How to Stop Abdicating Your Spiritual Role as A Parent

How to Stop Abdicating Your Spiritual Role as A Parent

  

Reading Time: 5 min 40 sec

 

As Christian parents we all want our children to grow up to know and love God. We want them to behave well, get good grades, and live a moral life. We believe that if we can only keep them in a church, they will develop a faith that will keep them from drugs, teenage pregnancy, and overall bad decisions.

 

We quickly fall into the trap of believing that it is the primary role of churches to develop the spiritual lives of our kids. Our feelings of inadequacy and perceived lack of time and energy drive us to make sure our children are being taught about God from the professionals.   

 

So we jump from church to church desperately trying to find a children’s program or youth group where our child can truly connect.  We find safety in the belief that our role begins and ends with a ride to church and money for summer camp.

 

This mindset is doing a great disservice to our families.  Studies have shown year after year that parents, (not youth pastors) are the number one influence in the lives of their children.

 

As a former youth pastor, let me be completely honest with you, it is impossible for pastors to raise children to know and love God because we only have them for an one maybe two hours a week.

 

There is a reason why God encourages us as parents to take a primary role in the spiritual life of our children. “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6  A life with God is modeled for kids by their parents, who live life with them.  

 

The church still plays a crucial role in the spiritual development of your child. However, it was not meant to serve as the primary spiritual influence in their lives.

 

So how with all of our misgivings, inadequacies, failures, and humanness do we raise our children to know and love God? 

We are going to be talking about three ways that we parents can serve as the primary spiritual influence in the lives of our children.

1. A With God Life

 

2. You Are Not Alone

 

 

3. Take A Breath

 

 

1. A With God Life  

 

I was engaged in small talk at a birthday party, when another mother interjected, “Oh, my. Now I know where your children get it.” I looked at her puzzled, “Get what?” I ask. “Their manner of speech. They sound just like you.”

 

As parents, whether we like it or not, our children pick up not only our mannerisms, but our outlook on life. When we make our relationship with God a priority it sends the message (louder than all our rants) that God is to be taken seriously. 

 

Your actions literally speak louder than your words. When you make the choice to spend time with God, to pray, to wrestle with real-life problems with God in front of your children, you are helping to set the foundation for their spiritual development.

 

In Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Moses tells the Israelites to, “Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.”

 

When a life with God is a priority, not an afterthought, not something we work in into the margins of our lives, our children sit up and take notice.  When you live your relationship with God in front of them, you are giving them tools for the rest of their lives.

 

This can be as simple as natural conversations about God. Apologizing when you have blown it. And treating your spouse with respect.  Our children need us to care and invest in our own spiritual development.  Our life with God speaks louder than all the sermons in the world. Trust me, I should know. smile

 

2.  You Are Not Alone

 

Okay, before those feelings of discouragement and pressure threaten to overwhelm you know that you are not alone in this parenting journey. You don’t have to have all the answers (it’s better if you don’t). Woohoo!

 

God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we don’t even know that our child is struggling, he does. He knows exactly what our children need and when they need it. Our job is to partner with the Holy Spirit in inviting our children into a life with God. He is the one who works in their hearts as they come to know God.

 

“As they are ready, children construct or form their understandings for themselves, with the gracious presence, encouragement, and guidance of God’s Spirit.” Catherine Stonehouse and Scottie May, Listening to Children on the Spiritual Journey.

 

So how do we partner with God? We can do this by creating elbow room for the Holy Spirit to move. We can create opportunities by slowing down and inviting Gods to speak to our hearts, through prayer, quiet, conversation, and reflection.

  

3. Take A Breath

As parents, we need to understand that children learn by experience, not data. As much as we would like to fill their head with all these facts about God, they need to experience the lavish love of the Father, in order to have a living breathing relationship with him.

And so, the phrase, “Just because I said so” doesn’t work in the spiritual formation of your child. We need to allow them to wrestle with real-life issues. Information about God and the Bible is an important part of our faith. However, at this stage in their spiritual journey, experience is how they encounter a relationship with God.

 

“Children are most like adults in their feelings. They are least like adults in their thinking. More information does not make them think like us.” Catherine Stonehouse

 

When children have an actual relationship with God, they make decisions of faith. Here are some practical tips to create elbow room for the Holy Spirit to speak to your child. 

