Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Two Resources to Help Parents/Grandparents Hand Down the Faith

Since one of the main things we need to do as people who serve in Children's Ministry is to equip and encourage parents/grandparents to hand down the faith to the children they love, we need to know what resources are available for them to use to be equipped for this all important "job" and then be intentional about letting them know about these resources. For the past 25 years I have reviewed curriculum and resources for use in Children's Ministries, and will likely continue to do this for you, but I also want to be sure to let you know about resources available for you to recommend to the parents and grandparents in your church. Today I am going to recommend two resources.

God's Best Plan & He Has You Where You Are For A Reason

I began writing about Children's Ministry twenty five years ago. It was the beginning of the time where churches saw the need for staff who actually focused upon developing a solid ministry to the children in their church - beyond the DCE (Director of Christian Ed) who often was an Elder/Deacon and pretty much just handed out quarterlies to teachers and planned a VBS each year. People were starting to see how it truly mattered for our churches to take their Children's Ministry seriously - they saw it mattered for them to have effective Children's Ministry and choices about curriculum and programming truly mattered. 

Publishers began developing more curriculum resources and training opportunities. People (such as myself) began writing websites (this was before the start of blogs) with information to help the new Children's Directors/Pastors as they worked to develop solid Children's Ministry. Things began to become so much better!

Children's Ministry which Matters & Makes a Difference

Yesterday I learned this blog, About the Children's Department is #2 in the Top 40 Children's Ministry Blogs and Websites in 2019. First of all, this is a huge honor and since I have not been posting daily, as I once did, it is also a huge surprise. Thank you everyone who reads About the Children's Department. Since you are still reading what I write, I will try to post at least five times a week to provide fresh content.

Hand Down the Faith for Free with Generations Quest Cultivate the Faith!

Handing down the faith tends to be something which the parents and grandparents of the children in your ministry look forward to doing and enjoy, or something which leaves them feeling confused and unable to do effectively. I am very happy today to let you know about a resource which gives them 52 lessons, complete with science projects, crafts and cooking activities to engage the children they love while also helping them learn about real people from the Bible, how those Bible people chose to walk with God and how they are able to do the same. This resource is called Generations Quest Cultivate the Faith! and today through Friday the kindle version is free at this link!

Make 2020 a Year of Handing Down the Faith Intentionally with Your FREE Kindle Copy of Generations Quest Cultivate the Faith!

When the parents and grandparents of the children in your ministry hand down the faith, they watch for those unplanned opportunities to connect life with God, His Word and how they are able to know and walk with Him. But, they also need to plan opportunities to do these things in a very intentional and purposeful way as well. 

This is where Generations Quest Cultivate the Faith! comes in. This book provides them with 52 intentional, purposeful lessons complete with science projects, crafts, cooking along with Bible lessons, time to work with a prayer journal and teach their grandchildren/children why they are able to believe in God and trust His Word with confidence. I wrote this book to have something I would be able to use to engage my active grandsons in learning how to know, love and walk with God and I am so happy to let you know next week - December 23-27, 2019 you - and the parents/grandparents you know - are able to download the Kindle copy of it for FREE!

Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children Now Available Through the Kidology Store

I am very happy today to let you know I have been invited to release my grandsons' and my book, Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children, through the Kidology Store! It is available for immediate download at this link. 

If you have been involved in the Children's Ministry at your church, you likely know about Kidology. Karl Bastin is the founder of Kidology; a non-profit organization which exists to equip and encourage those who minister to children. Their primary ministry is Kidology.org, a website where each day over 20,000 children's ministry leaders and volunteers find help, ideas, training, and resources which enable them to most effectively reach and teach kids.

Recommend a Gift Which Makes a Real & Lasting Impact

Christmas is just around the corner, if giving books is part of the gift-giving tradition of the parents and grandparents in your church, or if you would like to recommend a gift which truly makes a difference and will help children ages four to fourteen learn to walk with God, consider this book  . . .

Help the Families Know They Need to Teach the "Whys"

As grandmas (and grandpas/ parents) who are serious about handing down the faith, we know we need to help the children we love learn to read God's Word, pray, go to church and live God's Word. There are many ways for us to do these things, but handing down the faith is absolutely our job - our God-given job.

