Talking to your Children about God
October 27, 2008 by Admin
Filed under Resources for Parents
TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT GOD
A parent’s practical guide to God, Bible stories, children and church, bedtime prayers, virtues, and other spiritual stuff.
This book answers over thirty how-to questions commonly asked by parents about everything Christian.
Questions like, “How can I show my children that the Bible is trustworthy?” and, “What can I tell my kids about Heaven?”
The text does not just stop with the answers but moves beyond and supplies easy tools for getting the job done.
This book is recommended for parents who want practical hands on help with the basics.
A great gift idea for new parents, for relatively new Christians with kids, or for those who are contemplating reconnecting with their Christian heritage now that they have kids.
Study Shows That A Child’s Spirituality Is The Number One Factor In their Happiness
June 27, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under In Defence of Christian Parenting
Dr. Mark Holder, a psychology professor at The University of British Columbia, led a study to determine what factors have the greatest influence on a child’s happiness. He and his team surveyed more than 300 children ages 9 to 12. The researchers also asked the parents and teachers of the children to rate their happiness.
The result? In Dr. Holder’s own words, “The more spiritual the children were, the happier they were.”
Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s great. We take our children to church and read Bible stories to them”. Yes, that is helpful but it’s not what the survey was focused on. In fact, the Doctor said that religious activities such as going to church didn’t seem to make a difference in a child’s happiness level.
It Is Not Enough To Hate Hatred!
June 20, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Getting Kids to Get Along
This is the seventh and final post in the series: “What does the Bible say about sibling rivalry and how can I get my kids to get along?”
We started out this sibling rivalry series by establishing that what the world says is normal in family relationships, is not what God wants for Christian families.
The world says that sibling rivalry, rebellious teenagers, kids and parents not getting along and family fighting are all part of normal family life.
However, Jesus himself said that the two greatest commands were to love God and to love others and that all of God’s law is summed up in these two commands. Christian love is a foundation of our Faith and teaching it, is a core Christian parenting skill.
What does the Bible say about sibling rivalry and how can I get my kids to get along? (Part 6)
June 17, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Getting Kids to Get Along
Can you figure out which Biblical relationship principle you can discuss with your children by watching this video together?
What does the Bible say about sibling rivalry and how can I get my kids to get along? (Part 5)
June 6, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Getting Kids to Get Along
This blog contains a key Christian Parenting principle that I guarantee (if employed) will go a long way to ending sibling rivalry and establishing your home sweet home.
What would you say are two things that are most often at the core of a sibling battle? Let me give you a few whining and complaining hints, “Dad, he won’t share,” Mom, she’s wearing my clothes again.” And next, “She hit me” and “He won’t leave me alone.”
There are many answers to the question I posed but most of us would agree that fighting over things and unwanted physical contact are huge aggravators in sibling relationships.
Jesus taught what has now become known as the Golden Rule, treat others the way that you would like to be treated. (Matt 7:12)
What does the Bible say about sibling rivalry and how can I get my kids to get along? (Part 4)
June 3, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Getting Kids to Get Along
In my last blog we talked about the benefits of getting up and going to the current household hotspot as soon as the sibling rivalry starts to heat up. This gives us the opportunity to do some effective in-the-middle-of-life Christian parenting which will take us closer to the home sweet home we desire.
If you’ve had the family meeting (we covered that in part two of this series) and you’ve decided to overcome the temptation to follow the armchair fling parenting style, then you’re ready to get moving.
Okay, the squabbling has started and you’re up and going. You have a few seconds of travel time to do two things, first remember the Third Parent and pray for parenting wisdom and help. Next (really valuable parenting tip) slow down and make sure you arrive on the scene calm.
What does the Bible say about sibling rivalry and how can I get my kids to get along? (Part 3)
May 30, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Getting Kids to Get Along
After we all agreed (in our family meeting) that one of our key home values was to leave strife behind, the Christian parenting work started.
Notice that on this parenting website we are not afraid to call parenting ‘work.’
I have actually found something of a parenting skills paradox in the concept of parental work. Although what seems to be lazy parenting will get you nowhere, working hard at it will give you the time and peace to be lazy.
Let me explain. Armchair parenting is a parenting style that doesn’t work; parenting is a participation sport. It is always tempting to stay seated in my favorite chair (or continue doing whatever I was doing) and fling instructions, commands and threats about the house aimed at one child, or many, (the all-in-one fling) but that is not effective parenting.
What does the Bible say about sibling rivalry and how can I get my kids to get along? (Part 2)
May 29, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Getting Kids to Get Along
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. (1 John 4: 20)
Years ago while I was reading through the Bible book of 1 John, I suddenly saw how this verse was relevant for parenting and my family life.
The Apostle John states that if you do not love your Christian brother you do not love God. Why? Simple, it’s easier to love someone that you can see than it is to love God who you cannot see.
The principle involved is that we all must walk before we run, the simple before the difficult.
What role did God intend for the Christian home and family to play in his salvation plan, the Gospel? (Part 3)
May 23, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Parenting Lesson
So how exactly can God use our Christian families (Christian parents and Christian children) to impact the world and bring God’s blessing to the nations?
I believe he wants us to raise a generation of Christian kids that will do major damage to the gates of hell. Let me explain.
If Israel could become great and powerful by teaching their children to walk with God and keep the Old Covenant how much more can the Body of Christ grow and powerfully impact the nations, according to God’s promise, if we were to teach our children to walk in the power and grace of the New Covenant.
Can you imagine if instead of losing our kids to the world we kept them all in the church. I’m not talking about just having more bodies to warm the pews. I’m talking about a generation that grows up learning God’s Word, walking in relationship with God and growing in his grace. A generation that is excited about being used by God and about taking ground for the Kingdom of God. Like the generation of Israelites that took the Promised Land only each one of these would be under the New Covenant and filled with God’s Spirit.
Can you recommend a Bible that my son might be interested in and actually use?
May 16, 2008 by Rick Osborne
Filed under Choosing a Bible
My first two children were girls. I had a wonderful time and spent many hours reading Bible stories to my first daughter which, for the most part she attentively listen to.
The things I learned with my first helped me get a head start with my second daughter. It was a different experience because she’s a different girl but for the most part it was easy to stay on the track that I started on with my first. This Christian dad was in the groove.
Then my son was born and in his younger years much of what I had learned worked but when he got a little older it was like starting all over. Many times what had worked wonderfully with the girls did not even register with my boy. So I pressed into prayer asking God for help and wisdom and slowly but surely the seemingly obvious started to sink in. So here is some sound parenting advice, boys and girls are different and they learn differently.
rickosborne 