Monthly Archives: August 2016

Important Electronic Resource Update for Ministry Partners

August 31, 2016

Thank you so much for your partnership. We really appreciate you and consider it a wonderful privilege to minister together. We trust and pray that the Lord is strengthening you during this very busy season as you prepare for fall programs. One item that may not come to your full attention during this time is the license agreement for our electronic resources. If you have not recently done so, we would be very grateful for you to carefully review these agreements. We love the fact that Children Desiring God is a non-profit ministry. Some implications:

We place a higher priority on serving you and the church rather than simply engaging in a financial transaction.
This philosophy compels us

Teaching Vision

Keeping Up Appearances in the Classroom

August 24, 2016

No, it’s not the highest priority in the Sunday school classroom, but appearances do matter especially in the younger ages. What do the children see when they enter the classroom? How might the physical appearance and design of the classroom serve to help or hinder a child’s experience in musical worship, biblical instruction, and meaningful discussion? These are some considerations to keep in mind as you go about preparing your classrooms. Yes, we are limited by many factors. For example, there may be space and budget constraints, the need for multi-use rooms, etc. But here are a few suggestions to implement if at all possible:

Make the room as warm and welcoming as possible. The physical appearance will make an impression in a child’s mind.
Think of the classroom as a type of “sacred” space and decorate it in a manner befitting its purpose: a place where the holiness and majesty of God will be seriously and joyfully proclaimed. The

Vision Parenting

Treasured Family Time in Worship

August 23, 2016

Many of you have already read or listened to this recent excellent response by John Piper to the question: "Should Children Sit Through 'Big Church'?" It is definitely a must-read for every pastor, ministry volunteer, parent, grandparent…every church member. Here was one mother’s comment regarding this post:

Thank you, Pastor John & Noel. I was in a panic when our very active son aged out of the nursery shortly after we came to Bethlehem [Baptist Church]. My child has to sit through the worship service? You've got to be kidding! But our church family was patient, and we persevered—paper & crayons, church notebooks, sermon quizzes...we used every tool we could. And 23 years later, our son and daughter are Christ followers who love worshipping our great God. Worshipping as a family became a treasured time. You were right.

Vision Parenting

Our Favorite Parenting Books

August 22, 2016

One of the great joys of being a parent is watching your child parent your grandchildren. But it also is a reminder of how difficult parenting is—really difficult! This is especially true for those of us who long to raise a future generation of men and women who love the Lord their God with all their minds, souls, hearts, and strength and are equipped to stand firm amidst the follies of this present age. So parents should make use of as many good, biblical, and encouraging resources as possible. Here is a list of CDG favorites:

Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting

Teaching Vision Theology

What We Mean by Gospel-Centered

Jill Nelson - August 17, 2016

20160815_154413 What comes to mind when you see the term “Gospel-centered” applied to children’s and youth curricula? For some, this description depicts a curriculum in which every single lesson presents an easy-to-recite, step-by-step overview of the Gospel that students are encouraged to affirm. For others, there is a belief that every lesson must explicitly connect to Jesus’ redeeming work. At CDG, we believe being “Gospel-centered” entails understanding and committing to the following in our resources:

The central message of the Bible culminates in the Person and work of Jesus—the Gospel—in which He brings sinners near to God. The Gospel is simple, yet amazingly profound, freely offered, yet extremely costly, and should be communicated as such. We believe this is best done by repeatedly drawing attention to essential Gospel truths found throughout Scripture: God is the sovereign Creator and Ruler; God is holy; man is

Teaching Vision Encouragement Theology

Before You Teach: An Encouragement and Caution

August 16, 2016

Here is an encouragement for teachers or those considering teaching children or youth who may feel inadequate because they lack some kind of formal theological training and don’t “know” as much as they would like to:

“The gift of teaching isn’t knowing much, but helping others know more with warranted reasons and clear explanations” —John Piper

I love this quote. Ponder it for a few moments, and then ask yourself: Do I sincerely desire to help children and youth know more about God and His ways? Does my heart long to see children and youth come to saving faith in Jesus and grow in their walk with Him? But now comes the part about providing students with “warranted reasons and clear explanations.” That is where many of us can feel inadequate. However, that is where CDG can assist you. Our curriculum resources are written to help even a first-time teacher do just that. Go

Teaching Vision Parenting Theology

Impressing on Our Children the “OAUUK” of Truth

August 15, 2016

No, “OAUUK” is not a typo. It’s an acronym for five characteristics of God’s truth that we need to teach and impress upon our children and students.

“O”—Objective Truth is determined by a source outside of us and is independent of us: God. God alone is the source of all truth. Therefore, truth is not measured or determined by our personal thoughts, feelings, or desires. Something is not true simply because we want it to be true (Isaiah 45:18-19).

“A” —Absolute Because God is the source of all truth, and because His authority is fixed and immovable, truth is fixed and immovable. Truth does not bend to suit our own personal preferences.

“U” —Universal Because God is God over all His created universe and everything in it, truth applies to all people

Tools for Teachers

August 10, 2016

In the coming weeks, we will be making available some new training resources for teachers and small group leaders, including video, audio, and printed handouts from our 2016 National Conference. Additionally, here are two resources that I believe every teacher and small group leader would benefit from:

Book Teaching to Change Lives: Seven Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Come Alive by Dr. Howard Hendricks. Excellent, short (150 pages), practical, and highly encouraging. I love this book!

Booklet The Inductive Bible Study Handbook: Learn to read, observe, interpret,

Teaching Vision Encouragement

Is CDG Opposed to “Fun” in the Classroom?

Truth78 Staff - August 09, 2016

The above title came to mind after watching a recent “Ask Pastor John” installment over at Desiring God regarding the question, “Does John Piper hate Fun?" Apparently, some people believe he does indeed hate “fun.” And the question, in general, peeked my interest since “fun” is often advertized as a key component in many children’s and youth ministry resources. In looking over our stated mission, vision, philosophy, and distinctions of our children’s and youth resources, I noticed that the word “fun” is completely absent. So, one might ask, “Is CDG opposed to children and youth having fun in the classroom? Are our resources written in a manner that is meant to squash fun?” Well, we are not opposed to fun per say, but we mo

Vision Worship Encouragement Parenting

Strategies for Engaging Children in the Worship Service

August 08, 2016

Sunday mornings are “all hands on deck” for our family. My husband and I are actively involved in helping our daughter and son-in-law engage their four young children in the corporate worship service. I’m happy to say that progress is being made with the 3- and 5-year-olds. The 1-year-old twins have a long way to go, but they are observing and benefiting from the experience in more ways than we can imagine. Much of this progress can be attributed to a partnership of church and parents—a church that encourages, assists, and welcomes children in the worship service, and parents who actively prepare and train their children. That is why I am so excited that we now have these resources available to share:

For the church—“Let the Children Come to Me in Worship" (video), in which Pastor David Michael lays out a biblical vision and philosophy for