Handing down the faith involves all these things, but it also includes something we may not think about - we need to be focused upon telling the "whys" . . . why we are able to believe God is real and trust His Word with confidence. We must teach our grandchildren/children from their youngest ages the truth about how there are solid reasons for us to believe in God and believe the Bible, because if we do not, a teacher, friend or someone will teach them not to do so at some point in their lives. If we do not give them solid reasons to believe, it is very possible at some point in their lives they will fall away, so make focusing upon and teaching the "whys" a priority. It matters.

Today I am so happy to share with you another "why" . . . because creation shows God's great design and creativity. The other day I saw on the news about how the Koala Bears are declining in the wild. I looked up information about the Koala online and learned some wonderful facts about them . . . 

Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children is Available and WILL Make a Difference

I am so happy to be able to let you know the new book, Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children, is now available! My three grandsons collaborated with me and illustrated this book so, as my middle grandson says: "children will use it and learn how to talk with God." 

As Christian grandmas (and grandpas/parents, too) we want to hand down the faith. We want the ones we love to learn to read God's word, learn to pray, learn how to develop their own walk with God, but often we wonder how to do this. We look for resources to help us and happily, now there are many available for us (just scroll down and look at the right side of this blog to see the resources written/developed by some of the Grandmas with Heart), but this book, Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children is unique in how it is written/designed as a tool for you to use with the children you love.

Do You Make it Harder?

As someone who serves in and/or leads a Children's Ministry in your church, it is obvious the primary people you need to communicate with, back up and help equip to hand down the faith to the children in your ministry are the parents. In most cases, in most churches, the parents are the ones who bring their children to church. The parents are the ones who are handing down the faith to their children. The parents are the ones upon whom you need to put your focus when it comes to communicating, equipping and encouraging. But, they are not the only ones.

More and more churches have more and more grandparents who are the ones who bring the children they love to your Children's Ministry. In most cases, if the grandparents are the ones bringing children to your church, it is because the parents are not. If these grandparents do not bring their grandchildren to church, nobody will. If these grandparents do not tell their grandchildren about God, the Bible and how much they are loved by Jesus, nobody will. If these grandparents do not pray for their grandchildren, nobody will. In most cases these grandparents are alone in handing down the faith to their grandchildren and they NEED their church to make this easier, NOT harder.

Keep in mind, it is the grandparents/parents job to hand down the faith - not the job of the church. But, the Children's Ministry/church has a definite "job" when it comes to coming alongside the grandparents and parents, and when it comes to helping the children connect/make friends and when it comes to providing additional adults for the children to connect with and learn from - for them to hear from these adults the same things their grandparents and parents are telling/teaching them; particularly if the grandparents are the only ones who are handing down the faith.

Yes, you have a "job" and so do the grandparents/parents, but there are things you may do which makes it harder for grandparents, in particular, to do their job and hand down the faith. How do Children's Ministries/churches make handing down the faith harder for the grandparents who bring their grandchildren to church? Consider the following . . . 

Get Your Free Copy Today

Today, October 7, 2019 through Friday, October 11, 2019 you are able to get for free the Kindle copy of my new book - The DNA of Grandparents & Parents who Hand Down the Faith. You will find it at this link - please download your free copy and tell the parents and grandparents you know, so they are able to get a copy for free as well.

Get Your Free Kindle Copy of The DNA of Grandparents & Parents who Hand Down the Faith

One week from today on October 7, 2019 you will be able to receive your own Kindle copy of my new book - The DNA of Grandparents & Parents who Hand Down the Faith. In this book I look at what it takes to develop a walk of faith, how to live as someone whose faith is real and ways to reproduce and hand down the faith to the generations who come behind you. I wrote about people from the Bible, people from time and people from today and how they did these things to develop a strong Spiritual DNA. Look at some of the things people are saying about my book!

Hand Down the Faith with Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children

When I was a child I always received books as part of my birthday and Christmas gifts from my parents. When I became a parent, my children always received books as part of their birthday and Christmas gifts from their dad and me. Now I am a grandma and my grandchildren receive a lot of books from their poppa and me. Books make wonderful gifts - any time of the year and for any special time . . . or to make any time special.

So, with Christmas just three months from today (yes, just three months from today) I would like to encourage you to consider purchasing a special book which will help the children you love learn to pray the Psalms and journal their prayers for themselves. This book - Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children - will help you hand down the faith to the children you love and it will be released in October. 

