Legends of Christmas

Almost two weeks ago while driving through our neighborhood in the evening, I saw something in a front window of a house we were passing that caused a second look. A Christmas tree already set up – and it was just past the middle of November! The next evening my eyes were immediately drawn to 2 other houses that had their Christmas lights up. Again the following evening, a few more houses were lit up and so on and so on. The Christmas season had begun (well at least in our neck of the woods).

These early birds obviously love this time of year and enjoy extending it out as long as possible. On the other hand, there are also those who find the season stressful and only start to think about Christmas a week before the 25th and then everything is over the day after boxing day.

Christmas can mean different things to different people. For some it’s about snow, pretty lights, decorated christmas trees, gifts, or fun with family and friends. As Christians however, we should never lose sight of the importance and impact of God sending his own son down to earth for us, and then to also die for us so that we would have the privilege to know him, be taught by him, be changed by him, and be loved by him. We should be celebrating Jesus and keeping our thoughts turned towards him and acting out of a heart full of love and thankfulness towards others.

There are many reminders during the Christmas season that help direct our thoughts in the right direction. Our family has a nativity scene in our home that we keep up year round but at Christmas, it gets center stage. There are also many other traditional symbols that most people think are secular but actually have roots in the Christian faith. The Christmas Tree, Stockings and Candy Canes are examples and the traditional legends surrounding them all point to Jesus. They are wonderful stories to tell your children at Christmas time and every time you look at one of them, you can also be reminded of God’s love for you. Do you know the stories? Not to worry, we have them handy here for you and encourage you to print them off or forward them to your friends. How much brighter and happier our Christmas will be this year as our thoughts are focused on Jesus.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

CHRISTIAN PARENTING DAILY

 

(Recommended book – ages 4 to 8)

THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE started over a thousand years ago when a Monk named Boniface used a small evergreen tree to teach people about God. First God is the creator, he created the tree. Next God is eternal like an evergreen tree is ever green. Also God is three in one, like the one tree forms a triangle and has three points. Soon after that, churches were bringing trees inside to help them teach like Boniface did.

Next during the middle ages, the church celebrated Adam and Eve day on December 24th. They would bring in and decorate evergreen trees with apples and twists of bread and use them to teach about the trees in the Garden of Eden and original sin.

Many centuries later, while walking home one winter night, Martin Luther saw icicles hanging off an evergreen tree and reflecting light. It reminded him that Jesus was the light of the world. So at Christmas time, he put up a tree in his home and put candles on it to represent Jesus.

Soon after that, people in Europe began putting up and decorating beautiful Christmas trees much like we do today to celebrate the wonder of Jesus coming to the earth to rescue us from our sins.

Boniface used the trees to teach about who God is and that he is our creator. The Adam and Eve tree taught about man’s fall in the Garden. Martin Luther went on to use lights to help the tree represent Jesus, the light of the world and complete the story. Then others added more decorations in celebration of all Jesus is and did. The tree is a reminder of God, creation, the fall, Jesus and the celebration of our salvation!

 

(Recommended book – ages 4 to 8)

THE LEGEND OF THE CHRISTMAS STOCKING began in present-day Turkey about 300 hundred years after Jesus was born. The exact details of the story have been lost, but legend tells us that Nicholas anonymously gave three bags of gold to a man whose daughters could not get married because he had no dowry. The last bag of gold reportedly landed in the youngest daughter’s stocking. Thus the tradition of putting gifts in stockings began.

Nicholas served God his entire life. His many generous deeds demonstrated God’s love and inspired people everywhere to give unselfishly.

Slowly over a period of time his name and appearance changed. In England, Saint Nicholas became Father Christmas. Today we call him Santa Claus, which came from the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas. In the early 1800s, the placing of gifts in stockings was moved from Saint Nicholas Eve, December 6, and became part of our Christmas celebration.

Behind the legends that the real Saint Nicholas inspired was the true meaning of Christmas: God gave us his only Son because he loves us. God wants us to show his love by giving to others and caring for them.

 

(Recommended book – ages 4 to 8)
THE LEGEND OF THE CANDY CANE was born over 350 years ago when mothers used white sugar sticks as pacifiers for their babies. Around 1670, the choirmaster of Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, bent the sticks into canes to represent a shepherd’s staff. He then used these white candy canes to keep the attention of small children during the long Nativity service.

