Use the Bible to make your children aware of people who thanked God.  The first Bible story that comes to mind that has to do with thanks is the story of the Ten Lepers in Luke 17:11-19.  Ten lepers came to Jesus and were healed, but only one came back to say thank you.  At Amazon.com you can buy an Arch book about this entitled He Remembered to Say Thank You.    Our children loved the Arch Books as they tell the Bible stories in rhyme and the pictures are very colorful. There are many Bible stories available in the Arch Series.

The story of Hannah (also available from Arch books) is an example of thankfulness as she earnestly prayed for a child and when God answered her prayer, she gave Him thanks. This story is found in 1 Samuel 1 and 2.

The Psalms are full of David’s thank yous.  And Paul talks often of his thankfulness for various things.

If you don’t have the books, read the stories in the Bible for yourself, and then tell them in your own words with expression.  Be creative and use visuals.  For example for the Ten Lepers you can make 10 paper dolls with dots all over them on one side and then flip them over  to reveal the spots are all gone when you talk about Jesus healing them.  Have all of them leave, and then one of them comes back to thank Jesus.

Click on this link somuch-scott to hear a fun, thankful song that the children love.   I couldn’t remember exactly how it went so I called our good friend and minister of music, Scott Eaton, and got him to sing it over the phone.  Start with your hands together and as you sing the song pull them further and further apart until your arms are wide open.  Bring your hands back together in a big clap before the last phrase.

You can sing this next song to  the tune of :”Frere Jacques” also known as “Are You Sleeping?”  Sing it with hands folded in prayer and head bowed:

We are thankful
We are thankful
Yes we are
Yes we are
Thankful for our food
Thankful for our family
Give God thanks
Give God thanks

This would be a good time to memorize Psalm 100 or any psalm of thanks.  If your child can’t read yet, try making a picture for the main words in the psalm to help in memorizing.

Psalm 100:1-5

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness:

Come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,and into his courts with praise:

Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

On November 10, 2008 our oldest son, Josh, and his wife, Becca, made us grandparents for the first time.

We are so thankful for Grant William.  He is truly our miracle baby, as you know, if you have been reading Becca’s blog about her walk through infertility for two years.

Now I know that I am inexperienced at being a grandparent, but God’s word has some specific instructions to grandparents that I wanted to share.

Deut. 4:9 (NLT)
“But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have seen the Lord do for you. Do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

Timothy’s grandmother was an example of this to us.  She passed her faith on to her grandson.

2 Tim. 1:5 (NLT)
I know that you sincerely trust the Lord, for you have the faith of your mother, Eunice, and your grandmother, Lois.

Even though our children are grown, God says that we still have work to do concerning our grandchildren.  What a responsibility and a wonderful privilege!!!  What fun we are going to have helping our children teach their children about Jesus!!!!!

Psalm 71:18 (NLT)  Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God, Let me proclaim your power to this new generation your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

Patience is “waiting until later for what I want now”. God is our perfect example of this as He wants our love and affection now, but He waits patiently until we are ready to yield to Him:

And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved…2 Peter 3:15

Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin? Romans 2:4

If God has such patience with us, we should have patience with each other:

Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Ephesians 4:2

As parents, our patience is tested daily and there are times when we all think we have totally lost it. This is when we need to rest in the fact that through knowing God and by His power, we can endure anything:

We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need…Col. 1:11

Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 2 Peter 1:6

One way our children learn patience is from observing us. They will usually respond to a situation the same way we do, so they need to see us exercising our patience in difficult situations. When we lose our patience, it can be make the situation worse; when we are patient, we have a calming effect on our children.

Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering (patience), for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him. 1 Tim. 1:16

In addition to your modeling patience, you can have fun using creative activities to teach patience. Here are some ideas I have used through the years with my own children and with my two year old class this last month:

1. Our theme song for the month has been from a children’s musical called Music Machine (click to see this album available at Amazon.com). To hear the song about patience click here 07-have-patience1.