You are Absolutely Able to Make a Difference

October 7-11, 2019 you will be able to download the Kindle copy of my new book - The DNA of Grandparents & Parents who Hand Down the Faith for free. In this book I look at how just like with our physical DNA which gives us the code we need to develop, live and reproduce, we are able to have a "spiritual DNA" where we develop a faith of our own, live as people of faith and reproduce by handing down the faith. To do this I looked at people from the Bible, people from time and people from today who developed, lived and reproduced a strong Spiritual DNA.

Two of the people from time whose stories I share in my book are Fanny and Eunice Crosby. You are likely familiar with Fanny Crosby - she wrote more than 9000 hymns - yes, more than 9000 - many of which we still sing in our churches today; such as Blessed Assurance and To God be the Glory. Fanny was blind and since her dad died when she was a baby and her mom had to work, she was mostly raised by her grandma, Eunice, who had her memorizing five chapter from the Bible every week - yes, every week! By the time she was fifteen she had memorized the Pentateuch, the Gospels, Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and many Psalms; there is a reason her hymns were so solid, Biblically. And, stop and think for a moment. Since Fanny was blind, for her to memorize five chapters from the Bible a week, someone had to read those chapters to her. Someone had to spend the time necessary to help her memorize. This someone was her grandma.

Get Your Free Kindle Copy of The DNA of Grandparents & Parents Who Hand Down the Faith

I am so happy to announce the release and the Kindle copy giveaway of my new book - The DNA of Grandparents & Parents Who Hand Down the Faith. In this book I look at how our physical DNA is a truly amazing and essential part of who we are, as it holds the "code" or instructions for the things which make us unique as well as for the things we share. It connects us with the generations who came before us; as well as with those who come behind. It is the core of who we are physically. 

Yes, our physical DNA tells our cells and bodies how to Develop, Live and Reproduce, but let's think for a moment about another type of "DNA". A Spiritual DNA. More specifically, our "Faith and Prayer DNA". What are a, "Faith and Prayer DNA" you ask? Well, just as our physical DNA provides the code for how our bodies develop, live and reproduce, our "Faith and Prayer DNA" gives us the code or instructions which help us learn to develop a strong walk of faith, live as people who believe and reproduce by handing down to our children and our children's children a strong and healthy walk of faith. 

The DNA of Grandparents & Parents Who Hand Down the Faith will introduce you to people from the Bible - including Hannah, David, Jeremiah, Elisha, Jesus, Job, Joseph, the Kings of Judah, the Prodigal Son's Father and our own Heavenly Father, people from time - such as George Muller, Billy Graham, Fanny & Eunice Crosby, Elisabeth Elliot, Joni, Corrie Ten Boom, Martin & Katherine Luther, Charles Spurgeon and Dwigh L. Moody and people from today - including my friends Teresa Holmgren who shared how God answered her prayers for a child and then for a grandchild, Brad Burkhead who shared what it is like when your grown children and grandchildren move to Africa to be missionaries, my friend Ragaee Daniel shared how God saved him from an Egyptian prison, and my friend Janae Dean shared the powerful account of how God gave life back to her son when he was dead; all these accounts show us what it looked like for them to develop this strong and healthy "Faith and Prayer DNA". It also looks at how you are able to hand down the faith to the children you love in a way which will positively impact the generations who come behind you.

Mark your calendars and please, please tell every grandparent and parent you know - October 7-11, 2019 you will be able to get the Kindle copy of my new book - The DNA of Grandparents & Parents Who Hand Down the Faith - for FREE! Look what people are saying - 

Get Your Free Kindle Copy of Generations Quest - Cultivate the Faith!

Today, September 2, 2019, through Friday, September 6, 2019, you and the grandparents/ parents in your ministry are able to download the Kindle version of Generations Quest - Cultivate the Faith! . . . completely for free! It is our Grandparents Day gift to you - whether you are a grandparent or parent!

Please feel free to get your free copy and then plan to use it over the coming year as you hand down the faith. You all will find 52 Bible adventures with science projects and activities written to provide you the tools you need to sit down with the children you love to focus upon handing down the faith.

Two New Questions for You to Ask

I'm old enough (experienced enough??!!!) to remember when we first began running background checks on volunteers for our Children's Ministries. It was new; and many established volunteers did not like it one bit. But, we did it, because it was the responsible thing to do and because the times demanded we do so.

I also remember when we began having parents sign in - and pick up their children to and from our Children's Ministries. I had several parents who strongly disliked having to do this. They felt insulted and like we were wasting their time - after all, we knew who they were and we knew who their children were, but we did it, because again, it was the responsible thing to do and the times demanded we do so. (As were more and more insurance companies.)

