Monthly Archives: April 2015

Great Story-Telling and Sound Doctrine

April 29, 2015

Many years ago, I watched a movie that, in a sense, took my breath away. It had beautiful imagery, a storyline that gripped your heart as you were swept into the characters’ thoughts, feelings, joys, and sorrows. Soon ,I found myself even cheering the characters on as the story unfolded. That’s the power of great story-telling…and the danger also. How so? Because this particular movie told a story alright, but it was a story that, when examined by a discerning eye, was glorifying sin, unfaithfulness, and adultery! The example points to the following: Great storytelling can be a great gift, or a great danger. This should especially be kept in mind when we use storytelling as a means to convey the narrative of the Bible to children. A Gift Great storytelling can bring the Bible alive, as it were, and encourage the mind and heart to be in awe of God as we see His ways and purposes unfold. Great storytelling can promote love and trust in the living

Teaching Vision Parenting

Don’t be a Misleading Messenger

April 28, 2015

I believe that God is able to bring about true repentance and belief in young children. Pastor Dennis Gundersen believes this, too. But he also wants to caution us and point out some important realities, especially regarding children growing up in Christian homes:

How common will it be to hear a profession [of faith] from a child who is being reared in a Christian home, especially in a home where biblical instruction and exemplary godly faith is presented to him frequently, perhaps even daily, God giving your family grace! Should we then actually be surprised to hear him say that he believes the things his parents believe?...

In such a family climate, can it then be considered a remarkable thing that a child says he believes the gospel which has been held before him and taught to him for so long, in so many ways and with so many appealing evidences of its power? I think we would be shocked if he were

Teaching Vision Bible Skills Theology

Bible Literacy in the Classroom— 8- to 12-year-olds

April 27, 2015

One of the greatest gifts a teacher can give students is to train them in how to study the Bible for themselves. By the time students have reached eight years old (third grade), they should be encouraged and expected to interact with more and more text during the lesson, including reading passages aloud. Their Bibles should be open more often than not. They should be able to quickly look up two or more passages of Scripture during a lesson and/or be able to examine larger portions of text. Doing this will require careful thought and preparation on the part of the teacher. Teacher Tips

Be strategic in how many passages you assign the students to read aloud. If you have many texts to look at in a particular lesson, you may want to assign students to each look up a passage before the lesson begins, and then call on them to read their assigned passage during the lesson.
Use guided questions and explanations to help the children properly interpret

Teaching Vision Theology

When the Truth Hurts

April 22, 2015

In my opinion, one of the main reasons teachers and parents hesitate to teach young children about the wages of sin is to protect their self-esteem. We don’t want children to feel bad about themselves. But that begs the question: Are they (and we) supposed to feel good about sin? Will avoiding the issue of sin help our children? Or will it tend to give them a foolish and dangerous image of themselves? Will they desperately seek the Savior if they don’t first understand and grasp the danger they are in? Here is a real-life example: A teacher was alarmed because, after teaching a lesson about how we are all sinners and are helpless to save ourselves, one young child in the class broke down in tears. The teacher felt bad about the incident and wondered if we should be teaching this hard truth to children this age. Here is a way to approach this concern: First, we must not hide this important truth from our children…it is essential if our children are to be

Teaching Vision Encouragement Theology

Be Explicit—Make the Connection

April 21, 2015

Here is a really good reminder from youth minister Cameron Cole:

Biblical and theological knowledge have inherent value, but they carry far more weight when students understand their significance in the context of their whole life. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus teaches, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Christ points to his words of truth as necessities for life. When we simply teach kids doctrine with no practical application, we reduce Christianity to an academic exercise rather than the fuel of each day.

Given where students are developmentally, most of them cannot make the connection between biblical concepts and their life without a person explicitly explaining it. Furthermore, kids in this instant gratification culture want to know how matters relate to their life right

Teaching Vision Parenting Theology

A 3-Question Character Evaluation

April 20, 2015

In years gone by, parents and teachers used to speak of “character development” in children. Books and curriculum were written to help encourage children toward godly character traits. Unfortunately, some of these resources tended to give children a mistaken view of godly character—one devoid of the Gospel and the need for true saving faith. Good little boys and girls on their way to eternal destruction! As parents and teachers, we must take the greatest care to constantly point our children toward the Gospel, with the desire that they would embrace true saving faith in Christ, and then grow in spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity=godly character. What might this look like in their lives? What kind of character qualities does true faith increasingly produce? Using Micah 6:8 as a backdrop, “…and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Randy

Parenting Theology

Will Our Children Grumble about the Government? + Free Lesson

April 15, 2015

Every American tax payer knows what today is: Times up, your income tax returns and any money you owe is due. And if your children are like my own, they have heard a lot of grumbling from their parents about taxes and the government in general. Give me 10 minutes and I can give you 100 reasons to grumble about our government and leaders! But, is that how God would want us to view the government? Does the Bible give us a different perspective in how we should respond to paying taxes? To help you and your students explore a biblical perspective on government (and even taxes), here is a free lesson from our curriculum,here.

(Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

Vision Parenting Theology

Obedience and the Gospel

April 14, 2015

With the growing emphasis on wanting children to be “gospel-centered,” there seems to be some confusion about the role of God’s law, rules in general, and obedience. Some would even argue that we shouldn’t emphasize obedience in children lest they fall into a salvation by works mentality—that ugly enemy, legalism. But in doing so, are we inadvertently reaping a generation that is increasingly unconcerned about obedience and holiness in the Christian life? Here is a really helpful article by Owen Strachan, “Is it Anti-gospel to Teach Kids Self-control Before Conversion?” Consider carefully to his words to parents and the church in general:

…we should not make the mistake of thinking that obedience–even pre-conversion obedience–is antithetical to

Vision Worship Parenting

I Spy God Almighty!—Family Activity

April 13, 2015

It’s only 8 a.m., but already I have seen and heard mighty deeds of God.

A red-winged blackbird sat outside the living room window and sang his marvelous song.
Rain is falling from the sky, gently watering the thirsty ground.
The long-dormant grass is coming to life again.
I gave my dog her antibiotic—a “wonder drug” that is curing her infection.
I have enjoyed a hot cup of coffee.

And, of course, I could go on and on. But to do this I need to first be on the lookout for the power and might of God in the everyday things of life. Too many times we simply miss out on what these “ordinary” things are meant to show us, namely, glimpses of the almighty power of God.

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…

Teaching Vision Youth Theology

Going for Deep and Wide

April 08, 2015

Here is a little assignment: What would you say best characterizes your church’s ministry to youth? What key words are used to describe its purpose, mission, and activities? (If you don’t know this off the top of your head, go to your church’s website and look for a link to youth ministries.) Now read these words from Pastor Kevin DeYoung in his post, “Reaching the Next Generation: Challenge Them With Truth”:

In his book on the religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers, Christian Smith coined the phrase “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” to describe the spirituality of American youth. They believe in being a good moral person. They believe religion should give you peace, happiness, and security. They believe God exists and made the world,