The use of candy canes during the Christmas service spread throughout Europe. In northern Europe, sugar canes decorated with sugar roses were used to brighten the home at Christmas time.

In the mid 1800s, the candy cane arrived in the United States when a German-Swedish immigrant in Wooster, Ohio, decorated his spruce tree with paper ornaments and white sugar canes.

The red stripe was added to the candy cane at the turn of the century, when peppermint and wintergreen were added and became the traditional flavors for the candy cane. Some sources say that a candy maker in Indiana developed the candy cane as a witness of Christ’s love. While we may never know the full history of the candy cane, we can share in the truth behind its symbol, the truth of Christ’s birth and redemption, and the gift of his love.

Wall-E a Must-C

SYNOPSIS: After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, Wall-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named Eve. Eve comes to realize that Wall-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, Wall-E chases Eve across the galaxy.

GENRES: Kids/Family and Animation

TIME: 1 hr. 37 minutes

RATED: G

 

OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE

(Recommended Age Group: all ages)

We really enjoyed this movie, however after seeing the obese humans on their hover couches, a few of us were thinking that perhaps a little exercise would do us some good. Although you can glean that message from the movie, (too much couch potatoing and computer chair potatoing can lead to obesity), that’s not the message of the movie.

The movie contrasts the love relationship between two hard working robots with the humans of the future who have become so linked into entertainment, social media and gaming that they’ve all but forgotten what it’s like to have face to face interpersonal relationships. Wall-E causes a woman’s holographic computer screen to disengage and she seems to see the world around her for the first time. The same happens with a guy named John and when the two of them meet and accidentally hold hands (something the screen writers use as a wonderful symbol of personal interaction and relationship), they look like they’re discovering something foreign but wonderful.

There are some great talking point opportunities in this movie. Here are a few:

Discuss how the movie is not saying that TV, gaming and the internet are bad, it’s saying that interpersonal relationships are better. Discuss why they’re better and what kind of balance we should look for.

Wall-E, after being alone for hundreds of years, recognizes the value of another person’s company, attention and love and he’s willing to put in the effort and work it takes to get it. Discuss how valuable the relationships in our lives can be and how we need to put time, love and effort in if we really want them to be rewarding.

Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others. Discuss how since God is love and therefore completely unselfish, what he tells us is always for our own good not his. Therefore, the two things that he says are most important, must hold the two greatest blessings as well. Loving growing relationships with God and others (interpersonal relationships) are truly the greatest gifts and rewards this life has to offer.

The movie is a good reminder to us parents as well. Limiting and or nagging our kids about time in front of objects with screens is perhaps not as effectual as teaching them about the wonders of relationships and encouraging them to spend more face-to-face time. If your older kids tell you that they’re doing that through the internet, let them know that that’s great, but not the same. Like Wall-E showed us, if you can’t hold the other person’s hand (connect with them person to person) it’s just not the same level of relationship.

If your kids are very young and they don’t like being moved out from in front of their screened instruments, try drawing them away with some planned relational time with you. Young children learn the value of interpersonal relationships by experiencing the joy of hanging out with their parents and receiving their attention.

This movie is a keeper and would make a great Christmas present.

The soundtrack is also amazing and a recommended purchase for great family music. Here’s what Wikipedia says about the soundtrack.

“WALL-E is the soundtrack to the film of the same name, mainly composed by Thomas Newman and released on June 24, 2008. Orchestration is credited to Carl Johnson, JAC Redford, Thomas Pasatieri, and Gary K. Thomas. Newman previously scored Finding Nemo; almost all other Pixar films have been scored by Newman’s cousin Randy. The soundtrack features excerpts from “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” and “It Only Takes a Moment” (both sung by Michael Crawford) from the Hello, Dolly! soundtrack, and “La Vie en Rose” by Louis Armstrong, as well as an original composition, “Down to Earth” by Peter Gabriel. Also featured are the classical pieces “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and “The Blue Danube”, famous by their appearance on the soundtrack of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Neither Etta James’s cover of the song, At Last, nor Aquarela do Brasil which were used in the theatrical trailers appeared on the final cut of the film or the soundtrack.”

Is Thanksgiving Enough?