 

 1. When reading a Bible story or passage do not be quick to point out the moral. Allow your child space to think about the story. Trust that the Holy Spirit is planting seeds.

 

2. Model talking to God like a friend. Trusting him with the little and big stuff of life. All throughout the day. No deep voice required. smile 

 

3. Spend some time in silence.  Tell your child that you are going to spend some time being quiet and just spend time with God. Remind the children that he is present with them right now.

Pray and Invite God’s presence and allow for a short period of silence (start with a minute). Close with a short prayer.

Talk to your child about their experience. If they didn’t experience anything, let them know that it happens. Tell them that they brought God great joy by showing up to spend time with him.

 

4. Allow your child to interact with the story in a variety of ways. You can use toys, puppets, food, drama, books, and art etc.

If you want to know how to get started in living a deep life with God; grab our Deeper Life Beginners Guide (below). And join our community of moms who are hungry for more Jesus in their lives and in the lives of their families. 


 

How To Have Time With God When You Feel Awkward

How To Have Time With God When You Feel Awkward

  

Reading Time: 5 min 15 sec

I tiptoe through the house, and with a cup of steaming hot coffee in my hands, I pull out my Bible and sink down into the couch.  I bask in the feeling of accomplishment that I actually woke up before the sun, ready to spend some quality time with Jesus.  

 

I glance down at my Bible and instantly feel overwhelmed. Now what? My mind is filled with questions; Do I just start reading? Should I start with prayer? How long does my prayer need to be? Do I need to use a devotional in order for this to count? Should I try opening my Bible and point to a verse?

 

I know my pastor must have said something about how to meet with God, but nothing is coming to mind and a feeling of desperation comes over me. I stumble through a prayer, feeling foolish. Who knew that having devotions could feel like so much work? I know I’m supposed to spend time with Jesus. But this just feels plain awkward.  I’m at the point where l almost feel sorry for God.  

 

My bed starts to look really good as my eyes feel weighted down. I start feeling resistant to continuing to try and meet with God. I read a chapter or two from Matthew, mumble a quick prayer and close the Bible quickly. Whew! I feel relieved that I can cross that off my list today. 

 

A feeling of dread sweeps over me at the thought of having to go through the process again tomorrow.  There has to be a better way… What do you do when no one has ever taught you how to spend time with God?

 

Have you ever felt like this?  Don’t worry you are not alone. 

 

The goal as Christians is not to learn more about God (though that is super important), but to develop a deep love relationship with Jesus.  We start developing that relationship by meeting with him each day. 

 

There are many different ways and tools that you can use to meet with God. However, we are going to be specifically talking about three practical steps that you can take to experience God every day:

 

1. Learning To Be Present

2. The Power of God’s Word

3. Pausing To Reflect

 

 

1. Learning To Be Present

 

You are reading your Bible and suddenly you realize that you have been staring into space for the last five minutes thinking about how you need to pick up milk, deposit cash, and  write a thank you card to a friend.

 

Distractions are a great way to keep us from connecting with God. We will always have something (or a lot of things smile) that our minds want to fixate on.  

 

For the sake of clarity, God wants to hear about your thoughts, pain, triumphs, questions, and concerns, but if we are not careful, that can quickly become the extent of our relationship.

 

One way that I have used to be present with God is to realize that the way I come into a time with Jesus is important.

 

There are times  where I am almost bent over with the mental and emotional anxiety that I am lugging into my time with God.  It could be a never-ending to-do list, a conflict with a co-worker or friend, anxiety about finances, or frustration over past disappointments.  

 

If I’m not careful, I can quickly become distracted, and find that my thoughts drift over and fixate on my latest conundrum.  As we grow deeper in our relationship with him, our goal is to live in such a way where we are present with the one who is ever present with us. We can’t be with God  if we focused on trying to figure out to solve the latest crisis.  

 

One of the most helpful steps, that we can take when we meet with God, is to call out the elephants in the room! smile  We can do this by acknowledging our distractions before God and laying them down for a time, knowing that they will be there when we are done.

 

This can happen through a simple prayer:  

 

“God, I invite you into this time. My desire is to know you and experience a deep love relationship with you. I feel very distracted by…  I lay my distractions at your feet. I ask that you will help me be present with you during this time. I thank you for your grace and love, Amen.”  

