Teaching Children Church History

I grew up in the church and was blessed to learn theology at a young age. But it wasn’t until I started attending a Christian school as a teen that I learned the stories behind that theology. It was in a class on Church History that I discovered the people and places that helped define the truths I took for granted such as the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, justification by faith, and how it is that I attend church on American soil.

A lot has happened since the day Jesus ascended into heaven and charged the disciples to spread the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. Many people have died in the cause of spreading the name and fame of Christ and his gospel. In our day and age, learning the history of the church from the time of the New Testament until now, is important. We live in an age where few know what they believe and why. Truth is often seen as relative and depends on what one feels like doing in the moment. In truth, we live in a time not all that different from that of the early church.

We need to teach our children about the history of the church..to read the rest of this post, visit Redeemed Reader, my writing home for today.

Encounters With Grace

Have you ever had a day where you displayed yourself at your worst? Where you spewed forth ugliness that you didn't know you were capable of?

I had such a day recently where I was unkind to my children. I was frustrated. My words dripped with sarcasm. I yelled. Then I gave myself a timeout. I went into my room to gather myself, pray, cry, and hopefully figure out how to make things right.

Over the sound of my sniffles I heard a little sound on the other side of my bedroom door. I walked over and found a note on the floor. It was from one of my children. Scrawled in all caps it read, "I LOVE YOU MOMMY."

I opened the door and found a little boy with open arms waiting to give me a hug. I apologized for my behavior and asked him to pray with me.

I had an encounter with grace.

What is Grace?

There is a lot of talk of grace these days. Much of it is for good. Such talk reminds us that we are completely dependent upon God for all things: our lives, our salvation, our needs, our sanctification, and everything in between. It reminds us that God has bestowed kindness on us that we haven't deserved when he gave his Son to rescue us from sin. And it reminds us that all things come to us by his grace.

But some of the talk we hear about grace actually cheapens it. Like when we use grace to excuse sin. Or when we use grace as a reason to stay where we are. And when we use grace as a reason to give in and not fight against the battles that wage in our heart.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." (The Cost of Discipleship
p. 45)

The undeserved kindness my son gave me prompted me to apologize and seek forgiveness. Though this encounter with grace was a dim shadow, it did remind me of the grace God has for us. A grace that moves and pushes us away from where we are. As Romans tells us, "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance" (2:4).

God's grace does not leave us as we are. It is not an overlooking-grace or a grace that shrugs shoulders and says, "that's just the way you are." It's not a giving-up-grace or a giving-in-grace. It's not a grace that says everything is okay just the way it is.

Rather, God's grace is an all-transforming-grace.

God's All-Transforming Grace

Titus 2:11-14 says this about God's grace:

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

God's grace teaches and trains us. It changes and transforms us. His grace sculpts, cuts, strips, chips, and molds. It interrupts, redirects, puts up road blocks, tears down idols, and breaks strongholds.

Such grace does not say that we are okay when we are in fact not. God will not keep us where we are. He is always pushing us to where we need to go. All the things we think we need, all the things we cling to, and all the things we put our hope in are all obstacles to his grace. And they are all things he will remove to clear our path to what we need most: himself.

We'll know we have encountered God's grace when we see it. We will feel the conviction of the Spirit and will be prompted to repent. We'll find a growing distaste for sin. We'll desire change and feel dissatisfied with where we are. The more we encounter God's grace the more we'll want to honor him. The more we'll want to be like Christ. As the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible (Black) puts it, "The gospel produces such loving and longing for our great God and Savior Jesus Christ that we desire to honor him with our lives."

God's grace is a wonderful, marvelous, and amazing thing. It is so marvelous and amazing that we should never want to cheapen or lessen it. Instead, we should rest in it, rejoice in it, and praise God for it. We should yield to it as it transforms and changes us. We should sing of it. We should seek to know more of it. We should study it in Scripture, tracing the grand story of grace from Genesis to Revelation. And as my son did for me, we should reflect it to the world, pointing to the God who is grace.

Have you encountered God's amazing, all-transforming grace?

Note: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Teaching Children a Biblical Worldview

We live in a constantly changing world. Morals, values, and even truth shifts on the shaky fault line of our culture. Whatever one feels in the moment is the deciding factor in determining what is right and good.

As believers living in such an environment it can be confusing, disconcerting, and even a bit frightening. And what about our children? How do we teach them right from wrong when there is no standard of truth in our world today? How do we provide them a steady foundation for life? How do we teach them how to make wise decisions amid all the competing voices and clamor of this world?

The answer is we give them a Biblical world view....to read the rest of this post, visit For the Family, my writing home today.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Biggest Story

What's the biggest story in the Bible? Is it the plagues in Egypt? Is it the story of David and Goliath? Is it the one about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? Or maybe it's the story of Jesus' death and resurrection?

Actually, it's the one about the Snake Crusher.