Are you one of those people who are always reminding other people (especially if you hear them complaining) that they have so much to be thankful for? If you’re not, you probably know someone like that and you’ve heard them say it many times.

Well I’m one of those people, only I take it even further because I believe being thankful is just the first step in a wonderful process that can draw us closer to God and to others. Let me explain.

How many times have you said ‘thank you’ to complete strangers? A waitress, a salesclerk, someone who held the door open for you, etc? Saying your thank yous in these situations is polite and thoughtful, but I don’t think it’s the level of thanksgiving that we should be giving to God and to those close to us. The kind of thankfulness that we are meant to give to God and to those we love goes deeper and has a greater purpose than those brief verbal gestures of gratitude.

Psalms 100:1 says, “Enter his (God’s) gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

In this verse, the Psalmist lets us know that when we first approach God, we should do it with thanksgiving. He goes on to say that praise comes after. If you look at verse 2, you’ll discover that the goal when coming to God is to get to worship. So three steps, thanksgiving, praise and then worship.

When I first learned this and started doing it, it seemed very staged. “Thank you God for everything, I praise you because you’re great and I bow before you and worship you because you are worthy.” Of course each stage would take me a little longer to get through but you see my point.

Then one day while I was laboring through this process with God, something clicked and I finally got it. God wants a personal relationship with us, not a robotic three stage approach-dance. How we relate to him, needs to be viewed with that in mind.

I started to understand that God created all relational principles. Often the same principles that apply to our relationship with him, apply to our relationship with others (the principles of forgiveness and mercy being two prime examples).

Let’s look at the simple meanings of the three above words and why they run in progression.

• Thankfulness: being thankful and thanking God specifically for things he has done for you (which leads to);
• Praise: saying wonderful things about who God is because of what he’s done (which leads to);
• Worship: seeking to be closer to God and give more of yourself to him because of how amazing he is and the wonderful things he does.

When you understand what the three words mean and how they relate, you can leave the robotics behind. Now at church or in my own quiet time, I start by thanking God for all of the wonderful stuff he’s done for me and has given me. That automatically leads me into thinking about and telling him how wonderful and faithful and loving he is. After focusing on that, I’m automatically taken to a place where I want to get closer to, and give myself more, to my loving, caring and generous Heavenly Father. I express that to him because he’s so great and has given so much.

It doesn’t have to happen in big stages either. It can be topical like this, “Thank you God for answering my prayer. I really didn’t know what I was going to do, but you worked it out so perfectly! You really are wonderful, kind and faithful! I was a little fretful about this to start with and I didn’t need to be. Help me to know you better and trust you more.” Thankfulness, praise and worship.

The three flow naturally from one to the next, and back to the beginning again, strengthening our relationship with God. As we draw closer to him and trust him more, he gets even more involved in our lives and we have more to be thankful for.

As I mentioned earlier, the same principle or three step process works in our relationships with others. We of course don’t worship people, so replace the word ‘worship’ with the word ‘give.’ When someone close to you does something for you, be sure to stop and thank them, but don’t cut the process short. After thanking them, sincerely compliment and praise them by pointing out how thoughtful or generous they are for doing what they did. After they’ve responded, move on to giving of yourself. Find a simple way to offer them something, express your desire to get to know them better, to spend more time with them, or even just offer to return the favor.

If you make a consistent habit of moving beyond thankfulness to the next two steps, you will start to see the relationships in your life, with God and others, grow deeper and more meaningful. One important caveat here, I’m not talking about flattery or being insincere. Be sure to keep your thankfulness, praise and offers to give of yourself, honest and sincere. It may start out small, but if you repeat the cycle and the other person responds, the relationship will grow.

What I realize now is that I used to stop at ‘thank you’ with God (despite my efforts at three step robotics) and with others. This wasn’t much different than the way I expressed my thankfulness to total strangers who work in retail. It was nice, but it didn’t grow my relationships.

Move beyond Thanksgiving and try this today with God and those you love. I’m sure like myself, you’ll be amazed at the results. And if you’re one of those people who remind others to be thankful, keep it up but also help them move past thanksgiving.

What do your older kids think about negative Obama church signs?