 

As you find your thoughts drift (and they will) during your time with God, gently bring your thoughts back to him.  God is ever gracious and delights in your effort to hang out with him.

 

 

2.  The Power of God’s Word 

 

The Bible is all about God’s desire to have a love relationship with us.  The purpose of daily time with God is not about learning more about him, but actually learning to experience a relationship WITH him. How exciting and humbling that the God of the Universe desires to have a best friend relationship with us!

 

There is no substitution for time spent in God’s word. Books, devotionals, and bible studies are great and can be helpful but they cannot replace the transformative power of the Bible. We want to spend this time reading the Bible for transformation, not information.

 

We want to create elbow room to allow the Holy Spirit to transform our lives through the power of God’s word. One way we can do this is by reading slowly, reflectively and incorporating silence into our time with God.  

 

What I love about this approach to reading the Bible is that it forces you to slow down. Your purpose morphs from getting it done, to allow God’s word to transform your soul. This idea sounds deceptively simple until we find ourselves rushing to get through our time with God, in order to move on to other things.

 

In our accomplishment driven culture, we can so easily turn daily time with God into another thing to check off the to-do list.  We see this come into play with the many Read the Bible in a Year studies. We do need to know the Bible but not at the expense of a living, breathing relationship with God.   

 

3. Pausing To Reflect

It is important to stop and reflect on God’s transforming word. We want to soak in the truth of the Bible allowing it to run deep within us, transforming us from the inside out.  

We can do this by slowly reading the passage of scripture several times. I have found that Psalms, Proverbs or the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are a good place to start.

 

1st Time) Read the entire passage.

2nd Time) Read slowly- Paying attention to new perspectives.

3rd Time) Read slowly- Ask God to highlight a word or phrase.

4th Time) Read slowly- Reflect on the word or phrases and ask the Father to speak to you.

 

Pray and tell God your thoughts. Ask what is the Lord inviting me into?  How can I respond?

You can incorporate times of silence, journaling or drawing to reflect upon your experience.

 

When you spend time with God: Invite His presence, lay down distractions, read the Bible slowly and reflectively, and spend time in prayer asking the Father to speak to you through his word.

 

If you want to know how to get started in living a deep life with God; grab our Deeper Life Beginners Guide (below). And join our community of moms who are hungry for more Jesus in their lives and in the lives of their families. 


 

 What about you? What is your #1 issue when it comes to spending time with God?   Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!   

 

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7 Amazing Benefits To Homeschooling In The Summer

7 Amazing Benefits To Homeschooling In The Summer

  

Reading Time: 4 min 49 sec

The end of May rolled around and we closed our school books with a bang. I don’t know who was more excited for NO SCHOOLWORK: me or the children. I was more than ready for this school year to be done.

 

The first couple of days were magical; sleeping in, sticky popsicles, trips to the pool, and hours spent reading books. And then suddenly, like a storm cloud, the restlessness, whining, arguing, and repetitive phrases of, “I’m bored!” started appearing out of nowhere.

 

When I first heard about homeschooling in the summer, I thought, “Why in the world would anyone want to give up the beauty of summer for year-round school ? Let’s be honest, MAMA NEEDS A BREAK!  Kids need to play in mud puddles, build forts, and just be kids.

 

I did just that for a year or two and learned that for our family we thrive with a little structure in place.  We stumbled our way into homeschooling during the summer by necessity and found that what appeared to be soul-sucking was actually very life-giving.

 

We already view homeschooling as life learning so it wasn’t a big jump to incorporate some intentional learning time throughout the summer. We have a flexible rhythm that builds in time for intentional learning and still leaves plenty of time for soaking up the summer sun.

 

1. Rhythm to the Day

2. Focus on 1 or 2 Subjects

3. School Year Flexibility 

4. Explore New Interests

5. Learn Outside

6. The Answer To “I’m Bored” 

7. Intentional Time Together

 

1. Rhythm To The Day

 

There is such peace when you follow a daily rhythm. (You can learn more about why we use a rhythm instead of a schedule here) We have a rhythm for the school year and a different rhythm for summer.  Our summer rhythm takes advantage of those unique summer opportunities, such as beautiful weather, different sports, etc. by incorporating a lot of outside time.