The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden
is the new children's book written by Keven DeYoung. It's about the biggest story, the story of redemption. It begins with a perfect world, the first man and woman, and a deceitful snake. It tells the story of what happened in the Garden where Adam and Eve believed the Snake's lies, disobeyed, were removed from Paradise, and the presence of God. Before they left the Garden though, God gave them a promise that one day, a snake crusher would come and make things right.

The rest of the book follows the familiar stories of God's people who failed to follow God over and over and of God who kept his promises all the same. "It was a very good thing God was always rescuing his people. Because it seemed that no matter how many times God saved his people, the Israelites were never quite safe from themselves" (p.66).

And then the promised Snake Crusher is born. The book goes on to talk about Jesus' perfect life, death, and resurrection. The promise given back in Genesis came true. Jesus conquered sin and death at the cross. "Our story is the story of God doing what we can't, in order to make up for us doing what we shouldn't. The Christ suffers for our sin, that we might share in his sinlessness...God kicks his own people out of Paradise and then does whatever it takes to bring them back again" (p.107).

The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden ends with the glorious promise of the Snake Crusher's return to make all things right where we will live with him forever in a place where there is no more bad guys and no more tears.

This book is filled with engaging prose, and fun images that my children enjoyed. The story is Christ-centered, God exalting, and filled with hope. It shows children that God keeps his word. No matter how far God's people strayed, God never failed to keep his promise to bring them a deliverer. The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden also incorporates theological truths, woven throughout the story, teaching children that Jesus is the second Adam, that he is the final and perfect prophet, priest, and king, and the fulfillment of God's promise to Adam, Abraham, and David. It also highlights the truth that God is holy and we are sinful. We need salvation and we need Jesus, the Snake Crusher, to restore us back to God.

I highly recommend this book to all families who have elementary age children. The story of redemption is the biggest and best story and one our children need to hear over and over again.

I have one copy to give away. Enter below, U.S. residents only. Enter below. Update: Lisa is the winner of this giveaway. Congratulations!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my review. The thoughts and opinions are my own. This post also contains Amazon affiliate links.

A Prayer for Homeschool

It's that time of year again. Boxes of books have arrived at my door. The still stiff spines and crisp pages lay stacked and ready to be opened and consumed by my children's curious minds.

New books and curriculum are exciting. The beginning of a new school year is not unlike a new calendar year. It is filled with expectation and anticipation at what the future holds. A new school year means growth, maturity, and new worlds of knowledge explored.

In considering what this new school year holds, I know from past experiences that it will not be all peaches and cream. This is our fifth year of home school and I know there will be days where my kids will be tired, sick, and slow to learn. I know there will be bickering, distractions, and resistance to learning. And I know that I will battle my own impatience, frustration, and weariness.

As I opened my boxes of new curriculum and organized my materials and lessons, my eyes passed over the bulletin board that hangs on the school room wall. On the top corner of the board's frame rests a wooden sign hand carved by my grandfather. It is simply five letters, the name Jesus.

I've kept it in our school room as a reminder of who reigns, who rules, and by whose grace I teach my children. It's a reminder that I cannot home school apart from him. And it reminds me of to whom I want to point my children and all my lessons, for as Colossians 3:2 says, it is in Jesus "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

A Prayer for Homeschool

Dear Father in Heaven,

I come before you with a mixture of anticipation and worry. I am excited for a new school year yet also a little nervous about the unknown. It's such a heavy responsibility to teach these children you've given me. I worry about doing it wrong, letting them down, and holding them back. I worry that I'll miss something or fail to teach them something they need to know. I also worry about my weaknesses and not being strong enough to instruct and guide them day in and day out.

Yet Father, I know from your word that you do not call us to something and then not enable us to do what you've called us to. You don't call us because we are already capable or are strong or successful within ourselves. You call us and then make us capable. You strengthen us with your strength.

Scripture is filled with examples of you defying weakness. You enter seemingly impossible situations and flip them upside down. I see how you took Moses who stumbled in speech and enabled him to lead the Israelite's out of slavery. I see how you took an uneducated fisherman and made him a foundational leader in the early church. I see how you took a poor teenage girl and made her the mother of your Son. And you took what seemed to all of Jesus' followers like the end of a dream--when your Son died on the cross--resurrected him and by doing so, ensured our own future resurrection and eternity with you.

Indeed, you do great work with the weak and weary. And weak and weary is what I am.

Forgive me for doubting and fearing. Forgive me for not trusting you. Forgive me for forgetting all you have done. Forgive me for resting in my own strength. Forgive me for all the ways I strive and work apart from your grace.

As I begin this new school year, strengthen me with your grace. Help me to rely on you and you alone. Grant me wisdom to teach my children. Help my words to be gracious, my actions to be honoring, and my thoughts to be centered on you. In everything, may I point my children to you and all they have through your Son, Jesus Christ.

I pray for my children, that you would help them to stay on task and not get distracted. Help them to enjoy learning. Help them to be diligent and hard working. Help them to desire to learn more of you. Help them to grow in their faith this year. Holy Spirit, grant them growth in the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

And throughout this year, may Christ always be at the forefront of our vision. May he be our source, our hope, our guide, and the purpose for everything we do.

In his name I pray,

Amen.