Now days it is basically a "given" churches will take these steps to protect the children in their Children's Ministry. But, there are a couple additional things we need to be doing.

It is Impossible to Spoil Grandchildren - Kindle Copy Available for Free

I am very happy to say,  It is Impossible to Spoil Grandchildren   is available on Kindle for you to get your own copy for until July 11, 2019! If you are a grandparent, parent, aunt, uncle or someone who works with children, this book is for you.

For years I have written Sunday school curriculum, children's storybooks and Bible Adventures. Curriculum; these types of books come easy to me and I have had the privilege to write for publishers and magazines (curriculum for VeggieTales, SuperBook, Calvary Church Grand Rapids, Deeper in 4 Children and the Manner's Mentor as well as articles for Children's Ministry Magazine, Christianity Today's Your Church Magazine and Legacy Coalition).

the single parent: confident and successful - We Are Giving One Away

Last week I had the privilege of reading and reviewing Linda Ranson Jacob's new book, the single parent: confident and successful (you will find my full review at this link). In my review I said; "If you, or your grown child, is a single parent, then clearly Linda's book, the single parent: confident and successful, is an obvious "fit". But, if like me, you are not a single parent and neither are your grown children, do not think this book is not for you - or for them. It absolutely is. As I read this book I learned much about how I will be better able to confidently and successfully hand faith to my grandchildren - and grown children as well. I am very happy to recommend, the single parent: confident and successful, to all parents and grandparents."

Today I am thrilled to let you know, Linda's publisher, BethanyHouse, is making an additional copy of the single parent: confident and successful available for us to give away on Grandmas with Heart! 

the single parent: confident and successful

Linda Ranson Jacobs has just a new book published by Bethany House. Now, you likely know Linda is the creator of DC4K - some of you may have this wonderful ministry in your church to serve the children in your community who are touched by the divorce of their parents. Some of you may have been blessed to be able to hear Linda speak at a Children's Ministry Conference. When you hear Linda's name and the news of her book, you may rightly think this is a book you will absolutely want to read and be sure to keep a stack on hand to give to families in your church who experience divorce.

But, please, please, while this book is absolutely one for you to keep on hand for the parents/grandparents in your ministry who experience divorce, do not limit yourself to this view of the single parent: confident and successful. This is a book you will absolutely want to make available to every parent and grandparent in your ministry as it is filled with wisdom, truth from Scripture and practical how-to of raising confident and successful children in confident and successful families and this is something we want for all families in our ministries.

It is my delight today to let you know about this wonderful resource and source of encouragement. I do have to say, have tissues handy - and encourage the people you give it to to do so as well - as this book is going to touch your hearts in deep and powerful ways. As I read this book I learned much about how I will be better able to confidently and successfully hand faith to my grandchildren - and grown children as well - even though I and they are not single grandparents/parents. I am very happy to recommend, the single parent: confident and successful, to all parents and grandparents.

Some Things to Think - and Most Importantly Pray About for Sure

Over the years I have been writing this blog - and the website before it - I have had much to say about the things we could and should do when it comes to Children's Ministry. Today I want to write about somethings we need to be careful we do Not do.

In the Gospels it is easy to see how children wanted to be around Jesus  -  and He wanted them to be around Him. We know children do not tend to want to be around people who are boring, so while there are no Bible verses which say; "And Jesus was not boring.", it is safe for us to believe He was not boring.

Tomorrow is Children's Day - Celebrate!

Tomorrow, Sunday, June 9, 2019, is Children's Day. Before I share a few ideas for celebrating, let's look at a bit of history on Children's Day. Children's Day began in the church and we in the church need to take it back as a time to encourage parents and grandparents to hand down the faith and to communicate to children how very much God loves them.

"Children’s Day  observations in the United States predate both Mother’s and Father’s Day. The day to celebrate children dates from the 1860s and earlier. The Methodist Episcopal Church at the Methodist Conference of 1868 recommended the second Sunday in June be observed annually as Children’s Day. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1883 designated the 'the second Sabbath in June as Children’s Day'

Chase’s Calendar of Events cites Children’s Sunday and notes The Commonwealth of Massachusetts issues an annual proclamation for the second Sunday in June.

    Numerous churches and denominations currently observe the second Sunday in June including the African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Church of the Nazarene."

