April2009

Ask God:1.

To give your children ahunger for his Word.

To help your children hide hisWord in their hearts (seePsalm 119:11).

To help family members applythe Bible to their daily lives.

Instill a Deep Love for God’s Word

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he encouraged people to bring theirchildren to him, and he praised the qualities of childlike faith. Morethan 50% of Christians choose to follow Jesus between ages 5 and 9.So it’s never too early to nurture this most important relationship.And you don’t need a theology degree to help your children love theBible. Here are some easy steps to spark a passion for Scripture:

Provide age-appropriate resources.

Look for books andmaterials that encourage spiritual development. Take advantage of your local and church libraries, as well as experts at Christianbookstores.

Read to children and let themsee you reading the Bible.

Readingaloud is one of the best thingsparents can do for their children’sdevelopment. So why not use thatone-on-one time to read from God’sWord? Also, model a love forScripture by letting children see youread (and live) it regularly.

Partner with your local church.

Parents and churches can worktogether to help children discover God’s message of love andsalvation. Talk to your pastor or children’s pastor for ideas aboutnurturing your children’s relationship with God.

Adapt as your children grow.

Watch for cues that children haveoutgrown Bible storybooks. After reading with your older children,ask questions that encourage them to dig deeper into God’s Word.

The Good Book

In national surveys of adults, the Barna Group found:

•

Most Christian adults rated themselves as strong inrelationships but below average in Bible knowledge.

•

Two-thirds of adults said they accept six well-known Bibleaccounts as literal truth. These include God creating theworld in six days, Moses parting the Red Sea, Danielsurviving in the lions’ den, David slaying Goliath, Jesuswalking on water, and Jesus rising from the dead.

Parenting Insights

Use these age-appropriate ideasfrom

Children’s Ministry Magazine

to help tailor the Bible’s messageto your children’s learning skills:

Ages 2 to 5

Preschoolers’ attention span isonly two to 10 minutes. Theylearn by touching objects and byrepetition. Paraphrase Biblestories and highlight only mainpoints.

Ages 6 to 9

By this age, children’s attentionspan is 10 to 20 minutes. Theythink concretely and focus onpeople’s actions. Provide moredetails and then let children sharethe passage in their own words.

Ages 10 to 12

By this age, most children haveheard many Bible stories a lot.They need to know, “So what?” Offer modern-day applicationsbecause children learn morewhen they see how God’s Wordapplies to them personally.

The above passage from Deuteronomy is a command but also awonderful privilege. As you teach your children about God andhis Word, use these discussion-starters:

Why do you think God gave us the Bible? What makes it sospecial and important?2.

How do you know that everything in the Bible is true?3.

How can we use the Bible to get to know God better? How canwe use the Bible to help us know how to live?4.

What are some of your favorite Bible verses or stories, and why?How can you share these with other people?

“Your word is a lamp toguide my feet and a light formy path…. The teaching of your word gives light, soeven the simple canunderstand.”Psalm 119:105, 130

The Bible shows us the way toheaven, as well as the way tolive here on earth. Use everyopportunity to introduce yourchildren to God’s Word.

Teachable Moments1.

“The B-I-B-L-E”—

Manychildren absorb newinformation quickly throughmusic. Plus, it’s fun! Athome or in the car, singsongs about Bible peopleand events. Many praiselyrics come directly fromScripture verses.

Hide God’s Word in YourHearts—

If you want yourchildren to memorize Biblepassages, start simple andkeep it fun. For longer Biblepassages, family memberscan each memorize adifferent section.

Act It Out—

If your childrenenjoy playing pretend anddress up, encourage them toact out various Bible stories.Read directly from the Bibleand then help childrensearch for fun props (astuffed whale for Jonah,building blocks for the wallof Jericho, a doll for thebaby Jesus, and so on).

Family Experience:

Bible Exploration

During an evening together, dive into God’s Word with theseideas from Group’s

Hands-On Bible.

