BJU Press Blog

Shaping Worldview

You homeschool because your child’s faith is important to you. We want to support you in training up your child. These blog posts show how to give your child a biblical worldview of each subject.
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Internet Filters for Christian Families

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internet filters
Anyone who has spent any amount of time on the internet knows there’s a lot of bad stuff out there. Even when we’re trying to avoid wicked images and messages, they can pop up on the screen and catch us unawares. First Thessalonians 5:22 exhorts us to “abstain from all appearance of evil.” We can also translate this as “every form of evil.” As God’s children, we must be vigilant in guarding ourselves and our children from evil in all its forms, including the kind on the internet. That’s why if you have a computer in your home but don’t use internet filters, you may want to strongly consider installing one. But with so many choices, where do you start?

Accountability versus Filtering or Blocking

First, let’s look at the difference between two software options. (1) Accountability packages provide the ability for you to select from many email addresses of accountability partners. Your partner(s) will receive reports of everything you view online, thus holding you accountable to develop wise, godly viewing habits. (2) Filtering, or blocking, packages provide the service of deciding which websites are safe for your family to view and which ones should be blocked. Some software packages offer both accountability and filtering. When choosing a software package, consider the following questions:

  1. Do you want both accountability and filtering?
  2. How many accountability partners do you want?
  3. What type of devices need protection?
  4. How many devices need protection?
  5. What are the ages included in the package?
  6. What can you afford to spend on a software program?

Best Packages Available

You might call the following software protection plans “the cream of the crop.” Each has its pros and cons; and keep in mind that no program, no matter how secure, can perfectly protect from the dangers of the internet. But these are certainly excellent options to consider.

Accountable2You

This program provides personal accountability but not filtering. Both individual and family plans include real-time internet viewing reports, an unlimited number of accountability partners, and the capability of restricting inappropriate words. The individual plan provides coverage on up to six devices ($6.99 per month); the family plan provides coverage on up to 20 devices ($9.99 per month).

Covenant Eyes

With this program, you can protect your entire family on multiple levels. Each family member’s settings can be customized according to age and maturity level; and each has his or her own username. You can also choose from several options of “block” and “allow” lists, set up specific times of the day to prohibit users’ ability to view websites, and select different filter sensitivity levels for each user. (Levels include everyone, youth, teen, mature teen, mature, and highly mature).

Signing up for Covenant Eyes is thoroughly explained and the instructions are simple to follow, the website is easy to navigate, and customer service is available by email or phone. The price, however, is a little higher: $15.99 a month (family plan) or $11.99 a month (personal plan—for individuals or couples with no children). They offer a 30-day money back guarantee if you decide this program isn’t for you. Another potential drawback is that the filtering/blocking option is not available for tablets (including Kindle Fire) or Android phones; these are accountability only.

Net Nanny

This software program offers multiple layers of protection through personal accountability, alerts, filtering and blocking, setting time limits, unlimited personalized user profiles, and prohibiting obscene language. Parents will appreciate this product’s ability to protect their children as well as to hold their spouses accountable. Three different price plans are available are based on the number of devices that need protection. Yearly costs are $39.99 (one device), $59.99 (five devices), or $89.99 (ten devices). The latter two plans can be used for iOS and Android devices as well as Mac and PC. Net Nanny’s interactive, user-friendly website provides clear, helpful instructions on installing the program; you can also contact them by phone for additional support questions during regular business hours (8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. MT).

K9 Web Protection

This is a free blocking or filtering plan for families. The software can be downloaded on individual devices (including iPhone, iPad, iPod, MacOS, Android, and Windows). It doesn’t provide accountability services but does filter content based on personal preferences. You can also create a summary log to view activity on the internet.

Whichever plan you decide on, remember that we already have the ultimate protection—our God-given armor—to help us guard ourselves and our families from every form of evil (see Ephesians 6:11).

