Tru

Tru is our new Children's Ministry elementary curriculum that includes three elements I'm so excited about:

• Stations for worship engagement
• The meta-story of the Bible is being taught (a framework and foundation for Bible reflection and study all their lives)
• Parent compenent for spiritual formation in the home

So here's one parents story from this last week in an email to Jeni Carlson, Director of Children's Ministry, and her team.

...Just wanted you to know that my boys and I spent some time this morning making the "mini deep dish pizzas"...it was so much fun.  ...We were so busy following directions that I forgot to "tell a good story" along with it...but the other ministry ideas in the current packet (that my daughter brings home) has been incorporated throughout our week. 

I really appreciate the tools you are providing for our children.  And it's even more wonderful b/c as a homeschooling mother, it gives me something to look forward to for our bible lessons and I know it's right in sync with what our church is teaching at the same time.  I feel much better eqipped to address important biblical topics like the one this week in "storytelling" about how to begin a true relationship with Him.  My daugher had no idea what that meant and she appeared to really internalize that story.
 
So, thank you so much.  You are doing a wonderful job and I wanted you to know it!

A Bigger "Yes," Compartmentalization and Integration

This last weekend I talked about our hurried lives and the bigger "yes" of God's Kingdom that leads to saying "no" to lesser things. I'm absolutely convinced that too many Christians we're endangering the faith of their kids by pushing faith building family and church priorities to the periphery of their lives.

But there's another answer to hurriedness that is endangering the faith of our kids: compartmentalize less and integrate more. Here's a simple example of what I mean and then a caveat.

An example: What if, you while you were on the sidelines of the practice or game field, you regularly looked for and prayed for opportunities to be a witness for Christ to other parents on the sideline? And what if you regularly prayed with your kids for opportunities for them to do likewise with their teammates? What if you regularly challenged your kids to be Daniels--that is, to work hard at their sport as a witness to their commitment to Christ?

But here's a caveat: Don't think that you will succeed at integrating the spiritual into all areas of your life if you don't take time to develop your relationship with God privately and corporately with other believers. That's why saying "no" more often and integrating the spiritual and both/and propositions.