Think Orange

Since attending Camp KidJam the first time in 2014 I have been all in ORANGE! Hearing and understanding how much more influence and eternal value our kids get when the church (yellow)  and the family (red) partner together (Orange!) was like the power surge that happened in Monsters Inc. when Boo laughed at Mike Wazowski!

Two camps later and I am still lit up! This is the kind of good stuff that you hear and have to pass on  knowing the difference it can make in a family.

I have been so thankful for how this camp poured into the lives of the small group leaders as well as the kids! This is a little of the BIG stuff we heard this year at camp…

• It’s just a phase so don’t miss it!
• 936 weeks in the life of a child, how many weeks do you have left? (Legacy Marble Countdown App will show you how many!)
• Love, Fun, Stories, Words, Tribes and Work (They have a purpose!) OVER TIME

As a parent we have so much more time with our kids than they spend at church. When we partner together we play for keeps!

Elementary: ENGAGE

K & 1st graders want to know:

• Do I have your attention?
  -Put the electronic down/show they are valuable

2nd & 3rd graders want to know:

• Do I have what it takes?
  -Give them choices to find out what their thing is (soccer,dance) / Affirm who they are

4th & 5th graders want to know:

• Do I have friends?
  -True friends/faithful friends/ Teach them how to be a friend

6th graders want to know:

• Who do I like?
• Who likes me?
  -They will try on groups to find out who their people are/ small group is important

IDENTITY

All of the questions they are thinking in each phase are “I” questions…Identity.

We can answer each of those questions by knowing that every kid is made in the image of God.

Matthew 18!

• God is always listening!
• He has given you talents/gifts!
• He is your forever friend!
• God not only likes you, He loves you!

“They may know the stories, but do they know the One who wrote them?” Dan Scott

Discipling Our Kids: Word!

Over the past 10 years I have found myself saying more than once, “Wow! There is really good wisdom and guidance in the Bible!” Often those words were then followed with the thought of “If only I knew this when I was younger!”

You would think having those revelations would have prompted me to go to God’s word first when confronted with less than stellar behavior from my kids. Unfortunately there was not a pause button on my kids or the task I was in the middle of and time outs, scolding, consequences, and yelling came as quick fixes in the chaos. I have learned recently with my oldest though, that some things are a heart issue. No amount of my disappointment (or scolding!) over the years had changed her heart with lying.

I have also been learning that God is as much at work on my heart through the kids He has blessed me with as He is at work on their hearts!

“Desire without knowledge is not good- how much more will hasty feet miss the way!”

Proverbs 19:2 NIV

No matter how much I wanted to have the right response or the perfect discipline strategy, my lack of knowledge in applying His truth caused me to miss my daughter’s heart.  In January I had made a renewed priority to be intentional daily with my time getting into His Word. I definitely saw the difference when I chose to start the day on my own strength instead of inviting the Spirit to guide my steps (and my tongue)! My time reading and reflecting on His truths prepared me to finally see what I was missing with my daughter’s heart issue.

About a month and a half ago she got tangled up in a lie with my husband and I. I was dismayed because she knew how we felt about lying and how God viewed it AND it was the focus of kids’ church that month! My response to her was not from me, standing in the kitchen looking at her, I felt the presence of the Spirit. I felt the seeds I had been planting since January, that intentional time in the Word, was about to produce fruit. The spirit had my heart and the words from my mouth. It was powerful for me knowing my weakness and how I would normally respond.

This time, before I used a lot of my words, I patiently directed her to The Word. I had her look up verses on lying. As she found each one she read it to herself, then she would read it to me, and we talked about what it meant before she looked up the next one. When we were done reading what God has to say on lying we prayed together, thanking Him for his truth and guidance, asking Him to help make her strong in this weakness and praising Him for His ever present patience and love…with both of us! Since then I have seen a change in her heart that I had not seen before with any of my approaches!

“The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.” Proverbs 19:8 NIV

Discipling our kids in the Word of God is so important, the fruit it yields is proof of that! Consistent, heart felt time will prepare you and your kids to face the daily messes and provide encouragement that He is always there to help you up when you fall, always ready to meet you right where you are. My prayer is that my kids will read His word later in life will be able to say, “I am thankful I learned this when I was younger!”

This Week’s Marble

• The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters, perfect for reading one per day!
• Teach your kids to highlight one thing that is important to them that they read each day.
• Text scripture to your kids from what you read.
• Cool Idea: Work on making a set of 365 3×5 cards with one verse on each card. Present the set to your child when their last marble is used up before you send them out into the world. I have 413 marbles (weeks) left with my daughter so this is doable if I do one card per week!

Hello world!

THIS is my first post! A moment ago I really was losing my marbles trying to figure out how to  fix the “this is your first post” post that I published…by accident!

Losing my marbles has been a concept close to my heart for a little over a year. Sometimes it has felt literal…I have “that child”…other times it has been the realization that I have each of my kids (teaching, modeling, pouring into them) for 936 weeks (marbles). I want to be intentional with the weeks I am blessed with!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

As a parent, I have the most time with my kids to disciple them. My goal is to use my thirst for God’s Word and my desire to show my kids what it is like to walk with Jesus, especially when life gets messy!

The reality is they catch more of what I do than what I say! (Thankfully?!) my son is quick to point out when my walk doesn’t match my talk. I am sure that is a gift God will use in him!

I have had friends tell me I have the gift of encouragement. I want to encourage others to be intentional with their marbles too! What a privilege we have to disciple our children and encourage them to disciple their friends! How cool is it to think, when that last marble is used up, that our child knows they have a purpose!

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”  Matthew 28:19

The Legacy app will help you calculate your marbles.!

How many marbles do you have left?