Well, at least the Children’s Ministry here at FBC Millington has.  I wanted to let all of our readers know that the Children’s Ministry now has it’s very own blog.  Make sure you check it out at FBCKidz.org to stay up to date with all the goings on of FBC Kidz.  You use the subscribe button at the upper right on FBCKidz.org to continue receiving email updates about what is happening.

As for this site, it will continue to act as a resource for families, churches, and leaders.  Thank you for your support and Happy Reading!!

Bibliology.  Theology Proper.  Christology.  Pneumatology.  Angelology.  Anthropology and Hamartiology.  Soteriology.  Ecclesiology.  Eschatology.  Wow!  What an incredible array of Doctrines that we hold so preciously.  But what do each of these doctrines mean?  It is easy to pick up on a few of them, i.e. Bibliogy, Christology, or Angelology.  While some of the others are a little more elusive in their descriptions.  These words can be quite intimidating to any individual, but especially a new believer.  Even as parents we have a tendency to look at these doctrines and think that there is no way we can learn them, much less teach them to our children.

While the task may seem daunting, it is essential.  Many of these doctrines are the very foundation of our faith.  In order for us to cultivate and disciple our children to have a “grounded in the word” faith we must be willing to teach them these essential truths.  Luckily, we are able to get a lot of help in this area.

Bruce A. Ware, author of Big Truths for Young Hearts, has done a magnificent job of breaking down these doctrines so that they are easily understood and explained.  He handles difficult topics such as the Trinity, Sin Nature, and The Holy Spirit.  There are ten different sections in the book and each of the sections is broken down into five or six subsections which help explain the doctrine taught in that section.  Each subsection is made up of only one or two pages.

This book can be used as a daily or weekly devotional for you and your children.  I would encourage any parent that wants to teach their children the essentials of the faith to purchase this book and use it throughout their childhood as a means to cultivate a right understanding of God.

But can get it at one of these places:  Here. For a taste of the book go here:  Sample

According to Ephesians 4, one of the key purposes of ministers is to equip saints to do the work of the ministry. As a children’s pastor it is my responsibility to not only teach children but to also equip parents with some of the tools they need to cultivate Jesus into the life of their child. In an effort to do that I will begin providing parents with a Parent Cue at the beginning of every month via email. Each Parent Cue will highlight what we are learning in the TreeHouse throughout the month.

It will also contain “Meal Time/Drive Time Questions” to help jump-start a conversation about the lesson for the following week. I would encourage you to use this as a tool to guide you in the teaching of your children and discuss the lesson for the following week. It is the church’s desire to be secondary in the discipleship of your children not primary. This is a means by which we are able to work as a team instead of two separate entities.

To subscribe to our mailing list for the Parent Cue email me (creinolds@fbc-millington.org) with “Parent Cue” in the subject line.

Hey Parents!  Here is a fun activity to do with your kids to start the conversation about how the Bible helps guide us.

Unscramble the bold words to see how the Bible helps guide us!

Your word is a palm for my tefe, a glith on my thap.

lPmsa 119:105

What we put into our minds and our bodies lead us to how we, feel, speak, and act!  If we put God’s good Word into us guess what will come out when we are sad or upset?  That’s right God’s Word!  But if we don’t know God’s Word and don’t read or study it then when life gets hard or when someone does something to hurt or upset us there is no telling how we will act.  Yikes!

Take a few minutes after your family activity and thank God for His Word and praise Him for the good things in your life!

]]> http://chrisreinolds.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/enarbmslcu-hte-rwsod/feed/ 0 brochrisreinolds words with kids http://chrisreinolds.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/use-the-bible-to-guide-your-thoughts/ http://chrisreinolds.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/use-the-bible-to-guide-your-thoughts/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:11:23 +0000 Bro Chris Reinolds http://chrisreinolds.wordpress.com/?p=659 ]]>

Do you know what can really get us in trouble? It’s not just our temper or our words or our choices like we’ve talked about these other weeks. No, it’s what comes before all that and can happen so fast that it’s hard to catch. Our thoughts lead to all our actions.

That’s why we’re finishing this month on self-control by talking through the biblical principle in Philippians 4:8 of watching what you think about. Whatever we focus on most will take over and fill our minds. Sometimes one or two negative things might even stand out and stick more than all the other positive things going on.

That’s why it’s important to think even more about what’s true and right, what’s excellent and worthy of our praise. That’s why you should (Bottom Line) use the Bible to guide your thoughts. What a great way to review what we’ve learned about the faith skill—personalizing scripture—from Proverbs and other verses that encourage us to grow in wisdom.

This week, guide your children to fill up their brains with God’s Word and the good things that are all around them and see what happens!  Maybe they can even use some of the things that we have learned over this past month:

• Proverbs 25:28 – God can give you the power to control yourself.
• Proverbs 16:32 – Pause before you lose your temper.
• Proverbs 12:18 – Select your words carefully.
• Proverbs 25:16 – Know when to stop.
• Philippians 4:8 – Use the Bible to guide your thoughts.