 

We always put our priorities first and all of the optional activities or to do’s second. Priorities might be time with Jesus, chores, homeschooling, play and time spent outside.  Optional activities: Pool, field trips, time with friends and family, etc.

 

 2. Focus On 1 or 2 Subjects 

 

I love how the slow pace of the summer allows you to focus on one or two challenging subjects.  It makes it easier to engage with harder subjects in smaller increments and when it is the only thing you have to do that day.  We treat this learning time like icing on the cake, bonus learning, and it becomes way more enjoyable. 

To clarify, we are only spending twenty to thirty minutes on a chosen subject each day. But WOW, the end of the summer those small chunks of time produce such growth in our children.

 

3. School Year Flexibility

 

When you homeschool during the summer you get greater flexibility during the school year. You can take your time when learning challenging subjects, explore a four-day school week, or take multiple week-long breaks during the school year. It’s amazing how much easier it is to homeschool when you aren’t participating in a race to “get it done” by the end of the school term.

 

I fell in love with summer learning because one hour a day spent learning makes the world of difference, come fall. You don’t have to fight to get back in a routine. You feel like you have a leg up on the school year because you never stopped.

You also have the joy of knowing that whenever you or your children need a mental break, you can stop and not have to spend the rest of the year scrambling to catch up.  Plus, you still have time to lounge by the pool and soak up the summer sun. What could be better than that?! smile

 

4. Explore New Interests 

 

If your children are anything like mine, they have endless interests and hobbies. The summer gives them the opportunity to really explore those interests that they might not have time for during the school year.  You have the time to dive down rabbit holes without feeling the pressure to move on to cover all of your main subjects for the day.

 

At the end of each school year, I ask my children what they would like to learn this summer. Their answers have been very eclectic and we have had fun learning new skills and exploring new areas of study.  Honestly, I would have never chosen to explore these areas of learning.  However, this exercise teaches my children ownership and that they can learn anything they set their mind too.

 

 

5. Learn Outside 

 

Your summer learning doesn’t have to happen inside. We wake up early before the summer heat and explore gardens, ponds, woods, and streams. We grab books, art supplies, hiking paraphernalia, a blanket and always tons of snacks and enjoy the beautiful weather. We might study math from a picnic blanket outside, read about the ecosystem, and then wade into a stream, stay up late and study the stars with a telescope.

 

If you are looking for unusual ideas for outside activities, here are some suggestions.

 

1. Ask your children what they would like to learn about or discover this summer.

2. Revisit any unit studies you did during the fall. Are there any activities that could reinforce that learning?

3. Check out local nature conservatories, arboretums, and parks for more ideas.

4. Explore your cities parenting website or magazine (check your local grocery store) for fun field trip ideas.

 

6. The Answer To “I’m Bored” 

 

Have you ever reached that point when the novelty of summer has worn off and your kids just wander around repeating, “I’m bored?” a hundred times a day?

 

 

I believe that its healthy for kids to be bored because that is where creativity thrives. When kids are encouraged to use their imaginations, suddenly forts are created, water balloon wars have commenced, and secret worlds are discovered.

 

However, I have noticed that a lot of questions arise when there are huge chunks of free time without a plan.  Kids like to know what’s coming next, even if it’s just lunch.  I have found that when you follow a rhythm, kids feel free to create and play knowing what’s (dinner, snacks, pool, etc.) coming up.

 

7. Time Together

 

When you get going too fast during the summer, your kids can miss out on some intentional one on one time with you. Spending an hour or two a day engaged in intentional learning is a perfect opportunity to spend focused time with your children.

 

It could look like snuggling on the couch and reading that stack of library books aloud, or grabbing a bunch of coloring books and listening to your favorite audio stories (these are our favorite). Board games are also a great way to spend time together while participating in some sneaky learning.

 

Here are my favorite low-prep summer resources: 

 

Are you wondering HOW do you actually get started homeschooling? Join our community of moms who want to invest in the lives of their children through homeschooling. I also created a 10 Tips to Finding Excellent Curriculum form to help you on your journey. 

 

 

What about you? What are your thoughts on homeschooling during the summer? Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest! 