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

The Best Gift of Christmas

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gift of Christmas card
During Christmas time, we often focus on giving. We teach our children that it’s better to give than to receive. You may have helped them create a Christmas gift budget. Or you may have encouraged them to give by serving others. We must remember that we as children of God are able to give in love because we were first loved. In this season of giving, let each gift shine with the love of God.

Twelve Days of Christmas Writing Activity

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Christmas writing activity
If you enjoyed the Twelve Days of Thanksgiving activity Rebecca posted, you may also enjoy this Christmas writing activity! Encourage your children to keep a journal entitled “Twelve Days of Christmas Meditations.” The idea is for them to write about a different topic each day, reflecting on God’s goodness in all the different gifts He has given us. Ultimately, these reflections should lead them to our most precious gift, His Son who laid down His life for us. Feel free to use these topic suggestions or come up with your own; the possibilities are endless! You can even use this printable visual as a writing prompt for each day.

“On the twelfth day of Christmas, my Lord God gave to me . . . ”

One Only Begotten Son

What better way to start this journal than by thanking God for His unspeakable gift, our Lord Jesus Christ? Find some prophecies about Him in the Old Testament and how they were fulfilled in the New Testament.

Two Testaments

We can also praise God for giving us His complete and perfect Word. Explain how Jesus is the central theme in both the Old and New Testaments.

Three Talents

God has graciously given us different skills and abilities. Choose three talents the Lord has blessed you with, and write how you can use them for His glory.

Four Glad Seasons

Write about your favorite aspects of each season of the year and how each one points us to our Creator.

Five Bible Servants

List your choices for the top five individuals in Scripture, and explain why they are your favorites.

Six Precious Verses

Write out six Bible verses that have special meaning to you. If you just can’t limit yourself to six, feel free to list more!

Seven Special Creatures

Praise the Lord today for seven of His most unique mammals, insects, birds, fish, reptiles, or amphibians—any creature you find amazing or interesting. Again, you don’t have to choose just seven!

Eight Promises Given

Write down eight of God’s precious promises given to us in His Word.

Nine Faithful Heroes

Make a list of nine people who have made an impact for Christ and on your life as well. Write a short explanation of why you included each one. They can be missionaries, evangelists, pastors, or anyone else who has affected your life either in the past or in the present.

Ten Fingers and Toes

Psalm 139:14 says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.” Spend some time in your journal today praising God for how He created your body and reflect on how you can use it to serve and glorify Him.

Eleven Carols Ringing

So many carols, so little time! Write down eleven Christmas carols you enjoy singing at this time of year; see if you can find some “new” old ones you’ve never heard before and try to learn them with your family.

Twelve Favorite Things

God has so richly blessed us with all kinds of things! List a dozen of your favorites, and spend some time thanking the Lord for them. Examples include a favorite toy, book, stuffed animal, souvenir, food, article of clothing, and so on.

As your children work on their journals, encourage them to think of ways they can give back to their good and gracious Giver.

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Why Be Thankful?

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be thankful
“Thank you” are two of the first words we parents teach our children to say. Even before our daughters could talk, we taught them the sign for “thank you” in sign language. It’s important to train our children to express gratitude for the things they receive. But it’s also equally vital to teach them why we should be thankful because it’s more than just a matter of using good manners. If we can lay a biblical foundation for thankfulness while they’re young, we will help them develop a habit of gratitude for the rest of their lives.

A Few Reasons to Be Thankful

So why should we be thankful, and why should we teach our children to be thankful? Here are just a few reasons—by no means is this an exhaustive list.