•

The Ultimate Group Project—

The Bible was written by morethan 40 people over 1,500 yearsin three different languages. Yetit fits together perfectly! What if your family decided to write abook and each person got achapter? What would you eachwrite about? It would beinteresting, but it wouldn’t fittogether like a story. Ask family members to each write (or tell) adescription of the same movie. Then compare what everybodywrote. How close or different are the descriptions? Now readexamples of how different Bible writers presented the same event.Read Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; and Luke 3:21-22.

•

It’s Knot a Problem—

Without the Bible, it’s impossible to knowhow to live a life that pleases God. Together, read 2 Timothy 3:16once or twice. Have everyone try writing (or saying) the verse intheir own words. Next, take a one-foot length of rope or clothesline.Say, “I’m going to hold one end of the rope in each hand and tie aknot without letting go of the ends. It seems impossible, right?” Letfamily members try to come up with a solution. After a few minutes,lay the rope out straight on a table. Cross your arms over yourchest, then lean over and pick up the ends of the rope with yourarms still crossed. Then unfold your arms to reveal the tied knot.Say, “With God’s guidance in the Bible, it’s possible to make gooddecisions. The Bible teaches us to do what’s right.”

This page is designed to help educate parents and isn’t meant to endorse any movie, music, or product.Our prayer is that you’ll make informed decisions about what your children watch, listen to, and wear.

What’s Playing at the Movies

Movie:

Hannah Montana: The Movie

(April 10)

Genre:

Comedy, Family, Music

Rating:

Cast:

Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment

Synopsis:

Ordinary girl Miley Cyrus, who morphs intopop star Hannah Montana, is having trouble jugglingher busy life. When Miley becomes overwhelmed byher alter ego, Dad whisks her away to the family’sTennessee hometown for some perspective. Whilethere, Miley must decide which life to pursue.

Discussion Questions:

When have you felt overwhelmed, and whatwas the reason? If you could “reinvent” yourself, who would youbecome, and why? Read Joshua 24:14-15. Think of a time you had tochoose between two different paths: How did you make your decision?How does God help you make decisions?

What Music Is Releasing

Artist:

Mandisa

Album:

Freedom

Artist Info:

Now a contemporary gospel artist,Mandisa placed ninth on

American Idol

season five.She forgave judge Simon Cowell for making meancomments about her weight.

Summary:

Mandisa’s second album containsupbeat praise, R&B, and pop tunes. Her strong alto vocals praise God incatchy anthems and ballads. The album’s first single, “My Deliverer,” celebrates Mandisa’s freedom from a food addiction. In “Definition of Me,” she sings, “Pretty is cool for a minute, but it will always fadeaway…. I want the beauty on the inside.”

Discussion Questions:

Why are so many people focused on outwardappearances? What is your definition of true beauty? Read 1 Peter 3:3-4.What about your spirit makes you beautiful on the inside?

What Games Are Out

Title ContentRating & Platform

Roogoo

Players test their reflexes by guiding fallingmeteor shapes through a series of platforms.This game is similar to

Tetris.

E; Xbox 360

NASCAR Kart Racing

Driving teams work together to winchampionships, racing on 24 layouts. Up tofour people can play this fun game.E; Wii

Zubo

Players “battle” by solving puzzles andcompleting humorous gags. This game willappeal to Pokemon fans. It contains mildcartoon violence and mild crude humor.E10+; Nintendo DS

GAME RATINGS KEY:

EC=Early Childhood, E=Everyone (ages 6+), E10+ (ages 10+),T=Teen (ages 13+)

Culture & Trends

What’s happening rightnow that may affect yourchildren and family:

•

Thanks to the recession,now more families areenjoying home-cookedmeals together. Foodtrends for 2009 centeraround comfort, value,and simplicity.

(NPR)

•

In the last decade, thenumber of stay-at-homedads has tripled.

(

Newsweek

)