Amazing And Affordable Curriculum Ideas for First Grade

Amazing And Affordable Curriculum Ideas for First Grade

  

Reading Time: 10 min 32 sec

 

I don’t know about you, but I love planning for a new school year.  It can feel like a treasure hunt as I comb through various places to find just that right tool to help learning come alive for my child.  I have compiled a list of my favorite resources for a Pre-K and 1stGrade student below.

 

As interest-led, eclectic homeschoolers, we seem to thrive on borrowing from all the different homeschooling approaches and blending it up into something that fits our family just right.  (Yes, it does sound like we are the smoothie of the homeschooling community).  

 

I have found that boxed curriculum doesn’t work for my family. I would find a curriculum that I thought would be a good fit, shell out a couple hundred dollars, only to find to out that I loved the math, was “ehh” about the social studies, and absolutely hated the language arts program.

 

I came to understand that I know my child, I know their strengths and weaknesses, I know the vision and values of my homeschool, and I have found that I am the best person to hand select curriculum. By choosing your own curriculum, you also get a lot more control over the price tag.

 

Our goal is to foster a love of learning in our children. We do that by surrounding them with stacks of beautiful books, interest-led unit studies, interesting people, a plethora of games, real-world experiences, and tons of time spent outdoors.

 

We do use some textbooks, but we don’t feel compelled to finish each one for the sake of completion. We watch carefully for signs of burnout, and might switch to a different tool or resource midway through the semester.

 

We also try to “teach” most subjects together as a family (with the exception of reading lessons).  My children are close enough in age that this really worked well for our family. I say “teach” because a lot of what we do is very interactive, so it also fits our Pre-K child’s attention level.  I have never put together a formal teaching plan for Pre-K because I found that they pick up what they need to know just by living life. smile

 

Here is an overview of some of our top affordable curriculum resources for a 1stgrade (and Pre-K) student.  I have only listed the resources that we have LOVED!

 

I hope this serves as some inspiration for your homeschool adventures this fall! Happy Treasure Hunting! 

 

1.    Language Arts

2. Mathematics

3. Science

4. Social Studies

5. Bible 

6. Art & Music 

1. Language Arts 

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

 

This is such a stress-free, zero prep, way to teach a child to read. This book employs the steady, drip, drip, drip mentality. IT WORKS! I love how this book includes not only reading but writing lessons as well.  Worth its weight in gold! 

Poetry For Young People

This is an entire series, that we have used as a part of our weekly poetry tea times. Each book is a compilation of age-appropriate poems from famous poets throughout the years. The Emily Dickenson book was our favorite.

 

Read-Aloud Rhymes For the Very Young

This was a fun book that I would use in addition to the Poetry for Young People series as a part of our poetry tea time.  This book really helped to spark an interest in poetry in my children. They found it very engaging and often hilarious.

 

Cahier d’ecriture-Handwriting

I have always loved the beautiful style of handwriting from France. This book is all in French (you don’t need to know French to use it) and it teaches the fundamentals of great handwriting.  My children have used it a little bit each day and it has so improved their handwriting skills. 

 

 

Story Cubes

 

This is a fun game that uses visual prompts to help foster the imagination and inner storyteller in your child. There are nine cubes with six images on each cube. Each person rolls the cubes and creates a story based on the images. My children have laughed their way through this game.

Reading

 

We read literally hundreds of books, so it would be impossible to list them all. Here are a couple of our top favorites from this past year.

 

A World Full of Animal Stories

 This is a beautiful book full of folk stories from different countries around the world. This book not only sparked great discussions but also introduced the children to different cultures and ways of thought.  One of my children literally couldn’t get enough of this book. Win!

Favorite Audio Books

 

Audiobooks are my favorite way of not only expanding my children’s vocabulary but introducing them to great literature. Children can comprehend far above their own current reading level when they don’t have to take the time to sound out the words. Start small with Curious George, Madeline, or Amelia Bedelia, and transition into longer books like A Bear Called Paddington.  I have found that Audiobooks (when you have young children) work really well in the car when you have a captive audience.

 

Foreign Language

 

YouTube was our friend this year. We loved utilizing a Year of French with Tonton videos.

2. Math

Logic Lollipop Series

 I knew I wanted a supplement to our many logic games. WOW, these books are image-based, fun and perfect for young children. We actually went through the entire series in one year (there are three books) because my children were obsessed with it. LOVE!