The website - nationalchildrensday.us says; "American families and the entire country need this day to love, evaluate, and commit to the betterment of our children." If you are already planning to enjoy the day celebrating the children you love - go for it! If you have not planned to do anything to celebrate Children's Day, consider the following ideas . . . 

Get Your Own Free Kindle Copy of Science, the Bible & Fun!

My grandsons are enjoying the start of their Summer Vacation - I have three happy boys who will be at my house tomorrow. Throughout the Summer, my grandsons will be at my house for at least two days during the week while their parents are at work - and for either their Friday or Saturday night sleepover as well. I am a very blessed grandma.

While I want their Summer break to be a time where they are able to relax, play outside (I live in the country and my house is on a acre, so I have lots of room for them to run and play), there are days when it rains (I live in Michigan and it can be rainy here) and times when they may need help thinking of something to do with their time. It is in times such as these when my book, Science, the Bible & Fun, comes in handy.

Summer Fun & Learning

Do you have families with grandchildren spending time with them this Summer? Or, moms looking at Summer vacation nearly here and wondering what they might do with the children you love? Well, wonder no more! In just four days my book, Science the Bible and Fun will be available for them to download for free on Kindle - yes, for free!

What Would the "Perfect" Children's Ministry Look Like?

If you were able to create the "perfect" Children's Ministry, what would it look like? If I were to do this, it would have and do the following things . . . 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day from Grandmas with Heart! 

How are You Helping Grandparents Who Bring Grandchildren to Church?

Typically when you think about the adults who bring children to your church, you think of and picture the parents. And, for most of the children it is the parents who bring them to church. But not all. In most churches 10% to 25% of the people bringing the children to church are the grandparents. 

It is not the same for grandparents who bring their grandchildren to church as it is for parents - parents are able to tell their children they are going to church as a family; grandparents are not able to make their grandchildren go to church, because typically if the parents are allowing the grandparents to bring the children to church it is only IF the children want to go. Parents often have friends at church who are also parents with children the same ages. This means when parents bring the children to church, the children often already are friends with other children in their class; not necessarily the case when grandparents bring the children to church. This may leave the grandchildren feeling lonely and like they do not belong. Parents attend parenting classes at church; most churches do not offer any classes for grandparents on what it looks like to hand down the faith.

Free on Kindle - Pray the Scriptures

Today, April 26, 2019 is the day my book - Deeper In 4 Grandparents & Parents, Too! Praying the Scriptures for the Children You Love - Psalms Edition becomes available for free as a Kindle copy. Yes, from April 26-30, 2019 it will be free on Kindle.

This book provides you with 52 weeks of Scripture prayers from the Book of Psalms which have been personalized for you to pray for yourself and for the ones you love.

What Message are You Sending?

When it comes to your Children's Ministry, do you believe your Sunday school is an important part of what you do? Would you firmly say it is worth the time of the children and families for children to be there on Sundays? If so, what message are you sending if you stop offering Sunday school in the Summer? If it is something you are able to cancel for the Summer - or some part of the Summer, and it is acceptable for children to not participate in Sunday school during those times, why is not not acceptable for them to just write it off and stay in bed the rest of the year?

Giveaway for You to Use with the Grandparents Who Bring Grandchildren to Your Ministry

Almost four years ago a group of people met to talk about if there was a need for a ministry which equipped and encouraged grandparents to hand down the faith to their grandchildren and which called upon churches to serve the grandparents in their church by developing a Grandparenting Ministry. This group became known as the Legacy Coalition and four of our Grandmas with Heart were there - Sherry Schumann, Linda Ranson Jacobs, Cathy Jacobs and me, Lynda Freeman. 

The following May we were invited to speak at a grandparenting conference in Minnesota - the general sessions were filmed and turned into a resource any church is able to use to equip the grandparents in their ministry. This DVD resource - Grandparenting DVD: Strengthening Your Family and Passing on Your Faith is a two DVD set with ten sessions and a workbook; the speakers are Larry Fowler, Josh Mulvihill, Cavin Harper, Valerie Bell, Rob Rienow, Linda Ranson - Jacobs (one of our Grandmas with Heart), Cathy Jacobs (another of our Grandmas with Heart) and me, Lynda Freeman. I'm very happy to say the Legacy Coalition sent one set for me to review and a second one for me to give away.