2. In this song Herbert the Snail sings “Have Patience”. We had fun making a snail out of clay dough and painting it after it dried. To make the clay-dough, mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, and 1/3 cup water. Roll the dough into a snake and curl it like a snail. Use a broken toothpick for feelers.

Herbert the Snail

3. We also learned to sign the song.

4. I had the children all sit down on the carpet and wait quietly until the timer went off (about one minute or so) and then I gave them a small treat and thanked them for waiting patiently.

5. We pointed out patience in any video we watched or book we read.

6. When we read The Tortoise and the Hare, we made a turtle out of a paper plate folded in half for its shell and then added a head, legs, and tail. We talked about how the turtle walked patiently toward his goal.

7. When we read Daddy, Are We There Yet, we pretended to take a car trip and talked about waiting patiently until we arrived at our destination.

8. I thanked them anytime I observed them using patience.

9. I acted out being impatient, which really surprised them to see me act like they do sometimes when they don’t get what they want and when they want it. ( I later apologized for not being patient)

I’m sure you can come up with more creative ideas of your own. Have fun and remember that with God’s power you can “Have Patience”

He has put a new song in my mouth– Psalm 40:3

Do you have a new song to sing each day? I have to admit that lately I have not had a song in my heart or in my mouth because of negative circumstances in our lives. But singing can bring physical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual refreshment to individuals of all ages, even beginning in the womb. The unborn child’s ears at 20 weeks are structurally equivalent to an adult’s ears and the amniotic fluid is an excellent conductor of sound.

God knows what He’s doing when He encourages us numerous times throughout Scripture to sing. He desires our songs of praise to Him, but He also designed music for our good - to promote our wellness, to help us manage stress, to encourage us to express our feelings, to help enhance our memory, and to help us improve communication.

It is easy to sing when all is right in our world, but we should not sing only when things are going well for us. My mentor that I mentioned in a previous post, Jo Bevington, is recuperating from a stroke, is almost blind, and is now unable to work with children, but she always has a new song in her heart and mouth when I talk with her. She recently sent me this scripture: I will be glad and full of joy because of You Most High God. I will sing praise to You.” Psalm 9:2

Scriptures gives us examples of ways God used music in difficult times. In 2 Chronicles 20, God instructed the singers to lead the way as the army marched toward the enemy which lead to their ultimate victory. In 1 Samuel 16:23 David’s harp playing soothed the troubled spirit of the king.

With all this in mind, we should sing often with our children. Don’t worry if you are like me and can’t carry a tune . . . God nor your children will care. It will bless God, your children, and you. God has designed children to give Him the best praise and you as their parent get to have a part in that as you guide them to sing. (Psalm 8:2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you; toddlers shout the songs that drown out enemy talk, and silence atheist babble.)

Here are a few examples of songs that you can sing to familiar tunes. One mother recently wrote me that she was learning to make up songs each day with her children…what fun! Let’s all keep singing

Blow, Blow, Blow the Wind (Psalm 147:18)

(tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

Blow, blow, blow the wind

Gently through the trees

God causes His wind to blow

How I like the breeze

A Helper I Will Be(1 Corinthians 3:9)

(tune of The Farmer in the Dell)

A helper I will be

A helper I will be

I will help my mommy

A helper I will be

Be Ready to Share (1 Timothy 6:18)

(tune of 3 Blind Mice)

Be ready to share

Be ready to share

It’s more fun when we share our toys

So let’s share with the girls and the boys

Be ready to share

Be ready to share

It is Better to Give Than Receive (Ephesians 4:28, 2Cor. 9:7)

(tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb)

It is better to give than receive

Give than receive

Give than receive

It is better to give than receive

Giving makes us glad

Brush Your Teeth

(tune of Row, Row Your Boat)

Brush, Brush, Brush your teeth

Brush your teeth each day

Then you’ll have a pretty smile

And healthy teeth to stay

I have heard it said that the best thing a mom can do for her child is to love that child’s father. Our love and respect for our husband sets the example for our children to learn to honor their father. No one else can teach your children that concept as well as you can because no one else is going to love their father as much as you do. Ephesians. 6:2-3 says that honoring your father (and your mother) is the first commandment that comes with a promise: “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” It seems that the best thing we can do for our children and for their father is to exemplify honor and respect.