 

 

Math Workbooks

We used several math workbooks that I grabbed from our local Dollar store. The workbooks were not necessary (we teach math many different ways) but my kids asked for them, so why not!  They were short, fun and covered the basics of simple math.  You can’t beat $1.00 for a math workbook! 

Life of Fred Series 

Is an amazing alternative to a traditional math book. Written in story form, it follows the adventures of a 5-year-old prodigy named Fred who shows children how math applies to real life.  At the end of every chapter, there are several math questions that pertain to the lesson for your child to answer. My children love this series and beg for more “Fred, Please”!

Games

Here is a list of our favorite math games from this year.

Math Picture Books

(Check out this article for a list of our favorite Math Picturebooks)

  1. Science

The Periodic Table: Elements With Style  

My children wanted to learn more about the Periodic Table thanks to a Magic School Bus Episode on Chemistry. This is a fun book that has one-page profiles for each of the elements. My children loved finding the elements on the Periodic Table each day. Great Resource!

Magic School Bus Chemistry

This kit sparks a love of chemistry. It includes 51 experiment cards and tools, and an observation notebook to record results. You do have to provide some of the supplies. My kids had so much fun conducting experiments. This is a great way to encourage a love of science.

Games

 

Wildcraft

Wildcraft is a group game where players learn how to identify wild herbs. This is a cooperative game where everyone works together to travel to the top of the mountain to collect Huckleberries for Grandma.

Throughout the game, players run into various first aid crisis, and they learn how to identify 27 different wild plants and how they can be used to treat various medical issues.  This a great game that my children have played again and again.

Here are some more of our favorite STEM games.

DVDs

Here are our favorite shows that spark a love of Science. Animated Hero classics has dvds for a number of different scientists.

 

4. Social Studies

Around the World Stories

We LOVE AWS! This 30-minute audio story series focuses on a new country and culture every four weeks. It combines geography, social studies, history and language arts in an engaging format that sticks with your children.

This has been one of the best resources I have ever purchased for homeschooling. My children ask MULTIPLE times a day to listen to their favorite stories. You can choose from three different packages (Europe, Asia and Artist series).  It also includes a parent guide for additional resources. LOVE!!

 

Give Your Child the World: Raising Globally Minded Kids One Book At A Time

 This book is a must-have resource for every homeschooling family. It is an amazing time saving tool that helps you gather the best children’s literature from around the world. It is full of curated book lists that are based on age range (4-12) and organized by country.

Draw Europe

This is a wonderful (and FUN) step by step tool to not only memorizing but learning how to draw Europe. We used this book over a semester and would draw a couple of countries a day. It has been amazing to see how much my child has become familiar with European geography. This is only one book in an entire series on different countries and continents

Games

DVDS

Travel With Kids

We LOVE this series. In Travel with Kids, you follow a family with two little boys who travel all over the world.  Children are exposed to different cultures all from the comfort of home. My children want to travel the world due to this series.

4. Bible

My First Hands-On Bible

I appreciated this children’s version of the Bible because instead of paraphrasing it actually uses Biblical text.  This was a well-loved Bible for many years.

 

Praying In Color Kids Edition

Have you ever heard, “But I don’t want to pray? I don’t know what to say? I’m embarrassed to pray out loud?” This is a revolutionary resource for children who want another try another way to spend time with God. 

The author Sybil Macbeth gently leads children in understanding what prayer is, common prayer problems, how to pray, and step by step of how to pray using art.  Love it!

DVDS

What’s In the Bible Series

These videos are part of a 13-part series that helps kids big picture look at the Bible as a whole. Phil Vischer (the creator of Veggie Tales) pulls out all the stops as he invites kids to wonder, explore and discover the Bible in a whole new way. It is full of fun characters, interesting questions, great animation, and of course fun music.

 

Nest Bible Animated Classics

We have really enjoyed the Animated Bible Classics. These videos are a great complement to devotional time as they allow children to see Bible stories happen right before their eyes. There are thirty-six different stories and they are geared towards ages kindergarten-third grade.

Picture Books

The Boy And The Ocean

 Oh, my word, hands down, probably my favorite Christian picture book. The illustrations are beautiful, the words are life-changing, and what an amazing book to pull out at bedtime.   The story draws parallels between Gods creation and his vast love for his children.