(Added note: We apologize to readers who have thought that we at Christian Parenting Daily are agreeing with or condoning this sign. We DO NOT agree with this sign or the people who wrote it. Our purpose for posting this blog is to give Christian parents the Biblical framework they need in order to have a thoughtful conversation with their kids about why posting a sign like this DOES NOT agree with what the Bible teaches. The ambiguity comes from the fact that this was not meant to be a blog on the topic but a list of conversation starters. Again we DO NOT AGREE with content of this sign or the posting of this sign.)

We’ve been hearing a lot in the news about churches posting negative signs about President Elect Obama. One reads “Obama, Osama, hmm, are they brothers?” It hit the news and the pastor said that he was just trying to get people thinking. A conversation starter of sorts.

We heard about the latest one from Rick Sanchez on CNN. A church put these words on a large marque sign outside the front of their church, “America we have a Muslim President, this is a sin against the Lord, Ex. 20:3.”

Needless to say, it’s causing a stir. Although we do not and cannot agree with or condone the sign, we at Christian Parenting Daily think that this news story can be a conversation starter for Christian parents and their older kids.

Here are some talking points:

The sign uses the Biblical reference Exodus 20:3 which is the second commandment “Do not worship any other God’s besides me.” Do you think that America has violated this command by electing Obama?

Jesus derided the religious/political leaders of his day because they claimed to be following God but were not. However, he used their own written teachings and a special revelation from God about what their heart’s looked like to confront them, not suspicion and hearsay. Do you see a difference here?

Next, Obama himself has repeatedly said that he is a Christian and not a Muslim. Many Christians feel that the church Obama attended for many years has some funny ideas but it’s still a Christian church. Some people believe that Obama cannot be a Christian because of his stand on issues such as abortion. What do you think?

Did you know that President Lincoln was a Christian when he was elected but it wasn’t until years later during the civil war that he really became passionate about prayer and his Faith in God? Do you think a person can be a Christian but still have wrong ideas or make mistakes?

How do you think this verse should apply to this situation? “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15)

The Apostle Paul wrote these words when the wicked emperor Nero was ruling the Roman Empire , “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1 – 4)

No matter who you voted for, Obama is now the President Elect. What do these inspired Bible verses penned by Paul show us that we should do now? Why?

Have a great discussion and remember it’s better and more effective to help your kids think through the issues critically and Biblically then it is tell them how to think.

Here’s the link to the news article and video on CNN.

God is trustworthy and faithful

When our children turn to God as their Father and begin to rely on his working in and with them, and in their lives, they need to know that he’s trustworthy and faithful.

It’s impossible to trust someone when you know nothing of his or her character, concern for you, or ability to deliver. To trust someone means that you know, without even having to think about it, that because of his or her character and love for you, that person will always act with your best interests in mind. You know that the person in question is trustworthy. It also means having the confidence that the person you trust is not only able to do what you’re trusting him or her to do but will do it – because that person is faithful. Read more

Kung Fu Panda

SYNOPSIS: When threatened by a evil Master Kung Fu snow leopard, the jungle animals call upon an inept panda to become their Dragon Warrior and save the Valley of Peace.

GENRES: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Kids/Family and Animation

TIME: 1 hr. 35 minutes

RATED: PG for sequences of martial arts action

 

 

OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE

(Recommended Age Group: 4+ years)

Okay, we got sucked in by the Kung Fu vortex. This movie is a lot of fun. We don’t recommend it for very small children (3 and under) because of all of the fighting. The fight scenes are a nice combination of serious fighting and cartoon fighting where no one seems to actually get hurt, however they are still quite intense.

One of the Tweeples on our Twitter feed said that he thought that the movie was Star Wars (the force) meets the Matrix, meets cartoon animals. Which brings up a great discussion topic for your family.

The core of this movie’s message is as follows:

• Everyone has a destiny or purpose
• Don’t try and be someone else, or follow someone else’s idea about your purpose
• Your purpose can be discovered through your dreams and desires
• You have what you need to realize your purpose
• You must believe all of this and believe in yourself
• You should apply yourself to the training and/or education that will prepare you
• You should listen to people who want to help you and ignore those who try and demean or discourage you
• You should always remember that character is more important than achievement

Sounds good! However, in typical Hollywood fashion, the person of God and the idea of his involvement in our creation, purpose and lives is completely missing. Without the concept of a personal, loving and involved God, most of these lessons don’t even make sense. How can each person in the world have a special destiny that reveals itself in their hearts and in their circumstances unless God is orchestrating all of that? This is a good discussion question for your older kids. Ask the question and get them thinking.

