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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March 19, 2015 by Cosette

Mention “community service,” and some of us get weak in the knees. Suddenly all our other commitments begin to protest inside our heads, and we find ourselves thinking—if not saying—“I simply don’t have the time or the energy.” We feel guilty because we know teaching our children to give back is important, but our feelings of intimidation cause us to opt out of opportunity.

The problem could be that we just aren’t aware of the breadth of the community service umbrella. We may be thinking evening-news-making, grand-scale projects such as feeding a hundred homeless people every night of the year—an admirable accomplishment, don’t get me wrong. But there are myriads of projects in the category of “back up” or “support” that would qualify as community service. When we place the emphasis on thoughtfulness rather than on mobilizing a large group of people or racking up hours, sharing becomes not only feasible but a valuable exercise in creative ministering.

Ideas of how to be a support and encouragement to volunteers already in the trenches are limited only by our imaginations. Do you know someone who delivers food for the Meals on Wheels Association of America^™? Could they use a meal now and then after a busy day of serving others? Would your local fire station welcome a few gallons of homemade lemonade on a hot summer day? Do you have a regular magazine subscription causing clutter around the house that a literacy volunteer could use in an adult reading class? Are diapers on sale at a store in your community that volunteers at your local pregnancy crisis center would gladly receive?

It goes without saying that community service affords us the opportunity to let our light shine. Even if we have only a small portion of time and energy to invest, simple acts of kindness will serve to heighten our children’s awareness of the needs around them and the rewards of being an encouragement. If the perceived level of involvement is what is scaring you away, take heart: Creativity and thoughtfulness are the real keys to making a difference.

Have you found ways to help out in your community? How have you been able to involve your children?

Family Devotions (Part 4)

March 10, 2015 by Karin

“What a delicious feast you made us, Mommy!”
“Yes, thank you very much, Mom. I’ll help wash the dishes, but first, Dad, can we do our family worship time?”
“Yes, can we? I love family devotions!”

Sorry, but that’s not my family. Our Bible time rarely goes without at least one child complaining, interrupting, or trying hard to get away with the least participation possible. Sulking, slouching, and mumbled answers are common. Will we outgrow this stage? I sure hope so, but I grew up in a family that consistently practiced devotions, and often I was less than enthusiastic about the “interruption” in my day when Dad called us together.

In Part 1 of this series, I made the case for why family worship is important. In Part 2 and Part 3, I shared my view of the basic structure of family devotions. Now in Parts 4 and 5, I want to focus on some common impediments to Bible time and discuss possible ways to overcome them.

Hostile Hearts

We must realize that our children are not born with hearts that seek God; on the contrary, our natural hearts are hostile toward God (Romans 3:11, 8:7). Unless all your children have been born again, view family devotions as an evangelistic work and expect opposition. As with other spiritual battles, you will need to fight with prayer (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Busyness

Are we really too busy? It comes down to priorities. We make time for regular mealtimes with our children to feed our bodies. We can make time to feed our souls (1 Peter 2:2). It might take some adjustment of the schedule or cutting out other activities, but my husband and I have found that if we make it a priority, we can carve out ten to thirty minutes for our family devotions.

As Scot Chadwick points out, “The root problem and solution is our personal devotion to God: How must we grow in love, affection, and worship of our great God? The truth is that we do what is important to us, for good or for bad. Let us prove our love of God in the practice of our devotion, particularly in family worship.”

Inconsistency

Many families may find that it’s easy to get started doing family worship, but it can be a challenge to keep the initial enthusiasm from petering out or the demands of the day from interrupting. One answer is to schedule a regular time for family devotions, a time that isn’t easily missed, such as first thing in the morning, right after supper, or just before bed. That way the children come to expect family worship, if not anticipate it.

When I was a child, Bible time was before Dad went to work. With our family now, my husband typically leads devotions right after dinner while we’re all still at the table, after the food is put away but before the dishes are done. This way the family is already together (rather than having to chase down the younger ones or wait for older children to drag themselves in), plus the little ones are safely contained in highchairs.

In Part 5, I’ll talk about other obstacles to family devotions, such as dealing with bad attitudes. In the comments section, I’d love to hear how your family has maintained consistency and overcome obstacles in family worship.

What has your family done to establish a consistent family devotions routine?

Family Devotions (Part 3)

February 23, 2015 by Karin

In Part 1, we looked at why family worship is important. In Part 2, we introduced three elements you may want to include in your devotions—reading, praying, and singing.

Since we covered reading Scripture in Part 2, let’s look into the other two aspects of devotions today.

Praying

Prayer time is an opportunity for our children to see the living relationship we have with God that is made possible through the work of Christ on the cross. As a family, we can praise Him for His attributes and works, repent of our sins, present our requests, and thank Him for all things. It is also a time when we can work out any family disputes, making sure we are right with one another as well as with the Lord (Hebrews 3:13). One dad in our church says he likes to pray at the beginning and the end of family time as a reminder of our dependence on God because only He can work in our children’s hearts.

