acceptance and love with a spiritual level of acceptance and love. Sound intimidating or just plain awkward? It doesn't have to be! Speaking a blessing can be...

Levels of Biblical Learning

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]LifeWay has created an awesome resource that we used at our volunteer training, to help shape our VBS curriculum, and more! The Levels of Biblical Learning cover 10 concept areas that children can conceptually learn and understand at each stage of their lives as they study God’s Word. These LOBL helped shape our VBS curriculum this year and they guide the curriculum we use on Sunday mornings to ensure that each age group interacts with God’s Word and ideas about faith at an age-appropriate level. It’s a great reminder that even your sweet infant can start to understand things about God, and your 2nd grader who asks all the questions is really just trying to make connections to his own life! Check out an overview of the LOBL here, and click on your child’s age group below for a full list of what our...

Resource Highlight: The Aetherlight

[vc_row][vc_column 0=""][vc_video link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y8A65im5D0"][vc_column_text]Join the Resistance and get your kids hooked on a game you'll actually want them to play! I learned about this resource last year at a Children's Pastor's Conference, but it has stepped up its game (no pun intended) since then and is ready for your kids to explore! The Aetherlight: Chronicles of the Resistance is an online computer game (also available for ipads I believe) that encourages kids to join the Resistance and fight the Fog that has taken over Aethasia, creating an allegory for the story of the Bible. The world of Aethasia is a mysterious steampunk land, once ruled by a benevolent Great Engineer, but now ruled by the evil emperor Lucky and his army of mechanical automatons. As a player in this world, your child is part of a Resistance...