Here’s the same list anchored in what the Bible teaches:

• God has given everyone a destiny and purpose for life, for God’s Kingdom and for eternity
• Don’t try and be someone else, or follow someone else’s idea about your purpose. Talk to God daily about his purpose for you and follow him. There’s no need to envy because God didn’t make anyone better than anyone else just different.
• Your purpose can be discovered through your dreams and desires because God gifted you and equipped you for what he destined you to be. (In other words if God intended for you to be a musician, then when he made you he would have given you the appropriate gifts, personality type, desires etc to match.)
• God gave you what you need to realize your purpose and as you submit to him and follow him daily he will guide you there step by step.
• You must believe all of this and believe that God made you well, loves you and will guide you
• You should apply yourself to the training and/or education that will prepare you. Education and training are God’s ideas and he wants us to diligently apply ourselves to furthering the raw talents he’s given us trusting him to help us learn and grow
• You should listen to godly people who want to help you and ignore those who try and demean or discourage you
• You should always remember that godly character and knowing and following Christ is more important than achievement and things

Grab anyone of or several of these ideas (depending on your children’s age and attention span and start talking. Discussions or devotions of this type can be much more effective when you have something like a movie to bounce your discussion off of.

Here are a couple verses to help your family discussion on these topics:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you. (Psalm 139:13 – 18)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5 – 8)

Enjoy your Movie Devotions!

Speed Racer

SYNOPSIS: Story of Speed Racer, who’s Mach 5 vehicle can jump, go under water and clear trees. When he’s not racing, he’s battling villians with his girlfriend Trixie, kid brother Spritle and pet monkey Chim-Chim.

GENRES: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation

TIME: 2 hr. 15 minutes

RATED: PG for sequences of action, some violence, language and brief smoking.

 

 

OUR THOUGHTS ON THIS MOVIE

(Recommended Age Group: 10+ years)

We watched the movie ‘Speed Racer’ thinking it was a kids movie. We are very glad to announce that there were no young children present when this movie was reviewed. It is NOT a movie for kids under 10 years of age. If you watch it with your tweens, we suggest that you make mental notes as you watch and talk with them about it afterwards.

We don’t recommend this movie for children for many little things. Remember, we as Christian parents need to look beyond the surface method of using amounts of violence, nudity, scary stuff and swearing to measure its suitability. Speed Racer contains many little scenes and comments that promote non Biblical ideals and taken together they add up to trouble. For example the youngest boy in the movie is constantly doing what he wants to do without regard to what he’s told. The writer’s portrait this behavior as normal and cute and make the dad look bad for expecting him to actually obey.

We’d normally go further and provide you with ‘What The Bible Says About That’ discussion topics for you to use with your children but since we’re recommending you pass on this one for the kids we’re going to take this another direction.

We actually will recommend this movie to you, parents and young people who will one day become parents. Why? Well first of all, for those of us who are old enough to enjoy a movie while ignoring Hollywood’s lack of Biblical morality and Christian world view, it contains a parenting lesson that we’d like to push a little further.

In the movie the dad, played by John Goodman, has three sons all born about eight years apart. When his oldest son is basically an adult, he makes a decision about his life that dad really opposes. When dad realizes that he is no longer in control and that the son is set on this particular course, dad makes a classic mistake in a last ditch effort to turn things around. He basically says, “If you walk out that door, don’t ever come back.” Ouch!

We won’t tell you what happens (no spoilers here) but the results of dad’s ultimatum are disastrous and he does learn his lesson (in a well scripted way) before the end of the movie.

When our children are young they need discipline, direction, training and consistent boundaries that are all (for the sake of our children) loving but authoritative. When our children become teenagers, our role as parents must change. We need to gradually stop being authoritative and progressively (as they prove responsible) hand our children the control of their own lives. If we do it right, by the time they are ready to leave home, we should be in a supportive and advisory role only.

We may claim that we would never give our child such an ultimatum, but if we seek to control them as oppose to guide them, when they get to an age where they need us to help them make their own decisions, the result is the same. We will push them away from us.