The Bible has something to say about how we are to treat our husbands:

Ephesians 5:33 - …each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

1 Peter 3:5-6 - After all, this is how holy women who had confidence in God expressed their beauty in the past. They placed themselves under their husbands’ authority as Sarah did. Sarah obeyed Abraham and spoke to him respectfully. You became Sarah’s daughters by not letting anything make you afraid to do good. (So it seems the children, the father, and the mom profit from honoring the father - it makes us more beautiful!!)

I recently read these suggestions for honoring your husband. They were written by Mary Alice Smith who was married for 67 years to Bible teacher Fred Smith:

1) Appreciate him - Never give the impression, “I could have done better.”

2) Send him off each day with a pocketful of “feel goods” Get up and fix him breakfast, compliment him on how he looks, tell him you will be glad when he comes home.

3) Believe in him - Support his motives. Let him know you believe he is sincere in what he is doing. Never tear him down or cause him to doubt himself.

4) Know what is important in his life - Don’t assume that the family is number one always, especially if he is following a calling. Let him know you and the family want to participate in his calling, and you don’t want to compete with it.

5) Be loyal to him - We have friends who always “air their dirty laundry” when we are together. When the wife exposes the husband’s weaknesses, it is usually because she is insecure.

6) Laugh when he tells a story - I try never to groan and say, “You aren’t going to tell that one again, are you?” People watch the wife when the husband is speaking.

7) Let him brag to you - It is so easy for a wife to think it’s her job to keep her husband humble, but everyone else in the world does enough of that.

8 ) Make him feel like a man - Someone once said, “Treat him like a king and he will treat you like a queen.”

9) Help him concentrate - Be careful about interrupting your husband.

10) Avoid jealousy - The “green-eyed monster” is a sure sign of insecurity and selfishness. The love in 1 Corinthians 13 certainly excludes jealousy.

-

There is no higher calling for a woman than being a wife and a mother. I have always been so proud to be Mrs. Billy Daws. I am married to my best friend!! Happy Father’s Day, Billy.

It seems that God has always had us in “tight times” so we were always motivated to make the most of our situation and to enjoy the simple things.

Here are some things we have done that are very inexpensive or even free.

Play with Flour - Go outside with a cheap 5 lb. bag of flour. Sift it, pour it, mix it, throw it.

Sock wars - Save your old socks and roll each into a ball and throw them at each other

Run through the Sprinkler

Water balloons and guns

Sidewalk chalk

Mustard and Ketchup finger-painting - (to keep this from being messy, you can put a few squirts of mustard and ketchup in a baggie and seal it with tape and then press it around in the baggie)

Play dough - Just for fun or let children illustrate with play dough something from a story you just read

Goop (non toxic) - Mix 8 oz. of white glue and 6 oz. of water. Separately combine 1 tsp. of borax and half cup of water. Pour borax mixture into glue mixture and mix with hands until all liquid is absorbed and texture is smooth.

Lava pit - Take all the pillows in the house and place them around on the floor and you can only get from one place to another by stepping on a pillow.

Avalanche - Take all the pillows again and build a high tower, then take cover as it comes toppling down on everyone

Nature walk - Take a walk and discover some of God’s toys (see what I mean at our son Josh’s latest blog on God’s Toys http://www.proudlypowerless.com)

Build tents inside and out with sheets and blankets

Camp out in the backyard

Picnicking with cookie cutter peanut butter sandwiches in backyard or at a park or under a sheet draped over the kitchen table

Play with Cornstarch - Mix one part water with one-and-a-half to two parts cornstarch, adding a bit of food color for fun. It is like a thick liquid; you can sink your hand into the mixture slowly, but it will not give if you punch it quickly.

Rubber band guns - Nail a clothes pin to a stick of wood to make the gun and use rubber bands to knock down army men or whatever.