Families and churches are each working hard to build faith in kids, but imagine the potential results when the two environments synchronize, maximizing their individual efforts. What can the church do to empower the family? How can the family emphasize the work of the church? They can Think Orange. Former family ministry director Reggie Joiner looks at what would happen if churches and families decided they could no longer do business as usual, but instead combined their efforts and began to work off the same page for the sake of the kids. Think Orange shows church leaders how to make radical changes so they can:

• Engage parents in an integrated strategy

• Synchronize the home and church around a clear message

• Provoke parents and kids to fight for their relationships with each other

• Recruit mentors to become partners with the family

• Mobilize the next generation to be the church

With a transparent, authentic approach that gives every family and church hope for being more effective in their common mission, Think Orange rethinks the approach to children’s, youth, and family ministry.

Larry Fowler, Director of Program and Training for Awana Clubs International, believes that there are seven biblical principles, drawn from the book of Nehemiah, that will help pastors and leaders more effectively motivate and manage volunteers. Rock-Solid Volunteers looks at the obstacles Nehemiah and his volunteer workers faced – fatigue, weakness, loss of vision, peer pressure and opposition, just for starters!—and examines the seven steps Nehemiah took to lead his volunteers to success. Pastors and ministry leaders will be equipped to attract, inspire and keep talented, committed volunteers, no matter the challenge!

The Revolution is underway, but in this new era, how can parents make a lasting impact in the spiritual lives of their children? To find the answer, George Barna researched the lives of thriving adult Christians and discovered the essential steps their parents took to shape their spiritual lives in childhood. He also learned surprising truths about which popular parenting tactics just aren’t working. Revolutionary Parenting goes beyond youth group and Sunday school and shows parents how to instill in their children a vibrant commitment to Christ. Parenting is more than using your power to get children to behave in certain ways. Parenting is all about the exposure and change of the child’s heart. When the heart of a child changes the behavioral change that is needed will last. This is a great conference for parents raising children from age toddler through teen.

Learn how to be an instrument of heart changing grace in the little moments of life that God will give you with your children. Paul Tripp will begin with giving you a picture for God’s design for the family. Because if you don’t understand the family; you will never understand parenting. Then, Paul will help you to understand the life transforming and agenda setting things that the Bible says about the heart. Then, he will apply the principles about the family and the heart to the three primary stages of parenting.

In each stage Paul will give you the key issue of focus and practical steps for achieving what is important, at that particular stage of the child’s growth and spiritual development. Paul will also help you to identify those places where you are in the way of what God is calling you to do rather than being part of it by helping you to locate your own heart issues.

Obviously, they effects are self-induced by my own poor choices in what I am eating, but sometimes I don’t realize the effects of my decisions until after it is too late.  Funny thing is, God’s Word tells us that too much of a good thing can sometimes be bad.

Have you found honey? Eat only what you need,
That you not have it in excess and vomit it.

Proverbs 25:16

This week in the TreeHouse, we are discussing that just because something is good doesn’t mean we should over-indulge.  Ever heard of the Kudzu plant?  Take a look at what it can do:

Although the plant could be something very good and beautiful it is unfortunately something that is now very difficult to get rid of.  Too much of a good thing can sometimes be a disaster and it is important for us to talk to our children about how imperative it is that we watch for signs that we need to stop a “good thing”, before it takes over and starts to control us.

Talk it over with your kids and discuss some “good things” that can become “bad things” if we let them control us.  Let us know what they come up with, I am sure they will have some pretty interesting insights.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 3:9

Here is a good conversation started to discuss self-control over a meal:  Ask your child have they ever had anyone call them a name or insult them.  Then ask them how they responded to being called that name.  After they give a few explanations, discuss what they think God’s word says about how we should act when someone insults us.

It is easy for all of us to “payback” someone after they have offended us, but God wants us to pay them back in a different way.  We offend God and he still loves us, forgives us, and helps us.  He doesn’t “get even” with us.  Instead of looking at how we can “payback” someone who has hurt us maybe we can come up with a few ways to use self-control to respond rightly.  Planning ahead will help us respond the correct way.

Over the past two weeks we have discussed the reason it is important to have self-control.  Week one we discussed that God can give us the power to control ourselves and that we not be like the man in Proverbs 25:28.  Last week we talked about how important it was that we pause before we lose our tempers, Proverbs 16:32.  This week our focus is to choose our words carefully.

 There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 12:18.

Throughout this week keep in mind the power that words have in the life of your child.  On a regular basis I have to remind myself of this important truth.  The words I use towards my child will either build them up or tear them down.  While words can cut like a laser they can also be a lifeline to those who are hurting or in need.  Remind your children that we have to practice self-control and choose our words carefully before we speak even when we are upset or hurt.

As a possible family activity for the week, spend some time thinking about someone who might need some encouragement and use carefully selected words to tell them how much they mean to your family.

Want more info about this month’s lessons?  Check Out the Parent Cue and email me to get yours.