The Bible teaches that children must “leave their parents” and become responsible adults in their own right. We must let go. The best way to accomplish this is to do it very gradually helping our children to mature and take over small bits of responsibility at a time. The process should start when they’re tweens and hopefully be complete before they leave home.

Continuing to use an authoritative parenting method on teenagers will always result in head butting and possibly, in the end, a parting of ways.

Jesus said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Once we are God’s children, our Heavenly Father commits to walk with us and help us grow up no matter what. God will never give us an ultimatum that makes us reject him. Love never gives up on someone. So even if we find ourselves at odds with or even extremely against something our older teens or young adults are choosing, shutting them out and attempting to use our affections as a method of controlling them will not work and is not right.

We need to follow God’s loving example and never withhold our love and support. We may need to gently make it clear that we don’t agree and explain why but then move on to let them know that we love them and will always be there for them no matter what.

Enjoy the movie and watch what happens to dear old dad in the end. If you’ve seen the movie then post a comment, if not come back and do it after you’ve seen it.

If you watch this with your tweens and teens spend some time talking about the above parenting lesson. It may be a great opportunity for both you and them to talk about the gradual shift of responsibility and authority. Your kids will always feel like they don’t have enough autonomy. Help them understand that no one gets more authority and freedom just because they want it but because they show themselves mature and responsible enough to handle it.

Study links exposure to sexual content with teen pregnancies

The RAND Health research staff conducted a study and concluded that teens who watched a high level of sexual content on television were twice as likely to experience a teen pregnancy.

As soon as this article hit the street, the media gobbled it up and it seems to be held up as some kind of break through.

While we here at Christian Parenting Daily applaud the study, the conclusions are not new. Solomon taught that we should guard our hearts with all diligence because our life will eventually reflect what we cultivated there. (Proverbs 4:23) One of the key points of Jesus’ teachings was that, who we are on the inside (our thoughts our conclusions, our beliefs) is what’s important because that’s who we are. Our behavior comes out of what’s in our hearts. (Luke 6:45) James taught that our actions are a direct result of the inner desires that we choose to cultivate. (James 1:14 – 16)

Another thing that we applaud the study for is that in it’s conclusion, it recommends that parents watch television with their children so that they can help guide them through what they see.

Here’s the short three step Christian parenting guide to helping your kids wade through the garbage constantly placed before them.

1. Limit your child’s exposure. If the television show or movie in question contains wrong ideas that they are not mature enough to navigate through and make right conclusions about, then they should not be watching it.

2. Take time to intentionally teach your children the Biblical view of sex. Make sure you don’t just tell them what to do and what not to do, but also teach them why God’s way works and the world’s doesn’t. There are a ton of helpful Christian resources out there that can help you with this.

3. As your child matures and is exposed to more, be sure that you’re there watching with them and discussing the content. In this way you help them to think through what they see and they learn to guard their own hearts with God’s truth.

You might want to discuss this study with your older kids, it’s a good way to get the conversation started or to keep it going.

Here’s the link to the Rand study.

CHRISTIAN PARENTING DAILY

God Understands

God understands. He will always listen, understand, and respond to our children, no matter what happens in their lives. God is always right there for them. He understands everything they feel and go through, and he’s always ready to encourage them to go forward, to give them wisdom, and to help them out. God is on their side.

The New Testament book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is fully sympathetic, understanding even the toughest things we go through because he also went through them. Sometimes we forget that Jesus was once a child and then a teenager. (The Bible even records a time when his parents didn’t understand him!) Jesus had to be obedient to his parents, go to school, do chores, and grow up in a community of friends, neighbors, and family. The single incident from Jesus’ childhood included in the Bible – something that happened when he was twelve years old – seems to have been recorded to show us that Jesus had to grow up just like everyone else. Read more

God is good

God is good, and therefore what he does is good. Our children should understand that God created them for good things. His desire is to be good to our children, to give them good things, and to teach them and help them so that they can have a good life. God isn’t a mean and angry God: he’s good, kind, and loving, and he acts accordingly.

The Lord God is like the sun that gives us light. He is like a shield that keeps us safe. The Lord blesses us with favor and honor. He doesn’t hold back anything good from those whose lives are without blame. (Psalm 84:11)

Lord, you are good. You are forgiving. You are full of love for all who call out to you. (Psalm 86:5)

You are good, and what you do is good. (Psalm 119:68) Read more