  1. God commands it. Several times throughout Scripture the Lord instructs us to give thanks, and of course whenever He gives us a command, we should obey because we love Him (Psalm 50:14; 105:1; 107:8; Colossians 1:3; 2:7; 3:17; 4:2).
  2. Gratitude is God’s will for us. Probably 1 Thessalonians 5:18 immediately comes to mind: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Many Christians want to know God’s will for their lives, and He tells us some very specific things that are always His will for us. Gratitude is one of them. God makes it very clear that thankfulness is always His will for our lives, no matter what our circumstances.
  3. Gratitude is evidence of the Holy Spirit indwelling us. It’s one of the marks of a true believer. If we profess salvation in Jesus Christ, our lives will be characterized by a thankful attitude. When we submit ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit, He produces the fruit of gratefulness in our lives (Galatians 5:22).
  4. Gratitude is a choice. Our children need to learn that they can choose to give thanks even when they don’t feel like it. As parents, we must learn this ourselves so we can teach them to follow our example. How often do we find ourselves complaining? Do we give God praise only when things go our way? Do we thank Him for trials as well as blessings? These are a few important questions to ask ourselves as we strive to help our children learn true biblical thankfulness.

No Thanks

Our Christian character cannot be complete without thankfulness. Faith apart from gratitude becomes empty and powerless. Love apart from gratitude will disintegrate under adversity and discouragement. Sacrificial giving apart from gratitude will sour into resentment. A British pastor, John Henry Jowett, once said, “Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.” In short, we can’t be the Christians God wants us to be without it! Now is the time to cultivate gratitude in our families so we can grow “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

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Jennifer is a pastor’s wife and mom of two young girls and loves homeschooling them. During her own twelve years of being homeschooled, Jennifer developed a passion for reading and writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and relishes writing during her free time.

Teaching Young Children About Elections

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voting in elections
We’ve always taken our children with us when we go to vote. But when my daughter was three, I noticed that she was especially excited about going. I thought her excitement was a little odd, considering that voting meant standing in line and waiting—two of her least-favorite activities. But a little election-day excitement is certainly not a bad thing, and it made the people working at the polling place smile. What really confused me, though, was that when we got ready to leave after casting our vote, she burst into tears.

“What’s the matter?” I asked her.

“We didn’t get to see the boat!” she wailed. “Where was the boat?”

Then it clicked. When we talked about going to vote, she thought we were saying boat because she had no idea what a vote was. No wonder she was disappointed!

Elections and the importance of voting can be confusing concepts for young children to understand. Here are a few tips to help you teach your young children about good citizenship.

Show Your Children That Voting Is Important

Your children may be too young to cast a ballot, but as a homeschooler, you have a great opportunity to model good citizenship every election day. Demonstrate to your children that voting is an important part of citizenship by going out to vote yourself. Take your children along with you so that they can be a part of the experience too.

Role-Play Elections

To help young children understand what voting is and why it’s important, you might want to stage an election at home. Choose a topic that is important to young children (such as “What should we have for lunch on Friday?” or “What game should we play during family time?”), and have family members vote on it. Create a ballot box from an old shoebox, and make ballots with only two choices (you may want to include pictures for nonreaders). And be prepared to act based on the winning choice! This is a great time to explain some election terms they may have heard during a campaign.

Talk About the Importance of Choosing Good Leaders

During the weeks leading up to an election, my mailbox is usually stuffed with political mailers. When I open my front door, a political flier often falls out. There are political advertisements on television, radio, and the internet—I can’t get away from them, and neither can my kids. They might be too young to understand what the president does or what the difference is between a Democrat and a Republican, but after seeing a political ad, they do sometimes ask me, “Is he (or she) good?”

When my children ask me about specific candidates, it gives me a good opportunity to talk with them about the kind of character we want to see in our leaders. I explain that a leader is ideally someone who is righteous, just, and humble. But every political candidate, just like all the rest of us, is flawed by sin. Despite that, we have the responsibility to vote for a person we think will govern wisely in accordance with Scripture.

Pray About the Election

Finally, be sure to include the election and the candidates when you pray together as a family (1 Timothy 2:1–2). Doing so will help show your children that God ultimately decides who our leaders will be. In His hands, we can trust His good plan for our nation.