What Grandparents Need From You

If you serve in Children's Ministry, you likely think of the parents when you think about the adults who bring the children in your ministry. There is solid reason for you to do so, as most of the people who bring children to your church are likely parents. Most, but not all. Your church most certainly has grandparents who bring their grandchildren to your Children's Ministry and there are some significant things you need to keep in mind when it comes to these grandparents . . .

Do You "Roll Up the Sidewalks" or "Kick into High Gear"?

As your school-year Children's Ministry begins to wind down, what is your plan for the summer? Will you basically, "roll up the sidewalks" and offer little if any opportunities for children at your church? I know of churches where they do this. They no longer offer a mid-week opportunity, they do not hold Sunday school or Children's Church, they offer "special" events, but only one time a month in the Summer and many are even ending their Vacation Bible School. 

I know of other churches where they look at the Summer as the perfect opportunity to, "kick it into high gear" and they offer Terrific Tuesdays and Thursdays where children are engaged in fun activities and meaningful learning - every Tuesday and Thursday all Summer long. Where they run their VBS on Sunday mornings and inject a high level of "fun" into their Sunday morning Bible learning - and lots of Bible learning takes place as well. I know of churches which engage children in opportunities to serve throughout the Summer - where they absolutely do not, "roll up their sidewalks", because they see these three months as the perfect opportunity to engage children and families as they do not go to school during the Summer and both children and parents/grandparents are looking for opportunities to, "do something".

What is your church like? Do you "roll up your sidewalks" or "kick it into high gear"?

If you are the first, think about the following. If your church offers little, if any, opportunities for children, it is likely the children will not want to go to church. Parents may make the children go - but the more children protest, the less likely tired parents are to make them go and before long, the entire family stays home. If this becomes a habit over the Summer, it may be difficult to get back into the habit of attending when Fall arrives - you may lose this family. If the parents decide your church does not offer meaningful opportunities for their children, and they want to go to church, they may look for a new church which will engage their children - and you may lose this family. If the children attend with grandparents, they are very likely to not force their grandchildren to attend - it may be the only reason they are able to take the grandchildren with them if they want to go, so they are not able to force them to do so. In this instance you may lose the children, the grandparents and the opportunity to be used in some way to help draw back the parents.

The over-riding theme to this is, if you do not engage children, so they want to be part of what you are doing, you are likely to lose the children and the people who are bringing them. This is a very high price to pay.

So pray - before you do anything and get others to pray with you. It is too easy to pray and decide God is telling you to do what you already decided to do. Get others to pray with you and listen to what they sense before sharing your opinions. Look for ways to implement an engaging line-up of Summer opportunities. Do NOT, "roll up your sidewalks." Do the work of recruiting - casting vision and helping your volunteers see the "why" of offering engaging and effective ministry opportunities throughout the summer.

It all matters.

Handing Down a Heritage of Faith is Essential & Can be Fun, too!

Please share this post with the grandparents & parents in your church.

I've been writing for the past week and a half about handing down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren. As I said yesterday; "We so easily become distracted by the things in this world. We lose focus of what is truly most important and think things like earning more money, taking bigger and better vacations owning a bigger and newer home, driving new cars, etc. are important when in truth, none of these things matter. Not really. If we end up with all these things, but fail to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren, will we say; 'Oh well. I had a great car, house and big back account.'? No. Nothing, please allow me to repeat, NOTHING is more important than handing down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren. If we are serious about handing down a heritage of faith, we have to stay focused upon what is really important, so we do not become distracted by this world." 

How Do We Hand Down a Heritage of Faith? Serve God & Do Not be Distracted by the World!

Please share with the parents and grandparents in your church.

I have been writing for the past few days about how we are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren; and we need to focus upon doing so. Today as I finish looking at Deuteronomy 6, I want to think about what it means when it tells us to - 

Fear the Lord  your God, serve him only.

Yesterday I talked about how the people of Israel had trouble with remembering all the things God did for them; how He saved them, led them and provided for them. Over and over they forgot. I said; "We tend to do the same. We think the things we have are because of what we have done instead of remembering all we have are blessings from the hand of God. We forget God's goodness, but He says to be careful we do not forget. He wants us to remember and we need to remember. It is an important part of handing down a heritage of faith, because if we do not remember God and His many blessings, our grandchildren are unlikely to do so. When this happens, we slip into sin." 