God’s Great Love for You

 This book is all about Gods overwhelming love for his kids told in such an imaginative way. Written by Rick Warren, the book shows a young girl on different adventures discovering God lavish love. The illustrations are adorable and though the book can be read to girls and boys, the book is specifically geared towards young girls.

Shh… God Is In the Silence

This book is a great introductory book to one of the ways that we hear God’s voice in the silence. In a time where we value filling up every available moment with something, this counter-cultural book reminds us that God was in “a gentle, quiet whisper”.  (1 Kings 19:11-12).

  1. Art-Music

The Amazing Musical Instruments

This book is very comprehensive and is a wonderful foundation for understanding the history and sounds of major instruments.

This resource really breaks down the parts of a classical orchestra into bite-size pieces and allows you to really appreciate the contribution of each instrument.  This is an interactive book that comes with a CD-ROM so you can hear different sounds and songs from different instruments.

Impressionism By Linda Bolton

This is a great behind the scenes look at Impressionism. Each artist has one or two pages full of background info, and samples of their most famous works of art. We would focus on one or two artists a day and then supplement with more hands-on activities. Great resource!

 

Games 

Van Gogh and Friends Art Game

This is a fun memory game that focuses on Post-Impressionists.  We use this as a memory game, although it is designed to be played like Go Fish or Concentration.   It really helps the kids learn the names and works of art of the different artists. It covers Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne, Seurat, Rousseau, and Toulouse-Lautrec.

CDS

Classical Kids Series

This is a phenomenal series!  You get to know different classical composers, through a captivating story set to that composers’ music. This series has helped spark curiosity, and a love of classical music in the hearts of my children.  We listen to this series, again, and again!

 

Beethoven’s Wig

This is a great sing-along series set to classical music. The lyrics are filled with facts about the composers and are hilarious.  My children can now identify classical music because of this amazing series.

Kids Meet Composers

This cd covers twenty different songwriters and their most famous pieces. Each song starts with a dialogue between the narrator and children, where you learn some history and fun facts about the composer. This is an amazing resource if you are studying various composers.

 

Picture Books

 

Anholt’s Artists-Laurence Anholt

This author through fun stories brings to life famous artists throughout history. We have learned so much about art and history from this series. I love this series because the author does an amazing job of sparking curiosity, and a love of art in children.

 

Katie and Ella Bella Series By James Mayhew 

James Mayhew is another great author/illustrator that makes classical art, and ballet accessible for kids. They will never see art as boring after growing up reading his stories about the adventures of Katie and Ella Bella.  The illustrations from the Ella Bella Ballerina series are stunning. An amazing resource for helping children engage in and love art history.

Drawing Books

DVD

 

 What about you? What are your favorite ways to foster a love of learning at home?  If you try any of these resources, let us know! Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow Most Important Workon Pinterest!

 

 

How to Make God A Priority Now

How to Make God A Priority Now

  

Reading Time: 5 min 8 sec

Do you ever wonder how to make God a priority? Do you ever feel like your relationship with God takes permanent residence on the back burner of your life? 

 

The early seasons of The Office, a sitcom based on typical office dynamics, are a great picture of what life feels like before encountering a deep relationship with Jesus; everything looks drab, lifeless, and boring. You watch the employees express their feelings of discontent, and see the hopelessness on their faces as they move about their everyday tasks just waiting for the clock to hit 5pm.  They desire more to life (even a different office) but they don’t how to get there.

 

Do you ever feel stuck when it comes to your relationship with God?  You want to want more of Jesus but life just seems to be getting in the way?

 

Your time with him can consist of scattered prayers, hit or miss devotions, or primarily when you make it to a Sunday morning service.  You might hear an uplifting sermon, or the worship really seems to resonate, and your heart is stirred with a desire for more.  However, the wet blanket reality of Monday morning falls and all thoughts of the divine fly out the window. A deep life with God can feel like a dream, but not a pressing priority when you have kids to feed, dirty jerseys to wash, and projects at work hanging over your head. 

 

When you finally grab a moment for yourself, the last thing you want to do is crack open your current devotional because it can feel like more work.

 

You feel guilty, discontented, and stuck.  So how do you live a vibrant, exciting, life with God?  