Memory Work

Before prayer time, our family does some memory work with Scripture verses and Bible questions and answers. It is an interactive way to involve our children and help them hide God’s Word and theological truths in their hearts. Our family uses the three-booklet set Truth and Grace Memory Books by Thomas K. Ascol. Another option is the BJU Press Bible Truths series that includes memory work and Bible Truths for Christian Growth. If your children enjoy learning online or with a mobile device, you may want to check out the New City Catechism, which includes engaging videos from well-known Christian leaders. With the various catechism options, you can check with your pastor about one that lines up with your church doctrine.

Singing

Ending family worship with singing joins our hearts and voices in praise of our great God and Savior (Colossians 3:16). It lifts our hearts and focuses our minds on biblical truths. Consider including a few Sunday school songs for the little ones as well as songs you sing during your church worship service.

Our two-year-old often asks to sing “Deep and Wide” and even though I can’t discern any clear Scriptural connection to that song (it may be referencing John 4:14), we sing it every now and then for his enjoyment. He also loves “I May Never March in the Infantry” and other action songs, so we try to include those along with great hymns of the faith.

I hope the ideas I’ve presented so far have helped you begin or even rethink your family’s devotion time. My next post will talk about overcoming any obstacles you may encounter during your family’s devotions.

Do you have an order that your family’s devotion time follows? How do you encourage your children to memorize Scripture and other biblical truths?

Discipling Younger Children

February 12, 2015 by Kevin

Godless Days

What do you think of when you’re challenged with the grand task of discipling the next generation—especially when they’re not even out of lower elementary yet? Although there’s great potential, there are also numerous pitfalls. Increasing godlessness isn’t a figment of the imaginations of hysterical prudes; it’s a reality in the progression of the biblical story. Paul describes these last days for Timothy (2 Tim. 3:1–5, 12–13; cf. Rom. 1:28–32), but he also assures Timothy that there is an antidote (2 Tim. 3:14–17). Making sure children are founded in the Word can’t wait until they’re teens or young adults; the stabilizing discipleship in the Word must begin now.

Goal

What is character? What is Christlikeness? Character is the inward reality of a person’s integrity. It’s more than what a person does; it’s who that person is. (However, who a person is will be manifested in what that person does.) Thus, Christlikeness must be at the root of character. Teaching character doesn’t necessarily lead to Christlikeness, but Christlikeness will produce good character. The primary goal must be to lead our children to establish a relationship with Christ by bowing the knee and confessing Him as Lord (Phil. 2:6–11) so that they can have the mind of Christ (2:5) and demonstrate the working out of their salvation in Christlike character in the midst of a perverse world (2:12–16).

Groundwork

What’s your role if you’re a teacher (rather than the child’s parent)?

Involvement with parents—communication, reinforcement, and partnership. Plan and build into your busy schedule ways to bolster these things beyond a once- or twice-a-year parent-teacher conference.
Building trust with your students. Show them that you understsand and care about the struggles they’re going through; find ways to encourage and help.

Guidance

Thinking on your feet may not be your forte. Plan ahead to apply the wisdom of the Word to the daily situations of life that arise on the spur of the moment. This is how younger kids learn the Bible’s wisdom. Every situation is an opportunity to provide examples of the pithy wisdom of Proverbs or Jesus’ teaching. Immerse yourself daily in the Word (or even memorize it) so that you can have an automatic response to their spiritual needs as situations come up. Start with the proverbs, the Beatitudes, the fruit of the Spirit, the love chapter (1 Cor. 13), or the essential virtues of 2 Peter 1:5–8. These daily practical reminders from pithy scriptural wisdom will be more powerful and lasting than any of our feeble human reasons or bargaining for obedience.

What opportunities have you found to disciple your children or students?

Love Your Neighbor by Going to School

February 4, 2015 by Wesley

When I was young, the only neighbors I had were at school. Our family lived near a seven-lane road and the closest houses were near a very unsafe apartment complex several hundred yards away. We spent most of our time at our Christian school, so I wouldn’t have met my neighbors anyway. When a preacher would talk about loving our neighbors, I always thought of the girl with perfect handwriting who sat in front of me and the boy with the messy desk who sat beside me. I was thinking of loving my neighbors at school.

But what does it mean to love your neighbors by going to school? What Christians have discovered through the years is that going to school not only equips a student to obey Genesis 1:28 and work with the world God has placed us in but it also equips students to show love to their neighbors in tangible ways. In other words, how can a student love his neighbor if he cannot add, communicate, or solve problems?

Let’s consider an example. Suppose you wanted to show love to your sister by buying her a present for her birthday. But suppose you’ve never learned any math because you don’t like it. One day you go to the store and find something nice to get her. You don’t know it costs $45 because you can’t read the price tag. At the register you hand the lady all the cash you have because you can’t count it. She looks it over and says that it’s not enough. You try your credit card, but it’s rejected because you’ve already exceeded your credit limit. A kind bystander gives you the five dollars you need to cover the cost of the item, and you go on your way. You take the gift home and stick it in a gift bag and go over to your sister’s house. She’s not home because she works until 5:00 everyday, and it’s only 3:00 now (but you can’t tell time). So you wait. When she arrives you give her the gift. She’s grateful and very surprised, especially since her birthday is two months away. Seven, nine—they’re basically the same, right?

Why do you tell students they have to come to school? One of the most important reasons for going to school is to learn how to better love our neighbors. Do your students know that?