No Wrong Place to Teach

When I think about having a Bible study with my children my first reaction is always that we will never find time when we are all there to do this on a regular basis. Well, a verse in Deuteronomy has inspired me to think outside the planner.

In Deuteronomy Chapter 11, Moses is telling his people how to faithfully obey the commandments of the Lord. Verse 19 (NIV) says, "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Wow, I am always amazed at how suitable the Bible is for people in any time. What other book is so timeless? There is none. Sure we now drive along the road but as for the rest there isn't anything that doesn't directly apply to our lives.

The challenge that I made for myself and that may be relevant in your life is this, I want to use the times of day that are usually considered for getting ready or getting to someplace to teach the word of the Lord to my family.

Here are some easy ways that this can be done (even while your hands are full!!)

• Listen to the Bible on tape or CD in the car.
• Have your children who can read, read to the rest of the family from the Bible.
• Make memory verse flash cards for yourself and your children and practice them in the car.
• Instead of reading library or school books before bed time pull out the Bible and tell a story from there.
• Sing your favorite worship songs as you get ready for your day or ready for bed.

These are just a few!!

There is no wrong place to teach the Word to your family. I pray that God interrupt my thoughts with ideas to better serve Him. Thinking about and talking to God are the only activities that will never make your schedule unbearable. No matter how busy I am it all seems easier to cope with if I have more God in my thoughts.

With God NOTHING is impossible!

Making Bible Connections with Your Kids!!

One of the jobs of a Christian parent is to build strong biblical foundations in our children. This can be made fun if you handle your Bible stories correctly. I propose setting a set Bible Study time for you and your children. Then your job as teacher-parent is to find ways to make connections with your children so that this will be a time that they look forward to as much as watching television or playing video games. Let’s face it, if your schedule is anything like mine your children are probably dying for some one-on-one attention.

There are multiple stories in the Bible that you could use to excite the minds of the youth. The Bible is not lacking in mystery and adventure, friendship and love, all things that my children look for in a good story. If making connections from Bible stories to kids of today is not easy for you, then I have a couple examples below to help you.


Sampson – Super hero. He had super-human strength, power given to him by God.

Jeremiah – Super hero. He was able to prophesy, what kid doesn’t like stories about seeing the future!

Noah – The story of Noah is one that is familiar to many kids, but if you put a peer pressure swing on things it can make them think of it like never before. Have you ever thought about the pressure he must have felt from those around him? Perseverance through peer pressure is never a bad lesson!

Esther – In America we still have few women in power. This is one huge similarity that we have to people in the Bible. Esther was a strong woman of God who was also in power. She makes for a great Bible story for children.

Paul – One man who turned his life away from evil and took on a whole continent of people to spread the word of God. What more empowering adventure do you want!

Alright now, having the stories is only half the battle. As the designer of your own Bible study you have to do a little more than read the stories and tell the kids it relates to them. Here are some pointers on how to make your lessons give the message that you want. Remember: Only you know your children and their experiences in the most personal way!

Be prepared. (Study the story and pray about its message. Do this ahead of time.)
Make connections. (Be thinking of how the story pertains to your life experiences and those of your children.)
Take notes. (We have so many ideas that we forget if they aren’t written down.)
Ask questions. (Have prepared thought provoking questions so that you can have a feeling for how effective your story was in connecting to your children.)

With these few ideas you can be well on your way to providing a rich environment of learning from the Bible that your kids will never forget!

A Bright Thought for a Bad Day at Work!

I don’t know too many people who can say that they love their job. On the other hand, I can think of many who say that they hate their’s. I too have had jobs that I despised but am now at a fortunate time in my life where I am doing a job that I love, teaching and learning. Praise God! Through a long process God has shown me that this is where my gifts are and also where my heart lies.

I have had many jobs in the past, as I always find myself working at least three of them at time, so I have had hundreds of co-workers. Some people are unhappy 90% of the time and others, although in my experience very few, are content 90% of the time even if the task at hand is unpleasant. I lie somewhere in the middle of these. I am cheery and fun most of the time but I have a fiery temper so once it’s flared up I must admit that I can be one of those unhappy people too.

Well, for those of you that suffer from any sort of dislike or bad attitude at work, have I got the passage for you (and me!).

Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV) says:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”

This passage gives me peace. The next time I let a manager, co-worker, or boss start pushing my buttons I am going to try and remember that God is my real boss. If the person is doing something wrong it’s not up to me to get mad about it. As long as I am trying to be more Christ-like every day the awful things that humans can do to mess up interactions at work won’t bother me so much.

Having a fiery temper, I like to find thoughts, ideas, and processes that I can train myself to use to defuse my anger when it flares. Breathing is all good but you have to calm down first. If I use tools like the one that Paul gives us in his letter I will not only help myself in the workplace but also help secure an extraordinarily lovely place for myself in heaven! It doesn’t get any better than that!

Let's Get Finished!

If you are at all like me, you can start a million projects but getting any one of them finished is a chore. Unfortunately, I still haven't found a job where that is a quality that they look for so, instead I have to pray. Pray that I can finish things.

Sitting here at my friend's house today I see that she must have the same thoughts because taped to the side of the computer is a sign listing 2 Cor. 8:11-12:

"Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."

Paul is telling us here that we are to finish with the vigor with which we started. If you are willing to work it all the way through you will be judged on your work, not what someone thought you would do.

Sitting here at my computer I pray for the strength and willpower to finish my assignments and projects with the willingness with which I started them.

The Lord is Good!!

Have a wonderful week!