We so easily become distracted by the things in this world. We lose focus of what is truly most important and think things like earning more money, taking bigger and better vacations, owning a bigger and newer home, driving new cars, etc. are important, when in truth, none of these things matter. Not really. If we end up with all these things, but fail to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren will we say, "Oh well. I had a great car, house and big bank account!"? No. Nothing, please allow me to repeat, NOTHING is more important than handing down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren.

If we are serious about handing down a heritage of faith, we have to stay focused on what is really important; so we do not become distracted by this world. We need to remember Who we serve. We are able to do this in the following ways . . .

How Do We Hand Down a Heritage of Faith? Pay Attention & Remember Our Blessings are from God!

Please share this post with the parents and grandparents in your church.

We have been looking at how we are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren, and we need to focus on doing so. Today I want to think about what it means when Deuteronomy 6 tells us to - 

• Be careful you do not forget the Lord.

Apparently the people of Israel had trouble with remembering all the things God did for them; how He saved them, led them and provided for them. Over and over they forgot. We tend to do the same. We think the things we have are because of our own efforts instead of remembering all we have are blessings from the hand of God. We forget God's goodness, but He says to be careful we do not forget. He wants us to remember and we need to remember. It is an important part of handing down a heritage of faith, because if we do not remember God and His many blessings, our grandchildren  are unlikely to do so. When this happens, we slip into sin. 

Psalms 78 and Judges 2 tell us how this happened with God's people over and over. They received blessings from God, parents and grandparents thanked God. Then, they forgot to tell their children and grandchildren and they accepted the culture of the nations around them, slipped away from God and into sin. Bad things happened, they turned back to God, thanked Him for His blessings, then forgot, didn't tell their children and grandchildren and it all happened over and over again.

If we are serious about handing down a heritage of faith, we have to remember our blessings come from God and teach this to our children and grandchildren, so they are able to do the same. We may do this in the following ways . . . 

How Do We Hand Down a Heritage of Faith? God's Word on our Hearts

Please share the following post with the parents and grandparents in your ministry.

We have been looking at how we are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren, and we need to focus on doing so. Today I want to think about what it means when Deuteronomy 6 tells us to - 

• Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

Bible times people had little boxes with Scripture inside - they wore these on their foreheads and wrists and put them as a sign on their doors. A very literal following of these verses; which certainly we are able to to today as well if we put Scripture in our homes, on our walls or eve wear Scripture jewelry. However; I think this is about really having God's words in our hearts and directing our lives. God's Word has to be more than just something which which we decorate or wear; it needs to be on our hearts and lived in our lives and we are able to do this in the following ways . . ,

How Do We Hand Down a Heritage of Faith? Talk about It!

Please share this post with the parents and grandparents in your church.

We know our "job" is not finished just because our children are grown. This is what Deuteronomy 6 is talking about when it says we are to; "talk about God and His Word in our day-in-day-out lives". We need to remember we are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren.

Deuteronomy is not talking about speaking just the occasional word to our grandchildren about going to church or praying, but a living of our lives in a way which reflects how important God's Word is, because we live it every day. Deuteronomy 6 says to -

How Do We Hand Down a Heritage of Faith? Impress God's Word Upon Our Grandchildren!

Please share this with the parents/grandparents in your ministry to help them know how to hand down the faith to the children they love.

I have been writing about how our "job" is not finished just because our children are grown. If we have grandchildren we still have a very important job to do. We are part of what Deuteronomy 6 is talking about. We are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren.

I looked at the first step in doing this; being people of the Word who have God's words, "upon our heart". You will find what I had to say about this at the following link.

Today I want to look at the next step . . .

How Do We Hand Down a Heritage of Faith? We Must Be People of the Word!

Please pass this post to the parents and grandparents in your ministry to help them learn how to hand down a heritage of faith to the children they love.

As I have been saying, "If we have grandchildren, we still have a very important job. We are a big part of what Deuteronomy 6 is talking about. We are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren." Happily, Deuteronomy 6 tells us how we are able to do exactly this. It begins with . . . 

How Do We Hand Down a Heritage of Faith? Consider the Following . . .

This is the second of a series of posts about how important it is for parents and grandparents to hand down the faith to the children they love. Please share with the parents and grandparents in your ministry.

Yesterday I wrote about how our job is not "finished" just because our children are grown. If we have grandchildren there is still a very important "job" for us to do. We are part of what Deuteronomy 6 is talking about; we are part of God's plan to hand down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren.

So, how do we do this?