Create with masking tape - Use masking tape on the floor to make roads for cars or use it to make a pretend boat for you all to get in…just use your own imagination.

Popcorn in the backyard - If you have an electric popcorn popper, take it outside and place it on a sheet. Start it popping with no top on it and watch the popcorn fly.

Invent your own fun - Just recently our family invented a new twist to playing catch…every time we caught the ball, we had to say a movie quote.

Don’t be hesitant to make a mess. Sure there will be a lot of clean up, but you will be making memories together. Last year when my oldest son turned 30, he gave me a card for Mother’s Day with 30 reasons he was glad I was his mom; one was that I always let them make messes.

Don’t ever get too old to have fun as a family. Our children are all adults now but we still enjoy acting like kids. Jesus said that we must come to Him with the humility and faith of a little child (Luke 18:16-17, Matthew 18:1-4)…I think He wants us to approach all of life with the wonder and enjoyment of a little child.

Side Note: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says to speak of God and His word as we go:

“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.“

Everything doesn’t have to be related to a Bible verse, but as you play with play dough you could share, “God tells us ‘work with your hands’ (I Thessalonians 4:11).” Or while discovering things on your nature walk you could say, “Think of the wonders of God” (Joel 2:25, Job 37:14, Psalm 40:15)

HAVE A FUN FILLED SUMMER!

The Bible story of Daniel teaches us the importance of eating the right foods. Daniel had been taken from his own country as a young boy. He remembered the teachings of his parents even in a foreign country as he refused to eat the foods that he had been taught were unhealthy.

“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way… ‘Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.’ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food” (Daniel 1:8, 12,13,15, NIV).

It was around 600 BC when Daniel challenged his captors to study the effects of healthy eating. In June 2004, researchers at the University of Southampton did a similar study of the effects of healthy eating in over 1800 three-year-old children. After initial behavioral testing, all of the children got one week of a healthy diet without artificial food colorings and without any chemical preservatives. The results were that the children’s behaviors noticeably improved during this week.

What is a healthy diet for our children?

Children need whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins from fish, poultry, eggs, meat, or from plant sources.

Children do not need to eat large amounts of sugar. In the 1800s, the average American consumed 12 pounds of sugar per year. By 1997, it jumped to 154 pounds per year. This amounts to 53 teaspoonfuls of added sugar per day (6-18 teaspoonfuls per day is the recommended amount).

Dr. Alan Greene of Children’s Hospital of Northern California says: “Giving your child a breakfast that contains fiber (such as oatmeal, shredded wheat, berries, bananas, or whole-grain pancakes) should keep adrenaline levels more constant and make the school day a more wondrous experience. Packing her or his lunch box with delicious, fiber-containing treats (such as whole-grain breads, peaches, grapes, or any other fresh fruits) may turn afternoons at home into a delight.”

According to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, our bodies are Temples for Jesus to live in. Until our children are old enough to take care of their own Temples, God entrusts us with their care spiritually and physically. Daily ask Him for guidance as you gently and lovingly guide them to make wise choices in every area of their lives.

If you haven’t heard, Steven Curtis Chapman’s 5 year old daughter was accidentally run over and killed on May 21. Please be in prayer for this family.

Not long ago, after trying to rush through a bath time with his young daughters, he wrote a song called “Cinderella”. You can hear the song by clicking here. Please listen after the song finishes as Steven tells why he wrote the song.

We have just a short moment in time with our children so “make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good.” (Ephesians 5:16)

Jesus set the example for valuing time spent with children: Then Jesus took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. (Mark 10:16) But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

I pray for you lots of time to snuggle and read with your little ones, hours of family playtime, and many opportunities to teach your children.

Building Memories

by Sandra D. Romans

So much to do - I have not time

To listen now, I say,

And hurry back to the chores

That always fills my day.

No time to listen? A small voice

Seemed to whisper in my ear…

Soon your little ones will be gone

And you’ll wish to hold them near.

I left my broom - the chores undone

And found them under the apple tree.

I held them close and listened while

Their love and we built a memory.