  1. How to Increase Your Desire For God

2. How to Create Elbow Room

3. How to Live Life In Community 

 

 

1. How to Increase Your Desire For God 

 

Seriously, the Holy Spirit is your best friend when it comes to making God a priority in your life (actually, everything laughing)  making God a priority in your life. As we journey down the road towards deeper intimacy with the Father, we have no clue what we truly need. NONE. ZIP. NADDA. We might think we do but we really don’t.

 

You see the beautiful thing about a relationship with the Holy Spirit is that he has our best interests at heart. He knows our innermost selves, the part that we don’t even fully understand, and if we work with him, he will so graciously lead us by the hand into deeper intimacy with the God.

 

The fact is we can’t self-help our way into a deeper relationship with God. Inner transformation is 100% the Holy Spirit’s job (trust me, we don’t want it).  

What we are responsible for is actively participating in what the Holy Spirit is already doing in our lives.  

 

So how do we make God a priority in our life?  First, by asking the Holy Spirit for an increased desire for God.  

 

Every morning, start the day with this simple prayer, “Father, increase my hunger for you today. Let me desire you above all things.”

 

Seriously, it all begins with prayer. Prayer is an active participation in what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life. When we ask, he is faithful to answer.

 

2.  Create Elbow Room 

 

 If we want to experience freedom, peace, and the lavish, unconditional love of God, we need to create some elbow room for the Holy Spirit to work. If we look at our lives, there is so much noise, it’s no wonder we feel like we can’t hear God’s voice, we barely can hear our own.  

 

I love how Dallas Willard put it, when he said, “You Must consider why you have no time to spend with the Father.”

 

This is not meant to be a shame-based question but a time of exploration.  What things fill up your days?

 

Choosing to make that intentional decision every day to take ten to twenty minutes and spend it with God is where a deeper intimacy with him develops. You get a taste for the over the top love and acceptance of the Father and instead of trying to remember to spend time with God, you want to include him in every facet of your day.

 

 This quote from C.S. Lewis really encapsulates this idea, “It’s funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different.”

 

A life-changing, deep relationship with God all starts with a simple choice every day. To say yes to spending time with God, even when it feels like nothing is happening or it’s a waste of time.

 

It’s amazing that when you ask the Holy Spirit for a deeper desire for more of God, it actually happens.  And it gets easier to make space each day to spend time with God.   

 

3. Live Life Together In Community

Life with God is designed to happen not in isolation, but in community with others. I cannot stress this enough, you need to have authentic relationships with other Christians who are going for it in their relationships with Jesus.  

 

Ruth Haley Barton talks about the power of life in community this way, “The purpose of journeying together in spiritual friendship and spiritual community (whether there are just two of you or whether you are in a small group) is to listen to one another’s desire for God, to nurture that desire in each other and to support one another in seeking a way of life that is consistent with that desire.”

You need the support structure of a Christian community. You need Spiritual Friendships based on trust where you can be real.   

There is a well-known story (with multiple variations), about a Sunday School, where the teacher asked the children this question, “What is brown, furry, has a big tail, and collects nuts for winter?” One boy piped up and said, “Well, it sounds like a squirrel, but I am going to go ahead and say, Jesus.”

We need a Spiritual Community where we feel safe to say the real thing, not the “right thing”.   We can find this by regularly participating in a church community through services, small groups, serving others, and close spiritual friendships.

 

This foundation is not optional but CRITICAL to your overall growth and maturity as a Christian.

 

We need others to come alongside us and affirm what God is doing in our lives. When we develop relationships of trust and vulnerability it allows others to speak Gods truth into our lives. Spiritual Friendships encourage us to press on in pursuit of a love relationship with Jesus. 

 

So how do you make God a priority in your life?  Start off by daily asking for a deeper desire for him, create elbow room for the Holy Spirit to work, and live life together in community with others.

 

Wondering where to go from here?  Here are some of my favorite resources to get started:

If you want to know how to get started in living a deep life with God; grab our Deeper Life Beginners Guide (below). And join our community of moms who are hungry for more Jesus in their lives and in the lives of their families. 

 

 

What about you? What is your #1 issue when it comes to creating elbow room for God in your life?   Leave a comment, and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!   

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