Handing Down a Heritage of Faith - It Matters

For the coming week and a half, on my other blog - Grandmas with Heart, I'm posting about how it is the parent's and grandparent's "job" to hand down the faith. Please share these posts with the parents and grandparents in your ministry.

Several years ago Larry Fowler wrote a book, The Question Nobody Asks about Our Children, which took a look at how often children are at church. He said there are 168 hours in a week and research shows typically children are at church for one to three of these hours. If children only attend church every other week - as so many do, they are only there for one to three hours of 336 hours. 

The Pew Research Center's Study on Religion in America, backs this up; their study shows, "The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not identify with any organized religion is growing, according to an extensive new survey by the Pew Research Center. Moreover, these changes are taking place across the religious landscape, affecting all regions of the country and many demographic groups. While the drop in Christian affiliation is particularly pronounced among young adults, it is occurring among Americans of all ages." 

It is clear we are not able to rely on the one to three hours out of 168 to 336 hours our grandchildren/children are in our churches to hand down our faith. We have to become serious about focusing on the other 165-167/333-335 hours which provide opportunities to impact children. This means we have to focus on handing down a heritage of faith to our grandchildren/children and are not able to just rely on the church with the mind-set, "It's their 'job'."

Set Your Clocks Ahead and Hand Down the Faith

Just a reminder . . . this Sunday, March 10, 2019, at 2am (or if you are like us, before we go to bed on Saturday night) we get to set our clocks forward one hour. While we "lose" an hour of sleep, we gain more daylight time. Consider some of the following ways we might encourage the grandparents and parents of the children in our ministry to use this additional daylight time to hand down the faith . . .

Engage Children, Pay Attention & Help Children Connect

Thirty years ago when I led Children's Ministries, most of the children were brought to church by their parents. There were few children who came because their grandparents brought them. However; times have changed. It is more likely than not you have children in your ministry who are there because their grandparents bring them. Where I used to be able to focus upon keeping parents updated on what we were doing with their children in the Children's Ministry and planning resources to equip parents, so they were able to continue the teaching at home, today it is very possible you have to expand your vision to include grandparents.

You also have to stop and realize what it is like for grandparents who bring their grandchildren to church. If they are able to bring their grandchildren to church, it is likely they are only able to do so as long as their grandchildren want to go to church. If you do not engage children in the Children's Ministry, pay attention and help these children connect, you very well may end up losing these children.

So how are you able to do these things in your Children's Ministry? Consider the following ideas . . . 

Do You Know Something Very Important?

There are many things you know, learn about and keep track of when you serve in Children's Ministry. Things such as how many children are in your ministry, how often the children are attending, how many volunteers you have and how many you need. What curriculum you are using and training your volunteers to use it effectively. These are just a few of the things you know, learn about and keep track of when you serve in Children's Ministry. 

But there is something else which is very important for you to know, learn about and keep track of which you very likely have not even thought about. What is this? It is how many grandparents are the ones who bring their grandchildren to your Children's Ministry. Do you know this? Do you know which children would not be part of your Children's Ministry if their grandparents did not bring them to church?

Make What You Do Matter This Week

I am approaching the big birthday of 60, yes 60 in two years. This amazes me, as it seems impossible to be nearly 60!

As I thought about this, I remembered back to when I began serving in Children's Ministry. My senior year in High School I was the Sunday School bus captain on one of our Sunday School buses. This meant each Saturday I went to every home of the children who rode our bus to see who we needed to pick up on Sunday morning. Many Saturdays we also visited new neighborhoods to invite new children to ride our bus.

Then on Sundays I was at church early, so we were able to go pick up the children - typically we had about 30 children ride our bus each Sunday. On the way to church we sang songs on our bus, and I always shared a Bible adventure on the bus as well. The same on the way home - more songs and another Bible adventure told on the bus. We had children put their trust in Jesus on those bumpy buses!

VBS 2019 - The Incredible Race - Answers in Genesis

I'm happy to say Answers in Genesis' 2019 VBS arrived at my house the other day, so today I'm sharing it with you. The Incredible Race is the setting/theme with a focus upon one family, one race, one Savior - take a close look at to see if it is a good "fit" for your ministry.

Resources for You & Your Help Would Be Sincerely Appreciated

One of the things the grandmas who are part of my other blog, Grandmas with Heart, are committed to doing is to help provide resources which will encourage, equip and empower grandmas - and grandpas and parents, too - as they hand down the faith.  Several of us have books we have written, or are working on which do exactly this.